The Final Countdown

Wow! I cannot believe that this is our last blog post ever! This year has been a wild one and is coming to a close fast. Thinking about what to write about on this blog post I came up with some options but I've decided to write about the phrase “I was” in reference to the beginning of this year.

At the beginning of the year I was just a 17 year old kid who had no idea where I would be going to college or what I would be doing. While I still have no idea what I want to do, I think that I will gain experience in college to lead me in a particular direction.

I was a terrible writer at the beginning of junior year, improved a little bit but I was still and awful writer going into this year. I would like to think I’m a decent writer now and I have improved because of Mrs. Genesky and now think before I write. I still find myself trying to write like I talk but I think I have also gotten better about that (except for this post).

In the beginning of this year, I was nervous about what the world held in front of me. Now I am excited for all of the opportunities that I have in front of me. My life was weighted very heavily on academics and barely on a social life. Thanks to a few great friends I think I have become more social and have realized that the relationships you make with people can serve you for the rest of your life.

Finally, and most importantly, I was different. This year has changed me a lot whether it be socially, academically, or as a whole. I was a different person than I am now and I am thankful for that. Looking back on the past makes me nostalgic but it also gets me excited for what is in store for the future of not only me but of all of us. Thanks for the memories senior year.

Walt Creech or Whitman, Who's the real Poet?

 The first thing that I notice when looking at Walt Whitman’s notebooks is his unique cursive handwriting, which is hard for me to read. Whitman seems to scribble down ideas as they come to him much like many writers and inventors tend to do. These ideas range from a poem about a “president elect” and one about a “ship.” The story about the ship seemed to be a metaphor and seemed to be completely written over three or four pages in Walt’s notebook. I think his notebooks reveal that he has encountered some bad times in his day and is trying to inspire people to fight through much like he did through adversity. Now for the drawings, most of the drawings of the people seem to be from the same perspective and even look like the same guy with some different features. The images look much like Whitman himself and he could be representing the many different feelings of his being. The last image stands out because it is not something that is seen in the others. There is a large heart with a skewer through it. This is interesting because the heart is not bleeding or anything, so maybe Whitman is saying people may break your heart but you will not break.

After looking at the yellow tags and delving deeper into the meaning of Whitman’s notebooks it appears that the “president-elect” that he was talking about was Lincoln. Although he never met Lincoln, Whitman fantasized a deep conversation with him. Moving on through page four, there is evidence of Whitman and his religious writings. Whitman hypothesized that there was a four-sided God that included both Satan and God. This is his idea of God based on the Civil War, which represented rebellion and resistance. Whitman used this “third religion,” which was separate from the two other religious platforms, to embrace “that which is not conscience, but against it.” This is an interesting concept and interesting that Whitman hypothesized a new religion to fit the needs of the people. Later on in the notebook you see Whitman’s adoration for Lincoln when he describes him as the “Captain of the ship” which is America. The sketches depict Whitman, like I said, but they are not drawn by him. This means other people saw his notebooks and could’ve added to them which is interesting, most artists and writers keep their ideas secret.

Looking deeper into Whitman’s notebooks and the meanings behind each entry, you can see some of what Whitman thought when he was writing and what he thought about the times. Obviously he did not value any specific religion but sort of created his own that encompasses some things that other religions lack. He also developed religions that fit his needs at the time. Through these entries you can see that he has a large admiration for Lincoln and utilizes a metaphor to show that. Whitman had a lot of interesting ideas and you can see how he scribbles down little phrases when writing. This notebook activity shows how he holds different values than others of his time and that could’ve set him and his poems apart.

If it ain't about the money...

I think that the American Dream is having a family, job, house, and possessions that you can call your own. Society expects most Americans to live this dream and have these possessions. In some cases these possessions may be meaningless but they are still valued and represent an important part of who you are. America offers the hope and means by which to achieve this dream, which is why it is called the American Dream. America offers the education available to get a good job and meet the right spouse, form there you can create a family and build up wealth to accrue a house and possessions.

