I chose to first comment on Taylor's blog which analyzed the song "Sleep Through the Static" by Jack Johnson. She discussed how music allows us to express ourselves and criticize society and how people are more receptive to music. She also talked about how society tends to ignore issues that occur around the world. I responded with the following:
"Taylor,
You have an interesting post here. I wholeheartedly agree that society is more receptive of music probably more than any other form of communicative expression. The power of music is often not taken for its full importance, but it is much more powerful than some believe. When you have a good artist writing a beautiful song with passionate emotions and meaningful lyrics, the strength of their message is much more powerful, and listeners can feel that. Fans of music and even those who are not are reeled in by the rhythm that makes your head nod and opens their ears to listen to the words with a clear mind. People tend to listen to views they normally wouldn’t when it’s in the form of music.
I also agree that people are often unaware of the issues going around them; I find myself a victim to this from time to time. Sometimes we hear or see tragic events, and all we do is make a small comment and then push it out of our minds. People don’t want to think anymore past that. People don’t know about the importance that events in other countries can have on their lives. Maybe it’s fear that’s holding them back? The fear of exploring into an unknown territory. Maybe it’s ignorance? Maybe it’s something more than that?
All in all, nice post! Also, nice song choice!"
Next, I chose to respond to Chelsea's blog which connected classroom collaboration to collaboration on the volleyball court. I commented with the following:
"Chelsea,
I can really connect to your post since I’ve experienced some of these feelings when playing volleyball. I’ve learned a lot of helpful qualities from volleyball, but the most important would probably be teamwork. One of the hardest things for me to overcome was to let other people pass/set the ball. I used to run into other peoples’ “areas” and return what should have been their volleyball to hit over. I used to have that mindset that I had to be the one to hit the volleyball over. Eventually, I came to realize that I couldn’t get every ball that came onto our court, and if I tried to it could actually hurt our team. If I went into someone else’s area to return the ball, I would be slow in getting back to my position and miss a spike that I should have returned.
Finally being able to trust others through volleyball truly helped my teamwork skills. It has translated over to academics, specifically when we work on group projects. You said that a “real team” is one that works together to overcome hardships and battles. I agree and I feel like the best groups for an assigned project are those that utilize the strengths and weaknesses best of everyone in that group. Your analysis on the leader-follower struggle is also great. I have to agree with you that both positions are equally important. A group can’t function without having both leaders and followers; finding the balance is difficult but it leads to the best outcome.
Overall, connecting athletics to academics on your part was interesting. Personally, I enjoy these two areas and feel there should be more connections like these that extend beyond the academic setting. Hope club volleyball goes great!"
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
iMedia: Life is Like a Cup of Coffee
“Life is like a cup of coffee”- a weird comparison but that is exactly what drew me towards this video. This video strikes me personally because I can truly relate to it, and I bet many others can also. Life is full of struggle, stress, and pain, but a large portion of this is caused by our own actions. The way we value and treat things in our life determines how we perceive life. We give such a high value to material possessions, but what value do they actually have? Does this type of value matter? Life is coffee; all the other material possessions, like jobs, money, and our “social rank”, are all cups. They are tools we utilize to contain life. I feel I sometimes overly concern about the materialistic values in my life this prevents me from enjoying the coffee. This video helped me to reveal that I need to strive to not care for the type of cup I hold life in, but to value the gift inside.
This affects our culture because in our capitalist society today we overly emphasize our cups in life. We compete and compare to always have the best cups possible. Yet, we also complain and struggle to find happiness in our lives. We wonder why is this so? When we erase the distinction between types of cups, we can find a deeper meaning to life. We erase the divisions between people. There are no Africans, Latinos, Asians, and Americans. There is no rich, poor, or middle class. There is no privileged and unprivileged. There are only humans. By focusing on life itself instead of the various tools that merely form its exterior will we be able to truly value it.
The video’s use of beautiful pictures, inspiring music, and a touching story help vocalize the message it attempts to deliver. This specific media matters because its message is one that should be passed to all people. Media is one of the best forms of communication. It’s crucial this inspiring story is contained in this specific type of media because that is the best way for people to learn its message. We know people look to material values first, so the video’s use of images and music is what appeals to them. If the story was merely written on paper, it wouldn’t be as popular with people. People would fail to notice it. An inspiring story within attractive media features is the method to spread the message.
Again this piece of media matters to itself because it is a symbol of looking to the more internal value of objects in our life. It matters to me because it helps me rearrange some of my personal priorities and it allows me to view life with a different perspective. It matters to others because it offers a solution to find harmony and happiness within the chaotic order of one’s life.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Connection: Cordelia and Antigone
When we were categorizing characters in King Lear into those who uphold Medieval values and those who uphold Renaissance values, one of the characters we saved for the end was Cordelia. She is one unique character. As I began to think about the qualities that make her so special, I found her resembling another character we studied last year. Just as Cordelia is to Shakespeare, Antigone is to Sophocles.
