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October 31, 2005

Photograph: Cheryl Haworth

The postcard I received is “Cheryl Haworth” and was taken in New York City by Annie Lebiovitz.

Studium (Denotation)

My postcard shows a very tall, full-figured, muscular woman against a stark dark gray background. Her skin is very pale, almost white, and her hair is pulled back tightly, away from her face. Her lips are pursed firmly and her eyebrows are furrowed. She is wearing a black singlet (similar to a leotard). Around each wrist she has tied a thick white strip of fabric. She has on plain white socks and simple black and white patterned sneakers. She is leaning down, lifting a very long barbell with a large red weight on one side. (We cannot see the other side of the barbell.) The muscles in her arms and legs are tensed and incredibly defined.

Punctum (Connotation)

It seems as if this woman is a competitive weight-lifter because her body appears suited to this sport. She certainly has large muscles and a full-figure, but it is difficult to say that she is fat. Instead, she appears to fit the profile I have in my mind (from prior knowledge) of weight-lifters. From her appearance it is also clear that she is straining very hard to lift this large barbell. First, simply by the fact that the barbell is so large, it makes us suspect that it may be difficult for her to lift it. Also, her lips are pursed and her eyebrows are furrowed, signifying that she is concentrating and straining to lift this weight. Third, her muscles are defined, suggesting that they are working hard. Her appearance also gives off a no-nonsense attitude, as if she is putting all of her energy into her work. Her hair is pulled back simply and she only wears the necessary apparel. For example, she wears simple socks and sneakers, so clearly she is not interested in showing off.

Posted by lciscotis at 09:33 PM | Comments (1)

Eliza

Eliza is weird, and doesn't ever make sense. When I asked something or said something she always just took words that I used and put them in some form of phrase or another question.

I realized that she doesn't want to talk about herself and that she will not answer my questions but rather just says "well why do you want to know?" or something like that. I got really frustrated with Eliza!!

Posted by lcisnelson at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)

October 30, 2005

Louise Bourgois

My postcard is of Louise Bourgois, taken by Annie Leibovitz in New York City. It's actually interesting in mentions that it was taken there, as it is only a photo of the upper half of a woman, no background, landscape or anything at all besides her. Well, I suppose the wall behind her is textured, but that really could be anywhere!

Studium: This black and white photo is of a very elderly woman looking at her hand. It is her profile, and there is a lot of emphasis on the wrinkles of her skin. Her hand is brought up in front of her face and her fingers are spread apart. She looks as if she might be Native American, and has long, straight, combed-back black hair with gray strands. Her ear is very visible and she is wearing a hoop earing. She is wearing a colared longsleeved shirt, which is a bit blurry towards the front of the photograph, as if out of focus being closer to the camera lens. The old woman's eyes seem to be squinting, and she does not have a clear emotion on her face.

Punctum: I think a big point of the photo is its emphasis on the woman being old and worn, yet by examining her hand out in front of her, it suggests that she is still curious about the world and the things out there to learn, and about life. Her wrinkles are very well defined and in the center of the photograph, serving as a focus point. I think the profile view is more powerful in this instance than a straight on traditional portrait view would be because it accentuates the woman's features, and the fact that she is looking at her hand. She appears as if she could be Native American, and the way she brings her hand up to her face gives me the feeling she could be thinking over a deeper meaning in the ways of her tribe. Although she is clearly very old, she is still beautiful in her own right. Her hair is kept long and combed back and she is wearing earrings, showing that she takes pride in her appearance and continues to live life to the fullest despite her age.

Posted by lcisthur at 09:43 PM | Comments (0)

Behind the Scenes of Eliza

Eliza just seems like a frustrating robotic therapist once you get past the "coolness" when you first try her out.
All the same, she is rather impressive. I think there must be certain keywords that she searches for and certain sentence rules and formations.
I think it is hard for Eliza to work one hundred percent properly because she doesnt always have enough context to respond in the best way. She does not seem to have a lot of words that she understands the semantic meaning of. All in all, it's interesting to see, and experience a computer program I can somewhat understand the workings (or lack there of). I'll take Smarterchild in the meantime and get word definitions while I'm at it!

Posted by lcisthur at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)

Eliza

Eliza is funny to talk to; I wonder how anyone would have taken her seriously! I think she "chooses" the content words out of what I type, and throws out the function words to create her response. Example:

(In this excerpt, Eliza speaks first)

So, as you can see, Eliza chose to repeat the content words, like when I said "happy as a clam" she repeated the whole phrase to me, and then took the word "thank" and put it in a context that doesn't make sense. But she did know that it was important to the meaning so she repeated it in the form of a question. She also picks up on pronouns. If I'd ask her a question using "you" she'd tell me that we were supposed to be talking about me, not her.

Posted by lcishagan at 08:49 PM | Comments (0)

Alice Waters, Roctown Apple Orchard, New Jersey photographed by Annie Leibovitz

Studium: A black and white photograph of a woman, Alice Waters, dressed all in black, sitting at a solid wood table in an orchard. There is a glass of wine sitting on the table. The woman is slouched back into her chair with her left arm propped up on the chair while her right rests on the table. She is not looking into the camera but rather to a point in the bottom lefthand corner of the picture. She is sitting specifically underneath an apple tree that is in full bloom. Besides this tree, the other trees in the background are blurred and out of focus. The clothes Alice Waters is wearing are simple and she wears a black old-fashioned looking hat.

Punctum: The woman looks to me to be very non-chalant and relaxed. She is enjoying beautiful spring evening. I say evening because usually people do not have a glass of wine in the morning. Alice is a woman confident with the way life is going for her and she is self-assured and self-satisfied. An amused and knowing smile is upon her face and this further illustrates her "womanly" confidence. The glass of wine is a sort of toast to her accomplishments. In this photograph, she reminds me very much of my friend Clare, or how she will be when she is older, because she is a romantic at heart and enjoys doing these sort of idealized and romanticized activities.

Posted by lcisfreya at 08:47 PM | Comments (1)

Making or Wasting a Memory?

I enjoyed reading the New York Times article on how the act of photo-taking can be invasive. The points it made were actually very realistic -and I totally could relate to what she was saying. I am known to be an extreme shutterbug on vacations, and it made me think about how much of a good thing that is... Well, I still am glad I have all those photos. They represent a moment lost, but also one we cannot return to. I went out last night, and brought my camera with me. But with every picture I felt like taking, I actually noticed myself hesitating. And when it came to reviewing my photos this morning, I noticed there were not nearly as many as I normally take!

Posted by lcisthur at 08:31 PM | Comments (0)

Anna Deavare Smith

I picked out a photo of Anna Deavare Smith taken in New York City by Annie Leibovitz.

Denotaion (Studium): This photo was taken in black and white. The photographer framed upper body of a woman wearing a black shirt. The top botton is unbottoned and the viewer can see her neck and a little part of her upper left chest area and a shoulder. In the photo her right hand is raised half way through and her palm is facing out towards the camera. Anna's index and middle fingers are straight and pointing out. The other three fingers are bent down. Anna has black curly hair which is tied back and some shorter hair left out and not tied back. She has her mouth wide open that you can see some of her bottom teeth over her lips, eyebrows raised and eyes closed. Her head is leaning down to the left side of her body. There are some fine wrinkles on her forehead and neck. She is not wearing any accessories. The background of the photo is plain gray.
Connotation (Punctum): Anna's facial expressions suggest that she may have been singing when the photo was taken. The way her hands are posed could mean that she was waving (gesturing) while she was singing. She is very open and free to express herself because her hair is not fixed and she is who she is in the photo. Anna is a middle-aged woman because there are wrinkles on her forehead. She cares about her looks because she has a make up on her eyes. As a viewer I get the feeling that she is independent and strong since she is not afraid to show her hand and "reach" out, not hiding it behind her body.

Posted by lcisbold at 07:08 PM | Comments (0)

Please don't look at them now...

I like to take pictures on my digital camera. For a while, I had an obsession of taking pictures of anything I see and going back to see how it came out after I bought my first digital camera. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware that I was letting go of every moment that passed away while I was checking to see whether the pictures were acceptable or not. When I looked at the pictures, I was looking at the moment that had just passed, the moment that would never come back to me. Since I read the article "Making Memories in Real Time" by Amy Harmon, I try not to "waste" my time looking at pictures on my camera, instead of enjoying the time. Last time when I went out with my friends I caught my friends taking pictures and "sneaking a peek" on the camera. It was funny how I remembered the article right at that moment and suggested my friends to live the moment. Don't look at them now.

Posted by lcisbold at 04:54 PM | Comments (1)

Eliza

In speaking with Eliza, I noticed many things. First of all, whenever I mentioned any form of the word "you", Eliza would always respond with "we were discussing you, not me." There are also other key words and phrases that seem to prompt Eliza with other programmed responses. With more complex sentences, it seems that Eliza will respond with part of your sentence in the form of a question, or she will say "tell me more."

When Eliza came out in the 1960's, I can see how people believed that they were actually talking to a computer. It is hard to imagine though, as I have witnessed that technology is very advanced and always outdoing itself. However, it must have been quite the experience to "talk" to Eliza when the program first came out!

As others have mentioned, there are similar programs today on Instant Messenger, like SmarterChild. I have also discovered one for SantaClaus. I think this is a very interesting concept. Through "talking" with him, you can create a wish list, play games and create a shopping list. I wonder how kids react to "talking" to Santa Claus; it must be quite the experience.

-Jessica F.

Posted by lcisfaria at 03:01 PM | Comments (0)

Eliza

Eliza is a far cry from the United Star Ship Enterprise's intelligent computer which, of course, is purely fictional.

Eliza is obviously enacting the very word and sentence structure processes we've been discussing in class. And she shows us how much we take forgranted when it comes to our own storage, retrieval and use of langugage - our average command of language is far more dynamic and advanced than hers.

Eliza has obviously been programmed to break sentences down into components - words and phrases. She then prioritizes these, recognizes certain key words and formulates a response to them. I'm not au fait with my parts of speech and so am unsure which Eliza is recognizing although she obviously recognizes more than one sentence type with different key words and yet is flummoxed by others, showing there is a limit to her knowledge.

Both her ability to recognize and form sentences is limited and rather undynamic. It is reminiscent of the wolves who only had a set number of responses they could give when recognizing certain stimuli. Eliza cannot make truly independent decisions, this is obvious in this version of an intelligent program because her recognition programming and responses are very limited.

She is also rather amusing because her responses are also stereotypically therapist-like, showing concern but in a distanced and controlled fashion.

~ Nanette

Posted by lcissavides at 01:51 PM | Comments (1)

Eliza and Irregular Verbs

Eliza isn't that bad at having a normal conversation. Most of the conversation consisted of me telling her information about myself, and never vice versa. Whenever I would ask her a question she would respond with another question, but other than that she seemed like a normal person to me.

The one thing that gave her away though was her use of irregular verbs. You can tell that she was programmed to repeat what you say by replacing the "I" with "you," and this would normally work. For example, if I were to say "I love snow," she would respond with "you love snow." However, when I used the verb "to be," she responded with "you am from Hanover." Eliza cannot conjugate irregular verbs like we can because that would involve programming each individual form of the verb. It is amazing that our brains are able to do this programming, having the capacity to store so much information.

After talking to Eliza, I talked to SmarterChild to see if he had the same problem with irregular verbs. SmarterChild was able to correctly conjugate the verb "to be" so that he could respond to me with "you are..." Perhaps SmarterChild has all of the irregular verbs programmed into him, or perhaps he just has a few commonly used ones, such as "to be." Either way, his ability to use this verb correctly shows a higher level of linguistic knowledge that has been acheived by computers.

Posted by lcissullivan at 12:38 PM | Comments (0)

American Splendor / Harvey Pekar

Seeing the words to The Harvey Pekar Name Story was enlightening and somewhat surprising. I'd never imagined that it would actually be filled with so much action and so many different characters.

My perception of the pictures has since changed in that Harvey Pekar is no longer blank and receptive to my imagined narrative. However, I don't think it's ironic that our "words" group came up with a character whose tone and frame of reference are so similar to that of Harvey Pekar's Harvey Pekar.

When I saw the words and pictures together, I imagine a lot of what the "picture" group provided in their rendition - the action and characters that Harvey tell us about. I also imagine Harvey's voice and the feel of him - smell, the way he stands, shuffles his feet - all the things I was not given and could not see in the comic.

Seeing the movie further limited the extent to which I conjured up substantiating material to make the comic "live." I no longer had to imagine the sound of Harvey's voice, I could also see him transitioning in and out of moments and this provided me with information about his attitude, tone and state of being.

I saw the actual real Harvey Pekar for a short time on film and the thing that struck me forcebly was the principle of amplification by simiplification. In both the comic and film versions of Harvey Pekar his inner life and inner voice had been brought to the fore - his whole person was distilled into each narrative about a particular thought, topic, moment - and thus amplified, making him seem larger than life. When I saw the real Harvey Pekar I realized that we ourselves couldn't plug into this inner voice when we met/saw him on the street or in the filing department of the Hospital. I see his sharing the inner voice and life as being the most powerful thing about his comic.

~ Nanette

Posted by lcissavides at 12:32 PM | Comments (0)

Making Memories

I love to take pictures with my digital camera, so I could really relate to this article by Amy Harmon. Having the technology to be able to see the pictures we have just taken is really amazing and I love to be able to do that, but like Amy Harmon said, I think that it sometimes does take away from having an experience. When you are at a party or on vacation it is very nice to be able to take pictures to document what happened, but it is so tempting to continuously go back and look at those pictures you have just taken. This can really get in the way of the actual experience and fun you should be having. I don't want to go on vacation and spend the whole time looking at pictures from the day, hour, or even minute before. That is what the time after the vacation is for, not the time while you are actually there. However, I admit it, I always want to look at the pictures I have just taken because I know that they are there and that I can see them if I want so if they did not come out perfrectly, I can take them again.

Posted by lcismardin at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)

Frances McDormand

The photgraph that I chose to analyze is called "Frances McDormand" and it was taken in New York City by Annie Leibovitz.

This photograph is a black and white photograph and it shows a middle-aged woman with short, dark hair walking alone through a path in a park. The background of the trees and the path and the lightposts along the path are not quite in focus. We can tell that it is fall because the branches of the trees are bare and the leaves have all fallen on the ground around the trees. The weather must be cold because the woman is wearing a long coat with fur around the neck and six big buttons on it. She is also wearing gloves on her hands. In contrast to the background, the woman can be seen very clearly and is in perfect focus. However, this woman does not look happpy, but instead seems to be quite distressed about something.

I think this woman looks like she does not want her photograph to be taken. She looks a little bit angry and she is looking right at the camera, giving the photographer a look that says to me, "what are you doing?". The woman is walking alone in this photograph so she seems to like to be by herself sometimes to allow her some time to think without interruption. Because she is walking alone is the park, I get the sense that this is a very independent woman who likes to do things for herself. She does not want men to do things for her. She is a very strong and capable woman, and she seems like she would be just as satisfied without a man as most women would be with a man.

Posted by lcismardin at 10:58 AM | Comments (0)

October 29, 2005

Alan Magee

The very realistic paintings that looked like photos reminded me of an exhibit that was at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine a few years ago. I didn't see anything in class because I couldn't remember the artist's name. His name is Alan Magee so check out his paintings. They're amazing. I like the one of the paints at the bottom of the page:

www.alanmagee.com/paintings/newPnt2.html

--Ariel

Posted by lcishagan at 06:34 PM | Comments (1)

Karen Finley

The postcard I analyzed is titled "Karen Finley" and was taken in Nyack, New York. The photograph was taken by Annie Leibovitz.

Studium (Denotation):

The focus of my postcard is of a body, sprawled onto a loveseat. The person is lying down on the loveseat, face turned away from the audience. Also, the loveseat is a forrest green color and is covered with a coarse, tweed type of fabric. Although the person's face cannot be seen, the body is obviously a woman. Its obvious with the woman's flowing hair, and womanly curves. If you look close enough, you can see that there is nailpolish on the nails of the woman. Her hands are clenched onto her head and neck, a seemingly unnatural position. The only thing the woman is wearing are teal/sea foam green long socks. Her bright red bathrobe is unraveled, under her body, polarizing the woman's ivory skin. To the left of the woman is a white, ratty looking radiator. The carpet is a ugly shade of brown, the shade that was popular in the seventies. To the right of the woman are piles of books stacked on a wooden coffee table which is also home to a lamp. On the table is a striped drinking glass with nothing in it. There is a window situated behind the loveseat but is covered by off white blinds.

Punctum (Connotation):

It seems like the woman is home alone during the night. The blinds are closed, showing that she is separating herself from the world. The lamp that is probably on the coffee table is on, and the rest of the room looks dark, indicating that night has fallen. Her clothes also show that she is not expecting anyone. The teal/sea foam green socks are the kind you wear when you think nobody is watching. Also, she is naked and turned away from the camera lens as if she's planning on being by herself all night. I think she seems to be thinking, by the way her hands are placed on her head. She is at ease with herself and has no problem being in the nude. The shadows that run though the room seem to portrahy that she is contemplating something troubling.

Posted by lcissearls at 06:16 PM | Comments (0)

An Extremely Frightening Individual

My photograph is titled “Kerie Campbell” or at maybe the person’s name in the photograph is “Kerie Campbell”. The photograph was taken in San Francisco, California by Annie Leibovitz.

Studium (Denotation): When I first glanced at my postcard, I was shocked and almost terrified. In the center of a white postcard is a figure which possesses arms, long hair, face, body position and body, shoulders, muscles, eyes, mouth, nose, ears, and hands. This figure is a human. At first, it is difficult to distinguish this human’s sex. This human is covered by paint, but underneath the colors of paint, one can see breasts and a shapely form shown by rounded hips and thighs, indicating that this person is a woman. She is standing erect and her palms are up. The woman’s hair is a red-orange and most of the paint on her skin is that same hue. There are visible paint strokes on her shoulders and large zigzagged white strips of color outlined in black on her chest, legs, and arms. Her face is white, except for black paint covering her eyes, a black triangle on her forehead, black stripes on her face and neck, and blue drops near her eyes. The middle of her chest is colored black, and her stomach possesses shades of yellow with ovals outlined in green and stripes contained inside the yellow. Even though hard to distinguish, she is wearing a bathing suit bottom that is barely visible because the paint pattern on her body extends to her garment.

