Humbug! Hoaxes in Literature and Culture.

“THE GREAT problem is at length solved! The air, as well as the earth and the ocean, has been subdued by science and will become a common and convenient highway for mankind.”

Poe does an excellent job of creating an effective hoax that draws in his readers with a breaking news story right from the start. He places this sentence near the beginning in order to set up the subject that will be discussed and draw in his audience in anticipation. He does so by starting off with “THE GREAT problem…” which is a vague statement that leaves readers wondering what the problem is and how it has been solved. He continues to build suspense by describing how the “…air…earth and the ocean…” have been overcome by this creation which makes it appear as though these daunting and grand natural elements of the world have been conquered by a man-made creation. Then, most importantly he claims that “science” was responsible for such an accomplishment, however science is an extremely unclear word that doesn’t necessarily explain how this task was executed at all. Most importantly, Poe finishes by saying the invention has created a “common” and “convenient highway” for people to use which implies the creation will be so easily replicated that it can place human civilization high above the limitations of natural elements.

From looking at this one sentence, the theme of scientific exploration and creation has already entered the picture, as well as the idea that mankind’s creations will be able to overcome the forces of the natural world. This idea is re-emphasized throughout the story as Poe inserts multiple specific measurements and details in his own description of the hot air balloon as well as the primary recounts from the scientists themselves. For example, he describes the balloon as “an ellipsoid” and includes numbers from the exact lengths of the structure. His use of such jargon makes the whole piece seem more scientific and authentic. Lastly, he claims this task to be the “most stupendous, most interesting and most important” accomplishment of mankind to conclude the entire story.

RICHIE DIMASO: What, did you try to dress me so I would look like him? EDITH: GREENSLY No, you’re not dressed like him, all right?

Richie is an FBI agent and doesn’t want to be associated with the con artists Edith and Irving. When Richie thinks that Edith dresses him like her partner he feels used, and is insecure because he is falling for Edith. Though he doesn’t trust Irving, when Irving insinuates that Edith is dressing them the same he is so nervous that he is becoming a con artist himself. He wants to believe he is better then them, but starts to doubt himself that he is becoming “like him”, meaning Irving.

Edith’s responds to Richie with urgency as she starts her sentence of with a direct “No”. Edith’s real name is Sydney Prosser and she is living a lie, in order to scam people’s money with Irving. She tries to validate herself whenever she can, in order to be believed as Edith, a British aristocrat. Sydney balances Irving her partner in crime, who she’s in love with, as well as leading on Richie, the cop, in order to not get arrested.

The entire idea of Edith dressing Richie like Irving shows the underlying theme of forgery, and scamming. Richie feels this need to find the truth, where Edith feels a need to cover it up. Not only does she convince herself of the falsies, she questions others believes in the truth, strengthening her own lies. Edith has a lot of power in this situation, because her identity is unknown by Richie, and both men love her. She still has to be extremely cautious because if she angers Irving he could expose her true identity; if she angers Richie he could have them both arrested.

https://www.austinfilmfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/American-Hustle.pdf

“Fishing was our antidote to keep from falling into a blackness Tommy knew was there gnawing at his bones like an animal. A gravity to all his many failures.”

In this story, the narrator’s son has died from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. To them, fishing was an antidote to keep the “demons” away and to take their minds off of the sickness. The narrator chooses the word antidote because it appears to be a cure. While many medical antidotes cure sicknesses, this is more of a temporary solution for the disease for Tommy Nothing Fancy. The relief from the discomfort from the disease is found by Tommy and his father, the narrator, through fishing. Fishing is their relief, and they keep catching fish until one releases itself. The fish’s release of itself and when Tommy can no longer catch the fish will symbolize his death. He’s caught on the line of life right now, and when he’s finally free from the line, he will be free from the “demons” for good, being off the hook. Blackness is the color choice of the author because it often symbolizes a helpless abyss from which one cannot see the beginning or the end. This is Tommy’s illness. It was unclear that he had Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (no clear beginning), and it’s unknown how long he could survive with the disease (no clear end), and so he’s living in darkness/blackness where nothing can be seen apart from the surrounding pain. This seemingly endless pain and blackness is said to gnaw at his bones like an animal. When I think of gnawing, I think of a savage scavenging every last piece of meat off of its food until  nothing’s left but the hard and destroyed bone. By the end of his life, Tommy will be destroyed mentally, as the bone appears physically, as well as having a degraded brain capacity due to the seizures associated with FAS. Furthermore, the animal represents the “demons” that haunt his mind and cause him pain and discomfort.

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What I found to be the most unique and original feature of most podcasts was the use of sound effects (with the exception of a few standard sounds, such as hand clapping). Those podcasts that were successful in keeping my attention from beginning to end also had a tendency to break up long phrases with some sort of a musical interlude. The most effective use of these interventions were the ones that were appropriate for the topic being discussed, and even added a touch of humor, such as a drum roll or creepy background music. While the sound effects played a vital role in making the podcast entertaining, the most important element was having an engaging speaker. Podcasts that lacked this throughout tended to lose the attention of listeners. Those speakers that were able to successfully use humor did so in a natural, unforced way, and did not laugh at their own jokes. A humorous speaker tended to make the podcast more enjoyable; however, it varies depending on the hoax. If I were able to steal ideas from others, I would surely use the hilarious names for callers and the cutoff at the end of Lauri’s podcast. I thought that this was especially effective in leaving the listeners wanting more, which proved to be difficult for me after debunking my hoax. Another elements I would consider including are a commercial and an additional interview with a spaghetti farmer in which I bring in someone else to imitate a Swiss accent.