Cordelia is a noble woman in being able to sacrifice owning a third of her father’s kingdom in order to uphold her personal values. She doesn’t need to resort to publicly demonstrating her love for King Lear; in fact, that would make it artificial. Instead, she knows her true love is plentiful within her heart and that is the only place it has to be. Cordelia is also the most loyal to King Lear among his three daughters. She loves him, but not enough to go against her own values. In this way, she is very individualistic. She also attempts to help Lear once he learns of the betrayal of his other two daughters. Lear is traveling to Dover in order to be received by her French army.
Similarly, Antigone is a noble woman. The fathers of both characters eventually turn mad, yet they are both present to assist their fathers in the end. Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, remained with her father until he died. Antigone heard with indignation that the body of her dead brother, Polynices, was to rot and be left for the dogs and vultures. Her brother was deprived of essential rites for those who died. Creon, the uncle of Antigone and also Polynices, published a decree prohibiting the burial of Polynices. However, Antigone violated this. When Creon questioned her, she admitted her actions. However, she didn’t regret anything she had done, similar to Cordelia. In fact, she also rudely responded to a higher authority. She said, “Because it was not God nor Justice that heralded the command. I did not think your proclamation coming from a mere mortal should transcend the eternal laws of God.” Just like Cordelia, Antigone had knowingly defied given orders to uphold her own beliefs. She would not be stopped in giving her own brother a basic burial. Although she respects her own uncle, she doesn’t respect him enough to violate her own values.
This relationship matters to me because it shows how a simple act can be grand. Furthermore, we see a more powerful position in women that is new to the era of when the stories were written. Both in ancient Greek and Elizabethan times, we see the dominance of males in political affairs. However, both characters illustrate the strength females have. We learned that Cordelia was a hybrid between Medieval and Renaissance values. This connection helps me to understand those values and attempt to find other characters in other works of literature with that same mix. Cordelia finding the middle ground between the two sets of values is rare enough, but to find another character from a different novel makes it especially unique. Antigone shows utmost loyalty to her father and thus forms her Medieval side; she is also individualistic, breaks the established order by defying Creon, and strategically finds a way to bury Polynices, which helps shape her Renaissance side. Forming connections between characters based on their values is interesting to me, and it helps open up deeper meaning in the characters I read about.
Cordelia is a noble woman in being able to sacrifice owning a third of her father’s kingdom in order to uphold her personal values. She doesn’t need to resort to publicly demonstrating her love for King Lear; in fact, that would make it artificial. Instead, she knows her true love is plentiful within her heart and that is the only place it has to be. Cordelia is also the most loyal to King Lear among his three daughters. She loves him, but not enough to go against her own values. In this way, she is very individualistic. She also attempts to help Lear once he learns of the betrayal of his other two daughters. Lear is traveling to Dover in order to be received by her French army.
Similarly, Antigone is a noble woman. The fathers of both characters eventually turn mad, yet they are both present to assist their fathers in the end. Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, remained with her father until he died. Antigone heard with indignation that the body of her dead brother, Polynices, was to rot and be left for the dogs and vultures. Her brother was deprived of essential rites for those who died. Creon, the uncle of Antigone and also Polynices, published a decree prohibiting the burial of Polynices. However, Antigone violated this. When Creon questioned her, she admitted her actions. However, she didn’t regret anything she had done, similar to Cordelia. In fact, she also rudely responded to a higher authority. She said, “Because it was not God nor Justice that heralded the command. I did not think your proclamation coming from a mere mortal should transcend the eternal laws of God.” Just like Cordelia, Antigone had knowingly defied given orders to uphold her own beliefs. She would not be stopped in giving her own brother a basic burial. Although she respects her own uncle, she doesn’t respect him enough to violate her own values.
This relationship matters to me because it shows how a simple act can be grand. Furthermore, we see a more powerful position in women that is new to the era of when the stories were written. Both in ancient Greek and Elizabethan times, we see the dominance of males in political affairs. However, both characters illustrate the strength females have. We learned that Cordelia was a hybrid between Medieval and Renaissance values. This connection helps me to understand those values and attempt to find other characters in other works of literature with that same mix. Cordelia finding the middle ground between the two sets of values is rare enough, but to find another character from a different novel makes it especially unique. Antigone shows utmost loyalty to her father and thus forms her Medieval side; she is also individualistic, breaks the established order by defying Creon, and strategically finds a way to bury Polynices, which helps shape her Renaissance side. Forming connections between characters based on their values is interesting to me, and it helps open up deeper meaning in the characters I read about.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Dialectics: Politics and Morals
This week we listened to an interview with Quentin Skinner on Machiavelli’s The Prince. One of the themes that came up was the idea of ruling with brutality when necessary. He believed the ends justified the means; preservation of the state was the ultimate goal. However, don’t mistake this as always ruling viciously. He believed rulers had to resort to evil sometimes and when it was absolutely necessary. I found this interesting because it jumped around this struggle between political ends and moral ends. Machiavelli doesn’t dismiss morality entirely, but he politically defines the concept. He shapes it into the criteria for accepting cruel action. He does this because he knows that sometimes good results come from harsh actions.
