music was a powerful language

The articles I've been reading from the Music & Politics Journal have all had different styles. Their structure and language has varied, but all of the articles have similar purposes: to educate the audience on music's presence in politics. The use of reference is the same as well with them all supporting each quotation made and noting other author's discoveries at the very end of the paper. Direct quotes from musical artist and other researchers are exhibited and the creator of each is immediately mentioned.


The convention of structure is present in the journal articles. Each article has an introduction that explicitly tells the reader the purpose of the essay and what will be discussed. They are more concentrated on thesis ideas rather than hypotheses. For example in the article on music as an agent of learning, the thesis is that music has taught the masses about politics and it's effect on the ordinary citizen.


Language use in all of the articles initiates an audience's convictions about politics. With the article on Crass, there was a definite push for the reader to understand how angry the anarcho-punk musicians were about government regulation and control. And then the music in the concentration camps brought about a new realization of humanity. The usage of language with respect to convictions is a little bit more strongly applied to my articles. Because they are all calling for a strong opinion on musical influence throughout historical politics. 


The Swales's Model applies to each article individually. For the Crass article there is topic generalization in the first few paragraphs with general view of musical influence in the 20th century. Then there are questions raised about punk rock artist and their political aspirations. The rest of the essay goes on discussing the proof of anarchy in punk rock circles and the inequality of current government rule. There is a lot of research done on which artist said what and especially on the song Yes Sir, I will. Swales's Genre Model can apply easily to all of the journal articles in Music & Politics much the same way. 

The Music & Politics journal articles are of a more humanities epistemology. With its discussion of music as a way to rebel against the government, there is a world view position taken. The audience is supposed to be informed about the true usage of music in the concentration camps, in punk rock, and in political stands. We, as the readers or audience, simply look at the language and information itself to discern our opinion and our position. I would apply humanities because "the truth isn't necessarily out there" instead the author speaks of what he has discovered and presents it to the audience to analyze. It is a way to warrant an opinion on music in politics. 


I very much enjoyed reading Music & Politics, because understanding music is something I believe we all can accomplish on some level. Applying politics makes for a very interesting argument and new discoveries on historical precedence.

music was a concentration

Music in Concentration Camps
Remember all those years ago, when we studied WWII and the sheer audacity of a German nation to condemn populations of people upon people (6 million estimated) to torture and extermination? We all know the story. We all feel that uncomfortable horror and sorrow for unnecessary death. A lot happened at Auschwitz, Dachau, Buchenwald, and a hundred other camps that changed the world's view on human depravity.

While perusing the Music and Politics journal I came across a strange title: Music in Concentration Camps. I say strange, because I think we don't see the prisoners of those concentration camps and think music. I believe we all see suffering, despair, torture, and inhumanity. This article however, speaks to music in two ways: as a command, and as an escape.

I talked about slavery times in my last post and how the use of music created for them a way of rebellion and hope. The same could go for the prisoners of Auschwitz, but their music could also be their torture. The Nazi's commanded music. They commanded entertainment from their prisoners. They commanded the singing of songs that criticized their prisoners, that evoked within them indecency and inequality. They were forced to sing songs about how they were unworthy and without intelligence. They were forced to sing songs they did not agree with, did not appreciate, and songs that degraded their very being.


In the beginning the camp inmates were not a musical bunch. They were political antagonist who were thrown into camps because of their strong opinions and big mouths. But as the years progressed so did the musical talent and interest among the prisoners. There were secret musical events and politically musical meetings against Nazis. Music could bring pleasure and pain, but still brought hope.

As a double entendre, music was used to support and confide, but would weaken and destroy as well. The positives of music in these camps does not make it right, but instead gives us new understanding and insight. It holds the possibility that although we think of them as prisoners who were treated with the utmost inequality, they were also people of a human existence and complexity that we often fail to consider.

In Dachau they created great symphonies that live on to this day. In Buchenwald they started the first musically inclined band that generated great favor and applause. And in Auschwitz the prisoners sang to their deaths songs of rebellion.

music became an agent of learning

Music, Politics, Protest


“The power of song will exalt the spirit of rebellion,” Joe Hill inspired political action through humor and irony. He was an American singer who wrote songs like "The Ballad of Casey Jones" which talked of a union scab. Whether he was right in his songs or wrong is completely irrelevant because the main point of this week's journal entry is music as way of political persuasion. 


Dard Neuman talks about the effect of music in teaching politics and how it is a very useful tool. Throughout the years music has taken on new ideas and shapes.It is said to have created movements (Crass) and knocked down ideologies. It has questioned the status quo and pushed people to their very limits. The sociologist R. Serge Denisoff says that music is magnetic persuasion. He says that songs have instigated unions and riots through their "call-to-action" lyrics. 

