Self-Reflection December 8, 2008
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Reflection
I chose to revise this essay for a few reasons: 1) it was the essay that I got the lowest grade on. I feel that the revision was worth more to me personally because it was the one that I did the worst one; 2) it was one of my favorite topics since I like to analyze personal experiences; 3) the essay that I got my highest grade on related to this essay. Overall, I figured that I would be able to take the main idea of my fourth essay, which was a success, and use it to revamp an essay that seemed week in retrospect. I believe that, from this writing, I have achieved a better understanding of how my past experiences have shaped me as a person and a better understanding of the process of reading. In doing so, I feel as if I have an improved knowledge of myself as a writer which will help me in my future writing endeavors. On the whole, my progress this semester can be seen mostly in the organization and explanation of the main points of my papers. My weakness has always been, and remains to be, my introductions and my conclusions. I think that my main problem is that I introduce and conclude using mostly generalities. Contrarily, I should work on proclaiming my points in a more specific and straight-forward manner. That is the main thing on my to-do list. I have enjoyed this course and the topics that we covered in this course. The main topics were very different from any other conventional English class and it was nice to get a break from reading and analyzing the same old way. The paperless part of the class was another thing that I enjoyed; again, it made the course diverge from the norm.
Final Writing Project December 7, 2008
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Devotion of Emotion
Reading and writing have undoubtedly come to possess some type of significance in most people’s lives. It is obvious that each individual has his own reasons for his feelings towards reading and writing. Reading has a strong influence on the development of knowledge, and both writing and reading are heavily connected with emotion. Obviously, my views are a product of my experiences.
Regardless of my interest in reading, and the joy I get from it, my reading career is not very robust. I was never truly forced to read as a child by my parents, and as a result, I read slower than most people probably do. The only required reading I had was from school, which I sometimes neglected, as many children seemed to do. It took me a long time to figure out that reading could be enjoyable. Imagination was scarce in my mind as I preferred to watch a movie rather than look at words on a page. It wasn’t until I read Native Son by Richard A. Wright in high school that I realized that books could actually be enjoyable enough to substitute for the option of watching T.V. Before reading Native Son, any form of literature was just considered homework, according to my mentality. Wright’s novel was probably one of the first novels that I allowed into my creative, imaginative mind. I actually conjured up my own movie in my head, which was a spectacular experience. I guess I never really found time to read for pleasure, being so busy with other homework and assorted sports. When I finally did find the time to read, it was wonderful. In retrospect, it was not just the plot that propelled my enjoyment; it was the state of mind that I was in. The novel pulled me into its alternate cosmos. It’s a shame that I was somehow sheltered from the world of literature for so long. Now, whenever I browse a book store, I can’t stop myself from finding at least a handful of books I would like to take home with me.
The aforementioned ‘reading state’ is one of the major benefits of reading, and author Sven Birkerts agrees. In his book, The Gutenberg Elegies, he asserts that although people instinctively read for the plot of a story, “the relative outer tranquility of reading belies the magnitude of the internal transition” (80). In other words, reading can put one’s mind in a state that is theoretically similar to meditation. The literature, materially, just serves as a means of transportation from reality to the mysterious realm of a book. The process of reaching the ‘reading state’ begins with plot and steadily transitions from there. Birkerts even admits, “If anything has changed about my reading over the years, it is that I value the state a book puts me in more that I value the specific contents” (84). He goes on to clarify that when he finishes a book, he has difficulty recalling the details and can only remember the mood and feelings he occupied while reading it. Personally, I have found this to hold true for myself as well. I enjoy reading, but have a hard time focusing on specifics and recalling details as soon as I close a book. To continue my personal example with Wright’s Native Son, it was one of my first positive experiences with reading. I was able to connect with the book on a level that took my deeper, mentally, than the plot. Before this experience it seemed senseless to read a book more than once because, in my mind, it took too long to read in the first place. Now, however, it makes sense that if you enjoy the state of mind you are in while reading a certain piece then you would want to revisit that experience. Furthermore, if you read a book purposefully to arrive at the ‘reading state’ the first time, then it is likely that you won’t remember much of the plot the second time around anyway.
