Blog #15 Au Revoir Millbrook High School

I was a girl with braces and contacts and two older brothers that lived at home who thought hospitals were cool when I entered Millbrook High School. I was scared that I would get lost on the "huge" campus.  I was without any stamps in my passport. I was worried about leaving my friends behind. I was confident I would be best friends with my then current best friend for life. I was sure I would not date until college and that I would certainly only date with the intention of marriage. I was confident I would become a better person through high school.

I am now heading out without braces and with glasses. I am the only child at home and I don't really want to leave. I am someone who absolutely loves hospitals and basically wants to live in one. I am not scared of the campus that actually is pretty small at Millbrook. I am ready to get used to the ECU campus. I am carrying a passport with a few stamps and I have a plan to get some more. I am not worried about leaving my friends as I know I can still be there for them. I am not best friends with my middle school best friend. I am someone who learned from dating in high school and know the pros and cons of dating someone for short term. I am sure I have become somewhat of a better person through my experience in high school.

I will be someone who continues to learn throughout my whole life. I will be someone who continues to work my hardest. I will be someone who appreciates literature and puns :P even though that hasn't changed through high school. I will be someone who like Whitman can truly say "I am large. I contain multitudes". I will be open minded. I will not allow a title to define who I am. I will not be a stereotypical American / first world country citizen and think of only myself. I will devote my life to service. Oh and I will succeed :)

P.S. If you are reading this for posting comments... Here are some funny memes that will give you some good advice!

DONT SKIP CLASSES CHILDREN

CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS WISELY

BE CONFIDENT IN YOOOOSELF

DON'T TAKE LIFE TOO SERIOUSLY 

Whitman, Walt Whitman

Whitman's Notebook 
I could make out about every 3rd word. I also think the first page is like a contact book with addresses. He clearly wrote ideas about what to write including plot ideas and themes such as "two characters as of a dialogue between A. Lincoln (?) and W. Whitman (?)" with the theme of "lessons for a president elect". Other words that I could make out include "philosophy", "shall", "crash".... I think it is interesting that there is a stamp in his notebook. I think that his notebook and my dad's look similar, both are difficult to read and hard to follow but completely understandable to the writer of them. Um wow the drawings are awesome. I really like the hats clearly channeling Mr. Abe. And then maybe a harp. And the creepy skeleton one. I think that it is significant that instead of some authors who just randomly start writing it seems like he planned everything out a bit. I wonder if these notes he wrote late at night like I do. I have a notepad by my bed and I jot down the things I remember or think about as I am about to fall asleep. His writing it certainly messy enough (no hate). I think something else significant is that he crossed things out as his ideas for poems morphed and changed.

Whitman's Notebook 2.0 
Wow! These notes are really helpful! I was write about the contact info but it is quite sad that the contact info he wrote was for one of his friends who soon died. I think it is signifiant that instead of tearing that page out or scribbling out his friends info which would remind Whitman of his loss. Maybe he kept it so that he could have a reminder of his friend. I like to think that, this is the reason, and that Whitman was a sentimental guy. Yay thank you smart people for explaining the stamp. Whitman didn't like the disunity of his country. I agree that his tone changes not only in his poems but also in his notebook. He uses a lot of imagery specifically regarding color like black. Finally, I agree that the last page is the most mysterious because not only is the drawing hard to understand (is it a rising or setting sun) and then also what the drawing represents. It is relevant that some of his work is not understandable as he wrote it for himself and not him.

Sweet dreams are made of .... 'MERICA!

American Dream 
As according to Jenna McMains
Having the opportunity to achieve any goals that you set out with the assistance of a supportive community which leads to a feeling of satisfaction while remaining both physically and emotionally healthy.

Wealth 
As according to Jenna McMains
Either tangible or intangible possessions of either material or emotional value.