One of my favorite features of other people’s podcast was the different voices people used. Some people chose to do all the voices themselves, but used an accent, so their voice was unrecognizable or change the pitch of their voice. while others chose to use other people’s voices with an accent. Both ways made people’s podcast sound legitimate. Another favorite feature of mine was the music people chose for their podcasts. The music either provided great transitional points or an ambience that added to the overall purpose of the hoax. What made particular podcasts very successful was the format. Instead of doing a podcast that only consisted of explaining and analyzing the hoax and interviewing an expert about it, some people directed you to the hoax itself. By giving the audience a first hand experience of the hoax, it made the podcast interesting, and it kept my attention. It also gave the audience knowledge of  what the hoax itself was like, instead of assuming from another person’s analyzation. Another thing that made particular podcast successful, was using common techniques, but personalizing them. For example, some people used the technique of breaking news, one person used the same intro as a tv show, some people added accents to the experts they were interviewing to make them sound “smarter.” A couple of ideas I would steal is using music as a transition, the Law and Order intro that Kristin used, and the scary demonic voice that Alex used.

Everyone had such innovative podcasts and I was so surprised at how many different types of things one can do with a podcast medium. I especially enjoyed the podcasts that used well-timed sound effects. Kristin’s intro using the Law and Order SVU opening and theme was so clever and creative. Kyra’s topic Area 51 was also very engaging. I liked how she pulled some “evidence” from the past to help her create the hoax. The sound effects made the podcasts feel much shorter to listen to and more engaging. I also loved how many of my peers had others featured on their podcasts. Some of the interviews were hilarious and reminded me that we are creating hoaxes. If I could do my podcast over, I would insert more sound effects. I would also rerecord some of the interviews because I noticed that when I edited, I would sometimes cut off the initial sound of the first word. Doing so, I made my podcast more choppy, interrupting the flow. I also would make my voice less monotone and more lively. The snowball mic was super easy to use; however, I would have used a different application then Audacity. I think I was more familiar with iMovie and would have made a better podcast using that application.

These podcasts were a great way to not only expose us to new hoaxes and channel our inner creativity, but also open our minds to other media of knowledge transmission through podcasts. The podcast form allowed us to speak more personally and informally. Technology allowed us to fabricate sound or replicate it exactly, which we can use to our advantage in instances such as interviews.

I liked how some people chose to create an original hoax. I would probably have tried to create my own hoax instead of analyzing a real one because being able to create details allows you to make hoaxes crazy. I enjoyed how Yemaj used a spontaneous, news interview-like approach where not even the host knew what was going to happen during the interview. I would have tried to put some twist at the end such as Kyra’s “government shutting down the broadcast” to leave open-ended questions. That really sent a chill down my spine. People who made their own hoaxes frequently used jargon to add credibility, and I found that to be very effective. I think I would have made a more official sounding title for the podcast.

The most important aspects of making a podcast successful is making it entertaining. Unlike reading, where reading times can vary, the time it takes to listen to a podcast is always the same. Thus there needs to be something to keep the audience engaged. Voice modulations are humorous and effective. Interviews should be kept real but voice modulations do a lot to satirize a quote. I

The podcasts were a nice way to approach hoaxes in a way that we have yet to experience. We were either able to interpret a hoax in a more conversational way, as opposed to the typical essay format. However, there were also a few of us who attempted to create their own hoaxes, and I must say that they all did an excellent job! It was very interesting to see what tactics everyone has picked up on throughout the semester with regards to what makes both hoaxes and rhetorical analyses more effective.

Personally, I would love to get the opportunity to work some more with podcasts and am thoroughly considering going back to workshop mine for the project later on in the semester. After hearing everyone else’s podcasts, there are some definitely some changes I would have made. For example, I just can’t get over the importance of sound effects and using them at the correct times. During class, it helped to keep me more engaged and it also made the podcast appear as more “legit” in a way. In order to do this I would have to reconstruct my podcast and choose a few things to take out, although I definitely believe it would be worth it.

This was overall a very fun project and I think that can be seen in everyone’s podcasts. For mine specifically, it was nice to get actual interviews and to be able to learn about the effects of a hoax first-hand, as opposed to the usual second-hand sources we have encountered thus far. It really brings a new aspect with it, being able to hear about personal experiences instead of just reading about them in articles or essays. It was also nice to see all of the different creative approaches that were used. There really weren’t any two podcasts that were alike, and we all brought our own brand to the table.

I hope to revisit my podcast again in the future to workshop it, although I very much enjoyed the time spent working with it and also being able to experience all of the great ideas that my classmates had with their podcasts! It was a terrific assignment and very different than anything I’ve done in an English course before.

Overall, I think that class did extremely well with the task of making a podcast. There were many directions that we took and I think that each one has its merits. I liked how some people chose to use their podcast to perpetuate a hoax; I think it would be fun to try that if I had to do this project again. I appreciate the integration of music and sound effects into people’s projects. It took me a long time to figure out how to effectively do that in my own podcast and I feel that it adds a lot to the final product. I also like the way people used interviews to further their points. Specifically, the use of the 3 year old boy both amused me and convinced me of the points made in that podcast. Other people used interviews of experts to give an analysis of the hoax they were covering. I went this route and found that the interviews provided useful information while changing the monotonous pace of a narrator. Many of us also added funny voices or accents to spice up the character which worked well to keep my attention. Another Idea that I liked which I didn’t incorporate was the use of music to add emphasis. I think Alex did this well because he edited his podcast so that intriguing sounds aligned with important bits of information. All in all, this project gave us a lot of room for creativity and I think we did a great job.