The Pearl Ring

My pearl ring has survived for twenty-five years, through a natural disaster, years of games of little kids dress-up, and restoration. The ring is a silver band on the top there are two pearls situated diagonally from each other. Two diamond hearts sit next to the two pearls forming an alternating square of pearl, diamond, pearl, diamond. The silver band that the jewels perch on is worn from years of abuse and a great need for cleaning. The pearls themselves show signs of age and one is whiter than its twin. The place where the diamonds are set has traces of residue from being left on while the wearer was washing, working with, or putting lotion on their hands. In appearance the ring itself is not that fabulous, but the history of it is what makes the ring important.

Twenty-five years ago, the pearl ring was given to my Mother by my Dad. Three years after my Mom was given the pearl, it was replaced by a diamond wedding band and put in a jewelry box. Not too long after they were too busy chasing kids to even care about frivolous things like rings. Then one day something terrible happened, the house that we lived in was hit by a tornado. The house was completely destroyed along with most of our things. Neighbors came from everywhere to help pick up the debris, and somewhere in the midst of all of the rubble, one of the neighbors found the pearl ring. It was missing the pearls but everything else was in tact. When our new house was built, the ring went into the play room where I frequently used it during my hours and hours of dress-up games.

When my days of dress-up were over, the ring went back to my Mother’s jewelry box, and I forgot about it for a long time. Until one Christmas, there was a small box under the tree with my name on it. On Christmas Eve, when we opened presents, the small box was the last one that I opened. As I unwrapped a jewelry box I was somewhat confused why they had gotten me a ring. But when I took out the ring the days of dress-up came rushing back in my mind. The pearls had been replaced and the ring was shiny after its cleaning. I now have the ring that reminds me to always keep a little bit of the kid that I was with me at all times.

Rhetorical Response

The music video below, “Famous in a Small Town,” makes an argument about the life in a small town and what all occurs in a rural town setting. The main appeal for this video is pathos. The song itself makes jokes about living in a small town where everyone knows about everybody else’s business. Through this appeal the audience is drawn in and if they are from a small town lightheartedly laugh and agree that this is how it is. Including the humorous pictures of the girlfriend and boyfriend in the video add more humor, creating pathos. The pictures and video clips of the town also make the appeal to pathos, this time however, the appeal is more one of a sense of community than of humor.
The video also contains two logical fallacies. The hasty generalization, this comes from assuming that every small town is like the one that she is singing about, that everybody dies famous in a small town, when there is no evidence to support that statement. The video also contains the logical fallacy of stacking the evidence. While the statement of everybody dies famous in a small town may apply to her and the town that is being sung about, it isn’t necessarily true of all small towns. Also what one person’s opinion is of their particular town, might not be the same as the next persons. In this way the video appeals to the logical fallacies. By appealing to the audiences emotions, it ensures that a wider range of people will view the viedo.

Famous in a Small Town

“Famous in a Small Town,” by Miranda Lambert, is a sensational video, not just because of the content of the song, but the video adds so much to the song. Starting the video out in black and white gives a more pastoral feel to the video. The use of black and white also brings the focus to Miranda. Miranda’s choice of clothing also has some significance the simple white dress is almost a symbol of innocence, paired with the cowboy boots, gives a more rustic feel to the look. These simple elements give the video a story line and enhance what Miranda is singing about in the beginning of the song.

The shift to color shows the red carpet that she and her band are playing on and the flashes of paparazzi cameras. She also changes from a dress to a shirt and pants, which creates a more modern feel. The contrast in going from black and white to color also shows a contrast in living in a small town to living in Hollywood.

As she sings about various stories that happened in this small town, the video shows clips of what happened in the various scenarios. This gives a good picture to the viewers of what happens or might happen in a small town. The pictures give a certain flare to the video, with the almost humorous argument scene between the girlfriend and boyfriend, and the pictures of the small town café, all make the story that is going on in the song more real.

Overall I think that this video does a great job of melding content and form. As Miranda sings about going to Nashville, the color shot comes on and makes the surroundings look like she is famous. When she sings about her small town the video goes back to black and white. This makes the video a very effective one because you can get the feel for what Miranda is singing about.

This song rings so true in my life. I grew up in the small town of Atkinson, NE the above picture shows an aerial shot of my town. What you see in this picture is a small town of about twelve hundred residents, this is where I was born and raised. In my town, just like the town in the song, everybody knows everybody and makes it their business to know what everyone else is doing at all times. Gossip can spread like wildfire through a small town like mine, and often does. Most people would be bothered if they were being gossiped about, but in my town you just learn to laugh it off, because most of the things that are said about you are stretched and far from the truth.

The good thing about living in a small town is the feeling of camaraderie that you get. Since everybody knows you and your family, they are all watching out for you and your well being. This security that is offered from a small town is a great comfort to all who live there. Another good thing about living in a small town is being told that your town is a very welcoming community. When someone new moves in there are always members of the community that go over and offer to help them move in, or are bringing them food and trying to help in a variety of ways.

In my town everybody does die famous. There is always someone that knows you or your parents or grandparents, or has heard various stories about you from the town gossips. Some people might not consider this the ideal lifestyle for them and that’s fine. As for me however, I hope to die famous in my small town and that’s enough for me.

"Left Here"

Think back to the first day of college. Move in day, most of us will never forget it. The day was hot, Dad and Mom were yelling at each other, and you were yelling at them. Welcome to your new room, assemble your loft, arrange things on your desk, haul up the futon, and say a quick good-bye to your parents. That’s it, they are gone, and you are now independent, on your own, just left here.

