Thesis Statement

The Social Network, while being an entertaining biopic, also provides an interesting critique on today’s generation’s ideas about success and money.  Through the use of cinematic elements, such as lighting, sound editing, and dialogue, Sorkin is able to convey how our misconceptions of what it means to be successful in today’s world leads to strained gender relations, failed friendships, and ultimate unhappiness. 

Social Network Introduction

   The Academy Award-winning film the Social Network takes an in-depth look at the creation of today’s most popular internet website, Facebook.  The movie, written by Aaron Sorkin, tells the tale of Mark Zuckerberg’s rise to fame after founding the most influential social networking site of all time and his consequent social downfall through broken relationships and crippling lawsuits.  Through unique story-telling, Sorkin is able to not only convey the true story of Mark Zuckerberg, but he also provides an intriguing critique on today’s generation and how they think about success, money, and friendship.

Rhetorical Analysis of Pictures and Film

     The photographs of the Civil Rights Protests are a great example conveying a theme through a medium.  The idea of how the medium “positions the spectator as an active participant in the making of a meaning” can be understood by looking at these three photographs (Benson 197).  The construction of these photos is extremely important in forcing the viewers to “question their own formulation of abstractions” like freedom and morality (Lancioni 106).  The focus for most of the pictures is on the foreground with the background out of focus.  With the first photograph there are many people in the background standing around as bystanders, the viewer immediately feels like one with them which forces the spectator to feel like they are taking part in this scene from history.  The framing is extremely important and because of where the picture is cut it appears that the action continues down the street out of the frame. Transparent immediacy is also achieved through the use of linear perspective.  Although the pictures are 2D, there is significant depth to all of the photographs that provide a realistic view that makes the viewer believe the actions truly happened. All of these elements come together to make the viewer feel like they are taking part in this very scary and very real time period in history.  The spectator not only questions the ideals that the foundation of America is built on but their own morality and how they would’ve reacted if they were in the frame.

         The film the Social Network, like any type of rhetoric, utilizes many of the same elements as the Civil Rights pictures.  For cinema, in general, framing is extremely vital and the camera angles help convey certain themes.  The entire film is almost a re-framing of the actual events that occurred and therefore the film-maker is able to infuse his opinions about the even into the movie.  In the second scene of the Social Network where Zuckerberg is creating the website that rates female students at Harvard there are many cuts to different locations on campus where guys are going on to the gives a sense of urgency and seems like it is affecting the entire campus. This also shows hypermediacy which scholars define as a media not only acting as a window but “windowed itself with windows that open on to other representations of media”. The use of the internet within this film is a prime example of hypermediacy. All of these elements shape viewers’ thinking of the topic at hand, in this case the technological advancement of this generation and how it affects their superficiality. 

The Delight of Paris

 

      This is a beautiful painting of Paris that I currently have hanging on my wall in my tiny dorm room.  This artwork elicits a sort of emotion and everyday when I see I am affected by the image before me.  Herrick’s definition of rhetoric as being “a systematic study and intentional practice of effective symbolic expression” demonstrates how this work of art is actually a form of rhetorical discourse.  Not only is the artist using his talents to express himself in this painting, but by because I placed this artwork in my room I, too, am utilizing a form of rhetoric.

     Rhetorical discourse has five main defining characteristics. They are that rhetoric is planned, adapted to an audience, shaped by human motives, responsive to a situation, and persuasion-seeking.  It is obvious that a painting this detailed was well thought out before-hand.  The artist probably planed out every brush stroke in order to ensure that the painting would turn out how he planned.  This is especially important because it illustrates how every single thing illuminated in this artwork was calculated and has a purpose.  This leads to the next point about the audience.  I originally bought this painting on the streets of Paris in one of their quaint art fairs.  The artist not only knew who would most likely be walking around the art fair, but who would be most likely to buy their painting.  Although many Parisians enjoy their art, it is unlikely they would be seen perusing the stands of one of the most crowded areas.  The people who generally visit these shows are tourists with a passion for the arts.  The artist construed (correctly at least in my case), that their consumer would be someone who loves Paris for its romanticized ideals.  It’s a person who loves the city and its idealistic history.  This understanding of the audience then leads the painting to be shaped by human motives.  The motive for the artist is to not only sell the painting, but express a certain ideal.  Since the target audience is generally someone who would agree with the painter’s ideal this is very simple.  He constructs a work of art that looks as if it is a real-life portrait taken in the 20th century.  The black and white also conveys the old time feel while the red contrasts lends itself to creating a beautiful sight that has romantic undertones.  This vision of old-time Paris is one that makes the viewer believe this is the Paris of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Salvador Dalí even Ernest Hemingway.  This vivid image is response-inviting for the viewer.  They are immediately transported to another time and can feel the excitement of the period.  The artist’s inner expression elicits a certain emotion from every viewer.  This leads to the final point of persuasion-seeking.  The painter’s two goals of sale and self-expression are their own form of persuasion highlighting Herrick’s main focuses on appeals, arrangement, and aesthetics.

     With all of these ideas in mind, the painter was able to create a profound piece of art that conveys a certain feeling to the viewer.  Not only does the painter have a larger purpose for the construction but so do I as I place it on my walls.  It’s not only a beautiful landscape but a telling of my innermost ideals.  It shows my love not only for the city but the time period and romanticism in general.  By placing it on my walls, I could want the viewer to see me as a cultured idealist who dreams big.  Or my main purpose could be more geared toward myself in ensuring that I remember this idea and possibly the good memories I had in Paris.  Either way there are a multitude of examples of rhetorical discourse being utilized through common imagery that can be seen in daily life.