Brave New World Final Blog

First two BNW questions
-What was the hidden message Huxley was trying to convey through the suicide of John?
-Why did Huxley switch Protagonists in the middle of the story?

Question encompassing BNW and 1984
-Why was the Protagonist in both stories put up against such a large and powerful antagonist, and what is the point of there being no happy ending to either story?

Brave New World Blog #2

When did the One-State come into existence?
More specifically, when did society begin living under the One-State?
In the beginning of the story, it is understood that the One-State was crated and molded after the production line invented by Henry Ford. The story never specifically told us how the government came to be in control. And if there was any disagreement with the government as it was taking power.
Does the One-State ever deal with revolt?
So far in the book we have not seen any large revolt from masses of people. There is the conflict between the Director and Bernardbut no widespread disagreement with the One-State. My hypothesis is that there will not be any revolt. There is the small group of individuals that do not fit in with everyone else but not a large enough fraction of people to cause widespread revolt.
How strong is the One-State?
We are unsure how the One-State would react to any sort of threat. To our knowledge so far the One-State does not have a military force. They would not easily handle a domestic or foreign threat. Any revolt within the state would surely cause problems.

First Brave New World Entry

In "A Brave New World" they have created equality and conformity with their approach to human production. Each person is part of a large "batch" of humans exactly identicle to each other. This literally creates the equality in the society.
They have reduced conflict in religion by teaching them one religion and programming people to believe the same thing. All aspects of society are controlled by the prenatal and postnatal conditioning of the embryos.
In this society they have forced happiness. When a person is ever unhappy they simply take a dose of soma and drift away into a mindless lala land.
This society is definitely a dystopia. Single cases such as Bernard cause the definition of utopia to be unsuitable.

wednesday 11/16/11

1.) The Emic persoective would be more involved and indepth while the Etic perspective would look into cultures at face value and would be more analitical of the details.
2.) These rules exist to ensure the ethnography is ethical and truthful.
-Realize that objectivity is impossible
---Your bias is important as long as you gather truthful information
-Use an informant from the group you are studying
---So your information can have a 1st person account of "why" this culture does the things that it does.
-Be up-front about your intentions
---I'm not sure

"Rain on the Scarecrow" by John Mellencamp

1.) 3 generations of farmers losing their farmland to the government
2.) Government expansion and control
3.) Mellencamp used imagery when describing blood...on a scarecrow
4.) Mellencamp used words with a negative conotation to show negativity.
5.) Mellencamp favors farmers.

East v. West

1.) The west views the east as inferior and mystical or seductive.
2.) Western peoples view the East as groups rather than individuals.
3.) Easterners actions are determined by instinctive emotions while their emotions and reactions are determined by racial considerations
4.) The view of th East has benefit the West by creating a common enemy. This benefits a group of people by uniting them.
5.) yes just cuz

George Orwell

-George Orwell believes that large government is bad.
-George Orwell dislikes governments that view the population as a whole instead of individuals.
-He values individualism

The language of love

1.) I fugured that she was just being rude at the beginning.
2.) This is not a cultural conflict. Being deaf does not create its own culture.
3.) She would not talk to him in the beginning.
4.) The boy does not know why the grl will not talk to him.
5.) She told him she was deaf.

Plygamist life

1.) Yes, because it is a smaller specific group of people within a larger culture.
2.) Yes, because this culture has a majority opposing the cultural beliefs.
3.) They must live the lives with their spouse while also sharing their spouse with the other person. They may view themselves a less important.

The Egg by Sherwand Anderson

-The narrators father was a content farmhand that did not want to progress in the world because he loved his life. After marriage he became ambitious. His wife caused this change
-The narrarator thinks chickens and eggs are odd. He mentions the endless and monotonouscycle between the two. He feels bad when so many die each day.
-Show attractions for the traveling people that come in from town or the train station.
-The meaning of this statement is that the endless cycle of the egg will always come around but in this case since the narrarator is the faters son, he will always end up just like his father. also the success of the family is about the same probability as an egg hatching a healthy (successful) chick.

Aristotle Quote

-Yes i agree with this quote.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" -Aristotle
-The modern english Translation would be "a smart person can talk about a subject without fully believing it."
-It is right. My personal opinion agrees with this quote.

