Mohr 1

Observation One


Relevant Background Information:


Even though the Avatar series is set in a fictional world, The Legend of Korra is set in
a major world city called republic city. The episode observed was season 1 episode 5: The Spirit
of Competition. In the episodes prior to this one Korra, who is the Avatar and currently has
control over waterbending, firebending, and earthbending, has recently moved to Republic city
and has gotten involved with a probending team. The basic premise of probending is there are
three players on each team. One earthbender, one firebender, and one waterbender on each team.
The object is to knock all of the opponents down or out of the ring.


Figured World: A large social environment that has an implied set of regulations for
expected conduct.


Rules and Conventions: The specific figured world in the series the Legend of Korra
and The Last Airbender would be the earthbenders. The purpose that I chose the earthbending
community is that there are many different types of people with different types of values and
morals that live all over the world. The traditional earthbender was originally thought to be very
tough, sturdy, and stubborn. In order to be an earthbender, you have to be like the element itself.
As time progressed so did the culture and it branched off into subcategories of different
disciplines, such as sandbenders, metalbenders, and lavabenders. But just normal earthbenders
vary so much between them. It is the difference between a 300 pound guy who calls himself
The Hippo who just throws boulders around as hard as he can hoping that he hits something.
Or a blind little girl that relies on feeling vibrations through her feet and being defensive and
precise with her strikes. The world of Korra is set in a Steampunk kind of roaring 20s time
period. All of the bending movements are based of off Chinese martial arts and this is the way
that people interact. There are no machine guns or weapons of mass destruction. People use their
bending as a way to interact whether it is brothers beating on each other, a sparring match, a
gang fight, a fight to the death, or acts of war. So that being said, obviously some places are nicer
communities than other so depending on the location; it would not be surprising yet expected for
a guy to hold a boulder over your head if you step through in the wrong part of town. Some of
the communities of practice that I will be observing are the different variations of earthbending
such as probending, sandbending, metalbending, and lavabending, along with the traditional
earthbending.


Interview Questions:
How do the traditional earthbenders carry themselves compared to non-benders? Other
benders?


Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 1:42 PM
!"##$%& ()*+ I like how you broke up the
definitions in to each observation. The show
that you picked to observe is very complex and
has many characters and I think it is a good
idea to introduce them as they come into the
episodes as you did in the way you wrote your
observation.
Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 1:38 PM
!"##$%& (,*+ In the Relevant Background
Information, you stated that Avatar was
fictional, but The Legend of Korra is set in a !!! #$%
Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 1:33 PM
!"##$%& (-*+ In your background information,
there are several sentences that might require
re-phrasing. Is republic city a real city? The !!! #&%
Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 12:26 PM
!"##$%& (.*+ The beginning of the relevant
background info kinda throws the reader into it.
I can imagine how someone that is unfamiliar !!! #'%
Mick Mohr 9/22/2014 10:50 PM
!"##$%& (/*+ I love Legends of Kora
and have watched the whole series too.
i would recommend though that you !!! #(%
Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 1:34 PM
!"##$%& (0*+ The flow of the rules and
regulations is a little rough, consider revising
placement and layout. Transitioning from the !!! #)%
Mick Mohr 9/22/2014 10:51 PM
!"##$%& (1*+ another suggestion is that
you specifically stick with Legends of Kora
and try not to reference the Last !!! #*%
Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 1:39 PM
!"##$%& (2*+ For someone that has no idea
about the show, you could go into more detail
on what bending of the different elements of !!! #+%
Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 12:29 PM
!"##$%& (3*+ The characterization and history
of the earth benders was great. The level of
detail about the disciplines, the example !!! #,%
Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 1:40 PM
!"##$%& ()4*+ The Rules and conventions do
not really focus on the social structure and
social norms of the series. You gave an !!! #-%
Mick Mohr 9/22/2014 10:51 PM
!"##$%& ())*+ ts great that you mention
the different types of benders out there,
but how are they a rule or convention? !!! #$.%
Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 12:29 PM
!"##$%& (),*+ Im confused as to who the
interview is for. Unless i missed it in the
beginning or haven't got it yet, It would help to !!! #$$%
Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 1:40 PM
!"##$%& ()-*+ Your interview section is very
solid. it has a lot of information with every
question. It sound like a conversation and is !!! #$&%
Mohr 2


-They have reverence for their culture and the process of earthbending has to be head on
and have a more coarse personality due to the way they have to be to when bending rocks. They
generally have a more masculine ambiance about them, not violent but not peaceful (down to
earth).


When you think of a traditional earthbender, what is the image comes to mind?
-6 tall with defined muscles with Granola. Not super tone, but granted there are always
exceptions, also not particularly Fat Buff either.