Punctum (Connotation): Upon analyzing this picture, I noticed the distinct colors which could indicate that this person possesses a very vibrant personality. She could be outgoing and exciting though it appears that she contains some darkness because her chest is black, almost near her heart, and black consumes part of her face. This darkness could represent a certain unknown or mysterious background or history of this one woman. Maybe her heart is covered partly by the black because she is in some way mourning or suffering a loss of a person, a possession, etc. The paint that covers her body could be a symbol of her trying to conceal her own identity, her own being; yet, her hands are exposed and open. She may be calling out for help or in need of a friend to hold her. On some parts of her body, white stripes are painted. The white can be a symbol of goodness, kindness, holiness, innocence, or purity, but even though this woman could possess all these traits, I notice that all of these white lines/shapes are bounded by black. This could indicate that her goodness, innocence, purity, holiness, and kindness are limited. She is not completely untainted. In addition, the yellow section on her stomach is striking. The yellow highlights her stomach from the rest of her body, indicating some importance. Maybe she has a sickness in her stomach or is pregnant. The green ovals contained within the yellow could represent cells that are dying in her body, offspring, or possibly even evil spirits. These little ovals have faces that seem to just stare out into space. Lastly, her face is uniquely colored. The blue drops near her eyes are most likely tear drops. They could represent tears of joy or tears of sadness, but it seems as though they represent sadness because her eyes are so dark, almost like she has been sobbing. Also, her teeth are depicted in an extremely odd manner. They are simplified into just eight white blocks with a black frame. This could connotate that she cannot speak or that she possibly has hurt someone or something with her teeth. Lastly, her hair is free and flowing, showing that she may be a free spirit; she may not be contained within or restricted to the walls of her body.

Overall, I believe that this woman is in some tribe. The painting on her body is indicative of tribal art. Maybe she is being highlighted for a specific crime that she has committed or someone else has committed against her because she is obviously not happy from the photograph. No humor or joy can be seen in her body or expression. Overall, this woman is an extremely different and frightening individual.

-Christina

Posted by lcisgancarz at 04:02 PM | Comments (3)

"Delta Debutante Club" Postcard Photograph

The postcard that I chose in class was titled "Delta Debutante Club" and was taken in Greenville, Mississippi. At first when I looked at the photograph I noticed the white gloves that all of the women had on and the flowers that they were holding in their hands. This characteristic of the photograph gave a sense of uniformity among the women. The flowers were held by the women in different positions, with some being more upright then others. The women also had different hairstyles showing that the younger women had their hair pulled half up and let half down and the older women had their hair worn down. Also the style of the dresses varies in this photo. The women on the right of the photograph have white dresses, one which is short sleeved and the other three with thick straps. The women on the left have on light colored dresses one with thick straps and the others with thin straps.

What can be connotated from this photograph is that these women are in a type of pageant and are somewhat wealthy, because of the dresses that they are wearing. The background of the photo shows a lot of trees and an open grassy area, which shows that these women are in the country. All of the facial expressions of the women are different. Some have serious faces, meaning that maybe they are not very excited about the debutante and don't really care. Two of the other women have a semi-smile, basically put on just to take the picture and get it over with. One woman is the only one who is actually smiling, and seems like she is happy to be there. The women all seem like they are not really friends, but are just placed in order to take a picture. A sort of dark fabric is laid out on the floor in front of the women with the light colored dresses on to show that they are of more importance. This means that these women were the ones who had a winning place in the debutante.

This photograph by Annie Leibovitz captures the personalities of the women that she photographed. They basically show the outcome of debutantes, like how some of the women are excited and some just put on a show for the camera. A happy vs. complacent tone can be connoted from this photograph, just from the facial expressions of the women. They dominate the photo so that the background doesn't have as much importance. The imporant aspect that I gathered from this photo was that the women are important, because of being a part of the debutante and the fact that they have a photograph taken of them.

--Yasmin

Posted by lcisperez at 02:33 PM | Comments (0)

Eliza

I thought alot about how Eliza might work. I think that Eliza works by taking familiar phrases and words from questions and reworking them into statements or questions. In addition, I think that Eliza is programmed to give a certain response to a question. For example, if I said the same thing over and over again, Eliza would give hte same response time after time.

Alot of us talked about Smarter Child and other Instant Messenger Robots, but while doing some research on Eliza I noticed that she is also similar to search engines such as Ask Jeeves. Jeeves is able to pull pertinent/key words out of a question that an individual asks and respond with useful information. For example, I asked, "How tall is an elephant?". Jeeves responded with alot of websites that answered this question, but also included other available "lists" of websites that answered questions about elephants, such as "How much does an elephant weigh?". Also, there were lists of other "similar" questions, such as "How fast does a cheetah run?". Although I am sure that Ask Jeeves runs differently from Eliza, the two are similar in that both are able to choose the key words from a question.

--Brenna D.

Posted by lciscotis at 12:19 AM | Comments (0)

October 28, 2005

Citation Resource

I wanted to pass on the resource below to everyone and anyone. If you have any questions about citations (in-text or bibliographical) in any academic field this website should answer most if not all of your questions. I suggest that everyone save this site to their browser favorites; it will be useful throughout your entire college career!

http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/index.html

Posted by lcisamy at 07:39 PM | Comments (0)

Eliza

I found Eliza to be very frustrating to talk to. She never answered any of the questions I asked her and she kept repeating, "are you sure?" and "we were discussing you not me". I think that everytime I typed a sentence with the word "you in it", she would respond with the same thing except she substituted the word "me" for you, or she said, "we were discussing you not me". Eliza was only able to respond to what I typed by taking key words that I had already said and turning those words into a question, I never got a real response from Eliza, I got mostly questions. Another thing I noticed was that whenever I typed the word "no", she would respond with, "you are quite negative", because she "saw" the word no. I was SO frustrated while trying to talk to this program!

Posted by lcismardin at 03:43 PM | Comments (0)

Class today

I thought the photos that we viewed in class today, that were actually paintings were so amazing. How one can create something like that blows me away. I wish I could. Also, the photos that were actually made up of different, small things, like the one with the abstract pieces, were quite interesting as well. It's so weird how we can be so far away from something and see a representation of a person or whatever is being pictured, but yet when we are close up to the picture we see the individual colors, or pieces that make up this whole thing. Just a random side thought, but I thought those pictures/photos/paintings were different and quite amazing, I've never really seen anything like them before.

Posted by lcisnelson at 02:14 PM | Comments (3)

Java Jive Jokes Around!

I liked how this brief article really gets at what is not usually talked about or addressed. It does not really intend to fix anything or suggest solutions to problems, but it points out humorous random points about things we all do wonder and think about, but never bring up. It knows people know Starbucks, it knows people wonder about a semicolon... The fact that people get all so wrapped up in a whole different language of a coffee shop shows just how easily influenced we all are, and that we need to take a step back and look around at ourselves, and our grande lowfat triple shot maple carmel macchiattos. I've noticed these things too, but they never really were anything more than just things I wondered about; not anything I read about.

Posted by lcisthur at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)

October 27, 2005

Technological Determinism

This idea is very interesting, but as Practices of Looking states, it isn't a believable idea. I think that POL has a more realistic and scientifically-based explanation of technology's progress, that the changes in technology are triggered by "collective cultural and social desires". This is exactly my opinion of technological determinism, and it couldn't have been stated more clearly. Items like records leading to cassetes, eventually leading to CD's did not come about without a desire from the population to have a variety of music readily available and accessable. The trends of a society and the growing desire for more advanced systems to add either more entertainment, or to make life easier are what guide the direction of technological changes.

Posted by lcishagan at 11:46 PM | Comments (0)

In our glory

In our glory was a fascinating piece in many aspects. Firstly, I was compelled by the facts of black history. Though I am familiar with our nation's history, I never recieved it from an african-american perspective.

The author started by touching on how cameras take photos that can be interpreted differently depending on actual positions in the family and beleived positions in a family, especially a large family. She then moved on to say that black folks used images because of their unfair position in society. Contradictarily, these images were used to be concrete facts to unwind the lies white people told or believed of black people. I thought the strongest part of the article was when she talked about photography "empowering themselves through representation." They "resisted misinterpretation through photos" and even used them as "political instruments." These images were their voices in a time when their voices couldnt be heard.

Two other things the author touched on were how families (in her case black famililes, but I know white families, such as my own, also did this) took pictures of those in caskets. Furthermore off that subject, they built shrines to those lost or absent that were loved. When these people were finally gone, pictoral geneaologies were created to keep the past. This reminds me of my grandmother because as she is getting older, she is pushing to have a "Yeich Family Photo" in order for the rest of her family to remember the older ones as they pass away. Pictures are a way to make certain that we remain alive, in a way, to family forever.

Posted by lcisyeich at 11:08 PM | Comments (1)

Review of Percepholis Comic Review!

I thought that this was a very effective form of writing (/drawing) a review of a book. It's a good story in the first place, and gets attention, and this way of looking over Percepholis totally fits. However, if it is just supposed to serve as a book "review", it then reveals a bit too much of and undermines the plot. There is a heavy amount of text for a comic, which makes it less leisurely to read. It does go beyond just the content of the book though, and touches upon the artist's style, effects, and background. It might have been difficult, or at least more so, to read if it wasn't in comic form. However, the characters are not anything special, as they are in Percepholis. This makes Percepholis just seem that much better in comparison... but then again, maybe that's the whole point of the review! I liked how it ended stating that Percepholis is more than a "great story" with "cool drawings", but that it also has a complex meaning, many points, and is very unique -like this review!

Posted by lcisthur at 10:58 PM | Comments (0)

Bell Hooks and the Photo of her Father

I really liked this essay and I thought it was very interesting how each sister had a different perspective on the same photo. Bell's sister V. had a close relationship with her father and because of this Bell could look at a photo she had of him and see signs of their closeness in his pre-fatherhood, carefree smile. It was interesting that her little sister G. was so disconnected from this side of her father that when she got the picture for Christmas she declared it a "horrible photograph." Bell's curiosity of this hidden side of her father drove her to interpret each visual aspect of this photo as a signifier representing a look into a secret world only V. had access to. Bell Hooks believes that photos connect us to memories, and depending on who you are and what experiences you have had with the subject matter, you will interpret a unique understanding from the photo and focus on specific visual signifiers that you relate to most. Emmy

Posted by lcisowens at 10:49 PM | Comments (0)

Memories by Harmon

Harmon's article enticed me in the way that it presented the question of "what is vacation?" For me, I always buy a disposable camera hoping to find great pictures to take...especially this past summer because I was leaving to a place six hours away. Then I get to the vacation, and I become a child again, not caring about the pictures and wanting quality times with the ones I love. It seemed as if in the beginning of her vacation also, Harmon wanted this quality time. She wanted to do all these new things and also spend time with her "Scott." It seemed their whole vacation consisted of "seeing" new things and then looking back at them and never really taking in the whole view of things. He was so focused on the these sights that he couldnt experience the new or even think about how he felt about them because he was always looking back. This picture-taking became part of "vacationing" for them. He waited for the right moments to take pictures and wanted so much to reflect the "perfect." On looking back at these pictures in the future, they would never remember by pictures that Harmon was agitated at picture taking.

The best quote of the article was "But the digital camera doesnt just warp time, it takes up more of it, too." Though this new camera was faster, it seemed as if it couldnt go fast enough so they could go on and take a new picture.

Later in the article, Harmon herself started to keep looking back on pictures and not taking advantage of the sights, like the "stunning red-rock view." Scott, at the end of the vacation, wanted to appreciate his last moments and not take up time with pictures (something he should have realized earlier) and the situation was reversed for the woman.

It seems like in this case, pictures provided them with power in the way that they could capture an "unlimited" amount of pictures and not have to pay. It was a "digital photo fever" and was hard not to give in.

Posted by lcisyeich at 10:38 PM | Comments (1)

Confusion...please answer

Could someone please tell me what page the Barthes article is on...I dont know which, and its making no sense.

Jess

Posted by lcisyeich at 10:26 PM | Comments (1)

Technological Determinism

I'm not quite sure whether or not I have a really good grasp on what technological determinism means, but from the reading I take it to mean that advancements in technology allow us change socially. For example, we were only able embrace photographic images and have them make up such a huge part of our culture because the chemical and mechanical elements need to produce photographs were present.

An argument against technological determinism is that it is society that determines which technological advancements come along, therefore society is indirectly responsible for social change, and technology is simply the middle man between the two.

Evidence to support this argument is that the technique of perspective existed before its first use, but society at the time chose not to employ this technique because of social standards. For example, the Egyptians were more interested in representing objects according to their importance (more important objects are bigger).

I think that technological determinism is too much of a simplification of how the world works. It only examines how social change comes about, but neglects to examine how technological advancements come about.

Posted by lcissullivan at 10:08 PM | Comments (0)

"Making Memories in Real Time"

This article directly relates to the question that Ellen asked us last Friday "Would you rather experience something with just your own two eyes, or would you rather be equipped with a camera to capture that experience in a photograph?"

The gist of my free write was that if I were in the presence of something incredible, I would rather see it with my own two eyes and take in as much of it as I possibly could, than distance myself from it for even a few seconds by viewing it from behind a camera lens. A camera will never be able to capture images in a photograph as well as our eyes capture images and our brain stores them.

Amy Harmon's article is important because it addresses a trend occurring in our society. It seems like people are sometimes so preoccupied with trying to take a picture of something, that they miss out on the first hand experience of that thing. Harmon shows just how powerful the tendency to do this is in admitting that by the end of her trip she herself had become obsessed with taking digital pictures.

This article made me think that our world is moving way too fast. We can experience something, capture it in a digital photograph, and moments later have that photograph saved on a computer, and ready to be modified or sent out to others. Harmon points out that back in the day when we had to wait for photos to be developed and we had that "comfortable gap between experience and reflection" it forced us to solely rely on our memories of an experience for a while, rather than an image of it. If we lose this gap, and no longer need to rely on our memories, then we will most likely forget the experience sooner, and become totally dependent on images to remind us of the experience. What would become of us if something ever happened to those images? What if the computer they were stored on crashes and they are all lost? Our pasts would be lost. It makes you wonder if we rely so much on technology to the point where it has become dangerous.

Posted by lcissullivan at 09:18 PM | Comments (0)

Bell Hooks's Take on Photography

One thing that struck me about Bell Hooks's essay is in the first page she describes how a mere picture of her father meant so much more to her. The picture represented his past, something that none of his children knew too much about. It represented his closeness with Bell's sister, V. It represented jealousy and competition between the two sisters even at a grown age.

I don't even realize how much baggage is attached to each one of my photos until I really stop to think about it. I too have photos which represent my close relationship with another person. I have photos of people who are no longer in my life...these photos represent my past. I also have some photos that I'm sure my sister wishes she as, just as she has some photos that I wish I had. Upon first reading this page, I thought it rare that such a meaningful photograph could exist, until I realized that all photographs mean more than merely the image they contain.

I understand why Hooks links the art of taking photographs to the pyche of African Americans. Photography was a way to produce truth in a world where blacks were depicted in such dishonest manners. However, I found the essay overall hard to understand, and I don't feel like I took eight pages worth of information away from it.

Posted by lcissullivan at 08:29 PM | Comments (1)

Java Jive

Java Jive was a fun article to read because the aurthor, Dave Barry, presented some absurd items that should be brought to the attention of the public. Overall, the article was too sarcastic to make a point. In fact, it made too many indirect points. The article was sloppy, unfocused, confused and a little bit of everything. The article, which I thought was on "java lingo" turned into questions from ficticious people about random questions, even grammar and then turned again into grammar or structure mistakes. The article was funny because we can all relate to these mistakes or notice them at times. The author's talk on java lingo was absurd also. OK, so there are some overly ridiculous names for coffee sizes, but the customers have to use them in order to order things. Employees are used to calling sizes by their madeup company names and customers must conform to their familiarity to them. Overall, it was a great article, but not one to publish in a formal magazine.

Jess

Posted by lcisyeich at 07:49 PM | Comments (1)

more photography

I found the article by Amy Harmon quite amusing and a testament of the technological advances in photography. "Making Memories in Real Time" quickly reminded me of my parents. My parents, although they are photographers, refuse to advance technologically. The two of them refuse to buy digital cameras or be involved with "any of that." They believe that digital images detract from the actual from the actual art of taking pictures. Specifically, they think that digital cameras defeat the purpose of taking pictures.

Futhermore, after every roll of film, there is always the excitement of seeing how the pictures came out. If the process of developing pictures is in a darkroom, there is always a sort of magical feeling about seeing the pictures develop right before your very eyes. Like the article said, with digital images, there is no separation between experience and reflection.

Posted by lcissearls at 03:34 PM | Comments (2)

October 26, 2005

Harvey Pekar

I was intrigued by today's class. It was amazing to see the difference in interpretation from my group-the girls looking at the words and creating pictures-from the other group-the girls analyzing the pictures and generating a words to accompany it. In the word-analyzing group, I was able to form a picture of what each sentence meant and how to depict this sentence or word on paper. Something I never thought about was that, while my group was completing our project, many ideas to represent words or phrases were thrown out on the table. Each person possessed a certain scene in their head of Pekar loving his name, for example. We learned, through this activity, to compromise our ideas and form pictures that were uniquely ours.

Personally, I was completely surprised by the actual pictures of the comic, and I was more than impressed by the way the other group formulated a storyline that truly adhered to the pictures. It was so believable! There were such small differences in each panel, and it seems that the other group dissected each picture.

This activity truly showed the ambiguity between words and pictures. There is a certain element of unknown for each.

Great job to both groups! -Christina

Posted by lcisgancarz at 03:55 PM | Comments (5)

October 25, 2005

Eliza

Eliza is a computer program designed to make responses from specific key words. Eliza has a variety of responses backed up and keywords trigger this. For instance, if I were to say, "how are you?" Eliza would have programmed replies. Since Eliza knows the context surrounding the term, it is able to respond accordingly. Although some of the replies are not what we would usually say, they make sense. This is basically how Eliza is able to function and act almost like a person.

Posted by lcissearls at 11:21 PM | Comments (0)

Technological Determinism

After re-reading the part of Practices of Looking that talked about technological determinism, I have to agree with the views of the text book. Cartwright and Sturken say, "...we look at technologies (specifically visual technologies) as the product of specific social and historical contexts. They emerge from collective cultural and social desires. In other words, it can be argued that that technologies have important and influential effects on society, but they are also themselves the products of their societies and times and the ideologies that exist within them," (116).

I completely agree with this statement. I think that technologies grow from society, specifically from a desire for them. For example, the Internet grew from society's desire to communicate with the world around them more easily. At the same time though, the Internet has inspired so much more in our culture. The Internet is a huge part of our daily lives and although it is cliche, the world truly is at our fingertips. The same is true of photography. Photograpy sprang from a need to record our memories, to chronicle our lives. Yet, it turned into much more than this, and now is the basis for much of our daily living.

--Brenna DeCotis

Posted by lciscotis at 07:28 PM | Comments (0)

Social Context as Determined by Photography

After re-reading part of chapter 4 of Practices of Looking I came to the conclusion that our social context is indeed determined by our sense of Photography. I think that this has a lot to do with media influences that are pretty much enforced upon our society in a somewhat discreet manner. Magazines are definitely a source of strong media influence and pictures are able to easily influence people, which in term social context.

Social context is really just ideas and perceptions that individuals have about appearances, actions, and practices. Basically pictures can represent all of these ideas in one. This can be especially expressed in terms of advertisements. Advertisment display life as people think that it should be. Like people having perfect bodies and figures, and also clothing. This creates people who think that they have to resemble this image, which is a part of a superimposed social context. Our social context is determined by pictures, because just like the phrase "monkey see, monkey do", people usually to tend to do what they see, especially if it is promoted on a mass scale.

