Sunday, November 27, 2011

AP Lit Term "Anachronism"

Anachronism is when something shows up at the wrong place or the wrong time. The easiest way for me to remember this definition is I picture Julius Caesar wearing a Rolex. Rolexes, let alone watches weren't even invented during the time of Shakespeare. This is a perfect example of anachronism because it shows something showing up in the wrong place or time.


This picture is also a perfect example of anachronism.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Thinking Outside the Box

Plato and Sartre both have different views on philosophy and personal limitations of thought. To be perfectly honest, I would not consider myself the best philosophy critic; I wouldn't even say I understand it half the time, but here's my thoughts on the two ideas. Both stories symbolized closed mindedness. In The Allegory of The Cave, the prisoners believe the shadows formed on the walls of the cave are reality. It is only the prisoners that escape and seek freedom who ended up experiencing reality. Most of the prisoners became comfortable in there chains and didn't wonder what went on in the outside world. They were happy and comfortable in their safe perception of reality. The allegory really made me think, what if what we live in really isn't reality? What if what we live day to day is only our perception of reality? Is it possible that this is all just a dream filled with characters and events our own minds create? The consideration of these possibilities is complex and even a bit unsettling.

While the prisoners in the cave have no idea of what exists in the outside world, the characters in No Exit know what they are missing. The difference is, in the cave the prisoners are forced to come to terms with the reality beyond, while in the room the prisoner are forced to come to terms with the reality within themselves. Which is worse?

Monday, November 21, 2011

Literature Analysis Number 3:

The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne


The Scarlet Letter is set in a Puritan settlement in Boston in the 17TH century. A woman commits adultery, gives birth to a bastard child and is forced to wear a scarlet "A" on her chest as a punishment and a sign of shame. The setting is very important to the understanding of the novel because adultery was a very shameful crime for the time and place. The woman and her daughter and shunned from the surrounding population and as a result, the woman works as a struggling seamstress. 


One of the many themes of the novel is the idea of sin. Everyone's idea of what they define as a sin is different depending on religion and even lack of religion. The idea of what a sin was during the time period and in the setting of the novel was very strict and unforgiving. While adultery is not a nice act to commit, it is not as frowned upon in modern day and isn't really thought of as a sin. 


The tone of the novel is very serious and even a bit depressing.
1.  “Mother,” said little Pearl, “the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom.


2. Children have always a sympathy in the agitations of those connected with them; always, especially, a sense of any trouble or impending revolution, of whatever kind, in domestic circumstances; and...


3. "If thou feelest it to be for thy soul's peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow...

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Hamlet Essay

Hamlet’s “self-overhearing” in the play is very important to understanding his complex character. His many speeches and soliloquies give us a special incite on his inner thoughts and feelings. Without this knowledge, the major theme and purpose of the play cannot be properly evaluated. The importance of “self-overhearing” also presents itself in everyday life. The way we reflect on an experience helps create a sense of memory, expectation, and real world results. Without “self-overhearing” how would we ourselves know how we think and feel about things?

            Hamlet’s soliloquy, “To be, or not to be”, is the finest example of “self-overhearing” in the play. Within this complex speech lie Hamlet’s most personal feelings. He struggles with thoughts of suicide and feelings of betrayal.  The soliloquy is merely just Hamlet talking to himself, but it gives us a chance to understand how Hamlet is feeling and further evaluate his character.  “Self-overhearing” was also very important to the memorizing of the soliloquy.  The act of memorizing is repeating a certain piece of information over in over in your head until you have it completely remembered by heart. This also allows you to analyze and further understand the information.

            What we say and how we say it also reflects in our actions. This proves that “self-overhearing” also displays the idea of performative utterance. As Frederick de Boer said, “Performative means it did not merely describe reality but made a change in reality.” He explains the example of performative utterance in a marriage ceremony. The priest says, “I now pronounce you man and wife.” This isn’t just describing that the man and woman are now married; it is making the fact a reality. Performative utterance is also very fundamental in Hamlet. While Hamlet’s “self-overhearing” proves he wants to kill Claudius, his oath and dedication to this goal has now made it a reality he must act on. This performative utterance took Hamlet’s feelings and turned them into an action.

            Performative utterance also impacts the people around us. What we say changes their expectations of us. When we state a goal out loud to someone, they will expect us to act on it. While this can feel overwhelming, it is also extremely motivating. The things Hamlet says also impact the people in his life. The characters are forced to believe that Hamlet has gone mad because of his convoluted speeches and lunatic demeanor. This is exactly what Hamlet wanted. Now that everyone thinks he’s crazy, their expectations of him are very low and he has lots of free time to scheme. This is an example of how performative utterance can be used tactfully. 

            “Self-overhearing” and performative utterance are very closely related. “Self-overhearing” is how you think and feel about things and performative utterance is how you plan to act on these feelings. Hamlet is a perfect example of these ideas. His many complex soliloquies and speeches reflect his inner thoughts and feelings, while how he says them causes new realities.  Hamlet not only describes the realities around him, he makes changes in these realities. 

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Notes On Our Meeting With Roy Christopher

Today we met with the amazing Roy Christopher through Skype. I was intrigued with his modern ideas and beliefs. Here are the notes I took during the lecture:
-The medium is the message
-Roy started with the internet, had friend involved in Web design
-Just wanted to do his writing didn't want to get caught up in computers and the Web, but loved it
- "Got sucked into it"
- Not a struggle of a natural lifestyle
- The Web can help, but also be distraction
- He doesn't like reading things online
- "Remix and Mash up culture"
- Remix in the Web like remixes in hip-hop
- "Changing our lives with technology"
- "Program, or be programmed"
- "Control your technology, don't let it control you"
- We are born into the new age of technology, therefore we are more able to excel than older generations.