"Thinking Outside the Box"

When I first read "No Exit" by Sartre, I actually thought it was pretty different than the "Allegory of the Cave" by Plato. One was about prisoners chained up in a cave, and the other was about three strangers in a room meant to be hell. However, as I looked into it more, I saw similarities. They both had to do with the human mind and thoughts, and how we perceive things. In Plato's "Allegory of the Cave", it contrasts what we believe is true..to what is actually reality. It gives the idea that everything we see and think is reality is just an imperfect reflection of something bigger. In Sartre's "No Exit", it basically showed that people create their own hell, either in their mind or because of other people. All three of the people were waiting to be tortured...they didnt realize that they were already in the midst of it. They began to wonder if this situation was random, or if everything was planned out to lead all three of them to that very moment. In that room they had to "live without eyelids" or in other words they couldnt blink and get a temporary break. They were stuck there forever without rest or freedom from one another.
When Garcin was asking the valet if it was daytime outside, he acted like the concept of outside didn't exist to him. All he knew were the rooms and passages inside those walls. This reminded me of the "Allegory of the cave". One of the prisoners knew of something bigger. Something beyond what everyone else could see, but people are so closed minded that they arent willing to consider the idea that there could be something more. Garcin had the chance to leave when the door opened but he didnt do it. This relates to the prisoners not wanting to go out of the cave into the light. People are scared of the unknown. This reminded me of what Inez had said earlier. -"there was some point in being afraid before, while one still had hope." The three people didnt know what was going on, but they knew they were there to be tortured. It seems like they already would have lost hope...so what did they really have to be afraid of?...

Ap Lit Term

A Cliche is a phrase or situation that is overused in society. It originated from the french. A cliche is not just something a lot of people say, but it also conveys some sort of idea or message. If you think about it a cliche is basically a metaphor characterized by its overuse. Cliches are often used for a comical effect. Some examples of cliches are "I'm not made of money."- implying that that person does not have very much money... or "It is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all."..or "whatever happens, happens."... 
For a long time whenever I would say anything, people would reply with- "That's what she said."  At first it was funny, but then it just became too repetative.

Literature Analysis #3: Lord of The Flies

Lord of The Flies shows the major struggle between your civilized morals, and how far someone is willing to go to survive. In the midst of a war, a plane full of young boys was shot down and crashed on an island. In the beginning the young boys are overjoyed with the feelings of independence and freedom. Two of the boys, who were about twelve years old, named Ralph and Piggy were together and decided to use a conch shell to call anyone else on the island over to them. They picked a leader, assigned jobs, and appeared to be efficient. After exploring the island, they felt like they had discovered their own land. That feeling soon fades to fear. The struggles of hunting, keeping up a fire, and surviving on their own set in. When they don't have food and the fire went out right as a ship was passing, they start to blame each other. A fear of a monster starts to spread and soon enough all the boys are paranoid. They start turning on each other, and trying to kill each other. Before everyone dies.. they are rescued by a British naval officer.

A major theme is the loss of innocence. In the beginning all these boys were carefree. They didn't really worry about their situation. They would go swimming all day, explore the island, and play games. As time went on they soon had to grow up and start thinking about their situation which was literally life or death. As the struggles of surviving started setting in, their insoucient lifestyle was traded in for fear, betrayal, and paranoia.

William Golding's tone was very dark. When he would describe the boys it was very violent and chaotic. The details he used when describing the death of animals gave it a creepy feel almost. The way Golding writes definatley adds to the suspense. The way he describes things makes it seem like something bad is always gonna happen.
"Within the irregular arc of coral the lagoon was still as a mountain lake-blue of all shades and shadowy green and purple."

Literary techniques:

*Imagery- imagery was really important in this book because it helps you to really grasp the concept of 6-12 year old boys on an island killing each other.
"Then he leapt back on the terrace, pulled off his shirt, and stood there among the skull-like coconuts with green shadows from the palms and the forest sliding over his skin."-pg 10

*Metaphor-  "The beach between the palm terrace and the water was a thin stick.
The island in itself is a metaphor to hell. Also the pig head on a spear that the boys began to worship and refer to as "lord of the flies" because of all the flies that swarmed around it was pretty creepy...

