On “Views from a Distance: a Nephological Model of the CCCC Chairs’ Addresses, 1977-2011” by Derek Mueller

This article uses word clouds to discuss the terms and concepts most often emphasized at the CCCC conventions’ primary presentations. The argument hinges on the idea that we can learn a great deal about how Composition ebbs and flows based on the metonymical representation of the speaker and what he or she has to say. This method is accessible at a glance, but when digging into the clouds, we must remember context alters meaning. For example, Mueller talks about how the word “internet” shows up during several 90s speeches, but depending on when and who it’s spoken, the context reflects either suspicion or excitement.

The article reflects how pattern recognition can sometimes be easier to see when presented in a visual format as opposed to words on the page shaped into paragraphs. The reason being is that down words–words that show up in speeches but have little use to the word cloud–can saturate a speech, drowning or at least dampening the major nouns and verbs in the address. This use of the cloud is an example of applying visual rhetoric to help us translate and transmit verbal rhetoric. The program, developed by Chirag Mehta, is designed to help use list formats as a supplementary tool for consolidating large swaths of information in an easy to read manner.

This allows us to see that a shift in perspective allows us to squeeze more info out of the info provided to us without sacrificing the mental cognition that rewards us when we read or hear a speech.