Mandatory Prompt "Style"
Hey E319 Students,
What does the vignette "Style" have anything to do with style?
P.S. Style is one of the canons of rhetoric
(Jay Mehta Approved)
posted by Jay Mehta @ 11/15/2011
31 comments
31 Comments:
Style is the tendency of someone's actions. If someone tends to wear a type of clothes constantly or speak a certain way that is their style of clothing or their style of speaking. In the vignette "Style" both Dobbins and Azar have different tendencies when dealing with what is going on in the war. When they see the little girl dancing Azar immediately begins making fun of her, trying to hide the obvious tragedy the Vietnamese girl went through with humor. Dobbins on the other hand has the tendency to push away from the horrors that go on during war. He prefers to push it away because he does not like the guilt. I think the reason style connects into this vignette is because of the style of the soldiers with dealing with the horrors of war.
-Sam Haque
Style to me is personality. Style as a cannon of rhetoric is the way an author crafts his story to create more pathos and deals with perception.The girl in the story is dancing around while her family has all died. I believe that O’Brien is mimicking the idea of style, in a rhetorical sense, with this character in the way that she is dancing regardless to what happened. It is her way of catharsis. Whether she is dancing or not, her family is still dead and dancing is how she reacts to the events. The other characters in this vignette, Azar and Dobbins, are the audience to this event. Their reactions to the girl dancing is how they feel towards the situation but each of them perceive the reasoning behind her dancing differently. Azar, the religious one, perceives it to be a ritual. Dobbins, the idiotic one, perceives her to be dancing just because. Each of them take their own interpretations of the situation differently because of their different styles.
-Jackie Huey
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In the vignette “Style”, style has a lot to do with the vignette itself. Style, in terms of a cannon of rhetoric, is the way, in which something is written or described, to be appealing or visual. It is the tendency of someones actions. Anyways, I think that the style in the vignette “Style” is the way that O’Brien presents the little girl dancing. O’Brien uses specific body descriptions to create the persona of the girl, and they are repeated throughout the vignette. For example “..her eyes half closed, her feet bare… She had black hair and brown skin” (O’Brien 129). By presenting the girl with specific images of her, we have the preconceived perception of who she is. If O’Brien did not put style into the way he described her, we would have had a different viewpoint of the girl who is constantly dancing. Therefore, I think that style in the vignette plays a major rule in creating the visual image we perceive of the little girl who is constantly dancing.
Nicole Vetter
3rd hour
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"Style is the artful expression of ideas"; it is the delivery of one's ideas (Burton 1). The girl of fourteen from "Style" danced gracefully, almost reverently, in the wake of the destruction around her. Her style, in the way she danced, expressed her ideas regarding the ruin around her. With her family dead and her dwelling place destroyed she danced a certain way to show her reverence and remorse for what had happened. O'Brien purposefully depicts her twirling in circles to show a spin on perception. A different perception brings new ideas and a new style for the delivery of these ideas. Azar, who was numbed to the violence of the war, danced in a different style to express his ideas on the scene of the burned hamlet and dead family.
-Hannah Coombs
Style, to me, means a personal way of doing something. Just about everyone speaks, but no one person speaks the same way as someone else. Everyone has their own personal style of speaking, and no one person speaks exactly the same way as someone else. And throughout the vignette “Style”, each character has a completely different way of expressing themselves. Henry Dobbins bases himself off of pure emotion, so he understands the way the girl copes with the death of her family by dancing, which is based off of emotion and grace. Azar, on the other hand, does not completely understand that because he uses humor as a defense mechanism. Each character has a different style of coping and those examples of coping are exemplified in “Style”.
-Mac Kienitz, p3
I want to start out by saying that I agree with and really like all of the comments that have been made so far. Style for me is the way one conducts him or herself, for example, how he or she speaks or dresses. Style is always changing, just like the girl’s dance moves in the vignette, “Style”. Sometimes, style is not able to be understood due to the individuality of the person who initiated the style, which is kind of like how Azar could not understand why the girl was dancing at all. Her style and the style of other people express emotions felt from within. Dancing is the girl’s way of communicating to the people still around her that she is distressed right now, but she will survive.
