Artifact Analysis

Artifact analysis

By

Isa Oestman Olai

Academic Writing 310, 2015

Artifacts studied; Cowbird responses to aircraft with lights tuned to their eyes: Implications for bird-aircraft collisions, California Oak Woodland Community, Liberty Canyon wildlife crossing: Environmental assessment and project design.

The artifacts I chose to analyze are from Holly Harrison an environmental specialist consultant at Rincon Consultants, she specializes in Biology.

The genre in which my artifacts lie is very specific, it has key components such as genre based jargon, Latin words, specific locations, biological aspects, and a very scholarly tone. This genre usually includes mathematical graphs and calculations, studies of the relationship between human and nature, genre specific jargon, formal structure, field work, and a lot of references to previous cases or other species. I would say that the genre is found where the purpose of the artifacts lies––where they reach the right audience. These particular artifacts would be found on a desk of a government official that is in charge of making changes that could have a positive effect on the protection of animals, they are found in profession specific periodicals, or in the hands of someone like Holly––who is a consultant for a firm that works to protect the earth. In addition to that I believe that artifacts like these can also be found in the hands of people with an interest in birds or the protection of certain species.  

The purpose of the artifacts is to educate and inform people of the importance of protecting animals in their natural habitat from human interference. They function as an indication of a problem in local areas in Santa Barbara and Goleta regarding environmental issues, mostly focused on animals. The artifacts help people understand the issue in a deeper sense and what can be done to save/protect the animals. They are written, in a sense, as a plead for change in a formal and structured way––they are in report form, meaning that they have a specific structure. The goal of the artifacts is to encourage change and to further educate the audience on present-day matters.

The artifacts are structured in a scholarly way, meaning that they have a specific format. They include an abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, and acknowledgments. This indicates that they are mainly based on studies––including research and field work. This enhances the trustworthiness and sets a certain tone––a tone of importance and cause to action. Also they contain visual literacy in form of; graphs, maps, explanation of key words, calculations, and pictures. All of these are meant to provide support for the thesis and the explanation of the issue at hand––they strengthen the thesis statement and the findings in the field work. The fact that these are included further enhances the trustworthiness and accuracy of the study.

The length varies in these texts, however they are fairly lengthy and difficult to read for someone outside of its audience. The artifacts contain a lot of parentheses and words specific to its genre, which again makes it difficult for a non-audience member to read it and fully understand it.   

The artifacts concern people that are highly educated on local animal species and their interaction with humans. They mainly cover how humans effect these species in a negative manner. In order to fully understand these artifacts and appreciate them one would have to be educated about the biological functions of specific species and the impact human interference has on them. One of the artifacts describes thoroughly the effects of human life on one specific bird species–– in order to make the audience relate, the text compares the specific bird with other specimens of birds that have had similar outcomes. This comparison is part of the logos part of the text where the authors try to make the audience gets a deeper understanding of the problems through relating to other similar instances. The writer assumes that the reader has the proper knowledge to understand certain terms, the interest to read a 35 page report on a Santa Barbara specific bird species, and an understanding of previous similar issues.

With these writings the authors hope to change the current situation and help to, in the future protect animals in the Santa Barbara area. It is written to an audience that has the power to impact these matters and that are educated enough in the genre to understand its importance. These writings have extensive facts and a format that encourage knowledgeable readers to learn more about the issues that they describe.

From the Ranch

Hello everyone!
Hope you all are having a great Sunday afternoon!

Here are my thoughts on this weeks readings;

I started my reading with Backpacks vs. Briefcases by Laura Bolin Carroll. She starts out talking about how we all make snap judgements all the time, mostly about people. She continues by saying that we then put all of these snap judgements in a "bank". We use this bank to draw from when we make assumptions about people, we create a type of stereotyping library in our mind. However this is not necessarily a bad thing, it is a good way to make fast but also informed decisions in a oversaturated society.
The text goes on describing that rhetorical moments are based on context and that is also part of how we make decisions. In understanding how rhetoric works we have to look at three components, exigence––need or demand, audience––who is it intended for, and constraints––limitations.

A good way to start analyzing a text is through looking at the rhetorical situation and a good way to do that is to look at the argument the writer is trying to convey. It is all about that persuasion. The argument lists the facts, the statistics, or as we now know is called, logos.
And lastly the text needs to include pathos, the appeal to the heart, the butter to the bread, the cherry on the sundae, and all that. Every text needs to end the argument with an emotional appeal to connect with the reader and seal the deal.