As I see it, another great thing that one can gain from reading is knowledge. Regardless of what it is that you are reading there is something productive or positive that can be taken from it. Soon after I discovered the pleasure I could obtain from reading, I began to delve into the world of ‘self-help literature’ or ‘wisdom literature.’ I find it interesting that there are people who write about their successes and how they came to form a successful self. Examples are Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and, my favorite, Pat Croce’s I Feel Great and You Will Too! Also, there are certain parts of Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography that could be considered a ‘self-help literature’ format. Nonetheless, I became increasingly enticed as I read. The point of these types of books is generally to discuss lifestyles and convince their readers to follow their concepts. At any rate, these books are a perfect example of the knowledge gained from reading because of the information that they encompass. Anything you could want to know is in text and in a book store somewhere; I guarantee it.
Although I have become an enthusiast of this certain style of literature, I realize that it is not the only source of knowledge in the form of literature. Even fiction and nonfiction stories have their own way of teaching you something. It will probably require the use of some literary devices in doing so, but indeed, there is knowledge to be gained from it. The themes of stories teach the reader something. However, there is still knowledge to be gained from books even without the deep meaning. For example, books that I have read like The Scarlet Letter, A Streetcar Named Desire, and even The Crucible demonstrate the difference between definitive time periods in history. There are deeper purposes to these writings, sure; but pretend that you read these works and did not pick up on a single theme, motif, or symbol. Even then, as long as you consciously read the pieces, you would still be able to understand the differences in the culture from then to now as each of these stories takes place in a “non-present” time period. In other words, even if you miss the big picture, you can still gain some type of knowledge from a book. So, regardless of what genre you’re reading, it seems that the material can give you something which can contribute to your wisdom in one way or another.
However, before the reader can be able to seize knowledge from the context of a book, he must be willing to commit his emotions to the reading. Reading without emotion means that you are one hundred percent indifferent towards the text you are reading. Emotion is subconsciously submitted to reading by any attachment or interest that the reader might have to a piece of literature. Therefore, it is what gives the reader a further connection with the text, especially when the text doesn’t directly relate to the reader’s life. This, once again, can relate back to my experience with Native Son in that a reader can never reach the ‘reading state’ without a commitment of emotion. A reader has to be able to allow the book to manipulate his emotions. For another example, in middle school, my English class read the book Children of the River. As soon as the class read the description on the back cover, the sighs started to linger about the room. We all assumed the book to be boring and disapproved of it. Why? This reaction was caused by a lack of interest in the book due to the nature of its contents. Being a story of a girl from Cambodia, the summary made us think that none of us could be able to relate to the main character due to a shortage of common experiences. We just couldn’t understand her opinions. However, we were able to find a different way to get into the book: we felt bad for her. Yes, it was a little bit immature, but in middle school, that was our solution to the problem. We felt bad for the main character because she had to grow up in a different society and live in a world that seemed practically opposite from the one we all knew. The fact of the matter is that we became emotionally involved in the reading. We now had found some aspect of the story that we wanted to learn more about, and that kept us reading. In the end it helped us to gain some sort of perspective from the book.
Keep in mind that writing also comes from emotion; probably more so than reading does. I would venture to say that all writing comes from emotion. Anyone who took the time to put some of his thoughts on paper, obviously felt some sort of emotion behind his writing which made him feel like it was worthy of composing into literature. No one would ever publish something that they didn’t support and feel strongly about. What’s more is that stories and other story-like literature generally have some type of moral, lesson, or theme within them. This means that the author felt that they had something they had to share with others. Again, you would never share something with the world unless you felt strongly about it or had some emotion behind it.
Personally, my emotional writing inspiration came during my senior year of high school. I was taking a class called “Creative Writing and Journalism” which was responsible for the school newspaper and the school literary magazine among other responsibilities. In any event, part of the creative writing section of the class included poetry. English classes usually study poetry, but in this class I was able to write poetry for the first time. I excelled at that part of the class. Since then, I have come to realize why I enjoy poetry so much: honesty. It is the one thing that allows me to openly say whatever thoughts might creep up into my head and eventually become masked underneath lines of poetry. Poetry is like my own code; I can freely express myself, and yet only I know the meaning that is disguised behind the verses that I write. I enjoy it so much, it gives me chills and gets my adrenaline flowing. I found it extremely rewarding because it gave me a place to deposit and express all of my emotions.
