Journal #6

     Can tombstones be considered everyday writing? So far, in this course, I have found that there are some requirements that need to be met for something to be considered everyday writing. A piece of everyday writing needs sentimental value, must not be institutionalized, a target audience, and have a place and scene. A tombstone encompasses each one of these requirements.

     A tombstone is a mark for the remembrance of a loved one who is buried below it. Certain markings can be left in a specific arrangement in order to portray an image of the person who used to live. These tombstones are not institutionalized because each one has its own uniqueness to it. The place and scene is, of course, in a place of burial in which many other have come to be laid to rest. So it is a repeating thing in a place like this but when someone enters a graveyard, there is a sort of respectful silence that one assumes. So the place and scene of the tombstone is definitely made to draw the targeted audience to it. The audience is primarily directed towards the loved ones of the deceased, however can be applied to strangers that happen to be visiting a cemetery, much like what we are about to do in our next class.

Blog Post 6

Tombstones are definitely examples of everyday writing. Before this class, I would not have thought of tombstones to be an example of writing. Tombstones are the canvas on which one etches the name, birth date, and death date of the decease. Some other things that might be included on tombstones are quotes, drawings, or pictures. Each tombstone is different, as stated in the article. Not one tombstone is exactly alike. They differ in the dates, names, and etches on the stone. I like the point that Emily made about how death is inevitable and a normal occurrence. This constitutes everyday writing if it happens just normally and not institutionalized. Tombstones describe the person that's buried beneath them. For instance if the person was Jewish, a tombstone might have the Jewish star on it. I like how Morris talks about how this world is not our abiding place, that there is an afterlife where we live eternally. It also talks about how cemeteries used to be in the center of the town to remind people that their days are limited on Earth. This represents place and scene which we talked about in class as being a major part of everyday writing. The scene in which we see tombstones is usually when someone just dies and we are burying them or we are revisiting to pay our respects or because it might be the anniversary of their passing. Anyways usually when we are visiting cemeteries its a very sad solemn time.

Journal 6

I feel as though Morris and tombstones contribute a better understanding of how people view everyday writing. I loved how in Morris’ article “Death on Display,” he included the input from Richard Meyer about how tombstones and memorials, "establish patterns of communication (and even dynamic interaction) with those who use or view them.” I think it is so interesting that someones gravestone has the responsibility of kind of commemorating that persons entire life into a few lines on a tombstone. It is also interesting to me how tombstones have the ability to make someone have an emotional reaction, even if they do not know the person whom the tombstone belongs to. I have personally experienced this pathos toward a strangers tombstone when I went to Washington DC’s Arlington National Cemetery. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers was the tombstone that impacted me the most because it contains beautiful writing which honors those soldiers who have fallen but have not been identified. In his article, Morris also brings up how space and place contributes to tombstones and also discusses the important of the placement of a graveyard. The space and place of a tombstone supports the idea that they are examples of everyday writing because rhetorical strategies, such as exigence and kairos, must be used. These strategies are used when thinking of what to write on a tombstone and where one wishes for the tombstone to be placed, so a certain kind of reaction comes from the targeted audience. The setting of the graveyard is such an important factor because this can change how people, who wish to pay respect to those who have died, view the tombstones and how they feel in the graveyard.

Journal 6

If you had asked me at the beginning of this class if I thought tombstones were a form of everyday writing, I would have said absolutely not, but now that I have a better understanding of what it means for something to be a piece of everyday writing, I would say that tombstones are a perfect example of everyday writing. While they may not be made by the human being that it is representing, they are made in order to express a message about someone and their life, and the message on each individual tombstone is unique, in terms of the shape of the tombstone, and the font on it, in addition to the information printed on it. The whole thing creates a story for everyone who sees the tombstone to read, and to use to remember the individual it is put up in memory of. Also, since tombstones date hundreds (if not thousands) of years, it is defiantly not something that is taught by an institution.

Additionally, I agree with what Tayina said, the place and scene of a tombstone is crucial as well. Typically, the deceased person says where they would like to be buried in their will, or they picked out a plot where they wanted to be buried before they died, and that says a great deal about them. They may choose to be buried in a church cemetery, or in a private family cemetery or plot in a cemetery, or they may want to be buried in their hometown/the town where they were born. This adds to the message of the tombstone.

