Final Project Presentation Schedule

Monday, April 28
1) Andrew
2) Cheryl
3) Manny

Wednesday, April 30
1) Doug
2) Cara
3) Sam
4) Meredith

Friday, May 2
1) Leanda
2) Miro
3) Ebony
4) Ian

The Usual Suspects in 33 seconds/Reaction

This movie is a terrific physiological thriller with one of the best twists I’ve seen in a long time. There is just one problem. I saw this movie about 10 years too late. I’m sure when Kevin Spacey was a fairly unknown actor this movie really left many who viewed it with their jaws dropped and that utter look of WTF just happened here. As a matter of fact, when I viewed it with my classmates some still had this plastered look of “Damn, I thought I had it” on their faces. I, on the other hand, knew it was Kevin Spacey from the beginning. Now please, don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean to sound like some pretentious film snob who goes around acting like he knows every movie plot before it’s ever put on paper because this just isn’t the case. I thought the movie was well done and all the actors in it did a phenomenal job. The plot started off simple enough, but only in the end could one truly appreciate the complexities of this movie. We are left wondering many things such as: Who really is Keyser Soza? Was Hockney planning on skipping out alone with the loot? What in the flying fuck was Benicio Del Toro saying and why did I find it so damn funny?
The ethos of Kint is being built from the moment we see him being interrogated by agent Kujan. The whole movie sets us up like the sentimental saps we are and we fall for it hook, line, and sinker. First let’s start with the fact that Kint has cerebral palsy. It’s kind of hard to start off with yea that’s the guy who killed all those people, the slow guy with the limp. Then we throw on the fact that this guy will ramble on about anything and everything, so immediately we as the audience think that there is no way in hell blabber mouth here could keep a secret so once again, we trust him with open arms. Finally we are made to believe that Kint is nothing more than a scarred little two bit criminal who has bitten up way more than he can chew and now is caught up in this dark world he has no business being a part of. As a matter of fact, when he is crying on his knees in front of agent Kujan the audience now feels that Kint is a representation of the everyday man in the story.
In short, Kint represents us. And Kujan is more of the higher up authority figure who always comes down hard on us, tells us what to do, and thrives on the intimidation of the common man. But the fact of the matter is that this is all one big farce. Kint is nothing like us. Kint is the master manipulator. He is the deceptive narrator that all those Edger Allen Poe stories spoke of, and yet we did not learn our lesson. So we are left in wonderment of how we could have been so easily deceived. It appears to be obvious in retrospect that Kint is the one behind it all. The foreshadowing is told through parallels of the devil and the power of myths over reality. How could we be so blind? This is why the movie is so well done. It’s a twisted and complicated plot, yet once it is revealed it all seems so simple.
So how is it that I knew in advance that Kint was the puppeteer pulling everyone’s strings? It’s quite simple. It has nothing to do with a keen sense of plot development. It’s FUCKING KEVIN SPACEY. This is the same man who has played the character that has brought down superman, defended racist bigots, decapitated Brad Pitt’s wife and gave it to him as a present, not to mention, the only man to my knowledge to ever audit Santa Clause. I mean Keyser Soza is nothing compared to the ass who audits Santa… Have you no soul man?

WTC

Check this out and tell me how you guys feel. I have been trying to show the class these videos for so long now but Jaime, love u alot, is taking too long to let me lol. check this out: 

Reply to the Dunkin Donut

Hey,

I dont think the commerical was actually offensive to any ethic backgroup. Whther it is Italian or French i do not see the commercial offensive at all. I just feel like the commercial is trying to sell their product by stating that Americans do not need fancy names to sell their products. The simple word as Latte is enough as opposed to the usual Tall, kjasghaig Frapuccino to sell this product. The commerical is stating that the simplicity of words is alot better than these usual tongue twisting words to sell. Americans are becoming more and more difficult and want the "booshua" or the classy coffee to make themselves feel higher in class. Straight up, whether you are drinking Poland Spring or fancy shancy water, it is just water!!