Reading and writing serve different purposes in different people’s lives. Whatever the significance might be, it is shaped by each person’s individual experiences involving reading and writing. Although it took me some time to realize it, reading is a magnificent source of knowledge. All types of reading and writing are activities that both require a devotion of emotion. Dedicating emotion to reading allows you to connect the reading to your life. Also, based on my experiences, writing is a proficient way to express one’s self. Emotion is connected with literature on numerous levels. It seems to be a main concept that remains consistent regardless of what emotional correlation one might try to draw from his experiences.
Compost for Final Project December 1, 2008
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For my final writing project, I believe that I am going to use parts from my first and fourth essays. Mostly, the final project will consist of the first essay, but I plan using points from the fourth one to extend upon my thoughts. In the fourth essay, I talk about the ‘reading state’ that Birkerts refers to in GE. At the end of that essay, I found that I had experiences that were similar to the ones Birkerts had concering the actual activity of reading. We have similar views. I can use his opinions to back up the additional information I can put into the first essay. That will easily be able to fit that into the autobiographical essay. I’m not really sure where else I can go with that… I will have to read both essays more thoroughly.
WAC Wiki Assignment December 1, 2008
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“I” before “E” except….
This is one of the most famous rules in the English language. It is a mnemonic device, which is usually just a special word or poem used to help with memory. In this case, the rule has been turned into a poem; and there are different versions of it. The British version is: “When the sound is ee / it’s i before e / except after c.” There is a longer American version: “i before e / except after c / or when sounding like ‘a’ / as in neighbor or weigh / their, weird and either, / foreign, seize and neither, / leisure, forfeit and height / are exceptions spelled right.” This version is more extensive and more explanatory but it is less likely that someone bother to memorize it all. Some people barely memorize as far as the “except after c” part. There is another shorter American version that also acknowledges the fact that there are so many exceptions in the English language: “i before e / except after c / but we live in a weird society.” It defies both parts of the rule; ‘weird’ has an ei in it and ‘society’ has an ie after c.
Some examples of words that follow the “I before E except after C” rule:
Friend
Receive
Relief
Shriek
Thief
Some examples of words that do not follow the “I before E except after C” rule:
Protein
Science
Neighbor
Weight
Beige
The problem with rules like this one is that they are too general. That is why they seem to have so many exceptions. Instead, we should focus on a more meaningful examination of when to use I’s and E’s. The rule mainly applies when the “ee” sound is made like in the words priest, achieve, and piece. The “ay” sound (as in the word day) is likely to be made with a spelling of ei. Examples of this are eight, weight, and heir. An ei spelling is also likely with the sounds “i” and the long “i” as they sound in the words fit and eye, respectively. Examples of these two sounds are forfeit, sovereign, and height.
The deeper problem has to do with the English language as a whole. There are too many rules and too many exceptions to counter those rules. The “I before E” rule is a perfect example of that.
Sources:
Wikipedia
Blurtit.com
Writing Project #4 draft 3 (final draft) November 21, 2008
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Not Lost in the Patchwork
The age of technology is always thriving on innovation and change, and that includes change in the field of literature. As Sven Birkerts puts it, referring to the literature of the past, “that was then, and electronic communication is now” (119). Shelley Jackson attempts to prove that electronic communication can work when it is applied to literature with Patchwork Girl. But does she convince her readers that this format of “now” has all the same benefits of reading as a good old fashion book in print? Patchwork Girl’s failure might not have been due solely the fact that Jackson’s work was electronic. This piece of work is, in essence, a novel of hypertext. In fact, that is probably the main reason: the maze-like interface of the novel. When its CD is run on a computer the reader initially only sees a picture of, literally, what is supposed to be or at least represent Patchwork Girl. From there, the reader is left helpless to discover the secrets to navigating the text. With a few clicks, a box of text will eventually pop up. These text boxes are never very extensive in the amount of information they provide and linking from one to the other in a meaningful order is challenging, often resulting in frustrated audiences. They are used to simply opening a book and obtaining the necessary plot contents. As a result, they do not want to have to put forth an effort in order to get contents of a story. Consequently, Jackson’s Patchwork Girl fails to provide the same qualities of enjoyment that readers can get from reading in print.
