ENG 1131: Writing Through Media

Project 2 due Tuesday, March 17

Read/View

* Text Book on representation through metaphor
* On your own about your event/comedian
* SNL Parodies

Web

You should be comfortable with getting the content online by now. You should start experiment with some of the graphic tools, such as image manipulation and rollovers.

ASSIGNMENT:

Create a metaphorical commentary on your event. We've been discussed the components of metaphor and how it has been used as argumentation. The type of argumentation is that of comparison (you're comparing your event to something else through the technique of metaphor). The next step is to use those components to make a creative argument of your own.

You could, for example, literalize the dead metaphor you encountered in assignment three, visually enlivening the metaphor by showing what the seeds of doubt might look like. You could also do the same thing with a "living" metaphor that you encountered in writing and turn it into a more concrete image (by using the metaphorical and dreamwork technique of imagery). Typically the humor generated from SNL parodies operates by making the latent content of the parodied ad into the manifest content of the parody. That is, they make what is originally implicit into something explicit. This technique of making the abstract metaphor into a concrete image is also what Colbert did with Sean Penn's metaphor of Pres. Bush’s “blood-soaked underpants.”

Another way to approach the project is to come up with an idea for a sketch or a short routine for a favorite comedian. This would allow you to imagine how a comedian might comment on your event. Even if you don't come up with an explicit metaphor (Seinfeld's sexual orientation as teams) you'll use metaphorical techniques to compose the commentary (condensation, displacement, imagery)

We're using the examples of comedy we looked at to think about how to present our comparison. The basic formula for comedy is: Expect A, Get B. The metaphorical commentary should try to use this formula to create surprise that may or may not have a humorous effect. We are using the resources of comedy not to become comedians, but to approach our historical event (and our learning) creatively.

Project Design

Aim for about 5 web pages with both images and text.

The design of the Website is based on an application of the form building the expectation of a serious argument and using metaphorical or absurd evidence to support it. The project should use text sparingly, as a setup or punch-line for a joke, or as a tag-line for a commercial parody. Make the images do the work for you. Detailed instructions for the project are developed collaboratively in class, in the band presentations and email reports. Ingredients for the design include the following:

• Text Book: Knowledge of metaphor
• Your knowledge of popular culture (and specific comedians) including your sense of humor
• Research on your historical event

Brief example: What if SNL did an ad about the 2008 election? 

Project 1 Presentation:

• Due: Tuesday, March 17.
• Points: 25
• Length: 5-7 minutes
• Objective: Present your website in 5-7 minutes. Walk us through your metaphor and discuss how your thinking developed throughout this process.
• Your goal should be to convey what you learned and what that experience of learning felt like. Be prepared to answer questions regarding why you made your decisions and how your learning experience differed than if you have simply analyzed a metaphor rather than created one. This presentation is also designed to help you develop a crucial skill: to be able to think on your feet.