Free Write 4-17-08

Lion- Lion is the king of the jungle in Africa. It is symbolic of strenth and honor and absolute power. It is a strong and determined beast that fears nothing. It has no predators and is a beautiful mammal. They live in families called a pride and are a close knit community with a set hierarchy.

Lioness- Lioness is the female lion in the pride. They provide for the pride by hunting and raising young. They, like the male lions have a ranking system.

She unnames them
After reading the resonse of the author, I see the references to the bible. The story was taking shots at the bible but it was in a unharmful way. She was tring to take away the name which stood as a steroetype in hereyes.

Homework 4/10/08

Siren Song
This poem is about men's uncontrollable attraction to the sirens. The sirens represent women in the peom and the song they sing represents their power through beauty. The seventh and eighth stanzas is deceiving to men because the siren is proclaiming that the song is personal for the individual that hears it. In reality, the song is a trap for all men who is lured in by the distress calls of the siren. The author perceives men a brutes with uncontrollable urges that force them to fall for the sirens even though they know of the danger.

Ulysses
This poem perfectly describes man's urge to not be bored. The saying "live life to the fullest" is what this poem is all about. The fact that Ulysses is back with his wife and son were great, but he became restless. He is now bored of the ordinary life and has the never ending urge to take on new experiences. All that he has is not satisfying him now. This need for more goes beyond the greed for power and money into the realm of eternal glory.

Leda and the Swan
This poem seems to be the story of Zeus' kidnpping of the young beautiful woman named Leda. This is a well known legend in greek mythology. The peom desribes her as being terrified as she is taken by Zeus who has taken the form of a swan. The peom also describes the swan (Zeus) as strong, bold, and glorious. It is strange that the author would describe him this way while he is apparently raping the girl he just snatched.

All of these poems are similar in the fact that they all describe mythological creatures and events. None of the myths have a certain time frame in which they took place nor are they based on actual human beings that can be proven to have existed. Personally, I liked each of the poems because I am fascinated with greek mythology.

SWA #10 Topic Proposal

I chose Jack London's "To Build A Fire" for essay number three. I chose this short story mainly because it is interesting to me and because I have read it many times before. This story takes place along a stretch of the infamous Klondike Trail in the Yukon Territory in Northern Canada. It is a ironic tale about a man traveling alone with his dg in the winter during an extreme cold storm. The terrain and climate present obstacles for the man and his dog and his consequential reactions are what make this story typical as one of Jack London.

SWA #8-#9

Berton, Pierre. "Klondike Gold Rush." The Canadian Encyclopedia. (1958).

This source describes the largest gold rush in history that took place in the Yukon territory during the 1880s and 1890s. This source describes the trail in detail and also provides pictures and a map. This source also points out many of the geological sites mentioned in the Jack London story "To Build a Fire."

Heirdorn, Keith. "Weather Almanac for February 2002: NORTH AMERICA'S RECORD COLD." (Feb 1, 2002).

This Almanac provides the temperature charts for every winter in the Yukon Territory. It also states that the record cold in North America came from the Klondike area. This supports the claim that the weather could have gotten as cold as it did in the short story.

Howe, Steve. "Hell can't be worse than this trail.'." Backpacker 138.n1 (Feb 1995): 30(9) .General OneFile. Gale. University of South Carolina (DISCUS). 7 .

This source describes the terrible conditions of the klondike trail described in Jack London's short story. It is about a backpacker who climbs the trail to gain valuable information about it. He desribes the trail in detail and also provides a number of useful quotations.

Woodring, Jeannie. "A path made of gold." National Parks. 71. n3-4 (March-April 1997): 38(4). Genaral OneFIle. Gale. University of South Carolina. .

This source also describes the history of the trail. It talks about the hardships that people on the trail woul have and about the number of people who died from a number of different things. This source also provides a map of the area and points out some of the geological areas that are present in the short story.

