Blog Project

Mr. Rotando,
Here are the links to the ten blog posts that I have chosen to be graded:

1) Strawberry Fields Forever (group effort, video analysis)
2) Brand New - Guernica (creative piece)
3) Analyzing a Photograph - Trey and Bill (group effort, photo analysis)
4) Reading a War Photograph (photo analysis)
5) Open Letter to the United States (letter)
6)'Digging' Iraq (blog post of my own design)
7)Interview with a Soldier
8) Homophonic Translation (note: I know you said that we would most likely not include this as one of our graded posts, but I specifically wrote this homophonic translation with a war theme in mind, so I felt it would be appropriate)
9) Selling War (creative piece)
10) A Soldier's Note (letter)

A Soldier's Note

A quick note while I have internet access at our camp...

All my mail from back home has been asking about the best and worst parts of being over here..
The best aspect of war is the future. My best days are receiving mail with magazines...catalogs..advertisements for things I would like to buy when I get home. Having something to look forward to makes the monotony much more bearable.
To be honest, war is boring. It's nothing like the movies want us to believe, and at the same time it isn't much like those "realistic" wars movies would have us believe either. "Hurry up and wait" is our mantra these days. More often that anything, we are sitting around, waiting for something to happen. I'm sure in the earlier days of the war there was much more to do, but things are quiet right now. It sort of tends to be a good thing, because when something finally does happen, my excitement overpowers my fear.

Ironically, the worst part about this war is not even the normal fears of death that one might assume plagues a soldier. To be honest, the worst part is hearing about the war-critics who also aim their criticism at the soldiers. I can't tell you how disheartening it is to occasionally get to watch the news only to see anti-troop protests. Many assume that every soldier over here agrees with the war. This is the hardly the case, but we serve a higher duty than our own personal opinions. I only hope to be welcomed back with open arms when I step off the plane in the States in a few months.

Until then,
Staff Sgt. Trey Spiece, 8 May 2008

Selling War

White House Debuts Iraq War Infomercial

WASHINGTON, DC—Hosts Donald Rumsfeld and Linda Evans told viewers that Iraq could be ours for the low cost of $238 billion.

This "news" article from the The Onion combines elements of pure nonsense with actual facts surrounding the war in Iraq in order to play on the U.S. government's attempts to "sell" a largely unpopular war. Even to those unfamiliar with the satirical nature of The Onion, the first sentence alone reveals the true intent behind the article: "In an attempt to gain support among idle and sleepless Americans, the Bush Administration made its case for the continuing war in Iraq in a one-hour paid program that premiered early Tuesday morning."

Although this article can certainly be read for pure amusement, it's resemblance to the actual situation in which the U.S. government has found itself is remarkable. In fact, for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the supposed host of this fictitious infomercial, states that "...I bet you all think freedom in Iraq costs about $500 trillion and 2 million civilian casualties...Well, you're wrong. Try $238 billion and some 30,000 casualties!" Interestingly, this comedic gesture mirrors the actual tactics employed by the government as they make the extremely hard sell for this war. The Bush Administration has frequently cited the relatively low number of casualties in this war compared to wars of the past, as if this is somehow consolation for the fact that anyone has died at all.

Finally, the article ends with Donald Rumsfeld utilizing the government's most preferred method of justification: complete denial that the war may have been started prematurely or in error.
"...the naysayers can't punch any holes in our justifications for occupying Iraq with military force."

Interview with a Soldier

Browsing the internet for an interview with a soldier that I hoped no one else would use for their blog project, I came across BlogHer.com, a blogging site for women.
Here is the link to one woman's blog post in which she describes an "interview"-like experience that she had with her brother when he returned home from Kuwait in 2006.

I think it's interesting that she had a string of questions ready for him once he got home. I have two friends deployed in Iraq and Aghanistan right now, but when they get back I probably won't see them for quite a while. If I did, though, I wonder if I would ask the same sort of questions that this woman has. I think she may have felt a bit more comfortable asking about what he "thought of the state of our government" and "what he thought of the Rumsfeld resignation and the military remarks of John Kerry" simply because he was her brother. I would probably have to be a little more reserved, although I'm sure I would have a slew of questions as well.

The one question that I really am dying to ask a soldier is: Do the Iraqis appreciate the U.S. presence and wish for it to continue?