Surprisingly, this idea jumped at me when the Global Activism speaker, Mary Njoroge, came to talk to us. In our discussion groups, we explored this dualism between ethics and politics. In the healthcare debate, yes, it’s morally right that all people should have access to basic healthcare services. However, is that the only reason why a fixing of our healthcare system is so important? No, it’s crucial for our economy since health care costs are undermining its capability. In history, we learned about the reasons slavery was abolished in other nations. Yes, moral revelations about its true horrors was a major cause; however, slavery led to constant tension and rebellion. The high costs in maintaining slaves and rebellion also assisted in its abolition. So in order for the U.S. to aid Africa with education efforts, is a moral incentive enough? Do we also need a political drive (i.e. helping Africa will drastically boost the global economy which in effect helps our nation)?
So often in today’s world, people try to separate politics and morals as much as possible. Politicians are viewed as the least trustworthy officials and religious leaders are the least informed of political events. Politics and moral are viewed as polar opposites. But are they really? Politics can be a necessary expression of ethics. Often, the only way to achieve an ethnic goal is through a group effort- i.e., politics. We live in a society run by politics. So when we practice ethics in relation to society, shouldn’t it be integrated with politics also? Humanitarian efforts that are translated into action are governed by political mechanisms. Our morality pleads with our conscience that we can’t watch and stand by as people starve to death. However, whom we choose to help specifically (or not to help) is a political question.
Each concept doesn’t stand as strong as they do together. In reality, politics/economics can’t stand isolated. The role ethics plays in politics is its premise and its tool. Similarly, there is no moral life unless economic and political life is established first. There can be no moral life that is not both economic and political. We can illustrate the relation between the two in the human figure. Think of our body as the “politics” and our soul as the “morals”. They both coexist and need each other to form one person. We should strive to think about this dialect more often in our lives. Maybe, like Machiavelli’s The Prince, this duality applies more to our leaders. When we seek to create effective policies, we should seek to incorporate a combination of political and moral incentives. The advantages of each will help attract a broader range of people. Our political views are shaped by our personal beliefs (or our morals), and our morals are shaped over time through “political” experiences. We need to eliminate this fear of mixing the two ideas and being afraid of those consequences. Combining the two and trying to find the middle ground gives us a stronger drive and purpose in achieving anything we want. Like they say, “two is always better than one.”
Surprisingly, this idea jumped at me when the Global Activism speaker, Mary Njoroge, came to talk to us. In our discussion groups, we explored this dualism between ethics and politics. In the healthcare debate, yes, it’s morally right that all people should have access to basic healthcare services. However, is that the only reason why a fixing of our healthcare system is so important? No, it’s crucial for our economy since health care costs are undermining its capability. In history, we learned about the reasons slavery was abolished in other nations. Yes, moral revelations about its true horrors was a major cause; however, slavery led to constant tension and rebellion. The high costs in maintaining slaves and rebellion also assisted in its abolition. So in order for the U.S. to aid Africa with education efforts, is a moral incentive enough? Do we also need a political drive (i.e. helping Africa will drastically boost the global economy which in effect helps our nation)?
So often in today’s world, people try to separate politics and morals as much as possible. Politicians are viewed as the least trustworthy officials and religious leaders are the least informed of political events. Politics and moral are viewed as polar opposites. But are they really? Politics can be a necessary expression of ethics. Often, the only way to achieve an ethnic goal is through a group effort- i.e., politics. We live in a society run by politics. So when we practice ethics in relation to society, shouldn’t it be integrated with politics also? Humanitarian efforts that are translated into action are governed by political mechanisms. Our morality pleads with our conscience that we can’t watch and stand by as people starve to death. However, whom we choose to help specifically (or not to help) is a political question.
Each concept doesn’t stand as strong as they do together. In reality, politics/economics can’t stand isolated. The role ethics plays in politics is its premise and its tool. Similarly, there is no moral life unless economic and political life is established first. There can be no moral life that is not both economic and political. We can illustrate the relation between the two in the human figure. Think of our body as the “politics” and our soul as the “morals”. They both coexist and need each other to form one person. We should strive to think about this dialect more often in our lives. Maybe, like Machiavelli’s The Prince, this duality applies more to our leaders. When we seek to create effective policies, we should seek to incorporate a combination of political and moral incentives. The advantages of each will help attract a broader range of people. Our political views are shaped by our personal beliefs (or our morals), and our morals are shaped over time through “political” experiences. We need to eliminate this fear of mixing the two ideas and being afraid of those consequences. Combining the two and trying to find the middle ground gives us a stronger drive and purpose in achieving anything we want. Like they say, “two is always better than one.”
