Final Blog

Lit 110, not only discussed experimentation, expansion, and experience in regards to literature. We lived it. We took the first four pages of the Gwynn book and ran with it. I remember a few disgruntled classmates on the first day of class when Stephanie scratched the surface of our reading voyage. Why should we read? What is the point? These are questions students were asking the instructor, searching for an empirical answer. However, at the conclusion of the class I am able to recap and provide a sufficient answer to these questions. My answers are based on my own experimentation, expansion, and experience.

I tried to be somewhat unconventional in my writing. I attempted to push myself, and go a little crazy with the in-class short stories, poetry, and drama. There were no walls (haha) that could limit my word choice and subject selection. Stephanie is great for allowing my inappropriate short story “17”. Haha O man what a dirty tale, however I am grateful for the tolerance, because personally, I kind of liked it. Censorship is restrictive; look at Anais Nin from Deb’s presentation. She pushed the “rights and wrongs” of society and wrote some great literature. We can only advance others and ourselves by venturing into the unknown and making a statement. I have learned to be bold in my writing, because all the great stories and poems we read in class were unafraid themselves.

Confidence is the most significant expansion I experienced through the class. After the first couple of days, I was ready to go. The mini-book clubs, plays, and poetry slam were awesome! We had the opportunity to see each other and listen to what we had to say. Collectively, we reached the point where we did not care whether or not others approved of our writing. We did it for ourselves. I particularly enjoyed the Poetry Slam. Man, Montana’s poem was deep, Shawna did an awesome job, and no one held back. I just got up there and wrapped about the superficial people in this world, it was nothing compared to other people’s stories. Expansion also applies to my understanding of the world. I read five Vonnegut books and my mind has been spinning ever since. I really enjoy the satirical works, because I like to question why people do what they do, just like we questioned why we read. We read to learn whom to question and what to ask.

Experience is the key to life. Experience settings, characters, plots, etc. in books and reality. What we read mirrors life. Books originate from the creativity that is humanity. We write words to form sentences, to form paragraphs, chapters, books, stories, and examples of life happenings that we live vicariously. Interpretation is where the differences lie. Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was performed according to an interpretation different from that in the movie, but experience allows us to interpret things in a special way, unlike our neighbor’s take. Experience allows for expansion, and experimenting allows for experience.

Stephanie led us to see the light. We no longer wonder why we have to read this story, or what we will get out of it. In essence, we read to broaden our horizons and diversify, entertain ourselves, and maybe even learn something. As for what value our reading holds, that is for us to decide. Literature is where people are allowed to say what they want, how they want to say it. It is there for you to accept or not, the author could care less. We became authors in Lit 110.

Last Blog Post

This is the last blog post! These things went by fast. I think that forcing students to blog is a good way of getting the discussion desired by the instructor. I am reading Breakfast of Champions now, and I really enjoy the book. It is different from other Vonnegut novels, because it is funnier and includes his own humorous drawings. It is a good book to end the class on, because it is thought provoking, and demands attention to serious social flaws. I think that our class is all about taking into consideration the written messages and intent of various authors in varying time periods, and the effects their work had on the public. We learned of struggles, achievement, and purpose in this class. I now have more tolerance for poetry, and I can even take drama seriously. I am glad that the required reading opened our eyes to issues that may be taboo or almost forgotten. "A Party Down at the Square," for instance, will always haunt my mind. Literary works are capable of promoting change, causing revolution and changing mindsets. Thanks to Stephanie for allowing us to choose our one thousand pages. I happened to grab a few novels that enticed me to read for fun again. Breakfast for Champions is turning out to be a great story, but I don't want to dwell on another reading. Rather, I'd like to reflect on all the readings and say that the selections were so diverse everyone became a more well-rounded person as a result. Broadening our horizons with plays, slams, and what have you, enriched all members of the class. I may have scrawled a mildly inappropriate poem across the ICC walls, and wrote dirty short stories, and derogatory raps but hey, I learned from this class that sometimes you have got to mix it up a little bit.

