Disney's Greek Chorus

Google defines the Greek chorus as a "non-individualised group of performers in the plays of classical Greece, who comment with a collective voice on the dramatic action." That definition is a mouthful so let's break it down. An individual is defined by Merriam-Webster as a single human being as distinct from a group, class, or family. The Greek chorus is non-individual so we know that the performers in the Greek chorus have little-to-no importance as individual performers in the Greek plays.

1. collective
2.          adjective col·lec·tive \kə-ˈlek-tiv\ 

          : shared or done by a group of people : involving all members of a group

1. The second half of the definition states that the Greek chorus comments with a collective voice. Many people giving a strong, singular voice towards the narration and interpretation of the play. There is a certain strength in numbers; however, as this blog post continues, let's not get too hung up on the idea that the role of the Greek chorus needs to involve multiple persons. 
2. The Greek chorus fills the role of being a part of the play without actually being part of the play. Imagine a group of performers who don't hold roles as characters in a particular dramatization, yet they know they know the story inside and out. As you watch the play, this group gives you commentary where they explain to you what is happening. Their commentary not only helps in explaining the story, but it also guides your emotions as you experience the play. 
3. Practicing the use of a Greek chorus has persisted through the years. While the presentation and appearance of the Greek chorus may have evolved in many of our modern examples, the role and finished product becomes one and the same. Our classic meaning of the Greek chorus leaves us looking for a group; however, in modern examples we sometimes need to look for the Greek chorus in the form of a single performer.
4. The Greek drama Oedipus Rex was first performed around 429 BC. Fast forward 2, 365 years to when Walt Disney released his first animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. During the following 78 years the Walt Disney company would release 91 animated films. Within these animated films traces of the Greek chorus can be found and for the rest of this post I will take a closer look at some of the Disney films that put the Greek chorus into play. 

One of my favorite animated films from the Walt Disney company is Disney's Robin Hood. The film tells the classic tale of Robin Hood: the man who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. The characters within this version of the story are played by animated animals. We see the poverty-stricken villager's who are made up of rabbits, turtles, and mice. The royal family who is made up of lions. Robin Hood and his sidekick Little John, played by a Fox and a Bear.

Disney's Robin Hood was released in 1973 during the time in which a long series of credits could       be found at the beginning of any given film. Thus, our film opens with an instrumental song and         movie credits. At the end of these credits the audience is introduced to Allan-a-Dale, a rooster who     explains that he is the minstrel and that his job is to "tell it like it is... or was... or whatever." 

Allan-a-Dale

At this point, Allan-a-Dale breaks into song as the screen fades away from him and into a scene of     Robin Hood and Little John taking a walk through a forest. As his song begins, we recognize that       he is telling us a story and explaining through song what Robin Hood and Little John are doing. As     the story and song continue, Allan-a-Dale goes on to tell us about the carefree manner of the two         chums as they enjoy their time and don't realize that the Sheriff of Nottingham is sneaking up on         them. The song ends as Robin Hood and Little John make their escape from the Sheriff.

Allan-a-Dale makes appearances throughout the film as he sings and explains what is happening to the characters. Midway through the film, when Prince John raises the taxes in a selfish act and times get more difficult for the villagers, Allan-a-Dale is there with a woeful song to tell us about the miserable situation.





As the film draws to a close, Allan-a-Dale is there not to sing to us, but to explain to us through words how everything comes to an end. He tells us what happens to Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham. And as we see Robin Hood and Maid Marian ride off in their wedding carriage, Allan-a-Dale is there to say, "Well folks, that's the way it really happened."





More recently, in 2004, the Walt Disney company released The Lion King 1 1/2. The movie closely follows the story told in their 1994 release of The Lion King where a young lion prince, Simba, is banished from his kingdom upon the accidental death of his father, the king. The young prince wanders in the wild for a time before he is discovered by Timon and Pumbaa, an unlikely pair made up of a meerkat and a warthog. Timon and Pumbaa take Simba in and raise him and at the close of the movie, help Simba as he reclaims his throne from his uncle.





While The Lion King 1 1/2 closely follows the story in The Lion King, it is decidedly different because The Lion King 1 1/2 is told from the perspective of Timon and Pumbaa. We see the moment when the two unlikely friends meet and later the moment when they meet Simba. As an audience, we are given a completely different view of the original story.





Not only are we given a different view of The Lion King, but Lion King 1 1/2 is also narrated by Timon and Pumbaa. We see the pair acting as the Greek chorus throughout the movie. The film itself is set up to see as if you are sitting in a movie theatre seeing the film and oftentimes that view also includes the silhouettes of Timon and Pumbaa sitting just in front of us explaining the movie.

