This entire course has been focused to evaluating the works we read based on how unconventional they are. We focused to identify what made them unconventional, and the purpose of this all along was to enable us to incorporate this thought into our own work. I feel that my project functions as unconventional and an antidote to the myth. The myth associated with my experience is that everyone who experienced the Apollo 11 phenomenon on July 16, 1989 was thrilled and ecstatic with the news that America had placed the first man on the moon. My project’s purpose was to draw attention to the side of this experience that was left out. The experience I took up was one of a young girl who’s father was currently overseas inVietnam. These two things were going on at the same time, but when Apollo 11 happened, many didn’t think about this. It could be stereotyped by people, because people can always seem to find a way to label something ‘cliche’. They could say that there were many people experiencing having loved ones overseas. Yes, there were, but this is not what is documented when you read about Apollo 11. Barthes theory of text shows us that the text is determined by the reader. The ‘death of the author’ leads to the ‘birth of the reader’. So my work is what my reader can take from it. I can only do so much to put my touch on what i’m writing, and hope that they can pick up on the affect that its underlying the text. This project can be a figure of an affect of hesitant excitement that is overshadowed by worry and fear.
I feel that my project was able to fit into the category of unconventional discourse that we have focused on all semester long. My critical thinking ability has increased dramatically with this class. I am majoring in the health field, which allows no creativity or critical thinking. It is all black and white, with no room for discussion. This class has broadened my horizons, and allowed me to see into a realm of possibilites that I had not encountered in college thus far. I feel like I included discourse from pop culture with the music video, and with education by putting in facts about Apollo 11 and incorporating anecdotes I included family/autobiography discourse.
I specifically tried to use my project to function as a para-doxical text. By trying to focus on the ‘blindspot’ of the Apollo 11 experience, I feel that I was able to achieve this goal to the best of my ability. This project was a great way to end the semester, because it allowed us to use everything we have learned all semester about unconventional discourse and the para-doxical text. By having this knowledge under our belt, we were able to tackle this project with all the necessary tools to create something as unconventional as the works we read in class. I can only hope that those who read my project will be able to see the aspects of it that make it unconventional and hopefully find it interesting.