Monday, October 12, 2009
Metacognition: The Kite Runner Essay
Pauses. Interruptions. Breaks. Discontinuity. Long, short, you name it. My time spent working on my essay was abundant with these calamities. My thinking shaped itself in this manner as well. As I sat down on a Sunday evening to begin the menacing challenge that lay before me, I was empty. Clueless. I had spent the entire past week working on my evidence plan, yet when I came face to face with the computer screen, I didn’t know where to begin. I stared at my evidence plan for ten minutes (No! I fell into the trap). The introduction? Yes, that seems like a good place to start. I faintly remember as I was creating my evidence plan a spark had jolted into my mind. I had come up with an attention getter amidst my deep thought of The Kite Runner text. What was it again...? Gosh, darn it. I should have written the darn thing down. My memory fails yet again. Okay, let’s return to this later.
The blank page before my eyes blinded me with shame. The blinking cursor was a constant reminder of the work not yet begun. Then, I decided to take your (do I speak in second person?) advice. I started with the body paragraphs. I had them planned out, so it shouldn’t be that much of a struggle. I began creating these minute miracles that rescued me from the emptiness that radiated at me. However, I realized that I had to reacquaint myself with the evidence plan I had written. I hadn’t glanced at this for about a week, and honestly I had forgotten some things. Once this revival of my structural thought began to occur, my thinking was more fluid. The body paragraphs flowed from my mind through my fingertips and onto the virtual piece of paper. However, this process was exhausting. Writing made me hungry. I had to take breaks. After completing each paragraph, I sat back in my chair and breathed in and out deeply. Then, I left for five minutes to eat a snack and relax a bit. This happened throughout my entire essay writing. Running back and forth, up and down, in order to exit my “writing” mode.
Writing the introduction and conclusion differed from creating the body paragraphs. I tried my best to follow the examples you (or Mr. Allen?) had given, but I couldn’t. After many failed attempts at testing different attention getters, I ended up kind of combining two methods. I also tried to utilize the ideas I learned from Beat by Beat. I began with words that had the ending syllables ring. Then, I separated them with commas to emphasize each. The final clause ended up being lengthier and comma-free in an attempt to speed up the tempo. I ended the statement with a question mark because my attention getter referenced confusion and craziness; this punctuation mark allowed me to grasp that uncertainty and that touch of craziness by ending what should be a declarative sentence with a sign of hesitance. From there I followed the simple structural format to finish my introduction. I did this as well with my conclusion, except I made an extra effort to include the novel’s ending as a final example and symbol of importance of the claim I was making.
My thinking is a difficult one to describe. It is on and off and acts in various ways. I don’t think it’s effective because I become too absorbed into the details of what I do and prevents me from looking at my essay as a whole. What surprises me is that my sporadic thinking hurts my essay in a way because it constantly cuts off the flow of what I was saying. I mentioned that I had forgotten my initial attention getter. This was an obstacle for me in starting my essay because my flow had been cut off. I think if I had least remembered that, I would have started my work on my essay better. What I like about my thinking is that I give the ideas I’m making full thought and make an extra effort to develop them fully. This is also what I don’t like because this often is time-consuming. I would like to improve on the speed of my thinking. I need to try and get into the flow of my essay at an earlier stage. One way I could do this is begin with the body paragraphs right off the bat (it helps).
The blank page before my eyes blinded me with shame. The blinking cursor was a constant reminder of the work not yet begun. Then, I decided to take your (do I speak in second person?) advice. I started with the body paragraphs. I had them planned out, so it shouldn’t be that much of a struggle. I began creating these minute miracles that rescued me from the emptiness that radiated at me. However, I realized that I had to reacquaint myself with the evidence plan I had written. I hadn’t glanced at this for about a week, and honestly I had forgotten some things. Once this revival of my structural thought began to occur, my thinking was more fluid. The body paragraphs flowed from my mind through my fingertips and onto the virtual piece of paper. However, this process was exhausting. Writing made me hungry. I had to take breaks. After completing each paragraph, I sat back in my chair and breathed in and out deeply. Then, I left for five minutes to eat a snack and relax a bit. This happened throughout my entire essay writing. Running back and forth, up and down, in order to exit my “writing” mode.
Writing the introduction and conclusion differed from creating the body paragraphs. I tried my best to follow the examples you (or Mr. Allen?) had given, but I couldn’t. After many failed attempts at testing different attention getters, I ended up kind of combining two methods. I also tried to utilize the ideas I learned from Beat by Beat. I began with words that had the ending syllables ring. Then, I separated them with commas to emphasize each. The final clause ended up being lengthier and comma-free in an attempt to speed up the tempo. I ended the statement with a question mark because my attention getter referenced confusion and craziness; this punctuation mark allowed me to grasp that uncertainty and that touch of craziness by ending what should be a declarative sentence with a sign of hesitance. From there I followed the simple structural format to finish my introduction. I did this as well with my conclusion, except I made an extra effort to include the novel’s ending as a final example and symbol of importance of the claim I was making.