Cultural Opportunity Three: Shakespeare

Cultural Opportunity that it was. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was aight. I thought the Ewing Manor was a cool place. My friend and I wanted to shoot some fireworks out the amphitheater but we restrained ourselves. The play itself was ok. I like the story, and the experience was great. However, I think that setting the story in the late 1800's/early 1900's and giving some characters Southern American accents, and others French accents may have taken the focus away from Shakespeare's words. I like that the interpretation was different from the norm, but I don't know how I feel about Greek language, jungle fairies, French actors, and Southern sounding aristocrats from Athens? I liked the end mainly due to the jovial character sitting behind me. I found it a good rule of thumb to laugh whenever that man chuckled roars of enthusiasm. I liked the use of Shakespeare's twisted language, and the silliness of the actors. I found myself scouting out the attractive females my age or close enough only about a third of the time, which is a good reflection of the play. I was either too confused, intrigued, or genuinely paying attention to give in to my rather short attention span. It was an enjoyable night, because I spent it with my classmates who really do make the class what it is. Good times at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival! Next time I may not attend such a far-fetched edition, but I am always down for something a little out of the ordinary. The play was a nice change-up to traditional Shakespeare.

Art

I feel like writing about art. All art. Art can be b.s. or amazing or in between, but it is always something, something to think about. I am reminded of Dave in "Nipple Jesus" but I like how society has encouraged creativity for the masses to ponder deeply. What the artist feels can be far different from what the viewer understands the piece to mean depending on his or her background. I am in no way an art connoisseur, but I definitely appreciate the beauty that humans can put on a canvas and share with others without having to explain every stroke or what the overall theme is. My favorite painting is "The Garden of Earthly Delights" by Bosch in the 1500's. It is pretty crazy you should check it out. I also love a certain Bob Ross! That guy is the coolest afro-haired, peaceful, soft-spoken man to ever have a public broadcasted television show. I tend to appreciate things that cannot be duplicated by a machine or another person, no matter how good or bad it may be. I love that part of being human, no one can duplicate what we think/do/make that is ours and unique. Someone can try to replicate another person’s work, but it can never be as cool as the original. I like how art is rare, art is worth money, art is made famous, but no one can agree on whether or not a painting is good or not. Everyone can go and scratch their chin in silent contemplation and never get the same result as those next to them. I like that.

Boooooooooks

It was a pretty slow week at work, and I finished 3 novels. Slaughter-house-five and Deadeye Dick by Kurt Vonnegut and Early Autumn by Robert Parker. The Vonnegut books were great as usual, so I will spend more time talking about Early Autumn, which was a requirement for the lit. 111 class. I didn't take the time to purchase the book at the beginning of the semester, so I was lucky enough to get the last copy at the bookstore. Lit 111 is an online class and the professor has no idea what is going on. I asked him a question and he sent me an email saying he forgot that he was teaching the class. In addition to his complete disorder, I somehow received a seven out of ten on an assignment that I am convinced he did not read. I mean his comment was "treat it more." What the hell does treat it more mean? I better get an A even though this guy is no good. (It would be nice if I knew my current grade too considering he has only graded two things from the first week.) Ok enough venting on the easy, yet horrible online class where no one learns anything. The required reading was a nice change-up, because it was the typical detective novel with the good guy being witty, strong, smart, and good at everything. I liked the book, because it reminded me of all the fiction I used to read back in middle school. Personally, I liked the other two books I read better, because they were somewhat profound, but I write too many blogs on the one author.

Poem blog

Wilfred Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est is a poem that really struck me do to the author’s life story. The poem is ironic, because Owen died in the war right before it ended. He was a scholar who was familiar with the Roman poet Horace’s work, yet he was forced into the life of a soldier. The poem itself contains irony, because the title and very last line, “Dulce et decoeum est pro patria mori.” Is translated to mean, “It is sweet and proper to die for one’s country.” The poem is about the horrors and destruction that a soldier saw in battle, and for what? For one’s country. It questions the whole ideal of war. A simile is used, “His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin” really strengthens the vivid visual imagery seen throughout. Auditory imagery is used, “If you could hear, at every jolt, blood Come gargling from the forth-corrupted lungs.” Personification is used when describing the German artillery shells. Owen says, “deaf even to the hoofs of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind. The artillery shells are given the human characteristic of fatigue even though they are inanimate objects. Dulce et Decorum Est is a very grotesque account of war that hits all senses. I like it because it is a real story from a real man, trapped in a place he did not want to be, fighting for a cause he did not believe in. His friend Siegfried Sassoon actually became famous, while Wilfred Owen died in battle, even more ironic.