Journal #6

From what we have learned in class about everyday writing, I know that everyday writing is writing that does not occur in any type of institution and can have a personal meaning or connection to someone. At first I was not really sure if I could consider tombstones to be everyday writing, but after reading the article “Death on Display” and from the other examples of everyday writing discussed in class, I now consider tombstones to be another example to add to the list. Like snowflakes, no two tombstones are exactly alike. Each tombstone represents an individual person, has different sizes, designs, and texts. Tombstones can be considered everyday writing because they consist of a setting and place. For example, Arlington National Cemetery is used as a military burial site for those killed in action. As Jami mentioned, you have the ability to tell a lot about a person from their tombstone alone. From a tombstone being placed in Arlington National Cemetery, you can tell that a person who has been buried there served in the military.

As Claire mentioned, her friend’s grandmother wanted to be buried in Ireland because that is where she spent most of her lifetime. Her friend’s grandmother also had a Celtic cross put on her tombstone because it was personal to her.  This exemplifies how tombstones can have personal meaning because they have the ability to be placed wherever that person found special or important to themselves. Also choosing what to put onto the tombstone can have a particular significance to that individual. 

Journal #6

    So far our studies of everyday writing have covered many areas I probably would not have associated with everyday writing. This next topic ,tombstones, also could be considered one of the things I never would have considered. Yet it turns out it is, for many valid reasons. As an earlier classmate stated, "No two tombstones are alike" which gives each tombstone a sense of individuality that is found in everyday writing. No two people would want their epitaph to be exactly the same, or to be remembered in the exact same way.
   In my opinion, tombstones are perfect for everyday writing. They are informal, casual, not taught in schools, and the words themselves are not manufactured. Though the actual tombstone itself is, the feelings behind it constitute it to be put in the category of everyday writing. As an example, say you had an aunt that died and you put "With loving memory" on the tombstone. This is a somewhat generic epitaph yet the tombstone is everyday writing. Some may argue that it might not be due to it being manufactured, but as I said earlier, the words are what makes a tombstone, a tombstone, without the words it would basically be a slab of rock in the ground marking where someone died. In that sense it would not be everyday writing considering it was manufactured, and it was not conveyed as a medium for the feelings of loved ones mourning the one who has passed on. Though it can be argued either way depending on points of view...if you examine the actual "stone" itself you can say its not, yet if you look further and find the answers through the words, you will find it as a perfect example of everyday writing.

Journal #6

Our discussion of everyday writing has emphasized the place/scene, the rhetorical situation, the audience, and exigencies. We've seen how all these elements interact to convey a message. Tombstones communicate a message. Not just the words on the stones themselves, but the entire era.

Focus on exigencies first. The exigence is death. There is nothing we can do about. So how do we deal, as people who will one day die, as a friend or family member of the deceased, or as a culture. The graveyard responds to this exigence. "Death on Display" explains how American culture reacts to death. These reactions communicate our culture.

We fence in our graveyards, to divide the living from the dead. We place these graveyards by churches, and holy ground, because we want to perpetuate the belief that there is something after death, and that is where the souls of our loved ones go. During the romantic period we stared writing "In Memory of" on tombstones, because we want to remember the lives that were lived, and we want to console the living. The similarity of the graves themselves, as mentioned in the text, show that our culture values each life, but also emphasizes that no one life is more valuable than any other. This discussion of tombstones, more than any of our other discussions, shows the power of placement. The text is only one element or just the final outcome of an entire scene. The words on a tombstone are not enough to communicate American culture on their own.
There is something we haven't touched upon in class that I feel important to the discussion of Tombstones as everyday writing. Do rituals count as everyday writing? I say they do, and that the cultural surrounding how people make their graves is ritual. However, I could understand the argument of seeing ritual as an institution, as rituals are something learnt. My counter to this is that if we look at things on a grander scale, and see each culture as an individual expression, then rituals, in suit, are unique, and therefor not part of the institution. 

Journal #6

Prior to reading the article, "Death on Display",  I think like many I disregarded gravestones as not being a form of everyday writing.  For when you initially come by a graveyard the tombs seem to be very uniform and are only unique in the changing of names and dates from one tomb to the next.  Although, after reading Morris's article it became evident to me that each tombstone could be defined as everyday writing, in the sense that each tomb is personal and holds its own story.  They each literally represent a life of a person, and consequently represent the lives of their loved ones.  The name and date on these are only a fragment of an indication of what kind of person is buried under them.  Certain decorations, like a cross, star, or military symbol often represent indications of what the person buried valued.  In addition, the point that Claire mentioned about people being laid to eternally rest in their homeland or a chosen city could further personalize each individual grave to the person who deceased.

