The Product of my Thought Process

        In Writing 37, the students of the class were challenged to explore a variety of media to

portray a complex message, similar to the ones created by authors of science fiction like William

Gibson and Tom Godwin. Using the rhetorical tactics observed throughout the quarter, the

students are tasked with informing a specific audience with an issue regarding a topic of interest.

The only requirements for the project was for the mandatory utilization of science fiction as the

main genre and the fact that it cannot be a short story. A creative project of this caliber could not

have been finished in the span of one week; it required multiple iterations before the perfect

formula was achieved.

        The science fiction project began with multiple brainstorming sessions to figure out the

central message I wanted to convey to my audience. My immediate idea was to portray the

laziness of mankind by using the Disney movie Wall-E. In the form of a movie review, I would

analyze the rhetorical choices made by the director, Andrew Stanton, to emphasize the message

that he wanted to portray. Besides the minute details, I would also observe the technological

advancements and the slow progression of laziness that the universe of Wall-E takes. As I

continued to work on the movie review, I noticed that my disinterest in the actual topic and

message prevented me from completing the project to a satisfactory degree which prompted me to

begin considering different topics and worlds, which is when I discovered Ghost in the Shell. Set in

a future Japan, the film displays how technological advancements have allowed people to install

cybernetic implants to enhance their bodies in a desired way. While the animation played, I

focused on the effects of these cybernetic implants and how they could relate to our present world.

During the movie, I discovered that the main protagonist would often, using wires, plug herself into

a machine that would allow the individual freely browse web and various databases (Ghost In The

Shell). I further analyzed these scenes in order to find possible connections the movie could have

with our own world, which hinted at man’s inability to disconnect from technology. With this

message in mind, I considered the video game Deus Ex: Human Revolution as another possible

source. In one sequence of the video game, the player encounters and enlists the help of a

program who is capable of hacking and influencing the media (Eidos Montreal). Using this idea, I

inferred the possibility that people would abuse this technology to hack unwanted information into

the mechanical brains of citizens, thus providing another instance where a danger could arise from

connecting technology to all aspects of life. Taking time to look at the evidence once again, clearly

displays my claim that integrating technology in all aspects of life will mean inheriting the negatives

of the worlds detailed in Ghost in The Shell and Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

        After gathering sufficient evidence, I set out to find the perfect medium to encapsulate my

purpose in. In the beginning, I believed the best way for the audience to experience the future

world of Japan was to see it for themselves through an online tour guide, similar to ones presented

for school orientations. This would allow the reader to visualize the message and its consequence

as the paragraphs are read. However, once I discussed the idea with my professor, he pointed out

that the tour guide closely resembled a short story due to the surprise plot twist I added near the

end. While I was trying to conceptualize of ways to avoid the short story aspect, the professor

suggested an alternative press paper, which is akin to an uncensored version of a newspaper

article that portrays a more critical view of topics that journalists want to discuss. During my

research to understand what an alternative press paper was, I encountered a TIME magazine

photo essay titled A Rare Look Inside North Korea. Finding the media seemingly perfect for my

project, I started experimenting with different styles and formats that would accommodate the

message.

        Deciding to utilize a photographic essay instead of an alternative press article took the visual

strengths of the tour guide along with the critical content of an alternative press newspaper to

portray the aspects of a cyber future Japan that I wanted the audience to focus on. Through the

photo essay, I could communicate the negatives of the available technology within the movie to the

reader and display how our world is reaching a comparable point. Following a similar format to the

one discovered in the TIME website, the top half of the page displayed a photograph depicting a

certain situation. Along with the photograph, a small caption is also included clear any

misunderstandings the picture could generate (Tomas van Houtryve). The main difference is that

each photo also includes a paragraph description that describes the relationship between the

photo and the overall message. However, as I continued to create my photo essay, the professor

pointed out how I should be weary of communicating the message to a future audience; rather I

should be talking to the present audience using a fictional scenario. The message I was

emphasizing constantly referred to the future audience, making it irrelevant for the present

audience. To avoid this issue, I decided to create bridges. In my writing, I included references to

how present day technology developed into Japan’s technology like how access of information

went from visiting a library to the smartphone to the wired technology Japan had in the movie. The

creation of this bridge, and many other ones that are like it, allowed me to hint the audience to

what my actual message was.

        Once I finished writing the project, I asked the professor to evaluate it for any improvements I

can make. After reading it through, he advised me to correct the tone and format of the project.

Although the content and message was present and clear, the diction and sentence structure was

more on the academic side and did not match the writing style of TIME. Instead of simplifying the

paragraph structure and vocabulary, I ended up adopting the academic writing style of the

newspaper, The Economist ("Crash Testing"). While I introduced the audience to the world of

Japan, I noted that “During these technologies’ inception, people noticed that mankind was unable

to disconnect from their devices. Instead of shying away from the addicting technology, scientists

began experimenting with attaching the machine into the bodies of humans, which leads to the so

called Cybernetic Revolution”. Like the Economist, I favored higher level vocabulary choice to

pinpoint the exact meaning that I wanted to present; a simplified message would not carry my

desired impact or intent. Aside from the choice of diction, the inclusion of multiple transitional

words helped me flow fluidly from one idea to another. Changing the format to match The

Economist, besides from keeping my voice, would also cater to a more suitable audience.

        After I initially drafted my rhetoric in practice project, I believed that my audience would

consist of young adolescents and college students who are often seen on their smartphones

and electronic gadgets. However, as I continued to write my ideas presented in the project, I

realized that the message better suited young working adults like business men and women who

often utilize electronics to accomplish their duties. As technology continually advanced, its

capabilities rose exponentially, simplifying and increasing the efficiency of many tasks. This

caused people to depend on the ease of technology which means more time spent being

connected to electronics. Changing the format to follow an article that can be found in The

Economist helps to not only display my message but also aids in making the media relevant to my

audience, the young working business men and women that frequent similar pages on a daily

basis.

        When the rhetoric in practice project was first assigned to the class during the first week of

school, its completion did not seem fathomable. With each passing day, I dreaded the approaching

due date for this assignment since I often left class without an idea on how to start. Fortunately, I

discovered a subject that interested me, which allowed me to think of the project as a chance to

explore instead of another essay.  The use of a different media forced the students to think in a

unique perspective which resulted in more interesting final projects. The assignment also gave the

students a chance to experiment with various rhetorical strategies that were observed throughout

the quarter. It was a chance for application before the students would have to implement that

knowledge in a more rigorous course, like Writing 39C.