February 12

Today, we responded to a Danielle DeVoss quote for writing into the day.  Then, we discussed the Visual Analysis assignment (Workshop draft due February 26; Second draft due March 5).  We then began discussing visual analysis by reading pages 53-55 of Practical Argument and analyzed the first comic on the "Comics" handout on Blackboard.  We analyzed the comic in the following ways:

What was your first reaction to this comic?

• It's heavily exaggerated.
• It sums up standardized testing well.
• Testing is not fair.
• Testing doesn't play to the strengths of all. 

What do you notice about each of the characters?

• The monkey is smiling.  He is happy about the task.
• The rest of the animals look like they don't think the task is feasible.
• The bird shows that tests are easy for some people.
• He just succeeds in a different way.
• The only one sitting is the monkey.  It isn't worried.
• Is it favoritism?  He is the one most like the human man.
• The man is wearing a suit.  He is "the man".
• He looks like a politician.
• He is white.
• He is bald, which suggests that the test is outdated and out of touch.
• He has a mustache.  It suggests he is evil like some other mustached people like Hitler or Stalin.)
• The different animals could be like the different races and how each race performs on tests.

Why didn't the illustrator include other animals that could climb the tree, like a cat?

• It wouldn't show the difference as well.
• It emphasizes the variety of learning styles

Why use animals instead of people?

• Animals can be manipulated, like students might be manipulated for a test.

Is the background important?

• They are in the middle of nowhere.  There is no escape.  It's isolated.
• The white space suggests what could be there, but isn't.
• The white space is like the testing environment with blank walls.

Is distance important?

• There is a divide between the animals and the man.
• Could suggest the divide between teachers and students or between generations.
• The monkey and bird are separated.  They are the only ones that will succeed.
• The man is sitting, which is a sign of power and respect.

Why did the illustrator draw the tree the way he did?

• There are no branches near the ground.
• It's thick and old like it's not going anywhere.
• It's got big roots.
• It's the only tree.  There is no other option.
• The leaves at the top suggest something to aspire to.
• The limbs are obstacles, but with an illusion of fairness.
• The limbs are opportunities.  There are more paths when you reach the top.

What is important about gestures and shading?

• The monkey has thumbs that are clearly drawn.
• The man is gesturing like testing is no big deal.
• It's "shady" because it's under a tree.
• The shading around the desk emphasizes the divide.
• The mountain and tree are dark; they are what you want to reach.
• There is no gray area with testing.  It is only black and white.

What is important about the words in the comic?

• The word "fair" - it's not fair
• The word "same" - not everyone has the same chance even if it's the same test
• The word "everybody" - specifies all of them
• The word "please" - he is being nice about it
• It's "that" tree, not "a" tree - there is only one option
• The work "selection" - it's a selective test because only some can succeed.  It's also like survival of the fittest.
• The bottom caption is important because it gives context.  If we hadn't been in this class, we might have thought it was about something other than the educational system.

Homework:

1. On your blog, post:
• Your second draft of the Exploratory Proposal
• Answers to the "Self Assessment" handout
2. On Blackboard, post a Word document of your second draft in the Discussion board.