Dunkin' Donuts - Fritalian Commercial

I saw this commercial about a month back and for some reason it really got under my skin. I didn’t think much of it at first because commercials in general now a days blow goats. But at second glance I realized this might not be your every day, run of the mill, (insert cliché about ordinary things here) commercial. No, there is something far worse afoot here than your typical marketing fixation with farm animal fellatio. The commercial undermines the very fabric of which our nation is woven together with. What’s great about America is the cultural differences among our citizens. I take solace in the fact that we have a country whose language, culture, and overall “look” does not consist of one image or race, but several. I know it may appear that I’m looking too far into this and that the commercial was just attempt at humor, not meant to be taken seriously, but let’s break down this commercial.
“My mouth can’t form these words”—meaning this is not my native tongue. “Is it French or is it Italian…perhaps Fritalian”—which I take as a slap in the face to cultural diffusion. Apparently if it’s not English, then we as Red, White, and Blue blooded Americans don’t give “Two Shits” about it. The fact that we are so pompous to just lump in two completely different cultures as if they are the same tells us a little something about how we view the world. Then we have the nerve to get pissed when the rest of the world call us stupid, arrogant, and undignified. Who cares, French, Italian it’s all the same shit right? I mean it’s either American or it’s not. Wrong, what makes America “America” is that we have made an entire culture based on all the different cultures of the world. We are a nation that can have apple pie and wash it down with a cappuccino. We can drink Coca Cola while eating a Taco.
It’s asinine to think that we will one day get back to this original America when everyone spoke English and drank Coors Light. Well, news flash, that America never existed. We have always been a land of immigrants. The Native Americans didn’t speak English and for those of you who still think Columbus discovered America because he had a flag, well I hate to break it to you but he didn’t speak English either. He spoke Italian and probably some form of Spanish considering he was sailing on behalf of the King and Queen of Spain. Not to mention his crew was all Spanish. An America without the integration of different ideas, cultures, and beliefs wouldn’t be the same.
Oh, just one more thing, and I direct this to the high ups at Dunkin Donuts. Last time I checked, “Latte” was not an English word, so how can you say with a straight face that you can come to DD where you order things in English, not Fritalian. That’s the dumbest statement of all. I was never a Starbucks kind of guy, but this commercial actually makes me want to spend $9 for a cup of coffee. Maybe you should stick to those Rachael Ray commercials instead of… actually on second thought I’d rather see more Fritalian ads.

Little Hitler

Is this what Burke predicted?

65%

D R A F T

D-R-A-F-T

My argument in regards to this paper is about the study abroad program here at our university. My argument is that despite what the costs are, the study abroad program is worth trying out. I will use theories like cognitive consistency theory, which basically means it is hard to change people who are already content. I will use this theory to try to prove that even through it is hard to change people who are already happy; it can still be done if presented in a proper and appealing manner. I will also use epistemic knowledge from my own personal experience from attending the study abroad program in Rome, Italy.
I will demonstrate why and how studying abroad can benefit a student in many ways by using the cognitive consistency theory and other key terms and vocabulary from the chapters. This will be the backbone of my argument. It will display the context of my argument by showing how the theories apply to the argument itself, but also will exhibit the overall rhetorical relation to the rest of the conversation. Another theory I was considering to apply to my argument was the systematic processing model which is a comprehensive, slow high-effort way of thinking and reasoning. This can be applied to every student considering this because it is an important decision which needs to be thought out using central processing due to the nature of the decision; send your daughter or son to a foreign country for 4 months on their own, not mention the financial weight being carried along with it.
Right before the conclusion is drawn; I will voice my opinion on the issue(s) and discuss things that I think are missing; if there are any holes in the argument or if I need to insert new information. An example might be different factors to which I am writing


this essay to, (St. John’s students who are interested or dubious about the study abroad program) financial issues or course options constraints, etc.
For the conclusion I will recap the thesis by briefly reviewing the theories and its application on my argument criticize my points to further solidify my argument, and remind the reader the importance of my argument.