How have earthbenders as a whole evolved over time?
-All of their culture has remained the same throughout time but when metalbending came
along, it divided them more and they separated themselves according to what they bend. Since
only select earthbenders have the ability to bend metal, the community of metal benders,
especially the ones that live in Zaofu, which is an entire city, made of metal inhabited only by
metalbenders, consider themselves to be more elite than the average earthbender.


How do the specific subcategories within earthbending differ from each other? How
much does each of the subcategories identify themselves with earthbending?


-The sandbenders live in the desert because they can live effectively in the desert, most
metalbenders live in an all metal city (Zaofu) because they can live effectively, and traditional
earthbenders commonly live in relatively Earthy towns and villages where they fit in to the
environments; they can capitalize on their abilities so that the highest level of ease of living is
achieved.


-They dont define themselves as an earthbender, they recognize that they can bend earth
but do not consider themselves earthbenders nor do they place themselves in the same
community as traditional earthbenders.


Explain how pro-bending has introduced new techniques into and changed the style of
earthbending.


-It has more of a modern feel like quick jabs and not elongated movement like urban
fighting styles more adapt to the time period and not as much of an open playing field. The
fighting styles of earthbenders in probending are more adapt to street fighting because of the area
being a major city. There is a lot of gang activity and if a bender is caught in crosshairs they
better know how to defend themselves. This could be how the form of probending got started
before it became a recognized organized sport.
Mohr 3






Actors: The role that is played in a figured world or community, somebody who has a
specific purpose.


Bolin: Bolin is the earthbender on the probending team. He grew up on the streets of
Republic City with his older brother Mako. So he is experienced in defending himself against
gangs and violence on the streets. He does not strike one as the typical rough and tough manly
earthbender; he is more of a goofy corky young spirited guy. His style of earthbending reflects
his personality and his upbringing.
Korra: The Avatar, capable of mastering all four of the elements but currently she can
bend all but air. She is a very determined and stubborn young lady who acts more like an
earthbender even though her natural element was water. She is obviously most skilled in water
bending compared to others. This episode she does not bend any earth, however, because this
episode is mainly about the probending tournament, where she is only allowed to bend water.


Mako: The firebender on the Fire Ferret team and Bolins older brother. Mako is a very
determined and confident individual. Since he and Bolin lost their parents when they were young,
Mako assumed the responsibility of practically raising Bolin. Mako is the type of guy that figures
out what needs to be done and gets it done. He does not fool around or waste time.


Artifacts: Emotions, feelings, ideas, or objects that have some sort of significance in a
culture/community/figured world.


Love Triangle: In this episode it is evident that Bolin is developing romantic feelings for
Korra and Korra has feelings for Mako who is already in a relationship with another girl Asami,
but is not entirely sure if he likes Asami or Korra more. This causes problems because Bolin
takes Korra out on a date just to have fun but then Korra confesses her love to Mako who
conveys that the feeling is not actually mutual. She ends up kissing him unaware that Bolin was
standing right there. This is why they were slipping up in the matches, because none of their
heads were in the game.
The Championship Title: The Avatars job is to keep peace and balance in the world.
Korra being the young and rebellious girl that she is does not exactly look forward to doing the
dirty laundry of the world. This probending tournament is a great way for her to work for
something that she knows peoples lives do not depend on it. For Mako and Bolin it is a very big
deal. Since they grew up as orphans, they never were lucky or won anything. So they are putting
all of their time and energy into this. They are dependent on it.


Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 1:41 PM
!"##$%& ().*+ Your definitions and examples
are very detailed and cover more than enough
information.I was a little confused in the actors
section through. You described Bolin and
Korra as being on a probending team but you
described Mako as being on the Fire Ferret
team. This confused me because it seemed to
me that Mako was on a different team than
Bolin and Korra. YOu could try and put the
name of the team i each of the actors
explanations or .make a reference earlier that
all the actors are on the Fire Ferret Team.
Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 12:30 PM
!"##$%& ()/*+ After reading the character
descriptions, I have a great idea as for who the
characters personally, I especially like the
corky character Bolin, but adding some
physical characteristics would help to complete
the picture. with a full picture of the characters
personalities and physical attributes, I would
be able to have a more holistic view.

Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 1:36 PM
!"##$%& ()0*+ The information you provide
for your actor descriptions is good, but you
missed out on describing their personalities in
terms of how they interact with others.
Considerer mentioning certain things about
their unique and individual character traits.
How does Bolin feel about Korra? Is there any
tension between Korra and Asami? These are
things that develop traits for the show.

Mohr 4


Communities of Practice: Also referred to as learning networks, thematic groups, or
tech clubs, a community of practice is groups of people who all work together for a common
interest and improve each other along the way.


