Final Blog Post

I was interested in joining IB because my sister did it her year. To be honest I didn't really care about IB it just seemed to me that I was in an "IB family" and so I joined. I'm glad that I did because I have really enjoyed my time in the program. I think that suffering through all the same things really does build a bonds. I think that also it helped me to talk to people that I would never have talked to. Class debates showed me a lot of new viewpoints that I never thought of. I don't really have any problems with the program as a whole. I know a lot of people hate IB but I think that the way we learned about History is really cool. The idea of questioning what happened  in history leads to really cool discussion and ideas. I think that English was incredibly beneficial for us but its hard to really understand how much it is. One day in LOV we had to analyse a poem and all the other kids had trouble with it but I knew so many different terms and had done this in much more depth than they had. So i think that English class really has made us all more critical readers but it has done such a good job of it that we see many literary things as just common sense. For me, I regret taking Biology and wish that I took Physics. I took Bio because I thought it would be easy but I realize now that I have no interest in Bio and while physics is probably harder than Bio, since I'm interested It would have been a better class for me. I really hate Languages so I didn't get a lot out of Spanish. I am never going to take another Spanish class and i'm so excited about that. The same is true for me about TOK. I just never really felt like it resonated with me. Everything we talked about was just like cool ted talks and like random science experiments about human behavior. I know some people really liked the debates but they just never felt relevant to me. And thats all the IB classes I have!

Step 1:

When I first saw the prompt I thought that the journal would be more like drafts of poetry and more focused on creating poetry and it is but not in the way I thought it would be. His poems don't seem to come out of "Work Time". They seem to just be a list of everything that he thought about throughout his life and this is reflected in the journal. He doesn't have drafts of poems he just has observations about the world that he puts together. He has lists of things, I don't know what because I cant read it, that are put on the side of a page. This makes me think that he comes up with an idea and then comes back to it throughout the rest of his life to add to the list when he sees new things. Another thing i noticed is the "?". A lot of things have question marks next to them like he is asking the Cosmos what it thinks. This shows how his poems are created and how they are really just a stream of thought.

Step 2:

A lot of what i said is confirmed by the notes. Where he says "I shall see the crash" and later adds perhaps shows how he is just writing his thoughts down. To me, Walt Whitman is really more of a philosopher than he is a poet. He is just writing down his thoughts about the things he sees in free verse. If his free verse had a little less flourish it would just be philosophic writing. Then again a lot of poetry about thoughts and people is just philosophy with some flare.

For Blog #13, explore the idea of the “American Dream”. This should serve as a reflection of who you are now and who you wish to become- hey, we’re studying the 1920s; in that spirit, let’s be optimistic. It would also be wise to consider culture, social values, etc. Remember, we’re thinking about TEXTS and CONTEXTS for this part of the course.

To help you get started, here are four guiding questions:

1. How would you describe the “American Dream?”

The american dream is that you are able to work hard to attain anything you want. The idea is that nothing about your origins should affect what you are able to accomplish in your life. Obviously, some people will be born with advantages, whether they are  genetic advantages that come into play for sports or being born into a influence family that could affect your chances of succeeding in business,but they aren't required for success. The whole idea is that you can get anything you want. It may be incredibly hard and it may be easier for other people but it is still attainable for everyone. Whatever makes you happy is in your reach. 

2. What is your definition of wealth?

To me wealth is strictly monetary possessions but I feel like this question is asking about a more holistic view of "wealth". This holistic view  takes into account family, friends, happiness and generally feeling like you lead a full life. To me that is not having wealth, that is having a good life or a full life or something like that, but not a wealthy life.  Ultimately, Wealth is the sum total in dollars of everything you own to an unbiased person (meaning that you may value your grandmothers ring much more than it is actually worth because of the added sentimental value it has and that should not be taken into account).

3. What are Americans’ attitudes toward wealth and poverty?

First, american's attitude to wealth. To me, Americans see wealth as one of the most important things. Rich people are idolized and the power of the dollar is drilled into our heads from birth. I think that this attitude is linked closely to materialism. We see ourselves only as important as the things we own. As if having a brand new iPhone or car makes you a better and more likable person.  I don't really know why this is such a prevalent idea in America and really the world in general. It could be because most people are now well fed and own land we have to find new things that are exclusive. New ways for the elite to make themselves look better than us. 

