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Author: eohara (Page 26 of 28)
Quote: “As words, the character Vardamon and the character in Bishop’s poem offer analogies to psychologizable people, but these analogies stop short of the three-dimensional range that might apply to a person” (Parker 134).
Comment: I understand this point that in Bishop’s poem “First Death in Nova Scotia,” the unnamed young girl is just “words on paper, not people”(Parker 134) but I feel to some degree that the readers cannot help but imagine and elaborate on the humanness to whatever situation this made up character is in. The ability to analyze this fictional character as a representation of what psychoanalysts would say is a displacement or shift to a less threatening subject as means to cope with one’s own vulnerability appears like an acceptance that this character could be real.
Question: I want to know more or have more explanation given to this idea of displacements as an interpretation of culture. Taking Bishop’s poem, again, we could say that the psychoanalysis methodologies to interpretation are objectively correct or could be correct if applied to a real person; or we could ask if it varies based on cultural and societal norms. Would someone’s personal experience alter their view on the analysis of the young girl from a psychoanalytic view?
Quote:
“To-morrow is her last day of grace, and unless we can get the letters to-night this villain will be as good as his word and will bring about her ruin”(4).
Comment:
Thinking in terms of a structuralist’s analysis, I immediately notice the defining characteristics of the “detective novel” and its use of a series of events to reach meaningful development. In the work of author Conan Doyle’s “The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton,” I picked up on this quote because it seems to be the most far-reaching scenario in both short stories, novels, and cinema. That is the woman whose innocence and character face an unavoidable tarnish unless, in a very short period, the individual with some insider information saves her from falling from good society. This genre has many examples to draw from in terms of concepts and the more extensive system of writing that a structuralist would rely on.
Question:
Going back to Parker’s assertion on the methods within structuralism, I wonder how we could interpret focalization in the case of this Doyle short story. Would we question the known narration of Watson as the focalizer? Is it Holmes who is focalized, or would it be whatever situation their stories bring that takes their attention? I also thought about another point brought up in Parker about the “tale and the telling” in reference to how our reading starts with the insight from our narrator on a tale we don’t yet know. What would a structuralist say is a strength or weakness of this form?
- This assignment meant learning a few new skills such as recording, editing, uploading, and sharing my very first podcast. As I was thinking about what to say, I found myself thinking back to podcasts I’ve listened to and emulating a few of their stylistic choices to get a starting point for my own. It was very different writing out a script that I knew would have to be recorded and not just listened to live; it did make me more aware of how the sentences flowed and the subtleties of certain word choices. I learned how to work Audacity, which I had never done before, but with the aid of their instructions and a few YouTube videos, it went pretty smooth. I had made SoundCloud accounts in the past, so that was the easy part. All in all, a cool opportunity to learn some new skills around editing sound clips and layering music.
- “ They can engage with that original purpose of the Web – sharing information and collaborating on knowledge-building endeavors – by doing meaningful work online, in the public, with other scholars. That they have a space of their own online, along with the support and the tools to think about what that can look like” – Why ‘A Domain of One’s Own’ Matters (For the Future of Knowledge) → This quote seems to fit in quite well with how our ePortfolio work in class is; a place to get our work out there and start to understand how to take advantage of that. In high school, I never thought of creating a webpage-type account to keep all of my work. Although I did, and still do, save all of my writing assignments and more significant projects because I never know when I might want to look back or use them somehow. Having a platform like my ePortfolio to organize those projects and academic accomplishments definitely makes that looking back part much more manageable and easily accessible. Another important positive mechanism that ePortfolios can have on education is collaboration and engagement with others. Whether or not everyone wants to embrace our reliance on the internet and online structure for academia, it is not going anywhere. I think that making this a part of students’ academic lives will encourage them to continue to share their work with others online and feel comfortable with the growing technologies. This can lead to people later in life having the mindset to grow and adapt to forms of sharing work and creating a place where they can showcase their own accomplishments.
- “…it becomes apparent that appropriation, mimicry, quotation, allusion, and sublimated collaboration consist of a kind of sine qua non of the creative act, cutting across all forms and genres in the realm of cultural production”(pg. 61) → In some ways, I see how this quote hold true in the sense that human nature leans toward copying and mimicking things you like or admire. I think that it is a necessary step for some tyes of creation, whether within literature or art, that to find one’s uniqueness, it helps to draw from areas you connect to. What comes to my mind is the endless adaptations of Romeo and Juliet. Some are serious versions that wish to hold true to the original intent as much as possible, while others take different directions. If I ask my grandmother which version she likes best, she will go with the one within her generation; she feels comfortable with it and has sentimental value. In comparison, my Aunt swears by the 1996 version even though it is drastically different from the traditional story. Regardless of what version, however, no one implies that the initial play from 1597 has lost value. The creativity that each generation seems to have felt is based on a connection with the original; though they may have reinvented aspects, it inherently gives hommage to the influentialness of Shakespeare’s work. My question is whether or not the line is drawn on appropriation, mimicry, quotation, etc., based on what light they are being perceived in? What if a chosen work is copied to showcase a viewpoint that disagrees entirely with the original intent? Would copying in admiration or in a positive way blurs the line of plagiarism?