Probending Teams: This is the most obvious community, especially the Fire Ferrets.
The team that consists of Korra, Mako, and Bolin. They are all very close to one another and
even though there are times where there are conflicts between them, they always resolve it. They
share a common goal, which is to win the championship title, which would be the first time they
ever won. So they all do their best as part of the team to better themselves as well as each other.


Domain: A domain does not require membership in a community nor does not have to be
in the same field of knowledge. It is something that links people together whether they know it or
not in terms of a shared interest.


Rival Teams: Even though they might hate or fear each other. Those can and are used as
a great motivator. They see how each play and learn their styles, see where they are strong, and
where they are weak. They might not even realize it but since they are all working towards the
same goal they are in a way helping each other.


Practices of the Community: A collective assembly of knowledge and experiences used
in a community to improve the community.


Backgrounds: Korra has a very different background compared to Mako and Bolin.
Korra grew up in a safe home where she had master benders teach her the ways of their elements
to prepare the Avatar for her purpose, to restore balance to the world. Mako and Bolin had a
struggle everyday while growing up. Find a place to sleep, where to get food, who they had to
protect themselves from etc. Even though their lifestyles were different, they both had the same
idea, which was be as ready and prepared for when they were threatened. Korra always had more
training type exercises while for Mako and Bolin it always the real deal, if they lost, there might
not have been a second chance to get back up and try again tomorrow. Both of these upbringings
have different values that they can bring to the probending scene.


Literacy Practices: The multiple ways of practicing within a community with many
ways of communication.


Hints/Signs of Affection: From the start of the episode it is easy to tell that these young
adults have a little bit more than just a regular friendship going on. Bolin tries to move toward
the fact that he wants more than just a normal friendship form Korra. She does of think much of
it. When he took Korra out on a date, whether he had romantic intent or not he just wanted to
Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 1:37 PM
!"##$%& ()1*+ What is pro bending? You
mention it several times, but never actually go
into detail over what it is. As a bystander, not
knowing anything about the show, it is quite
confusing to me to have this mentioned so
frequently, and not know what it is.

Mick Mohr 9/22/2014 10:54 PM
!"##$%& ()2*+ Great job with the details
about the communities of practice and
what pro-bending is and its function. i
would ask though, is Probending the
only community of practice, or is it the
only one being focused on. One other
community is the White Lotus, and if
they should be in there or not.

Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 12:27 PM
!"##$%& ()3*+ The explanation for
probending is good. Just an thought would be
to connect the idea of probending with a
concept of reality to help the reader get a feel
for the environment. Im getting the feel that
probending has an entertainment vibe to it. Am
i right? Some people might catch a hunger
games vibe.

Mick Mohr 9/22/2014 10:54 PM
!"##$%& (,4*+ Great use of their
background info under the practices of
the community. You could talk about
their training styles and how they train
with one another to improve their skills.
This would be just an extra little bit that
would help add to your background
section and would provide a little more
explanation as to how this affected their
backgrounds. Fire is aggressive, Earth
is Sturdy, and water is flowing, these all
affect one another and would show your
readers how their training is limited due
to the natural effects of the other
elements .

Mohr 5


make her feel like she was a one of a kind girl. She had a wonderful time but did not see Bolin
the same way that he saw her. It made the whole situation even more complicated when Bolin
saw Korra kiss his brother. He felt heartbreak from her, and betrayal from him.


The Observation:


0:45: The scene starts as the probending team called the Fire Ferrets which consists of
Korra, Mako, and Bolin are practicing in their training room. Korra hurls water at both Bolin and
Mako. Bolin deflects the blow with an earth disc and Mako disperses the water attack by kicking
it with fire then sends two quick fire punches toward Bolin who again shields himself with earth
discs. They playfully battle among themselves until they are all on the ground on their butts
laughing. It is evident that they are more than just teammates judging by the way the practice
with each other. They discuss how it is nice to have Korra at the practices because in the past her
other commitments kept getting in the way. Bolin mentions that she committed to the Fire
Ferrets before she made other ones. They form a team huddle and the expression on their faces
and subtle music in the background imply that there might be some hint of romance in the air.
Bolin looks at Korra and Korra looks at Mako. They conclude with addressing that their first
match is that night for the tournament.


6:00: The first match of the tournament. The Fire Ferrets vs. The Red Sand Rabaroos.
The bell rings as the first strike of elements collide in between the two teams. Bolin dodges
several attacks then hurls an earth disc straight at an opponent knocking her down and back.
With an assist from Mako, Bolin make a side shot to two of the opponents putting all three of
them down giving the win to the Fire Ferrets for the first round. Round two Bolin gets pushed
back then as a blob of water comes speeding at him, he quickly pulls up an earth disc to block
the attack, then accompanied by Korra to retaliate, again winning the second round. In round
three the Fire Ferrets are working as a Well oiled machine as the announcer puts it. Each of
them sending several quick and smooth attacks towards their opponents, finishing with Bolin
who finishes them off with a series of flying earth discs.