*Foreshadowing- "Beyond the platform there was more enchantment. Some act of God- a typhoon perhaps, or the storm that had accompanied his own arrival-"

*Symbolism- A huge symbol in the book was the pink conch shell. It symbolized community, it was the one thing that brought them all together in the beginning and created a sense of civilization. When the conch shell was broken that showed that any sense of community and civilization was gone. The one thing that brought them together was been destroyed.
"The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist." pg. 181

*Characterization- The character of Piggy was described as a fat, twelve year old boy, who wore thick glasses. His real name was never mentioned which adds the book's sense of mystery and darkness.
"He was shorter than the fair boy and very fat... looked up through thick spectacles."

"Allegory of the Cave"

    The "Allegory of the Cave" by Plato represents an extended metaphor that contrasts what we believe to what is reality. Everything we percieve is an imperfect "reflection" of the ultimate form. An allegory in itself is a symbolic story. You can infer by the title alone that the cave is going to hold some kind of representation of something else. Throughout the story Plato helps us understand the significance of the cave through figurative language, imagery, and symbolism.

     The "Allegory of the Cave" mirrors the philosophers journey. Socrates felt like he was seeing the bigger picture in the world, and when he tried to go out and tell people they killed him. The freed prisoner from the cave is a direct relation to Socrates life as a philosopher. In the cave the prisoners were wearing shackles. They saw only the shadows of workers on the back of the cave wall caused by a burning fire, and they thought that was all there was. They didn't know that the shadows were a mere reflection of something else. When one of the prisoners got free, he discovered that there was an entire world out there that he never knew. He saw the light and the sun for the first time. When he tried to go back and tell the other prisoners, they resisited. They did not want to believe that everything they saw and knew was a simple reflection of something bigger.

     This relates to our society today in so many ways. Sometimes I feel like we are shackled by ignorance. Learning is interactive and instead of shutting out new information we should embrace it, not let it hold us back. What if we came from a perfect world, and what we see in front of us is just a reflection of that. It would explain why we get glimpses of perfection at times. What we believe might not be reality. We never learn anything "new".. we simply rediscover what was already there. By not exploring the possiblity of these new ideas, we are acting just like the prisoners who stayed in the cave. The world we see in front of us is the "world of senses", which could also be looked at as the inside of the cave. The "world of ideas" is the outside of the cave. It's the perfect world where everything originated and everything exists. Sometimes we get glimpses of the world of ideas because we are by nature always trying to reach or get back to that place. Just like how an artist can have an idea in his head, but after he paints it, it doesn't turn out right. To someone else it might look perfect, but unless you're that artist you won't see the idea that could have been.

    

"The Big Question"

The topic I finally decided to choose was emotion. As humans we have such a wide range of emotions. Why are some people more emotional and sensitive than others? How can actors drastically change their portrayal of emotions within seconds? Certain memories might bring back those same emotions..or your emotions could change over time?
Are there qualities or skills that enable people to remember change or cope with their emotions more effectively than others?

Hamlet Essay Revision

     J.L. Austin's theory of performativity explains how certain language does not merely describe action, but it acts in being spoken. Performative Utterances have a big impact on Shakespeare's play Hamlet. It adds a level of suspense and also gives insight to the characters. Hamlet appears to be very indecisive and unsure for the majority of the play.  When Hamlet is talking to the ghost of his dead father, he realizes that his father was murdered and promises to get revenge. By promising revenge Hamlet has made a fact in the world through his words. You can also infer that his words will be followed by actions. Using Austin's theory of Performativity, we are able to see another side of Hamlet completely; his thought life.
     When reading "The Performative Utterance in William Shakespeare's Hamlet" by Fredrik deBoer, I disagreed with some of the points he made. He said Hamlet was "unable to move that duty from the mental to the real." I don't think Hamlet couldn't act, I just thought he was being cautious. There is no doubt that his motive throughout the entire play was to kill Claudius. It might have seemed like Hamlet was hesitating but I viewed it as, 'why do something if you don't do it right?' I don't think Hamlet was all talk and no action. He seemed completely capable of killing Claudius. We see with Polonius, if Hamlet was given the right opportunity he would not hesitate to kill!
     Hamlet has a lot of power in his words. An example of this is his faked madness. Hamlet created a situation where he was able to persuade and convince the people around him because they thought he was crazy. Hamlet's speeches relate to Harold Bloom's idea of "self overhearing". It allows us to gain an understanding of Hamlet's inner most thoughts. We see how Hamlet reflects on the past and how that can affect the future, which is one way to describe learning. By memorizing Hamlet's "to be or not to be" soliloquy, I was able to gain a better understanding of Hamlet's current state of mind and the play in general. It showed me how much depth Hamlet actually had and made me look at his character in a different way.
     In relation to the "self overhearing", I think when you take the time  to reflect on your past experiences, you create a memory. You remember how you felt in that situation and almost automatically create a sense of expectation for the future. An example of this that comes to mind is a first date. I know girls that remember practically every detail and are already planning the future relationship in no time. When in reality the couple might break up within a few months. The real world results is the outcome you get after mistakes and unexpected experiences come into play.
     The fact of telling yourself something creates not only an expectation but a fact. Which makes me wonder, do you think and achieve differently because of what you told yourself? I think you do because your giving yourself a standard. Your creating a goal and that becomes your main focus and driving force. Just like in Hamlet, his main goal throughout the whole story was getting revenge on Claudius. It was the driving force and it all stems back to that promise he made to his father's ghost. By Hamlet setting a goal for himself, it kept him more on track and focused.

