Sunday, November 27, 2011

Thinking Outside The Box

             Plato describes the limitations of our thinking through knowledge whereas Sartes describes our limitations through isolation. Through "Allegory in the Cave", Plato expresses that people are oblivious to the world around them and only have it within themselves to find greater knowledge. People were scared to embrace new knowledge at first but found in time that there was so much to be discovered. From this we learned that the only way to gain more knowledge is to pursue it.

          From Sartes point of view our knowledge is limited by what other people tell us; their truths and lies. It is as if we have no control over what we know if we can't discern what is truth and what is fiction. In order to gain knowledge it is up to us to surround ourselves with people who will be honest and help us further our knowledge. Both Plato and Sartes show that only open-mindedness can allow us to gain knowledge.

Ap Lit Term

Farce: A boisterous comedy involving ludicrous action and dialogue; foolish show; mockery; a ridiculous sham; a light, humorous play in which the plot depends upon skillfully exploited situation rather than upon the development of character.


Frasier:

Cartoon Farce 


Big Question Revised

What environmental, social, and psychological factors lead to the development of a serial killer?

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Literature Analysis 3

The Great Gatsby

1.The Great Gatsby is focused around Nick Carraway, a young man from Minnesota, who moves to New York in the summer of 1922. He finds himself in West Egg, an area that is populated by the rich. Nick Carraway's neighbor is Jay Gatsby, a rich, highly mysterious man, who throws lavish over the top parties every weekend. Nick gets invited to one of Gatsby's parties, and through Nick's newfound love interest, Jordan, Nick is able to learn a bit about Gatsby. He founds out Gatsby is madly in love with a woman named Daisy, who he has not spoken to in years. Daisy happens to be Nick's cousin and married to a man name Tom. Regardless of this marriage, Gatsby and Daisy start a love affair. Things turn awry when Tom confronts Gatsby. This confrontation leads to a distressed Daisy taking Gatsby's car and driving off. In the midst of all this chaos Daisy ends up hitting and killing a woman named Myrtle. Myrtle's husband thinking Gatsby was driving the car ends up shooting Gatsby and killing him. Nick throws a funeral for Gatsby where there is little attendance. Nick then ends up cutting off all relationships he has in West Egg and returns to the Midwest.

2. The theme of the novel The Great Gatsby the destruction of the  American Dream. These characters were after wealth rather than happiness. Being so consumed by money and social status eventually led to the corruption of the true American Dream. This corruption not only destroyed the American Dream, but also destroyed relationships, like that of Gatsby and Daisy.

3. The author's tone in The Great Gatsby is cynical.
-"This was untrue. I am not even faintly like a rose."
-"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made..."
-"I shook hands with him; it seemed silly not to, for I felt suddenly as though I were talking to a child."

4. The author used similes, imagery, symbolism, allusion, and foreshadowing in order to convey the theme and tone.
Simile: Similes occur regularly throughout this novel
-"In his blue garden men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars."
Imagery: The author is very detailed when describing the world that Nick has entered.
An example of imagery is the constant use of the color green throughout the novel
Symbolism: The green light at Daisy's house represented the unattainable for Gatsby
-"A single green light, minute and faraway, that might have been the end of a dock..." 
Allusion: There are numerous references throughout the entire work to literature, such as the John L Stoddard Lectures, and Hopalong Cassidy.
Foreshadowing: Throughout the entire novel the author foreshadows the demise of Gatsby
-"He snatched the book from me and placed it hastily on its shelf muttering that if one brick was removed the whole library was liable to collapse.”

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Question

Is there any correlation between serial killers and people with mental illnesses?