In both examples that I've used, the Greek chorus does not take the form of a large group. Disney's Robin Hood has a single character that fulfills the role and The Lion King 1 1/2 fulfills the role with two characters. The modern version of the Greek chorus in both films fulfills the role of the Greek chorus in classic examples: to fill in the gaps and explain in further detail what is happening. While Disney films may at first glance seem to be one of the furthest things from classic Greek dramas, we can see the similarities in the fulfillment of the Greek chorus.

Human Communication and the Digital Age Part II

In my previous blog post, Human Communication and the Digital Age, I discussed the use of media among individuals and the impact it has on communication. I raised the question and asked how communication on social media would change if individuals were more aware of their audiences. If individuals had an ever-present consciousness about their audiences, would it reflect in their posts?

To begin testing how individuals would react to a glaring awareness of audiences present on social media, I asked several individuals to participate in a project. I asked each individual if they would let me film them and use it in a blog post. The participants of this project did not have any knowledge of what I was going to film them doing. Moments before each recording took place, I selected a post created by the participant and posted on social media in the last few months. Then I asked the participants to read aloud to the camera what they had posted.

So often we post on social media without a second thought as to the number of views it will get from people all across the world. We subconsciously consider each post to belong to the people in the forefront of our mind as we post it. Whether we're thinking only of ourselves or we're also including a small number of close friends, we don't often think to ourselves, "This is going straight to three-hundred and eighty-two people." Because of my relatively low number of Facebook friends by the standards of many social media users, it is more likely that for the majority of individuals the number of people who receive posts is a larger number than my three-hundred and eighty-two.

What I found after filming several individuals was that most individuals were flustered by my request. They showed great hesitance in how the post should be read. They created the posts themselves, yet they didn't know what tone of voice to use or which words to emphasize.

This project started with no expectations, only to see how people would react to reading their posts aloud. I revisited this project a few weeks later and began brainstorming ways to expand on the original project. After some thought, I decided to go back and ask the same individuals to participate in a sequel project where I would once again film them.

Because my original project included only four participants, I thought it would be beneficial to also expand on the first project by also asking additional individuals to participate.

As with the first part of the experiment, I gave no details other than to say it would be similar to the previous filming session only slightly different. "It will be better than the last one." was a phrase I ended up using with each participant.

When I met with each participant, as I set up my tripod and camera to prepare for filming, I requested for each individual to create a social media post with the knowledge that they would be reading it aloud and it would be recorded.

The response that I got to the second part of the project was slightly disheartening. I felt that because I was now giving the participants control over what they would post and read aloud, it would be easier for them. While the participants had written their posts, the first part of the project allowed the participants the least amount of control and I felt therefore, that the worst part was out of the way.

Out of the four original participants, two agreed right away, one hesitated, and one said no. After asking two additional individuals to participate, one said yes and the other said yes until we got to part two. That participant spent several minutes trying to conjure up a creative post before laughing and saying that she wasn't going to be able to participate.

Tweet posted by Laina on April 22, 2015

Facebook status by Amber on March 30, 2015

After looking at each video for the participants in the second part of this project I've found that, generally speaking, the participants were more comfortable being recorded. Confidence was also higher as I did not have any participants ask how they should speak in transferring their posts from written word to spoken word.

One option that I believe would have improved the results of this project, would have been to do both filming parts in one sitting. If there had not been several weeks between part one and part two, it is likely that I would have gotten more participation from all participants. In the case of the participant who had the option to do both parts in one sitting, it did not increase her participation.

Comparing part one and part two of this project did show me that there is a difference in communication when knowledge of the reality of audience is understood. At least one of two things was changed between the two parts of the project. Either the message was changed or the delivery was changed.

This project has outlined on a small scale the absence of understanding audience for individuals who post on social media.

Human Communication and the Digital Age

The odds are great that if you are reading this blog post you are well acquainted with at least one of the forms of social media represented in the logos above. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram are all popular sites used by a variety of people. While the uses of these social media sites vary, the common factor in each one is communication. Each site allows its users to stay connected to other users through the posting of photos, videos, statuses, and 140-character posts to let our followers know "what's happening."

Users of these social media sites are allowed to communicate across the globe. While sharing photos and videos is popular, one of the main forms of communication that we see repeatedly used is in the form of written text. Or rather, typed text. Patrons of social media type messages every day and with the click of a button their messages are sent out into the world.

The question has been raised before whether people would post the same content if it was a matter of saying it aloud and in-person rather than typing it and never having to verbally communicate the same message. Think back to the last Facebook status or Tweet that you published. Would it sound silly if you were to suddenly say the same thing aloud in a room full of people? Would you feel self-conscious if you had to deal with the consequences of your words face-to-face?