Hamlet vs. Beowulf

   The use of language plays a huge role in Shakespeare's play Hamlet, because the language ties in directly with the thoughts of the characters. Not only do we as the audience get to see how they spoke to one another, but we were also given the chance to see how they spoke to themselves.  Through Harold Bloom's concept of "self overhearing", we were given insight to Hamlet's innermost thoughts and struggles. When Hamlet promised himself that he would get revenge for his father's death, he not only created an expectation but he created a fact in the world. Hamlet has a lot of power in his words and thoughts.
   Sometimes it appears that his thoughts get in the way for Hamlet. He over analyzes everything and becomes so indecisive that he ends up making irrational decisions that come back to hurt him. An example of this is when Hamlet doesn't kill Claudius when he has the chance because he is praying. He goes back and forth wondering if it is a worthy revenge and if he will go to heaven. He ends up not doing anything at that moment, which later leads Hamlet to kill Polonius by accident on a whim. Another example of how language has a huge affect on Hamlet is when he faked his madness. The language Shakespeare used showed Hamlet's diverse character and how he could use his words to manipulate people for his own benefit.
   Hamlet's use of language makes him very different from epic heros such as Beowulf. The writing style in Beowulf was almost predictable to me, whereas in Hamlet the uses of irony and plot twists keeps us guessing until the end. Hamlet was somewhat of a mystery and harder to figure out. He seemed to change his mind a lot and different layers of his thought process were revealed as the play progressed. When I first read Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy, I viewed him as someone who couldn't make up their mind. Someone who was debating suicide and whether living with the struggles he had was better or worse than facing what was after death. -"To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death; And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?"
Later, I realized that Hamlet had already planned the play to test Claudius's reaction. He might have been thinking about suicide but he wasn't really considering it. This showed me Hamlet's level of intelligence and how cautious and wise he was with his decisions.
   Hamlet's life was mainly driven by his conscience and morals. He relied on his faith as a guide for many things. When he was sent to England and saw those men in war dying, Hamlet reconsidered his motivation. He was killing Claudius for a noble cause in his mind. He needed to get revenge and Claudius deserved death. Hamlet was willing to die if he achieved what he felt like he owed to his father. This was different from Beowulf because his motivation was honor and fame. Beowulf was inspired by the challenge of killing Grendel, where Hamlet was never really given an option, it was more of a requirement.
   In a way Hamlet and Beowulf are similar. They both represent qualities of bravery, independence, and loyalty but in different ways. By the language used we can see that Hamlet over thinks a lot of his actions. Beowulf acts a lot faster. He knows what he needs to do and he doesn't hesitate. People could argue that Beowulf was an honest man but Hamlet wasn't. I can understand this perspective because Hamlet did decieve a lot of people and make them believe he was crazy. Beowulf was very simple and clear in his speaking. It was obvious to everyone that he wanted fame and recognition for his accomplishments, but he did a lot of great deeds. Beowulf was easy to figure out because when he spoke it didn't require too much analyzing. It was pretty obvious where he stood, which made Hamlet more complicated to read but also more interesting in my opinion.

"Major Concept"

This video totally reminded me of our English class. It just goes to show that technology is becoming a huge part of learning and it makes class time more efficient.


