Statement of Purpose

When creating a statement of purpose there are a lot of things to take into consideration. First, I will take into consideration the reason or more specific purpose for my writing. With my picture, I would like to use comparison to take my paper to the next level. I want to look at the leisure activities used in 1940 and now. It has been almost 50 years and the American leisure activities remain the same as they always have. It is one of the great things that make America what it is today. We enjoy the simple things in life, always have and always will. I really want to highlight that in my project, and bring it into a positive light that maybe Wentzel was trying to demonstrate.

Next, I must think about the audience. We would not write if we didn't have an audience, whether it’s ourselves as writers or others reading our writing. So, taking into consideration the audience is an essential part of writing. With the audience for my first writing project, my audience is first my teacher and classmates, and expanding on that, it goes clear out to any person on cyberspace that happens to read my blog. My primary audience is the people in my class, though, so when writing this I will put my class's demographics first. I will use language that suits my class, along with hyperlinks and pictures to better aid to my project and to my class. When it comes to my secondary audience, or the people in cyberspace, I am not sure they will be as able to relate to my photograph or paper. I assume most, if not all, my classmates have experienced fishing and how serene and calm it is, but this may not be the case for people who are not from rural areas like this, or even from America. I know in other countries, the freedom to do as one pleases is limited, so I hope that they will relate not on fishing terms, but maybe another form of leisure for them. Also, my project might help my secondary audience see what it is like to live in a place like America.


The last thing to consider is the context. I can't exactly control the context in which my paper will be read, but if I think about when it could happen then it could help my project. I would guess most people will read it in their free time. My class should be relaxed because they took the time to sit down and read it, but they could also read it because they are bored, so my hope is my piece will not make them more bored. Most will probably have interference or distractions, because it is normal to have that happen with homework. I really hope the audience's context will aid in the purpose of my project.

All-in-all my statement of purpose is to help my audience understand and contemplate the leisure and activities that Americans have the freedom of doing. My hope is the comfortable, relaxing environment my primary audience is in will assist in my point and will realize how lucky one is to have the free time to do as one pleases. Along with this, I would like to incorporate some of the past blog posts into my project. Such as, the history and rhetorical analysis on my photograph. I think incorporating these things will also help to support my main point. When one is finished reading my paper, I wish he/she will understand and relate to where I am coming from. I hope the thought of freedom in America will resound in one's heart.

Blog Post #10

Green River Kentucky is the longest river, flowing 380 miles, in the Kentucky borders. It used to be called the Spanish River until 1842, where it was changed to Green River because of the color of the water due to the dept. In 1901, two locks and dams were opened here, giving access to Mammoth Cave. As shown in the picture, the river rises in Lincoln county and flows mostly westward, going through Mammoth Cave National Park, which was created in 1941, around the time my picture was taken. In 1950 though the locks and dams closed. And then 15 years later, the dam that locked the Green and Barren rivers failed. All of this lead up to another dam built in 1969, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers building a 8,200-acre Green River Lake. Since then, the river and, more so, the lake have become a popular place for outdoor activities.

As I mentioned in previous blog posts, these kids lived during WWII, and although at this time they probably weren't affected, they most likely were when the U.S. had a bigger part in the war. I bet at the time this picture was taken, they were well aware of the war, but like a lot of things, you aren't aware of the severity or things that happen unless you experience it first hand. The picture was probably in the summer or on a weekend day, because it is safe to assume these two boys went to school. School was a little different than it is now, but not by much. They had reading, spelling, math, science, just as we do now, but their chairs were fastened to the floor and teachers were stricter in the 1940's. Children walked or rode their bikes to school and at recess sometimes boys and girls were required to play on separate playgrounds. In the picture, the fishing pole is probably a hand-me-down or something man made. I think they belong to a lower or middle class family.

Next, I will talk about the history of the photography, Volkmar K. Wentzel. His father, Fritz Wentzel, was a well known photographer and helped his son create a pinhole camera when Volkmar was nine years old. He had a passion for photography just like it father did. In 1935, Volkmar was a darkroom technician and took photographs for Underwood and Underwood Studios. He made a trip to Paris with a Speed Graphic and a tripod, and had his photos published in Washington by Night book. Then in 1937, Wentzel became a part of the National Geographic Society staff as a writer and photographer, where he worked for over 50 years. In 1941, he joined the Army Air Corps where he helped "pioneer an aereal charting system for plotting military targets and served as a photointerpretation officer". It is obvious Wentzel had a passion for photography. After the army, he traveled the world taking photographs, and his photograph of a New Year’s Eve quadrille at the Spanish Embassy was awarded first prize in the color class by the White House News Photographers Association in 1958. His photographs have been exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, U.S. Department of the Interior, Smithsonian, Chicago Camera Club and the Embassies of Austria, Swaziland, Angola, and India in Washington, D.C.

Works Cited

"Green River (Kentucky)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 14 Sep 2009, 23:32 UTC. 14 Sep 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_River_(Kentucky)&oldid=313992260>.