-Karyn Baldwin (Period 3)
One's style is the way they choose to present themselves to the outside world. It can be projected through many different ways, such as clothing, speech, and movement. Once style is looked upon in its rhetoric sense, it becomes the way in which the author presents their text to the reader to create the perception they want the reader to take from the text. In the vignette “Style”, Tim O'Brien describes a dancing Vietnamese girl that has just lost her whole family. He describes the specific movements she executes (her style of movement) but also goes further to show how the different soldiers reacted to her doing so- some mocked her, some ignored her. The vignette “Style” deals with style because O'Brien shows the different ways soldiers deal with the experiences they had to go through during war. The way in which a soldier reacts to a given situation is completely dependent on their style.
- Marzena Socha, period 3
First to respond with Jackie Huey, I believe that she meant Dobbins to be the religious one, and Azar to be the idiotic one.
Everyday Use describes style as the way one presents their ideas so that it will be understandable to the readers. As others have mentioned, the girl has just experienced a horrific incident. In order for catharsis to occur, she needs to communicate her feelings and thoughts. However, due to a language barrier, she cannot speak to the soldiers. So, she finds a different route of communication, dance.
Though, she might not even be communicating to the soldiers, but to the world in general. She might be showing the world her anguish through her movements.
~Sylwia Dutka p3
First to respond with Jackie Huey, I believe that she meant Dobbins to be the religious one, and Azar to be the idiotic one.
Everyday Use describes style as the way one presents their ideas so that it will be understandable to the readers. As others have mentioned, the girl has just experienced a horrific incident. In order for catharsis to occur, she needs to communicate her feelings and thoughts. However, due to a language barrier, she cannot speak to the soldiers. So, she finds a different route of communication, dance.
Though, she might not even be communicating to the soldiers, but to the world in general. She might be showing the world her anguish through her movements.
When I think of the word “Style”, I think of the types of things Marzena was talking about. I think it is important to remember that style itself has less to do with the content of a piece and more about how the content itself is written. Quoting Marzena, “One’s style is the way they choose to present themselves to the outside world.” This speaks of nothing about the events occurring in each page, but rather how those events are shown to us: which words are chosen rather than others, and the bluntness of the author’s descriptions, and the organization of events that are occurring (not what is actually happening).
Here is an idea to consider: The first four sentences in “Style” are all obvious facts that can be seen by the eye (or in some cases heard by one’s ears). Personally, if information is given to me, all I have afterwards are more questions about that given information. This reminds me of Azar’s inquiry: “Why’s she dancing?” He avoids the obvious questions like “who burned her house down?” or “why did they do it?” Literal questions simply give literal answers, why does O’Brien “work backwards” by both starting a vignette with facts and then following up his facts/answers with a question that have little to do with the information given before it?
Maybe style is not understood by everyone because of the different perceptions of style. Do Dobbins, Azar, and O'Brien all have different styles because they have different personalities?
In response to Jay, I think that they all have different styles not because of differing personalities, but rather because of differing ideas on certain situations. They all have different ideas that they want to convey. In order to more effectively do so, they each chose an appropriate style for the presentation of those ideas.
Style, to me, means the way in which someone delivers his or her thoughts. In the vignette its self, O’Brien delivers his style through the way in which he presents the characters and the persona that he gives each person. The little girl who is dancing, Azar and Dobbins are each parts of O’Brien’s overall incorporation to develop his story. The two men are dazzled and somewhat amazed by the way in which the girl is dancing. Their amazement and insecurities applies to the way that they and each of the other soldiers feel. The soldiers are in the middle of the war, but they do not really know why they are in Vietnam. It is like the girl dancing to no music. Both the soldier and the girl are going through the motions, confused, and scared because they do not know what will happen next. By and large the most significant way to interpret the style of “Style” is through recognition of how each character is presented.
Carlos Sarasti
Pe.3
Style, to me, means the way in which someone delivers his or her thoughts. In the vignette its self, O’Brien delivers his style through the way in which he presents the characters and the persona that he gives each person. The little girl who is dancing, Azar and Dobbins are each parts of O’Brien’s overall incorporation to develop his story. The two men are dazzled and somewhat amazed by the way in which the girl is dancing. Their amazement and insecurities applies to the way that they and each of the other soldiers feel. The soldiers are in the middle of the war, but they do not really know why they are in Vietnam. It is like the girl dancing to no music. Both the soldier and the girl are going through the motions, confused, and scared because they do not know what will happen next. By and large the most significant way to interpret the style of “Style” is through recognition of how each character is presented.
