Project 3 Volunteer Log
Eckerd College
Name of Organization: Eckerd College Resident Advisor Program
Location of Organization: Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL
Volunteer Opportunity: RA assistant? :)
Review of Volunteering
What did you do?: Helped my RA with various projects, such as decorating the message boards in my dorm
When did you do it?: This weekend (12/01/08)
What did you learn?: It's hard to be an RA! You have to organize so many things with the few resources granted by the college. The program only gets so much money every year.
What are your future plans?: I am still working on helping my RA with her cigarette disposal program.
Interview: www.entertonement.com/clips/45056/Project-Three-Interview
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Reflect and Action Plan
So far I have completed only the rhetorical analysis. I feel like I picked four at least semi-decent modes that relate to my project. I picked these four because all of them have something to do with either money or college life. For example, the John Harvard statue reflects how almost regal Harvard is. Harvard is like the king of higher education; therefor it costs a good amount of money and money is mostly what my project is about.
ACTION PLAN
1. Figure out when we are putting the cigarette receptacles out
2. Do interview with Crystal over Thanksgiving break
ACTION PLAN
1. Figure out when we are putting the cigarette receptacles out
2. Do interview with Crystal over Thanksgiving break
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Reading Reviews
My favorite reading this semester was the selection from The Bell Jar. I have always wanted to read this book, but have never gotten around to doing it. I think this reading appealed to me the most, because I have also always had an interest in crazy people. The heroine, Esther, is obviously somewhat crazy in that she desperatly wishes to lose her virginity. Yet she is not as crazy as some of her friends, one of which commits suicide. This reading made me think about why she was in the hospital at all and whether or not she would get out.
However I did not enjoy the selection from On The Road. It obviously didn't stike me in the heart because I don't really remember exactly what it was about. It didn't make much sense to be and I found it kinda of abstract. Which it was probably supposed to be abstract, but I didn't get what the underlying point was.
However I did not enjoy the selection from On The Road. It obviously didn't stike me in the heart because I don't really remember exactly what it was about. It didn't make much sense to be and I found it kinda of abstract. Which it was probably supposed to be abstract, but I didn't get what the underlying point was.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Analysis
Movie-Animal House
Animal House is a movie that parodies college life. It was made in 1978 and was one of the first films in the "gross-out" genre, movies with slapstick or distasteful humor. This genre is typically targeted at the 18-30 age range and appeals mostly to college students and teenagers. The main plot is about two freshmen, Larry and Kent, and their adventures with the Delta fraternity, based off of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity at Dartmouth College. It was produced on a very small budget and was not given high expectations, but instead became one of the highest grossing films of all time.
This movie relates into my subject in that it depicts some of the differences between fraternities, who are usually partly funded by the school. Obviously the Delta fraternity is much more run down than the Omega fraternity and the school pays less attention to them (unless they're in trouble). The movie also employs the three elements of ethos, pathos and logos. When the Delta fraternity takes in Kent and Larry, even though they are obviously losers, this displays ethos. The boys are down on their luck, but Delta takes them in. Boon and Katy's relationship is like roller coaster. They claim to be in love, but they are often fighting and then making up. The audience wants them to succeed, bringing out the pathos in the film. Finally, at the end of the movie, it is stated that Bluto, the laziest Delta of all, becomes a US senator. This displays logos in that you can party in school and still be somebody after. You learn more from your experiences than from your classes.
Art-The John Harvard statue
The John Harvard statue represents Harvard, one of the most elitist and expensive schools in the country. It is a tribute to John Harvard, the man the school is named after. It can appeal to any age group, but probably appeals the most to those who know the school or the Boston and Cambridge area. Ethos is displayed in the regalness of the statue. It is distinguished and sets a standard for the Harvard community. Seeing the statue could recover memories from past students, which is pathos. The logos of the statues is the most interesting. There are three facts about the statue and all are untrue. The statue does not accurately depict John Harvard; the artist based the work off of a student. John Harvard is also not the founder of the college, he simply donated a large amount of money. And the school was also founded in 1936, not 1938 as the statue says.
