Before we get to this weeks blog post, I want to show you the e.e. cummings poem "Grasshopper." Two weeks ago we were talking about breaking rules in writing and I said something akin to "You don't break rules to break rules, you do it for an effect." I cited this poem as an example:
r-p-o-p-h-e-s-s-a-g-r
who
a)s w(e loo)k
upnowgath
PPEGORHRASS
eringint(o-
aThe):l
eA
!p:
S a
(r
rIvInG .gRrEaPsPhOs)
to
rea(be)rran(com)gi(e)ngly
,grasshopper;
In this poem we see e.e. cummings breaking all sorts of rules for not only poetry but also for language use in general in order to convey a specific meaning.
In my interpretation, and I am not alone in this reading, cummings
rearranges the words because, by making the poem seem undecipherable, the poem more closely resembles what it represents: a jumping
grasshopper. Just as the grasshopper is difficult to comprehend when it
is in mid-jump, so to is the poem difficult to comprehend while it is depicting the grasshopper's jump. If you are interested, the following is a type of standard "translation" of the poem, though I never understood where the "himself" comes from:g-r-a-s-s-h-o-p-p-e-r
who as we look
now up gathering into himself
leaps!
arriving rearrangingly to become grasshopper.
Anyway, now that we are done with that brief aside, let's move on to the purpose of this post.
This week's post is going to begin by talking about how publics are amalgamations of strangers united (even if loosely) by texts. I think that this Yeah Yeah Yeah's video is a good visual representation of how this concept works:
What do little children from Mill Valley, California; adolescents from Brussels, Belgium; people from Girat Shmuel, Israel; and individuals from Sopot, Poland all have in common? Apparently, the answer is enough interest in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to want to be in their music video. There is nothing else, as far as I can tell, that unites these people besides a willingness to play dress up and make a homemade video for their favorite band.
If we accept the premise that publics are made up of people united by a text (or multiple texts), then it makes sense that to demonstrate themselves as part of a public, authors use reference. Authors show that they know the same texts that the public knows and, by doing so, show themselves to be a part of the same public as the audience. I think this video by Rage Against the Machine shows this concept quite nicely:
Now, it is arguable that Rage Against the Machine does not belong to the public in which they are trying to place themselves. It could be argued that the band is hijacking the credibility of these other artists/revolutionaries in order to make themselves appear to be in a public in which they really do not belong. However, whether they belong to the public or not is inconsequential to the fact that they are trying to show themselves as part of the public.
Sometimes artists reference people who seem obviously detached from the public that the original artist is speaking in. For example, in the following song Teri Genderbender of Le Butcherettes references the work of Mary Wollstonecraft, an eighteenth century writer, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, an eighteenth-century philosopher:
These are my questions:
- What is Le Butcherettes trying to accomplish by referencing Wollstonecraft?
- Is the use of references in either song effective, and how so?
- What does any of this have to do with writing papers?
I believe that Le Butcherettes video references Wollstone because she was a successful, writer and a well known woman who worked her way into the limelight from multiple achievements.By referenceing Wollstonecraft, LeButcherette is gaining the public's attention to her fame and fortune. The addressee will then refernce back to the video to understand how serious the artist is and what the meaning is. I think that the references in "Rage Against the Machine" were being more slandered and talked down upon and insulted. It didn't seem to me that they were being referenced like Wollstonecraft wasbeing in the other video.This has to do with writing papers because in academic research us as writer's will be referencing the scholars in books, articles, academic journals and interviews. The way that we portray the reference will depend on how the reader will interperet the paper asa whole. It can be a cause and effect on how what the reader will gain from reading it.