2+2=5 by RadioHead

-The lyrics are talking about a higher authority that is scaring people into hiding and believing a lie. If they dont believe this then their world will collapse. Maybe.
-The changing tempo and out-of-time lyrics push a creepy and sinister tone. This also pushes the message that you can't control what is above your power and authority. Hopelessness.
-The lyrics are a reference to 1984 because in the book, the government tries to force the people to believe 2+2=5 even if their personal logic says otherwise.

Final 1984 Blog

The ending of this book has given me mixed emotions. I feel like the story has come to an end and everything has fallen into place but also like we (favoring he protagonist) have lost the battle against the Party.
Big Brother has won in this case. Big Brother successfully reformed Winston to the point of no return.
The only way to bring the One state down is wit widespread revolt. The Party works on individuals to keep the entire population under control. If everyone, or a large portion, was to revolt at one time, the party would not be able to keep up and would fall.

Yale University Video

1.) Internal conflict. Eastern and western values. Itemizing women
2.) Globalization creates conflict when i.e. someone wearing a head scarf comes to America, She will be isolated because t she is different. One direction meaning it only happens when Muslims come to America not vise versa.
3.) The culturalization of bth countries. becoming more aware of the other's culture.
4.) Quaran and The Constitution

1984 blog #2

It seems that Winston is having a hard time buying into what big brother is selling because he has memories from the past before the time of Big Brother and Oceania. These memories have been suppressed my the party for so long that Winston can only think about these memories subconsciencely. Until he saw the glass paper weight. For some reason the paper weight sparks his imagination as well as his memories of the past. All of these fantasies as well as true memories are keeping Winston from fully believing Big Brother and The Party.
Winston's acts of defiance ARE a form of protest. Although they are subtle and unnoticed, until chapter 10, these acts are his own personal way to defy The Party without being publicly embarrassed or immediately vaporized.
Winston's rebellion would compare to the modern day "Occupy wall-street" movement. Theses protesters are not doing anything to hurt anyone as rebellion. They are simply speaking out their dislike of what the government is doing. As is Winston.

1984 book 1

One key factor in a Utopia is equality of all. In George Orwells "1984" the party tries to control everyone's thoughts and actions. They do this with a specialized technology called telescreens. These are in every house and are required to be on all the time. They will show propaganda for the party as well as monitor your thoughts and actions and report any suspicions to the thought police. By doing this everyone is required to think the same way and act The same was as well.
Religion has not been discussed so far in the book. When it comes to relationships, most people are too brainwashed to care. All sexual desires have Been abandoned in the process of conforming the community. When two people get married they must first be approved by the party and if they show any physical attraction towards one another their request will be denied. All sexual actions are only for populating the empire that the party rules over.
Friendships are not allowed. You are not allowed to get emotionally close to anyone. If you do (and get caught) you will be brainwashed to the point that you go crazy and act like a zombie.
Inside of the craziness of the party, People still believe they are happy. They honestly and truly believe that they are happy inside.

The place Winston smith lives is a Dystopia. Despite the party's efforts to create equality and happiness, the city is still falling apart and is not functioning correctly.

What is a Utopia?

-A Utopia is the perfect place with no bad and all good. Mainly associated with an entire city or region. EX. The Giver.
-My Utopia is a small town in the middle of nowhere that is full of self-reliant, friendly, neighborly people.
-The soundtrack of my Utopia would be a happy country album about friends, parties, and good times.

"You were right" Built to Spill

Lyrics
- The artist believes that you shouldn't believe everything someone tells you
-"you were wrong when you said, everythings gonna be alright," while throughout the rest of the song he says, "you were right when you said..."
Music
-Harsh guitar distracts from the lyrics
-The lyrics seemed to hide under the music so there was no lasting effect.
Effectiveness
-This song was not effective at all at conveying any sort of message to the listener
-Stole lyrics from many different songs. "dust in the wind", "You cant always get what you want" and there was no melodic lines at all.