Now, poverty. Poverty is obviously looked down upon by most people. If you're visibly  poor, like homeless poor, people on the streets and shop owners probably aren't going to like you. I think this is because the people on the street see that you are a person just like them and that scares them. You being homeless makes them realize that there is nothing keeping them from being right there with you if they get fired. This constant warning is not a pleasant one and so the homeless are shunning. Homeless people looking and smelling bad and having nothing to lose and therefore being more likely to mug someone probably doesn't help the normal people  to homeless people relationship. 

4. What is your attitude toward wealth and poverty?

Money is important to me but I don't think it is above everything for me. I don't want to be poor and not be able to do things that I want to because I don't have the money to do it(Who would want that?), but I would not sacrifice my happiness for money. I think that my driving force in what I want to do with my life is that I want to have a job that is hard. I want to be challenged and doing things that aren't easy. Money is normally a good gauge of the difficulty of the job (Teaching of course being an exception :P) and so money is what I want in my life but not because I want to be rich. Being rich isn't the driving factor in my decisions but it sure would be a cool side effect. Money isn't valuable to me because of what it can do, it is valuable because I was able to earn it. 

This all relates to the text were looking at because Gatsby lives a life of luxury and doesn't really seem to care about money and that was the goal of the times.

 #1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
Analysis: Uneasy creates a mysterious and tense mood, transformed sounds very magical and insect sounds much more vile than the word bug, syntax makes the sentence feel like its building up to the end, "as" makes it sound like you are listening to a live broad cast of what is happening which makes you feel closer to the action

#2:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.
Analysis: uneasy has the same effect as before but in this one giant bug sounds very child like and comical which adds to the idea of absurdity, 

#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.

Analysis: troubled creates more worry for gregor than the mystery uneasy creates, enormous has a more serious and sinister tone but bug still conveys they same playful immaturity, the use of when makes the actions sound very removed- i'm not sure of the effect here? 

#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.

Analysis: awakening makes gregor sound important like waking up is a ceremony, agitated makes gregor appear angry where as in the other the adjective choices doesn't really reflect on gregor, monstrous vermin is very important because vermin is much more open to interpretation than insect or bug and monstrous makes me thing of Frankenstein, round about syntax builds suspense 

How does the word choice and imagery shift in each affect meaning? Is one more effective than another? Why? 

The fourth translation is the one I like the most. I don't think we can say which is the most effective without knowing they character. The fourth translation does a good job of building suspense, keeping a serious tone, and describing what gregor transforms into. First, I will look at syntax. The fourth sentence is split into many different phrase which makes the reader curious by slowing down the pace. Two and Three are just a long sentence with no breaks which doesn't add much. The first translation has an introductory phrase which does slow the pace down but not as much as the fourth translation. The next important piece of style is the adjective used to describe the dream. Uneasy is used in 1 and 2 and is there way of created curiosity instead of syntax. Troubled makes gregor seem like a victim and the reader feels bad for him instead of scared like the fourth. In the fourth, agitated is used and it creates a feeling of danger. It couples with the curiosity created by the syntax to make a very tense and anxious mood. The final important part of style is describing the create gregor becomes. The first uses gigantic insect which is a powerful choice. Insect creates a really vile image. The second and third are basically the same. Bug is a bad choice. It creates a childish feeling and makes the monster hes become feel cute and cuddly. The final description is monstrous vermin. This is another very power description. Monstrous is used to describe his size but it also implies a vile and disgusting side. Vermin is another powerful word. Bug and insect are both relatively clear in their descriptions but vermin could be anything from a rat to a wasp. Also vermin are normally a danger to society and are persecuted. Ultimately, the fourth translation is the most effective at creating a disgusting image that the reader takes seriously.

What does this exercise bring up about the difficulty of reading translated texts? How do different translations effect the tone of the sentence? 

It shows how you aren't reading the original novel, you are reading the translators interpretation of the novel. Also if a sentence has a very dark tone that can be communicated in many different ways. If the original text used pace to convey that, the translation might use diction or a metaphor which is once again the translators interpretation of the novel. The interpreter may not even be aware that they are doing this. Someones when I read a text I cant put my finger one what is affecting me but something about the text creates a certain feeling. This concept can be seen in these translations as I discussed above briefly.