ReplyDeleteI feel that this weeks blog brings up many good points. The Yeah Yeah Yeah's song had a great visual and musical description of how their art brings people together from across the globe. The Visual, of course, being the people who were all inspired by the texts that the Yeah Yeah Yeah's created dancing around on camera. The Musical element of the experience also reflects this when the singer says "I think I'm bigger than the sound." I interpreted this as her pondering how much of an impact this "sound" can actually make. Le Butcherettes references to unknown philosophers and writers draws in members of a public that may not have caught on otherwise. These references make whatever the artist is saying more credible, which can enlarge the public that they could reach. Rage Against The Machine also uses this technique efficiently by naming off credible sources. By relating to these sources, they associate themselves with the public that this source created, making their argument less debatable and reaching larger publics. I believe that this is very effective and, for an artist who is trying to get a message out to a large public, this is a valuable technique to know. This can also be transferred over into writing essays. When we write, we must think about the audience. What texts would credit or discredit my argument to what publics? This is why we must use academic sources. In order for an academic utterance to be taken seriously; it must add on to whatever has been said before it in the academic realm.
ReplyDeleteWhen Le Butcherettes reference Mary Wollstone, they say "I wanna thank Mary W. for the inspiration". I took this as they are saying that because the works of Mary Wollstone inspired them, they are on to do greater things. Although as mentioned, they do not fit into neither the public of the 18th century nor the public of writing, A lot of times, people are inspired in their own line of work by something that has nothing to do with what they are trying to accomplish. I believe that by referencing Wollstone, they were ineffective to the mass public, however they were effective to the public who knows of Wollstone. I believe this because they did not mention her full name. They called her "Mary W." They were however effective when referencing Rousseau because they mentioned her full name which will be more recognizable. The use of references in Renegades Of Funk seemed to be ineffective all together. Rage Against The Machine are trying to compare themselves to characters such as Thomas Paine and Martin Luther King. Le Bucherettes could get away with their references because they implied and stated that Wollstone and Rousseau inspired them. They aren't directly comparing themselves to them like Rage Against The Machine are. Also, a "renegade" is defined by the Webster dictionary as either "A person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles" or "A person who behaves in a rebelliously unconventional manner". I believe that the references he is making fall under the first definition of a renegade and Rage The Machine fall into the second definition of what a renegade is. This does not make a strong comparison for them whatsoever. In general, this blog post can help with writing papers because we are using our text to enter a specific public bound upon texts in which, we will use references. If we can make strong references, then we will be better able to communicate, using our text, with the public whom are essentially strangers to us. Texts like ours are what makes the public, and it is the only way to get our point across to them.
ReplyDeleteBy referencing Wollstonecraft, Le Butcherettes are showing that they are inspired by Mary Wollstonecraft's doings. They are incorporating a deeper meaning into the song that most likely won't be recognized by a large part of their public. However, they may be trying to expand their public by referencing her because there will be other that appreciate the work of Wollstonecraft and, therefore may become interested in Le Butcherettes music because of the common interest they share. I think the use of references in the two songs are effective depending on the listener. Many of us listen to music just for pure enjoyment and often fail to seek out a deeper meaning of the lyrics. However, many of us also listen to music because we can possibly relate to the message. The listeners that understand the purpose of Le Butcherettes and Rage Against the Machine's references, will have a stronger opinion on the effectiveness of their references. If the listener's were able to understand the reason and purpose for their referencing, or they cared enough to research it, then they will recognize a deeper message and decide whether or not they agree with the message the author is sharing. This has to do with writing papers because when writing a paper, the first thing to consider is the audience. Demonstrating knowledge on these global figures and public references can allow the audience to relate and appreciate. Our audience is important and it's up to us to prove that we are credible because they are immersing themselves into the our public. In return, we, as the authors, need to prove that we're knowledgeable.
ReplyDeleteBy referencing Wollstonecraft,Le Butcherettes (like in a paper), are citing their source. They are citing Wollstonecraft because this is their source of inspiration and Le Butcherettes are also attempting to be more credible. I do not feel that the references is this song are effective. I agree with what Kaylin said, that it is not effective when this band refers to wollstonecraft as Mary W. This reference and the Rousseau reference in my opinion did not enhance the utterance, because their mention was subtle. If I were listening to this song without focusing on the lyrics I would not have noticed these references at all. The references in "rage against the machine" in my opinion, were much more effective. It was impossible not to catch the references. Also I found that by having interest in a few of the references, I more eagerly waited for the following lyrics to come into sight. This enhanced my overall interest of the entire song. It was also clear that this band wanted to be considered part of the public of these references, and it kinda worked. This blog assignment shows how the use of references can either enhance the voice of a writers work, or make the writers focus seem slightly unclear.
