209 Matching Annotations
  1. Jan 2018
    1. On page two, Haltman is describing Jules Prown's analysis method. Prown says that the most expressive objects are embedded in polarites, such as life and death or acceptance and rejection (Jules Prown). In Cline's article the machete is symbolized in multiple ways in different cultures, such as a weapon in a revolution or an agricultural tool (Cline). In a revolution a machete could symbolize the polarity of power and lack of control. A group revolting is seizing power from an authority.

      Cline, John. “What Is a Machete, Anyway?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 21 Oct. 2013, www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/10/what-is-a-machete-anyway/280705/.

    1. Essays in Material Culture

      The supplemental text I'm have chosen to apply to this text would be "3-D print your way to freedom and prosperity" by Jathan Sadowski. Which is an online news article that contains pictures. Unlike the Haltman's text it can be updated and viewed by millions. In both text the idea of polarity comes to play in the Halthman's text it is referred to as an objective metaphor. Whereas, the Sadowski article refers to it as the "maker" movement.

  2. spring2018.robinwharton.net spring2018.robinwharton.net
    1. One way we respond to what we see in or experience of an object .imounts to intellectual detective work.~ We see articulation and deduce patterns of use; we see interaction and deduce relationship; we see expres-sion and deduce reception.

      Noticing every nuance of an object can bring out unnoticed details and can maybe bring up more questions about the object, these questions help us become more aware of the possible origins of the object. Mars is currently a planet being observed in astrology. Scientists have analyzed samples of dirt and are trying to describe the planet in all it's entirety, and it seems that the more than the notice about the planet, the more questions they have about it's possible origins. Patterns are found such as the polar icecaps once being oceans, and they expand on that in order to deduce the possibility of life.

    2. I have tried to define, with only partial success, just what it is that tells me-often quite clearly-that an object is culturally potent.

      Cultural significance is different from culture to culture, one culture will regard one thing as insignificant while the other will highly regard it. When doing an object analysis, one should know the history of the object and the culture that the object originated from. Without knowing this, people are likely to misinterpret the importance of an object or reject it. For example many people think machetes are things that only violent criminals use due to their growing presence in horror.

    3. nly active verbs and descriptive prose cast in an active voice serve to establish cause and agency. As a means to this end, avoiding the verb to be (in all its forms: 1s, are, there 1s, there are) will help to make visible thematically-charged spatial and functional complex-ities otherwise flattened or obscured.

      I understand that in analyzing an object, you have to be accurate in how you describe it, but more attention should be focused on what the object means, describing the object is merely convenient for people who don't know what the aforementioned object is.

    4. I chose the supplemental source: "What is a Machete, Anyway?" written by John Cline. In the article, he explores the history and the cultural significance of the machete as a weapon and a common farming tool. Cline recalls the recent event of a man who got arrested for carrying a machete in a public space, and talks about the nature of the machete as a revolutionary object. The topic switches to a historical instance of an uprising in the 1800's led by five South American countries. William Walker was an American filibuster who controlled these nations for 2 years and was executed after a combined effort of multiple armies. A machete is used as the symbol of that event, and is seen as a commoner's weapon. He then goes into the origins of the machete as a agricultural tool first created in medieval Europe and spread to South America during Colonization. During the time, it was used by slaves and peasants and slaves. which furthers the idea that it was a farmer's tool and something used to protect the defenseless masses. Cline provides additional examples of how machetes have been an instrumental tool for revolution and some cases where they were used for violent displays of power, stating that it is a unique object in the sense that it's truly a multi purpose tool that have served the disadvantaged in times of turmoil and bondage.

    5. In the process of analyzing these two pieces, I have come across many similarities and comparisons between Cline's piece, an example of a object analysis, and Haltman's description of a object analysis essay. While reading these two works, there were points where certain steps in Prownian Analysis that could be clearly identified in Cline's piece about the historical observation of the machete. Even though there was no clearn description in the article, Cline speculates about why society reacts to the object and offers a well rounded interpretive analysis about his chosen object. The ability to both read and annotate a guide and an example of an object analysis offers ample learning opportunity for making an object analysis. This assignment has cleared up the process of object analysis and made it more understandable, although it was not easy to complete. Reading these two pieces in light of each other required the ability to analyze, comprehend fully, then articulate thoughts into several text boxes. Being able to expand out of the range of words and use pictures enhanced the and simplified the process of explaining relevant thoughts.

    6. When we study an object, formalizing our observations in language, we generate a set of carefully selected nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and verbs which effectively determine the bounds of possible interpreta-tion.

      In this way, the description of an object is much like the creation of an object. All items underwent a specific set of circumstances to orchestrate their creation. Without those very specific circumstances, the exact object in question wouldn't exist.

    7. All objects signify; some signify more expressively than others.

      In relation to the Jathan Sadowski article about 3D printing and the MAKER movement, each object created by a maker has their own unique expression represented within that object. This can not only express the creator, but the culture behind the creator and the society in which the item finds a use.