I feel like I have learned so much in this class in such a short period of time. Whether it be deciphering old English literature, memorizing "To be or not to be", or analyzing the growth of technology. One thing that really stood out to me was the quote "Doing it yourself is an opportunity not an obstacle", from our live chat with Roy Christopher. This class challenges me to reach my full potential. There is a lot more independent work that allows you to grow on your own, while still being held accountable. I feel like this quote can relate to many things but one major concept I have learned in this class are the pros and cons of technology. The whole "program or be programmed" thing got me thinking. We are responsible for our own knowledge when it comes to the growth in technology. No one is going to force us to stay updated, but we can't change the fact that technology is becoming more prevalent. People are so concerned that technology is ruining our society when really it is allowing us the opportunity to improve. I feel like people become scared of technology when they don't understand it. Our generation is the future of technology, which is why getting the chance to learn about it now is an opportunity.. not an obstacle.

Notes: Live Chat with Roy Christopher

Q: How did Roy get involved in the internet?
A: His friend started doing web design. He got more involved in the culture and experience of it because he began writing in a magazine. The first thing Roy said to himself was "I don't want to get involved in this whole internet thing.." (I thought that was funny) After a while he just got sucked into it.

Q: Balancing the internet?
A: It wasn't much of a struggle it was just natural for the most part. It became a struggle when Roy was trying to get something done and email, facebook, and twitter become distractions.

*Roy was surprised by the late response to his book. It's becoming more popular now that social media is picking up, but it took four years to catch on.

*Roy doesn't study social media.

- "A fish knows nothing of water"

• We live in this web culture
• Advent Horizon - tv already there when we were born
• Technology breaks up generations (tv, computer, smart phones)

-We have become aware of our "water"

*Medium is no longer message?
-medium and message are always connected
-medium is always important/ can't get passed mobile technology

Q: How can we train ourselves to protect and participate in the networks?

• "Program or be programed"
• ex. -Managing weight or your lawn.. some will, some won't.
• Using a computer use to be programing a computer
• learning the back end of what your using is not always necessary but the better you know how things work the better you can reach digital machurity.

Q: What do you see happening in the future? 5-10 yrs?
A: Finish his book by next summer. He has another book on the way. Finish school and find a job (consulting, speaking, writing).

*Roy doesn't even have a smart phone
-Doesn't have the money to pay for that kind of plan
-Wants to come home and be able to check his email

*Sometimes we want to look at a screen that isn't always in our pocket.

Challenges-
-born into certain technology.. have to learn it
  
-Generational Pinch

• Oppertunity for younger kids to teach their parents.

-"Trust the youth with this stuff"

• Don't worry about it. Everyone else grew up fine with the new technology they had.

*What is our online identity?
- Paper for English Vs. Email for friend (it is a different language)

Q: Do you think we should be embarrissed by our behavior with technology?
A: The older generations need to put a little more faith in us. Trust taht we understand it.

-Multitasking with digital media?

• I multitask a lot! I can be txting five different people while I am having a conversation with my mom.. (my mother's not usually too happy about it)
• This generation is big on multitasking but I see how it can be a negative thing. I have tried to do homework while on facebook and txting peope and it just doesn't work. I get distracted and lose concentration.

Q: If we are digital natives now, what will happen in ten years? Digital tourists?
A: Ray said: Digital is constantly evolving. It is up to us if we want to stay updated. We might even create the next big thing.

Q: Ted asked: How do students like how you put digital technology into the class?
A: It is a good way to develope new tools for society and it helps us stay up to date and we are able to contribute at a different level.
-Being able to post directly to the blog is convenient for me because it feels like the class is always available. We can continue discussions outside of class and we don't have to wait for the next day if we have questions about something.

Q: Do we like technology?
A: I agree with Nicole Montoya that technology can become a distraction because I go online to do my homework for the blog and somehow I end up on Facebook checking my notifications. So I think there are pros and cons to it.

Q: Are we starting to see ourselves as life long learners?
-I feel like media is always changing and it can be hard to keep up with, so I do see ourselves as life long learners in a way.

-Future?
-I see the future as being super technologically based.
-Because of the economy it's harder and more competitive to get into college.. more online classes.

-"Doing it yourself is an oppertunity not an obstacle"

• Everything your doing.. you are creating

* We get to choose what technology we want to use. We don't have to adopt new technology and stay updated if we don't want to.

*The only difference between spectating and participating is how we conceive our roles.
-We're not on the side lines we are in the game.

* This English class is faster paced, more advanced, and has less busy work.
-It is real world learning.
-It is a more mature environment.
-We are all here because we chose to be.