One of the benefits that readers can get from reading is the sense of temporarily losing track of reality and escaping into another place; when they put down a book, they feel as if they have just returned from a completely different world. It is as if the author becomes a god and has created all of the aspects of this unknown, mysterious realm. This a positive experience for readers because not only does it provide an escape from reality, but it could enable to reader to understand the book better and feel more connected to it. Patchwork Girl simply does not have the ability to do this for its readers because of its patchwork qualities. Each time the reader manages to find actual text to read, it might not be more than a few sentences. From there the search begins for some other piece of text that continues a related topic. Birkerts clarifies this fault in The Gutenberg Elegies, “The transition from the world we live in to the world of the book is complex and gradual” (81). It takes persistence on the part of the book in order for the reader to become engulfed in reading. Because Patchwork Girl is made up of bits and pieces of text, the reader never has a chance to simply get lost within the book’s realm (unless you consider the fact that the reader probably will get lost in the interface of the book). The reader needs time to let his/her mind sink into the novel.
Let us further investigate what Birkerts means when he talks about getting lost in a book. He attempts to explain himself, “For beyond the obvious instrumentality of the act, the immersing of the self in a text has certain fundamental metaphysical implications” (80). In other words, although people instinctively read for the plot of a story, “the relative outer tranquility of reading belies the magnitude of the internal transition” (80). Reading puts one’s mind in a state that is theoretically similar to meditation. The main reason why this state of reading can never be achieved through Patchwork Girl is because it is not a linear text. The context of the story does not flow from page to page in a format that allows the reader to interact with it in an almost subconscious state. With Jackson’s work, the reader must commit his or her full attentiveness in order to obtain some minimal direction to the plot. Before the reader can get lost in a novel, he needs to be able to identify with the plot. The process of reaching the ‘reading state’ begins with plot and steadily transitions from there. Metaphorically, Patchwork Girl does not provide the first rung on the ladder. The readers “want plot and character, sure, but what they really want is a vehicle that will bear them off to the reading state” (83). Once this state is reached, the interaction with the medium, a book, becomes second nature. The reader never has to think about turning the pages to continue his experience. On the contrary, with Patchwork Girl the medium is never left behind as the work continually obligates the readers’ concentration.
Birkerts even admits that, “If anything has changed about my reading over the years, it is that I value the state a book puts me in more that I value the specific contents” (84). He goes on to clarify that when he finishes a book, he has difficulty recalling the details and can only remember the mood and feelings he occupied while reading it. Personally, I have found this to hold true for myself as well. I enjoy reading, but have a hard time focusing on specifics and recalling details as soon as I close a book. Almost comically, it begins to make sense why reading is such a common bedtime activity. It is a source of mental relaxation. People do not read so they can go to bed and ponder the events of a thrilling plot. They simply read as a form of meditation. This meditation only stops when they no longer have the energy to hold the book in front of their faces; then they fall asleep. Patchwork Girl, being electronic and being a hypertext, purely does not provide a reader with all of the possible benefits that the classic form of reading does.
Writing Project #4 draft 2 November 20, 2008
Posted by mdrake2 in Uncategorized.add a comment
The age of technology is always thriving on innovation and change, and that includes change in the field of literature. As Sven Birkerts puts it, referring to the literature of the past, “that was then, and electronic communication is now” (119). Shelley Jackson attempts to prove that electronic communication can work when it is applied to literature with Patchwork Girl. This piece of work is, in essence, a novel of hypertext. But does she convince her readers that this format of “now” has all the same benefits of reading as a good old fashion book in print? It might not have been solely the fact that Jackson’s work was electronic. In fact, the main reason was probably the maze-like interface of the novel. Either way, Patchwork Girl fails to provide the same qualities of enjoyment that readers can get from reading in print.
