Vague (and not necessarily unified) rambles regarding simulation.

When approaching this assignment, my mind was immediately drawn to subjective nature of interpretation. My first thought was of my home town; how would my simulation of my hometown differ from my mother’s or my brother’s simulation? My mother didn’t grow up in the town and she didn’t work there, either. Her interactions with Hartselle existed strictly in the nightlife when her husband wanted to go out for dinner. My brother didn’t attend the high school, didn’t have friends in town, and left when things got boring. I, however, was left without a car and thrust into a brand new social circle with no knowledge of how things work. After at least a year of fumbling in the metaphorical darkness, I built an intimate knowledge of local hotspots, places to avoid, and overall “fun” areas in the Hartselle area. My family has none of this knowledge. If asked to create a simulation of the town, I would have an intricate web of zones, color coded and labeled to be easy to read. My mother and brother would have a map of the interstate leading out of town.

Moving farther out of the reality, I wondered how individuals of a fantasy world would depict their own environment. Thinking of Middle Earth, I realized that there could be no one true simulation. If you ask the dwarves to simulate Middle Earth, you would receive a detailed depiction of mineral veins, gem deposits, and underground fortresses dotted around the subterranean landscape. They would have pirate map-esque warnings of “Danger in the tunnels” and “Beware the silver tongued elves.” The map would be lacking in “superfluous” details; nothing but essential information would be included in the maps. Also, the maps themselves would be built to withstand the tumultuous environment of the underground mines. Juxtaposing this industrially efficient mindset, the elves would have a sprawling map of the entire land mass; their map would have geographical landmarks, constructed cities, and hidden messages interwoven into the very fabric of the map. The images would be elegant, detailed, and often decorative.

This isn’t anywhere near being a finished thought process, but I have to submit this now. Woohoo.

Oh, yeah. A map. Here's Middle Earth: http://blog.lefigaro.fr/hightech/middle-earth-map.jpg

The Looming Signs of Tradition

The Looming Signs of Tradition

Signs of tradition are present on every university's campus around the globe; these signs, however, are not universal and convey many different messages to the individuals who observe them. For a small college such as Montevallo, students are subtly influenced by inconspicuous signifiers. The bricks that form our roads, for example, form a subtle but complex image of cohesiveness and functional tradition. This small town atmosphere is directly contrasted with larger universities such as the University of Alabama. On a campus such as UA's, the signs become far less subtle and much larger in size. Most of UA's tradition lies in its prestigious football program; when one thinks of football traditions, one imagines loud, boisterous events that overwhelm the senses with as much pride as possible. Similarly, UA's signs of tradition are large and practically shout their meaning at passersby. Two iconic images of tradition on the campus are Bryant-Denny Stadium and Denny Chimes. These two signs encompass the mindset of tradition on the football-enthused campus.

Bryant-Denny Stadium, the multi-tiered home of Alabama football, dominates the Tuscaloosa skyline. One cannot walk on UA's campus without seeing the stadium peeking over the academic buildings. The arena serves as a constant reminder of the sports driven tradition revered by the residents of Tuscaloosa. The stadium serves several symbolic purposes. First, it enforces football's dominance over all other sports at the University of Alabama. Though the other sports are important, the university has not built a basketball arena or soccer field to match the grandeur of the football stadium. The sheer size of the arena overshadows the other sporting locations, both literally and figuratively. Secondly, the size of the stadium enforces the importance of the football tradition as a whole. When one looks upon the stadium, its purpose as a football arena comes to mind immediately. Thus, an individual's first thought is of football and the often cited winning tradition of the Alabama football program. The interpretation of this dominant icon varies from person to person, but, to those who enjoy the sport, the stadium serves as a beacon of tradition among the smaller, less impressive buildings. To an individual who disapproves of the football program, the looming stadium is an icon of oppression and favoritism. To many dissenters, the football program promotes preferential treatment of athletes and a drastic underfunding of essential education programs. For those opposing the football program, the largeness of the stadium becomes a sign of unbalanced priorities and an unnecessary division of the university's assets. Though the stadium is often polarizing in interpretation, it remains a prominent sign for the university.