My thinking is a difficult one to describe. It is on and off and acts in various ways. I don’t think it’s effective because I become too absorbed into the details of what I do and prevents me from looking at my essay as a whole. What surprises me is that my sporadic thinking hurts my essay in a way because it constantly cuts off the flow of what I was saying. I mentioned that I had forgotten my initial attention getter. This was an obstacle for me in starting my essay because my flow had been cut off. I think if I had least remembered that, I would have started my work on my essay better. What I like about my thinking is that I give the ideas I’m making full thought and make an extra effort to develop them fully. This is also what I don’t like because this often is time-consuming. I would like to improve on the speed of my thinking. I need to try and get into the flow of my essay at an earlier stage. One way I could do this is begin with the body paragraphs right off the bat (it helps).
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Blogging Around
I chose to first comment on Anna's blog which was about the theme of culture in The Kite Runner. I responded with the following:
"Anna,
I love the point that you bring up. As we've learned before, culture plays such a huge part in the everyday actions of people and the relations that people have. Culture is often thought of in the context of expressing oneself openly and freely, however you bring up a fascinating point that in the novel culture restricts one's individuality.
Culture is often the roots of a story. It's fun to see what role it plays in stories. Culture determines the actions of characters. Culture determines the voice that the novel is trying to communicate with you. Culture is what keeps the story alive.
However, I can kind of relate with Amir. I can feel the limits culture brings even upon myself. I guess the reason why culture brings its limits is because it is what has worked in the past and tries to shower its success upon you. But that raises another question. What's more important: success or the freedom to choose whatever you want? I guess culture somtimes struggles to find the middle ground. Hopefully as culture passes through generations, it will be able to blend and find that necessary change."
Next, I chose to respond to Mackenzie's blog which explored the topic of vulnerability in human nature. She talked about Amir's vulnerability in the novel and the vulnerability of humans as a whole as modeled by the Stanford Prison Experiment. I commented with the following:
"Mackenzie,
Awesombe job with this! At first like a good amount of people, I really despised Amir. I just couldn't take it anymore. His actions, behaviors, thoughts; it irritated me so much. However, I failed to look at the other point of view and your blog addresses that issue.
The vulnerability of human nature is a deep topic to explore. All humans have weaknesses; we were born with mistakes. In that sense, like you said can we blame characters gone wrong for the blunders they have committed? But then again, can we use human nature as an excuse for their mistakes? It's controversial.
I agree with you that the experiment was interesting. It frightened me though. If humans have this innate corrupted nature in them, can we save us from oursevles? How long will it be until it gets the best of us? Is there anything we can do to fix this problem within human nature?
Your post also mentions how important rules are. It reminds me of episodes on TV where societies/cities without rules become chaotic. We need limitations on power to keep order. We need laws to stop crime. We need rules in grammar to prevent messes. Rules are everywhere. The connection between rules and human nature is a peculiar one. We need rules to keep the negatives of human nature in check. How do we learn, then, to live when all the rules are thrown out the book? When the game has been changed? Can we?"
"Anna,
I love the point that you bring up. As we've learned before, culture plays such a huge part in the everyday actions of people and the relations that people have. Culture is often thought of in the context of expressing oneself openly and freely, however you bring up a fascinating point that in the novel culture restricts one's individuality.
Culture is often the roots of a story. It's fun to see what role it plays in stories. Culture determines the actions of characters. Culture determines the voice that the novel is trying to communicate with you. Culture is what keeps the story alive.
However, I can kind of relate with Amir. I can feel the limits culture brings even upon myself. I guess the reason why culture brings its limits is because it is what has worked in the past and tries to shower its success upon you. But that raises another question. What's more important: success or the freedom to choose whatever you want? I guess culture somtimes struggles to find the middle ground. Hopefully as culture passes through generations, it will be able to blend and find that necessary change."
Next, I chose to respond to Mackenzie's blog which explored the topic of vulnerability in human nature. She talked about Amir's vulnerability in the novel and the vulnerability of humans as a whole as modeled by the Stanford Prison Experiment. I commented with the following:
"Mackenzie,
Awesombe job with this! At first like a good amount of people, I really despised Amir. I just couldn't take it anymore. His actions, behaviors, thoughts; it irritated me so much. However, I failed to look at the other point of view and your blog addresses that issue.
The vulnerability of human nature is a deep topic to explore. All humans have weaknesses; we were born with mistakes. In that sense, like you said can we blame characters gone wrong for the blunders they have committed? But then again, can we use human nature as an excuse for their mistakes? It's controversial.
I agree with you that the experiment was interesting. It frightened me though. If humans have this innate corrupted nature in them, can we save us from oursevles? How long will it be until it gets the best of us? Is there anything we can do to fix this problem within human nature?