Song-College Kids by Relient K
College Kids is a song by the band Relient K aimed a young adults. The song describes through its lyrics the troubles of college students. Like, "I'm poor, I'm starving, I'm flat broke, I've got no cash to spend". The song relates to my subject with lyrics like "80 grand later I found that all that I had learned is that you should show up and take your finals and midterms", which is also logs. What the song is trying to say is that students spend a lot of money and in the long run it may not get you anywhere. Students come out of college in debt. The ethos and pathos elements are also displayed in the lyrics. Ethos is "do what will make God happy, do what you feel is right, only but one thing matters, learn how to live your life". "Call it torture, call it university, someone please save us" brings out some emotion with pathos.
Book-Fraternity a short story by Dan Chaon
This book portrays the aftermath in a fraternity, a college program, after their president, Cal, is injured in a car crash. It depicts the feelings the new president, Hap, has about losing his best friend and the fraternities leader. The audience is mostly college students or professors, but could also be read by a general audience. After Cal's incident, Hap takes over as president but he is not happy. He gets drunk almost every night and then starts to pretend he is drunk. He is unsure about where life is taking him and whether he is running the fraternity well. This is the ethos in the story. The pathos comes in when Hal and some of the other frat members go to visit Cal and his mother at their home. Cal has brain damage and is essentially "dead". He doesn't remember his friends. This also plays into the logos in that Cal is permanently damaged and cannot come back.
Animal House is a movie that parodies college life. It was made in 1978 and was one of the first films in the "gross-out" genre, movies with slapstick or distasteful humor. This genre is typically targeted at the 18-30 age range and appeals mostly to college students and teenagers. The main plot is about two freshmen, Larry and Kent, and their adventures with the Delta fraternity, based off of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity at Dartmouth College. It was produced on a very small budget and was not given high expectations, but instead became one of the highest grossing films of all time.
This movie relates into my subject in that it depicts some of the differences between fraternities, who are usually partly funded by the school. Obviously the Delta fraternity is much more run down than the Omega fraternity and the school pays less attention to them (unless they're in trouble). The movie also employs the three elements of ethos, pathos and logos. When the Delta fraternity takes in Kent and Larry, even though they are obviously losers, this displays ethos. The boys are down on their luck, but Delta takes them in. Boon and Katy's relationship is like roller coaster. They claim to be in love, but they are often fighting and then making up. The audience wants them to succeed, bringing out the pathos in the film. Finally, at the end of the movie, it is stated that Bluto, the laziest Delta of all, becomes a US senator. This displays logos in that you can party in school and still be somebody after. You learn more from your experiences than from your classes.
Art-The John Harvard statue
The John Harvard statue represents Harvard, one of the most elitist and expensive schools in the country. It is a tribute to John Harvard, the man the school is named after. It can appeal to any age group, but probably appeals the most to those who know the school or the Boston and Cambridge area. Ethos is displayed in the regalness of the statue. It is distinguished and sets a standard for the Harvard community. Seeing the statue could recover memories from past students, which is pathos. The logos of the statues is the most interesting. There are three facts about the statue and all are untrue. The statue does not accurately depict John Harvard; the artist based the work off of a student. John Harvard is also not the founder of the college, he simply donated a large amount of money. And the school was also founded in 1936, not 1938 as the statue says.
Song-College Kids by Relient K
College Kids is a song by the band Relient K aimed a young adults. The song describes through its lyrics the troubles of college students. Like, "I'm poor, I'm starving, I'm flat broke, I've got no cash to spend". The song relates to my subject with lyrics like "80 grand later I found that all that I had learned is that you should show up and take your finals and midterms", which is also logs. What the song is trying to say is that students spend a lot of money and in the long run it may not get you anywhere. Students come out of college in debt. The ethos and pathos elements are also displayed in the lyrics. Ethos is "do what will make God happy, do what you feel is right, only but one thing matters, learn how to live your life". "Call it torture, call it university, someone please save us" brings out some emotion with pathos.
Book-Fraternity a short story by Dan Chaon
This book portrays the aftermath in a fraternity, a college program, after their president, Cal, is injured in a car crash. It depicts the feelings the new president, Hap, has about losing his best friend and the fraternities leader. The audience is mostly college students or professors, but could also be read by a general audience. After Cal's incident, Hap takes over as president but he is not happy. He gets drunk almost every night and then starts to pretend he is drunk. He is unsure about where life is taking him and whether he is running the fraternity well. This is the ethos in the story. The pathos comes in when Hal and some of the other frat members go to visit Cal and his mother at their home. Cal has brain damage and is essentially "dead". He doesn't remember his friends. This also plays into the logos in that Cal is permanently damaged and cannot come back.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Vogler 10
Vogler, Christopher. The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. 3rd ed. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2007. 231-290.