When we type text and send it out through social media, one of three common responses can be expected. The first is agreement, the second is disagreement, and the third is no response. Most everyone is prepared for these responses when the communication takes place face-to-screen. We can accept that no one has responded to our post and we're ready to fight to the death to defend ourselves against someone who disagrees with our point of view.

But would you be just as ready for any of these responses if they were happening in real time? Could you say something aloud to a room full of people expecting a response or reaction only to be met with blank stares? Would you be comfortable defending yourself against someone who disagrees with you if you had to look them in the eye to defend yourself?

In exploring human communication in the digital age I asked myself how comfortable people would be reading their own published text from social media sites aloud and in front of a camera. I contacted several friends and asked them if they would be willing to let me record them and use the recording for a blog post. The video matter was not known to the participants until moments before the recording took place. I asked each of the following participants to sit in front of the camera and read aloud a piece of text that was published on their social media networks. The text was of my choosing and the particular piece of text was unknown until I handed them a piece of paper with the text written out.

Tweet by Laina posted on March 14, 2015

Status by Amber posted on April 19, 2015

Tweet by Brady posted on March 11, 2015

Tweet posted by Anne on March 14, 2015

Status posted by Ashley on January 11, 2015

Each of the participants willingly agreed to allow me to record them; however, I found that all but one participant showed signs of anxiety in the moments before and during filming. One participant questioned their post and the length of it, suggesting that I could maybe pick a shorter one. Two other participants showed concern over the way they had read their posts and they each requested a second try so that they could try reading the posts in a different way.

The two participants who requested a second try at reading their posts, asked how they should read their posts. My response was that they should read them as if they were making the statements in a normal face-to-face conversation. Each of the two participants showed apprehension about how that emotion was going to translate into the post and what their intended emotion had been when the post was made.

Only one participant accepted the task without any questions or hesitation. That participant did not show any negative feelings about their post.

After looking at each participant and looking at the amount of activity they show on social media sites, I noticed a pattern. The participants who showed anxiety at being asked to record themselves reading their posts aloud were the people who had the most activity on social media. These participants show a pattern of posting several times a day or had shown a period of time where many posts had been made within a limited window of time. The participant who showed the most confidence with the task, was the person who had the lowest social media activity.

The past few years have shown communication take a sharp turn toward digital forms. This project was executed on a small scale, but the results of this experiment support the evidence of digital forms of communication taking root as well as showing that those who are more submerged in digital communication, find it more difficult to separate digital and non-digital communication.

LitGenius

Musician, King Charles

King Charles, British singer/songwriter, released a full-length album in 2012. Each of the eleven songs on the album titled LoveBlood is filled with poetic lyrics set to melodic riffs. Occasionally song lyrics prove to be confusing and unclear and there are no exceptions for the lyrics sung by King Charles. This is where LitGenius comes in. LitGenius is a website based on literary works where the general public has the opportunity to access poems and other pieces of written work in order to read annotations on the pieces of work. The opportunity is also available to add annotations to pieces of literary work. Below is a link to my addition of the King Charles lyrics to The Brightest Lights on LitGenius. Please explore and feel free to add your own annotations to the lyrics.





LitGenius - The Brightest Lights

Viral Videos

Viral Video
     : a video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email.


On a regular basis, people log in to their Facebook accounts only to find that someone has posted the latest viral video that is taking the internet by storm. Most people can list a handful of viral videos that had their run and are have now been shelved and labeled as have-been videos.

• Charlie Bit My Finger
• David After Dentist
• Leave Britney Alone
• Star Wars Kid
• Evolution of Dance
• Harlem Shake

These are all videos that have come, left their mark, and then left. Below is a video that humorously lays out the lifespan of a viral video in seven steps.

Spring

This past weekend I took advantage of the warm weather and went for a bike ride to campus. Spring is in the air and the trees on campus are beginning to bud!

Magnolia Bud
Dakota State University

Beadle Hall
Dakota State University

The Answer, My Friend...

rhetoric

noun | rhet-o-ric | \'re-te-rik\

   : language that is intended to influence people and that may not be honest or reasonable

   : the art or skill of speaking or writing formally and effectively especially as a way to persuade or          influence people

The previous text was taken from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. When looking up the word 'rhetoric', these definitions will commonly be found. Rhetoric is found scattered throughout our daily lives and in order understand the concept, we must first understand the word. In the first definition that we're given ends with, "may not be honest or reasonable." That phrase can easily be burned in our minds with little hope of moving past it or viewing rhetoric from a different angle; however, if you continue to move further down the Merriam-Webster webpage you'll find a different definition that will aid us in taking a different view on rhetoric.