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Performative Utterance

            Performative Utterance is a sentence, which does something in the world rather than describing something about it. Throughout the entire Hamlet play Hamlet’s actions were written in words, which is the basis of performative utterance. The words that Hamlet spoke constituted his actions and decisions. Performative utterance is not only affects Shakespeare’s works characters, but also affects everyday people.
            The entire plot of Hamlet was set in motion by performative utterance. For instance, Hamlet’s revenge towards his uncle was written in words. It was right there for the reader to see. "Foul deeds will rise, Though all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's eyes." Hamlet’s intentions were laid out on the page. In everyday live although our lives are not compromised in books, peformative utterance can be seen. In life when you say statements like “I’m sorry”, or “Your fired”, your words are performing an action. Without performative utterance words would have no use.
            Along with performative utterance comes the idea of self-overhearing. Self-overhearing is basically thinking about your own thinking, or thinking about the words you say. Self-overhearing can ultimately change what actions you take in life. For instance Hamlet’s “To be or not to be”, was an entire segment of self-overhearing. What Hamlet was saying out loud to himself caused him to rethink the pros and cons of death rather than making a rash decision. In my everyday experience I constantly self-overhear. For instance if I friend talks to me about a situation, then I go discuss that situation with someone else I find myself changing my views based on what I am saying out loud. In Hamlet, self-overhearing drove the plot of the play and ultimately, along with performative utterance decided the outcome of the play.
            When it came to memorizing the “To be or not to be” soliloquy, I found that the idea of self-overhearing was very relevant. As I read aloud the soliloquy I found myself deducing a different meaning than what I thought when I just read the words. I assume this was the same affect that Shakespeare had on his characters. When they read their thoughts aloud the meaning was different than what might have been assumed just by seeing words on paper. Voicing their thoughts, especially in Hamlet’s case, caused the characters to change their mind about ideas or decisions they had.
            Self-overhearing and performative utterance also changes expectation and real world results. In cases of self-overhearing, what one person might expect might change after they really think about say their thoughts allowed. Real world results are entirely connected performative utterance. They words you choose to say can relay in an action just like in Hamlet. Everything that was said resulted in some sort of action. Both self-overhearing and performative utterances are crucial to plays like Hamlet and to everyday life. They are some of the driving forces of our thought processes and actions.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Hamlet AP Essay

     The use of language in Hamlet differs greatly from epic tales like Beowulf or The Iliad. In epics the language is used to tell a story rather than to portray thoughts and feelings. In Hamlet language is used to get into the mind of the character and understand first hand how the character is feeling. This can't be said for epics like Beowulf and The Iliad.
         
     In Hamlet first hand emotions are witnessed due to the use of language. For instance, the entire "To be or not to be" soliloquy comes directly from the mind of Hamlet. The reader gets to delve into Hamlet's head and experience what his thought processes are. The language is used in a conversational matter rather than a in a narrative manner. This makes Hamlet a more realistic character because he deals with emotions and everyday conflicts.
      
       In epics like Beowulf, the language is used in a didactic manner. Because of this, epics like Beowulf and the Iliad, are not easily related to everyday life. Readers are not allowed to get into the minds of these characters and really find out what they think. The language used in epics creates an overview of the characters lives, unlike in Hamlet, where you are right along with him as he makes his decisions. 
       
       Language is also used in Hamlet to directly express how one characters feels towards another. For instance, when Hamlet and Ophelia talk they express there feelings towards each other verbally. This ends up with Hamlet telling Ophelia to go to a nunnery. In epics characters don't really use there language to express their feels towards each other. Relationships can be inferred but they are not as easily seen as they are in Hamlet. 
         
        Hamlet seems to be an easier story to relate to because the reader does get to be alongside Hamlet as he makes decisions and experience emotional turmoil. Language is not just used to tell a story in Hamlet, but it is also used to develop Hamlet. It is as if Hamlet is a real person because we get to see his emotions. In epics like Beowulf, characters are just that, characters. We don't get to see them develop as people. The use of language in Hamlet has a far greater impact than the use of language in epics.
   

   

Monday, November 7, 2011

What I've Learned

            The most important thing I have learned from this class is that your success is not measured by the letter grade, but by how much you take away from the course. If you only ever work to earn the grade you  hold yourself back from all the knowledge you can attain. I find that I am more involved in grasping as much information as I can in this class because I'm not just trying to get a letter grade on a piece of paper. Our success is based on how much we are willing to absorb throughout the course and how much we will strive to understand new ideas and concepts.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Roy Christopher Conference

Facts about Roy Christopher

  • Roy didn't plan on getting involved in the computer culture, but now he owns four computers
  • Worked for Frontwheeldrive.com for 10 years
  • Self-published his book because he couldn't find a publisher and interview books don't sell well
  • It took about four years before he got a big response to his book
  • Working on a new book called Medium Picture
Important Ideas from the Conference
  • Hip Hop culture is the blueprint to 21 century culture
  • Older generations don't trust the youth with new technology
  • Most people that use computers don't do programming 
  • The internet can be both a time saver and a time waster
Quotes
  • "Program or be programed"
  • "Sometimes we will, sometimes we won't"