“Left Here” by Kate Buckley, depicts this idea perfectly. The feeling of just being left somewhere is something that everyone experiences. In the picture there is a road that splits in two, one continuing on the same highway and another that goes off to the left. On the straight road there are two cars, on the one that goes off to the left there is a single red car heading in that direction. The black and white of the photo is contrasted by the bright red of the car to the left, with the arrows that are painted on the road directing the flow of traffic. The car to the left is all alone, making its own way. This is comparable to how some feel during college, just starting out by yourself, making your own way.

“Left Here” could mean the simple act of taking a left, it could also mean that something is left somewhere. The left direction comes with various suspicions and folklore, such as if your left foot itches when leaving on a journey, your journey will end in sorrow. (“Anything Left Handed”) Also the left is commonly associated with the devil or evil spirits. In this sense Buckley maybe saying that the red car maybe faced with sorrow, it could be referring to the sorrow that is felt when leaving behind the things that you were once used to for a new start in life. As I mentioned earlier we have all felt that sorrow, or feeling of confusion when we first arrived at college, or maybe some other time in life when we were left alone. This is one way that Buckley appeals to the emotions of the audience.

The black and white of the picture with the bright red of the car going to the left contrasting, make a big statement in this photo. Black and white images make the picture more abstract and leave room for the interpretation of the audience. “When color and its associated reality are removed from the image, the print becomes somewhat abstracted. With careful planning by the photographer, a black and white image can be a powerful, symbolic piece of art.” (“Desert Photography”) The choice of the black and white painting contrasted by the red of the car was a good choice of colors, because red has very high visibility, which is why stop signs, stoplights, and fire equipment are usually painted red. It is also associated with energy, strength, power and determination. (“Color Wheel Pro”) Often you think of a person that is going off on their own to be a very determined, strong person. The red car is also alone in its destination, while all of the other cars are going straight, the red car is going to the left, by itself. In this way the red car is being contrasted to the black and white of the rest of the picture and is made to stand apart from all of the other elements of the photo, so the audience knows that this is clearly the focus of the picture.

The other significant element in the photo is the arrows. I think that the arrows were placed there on purpose by Buckley. The arrows are directing the traffic on to different paths. The arrows in this picture could be seen as an analogy to a flowchart. The arrows in a flowchart are called a flow line and indicate the direction of flow for materials and information. The squares that they point to are called the process, which shows the operation or action step. The squares could be considered an analogy to the cars, which are a process. This shows a syllogism, which makes one of the appeals in this argument, logos. Since the arrows are an analogy for the flowchart, and the flowchart is a process, the analogy of the arrows could also be considered a process. (Hebb)

The process is a series of actions designed to meet some end. (Dictionary.com) In the flowchart the end is the goal that is supposed to be reached, in this picture however, this is an analogy for the goal of the cars. The goal is to get to their destination, wherever that maybe. The cars I think are an analogy for people, and the arrows are an analogy for the flowchart that directs our life. Whatever way we decide to go there is an end to be met or a goal to be achieved. Whether that goal is graduating from college, finding a good job or buying a house, doesn’t so much matter, we all go through various steps to reach those goals, so in a sense our life is much like a flowchart. Before the flowchart can start, we have to go off on our own, we have to be left here.

At some point in life everyone has to break away from the rest of the crowd and make their own way in the world. Buckley’s “Left Here” is a perfect example of this. It displays some emotions that go along with starting out on your own from the sorrow and confusion that you may feel at the first idea of being on your own, to the feeling of freedom and the excitement of the unknown. “Left Here” isn’t just a picture, it is an emotion and appeals to the various audience members at some point or another in each ones life.

Works Cited

"Color Meaning." Color Wheel Pro. 15 Nov 2008 .

"Left Handed Myths and Misunderstandings." Anything Left-Handed. 15 Nov 2008 http://www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk/lefty_myths.html#1.

Buckley, Kate. Artreview. 14 Nov 2008 http://www.artreview.com/profile/kateb.

Hebb, Nicholas. "Flow Chart Symbols." Flow Breeze. 17 Nov 2008 .

Unabridged Dictionary. 2006. Random House . 16 Nov 2008 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/process.

Wray, Chris. "Black-and-White Photography." Desert Photography Primer. 16 Nov 2008 .

21st Century Art

I chose this image titled “road to knowhere,” and found on www.artreview.com, because I feel that it has many concepts that in today’s society people can relate to. The black and white image is paralleled by the bright red of the car on the left. The cars that are not colored seem to be driving along the interstate or another major highway. On the other hand the red car is getting off the major highway and taking another direction.

I think that many people can relate to this because in life it seems as if we are often at a crossroads in life and we have to choose the correct path for our life. When looking at the red car the term, “a horse of a different color,” comes to mind. Literally the car is a different color than the other cars on the road. However; when you use this term in reference to someone it usually means that they do things out of the norm or have chosen a different path in life. This term definitely correlates to this picture because the red car is going on a totally different route than all of the other cars. The road that the red car is taking is also significantly smaller than the main road that the other cars are on. This smaller road reminds me of the road that I get onto when I get off the interstate on my way home. A smaller road usually has a slower speed limit and sometimes has really beautiful scenery. The slower pace and scenery give you a chance to take in the beauty of things instead of just getting from point A to point B.

This particular piece of art is affected by the context of our society, because today many people are encouraged to make their own way and to be individuals, set apart from other members of society. However; many people continue on the path that is the norm. This picture depicts just that, where all of the cars but one are going on the bigger road.

Another thing that I noticed within the title of the picture is that the word nowhere is misspelled. I think that this was done on purpose, because the using the word knowhere invites the audience to think about what this misspelling could mean. It could mean that the red car knows where it is going. The regular spelling nowhere would indicate that the car will not be going anywhere, but this spelling makes me think that the artist who created the picture was trying to indicate that the red car is going someplace. These are just a few ideas of how the context of our culture today affects how the audience views things.