Non-textual Reading 4th Week

I had an epiphany today. I realized that I need to learn another language. I have taken 8 semesters of French and I do not know a lick of it. I also meddled with a little Italian, but only one semester of college worth. I feel like I, personally need to master a language and attain fluency. People all have certain necessities they must achieve to feel content in their intellectual standing. Right now I am lacking in the foreign language department. Having said this I enrolled in first semester French for next semester. Honestly, I don’t care how excruciating the class is I want to learn French. Some people have the drive to learn an instrument and some people like to be technologically aware, but everyone has something that they would like to improve upon. I play a lot of instruments and it would be nice to be better at each one, but for some reason that does not matter to me as much as learning a language. I play sports all the time, but again, I don’t want to put in the time, and devote years to getting slightly better. I play sports and music for my own enjoyment, so I am content with my ability levels. French is a whole different thing. I want to tie this into my non-textual reading, so food for thought: Do all people have one thing that they strive to master at all times? There are always things to improve upon, but do people all have a need to focus their energy on a specific topic? These secret desires could affect the way people act and think. I feel like the desire for personal improvement is a strong factor in guiding personalities and thought patterns.

The Sirens of Titan

I have finished my fourth novel and my 1,000 pages, but after reading Kurt Vonnegut's The Sirens of Titan, I have thousands of pages more to read. The novel inspired me to continue reading the works of this particular author, because it is so interesting to be exposed to controversial topics that do not stay within the borders of conservative thought. The story was too complex and any attempt to summarize the book in a concise blog would not do justice to the theme, since the plot is very far-fetched. Vonnegut touches on moral, religious, and social issues in the book, and he makes a clear differentiation between luck and God. He says that God is ultimately indifferent, and luck is not a reflection of anyone’s standing in the good grace of God. Humor and endless wit or staples of any Vonnegut work, and The Sirens of Titan abounded with interesting characters symbolic of today’s world. The novel was written in 1959, but it is essentially timeless. I admire the fearless Vonnegut and his deep concern for humanity. The book explains that being used is something that is priceless. People being of use to other people are the foundation of a united world. In the story, Earthlings were recruited to a Martian Army in order to assault Earth. The mastermind behind the plan intended for the Martian Army to be destroyed by a world working as one, to create a sense of worldly harmony. This was the most basic part of the plot and the simplest idea to understand, the moral lessons grew more and more abstract from this point on. This is one of my favorite satires on society, because it shows how silly most things are.

"Player Piano" Outside Novel 6/30/09

Alright, I finished my third novel, and it was a good one. I really like Kurt Vonnegut’s style. He is able to portray each character in such a way that the reader completely grasps his or her personality. Player Piano was a great satire on modern life. The United States essentially becomes a socialist country run by machines. Technology is so advanced that human’s have no responsibilities or tasks to complete. The food supply is unlimited, everyone has enough money, yet there is a huge class distinction. The engineers and managers are the only people that still need to work, so people’s IQ’s are screened by machines and labeled according to a hierarchical system. The average citizens are either thrown into the Recreation and Reconstruction Corps. or the Army. There are no more wars, and machines do all the small tasks, therefore both these groups of people feel worthless to humanity. The story shows that work is what keep the mind turning, and the creativity flowing. Imagination and creativity or what really make Human beings unique. Outsourcing work to machines may make everything run more efficiently, and raise the standard of living, but it is how we judge success that determines whether people are happy or not. People making less money, but earning their money are worth more than people being given handouts and a superficial job just to waste time. I really enjoyed this book and I am excited to read more from this author. Social satires are entertaining yet stimulating at the same time.

Star Wars

The Western consists of themes regarding the conquest of a more powerful enemy for the good of the people. Luke Skywalker is to the Imperial Guard as John Wayne is to outlaws. The fast-paced action, expansive setting, and classic characters can be found in both Star Wars and westerns. There is a recipe for drama that creates high tension for the audience.

I believe that Star Wars has reached such a high level of popularity, because like ancient Greeks and tragos, modern people enjoy drama. The movie is a representation of simpler life issues enhanced to the extreme. Han Solo stays loyal to Luke, Chewy is Han’s confidant, C3P0 and R2D2 have a great friendship, and Obi-Wan is a mentor to Luke. People like to put themselves in the hero’s position comparing the far-fetched drama to the drama in their daily lives.

Good vs. Evil was the theme of Star Wars in the broadest sense. The good guys won, defeating the evil forces that supported oppression and greed. Luke destroys the Death Star, and the rebels defeat the Imperial Crown.