Your post also mentions how important rules are. It reminds me of episodes on TV where societies/cities without rules become chaotic. We need limitations on power to keep order. We need laws to stop crime. We need rules in grammar to prevent messes. Rules are everywhere. The connection between rules and human nature is a peculiar one. We need rules to keep the negatives of human nature in check. How do we learn, then, to live when all the rules are thrown out the book? When the game has been changed? Can we?"
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
It Matters: Facebook and our Identity Crisis
Who am I? What am I? How am I supposed to go out into this world and search for...myself? What has preceded me? What will follow me? What is happening now? What is identity?
Today in class, we discussed the downfalls of modern technology. One strand of our discussion led us to debate the concept of Facebook-the social obsession that has drawn everyone into its grasp. I admit that I have also fallen into this trap; I also admit that I find this trap pleasant. Instant communication. Far-reaching connections. Addicting amusement. This tool befriends you, it learns, it anticipates, and it becomes an artificial likeness of yourself that isolates you from the world. Although we tend to focus on the obvious benefits of Facebook and other social networks, there is also a philosophical imperative we must answer to. In class, we scratched the surface of this topic by discussing how it ruins your identity.
A study done by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113878.php) explains how today’s newest generation of people are growing up with “a different and potentially dangerous view of the world and their identity.” This generation of people has never known a world without an online world to coexist with it also. Facebook alters the past functioning of the world. We now live a world where everything moves rapidly and constantly changes. We live in a world where relationships are quickly disposed with a click of a mouse. We live in a world where you can delete your profile if you dislike it. We live in a world where we can swap our identity for one that is more acceptable. What Facebook does is it diverts us from enjoying the real world. We come to think the real world is boring and uninteresting. Instead of attempting to buy our own farm in the real world, we resort to creating an online farm where we can grow artificial harvests. This young generation that has no experience of a world without online societies puts less value on real world identities. What is a friend? Someone you share a close bond with who comforts you through your troubles; someone who knows you almost better than you know yourself. No. According to these social networks, friends are generic people. Maybe you know them, or maybe you don’t. Maybe you’ve seen them once in your life, or maybe you’ve known them forever. These social networks make no distinction.
Relationships. What are they? Personal bonds formed over a long period of time. What is Facebook now doing? It is destroying the original purpose it was meant to do- to strengthen social connections. However, Facebook’s constant updates of others’ actions destroys the intimacy, the closeness, the actual relationship we form with people (http://gigaom.com/2009/04/08/facebook-population-200m-faces-an-identity-crisis/). Instead, Facebook floods us with a lot of white noise, with constant updates every second. It is less personal. It is less social.
Facebook includes multiple factors that destroy our identity. It divides us- it forms a gap between this generation and past generations. How important is the past? Should we care to imagine a world without online connections? Should we learn from a world so distant from us? This online world makes us oblivious to the world around us (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20090422/ai_n31577638/). For what used to require outside interaction can now all be done from within the home. Is there a need to travel to malls when we can shop on the Internet? Is there a need to talk to a person in real life when we can chat with them online? The smiles. The sound of laughter. The sarcasm that can only be heard in real life. Do these matter? Where has our personal interaction gone? Where are our face-to-face exchanges? We lose our identity when our Facebook profile is the person we want to be. Not who we are, but what we desire. This portrayal is not you, but someone else.
The class discussion we had matters because it is an ongoing issue. Technology is constantly updated, but do we ever stop to think about these philosophical questions? Yes, this blog refers to Facebook, but it extends beyond that. The knowledge I learned from our class discussion and these articles can spur change in the way we act. It isn’t impossible to change. The only thing that makes it a formidable challenge is it being a shift in our mindset. We must strive to personally interact with people. We must strive to make our identity the one that walks around the hallways at school, the one that converses with friends, the one that defines us. We have to learn that our identity is not our profile. In doing so, we will come to cherish the natural world. We will appreciate what it has to offer.
Today in class, we discussed the downfalls of modern technology. One strand of our discussion led us to debate the concept of Facebook-the social obsession that has drawn everyone into its grasp. I admit that I have also fallen into this trap; I also admit that I find this trap pleasant. Instant communication. Far-reaching connections. Addicting amusement. This tool befriends you, it learns, it anticipates, and it becomes an artificial likeness of yourself that isolates you from the world. Although we tend to focus on the obvious benefits of Facebook and other social networks, there is also a philosophical imperative we must answer to. In class, we scratched the surface of this topic by discussing how it ruins your identity.
A study done by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113878.php) explains how today’s newest generation of people are growing up with “a different and potentially dangerous view of the world and their identity.” This generation of people has never known a world without an online world to coexist with it also. Facebook alters the past functioning of the world. We now live a world where everything moves rapidly and constantly changes. We live in a world where relationships are quickly disposed with a click of a mouse. We live in a world where you can delete your profile if you dislike it. We live in a world where we can swap our identity for one that is more acceptable. What Facebook does is it diverts us from enjoying the real world. We come to think the real world is boring and uninteresting. Instead of attempting to buy our own farm in the real world, we resort to creating an online farm where we can grow artificial harvests. This young generation that has no experience of a world without online societies puts less value on real world identities. What is a friend? Someone you share a close bond with who comforts you through your troubles; someone who knows you almost better than you know yourself. No. According to these social networks, friends are generic people. Maybe you know them, or maybe you don’t. Maybe you’ve seen them once in your life, or maybe you’ve known them forever. These social networks make no distinction.