One of the benefits that readers can get from reading is the sense that when they put down a book, they feel as if they have just returned from a completely different world. It is as if the author becomes a god and has created all of the aspects of this unknown, mysterious realm. This a positive experience for readers because not only does it provide an escape from reality, but it could enable to reader to better understand the book better and feel more connected to it. Patchwork Girl simply does not have the ability to do this for its readers because of its patchwork qualities. Each time the reader manages to find actual text to read, it might not be more than a few sentences. From there the search begins for some other piece of text that continues a related topic. Birkerts clarifies this fault in The Gutenberg Elegies, “The transition from the world we live in to the world of the book is complex and gradual” (81). It takes persistence on the part of the book in order for the reader to become engulfed in reading. Because Patchwork Girl is made up of bits and pieces of text, the reader never has a chance to simply get lost within the book’s realm (unless you consider the fact that the reader probably will get lost in the interface of the book).
Let us further investigate what Birkerts means when he talks about getting lost in a book. He attempts to explain himself, “For beyond the obvious instrumentality of the act, the immersing of the self in a text has certain fundamental metaphysical implications” (80). In other words, although people instinctively read for the plot of a story, “the relative outer tranquility of reading belies the magnitude of the internal transition” (80). Reading puts one’s mind in a state that is theoretically similar to meditation. The main reason why this state of reading can never be achieved through Patchwork Girl is because it is not a linear text. The context of the story does not flow from page to page in a format that allows the reader to interact with it in an almost subconscious state. With Jackson’s work, the reader must commit his or her full attentiveness in order to obtain some minimal direction to the plot. Before the reader can get lost in a novel, he needs to be able to identify with the plot. The process of reaching the reading state begins with plot and steadily transitions from there. Patchwork Girl does not provide the first rung on the ladder. The readers “want plot and character, sure, but what they really want is a vehicle that will bear them off to the reading state” (83). Once this state is reached, the interaction with the medium, a book, becomes second nature. The reader never has to think about turning the pages to continue his experience. On the contrary, with Patchwork Girl the medium is never left behind as the work continually obligates the readers’ concentration.
Birkerts even admits that, “If anything has changed about my reading over the years, it is that I value the state a book puts me in more that I value the specific contents” (84). He goes on to clarify that when he finishes a book, he has difficulty recalling the details and can only remember the mood and feelings he occupied while reading it. Personally, I have found this to hold true for myself as well. I enjoy reading, but have a hard time focusing on specifics and recalling details as soon as I close a book. All things considered, it begins to make sense why reading is such a common pre-bedtime activity. It is a source of mental relaxation. People do not read so they can go to bed and ponder the events of a thrilling plot. They simply read until they no longer have the energy to hold the book in front of their faces; then they fall asleep.
Writing Project #4 draft 1 November 17, 2008
Posted by mdrake2 in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
The age of technology is always thriving on innovation and change, and that includes change in the field of literature. As Sven Birkerts puts it, referring to the literature of the past, “that was then, and electronic communication is now” (119). Shelley Jackson attempts to prove that electronic communication can work when it is applied to literature with Patchwork Girl. This piece of work is, in essence, a novel of hypertext. But does she convince her readers that this format of “now” has all the same benefits of reading as a good old fashion book in print? It might not have been solely the fact that Jackson’s work was electronic, and in fact, the main reason was probably the maze-like interface of the novel; either way, Patchwork Girl fails to provide the same qualities of enjoyment that readers get from reading in print.
One of the benefits that readers can get from reading is the sense that when they put down a book, they feel as if they have just returned from a completely different world. It is as if the author becomes a god and has created all of the aspects of this unknown world. This a positive experience for readers because not only does it provide an escape from reality, but it could enable to reader to better understand the book better and feel more connected to it. Patchwork Girl simply does not have the ability to do this for its readers because of its patchwork qualities. Each time the reader manages to find actual text to read, it might not be more than a few sentences. From there the search begins for some other piece of text that continues a related topic. Sven Birkerts clarifies this fault in The Gutenberg Elegies, “The transition from the world we live in to the world of the book is complex and gradual.” It takes persistence on the part of the book in order for the reader to become engulfed in reading. Because Patchwork Girl is made up of bits and pieces of text, the reader never has a chance to simply get lost within the book’s realm (unless you consider the fact that the reader probably will get lost in the interface of the book).
