-ode to an orange-

Larry Woiwode’s “Ode to an Orange” is a beautifully descriptive account of oranges, evoking tantalizing imagery and uprooting the bittersweet nostalgia of childhood fruit, small fingers sticky from the tangy juice. This piece, however, exists as more than a manifesto as to how to eat oranges. Set against the imagery of the dreary winter landscape, the orange becomes more than a tasty treat – it captures the small, mundane joys that break up the grey of this “insubstantial, incomplete, cold, wintry world”.
It was this notion that caught my attention as I approached this assignment. How could I capture this hopeful and simultaneously melancholy perspective?... Actually, let me take a step back. I first found myself wondering what media medium would be one I could explore with limited stresses of unknown technology. I quickly gravitated toward a stop motion video, something that has always interested me and seemed straight forward enough to tackle in a few days. Luckily, I found an app that was user-friendly and free, and my plan came together. However, as I continued to ponder, I was forced to stop myself and question if the medium or form of media I had selected furthered Woiwode’s work and my interpretation. Thevenin’s “Creating” essay clearly expresses the importance of using media as a text, as opposed to a simple vehicle to communicate other forms of text. The format, intention, style, etc. of a form of media can powerfully communicate an idea or approach as well as anything else. As we layer other forms of text on top of media, our work has the potential to speak volumes. As I reflected upon this, I was urged to question what I wanted to communicate; this is what brings us back to the beginning of this paragraph. I wanted to capture the final thoughts of Woiwode’s story, and I decided stop motion did indeed further my concept. Not only did it bring an aesthetic I wanted to capture, but the stop and go and at times disjointed quality of the medium for me symbolized our trudging footsteps through life. The brightness and movement of the orange juxtaposed this and the wintry landscape, offering a symbol of hope. Layered on top of the video is Dave Thomas Junior’s “Making Mistakes and Wasting Time”, a stripped down but upbeat tune, suggesting the simple joy that can come from a single orange. While my expertize of the medium was limited and the quality lacking, I am pleased with the outcome as it communicates my thoughts on Woiwode’s evocative piece.
This assignment pushed me to reflect on past media assignments in my schooling and recognize that many teachers’ approaches to technology assignments do not factor in media as a text. This, paired with my narrow-minded approach to technology, resulted in work lacking the added element of media. This realization opens up my own notion of how media can be used to further the theatrical work we will do in my future classroom, as the students explore and make decisions themselves, just as I did with this assignment.

-M