Our social context is determined by mimicking ideas or perceptions. This is why people change their style of hair, dress, and the usual places where they hang out. Pictures determine most of these aspects, because they show what is fashionable and what should not be done. Where people should live and where people have no business being. Without pictures most of the ideas that we have today would not be as well known, except for the fact that technology has advanced so that we not only have photographs about what's going on around the world and locally, but that we have moving images that we can see live and understand what social context our world is becoming a part of. Today this is definitely shown through the more liberal ideals that American society represents.

--Yasmin

Posted by lcisperez at 04:00 PM | Comments (0)

ELIZA's Purpose and Function

Eliza is a complex program that somehow looks at strings (words) and identifies them in terms of where they are placed in a sentence, the amount of strings that come before and after that particular string and possibly punctuation marks as well. Eliza, from what the programmer writes, seems to break sentences up through the importance of words. Maybe Eliza has a specific set of words that it refers to, that people most commonly use and are of some importance. Maybe each common word actually corresponds to a certain number that the computer can recognize. Eliza also breaks these sentences down into structural word trees and analyzes the sentences based on their subjects. It seems as though the Eliza has a special way that allows her to find subjects like "you" or "I" and make these subjects the focus of her next question. She also gives part of the sentence a number or letter, indicating that this part of the sentence could be anything, any combination of letters and words. In general, Eliza is definitely sentence structured oriented and dissecting the sentences inputed is the only way she can truly function. Then Eliza takes these words or takes these number combinations (from sentences) and stores them, so that she can then generate a new response. I can imagine this process and code for this program is extremely in depth. In being an amateur programmer, I can understand that working with words and strings are incredibly difficult.

-Christina

Posted by lcisgancarz at 02:15 PM | Comments (0)

Java Jive

I don't go to Starbucks. During my three years in the States probably I was there only for three times. However, last weekend I went to explore the Prudential area with a friend and we went into Barnes and Nobles and decided to get a coffee while looking through magazines. When I approached the counter there was no one around except the cashier. I asked for a small coffee. She mumbles to herself. I again asked for the small coffee. She looked at me in an annoyance and said, "We don't serve small coffees, we only have tall ones" I looked at the chart and assumed that the cheapest one would be the smallest, so I went for the "tall" coffee. I think the Starbucks managers chose to promote to have "tall" coffee and abuse the meaning of the word "tall" instead of small is that the many consumers in this country choose "extra large" s over the regular sizes. Now who would like a tall coffee?

Posted by lcisbold at 12:11 AM | Comments (2)

October 24, 2005

Bell Hooks' Intensity and Passion

I was struck by many aspects of Bell Hook's essay. Most notably was when she began to write about her father's image that her sister cherished above all else. She writes, "Standing before snapshot, I came closer to the cold, distant, dark man who is my father, closer than I can ever come in real life" and "although my sisters and I look at this snapshot and see the same man, we do not see him in the same way." I began to reflect on these two lines after Ellen's class last week where we were forced to ponder on the photography and if photography actually helps us to remember certain people or certain places, or if it hinders our memory. I said, in class, that many times, pictures give us this false sense of reality and of the truth, which is definitely addressed in Bell Hook's essay. She writes that the man in the picture is completely different from her own image of him; his personality, demeanor, and way of life. I analyzed the picture of her father and determined that this man was joyous and elated. He seems as though he is carefree and "suave". Bell Hooks has this same feeling, yet she knows the truth. And yet, even though her sisters know the truth as well, they all have differing views of him. Their experiences with this man have formed their own ideas about their father. I just found this intriguing that we had just been discussing this topic in class, and automatically, Bell Hooks describes it perfectly.

I was also amazed at how Bell Hooks describes her early disatisfaction with cameras. She voices her frustration in such a unique way. "I hated it. I hated posing. I hated cameras. I hated the images that cameras produced. When I stopped living at home, I refused to be captured by anyone's camera. I did not wish to document my life, the changes, the presence of different places, people, and so on. I wanted to leave no trace. I wanted there to be no walls in my life that would, like gigantic maps, chart my journey. I wanted to stand outside history." How powerful and ironic! Here, she discusses her hatred for photography, and then again, she writes this entire essay based around one photograph. It is absolutely fascinating to me that this intense dislike for photography (because of one person) developped into a career and a passion. -Christina

Posted by lcisgancarz at 11:49 PM | Comments (0)

JUST A REMINDER

To everyone who is in the Picture-Making part of the Comic Analysis Group...Remember that we are all getting together tomorrow, Tuesday at 3:30 pm in Simmons Hall 1st floor lounge to complete the assignment!!

-Christina

Posted by lcisgancarz at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)

Talking to Eliza

Talking to Eliza was kind of like talking to someone who listens to you, but really doesn't give you much advice on what to do about a situation. I talked to Eliza about stress. When I said that I was kind of stressing out, she asked me why I was stressing out, and I responded by saying that I am a college student. Then she asked me if it is normal to be a college student. I just thought that this was a particularly odd question at the time, when I was really trying to talk about stress.

Basically Eliza is useful when someone needs to get their thoughts out to someone and is not really concerned with receiving accurate advice. I also thought that Eliza was pretty repetitive, because she kept asking if I was even sure about the questions that I was asking her, so it kind of defeated the purpose of actually asking her questions that I would get an answer to. Even though Eliza wasn't really helpful, it was interesting trying to type in a respose so that she could say something interesting back to you.

--Yasmin

Posted by lcisperez at 09:53 PM | Comments (1)

In Our Glory

I really, really enjoyed this piece by bell hooks. It comments on so many parts of photography, and, subsequently, black culture. First off, I thought it was really interesting that all of this discussion stemmed from hooks looking at the photograph of her father. I think it is interesting that she was able to derive all of this meaning from a seemingly simple picture. I (all of us, actually) often have assignments like this when we are asked to view a photograph or read an essay and then respond to it. This is a perfect example of how an author can see one thing and then run with it.

There were a few things I found particularly notable in hooks' essay:

  1. Her comment that each of her sisters saw something different in the photograph because they each had a different experience with their father. I think this says alot about photography in general and what we take away from it. For example, when each of my friends looks at the numerous pictures we took at graduation, we all see different things, even though our experience was very much the same. The exchange student I stayed with from Turkey sees the end of her time here, my best friend sees how miserable she was when she broke up with her boyfriend, etc. Our experience plays a huge role in what we get out of photographs.

  2. Another thing that struck me about hooks' essay was her comment on photographs as tools of self representation. Especially with digital cameras and picture editing, we can basically show ourselves however we want. I always photograph horribly, but having a digital camera has allowed me to improve it at least a little bit. Similarily, we can represent others the way we want them to be seen. Of course, this is much of what we discussed in class, that even though we photograph something, it may not be a true representation of our experience. (For example, if I have a picture of my little brother crying in London, it does not necessaily mean that our trip to London was a bad one.)

  3. I also wanted to comment on one of my own thoughts about photographs, which is the decreasing importance of photographs as the amount of time since they were taken increases. For example, when I graduated from middle school I took dozens of photographs of end-of the year events: dances, field trips, parties, and graduation. For a year or so following this, I used to pore over the pictures and recreate, in my mind, my middle school experience. Now, however, these photographs hold little importance for me since I have new photographs from high school which I pore over weekly. This is not to say that old photographs hold no importance or significance for us because they certainly do. It is just something I've often questioned...

--Brenna DeCotis

Posted by lciscotis at 09:18 PM | Comments (1)

Rachel

Eliza reminds me, as many of you, of the Smarter Child on AOL also. I think it is so weird how people can come up with these things to respond to humans about certain things. Although, I thought that this Eliza was pretty dumb, it is still quite interesting. I used smarter child when i was younger and it amazed me. I would make up stupid things and ask them and just laugh at the responses I'd get. Another one that I loved using is Santa Claus. I do this every Christmas...haha I actually still do, and I make sure I'm on the good list and not the bad. It is just so interesting how stupid these things are, but they are so entertaining (well some of them).

Posted by lcisnelson at 04:10 PM | Comments (0)

Java Jive

I really enjoyed "Java Jive" by Dave Barry. I especially enjoyed the part at the end, where he gave examples of horiffic language errors that readers had submitted to him. I wanted to add another that I heard between classes the other day: "I might, probably will, most definetely come see you tonight." The funniest part about this is that she said all of this in one breath, it was not like she was trying to decide whether or not to come see her friend tonight.

I also wanted to comment on Starbuck's use of language. I think that their size names are a huge indication of our supersized culture. One would expect "tall" to be a large, yet in our society "tall" us a "small". Things are always getting bigger and bigger!! (Just a random thought!)

Posted by lciscotis at 03:01 PM | Comments (0)

Eliza

Here is a sample of the conversation I had with Eliza:

She was not very fun to talk to and will not talk about herself. Who honestly says "That is quite interesting" to "tell me something nice"??? It is completely irrelevent! And she answers questions with questions, which indicates she does not have any personality like a human being does. Basically her purpose is for people to continue talking about themselves and she throws in the "That's interesting" or "Tell me more". She doens't have intelligence because her remarks do not reveal a personality or a thought process.

Eliza reminds me very much of Smarter Child on AOL Instant Messanger. I assume they are the same type of program. I remember how when I first discovered Smarter Child I was very excited and thought it was pretty cool to talk to a "robot." My sister and I spent a lot of time thinking up weird and obscene things to say to it. Eventually, if I said too many obscenities it would refuse to talk to me unless I apologized. There must have been a certain number of obsecenties or insults written into the program that once surpassed an apology would have to be sad. Smarter Child was very frustrating too because if he/it didn't understand a statement or question you said, he/it would respond with your statement in question form or repeat your question. This demonstrates Smarter Child, like Eliza, is truly dumb though it has the illusion of human qualities.

Posted by lcisfreya at 08:34 AM | Comments (1)

Chapter 5 Meanings of Language

After reading this chapter, aptly titled, "Meanings of Language", I continue to learn that language has more and more and more meanings as I read on... more than I ever thought about, or would have ever thought even existed. I think it is very interesting, and complex, that there are so many different groups to classify certain words, and types of words, and phrases too, that are all different, yet can all overlap. Each category has its main point however, and understnding each one and their similarities and differences serves to provide further insight into language. We all use language all the time, subconciously, and as we learn more about it, we are made more aware of how amazing a thing it really is.

Posted by lcisthur at 12:51 AM | Comments (2)

October 23, 2005

Eliza and I

You: how does stock market work Eliza: Does that question interest you? You: yes Eliza: You are sure? You: absolutely Eliza: Please go on. You: Why don't you say anything else? Eliza: Perhaps I will say anything else in good time.

Eliza is an interesting programm. I made the same conversation with several different types of Elizas and they were responding in different ways. It is as if they had different personalities. It is quiete interesting to see that these computers actually generate reasonable responses to what we are typing to them. However, I noticed that their responses get repetetive after a while. It seems to be fun program if you just want to type about random matters. I almost got into a fight with one of the Elizas just for the fun of it (shown above). Have fun everyone,

Posted by lcisbold at 11:27 PM | Comments (0)

Eliza turns your computer into a chatterbox! :)

I just tried out Eliza... and was amused, at least for a little while. I have actually seen something like this before, as an America Online screename of "SmarterChild." A few years ago when someone told me to instant message him, I couldn't believe it! I never heard anything about a "robot" like that before, and it was so... smart! However, it's been a while since I had the urge to message him again and see how he's doing, despite the fact he is always online. If any of you are interested, or if you haven't already heard about his one, just enter the AIM screenname SmarterChild! No offense to Eliza, but I'd say he's a bit more developed! And on top of that, you can play games with him, get the news, homework help, weather report, language translations! Probably the most useful friend on your buddy list!

Posted by lcisthur at 10:37 PM | Comments (0)

WA Reminder

This is another reminder that I (your friendly WA) am available to read any and all drafts/papers that you might have. I know that at least one major paper is coming up so if you’d like me to review your draft PLEASE get in contact with me. Not sure how to contact me? Just e-mail me with your paper included as an attachment and a note indicating when you need the paper returned by. If you already know your schedule please include the times you are available to meet for the next several dates (if you mail me on Friday send me your availability for the next week). I’m glad to help everyone who asks but please don’t send me a paper you need returned in less than 48 hours without first making arrangements with me.

I hope to hear from you all, Amy

E-mail: amy.tureen@simmons.edu

Posted by lcisamy at 08:04 PM | Comments (0)

Eliza

I just tried Eliza and I thought it was pretty amazing!! I had a similar experience a few days ago. My best friend's boyfriend made an Instant Messenger Robot named "ilovekerribot". Anyways, the robot is awesome because you can talk to it just like a normal person and it will respond. Her boyfriend made it by using a website and filling out a form with generic things, then the computer took it from there. My friends and I had the best time because we would ask the same questions and see if we got the same answer, and we would ask weird questions like, "What's your favorite kind of chicken?". Anyways, it always had an answer and also some unique phrases that it would use over and over. Anyways, I am sure that everyone has used this kind of thing, "SmarterChild" is probably the most popular, but I just wanted to remark upon the similarity of "SmarterChild" and other Instant Messenger Robots to Eliza.

Brenna DeCotis

Posted by lciscotis at 03:27 PM | Comments (1)

POL Ch. 4

It is amazing how much the invention and popularity of photography changed visual art. Painting and sculpting have been around for centuries, much longer than photography, but photography seems to have had a bigger impact on art than most social movements and other importnant events. When people realized that we could take pictures of things and have an exact replication of what we saw, art started to become much more about realism. Nobody wanted to be left behind, or feel stuck in the "old way" of doing things, people wanted art to be "real". We don't see as many impressionist paintings anymore, most of the art that came about during the invention of photography seems to be very realistic, almost like an actual photograph. I am glad, however, that things did not stay this way and that we now have new kinds of art such as abstract art and dadaism.

Posted by lcismardin at 01:18 PM | Comments (0)

Getting personal..

In Our Glory: Photographs and Black Life was a very powerful piece. I never really thought of photography as being a mode of identifying a specific race, gender or class. I always percieved it as something that everyone could share. I have a new view of what photography shows for specific cultures and in particular, the visual politics that characterize photography overall.

It was interesting to read about how one photograph led to different reactions among Hook's siblings. The picture of her father in earlier years appealed to some of the siblings, and not to others. Art and photography rely heavily on the view of the person analyzing the piece. And photographs are visually appealing when people have a relationship with what they are observing. But for me, the picture seemed powerful, giving me a clear picture of who Hook's father really was. There is boldness and courage in the picture. Also, the white of his shirt brings the focus right to him and his facial expressions.

Also, over the summer my mother and I organized and re-chronicled our family photographs, some of which were quite old. It was interesting to see how photographs started out as very stiff, serious and distant family moments. But now the pictures we take have become more momentary, spontaneous and show the emotion we are feeling at the particular moment. In photographs you can note the techonological advancements. The oldest pictures we had were a very muted and mossy look. As we progressed on othe pictures became clearer and glossier. Furthermore, there used to be only black and white, then when color became availiable to use, the pictures were dyed certain colors, but weren't very bold and there was a limited number of colors. Now we have the ability to take both black and white pictures.

And one last thing...it is very interesting to see pictures of your parents from their teen and college years- if you ever get the chance, I would definitely capitalize on that.

Posted by lcissearls at 11:38 AM | Comments (1)

October 21, 2005

Persepolis Review

I think it is interesting how the opinions in the review are really Jennifer Camper's yet they are expressed as if they are other people's. She shows how the different people (genders, religions) perceive it but all the views illustrated are really hers. I also think it's cool she gives a little bit of background on the novel; that Marjane Satrapi worked with French cartoonists and the ponderations of the characters on whether Marjane uses a pen or a brush. Camper puts the review in context of conversation. The characters of the review discuss aspects of the book "for" Camper. I really don't think a straight up, conventional book review would have been appropriate for Persepolis 2 because Persepolis is certainly not a conventional book. It would seem flat and not have given Marjane Satrapi as much justice as a review written in the same format as her book. Of course I say this after I have read the review already but I know if I was given the two to compare, a review in comics style is much more appropriate for Persepolis than a written review.

Posted by lcisfreya at 01:04 AM | Comments (0)

Persepolis 2

I like Jennifer Camper's review because I think it's very creative of her to conceive the idea of doing it through the same style as Persepolis. At the end, she pointed out that graphic novels, especially this one, can appeal to people at all different levels of thinking. For instance, the ladies were discussing the semiotics and complexities of Persepolis, while the daughter liked it simply because the "drawings are cool".

Although I haven't read Persepolis 2, I felt like Camper gave away too much of the story. I like to be surprised when I read something, rather than to be informed ahead of time. But, since I probably will not find the time to read it, it's good to know what happens to Marji. I think it's fantastic that Satrapi decided to write these novels because it educates western society about things we might not otherwise be aware of, from someone who experienced it firsthand. Camper points this out, and I think that was one of the most important ideas to include in her review.

Posted by lcishagan at 01:01 AM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2005

Review of Persepolis

 I think that the review on Persepolis 2 was very well done for many reasons.  I was really impressed by the way that Camper used the graphic-novel format to both describe what the book focused on and to give an actual example of Marjane Satrapi's writing/comic style.  She conveyed that this is a book that can interest many different audiences by showing different cultures and ages discussing many different things about the book that they found interesting.  I'm really interested in reading Persepolis 2 now, not only because I felt like Persepolis' ending was rather sudden, but also because I really liked the information given on Persepolis 2 by Jennifer Camper.

Emmy

Posted by lcisowens at 11:07 PM | Comments (0)

Review of Persepolis

I think that the review on Persepolis 2 was very well done for many reasons. I was really impressed by the way that Camper used the graphic-novel format to both describe what the book focused on and to give an actual example of Marjane Satrapi's writing/comic style. She conveyed that this is a book that can interest many different audiences by showing different cultures and ages discussing many different things about the book that they found interesting. I'm really interested in reading Persepolis 2 now, not only because I felt like Persepolis' ending was rather sudden, but also because I really liked the information given on Persepolis 2 by Jennifer Camper.

Emmy

PS- Sorry about the previous two entries. I don't know what happened.

Posted by lcisowens at 11:07 PM | Comments (1)

Ballet

Last Sunday, I had the pleasure and privledge to attend the Boston Ballet's performance of Cinderella. It was intriguing experience because I have never been to one, or actually, any organized dance in general. I have attended musicals, plays, and concerts, so this ballet was completely different than what I had expected. For some reason, I thought that some words would have been spoken, but no voices were heard, and yet, I was mesmerized by the intensity of all their gestures and movements. After discussing gestures in Nanette's class, I was able to notice every little twitch that the step-sister's made, and every facial expression. It was extraordinary. Instead of vocalizing their emotions, the characters represented them through their dance and face. I realized that when I attended musicals or plays, I was too busy paying attention to the script, that I failed to truly look at every motion. In the ballet, my eyes were concentrated on every flick of the wrist and bat of the eye. Now, I know that I will view plays and musicals in a different light. Not only will I focus on the lines, but also the distinct gestures that help to portray the scenes. Everyone needs to see Cinderella! It is so powerful! -Christina

Posted by lcisgancarz at 09:37 PM | Comments (1)

Susan Sontag-On Photography

I found a lot of what Susan Sontag wrote about in this essay to be true in my own life. Sontag wrote about how when people are on vacation (especially Germans, Japanese, and Americans) they make a "friendly imitation of work" by bringing their cameras with them everywhere and take pictures of every single thing that they like or that seems different to them. This gives you a lot of memories to remember your trip by, but it takes some of the fun out of actually experiencing what you are seeing (unless you live for photography). Taking pcitures can almost be like a chore when you feel like you have to take pictures of every single thing that you see and I think sometimes it makes vacations less fun, even though they will be more fun to remember afterwards. I know I am guilty of this though, because everytime I go somewhere I feel like I have to take pictures of everything I see. I wish that when I went on vacation, I could just take someone with me who could take all the pictures so that I could have the full experience while I was there, but then also have the memories when I came home.

