Dave Isay: Everyone around you has a Story the World Needs to Hear

Dave Isay's Ted Talk (https://www.ted.com/talks/dave_isay_everyone_around_you_has_a_story_the_world_needs_to_hear#t-496860)

Purpose: Dave Isay is arguing in his Ted Talk titled, "Everyone around you has a Story the World Needs to Hear," that interviews should not be limited only to those with what the media deems as a significant story, but rather open to everyone to try. He believes that the world's voices need to not only be heard, but archived forever. Isay argues the importance of an interview, no matter who the interviewer nor interviewee may be, is significant and can lend to knowledge and experience for everyone.

Dave Isay

Summary: Isay's most prominent point is his ideas on switching the traditional definition of an interview to an idea that is way more meaningful and personal. When founding his company, StoryCorps, he switched the typical interview's purpose from what everyone knows as a first person commentary on an event/experience for the means of education/entertainment to a question-guided conversation between two people. His interviews became a method of bringing individuals together and sharing and archiving the stories between them. He shares his interest in the amazing stories and how this served as his motivation for founding his company.

Another significant remark made by Isay came from his personal story that he opened up his talk with. He told the story of the great relationship he had with his father, who he found out was gay. This was a complete shock to him which began as devastation. However, around the same time of the shocking news, Isay found a calling to become a radio interviewer. Inspired by his Dad’s story, he interviewed as many people as he could find who were at the Stonewall Inn Gay Bar in 1969. Riots against police began at the bar and were what sparked the gay rights movement across America. He began interviewing each individual, listening and cherishing their important stories. The individuals, however, had always felt as though their story was not important whatsoever prior to their interviews with Dave Isay. They were floored to be able to be heard and have their experiences recorded. He moved from story to story interviewing thousands of people in the process for his radio business. He became astounded by his interviewee’s reactions when he showed them their stories. One man ran up and down a hallway chanting, “I exist!” The wonderful reactions shown by Isay's interviewees proved to support his argument that everyone needs to be heard through the process of an interview.

Stonewall Inn Gay Bar

More support for his argument in Isay's talk comes from the heart-warming examples of his booth at Grand Central Station in action. He plays a recording of a touching interview between a 10 year old child with Asperger’s Syndrome and his mother. It showed the importance of talking and listening to one another because you may never know what an individual’s treasured thoughts may be, or what an individual is experiencing, or how thankful they truly are for you as a person. Isay discusses the authentic traits of interviews and calls it “anti-reality TV.” He says emotion strikes amongst listeners of interviews due to the realness in a world full of illusion and misconception. He expanded his business, reaching 100,000 people in all 50 states. Titled StoryCorps, it has become the largest collection of human voices in the world. Isay shares a few more interviews between unlikely candidates who all fall under one theme: humans are good. The examples of interviews prove to be successful in his mission to redefine the use of interviewing.

StoryCorp Booth in NYC

Appeals: Dave Isay is able to get his point across while using a variety of effective appeals with his audience. He uses a plethora of examples of pathos throughout his argument. The use of pathos can be seen and heard primarily in the personal stories, as well as the examples from his StoryCorp booth in Grand Central Station. For example, a personal story in which Isay tells his audience about a man who was interviewed on the topic of the last flophouse hotel in Manhattan in 1988. Isay wrote a book on these cheap hotels with horrible living conditions, then brought it back to the flophouse and showed a man his page. Isay recalls the man's reaction to seeing his own story, "He stood there standing in silence, then he grabbed the book out of my hand and starting running down the long narrow hallway, holding it over his head shouting, 'I exist!'" The audience erupts in applause due to their emotional connection with the speaker and this particular story. The emotional connection is caused by the speaker's actions of working with this man who lives in very unfortunate conditions. And by showing that man that he has a voice in the world, something he probably never would have thought had it not been for Isay's interviews on the topic. Another example of obvious pathos occurs with the multitudes of examples from Isay's StoryCorp booth. By playing these recording, Dave Isay is using pathos to show support for his argument. He chooses some of the most heart-warming and strangest interviews to show how effective the interviews can bring two people together. This evokes an positive emotional response in the audience as an applause follows every interview example.

