Blakesley's Defining Film Rhetoric Questions

1. This question comes from reading David Blakesley’s chapter, “Defining Film Rhetoric: The Case of Hitchcock’s Vertigo.” Blakesley makes the statement, “As a predominantly visual medium, film makes identification even more inviting than it might otherwise be” (pg. 129-130). He goes on to discuss how movies are able to make a quicker and more identifiable connection between characters and audience, compared to the character connection made in books. This struck me as surprising when he compared the two mediums and the difference in character and audience identification. It seems that books are able to create a memorable and more complete character that an audience can identify with as well. In your opinion which medium do you feel does the better job of creating a character that the audience can identify with, and why?

2. In Blakesley’s article he also discusses the aim of rhetoric in films as identification (pg. 117). He states that for the audience “identification functions as desire, as an assertion of identities...we pursue that identification as one way of expressing our consubstantiality.” As humans we enjoy the opportunity to pretend and desire to be someone else, and the use of film is powerful in drawing that desire of identification out of the audience. I can still remember how much I wanted to be a Power Ranger when I was younger, and in my mind I thought I could do all the stunts and fighting. Can you think of a character that you desired to be when you were younger, or a character that you identified with in films? What about that character allowed you to make that identity connection?

3. Another idea that Blakesley highlights is the use of visuals and their impact on what we believe. “Seeing is believing, but believing is seeing as well” (pg. 112). When I think of the visuals we encounter everyday and the movies that are made, I can’t help but think of all the effects that went in to making those visuals. Pictures and magazine covers are edited and airbrushed, movies have special effects, and most of the stunts we see in movies are animated. So many of the visuals we take in are not real, so how can we believe what we see? Based on what most of us know about the tools used to make these false visuals, what can we do as the receivers of messages in order to make real judgments about what we see? Do our beliefs in certain things distract us from seeing the truth in other things?

Safeway Persuasion and Consumption

Safeway

This assignment is actually the type of thing I think about every time I go into Safeway. If you go into the Safeway on 14^th and John the entrance to the store leads you through the floral department. I know that whenever I walk into the store I notice the appealing smell of the flowers and the sight of them also leads me to think about my family. When I think of my family I think about how nice it would be to buy my mom or Grandma some flowers. Having this at the front of the store so that no one can get past without seeing them at that entrance I think brings a nice beginning to the shoppers experience. For me as soon as I enter I immediately smile, and even stop and smell sometimes, at the beautiful flowers.

As I’m shopping at Safeway I also notice the price tags on the items in the store. The original price tags are red and have black writing on them, making them not as desirable to look at compared to the bright yellow tags they put on items for the Safeway Club Members price. I also think that the original price tags are hard to read sometimes, but the sale prices are big and bright so that customers can’t miss them. Everyone loves a sale, so when these bright tags stick out and the customer can see the savings compared to the other prices it’s easy for them to see the saving and be persuaded that it’s that much better of a savings.

The items that are located around the check stand are also interesting to consider. It usually consists of the small items that are easy to grab. There’s gum, candy, magazines, and movies. If you’re in to Hollywood gossip it’s hard not to grab a magazine while you’re standing in line and look at it while you’re waiting. The gum and candy is always a reminder of things that I want and the chocolate that would taste so good after eating the other food that I bought. The most interesting thing I think is the movies. I myself never even really look at them because I would never think or really want to buy a movie from Safeway. My roommate on the other hand always stops and looks at the movies. So even though they don’t appeal to me they appeal to my roommate, and that’s what they’re going for. Even if it only appeals to some it’s still an affective item to sell. I think this aspect also points to the fact that Safeway can be almost like a one stop shopping place. When you walk through the aisles or are about to check out, there’s always something else you see that you think you need to have.

Safeway also includes my favorite coffee shop Starbucks. When I enter I catch a glimpse of the Starbucks and then when I’m done checking out I walk past it on the way out of the store. Each time I pass it I am always tempted to go buy a coffee, but am usually able to restrain myself. Having the Starbucks coffee itself brings in a group of people that may only be there for the coffee but then end up shopping at Safeway. So it also appeals to certain customers and draws them in to spend more money at Safeway.

The last thing I noticed before I left was the add for donating to breast cancer research. It asked me on the screen when I used my card and the checker always asks me also, even if I already checked no on the screen.

These are the main advertisements I see when I go to Safeway, and each of them act in different ways to draw in customers and create a vision of what Safeway is and what it has to offer. I know that a lot of there messages work on me, but I am proud to say that I am able to also identify those messages and restrain myself from some of them.

Response to Gina Kim's first question

In response to Gina Kim’s 1^st question:

1. In the beginning of chapter 6, entitled, “The Psychology of Persuasion,” Woodward and Denton discuss three hypothetical constructs that serve as cognitive elements of persuasion: beliefs, attitudes, and values. A “belief” is defined as something we personally know to be true or false, “our convictions – even if others disagree” (page 133). However, the authors later mention that our ranking of beliefs change over time, giving the example of one’s view on abortion possibly changing after encountering a rape victim or becoming a parent. Do you think that knowledge gives us reason to believe? Or perhaps that personal experience or encounter cause one to believe? When talking about beliefs, I automatically think of words like, “religion,” “faith,” and “God.” Does more knowledge necessarily cause one to believe more or less in something? Or does it go beyond facts and figures, and perhaps “blind faith,” as some religious people may label it, to fully have belief in something?

I do think that knowledge in something is the reason that we can believe in that thing. In furthering our knowledge we deepen our beliefs in something, and because we know more we are able to base those convictions on more substance. I think a good example of this in my case is my political views. When I was younger I held the same beliefs as my parents because I was too young to have the knowledge to make my own views. As I have grown up I have gained knowledge in order to make the decision about who best represents my own beliefs. Over the years as I’ve come to the age of voting some of my views have changed, but it has been through my own curiosity that I did more research and gained further insight into what was being told to me. So that knowledge I gained through investigating has lead to the changing and strengthening of many of my beliefs.

I also have a friend who has experienced rape, and I think that her situation has definitely changed my beliefs about multiple things. It’s completely situational and different for every person, because people have beliefs for some reason; something motivates them to think a certain way. What we think of as being true could be different for two people, but a single encounter could change both of our beliefs.

In Gina’s second set of questions concerning beliefs in religion, faith, and God, I believe that this is a different type of belief. I believe both are true, that knowledge helps deepen our religious beliefs, along with a sense of “blind faith” that deepens our beliefs. I consider myself a religious person, and through my years of studying the Bible, attending Bible study, and church my beliefs in God have very much deepened and grown richer. This does take some of my own belief, I have my own beliefs of how God is present in my life everyday and how he has worked in my life, but I cannot exactly convince someone else about that belief just through my experience. So for me it is not “blind faith,” but to others it may seem like that.

Overall anything someone holds to be true can be a belief, but a stronger belief/conviction is formed when more knowledge is gained into that subject.