At the end of this woman's blog post, I think it is extremely striking when the soldier says, "We are helping the Iraqi's to receive freedom. Freedom to have their own government, freedom for Iraqi women and children to receive an education. The list is large. If you can't even see past your own noses, and see the good that we are bringing, than you have no right to demand withdrawal from Iraq."
This post was written in 2006, when the war was a little over three years old. Now that almost two more years have passed, I wonder if the soldier's opinion has change or if his resolve has only been strengthened by recent successes in the country. I'd love to ask.

'Digging' Iraq

In an effort to take full advantage of the creativity possible through blogging and the internet as a unique medium, I went straight to one of my favorite websites: Digg.com.

I simply performed a search for the word "Iraq" on this popular news gathering site and was presented with over 1400 results. Digg.com is unique in that it draws upon hundreds of news sources and article databases and organizes the results of each search based upon the number of "diggs" (essentially votes from readers who found the article interesting) that every article, video, or image has received. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect from this search and I really did not know how I was going to incorporate the results into a blog post. However, the first five articles (the five that had the most 'diggs') truly surprised me in their similarities.

With 2986 diggs, the most popular "article" was actually a video from www.thinkprogress.org entitled "O'Reilly: 'We Didn't Invade Iraq'." The next four results were also videos from various websites and were entitled:
"Unbelievable Iraq Truck Explosion"
"Very Close Call In Iraq"
"Jon Stewart Standup in 1996"
"6 Raw Videos From Iraq"

First, the fact that the five most popular sources of information about the Iraq war are all videos says a great deal about our culture of immediacy. As a society, we want to know as much as possible about this war (including seeing images and video for ourselves), but we rarely wish to read through the news ourselves. According to Alexa.com, which ranks websites based upon their traffic, YouTube is the third most popular website in the world. This fact really speaks volumes about our developing desire for immediate information that is easy to digest and interpret for ourselves.

Secondly, it must be noted that none of these five Iraq videos on digg.com are representative of any legitimate news source. One video is intended to be funny while the rest sensationalize the actual violence occurring in Iraq. It seems that at this point in the war, we are less captivated by what politicians and news anchors have to say, and more by the amateur videos that pop up on the internet. Perhaps this is once again a sign of our need for "immediate" information -- we want a soldier-perspective without the possibility of a news source doing any of the interpreting for us.

Reporters Blow up Plane, Expose Security Lapes

During Spring Break I had the opportunity to visit Germany with my family. I lived in the country when I was two years old, but I still considered this recent trip my "first time" overseas. Flying out of Sky Harbor International airport in Phoenix was simple -- we checked our bags, went through security and found ourselves at the gate. We were required to show our passports in order to obtain our boarding passes, but this seemed like standard protocol.

A week later, on our return trip to the United States, we departed from Munich. I had no idea that entering the U.S. had become such a process. We had to show our passports on three separate occasions and we went through three completely separate security checkpoints that involved walking through metal detectors in various states of undress while our carry-on bags were scrutinized under x-ray. Now, don't think that I am complaining about the inconveniences of airport security -- I am sure U.S.-bound flights are much safer thanks to these measures.

This video captures most everything that Americans love in a news program: news anchors who sound like experts in every subject, a "scientific report" with information that is presented in a shocking manner, and the sense that anyone who sees the report is suddenly a better, more knowledgeable person.

Perhaps three security checkpoints isn't such a bad idea after all.

Strawberry Fields Forever

With little background information, the song "Strawberry Fields Forever" by The Beatles seems to have little to do with war. In fact, the song's title simply comes from the Strawberry Field Salvation Army Children's Home, which was just around the corner from where John Lennon grew up in Liverpool. This song was first released on the album Magical Mystery Tour, and is seen one of The Beatles greatest hits. This song is filled with nonsensical lyrics that are organized in a stream of consciousness style. The listener is presented with lines such as, "No one I think is in my tree, I mean it must be high or low that is you can't, you know, tune in…" Not surprisingly, this song is associated with The Beatles' heavy LSD use. Drugs influenced many of their songs and melodies as the band sought to create beautiful music out of the fear and hostility of the Vietnam War.

Much analysis of this song is often centered around the Strawberry Field Salvation Army Children's Home. This orphanage obviously played a huge role in John Lennon's childhood as he grew up in Liverpool. During his youth, Liverpool was very much home to the working class. Industrialization was taking hold in the old slave port city and the difficulties of life were very much a reality for its workers. Through lyrics such as "living is easy" and "nothing is real and nothing to get hung about," Lennon references the hardships of this city in this particular song.