12:30: The Fire Ferrets enter the quarterfinals as they face a team that is older and more
experienced called the Borqupines. The first round the Fire Ferrets get knocked out of the ring in
a matter of seconds. They are not on their game like they were in the first match. In round 2
Bolin starts out with summoning three earth discs, strongly cross throwing the first two and
putting a powerful kick on the third one all hitting the same opponent. Bolin goes on a whirl,
launching disc after disc at the Borqupines practically being a one-man team. Thanks to him,
they get the second round. Round three ends up being a tie which results in a coin toss and
whoever wins the toss picks the element that they wish to choose for those benders go against
each other one on one. The Fire Ferrets win the coin toss and initially Mako volunteers to fight,
but Bolin tells him that his head is not in the game like it usually is so Bolin takes the challenge.
It starts out with Bolin and his earthbending opponent Chang summoning up three earth discs
each and swift movements and rapidly hurling them at each other. Bolin goes in for a grapple,
Mohr 6


which gets countered throwing Bolin into the air where he chucks a disc back at Change pushing
him back stunned, when Bolin touches the ground he powerfully kicks to discs at Chang blowing
him out of the ring giving another win the Fire Ferrets.


17:00: The semi final match, the Fire Ferrets vs. the Buzzard Wasps. Two teams that are
said to be the most well matched in age, size, and strength. The Buzzard Wasps come out with
well-executed combos and strikes. The Fire Ferrets get knocked back and Bolin gets hit in the
gut causing him to vomit. Just as they are about to get knocked out of the ring, the timer bell
goes off signaling the end of round one. Round two starts and Mako immediately gets knocked
back and accidentally fires on Bolin, which distracts him and results with him out of the ring.
Down 2-0 after round two they regroup and at this point Bolin and Mako are ready to give up but
Korra will not let go of the championship so easily. Bolin gets pushed back and takes an earth
disc directly to his right shoulder rendering it useless. Mako turns to him and takes a side shot
knocking him out followed by Bolin. Korra being the only one left, dances effortlessly around
the ring in an attempt to not get hit by any attacks. Somehow able to line all three of the
opponents up she blasts a powerful water jet at them knowing all of them out at once.






Observation 2


Relevant Background Information: Twelve year old Aang is the last airbender and is
also the Avatar, which means he is capable of mastering all four of the elements being water,
earth, fire, and air. In less than a year he has to master all four elements in order to defeat the Fire
Lord so that he does not wipe out the earth kingdom like he did the air nation. With the help of
friends who know different elements, they go on their journey around the world in order to
prepare Aang for his battle with Fire Lord Oazi. The episode observed is season 2 episode 9:
Bitter Work. This episode is about Aang leaning how to earthbend. This is set in the time period
before electricity was discovered. The general means of transportation was either by animal,
walking, or some sort of coal powered engine.


Figured World: A large social environment that has an implied set of regulations for
expected conduct.


Rules and Convention: The specific figured world in the series the Legend of Korra
and The Last Airbender would be the earthbenders. The purpose that I chose the earthbending
community is that there are many different types of people with different types of values and
morals that live all over the world. The traditional earthbender was originally thought to be very
tough, sturdy, and stubborn. In order to be an earthbender, you have to be like the element itself.
Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 12:31 PM
!"##$%& (,)*+ As a whole, I would
reorganize the structure. The same rules and
conventions is displayed 3 times when one
could do. Also, more of a matter of personal
preference, but think about putting all the
actors in one section. Whatever suites you with
that, but I would definitely think about getting
rid of the extra two rules and conventions.
Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 1:42 PM
!"##$%& (,,*+ I like how you broke up the
definitions in to each observation. The show
that you picked to observe is very complex and
has many characters and I think it is a good
idea to introduce them as they come into the
episodes as you did in the way you wrote your
observation.
Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 1:37 PM
!"##$%& (,-*+ Do you switch to another
series in observation 2? It is not mentioned that
you do, but the background information hints
at an entirely different story arc and cast set, so
I am assuming that it is. What is this series?
How does it relate to the previous series? Are
they related?
Mohr 7


As time progressed so did the culture and it branched off into subcategories of different
disciplines, such as sandbenders, metalbenders, and lavabenders. But just normal earthbenders
vary so much between them. It is the difference between a 300 pound guy who calls himself
The Hippo who just throws boulders around as hard as he can hoping that he hits something.
Or a blind little girl that relies on feeling vibrations through her feet and being defensive and
precise with her strikes. The world of Korra is set in a Steampunk kind of roaring 20s time
period. All of the bending movements are based off of Chinese martial arts and this is the way
that people interact. There are no machine guns or weapons of mass destruction. People use their
bending as a way to interact whether it is brothers beating on each other, a sparring match, a
gang fight, a fight to the death, or acts of war. So that being said, obviously some places are nicer
communities than other so depending on the location; it would not be surprising yet expected for
a guy to hold a boulder over your head if you step through in the wrong part of town. Some of
the communities of practice that I will be observing are the different variations of earthbending
such as probending, sandbending, metalbending, and lavabending, along with the traditional
earthbending.