"Young life" Bo Bartlett

Three claims and supporting details
1.) The man is done hunting for the day.
-The shotgun is unloaded and the sun is setting.
2.) This family does not live on the land that they are hunting on.
-The tires have a fresh layer of dirt on the bottoms only and the sidewalls of the truck are not dirty.
3.) The son aspires to be like his father.
-He is holding the sick in the same position that his father is holding the shotgun.

Reading Critically

Every reading requires a different style of reading and comprehension. Be sure to know the facts about the Writer and the Piece itself. Such as where the piece was written and why. Reading with a pencil in hand and lightly marking your reading is a handy skill to help you remember important things and later look up confusing words or ideas. While you read your assignment you should keep your mind open to all ideas and analyze the deeper meaning of each idea in order to fully understand the piece you are reading.

"Young life" Bo Bartlett

Three claims and supporting details

1. The man is done hunting for the day - His gun is unloaded and the sun is setting
2. This family does not live on the land they are hunting on - The tires of the truck have a fresh layer of dirt on them and the truck is not dirty which suggests that they dont drive on dirt roads often except to come to this place.
3. The son aspires to be like his father - He is holding the stick in nearly the same position as the father is holding the shotgun.

"Shame" The Avett Brothers

Identify subject and tone
-The subject is Regret and Shame after the end ofa relationship.
-The authors feelings towards the subject is Apologetic
Choose three words that push the tone through to the reader. Explain.
-Boatloads- An exageration of how sorry he is
-Promise- giving his word that he will not hurt her again
-Strutted- over confident (speaking negatively about his past)

Content vs. Style comparison

-Content is the subject and details
-Style is how you present the content
Why are we doing this?
-To better our writting when we are writing from a certain perspective or with a specified style.

Voice in literature

-Voice in literature is the way the writer sounds in your head while you are reading
-Ya'll, Howdy, Yeehaw
What are some subjects you would talk around?
-pregnancy
-AIDS
-awkward stuff
What can be identified by the voice of a piece?
-Voice identifies the mood and also how serious the piece is
How can you change your voice in a piece?
-Broaden our vocabulary and change the way we use literary devices.

Dubstep vs. The Beatles

Which do you like more? why?
-I personally liked the original recording done by The Beatles
-It sounded original, not altered in any sort of way

Which was more aesthetically pleasing? why?
- The Beatles
- It was smoother and flowed easier opposed to the loud and harsh Dubstep version.

Kandinsky vs. Pollock

Which painting did you like more? Why?
-I preferred the painting by Pollock
-The use of neutral brown shades creates a calming sense. you can get the gist of the painting by looking in one place without being confused.

Which painting was more pleasing to view?
-Kandinsky was generally the more eye pleasing piece.
-It's use of brighter, happier colors creates a more widely accepted "pleasing" view.

"Sign language" a Short film

The Single Effect

-find the interesting among the normally mundane.

3 specific things that lead to the single effect

-His descriptions of people

-Their misleading disinterest in his greetings

-Their caring message to him at the end

What would you change?

-I would take away the clouds and create a bright sunny day.

-This would negatively effect the Single Effect in the way that his optimism would not seem quite so out of place and the bright clothing worn by him and the girl would not stand out as much.

SOAPSTone "Killing an Elephant"

Subject:

 The subject of Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” is British imperialism. British imperialism is illustrated through the narrator’s action of killing an elephant that had damaged property and killed a man. This demonstrates the subject of British imperialism because the narrator clearly states that his immoral action of killing an elephant was because of the pressures caused by his position as a Western power figure in response to the wishes of the Eastern masses.

Occasion:

 “Shooting an Elephant” was written during the early 1900s. The essay’s time of creation is conveyed by British control of the modern day nation of Myanmar, as well as the fact that Myanmar is referred to in the story as Burma. This shows that “Shooting an Elephant” was written in the early 1900s because that is the time period during which the British ruled Myanmar. The probable place of the essay’s creation is Moulmein, Southern Myanmar. The author states this in the first sentence of the story.