Posted by lcismardin at 09:29 PM | Comments (1)

Review of Persepolis 2

I thought this review of Perepolis 2 by Jennifer Camper was really great. After I finished reading Persepolis, I already knew that I wanted to read the second book because the first one leaves you hanging and with a lot of question. This review just wants to make me read Persepolis 2 even more. I never thought that I would enjoy reading a graphic novel, especially one about Iran, which before now I didn't know much about, but reading Persepolis was so interesting and actually fun that I would definitely be open to reading more graphic novels.

This review of Persepolis 2 gives us some information about what happened to Marji after the end of the first book, but it doesn't give everything away. I liked how the two women were shown talking about the style that Marjane Satrapi used while writing Persepolis because I was thinking the some of the same things while I was reading the first book. I really liked Persepolis and this review made me even more excited to read Persepolis 2!

Posted by lcismardin at 09:20 PM | Comments (0)

Pooch Cafe Analysis

The comic I have chosen to analyze is entitled “Pooch Café” by Paul Gilligan from Sunday, October 9th. In this comic series, the dogs can communicate with humans as well as other dogs, and from what I have seen, it seems that each comic displays and makes a joke out of something that is associated with dogs. In this particular comic, it is making fun of the concept that dogs fetch the newspaper for their owners. The main dog in the comic developed a device with a conveyor belt that brings the newspaper from the window of the house to the kitchen table in front of the human. Then once the paper arrives, the owner says “Somehow it’s not quite the same as you fetching it for me” and the dog replies, “You got yer paper, didn’t ya?” I thought this was very clever and I enjoyed it.

This comic is quite simple in its concept with very little wording. It uses mainly representation in its drawings with a little bit of symbolism, but no abstraction. The symbols include an arrow on a sign showing the paperboy where to put the paper, and also lines that indicate the newspaper moving along the conveyor belt. All the other elements in this comic display representation. For example representation is displayed with the house, window, conveyor belt, newspaper, kitchen table, coffee mugs as well as many other things.

Paul Gilligan uses the whole comic strip, I think, as metonymy for the concept of dogs fetching the paper for their owners. The first panel to the second is action to action as the paperboy sees where he is supposed to put the newspaper and the next panel shows the paper after he throws it. Each other panel transition is moment to moment as you see the newspaper moving along the conveyor belt until it reaches it final destiniation. In the first panel, the words are part of the image as they are on a sign. Most of the comic is picture specific as there are no text bubbles until the last panel. The last panel is interdependent though because the joke is in the wording. Although you probably could infer the meaning from the comic without the words, except it is much more powerful with the words. I also don’t think this comic has a deeper meaning; I think it is just commenting on the life of dogs and its purpose is just to make the reader laugh.

-Jessica F.

Posted by lcisfaria at 08:35 PM | Comments (0)

Persepolis Review

Overall, I think the Persepolis II review was more interesting than a regular review because it was comic style, which helped me remember what the reviewer said. My favorite part was the characters taling about how Persepolis II is about identity contradictions because readers who read the first one could guess what the second was about in meaning.

The review dealt with the difference between men and women who write about the Iranian conflicts. The women characters (Iranians) said they thought they were ignored not only by men writers but also by Americans.

The reviewer goes on to say that Americans neglect to recognize or care about Iranians and the difficulties they have (which is true considering I didnt know anything about Iran until I read Persepolis). She says that Americans need to see the information but the way Americans are closed in thought prevents it. The review emphasized the fact that every other continent has book stores with graphic novel sections but we don't. America is supposed to be open to modern thought and we can't even put sections in our stores dedicated to graphic novels. We have sections for everything else, including books that I am sure collect dust, so why not graphic novels? She "justifies" this American way by saying that we think graphic novels are just comics that "dumb down" culture.

As for the author's style, it is highly recommended by the reviewer. She says that everyone is interested (women, teens, and men are all shown). It not only combines a story with pictures that kids like but also, it includes the emotion to allow the reader to relate or put themselves in the character's shoes. Lastly, it has a good "rhythm" and its a "coming of age narrative in semiotic analysis of female woman child in Iran" that is smartly combined with a comic book style.

Proof of this taste by all groups (men, women and children) is shown by the following: After reading this book I called my mom and dad and explained the book. They soon got the book and loved it. My brother is now reading it (which is a miracle, especially since he doesn't read much as a 15 year old boy) and I couldn't be happier. By the way, I am going out and buying the next one.

Posted by lcisyeich at 06:00 PM | Comments (0)

Comic Analysis

The comic is I chose is straightforward in both text and picture and uses little amount of symbol and abstraction because she is making fun of everyday life

The artist uses the woman in the green shirt as a metonymy for America. The woman says sarcastically that she might want to footnote the picture she has of an explosion from some sort of bomb that is to represent an RPG explosion on a humvee. The green shirted lady portrays America in that we are starting to question where information comes from or how it was produced. The other woman portrays someone that generally thinks she can put anything out as a project (etc.) and it can be believed and exaggerated and it still is not considered lying.

The first two panels are moment to moment because not only is the speaker in the first panel continuing on in the second, but also she is in the same spot, only the view is different. Also from panel to panel, aspect-to-aspect is used because the woman develops her idea in each frame. Action to action is used from the second to the third frame because at first she is obviously reading and then she is obviously flipping the page at her easel. There is almost a subject-to-subject relation because at first we find out about the woman’s father and then we find out that she is using faulty evidence.

This comic is interdependent in the way that the pictures relate to the text. Without the words, the comic just seems to be a woman giving a presentation on some sort of explosion and without the pictures we don’t know what she “actually got off the web,” so we don’t understand why its funny that the other woman tells her to footnote the picture.

This comic works on several levels and makes the joke funny for those that understand the situation in Iraq and those who understand the nature of people to exaggerate and misinform others. Lately, there has been a trend to take a bad situation and make it seem entirely worse to the point where it is different. This trend has been seen more now with the war in Iraq. Americans are taking situations that happen everyday in Iraq (even before our invasion) and exaggerating it to the public. As a public, we seem to soak in the lies and not question what is going on. Throughout this cartoon, we see a change in that trend. The blonde woman’s audience stares in disbelief at her in other panels from other day’s papers. The people are suddenly realizing that this information is so unbelievable that she (the speaker) just looks ridiculous. For those that don’t understand the war, a similar meaning comes from the comic. The woman giving the speech continues throughout many days’ comics to believe her information and thinks nothing wrong of having misinformation (or pictures that have nothing to do with Fallujah).

Posted by lcisyeich at 05:59 PM | Comments (0)

My thoughts on the review of Persepolis 2

I thought these reviews were both amazing. Using a comic as a way to review a graphic novel was so clever. I know if I saw this review, I would be drawn in to read it just because it is a comic. I think that reviewing Satrapi's book as a comic is also praising her and her work. I also enjoyed how Jennifer Camper reviewed Persepolis from a view different standpoints. First, from two Muslim women who are at first hesitant but then they realize that it is actually from an Iranian woman, and are quite pleased by that. She also shows two other women disucssing the book and remembering what happened. She also presents two teenagers talking about the graphical aspect of the book, which is also highly important. Camper also comments a few times on the lack of graphic novels in the United States as opposed to other countries. Many feel that graphic novels are just simple old comic strips that don't address anything of importance. However that is untrue, and Persepolis is a prime example of that.

Overall I thought that Jennifer Camper does a very good job of reviewing the book and presents it in a very good way. After reading a little bit about Persepolis 2 through the review, it makes me want to read it, and I think I will when I have some time to sit down and do so.

-Jessica F.

Posted by lcisfaria at 05:39 PM | Comments (0)

Persepolis part 2

I really liked the comic about the book Persepoils by Jennifer Camper. I agree with her and thought that how she described the book was pretty accurate. One particular part that I liked was when one character commented about there not being enough women making comics and the other character responded saying that women don't have what it takes to be cartoonists because they don't have wives to support them. I thought that was funny..hah just a random side note. But anyways, I thought that when Camper points out that she, the author of Persepolis, "really captures the way kids figure out the grown-up world slowly and clumsily and with humor and pain" is true. Marjane is a child growing up during a time where things kept changing and she did not fully understand right away, and the book reveals that but not in a boring way. When I first picked up the book to begin reading I was like oh man, I do not want to read this. But I really enjoyed it and like Christina said in class, you did not need to know the backround of Iran and what happened to understand the book. It really was a good read!

Posted by lcisnelson at 04:17 PM | Comments (1)

Sontag's On Photography

I really enjoyed this essay "On Photography" by Susan Sontag. It was pretty straightforward and thus an easy, enjoyable read. While reading I knew that I believed in a lot of the things that Sontag said. For example, she talks about the use of photography to create memories. This is an obvious use of photographs, but we often underestimate how strong this use. Photographs are part of our every day lives, whether it be looking at a friends photo album, taking pictures of an experience, or gazing at photographs of our family and friends.

I truly support all of Sontag's beliefs, but could never articulate them as well as she did.

--Brenna DeCotis

Posted by lciscotis at 03:08 PM | Comments (1)

Camper's Persepolis Review

I thought it fitting stylistically, that Jennifer Camper used comic strips to review Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel. With it’s multiple characters, the review allowed Camper to voice varying opinions on graphic novels, Iran, Muslim women and Satrapi’s books, presenting counter arguments that stated her point by contradiction.

Her review became a meta-comic as she touched on the credibility struggle graphic novels are faced with in different parts of the world.

Camper shows, through her comic review, how through comics an author-artist is able to entertain subject matter simultaneously on multiple levels and because of it’s medium it is accessible to a broad cross section of people.

The review points to how Satrapi, through the telling of a very personal story, has been able, with an authentic voice, to educate readers and shed light that benefits both the reader and those the story concerns.

~ Nanette

Posted by lcissavides at 02:19 PM | Comments (0)

God and Marjane

In Persepolis there are are many signs and symbols that all have a certain meaning. I thought that one of the most apparent symbols in this book was that of God. God was drawn as being a white man with long white hair and a long white beard. God symbolized comfort for Marjane in her time of need, which was whenever she needed understanding about something. The fact that God is used as a symbol in this book shows that Marjane valued her religious beliefs and turned to God whenever she had a problem. God was like Marjane's best friend and when she couldn't talk to her parents she could talk to him. God also symbolized protection from the harm of the Revolution for Marjane. He allowed her to feel safe when she thought that she was in danger. This symbol is important in the book, because it shows the need for wanting to be protected and being able to have someone to turn to.

--Yasmin

Posted by lcisperez at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)

"On Photography"

Susan Sontag's peice "On Photography" was more straightforward than the other peices we have read in class. Upon reading the first paragraph, I realized that this would be an informational essay instead of a complex, metaphorical story. I enjoyed realizing some of the reasons why we take photos. We can all relate and understand her reasonings because it is true with everyone. What I really liked about her writing was that she took a psychological perspective.

For example, she explains that we tend to take pictures to replace things. Our handicaps might prevent us from acting on what we see, so we take pictures to "participate" or even act on what we see later if our handicap goes away. We take pictures to replace the space of children when they grow up. We take pictures to replace work on vacations in work driven societies. We replace non-existent pasts with pictures from now to make up for it. More, we replace our anxieties over being somewhere new with photos (the photos allow us to "take possession" over these strange areas). Moreover, we replace our lack of friends or colleagues on trips with photos. Meaning, because the ones we talk to daily are usually not there on vacation with us, we must take pictures to prove a point or "certify" that we were there. Lastly, we replace our hopes with pictures. For example, we take pictures of big houses if we want big houses. This could be that we want to make it seem like we have the homes or just to let us keep wishing.

The last and best point of the article was that we take pictures to "encourage whatever is going on to keep on happening." We take pictures of vacations to keep the memory and even to be able to look at it and transfer ourselves to that time.

Overall, I thought the informational essay was indeed informative. Not that I learned new things, but I realize it in the foreground of my mind, versus the background. We all know why we take pictures, but most of the time, we aren't able to say it.

Posted by lcisyeich at 10:13 AM | Comments (2)

Persepolis Review!

I thought that this "review" of Persepolis and Persepolis 2 was very interesting and innovative on the part of Jennifer Camper. What struck me the most was the way she was able to talk about so many different themes in so little space.

First off, she is able to explore the book's appeal to many different audiences. As mentioned by other bloggers, the book appeals to alot of people: Iranian woman, teenagers, children, modern day women, and many more. For each of these audiences it brings something different, whether it be entertainment, truth, historical information, or any number of possible interests.

She also describes the theme of feminism by highlighting the fact that this book is written by a woman and is also about a woman. The most interesting thing that I read in relation to this was when someone said "Ha! Just once I want a man's comic described as being 'from a male perspective'". This statement is very true because, even for our society, which I believe is rather attentive to feminism, a comic written by a man is the norm.

Another theme is that of the lack of graphic novels in the United States. This coincides with the belief of a couple of characters that comics are watered-down books, that they do not have the same intellectual capacity as Dickens or Shakespeare. For many people this is true (I even had some of these feelings if you read my blog from a few days ago). However, I think that the United States is slowly beginning to change. My library at home is building a graphic novel section which has grown relatively large and is very popular. Similiarily, the Simmons Library had a graphic novel display a month or so ago. So, I think that American society is slowly changing to allow us access to different kinds of literature.

A final theme in the comic is brought up by the two Iranian woman in the beginning of the comic who say that literature about certain cultures only appears when they are in the news, for example she alludes to the September 11th terrorist attacks. This is certainly true because an attack like this makes other cultures first on everyone's mind. However, it should not be so. We should be respectful, aware, and appreciative of other cultures no matter if they are in the news or not.

--Brenna DeCotis

Posted by lciscotis at 09:54 AM | Comments (0)

On Photography

I was definitely able to relate to this essay and I loved Susan Sontag's views on photography in general. I feel that Sontag did a great job talking about the aspects of photography and the role of the photographer. Also, there were many good references and quotes in this piece and I feel they sum up the ideas that Sontag addressed...

"A family's photograph album is generally about the extended family and, often, is all that remains of it."

"The photographer stays behind his or her camera, creating a tiny element of another world: the image-world that bids to outlast us all."

"Comes from the awareness of how plausible it has become, in situations where the photographer has the choice between a photograph and a life, to choose the photograph."

"After the event has ended, the picture will still exist, conferring on the event a kind of immortality."

Posted by lcissearls at 12:10 AM | Comments (0)

October 19, 2005

Persepolis Review

Jennifer Camper approaches reviewing Persepolis in a very creative way, by using a comic to analyze a comic novel. By doing this she is able to use words to show the opinions that several different people have of the book, whether they are positive or negative. She is also able to incorporate people's thoughts with their facial expressions and gestures. This allows the reader of her critique to connect with the person who is sharing the opinion, because of their posture, clothing, and physical features.

Through the words in her comic critique. Camper emphasizes the difficulty of growing up in two seperate worlds, and the effects of progressivism and modernism. She also not only focuses on the perspective of women of the graphic novel, but she also mentions the opinions of men as well. For example, she shows in her comic that some men think that a cartoon-style book being published is almost an insult that says that information is being simplified too much to make people look dumb. Even the opinion of women not being able to be good cartoonists is shown. By placing these opinions in the comic Camper is able to address some of the issues raised in the book itself why analyzing it simultaneously.

This is such an effective to analyze a book, because both words and pictures can be observed.

--Yasmin

Posted by lcisperez at 11:15 PM | Comments (0)

Bits and Pieces

I found the comic review of Persepolis 2 very interesting. The comic was taken from The Women's Review of Books, and I found that it reflected much of the ideas about women that Jennifer Camper was revealing in her comic critique. Jennifer Camper seemed to be stating how it was significant that women are now defining women. Of course it is better to have one of our own to talk about what it is to be a woman. Women obviously are much better at explaining themselves than are men (about women). Additionally, it explored a wide range of ages and ethnicities of women talking about how graphic novels have impacted them.

On a side note, it was interesting how this review showed men unable to relate to women and comics in general. In one of the panels, a man stated "Just another example of the dumbing-down of our culture.." Another panel showed a father telling his son that he couldn't get the comic book because it was "pop junk." Needless to say, women are usually much more accepting and open to new ideas and claims than are men.

Posted by lcissearls at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)

East Coast Crash

While getting coffee yesterday I noted that a version of Crash set in the Northeast could have a scene in a Dunkin Donuts store.

Food or coffee rather for thought!

~ Nanette

Posted by lcissavides at 09:37 PM | Comments (3)

Persepolis 2

Jennifer Camper critiques Persepolis 2 in such a unique way. She utilizes a comic in order to analyze another comic, which is incredibly powerful. By illustrating her thoughts through a comic, she is able to get her point cross with few words and many informative pictures. I believe that people take great interest in new and different ways of representation, and her review will and probably has been viewed by a great percentage of people because of its format. Paragraphs and paragraphs of long sentences tend to bore Americans, specifically, so being short, to the point, and artistic is alluring to the eye and engaging for the mind. Personally, I believe that one of the strongest points in Camper's comic is that she appeals to all people (most specifically, all ages). She incorporates two Iranian women, two modern day women, a teenage boy and girl, men and women (probably 20 and up), teenagers, and children who all freely give their comments on the book. Also, by changing the setting of each couple of panels, it appeared as though Persepolis 2 is being talked about everywhere. Overall, this review is extremely effective in its purpose to interest society in learning about Iran and Marjane Satrapi. -Christina

Posted by lcisgancarz at 08:14 PM | Comments (0)

Jennifer Camper's Graphic Review

Jennifer Camper's graphic review of Persepolis 2 presents the differing opinions that people living in America have of the novel. Camper's central point, however, is that the novel has a different appeal to different people based on their interests and background.

For example, Camper begins her critique by having the starting panels depict two Iranian women in the bookstore. They are excited to see American interest in their culture, which is apparent by the display of Middle East and Islam related books, but at the same time they are frustrated that Americans only seem to be interested in these topics because of the attacks on September 11. The two women return home with a copy of Persepolis 2 and have a discussion concerning Iran in the 1970's. The topic hits close to home for these women, as they remember what it was like to live in Iran during that time. For them, the appeal of the novel is that it is a personal trip down memory lane.

The subsequent panels show two artists viewing the novel. To them, the appeal of it lies in the artistic techniques Satrapi used to create the images.

