33 Matching Annotations
  1. Apr 2018
    1. Keegan claimed one prominent feminist sent a hurtful email stating that “only women get pregnant and anyone who’s pretending otherwise is deluded.” He said he fears the pussyhat symbolism reinforces those notions.

      The author of the email uses specific word choice that communicates their tone as highly dismissive. Specifically, the word "pretending" characterizes the opposing view as irrational and on the basis of no fact. The author takes this a step further by flat out calling those possessing the opposing view "delusional".

    2. Keegan claimed one prominent feminist sent a hurtful email stating that “only women get pregnant and anyone who’s pretending otherwise is deluded.” He said he fears the pussyhat symbolism reinforces those notions.

      Here, the linguistic mode is employed by the author of that email and Keegan himself. By characterizing the email as hurtful prior to the audience reading what was said, Keegan influences the perspective they would have on the content of the email.

    3. “A lot of the reasons [transgender women] are attacked is because they do not possess that piece of anatomy,” Keegan explained.

      By linking transgender sexual assault to the anatomical possession of a vagina... after introducing statistics supporting the fact that transgender individuals have a higher rate of experiencing sexual violence than cisgender women, Compton emphasizes Keegan's argument.

    4. “If people were really paying attention to reproductive rights they would know that in many, many states in the U.S., transgender people are required to become sterilized to change our [legal] genders,” Keegan said.

      This highlights the rhetorical power word choice has in presenting a point of view. By making this an "if, then" statement, Keegan implies that those who support the pink 'pussyhat' in the name of "reproductive rights" aren't actually being sincere in their claim to inclusion of transgender individuals.

    5. “But I don’t want to shy away from the fact that it does refer to the female reproductive organ,” Suh said. “That’s a huge issue right now. How can women’s rights supporters of any gender… protect these literal reproductive parts from unfair legislation?”

      The placement of this quote directly after Suh's explanation that the hat is a metaphor for "any person or group who can relate to feeling marginalized" is an example of spatial mode. By doing this, Compton exposes the paradox in having an item that physically represents a pink vagina be a metaphor for "any person or group who can relate to feeling marginalized".

    6. But controversy exploded around the hat online. Aside from getting criticized over its reference to genitalia, the knitters were accused of excluding women of color. Some of the hat’s critics believed the its pinkness was a reference to flesh tone.

      The abruptness of the first sentence was intentional on Compton's part, contrasting the description of The Pussyhat Project's success at the Women's March and presence on the cover of Time Magazine.

    7. “We want to reclaim that word,” Suh said.

      Compton employs the spatial mode here by having this quotation stand alone. This was likely done in an effort to emphasize Suh's argument.

    8. The Los Angeles screenwriter said the concept was inspired by outrage over President Trump’s “grab 'em by the pussy” comment captured in a 2005 Access Hollywood recording.

      By using the word "captured", Compton implies that the president was caught doing something wrong by his comment being made public. One who believes the president was not in the wrong would find this to be problematic. This would be an example of linguistic mode through the means of word choice.

    9. I think ‘pussy’ refers to the female anatomical part, but it’s also a word that’s used to shame people who are feminine … whether they are men, women [or] genderqueer.

      This quotation from the co-founder of the Pussyhat Project highlights the influence of the gestural mode on rhetoric. By pausing after the word 'feminine', the speaker is trying to build anticipation towards the next point she's about to make with the purpose of emphasizing it.

    10. Many saw it as a symbol of female empowerment -- and still don the pink hat weeks after the event that catapulted it to fame. But others believed the pussyhat equated gender with biology, making some transgender people feel excluded from the movement.

      This introduces the reader to the issue Compton will be tackling in this article. It is a clear example of the linguistic mode Arola/Ball describes. Specifically, Compton's delivery of both sides of the "pussyhat" argument help to develop the purpose of this article-- to inform readers of the recent critiques of the "pussyhat" and the reactions to it by supporters of the "pussyhat".

  2. Feb 2018
    1. Gefter, Philip

      add extra spacing or a line or something

    2. This source offers an interview that Sheff conducted with Keith Haring in 1989.

      make 1-5 an actual paragraph.

    3. Sheff, David.

      put in alphabetical order

    4. I was left with many questions

      add in those questions

    5. David Sheff is a journalist for the Rolling Stones.

      make it "sound better" for extra points.

    1. The panel of Victor L. Laureano is simple, in essence, but has further meanings as well.

      Overall, this panel sounds great! You really just need to build on the basics you have here and show what about the individual characteristics of the panel gives it a "further meaning".

    2. one can draw that Laureano was a of Puerto Rican & American culture

      Instead of culture, the word 'heritage' may be clearer. A great research idea could be on the popular American and Puerto Rican culture while Laureano was alive. This is another opportunity for deeper research into the panel and material culture.

    3. The panel is makes up 6 x 3 feet, on a 12 x 12 feet block, this is the size of all of the panels, no more no less.

      This is just a simple grammatical error. "The panel makes up 6 x 3 feet on a 12 x 12 feet block. This is the size of all of the panels--no more no less"

    4. Monroe portrait depicts a sense of inspiration and time.

      What would make Marilyn Monroe inspirational to Laureano? What cultural influence did she have at the time of his death? You could probably add some research on that in a separate section specific to that detail on the quilts.

    5. On the panel sits various images including the American and Puerto Rican flags, a baby chick, a palm tree, and a portrait of Marilyn Monroe.

      This would also be a great place to do some secondary research. Why is there a baby chick by the palm tree? Why is the American flag and Puerto Rican flag separate, since Puerto Rico is a part of America? (I'm Puerto Rican and there's definitely political information that would explain why.)