Woody Guthrie was Joe Hill's musical successor his portrayal in the movie "Bound to Glory" is about people waiting and competing for scarce work during great economic turmoil. One song creates organization and uproars. One song politicized the whole game. 


Music has also critiqued the power structures in nations. One great example is slavery. The songs on the plantation grounds belted out by slaves were not only a "requirement" of plantation owners, but secretly a political escapism and cry for freedom. These "spirituals" or hymns of music were the best sustained communication possible for slaves. They could say what they needed to, as well as feel encouraged.
 "The point was to communicate compliance to dominant society while communicating defiance to one another." as Neuman states.


To be apart of a society with cultural and economic differences is politics whether we see it or not. Music is created with the purpose of sending a message, making a statement, and inducing a feeling. It is in itself political. 

i listened to Crass

My political journal of choice:
http://www.music.ucsb.edu/projects/musicandpolitics/archive/2010-2/cross.html

Yes Sir, I will:
http://www.lyricstime.com/crass-yes-sir-i-will-lyrics.html

Crass's famous song, Yes Sir, I Will was top charts in Britain. It was all about indignation against the man and how our lives are controlled by an idiotic and small sector of people.

"Lennon said 'They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool',
He was right. Social intelligence merely requires agreement and compromise".

Rick Ross wrote an article about this song and how it inspired political movements all over. It raised questions towards authority and freedom. Socialism was attacked and degraded to merely a control of the masses. Conservatism was too organized and liberalism...well we all know how that worked out. In walks anarchy.

Take into context that this is a British band in the UK where anarchy to punk rock artist seemed like the savior of the world.  There was a revival of anarchy.Crass created the movement towards punk rock artist's creative and political priorities. They were committed to the Do-It-Yourself mantra and sought to protect autonomy. Anarcho-punk was a collaborative effort among punk rock bands which both surprised and moved a whole generation. Its political aspirations towards anarchy and freedom did in fact have it's imperfections, but the shear audacity of such a surprising group of individuals to create this movement is in itself testimonial to political outrage.

Punk rock and politics, I always knew there was a connection between the two.

there was a war of experts

Let me break it down.

Miller is like a candy store there are limits, but the possibilities are endless
Bitzer is like a hardware store...everything is logical and good to know

Aristotle is like html coding for the cpu regeneration...you might want to ask for help.

In discussion today we compared Miller and Bitzer (two experts on the rhetorical situation). Both had a wealth of knowledge on the definition of an exigence and it's connection the rhetorical situation. My group decided that we preferred Miller's analysis because it's a little more open to interpretation and individual base assessment.

Here's a little video on the rhetorical situation that someone made for their writing class (she goes to FSU, I know not cool, but it was just too good to pass up)



Now i just feel like i should be that creative.

i wikipedia'd it

Wikipedia is a multilingual, web-based, free content encyclopedia project based on an openly editable model (according to Wikipedia.com). There are over 3 million articles and almost 22 pages. 13 million registered users and 17 hundred administrators. Wikipedia has taken the world by storm. Jimmy Wales outdid himself when he thought, "wouldn't it be great if we could just have a collaborative knowledge base system that can be edited and written by anyone?" Yes because that's what we were all thinking we needed.

It's a great resource...to find out if Lindsay Lohan is in jail again and how long she'll be there. It's a great tool...to randomly read swedish literature. However the whole "anyone can edit it" thing makes me weary. If my professors didn't already tell me I couldn't use wikipedia, I probably still wouldn't use it. Any Joe Schmoe can get on there and say Shakespeare was actually a Roman bullfighter and call it truth. There just isn't any accountability for solid work.

The internet is full of false truths and imaginary work. It's just a side effect of web based technology, however to believe everything written on the internet is to be seriously misled. That's the bottom line.

We live in that glorious age where my generation only communicates through technology and at some point we're just going to have to learn and communicate things the old way, otherwise what will we have gained from our lives other than viruses and illegal music at the end of the day. I just think it'd be nice to really know all of my facebook friends...like in real life.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go wikipedia Justin Beiber

we created Razzle Dazzle

Razzle Dazzle: a noun and/or adjective that could or could not represent sparkly objects and/or be a dance club; commonly referred to in a positive light, possibly under the assumption that everyone around maybe knows what the heck you're talking about; our group name.

In class today we created group power team Razzle Dazzle consisting of the coolest people in tech writing: Jessica, Madison, and Joshua. Took the internet, sketchy name, sites, and a rundown of our favorite things, to finally come up with the name Team Razzle Dazzle. Our group has serious aspirations for this team building activity and we plan to make it dazzle...or something rather.

Brainstorming will be interesting in this group because we're all talkers. We're all opinionated. We're all just a bit controlling. And we really like to talk, especially Madison (just kidding). So I think we decided to section off part of our meeting times to get all our "How was your day" talking out of the way so we won't be tempted to talk about lots of other random stuff.

