"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?