Relationships. What are they? Personal bonds formed over a long period of time. What is Facebook now doing? It is destroying the original purpose it was meant to do- to strengthen social connections. However, Facebook’s constant updates of others’ actions destroys the intimacy, the closeness, the actual relationship we form with people (http://gigaom.com/2009/04/08/facebook-population-200m-faces-an-identity-crisis/). Instead, Facebook floods us with a lot of white noise, with constant updates every second. It is less personal. It is less social.
Facebook includes multiple factors that destroy our identity. It divides us- it forms a gap between this generation and past generations. How important is the past? Should we care to imagine a world without online connections? Should we learn from a world so distant from us? This online world makes us oblivious to the world around us (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20090422/ai_n31577638/). For what used to require outside interaction can now all be done from within the home. Is there a need to travel to malls when we can shop on the Internet? Is there a need to talk to a person in real life when we can chat with them online? The smiles. The sound of laughter. The sarcasm that can only be heard in real life. Do these matter? Where has our personal interaction gone? Where are our face-to-face exchanges? We lose our identity when our Facebook profile is the person we want to be. Not who we are, but what we desire. This portrayal is not you, but someone else.
The class discussion we had matters because it is an ongoing issue. Technology is constantly updated, but do we ever stop to think about these philosophical questions? Yes, this blog refers to Facebook, but it extends beyond that. The knowledge I learned from our class discussion and these articles can spur change in the way we act. It isn’t impossible to change. The only thing that makes it a formidable challenge is it being a shift in our mindset. We must strive to personally interact with people. We must strive to make our identity the one that walks around the hallways at school, the one that converses with friends, the one that defines us. We have to learn that our identity is not our profile. In doing so, we will come to cherish the natural world. We will appreciate what it has to offer.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Best of Week: Macro-Micro Relationships within Literature
In class this week we delved into the topic of macro-micro relationships within books. What are we talking about here? It sounds like something that belongs in the distant world of economics. So what does this have to do with literature?
In The Kite Runner, the events that a character experiences affects his or her actions in a unique manner; thus, an intense relationship is formed between the event on a macro level and the character’s action on a micro level. This relationship is evident throughout the entire story and spills over to other areas of the story plot. For example, we discussed how Amir seems to fear authority. On a macro level are the multiple events in Amir’s childhood that instilled fear into his mindset; furthermore, still on the macro level is this struggle between fear and superiority. When the Russian soldiers stopped Amir’s truck while he was being transported, Amir resisted Baba’s attempts at being a hero. He was a coward. When General Taheri discarded Amir’s novel, Amir took no action to defend himself. Even a minor authoritarian figure triggers terror inside Amir. In addition, this brings up another point that culture has no borders. Even though Amir’s fear began in his Afghani environment, when he travels to America it continues to be attached to him. The relationship between Amir and General Taheri occurs in the United States, yet that cultural fear is one that originated in Afghanistan. In addition on a macro level is the chaos in Afghanistan that is parallel to the chaos in the relationship between Hassan and Amir on a micro level. When the Taliban are present in Kabul, their presence discourages him from traveling to his childhood home.
This class discussion makes me think about broader relationships in literature. It makes me wonder about the actions of characters in other stories. Is that one action just a paint stroke inside the larger picture? Personally, this idea connects to my religious side. I believe in God. I believe that small acts in the world occur in relation to a greater power. But it also moves beyond religion. Macro-micro relationships are present everywhere we look. Nature. Religion. Society. History. Art. The list continues. I feel that as I am exploring the mysteries held within novels, I overemphasize my focus on the micro aspect of this relationship. I become absorbed into the details, the actions, and the individual words on the page. I never stop to unearth the big picture. I never ask myself, “What does this connect to? Why is it there?” I plan to use this idea as I continue to read The Kite Runner and many more stories to come. I will aggressively hunt for the many internal relationships that form the backbone of the book. In every grand story, there is a smaller message to be found.
In The Kite Runner, the events that a character experiences affects his or her actions in a unique manner; thus, an intense relationship is formed between the event on a macro level and the character’s action on a micro level. This relationship is evident throughout the entire story and spills over to other areas of the story plot. For example, we discussed how Amir seems to fear authority. On a macro level are the multiple events in Amir’s childhood that instilled fear into his mindset; furthermore, still on the macro level is this struggle between fear and superiority. When the Russian soldiers stopped Amir’s truck while he was being transported, Amir resisted Baba’s attempts at being a hero. He was a coward. When General Taheri discarded Amir’s novel, Amir took no action to defend himself. Even a minor authoritarian figure triggers terror inside Amir. In addition, this brings up another point that culture has no borders. Even though Amir’s fear began in his Afghani environment, when he travels to America it continues to be attached to him. The relationship between Amir and General Taheri occurs in the United States, yet that cultural fear is one that originated in Afghanistan. In addition on a macro level is the chaos in Afghanistan that is parallel to the chaos in the relationship between Hassan and Amir on a micro level. When the Taliban are present in Kabul, their presence discourages him from traveling to his childhood home.