Carlos Sarasti
Pe.3
What is style? Style is how one decides to appear to people. Style deals with how and why something or someone appears the way it does. The vignette “Style” deals with this concept throughout. The way Henry Dobbins and Azar act when they see that young girl dancing when her family was killed is different. Azar tends to deal with the horrors of war using humor, so he makes fun of her for performing “probably some weird ritual” and mocks her way of dancing. Henry Dobbins, on the other hand, just lets her be and tries to convince Azar to leave her alone. The way these two deal with war is different because their style of dealing with it varies.
-Federica Tresin
Style is the way a person presents themselves with their own unique touch. In the vignette “Style”, a teenage girl is dancing around the soldier’s right after her family died and all the soldiers are confused to why she is acting like this. I agree with Jackie when she says dancing is the girl’s method of catharsis. Dancing is the girl’s style in life. After this tragic event, she goes back to what she knows best in life and that is dancing. Trying to push reality away, she just dances to bring normalcy, her style back into her life. Nobody seems to know why the girl is dancing after such a tragic event. The soldiers cannot bring themselves to truly empathize, and understand what the girl is going through.
- Amanda Kelly
Not cool. I had to read it twice to make sure I didn't type that ha.
I have gathered from everyone's posts that the common definition of style is the way in which someone acts. Since everyone is talking about how Azar and Dobbins have competing interpretations of why the girl is dancing and how exactly they receive it, I would like to take a different approach. Because Azar attempts to imitate the girl, I am led to believe that O'Brien wants to show that the way in which an agent acts changes the overall perception of the person. Although we perceive Azar to be extremely rude and condescending, we really don't know what he's thinking. It's possible that Azar really wants to imitate the grace and beauty of the girl's dance. Yet Dobbins stopped him because he perceived Azar's dancing to be making fun of the girl because of how clumsy and ridiculous Azar looked. Style makes a huge difference in the way someone is perceived. I believe that O'Brien made Dobbins the judge and Azar and the girl compete in their styles of dance because he wanted to get across the fact that the way in which something is done greatly changes the way the audience views the content. Why else would Azar dance even though it seemed like he thought the act of dancing was ridiculous, especially given the circumstances?
-Krzysztof Szypcio (Period 3)
To me, style is how one wants others to interpret his or her actions depending on the presence he or she gives off. It can vary from appearance to word choice, but it is the overall presence that the audience interprets from these actions. In “Style,” O’Brien gives off different styles through the use of characters such as the girl, Azar, and Henry Dobbins. I also agree with Jackie when she said that dancing is the girl’s way of catharsis. As mentioned before, catharsis is the “emotional relief one gains from expressing one’s pain” (Robin). The girl’s village was burned down and her family was killed. Dancing is her way of expressing her thoughts, while O’Brien uses it to express a style which is interpreted by Azar and Dobbins. Azar questions why the girl is dancing in the midst of all the horror while Dobbins believes that it did not matter why she was dancing. Dobbins sees the literal while Azar reaches one step further and questions why, making his point of view and response to the girl’s style more evaluative. Later a spin was put on the situation as Azar mocks the girl’s dancing, and Dobbins shows authority over Azar by picking him up and asking him if he wants to be dumped in a well. I think the vignette is surfaced around the girl’s style while putting a spin on the different interpretations as shown by Azar and Dobbins.
-Sarah Richter. (Period 2)
To me style can be the way in which you carry yourself. The way you hold up in the face of tragedy. In the vignette Style the girl dancing has style because she holds her poise; she uses her passion for dancing as catharsis. I think in the book there is a story to be told and O’Brien’s style is very matter of fact. He’s telling the story and letting you come up with your own point of view on the style of the dancer. She’s is dancing to show something beautiful amidst the tragedy. She is coping the only way she knows how. Her style is grace and beauty while Azar’s style is stupid and uncaring. He mocks what he does not know. Dobbins is also stupid because he says dance right which in a way is there a way to dance right? There is a way to look beautiful while you dance but it’s a form of expression so how can it be wrong?
Hannah Cotten
Disregard my comment about Azar being the religious one... I mixed him and Kiowa up.
To me, style is one's way of carrying out his or her actions, and expressing thoughts derived from perceptions. I agree with Sam when she talks about how style involves the way Dobbins and Azar deal with situations in the war. Azar does not seem to take the girl's dancing very seriously, so he responds to her dancing with his style: humor. He mocks her dancing even though he is unsure of why she is dancing. Dobbins has a more serious approach, or 'style,' when he sees the girl dancing. He could have experienced something mildly similar to the girl's loss of her family, and being able to empathize with her led him to avoid making mildly rude comments, like Azar does. I also agree with Jackie about the Vietnamese girl's dancing being her way of catharsis. Not everyone would turn to dancing when trying to express his or her feelings. Dancing is the girl's own 'style' of letting out the emotions that she felt as a result of the destruction of her village.