Full Definition of RHETORIC

1   : the art of speaking or writing effectively: as

     a : the study of principles and rules of composition formulated by critics of ancient times

     b : the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion


The Merriam-Webster webpage continues with two additional definitions as well as examples of rhetoric but this as far as we need to read in order to gain a different perspective of rhetoric. The study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion. If we're looking at rhetoric as a means of communication through either writing or speaking, our view of rhetoric has changed significantly from when we associated it with the words dishonest and unreasonable. On a regular basis we are taking in pieces of communication through written words and spoken language. One of these forms of communication is through the music we hear.

In 1962, singer-songwriter Bob Dylan wrote the now-famous tune, "Blowing In The Wind." Since then countless musicians have done their own covers of the song. While the order of the verses may vary as you listen to different versions, you'll still feel the weight that each verse carries as we're asked to examine peace, war, and freedom.

Bob Dylan 1962

"There ain't too much I can say about this song except that the answer is blowing in the wind. It ain't in no book or movie or TV show or discussion group. Man, it's in the wind-- and it's blowing in the wind. Too many of these hip people are telling me where the answer is but oh I won't believe that. I still say it's in the wind and just like a restless piece of paper it's got to come down sometime. But the only trouble is that no one picks up the answer when it comes down so not too many people get to see and know it... and then it flies away again.... I still say that some of the biggest criminals are those that turn their heads away when they see wrong and know it's wrong. I'm only 21 years old and I know that there's been too many wars... You people over 21 should know better. The first way to answer these questions in the song is by asking them. But lots of people have to first find the wind." -Bob Dylan

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?

How many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind

How many years must a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
How many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?

How many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?
They answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind

How many times must a man look up 
Before he can see the sky?
How many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?

How many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind


The rhetoric found in this song does much to shed light on what was happening in America during the time that it was written. By the time that 1962 rolled around, the Vietnam War had already been going on for seven years, and though no one knew it at the time, it would last for another thirteen years. At the conclusion of the Vietnam War the toll on America was staggering as a total of 58,209 soldiers were killed and an additional 153,303 were wounded. Still another 1,643 soldiers were reported as missing in action.


At this time, the Civil Rights Movement was also in full-swing. 1954 brought an end to racial segregation in the education system on a state level in the Brown v. Board of Education court case, but it wasn't until 1964 that the Civil Rights Act ended all state and local laws that required segregation. Even after the Civil Rights Act legally ended segregation, it did not immediately wipe out the problem of racism in the United States.


Understanding the emotions that were being felt in the United States as war raged on over seas as well as in our own backyard will put the lyrics in this song in a new emotional dimension. Admittedly, the original Bob Dylan version of "Blowing in the Wind" is not my first choice for this particular song. While I find the Peter, Paul, and Mary version to be pleasant along with the version recorded by The Seekers; however, my favorite version of this song is the 1963 recording of Sam Cooke performing the song.





In 1963, one year after "Blowing in the Wind" was penned, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous I Have a Dream speech. While Bob Dylan's song asks us many challenging questions that don't necessarily have a straightforward answer; however, Dr. King brings forward many important thoughts in his speech that point us in the right direction for answering those tough questions.

Martin Luther King Jr. 1963

"And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

Dr. King acknowledges the plethora of hardships that must be faced before presenting a piece of The Declaration of Independence to us. All men are created equal. While Dr. King presents only a small piece of this important document that was written by our forefathers in 1776, if you continue reading this portion of the document it will state that, "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Bob Dylan asks us, "how many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free?" while Dr. King reminds us that, "all men are created equal."

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

In this powerful statement, Dr. King reminds us that even children have been victimized by the cruel effects of racism. It is a chilling reminder that people, let alone children, have been judged based on skin color rather than their character. "I have a dream." Dr. King repeats this phrase multiple times in his speech and based on the estimated 250,000 people who attended his speech at the March for Civil Rights in Washington, D.C., he wasn't the only one with a dream for a better future.





Rhetoric is part of our daily lives and its influence is visible. Many protests songs were written and sung during the Civil Rights Movement as well as during the Vietnam War. "Blowing In The Wind" is only one example of a person using rhetoric in a song to both voice their own thoughts on a topic and try to influence others towards a different way of thought. We must listen to the rhetoric that we're surrounded by daily so that we can better understand those around us.

"And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all  of God's children, black men and white men, Jew and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

 -Martin Luther King Jr.