As gruesome as this may seem, I believe that graves are also very much a form of everyday writing in the meaning they hold behind them.  A tomb represents the death of a person, and death is an unavoidable occurrence of life.  It has or will happen to every person, and I believe in that sense it is everyday.  It's something we can all relate to in the fact that we all will experience others dyeing and we ourselves will have our day too.  The quote Logan referred to from the text, "In turn, display serves to teach or remind the living that this world is not our abiding place." I think appropriately sums up the fact that graves are a representation of something everyday and really serve us as a reminder that our days are limited. To sum up this thought, I would argue with help from Morris's essay that graves are very much a form of everyday writing in that they are unique to their abider and they signify something we all will have to deal with.  

I understand what Tayina is saying and I even would have looked at this article and completely agreed with no objection before I had taken this class; but as was said in class, this grave stone had to go through a revision and professional process before making it to the grave, it is not unschooled and surely did not take only a day to make so I believe that our common archetype of a gravestone doesn't fit our definition of everyday writing and that is what most people would think we are talking about when we discuss this. On the other hand, gravestones that are found at grave sites such as the ones of past battles, older ones especially, do fit our definition of everyday writing because they have been erected in crude fashion. Most are etched into rocks but others are represented by wood such as plain crosses, which have meaning in themselves, or messages engraved on wood. What we can draw from this is that gravestones have everyday writing qualities about them because they tell stories of how everyday people lived their lives. They give us insight into ones character presenting us, the audience, with a solution to the exigence of never having met the dead person.

Journal #6

I was in the same boat as Jami when tombstones were being considered everyday writing. I did not believe they fit the criteria but I can see, now, that they do follow the criteria we discussed in class. The article goes into a roundabout discussion of how tombstones and graveyards actually hold a lot of information about the people who lived there.  The individuality of each gravestone is a great example of how they can be considered everyday writing.  Gravestones are meant also to be the bridge between the living world and the deceased. In that I mean that they serve to capture what the creator of the stone, whether that’s the deceased’s family or the deceased person him/herself, wants to capture about his or her life.  Therefore they have an audience and a purpose.  They also have a rhetor. This person is the person who decides what to put on the gravestone and therefore what to capture about the deceased persons life. Often times it has to do with their accomplishments as a family member or friend or occupation.  The gravestone serves as a message to anyone who knew the person or happens upon it while in a cemetery.   The reading also talked about how the type of gravestone and the messages it delivers.  The larger flashy one can be interpreted as someone who wants to be remembered while the lower profile gravestones show more acceptance of death.

Journal 6

My understanding of everyday writing thus far in the course is that it is something that must be un-institutionalized, have some kind of personal or sentimental meaning, and send a message to a particular audience.  After reading Morris’s article I believe that tombstones fulfill all of these criteria.  As Claire has pointed out, Morris describes tombstones as “patterns of communication with those who view/use them.”  It is clear from this statement that tombstones have and are directed towards a particular audience.  The audience for a particular tombstone may be a passing stranger admiring tombstones, or a close family member, or anyone who happens to be passing the tombstone and happens to look upon it.  Tombstones hold sentimental value because the way they are designed is directly linked to either the way that that particular person was viewed by those who loved them or it may portray the man or woman that the person was in life.  Immediately the tombstones affect would resonate with anyone who looked at it even for a second.  From the font that is on the tombstone to the design or pictures that are in it, it is almost impossible not to be affected by the message that a tombstone gives off.

It is very hard to find two tombstones that are identical and that is the largest reason as to why I believe that tombstones should be considered everyday writing.  This proves that it is not institutionalized.  How can something be taught that is always changing?  Tombstones, I believe are a unique part of our culture and have a very deep meaning to the loved ones of the deceased.