Actors: The role that is played in a figured world or community, somebody who has a
specific purpose.


Aang: Aang is the Avatar and the only airbender left, it is up to him to introduce more
airbenders into the world. He is a very goofy young teenager who likes to goof of and have a fun
time. The air nomads who raised him were very free spirited and detached from a lot of the
physical distractions. This characteristic is very evident in Aang. But when the time comes to be
serious and get something done, he will set his mind to it because he knows that if he is not well
enough prepared to face Fire Lord Oazi when the time comes, the entire world will suffer the
consequences.
Toph Beifong: Aangs best friend and earthbending teacher. Toph is blind and she uses
earthbending to feel vibrations in herself and everything around her almost like sonar to get a 3-
D map of her surroundings in her mind. This is how she developed the technique of
metalbending. When she was trapped in a metal box with no way out, she repeatedly hit the box
until she could feel the bits of earth in the impure metal and used that to bend it. She is definitely
one of the most skilled earthbenders in the world. She is blunt, straight forward and takes on her
challenges head on.
Katara: Katara lived in the South Pole where she learned the very basics of
waterbending until she decided to go with Aang and teach him waterbending. She is a very
caring and loving young girl who takes on the role of a mother in the group. This is due to the
fact that her mother was killed when she was about eight years old while her dad was off at war.
So she had to assume all of the responsibilities that her mother had. She deeply cares about every
person in the group especially Aang.


Artifacts: Emotions, feelings, ideas, or objects that have some sort of significance in a
culture/community/figured world.
Mohr 8




Aangs Glider: Every airbender owned a personal glider that is basically like a kite that
only airbenders can use. They bend the air currents around them in their favor so that they can
basically fly. This is one of the only items that Aang has from his home. Since the fire nation
wiped out all of the airbenders except for Aang, this is more than just a wooden stick with cloth
sheets attached to it. It resembles his heritage and his airbending roots. Aang hold his tradition
very close to him since it is his sole responsibility to carry on the airbending culture.
Tophs Blindness: The fact that Toph is blind only makes the level of her earthbending
skill more meaningful. Aang was told by an old and wise friend that he needed to learn
earthbending from somebody who waits and listens to the earth before attacking. Because
grunting and snorting and hurling huge boulders as hard as you can all over the place may take a
lot of strength, but not much skill. Aang being only a kid going up against a full grown adult man
definitely should not rely on his strength to win, but instead strategy. This is why Toph is the
perfect earthbending teacher for Aang, because she literally does listen to the earth.




Communities of Practice: Also referred to as learning networks, thematic groups, or
tech clubs, a community of practice is groups of people who all work together for a common
interest and improve each other along the way.


The Earth Kingdom: The earth kingdom consists of most of the worlds population,
especially since the air nation is 99% extinct. They also take up the most land mass than any
other element. The world in The Last Airbender is very segregated and it is very rare to see a
water bender in earth kingdom territory. Although all are welcome everywhere except only fire
nation people are allowed in fire nation territory because they are waging war against the rest of
the world. Oazi plans to conquer the earth kingdom because he knows that if he can achieve that,
then the rest of the world will come easily. This is easier said than done though, the people of the
earth kingdom are very stubborn and will fight until their very last breath as long as they have
hope. They are a very patriotic people who are strong and will not go down without a fight.
Altogether, they are the strongest and most strong-willed people in the Avatar world.


Domain: A domain does not require membership in a community nor does not have to be
in the same field of knowledge. It is something that links people together whether they know it or
not in terms of a shared interest.


Saving the world: Usually the Avatar is only told his identity when he/she reaches
adulthood. In Aangs case, he has less than a year to defeat Oazi so that he does not conquer and
destroy the earth kingdom. Aangs group of friends and him all work together, train with each
other, and push each other every day to prepare themselves for what lies ahead of them
Mohr 9




Practices of a Community: A collective assembly of knowledge and experiences used in
a community to improve the community.


Team Avatar: The group of teenagers that live and travel with Aang are commonly
referred to as Team Avatar. This team consists of Aang, Katara, Toph, Sokka (a nonbender),
and Zuko (a firebender). With all of their special talents, skills, and abilities combined they
become an unstoppable team when they put their minds to it. Sure there are stronger foes out
there, but one thing that Aang points out to Oazi as he is in the midst of the final battle with him
is that the one thing that he has that Oazi does not, is friendship. Aang believes that this is the
reason why they work so well as a team.