Additionally, this scene from "Across the Universe" depicts dripping strawberry juice, an extremely significant symbol in terms of conveying this song's meaning. While strawberries are normally associated with springtime, sweetness, and life, this scene uses the sugary fruit for a much different purpose. In complete contrast, the strawberry juice arguably symbolizes blood. Symbolically, the video depicts fields filled not with delicious fruit, but instead with the blood of thousands of soldiers in Vietnam. Another striking image from this scene occurs as the film's main character, Jude, nails multiple rows of strawberries on a board. After clips of soldiers in Vietnam are flashed on the screen, the camera pans down the rows of strawberries, revealing that they have begun to excrete red juice. As each strawberry begins to give off its juice, a new solider has been killed in war. Then, in perhaps an even more direct approach to this symbolism, the strawberries are depicted as bombs falling towards earth, ready to indiscriminately cause mayhem and destruction.
Without the context provided by the images in "Across the Universe," this song may lack meaning in terms of protesting war. However, when coupled with the striking images of smashed strawberries, dying soldiers, and combat zones, "Strawberry Fields Forever" develops into a much more significant piece of musical art.

Analyzing a Photograph - Trey and Bill

At first glance, this picture might seem like a normal office with people sitting down. Upon closer inspection however, it is clear this picture is far from normal. Taken during World War II, this picture shows a couple of Nazi officials who have taken poison so that they would not have to be captured by American soldiers. This picture was taken from a sort of "birds-eye view" angle that overlooks the entire room. This allows the viewer to see the entire setting without anything blocking its view. What this does is it shifts some attention away from the subject of the picture (the three dead people) and allows the viewer to take in the whole setting. This further emphasizes the shocking difference in the picture. Part of it seems like a normal scene –an office with a desk, chairs, and other office supplies. This contrasts sharply with the three Nazi officials who are lying dead in the office. This sharp contrast has a large emotional and shocking impact on the viewer, as it takes them by surprise and really makes them question what is normal and what is not.

Further, the photograph's color and use of lighting acts to guide the viewer's interpretation of this photo as one that is not necessarily attempting to magnify the horrific nature of this scene. First, the brightest area of the photograph draws the viewer's attention away from the main subject, as if attempting to soften the shock that one might experience upon viewing the death of these three officers. Equally noticeable is the fact that the officers' clothing seems to blend perfectly with the furniture in which they are sprawled. Indeed, the photograph seems intent on portraying the three Germans as nothing more than extensions of the furniture rather than emphasizing their death. Due to the camera's unique angle, none of the three figures cast any sort of shadow on their surroundings. In fact, only the chairs and drapes provide any sort of dark lighting, again stressing the photographer's intent to provide normalcy to an otherwise bizarre scene.

Our Local Wars

Most people long for peace over war. Luckily.
We send money to international aid organizations.
We protest.
We petition the government.
We elect officials who we hope will make peace-preserving decisions.
We do not enforce mandatory military service.

As society, we most certainly seem to respect an individual's right to desire and promote peace. But have we taken on too global of a perspective when it comes to war? While we strive to promote international peace and improved relations between warring factions on different continents, more local wars seem to fly under the radar.

Our very lives have become wars in their own right.
We fight to get through school so that we might better handle the adversity of finding a job. We eagerly engage in a career-long battle for money so that we may retire and watch our children do the same. And these are only the "bigger" personal wars. Small, daily struggles consume our lives, often in a war-like fashion.
We are anxious to put an end to large-scale foreign wars, yet we don our own warpaint each morning, ready to step into battle.

Brand New - "Guernica"

I've listened to a band named "Brand New" for quite a while..probably six or seven years. One of their songs on their album "Deja Entendu" is named Guernica, but to be completely honest, I never really considered its meaning until now. I pulled out the CD and did a few listens, searching for references to Pablo Picasso's mural of the same name as well as the actual bombing of the city of Guernica. Here are the song lyrics:

Ever since I was young
Your word is the word that always won
Worry and wake the ones you love

A phone call I'd rather not receive
Please use my body while I sleep
My lungs are fresh and yours to keep
Kept clean and they will let you breathe

Is this the way a toy feels when its batteries run dry?
I am the watch you always wear but you forget to wind
Nobody plans to be half a world away at times like these
So I sat alone and waited out the night
The best part of what has happened was the part I must have missed
So I'm asking you to shine it on and stick around
I'm not writing my goodbyes

