"Oh, give me a home. . ."

I was singing that old song "Home On The Range" recently (don't ask!), and I was remembering that, when I was a little kid, I completely misunderstood the line "where seldom is heard/ a discouraging word". I though it meant "where 'seldom' is heard/ a discouraging word"--that is, that, on the range, the word "seldom" itself is understood to be a discouraging word (that things are meant to be done, and done often, not "seldom"), rather than that discouraging words are seldom heard. I was much older--high school, I think--when I finally understood what the song was saying. 

In retrospect, I think my confusion is understandable; if you consider the inflection/emphasis that the pauses place on the word seldom (sing it to yourself: "where sel'DOM is HEARD/ a dis'COUR'a'gin' WORD/"), I think the confusion, in the mind of a child, is understandable.

What stood out to me as I was considering this--what I found interesting rhetorically, I guess--is how important inflection and rhythm are to understanding.

MR R 

Palin's Privacy

Here is something from the LA Times that supports Palin's right to keep private her family business and family decisions (such as the unwed pregnancy and the marriage of her teen daughter), but which suggests that her potential policy platform would deny that right to others.

What do you think? Consider the tone he uses, and how he presents both sides of the issue. what are his values? Does he share the same values as Palin and those who think like her? Does he define the issue the way that a person who agrees with Palin's socially-conservative platform might actually define the issue, or is he interpreting her position through his own? Explain.

 http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/elections/la-oe-rutten3-2008sep03,0,862499.column

Thank Stephanie Osborn for this one!

MR R

Op-Eds not just about politics

I wanted everyone to notice how op-eds don't necessarily have  to be about politics. Here are some selections from the op-eds you sent to me that have little to nothing to do with politics:

This one is about lessons learned from using voting machines:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/opinion/31observer.html

This one is about how the government allows certain vegetables to be "zapped" with radiation to make them cleaner:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/opinion/28thu3.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

This one is about recent discussions to lower the legal drinking age

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1812397,00.html

For those of you disinterested in "politics", consider some of these as examples of where your mind might wander, and where your ideas might find a home.

MR R

"Op-Art" from the NYT

Here is an example from the New York Times of "Op-Art;" I think the argument here is pretty obvious (Republican=Bad), but how is the "argument" made?

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/01/opinion/20080901_opart.html

Take a look and discuss. . .