My goal for this project will be to listen. I constantly set this as my goal because I do tend to get a little spacey. In any situation where a person is talking for longer than 4 minutes (I have timed in the past) I can get a little distracted. In classes I'm usually a little better, because I'll write notes or participate because that keeps me active and engaged. But put me on one of the top three floors of the Cooper Library and watch my eyes wander because there are just too many people walking around that place.

watch out world here comes Razzle Dazzle,

i acted like a girl

Good thing I am a girl, because otherwise my choice of instructions would have been questionable and therefore not credible. A girl's guide to everyday make-up consist of a few very basic essentials: foundation, blush, eye shadow, mascara, and the ever-changing lip gloss. In a world where society's first impression of anyone is physical attributes, a girl will want to look her best. It's ultimately not just about appearance either, but about the way looking good can make a person feel.

My instructions are to provide very comprehensive and fun, yet organizational steps to make a young girl's morning a little more interesting. Through my own personal experience, I included some back ground on the history of make-up and a mini pep talk to keep the reader interested. Pictures and colors are always a necessary feature when addressing the hormonal teenage society and a few exclamation points doesn't hurt, instead keeps the spacing out at a minimum. Appealing to a the young and fanciful whims of young girls is something that I know very well and if I can draw in that audience of boy-crazy and hyperactive imaginative girls, then my job will have been successful.

We all have our areas of expertise and when we use that we can be extremely persuasive people. The best part about doing what you know, is you always win.

Now if I could just learn how to change a tire, my well-rounded personality will have no persuasive limits.

i had crazy instructions

Okay so my IKEA instructions were pretty useful. I mean I haven't fallen through so far, so I'm gonna say it was a success. However when I decided to share my IKEA bed frame instructions with the group, I learned some very misleading things. Un-knowingly I had provided ample entertainment for the group. Basically the instructions consisted of pictures and the most amusing part was the first page:

Funny pictures really, but the best part was the second picture which somehow is supposed to tell you that you shouldn't build the bed on the floor but instead on carpet. Question: Does a picture of a carpet merely need a few short lines attached to a square to constitute a carpet? Answer: Depends on your artistic visual capability. 

You know how in therapy sessions, the therapist shows you inkblots and then each person will probably see something different? Yah, that's this IKEA stuff. When you use pictures there is going to always be some controversy. People see the world differently in all aspects. Some see what they want to see and others see what they think should be there. Instructions have to become general because of this indiscrepancy. They have to encompass a great group of people and ultimately show a person exactly what needs to be done.

Good thing I'm using photos for my instructions....

Leaving no room for interpretation,

yours truly

we learned Obama isn't Muslim

Our founding fathers deemed this country a place of freedom. Freedom of speech, assembly, petition, press, and religion. Religion because our country is founded on principles that should guarantee any individual a right to praise any god they choose to. The imperfection by urgency is that we as a nation need to constantly remember what our rights are and how those rights apply to everyone not just a select few. In class we discussed a speech made by Obama about the mosque being built a mere 11 blocks from the site where one of the most tragic events in my lifetime occurred, 9/11. Irony has always been America's piece de resistance.

The rhetorical situation in Obama's speech relies heavily on his word choice. His constant discussion of the American constitution with elements of pathos sprinkled in. His constraints being exactly what that constitution says about our nation and his audience being the American people. What better situation can there be? Who can argue against him in this respect? The real question is: Are you a true American?

Persuasive arguments are very tricky and though implemented by many a politician in his days of "keeping promises", it is highly successful in everyday life. Point out a few American values and ideals and there you have a completely submissive audience. Now of course a mosque should be allowed, but imagine a bigger picture where Obama is instead trying to convince us all that women are to be housewives and nothing more.. And that as an American we should know this is true because in the constitution it says "all men are created equally", not women. Plus historically the female counterpart is and has been a housewife. Maybe this wouldn't work but one could see how the constraints can sometimes be a fault in successful arguments. It's the setting, it's the "American loyalty", and the wish to be what we all want to be.

Of course Obama has already defied many a stereotype and prejudice so I don't we have to break out the second women's suffrage movement...

Not yet at least.

i created a blog

Blogging isn't the same as writing. Whether it be technical writing or Twilight. Blogging is about opinions, thoughts, ideas, pictures, interests, and people. It can be in any form, from any standpoint, about anything.

With that premise aside, this blog will be about my thoughts on this crazy interesting class called Technical Writing (notice my adjective usage). I'm a pretty good writer.

I've written some really great stuff, however, my writing experience is limited to fiction, groundbreaking novel analyses, and very opinionated work to say the least. I work best when I can use lots of adjectives and pretty words and really talk about my views. Technical writing may be a struggle for me, because short concise emails to the supervisor have never been my forte.

Wish me luck,

Kendra A.