Next, two young girls in a comic book store are attracted to the novel because they find it impressive that a female would dare to enter the male-dominated world of cartoons. This bold act by Satrapi is in accordance with these girls' feminist attitudes, thus they are interested in the novel.

Camper then portrays two young people who seemingly immigrated to the U.S. at a young age. For them, the appeal to Persepolis 2 is in the way it exposes the difficulty associated with the immigration process...something that I'm sure is universal no matter where one immigrates to or from.

Camper acknowledges that in the opinions of older Americans, Persepolis 2 seems like a meaningless and "dumb-downed" novel. This shows the resistance that some older Americans have towards the breaking of older and generally accepted conventions, whereas she depicts the youth of America as open and excited about the idea of a graphic novel.

Camper shows the impact of the novel on three Muslim women who are sick of being misrepresented by documentaries on Islam and the Middle East. For these women, the appeal of Satrapi's novel is the truth with which she wrote about Muslim women.

Camper ends her graphic review by showing educated women having a sophisticated discussion on the novel. The appeal of Satrapi's work to them is that it seems to be full of signs that can be semiotically analyzed.

All of the different scenarios that Camper puts forth in her review of Persepolis 2 serve to show us that the novel is popular for many different reasons and whether or not it will appeal to you depends upon your personal interests and tastes.

Posted by lcissullivan at 03:54 PM | Comments (3)

Blogging on Comics on Blogging

Check it out!

Posted by lcisEllen at 10:49 AM | Comments (0)

Group 1

Group 1: Information about Iran just before 1979 (during the rule of theShah, pre-revolution). Concentrate on the effects inside Iran.

Persian History Before 1979

In the second millennia B.C., Aryans invaded the Iranian plateau and divided into tribes that distinguished from each other by different dialects. The two most famous of tribes were the Persians and the Medes. The Persians settled in the province of Fars and in the Bakhtiari Mountains and achieved unity under the leadership of Achaemenes, whose descendant, Cyrus II, brought the Achaemenian Empire onto the center stage of world history. Cyrus overthrew the Median empire and seized Ecbatana (Place of Assembly), which became his capital. Because he spared the defeated ruler, respected all religions, and brought nobles and civilian officials, both Median and Persian, into the government of his kingdom, he continued to expand his empire over all the kingdoms of the Near and Middle East through peace.

The Mongol conquest of the Persian world brought with it terrible destruction and large-scale massacres. The east of Iran fell in 1380 and north-western Iran went through a different historical development. The Safavids were successful in bringing the whole of the Iranian plateau under unified control. They made Iran a "national state" in the modern sense of the word and traded with Europe, transforming the new capital, Isfahan, into one of the greatest cities of Persia. The presence at the Safavid court of foreign envoys and the growing number of merchants and travellers in Iran was later to have a great influence on the arts and literature in Europe. The cultural growth was accompanied by considerable development in all forms of art.

Afghan rule in eastern Iran lasted only a short period of time (1722-1729); the second ruler was overthrown by Nader Khan of the Safavid Dynasty. In 1795 the Qajar leader Agha Muhammed Khan, won and established the new Qajar dynasty bringing the whole country under his authority and was crowned "Shah" (king) in Tehran in 1796. Dissatisfied with the incompetence and corruption of the government revolts formed by various secret societies and religious groups.

Protests

In Iran from 1963-1967, there was economic growth in the country and opposition towards Mohammed Reza (Shah). The Shah was also opposed by religious figures and urban middle class people as well. He had gained power 1941, and he used his secret police as a method of controlling people within Iran. Only the wealthy were able to benefit from the Shah’s power.

With his power, the Shah imprisoned hundreds of political activist’s, he enforced strict censorship laws, killed and arrested protestors, and also attacked theology students who were attempting to stop a liquor store from opening. In 1978 there were lots of protests due to a libelous story about Khomeini. Overall there had been millions of protests in Tehran. Shah also had conflicts with muslims regarding such things as alcohol, sex and gambling. There was also lots of poverty in the country of Iran and very poor living conditions, where most of the poor lived in slums or rural areas outside of the large cities. The price of oil also continued to climb and about $300 million was spent on the celebration of the 2500 year anniversary of the Persian Empire in Persepolis.

In 1977 Jimmy Carter said he's cut arms shipments because of human rights issues inside Iran, therefore 300 prisoners were released and laws became more lenient, going against the beliefs of the Muslims. Protests began then for these reasons, and for the concept of freedom of thought. Early protests were led by Mehdi Bazargan and the "Freedom Movement", with support from the people of Iran and abroad. Al Shari'ati, an orthodox Shia, was also a radical leader whose murder added to the tension. Khomeini's son died of unknown causes, but the Shah's forces were blamed and this escalated hostile feelings towards the Shah.

In 1978 many protests were triggered by a libel printed about Khomeini in the official press, and because of the libelous story, there were many protests, one being where some student protesters were killed by members of the army. On this day, there was a memorial service for these martyrs. The army became even more violent and killed hundreds of the people at the memorial services. Many protests around the nation and images of the Shah were destroyed. There was also lots of unemployment because of the unrest in Iran. On Dececmber 12, 2 million protesters crammed into Azadi Square in Tehran. To protest against the Shah. Members of the army began to switch sides and protest as well, although other members of the army were very violent towards the protesters. Shah was finally forced to flee the country January of 1979.

Poverty and the Division of Social Class in Iran

Poverty in Iran resulted was obvious by the lack of access to essential services and goods, like health services and water that was safe to drink. There was overcrowding, many homeless, and lots of health problems. Children were severely underweight, and many adults were estimated to die before they reached age 45. Different areas in and the entire cities themselves, contrasted greatly in quality, and resulted in residential segregation. This lead to an increase in the amount of violence against women, and against the poor; making the poverty much worse.

Social class depended on political connections, not so much on wealth. If you were able to make high-level decisions, you had high prestige. Wealth was still important, but it was closely related with access to politics. For example, politically affluent people, like in the Senate (Majlis), were also owners of big industrial and commercial businesses. You had to be part of a high-class family to access political power, and therefore elite families were tied together by marriages.

Later on before the revolution, the importance of wealth was less important, and it the wealthy upper classes were no longer always the ones with political power. Instead, religious power was the requirement for entry into the elite society. This way, the new members with political power were not members of the old social elite.

The middle class included several different kinds of people: small business owners, bazaar merchants, professionals, teachers, and military officers, to name a few. The middle class was divided between those who had a “Western” education and had a secular outlook, and those religious citizens who were suspicious of the “western” education. There was a high value placed on getting a foreign education, and the political elite who were educated were forced to take Islamic courses in order to keep their jobs.

The working class consisted of many different kinds of workers, including those in the oil industry, construction, mechanics, and artisans. The amount of factory workers dominated however, and represented 25% of the total employee work force of Iran. In this class there was a hierarchy based on a person’s labor skills. Skilled construction workers, like carpenters, for example, made more money than, and looked down upon the large number of unskilled workers.

The three main factors that distinguished members in the lower class were their work of manual labor, poor living conditions, and high illiteracy rate. Even in this group, the members were divided. There were lower class citizens who had jobs, being street cleaners, servants, porters, gardeners, laundry workers, etc; and then there were those who did not have any employment.

For those unemployed, and even some of the members who did have jobs, the lower class performed a lot of begging. Out of disparity, some resorted to smuggling, selling drugs, prostitution, and gambling.

Religious figures

In 1921 Reza Pahlavi began the Pahlavi Dynasty. He was forced to abdicate in 1941 by Britain and the USSR for his relations with Germany. His son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, was permitted to assume the throne. Reza Shah commandeered great power although he was easily manipulated. In the 1950’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had been designated a supreme religious leader and in 1964 his outspoken condemnation of the Shah resulted in his exile. He settled in Iraq until Saddam Hussein forced him to leave.

In 1967 Reza Shah crowns himself Emperor of Iran, which caused resentment in many sectors of society the intellectual, academic, religious and political. The Shah believed himself in the lineage of the Kings of the ancient Persian Empire and among other things replaced the Islamic calendar with an “imperial” one. Religious leaders feared loosing their traditional authority and claimed the Shah was in violation of the constitution which, with a representative government, limited the Kings power.

With the discovery of oil and the revenues it produced the Shah modernized Iran socially and economically but not democratically. The Shah suppressed opponents most noticeably and violently with the intelligence agency SAVAK. In the mid-1970’s this reached a pinnacle and the Islamic leaders, most noticeably Ayatollah Khomeini used Islamic principles to focus this discontent and called for an overthrow of the Shah. This occurred in 1979 and Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran from France to be Chief of State and ultimate ruler of a new theocratic republic guided by Islamic principles.

--Yasmin

Group members: Allie, Emmy, Nanette, and Ariel

Posted by lcisperez at 08:36 AM | Comments (1)

October 18, 2005

Iran- Current Information

The Young Population of Iran or "The Satellite Generation"

-65% of the population is under the age of 25 -no remembrance of 1979 Islamic Revolution or the coup de tat of Shah Reza Pavlavi by the Ayatollah Khomeini -seek change and an end to the isolation and social repression of Iran, yearn for modern day culture -internet savvy, use cell phones, "nourished" by satellite tv -hidden shops offer Victoria's Secret, Coca-cola products, Mcdonalds, Kfc, US-style eateries, American self help books, western culture icons, and Barbies -government policies and confiscation of satellite dishes has relaxed...most people now have satellite tv (70-80% of all Iranians) -satellite tv reaches 300 new homes inside Iran every day -Iranian population now considered preferred customers around the world -more Iranian college students studying abroad than any other country (51,300 in the US alone) -most people now live in cities, population is younger, more literate and more affluent than ever before

-Suicide and severe depression are quite common as a result of Iran's multimillion pool of college applicants

Women in Iran •Women Protest: hide bodies but voices are starting to be heard

•By law must cover themselves in scarves and long coats but many wear latest Western fashions underneath coats

•Women now drive cars, own companies, run newspapers, direct films, teach yoga classes, and compete in sports

•Hope hijab (Koran’s admonition that a Muslim woman should cover everything but her face, hands, and feet/a covering for a Muslim woman’s face and head) will fade with mellowing in regime

•“pink revolution”: a silent fashion statement to express contempt for the government and hijab. Women wear pink clothes and brighter, tighter coats, higher heels, scarves pushed farther back

•women wear sexiest, most fashionable clothes possible while still covering requisite body parts

How men protest •men have clean shaves (Islam encourages beards), publicly shaking hands with unrelated women, jeans, and long hair

Contrasts around country:

In villages, life is centered around farm and mosque, young married by parents, few modern luxuries

In Tehran, center of Iran’s social consciousness, artistic creativity, political and economical power

Government

-The Supreme Leader runs inside laws -The President takes care of everything -The Assembly of Experts elect the Supreme Leader from within their own ranks and periodically reconfirm him -The Parliament consists of 290 members elected to a four year term The members are elected by direct and secret ballot. It drafts legislation, ratifies international treaties and approves the country's budget. -The Council of Guardians have the authority to interpret the constitution and determines if the laws passed by Parliament are in line with Islamic law. the Council can exercise veto power over Parliament. -The expediency council- has authority to mediate disputes between parliament and the Council of Guardians and serves as an advisory body to the Supreme Leader -The Judiciary Public courts deal with civil and criminal cases -Constitution created in 1979 called the Qanun-e Asasi -Iran is a Theocratic Republic (government "ruled by God") meaning that it is not ruled by a monarch but instead the head of the government is elected for a limited period of time. -government's policies are strongly influced by the principles of the majority religion, Islam. -The president of Iran is Mohammad Khatami-ardakani. He won the 1997 Iranian election and was re-elected in 2001 due to ffemale and youth vote, who supported him because he promised to improve the status of women and repond to the young generation's demands. -He is Iran's first reformist president that is focused on democracy -the national pride has increased and the image of iranians more positive because of him -The three main ideas of the Iranian government are 1) to rule by Allah 2) to keep strict observance of the sacred writings of the Koran, and 3) to support the leadership of the Shiite clergy (who is a scholar who knows the Koranic laws and gets more power than government officials)

Economy -consists of labor force of 15.4 million -30% of Iranians are unemployed -the inflation rate of the Toman, their currency, is 23% -Iran produces about $371.2 billion worth of goods and services each year including petroleum, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides, iron, and steel. -it imports products such as machinery, military supplies, metal, food and pharmaceuticals -As of today, Iran has an annual budget of $34.9 billion and a debt of $21.9 billion -The economy is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and other large enterprises, village agriculture, and small scale private trading and service ventures -Iran is attempting to diversify by investing revenues in other areas, including petrochemicals. -Iran is also hoping to attract billions of dollars worth of foreign investment by creating a more favorable investment climate (reduced restrictions and duties on imports, creation of free-trade zones)

Demographics

-The majority of Iran's population speak one of the Iranian languages, though only Persian is an official language. -The major ethnic groups in Iran include the Persians (51%), Azeris (24%), Gilaki and Mazandarani (8%), Kurds (7%), Arabs (3%), Baluchi (2%), Lurs (2%), Turkmen people (2%), Qashqai, Armenians, Persian Jews, Assyrians and others. -Most Iranians are Muslims; 89% belong to the Shi'a branch of Islam, the official state religion -About 10% of Iranians belong to the Sunni branch -Non-Muslim religious minorities include the Bahá'í Faith, Zoroastrians, as well as Jews, Christians, and Mandeans.

Climate:

-Iran's varied landscape produces several different climates. On the northern edge of the country (the Caspian coastal plain) the temperatures nearly fall below freezing and remains humid for the rest of the year and summer temperatures rarely exceed 29 degrees Celsius. -At higher elevations to the west experience lower temperatures. These areas have severe winters, with average daily temperatures below freezing and have heavy snowfall. -The eastern and central basins are arid and get less than 200 mm ( 8 in) of rain and have occasional desert. The average summer temperatures exceed above 38 degrees Celsius. -The coastal plains of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman in southern Iran have mild winters and very humid and hot summers.

Population Control:

-At one point in the 1980s estimates showed that Iran's population would reach 108 million by the year 2006. But, in fact, through a variety of measures, Iran has managed to check its population growth with the population projected to only be 70 million in 2006. Because… -In 1993, Iran dropped certain maternity benefits for couples who had more than three children. Iran is believed to be the only country in the world where men and women are required to attend classes about contraception before they can obtain a marriage license. -Iran has made both condoms and contraceptive pills widely available

Religion:

-Islam "the submission to God" is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, the world's second-largest religion, and the fastest growing religion in the world.

-Muslims assert that the main written record of revelation to humankind is the Qur'an, which is flawless, immutable, and the final revelation of God to humanity. Muslims believe that parts of the Gospels, Torah and Jewish prophetic books (though originally divine in their nature) have been forgotten, misinterpreted, or distorted by their followers and thus, their original message has been corrupted over time. With that perspective, Muslims view the Qur'an as a corrective of Jewish and Christian scriptures.

-Six articles of belief There are six basic beliefs shared by all Muslims:

Belief in God, the one and only one worthy of all worship. Belief in all the Prophets (nabi) and Messengers (rusul) (sent by God). Belief in the Books (kutub) sent by God (including the Qur'an) Belief in the Angels (mala'ika). Belief in the Day of Judgment (qiyama) and in the Resurrection (life after death) Belief in Destiny (Fate) (qadar). (Note that this does not mean one is pre-determined to act or live a certain life. God has given the free will to do and make decisions.)

-The Muslim creed in English:

"I believe in God; and in His Angels; and in His Scriptures; and in His Messengers; and in The Final Day; and in Fate, that Good and Evil are from God, and Resurrection after death be Truth. "I testify that there is nothing worthy of worship but God; and I testify that Muhammad is His Messenger."

-There is no official authority who decides whether a person is accepted into, or dismissed from, the community of believers, known as the Ummah ("family" or "nation"). Islam is open to all, regardless of race, age, gender, or previous beliefs. It is enough to believe in the central beliefs of Islam. This is formally done by reciting the shahada, the statement of belief of Islam, without which a person cannot be classed a Muslim. It is enough to believe and say that one is a Muslim, and behave in a manner befitting a Muslim to be accepted into the community of Islam.

Islamic Calendar -It is a lunar calendar, but differs from other such calendars in that it omits intercalary months, being synchronized only with lunations, but not with the solar year, resulting in years of either 354 or 355 days -Holy Days depend on lunar calendar and thus, fall on different days each year

Random Facts: -Green is commonly used when representing Islam. It is much used in decorating mosques, tombs, and various religious objects

-Ramadan (pronounced "rom-a-don") is the holiest period in the Islamic year. It commemorates the month in the year 610 CE when revelations began from God, via the angel Gabriel, to the Prophet Muhammad. These revelations memorized by Muhammad and were later written down as the Qur'an. During this month, almost all Muslims over the age of 12 are expected to "abstain from food, drink and other sensual pleasures" from the first light of dawn until sunset.

-One of a Muslim's duties, as described in the Five Pillars of Islam, is to go on a Hajj at least once during his or her lifetime. This is a pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca) in Saudi Arabia

-Five pillars of Islam (requirements)- a. Testimony of faith (declaration) b. Prayer (five formal prayers each day) c. Fasting (Ramadan) d. almsgiving (2.5 percent of savings to those that need it) e. Pilgrimage (Hajj)

Posted by lcisyeich at 11:33 PM | Comments (2)

Persep.

I really liked Persepolis! I found it so much more interesting than a typical novel because I saw pictures of things happeneing. It was like a picture book from when I was little where you saw the characters and what was going on in the story. I never read a graphic novel before so it was totally new to me. I really enjoyed it though, not only because if was a graphic novel, but it was really interesting to learn about Iran and how that girl lived. I always try to imagine what life would be like living during a war like that and then I remember that we are in a war now, but we don't see the fighting in our streets or people protesting and getting killed because of it. I can't even begin to imagine how different and how I would feel have I lived or if I live in something like that. Overall, I really enjoyed the story!

Posted by lcisnelson at 08:33 PM | Comments (0)

Group 2's compiled information

Group 2: Give information about the revolution and subsequent war with Iraq. Concentrate on the effects inside Iran.

OVERVIEW OF IRAN-IRAQ WAR The war between Iraq and Iran formally began on September 22, 1980, yet the announcement of war was preceded by many years of border, political, and religious disputes. The war officially began with Iraq’s invasions of Iran, however there is some dispute over whether Iran may have been the first to attack.

Despite the history of conflict between the two countries, the primary factor was a quest for dominance of the Persian Gulf region. Much of this dominance was based upon the acquisition of oil, for oil was, and still is, an extremely important participant in world relations. Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s President, was interested in bringing his country to a regional power. He believed that successfully invading Iran would make this dream come true and give Iraq control of the oil trade. Another conflict that fueled the war was an ongoing border dispute between the two countries. Iraq claimed the Arvand-Roud waterway between the two countries as its territory, while Iran insisted that a line running down the middle of the waterway should be the official border, because of a 1975 agreement between the two countries.