    6. On the panel sits various images including the American and Puerto Rican flags, a baby chick, a palm tree, and a portrait of Marilyn Monroe

      For each of these, you may want to cover them individually so that you can have more description.

    7. The words on the panel are written in bold, gold lettering. The gold is of a light essence, giving a feel of elegance as well as humility.

      I like how you touch of the effect the color/font of the words on the viewer. Maybe you should add a close up photo here to let the viewer see the lettering themselves.

  3. Jan 2018
    1. As the list of objects studied over the course of time in a single university seminar attests, the possibilities are virtually limitless-especially considering that no two individuals will read a given object in the same way.

      Since the study of material culture involves interpreting the significance of an object's role in one's life, the resulting conclusion will vary from person to person. Though Woodward does not directly state this in Material Culture, it is a given considering the subjectivity involved with interpreting an object's cultural importance.

    2. The longer and harder one looks, the better one sees; the better one sees, the subtler the connections one finds oneself able to make. And, as a general rule, as many insights arise out of the process of writing as out of that of looking.

      By following Prownian analysis, one would gain as much understanding through writing about a particular object as they would observing it. Woodward never mentions writing as a part of the process of understanding the cultural significance of an object. Because of this, I believe Haltman's approach would lead to a much more accurate interpretation of an item's significance.

    3. Through careful looking, one comes to see an object as significant-as signifying; one comes to possess, to a greater or a lesser degree, a privileged historical knowledge and understanding

      This suggests every object studied in material culture is significant, but in order to find its significance we must thoroughly understand the object at question. Aristotle's philosophical concept of teleology, the belief that every object in reality has its own nature and purpose in the world, is highly relevant here since the study of material culture rests on the presumption that teleology is true.

    4. It is now possible to entertain hypotheses concerning what your choSen object signifies, what it suggests about the world in which it circulates or circulated-a world which, in some sense, metonymically, it represents. What cultural work might it once have accomplished or accomplish still: Out of what matrix of contested meanings-tensions, ambiguities, and contradiction--is its broadest meaning generated?

      This highlights the importance of contextualizing an object in order comprehend its significance entirely. Woodward agree's with this, emphasizing how the study of material culture combines the natural and social sciences-- allowing us to understand an object's influence within its historical and cultural context.

    5. Having addressed an object intellectually, and experienced it actually or empathetically with our senses, one turns, generally not without a certain pleasure and relief, to matters more subjective. How does the object make one feel? Specifically, what in or about the object brings those feelings out? As these will be, to a certain extent at least, personal responses, the challenge-beyond recognizing and articulating-is to account for them materially. The point is to begin to recognize the ways in which the object has created its effect.

      Through the concept of objectification, Woodward describes the relationship between people and objects as an interconnected, dialectic one. This description implies a kind of constant dialog between an object and person where an object has an equally influential role in its owner’s life as the owner does in the object’s metaphorical life.

    6. When we study an object, formalizing our observations in language, we generate a set of carefully selected nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and verbs which effectively determine the bounds of possible interpretation. This is why the words we choose in saying what we see have such far reaching importance. It is out of our paraphrase of what we see that all interpretation grows.

      Here, Haltman digs deeper into description and advises us on the critical role vocabulary and language has on our ability to accurately interpret an object. In Material Culture, Woodward does not mention the effects of our language on the interpretation of an object considered to be material culture. In fact, she never advises the reader on how to study material culture themselves. Instead, she explains the meaning and history of the study of material culture

    7. I have tried to define, with only partial success, just what it is that tells me--often quite clearly-that an object is culturally potent. It seems to depend on a linkage-formal, iconographic, functional-between the object and some fundamental human experience, whether engagement with the physical world, interaction with other individuals, sense of self (often expressed anthropomorphically), common human emotions, or significant life events.

      Woodward does not explore how/why we choose an object to study in Material Culture like Prown does here. Overall, Woodward does not offer her own opinions or theories regarding material culture, instead her piece reads as highly objective. This is unlike Prown, who offers his personal thoughts and attempts to define abstract concepts throughout the reading in companion to objective concepts as well. For this reason, I prefer the Haltman reading.

    8. attention not just to whatthey might be said to signify but, as importantly, to how they might be said to signify; to their gerundial meaning (active verb form:to bring meaning into being), to the uay they mean, both phenomenologically and metaphorically

      The study of material culture is centered upon analytically and methodologically exploring an object's physical properties and evaluating it in the context of the time and space it occupied to determine its cultural significance.

    1. It also challenges the assumption, perpetuated by disciplinary divisions and also philosophical trajectories, that the object and subject are separate, wherein the latter is assumed to be immaterial, and the former is assumed to be inert and passive.

      This is evident in philosophy, as metaphysical doctrines after Aristotle leaned towards materialism. Material culture reminds me of teleology, Aristotle's' belief that every object in the universe has its own nature, place in the world, and purpose. Material Culture is similar to this in that it is concerned with how a specific object has influenced people in a certain cultural space and time.

    2. This is developed through the concept of objectification, which is central to many studies of material culture—albeit differently conceived dependent upon the disciplinary and theoretical stance taken—which explores the intertwined, and often dialectic, relationships between people and things.

      Material culture studies, at its core, is concerned with the relationship between people and objects. This relationship can look differently from person to person, since every persons relationship with a particular object way be different.

    3. In seeing the material properties of things as central to the meanings an object might have, much work within material culture studies is critical of the idea that objects merely symbolize or represent aspects of a pre-existing culture or identity.

      This shows how the characteristics of an item and its meaning are interconnected. Material culture studies are concerned with more than how an object was used within its cultural time period.