Discussion

Why were these texts selected for this project?

I selected these texts because I have always found the subject of censorship and government control morbidly fascinating. As a country, the American people have already been exposed to the early onset of this very construct. Florida's "Don't Say Gay Bill", the national ban of certain books, namely To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and The Handmaid's Tale by Maragret Atwood among other revered stories that expose ugly and unnerving truths about the world we live in and the efforts to eliminate social media platforms to silence the individual voices of their users. I believed that this project was the perfect opportunity to call attention to the very real threat of censorship and highlight the negative impacts it has on society and humanity alike.

My experience with analyzing these texts:

I have read these stories in previous years for both academic and personal purposes and profoundly enjoyed them. Analyzing them in depth again allowed for a deeper appreciation for the authors who broke the norms of their times and instigated some scary forethought within their readers. While the project was to compare one text's effectiveness against the other by way if their use of ethos, logos and pathos appeals, I wanted, first, to analyze them separately. 

I started with 1984 by George Orwell because I remembered less about the overarching story than I did the other. I'll admit that I was decently swayed by Orwell's use of logical approach, however, I couldn't bring myself to take the novel quite as seriously due to the absurdity of specific details within the story such as mind-control and "vaporization" tactics to eliminate "dangerous" inquisitors. I ended with Fahrenheit 451 and was engrossed in the story for the entire duration of my analysis. The characters, their simultaneously palpable fear and bravery in the pursuit of knowledge and answers, the harsh reality that censorship could be something we force upon ourselves as a collective society. Every page is unsettling and thrilling.

Due to my decision to analyze the texts separately, I was able to discover what my personal feelings were based on the way the novels presented their unique arguments against censorship and government control. This is what led me to my decision that Fahrenheit 451 had a significantly more compelling and persuasive hold on me as a reader which can be attributed to Bradbury's strong utilization of ethos and pathos appeals in a perfectly harmonious conjunction.

How did this project elevate me as a writer?

This project challenged me to look beyond the prompt. This was a comparison project with specific guidelines, but I was given creative liberty on the topic I wanted to discuss, which forms of media I utilized and full reign over a website design (within parameters). As I mentioned previously, I chose to analyze the texts separately before making any form of comparison which proved to be both time-consuming and difficult.

It's always challenging to pick a topic that fascinates you enough to write about consistently and there's limitless possibilities. With all manner of information available at the click of a button, finding topics to write about is easier than ever, making the selection process all the more difficult. It took me a few days to settle on the subject of censorship. I happened to be unpacking my home library and stumbled upon my old, annotated Fahrenheit 451 from high school and immediately knew what I was going to do. I remembered how much I enjoyed reading and writing about controversial topics in the past and thus began my deep-dive.

The most trying part of this project was separating the texts from one another in the beginning stages of my analysis. While both novels discussed relatively similar issues, they were not exactly the same. I had to remind myself many times to focus on one story before I could look at the other. Only after both novels were thoroughly analyzed and annotated did I allow myself to begin the comparison. From there it was easy. I considered my emotional connection to both stories, how logical I found the points made by the characters and which characters from which novel had the most compelling arguments based on their position and gravity to the story.

Thanks to this project, I can confidently say that I am now able to approach comparison in a different way that I would have before. It also taught me how to make a website, so I'm grateful to that as well.

My experience turning these texts into a digital essay:

I enjoyed the challenge of turning my essay into a website, but I don't think I'd willingly ever do it again, especially not on Google Sites.

The easiest part was deciding what kind of visual representation I wanted the project to have: photos, colors, quotes, media, etc. The hardest part was navigating the criteria, fitting it all in to a format that I thought flowed well and maintaining a semblance of professional presentation.

I feel that presenting an essay in this stylized arrangement makes the reading experience all the more enjoyable and interactive for readers. Reading an essay on otherwise blank white paper will grab and hold significantly less attention than a website that offers the same information in a more polarizing look.