And now for something completely different...
As we come to a closing our week long stint of discussing writing, I'd like you take a look at an article from the New Yorker. I often praise the New Yorker as some of the best analytical and expository writing* that I have ever read. I think it would benefit all of us to read an article from the New Yorker and discuss the fundamentals of how this article is successful as a piece of expository writing. So, your job is to consider the following:
-Is the tone of this article professional? Is it too academic? How do you feel about the article's tone? Is it engaging or alienating? Why?
-Is this article effectively informing you about K-Pop? After reading the article, do you feel as if you have a firmer understanding of the topic being discussed?
-What arguments does this article present abot K-Pop? Do you think the author does a good job in proving these arguments? Does he use sufficient and powerful evidence to prove this point?
-How effective is the article's introduction? How effective is article's conclusion? What techniques does the author employ in both introduction and conclusion to achieve a provocative introduction/conclusion?
-Any other general ideas that strike you about the writing in the article.
Here's the article "Factory Girls" by John Seabrook.
Have fun with this, it is a great article that I found fascinating. I'm excited to see how we react to the writing within this article and how someone like John Seabrook can take something as trivial as mindless pop music and elevate it through intelligent and interesting discussion. If Seabrook can achieve this discussing K-Pop, we can achieve similar goals with almost any topic.
*Expository writing is a type of writing where the purpose is to inform, describe, explain, or define the author's subject to the reader.
I think that the tone of this article is appropriate for the age group its aimed at. As an article about K-Pop, it would generally attract a younger, "more hip" crowd. Or at least a young-at-heart group. A lot of teenagers like K-Pop (I know this because, even though I don't listen to it, many of my friends can't stop talking about it), so consequently a more fun, and young way of presenting the article would fit the crowd and topic the best. K-Pop does seem to attract a diverse age group as well, though, as the author states "The crowd was older than I’d expected" but they still seemed young at heart as they were carrying light sticks and bunches of balloons. The article certainly discussed K-Pop and let the reader know what it was, but also presented some ideas that are universal to the music concert industry such as Toth's statement "'They take the love the fans feel for them, and they return it to the fans ...When you see them onstage, it’s like they’ve come to see you.'” I really like that statement. Apart from the hard facts that the author gave us, hes showing us how K-Pop artists (and i find this true about other performers as well) connect to their audience on a deeper level. There are many examples of this, when Toth tells us "'You think you love them, but then you see Tiffany point directly at you and wink, and everything else that exists in the world just disappears'" or "'...you see Sooyoung look you dead in the eye and say in English, "Thank you for coming"'". The reader is told that these concerts are not only about the music, but also about who's making it, who's listening to it, and how these two groups connect through it.
ReplyDeleteI feel that this article professionally explains the aspects of K-Pop and how it affects the world. These Korean pop stars are very famous and hard to see face to face. Supplying two billion dollars to the Korean economy, K-Pop stretches from the East to the West. I believe they actually spread a theme of friendship and love throughout the crowd and show them that Korean pop stars are actually very appreciative of their fans. (Not only are the Korean pop stars famous, but they are smoking hot (in my opinion). Who wouldn’t want to miss that chance of seeing beautiful women?) The stars and the crowd actually relate and connect with each other to show how considerate they are to each other. The article describes a situation where Jon Toth, a computer scientist in New Mexico, felt like the whole world disappeared when Tiffany pointed at him. It’s a one in a lifetime chance that nobody would want to miss regardless of the numerous reasons that are stopping them. The connection between the fans and the pop stars really shows how important a live concert is to the K-Pop artists and the crowd. When the concert occurs, the ecstasy and commotion that is created lights up the world and gives people one of the best experiences ever.
ReplyDeleteI have a more general comment in regards to the article.