The time and place of the essay’s creation influence the essay by giving an example of one of the nations in which Britain acted imperialistic. Orwell illustrates this when he writes, “I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British,” showing the author was aware of the British repression of Myanmar. Audience: 

Orwell’s specific audience for “Shooting an Elephant” is the more politically educated. The author’s target audience is exhibited by Orwell’s political message as directed to a specific group, “when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys.” This demonstrates that Orwell is denouncing white imperialism as worthless. The author’s general audience for the essay is Westerners. The author’s general audience is expressed by his message that imperialism in general is harmful to both the criminal and victim, proven by Orwell’s statement that, “…my whole life, every white man's life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at.” Seeing as Westerners have been viewed as the criminals who started and carry on the imperialistic practices for the past several centuries, it is to them that his message is directed.

Purpose:

 Orwell’s purpose in “Shooting an Elephant” is to inform his audience of his opinion that imperialism is harmful to all groups involved. The harms of imperialism are illustrated with Orwell’s words, “I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys.” This proves the harms of imperialism by showing that the actor nation or individuals become harmed in turn; specifically, through the near loss of their freedom. The purpose is further articulated by the narrator’s sentiment regarding his decision to shoot the elephant: “And suddenly I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all.” This quote proves the harms of imperialism by showing that it removes choice or freedom for even the imperialists and their agents.

Speaker:

 Orwell, the writer of the anti-totalitarian book 1984, believes in personal liberty over government control. This value is illustrated by the statement, “Theoretically – and secretly, of course – I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British.” This illustrates his belief in the supremacy of personal liberty by revealing his personal siding with the oppressed, not the oppressors. This value contributed to the essay because it allows Orwell to provide a moral consideration of how imperialism infringes upon the individual.

Orwell, also author of Animal Farm, believes in the value of the individual. This value is illustrated by Orwell’s portrayal of the converse:  “The crowd would laugh at me.” Mobs, he believes, cause people to do that which they would not otherwise and ignore their individual thoughts. This influences the purpose of the essay in that it provides another ethical harm of imperialism; it encourages groups to think as a whole, instead of each individual thinking for themselves, which is counter to the essence of individualism.

Orwell’s use of casual diction is evident in his style of recounting the story, where he makes such statements as, “That would never do.” This serves to make him more relatable and instead of coming across as better than you, Orwell is able to further his purpose by proving relatable and open to reason. This betters his effectiveness by providing an appeal to ethos.

Orwell’s use of imagery is evident in his description of the elephant as having a “preoccupied grandmotherly air.” This influences the purpose by leading the reader to a stronger emotional reaction and thus a more powerful portrayal of the message. This emotional appeal enhanced effectiveness by appealing to the audience’s pathos.

Tone: 

Orwell shows a frustrated attitude about British imperialism in “Shooting an Elephant.” These attitudes are expressed by repeated use of phrases such as “There was only one alternative.” This shows the frustration because Orwell is unable to view options other than those officially sanctioned or supported by group-think. This serves to further the essay’s purpose by providing evidence of greater deprivation of personal freedom as it applies to the speaker himself, due to the forces of British imperialism. By disallowing the speaker to act as he pleases, the crown’s vast imperialism has, again, removed personal liberty from its own population.

Harry Nilsson - Good Old Desk

S- his old desk
O- office, home, 9a.m.-5p.m.
A-working class
P-entertainment, expression
S-Harry Nilsson
T- calming, enthusiastic, happy

What is [Harry Nilsson] talking about?
At first one would think he is being very literal towards his desk. As soon as you step back and view the piece as a whole, it starts to look like he is reffering to an old friend.
As we disscuss as a class, we figure out he IS representing his God in this song. Nilsson uses the old desk as a symbol for God.

Looking back at the song with this new perspective, we can point out specific lines that make more sense refering to a God than to an old desk.

1. "It's always there"
2. "Never once seen him cry"
3. "Giant of all times"

Rockwell's "The Runaway"

Thesis:
Rockwell's "The Runaway" over looks the fundamental rift that was rising in America throughout the 1950's - An emerging counter culture that was not concerned with how things were in America but rather how things are.

Paragraph:
Ask yourself this, "If a child, who appears to be running away from home, was to sit next to you at a diner, how would you react?" The famous painting, "The Runaway," depicts this very situation. As a young child, approximately 5 years old, sits at the bar of a diner, the manager as well as a police officer do not seem to show very much worry for this child. Whereas today, this child would not have gotten this far without the accompaniment of an adult. [insert thesis here]

"Inspired Information" by Shaggy Otis (1974)

sorry Mr. Behler i did not take note of the questions on the board but these are my answers.