One of the most prominent structures on UA's campus is Denny Chimes, the 115-foot tall bell tower that sounds every hour. The bell tower stands as a lonely monolith on the university's main quad. The primary thoroughfare of foot traffic passes right beside the tower, which prevents individuals on campus from ignoring the building. The tower's namesake, George H. Denny, was a bastion of growth for the university; under his presidency from 1912 to 1936, UA saw a drastic increase in student enrollment and a similarly drastic increase in the size of campus. Denny Chimes represents the dedication to growth that is inherent to the university. The size of campus and the amount of facilities available to students is ever growing, and this trend began under the tenure of George H. Denny; it's only fitting that his name adorns a dominating structure at the center of campus. The academically driven sign is not immune to the influence of the football program, however. The concrete slabs at the base of the bell tower are covered in hand and footprints from previous football team captains. Each year, the team captains imprint their hands, feet, and signatures in the concrete; this tradition has existed since 1947. This area of history, named “The Walk of Champions,” is getting larger with each passing year. The football tradition encroaches closer and closer to the academic buildings surrounding the quad. For the supporters of Alabama football, this sign has a positive connotation. The tradition of football is moving towards the strong academic tradition, closing the ever present gap between academics and sports. For the naysayer, however, the steady extension of these slabs is just another siege upon the academic tradition of the university. The athletes are appropriating the walkways and threaten to overtake the paths of knowledge by clogging the gap between athletics and academics with a wall of athletic superiority. The history of Denny Chimes allows for a positive, academically oriented interpretation of the looming monolith, but the overwhelming athletic tradition surrounding the tower provides a source of contention between viewers.

The signs of tradition at the University of Alabama represent a dichotomy of thought on the campus. The academic and athletic traditions are strong at the university, but the extreme dedication to athletics drives a division between the population of Tuscaloosa. The signs of these traditions are larger than life, and, because of their enormous sizes, cause viewers to actively participate in the traditions they represent. The stadium and the bell tower loom over campus, casting their shadows over all of campus; students actively walk through the shadows of tradition any time they walk near these constructs. Tradition is ever-present on campus; whether an individual agrees or disagrees with the inherent meaning of the sign, there is nothing one can do to avoid the images themselves. Each sign has a plethora of meanings, but the root of each meaning lies with tradition.  

Image Analysis

This iconic photo from the Vietnam War, taken by AP photographer Nick Ut, depicts the brutal and heart-wrenching aftermath of an allied napalm strike near a native Vietnamese village. The photo shocked the U.S. public, sending waves of horror and discontent rushing through the already disgusted citizens. For those opposing the war on foreign soil, Ut's photo bolstered the already established animosities toward the U.S. government. However, President Richard Nixon and other government officials doubted the authenticity of the photo: “I'm wondering if that was fixed” (Collins), expressed the president to one of his advisers. The photo's authenticity has been confirmed; the young girl in the photo, Phan Thị Kim Phúc, survived the attack and has advocated her story over the last thirty years.

• Phan Thi Kim Phúc, though situated in the mid-ground of the photo, is the obvious focal point of the black and white image. Her nudity contrasts with the various states of half and full dress of the individuals surrounding her. She stands upright and with her arms outstretched; the image is reminiscent of Christ upon the cross which lends a holy innocence to the young girl mutilated by the atrocities of war. Nick Ut's use of Kim Phúc's tortured visage as the focal point of the photo drives home the image's powerful condemnation of the Vietnamese War as a bloody conflict that endangered the lives of innocents.
• Ut's full photo, not the cropped version featured in most newspapers of the time, features several South-Vietnamese soldiers behind and to the right of Kim Phúc. These soldiers are cold and unresponsive to the screaming children around them. Their faces are set in stern masks of unfeeling determination; these men have been hardened by the war raging in their country. The men seem accustomed to such terrible scenes of destruction, which indicates to viewers that the napalming of Trang Bang was not the first time the men had witnessed such gruesome murder.
• A striking aspect of Ut's photo is the spine-chilling expressions on the faces of the fleeing children. The oldest child seems to be Kim Phúc, while the youngest child seems barely old enough to run. All children have some form of shock, terror, or pain openly displayed in both their expressions and body stances. All five children are running away from the looming black cloud left by the napalm strike; the terror and pain is so clear that viewers empathize and feel great sympathy for the afflicted children. The wide range of distress expressed by the children further condemn the over-zealous and destructive tactics employed during the Vietnam War.
• The ominous black cloud of smoke dominating the background of the photo serves as an appropriate backdrop for the terrifying scene. The cloud obscures the village and the destruction left behind by the fiery napalm explosion. The cloud forms the background of the image, which serves as a metaphor for destruction as whole; the terrors committed in Vietnam by the United States are projected upon a background of fiery destruction that consumes soldier and innocent citizen alike. Outsiders witness only the aftermath of war, not the wounds delivered behind the cloud of war.
• The use of black and white film forces viewers into a sense of contemplation towards the photo. The lack of color allows viewers to project their own images of warfare onto the photo; viewers might add fiery tinges to the smoke, darkened flesh to those burned by the napalm, and dark official greens to the uniforms of the South-Vietnamese soldiers. This strategy by Ut prevents a passive viewing of the photo by forcing viewers to imagine the realities of war. Viewers contribute their own impressions of war and destruction to the startling depiction of innocent victims.