American attitudes toward wealth and poverty {and my own}
As according to Jenna McMains
Americans value wealth immensely and the most common form that they value is material and monetary wealth. Americans relate poverty to not only a lack of wealth but also a lack of opportunities and intelligence. Americans associate wealth directly and proportionally with wealth. The context of these Americans is that they have only known wealth as compared to the world. For example, I want to become a surgeon {a career that affords you a nice salary} but I want to spend the majority of my life involved with doctors without borders {which doesn't exactly pay at all}. The majority of Americans both old and young thing I am crazy and that soon I will grow up and lose that dream. That I will decide to keep a real job and not waste my {hopefully future} talents. It is a common belief that happiness and wealth go hand in hand. For my travels I have learned that this is not necessarily true. I have seen children and families with so much less materialistic wealth than Americans but just the same amount of happiness or even more. I don't really care if I end up wealthy or poor but I do care that I use my life to help others. Now maybe I will smarten up and become stingier with the time I choose to donate but I can't see that happening any time soon. I believe that I have the American Dream because I have the chance to be or do almost anything that I want. I also have the support of my parents, teachers, and many community members. But, many believe that the word "dream" connotates passive words and actions such as sleeping, daydreaming, thinking but I think the opposite. I have worked towards my dream. I have studied at school, participated in events, joined clubs, and spent way too much thinking and planning and working towards my American Dream. My American Dream is not a passive one it is highly active. This is because not only of my innate beliefs but also because of my learned beliefs. My context and environment has taught me to work for what I want and to have perseverance.

Translations {the good, the bad, and the punny}

#1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. 
Diction: "uneasy" - less negative, "bed" - personal, "gigantic" - more extreme and abnormal
Syntax: No commas, exclamation marks, or other abnormal punctuation. Not much emotion.
Imagery: Location is given. Gigantic = abnormal. So you can image him as a bug awkwardly larger than his bed.
Structure: Being a bug interrupted him waking up from dreams.

#2:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug. 
Diction: "uneasy" - again less negative, "changed" - implies can be reversed, "giant" - less dramatic
Syntax: Again no punctuation. Seems like a factual sentence because of a lack of commas.
Imagery: I imagine him just in his room or outside of his house not in his bed.
Structure: Again the main part is that he woke up with the caveat of being a bug.

#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug. 
Diction: "troubled" - more negative, "found" - past tense shows narrator's POV clearly "enormous" - more extreme and grotesque even
Syntax: Again no punctuation :( But there is a lack of a comma. It could go in between "morning" and "he" or at least that is where I feel a natural pause is.
Imagery: Both troubled and enormous are more extreme words that make me picture that he was having bad nightmares and then woke up to an even worse reality.
Structure: I feel like the focus is more on the transformation than waking up which adds more drama. This translator is a drama llama.

#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.
Diction: "agitated" - more clinical and reminds me of nature, "monstrous" - scary!, "vermin" - ew
Syntax: Commmmmmmas! I'm so happy. Makes the sentence way more stretched out.
Imagery: Much more negative. I imagine him thrashing around in his bed and then waking up totally freaked out, scared, and screaming.
Structure: The transformation interrupts the waking up which interrupts the morning.

    Word choice, syntax, punctuation, and imagery are very important in creating the proper EFFECT {my new favorite Written Task word} in the reader. I believe that word choice is the most important factor for translators to consider when translating texts. I believe this because the first thing that readers notice when reading is what they comprehend. They instantaneously try to understand what the sentence means. Each reader has specific preconceived notions regarding the connotations of word choice. This means that as the reader reads the translated text they will get a very strong first impression due to the word choice. While not all readers can be appeased with the use of proper word choice. The translation can be analyzed to make sure the connotations are correct. Certain nuances within languages and synonyms can lead to very different perceptions of texts.
    I believe that the second most important factor in translations leading to correct interpretations is syntax and structure. The order of words relates to the importance of themes represented. Also it can create certain emotions such as shock, acceptance, or jubilance. If the author chooses to include the commentary before the fact then the reader might agree more with the commentary while if the fact is presented first then the reader has time to formulate their own opinion. Syntax also heavily impacts the tone of the text as the reader can choose to order the sentence in such a way that the tone is matter-of-fact versus dramatic.
    I believe that punctuation and imagery are of equal importance. Punctuation lends itself heavily to the creation of the tone of the text. Imagery does as well. The addition of commas or descriptive words can elongate a section and further clarify the emotions that the authors wants the reader to infer. Also punctuation such as exclamation marks and question marks can truly impact the interpretation of the text. Similar to word choice, imagery can also be geographically or culturally specific a certain descriptive nouns and adjectives.
     This exercise brings up many questions and considerations regarding translations and the impact of incorrect words, structure, or punctuation can have on the reader's understanding of the text. The tone between translations can differ immensely. I have learned through the analysis of these multiple translations of Metamorphosis and The Stranger that specific translations can truly change the intended impact of the entire story. I believe that there should be some regulatory group that makes translators meet and discuss their reasoning of specific word choice, syntax, punctuation, and imagery. This way a consensus can be reached or at least a more cohesive and understandable translation can be reached. This way no matter what translation students and readers view they will get the same intended effect.