Isay is also able to use logos within his argument. One example of the appeal occurs after a tape recording of Sarah Littman and her son, Josh's interview is played. He uses logos to explain why a crying response is typical after hearing an interview from StoryCorp like Sarah and Josh's. He says, "I think it is because you are hearing something authentic and pure at this moment, when sometimes it's hard to tell what's real and what's an advertisement. It's kind of the anti-reality TV. It's an act of generosity and love." His logic is very understandable and easy to follow. This use of logos effectively supports his argument. However, Isay is very biased towards the topic especially since it is his company that he is supporting. He, more than likely, wants StoryCorp to sound the best that it possibly can. So, he uses logos in an effective but biased manner to persuade the audience that a crying response is evoked within the crowd due to the extreme realness that comes out of his company's interviews. This makes his company sound extremely appealing to the audience because he makes it seem like authentic conversations do not occur frequently.

The last appeal that Isay uses is ethos. He is very successful with his company StoryCorp, which lends knowledge to his audience that he is reputable. Isay says that, "he expanded his business, reaching 100,000 people in all 50 states." This is absolutely huge and definitely is an effective use of ethos. His company is very successful with these numbers that he provides, which means he must be credible due to this. While he does seem very knowledgeable as an entrepreneur in the field of these interviews, there are a few moments within his talk where he does not seem very reputable. He provides reasoning for his arguments, but he says phrases like "I think" which show doubt and leads the audience to believe he may not be as credible. One example of this is, "I think it is because you are hearing authentic and pure." While his reasoning seems undoubtedly true, the phrase "I think" expresses significant doubt, which does not support his credibility on the topic.

My Reasoning: I picked this particular Ted Talk because of the drastic change that my peers and I will be going through this year. I have suddenly realized the importance of the people who surround me on a daily basis. I am so extremely thankful for them; however, I know that it is likely I will never see many of them ever again. It’s a sad thought but truly shows the complexities of every individual and the stories that build their personalities and shape who they are. I am inspired by this Ted Talk to get to know my peers and hear their authentic stories before it becomes too late.

Walter Neff, Baby

For blog post #8, I will be responding to question #1:
1.In film noir, many of the male leads are weak, frustrated men. While you are watching Double       Indemnity, make a mental note of Walter Neff's characteristics. What kind of man is he? What is his relationship like with women?

Walter Neff is the lead male character in Billy Wilder's film noir movie, Double Indemnity. Fred Macmurray plays the successful insurance salesman of Walter Neff in the movie. The character himself is intriguing because it seems as though he is a classic example of appearance versus reality. At first glance, Walter Neff does not seem to fall under the typical characteristics of male leads in film noirs because he is neither weak nor frustrated, but rather strong and brilliant. His strength is displayed through confidence and success at his job. He appears to be well-off, thus resulting in confidence when talking to other characters. For example, his use of the hackneyed word "baby" is ridiculous but shows he holds confidence and is able to speak easily. Furthermore, Neff does not appear to fall under the typical characteristics of male leads in film noirs because he is brilliant. His brilliance is displayed through his extremely clever plan to murder to Phyllis' husband. This shows he is strong, not weak.

Although Walter Neff may appear to be strong, there exists an internal struggle which portrays him to be weak, therefore lending himself to the common characteristics of male roles in film noirs. The first and most obvious reason for his weakness is his murders, and the reasons behind them. Neff commits two murders: one of Phyllis' husband, and one of Phyllis herself. Murder, although requiring significant strength to complete, is a result of an underlying weakness. Neff;s first weakness is Phyllis Dietrichson, played by Barbara Stanwyck. When he first meets her, he absolutely falls head-over-heels for her. Neff gained the knowledge that Phyllis wanted to murder her husband when she asked him if she could take out an accident policy on her husband's life without him knowing. He originally says he does not wish to be a part of it, but later falls to his weakness and submits by devising an ingenious plan to murder her husband. Phyllis is an extremely strong weakness of his, which reoccurs later along with his jealousy. Walter Neff discovers that Phyllis has been seeing another man, and plots to kill Phyllis as a result. His jealousy is his weakness, and lends him to become frustrated, resulting in the murder of Phyllis. Now, we, as the audience begin to recognize Neff;s weaknesses as he turns into a typical male lead in film noir.

