Spacecat
Answer each question in depth and provide specific evidence from
the text or speaker whenever available. The more you write, the better!
Title of the text:
S
SPEAKER:
Who is the speaker/writer?
What do we know about
them? What can you tell or
what do you know about
the speaker that helps you
understand the point of
view expressed?
P
PURPOSE:
What is the speaker/writer
hoping to accomplish?
What is the reason behind
this piece? What do they
want the audience to do
after having listened?
A
AUDIENCE: 
 The writer is reaching out to those who feel the same as him, those who are effected
Who is the speaker/writer
trying to reach? How do we
know? Do they indicate a
specific audience? What
assumptions exist in the
text about the intended
audience?
C
CONTEXT: 
 This poem was written in 2010. Around this time and since this time there was a big
What is the time and place
of this piece? What is
happening in the world as
it relates to the subject of
the speech or the
speaker/writer?
E
EXIGENCE:
What was the spark or
catalyst that moved the
speaker/writer to
act/write? How did that
event impact the
speaker/writer?
C
CHOICES:
What are the rhetorical
choices that the
speaker/writer makes in
the speech? Think about
The speaker and writer of this particular poem is Marshall Davis Jones. He is a
“traveling teaching artist and speaker”, so he likes to go around to different places and
recite poetry, like this one, or give talks. He advocates for connectedness between
everyone, no matter who they are. He likes to go to a variety of places and talk about
a variety of things. His goal is to encourage connectedness in a more physical sense,
which is why in this poem he is pointing out the flaws and dehumanization of the way
we are connected through technology and social media. He is showing that the screen
makes us less “real”, so we shouldnt rely on technology for human connection.
He is hoping to point out the issues of technology. He is showing that social media, the
development of the internet, etc. contribute to less “real” human connection. It
results in conection that isn't as deep or meaningful as real life connection. He shows
that people rely too much on technology and base too much of their worth on how
they are portrayed online. He is saying that technology is making us less human, taking
away that connection and “real-ness” of human life. He does this by pointing out this
lack of connection, the change technology has brought, and stating that people are so
desperate to feel things through their technology.
by technology in this way. This is likely younger, more tech-reliant people. A large
majority of the poem focuses on himself, he refers to himself, what he does, how he
feels, etc. to show listeners and readers that the things happening to them are
happening to him too. This gets the listener to connect and understand and relate to
what he is saying. By stating exactly how he feels, he gets the attention of the target
audience. The target audience is the people who relate, so by making himself a part of
this target audience, he can more effectively get them to relate.
surge in the popularity of many social media sites such as facebook, dating apps, the
iPhone was gaining popularity, etc. These all have things in common: technology and
it's increased popularity and usage. He is making a commentary about how this
technology influences our lives and human connection. Therefore, the conext of this
social media boom provides context for the motivation of the speaker. Because
technology is so popular, this poem would be even more relatable.
The exigence of this poem is the rising poulatiry of social media and the feeling of
disconnect that it brings. The use of technology is a huge motivator for this poem. This
is shown by the constant references to technology and social media. He talks about
the cause (technology) and effects (feeling disconnected in a increasingly connected
world) of the events going on. Because the speaker feels that technology has
decreased the real human connection people get, he wrote this poem. He wrote it to
point out these problems and make them known.
He varies his speed throughout the speech. He starts off talking slow and robotic, then
proceeds to speed up and add more emotion into his speaking. At the very end of the
poem, he slows down again. He also repeats certain parts of words and phrases (ex
“face” in facebook, ‘e’ like in email or e-commerce, “doesn't it feel good to touch”, ‘i’
like in iPhone or referencing himself, etc.). This adds emphasis to these parts, showing
 overall structure, devices,
diction, syntax, etc.
A
APPEALS:
Which of the three
rhetorical appeals (ethos,
logos, pathos) are present
in the text? Where? Why?
T
TONE:
What is the
speaker/authors attitude
toward the subject? Is the
tone the same throughout
the whole piece? Where
does it shift? What
evidence is there to
demonstrate the tone?
the listener what to focus on. He varies his volume throughout the speech, getting
louder as it goes on. He also uses body movement and hand movement to add
emphasis. At the beginning he is robotic in his movement. As it goes on, the
movements get more and more passionate, big, and emotional. This reflects his
speaking as well.
The most present appeal in this poem is pathos. He talks a lot about how he feels and
just feelings in general, saying things like “I have forgotten what that feels like” and
“Or I’m so desperate to feel”. This directly tells the listener or reader how they should
feel, drawing in both his emotions and their emotions throughout the poem. He also
expresses emotion through his big hand movements and increasing volume. The use
of personal pronouns builds ethos because he is being open about how he feels and
what he sees, so people are more likely to trust him and what he says. Logos is present
in the direct references to real-life technologies and social medias.
His tone is kind of robotic in the beginning, both with tone of voice and with the
movement of his body. He talks very smoothly and consistently. However, the tone
changes as he repeats “doesn't it feel good to touch?” At the end of this repetition, he
starts adding more and more passion and emotion to his tone. His tone sounds
urgent, conveying how relevant and pressing of an issue this is. As the speech goes on
and on, this passion increases. He starts almost yelling about it. This conveys his
passion in his tone. It makes the listener feel like this is an important and urgent
subject. At the end, he lets some more vulnerability in his tone, slowing it down and
talking with less anger. He still keeps the urgency in his tone though. This change in
tone shows the pressing and increasing urgency of the issue before finally letting go
and passing that passion and urgency to the audience.