ReplyDeleteThe tone of the article is too serious for talking about KPOP. When KPOP music is sold, I think that it's being sold for the look the group shows rather than the actual content of the music and lyrics. I understand that each KPOP group and KPOP has a long history and story behind it, but the way KPOP as a genre is portraying itself isn't getting it's message as a genre across.(This message of KPOP not just people singing, but singing for a purpose and singing with meaning as the article seems to imply.) For example when I looked up Girls' Generation on Youtube the first link I got was a song called "Gee". Throughout the whole video, I see a group of nine fairly skinny girls in several scenes wearing flashy clothing, short shorts, strutting around in high-heels waving around their arms singing Korean while sprinkling "Gee"s and "baby"s in their lyrics. When I looked up the translation of the "Gee" I saw that the song was about a girl pining over a guy and how she's infatuated with him and his looks. This isn't the first time that an artist/ group has written about a crush. Maybe "Gee" has a deeper meaning to it, but at the moment the lyrics and music video don't portray what KPOP supposedly is and wants to do.
Now, I'm not just hating on KPOP. This comment is to show that our music culture around at the moment is ridiculous. There are so many songs/ artists/ groups with the same story, the same look, the same dance moves. Why? Because it's what the public wants to see and listen to. And this is something that I don't understand. Since when did it become cool to listen to a song where the chorus gets repeated more then ten times? When did it become common to see artists dressing up in meat costumes and making albums with songs of their broken heart in different beats?
To me, this is just wrong. This is a culture that is too enraptured with the media, and other peoples' [celebrity's] lives. Everyday people spend hundreds of dollars to download songs. Why aren't people doing the same for education, women's rights, or poverty? Things that are more important than what is really just noise?
Be careful. We're talking about the writing, not the content. I don't know if the article is suggesting the "singing for a purpose" that you discuss. It seems as if the article is describing a kind of phenomena. But I would treat this article as I would treat an article about My Little Pony or Cosplay; sure the content isn't as culturally important as it is significant, but the way in which the author embraces the material in his writing is, in my opinion, important to discuss.
DeleteStill, very interesting comments.
I believe that the tone of the article is very professional. It teachers a lot. However, it is still very entertaining to read. They engage the reader off with a scene of k-pop stars about to preform. John Seabrook then uses this to transition into the popularity of k-pop. He includes many quotes in his article to show the reader that everything he says is legit. Not once does he contradicts himself or the quotes. He clearly explains most of the quotes. However, there were some that he left without an explanation. They seem self explanatory, but if one were to not know about k-pop at all. then it might not be clear.
ReplyDeleteThe article effectively informs me about k-pop. John uses a lot of data in his article, for example, over a million Asians are contributing to two billion dollars a year to Korea’s economy. His data clearly expresses how Korea is earning a great deal of money each year. When I finished reading the article I learned a lot about k-pop and how successful it is. Usually, when I listen to k-pop I don't think about the singers or the economy. The only thing i think of is how great the music is. Now after reading this article, I can see how big of an impact k-pop has on us.
John believes that k-pop is not only a bunch of young people singing random songs. He believes that k-pop have "tradition values of family, friendship, and romantic love" and he clearly proves his point with all his quotes and interview about how k-pop has been affecting all lives around the world.
Excellent discussion about the evidence of the article. I also enjoy how you note the explanations of the quote as necessary.
DeleteThis article successfully engages the reader because though it is professional, it does not alienate the reader using big words or pointless facts. A reason that this article is engaging is because it can be read by anyone, the author writes in a way that is inclusive, it doesn't matter whether one likes k-pop, the article has a multitude of aspects that can appeal to most readers. Some of these aspects include the history of k-pop, k-pop in the american culture, and the effects of k-pop on the Asian economy. After reading this article, I understand why k-pop is so popular, it is based on a cultural technology formula that pumps out perfect versions of k-pop groups like a factory.
ReplyDeleteThe author argues that though k-pop is popular in Asian countries, it may be difficult for the West to accept them because of the perfected looks. The perfect looks combined with flawless actions make them hard to empathize with. The author views the cultural technology formula as limiting because with so many groups formed under this technique, groups become indistinguishable and forgettable. To support this thesis, the author uses quotes from interviewees and observations. The last line was a quote from Jacobson, and it serves as both a powerful conclusion and supporting detail for his thesis. The last sentence shows just how perfected and robotic Girls Generation is. It also sums up his thesis in a strong and thought provoking way: k-pop groups are lovable, yet they are also distant and mere cogs in the giant Korean entertainment machine.