Journal #6

When you think about a grave yard and if it can be considered a form of everyday writing the simple answer should be yes. Walk through any grave yard and every tombstone that is placed within is unique in its own way. In Morris' Death on Display he makes serval great points about tombstones that contribute to our understanding of everyday writing. One of the most interesting points I found is when Morris says, "In turn, display serves to teach or remind the living that this world is not our abiding place." I love that take on graveyards and tombstones because its a great way to look at them. Everyone eventaully passes away its part of life. Graveyards and tombstones are a reminder to us the living that life doesn't last forever and one day our time will come to where we will have a tombstone of our own.
As Ive been reading through the post made so far, Taylor made a point that caught my eye. Taylor was talking about examples of why graveyards and tombstones are considered a part of everyday writing. The example Taylor used was referencing a gravestone of a newly born infant. "The gravestone of a 3 month old child is not seen by many, other than the people who live in the town, and the tombstone signifies innocence  and the ending of an early life." Its great to think about how each tombstone is different in its own way like Taylor was referring to. A tombstone created for a infant is vastly different from a tombstone created for a military veteran. That is one of the biggest reason that graveyards and tombstones are considered a part of everyday writing because no matter what each is different in its own way. A big example of this is Arlington Nation Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Even though almost all of the tombstones are identical in the physical shape the message writing on them are all different. Every single tombstone held within any graveyard resmbles a persons life that nobody else lived, thats what makes each of them special.  

Journal #6

I believe that tombstones can be considered everyday writing. Last week we talked about the main aspects of everyday writing, including purpose, setting, and informality. As pointed out in the article, the purpose of tombstones has changed over time. Where once they were used to reinforce the afterlife and its importance over the body, along with the idea that "the negation of this life is the beginning rather than the end", it later became a way for people to remember the life of a loved one, as Cristina mentioned. The setting of a tombstone is also a factor that makes it everyday writing. At first they were placed only near churches, forcing people to "remember death". Then some people decided to fence tombstones off to "separate the living from the dead", and now people can choose how and where they will be buried. A great example of this was Claire's friend's grandmother, who wanted to be buried in Ireland, rather than the country she died in. This choice of setting says something about the person and their life. It affects the audience and the reaction elicited, as anyone visiting her grave would know how much effort was put into getting her back to her homeland.
The informality of tombstones is key in making them everyday writing. If the tombs were manufactured in mass quantities and given inscriptions in the same way, they would not be considered everyday. Tombs can be made out of different materials, into different shapes and sizes. They can be plain or elaborate, they could have only the name and dates of a person or could include information about who they were in their community. They are usually personalized by a loved one or from their own designs in their life. Because they have a specific purpose, a meaningful setting, and are not industrialized, tombstones are informal and can be considered a part of everyday writing.

Journal #6

Before I read this article I was not sure if tombstones could be considered everyday writing or not. I believed that tombstones did not meet the criteria that we’ve been discussing in class since the beginning of the semester. Morris has changed my mind about this though. In the article it states you can tell a lot more about a person from their tombstone than just the dates they lived from. No two tombstones are exactly the same, differing in the shapes, sizes, what is written on them and their design, which makes this an qualification to be consider everyday writing.  Another thing that this articles helps us understand about everyday writing and tombstones is the type of appeal they give off. It states, “Each privileges, preserves, and advances the gift-giver’s worldview and ethos all other.”  This shows how personal and unique memorial’s are to a person and their loved ones, definitely making this everyday writing. Tombstones are not only unique because there are no two the same but also because of the location. I like the example that Claire brought up in her post about her friends grandma being buried in Ireland, because that’s where she spend a majority of her time. I think this says something about everyday writing as well because it shows the traveling or larger audience. For example in the example Claire brought up, the audience is broaden to not only her loved ones not in Ireland but now the ones who meant so much to her in Ireland are able to view this tombstone. 

Journal #6

After Richard Morris' article, "Death on Display", we should all consider that tombstones and "gravescapes" are most certainly everyday writing. Morris argues that death is a rhetorical situation; the death of someone is the exigence, and the solution is to create a memorial for the recently deceased. Morris revisits the history of graveyards which were originally put into community centers to remind the living of how quickly their lives could be ended, a kind of "seize the day" subliminal message. The way that a grave may be viewed is dependent on different factors such as location, position, and even the details that are put into the "gravescape". Like Brandon previously wrote, the audience of the grave may be effected by the location of the tombstone i.e. if they spent their life in the area as opposed to somewhere they lived for a short amount of time before death. The location of a grave may also effect the overall mood when we consider the difference between the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C, compared to the gravestone of a 3 month old child in Whitesville, W.V. There is no doubt that both memorials are there to signify the loss of a persons life, but the emotions (ethos) are very different. The Washington Monument was erected in the capital of the United States, which has been seen by many people, and it signifies power and authority. The gravestone of the 3 month old child is not seen by many, other than the people who live in the town, and the tombstone signifies innocence and the ending of an early life. Another reason that tombstones should be considered as everyday writing is because they are not tied in any way to the institution or establishment, therefore the people who create the graves or come up with the ideas on how to decorate it do not need schooling to learn how to efficiently create a tombstone. Although the dead can not speak for themselves, it is up to those who were close to them to properly display their lives through the "gravescape" using words, quotes, poems, and maybe symbols or pictures engraved into the tombstone. This makes graves unique to each other because no two people lived the same lives or were in the same community, etc. 