Literacy Practices: The multiple ways of practicing within a community with many
ways of communication.


Messenger Hawks: The only way to send a long distance message quickly was by a
messenger hawk. Unfortunately these hawks were only available to the fire nation who was
conquering the rest of the world. Not only that, only the upper class wealthier citizens could
afford them. The hawk had a canister strapped on to its back which could hold a letter and
somehow every hawk knew how to get to all of the different mail stations all over the world.
Past Avatars: The Avatars spirit is reincarnated whenever they die and lives on in the
next baby that is born of the cycle being earth to fire to air to water and so on. If the Avatar can
meditate and concentrate on his/her inner soul, he can communicate with all of his past lives.
Aang always goes to the Avatar before him Roku whenever he needs guidance or help. All of the
Avatars experiences and knowledge are in the current Avatar as long as they know how to
access it.










The Observation:


Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 1:42 PM
!"##$%& (,.*+ I like how you broke up the
definitions in to each observation. The show
that you picked to observe is very complex and
has many characters and I think it is a good
idea to introduce them as they come into the
episodes as you did in the way you wrote your
observation.
Mohr 10


2:30: Aang is very anxious to learn complicated earthbending moves, but Toph suggests
that he just starts with moving a rock. She explains to him that the key to earthbending is the
stance, since earth is a stubborn element; you have to be steady and strong to impact it. Toph
demonstrates by moving a boulder at least four feet high with ease slamming in to the cliff fifty
feet away. When Aang attempts it, he accidently airbends himself backwards away from the
boulder instead of pushing it away from him.


4:20: Katara questions why Aang failed at moving the rock because from her perspective,
he did it the exact same way as Toph did. Aang starts to say that it might work if he approaches
the rock from a different angle. Toph cuts him off and explains that there is only one way to
move the boulder and that is by facing it head on. There is no clever solution or trick to move it.
Tophs boldness in telling Aang what he is doing wrong catches him off guard and discourages
him a little. Katara explains to Toph that he really responds to positive encouragement and
gentle nudges in the right direction. Toph thanks her and the next scene is Toph pushing Aang
through a series of very strenuous and obviously very difficult earthy exercises. As Aang
progresses through them it is evident that the more he trains the more sturdy he is and
earthbender material he is becoming. Since Toph is blind, she is teaching Aang earthbending by
feeling the vibrations in the ground like she does. This is shown by all of the exercises she puts
him through. One of them being having him being blindfolded and trying to hit rocks that Toph
is raising from the ground like a game of whack-a-mole.


8:40: Toph decides to try a different method to teach Aang earthbending. This time,
instead of trying to move a rock, he is going to attempt to stop a rock. Aang looks up the cliff in
front of him in fear and he sees a long path leading right to him with a boulder sitting on top.
Katara intervenes because she does not want Aang to get hurt so she asks Toph if she really
thinks that this is the best way to teach Aang earthbending. Toph thinks about it and then
blindfolds Aang explaining that this way is better because now he will really feel the vibrations
of the boulder coming toward him to stop it. Toph sincerely thanks Katara and Aang sarcastically
thanks her. At the last second Aang jumps out of the way and Toph runs up to him angry telling
him that his stance and form were perfect but he wimped out at the last second. He says that he
just panicked and he didnt know what to say and yelling at him if he thinks he has what it takes
to be an earthbender, to which he replies with a somber no.


12:25: Aang and Katara are practicing some simple waterbending techniques to help him
relieve some frustration due to his inability to grasp earthbending. She assures him that this is
only a temporary block and he will eventually get it. Aang admits that he is not able to move a
rock and acknowledges that he needs to face the rock and the situation head on. Katara, trying to
comfort him explains that earth is particularly difficult for him to learn because it is his opposite
element, just like fire is to water.


20:00: Aang goes looking for Sokka since he has been gone hunting all day. He finds him
stuck in a crevice in the ground and Aang tries to airbend him out of it but it does not work.
Mohr 11


Sokka suggests he tries to earthbend him out so Aang tries to do that only to be unsuccessful
again. The next thing they know both of them are face to face with an angry saber-toothed
moose lion. It charges at them several times and Aang airbends it off to the side a few times then
finally delivers a powerful wind gust knocking the beast back on its butt, it then gets up an walks
away. When the dust clears, Toph is sitting on a rock off to the side slowly applauding Aang. He
asks her why she didnt do anything to help them face the beast if she was sitting there the whole
time. She responds with a nonchalant I guess it just didnt occur to me. Aang agitatedly gets
up in her face and she demands him to earthbend and tells him that if he can defend his ground
against a crazy beast then he has the stuff it takes to be an earthbender. He determinedly gets in
his stance and powerfully punches a rock next to him sending it flying into the cliff. Toph
congratulates Aang and tells him that he is officially an earthbender now.