HOmework 4/3/08

Trifles and A Jury of Her Peers

The two stories were very similar in plot and had a lot in common. The short story was easier to read and flowed better, but short staries are supposed to be that way. I liked the play better because of the dialogue. It seemed more real and appealing. I thought that the title for the play was interesting also. Trfles was mentioned in the play by Mr. Hale. He states that "women are used to worrying ver trifles." It is ironic to say she worried about trifles when she had just committed murder. It is also ironic because if the men had bother to look at the little things they might have solved the case also.

Ball Turret Gunner

After seeing the youtube clips viewing a few pages online, the gunner in the turret must have been miserable with it being so cold and with so little space. Also knowing the fact that there was nothing but plexiglass to protect you in this vulnerable position from fighter plane bullets and bombs.

After reading background on Randall Jarrell, it is easy to see why he wrote about WWII. He wrote most of his poem during the time of the war. He also enlisted in the army air corps but did not become a pilot.

Freewrite

A) War Gunner Attack

1) War- I think of both of my grandfathers who served in the Navy during WWII. I think of Nazi germany. D-Day, my birthday. Bombs exploding, grey color, blood, the movie Saving Private Ryan.
2) Gunnery- snipers, Enemy at the Gates, navy warships, battleships, camoflauge clothing
3) Attack- Pearl Harbour, and the beaches of Normandy, Buildings being shot at. The war in Iraq, Loud noises of gun and soldiers yelling and screaming.

B) My strongest association with WWII is my grandfather on my mother's side. He served in the navy from the time he was eighteen until he was twenty five. He was stationed in Pearl Harbour when the Japanese attacked. After that, he was stationed in the Phillipines. He tells stories about the horrors of war nearly every time I see him.

Homework 3/20

The Holocaust Party

I liked this story but it left me feeing uneasy about how everyone reacted to the situuation. The story about the Jewish blood was unfortunate for Mrs. Isabel but niether Amy nor her parents commented about it. This could be understood from the pont of view that no one wanted to inform her that she had been believing a lie her whole life but why not say something out of the oom. The side story about Amy's parents and the hardships the family was going through seemed to have nothing to do with the overall message of the story but maybe I'm just missing something. This relates to the Historicism through the actual facts of the time of the holocaust and how the people in Mrs. Isabel's situation were really treated. The historical analysis could be done to understand it better from a historical perspective.

Homework 3/18

"The Soldier"
This poem is interesting because it is decribing the author's love for his home country. It does not reveal any of the horrors of war nor does it mention which war the poem is about. We can assume the author writes about WWI because of the date the poem was written. But the war itself is not the main focus, it is the soldier's patriotism and love for his country that makes this poem inspirational.

"Anthem for Doomed Youth"
This poem is also about war, but contrary to the first, it's lines are full of imagery that describe the trajedies of war. The author describes the soldiers as cattle that are to be slaughtered. The author describes the absence of funeral bells and prayers with the shots of guns and the clanging of spent shells in their place.

"Dulce et Decorum Est"
This poem is also about a tragedy in WWI. This poem illustrates one particular event of a soldier dying of chlorine gas. The poem provides the reader with actualities of war. This poem like the forst two describe WWI.

"They"
This peom, like the others, was written in the time of WWI and is different because of its religious message. The last line "The ways of God are strange," provides comfort for the religious. This one line implies that the horrific events and the consequences of them are in some way in God's plan for the injured or dead soldiers. We can assume from the reading that the Bishops believes "they" have died or been deformed for reasons that only God can understand.

Free Write

The ad that I remember the most was a Pursuit commercial that I saw in 1999. Pursuit is a manufacturer of boats and that particular ad sparked an interest in me. On that day I began talking to my dad about offshore fishing and getting a bigger boat for it. That summer my dad and I buit a 22' Simmons Sea Skiff that we use to this day to go offshore fishing in. That commercial for Pursuit boats changed my life in a huge way, because without it, we might not have ever buit the boat or we might not have ever fell in love with offshore fishing.