Banksy, an anonymous graffiti artist and political activist, is known for his striking images dripping with social condemnation. Banksy has graffitied surfaces around the globe, but his art is located primarily in London and New York City. The elusive artist comments on all aspects of society, ranging from increased poverty in third world countries to military brutality on foreign soil. His pieces are usually found in public locations, painted large and in clear view for passersby. Banksy is adamant that his social criticisms be seen by as many people as possible; he went so far as to partner with the Museum of Bristol to establish a three week exhibit of his more physical art pieces. The above painting is one of Banksy's early pieces; it was not featured on a public surface for the general public. It was produced on paper and spread by physical copies and online scans. The original image could not be traced at this time.

• The image of the young Vietnamese girl is directly taken from Nick Ut's Pulitzer Prize winning photo from the Vietnamese War. Banksy is hearkening back to a time of political unrest in the United States; his goal is to get viewers to remember the tumultuous atmosphere surrounding America at the time the photo was taken. Banksy often uses iconic images to garner an immediate response from viewers; the use of such an iconic symbol of brutal warfare during the American War on Terror is not an unconscious decision. The artist is drawing parallels between the current American war and the previous overseas engagement.
• Mickey Mouse is an instantly recognizable icon of popular culture in America; the mouse has received a celebrity status and is known all across the globe. The pairing of a prominent entertainment figure with an iconic image of wartime destruction paints an unflattering image of the American superpower. Banksy is insinuating that the American entertainment industry romanticizes the brutality of war with a wide grin and open arms. The jovial stride of Mickey Mouse shows no signs of slowing down; Hollywood and the entire entertainment industry will continue to glorify and romanticize the American war machine in foreign countries.
• Similar to Mickey Mouse, Ronald McDonald is a widely known icon of American society. Ronald McDonald, however, is a symbol of America's rampant consumerism. In the context of Banksy's painting, this consumerism is cast in a drastically negative light. When coupled with the images of Mickey Mouse and Kim Phúc, the implication becomes far more condemning; American citizens unbiasedly consume the glorification of war produced by the entertainment industry. The clown representing the global fast food industry is waving, unashamedly professing his connection with and love for the terrors of war.
• Upon closer inspection, the hands of Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald provide a deeper and more sinister understanding of Banksy's message. Mickey Mouse's hand has the young victim's arm clutched in an iron grip; the burned and terribly injured girl has no hope of escaping the grip of the pop-icon's large fist. Mickey is forcing the injured girl into servitude while furthering his own agenda through exploitation of the weak. Ronald McDonald places an open hand behind the young girl's other arm. McDonald is guiding the girl forward, aiding Mickey in the girl's forced servitude. The two work together to enslave the weak and utilize her chilling message to their own benefit.
• The lack of color in Banksy's image is a conscious decision by the artist to both simulate the original image's color scheme and add his own meaning into the painting. By imitating the original gray scale color scheme of the original photo, Banksy maintains the same messages found in Nick Ut's image. However, his addition of the black and white Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald injects his own message to the mix; the colorless popular icons drain all lightheartedness from the image. The two figures become sinister and drained of positive personalities. Their sinister personalities are amplified by removing all iconic colors from their original designs. This furthers Banksy's
  condemnation of the American triumvirate of war, entertainment, and consumerism.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phan_Thi_Kim_Phuc

http://jamaispasdutoutrien.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/nape3.jpg

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/02/28/politics/main502490.shtml

Life is a Speck

Life is a Speck

Samuel Beckett's absurdist play, Endgame, presents a view into the lives of four survivors who go about their daily routines in an attempt to hold on to a shred of their former normality. Interspersed throughout this routine is a series of lengthy conversations that reveal the true bleakness of the post-apocalyptic environment raging outside the relative comfort of the shelter. Among these conversations is a speech delivered by Hamm, the blind and cynical man who dominates most of the dialogue, that expresses his inner feelings of insignificance. Hamm states that he, as well as his fellow survivors, is “a speck in the void” (Beckett 2954); this metaphor shows that Hamm sees himself as a miniscule entity in the vastness of the universe. The metaphor does not end there, however. The feeling of insecurity extends farther into Hamm's psyche by manifesting his views on blindness and his isolation in the ravaged world into one concise image. The metaphor is Hamm's bitter, three-pronged criticism of the world that provides audiences with an insight into the mind of the angry survivor.

