representation+vj

Students will:
 * 1) understand media representations about events can be edited and transformed.
 * 2) understand that each person interprets events in their own way.
 * 3) distinguish between an event and a representation of an event. (reading a newspaper story is equal to reading a letter about the event; listening to a news broadcast is like listening to a phone call about the event)

Real Example by Liz Murray: "On that day I had just one question to ask the Dalai Lama. Here's what I asked. I wanted to know: 'Your Holiness, you inspire so many people, but what inspires you?" He paused and leaned over for a moment to talk to with his translator. then His Holiness turned to me and with a lighthearted laugh he said, "I don't know, I am just a simple monk." The enormous conference hall erupted into giggles and whispers. I was by far the shortest time he'd spent answering any question that day, and it did not go unnoticed. with that, the Dalai Lama's speech ended abruptly, he was whisked backstage and the CEO's and I dispersed for a break into the crowded lobby. And that's when the real lesson from that morning hit me, through the reactions I experienced from others.

Walking in the massive marble lobby among the crowd of executives, I was trying to sort out what had just happened when all of a sudden, one by one, the CEOs approached to tell me what they knew His Holiness had actually meant by his answer. first, a gruff man in his forties approached me and said, "I'll tell you, it was very Zen of the Dalai Lama, the way he talked to you, very Zen. His answer was all about simplicity." A tall woman in a power suit was next. "It's deep," she said, "the not-knowingness of it all. As a monk, he is okay with the ignorance inherent in the human conditions." And next, a tall man with a furrowed brow, obviously angry said, "Liz, he didn't answer you about what inspires him because he didn't want to lower himself to our level, It's arrogance!"

Nearly a dozen executives came to me during the short break and interpreted, with certainly, the meaning of the Dalai Lama's answer. Until finally, later on, backstage, when I was being miked for my own speech, one of the Dalai Lama's stagehands found me to apologize. "Sorry, Liz," he said, "the interpreter fumbled your question and His Holiness wasn't able to understand you, because, well ... we goofed. Oops."

It turns out there was actually no meaning whatsoever to the Dalai Lama's answer. Or rather, there was no meaning beyond the one each person had assigned it. What's more, each person had witnessed the very same exchange, and not one of them came away with the same interpretation."

Source: Murray, Liz. "Epilogue." Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard. New York: Hyperion, 2010. 327-28. Print.

Assignment:
 * 1) Create a wiki page called Re-presentatioCodename. Copy the information below and paste it on the page that you create.
 * 2) I will show the class a brief video of an event or an interview. Imagine you are a reporter who has just witnessed this event.

After viewing the event. complete the following A. Take five minutes to write down quickly in note form everything that you can remember about the event.

B. Using your notes, try to organize the"story" of what happened into a sequence in which the most important information is given first.

C. If you were able to have a still camera to record the event, what one picture would you most like to have taken?

D. Using the materials you have got, write a story for your local newspaper (include who, what, where, when, why) that tells what happened. You should include a sketch of your imaginary picture with a caption. (Use Tux Paint to draw the sketch. Go to File on the wiki page and upload the file to your page.)

E. Compare your story with those produced by the rest of the class. (Read at least 10 stories on the wiki.) Has everyone agreed what is the most important part of the event? Do you all have the same choice of picture? If there are differences, how do you explain these?

F. Do you think some versions are more accurate than others? Give your reasons.