I submit no excuse
If this is what I have to do I owe you every day I wake
If I could I would shrink myself
Sink through your skin to your blood cells
Remove whatever makes you hurt
But I am too weak to be your cure

Is this the way a toy feels when its batteries run dry?
I am the watch you always wear but you forget to wind

Nobody plans to be half a world away at times like these
So I sat alone and waited out the night
The best part of what has happened was the part I must have missed
So I'm asking you to shine it on and stick around
I'm not writing my goodbyes

I'm not letting you check out
You will beat this starting now
And you will always be around
I'm there to monitor your breathing
I will watch you while you're sleeping
I will keep you safe and sound

Does anybody remember back when you were very young?
Did you ever think that you would be this blessed?


What seemed most obvious from the lyrics was the fact that Jesse Lacey, the singer/writer, had used this particular song to discuss his own type of war. As a culture we are so ready to conjure images of tanks and fighter jets when we think of "war," but the lyrics really challenge us to consider our own personal wars. What do you find yourself fighting on a daily basis?

Jesse seems to be describing something in his own life that he considers monstruous and tragic and is able to draw some subtle comparisons to the bombing of Guernica. Searching around the internet, I found that the inspiration for this song came to him while on tour when he found out that his grandfather had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Jesse seems to be drawing a comparison between the brutality of the Guernica bombing and the horrific effects of his grandfather's disease.

This is not the actual music video released by the band -- just one that someone else put together on their own. I would highly recommend this song as well as the entire album.

Team, "Lifesaver"

Civil War Photography

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-378525.html

Taken in March of 1862, this photograph reveals one of the more deceptive wartime strategies employed by the confederacy during the War Between the States – Quaker guns. In fact, these were not weapons at all, but instead logs positioned like cannons to ward off enemy forces. From afar, Quaker guns could easily give the impression that confederate troops were more powerful and greater in number.

Most noticeable is this photograph’s use of lines to produce a sense of confusion in the viewer. While the fence, distant houses, and the logs themselves all serve as lines in this photograph, the intent seems to create disorder – no one object seems to carry a focus, resulting in a chaotic array of boundaries. This particular purpose seems fitting with the subject of this photograph, as the Quaker logs were also meant to confuse and distort.

This photograph seems to be an experiment in the use of space and how widely it can vary in just one single snapshot. In the background, evenly-spaced homes can be seen neatly lining a horizon that gives way to a bright, expansive sky. Meanwhile, the foreground depicts a much different scene. What was surely once a confederate stronghold appears to have been overrun – the Quaker guns are askew and the trench lies merely as a muddy mess. The stark contrast between such close environments clearly demonstrates the disconnect that has developed between “modern” war and everyday life. Soldiers who are equally a part of society fight and die while their country goes about “business as usual,” often failing to realize the magnitude of such a situation.

Reading a War Photograph

Emanuil Evzerikhin’s photo, “Five High Speed Aircraft Fighters” relies heavily upon symmetrical balance to depict the close approach of 1930s military airplanes. In the far background, buildings and a darkened horizon can be seen against a cloudy, but relatively bright sky.

Spread almost evenly across this sky, the sharp contrast of these five fighters creates an extremely specific focus in an otherwise spacious photograph. While the actual content of the photograph extends for many miles beyond the airplanes, the landscape is secondary to the fast approaching machines. The image provides a vantage point that is far from objective. In fact, this particular angle suggests an invasion – the viewer appears to be on the wrong end of these warplanes. The aircraft are angled downward, as if taking aim at the viewer’s position.

Interestingly, while the fighters all have their left wings angled upward, Evzerikhin chose to angle his camera in the same manner. As a result, the planes are easily identifiable as the subject of this photograph while the horizon and structures in the background seem askew. This decision by the photographer seems extremely intentional, perhaps revealing the significance of these airplanes as he attempts to capture the emotional value of this particular moment.

Open Letter to the United States

Dear U.S.,

I write this letter to you – to us – in hopes of sparking some sort of change in how this country discusses war. As a nation, we have certainly found our ability to discuss war. There seems to be no shortage of debate and argument, but it seems clear to me that most of our energies in this endeavor are wrongly directed. We still spend so much time fueling debate over the Iraq war’s justification – an issue that has long since passed and one that has no bearing on our future situation. Equally as misguided are the arguments that operate under the assumption that an obvious solution lies in either simply keeping troops in the region longer or withdrawing them as quickly as possible. These notions are presumptuous, naive and should be thought out much further before being acted upon.