Journal #6

Tombstones and Richard Morris, through his article entitled “Death on Display,” help us to understand that everyday writing involves a rhetorical situation. In the case of death and tombstones, the problem in question is death, and we, as humans, cope with this problem through “gravescapes,” which commemorate a person who was lost, while also reminding future generations of the morals and traditions of a past culture. Furthermore, “gravescapes” around the time of colonization were exposed to a relatively local audience as they “were located at the community’s center…and uniformly presented visitors” with a lasting message that one’s time on this earth is limited and that a spiritual world awaits us after death. Another element of everyday writing that is reflected in tombstones and “gravescapes” is place/scene. The location of “gravescapes” is often viewed by the living as a place of sanctity and a place that is not to be disturbed. The sanctified locations of “gravescapes” determine the overall setting and the mood with respect to the audience through the consequential designation of an escape for the living from ephemeral temptations and the final stage of the journey for the dead towards judgment. As Brandon mentioned in his journal, tombstones are made to elicit a certain response, which is grief. However, I would like to argue that although tombstones can initially be connected to an individual’s grieving over a recently deceased loved one, over time that tombstone’s visitor will most likely associate the tombstone with their memory of their loved one. For most people, grief subsides after losing a loved one and what remains are the memories that you have of that person. Often, a tombstone or “gravescape,” among other things, can elicit these bittersweet memories.

Journal # 6

 What does Morris and tombstones contribute to our understanding of
everyday writing?
    I think that after reading Morris' article about "Death on Display", we can consider tombstones and memorials a part of everyday writing. Tombstones reflect a persons culture and worldview in a rhetoric design. Tombstones and memorials honor a deceased person and it is this rhetoric that they operate under. Often inscriptions are made to either honor or to offer wisdom/insight because the purpose of a tombstone is to offer a connection to the physical world to the world of the dead. It is its exigency to its rhetorical situation. Like other forms of everyday writing, tombstones are more in depth than its rhetoric. The deceased person of which the tombstone or memorial is made gives it a specific audience. A gravestone for a former president, for example, would have a much bigger audience as opposed to the gravestone of my grandmother. They each would have different quotes or inscriptions that reflect their life journey. In this way, memorials are variable and very personal. Although they vary, these pieces of writings are made to elect a certain response, to grief. 
   A graves meaning is also influenced by location, medium, audience, and font just as other pieces of everyday writing is. A person may choose to be buried where they spent the majority of their life, which affects the audience available and also is taken into consideration to the retrospection of the deceased. Tombs can be made from a variety of materials; marble, granite, stone, some may choose to be cremated and be stored in an urn. A person my choose their inscription to be written in italics or bold print. All these choices made reflect who this person is and who they want to be remembered as, it is this personal non-industrialized approach that makes tombstones a part of everyday writing. 

Journal #6 tombstones and everyday writing

Through out this course, we have focused on the themes and main concepts of everyday writing. I think tombstones, is yet another “genre” or category of everyday writing which can be overlooked. We recently talked about how tattoos and graffiti are considered everyday writing. And they are because they have an audience, purpose, place/scene, and are non-institutionalized. These are categories tombstones also acquire. Morris explains tombstones as a “patterns of communication with those who view/use them” and I would agree. This is one factor that makes them everyday. Tombstones express a personal aspect, which the person who recently passed (or family member) picked, and this design, font, and structure of the tomb, is held to be personal with in this audience. This adds another category to “everyday writing” and that is display. Or, how something is structured. While this category is very similar with place/scene, it explains the structure of the writing, or tomb, which is very important to the audience.