So, how does all of this relate to the Iranian Revolution? In truth, due to the revolution, Iran was very unstable and had extremely weak defenses. Thus, Hussein’s dreams of domination were not really out of reach. Hussein and his country expected that Iranians would be slow to support their new government. However, more than 100,000 Iranian volunteers entered the war in two months. The sheer determination of Iran’s army and nation was enough to combat Iraq’s power, including their possession of chemical weapons. Although many believed that Iran owned chemical weapons as well, it was never confirmed.

The war between the two countries lasted eight years and grew to involve many more disputes, including “The Tanker War”, which involved countries around the world negotiating their ability to obtain oil from the Persian Gulf. The war also incorporated a lot of alliances with other countries (including the United States, France, the USSR, and others) which involved the attainment of many different and deadly weapons. Despite the magnitude of the disputes between the two countries, a cease-fire was finally agreed upon on August 20, 1988, mostly at the urging of the United Nations.

Despite the huge amount of conflict and almost 675,000 casualties between the two countries, nothing was really resolved by the war. The cease-fire merely stopped the fighting, but strained relations and conflicts continue to this day.

IRANIAN REVOLUTION -The Iranian Revolution was the 1979 revolution that transformed Iran from an autocratic, pro-western monarchy, under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to an Islamic, populist theocratic republic under the rule of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The revolution has been divided into two stages: the first stage saw an alliance of liberal, leftist, and religious groups oust the Shah; the second stage, often named the Islamic Revolution, saw the ayatollah's come to power -Iran transformed from autocratic, pro-western monarchy to Islamic, populist republic -2 stages of revolution: 1st) alliance of liberal, leftist and religious groups oust the Shah
2nd) Islamic Revolution- atyatollahs come to power -Shah was in power since 1941, wealthy elite and benefited from his strict regime -Shah became too wealthy and was not doing anything for his nation/ much opposition from religious groups, urban middle class and poor, and people who supported constitutional democracy/ extremely strict regime/ enforced censorship laws -Pahlavi, though having good relations with the United States, refused to comply or even compromise with the Iranian Muslim views, like, for example, their ideals on pre-marital sex, gambling, and alcohol—his rule was cruel and harsh and me with much criticism -“SECULAR AND RELIGIOUS CONCERNGS (of the people): these included opposition to government brutality and a commitment to fight poverty -1963-7: Iranian government grows economically, but most of money is used to get the rich richer and buy weapons from the United States -Pre-Revolution Conditions: gap between rich and poor -Early 1970s: 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire where celebrations consisted of a three-day party held at the site of Persepolis in October, 1971, which cost more than $300 million (much expensive food and drink); grand festivities while many of the poor were starving. As crude oil prices started to climb, so did the intolerance of the Shah and his regime -Policy of Land reform angered the mullahs who declared a holy war against the Shah this early opposition lead by Mehdi Bazargan (Freedom Movement—liberal, a secularist group) – interested in the West -RADICAL: Ali Shari'ati, murdered by SAVAK in 1977 (caused great tension) -Up to 1978: Urban middle class (secular and supported constitutional monarchy) supported revolution – ISLAMIC GROUPS gathered the biggest amount of people January of 1978: the official press ran a story attacking Khomeini. Angry students and religious leaders protested against the allegations in the city of Qom. Army killed many students. Feb 18: People tried to mourn the death of the students and hold a memorial service while demonstrating against the Shah in Tabriz (many people killed) March 29 & May 10: unethical movies, symbols destroyed -“The nation was rapidly destabilizing, with major protests becoming a regular occurrence. The Shah introduced martial law, and banned all demonstrations. On Friday, September 8, a massive protest broke out in Tehran, and in what became known as Black Friday, the regime used the full force of its weaponry to crush the protests." *“The protests of 1978 culminated in December, during the holy month of Muharram, one of the most important months for Shia Muslims. Hundreds of demonstrators were killed each day, yet each day the protests grew. On December 12, over two million people filled the streets of Tehran to protest against the Shah” (Wikipedia). -Army began to turn on itself (and subsequently fall apart) “The Shah agreed to introduce a constitution and appoint the moderate Shapour Bakhtiar as Prime Minister, but it was too late for compromise. The majority of the population was by this time loyal to Khomeini, and when he called for a complete end to the monarchy, the Shah was forced to flee the country on January 16, 1979. Khomeini returned to Iran on February 1, 1979, invited by the anti-Shah revolution already in progress” (Wikipedia).

EFFECTS OF REVOLUTION WITHIN IRAN -350 billion in damages after war

Websites used:

http://www.iranchamber.com/history/iraniraqwar/iraniraqwar3.php http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/I/IranI1raq.asp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran-Iraq_war http://www.bartleby.com/65/ir/IranIraq.html http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu21le/uu21le0e.htm

Contributors: Jessica Faria, Brenna Decotis, Zaya Bold, Christina Gancarz &Lauren Searls

Posted by lcissearls at 12:43 PM | Comments (0)

Comics: Jumpstart

http://www.comics.com/comics/jumpstart/archive/jumpstart-20051017.html

JUMPSTART is a multi-panel comic by Robb Armstrong. To me, the artist seems to use two out of three levels of visual data: representation and symbolism. In the first panel a girl is holding a paper with that seems to represent a currency of wherever they are from. They marks on their faces distinguish the children in the panel as being satisfied and surprised. There is a curled line near the boy’s head that shows how taken back he is to see the “ten bucks” in the girl’s hands.

In the next panel the viewer will understand from the image that the boy is upset and angry. I see that the boy is screaming because the sharp and straight lines coming out of his mouth suggest that he is screaming. Also the shades in the background implies that specific moment I which he is screaming. This applies to Gestalt’s theories because the dots form lines (similarity) and those lines flow outward in the same direction (common fate).

In the third panel the artist doesn’t draw frames around the panel but still I see the panel to be in a closure. Gestalt’s continuance theory applies in this panel because I can imagine the boy’s lower body and the boy seems to be walking away from the girl and attempting to “protest”.

In the last panel, there is a father sitting on the couch and holding a newspaper. The “angry” boy’s head and shoulders are shown and put in the lower corner of the panel. The position they were draw in makes the viewer to feel what is in the atmosphere. The father’s brow is drawn to be only one short line over his eyes, which represents he is being distracted from his newspaper readings.

The panels relate to each other as scene to scene because the backgrounds keep changing and there is not single panel with the same background and angel. This comic strip is an example of word specific because the words deliver the same meaning to the viewer without the images.

Posted by lcisbold at 11:35 AM | Comments (0)

Gestures..finally

I finally noticed someones gestures!! It took awhile but I did it. I felt stupid though because I felt like I wasn't looking them in the eye, because it was a one on one conversation, and I felt rude. Also, for me, I lost track of the conversation, but I did realize that with stronger words in sentences, there were bigger gestures. It is so weird how that happens and I think it is so weird that I never noticed them and that I had to actually sit there and concentrate really hard to pick them up. I guess we're just so used to seeing them everyday that they don't even phase us. After seeing this person using gestures I didn't keep noticing them like some other people said. I just went back to my old way of listening to people talk without recognizing that they were using gestures. THis was a complicated thing for me to do, and I'm in a way glad that it was because it distracted me alot and I think if I was a person to notice them all the time I would constantly be distracted.

Posted by lcisnelson at 10:51 AM | Comments (1)

October 17, 2005

Blondie

COMIC ANALYSIS

In the Sunday October 2, 2005 Blondie, there are six panels. Dean Young and Denis Lebrun are the creators. The two main characters in Blondie are Dagwood and his wife, Blondie. They live in a house with their two children and dog, but there is always some light-hearted joke about what is going wrong in the lives of this family.

In this particular strip, Dagwood awakes to the sound of a particularly loud lawnmower at an ungodly hour in the morning. He and his neighbors march around the neighborhood to confront the source of the noise. However, the source turns out to be a model who says, “I hope I’m not disturbing you gentlemen, but I have a modeling job this morning.” This, of course, causes Dagwood and the other men to calmly go back to their beds with earmuffs because they are so surprised and excited by the beautiful woman.

The panel transitions certainly fit most comfortably into the moment to moment transitions because it takes place during ten minutes or less of the characters’ morning. It could also be argued that it is action to action because in every panel, there is a new action by Dagwood. In the first he awakes, in the second he is leaving the house, in the third, he is shown in the lawn talking to his neighbors, and so on. Also, each panel is the same size, and all of the pictures or words are contained inside the lines.

As for the level of representation, there is not a clear category. It is definitely not realism because the characters are cartoons, but the characters are not completely abstract or symbols. Somewhere between realism and symbolism may be the best definition. Although they are not simply smiley-faces, the people are not realistic. They do have human-like features so that we can deduce that they are, in fact, people.

Blondie does not seem like a particularly deep or meaningful comic, but one more just for laughs. The female model and the end, does seem to be used as metonymy, representing the population of exceptionally beautiful people, and how the rest of us tend to give these people special treatment and privileges.

This comic is interdependent. It would be possible to understand the comic without the speaking bubbles but it wouldn’t be as clear and would be missing a necessary visual component. On the other hand, without the pictures, the humor would be lacking. The pictures illustrate the emotions and events that are happening so that the reader can fully comprehend the story. Both the words and pictures contribute equally to the content.

In a comic strip, the visual aspect is very important when communicating what the characters are doing and feeling. The eyebrows and mouths that are drawn in Blondie effectively represent the anger and surprise on Dagwood’s face. His clenched fist, and sense of urgency showed in his forward posture are indications that he is angry. There is sweat on one of his neighbors’ faces, showing that he is also agitated. Most of the characters’ bodies are drawn, rather than having close-ups of the faces, so that we can see what they are thinking from their body language, and their physical actions, like running in panel 4, and the hands on the neighbor’s hips in panel 3.

Planning out a comic strip must be more difficult than we might have thought, now that we are analyzing the meaning behind the panels, line, shapes, angles, and many other aspects. As in this comic, there are various aspects to consider that all work together to create a funnAy, visually pleasing, and meaningful display.

Posted by lcishagan at 10:12 PM | Comments (1)

Being a teenager in a political distracted country

Personal stories always seem to attract readers. I'll admit that it is far more interesting than a research paper. I was doing some research on the assignmen about Iran and I didn't quite grasp such informative and attention grabbing moments from those official web-sites.
Persepolis helped me to understand or get a little feel of what was it like to grow up or live in such environment and how people really treated each other. The little girl's image stays in my mind as I finish the book and put it down. It amazes me how much of a strenght she has, to be so expressive and responsible. Her actions, thoughts, and personality is so strong that she becomes heroine herself when she is faced with the decision of leaving her family behind that seemed as an exile to me. She is not afraid and she is brave.
The family goes through intimidating and life threatening moments during the revolution and war. Some of Marji's reaction reminded me of my own during 90's when there was a revolution in Mongolia. When communism fell in Russia so it took its turn on my country. I was about 4 and I vaguely remember my parents leaving our apartment at night sneakily. Later, when I was old enough to understand my parents told me that they used to attend secret meetings because there, they met with people who wanted to have change in the communist govermnet. My mother is my heroine because she was among those women who stepped up and helped the revolution and the democrative movement to happen in my country, so the rest of the world can be connected, besides Russia.
I am happy that the revolution in Mongolia wasn't as aggressive and brutal as that of in Iran. Many good things came out as the results of the revolution, and I am assuming the same thing might have happened in Iran. I will present you the details on Wednesday along with Jessica Faria.

Posted by lcisbold at 09:20 PM | Comments (1)

Comic Analysis

http://www.comics.com/comics/spotthefrog/index.html

The comic Spot the Frog, by Mark Heath, is definitely an example of a word specific comic. If the picture was completely absent, I would still be able to take the same exact meaning from the comic strip. The picture only serves to provide us, the readers, with a mental image of what the words have already said. The picture does not add humor to the comic, but rather it is simply a nice touch.

I thought that the panel transitions in this comic strip were particularly interesting becuase the first panel is enclosed by a box and consists of horizontal lines on which the words are written. Heath gave this panel such a look to give the idea of words written on a piece of paper. He repeats the look of this panel again in the third panel where more words are located. By presenting the words in the comic as if they were written down on a piece of paper stresses their role in the comic. Heath makes sure that there is nothing in the panels containing words that would distract the reader and take their attention away from the words. It is like Heath knows that the humor of his comic depends on the understanding of these words and does not want to compromise that by cluttering the panels with pictures.

The middle panel is interesting in that there is no box or outline surrounding it, nor are there any words in the panel. The lack of structure suggests that the space is purely there for artistic purposes. The lines used in the illustration are free and flowing, and the lack of boundaries allows our minds to undergo the gestalt theory of continuance. Although the picture only shows a man and a frog in grass watching a leaf, our minds imagine the two outside in nature, perhaps in a field, on an autumn day. Such semantic meanings that are taken from the picture are due to the nature of the lines, bent and curvy, which indicates movement and wind, the changes in color, which separate one object from another, for example the man's pants from the grass on which he is kneeling, and common shapes, which allow us to see faces and a leaf out of mere ink marks. I think that Heath purposely left the middle panel without a boundary to make it seem in the background of the comic, whereas the two outer panels seem to be overlapping the scene, and thus more important.

The writing style also helps to give this comic a certain feel to it. The words are written so that they look like someone just wrote them down, as if they were writing in a daily journal. The writing is legible of course, but it is by no means neat. The informality of the writing reminds me of my own writing and gives the comic a personal feel, as opposed to computer font, which always gives a detached feel to writing.

I would have to classify the panel transitions as scene to scene, but this is a loose catergorization because the first and last panels don't really give any sort of setting, so it is not completely accurate to say that they are in a different scene than the middle panel. To me, however, the first and last panels have a distinctly different feel to them than the middle panel, and that makes me lean towards the idea that Heath was trying to establish two different scenes. Although at first glance this comic may seem short and simple, it contains many components that give it a certain semantic meaning and add to its overall feel.

Posted by lcissullivan at 06:21 PM | Comments (0)

October 16, 2005

Importance of Gestures

Last night I went to UNH to see the comedian Dane Cook perform. While he was doing his stand up comedy, I was trying to pay attention to the gestures his was using not only with just his hands, but with his entire body. I realized that much of the appeal of his shows is due to his physical humor. He is always moving around and acting things out. His jokes would definitely be much less funny if he just stood still and told them. He used all sorts of gestures, but the prominent category of gestures he used were beats. At one point in his routine he even acknowledged his use of a beat, although he didn't use the word beat to describe his movement. When saying something important, he moved his arm up and down, almost like a chopping motion, and he referred to it by saying something along the lines of "When I move my hand like a hatchet you know I mean business..." It's amazing how much of a role gestures play in communication.

Posted by lcissullivan at 10:48 PM | Comments (1)

Comic Analysis: Dilbert

We live in a society where images are prevalent, dominating our everyday lives. Images consist of paintings, photographs, advertisements and even comics. With images, we actively make meaning of the world. Artists communicate their thoughts about a wide range of ideas through their comics.

The strip I chose is an example of a moment- to-moment transition because from one panel to the next, very little changed and the conversion was easy to follow. The panel generally takes place in one moment and the characters in each panel are the same. The two characters that this particular strip consists of are the secretary and the boss. This comic is definitely word specific because there is no way that the comic would make sense without them. The characters in Dilbert typically do not show much expression, and this would make it very hard for someone to get the full picture from drawings only.

The cubicle that the secretary is sitting in shows how she is closed off from others. These straight, hard lines create an effect of coldness, and the secretary’s demeanor reaffirms that claim. The woman is drawn with straight lines and she seems very stiff. In each of the panels, she does not change expression or body movement. Her arms are placed vertically down the side of her body and the turtleneck she is wearing is drawn tightly on her neck. She is portrayed as a ruthless woman who appears to despise her job and finds joys in making everyone in the office suffer.

The boss on the other hand, does not seem very intelligent and is quite gullible. His large statue and big nose make him appear this way. Also, although he is the boss, the secretary seems smarter and wittier than he is. Thus, the boss is displayed as lazy and seems of no concern about the personal or professional well being of his employees. The boss’s expressions cause me to think that he is very oblivious and self-centered. He has small eyes although not very expressive; seem to have a trace of arrogance in them.

The theme of the comic addresses corporate life in America. In the first panel, the boss is shown speaking to the secretary. He states, “Carol, you’re the worst secretary ever. I have to let you go.” The secretary who is obviously familiar with her rights fires back with, “You can’t fire me until you fill out the involuntary termination Form 904-B.” The boss then replies, “Can you get me one of those?” Carol ends the comic by stating, “Yeah. I’ll get right on that.”

This strip is obviously witty and sarcastic because it shows that the boss is too lazy to fill out a form to fire his own secretary. Also, it is ironic because the boss needs to go through his secretary to get the proper forms. One would expect the boss to get the forms another way, but this shows the stupidity of the boss. Additionally, the boss basically leaves the secretary with the power to save her position by not getting the forms. Conversely, by not getting the forms, it backs up the boss’s claims that the secretary is indeed not a good one.

Lastly, the comic does not work on multiple levels. I have read a number of Dilbert comic strips and they are very literal in meaning. There doesn’t seem to be much to analyze about the overall comics.

Posted by lcissearls at 09:56 PM | Comments (0)

Comic Analysis

Nancy is an interesting comic, because it has to do with a young girl and her interesting thoughts. The specific comic strip that I chose written by Guy and Brad Gilchrist has to do with Nancy in her bed attempting to fall asleep, but having trouble in doing so since she thinks that she has forgotten to do something. Nancy decides to count sheep to help her fall asleep easier, but it only reminds her of what she forgot to do which was her geometry homework.

The syntactic and semantic levels of this comic concern the lines arranged in circular shapes that make up Nancy’s hair, her bow, her shoulders, her eyes, her eyebrows, her mouth, and her teddy bear. These lines show continuity in the drawings in each panel, outlining where the parts of Nancy’s body begin and end. There are also various straight lines that are drawn on Nancy’s face to indicate the presence of a small chin and a small nose. Lines and dots also indicate the design of her bedspread, and her pajamas. There are tiny lines to show that Nancy’s hair has a texture, because the lines are arranged in a finite manner. The composition of a circle and straight lines on Nancy’s hair make up a bow, which means that Nancy is a young girl. All of these lines make up the figure of a young girl that the reader is able to recognize. The lines that make up the sheep in the third panel each represent the shapes of a circle, a square and a triangle. Also the colors black and white distinguish Nancy as a separate object than her pillow and the background of her room, so that the reader isn’t confused about which object is which.

The words in this comic are very important for its meaning. In the first panel Nancy says “I can’t sleep” and then pauses. The pause is shown by the “--- “ in the sentence. Also all of the letters in each of the four panels of the comic are in capital letters to place emphasis on each word that Nancy is saying. The third panel has an absence of words, but the picture of geometrically shaped sheep jumping over a fence within semicircular lines means that Nancy is dreaming about geometry while she’s trying to count sheep. The final panel has the words “I forgot to do my geometry homework” all bolded and in capital letters to show that Nancy is yelling. The appearance of the words gives the reader the impression that Nancy is yelling without having to see an exclamation mark at the end of the phrase.

