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How have the modes of communication been a reflection of history and society?
The film shows how society was in the 1960s not only by describing the lifestyles at Harvard and Yale, but also delving into topics such as the Vietnam War and the sexual revolution. This film reflects how life was in the 1960s as one player from Harvard stated, "the 1960s began with the Gulf of Tonkin and ended when Nixon resigned." This film not only described Harvard and Yale, but how the colleges and the game were part of the 1960s. Rafferty showed that the game was a small part of the 1960s, but all of the game's participants were still living in the 1960s such as Tim Conway. Conway was a Harvard student who served in Vietnam and then returned to Harvard in 1968 to play cornerback. He describes his experiences on the field, but also discusses the war and the perceptions of the Harvard student body. He said that when he returned to Cambridge he was egged because of the negativity towards the war. The film reflects America in the 1960s, but Rafferty focuses towards the population of students at Harvard and Yale.

How have the modern modes of communication been received and perceived by the global community?
The film showed the story of the 1968 Harvard-Yale football game as the backdrop for an exploration into the culture of the 1960s. The film tells a story that is not as well known as other stories in sports, but presents it in a way that not only describes the game, but the country during the time of the game. With documentaries, filmmakers have the opportunity to expand a story with the information around them to not only tell the story at hand, but also tell the whole story: in this case, the 1968 Harvard-Yale football game and the attitudes of the colleges towards the Vietnam War and the various social revolutions in America. The film was given high praise by many critics for its excellent story telling of the game and America during the 1960s. This film is an excellent example of how film has evolved to tell stories and become a tool to present claims and defend, challenge, or qualify an argument. This film is more expository, but clearly and effectively tells a story and presents information that has not been considered greatly before. There have been films and movies about colleges during the 1960s, but this is a unique film that delves into two of the world's premier learning institutions and sets a football game as a backdrop to the story. The documentary shows how film can inform its viewers and establish a claim that may not have been thoroughly considered before.

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The documentary I chose to watch was Harvard Beats Yale 29-29. It was produced by former Harvard graduate Kevin Rafferty. The film switches between game footage from the Harvard-Yale football game in 1968 and interviews with over 50 of the games surviving participants. The interviews discuss the game itself as well as life in 1968 at Harvard/Yale and in America. Rafferty decided to produce this film for the fortieth anniversary of what is considered to be "the greatest game in the history of the Ivy League."

Rafferty mainly presents the film by switching between archival footage of the game, interviews with the surviving players, and with images and videos of America during the 1960s. In his interviews he uses expert testimonial to present the feeling of the game by having different players from both Harvard and Yale discuss what they remember from the 1968 game. He also alludes to Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury comic, which included small plots about the Yale football players such as Brian Dowling. By using Trudeau's comics, Rafferty shows the attitudes towards the Yale players on the university, which was a jock-like attitude. Rafferty uses archival footage to show the game itself and uses the actual broadcast to recreate the game and how it played out. By using the archival footage, Rafferty is able to show how people saw the football teams and the excitement created by Harvard when they scored 16 points in 42 seconds to tie the game. Rafferty is able to establish credability by showing his interest because he went to Harvard and objective viewpoints by having interviews from both Harvard and Yale players.

AOW 3/26: Miami Heat Hoodie

This week's articles come from the Huffington Post. Both articles discuss the significance of the Miami Heat's Million Hoodie March picture. After the shooting of Trayvon Martin broke national news, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and the Miami Heat organized a team photo before the game where all the members of the Miami Heat wore a team sweatshirt and bowed their heads down like Trayvon Martin. The articles applaud James, Wade, and the Heat's effort to take a stand and promote a worthy cause. They discuss how that this is much more different than how professional athletes are today. The author juxtaposes Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods to Dwayne Wade and Lebron James and observes how Jordan and Woods did not take a stand. He also voices his opinion saying that Woods and Jordan had opportunities to take a stand and make a difference, not just money. The article also establishes background about the shooting and the national reaction to the event. He mentions President Obama's speech regarding the issue. He also uses communal memory to connect people's knowledge of the Million Hoodie March and connect it to the actions of the Miami Heat. Both writers appeal to pathos and try to establish feelings about the shooting. One writer discusses how many people's opinions about Lebron, Wade, and the Heat have significantly changed because of the stance in the issue. He also shows how this is a rare event today because many athletes have become self-centered and do not want to become involved in issues such as this. The other article establishes the national stance on the issue and shows how people are beginning to readdress racism in America. The article's purposes were to praise the Miami Heat's efforts in supporting the issue and taking a stand that is not seen very often. They also discuss the national attention the shooting has received in the media. Both article's accomplish their purpose because they illustrate the Heat's actions as admirable and describe the various protests and speeches made about the issue.

AOW 3/19: IR 2

In the second section of This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerlad discusses Amory Blaine's years at Princeton University and his growing interest in partying and exploring poetry and literature. It also documents a change in Amory's attitudes and ideals.