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Literature Analysis 2

1. Recently released from prison, Tom Joad makes his way back home to Oklahoma only to find everyone is moving west to California. This is due to the drought and lack of work. Tom and his family set off in a rickety wagon to California. On their way they hear rumors of plentiful well paying work in the west. Come to find out, once they reach California, the work is hard and the pay is barely enough to sustain a family. This causes them to move to a government run camp that pays much better. Unfortunately at this camp Tom Joad ends up killing a police officer only because that police officer killed an innocent man. Tom Joad ends up where he was at the beginning of the story faced with time in prison for a crime that was not entirely his fault. He makes the tough decision to leave his family and go into hiding rather than suffer any more years in jail. 
2. The main theme of the novel is man's selfishness. In this story every family was only looking out for themselves. For example, in the work camps adults wouldn't even give a thought if they let a child go hungry, as long as they got food during the lunch breaks. In tough situations people don't seem to have any empathy for others.
3. The tone in Grapes of Wrath was a mix of sadness, desperation, and anger.
-"To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth..."
-"Spend all their time looking. Don't want to buy no cars; take up your time. Don't give a damn about your time."
-"If he'll take twenty-five, I'll do it for twenty. No, me, I'm hungry. I'll work for fifteen. I'll work for food. The kids. You ought to see them..."
4. The author used figurative language, symbols, simile, motifs, and setting to benefit the readers understanding of the theme of the novel. 
-"....its load of leaves tattered and scraggly as a molting chicken." (figurative language)

-"The last clear definite function of man—muscles aching to work, minds aching to create beyond the single need—this is man. To build a wall, to build a house, a dam, and in the wall and house and dam to put something of Manself, and to Manself take back something of the wall, the house the dam; to take hard muscles from the lifting, to take the clear lines and form from conceiving. For man, unlike any other thing organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments." (motif-man's desire to lead is seen frequently throughout the novel)
-"....I'll pot you like a rabbit." (simile)

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Tools that change the way we think

"Back in 2004, I asked [Google founders] Page and Brin what they saw as the future of Google search. 'It will be included in people's brains,' said Page. 'When you think about something and don't really know much about it, you will automatically get information.'

'That's true,' said Brin. 'Ultimately I view Google as a way to augment your brain with the knowledge of the world. Right now you go into your computer and type a phrase, but you can imagine that it could be easier in the future, that you can have just devices you talk into, or you can have computers that pay attention to what's going on around them and suggest useful information.'

'Somebody introduces themselves to you, and your watch goes to your web page,' said Page. 'Or if you met this person two years ago, this is what they said to you... Eventually you'll have the implant, where if you think about a fact, it will just tell you the answer."

     I do think technology, especially the Internet has too much of a grasp on the way we think. Search engines like Google make us think we are getting universal information when they are really just giving us information focused on what they think we as individuals want to see. And sites like Facebook give us too much insight on other peoples lives. Whether we like it or not it seems that the Internet is controlling our lives. 







In Search Of

A) I learned that you really have no control over your searches online and that your searches are completely filtered to what the website thinks you want to know.
B) I don't really feel like I am getting the vast abundance of information that the internet claims to give you. I almost feel ripped off.
C) My question would be that in the future, will Internet control what we think completely? 
D) You have to be precise in what you are searching for, and you should cross reference with your friends to see what results they get.


      Overall I learned that the Internet really doesn't provide the user with the vast amount of information that they expect. In redoing the Shakespeare research I used more than one search engine. I also didn't just click on the first link that popped up. Instead, I went to the second or third page of the search engine and found a link. I feel this gave me a wider range of information. 


       I didn't really find more information about Shakespeare, but I did find a lot of articles that involve Shakespeare. For instance, I found a NY times article that used Shakespeare, and compared his warriors in his plays, like Caesar, to that of the modern soldier. I also found a lot on how people are trying to revive Shakespeare through new age plays and art. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/08/theater/08bran.html?ref=williamshakespeare

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Notes on "Hamlet"

              At the beginning of the play I had more faith in Hamlet and his duties to avenge his father. But now I am unsure. I feel Hamlet is getting less predictable and this will only hurt him in the long run. I also feel that with all the characters in general there is a lack of trust. The play seems to just be a big web of secrets that only cause conflict. I am skeptical of where this play will go.