ReplyDeleteLe Butcherettes reference Mary Wollstonecraft because she gave them inspiration to make their way into the public nation. She gave the singer in the song more inspiration than Rousseau did. Wollstonecraft was an advocate for women's rights, so she encouraged the singer to become a part of the public. She's tired of Rousseau because he only speaks for men and wants more than just this philosopher. Le Butcherettes used the reference to show that a female philosopher who advocated for women's rights gave them more inspiration than a male philosopher who did nothing for women. This reference effectively supported the artist's argument.
ReplyDeleteThe "Renegades of Funk" song referenced many historical figures who shook things up by speaking up for their rights and views in the public. This reference of historical figures was useful when talking about renegades. The band is including themselves with these figures in a public that demands social change and goes about it proactively. When writing papers, you need to use helpful sources like the following artists did in their songs. It is useful to cite sources that are relevant to your topic to strengthen your argument.
I think the La Butcherettes' reference to Wollstonecraft is another example of a band using references to other publics to be included into another, similar to what we saw last week. By using the reference however it shows they actively tried to engage in this public and seem like they were a part of it. I think the reference is effective as they show that they are familiar with the problems that they try to address and the other people involved in it. As to how these affects our writing papers, I can agree with some people before me have said about using other sources to add to our own arguments. While the references in these songs can very well be their own opinion, by citing other famous people, it shows that they are a part of the discussion, and add credibility to their arguments by using other peoples opinions. On a side note, the grasshopper poem for me personally, is an example of asking too much from an audience, because I definitely only gave it a passing glance then jumped straight to the description of it.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I’m not sure if I totally agree with the statement that Mary Wollstonecraft doesn’t fit into Le Butcherettes’ public. Obviously Mary is a public figure from way back in the eighteenth century, but to say that because of this she is therefore detached from this public, I think isn’t necessarily accurate. I think the public that Le Butcherettes are trying to reach is a public who is concerned with women’s empowerment, and therefore the reference is very much relatable and, although historical, still culturally relevant. By acknowledging Mary Wollstonecraft, Le Butcherettes are trying to show their expertise of the discourse that they are entering by singing about these feminist ideas.
ReplyDeleteThe use of references in these songs are both effective. I believe Le Butcherettes choices in referencing make them seem more knowledgeable, only because they made very specific choices with who they referenced. I believe the Rage Against the Machine song is a little less credible because they referenced so many people that were either historical or hip hop icons that it seemed a little frivolous and unnecessary.
This has everything to do with how to fit into the public we will be writing for. In order to relate to a public you must prove to them that you are knowledgeable about the ideas from previous discussions about the topic. Readers need to be able to trust that a writer knows all sides to a discussion so that the reader will have an easier time seeing where the writer’s ideas fit into the grand scheme of things.
So as far what Le Butcherettes is tryng to accomplish by referencing Wollstonecraft I'm not sure. I don't really understand the purpose of her song. Other than maybe the fact she wants to achieve the sort of fame that Wollstonecraft had. I don't feel like there is a total purpose for mentioning her in the song, I mean obviously there is a reason but I don't really understand what she would be trying to accomplish. Specially since not everyone knows who she is. Maybe to achieve a status of being educated, of higher class since she knows who that is and what she did. Other than that I'm not so sure.
ReplyDeleteI believe the reference in Renegades of Funk is effective in the fact that it appears Rage is really apart of that public. I think mostly through his word usage. Just by saying "we". Although whether he really is apart of that public of "renegades" he is. Maybe not exactly an active member of it but he does belong to that public because he is talking about it. Just like when we are writing our papers we are entering our chosen academic publics just by discussing it. We aren't being active in this public but we are in it due to discussion. I think if I were to criticize Rage for pretending to be apart of the public, I would also have to look at it in myself since that will be what I;m doing with my paper. But maybe on a lesser level...
However, I do believe the references to all the people in that song is effective. In the other song, I don't feel like it's effective. Partially because I don't understand it but even if I did, I don't feel it would be as effective because Wollstonecraft is less known to people. Well, as far as today's day goes. MAybe if the song was written that long ago, it would have been but the people mentioned in the Renegades of Funk are much more known in todays society. Therefore just for that reason I believe it is more effective.