Character: Amory entered Princeton from St. Regis with a plan to become a popular and respected person on the campus. He got involved with some organizations including the Princetonian, the universities newspaper. Through developments in the plot, Amory discoveries that it is not necessary to be the top of the class and participate on Senior Counsil or be the Princetonian Chairman. He had failed one class and realized that there was nothing to do about it, so his attitudes change and the plot begins to discuss the trips and parties Amory and his friends visited.

Plot: After Amory had failed one of his classes, he began to focus on the enjoyable parts of life. He and his friends attended lavish parties. At college, he did not focus on his curricula, but rather studied literature and poetry independently with his friend Tom. During his senior year, Burne Holiday began a "revolution" that led many Juniors and Seniors to resign from their clubs. After Amory and Burne talk, they strike up a friendship that changes Amory. He becomes more eccentric and brings various guests to dinner parties.

Theme: After Amory had failed one his exam and was kicked out of the newspaper, sucess was something he would not be able to attain at Princeton. He met with Monsignor Darcy to discuss his father's death and Amory's life at Princeton. He had concluded that Amory's life had given him a second chance to change. Taking this knowledge, Amory fails the exam, removes his successes, and begins to look at himself as the "fundamental Amory." Amory learns that he does not have to be the top of society and become part of the Princeton society, rather enjoy personal pursuits that make you happy. This change in thinking is why Amory begins to disregard his academics and divulge himself into literature and parties.

AOW 3/12: Old Spice Guy

This week's visual is the Old Spice commercials that aired in 2010. The premise is that a man could smell like a women's dream man and also act like him as well. It was a wildly successful campaign for Old Spice and they would make seven commercials that would involve "the man your man could smell like." It was successful because the character was a very memorable character and certain elements of the "plot" were very funny and had snappy diction. The purpose of the commercial was to sell Old Spice, but to sell Old Spice as a product to smell good and get to be the man your women dreams about. They do this well because the commercial is well known and the actor, Isaiah Mustafa, is known for his role in the commercial. They also appeal to their audience very well, they are targeting men who are somewhere between the ages of 16-30. The diction is very repetitive, but is effective because it displays a psychological trick of seeing the person and the commercial and yourself as the same person. The diction is also similar to how the "Beats" generation wrote. It jumps all over the place and is shown by how the commercial flows. The diction helps support their purpose because it shows how "anything is possible" and that is something that this product may bring to one of their typical users. This commercial also appeals to pathos because of the emphasis in his voice, but also by the inspiration of "anything is possible." Their users will use it more because they market the product almost as something that makes them better and that will not only help their customers, but also attract new customers. Old Spice accomplished their purpose because they were able to sell their product, but is also shown in the additional commercials that have the same premise.

AOW 3/5: Changing Congress

The week's article comes from America's Finest News Source, The Onion. It discusses recent revelations in Congressional behavior that has many Americans in a tailspin. People are fearing for their lives and are speculating the ulterior motives of the democrats and republicans. They speculate from potential political coups to the precursor to an attack we do not know. The purpose of this piece was supposed to show how Congress' behavior is consistent with division and a high sense of self interest. They show how Congress normally thinks about themselves and believe that their opinions are right and everything else is wrong. With the tone and diction of the piece, the author shows that Congress' recent change in behavior is startling and that their normal behavior is the accepted standard. The author is writing to a general audience, probably a certain sector who follows the daily politics of our country. They also may write to people who may watch satirical news shows such as Daily Show or Colbert Report. The author of this piece appeals to pathos by showing how some Americans could have reacted if they found out about this revelation. The authors uses communal memory of different apocalyptic situations that have been found in movies, TV, and books. The author discusses how people stock up on non-perishables or they empty out all of their savings etc. The author appeals to ethos by extracting factual information from the Congressional session, such as the passing of a jobs training bill. The author is able to use this information to support his warrant of Congress actually coming together for the betterment of their country. By using this warrant he can support his claim by showing how this is not normal. The author accomplishes their purpose because they paint a sarcastic tone throughout the article and show how Congress should really act.

AOW 02/27: Oscars Preview

This week's article comes from Alan Duke of CNN News reporting on this weekend's Academy Awards. The article discusses the long list of films who were nominated for a variety of categories from acting to directing to editing. The article is very credible with accurate information and it also comes from one of the leading news corporations in the world. The author's purpose was to list the various films that were nominated and discuss a short summary of the films and tell who or why they were nominated. This article was written at the beginning of the awards show so Duke also wrote about the opening performance and monologue performed by Billy Crystal. The author uses the Aristotle Triangle very well by combining the elements of the subject, the Academy Awards, and by describing the films (context) to his audience. This is effective because many people may not have seen all of the nominated films and would like some basic background so they know who won or understand the jokes from Crystal. Duke uses a fair amount of anaphora to simple describe who is nominated for what. For example he says "Gary Oldman for 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.'" This helps illustrate his purpose by simply and directly saying who starred in what role and what film they were nominated for. Duke does an excellent job of synthesizing information from previous award shows such as The Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Gild Awards. He uses the information effectively to show how some roles and films are viewed as "better" than others because of previous accolades. This information also appeals to logos, pathos, and ethos because people remember the shows and see the logic in who won and the fact they are major shows. Duke accomplishes his purpose by effectively summarizing the evening.