Compost Writing Project 4 November 14, 2008
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I’m not sure if we are supposed to be focusing on the later readings, but I found something that I noted in one of my earlier blogs about Birkerts. I believe it mostly discussed in chapter four. I need to reread that section anyway if I’m going to write a paper about it. The section in GE that I am referring to is when he talks quite specifically about reading. He goes really in depth about it; the whole process, the resulting state of mind, and other effects it can have on a reader. Relating to Patchwork Girl, I can take one of two paths. At first I thought I could use this to help prove how Patchwork Girl is a distraction to itself and ultimately doesn’t provide its readers the benefits that Birkerts discusses. The format, layout, and interface of Patchwork Girl prevent it from presenting a meaningful and linear text with much meaning to a reader that is seeking the benefits Birkerts references. It will just frustrate the reader by taking these benefits away from him/her. The other path is the exact opposite. I could also use Patchwork Girl to prove Birkerts wrong. One of the benefits that he claims to get from reading is that he gets into a special mental state. He enjoys how he can get lost in a novel, maybe even more than the novel itself. The way Patchwork Girl is designed, the reader will never not get lost. Similarly, it provides a way for a reader to search through literature in search of meaning. Maybe the reader could enjoy that search more than the meaning. I obviously need to reread the section and decide which point of view I am going to take. I think either could be an effective paper.
Birkerts: GE November 7, 2008
Posted by mdrake2 in Sven Birkerts: The Gutenberg Elegies.add a comment
“Many educators say that our students are less and less capable to read, or analyze, or write with clarity or purpose. Who can blame the students? Everything they meet with in the world around them gives the signal: That was then, and electronic communications are now.” (page 119) I think that this is a very interesting concept. If we take a look at the stereotypical older person, there are many things that such a person would claim to appreciate much more than a younger person. This is most likely due to the differing experiences between different generations. The things that you grow up with, and the things that are introduced to you at a young age are more easy to connect with. Since books are steadily becoming a thing of the past (especially in the respect that they once were a source of the main leisure activity in society) it makes sense that students are decreasing in the activities that area associated with the fading printed page.
Another idea I felt was worth noting was that print communication has a private aspect where information is going directly from once place to another; electronic communication, however, is less private because the information has to go through a network. This reminded me of two thing specifically: when somebody posts a comment on a blog intended for the author, anyone who has the capability of accessing the site has access to the message/comment; on facebook, most of the conversations that people have can be read in their entirety. Similarly, the information sent through a network can be stolen by anyone who is clever enough to hack the network. This doesn’t happen with printed information; you would notice if someone was reading over your shoulder haha.
I feel like I can completely relate to what is discusses on page 146 about listening to a tape and pace of reading. The person on the tape reads as a constant pace, which diminishes any freedom of pace the reader would usually have. There is no longer an option to speed up or slow down, and I do both of those things quite frequently in my reading. I have a terrible time reading at a constant pace, so it is hard for me to listen to someone reading at a different pace than that at which I am comprehending the information I am reading. I just liked this sentence on that same page: “Reading, because we control it, is adaptable to our needs and rhythms.”
Patchwork Glog October 31, 2008
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Here is the path that I have taken in patchwork girl so far: Appetite -> Learn -> Hop -> Infant -> Crave -> I lay -> Shy -> Turned -> I moved -> Fingertips -> Weight -> Pity -> Cut -> Her, Me -> Female Trouble. I’m not sure how or why I have taken that path, but I just decided that I was going to attempt to forget about the complicated navigation and just read for a while. The section titled “I lay” struck me as the most surprising so far. She mentions that she is laying in the arms of her monster. She says that she puts her hand on the monster’s skin for the first time. I have not figured out why this was important to note. In “Turned” it seems that they have gone through some sort of trouble as there was “desperation” in the monster’s eyes. She says, “she was still my child, and she would not move without a sign from me” – Why can she not move? Maybe I’m taking this too literally? The sections “I moved” and “Fingertips” seem to continue the section “I lay” because she is talking about touching the scars on the monsters skin. I’m not sure if this is supposed to be in order or if the readers are just supposed to get bits and pieces of the story and put it all together. It’s like a maze. In “Pity” all of a sudden, the monster has dialogue. Before she was like a child, and now she uses fairly advanced vocabulary. “Her, Me” and “Female Trouble” make this text a little odd, in my opinion. It starts to get even more emotional. The creator and the monster are very attached. It seems very strange that she would want to cut off a part of herself in order to live on within the monster.
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