Observation 3:


Relevant Background Information: Korras objective is now to go around the world
searching for newly activated airbenders and recruit them to move to the air temple and learn the
ways of the air nomads and become an airbending master. One of the newly activated airbenders
is Opal, who is Suyins daughter. The episode depicted is season 3 episode 8: The Terror
Within. Not everybody wants what Korra wants though, she learns that there is an antagonist
group called the Red Lotus that is trying to prevent her from recreating the air nation along with
other things.


Figured World: A large social environment that has an implied set of regulations for
expected conduct.


Rules and Convention: The specific figured world in the series the Legend of Korra
and The Last Airbender would be the earthbenders. The purpose that I chose the earthbending
community is that there are many different types of people with different types of values and
morals that live all over the world. The traditional earthbender was originally thought to be very
tough, sturdy, and stubborn. In order to be an earthbender, you have to be like the element itself.
As time progressed so did the culture and it branched off into subcategories of different
disciplines, such as sandbenders, metalbenders, and lavabenders. But just normal earthbenders
vary so much between them. It is the difference between a 300 pound guy who calls himself
The Hippo who just throws boulders around as hard as he can hoping that he hits something.
Or a blind little girl that relies on feeling vibrations through her feet and being defensive and
precise with her strikes. The world of Korra is set in a Steampunk kind of roaring 20s time
period. All of the bending movements are based off of Chinese martial arts and this is the way
that people interact. There are no machine guns or weapons of mass destruction. People use their
bending as a way to interact whether it is brothers beating on each other, a sparring match, a
gang fight, a fight to the death, or acts of war. So that being said, obviously some places are nicer
communities than other so depending on the location; it would not be surprising yet expected for
a guy to hold a boulder over your head if you step through in the wrong part of town. Some of
Mick Mohr 9/20/2014 12:31 PM
!"##$%& (,/*+ As a whole, I would
reorganize the structure. The same rules and
conventions is displayed 3 times when one
could do. Also, more of a matter of personal
preference, but think about putting all the
actors in one section. Whatever suites you with
that, but I would definitely think about getting
rid of the extra two rules and conventions.
Mohr 12


the communities of practice that I will be observing are the different variations of earthbending
such as probending, sandbending, metalbending, and lavabending, along with the traditional
earthbending.


Actors: The role that is played in a figured world or community, somebody who has a
specific purpose.


Lin Beifong: Otherwise known as Chief Beifong, Lin is the chief of police of Republic
City and one of Tophs daughters. She took over the police force after Toph retired. The
Republic City police force consists mostly of metalbenders. She is one of the best metalbenders
there is considering that her mother invented the technique. Lin has a very hard and bitter outside
that has a complicated past and has a reason and a memory for every characteristic that she has.
She is rash, merciless, and unforgiving. Her personality fits perfectly with her job being the chief
of police in a big city. Allowing her to be not held back by personal feelings and emotions is a
key requirement to be as effective as she is. She followed in her mothers since she was a
teenager and always felt like she had to be the mother of Suyin.
Suyin Beifong: Sister of Lin and daughter of Toph. Suyin is the leader of Zaofu. She is
almost like the alter ego of Lin. She is very jovial, welcoming, generous and pleasant to be
around. She is also a metalbender, about as equal skill level as Lin. When she was young she was
always the rebellious teenager, thinking that she could get away with anything because her
mother was always so caught up in her job.


Artifacts: Emotions, feelings, ideas, or objects that have some sort of significance in a
culture/community/figured world.


Zaofu: Zaofu is said to be the most secure place in the world because it is made of all
metal, has 24 hour security, and is a completely closed metal done at night. A team of metal
benders bend enormous wedges up over the city to metal a completely closed metal dome,
protecting it from any foreign invaders. Metal is thought of as the element or substance that
cannot be affected by most other things. So the importance of safety and security in the city is of
utmost importance. The metalbenders that live there are very proud to be who they are and where
they live.
The Avatar: The most important component to the Red Lotus vision. Since they believe
that the world should return to its natural state where everything is equal and fair and power is
distributed evenly between everyone, they believe that the Avatar disrupts this vision and must
be disposed of.


Communities of Practice: Also referred to as learning networks, thematic groups, or
tech clubs, a community of practice is groups of people who all work together for a common
interest and improve each other along the way.
Mohr 13




The Red Lotus: An anarchist organization whose identity, along with their goal was
completely anonymous to the public. The Red Lotus' goal is to have all the benders and
nonbenders coexist again in a way of life that does not include positions of power and world
leaders. They believe that this is achievable by giving all power to the people, in other words,
chaos. The only presently alive members of the Red Lotus are Zaheer; a powerful airbender their
leader, Ghazan; a lavabender, PLi; a combustion bender, Ming-Hua; an armless waterbender
that uses water as her limbs, and Aiwei; a metalbender and truth seer. Together all of their
abilities combined makes them very capable of accomplishing the most difficult tasks.