            Tombstones are very unique. Similar to minds, no two tombstones are alike. Place/scene can also be reasoning with tombstones being classified as everyday. I have a friend whose grandmother insisted on being buried in Ireland, where his grandma spent most of her life. With this, she had a Celtic cross on her tomb. This makes it personal to the person. Tombstones are also non-institutionalized. They aren’t something we learn in school. WE just know they are there, and we don’t typically give more thought to theme than the mere fact that a dead body is underneath it. Because tombstones identify with the uniqueness and personal aspects, I see them as being categorized as everyday writing. The essay expressed very interesting points about death and the display of each person’s tomb.

Journal 5

Based off of the discussions we have had in class, I would say that the three most important concepts we have considered are the ideas of scene/place, non-institution, and meaning/sentiment.  All of these concepts are primary components of the genre of everyday writing.  Scene and place are vital aspects of everyday writing and the are important concepts any writer should use because they are capable of relaying context.  Where a writing took place, or where the writer presents his work could be an indicator of who the writer is trying to outreach or why the artist created his work.  The idea of non-institutional works is unique to everyday writing, because it defines the essence that this genre can be done by anyone.  Writing doesn't have to taught by a professional to be credible or have meaning.  The use of creativity is capable of creating beautiful works.  Finally, sentiment in a work is the backbone of everyday writing, for it relays the reasoning behind a work and portrays how the writer is human and deals with everyday things.  It enables the communication of an idea which is meaningful to them.

In my opinion, tattoos align with these concepts very well and could be considered everyday forms of writing.  The scene and place you were tatted are important aspects behind the tattoo. They can relay the reasoning of  a person getting one, for if a person came in drunk late at night as oppose to sober during the day, the meaning behind the tattoo could vary.  The idea that creating designs for tattoos is an untaught, non-institutionalized trade and the fact that anyone can get one enhances the concepts of tattoos being everyday form of writings. Lastly, tattoos often carry much sentiment within their ink.  Many people come to tattoo parlors in hopes of printing on their bodies a symbol or word or phrase that holds meaning in their life.  As Simone mentioned from the text, the people in the essay "The Precarious Visibility Politics of Self-Stigmatization: The Case of HIV/AIDS Tattoos." got tattoos on their bodies which represented how they were suffering from AIDS or HIV.  They are communicating something that means a lot to them by permanently writing it on their skin.  Due to these reasons, I believe it could be safe to conclude that tats are an everyday form of writing.

Journal #5

     The three most important concepts that I believe have defined everyday writing in this course so far is audience, non-institutional education, and place and scene. There is no purpose to everyday writing if there is not a target audience that the writer is trying to reach out to or get a response from, even if the audience is themselves. Determining if the writer needed previous education, (institutional), for the production of their piece is crucial because many will argue that writing a piece without the influence of institutional guidelines defines the piece as everyday writing. Place and scene however must be used appropriately by the writer in order to become efficient with their piece of writing. All of these concepts make up what I believe is everyday writing so far, and after reading this article I believe that tattoos, specifically the labeling of HIV/AIDS, is a form of everyday writing.

     The best way to explain why tattoos can be a form of everyday writing would be to systematically go though the three major concepts. Tattooing is an art that is acquired through practice or any other mean except from an institution. According to the article, when the tattoos are displaying HIV/AIDS the wearer is trying to make a statement and bring awareness to the STD. The article states that the tattoo is making HIV/AIDS visible to the world; this would then obviously be seen by anyone surrounding the wearer. The place and scene of the tattoo is constant with the writer, which makes it so unique. Wherever the writer goes, so does their piece of everyday writing. This allows them to reach out to many different people, adding a more personal level to their approach to media.

     It would make sense to label tattoos as a form of everyday writing based on the support given above, even though there can be more things to be said.

Journal Entry 5

I believe that the three most important concepts of the course so far are the ideas that everyday writing is not taught in school, place and scene, and purpose. All three of these ideas align with tattoos. Tatting people up isn't taught in school. Tattoo artists learn from experience and other people. There isn't a class at any institution that is "How to Tattoo 101". The place and scene of tattoos are very important. If you are a professional business person, one would not get a tattoo across your face. It would be inappropriate for the scene of a business setting. Place has a lot to do with tattoos. Some people want to hide the artwork they had done on their body, so they might put it somewhere only you or certain people would see. On the other hand, some people want to display their tattoos to the world. So, these people might get sleeves or place these tattoos on places on their bodies a lot of people would see. The purpose of tattoos vary from person to person. Some people just like the design and idea of tattoos. Some people however, have tattoos that mean a significant amount to them. Like in my sorority a lot of my sisters have our symbol tattooed on them.