TRUE LIFE! Punctuation really matters folks! 

Disclaimer: So I spent way to long finding puns. Here are my favorites.

I was going to include more but I felt as though it would take up to much of my precious readers {fellow IB CULT members'... ermmmmmm students' time}. 

Practice {IOC} makes Perfect {IOC}

I uploaded my practice to Youtube with the audio and the image is of my passage and my planning :)

Self- Score 
Criteria A -9 
I think that I show very good knowledge and understanding of the novel and the context of the novel. I think that the context explained both of the book to when it was created and the passage to the novel as a whole makes the IOC understandable for people who even have not read the novel. The two themes I chose to highlight are backed up by quotes from the passage and the literary features highlighted in the IOC are backed up by at least one direct quote. Each quote is explained and connected to a literary feature and thus a theme and the overall effect on the reader.

Criteria B -8
I think that I showed good awareness of 3 main literary features that Ishiguro uses throughout the book. I explained how each quote was an example of a feature which had 1 of 2 main meanings which then had an effect on the reader. I showed how the context of the book made the meaning have a greater effect on the reader. I could have explained more in depth about the effect on reader but ran out of time. :(

Criteria C -5 
I think that my IOC was very organized. I had a clear thesis. I then gave clear background information and context on both the book and the specific passage. I then gave clear examples and explained how they supported my thesis. I then ended my IOC with a conclusion relating back to thesis and connecting again to big picture and context.

Criteria D -5 
I believe that I used clear and appropriate language. I used the diction of the book when referring back to it. I considered the connotations of words that I used in an effort to have a clear meaning. Despite a few "umms" my grammar was correct. My vocabulary, sentence structure, and terminology are all appropriate and effective in communicating my thesis and examples.

Judging books by their covers

Image Basics

Image Similarities 

Intended Purposes

Cover 1: The cover implies that the book is about a sad/ melancholy European or American girl in the country who seeks or finds herself in solace. 

Cover 2: The cover implies that the book is about a child who is perhaps fleeing because of the blurry image. The child could also have just "let go" of someone's hand. The cover focuses on the author's name and perhaps will cause the viewer to infer that the child is Asian. 

Cover 3: The cover implies that the book is sad and about loneliness. The cover plays off the fact that if the pole "let go" of the boat it would drift away which is negatively connoted.

Cover 4: The cover is the most creepy because of the childish drawing of internal organs in a body of barbed wire implying capture. Additionally the drawing is taped to a window that shows a forest implying solace. The spooky handwriting draws attention. 

 vs. 
Cover 1 conjures the words "lonely", "hidden", "not modern". Quite honestly I think of a Taylor Swift song where she is sad because some guy dumped her and she is forever alone. Cover 2 makes me think of the words "running", "child", and "dream". I think that the child is running from the photographer because they are scared, mad, or unhappy.

Cover 1 if I saw it before I read NLMG would make me think the book is about a lonely girl in rural Europe or America. Because I have read the book the image represents Kathy H. at Hailsham. Cover 2 before reading would make me think that the book is about a child who is unhappy. Because I have read the book the image represents children who are donors running from the scary adult world of responsibilities.

Cover 1 is portraying Kathy H. from perhaps the perspective of Tommy or Ruth. Cover 2 is portraying any child (girl or boy) that is a clone. The perspective is perhaps from an adult or guardian.