Summary
In this very long section, Vogler “looks back on the journey” and discusses how the journey is used in various films. Before he begins, he makes sure that the reader understands that the hero’s journey is only a guideline for stories and that they don’t always need to follow these strict rules. He also says that typically these stories are a “metaphor for life”.
Vogler starts with his analysis of the movie Titanic. He talks about how the Titanic story was sure to fail. It takes place in an era long ago about an event that the whole world is not familiar with. However, the movie ended up being a big success, and became a huge part of pop culture. Titanic follows the hero’s journey guidelines for the most part. It has two story lines going on at the same time; that of Old Rose, an older version of one of the main characters, and the events on the actual ship. Both of the heroes, Jack and Rose, start out in their ordinary world. Jack has won his tickets and is ready and eager to start on an adventure while Rose is hesitant. Rose feels captive to her family’s wishes. Vogler says that this, along with many other ways, makes Jack and Rose “polar opposites” and helps to add to the meaning of the film. Each character goes through each stage of the hero’s journey, as Vogler explains in much detail. Vogler also discusses the abundant symbolism in the story, most of which come from the “Heart of the Ocean” jewelry piece that belongs to Rose. It symbolizes the love that Jack and Rose shared on a ship on the ocean. It serves as a reminder to Rose and when she throws it off the ship she is allowing herself to let go and move on.
Next, Vogler goes into the movie The Lion King. First he “toots his own horn” and tells the reader how involved he was in the project. Then he discusses how the story came to be. Again, the filmmakers were worried about how the audience would react, but like the Titanic it came to be a huge success. The story is largely based on Hamlet, and has a lot of father-son elements involved. The story also follows the hero’s journey pretty closely. Simba, being the hero, has a mentor in Rafiki, Timon, and Pumba and his uncle Scar serves as the shadow of the story. His elixir is kingship. Vogler says that the story resonated with the audience so much because it shows the challenges of growing up, which everyone can relate to.
Vogler also briefly mentions the film The Full Monty, which also follows the basic hero’s journey format. A man (Gaz) trying to win back the trust of his son decides to put on a show with his friends. They all experience their own downfalls, but in the end everything turns out alright and each man has found his elixir. Vogler incorporates the themes in the Star Wars series into his hero’s journey as well. Vogler sums it up pretty well in this quote, “It entered the language of pop culture, providing useful metaphors, symbols, and phrases that expressed how we all feel about good and evil, technology and faith”.
While all these movies pretty much follow the standard pattern, Vogler discusses one movie which does not: Pulp Fiction. Pulp Fiction is about several different heroes that are all on their own journey. They each go through the different stages, but at different times. The movie is also mixed up as to the order of events. For example, Vincent dies at one point during the film, but a later scene depicts him doing being involved in something that happened before he died. In this way, the film creates a sort of resurrection for Vincent. The film creates odd situations like this one throughout.
Reaction
I felt this was a very interesting section and I enjoyed reading it. Although I have not seen all of these films, I did not notice many of the things that Vogler talked about when I saw the ones I did see. Looking back and thinking about these films, a lot of the things he says make sense and I see a deeper meaning in the movies. Although I liked The Lion King, I feel like it is not very original, as it just follows the same story as Hamlet and stays true to the hero’s journey path. I prefer movies that are more complex, like Pulp Fiction, and make the audience think a little bit. Pulp Fiction, while I haven’t seen it, reminds me a bit of the movie Memento. Memento is a bit different in that the story is played backwards; each scene ends with the beginning of the scene before it. This leaves the audience guessing and literally trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. That is more my type of movie.
Questions
1. Do you like stories that “stick to the path” of the hero’s journey and are straight forward or do you think it’s more useful to get the audience involved by mixing up the pieces?