The second reading covers the importance of evidence and research sources. It aims at helping us understanding where to find good sources and how to find them. A good place to start is in the library, where well-educated librarians can help out with finding good material. Before you start looking for good material it is important to know your aim, what type of sources will you be needing to support your thesis? When you have an understanding of this you can go on to find the material, and you have a lot of options. Books, articles, periodicals, databases, online resources, and so on. The source world is your oyster!

See you in class tomorrow! Have a great day! 

Good morning!
Hope you all had a great weekend. My weekend was splendid! Thanks for asking!

So to the real stuff. This weeks reading. I enjoyed the essay a lot, it made me think of genre and style of writing in a different way. We have certain characteristics that make us think of a genre when we write or read. It is astonishing how well we know genres without being experts in the field. It is almost like we stereotype a way of expressing ourselves through the written word, "this is how a lawyer would write, I know this because I've seen it on a tv-show".
The author also talks about the fact that we know these genres well and we know how to express ourselves in a certain genre, which give us the tools to play around with it a little, we don't have to follow the rules of characteristics. So the question is really what makes a genre a genre? And I know we have talked about this in class. We know genres through a set of characteristics, however if we can play around with those characteristics to make it way different, how can we still tell that it's a certain genre? I think that some characteristics are stronger than others in determining what type of genre it is, so you don't have to use a lot of them, just use a "stronger" one and you can play around a lot and still be in the same genre.

Here are some examples of the writings I did from the essay;

Detective:

At 10:50 p.m. I receive a phone call from dispatch about a murder scene downtown. I leave the station at 10:55 p.m. and arrive at crime scene at 11:00 p.m.

The victim­­––white male identified as Mark Smith, was found murdered on June 6^th at 10:37 p.m. On the second floor in the parking garage on the corner of 26^th and 7^th. Found with multiple stab wounds to stomach as well as legs, and arms. Victim was wearing a grey suit, white button up shirt, and red tie at moment of death. Key witness and the first person at the scene, Eileen Williams, states to present detective that she overheard an argument between two people–– one being Mark Smith and the other unidentified.

Coroner:

White male, known as Mark Smith, in his late fifties, grey short hair, about 6 feet tall–– suffered from multiple stab wounds in stomach and chest, about 2,5 inches deep. Further, smaller cuts were found on legs, arms, and in hands ––sign of struggle, where victim most likely was protecting the rest of the body. The cuts look like they were caused by smaller sharp object, possibly a pen. Cause of death, suffocation due to punctured lungs and blood loss. Estimated time of death, 10:37 p.m.

Eulogy:

Today we mourn our good friend Mark Smith who unfairly got taken from us on June 6^th at 10:37 p.m. Mark was found murdered close to his office. Mark was an excellent father, husband, and friend. He had a huge heart and cared for everyone around him. We will miss you and love you forever, rest in peace good friend.

The comic largely explains that to express a genre we have to put on different "hats" and study the genre in which we would like to write. People expect particulars when they read something within a genre. You have different authorities in your life and this shows in how you choose to express yourself. 

See you in class! 

"Hej hej hallå", as some of us say in Swedish, at least if you've spent some time in the south or if you've listened too much to the famous artist Timbuktu. So about me, I have to start with saying that I hate and yes I mean hate writing about myself. But I am going to try. I am from Sweden but my soul is here in the states. I have been here for 2 years, and I know Marta, who doesn't? On that note, she is my best friend here in Santa Barbara, maybe if you get to know her you will understand me a little better too. I moved here with the intention of staying for 1 year, but that year turned into 2 and now I never want to leave. As all the other swedes that want to stay I am struggling with the fact that it is nearly impossible for us to stay here unless we get married, which sucks. I am not planning on getting married in the near future, however if it happens it happens. I am a "take it day by day" kind of gal and I try to not worry too much about the future. Another thing you need to know about me is that I am planning on moving to the big apple in a year. I want to live in Brooklyn and experience everything that NYC has to offer. I would describe myself as a hippie/bohemian/hipster with shaved armpits, weird hair color, lots of hats, homemade jewelry and a passion for animals and saving the earth from human stupidity (mostly the environment).

About the readings. Reading, writing or just creating is something that is very individual. We all have our own voice. What we associate with when we read is based on our experiences and values. One piece of writing can mean different things for different people. Even though "rules" do exist of how to write certain genres and we can see some patterns in that it is also the matter of personal interpretation. Culture is a big part of how we interpret what we read and see, because again it is based on our values. Where we choose to write also affects the reader's interpretation. Is it a book, a comic, an add or a blog? Well, those are all forms of the written word, however how these are interpreted because of the chosen media is different. We have certain expectations when we are about to read a blog or a newspaper, we are looking for certain patterns that we know and recognize.

Peace out!