Tattoo is definitely everyday writing. Tattooing to me is another way of communicating an idea to other people. I like what Sydnee said about how tattooing is a way to convey a message. The example of the HIV tattoo being placed on the persons butt and upper forearm is a way of communicating to other people that that person is HIV positive. 

Journal #5

I think the three most important things we've learned are place/scene, the rhetorical situation calling for response, and how everyday writing is something non-institutionalized. The article on Tattoo's involved all of these things.  
First I'd like to focus on the place/scene and how that plays into our idea of someones tattoo. For instance, in a professional setting many people may feel a tattoo inappropriate whereas at a concert setting, tattoos are cool, and may gain you respect. When people see the tattoo will influence their idea of the tattooed person.
Then there is the rhetorical situation. In the article the situation is HIV Aids and if people should wear a tattoo to worn others that they have it. A person responses to the exigency of Aids is getting the tattoo, and then, by wearing their tattoo, that person calls for a response from the public. This response is often negative, thus creating a "Stigma". Also a person may get a positive response, like being praised for being responsible by warning perspective partners about their disease, as discussed in the article.
Finally, tattoos are non-institutionalized. People don't tell you how, where, or when to get your tattoo. It is a personal decision, even though in this article entertains the possibility of making HIV infected people get tattoos. Though well intended, I see making people get tattoos as a violation of personal rights, and corrupts the art of tattoos into something as dehumanizing and institutional as branding.

Journal 5

I believe that the three most important concepts we have covered in class thus far would have to be how everyday writing is non-institutionalized, what its purpose is and audience. When I analyze whether writing is “everyday”, I think, is this something that you learn from schooling or is it something you just do because you want to. Also, with everyday writing the audience almost always is known on a personal basis. Besides in this class, your teacher is not going to read and grade our everyday writing. Purpose is probably the most important aspect we have learned because the purpose of everyday writing is not to get an ‘A’ or to impress a teacher, but for your own personal enjoyment. Making birthday cards or writing letters are meant to show love or emotion towards a certain person, it’s not meant for everyone to read or even understand.

                  With that being said, yes I think tattoos align with the criteria for everyday writing. You’re getting something meaningful and personal permanently etched into your body. A random person may not understand what it means just by looking at it, but you know. You can almost consider tattoos to be a type of street art. I do not think the actual art of tattooing is everyday though. Someone cannot just pick up a tattoo gun and instantly be good at it, you have to be taught. But, having a tattoo on your body to convey ideas and/or beliefs is definitely considered everyday writing in my opinion.

Journal 5

I believe the three most important concepts about everyday writing that we have discussed in class so far would be the purpose, place and scene, and non-institutionalized, and I believe they all align with tattoos, therefor, I would consider tattoos a piece of everyday writing. 

There are a wide variety of reasons why people chose to get tattoos, whether it be to mark an event that occurred in their life, or to convey a particular message to everybody that sees the tattoo, or to express their feelings and emotions through a piece of art. For whatever reason a person got a tattoo, it has a specific purpose. Purpose is crucial to providing context to a situation, and without having a reason to construct a piece of everyday writing, it would not have created it to begin with. This is clearly true of tattoos. 

The place and scene where someone got a tattoo on their body tells a great deal of it's purpose. The location of a tattoo on a persons body is a method of expressing personal feelings and conveying a message in itself, just as the placement of a photo on a scrapbook page is. There's a reason why a person chooses to get a tattoo of a particular thing on a specific place on their body, and that contributes to the way it will be seen by others, and the reaction it causes. The fact that the place and scene of a tattoo is so important contributes to the characteristics that consider them to be everyday writing. 

Since a piece of everyday writing cannot be institutionalized, justifying that tattoos are not is important in order to consider them a piece of everyday writing. While the process of making a tattoo had to be taught, the art created by the tattoo artist is not. The design a person picks for their tattoo is most likely not something they learned about at school or a university, or at work. It's more likely something that is everyday that is important enough to them that they want it to be on their body permanently for the rest of their lives. While the process of making the tattoo may not be everyday, the feelings and messages it's expressing are.