The light saber is symbolic of Jedi’s past and present. Luke gets one from Obi-Wan, who gives Luke a saber from Luke’s father’s days as a Jedi. The ancient weapon is a sign of an ascetic, devoted to the force. It is a traditional symbol in the context of the movie, but an original symbol in the context of the movie’s audience.

Han Solo is a greedy crook, but then has a moment of recognition and helps Luke destroy the battle station. Hs hamaratia does not get the best of him. Han Solo is a dynamic character.

Non-textual Reading 3rd Week

My roommate and good friend tries to tell me that a person's cell phone is symbolic of the person (he has an Iphone). I don't know about you, but I do not think that the "dogs looking like their owners" analogy applies to cellular mobile devices. Along these lines, I feel like sometimes people spend too much time dwelling on symbolism. Everything is symbolic of something, somewhere. Who we are is not composed of what we have. Look at Warren Buffet, the dude is a crazy philanthropist. He gives away all his money and lives a very modest life. How many people own more than they can afford? I would rather give and receive the gratitude of the recipient than buy expensive clothes and jewelry to be symbolic of my social status. My friend introduced me to Tomsshoes.com and it is awesome. The company sells shoes but donates one pair for each pair sold. The motto is "one for one." I am a fan of green companies and businesses with a humanitarian interest. People are more planet conscientious than ever before and I feel good about this. Toms Shoes is symbolic of the growing movement to share our cares and expand them from our attire to people in need. Toms Shoes shows us that the more people jump on this bandwagon, the cooler these types of products become. What a cycle for success. I encourage everyone to consider the goals and priorities of businesses that they support. What profit margin do these guys turn? What portion is donated to charity? These are things that were never spoken of before and I am happy that in order to compete these businesses must meet consumers' approval.

2nd Novel reading

Alright I am done with Agatha Christie for now. I just read Murder on the Orient Express, and this lovely lady got me again. I admit defeat, Agatha Christie is the master of murder mystery. This was a great novel. A murder occurs on the Orient Express, and Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is a passenger on a train full of unlikely criminals. Clues surface, but who done it? This story leaves the reader confused until the very end. There are so many twists and turns it is hard to keep it together. I was amazed by how beautifully all the seemingly unconnected pieces came together. The author's thought process is in a league all of its own. I am now moving on to another author, Kurt Vonnegut. I am going to read every one of this man's books, just because he interests me. This made me contemplate of all things, the initiation of friendships and relationships. Why is it that sometimes, people are naturally inclined to one another? It is like a +,- charge between two living, breathing, reading organisms. I came to the conclusion that the criterion for what constitutes a good friend differs from person to person. I tend to gravitate towards people who I feel are both genuine good people, or nasty, horrible ones. I just need to find people that can provide intellectual stimulation. I associate with interesting people, because I like to be kept on my toes. Idk weird thought for the day I suppose, I just feel like people inherently know who they will spend time with like I know that I am going to read every one of Kurt Vonnegut's novels without ever reading any of his work.

Cultural Opportunity Two-Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Buddy Guy

Last night my family and I went to the United Center to witness two musical legends in honor of my dad's birthday. Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood reunited from their old Blind Faith days put on an amazing show. As a bonus, Buddy Guy even made a surprise appearance in the finale! I was amazed by how cool these dudes are. The crowd consisted of mostly older people

still smoking the ganja), but my younger brothers and I had a great time listening to these classic works of art. Steve Winwood is phenomenally talented on the Hammond organ, and has a very distinct voice that blew my mind. Clapton showed the younger generation that no one can touch his feel and soloing power. I love this genre of music and these two are simply the best. There was little interaction with the crowd or pizzaz, because these guys are all about the music. The set list included some obvious favorites such as "Layla" and "Glad", but also included some covers of "Georgia on my Mind" and "Vodoo Child". The drummer, pianist, bassist, and back up singers were great, but Clapton and Winwood stole the show. The two's corroboration was as good as anybody could ask for, but Chicago-blues pro Buddy Guy stopped by and took things to a whole new level. I am so lucky to have seen these three greats before they are forgotten due to the rise of autotune and the synthesized "music" of the younger generations. Five songs in particular are noteworthy for the poetic elements they contain. 1. Crossroads by Robert Johnson tells of a man stuck between good and bad, success and failure, here and there, and the gray area between any two places mentally, emotionally, or physically. 2. Glad by Steve Winwood simply says: So glad, I'm so glad, sometimes I'm glad to be alive."-pretty self-explanatory. 3. Drowning on Dry Land performed by Buddy Guy is a beautiful look at life stuck in a rut. 4. Driftin' is a tale of a man who lost his woman and purpose in life. 5. Vodoo Child by Hendrix is a great song, "I stand on top of a mountain, and chop it down with the edge of my hand" speaks for itself.