This class discussion makes me think about broader relationships in literature. It makes me wonder about the actions of characters in other stories. Is that one action just a paint stroke inside the larger picture? Personally, this idea connects to my religious side. I believe in God. I believe that small acts in the world occur in relation to a greater power. But it also moves beyond religion. Macro-micro relationships are present everywhere we look. Nature. Religion. Society. History. Art. The list continues. I feel that as I am exploring the mysteries held within novels, I overemphasize my focus on the micro aspect of this relationship. I become absorbed into the details, the actions, and the individual words on the page. I never stop to unearth the big picture. I never ask myself, “What does this connect to? Why is it there?” I plan to use this idea as I continue to read The Kite Runner and many more stories to come. I will aggressively hunt for the many internal relationships that form the backbone of the book. In every grand story, there is a smaller message to be found.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Change of Mind: Beat by Beat- The Rhythm of Great Writing
A former mirage of myself was chained by obscure foes- words. Words? Yes, words. I was incapable of producing the “right” words in my writing. My writing was always forced- never containing a continuous flow. My writing moved like a car with insufficient gas, small spurts of activity trying to utilize what little fuel remains, and ever so slowly reaching its destination. Words and their complications-usage, spelling, finding a place for them amidst other towering enemies- all contributing to draining the life from my writing. Worst of all, was grammar- with its sole purpose to set rules on writing and to punish those who strayed from that path. How is one to find art within this array of horror?
But then, my ears learned of an alternate ego to words- rhythm. Now that’s more like it. I love the enjoyment my ears receive from music, especially hip hop/rap, but not the mainstream rap you hear on the radio that degrades women and encourages the worship of false idols. I enjoy the poetry made with the articulation of various words all finding their place adjacent to each other to form a flow, a rhythm, a piece of art. In contrast, I never discovered this enjoyment in my own writing. My thoughts were always restricted. My voice wasn’t apparent in the typed words below me. This idea of rhythm is foreign to me, yet I like it. No, I love it, I love it, I LOVE IT. I wonder what’s the limit on the types of rhythms that can be used in writing- slow bass drums, sporadic paradiddles, constant snare drums? Using rhythm to express my emotions- why hadn’t I thought of it?
My view on writing took a complete flip. For example, yes, grammar is needed for strict purposes, but it’s there as well for artistic purposes. Writers can intentionally leave out commas and other punctuation marks to create a rhythm that fits their words. They can alter the spacing between words to express hesitance. These tools that we have are there for us to shape and create our own work of art. Since I was in third grade, I’ve always wondered why the grammar topics I learned rarely appeared in the books I read. My mind now knows that beautiful art utilizes these tools that may not follow their designated purposes but are used in a way that elicits a stronger emotional response. Previously, it was difficult for me to find the art in writing and the application of mechanics in that perspective. Now I begin to see that grammar, punctuation, and other mechanics are the brushes and paint for a creative artist.
But then, my ears learned of an alternate ego to words- rhythm. Now that’s more like it. I love the enjoyment my ears receive from music, especially hip hop/rap, but not the mainstream rap you hear on the radio that degrades women and encourages the worship of false idols. I enjoy the poetry made with the articulation of various words all finding their place adjacent to each other to form a flow, a rhythm, a piece of art. In contrast, I never discovered this enjoyment in my own writing. My thoughts were always restricted. My voice wasn’t apparent in the typed words below me. This idea of rhythm is foreign to me, yet I like it. No, I love it, I love it, I LOVE IT. I wonder what’s the limit on the types of rhythms that can be used in writing- slow bass drums, sporadic paradiddles, constant snare drums? Using rhythm to express my emotions- why hadn’t I thought of it?
My view on writing took a complete flip. For example, yes, grammar is needed for strict purposes, but it’s there as well for artistic purposes. Writers can intentionally leave out commas and other punctuation marks to create a rhythm that fits their words. They can alter the spacing between words to express hesitance. These tools that we have are there for us to shape and create our own work of art. Since I was in third grade, I’ve always wondered why the grammar topics I learned rarely appeared in the books I read. My mind now knows that beautiful art utilizes these tools that may not follow their designated purposes but are used in a way that elicits a stronger emotional response. Previously, it was difficult for me to find the art in writing and the application of mechanics in that perspective. Now I begin to see that grammar, punctuation, and other mechanics are the brushes and paint for a creative artist.
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