RA: song

One Tin Soldier

by Lambert-Potter

Listen, children, to a story
That was written long ago,
'Bout a kingdom on a mountain
And the valley-folk below.

On the mountain was a treasure
Buried deep beneath the stone,
And the valley-people swore
They'd have it for their very own.

Chorus:
Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

So the people of the valley
Sent a message up the hill,
Asking for the buried treasure,
Tons of gold for which they'd kill.

Came an answer from the kingdom,
"With our brothers we will share
All the secrets of our mountain,
All the riches buried there."

Chorus

Now the valley cried with anger,
"Mount your horses! Draw your sword!"
And they killed the mountain-people,
So they won their just reward.

Now they stood beside the treasure,
On the mountain, dark and red.
Turned the stone and looked beneath it...
"Peace on Earth" was all it said.

Chorus x2


I chose a war protest song because there can be no doubt that it is meant to be persuasive. One enthymeme for this song is Do not be quick to go to war with a perceived enemy, because often the cause is unjust, the result devastating, and the enemy may have made a better ally. There have been many audiences for this song. It regains popularity during wartimes and is a standard song at boyscout camps. The general audience aimed for is anyone who has not thought through the consequences of war. The goal is to open their eyes so that they will try to make a difference.

The song is a metaphor. The music is almost like a rock lullaby. It can be sweet and familiar while also empowering. Our discussion on style made me want to choose a song with one of the 3 original criteria. This song definitely uses distinction. The tone, stance, and clarity are consistent. the simplicity of the song makes it nearly impossible for anyone to misunderstand the meaning or the desired message.

The fact that this song has been used in protest of many wars shows its effectiveness. It has certainly not stopped war altogether, but the artists recording it were obviously effected by it and believe that it can continue to open eyes and inspire change.

The Gut Cannot Say Unto the Toe..

"I have no need of thee."

I won't try to claim that the 25 lbs I've gained over the last 3 months is entirely to do with the fact that I have an ingrown toenail, but there is certainly a correlation that cannot be ignored.

My toe got infected about 3 months ago. Just about the time my little sister got engaged. There was still snow on the ground so closed-toe shoes were necessary. Closed-toe shoes perpetuate infection. So does stubbornness. I refused to go to the doctor until I had done all that I could to get rid of the infection myself.

I cancelled my first doctor's appointment about 2 months ago. Right about the time that I had way too many midterms and papers to deal with. I soaked my foot under the desk as I plugged away.

I finally went to the doctor about 1 month ago. Just before finals, just after a break up, and exactly when I discovered that I had to enroll Spring term in order to graduate next year and I would not have enough money to pay rent after tuition. He gave me antibiotics and an appointment with a podiatrist.

I cancelled my appointment with the podiatrist about 3 weeks ago when the antibiotics began to work and Spring term was getting started and getting hectic.

I made a new appointment when the antibiotics quit working and I realized that I had gained 25 lbs in 3 months.

I am a stress eater. I have usually been able to balance my binges with some quality exercise. The last 3 months have been incredibly stressful and incredibly painful. I have spent them eating and sitting with the occasional limp to another location to eat and sit. Yes, I probably should have gone to the doctor sooner and followed through with the appointment process, but that doesn't change the fact that I would not have gained weight had my toe never been infected.

It's really nice to know that I am just a victim here.

RA - Visual Art

The enthymeme of Michaelangelo's David is that Florence could stand up to its more powerful rivals because David defeated Goliath.

The intended audiences were the people of Florence (in order to inspire hope and patriotism), and most likely the other states which may have had plans to attack the city. It was originally placed outside the city's government center facing out of the city.

The story of David and Goliath is well known. Most people at the time should have understood the reference. The statue not only depicts David as somewhat small, but also naked to show that he didn't have the armor and protection that Goliath had. However, no matter how vulnerable David may look, everyone knows that he came up victor and Goliath, in all his strength and shielding, fell and was killed by David.

Using this imagery for the city of Florence was a way to remind others that though small and vulnerable, Florence was a force to be reckoned with. They would not back down from a fight.

Was this argument effective?

I don't know the entire history of Florence. It is no longer a city-state, but it retains it's identity as Florence. The fact that this statue is a treasure not only to the people of Florence, but to the world suggests that it probably served its purpose sufficiently. Using art to make a political statement seems a fairly common thing to do. The fact that this statue was smaller than most at the time, and without clothing (especially armor), was a little different than the typical statue of a war hero. Considering the position of Florence to its possible enemies, the use of David and his appearance make perfect sense.

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day will be a little strange this year. Strange because my youngest sister, the one to whom I had to play mother for most of her childhood, has just found out that she is about to be a mother herself.

My little Joyce is going to have her own little one.

I wonder if I would be in such disbelief if I or one of my other siblings had achieved parental status first. It seems so unnatural that the youngest of five should be the first to get to this point. The oldest was married first and has a lovely baby bunny. The rest of us assumed that we would progress in the established familial order from there. Jason, Heather, Nora, Audrey, Joyce. Love, marriage, baby carriage, college funds, and so on.

We have been slowly accepting that there would be some exceptions to this. As I am nearly 30 and not in a relationship, I accepted that Audrey was dating seriously and that there was the prospect of her getting married before me, but no sooner than 1 or 2 years from now. So when Joyce announced her engagement, I was pretty much in shock.

Joyce has been dropping pregnancy hints for awhile now. Gathering these clues felt like a little game. When she finally admitted her state, it became an even funnier game. We made fun of her belly, we made fetus jokes. But when she sent me the text message from the clinic, “I heard its heartbeat”, it all became very real. A little too real. Joyce is still a baby about to have a baby of her own and I feel left behind.

RA: Advertisement

Text to the right of baby: Mommy got a job through monster.com and now I'm stuck at home with Aunt Betty.

Text under ad: Monster Jobs, even when you might not really want one.

1. Enthymeme: Monster.com will find you a job because monster.com has jobs available for anyone at anytime.

2. Audience: Mothers who are trying to get back into the job market.

3. Ethos: This ad seems to say, "We know what is important to you as a new mother. We know it is hard to leave your baby to go back to work, but if you have to, we'll be there to help you." This establishes credibility by showing familiarity with the audience and understanding of their positions.

Pathos: This ad plays on the emotion of the mother who may be leaving her child for the first time and the emotion she may imagine her child having if she does get a job. At the same time, it uses humor to lighten the situation.

Logos: The logic here is that the mother may not want to leave her child, the child may not want her to go, but she needs a job. And the best place to find a job when you've been out of work for awhile, according to the ad, is monster.com

4. Effectiveness: The ad catches attention with the picture of the baby. This picture is one that is likely to be noticed by the target audience. Giving the baby a voice can also be effective when the audience would likely have spent a great deal of time communicating with their babies and observing their personalities. The ad seems a little self defeating. It may make the mother even more resistant to leaving her child behind. However, the ad wouldn't make the mother want to go to another employment site instead, so it still remains effective in introducing monster.com as a useful job-finding tool.

then you'll know what kind of blog you have.

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