Along with the murders, Walter Neff is weak for several other reasons. First off, his absurd amount of trust in individuals which he has newly met shows he is weak. He relies on Phyllis with a murder which shows his significant trust, a trust he obviously should not have had. Neff is also weak for his actions seen with Lola, Phyllis' step-daughter. Neff feels extreme guilt and responsibility over Lola, further promoting his weakness and frustration as a character. Although Walter Neff is seemingly strong in appearance and actions seen throughout most of Double Indemnity, he is actually rather weak and frustrated, typical to the conventions of film noir. His internal weaknesses lead him to his ultimate downfall: murder.

     

Macbeth's Netflix Recommendations

Macbeth's Netflix Recommendations

Today I will be taking on the role of Macbeth in Shakespeare's play, "Macbeth." Macbeth (me) will be time traveling from 1606 to 2015 and recommending several TV shows that he would watch.

1. First up, Breaking Bad. I, as king of Scotland, highly recommend this popular TV show  because of how much the king of meth reminds me of myself. Walter White is basically a reincarnation of me. We both started out as what our societies would consider "good." But we both broke bad and turned into rebel kings with lots of power. Furthermore, we both had insane wives that influenced our decisions. Lastly, we were both consciously aware of the consequences of our choices, but the need for more fed our drive to the point of no return.
Stars: 9/10

2. Next I would like to recommend the wacky show of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The reasons I am recommending this show is because the main character takes murder to a whole new level. She kills vampires, demons, and other supernatural creatures. How awesome is that?? My love for murder combined with my interest in the supernatural in this epic TV show. The main character, Buffy Summers, is faced with the difficult obstacle of fate and prophecies. I know all too well how strenuous dealing with fate can be! she feels I never really liked Hecate or the weird sisters, so, sometimes I watch this when I am feeling a little angry in order to relieve some stress.
Stars: 7/10

3. I present to you my third recommendation of the movie, The Last King of Scotland. This film's name just screams amazing and makes me reminisce about how I used to be the King of Scotland. This film is about a serious struggle for power in Uganda. Filled with exciting murders and plot twists, I find this fiction movie to be exhilarating! The main character, Nicholas Garrigan, is a Scottish nationalist who is admired by the Ugandan president for his resistance against the British. I also admire Garrigan for this trait because I cannot stand the British either.
Stars: 8/10

4. Lastly I recommend the thriller movie, Now You See Me. My reasons for recommending this movie include its incredible twist on the supernatural. Humans nowadays have changed the supernatural into a strange occurrence called magic. Modern day witches are called magicians and escape artists that make loads of money through deception and fate. This movie is a prime example of modern day witches and how they are able to make money and gain power through the supernatural. The action-packed plot takes viewers on a full-fledged roller coaster on how in the world the 4 magicians are able to perform their outstanding stunts. I was on the edge of my seat the entire movie trying to figure out who the fifth horseman could be. Highly recommend this movie and I personally cannot wait for the sequel to come out!
Stars: 9.5/10

Macbeth=Witch

  

I am a firm believer that people take the first plunge into evil due to their inner desires. Shakespeare writes in Act 1 Scene 4 (Macbeth speaking), "Let not light see my black and deep desires." (Shakespeare 29). At this point, Macbeth has learned that he is the Prince of Cumberland (not to be confused with this Prince of Cumberland), or the heir to the throne, and speaks to himself saying he will not tempt fate in order to achieve King status. So, what in the world made Macbeth step into evil? He stated it himself, his "deep desires." As the story begins to unwind, Macbeth plays with his fate and commits the evil act of murder on Duncan. His mindset on the matter changed due to his inner desires and a little convincing from Lady Macbeth. The consequences from choosing evil can be endless or nonexistent. I feel that it depends on the internal moral values of the particular person.

I think that Shakespeare would half agree with the quote of "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" due to his display of power so far in Macbeth. The ideology of power has led to corruption in what I've read so far. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have been led to corruption on their quest for the throne and power overall. I do not think Shakespeare would agree with "absolute power corrupts absolutely," because I have yet to read anything about absolute power in Macbeth. Although this part of the quote seems like common sense, I see no evidence yet to lead me towards Shakespeare agreeing with the absolute power portion of the quote.