Domain: A domain does not require membership in a community nor does not have to be
in the same field of knowledge. It is something that links people together whether they know it or
not in terms of a shared interest.


Power Disc: This is a metalbending sport created by Suyins sons. The object of the
game is to get a metal disc into the opponents goal by bending it to ricochet off of surrounding
walls and pillars. This is a competitive game between two metalbenders that creates unity
whether they realize it or not.
Zaofu Guards / Republic City Elite Police: Standard uniforms consist of all metal. It
works exceptionally as armor, and can also be used for offensive attacks by taking pieces off of it
and shaping it differently into a weapon. Metal cables are used as the main way of capturing and
restraining a criminal. These are a very lightweight weapon so it is very easy to bend and control
by a metalbender but almost impossible to counter by anyone else. Every guard and police
member is disciplined in the same metalbending technique and work toward the goal of making
the community a safer place.


Practices of a Community: A collective assembly of knowledge and experiences used in
a community to improve the community.


Metalbending: Every single person that lives in Zaofu is a metalbender. They all use this
as a way to relate and connect to each other. It is not as big as other cities since few earthbenders
have the ability to metalbend, this makes the city relatively close knit. The majority of
metalbenders consider themselves more advanced or higher up in the food chain compared to
regular earthbenders. Although not necessarily in a pompous or smug fashion. They see it as a
way and reason to create community between themselves.


Literacy Practices: The multiple ways of practicing within a community with many
ways of communication.


Mohr 14


Radio: The radio is the most common way to communicate. It can be programmed to just
be a two-way radio, a broadcast signal, etc. It is very effective in terms of military
communication especially over long distance.
Aiwei: Aiwei is a metalbender who has a very unique ability called truth seeing. What he
is able to do is feel a persons heart beat slightly speed up if they are lying. He can use this to his
advantage by not telling a person that he knows they are lying or not. He can also lie to other
people about somebody else lying to hide something. He does this and says a guard in Zaofu is
part of the Red Lotus after interrogating him when really it is Aiwei himself that is betraying
Korra. He betrayed her by letting the Red Lotus into Zaofu via an underground passage.


The Observation:


0:00: Korra is metalbending sparring with Wei and Bolin is trying to metalbend with
Wing. Korra tries to attack Wei with metal cables, but being a more experienced metalbender, he
counters her attack and puts her on the ground. He exclaims how awesome he thinks it is to train
with the Avatar. Wing complains about indicates by his tone of voice that he does not want to be
training with Bolin since he is not a metalbender. Wing sandwiches Bolin in between two metal
tiles and says that the best way to learn metalbending is Trial by fire. Mako makes fun of Bolin
for not being able to metalbend to which Bolin responds with Mako, metalbending is extremely
difficult, no one gets it right away if they can get it at all. Its not normal. Korra does a fancy
spinning move lashing out her cable taking Weis foot and tossing him up in the air, then
exclaims Woohoo! Metalbending champion!


5:30: The Red Lotus is in the midst of kidnapping tranquilized Korra when Mako and
Bolin see them and alert the Zaofu guards. Lin, Wei, and Wing and numerous guards put up a
barrier of metal walls surrounding the Red Lotus. They think that they have won and demand for
the Avatar to be released when Ghazan lavabends a moat all around them melting the metal walls
entrapping them. Zaheer then attempts to airbend steam all around them to create cover so they
can escape. As he is twirling his glider around a guard binds his wrists together with a cable and
throws him away separating him from his allies as PLi shoots a combustion beam at him which
is blocked by a metal wall held up by another guard. The metal barriers are being used as cover
and shields from PLis explosive attacks. They realize that there is no way to retrieve
unconscious Korra from the Red Lotus with all four of them guarding her. Suyin and Lin drop
down from the top of the dome over the city by cable to try to rescue Korra. In order to do this
Bolin has to stun PLi by shooting a small rock at the center of her forehead which is the source
of her combustion blasts. Between all of the lava plumes and water flying past his face he
manages to hit her exactly dead square in the middle of her forehead right as she looks up at
Suyin and Lin and begins to blast, rendering her neutralized. They land down on the island in the
middle of the lava moat, grab Korra, and start to recoil up when Zaheer flies on his glider up
toward them and tries to attack Lin but Suyin shoots her sharp metal pieces from a gauntlet she is
wearing through Zaheers glider sending him spiraling toward the ground. He creates a tornado
of smoke with which the Red Lotus uses to escape unseen and without the Avatar.