This is an interdependent comic, because it depends on both pictures and words contain a meaning for the reader. The words explain that Nancy is thinking about something that she may have forgotten to do, and the pictures show what she is thinking about. Without the words the reader could tell that Nancy is worried about something, because of the drawing of her mouth in a semicircle, and that she is frantic in the last panel since there are frantic white lines drawn against a black background, and her teddy bear’s arms are drawn backwards so it looks like she’s shaking it. The actual subject of the comic, however, would be unclear with the absence of words.

This comic only consists of four separate panels that are all in black and white. The first two panels show a subject to subject transition in which Nancy is lying in her bead thinking about what she has forgotten to do, and then makes the decision to count sheep. The last two panels show an action to action panel transition in which Nancy is dreaming about sheep shaped as geometric figures, and then she wakes up abruptly realizing that she has forgotten to do her homework.

The comic is able to have the affect that it does, because it consists of both words and pictures that convey a meaning. The drawing of the lines and circles is also more simplified in this comic. This is shown by Nancy’s eyes and mouth which are nothing more than black circular blobs. This further stresses the childlike quality of the comic. All of these aspects coordinate to give the overall effect of the comic.

--Yasmin

Posted by lcisperez at 08:14 PM | Comments (1)

Persepolis

I have to admit that I had alot of preconceptions about Persepolis. The truth is that I have been dodging this book for about a year now. Last year I had an exchange student from Turkey stay with me for the school year (who I miss soooo much!!), and she read this book and urged me again and again to read it. For some reason, though (and I consider this extremely dumb now), I did not see this as the kind of book that I would read. I had ideas of myself as a reader and I knew that I did not read comics. A few months later a friend of my mother's who I usually "trade" books with suggested it and again I shrugged it off. So, now that we "have" to read it for LCIS I decided to give it a try, and I am glad I did.

I think that many people (including myself) have the conception of comics as less literature than, for example, novels or poems. I think this has alot to do with the what the Introduction to the Practices of Looking textbook said, that there is a dispute between "fine art" and "modern art" and the study of each. I definetely would not have called myself a "Picky Reader", but I guess I am, and I am frankly really ashamed of it. Anyways, the moral of the story is that I am really glad that I had to read Persepolis not only because of its historical implications, but also because of the type of literature it represents. I really enjoyed it.

**Sorry for the long entry again.

Posted by lciscotis at 04:21 PM | Comments (2)

Just Wanted To Say...

I just wanted to let everyone know that my floor (and Jessica F.'s as well) is watching Crash tonight at 8 as a floor activity. If anyone wants to see it one more time and does not have access to it, this may be a good opportunity. We are on the 3rd floor of Simmons.

Posted by lciscotis at 04:09 PM | Comments (1)

Body Language influences and Results

I read an article at the following web address http://www.lifepositive.com/Mind/psychology/body-language/body-gestures.asp. The most interesting part of the gesture article was the section on where influence for gestures came from. Gestures come from both nature and nurture (that is, environment and heredity). Universal signs are in majority from nature. We can see this in babies with their "yawns and hungry bellows." Emotional gestures vary from person to person. "Most of these responses stem from childhood habits and environment." Furthermore, Dr. Hall concluded that there are four different intimacy zones that we have different gestures for. These zones include conversations with close friendships or family relationships, conversations where we say personal things, conversations with peers or business relationships, and "conversations" with an audience (such as giving a speech). I have noticed that my body language with family is very open and expressive and usually indicates emotion rather than helping the listener understand me. In convesations where I say personal things, I usually use gestures to help the listener understand because I do not like to be misinterpreted/mis-judged. My conversations with peers usually imitate others depending on what personalities I pick up from others. Lastly, my emotions when I give speeches depend on situation. In formal speeches I tend to use gestures to help myself get out clear, concise sentences. In informal speeches, I use my legs and more facial expressions.

Results from rude gestures (the example in the article was snapping at waiters) include "personality development classes" and more relationship conflict depending on our own interpretations of gestures. Body language allows us to judge more harshly or more often. The downside to a world without gestures would be less listening to each other and less getting to know each other.

The end of the article included an "ABC" guide to body language. I thought it was humorous. Also, look at the wikipedia article on gestures. You wouldn't believe what all they include in the catagory of gestures.

Posted by lcisyeich at 03:20 PM | Comments (0)

Gage and his behavior changes

I found some very interesting information on Phineas Gage that adds new light to our textbook and conversation. The info is from The Phineas Gage Information Page hosted by the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, Deakin University Australia, http://www.deakin.edu.au/hbs/GAGEPAGE/Pgstory.htm

The article points out that with the exception of “a very small stock additional facts about Gage” almost everything we know about him was recorded by Dr. John Martyn Harlow, who treated Gage after the accident near Cavendish, Vermont on 13 September 1848 and who examined the skull and tamping iron after exhumation in 1867. He wrote a report of his findings that he delivered to the Massachusetts Medical Society in 1868 and in 1869 he published a pamphlet version of his address; unfortunately neither are held in many of the world’s libraries and thus “most of the accounts of Gage’s life after 1848 are strange mixtures of slight fact, considerable fancy, and downright fabrication.”

The article continues: “Harlow says, for example, that Phineas exhibited himself in the larger New England towns and was with Barnum’s in New York for a time. These remarks are frequently elaborated into a Gage who drifts around aimlessly and is not interested in working or, if interested, is incapable of holding a job. During the same period, Phineas is often pictured as exhibiting himself, usually as a freak, in circuses or fairgrounds around the country. Part of this fancy comes from Barnum now most often being remembered as the proprietor of a circus rather than the owner of the New York Museum to which Harlow unmistakably refers. Similarly, these stories turn Gage into a fairground freak because it is in such places that freaks are or were once seen.”

“In fact, from early in 1851 until just before he died nine years later, Gage seems to have worked at the one occupation, although in two places: in Currier’s livery stable and coach business for 1 [and a half years], and in Chile in a similar capacity for nearly seven more. There he clearly drove coaches, probably stage coaches. We know he was barely well enough to do a full day’s work on his parent’s farm until June of 1849, just well enough to travel to Boston in November of that year, and was still described in 1850 as failing in bodily powers. The maximum time he could have travelled around New England or been with Barnum’s Museum would seem to have been about a year. We know nothing about the quality of his work for Currier or when he was in Chile, or to what extent he was able to support himself.”

“Similarly, Gage’s mother told Harlow that he used to make up stories of his adventures to entertain his small nephews and nieces. This fact, together with the attribution to him of behaviours actually shown by some of the 1930’s radical resection patients, seems to be the basis for transforming Gage into an untruthful, short-tempered, psychopathic, braggart. What was written about some of the lobotomised patients is undeniably the source of the descriptions of Gage as careless or unreliable and slovenly in his personal habits, or as having less sexual drive but fewer inhibitions in talking about sex. Harlow mentions neither Gage’s sexual behaviour nor his drinking; nor is any documentation provided by any of those who have written on the matters. The prize for these kinds of fabrications must surely be shared between those accounts that endow him with sexual activity and those that turn him into a drunkard who dies in careless dissipation.”

“Now, what Harlow says may not be completely accurate, and it is clearly influenced by his medical and phrenological ideas, but it is virtually all that we have. The story Harlow tells is tragic enough. It does not need the modern undocumented and contradictory fabrications.”

~ Nanette

Posted by lcissavides at 02:35 PM | Comments (0)

Emotion based Gestures- A Hallmate's Explosion

This entry, like most entries for Nanette lately, is about gestures. I will give you the background information not only to entertain you but also to show you where this emotion directed at me came from. Recently I have been owing a girl in my hall a dollar fifty. You may ask, why did I not give her such an irrelevant amount of money or maybe you are wondering why she cared about such an insignificant amount, well those questions are not relevant and I couldn't give you an answer because I am obviously biased. In one day she managed to bug me enough times for me to get noticeably annoyed. At last, I did give her the money...in pennies. She obviously was quite upset and continued for a half hour to bang on my door and yell. I sat at my desk and continued to do so for a half hour. When she finally got in not only were her words harsh in tone but also her gestures. Here is the gesture account.

Arms: They flailed in the air to start the conflict. On words like "Why" or "What" she would throw them down. When she mentioned me in a sentence she would harshly throw her arms in my direction. She tried to get her words out so fast that she would flick her wrists in a rhythmic pattern to make sure she said all she could before I got a word in (in which, I never interrupted and I remained calm). When she mentioned how I "ran" out of her room after "throwing" pennies at her, she pointed to her room. Also, when she mentioned that it was ridiculous for her to have to bang on the door, she used the deictic tactic again and pointed at the door. When she mentioned pennies, she made a circle with her fingers. On certain words such as "baby", "run," "angry," "ridiculous," and "throw" she would use a flamboyant gesture such as throwing her arms in the air or just push her arms out and unfold her hands with palms up. This gesture was a gesture meaning for me to give an "excuse" yet at the same time blocked me from giving one. Her movements were quick, powerful and relentless. Thus, emotion definetly affects the motions we make.

Eyes: On the words mentioned above, her eyes widened and her eyebrows furrowed. She would divert her eyes on exaggerated points and on points that didnt even happen.

Stance: Her stance was mostly in one spot and very firm. On agressive points she would take a step forward but she tried to maintain her "strong" body language.

That was the gesturing of an angry fellow peer.

Posted by lcisyeich at 02:30 PM | Comments (1)

Gestures

Like Rachel, I had trouble paying attention to people's gestures. I would try at the beginning of a class to pay attention to how the professor used gestures but within a few minutes I would forget because I would have to concentrate more on what was being said in the class. I also was trying to pay attention to my gesturing, but I never really caught myself. But I think I'm going to continue to try because I am curious how much I gesture and how I do it as opposed to others. However, over the past few days I have made some general observations.

First of all, I have really noticed that people still use many gestures even when talking on the phone. I think this is amazing. Consciously you know that the person on the other end can't see you, but you continue to gesture anyway. I think this shows just how much people gesture and how natural it is to gesture while speaking.

Also, the most common type of gesture I saw over the past few days was the deitic gesture. I saw many people pointing people in the right direction and showing them where to go or where they had been.

I also paid attention to the three stages of gesturing: preparation, stroke and retraction. I noticed that people had different places where they put their hands after retraction. Some people folded their hands, some left them hanging at their side, some put their hands in their pockets, or if they were sitting, they might have put them on their laps. I found this very interesting.

-Jessica F.

Posted by lcisfaria at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)

October 15, 2005

Gestures

Last week, I tried hard to analyze one of my professors' gestures as she taught class. She mostly used beats as she spoke and definitely did have more emphasized beats on the words that she emphasized while speaking. This is hard to distinguish from cohesives because she was using both kinds at the same time with repetitive gestures. As for deictic, she also used these gestures many times to point at images in her Powerpoint presentation. What Nanette V. said about the professor whose ratings went way up when he began using gestures was very interesting to me. But, I was thinking as the other professor was giving her lecture, although she did use gestures, it was still a rather dry lecture. And this is about a suject that I LOVE so it's not the content, but the lecture itself that can be boring, even with gestures. So I would argue that alongside gestures, the manner in which someone speaks is also important when it comes to captivating an audience. When the professor says "um" over and over, and only reads off of her slides rather than giving a lively presentation, gestures help, but do not singlehandedly make the lecture wonderful. Even though it doesn't sound like it from my writing, this professor is a very nice person who is interested in her subject, and really does know what she's talking about. This is only a critique on whether or not gestures can make or break a lecture.

Posted by lcishagan at 11:50 PM | Comments (0)

Comic Analysis -- Did we have to blog this?

** I didn't think that Ellen wanted us to blog our analyses but I saw other people did, so I just decided to add mine too.

This comic called Lola by Steve Dickenson and Tood Clark is definitely interdependent. The words cannot function with out the pictures and vise versa. A visual representation as well as a dialogue of what is actually occurring is essential. In the scenes shown, it seems as though a father is talking to his family about a family budget. It is known that these shapes in the panels are people because of the way they stand and are positioned. Also, certain features like a nose, mouth, arms, eyes, and hair can all been easily seen, indicating that the objects in the panels are actually people. The sex of each of these characters can be determined by the clothes they wear, the length of their hair. It seems as though the man standing head of the household because he is standing up and dressed in business clothes. The black strip on his shirt looks like a tie while the collar near his neck illustrates that his outfit would be worn at an office, somewhere that forced him to dress formally. In addition, when he is standing, he is higher up in the panel, showing his dominance or strength over the group of people underneath him, sitting at the table. The woman across from him seems to be his wife. She has exactly the same square nose as the man possibly signifying that she is related to him in some way. As previously mentioned, it is obvious that she is a woman, through her shape, clothes, and hair. The little boy in the picture sits next to the mother and the grandparent. He has square classes and freckles. He does not look like he is the child of the woman and man in the comic, yet, he is sitting next to the woman, so automatically, I am inclined to believe that he is her son. He is also drawn with square glasses. It is known that this object on the front of his face are glasses because they are covering his eyes. The shape of his glasses are square. This shape is repeated through out this one panel, specifically in the nose of both the mother and father. This could suggest that the boy is actually the son because he shares a common characteristic with two of the other people in the panel. Lastly, the person to the far left in the first panel also possesses glasses but seems to be much older than the little boy. The age of this woman can be determined by her colorless hair and the overall weary face. Her glasses also show that her eye sight is failing. These characteristics all indicate that this person could be a senior citizen or maybe a grandparent because sometimes families might invite older relatives to live with them, if they cannot take care of themselves. Also, if you know the history behind this cartoon, this older woman is always added. This character’s name is Lola.

The supposed mother, son, and grandparent are all seated. The curved line with enclosing two or three lines, behind the people, indicates that these people are sitting down on chairs. Also, the difference in height between the three people in the bottom of the panel and the man is drastic, furthering solidifying the fact that these people are seated. The shape, in front of the family, also shows reaffirms the fact that the family is seated. This square or rectangular shape is a table. It is intriguing that this table is square because the woman, man, and boy all have a square shape incorporated into their figure, so possibly, this table could be further proof that this table is theirs and the room that they are in is in this man and woman’s house.

The father of the family begins the comic by waving his finger in a serious manner to the rest of the family in the panel. The author of the comic includes zip ribbons to show this movement around this one particular finger. Even the father’s eyebrow is tilted slightly, expressing his concern for the “family budget”, as noted in the word bubble. Then, there is a panel transition which can be considered both a “moment to moment” transition as well as an “action to action” transition. The reader realizes that time has passed, but also, that the man has picked up a pie chart. When the man shows this pie chart, his eyebrows wrinkle to express his anger and distress. Zip ribbons are again utilized to show the movement of the pie chart from side to side. This movement emphasizes a certain importance in the chart. With the addition of a new object in the comic, a different type of panel is used to dramatize the man. He is not contained in any panel, but rather he is free-floating. This could suggest that all his frustrations with his family cannot be restricted to just one enclosed area.

Basically, the comic is portrayed through one symbol, a pie chart. The humor of the comic all centers around the family’s misinterpretation of the graph. The pie chart is supposed to be a representation of the amount of money each person spends in the household, but instead, the family sees it as a pizza. One of the family members then says, “let’s order pizza!” The little boy stretches out his arms for the pizza, while the woman and the grandparent both raise their arms showing that they agree with the pizza. While this is happening, the father is discouraged and displeased. His eyes almost sink back into his head and he is not showing any anger with his eye brows, but more of a tired and confused emotion. His ending words, “I give up” give the sense of defeat, and also, his bubble line is squiggly and not direct and straight like a line, indicating that he is puzzled.

In the end, at the top of the comic, specifically, on the top of both the first and last panels, there is some black. In the first panel, the color black is defined and dense and shows a great contrast between the white. This indicates that what the father is trying to say is black and white. The concept is simple: the family budget needs to be addressed and then modified. In the ending panel, it can be sent that the dense area of black at the top is no longer dense and solid, but rather is made up of many brush strokes that have no form. The father’s conversation is no longer black and white. The family has completely disrupted the purpose of his meeting.

This comic is definitely a representation of how just one simple symbol can be viewed so many different ways. -Christina

Link attached.http://www.comics.com/comics/lola/archive/lola-20051012.html

Sorry this is so long!

Posted by lcisgancarz at 09:33 PM | Comments (1)

Comic Analysis

The comic I chose to analyze is Zits by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman. Zits is based on the life of a teenage boy who epitomizes society’s stereotypes of teenagers in general. I cut this particular comic out of my Sunday newspaper a year or so ago because I thought (and still think) that it is a good representation of my life.

There are a few symbols in this comic strip. The first is the white sheets, which symbolize paper, and thus, homework. This is abstraction because a pile of homework has been simplified down to a single white sheet. Another symbol is the shapes formed by these white sheets. For example, a few clumped together on the top of a brown branch is an abstraction of a tree, presumably part of a jungle. Also, the white sheets which are shown cascading in a wavelike shape are meant to represent a tidal wave, something that will capture Jeremy eventually. Lastly, the papers are clumped in a cylinder shape to represent the wheels of a cement roller, threatening to flatten Jeremy. The last symbol is the expressions on the family’s face. Jeremy’s blank stare is representation because it looks exactly like individuals look when they are fed up with a situation and not willing to discuss something. In addition, the facial expressions of his parents are also representations because they look expectant, ready for an answer from their son. Their faces resemble those of real-life people.

This comic is interesting because there is one big panel, but there is also a smaller panel inside of the larger one. The transition between the two panels is scene-to-scene because our mind shifts to another location within the larger story. In the larger panel, we are inside Jeremy’s brain, where he is trying to combat the large amount of schoolwork he has to do. In the smaller panel, Jeremy is interacting with his parents as they ask him how much homework he has to do. (In typical Jeremy style, he refuses to interact with his parents.) In terms of the connection between the words and images, it is different for each panel. The larger panel is picture-specific, as there are no words; the pictures are all that are needed to tell the story. The smaller panel is additive, because the words get the message across, but the picture amplifies the message and makes it clearer and more interesting. Basically, I think that this comic works on only one level. It is fairly simple and cleverly visualizes the “battle” that students fight everyday, a battle that many adults deny exists.

Posted by lciscotis at 07:51 PM | Comments (2)

Lunch with Rachel

I was eating lunch at Bartol today with Rachel, and I remembered that I hadn't blogged yet about hand gestures, so I watched Rachel to see if I noticed any. I had never noticed it before, but Rachel is a very expressive person. She used deitic gestures ofen because we were talking about Brookline ave and she was showing me where it was(without realizing it) using gestures whenever she mentioned "Brookline Ave". She also used cohesive gestures to string together related sentences and ideas. Once I stared noticing these gestures, I couldn't stop seeing them which was so weird because I had such a hard time trying to remember to watch for them before. I think because we are so used to seeing people gesture that it just become natural and something that we don't even notice. While watching Rachel, I noticed a pattern that we also saw in class on the computer program, she seems to gesture more when she was using big or important words, or at the beginning or the end of a sentence.

