Sunday, April 28, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
Poetry Reflections
"Break of Day in the Trenches"
The most interesting part of this poem has to be the symbolism of the rat. Rosenburg uses apostrophe in his poem, as he is addressing the rat, and it's a very interesting way to carry out a poem about war. Most people I think would be considered a little mad for talking to a rat, but maybe that also goes along with the struggle of the soldiers and how one can go a little crazy being in the trenches for so long. I think my favorite line from this poem would have to be "bowels of the earth", which Rosenburg used to describe the trenches. While it's not the most pleasant thing to associate with what was virtually a living space for those soldiers, it definitely conveys the reality of the situation. "Bowels" is an interesting word choice, because I usually associate poem with beautiful language, and that is not a beautiful word so it sort of had a shocking effect that emphasized what the soldiers went through.
"Dulce et Decorum est"
I thought that the use of a Latin title, as part of a longer line meaning "it is sweet and right to die for your country", helped convey the feelings of the author towards the war. In order to maintain hope and the determination of a soldier, it's important that nationalistic pride is remembered. War is not ideal for most people, yet even today we still have soldiers enlisting to serve their country. It's a tremendous thing, and a difficult one at that. The poem also used figurative language to describe their life in the war. Not only did this give the reader a better understanding of the author's point of view but it adds weight to the title, or rather the full line, and really shows how difficult it must have been to keep that mindset.
"The Soldier"
In a lot of nationalistic writings we hear many English people refer to England as a "she" or as "her", which is something I noticed in this poem as well. The author wrote this to express his loyalty to England, and just the simple use of "her" as a way to some how make England into an entity, or actual living being accomplishes that right then and there. Although I think that sort of thing is interesting, this way probably my least favorite out of all the poems we covered in class. There were many examples of alliteration ("her sights and sounds") and similies ("dreams happy as her day"), which usually help make the poem interesting to read, but perhaps it was just the idea he discussed that I didn't find particularly enjoyable.
"The Glory of Women"
This poem for me was the most interesting because when we learned about WWI in history class, we were taught about how women stepped up to take over the jobs that the men left behind and it seemed like an great thing for the women to do. However, Sassoon presents an alternative view of women that clashes with this and it really intrigued me. One thing I wanted to address from the presentation of this poem was that they mentioned that he had relationships with men after the war ended and I believe they linked this as a possible explanation of why he criticized women in this way. I disagree with this, and I think it has much more to do with the fact that men were the ones fighting and women stayed at home, so they didn't have any experience of what they men went through. I think it also ties into the idea that women are inferior to men, which has been the dominating thought throughout history, and is even still thought by some people today. Having said that, I do enjoy the sarcastic tone of the poem as I am a sarcastic person and sometimes it's easier for me to understand sarcasm verses a poem that uses a lot of vague metaphors.
"Munition Wages"
After reading this poem, I was glad that there was a group presenting on this because the Cockney dialect was hard for me to understand and the group really helped clear a few things up. Phrases like "I calls it dim sweet" threw me off a little bit, but I was able to understand in the end. The point of view of this poem was of a woman who worked in the factories after the men had gone off to war and had become wealthy because of it. I thought this was an interesting perspective to have of WWI, as it's usually about the war itself. I liked that she wrote the poem as if she was talking to someone; it made the poem itself more entertaining to read.
"The Wind on the Downs"
The author's use of anaphora in this poem had a rhythmic repetition to me, which I thought was a nice touch to add. It can be difficult to use repetition because one can accidentally go too far, but for this poem it worked well. I liked the use of imagery with the "Khaki tunic, Sam Brown belt" because it brought a realness to the poem. When someone dies we tend to hold onto their possessions as they're the only things that we have left of them, and it can be difficult to let go. The poem seemed to be a way for her to let go of her grief and to help her move on while still remembering her fiance.
The most interesting part of this poem has to be the symbolism of the rat. Rosenburg uses apostrophe in his poem, as he is addressing the rat, and it's a very interesting way to carry out a poem about war. Most people I think would be considered a little mad for talking to a rat, but maybe that also goes along with the struggle of the soldiers and how one can go a little crazy being in the trenches for so long. I think my favorite line from this poem would have to be "bowels of the earth", which Rosenburg used to describe the trenches. While it's not the most pleasant thing to associate with what was virtually a living space for those soldiers, it definitely conveys the reality of the situation. "Bowels" is an interesting word choice, because I usually associate poem with beautiful language, and that is not a beautiful word so it sort of had a shocking effect that emphasized what the soldiers went through.