I do not believe my life has been guided by fate at all. I make conscious decisions all the time that either lead me to rewards or consequences. I base my next decisions off of my previous ones.  I think Shakespeare has a very different attitude on the topic of fate than I do. As seen with the witches and the supernatural, (whenever Shakespeare chooses to rhyme!) fate plays a very large role in Macbeth. I think since fate has such a large role that Shakespeare believes that fate controls the lives of humans. I think that Macbeth's actions were predetermined by the witches. This can be proven in Act 3 Scene 5, where Hectate speaks to the witches regarding Macbeth's fate, "how did you dare/To trade and traffic with Macbeth/In riddles and affairs with death" (Shakespeare 111). Hectate is angered at the witches for playing with Macbeth and mentions the deaths that have occurred. This causes me to believe that the witches have control over Macbeth's fate. Later in this section Hectate says, "Thither he/will come to know his destiny" (Shakespeare 111). Here Hectate says that she will now take control over Macbeth's destiny, further providing evidence that the supernatural fully control Macbeth's fate.

I think the values of manhood have not changed much in modern times. As society is becoming more and more progressive, the idea of being a "man" is changing drastically. As Lady Macbeth tries to persuade Macbeth to perform the act of murder in Act 1 Scene 7, she uses mockery to show Macbeth that he needs to man up and kill Duncan. She says, "you would be so much more the man" (Shakespeare 43). By committing the manly act of murder, Lady Macbeth is saying that Macbeth would be more of a man. This shows the values of manhood in Shakespeare's time. Manhood valued strength and courage and men displayed no emotion. Nowadays I think our values of manhood are relatively similar. Strength and courage are still values of being a man. However, I think the values of being a woman has greatly changed from those times which can be reflected in the man's values. Women nowadays value similar characteristics of men. Courage and independence are often valued greatly by women which shows society's shift from Shakespeare's time. The values of man has not changed much however.

Aquamanile in the Form of a Ram

Aquamanile in the Form of a Ram:

Ryan's sketch:

Analysis:

Background: Here is a brief background on aquamaniles as well as many other examples of the aesthetically pleasing and practical art. Basically, the small, beautiful animals/human figures hold water used primarily for washing hands. Specifically, the medieval church used aquamaniles in many ceremonies and rituals. However, it was not limited to just the church. Many noble families used aquamaniles before and after meals as a means of cleansing. Aquamaniles were a very popular art form in the medieval period. I mean just imagine washing your hand out of THIS THING! Most aquamaniles were made of a copper alloy, but the particular one that I am analyzing is clay, a lesser valued material.

The artist of this particular piece is unknown, however, it was likely to be a potter working with one of the many kilns in Scarborough, England.

It is approximated that the piece was created around 1300. The title of the work is unknown, however, the website calls it "Aquamanile in the Form of a Ram." The aquamanile was made of glazed earthenware, probably clay, and is 9 7/16in. x 11 1/2in. x 5 1/4in.

A plethora of aquamaniles were created for an array of different usages in the medieval time period. Whether it was for liturgical purposes or just table decorations at ceremonies, they were mainly used by nobility. A common theory for the origin of aquamaniles stems to the late Roman and early Byzantine empires, as well as Islamic cultures. It is likely that trade and plunder from Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic trade routes brought aquamaniles to Western Europe. Metalworkers and potters in Western Europe already had the skill to create this art form, just lacked the idea. Most surviving aquamaniles come from Germany between 1200 and 1350, however, aquamaniles have been found in Russia and all over England.

The idea behind aquamaniles is simply a creative and aesthetically pleasing art piece that serves the function of storing and pouring small amounts of water. Due to the small amount of requirements, there are many different forms of aquamaniles. Some come in the shape of animals, mythical creatures, humans, and some even depict an event (typically biblical). Very similar to modern day handheld glass work, created by the means of glass blowing. Here are a few examples of other aquamaniles:

 

   

The artist of the piece that  I am analyzing used a kiln combined with earthenware to create his/her masterpiece. He then glazed his piece in a green paint. The piece is not very large, so serious pottery skills were required to make "Aquamanile in the Form of a Ram." It appears to me that the artist overemphasizes the chest portion of the ram, making it seem fat. The artist also uses vertical lines all throughout the middle section of the piece that make the chest portion seem even fatter. The back legs are very similar to the chest portion, whereas the stomach appears to bow inwards from both the top and the bottom. This design might translate to a more effective use of carrying water. It is actually very similar to the ram I provided as an example on the right side of the page above. I believe the vertical lines provide some texture to the relatively smooth form of pottery. I wish that the piece was more intact and experienced less ware so that the horns would still be attached to the piece. I think that the horns might provide a better explanation as to why the snout of the ram is so long. I think the glossy green color complements the theme of the ram well because its purpose is to, more or less, pour small amounts of water. The glossy green adds a watery sort of effect. Most aquamaniles have a handle, and I believe the handle of the ram is effectively placed. The handle is in a position where the water would be balanced on both sides of the ram, and water would be easily poured if holding the aquamanile by the handle. Its shape, color, and appearance is aesthetically pleasing, and it would provide an entertaining way of pouring water.