Hamm's speech begins abruptly, catching the audience off guard with his sudden surge of dialogue. He delivers the speech quickly and without preparation; the sudden genesis of the speech implies that Hamm's feelings of isolation in the universe are constantly bubbling inside him, waiting only for the opportune moment to be expressed. The metaphor of being a “speck” parallels Hamm's belief that humanity and, in a direct extension of thought, the earth are merely a tiny ball of dust in the infinity of the cosmic void. This belief of insignificance is the tenor of Hamm's metaphor, while the vehicle is the speck of dust swirling in the infinite darkness. Hamm's reality is defined by these very polarizing images; he sees the world in terms of large and small, light and dark, and futile and fruitful. Hamm's metaphor does not end with just his own reality, however; by including the entirety of the world in the image, Hamm extends the insignificance of life the consciousnesses of his fellow survivors. He is not the only speck of dust floating in the void, but adding three other specks does little to diminish his feelings of insecurity.

The metaphor of isolation in the dark implies Hamm's feelings of insignificance in the universe; however, the image extends farther into Hamm's mind than the feelings of futility. Hamm is a blind individual and, knowing that, the concept of “infinite emptiness” (2954) becomes vastly more revealing. Hamm's audience knows of his disability and would be aware of the implication of an infinite darkness. Hamm lives his entire life in this isolation, knowing only the memories of sight and the sounds of the people he now spends every moment with. His consciousness and his thoughts are his metaphorical “speck in the void” (2954). Through his various speeches, Hamm attempts to shape the void around him, trying to provide more substance to the darkness. However, as his metaphor in this speech attests, nothing he can say or do can overcome the emptiness of his blindness. No manner of speech or no way of acting can reverse the damage done to his eyes. Hamm will remain a mere speck in his own physical void for the rest of his life.

In the same speech, Hamm compounds upon the isolation metaphor. He states that he and his fellow survivors are a “little bit of grit in the middle of the steppe” (2954). This addition to the metaphor adds the final layer to the overall image; Hamm's shelter is a miniscule dot in the maelstrom of post-apocalyptic nothingness raging outside the four, thin walls. Saying that the shelter is a “bit of grit” adds texture to the image Hamm is attempting to conjure; this added texture transforms the previous image of a “speck” into a physical representation of isolation. The steppe in Hamm's image is a reflection of the flat nothingness that Clov observes every day as he looks out the windows. Though the image of human perseverance in the face of apocalyptic destruction would usually be seen as a positive, Hamm spins the metaphor into a bleak and unforgiving image of the futility of human perseverance. Hamm is speaking to three other survivors; his audience is aware of the bleak conditions surrounding the shelter. The knowledge of the outside world compounds the hopeless image for Hamm's audience; their own experiences add a sense of reality to their isolation. Hamm knows this and uses these strong images of isolation to further drag his audience into believing his cynical view of life in the wasteland.

Hamm's metaphor of isolation after the destruction of society has numerous layers that depict both his inner thoughts of insignificance and his thoughts on his physical isolation from the outside world. Hamm uses these metaphors to force his world view upon his audience; he places emphasis upon the images of isolation as he growls out his speech. His audience is forced to listen to his ramblings. They are all isolated from the outside world and only have each other for company. In this case, Hamm's image of isolation in the “infinite emptiness” (2954) is accurate and further strengthens his arguments. Hamm's well constructed metaphors of isolation and insignificance are hard to deny, especially for an audience who is trapped in a post-apocalyptic shelter surrounded by the remnants of society.

Hamm's speech: http://youtu.be/nLgd1viQ9hs?t=6m25s The speech continues until 7:57. 

Rhetorical Lexicon

Literacy    

          Literacy is most commonly defined as “the ability to read and write.” In other contexts, being literate correlates with one's familiarity of the subject he/she is discussing. A great number of classical rhetoricians, such as Socrates, were illiterate and relied solely on their talents of oration and knowledge of rhetorical strategies to carry their debates and win complex court cases. It wasn't until Plato documented Socrates' speeches and lectures that classical rhetoricians had a presence in the written word. In modern times, literacy is a necessary attribute to function in everyday life. However, the introduction of social media networks, such as Facebook, has severely diminished the prominence of well-constructed and well considered arguments in the public forum. With the invention of the internet, the ability to provide one's opinion has become more readily available to the common person. As a result, social media platforms are steeped in uneducated and unedited arguments, usually rife with grammatical errors and factual discrepancies. Buried in this landslide of unintelligible bickering, the rare individual emerges who forms an argument with concise wording and the authority of one who has planned his/her arguments before publishing them to the viewing public. These uninformed and haphazard opinions were certainly common in the time of the classical rhetoricians; however, the public had no way of presenting or publishing these opinions to the more educated scholars. In antiquity, one had to study diligently and for many years to obtain the ability and the right to express their opinions in such a public setting. Today, a stable internet connection and a functioning keyboard are all one needs to address the public.