IOC:
It said my video was too big so I emailed the video.

Grading:

Crit A: 5 I think I had insightful things but I had a hard time coming up with style to back it up. Mainly i had plot things backing me up.

Crit B: 4 Basicaly the same as what i said for A. I had some style things but mainly it was about plot.

Crit C:3 I had a few times where i added in things that i had forgot to mention or just that i didn't think ahead so my categories didn't really fit what i was doing.

Crit D: 2.5 I had a lot of times where I forgot what words were,  I called stylistic features stuff the author does, and I think that i was to casual overall.

   

The first cover looks like a girl sitting in a forbidden garden. Because of the haze and the way she is covered by the plants gives the illusion that she is hiding from something. It has a peaceful tone.

The second cover has a blurry women on the front. This could be because of the way the story is told. First person narration is used and often times Kathy says that shes not quite sure about what she is saying. This could be an image from Kathy's memory and that is why it is so blurry. It has a happy tone because of the warm colors.

The third cover remind me of viking burials where they put the corpse in a boat and floated them off into the ocean. It has a very dark tone because of the haze and how the background is an ominous looking black skyline. The large amount of cloudy sky also attributes to the tone.

The fourth cover is very dark and references the donation of organs through the use of a human body made of thin black lines.  Also, the outside of the body is made of barbed wire showing how their bodies are really just containers for there organs nothing more.

The Bottom Two Covers:

1. The left one makes me think of death and pollution. Everything looks very dark and menacing, almost like it is set in a word that is falling apart. The right one makes me think of prison. Their bodies being a prison for their organs and Hailsham being a prison to the kids.
2. The left cover before reading would make me think of some sort of viking romance novel. After reading It could be a picture of the pond at hailsham. The right one before reading would make me think its a book about an insane asylum where they do strange medical experiments on their patients. After reading it is clearly referencing the fact that these kids are only born to have their organs harvested.
3. The right one is from the viewpoint of the guardians. It cant be from the kids because they seem to be perfectly happy to give up their organs. This would be from a guardian like Mrs. Lucy. She understand that their organs are the only thing about them that is valued and she doesn't like it so the cover is very dark. The left on could be a kid that is about to complete looking back on how hailsham was and realizing that they were just being grown for their organs which would cause the dark mood depicted.
4. The left cover is pretty vague and doesn't have much to offer culture wise. The right cover however shows the importance of vital organs. It shows all the organs that can be transplanted and there for the only ones that are off value in the society. It also shows how they treat the children through the use of the barbed wire. 
5. Both covers cater to a audience that enjoy a darker type of entertainment. Neither cover looks to be happy or joyful like the ones about. They are likely to be a distopic novel simply because of the amount of dark colors.

freebie

Both of them are portrayed as very defensive characters.  This can be seen in these two quotes. The first is when Dr. Jekyll is questioned about his will and says “This is a matter I thought we had agreed to drop." Another example of this is this quote: "He never told you," cried Mr. Hyde, with a flush of anger. "I did not think you would have lied." Jekyll is a much more reserved anger but still is very defensive. Mr. Hyde has a much more passionate anger. He yells and is described as being flushed with anger. Earlier in the passage Hyde is described as taking a “hissing intake of breathe” and he hesitates after a few questions. Hyde seems to be reserved and bitter. Jekyll on the other hand seems to be more of a quiet and kind man. He is described as a smooth faced man with a warm kindness. Jekyll is a more vocal than Hyde but Jekyll seems very reserved. Everything he says seems to be to the point and direct. “My will? Yes, certainly, I know that,” Both men have the same traits they are just portrayed negatively in Hyde’s case and positively in Jekyll’s case.

The way people treat both Characters is different as well. Hyde is spoken to as a child would be spoken to. Mr. Utterson treats him like an inferior. While Jekyll is a respected member of society that the other characters seek out and enjoy talking to.

Poem:
The main idea of this poem was the duel identity of Jekyll and Hyde. Kate and i looked at how they acted and how other perceived them. I wrote Hyde. 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AlIL2hhftcpyYAXzRsf8IPz8E9bR1klBDEiNC8mdne0/edit