Cover 1 places the book in a Westernized cultural setting. The teenage girl appears to have no makeup on and non revealing clothing thus implying innocence. Cover 2 places a focus on the author's name. This might make the author think that the dark haired child is of an Asian ethnicity or set in a country within Asia. The child's hair is short enough to be "boyish" but long enough to possibly be the hair of a young girl. The construct of independence is represented because the child is running away without help.

Cover 1 was perhaps made by a British company. As you can see in the map below a high percentage of people in the United Kingdom. The cover plays off the archetype of "innocent maiden" female characters because the young women is modestly dressed and submissive in posture. Cover 2 was perhaps made by a more globally oriented company. Approximately 75% of people in the world have dark brown or black hair. Using a child with this hair color would allow there to be a greater chance that the reader connects the child pictured with himself/herself or a family member. Additionally, it is not clear if the child is a boy or girl which would connect to all readers because females can think the child is a girl while males can think that the child is a boy.

TED Talk | Story Telling

TED Talk: Adventures in Twitter fiction by Andrew Fitzgerald 

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Twitter has become essential to people's lives and is a mechanism of broadcasting. 

http://49.media.tumblr.com/ab6126cde0e87f0872b67d6bb65982b6/tumblr_mq3k4c4f7J1qz8x31o2_500.gif

  Fitzgerald's main point is that new mediums create new formats of story telling which create new and evolved stories. Twitter and the Internet are both new mediums that connect many authors to many readers. Twitter is now being used as both a distribution medium but also a production medium. Short stories are split into tweets that are serialized where audiences can tune in daily at a certain time. This builds suspense because the reader no longer controls the speed of reading. Through Twitter there are parody accounts with fictional characters engaging in the real world providing a social commentary as well as non fiction real time story telling from historical accounts (eg. on this day 60 years ago...). Some historical examples of new mediums creating new stories is short stories in the digital marketplace becoming longer and longer because of reader requests. The digital format allowed for a quick feedback system. Also radio evolved from broadcasting reading of books to broadcasting live play of a story in a serialized manner. 

  Fitzgerald's purpose is to prove that new mediums (specifically Twitter) are creating new formats and new stories. He uses ethos when he begins the presentation "in my job at Twitter..." by showing that he is employed by Twitter he is thus knowledgeable on what users utilize Twitter for. He uses logos when he uses specific authors names and their Twitter accounts to prove his point. He is biased to believe that Twitter is revolutionary and impacts all users. The authors and accounts he mentions include Hugh Howey, Jennifer Egan, The New Yorker, Elliot Holt, West Wing, Mayor Emanuel- parody account, Dan Sinker, Crimer Show, RealTimeWWII, and Teju Cole. Fitzgerald uses pathos when he uses leading words. For example, when referring to the account RealTimeWWII he says: "you're beginning to see ways in which people are telling stories with nonfiction content that can be built into new types of fictional storytelling." Particularly, the word "new" is very leading because similar formats have been published such as in daily newspapers or emails having a "on this day in history" section. The word: "new" causes an emotional excited reaction in readers as they feel an advancement has been made but it is possible that the reality of the newness of the idea is not truly accurate. Fitzgerald kept most of his words scientific in nature which helped to build ethos but some leading words can still be found. 

  I chose this TED Talk because I am interested in the use of social media. I use social media to spread information pertaining to Millbrook and DECA events. I also have researched using social media to advertise to users. I was very interested to see how writers have creatively used Twitter to tell fictional stories. Using evolving mediums to tell stories is something very important to consider as it possibly (as Fitzgerald says) will impact the plot and message of the stories themselves. This relates to last year's theme of mass media. Author's change how they write and what they write if there is instant feedback from the audience. Author's may change their message to appease their audience if they get negative feedback and need to "boost" ratings.  

http://49.media.tumblr.com/c0fc717c30b5afc630ab7d661d4ade93/tumblr_mihjdjosWE1qz8x31o1_500.gif

This GIF is just an example of the use of Twitter to get instant feedback. Even it is from yourself :P