Analzing the Design of an Everyday Text

The text that I decided to analyze is an advertisment for Orbit Mint Mojito gum. This advertisement was on the back cover of a late issue of "Rolling Stone" magazine. The advertisement depicts a nervous guy sitting at a table next to an atractive women. On the table is several packs of orbit gum. Although there is no written text, the picture speaks for itself. "Orbit gum will get you a beautiful women no matter what you look like." This type of advertisement is known as "the beauty and the geek" situation. The advertisement uses today's obsession of sex to grab consumers. Unlike many other ads that show a handsome man winning a beautiful woman, this one depicts a nervous geek winning a beautiful woman. This type of ad is becomming more popular because most guys have come to face the fact that they are not good-looking models, but average or even less than average-looking. However, the ad portrays the image that even the average looking man can get a beautiful model if they use their product.

Politics of Design

I found this article very intersting because of its truth in one particular aspect. The advertising of today's products have become exceedingly political. One instance that proves this took place in the mid 1990s when Michael Jordan lead the Chicago Bulls to one of many national championship basketball games. Mr Jordan, as most americans know, has his own line of basketball sneakers made by Nike. This pertains to advertising because during the championship, Michael along with several other teammates wore an American flag badges on their jerseys. They players placed these badges over the Adidas logo on their jerseys. This bold move was entirely political because everyone watching the game observed this. The players did this to promote Nike, adidas' arch rival. This move proves that the advertising industry will go to extreme lenghts to promote their products even if it means publically humiliating another manufacturer in the same industry.

Car Culture

The first section of the assigned reading was about the Hummer vs Prius arguement. The article described the demand for the two automobiles and the types of consmers who would purchase them. It was stated that the older crowd would more thn likely purchase the Toyota Prius while younger consumers would go for the less practical Hummer. The differences are endless between the two. The Prius is a hybrid sedan that prides itself on high gas milage and practicalty for a reasnable price. The Hummer on the other hand, is a mammoth of a SUV which could measure its gas milage in terms of gallons per mile as easily as miles per gallon. The catch that sells the Hummer is that it makes a bold statement. Many younger consumers pay twice as much for this upractical automoblie just for this reason.
The next article is a bit contradictory of itself. It claims that women rule the automobile market but yet there are very few wmen designers and most cars are not designed specifically for women. The article also states that 50 percent of automobile purchases are by women, hardly ruling tosay the least.
The next article is about the "love it or hate it" car market. This can easily be understood because not everybody likes the same types of cars. Radical looking cars that might be described as ugly for some consmers are just what others may be looking for. The diversity of today's beliefs and styles go hand in hand with today's car market.
The next article is about a young teenage girl who gets the car of her dreams for her birthday. The story seems fairytale to me since I've had to buy all of my cars. The article is interesting because it incolves all of the previous articles. She recieved a Cadillac Escalade EXT. It is similar to the hummer in the first article because it is a mammoth of an automobile that portrays an image of style and it makes a bold statement. It also relates to the next article because the car was purchased for a femle. In recent years more females have been driving bigger SUVs and trucks. This in itself makes a statement. This article also relates to the third article. The brand Cadillac is notoriously known for its loyal consumers. The Escalade has a following similar to porsche and mercedes purchasers. It is a prime example of the "love it or hate it" market.

Mac vs PC

Personally I pefer the mac computers for several different reasons. The first is that they are set up in a much more convenient way than the PC computers. The layout is much easier to navigate once you get familiar with it. In addition to this, it is virtually impossible for mac computers to get viruses. Every Pc computer that I have owned and my family has owned has been stricten with a virus at some point. I have had my mac for over a year and a half and have not once had any problems with virues. Lastly, I perfer the mac because it is different. The PCs have been around for a long time holding a monopoly on the computer industry, and like that there is a newer and more practical computer out there

Free Write

This morning on the way to class I was in a good mood unlike most mornings. I felt crisp and awake and not removed fom myself like I usually am. If I could describe it in a color it would be blue but not the depressing kind of blue but more of a spirited blue.