- “Lastly, does our appetite for creative vitality require the violence and exasperation of another avant-garde…or might we be better off ratifying the ecstasy of influence – and deepening our willingness to understand the commonality and timelessness of the methods and motifs available to artists?” (pg 67) → I found this quote to be really thought-provoking in the sense that humans might not be as original as we think ourselves to be. What might genuinely be the creativity and originality are the solutions and deeper connections we make with age-old problems and aspects of the human experience that are truly timeless. With technology, for example, we think of all these amazing advancements and wonder how anyone could ever have not known about something some universally excepted, say germ theory. However, we rarely think about how someone at one point in time thought that they knew all there was to know about medicine and disease until a new generation used their thinking process and ideas to make something new. With art, culture, music, etc., it seems to be the same thing. We are a society that constantly wants to diverge from the old and make modern inquires, yet at the same time, so did the people before us that we now use as creative starting points. I agree with this idea of the ecstasy of influence because if you look back through time and history, it is so remarkable that we shared so many of the same emotions and problems that why not look to previous expressions of literature and creativity to help us navigate our own lives. I wonder at what point did we decide to put so many labels and laws on what can and cannot be used? Does it vary based on culture? I understand the necessity of allowing authors and creators rights to their work, but should it be more personalized and up to the artists themselves
Bush Lecture
For one of my Beyond Class Activity Engagement opportunities, I attended the Annual Bush Lecture as well as the invitational Luncheon. The lunch before the lecture was a Q&A-style event with this year’s guest lecturer Jean Becker. I read her book The Man I Knew in preparation for these events and it was something I probably never would have done if I hadn’t been invited. I enjoyed reading the book, I read about 50 pages every night and it gave me a break from schoolwork and was overall a super interesting read. The lecture was lovely, Jean is a phenomenal public speaker in my opinion, and kept the crowd laughing and enjoying her anecdotes about former President Bush. I thought she made a cool decision to bring up four of Bush’s former personal aids as well, it really gave some insight into the personal relationships and friendships that foster underneath the surface of what the public can see when it comes to such prominent historical figures.
ENV 104 Movie
For my second academic enrichment activity, I went to the film screening of “2040” for all ENV 104 students. The movie was about climate change and how our world could look in the year 2040 if we used all the technology we already have now to start making shifts to combat climate change problems. From self-driving rideshare vehicles, shared internet grids, and dietary shifts the main character Daniel Gameau uses his daughter growing up as an example of what life could look like. I think the personal choice of using younger generations helps people feel more connected to the issue and more willing to make changes to their way of life if it helps their children or grandchildren’s future. A couple of key ideas I got out of the movie and connected with are how this film did not over-emphasizing the negatives, which allows viewers to open their minds and realize how many options there are for solutions. Also, the emphasis on much community-driven change can do, such as increasing wealth, steadying population growth, educating more girls, and decreasing poverty. Exploring how we do have the capacity to make them happen but only if change starts now is a strong but needed message.
Gender and Women Studies Club
For another beyond class activity, I counted my Gender and Women Studies Club. So far there are only about 6 of us but I feel it is a really strong group and we are all very passionate about starting up initiatives around campus and just general awareness of women and gender issues and how to make those issues accessible to learn about on campus. We are hosting a movie night for our club and Generation Action club where we will watch the Netflix documentary Reversing Roe and then have a discussion about that after that goes along with current events regarding reproductive rights. I am giving a short presentation to go along with that film about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her accomplishments for women’s rights, especially within the legal system. I feel that from this club I will get to know some new like-minded people around campus that I might not have met and also have an opportunity to share some knowledge and stories around campus pertaining to women’s issues. We are tabling at the Harvest Fest in a few weeks as well and those events can really help achieve both my goals of takeaways from this club.
Soccer Games
So far this season I have attended three soccer games, I managed to get a picture from one of them. I always love watching soccer in the fall, it has such nice memories of starting a school year and colder weather but still sunny with beautiful foliage! The only games I’ve been to have been men’s and they haven’t won yet but I did witness their first goal of the season and that was very cool! They had a song all qued up from the stands and they all jumped around and celebrated, very fun! I am planning on watching a women’s game soon. I always feel I get a nice sense of school spirit and community from soccer games, everyone is so close to the action too on the field you feel very involved. I also like getting a chance to see students from other schools who may have come to watch the game or just the fun of checking out rival teams.