I mentioned our papers earlier but what I think it has to do specifically with our papers is the fact that we are writing about a public we aren't neccesarily apart of. If we are going to reference people, I think we need to be clear on who these people are, why they are important and actually making ourselves appear (whether we are or not) that we are actually apart of this public. I think we have to be effective in our arguments. Especially when it comes to our references.
I think Le Butcherettes refers to Wollstonecraft because they are trying to bring a deeper meaning to their song that will only reach a specific public. Referencing different aspects of literature and society in songs is effective because it broadens the amount of publics the song will apply to, and some specific allusions will apply to certain publics which connects strangers due to different references. By Le Butcherettes referring to Wollstonecraft in their song they are now appealing to a more scholarly public that listens to that song rather than a public that is not as scholary who listens to the song. Referencing other sources in songs is similar to allusions in writing, which is critical in adding depth to a paper. By referencing other sources the paper applies to more publics that would not normally be included. Also, by referencing other sources the topic of the paper can be supported more efficiently than it would have been if there were no sources used. A topic can be better supported, and broader publics can be breached with references.
ReplyDeleteThey're trying to accomplish showing that referencing Wollstonecraft and Rousseau puts them into a public which they belong. It's almost the reverse of Rage Against The Machine. They are showing that they indeed do "belong," and Le Butcherettes is just simply stating that Wollstonecraft and Rousseau has attracted them to this public.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that the reference was effective because they could have stated more about Rousseau then just mentioning their name in every chorus.
This relates to writing papers because when we write them, we are trying to speak to a public. Whether it's a personal story, or sharing information. If it wasn't worth writing about, we wouldn't share it.
Someone that replied farther up said that by referencing Wollstonecraft, that Le Butcherettes was "citing their source" and I really liked that idea. It may be an oblique reference, but in a song that is about a woman that wants more for herself I can see how they made the jump to thanking a woman that had been an advocate for women's rights during her lifetime. In regards to which song better employed the use of reference I'm going to have to say that Le Butcherettes were more effective in song than Rage Against the Machine, but Rage Against the Machine was probably more effective in actually speaking to their public(s) because their message was more straight forward. By taking the time to reference other work, writers can more effectively add their voice to a public and their work be taken more seriously in the publics we're trying to reach.
ReplyDeleteThe Le Butcherettes reference Mary W. because although she is not of their time period her work, and success inspires them still today. It may have inspired them to do this , and how they say "I'm hungry for more" I see that as them striving to become better then they already are. It's as if the Le Butcherettes are trying to share old wisdom and inspiration to today's time and public. I believe each song was effective however, to it's own public in a sense. In the second video it is going towards those who used to listen to old rappers such as Slick Rick and Public Enemy etc and to those who still looks upon those artist and public speakers as role models and inspiration. In the background of that video it says "Renegades Forever, and the Funk never dies". Those were people who set the stage and later rappers, public speakers and comedians; they were the best then and they will always be the inspiration for up in coming talent. This relates to writing because I believe that all of our papers are going towards a certain public not one of our papers is going to interest everybody just because we all have our own opinions and interest. However, whether someone is interested or not in our papers I believe that we our sharing information to a new public and with that I think the domino theory takes control after that. Once somebody hears, or reads a new piece of information they going to want to share it to their friends and families etc
ReplyDeleteI think Le Butcherettes references Wollstonecraft because she is well known and an inspiration to them. I think they are trying to be on a different level by using her as an example. I also think by referencing her they were making the public bigger for more people to relate to. Not only can the public they are in relate to the song, but also other publics can relate to the song. I think the references in both songs are effective. In the Rage Against the Machine they reference a lot of historical figures. Which somewhat takes away because there are so many instead of a specific one. But I do think it is somewhat powerful using all of those people. In Le Butcherettes I think the use of their reference was also effective because they were very specific which adds a certain validity. I think this has us understand how to relate and fit our paper into the public we are trying to reach. And also it helps us understand that we need to reference reliable people in order to be taken seriously in the academic world. Having reliable sources and references makes a paper and the writer more credible.
ReplyDelete