To me, style is one's way of carrying out his or her actions, and expressing thoughts derived from perceptions. I agree with Sam when she talks about how style involves the way Dobbins and Azar deal with situations in the war. Azar does not seem to take the girl's dancing very seriously, so he responds to her dancing with his style: humor. He mocks her dancing even though he is unsure of why she is dancing. Dobbins has a more serious approach, or 'style,' when he sees the girl dancing. He could have experienced something mildly similar to the girl's loss of her family, and being able to empathize with her led him to avoid making mildly rude comments, like Azar does. I also agree with Jackie about the Vietnamese girl's dancing being her way of catharsis. Not everyone would turn to dancing when trying to express his or her feelings. Dancing is the girl's own 'style' of letting out the emotions that she felt as a result of the destruction of her village.
Amanda Darmosaputro (Period 3)
Before I start I would just like to say I agree with these statements below. Style, in the canon of rhetoric, concerns the artful expression of ideas. In this instance, the content in the vignette “Style” expresses the way the young girl reacts to her entire family being dead. Yes, it truly proves to be an unethical way of going about things after such a horrific tragedy, but that is what O’Brien is trying to get across. He is trying to show (not tell) the audience that there are different ways to interpret the ideas of death and how to deal with it. The innocence of the young girl stays with her even in the midst of such a atrocious war being fought in her homeland.
–Colleen Geller, Period 3
Style is the actions one accomplishes to recieve their desired preceptions. For example,Azar acts the way he does because he neefs attention. The war and all the deaths got to him and he has no true way of showing it. So Azar's style of showing his true emotions is making comical coments and being rude. It is one of his natural defense mechanisms that every human being has.
Sal Period 3
Style is what an individual uses to express one’s self. Everyone has a different perspective of the “style” he or she chooses. According to Everyday Use, style is the way an author constructs his or her story to shape the readers perspective. Tim O’Brien uses style when he portrays the girl dancing. He uses descriptions such as “When we dragged them out, the girl kept dancing” to portray different perspectives through Henry Dobbins and Azar. As the team searched the village, the girl continues to dance. Azar sees this dance as a ritual and Dobbins sees this as just dancing. Both of these perceptions are influenced by each characters sense of style. Everyone’s style is different some stand out more than others but some are hidden. We just need to find them.
-Adam Kobiela (period 3)
Style does not just deal with actions and substance. Style is the way in which an individual acts; it is the way that one approaches a situation. In the vignette “Style”, both Azar and Dobbins focus on the actions of the young girl rather than the little village they just burned to the ground. But, Azar and Dobbins take different approaches when using the girl as a means to distract themselves from their recent actions. True to his character, Azar mocks the actions of the young girl, mimicking her dance in a rather lewd fashion. On the other hand, Dobbins, the simple man that he is, admires the girl’s simplistic movements, going as far as to tell Azar to dance properly when he mimics the young girl.
-Nick Smith
Style does not just deal with actions and substance. Style is the way in which an individual acts; it is the way that one approaches a situation. In the vignette “Style”, both Azar and Dobbins focus on the actions of the young girl rather than the little village they just burned to the ground. But, Azar and Dobbins take different approaches when using the girl as a means to distract themselves from their recent actions. True to his character, Azar mocks the actions of the young girl, mimicking her dance in a rather lewd fashion. On the other hand, Dobbins, the simple man that he is, admires the girl’s simplistic movements, going as far as to tell Azar to dance properly when he mimics the young girl.
-Nick Smith
To me, style means expressing your opinions through the use of actions instead of words. The vignette is titled “Style” because the dancing girl in it expresses her thoughts on her family’s death in a very dramatic way. Through her persistent dancing, she is suggesting that although her family is dead, their thoughts will live on through the war, just like her dancing persists while the soldiers are walking through her village. The girl “put the palms of her hands against her ears” because it doesn’t matter what she hears anymore, only what she believes. She doesn’t want to hear the awful sounds of war, and only wishes to listen to her heart and her loved ones who have passed.
Jacob Griffone Period 3
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