        The social networking platform “Twitter” restricts the thoughts of users to a mere 140 characters. This restriction has created a dichotomy among its users. Some users utilize the restriction as a personal challenge to create the most poignant and concise depiction of their thoughts and opinions. In direct opposition to this mindset, most users merely condense their words into abbreviations and their sentences into incoherent fragments. One must then become “Twitter literate” in order to decipher the cluster of consonants thrust into public view. Though not literacy in the classical sense, Twitter literacy has become a form of modern rhetoric. Plato and Aristotle's complex arguments and extended debates of antiquity have been replaced by the current generation's “texting lingo.” This isn't to say that literacy in modern rhetoric is a thing of the past. Twitter literacy has only joined the ranks of classical and modern literacy, not eradicated them from public knowledge. Twitter isn't the medium used for elaborate, complex, and well-planned strings of thought. Individuals on Twitter who seek to pose extended thoughts have to do so in sporadic bursts of 140 characters or fewer. For lengthier and better planned discussions, sites like tumblr and blogger have developed without character limits for text posts. The sites also feature a comment section, which fosters discussion on the original poster's published content. While literacy has become muddled and fallen from common use on most social media platforms, there are still remnants of literacy on the internet.

       Example of literacy(or the degradation of literacy) in digital media: http://www.failtweet.org/

Orality

      Orality is the concept of a strictly oral argument, discussion, or way of life. In modern digital media, orality is abundant. News broadcasts, television shows, radio broadcasts, and podcasts are all modern inventions that rely strictly upon spoken word. Newscasts feature scrolling text at the bottom of the television screen, but the bulk of the information is relayed through only the broadcaster's voice. The oral tradition compliments the modern life style perfectly; listening to news and entertainment allows individuals to do work while also being entertained or informed. The hectic lifestyle of the modern individual benefits from having a quick and easy way to stay informed on current events.

The social media platform YouTube is based almost entirely on orality. YouTube allows individuals or groups of individuals to express themselves through auditory and visual mediums, as opposed to the purely textual medium of printed news, journals, and online blogs. “Vlogging,” or video blogging, has become an increasingly popular platform for self expression. Vloggers create content within an extreme range of subjects. Certain creators stick to one subject, be it serious or of a comedic nature; others vary vlog styles from video to video. However, these blogs all have one thing in common: orality. The videos may feature textual overlays, image slideshows, or blank screens, but almost all personal vlogs feature the voice of the creator delivering a spoken message. This modern soapbox has been mounted by countless individuals and contributes to the modern oral tradition.

      Another extension of the oral tradition in modern digital media is filmed stand-up comedy. Before the popularization of video recording, stand-up comedy was an experience that required an individual's physical presence in a comedy club. However, once video recording was introduced to the stand-up scene, an individual could view several comedy routines from his/her own home. Stand-up comedy, already a tradition rooted in orality, became a household name once it became readily available to the general public. The popularity of the routines grew drastically as more people repeated jokes and recommended that their friends also watched the video. Word of mouth propelled the stand-up industry into prominence, and the comedic oral tradition flourished.

      Finally, podcasts have become a large aspect of the modern oral tradition. Podcasts, like vlogs, have a wide range of subject matter. One can download education, entertainment, or news related podcasts and carry hours of content with them on their mobile devices. Popular news outlets often publish podcasts to supplement their newscasts; NPR, CNN, and the BBC are several popular news podcasts available to listeners. The “Welcome to Night Vale” podcast is a prime example of an entertainment broadcast. The content is created specifically to entertain through stories of the fictional desert town Night Vale and the strange, Lovecraftian experiences that are commonplace for its residents. “Welcome to Night Vale” is strictly an auditory experience; there are no accompanying images or written stories to supplement the half hour narratives. Podcasts such as these are actively widening the oral tradition of modern society.

      

Examples of orality in digital media: Thoughts from Places, a series of YouTube videos published by the Vlogbrothers. These videos depict a wide range of topics, ranging from the extremely serious to the highly comedic. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9EF0C1C9A93295C5

Welcome to Night Vale: https://soundcloud.com/nightvaleradio