"Dulce et Decorum est"
I thought that the use of a Latin title, as part of a longer line meaning "it is sweet and right to die for your country", helped convey the feelings of the author towards the war. In order to maintain hope and the determination of a soldier, it's important that nationalistic pride is remembered. War is not ideal for most people, yet even today we still have soldiers enlisting to serve their country. It's a tremendous thing, and a difficult one at that. The poem also used figurative language to describe their life in the war. Not only did this give the reader a better understanding of the author's point of view but it adds weight to the title, or rather the full line, and really shows how difficult it must have been to keep that mindset.
"The Soldier"
In a lot of nationalistic writings we hear many English people refer to England as a "she" or as "her", which is something I noticed in this poem as well. The author wrote this to express his loyalty to England, and just the simple use of "her" as a way to some how make England into an entity, or actual living being accomplishes that right then and there. Although I think that sort of thing is interesting, this way probably my least favorite out of all the poems we covered in class. There were many examples of alliteration ("her sights and sounds") and similies ("dreams happy as her day"), which usually help make the poem interesting to read, but perhaps it was just the idea he discussed that I didn't find particularly enjoyable.
"The Glory of Women"
This poem for me was the most interesting because when we learned about WWI in history class, we were taught about how women stepped up to take over the jobs that the men left behind and it seemed like an great thing for the women to do. However, Sassoon presents an alternative view of women that clashes with this and it really intrigued me. One thing I wanted to address from the presentation of this poem was that they mentioned that he had relationships with men after the war ended and I believe they linked this as a possible explanation of why he criticized women in this way. I disagree with this, and I think it has much more to do with the fact that men were the ones fighting and women stayed at home, so they didn't have any experience of what they men went through. I think it also ties into the idea that women are inferior to men, which has been the dominating thought throughout history, and is even still thought by some people today. Having said that, I do enjoy the sarcastic tone of the poem as I am a sarcastic person and sometimes it's easier for me to understand sarcasm verses a poem that uses a lot of vague metaphors.
"Munition Wages"
After reading this poem, I was glad that there was a group presenting on this because the Cockney dialect was hard for me to understand and the group really helped clear a few things up. Phrases like "I calls it dim sweet" threw me off a little bit, but I was able to understand in the end. The point of view of this poem was of a woman who worked in the factories after the men had gone off to war and had become wealthy because of it. I thought this was an interesting perspective to have of WWI, as it's usually about the war itself. I liked that she wrote the poem as if she was talking to someone; it made the poem itself more entertaining to read.
"The Wind on the Downs"
The author's use of anaphora in this poem had a rhythmic repetition to me, which I thought was a nice touch to add. It can be difficult to use repetition because one can accidentally go too far, but for this poem it worked well. I liked the use of imagery with the "Khaki tunic, Sam Brown belt" because it brought a realness to the poem. When someone dies we tend to hold onto their possessions as they're the only things that we have left of them, and it can be difficult to let go. The poem seemed to be a way for her to let go of her grief and to help her move on while still remembering her fiance.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Mise en Scene
Costume and Makeup: In this scene the Pale Man was obviously meant to be seen as a monster, and the way they made him look almost human, yet still completely inhuman, made the character particularly creepy. Sometimes monsters can look cheesy, but monsters that look similar to humans--or like they used to be human--has a chilling effect. It's like we are most afraid of horrid versions our ourselves. The fact that he has eyes on his hands also takes away from his humanness, but maintains some aspects as the eyes look very human-like. It seems that he is supposed to represent the punishment of giving into temptation (after the girl eats the food despite the fairies telling her not to) or that he is the guardian meant to scare outsiders away.
Sound: This movie uses several diegetic sounds to enhance the visual on screen. The fairies can't talk but they make little noises that allow the audience to understand what they are saying and that give them some personality. When the girl picks up the eyeballs they make a squishy noise that lets the audience know what they probably feel like without being able to touch them. There are also strategic uses of nondiegetic sounds that set a mood or feeling of a certain event. Triumphant music is played as the girl retrieves the treasure inside the little compartment she opens, similar to a character finding treasure in a video game, like opening a treasure chest in the Legend of Zelda games. Another example of nondiegetic sound is exhibited when she sees the delicious food on the table. Happy music, possibly from a harp is played to convey the desire she has to take a bite.