2. Why do you think that Disney often uses the hero’s journey model? They don’t usually change it up.
3. If a movie doesn’t “connect” with the audience can it still be a good movie?
Summary
In this very long section, Vogler “looks back on the journey” and discusses how the journey is used in various films. Before he begins, he makes sure that the reader understands that the hero’s journey is only a guideline for stories and that they don’t always need to follow these strict rules. He also says that typically these stories are a “metaphor for life”.
Vogler starts with his analysis of the movie Titanic. He talks about how the Titanic story was sure to fail. It takes place in an era long ago about an event that the whole world is not familiar with. However, the movie ended up being a big success, and became a huge part of pop culture. Titanic follows the hero’s journey guidelines for the most part. It has two story lines going on at the same time; that of Old Rose, an older version of one of the main characters, and the events on the actual ship. Both of the heroes, Jack and Rose, start out in their ordinary world. Jack has won his tickets and is ready and eager to start on an adventure while Rose is hesitant. Rose feels captive to her family’s wishes. Vogler says that this, along with many other ways, makes Jack and Rose “polar opposites” and helps to add to the meaning of the film. Each character goes through each stage of the hero’s journey, as Vogler explains in much detail. Vogler also discusses the abundant symbolism in the story, most of which come from the “Heart of the Ocean” jewelry piece that belongs to Rose. It symbolizes the love that Jack and Rose shared on a ship on the ocean. It serves as a reminder to Rose and when she throws it off the ship she is allowing herself to let go and move on.
Next, Vogler goes into the movie The Lion King. First he “toots his own horn” and tells the reader how involved he was in the project. Then he discusses how the story came to be. Again, the filmmakers were worried about how the audience would react, but like the Titanic it came to be a huge success. The story is largely based on Hamlet, and has a lot of father-son elements involved. The story also follows the hero’s journey pretty closely. Simba, being the hero, has a mentor in Rafiki, Timon, and Pumba and his uncle Scar serves as the shadow of the story. His elixir is kingship. Vogler says that the story resonated with the audience so much because it shows the challenges of growing up, which everyone can relate to.
Vogler also briefly mentions the film The Full Monty, which also follows the basic hero’s journey format. A man (Gaz) trying to win back the trust of his son decides to put on a show with his friends. They all experience their own downfalls, but in the end everything turns out alright and each man has found his elixir. Vogler incorporates the themes in the Star Wars series into his hero’s journey as well. Vogler sums it up pretty well in this quote, “It entered the language of pop culture, providing useful metaphors, symbols, and phrases that expressed how we all feel about good and evil, technology and faith”.
While all these movies pretty much follow the standard pattern, Vogler discusses one movie which does not: Pulp Fiction. Pulp Fiction is about several different heroes that are all on their own journey. They each go through the different stages, but at different times. The movie is also mixed up as to the order of events. For example, Vincent dies at one point during the film, but a later scene depicts him doing being involved in something that happened before he died. In this way, the film creates a sort of resurrection for Vincent. The film creates odd situations like this one throughout.
Reaction
I felt this was a very interesting section and I enjoyed reading it. Although I have not seen all of these films, I did not notice many of the things that Vogler talked about when I saw the ones I did see. Looking back and thinking about these films, a lot of the things he says make sense and I see a deeper meaning in the movies. Although I liked The Lion King, I feel like it is not very original, as it just follows the same story as Hamlet and stays true to the hero’s journey path. I prefer movies that are more complex, like Pulp Fiction, and make the audience think a little bit. Pulp Fiction, while I haven’t seen it, reminds me a bit of the movie Memento. Memento is a bit different in that the story is played backwards; each scene ends with the beginning of the scene before it. This leaves the audience guessing and literally trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. That is more my type of movie.
Questions
1. Do you like stories that “stick to the path” of the hero’s journey and are straight forward or do you think it’s more useful to get the audience involved by mixing up the pieces?
2. Why do you think that Disney often uses the hero’s journey model? They don’t usually change it up.
3. If a movie doesn’t “connect” with the audience can it still be a good movie?
Friday, November 7, 2008
Four Modes
Film- Animal House
Artwork- The John Harvard statue
Song-Another Brick in the Wall Part II-Pink Floyd or College Kids-Relient K
Book-The Virginity Club
Artwork- The John Harvard statue
Song-Another Brick in the Wall Part II-Pink Floyd or College Kids-Relient K
Book-The Virginity Club
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