Girl

This poem was hilarious. The flow or lack of it made it interesting to read because there was no hint as to what was comming next. The punctuation was also amazing. There were no periods, three question marks, and the rest of the breaks were from colins, semi-colins, cammas, or dashes. The image I got from reading this was that of a whitty old lady attempting to teach a young girl how to behave.

"Golden Grove"

In my opinion the first of the translations is the better. The word choice in the first allows the reader to utilize his/her imagination to draw a picture of what is going on. The second poem's word choice leaves little to be imagined. The poems do have similarities. Both are similar in length, "meaning", and have the same concluson. Even with the similarities, word choice in these two poems makes the difference.

6-D, 6-E

The name "Black Elvis" seems to be the most obvious example of a name being used as a metaphor. Black Elvis is a musician who sings Elvis songs and even dresses like Elvis. The quote "He had a show to put on" is metaphoric. This means that he can be lke Elvis and will be remembered as Elvis was for going against the norms.

Grandmother is my mother or father's mother. She is well respected and loved by everyone. When I think of the word grandmother, the words wisdom, faith, and caring immediately come to my mind. She is one who is devoted to others and is unselfish

The Pasionate Shepherd to His Love

This poem is a love stricken man's attempt to seduce the women he loves. The Shepherd promises all of the lovely things that a lady could ask for. His promises are unrealistic and he neglects to mention that he will love her back. He asks her to live with him and to be his love but never promses his love to her. Strangely, the promises all pertain to nature which may just be typical of the time period in which the poem was written.

In The Desert

This poem seems to be about a "man" who has endured a devastating loss. The word desert is used on the first line to maybe symbolize a hellish place. In the third line the narrator refers to the creature as "friend." This could just be a normal greeting depending on the time period or it could symbolize that the creature is the narrrator.

Homework 1/22/08

4) Genre- a category used to classify literary works, usually by form, content or technique. A few literery genres are fiction, nonfiction, poetry, dramas, comedies, epics, essays, short stories.

12) Context- The part of a text or statement that refers to certain words or phrases and determines the meaning of that particular text. It is also the surroundings and circumstances of a paricular event.

13) People approach texts differently because not everyone is looking for the same points in a text. One might be looking for dramatic irony while another might be looking for variations in diction. Another reason people approach texts differently is that one person may be already informed about the subject in one way while another may be informed in a contrasting way or not knowledgeable at all about the text or subject.

17) Perspective- a particular way of viewing a situation.

18) Point of view- The perspective or vantage point from which the events of a story are observed and presented to an audience. The three common poins of view are the first person, the second person, and the tord person.

Freewrite continued...

Desert: heat, sun, dry, sand, steam, no direction, saharah, africa, cactus, baja race,

Universe: stars, darkness, blackhole, aliens, earth, space shuttles, man on the moon, ifinity, lightyears, science, awe, pure amazement, beauiful.

Freewrite

1) Close reading is the carefull reading and interpretation of a short passage. Close reading envolves carefully reading every word and understanding how it pertains to the overall passage.
OED definition: critical and detailed analysis of a text; an example of this. Also applied to the analysis of other works of art.

2) Pastoral is a type of literature that describes rural life. It also could be a letter from a pastor to his congregation.
OED definition: A literary work portraying rural life or the life of shepherds, esp. in an idealized or romantic form.

3) Mistress is an adulterous women.
OED definition: A woman having control or authority. A woman who plays the dominant role in sadomasochistic sexual activity.

4) Nymph is an extremely sexual women
OED definition: A prostitute; a woman regarded as a means of sexual gratification.

5) Shepherd: a spiritual leader, a animal herder, a german dog, the birth of Christ...