Lighting: The lighting in this room is fairly low, only seeming to come from the fire, over the three little doors, and a general set lighting. The set lighting isn't over-powering so that the other two can stand out. There is top lighting over the doors to show their importance and highlight her objective of this task. The fire seems to serve as backlighting of the girl and the pale man, but it also adds to the feel of the room as many people associate dim lighting with fire or candles. It almost gives a false sense of coziness that seems out of place in a monster's living space.
Setting/Props: The room is set up like a dining room in someone's home, which seems like an odd choice for a monster like the pale man. As I stated before, even the fire seems out of place because of the homey connotation attached to it. The food on the table is also peculiar, as it's plentiful and made to look delicious--like a real feast. The contrast of the nice food and the warm setting with the creepy monster who lives there is a little confusing. Maybe the pale man is protecting something, or maybe the warmth is supposed to draw in children so he can feast upon them. The meaning is unclear to me with only this scene being presented.
Sound: This movie uses several diegetic sounds to enhance the visual on screen. The fairies can't talk but they make little noises that allow the audience to understand what they are saying and that give them some personality. When the girl picks up the eyeballs they make a squishy noise that lets the audience know what they probably feel like without being able to touch them. There are also strategic uses of nondiegetic sounds that set a mood or feeling of a certain event. Triumphant music is played as the girl retrieves the treasure inside the little compartment she opens, similar to a character finding treasure in a video game, like opening a treasure chest in the Legend of Zelda games. Another example of nondiegetic sound is exhibited when she sees the delicious food on the table. Happy music, possibly from a harp is played to convey the desire she has to take a bite.
Lighting: The lighting in this room is fairly low, only seeming to come from the fire, over the three little doors, and a general set lighting. The set lighting isn't over-powering so that the other two can stand out. There is top lighting over the doors to show their importance and highlight her objective of this task. The fire seems to serve as backlighting of the girl and the pale man, but it also adds to the feel of the room as many people associate dim lighting with fire or candles. It almost gives a false sense of coziness that seems out of place in a monster's living space.
Setting/Props: The room is set up like a dining room in someone's home, which seems like an odd choice for a monster like the pale man. As I stated before, even the fire seems out of place because of the homey connotation attached to it. The food on the table is also peculiar, as it's plentiful and made to look delicious--like a real feast. The contrast of the nice food and the warm setting with the creepy monster who lives there is a little confusing. Maybe the pale man is protecting something, or maybe the warmth is supposed to draw in children so he can feast upon them. The meaning is unclear to me with only this scene being presented.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Blog Post #3: Amusing Ourselves to Death
An article written in 2010 called "How Social Media Has Changed Us" discusses the differences in our daily lives as we grow into a more technologically-based society. Studies have shown that children have become more literate as a result of new technology--a shock to most. They suggest that all the new media involved with writing, like blogging and instant messaging, are encouraging kids to write more, which in turn causes them to become better writers. The article also discusses how we're able to be closer to people even when they are not physically close. Having cell phones and an internet connection allows us to be able to contact almost anyone whenever we so choose, and at a much quicker rate than previous methods.
http://mashable.com/2010/01/07/social-media-changed-us/
As our culture changes with the changes in technology, we've created new ways to measure whether or not our use of this technology is successful and coined a new phrase to describe our ability. According to the National Association for Media Literacy Education, media literacy is "seen to consist of a series of communication competencies, including the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and communicate information in a variety of forms, including print and non-print messages." The site later goes on to say, "It is the skillful application of literacy skills to media and technology messages." Simply put, media literacy refers to how well we apply our literacy skills through social media and how well that information is represented, as well as our ability to retrieve the information that we desire.
From this definition, I would consider myself media literate because I use a variety of social media platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube, and my personal sanctuary, Tumblr. I'm able to use these sites for my own personal need or when trying to inform others. School work is a major thing that I use the internet for, whether I want study materials for an upcoming test or help on a homework assignment from one of my friends. I often times turn to YouTube for video tutorials that show you each step in solving calculus problems; it's like having a personal teacher at home. It's extremely easy to obtain this information whenever I need it and I've been able to use it to my advantage. For Mock Trial, I am required to memorize a line of questioning and the responses to those questions, as I play a witness. It's become a tradition for my attorney and me have a Skype date the night before competition so we can practice and just run through it as easily as we would be able to face to face.
