Highs and Lows of Speech Making

In the past, public speaking as been something that enjoyed, and that I daresay I looked forward to. In the beginning of this class, when I looked over the syllabus and saw the assignments for speeches, I was ecstatic. That being said, I know I'm not perfect in terms of how I deliver the speech.
I think I have the ability to keep eye contact regular and varied, as to engage the audience. When I really enjoy the topic I'm presenting, I tend to be much for comfortable and fluid in my speech.
Looking over my notes from the artifact presentation, and thinking back on it, I know I definitely have to work on verbal fillers. They are a safety thing for me, I know I have them if I forget a word or lose my place. However, I need to learn to rely on them less. Also, I speak too fast. That has been a sore spot with me for years, as I have the (sometimes impressive I've been told) ability to speak at an incredibly fast rate, and when I get nervous I sometimes I lose my breath which really disrupts my speech pattern. It also makes what I'm saying less clear, which really takes away from the content of the speech. 
Lastly, I have to improve upon my body language. That, of course, is a very important aspect in speeches, but it is also a factor when talking to anyone, even if you aren't presenting anything. I have to work on being more comfortable with my movements, and move around instead of staying stationary. Also, I need to figure out a comfortable place to put my arms since we won't have note cards this time around.

Ideas of Happiness and Success in a Changing World

My mom always told me "Your happiness is based on your successes, and my definition of success is having the ability to make your own choices." She used the example of believing herself to be successful because she was able to choose to stay at home to raise my sisters and I, and live where she and my dad always dreamed of, because my dad made enough money to achieve the life they both wanted for themselves and for their family. These ideals came from their parents, my grandparents, who always told me about their greatest successes, which were almost always related to their ability to raise a happy and healthy family, that will eventually, in turn, grow to be successful.
But what about the more recent ideals pertaining to happiness? Through the years, the ideas of success have evolved, however, one of the key components to people's accomplishments tends to be linked to happiness; yet that concept varies from person to person, vastly dividing the different ideas that lead to success.

Thesis: The beginning of the 20th century marks the start of the measurable divide between the connections of success and happiness in American Culture. 

I will prove this thesis by showing statistics about happiness levels in other countries to show that owning an abundance of 'things' does not guarantee one's happiness, and how the so called "Economic Boom" following WWI (and later WWII) is just one in a constant flux of economic shifts that effect the overarching ideas of success and happiness in America, the most recent one being the early to late 80s. I will show how we are still riding on that swell of economic power, with no signs of slowing down, and how those who are at its forefront may seem successful from the outside, but may not have everything they want. Another point I will address is how, since the rise of social media, our perception of happiness and success had been severely effected. I will touch upon how distrucitive circular thinking about how we equate 'things' to happiness changes our core values and actually makes us feel more alone. 

Oh, How the Times Have Changed!

We all know that things change; it is seen everyday in our daily lives and in the lives of others. But occasionally, there are the instances where there is a complete culture shift in an ideology or commonplace. It can be a quick process, leaves us with a shocked "what just happened" feeling, or they can be a slow one, that sneaks up on us and changes our viewpoint without us even realizing it.

One of my favorite examples is the shift in fashion. Even though I know that is not the strongest example, I definitely think it worth the mention, and it is the perfect excuse to share one of my favorite video series'. BuzzfeedVideo, Glamour Magazine, and WatchCut Video have all jumped on the 'fashion (or body type or hair or makeup) through the years in videos that highlight the ideologies in relation to women from each time period and how they correspond to fashion (or body type or hair or makeup). My favorite video, by Mode, is called "100 Years of Wedding Dresses in 3 Minutes", partly because I love anything and everything to do with weddings, and partly because I feel like wedding dresses are the highest form of fashion in a time period. However, one video that I feel highlights how the current culture influences the way women presented themselves is WatchCut Video's series, "100 Years of Beauty". This series looks at the beauty trends (hair, makeup, and fashion) from 1910 to 2010. They currently have 10 episodes uploaded to their channel, each showing a different country. The USA episode is most relatable, as we know our own history and can pinpoint different revolutions of fashion in each trend.

The second shift is the importance of national security following the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers. After this day, airport security was tightened, which is something that everyone who has traveled can attest to. The groan of seeing a long security line, and having to tiptoe in your socks through the metal detectors so you can retrieve your shoes from the x-ray conveyor belt is now a common occurrence. Even on a more basic level, the frequency of surveillance has increased. In phone calls (your phone call may be recorded for quality reasons) and in the amount of cameras in public spaces, we can see that many steps have been taken in the name of 'security'.  

Rhetoric in America

These last 5 chapters have really given me a lot to think about. There are so many instances in daily life where we encounter different methods of rhetoric without even realizing it. There is the illusive concept of Kairos; illusive for its nature of being most identifiable after it has past. Or the effects that new technologies have on those who were born in the last 30 years, during the swell of inventions. However, the most noticeable aspect of rhetoric in our daily culture is the way we use language everyday, either to gain something or to argue a point. In this way, modern rhetoric is sublimely different than the original ways of the Greeks. Their ancient methods and beliefs have mostly been lost to most people nowadays. Most notably is what John Stewart pointed put about CNN's show, Crossfire. The people on that show just yell at each other, with no apparent care about actually being heard. Argument is no longer about listening to what your opposed has to say and possibly seeing things from their perspective. Recently, it seems to be about yelling your opinions at someone until you're blue in the face, forcing them to believe what you believe.

Social medial has made this much easier, you can put your opinions out into the online void and sit back and wait for the responses to roll in. You could say whatever you want with little to no repercussions; the web has made people no longer accountable for what they say. Obviously, the ancients never had to deal with this, so it is a whole new form of rhetoric that has no set rules or boundaries.

Even so, people are like that face to face. They will say what they want when they want, even if it is offensive or ill timed. To that end, Kairos is a huge factor in both modern and ancient rhetoric. However, I feel as though there are instances where Kairos can be bad. You wait for that perfect moment, and when you see it pass you lament about missing it instead of going along with the new topic. Often, you try so hard to recreate it that you effectively ruin the flow of conversation.

To Blog or not To Blog

For my passion blog, I am between three topics!

1) Humans of Penn State
How well do you really know the people you walk by everyday? Every person has a unique story, and this blog, modeled after the popular "Humans of New York" blog,  would be dedicated to sharing them.

2) WE ARE Here: The College Nomad (still working on the name)
This blog would take readers to a new destination every week, planning 4 day long trips that are financially reasonable and fit for an exploring college student! 

3) Shake-ing It Up: Life Lessons Learned From The Bard Himself (still working on this one too!)
Being an obsessive and avid Shakespeare reader, I would take lessons learned from different works and apply them to current, real life situations.

Practice Post

I am learning how to blog.

 This website will show you about Penn State.