I would define wealth as the total value of the possessions and relationships that you have with others. The first part of this definition may be a bit shallow (sorry), but it is what society defines wealth as and that has made an impact on my definition. I think the second part of my definition of wealth is very important, the relationships that you have with people, as you can see with Daisy and Gatsby, are very important I throughout your live and can offer lifelong happiness. In The Great Gatsby you can also see the possessions side of this definition as Gatsby talks about his yacht while throwing a major party in his estate. This brings me to Americans’ definition of wealth, which I believe is just the possessions and material wealth that an individual has. In this book you see that money is valued by society and that changes individuals and forces them to become money crazed. Their attitude towards poverty is that it is when people did not work and expected to coast by. People see poverty as a shameful thing to be in and that those who are impoverished deserve to be because they did not work hard enough.

My personal view of wealth and poverty differ from that of the societal norms and values. I think that poverty results from individuals not receiving the innumerous opportunities that we have here in the United States. They are not able to get a high paying job because they didn’t have access to the education that we have here in the States. They are forced to work for minimum wage and be shamed by society for that. I view wealth on the surface as your self-worth or the money you have. Looking below the surface I believe that true wealth is developing lasting relationships with others and truly caring about others. These friends and family that you make will be there though everything but you may lose your money or possessions through that run. The real wealth lies within you and the relationships and choices you make every day.

Eventually, I would like to achieve the American dream by settling down with a wife and kids in my own home with a stable job. More than that though I want to develop lasting relationships and love my job. Obviously we will be working for a long time before we retire, I want to do something I love so that waking up every morning is exciting, and days are viewed as new opportunities. The American Dream is definitely a part of my future, but it is about finding the right people and job to make that dream become a reality. 

Le Blog, El Blog, or The Blog?

#1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.

 

This translation uses diction such as “transformed” to show that Gregor is a new person since he has changed into an insect. The imagery provided does not specify the type of insect because that doesn’t matter, he is changed. The connotation of this sentence is that his body and his entire being was changed into a bug.

#2:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.

The diction of “giant bug” generalizes the insect that he was turned into but also provides the reader with a better image. When you hear those words you can picture a giant, human-sized, bug in a bed. The connotation of this sentence is that he changed forms overnight but his inside remains the same.

#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.

 

The diction of “had been transformed” makes it seem like someone did this to him. This creates an ominous atmosphere as to who could change someone into a bug. The connotation of this sentence is that someone came in and changed his entire being into that of a bug.

#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.

The connotation of this sentence is that Gregor is still the same person, evident by the use of “his bed,” when he wakes up but is in the form of a bug. The diction of “monstrous vermin” makes it seem like Gregor is now a super villain with bad motives. These words have a very negative connotation which is translated into the sentence.

 

Texts that are translated may not represent the entire purpose of word choice and meaning that the author wants it to. Different translations affect the connotation of the sentence and different forms of the sentence with different syntax and diction can alter meaning as well. I believe that diction and imagery are the most effective methods, as seen in these examples, to alter the meaning of a sentence.

            Diction is the word choice that an author makes. Different authors and translators have different opinions on diction. The diction of the first sentence as translated four different times really effects the meaning of the sentence. For example in the 3^rd example, “had been transformed” makes it seem like someone transformed Gregor. This is vastly different from “found himself transformed,” which shows no evidence of anyone having anything to do with the transforming. This affects the meaning of the sentence and the story as a whole because if someone of some higher being transformed Gregor then there is intrigue into who did it, if it just happened then no one questions the cause. Diction that the translator chooses to use reflect their own values and can alter the meaning of the sentence and the novella as a whole.

Imagery is another way to effectively alter the meaning of a sentence and a book. For example, in sentence number 4 “monstrous vermin” creates a terrifying image of a never-seen animal somewhat like a super villain. Compared to “giant bug” which creates an image of an oversized ant or cockroach. The first example of imagery alters the meaning of the story by creating a terrifying non-human image while the second is more imaginable and relatable. The imagery is another choice that the author makes and it is largely affect by diction. I think that diction and imagery are two methods of altering meaning because they are prevalent and help you imagine the book in terms of pictures and events. A little tweak in the event changes the outcome and the characters as a whole.