I agree with Postman in the idea that will may very well be the death of ourselves, so to speak. We have this uncanny ability to create new, useful, awesome technology that makes things easier for us. But in using all of this new technology, we have become increasingly lazy and dependent. Many people would be more content to sit in front of the TV for hours, mindlessly watching whatever is on and most of the time they aren't stopping to really think about what it is that they are consuming. I do think, however, that a lot of technology is very beneficial. The internet can be used for similar purposes to a TV, but it can also be used to spread information and ideas and bring people together, YouTube being a great example of this.
Works Cited:
http://mashable.com/2010/01/07/social-media-changed-us/
As our culture changes with the changes in technology, we've created new ways to measure whether or not our use of this technology is successful and coined a new phrase to describe our ability. According to the National Association for Media Literacy Education, media literacy is "seen to consist of a series of communication competencies, including the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and communicate information in a variety of forms, including print and non-print messages." The site later goes on to say, "It is the skillful application of literacy skills to media and technology messages." Simply put, media literacy refers to how well we apply our literacy skills through social media and how well that information is represented, as well as our ability to retrieve the information that we desire.
From this definition, I would consider myself media literate because I use a variety of social media platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube, and my personal sanctuary, Tumblr. I'm able to use these sites for my own personal need or when trying to inform others. School work is a major thing that I use the internet for, whether I want study materials for an upcoming test or help on a homework assignment from one of my friends. I often times turn to YouTube for video tutorials that show you each step in solving calculus problems; it's like having a personal teacher at home. It's extremely easy to obtain this information whenever I need it and I've been able to use it to my advantage. For Mock Trial, I am required to memorize a line of questioning and the responses to those questions, as I play a witness. It's become a tradition for my attorney and me have a Skype date the night before competition so we can practice and just run through it as easily as we would be able to face to face.
I agree with Postman in the idea that will may very well be the death of ourselves, so to speak. We have this uncanny ability to create new, useful, awesome technology that makes things easier for us. But in using all of this new technology, we have become increasingly lazy and dependent. Many people would be more content to sit in front of the TV for hours, mindlessly watching whatever is on and most of the time they aren't stopping to really think about what it is that they are consuming. I do think, however, that a lot of technology is very beneficial. The internet can be used for similar purposes to a TV, but it can also be used to spread information and ideas and bring people together, YouTube being a great example of this.
Works Cited:
Laurie, Mike. "How Social Media Has Changed Us." Mashable. N.p., 7 Jan. 2010. Web. 8 Mar. 2013.
"Media Literacy Defined." National Association for Media Literacy Education RSS. National Association for Media Literacy Education RSS, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
Blog Post #2: Design
I wanted my blog to have a simple theme because I like having a clean, uncluttered look for something like this that won't distract the reader from the whole point of a blog--the writing. There are birds in the upper right-hand corner, but in general everything is very simply laid out. Establish a Mood with Typography advises using simple fonts for ease of reading, so I chose ones without any fancy style or ones without any chance of illegibility. The font for the blog title is Old Standard TT, which I thought was cute and had a little more personality than the font I used for the blog posts themselves, and because it's only the title it doesn't overwhelm the reader. Lastly, I added some of my favorite colors to keep some personal touches and to stand out from the neutral background, yet still keeping with a simple, clean feeling.
Color Psychology suggests that warm-toned colors can cause people to feel warmth and comfort, which I think is important if you want your writing to be received well. This article does point out that warm tones can cause feelings of anger or hostility, so I chose a more neutral warm color (tan) rather than a loud red in order to prevent this. I did decide to use cool tones for the font, as the article also says that cool-toned colors can be perceived as calming, and perhaps the reader will feel calm reading my blog posts.
Color Psychology suggests that warm-toned colors can cause people to feel warmth and comfort, which I think is important if you want your writing to be received well. This article does point out that warm tones can cause feelings of anger or hostility, so I chose a more neutral warm color (tan) rather than a loud red in order to prevent this. I did decide to use cool tones for the font, as the article also says that cool-toned colors can be perceived as calming, and perhaps the reader will feel calm reading my blog posts.
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