arguments through art

Through the pages 903-908 the most appealing work of a ‘visual argument’ is found on page 906. The work is entitled “Identities are indefinite…What’s yours?” I found this piece particularly appealing because of the different words found in it. It is true that identities are endless and this work really shows that, if you take the time to read each word found on the piece. The bottom of it, has the title written out, this is the focal point of the piece, it allows the reader/viewer to see that all of the words found above actually describe people that we come across daily. The work, in this section, that I found the least appealing, is found on page 903. It is entitled “Peeling off labels.” This work didn’t make much sense to me, even after pondering the piece for a while and trying to take on different viewpoints. The work tries to make a play on the nutrition values we find on the back of our food, but the pun did not work for me.
Through the pages of 917-921 there are different cartoons shown to represent different artist’s opinion of the decision to make an effort, on college applications, to promote diversity. The cartoon on page 917 is entitled “It’s GOT to be the shoes.” This cartoon is trying to show the viewer that the racial preferences are “boosting” people to get into college, and leaving behind those people who have actually tried to get the spot in the University. The cartoon on page 918, “Supreme Irony” has a picture of the members of the Supreme Court, with one African American man serving on the court. This cartoon wants its viewers to think that the decision was made because there were no people of diversity trying to help make the decision. The cartoon on page 919, “Daniel lives on Detroit’s Eastside…” depicts an African American boy growing up, struggling with the problems around him. This cartoon appeals to the opposite side of the story, pushing the viewer to believe that minorities deserve to have an extra boost to get their spot in college because they might have come from difficult backgrounds. The cartoon on page 920, “Admissions” is definitely the most appealing to me. It shows a group of students that were recently accepted into a University and under each student; they have the reason why they got their spot. Under the African American student it says “minority” and the man next to him is pointing saying that it is the minority’s fault that he didn’t get in, not any of the other kids who got their spot through some other motif than good grades or extra curricula’s. The second cartoon on page 920 is the least appealing to me. It shows two people in a race and makes the point that, if you have money to pay for certain things, then it is easier for that person to get accepted into college.

Ad by Banana Republic

This ad by Banana Republic was distributed by the Harper’s Bazaar October 2010 issue. You can find the Banana Republic clothing line online or in their stores. This particular ad is free and happy, with a light attitude. The model in the photograph looks happy and carefree; the caption says “Exceed expectations.” This caption can be interpreted in several different ways: exceed the trend setter’s expectations and have your own style, exceed your peer’s expectations by having great style from Banana Republic. The caption under the Banana Republic brand name says “Life at work.” This can also be interpreted in different ways. Some people may think that their life at work is separate than the rest of their life, which should be true for most people. In this case, their “Life at work” can be happy and possess a lightweight attitude as they “exceed expectations.” The clothes and style that Banana Republic provides can help someone to exceed the expectations in their work life by bringing such a positive attitude to the work environment. The words in this ad are small enough that some readers may just pass by the ad not realizing what the caption means to them. The words are not intruding, but when noticed, they play into today’s laid back lifestyle, allowing the reader, hopefully turned consumer, to buy this state of mind and accomplish more than they thought possible. The readers’ eyes are drawn to the model in the picture first because she is jumping in the air and looks happy. Maybe she is the one who is setting the trend for the rest of us to “exceed expectations.”

When too much water is a bad thing: UNCW drainage systems.

I. Introduction
a. My group chose to do our project on the drainage systems affecting the UNCW campus.
i. UNCW acknowledges the drainage problems the campus faces but does not consider anything a threat unless it directly affects a class building.
ii. Most of the UNCW campus is in the “no flood risk zone,” there are four problem areas on campus: intersection of Racine and Randall- including lots G and H, southwest corner of campus, undeveloped area along the southern unnamed tributary of Bradley Creek, extended area from lot E to lot AA
b. UNCW does not have a plan to correct these troubled areas from the information I have seen, although they do acknowledge that a couple trouble areas could yield danger if significant flooding were to occur.
II. Problems that could be caused on campus due to flooding
a. Technology ruined, in crawl space or first level areas
b. Flooding on roads so that emergency vehicles cannot gain access to an area of campus
c. Inhibited access to the water tower
III. Town of Wrightsville Beach flooding systems
a. The storm water Services Annual Newsletter, April of 2008, stated that “Since 2007, the town of Wrightsville Beach has adopted a storm water ordinance, began a permitting and inspection program, initiated a water quality study with UNCW, completed a stormwater system inventory and established a stormwater system maintenance plan.”
b. According to the same newsletter, there are 650 stormwater inlets that collect storm water runoff and direct it to local waterways
c. According to the newsletter, this water travels through 10.6 miles of pipe, and is deposited at 100 different locations around town
IV. Dealing with flooding aftermath
a. New Orleans after Katrina
i. After the storm, the townspeople saw that the canals and drain systems that were in place were destined to fail because of poor building techniques (City of New Orleans Press Release)
ii. UNCW can use this information and gain knowledge on precautions to take if a heavy storm hits our area
Works Cited:
Wrightsville Beach Stormwater Services Annual Newsletter, 4/2008
City of New Orleans press release, 2/2010
UNCW Hazard Assessment, 5/2003
Thesis: UNCW has problems with flooding, how do we plan to fix them??
What can our campus, UNCW, learn from other peoples/towns mistakes, in response/preparation to flooding??