Freebie Second Semester

For blog post number 11- Walter Creech

TED Talk? No I Talk

Joe Sabia- The technology of storytelling.

Summary-

Joe Sabia is telling us how the art of storytelling has not changed at all even from the caveman times. The ways that we communicate these stories has advanced along with the technology we use to get our point across. The way that stories are told continue to advance with the novelty of technology. However, the stories that are being told are recycled and do not change as the ways of telling stories due. From the beginning stories were told with painting depictions on cave walls then we advanced to the first written stories. After the written stories, humans advanced to film and from there we eventually ended up at social media where most of our kids’ stories are going to be told. This speaker uses a display behind him and uses a really storytelling tone with phrases like “Once upon a time.” This tone and the technology that he uses helps to illustrate his point that you can tell a story in the same way but using different technology. The speaker does a good job of telling a story like he was speaking to a bunch of people but using his technology to provide sub sequential support.

The speaker, Joe Sabia, exploits ethos and logos to get his points across but does not use pathos. He uses logos in order to provide reasoning for the advancement of storytelling. He also uses logos to show us how the stories and art of storytelling has not changed as we are still trying to get the same methods across to an audience. Sabia then uses ethos when he is talking about historical events of the creation of the storybook and the original ways of storytelling throughout history. Also he uses irony to illustrate his point about how stories are told has advanced. Sabia uses and iPad and a screen projector to illustrate his points and tell his story.

This TED talk relates to me because technology is such an important part of our lives and has changed many things but one thing that remains is the art of storytelling. This will forever be true as the art of storytelling will always be the same and the goal of storytelling will be the same despite the different ways that stories are told. I can relate to this TED talk because I use technology just like many other teenagers do to tell stories about my everyday life. I own a Twitter and Facebook and use these platforms of social media to tell little events that happen in my life. This will also be important in the future as technology develops that we continue to tell stories in the same way in order to help maintain a strong society.

Double Indemnity- Walter Neff

1.      In film noir, many of the male leads are weak, frustrated men. While you are watching Double Indemnity, make a mental note of Walter Neff’s characteristics. What kind of man is he? What is his relationship like with women?

 

In the beginning Walter Neff is shown as a serious businessman on a usual visit to remind of an automobile policy renewal. He is very serious and tries to speak to Mr. Dietrichson but when he is not available he talks to Mrs. Dietrichson who is very flirty and mischievous.  When Mrs. Dietrichson insinuates that she is contemplating murdering her husband Mr. Dietrichson quickly states that he wants no part in it. Through this first scene Walter Neff is seen as a businessman who is classy, with his suit and tie, and is carrying on about his normal schedule. As soon as Mrs. Dietrichson begins to flirt with him he returns the favor showing that he is interested in women and even married ones which is a bad thing.

      As the plot and story develop Mr. Neff shows that he is interested in a married women and his involvement with her leads to some horrible things, including murder. This shows that he is the typical male role as he is weak and gives in to what Mrs. Dietrichson wants because he is very attracted to her. Mr. Neff is a weak man that is trying to live a normal life but gets caught up in relationships far too easily which lead to terrible endings. As for his relationship with women, it is obvious that when he is attracted to someone he is willing to do anything for them which is an awful characteristic to have. Walter Neff helps Mrs. Dietrichson to murder her husband and hopefully receive double the face value of his insurance.

      Love can make you do crazy things, but I don’t exactly think what Neff and Mrs. Dietrichson had was love. In the end Walter Neff ends up killing Mrs. Dietrichson suggesting that they may not have been in love as much as it seemed to be. Mr. Neff’s relationship with women is far too serious far too quickly he doesn’t even know Mrs. Dietrichson and does all of these things for her. Later in the film, Mr. Neff also meets the victim’s daughter. She is far too young for a serious relationship so Mr. Neff begins to talk to her and learn about her background. This shows he also cares for women. Overall, Mr. Neff is a typical businessman who is weak and his relationship with women is far too serious but also caring.