The decision regarding the future of this war is a strategic one, more than anything. The middle east has found itself mired in wars for hundreds of years, and it is in no way cynical or pessimistic to believe that this latest intervention in Iraq will not cure the region of its conflict. Knowing that there is little the United States can do to change ideologies of an entire culture, U.S. citizens should be focused on engaging in productive debate over the strategic consequences that the future of this war (whether drawn-out or ended quickly) will have on our country.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. so eloquently stated in his “Beyond Vietnam” speech, “Perhaps a new spirit is rising among us. If it is, let us trace its movements and pray that our own inner being may be sensitive to its guidance, for we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us.”

Finding new avenues of debate over this war will surely be our first step in moving beyond the darkness of our previously ineffective arguments.

With hope,

Trey

Iraq Article - Summary and Rhetorical Analysis

Iraq War Article

This brief article reports that four U.S. soldiers were killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) while on a patrol in Baghdad.
Meanwhile, another soldier was killed and three others wounded near Tikrit in an explosion that occurred near their vehicles.

The most obvious strategy that the author seems to be employing in this article is a stoic, emotionless tone with which he reports the deaths of these five soldiers. In fact, he begins the article by stating that four soldiers had "died" when their "vehicle struck an improvised explosive device." This extremely passive language seems to imply that no human act caused the the lives of these soldiers to end. Additionally, the author finishes the article without referring to these soldiers as individuals. In fact, he only states that the "names of the casualties" had not yet been released.

The passive, unspecific language of this article is revealing of a pro-war stance that does not place the blame for these deaths on any other group or even the war itself. The author almost speaks as if these soldiers died from natural causes.

These individuals did not simply "die." They were killed when their vehicle triggered a deliberately prepared bomb. The author seems to deemphasize the reality of this particular situation, relaying the information in vague, detached terms that reveal his bias.

Not Remembering, or "History Repeating"

I don't remember what I was doing a year ago today. But I would find it hard to believe that anyone really does, these days. I can hardly remember what I was doing last week. This is our culture of immediacy and forgetfulness. I enjoy this lifestyle, though. I've never really bought into the "those who forget history are doomed to repeat it" mantra.

Coincidentally, I don't remember when I first heard that adage..

Remembering: A Laundry List

I remember waking up early so I could be late.

I remember my first show. It was at Riverside CC. You know, the field with two different shades of green.

I remember squinting at the lights in the rear view mirror.

I remember the smell of Spring 2007.

I remember a cold night at Bear Down field last October, and the mixed feelings that have ensued.

I remember fire in my shoulders. And I will remember it this whole summer.

I remember postponing a dream.

Homophonic Translation

This is my homophonic translation of the French poem given to us in class. I started the translation with "Genghis K," and was actually able to maintain a war theme throughout the entire poem.

Genghis K: lay crochet rugs, tell a night trail.
Swift, lent to leisure, pearl infinitude: Lucille Bluth.
K-car late! Hoovers press to Roy key lay roll.
Crew law: battle on in mastodon's loofah.

Genghis Khan: fold elefant, able bro.
Is fate decent? Billiard domes, juntas ferment.
Power resorts, tinsel tea, tinsel herb. That's the stage.
Snatch her, oh toy. Cute face is home-sent.

Ill is undone. Create oxen, apes. Damn the seas.
They saw tails, ale, incense, ox. Grant scales Alice's door.
Cute and labor see men dish oceans send, or..

Jet set reveals wand dismay. Remember these?
Then slang noise kept plow and cellar.
Lay down on it. Ingrid's son, lay down lower. Much lower.

The Start..

Welcome to my blog, the Cyber Tollbooth!

This is the first post in what will hopefully be a series of many. I will be using this blog to post assignments required by Mr. Rotando's English 104H class.
The class' theme is "war" and anything that might even be related to this very general topic.

So far, we have analyzed texts such as:
Gulf War Syndrome
Poems by Brian Turner
Pablo Picasso's Guernica
Jarhead
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Beyond Vietnam" speech
Achilles in Vietnam
Elie Wiesel's "Perils of Indifference" speech
The Death of the Ball-Turret Gunner
General Macarthur's farewell address at West Point


Besides the required assignments, I'll also be posting thoughts that I have and things I stumble across on the internet that relate to this class topic. Thanks for stopping by!