1. laid back but still... moving along. calming and steady
2. Volume, Tempo (slow and steady)
3. He had to choose how he wanted the listener to feel. As a laid back and sort of groovy song.

"Semadores" SOAPSTone painting

S- workers cultivating a field and planting seeds.
O- in a field, working
A- the rich/higher class
P-expression
S- Diego Rivera
T- dark, mad, defeated

- The big idea for me seems to be to express (to the higher classes) the pain and struggle felt by the working class as they are cultivating and seeding the land. Rivera used mainly neutral colors in this painting. To me, that is used to help show the plainness and monotony of the job. Rivera's style also blends the workers into the landscape. the curves of the workers back follows the hillside and the workers feet are sunken into the ground.

creative process

Summarize the creative process the band uses.

First they get a broad idea of how the song will flow and each part. And then they deconstruct it and modify each part until the like it. then they put the song together and edit the piece as a whole.

My creative process.

My process consists of specific points that i follow.

1. First i must brainstorm ideas
2. Then i bullet the main points that i try to stick to during the piece
3. After, i make a VERY ROUGH draft. Not much different from the bullets but with extra detail
4. Then Re-write the piece with greater details and more attention to grammar.
5. All i must do now is type it up 
6. Tadaa!!!!!!

nostalgia

What is Nostalgia?

• Nostalgia is the feeling of want towards the past.

What images come to mind as you listen to this music

• People dancing in a high school gym on prom night, old movies.

What images come to mind when you think of your childhood?

• My friends
• Playing in the street
• Getting a puppy
• Moving to a farm
• My best friend moving away
• Going fishing with Grandad
• My neighbor letting me drive the tractor

the pinch of poverty

What are some contributing factors of poverty?

1. Raising cost of living
2. Family to provide for
3. Loss of job

Does the artist portray this painting in a positive light or a negative light?

• I believe the artist of this painting was portraying poverty in a negative light. He stuck to a dark gray base color for most of the painting which gives the viewer a gloomy, dark feeling.

What do you think the artist's view on poverty is?

• I believe the artist view poverty as a sad and miserable state of life.

The artist used a very dull color scheme. this set a mood of loss and despair among this poor family.
The artist also used a very contrasting single color. This color (yellow) was used to make the flowers to pop out and catch the eye of the viewer first.

reading response - poverty

first off i would like to emphasize the point made in the article "live free and starve." the author Chitra Divakaruni started off by explaining what was going on in other countries as far as labor is concerned. she then told the reader of the bill in progress to stop child labor in foreign countries. up to this point the reader is probably nodding their head in agreement. but Divakaruni does something very interesting at this point of turning the tables and continues on describing the negative effect this bill would have. Divakaruni states in her article of how, without the extra money brought in by the children, most poor families would not be able to support themselves. i completely agree with the point she makes here. (but i in no way support child labor)
on a different, though slightly connected, topic is the author Peter Singer with his article "The Singer Solution to World Poverty." In this article Singer explains how, if everyone gave their share to the poor, then there would be no more poverty in the world. For this article i must disagree with Mr. Singer. his main argument is that of, "An american household with an income of 50,000 dollars a year usually spends 30,000 on necessities. ...donations to the poor should be close to 20,000 dollars a year" this is the point i do not agree on. if a family has 20,000 dollars to spend throughout the year then they should have the freedom to do what the choose with it and perhaps make their living standards higher. opposed to living in the same conditions and not having any savings to fall back on in emergencies. though his plan has good intentions, it needs some minor     details and adjustments.

music post 1

musical facts are a basis for the music itself. therefore of course the facts would influence my opinion.
each fact is either liked or disliked by the listener. different listeners will come to notice different facts first because they are partial to certain aspects of a song.
my bias personally is towards a story line within the lyrics. therefore i will notice and pay more attention to the lyrics than someone that may be partial to instrumentation.

hello to my english buds

Hi
i am not completely sure of what this post is supposed to be about.

see you all in class monday :)