Who Was Shakespeare?

       Shakespeare, to me, was always just a famous writer from the past who wrote popular plays such as Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. However, after a bit of research I learned facts about Shakespeare that I did not previously know. Shakespeare was born in 1564 to John Shakespeare, a landowner, a merchant, and glovemaker. These occupations weren't held in high esteem thus people feel such a writer like Shakespeare could not be born into this type of family. Regardless of what kind of family he grew up in, Shakespeare went on to become known as the "Greatest writer in the English language." I feel that even when researching Shakespeare there is always a great void. I've learned that he was a renowned writer, and i've learned a bit about his past, but I still don't know who Shakespeare is. I don't think anyone really knows the cold hard facts of who he was as a person and his true background. This causes me to only want to delve deeper into Shakespeare research.


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/merchant/shakespeare.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare

To Facebook or Not to Facebook

         I liked to think the best of all social media sites including Facebook. That is, as long as the user respects the rules and privacy of the site. However, after reading the article "Why Facebook Is After Your Kids", my optomism for social networking changed. I learned that Facebook itself doesn't even really respect your privacy so why would users respect the site in turn? From both the in class discussion and the article, I now feel that sites like Facebook aren't secure. I am now very skeptical of posting to Facebook, and am even questioning if I need a Facebook profile at all. Everyones' opinions from class caused me to question what I thought I already knew about Facebook. I can't say I feel safe about the use and privacy of Facebook now.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

(Don't) Be Hamlet

                  Hamlet's dilemma is one which many people have dealt with and still do to this day. The dilemma of choosing life or death, and which is worse. Life may be, like in Hamlet's case, full of "slings and arrows" but death may be much worse. The decision between the two really comes down to being afraid of the unkown, because that was death is.
                 I feel that although Hamlet is in a place of anguish, he should not end his life in the hopes that something better lies in the afterlife. No one knows what there is after death, or if there is anything at all. So why take the risk of ending it all and leaving behind friends, family, and life itself? Hamlet is somewhat fearful of what there is after death, and that is what keeps him from making a rash decision. "But that the dread of something after death, the undiscovered country..."
                Sure Hamlet doesn't have the greatest of lives but compared to many others, he can't really complain. And Hamlet has a duty to avenge his father so he can't just end his life due to some turmoil. Hamlet should "take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them." Many are just as afraid to face their life troubles as they are to face death. If Hamlet is afraid of one more than the other it should be the fear of death because he can fix the woes in his life.
               Although I feel life is the answer for Hamlet, no one can make that decision except Hamlet himself. He is dealing with his own demons and what others say probably won't affect his final decision. "To be, or not to be- that is the question:", and I don't have a solid answer. What Hamlet's ultimate decision is will be one that only he understands.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Literature Analysis

1. Wuthering Heights is essentially a love story about Heathcliff, a mysterious man.  Heathcliff ends up falling for a girl named Catherine whom he can't have due to his social status. He was an orphan as a child but was adopted into the Earnshaw family. Catherine, Heathcliff's love, ends up dying before he gets a chance to be with her and it isn't until death when they are able to be united.
2. The theme of Wuthering Heights is the overwhelming power of love. Love can cause you to make rash decisions and go against the standards of society.
3. Bronte's tone is one of dark romance. The love between Heathcliff seems doomed at times but has a glimmer of hope.
-" I cannot love thee; thou 'rt worse than thy brother."
- " If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it."
- " He'll never let his friends be at ease, and he'll never be at ease himself!"
4. Imagery, symbolism, diction, tone, and genre all helped me understand the theme of the novel. Bronte used vast imagery that allowed me to picture the novel in my head. The genre of story, being gothic and romantic also helped me understand the theme of romance.
-"If he loved you with all the power of his soul for a whole lifetime, he couldn't love you as much as I do in a single day. " (tone)
-"He said the pleasantest manner of spending a hot July day was lying from morning till evening on a bank of heath in the middle of the moors, with the bees humming dreamily about among the bloom, and the larks singing high up overhead, and the blue sky and bright sun shining steadily and cloudlessly." (imagery)
-"Treachery and violence are spears pointed at both ends; they wound those who resort to them worse than their enemies."