"Green River Lake." Corps Lake Gateway. 1 Oct 2009. <http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/projects.cfm?Id=H206960>

"Green River." Encyclopedia Britannica. 1 Oct 2009. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/245070/Green-River>

Blog Post #9

With the photograph I chose, "Fishing Hole" by Volkmar K. Wentzel, the vectors of attention are directed towards the water. The way the subjects are arranged, farther to the left, and then directing their attention to the right towards the water draws the viewers attention to the water also. I think when first looking at this photograph, one's attention is drawn to the darkest and the object that takes up most of the photograph. So, we first look at the left side and then take notice to the two boys fishing. Then, since they are looking at the water, our attention is then directed to the water also. The way our attention is drawn is related to ethos. After determining the order, I then ask, Why did Wentzel include these parts of the photograph, and not others? This arrangement works well to get and then direct our attention so we can better relate to the situation, and this brings me to logos or, as stated on page 285 of "Compose Design Advocate", shaping someone else's attention. As I've stated before, this photograph directs our attention in a certain manner and order. I think because the boys aren't looking at us, we do not connect as much with the boys, but I don't think that was the purpose that Wentzel took the photograph. I think he took it to capture the American life and leisure in the late 30's, and maybe the viewers can relate to them and connect to them in that way, which in turn, relates to pathos of a photograph. I think if we have experienced this, we feel a certain way and are able to either pur ourselves in the boy's shoes, or recall a memory of ours. Wentzel took into consideration the angle at which to take this, and the decision to not have us focus so much on the boys' faces, but more on their activity.

Next, the framing and cropping of this photograph helps to foster to the where the attention is drawn. Because the boys are offset to the left, and Wentzel includes the water on the right, our mind is able to wander more. Compared to if it was cropped to just include the boys into the picture. Also, because Wentzel included more than just the boys, we focus on more aspects on the photograph, such as, the tree and greenery, the water, and the fishing pole. The colors of the photograph also affect how we view it. Even though it is in black and white, the brightness of the greys creates a more dramatic scene. If you blurr your eyes, there isn't much distiction between light and dark, but this is mostly because it is probably just natural lighting. The things that stand out the most are the boy's hat, and the reflecion on the water where the trees are and aren't. Doing this makes us look at the background more.

Blog Post #8

When looking through pictures, I found a lot of pictures but I couldn't really connect with any of them. As soon as I saw this picture though, I connected because I have been in this situation and I felt like I could relate to it. This picture was taken at Green River, Kentucky in 1940. My first reaction to this photograph was the two boys in it. I would assume they are brothers or friends. I also think the one with the fishing pole is older, because he got the fishing pole and the best spot; where as the other boy has to hold some kind of cup and sit farther away. For this reason of dominance, I think these two are brothers. In consideration with the young boys, I noticed their attire and what that said about the kind of lifestyle they had. I think they were probably between the lower- and middle-class, and their dad was probably a farmer. I think this because of the overalls and straw hat the boy on the left is wearing. Also, keep in mind that this was taken in 1940, which was when WWII was going on. By the looks of it, this may be the last thing on these boys' mind, but that's not to say they weren't affected by it, unless a parent was called to duty. But since the war did not take place in the United States, especially not in Kentucky, they're lives were like any normal boy. Instead of having video games to play, like boys do now, they did other things for fun like fishing. I really like this pictures because I think it captures the leisure of fishing, especially for two young boys, waiting for a nibble or bite. You can see the boy with the fishing pole already has his pant legs rolled up, ready to jump into the sand to better reel in a fish. This picture feels like it could have been pulled from a scene in a movie, or it feels like I could be right there with them.

I think scenes like this are popular and abundant in Nebraska. Rivers like this are used for fishing, swimming, relaxing, etc. all of the time. I think the reason a lot of people go to rivers, and places related to this one, often go there to relax. It is almost always peaceful, and nature surrounds you. Notice in the picture, the water looks like glass. A reflection is very clear, not rippled by waves, so I would guess it was a beautiful day that day, probably in the summer sometime. Also, from the tree they are sitting on, it looks like a very green place. It seems like the boys could have walked there, being there are no parents there, so they probably live close to the river and this could be a typical activity for them.

Blog Post #7

I have always been interested in photography, and I love to look at professionally taken photographs. For my major, I have to take a photography class, which I am very excited for. I don't know how good I will be at it, but I am excited to find out. I don't know very much about taking pictures, like the lighting, angles, different lenses, and whatever else photographers use. I have, however, taken a photography class in 4-h when I was probably around nine years old. Of course, we just used our parents' camera's that are nothing compared to what we have today. I remember spending a day taking pictures and how much fun it was. The class taught me beginner things, but I specifically remember my favorite was the trick where someone stand far away and another person is closer to the camera and the closer person sticks up their palm and it looks like a tiny person in a giant's hand. Sadly, my film got lost somewhere so I never got to see the pictures I took.

Like I said, I really don't know too much about taking pictures, but I do love to look at them and evaluate pictures. I particularly like black-and-white photographs or antique looking photographs. I love photos where I feel like I am in the scene, or pictures that evoke an emotion. I am not too fond over abstract photographs. I usually just don't/can't understand them and I tend to get really frustrated, and never really know what to say about them. With abstract, it usually has to be explain to me, but with photographs that I can make out everything I usually would rather not know the story behind them, and just let me think of my own.