#malloryharatz

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Penultimate Day of Summer Challenge

I had a great experience in Mass Communications. The course was engaging and throughout-provoking. This class exceeded my expectations because I was exposed to new topics that I did not know previously. I loved learning about human interaction and how important images are in our lives. By listening to my peers during the class discussions, I was able to understand communications from a different point of view. My favorite activity was the PR project because it allowed us to be creative while experiencing what it was like to have a job in public relations. Because of this class, I am definitely considering majoring in Communications when I am a college student. 

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PR Presentations

I believe that the Sony group did the best in the PR presentations. They had great ideas on how to solve the company’s issues. I really liked how they mentioned that during their press announcement, they would not deny the issue. They also announced that they would monitor the system to make sure that they would not get hacked again. Their best idea was incorporating the LGBTQ/ AIDS community into their next movie. This really shows how this company’s plan appealed to the audience. They did a great job researching the issues and developing a strategy to solve it.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/19/cruise-ship-crash_n_7621960.html?utm_hp_ref=crime

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/06/19/upstate-new-york-cruise-ship-crashes-in-st-lawrence-seaway-injuring-17

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/cruise-ship-hits-wall-river-lock-upstate-york-31880578 (This one is the original)

The Huffington Post exaggerates the cruise ship crash at Upstate New York Seaway Lock. The Huffington Post uses a lot of hyperbole to capture the readers’ attention. For example, the title of the Huffington Post article is called “Cruise Ship crashes Into the Wall, Smashes Hole in Bow, Traps Hundreds of Passengers on Board,” whereas the title of ABC News was “22 Hurt When Cruise Ship Crashes At Upstate New York Seaway Lock.” When comparing these two titles, the title of the Huffington Post makes the accident seem more serious than it was. The diction that is used in ABC News is factual, whereas the Huffington Post article appeals to the readers’ emotions. The Huffington Post article also focused more on the investigation following the accident as opposed to focusing more on the facts from the accident. The aggregated article uses techniques that appeal to the audiences emotions so that more people will be intrigued by the article. The Huffington Post article is more exciting to read and really captures the audiences’ attention when they quote witnesses from the accident. 

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This video depicts the love triangle between Daisy, Tom and Gatsby. When Daisy was young, she fell in love with Gatsby. Later he was sent to war, but she promised she would wait for him. However, Daisy was vulnerable and needed a man in her life, so she married a wealthy man named Tom. Gatsby bought a house across the bay from Daisy, so that he could always be near her. He threw parties hoping she would show up one day. One summer day, they reunited and fell in love all over again. Unlike the book and the movie, this video is told from Daisy’s point of view. Not only are fans able to relate to another character in the book, but they can also understand the emotions that are not explored in the text. This allows us to figure out who the character is and get a deeper understanding of Daisy psychologically. The video illustrates the emotional stress Daisy feels throughout the book. She is trapped between two different worlds, one with Gatsby and the other with Tom. This video is also an example of refocus because it takes Daisy, who is a secondary character and puts her at the forefront of the video. The video re explores and captures all of Daisy’s emotional moments from the book. Daisy is a vulnerable woman who constantly needs a man in her life. However, when she has a man she gets hurt. Even though Daisy suffers with a man, she is not willing to be alone.

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Assignment #1

I want to know what it is like to be a communications major. I chose this class because I was eager to learn about the way humans interact with one another. I wanted to explore a new field of study that I could potentially major in when I am a college student. Judging by the first day, this is a fun, interactive and engaging class. I liked reading Burke’s essay and I hope that we will read more of his essays in the next two weeks. I also hope to learn more about how human interaction has changed over time. I look forward to studying film, movies, TV, and more about PR.