6/16/09 Out of Class Reading

My favorite aspect of reading is interpreting the work, but to mix it up a little bit I read an Agatha Christie novel entitled, And Then There Were None. Usually, reading strictly for enjoyment is not my cup of tea, but I was in the mood for a little mystery so why not read the world’s most widely published author? This lady published over eighty novels, which is remarkable. I do not plan on reading each story, but nonetheless, Agatha Christie must have been a machine. The plot of my particular novel involved ten strangers who had maintained their innocence even though they were quite guilty. The strangers were trapped on an island and died according to a nursery rhyme the killer held dear. The reason I chose to write about this story is that it threw me for a loop! I was way off in guessing the climax and resolution. Agatha Christie has gotten me repeatedly and it is quite annoying. I have fallen for each misdirection she has penned down. I read a short story called, “A Witness for the Prosecution” and I couldn’t believe how she stumped me. I tried to make up for my gullible errors by reading a novel by the same author, but to no avail. Touché Agatha Christie, you got me again. This experience taught me that reading to temporarily escape the boundaries of reality is not so worthless after all. I may not have been able to learn anything from reading And Then There Were None, and there was nothing to interpret, but that novel showed me how wrong my presumptions can be. I could misjudge a male wearing tight pants, a pink shirt, obnoxious shades, and a trendy haircut just as I misjudged the ending to this novel.

First Reading Assignment Blog

I thought the first section was pretty straight forward. I like the way the text is written, it has a little flair not necessarily found in the average textbook. I really did not have any trouble understanding the concepts at hand. I like the inclusion of multiple references to material we will be reading in the future. In particular, I enjoyed the examples of Flannery O'Conner and the concept of regionalism. When authors stick to their roots, the reader seems to get a complete picture of what life is like in that area, in that era, in that time, in that moment. I am not a big fan of note taking, and I felt that most of the material covered in the first section was common sense. Note taking may be my biggest challenge in this class. I do not mind reading the assignments though. It is interesting how the plot can be developed in so many ways, yet the sequence of events always has to come together to create a cohesive story line. The narrator is such an important part of any novel, but I find that I rarely question the validity of what I am being told. Through repetition at a young age we are classically conditioned to ignore any inconsistencies involving the narration of what we are reading. I think that this will be about as effective as a textbook can be. I have not perused any of the short stories, but I have glanced at several titles included in the anthology and I am actually interested to read a few of the selections.

Cultural Opportunity One-The Hours

I ventured to the video store in an attempt to rent Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but alas, they were out of copies. I could only remember a few other movies from the list of options, so I grabbed The Hours. This movie was quite the female oriented film, but I was able to appreciate the delicate connections found within the transitional tissue connecting three depressed women's lives. Nicole Kidman plays Virginia Woolf in 1923 as she begins to write the book "Mrs. Dalloway". Meryl Streep plays Clarrisa, a modern woman in 2001, nicknamed "Mrs. Dalloway" by her poet friend Richard who is dying of AIDs. Clarissa is a lesbian but wonders if she loves Richard, who is gay himself. This situation mirrors Virginia Woolf, who has to restrain her inner lesbian for her loving husband. Julianne Moore plays a third woman, 1950’s housewife Laura. She also has lesbian tendencies and a loving husband, in addition to a son and daughter on the way. It turns out that her son is Richard, the poet friend of Clarissa. Richard kills himself in poetic fashion right before receiving an award. The suicide brings together Laura and Clarissa, who are the living embodiment of Virginia and her character Mrs. Dalloway The three women must overcome different obstacles but their situations are identical. They have to decide whether it is better to cope with their unhappy situations in order to allow happiness for their loved ones, or to find a way out of their suffocating constraints. Laura abandons her family since she cannot love them in the way they deserve, Virginia kills herself to spare her husband grief, and Clarissa most likely lives for her daughter and partner as she lived for Richard. This movie was an intense modernist view of depression, incorporating homosexuality, lesbianism, feminism, parenting, marriage and love with the intricate balance necessary to portray the central theme. At what point is it better to live for oneself than to live for others?