The function of aquamanile is mentioned previously in this post many times. However I think it extremely important to note these pieces relevance in today's society. The first thing I was reminded of when delving into more research on aquamaniles was glass pipes. I have seen many live performances where a glass blower creates a creative animal or human figure out of glass. I believe that glass art seen in modern day society may have originated from aquamaniles of Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic cultures. Some examples of similar modern glass artwork in the form of glass pipes include:

Freebie

I am using my freebie on this week's blog!

And A Big Ole' Cookie

Colonel Sanders is back America!!

Many Americans, especially me, were wondering where on earth the KFC legend Colonel Sanders went. Well, on May 25, 2015, Kentucky Fried Chicken (kfc.com), a fast food restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, told America of Colonel Sander's whereabouts. KFC published a series of commercials on May 25, 2015 featuring an actor (Darrell Hammond) imitating Colonel Sanders. The commercial shown above, titled, "Phillip," is an outstanding jingle that also advertises for gluttony, one of the seven deadly sins. This commercial is advertising for gluttony simply through the fact that the $5 Fill up box contains an overabundance of food.

Denotative Examination: In the advertisement, there is a mandolin band made of children of both genders- all of them are standing, playing various string instruments, and wearing white, fancy clothes. In the foreground, Colonel Sanders and his friend, Phillip, are sitting in chairs, wearing white and fancy clothes as well. Phillip has KFC's $5 Fill up box in his lap. Colonel Sanders has two hands on the top of a cane. All actors are wearing the same black bow tie. The color of all actor's tie and clothes are worthy of note because it is a similar outfit to what the original Colonel Sanders wore quite frequently. The ad is set is in a park. Colonel Sanders is the only one who speaks, performing a quick, and extremely catchy jingle that describes the $5 Fill up box. The commercial also slowly zooms in on Colonel Sanders' face before moving to the actual food. This layout is interesting because it shows Colonel Sanders is truly the focus of the ad. The image of the food is obviously the ideal look of the food contained in the $5 Fill up box. It is almost guaranteed that when ordered, the $5 Fill up box will look like a less tasty version of what appears in the ad. This is a strategy of the advertiser because the tastier the image of the food looks, the more likely customers are going to buy the food, although the advertisement's image might not be exactly what the product would look like.

  

Connotative Examination: In the advertisement, Colonel Sanders is the only actor wearing a white suit coat. This is interesting because it shows he is the authority figure in the ad, and possibly the most important. It separates him from all other actors in the commercial. Furthermore, the mandolin band of children is lined up in order of height. There is one exception, which occurs as the third to last boy is taller than the second to last boy. This makes me believe that the band may possibly be lined up in order of age. This is particularly interesting because I think the advertiser is attempting to highlight the diversity of all of the children that appear in the band. It may even be an allusion to the real Colonel Harland David Sander's charitable efforts with education. The producer of the ad uses language similar to that of what Colonel Harland David Sander's used. For example, the way the actor pronounces the word "taters" is a characteristic of the accent which the original Colonel Sanders possessed. 

Intended Audience: The intended audience of the advertisement is primarily older white males, however, it is not limited to only older white males. This is due to the actors that appear in the commercial. Colonel Sanders and Phillip are the stars of this ad, and are both white males. The economic background of the ad's intended audience appeals to less affluent, middle class people due to the relatively cheap bargain of the $5 Fill up box. The fast food aspect of the ad appeals to more middle class because the middle class eats the most fast food. There is a large amount of culture behind Colonel Sanders and KFC because the fast food chain was established in 1930 and the company's founder is its mascot. Due to that, the ad appeals more towards viewers that have cultural knowledge of KFC and its history. The cultural knowledge that the intended audience might have includes a general idea of who Colonel Sanders was, a general idea of the history behind KFC, and overall knowledge of previous KFC commercials.