Journal 3- Sharlene

            The three artifacts that I have chosen all relate to Harry Potter and consist of the books, the movies, and the Harry Potter world that has been created at Universal Studios. Although my artifacts are not blatantly rhetorical, they have rhetorical aspects to them. One could look at the fact of how the Harry Potter world is persuasive because it has become a worldwide sensation and there is a world created because of it that has an extremely large audience that backs it. It has become such a worldwide sensation that it has persuades others to create a play from it, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, as well create spin-off movies of it, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. That doesn’t even acknowledge the fanfictions that have been created from the Harry Potter world as well. The stories itself have persuasive qualities in the aspect that it reminds you to always consider your actions and what is to come of them, to look for the good in others as well as in yourself, and to do good. Although they aren’t necessarily there for the persuasive aspects, I feel these books have influenced many, including myself, to heed these qualities expressed.

            I have noticed that other people have been using movies or other written artifacts as their examples as well as other people have done similar ideas in the sense of sticking to one subject and finding three artifacts that relate to it. However, I feel that my artifacts are very narrowed and fit the term that I had chosen rather well.

            I really appreciated Gladwell’s article and the importance of paper despite the technological generation that we live in. The example of vendors and buyers having paper archives that they could access with notes written in the margins emphasizes a stream of consciousness and taking down notes that pertain to your subject as they come to you. It was also cool that it could jog their memories by being there in a physical sense and in their handwriting, that brought about what each meant while it is something that would not be able to be done with a computer. The other example of the piles of paper on their desk and how that individual may look disorganized but that they most likely knew exactly where everything they needed was, was a great example of how paper has an integral role in the everyday workforce. Electronics allows for people to do too much at once and in my opinion takes away from the focus that paper allows someone to have. On the other hand, I also liked the aspect of circulation brought up by Rice and how technology was allowing for things to circulate more through blogs and being able to leave comments and further interact with your audience through text than before. It also put into perspective social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook that allow for the circulation of many different ideas and thoughts.

            Finally, as for Wysocki’s opinions on design, I think the way something is designed is a critical part into portraying it to your audience. The examples of wanting a professional paper or website and how a person shouldn’t add a bunch of colors or designs was a powerful example. When trying to come off as a professional, things should be articulated neatly and orderly without adding detail that is going to take away from the professional aspect. That can be argues on the other side with a children’s book where the more color and design the better. The creator would want their book to stand out to children so that they could attract their desired audience and make a profit. All three of these authors emphasize on different but powerful qualities that come into play in how to create a powerful finished project and the elements that make it so.