Posted by lcismardin at 05:14 PM | Comments (1)

Lucky Cow

The comic that I have chosen to analyze is “Lucky Cow” by Mark Pett. This comic contains four panels, and it uses action to action transition as well as moment to moment transition. There is no spoken or narrative text in this comic, and it can be completely understood just by looking at the pictures, which makes it picture specific. Although this comic has multiple panels, it is very obvious that it happens in only a matter of seconds. We can tell that the pictures we see represent the different stages of a character falling down. In this first panel, we see an awkward looking young man putting up a “Caution” sign because he is about to mop a floor. This “Caution” sign is very familiar to us and we recognize the figure of the falling man pictured on the sign. We can tell the young man featured in the comic is whistling because his lips are shaped in a circle and they are sticking out from his face. In the second panel, we see the young man beginning to slip on the water he was putting on the floor. We know that his is slipping because of the slanted position of his body and because of the zip ribbons near his feet that show us his feet are coming off the ground. His arms are also outstretched as if ready to catch himself when he hits the floor and he has a surprised look on his face that includes widened eyes and an open mouth. In the third panel, we see the man lying flat on the floor on his back with his feet up in the air. We can tell that he has just hit the floor because there are zip ribbons all around the body representing the impact his body had just made with the floor. We also see that his lips are parted and his teeth are gritted, which is a sign of pain. In the fourth and last panel, we see a little swirl above the man’s head which shows us that his head hurts and he feels dizzy from hitting his head. His feet are now flat on the floor with the rest of his body and there is another man’s arms and face coming from the implied space outside the panel wall. We see this new character putting out a new “Caution” sign that we are not familiar with. On this sign we see a picture of the young man who has just fallen, with the same swirl coming out of his head that symbolizes pain, as well as the original character in the background. This sign is the whole joke because it is warning us that there is a man lying on the floor as well as that the floor is wet.

Posted by lcismardin at 04:57 PM | Comments (0)

My own gestures

I know that on my last post I wrote about gestures that I had observed from other people, but I also decided to think about and take notice of my own gestures. I realized that I also share some common gestures with other people that I noticed.

During the week I noticed that when I was talking to one of my friends Shannon about where to find good places to dance that I would point and gesture with my hands to imitate how far something the place was from Simmons. I think that I did this, because I was trying to picture in my mind how far I would have to travel to get there and which direction I would traveling. I also used a circular motion with my finger in order to indicate that I would like to continue dancing. I think that many people use these two types of gestures, because pointing in a certain direction indicates distance, and a circular motion means something will continue.

Gestures have so meanings and they're interesting to watch.

--Yasmin

Posted by lcisperez at 04:50 PM | Comments (0)

Comic analysis

Rachel Nelson October 21, 2005

The comic I chose to analyze is “B.C.” by Johnny Hart. This comic is an interdependent comic. A person would not understand the joke without the words and the pictures because they rely on each other. This comic has eight panels and they move from moment to moment. The comic seems to take place within a certain amount of time, and although it is not evident how much time is in between each panel, the reader can understand that time is passing by. This is because, for example, as you move from the first panel to the second the words change, showing that there is time between each thought. Also, when moving from other panels, the way the woman that is pictured is positioned gives off the feeling of anxiety and impatience. This is obvious because the odd shape that is pointing outward, which is her nose, is propped high up in the air and the circles, which I know to be her eyes, and the tiny, black circles inside the larger one’s, which I know to be her pupils, are looking upward. In the sixth panel, Hart is trying to make the reader understand that there are feelings of impatience and aggravation. He uses the word “WELL…” in all capital letters, much bigger than the other words in the comic. Also, the letters are the color red which is bold and implies anger, rather than being a cool color which would symbolize calmness. Also in this panel, the facial expression of the woman gives off these feelings of frustration and anxiety. Her mouth, which is made by a curved line, is open with her teeth showing. Her eyes are made up of just a little black speck now, rather than large circles, and aren’t as wide but rather kind of squinted, giving this message as well. One other sign that Hart uses is “zip ribbons” in the seventh panel. These “zip ribbons” let the reader know that the star is coming out for the first time. Also the word “Pook” written right next to the star and the “zip ribbons” allow the reader to have an idea of how the star sounded when it came out.

Posted by lcisnelson at 04:48 PM | Comments (0)

October 14, 2005

Gestures

Yesterday, my art history class was at the Isabella Stewert Gardner Museum. Before we began to walk around the museum, my professor Bridget Lynch gave us some background information on the museum and on Romanesque art. Now, she is a very enthusiastic lecturer and the pitch of her voice varies greatly and she gestulates quite wildly. I did notice her gestures were more exagerrated the higher the pitch of her voice. Professor Lynch is a pacer as well. Her steps and her gestures would become quicker when she emphasized a word. Most of her gestures fell into the categories of beats and deictics. For example, when she said the word 'east' she moved her hand in the right direction. Or to indicate in the past (as in history) she would make a movement of waving her hand in the air in front of her to show distance. That falls into the metaphorics. I noticed when she got really excited, she gestured wildly with both arms to emphasize her words. It was a little bit difficult to concentrate on what she was saying while trying to analyze her gestures but I realized her gestures make her lectures a lot more interesting than if she were speaking in a monotone and her arms flat at her sides.

Posted by lcisfreya at 09:12 PM | Comments (1)

One hour of delightful observation on Jack Welch's gestures

Hi everyone!

I just got back from NU. There, I heard Mr. Jack Welch who is a former CEO of General Electric Co., make a speech. He was named "Manager of the Century" by Fortune magazine. For the man who earned millions and millions of dollars, his answers to the questions from NU faculty and students were both inspirational and humorous. Mr. Jack Welch was excited to answer all of the questions. While he was answering the questions, he was almost siting on the edge of the couch, and had his hands near his face. He was holding the microphone with both of his hands. Between the questions, he leaned back and crossed his legs, which suggested that he was "taking rest" before answering another exciting question. The speech was truly one of the best experience of this year.

Posted by lcisbold at 05:29 PM | Comments (0)

Rachel

I have yet to notice people's gestures. I don't know what's going on, you all seem to be able to not not notice them. I said to myself the other day "I'm going to focus on her gestures during the conversation" but I couldn't, I did for like a minute and that was it. Maybe I need to focus more, I'll keep trying! But are there any hints???

Posted by lcisnelson at 09:08 AM | Comments (4)

October 13, 2005

Gestures

In the past few days I have been analyzing the gestures I see as much as possible. The thing that struck me most was how much we use our hands and bodies to gesture when telling a story.

For example, I just finished telling my roomate, Sarah, how a man fell on me on the T. (A man did fall on me on the T, by the way.) Anyways, I used gestures to tell the entire story, to explain where I was standing, where the man was standing, where my friend was standing, how he fell, how we both got up, etc. Similar to Emmy's experience, I think the story would have been horribly incomplete if I had not attempted to recreate the scene for Sarah. Simply explaining it through words would probably not convey the story as well. Although I think that words can do alot, gestures certainly enhance what words can do for us. Thus, I would like to propose another purpose of gestures: to recreate a scene or a story.

Posted by lciscotis at 10:34 PM | Comments (1)

Thoughts about "Crash"

I think that "Crash" is one of the most layered movies that I've seen pertaining to cultures. The interesting aspect of this movie is that even though its main focus is on the "crash" of cultures, there are so many deeper meanings to the movie that the audience can pick up from the scenes. The screenwriter was very effective in portraying members of different cultures and the various interactions that occur between people.

The main idea of "Crash" is there is no one right interpretation of the movie. It can break bias' that the audience may already have towards the film, or beliefs that may be questioned after watching it. The title specifically promotes the point of the film, which is to "crash" barriers pertaining to stereotypes and perspectives and make room for influence.

--Yasmin

Posted by lcisperez at 10:18 PM | Comments (2)

Body Language

When talking to other people, many of us use gestures. Sometimes it is practically inevitable. This is because gestures are useful to us as aids to bring across a certain point, or to put emphasis on something that we are trying to say. I noticed that when people are having a conversation, they usually open their hands up and put them in front of themselves at a certain distance to present a topic. If somebody is talking about something that is continuous, they usually move their hands in a circular motion that keeps going forward to represent the continuity of something. If a person wants to talk about distinct objects the sort of make a gestures like chopping something on a chopping block, and chop in certain places. Also when someone wants to relate something to themselves they usually point to themselves or move their hands in a circular motion towards themselves. These are only some noticeable gestures that people use when they are trying to explain something, but there are so many others that can be noticed as well. I think that gestures are so important as a means of representation, because sometimes words are not enough to explain something to someone. Gestures can reveal body language and a variety of emotions, and even though many gestures are the same, there are gestures that are unique to each person. --Yasmin

Posted by lcisperez at 09:59 PM

Hands waving and fingers pointing

Tonight, I attended a seminar with Yasmin at Harvard Medical School on Crimes and Science. It was a very extensive presentation on the way DNA is used in aiding forensic analyses of crime scenes. I found myself lost at some points in the speech because new concepts were being addressed; scientific methods I have never seen and vocabulary unknown to me. When one of the speakers could not answer a question, one other man in the audience explained the concepts in simpler terms using his hands. I understood every metaphor he made, every example he gave, and I do think that my comprehension was due to the movement of his arms, hands, fingers, head, and actual body motion. Specifically, he utilized the deictic and beats gesture. He kept pointing to a certain spot and then refering back to that certain point to illustrate a scientific technique. I found it extremely helpful! Also, he tended to tilt his head to the side with every new phrase he began. In addition, during my First Year Experience class, I noticed that my teacher used all kinds of the gestures in every sentence she said. She puts emotion into every sentence and now, I can detect when she is try to say something important or stress something. She tilts her head and moves up into her chair, and then she commences her sentence. She also waves her arms around and around when she cannot think of a word. It is a stalling technique, in a way. This is a cohesive gesture. In the end, I have found myself using gestures more and more. I used to never contiously think about the way I move my hands or head, but now, I am contious of what I am doing. --Christina

Posted by lcisgancarz at 09:18 PM | Comments (1)

The Subject

Subject: Girl of 18 years of age. Blondish-brown curly hair, medium length. Religious affiliation- Jewish. Interests: tennis, working out hot shows on television, facebook, her boyfriend, beauty products and general gossip.

Conversation topic: Fall wardrobe, jackets and shopping in Boston.

Gestures: Associated with increase of expression and emotion. Gestures also noted when talking about ambiguous concepts or concepts difficult to explain only with words. Gestures also occured when she stalled for a word and stopped to think.

Posted by lcissearls at 06:40 PM | Comments (1)

Persepolis

I am not very familiar with the history of Iran, but nonetheless I find this novel very understandable. I think that if this novel lacked pictures, it would be very hard to keep straight all of the characters and how they are related, but by being able to see and associate a face with every character the author introduces, I am able to not worry about memorizing names and relations, but rather I can focus on the story itself. Just as gestures help us communicate, pictures help the author communicate the history of her country to us. I know that if the words were taken away from the pictures, the story would lose a lot of its meaning, but at the same time I think that the general idea would still be captured through the pictures alone. I really like reading this novel...I find it's one of those books that once you pick it up and start reading, you don't want to stop until you've finished it.

Posted by lcissullivan at 06:34 PM | Comments (2)

Gestures

I can't help but notice how many people gesture. I've been trying to study one person's gestures in particular but it's hard not to notice everyone's gestures now, including my own. I've also noticed the effect gestures have on communication. I am much more interested in conversations with people who gesture. After class on Wednesday I decided to try not to use gestures when I spoke with my roommates to see if they would notice or if it would affect my communication skills. I was still telling stories but I kept my hands in my pockets and tried not to move my head with my speech. Within 15 minutes of our conversation my roommates asked why I seemed so out of it and advised me to take a nap. It might be because I'm usually very expressive, but I found it very interesting that by not using my body language my communication skills were obviously limited.

Emmy

Posted by lcisowens at 06:25 PM | Comments (0)

Gestures

I can't help but notice how many people gesture. I've been trying to study one person's gestures in particular but it's hard not to notice everyone's gestures now, including my own. I've also noticed the effect gestures have on communication. I am much more interested in conversations with people who gesture. After class on Wednesday I decided to try not to use gestures when I spoke with my roommates to see if they would notice or if it would affect my communication skills. I was still telling stories but I kept my hands in my pockets and tried not to move my head with my speech. Within 15 minutes of our conversation my roommates asked why I seemed so out of it and advised me to take a nap. It might be because I'm usually very expressive, but I found it very interesting that by not using my body language my communication skills were obviously limited.

Emmy

Posted by lcisowens at 03:42 PM | Comments (1)

Love Actually

After watching Crash a few times, I was really struck by its similarity to one of my favorite movies, Love Actually. I am sure other people have seen it, but if you haven't, you should. Although the premise of the movie is very different, the style with which this theme is shown is very much the same. The movie describes a group of strangers whose lives intertwine again and again. Also, there is alot of ongoing symbolism which is very similar to that of Crash. Although the movie is a feel-good, lovey, lovey movie (while Crash is a little more harsh!!), the way the movies proceed is the same. If you have any free time (not likely!), watch it, I promise you will love it.

P.S. There's a Christmas theme too!

Posted by lciscotis at 12:59 PM | Comments (3)

Persepolis

I started reading Persepolis yesterday and I really love it so far! This is the first graphic novel that I have ever read and so far I am enjoying it. I think the pictures add so much to the story, even though the story itself is very interesting. I have never read about the Islamic Revlution before and have also neer studied it in school so everything in this book is completely new to me. Now that I have begun reading about the war with Iraq, I can't believe that this is something I have never realyy heard about before. Persepolis is still entertaining to read, even though it is about somehing so serious and devastating. I am so glad we have to read this book!

Posted by lcismardin at 11:54 AM | Comments (2)

The Sound of Music

Ever since we were forced to pick apart Crash, I feel as though I analyze ever movie, every television show I watch. I was flipping through some of the scenes in The Sound of Music, the other day, and I stopped at one of my favorite parts, when Captain Von Trapp and Maria are dancing the Liander (certain Austrian or folk dance, I believe) on the terrace. At one point, they stop and Maria's face is titled towards the Captain's. Maria begins to say that she has forgotten the dance steps and cannot continue. She knows, in her heart, that something has changed between the two of them. She doubts her vow to God. You can see that all in her face, right at that very momemt, and in the background, a statue peaks out behind her head. Immediately, I halted the movie and focused on that statue. Carved out of stone is a naked woman, vulnerable and yet holy, almost in a stance in which the Virgin Mary would be sculpted. I put two and two together and realized that this vulnerable woman is a symbol of Maria. Maria is confused and helpless and, even so, she has this divine glow because of her love for God. This scene is similar to when Sandra Bullock asks her husband to have the locks changed again. While she is screaming, you cannot help but notice the picture of the naked woman, vulnerable, cold, and scared, in the background. It is very interesting that a naked woman can be used in two movies to prodcue drastically different effects. **If you ever have The Sound of Music, just take a glance at it. -Christina

Posted by lcisgancarz at 09:35 AM | Comments (2)

October 12, 2005

Moving Gestures

As predicted, from the end of class onwards, I was noticing gestures when people talked! Yes, the same people I see and talk to practically every day - yet I saw something more!

In Biology class especially, our teacher really emphasized almost every phrase she was saying with her hands. Throughout the class period she seemed to use practically every type of gesture: cohesive, beat, iconic, metaphoric, and deictic. She was trying to explain a new idea, and not a simple one, so I would assume subconsciously the gestures were to "help" make everything more understandable and to help her get her point across. It is interesting when one stops and thinks about it, because really, how would moving your hand up and down four times in a row help one to understand glycolysis?

I know a girl who uses hand motions ALL the time EXCESSIVELY when she talks. She can be rather loud, and when she is, the gestures are even bigger. She uses big gestures to retell something, to even just have a coversation, to ask a question, to insult someone (she wasn't too nice really)... I also noticed that she never seemed to be able to sit or stand still. I wasn't with her too much, but always when I was, if she was standing she would be tapping or foot, or when she sat, either in class or on a bus, she would be wiggling her foot. Interesting; I wonder how the "can't sit still" habits relate to gestures being used for emphasis while communicating...

Posted by lcisthur at 05:17 PM | Comments (1)

October 10, 2005

Zippety Doo dah...

While you have all been off on a long weekend, I've been gathering my Zippy clippings...so you all could meet the real Zippy and enjoy getting to know him.

Zippy on Art
Zippy on TV
Zippy on Comix

Posted by lcisEllen at 09:03 PM | Comments (0)

October 08, 2005

Blog Critique of "Nanette's Culture"

The introduction, while perhaps giving a clear indication of how the blog is structured, is not very appealing in its content and doesn’t necessarily draw me in, as the reader. I would definitely change it.

I think my vocabulary is sufficiently varied. I have a tendency to write overly long sentences and so I would double-check this when editing the essay and might also check that my word usage is appreciable to an US audience.

The blog is clearly structured and I think I communicated the ideas well. At the time I realized I was attempting to cover a lot of material and I still question the choices I made in content. Since I am so familiar with the events in my blog it is difficult for me to know whether I’ve given them sufficient context, I certainly attempted to do so.

If I were writing this as an essay specifically for credit I would make an effort to develop a thesis statement that limited the scope of the topic from “Nanette’s Culture” to something more manageable considering the length. I think it’s rather impossible to explain your entire culture, or in the essence of your person, in one or two pages.

All told, I think the blog is a solid one with tone, content and structure, that all say something about my culture.

~ Nanette

Posted by lcissavides at 06:39 PM | Comments (2)

Mimesis or Social Construction

A clear answer lies in the statement that precedes the question, namely that “representation refers to the use of language and images to create meaning about the world around us.” And in the process of creating or giving meaning we are being creative or constructing.

We make a myriad of choices each time we represent and/or interpret language and images. These choices are, by nature, subjective and although a measure of each choice can be said to be objective or denotative, a great deal of each is also connotative.

We don’t, of course, consciously consider and carefully weigh each and every choice we make. By the time we are fluent in a particular language or have learned to use a camera, for example, we would probably consider the choices we make about word/sign choice or camera angle as second nature or even somewhat random. Although, upon reflection, I think we’d all nonetheless agree that they’re still choices we make in relation to our perspective on life, both societal and individual. Even in settings where an attempt at mimesis is made there is still an aspect of social contructionism in how an individual perceives, captures and communicates their idea of reality, which would most likely have differed greatly from another’s.

Ultimately our relentless human pursuit of meaning is intrinsically linked to our continual giving of meaning. And since our giving of meaning implies choice and is dependent on our social context, it is subjective and constructionist.

~ Nanette

Posted by lcissavides at 03:16 PM | Comments (2)

Epistemology

The Compact Oxford English Dictionary (AskOxford.com) also has a nice definition:

The branch of philosophy that deals with knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and scope.

~ Nanette

Posted by lcissavides at 09:34 AM | Comments (0)

October 07, 2005

Epistemology

In my dictionary, epistemology is defined as "the branch of philosophy that studies the nature and theory of knowledge". Historically, it is a much disputed topic and focuses on the detail and variety of knowledge that one can obtain.

Wikipedia has an in-depth entry on epistemology : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistemology.

I found the comic at the following address if you forgot exactly what it said, like I did: http://zippythepinhead.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&ProductCode=30-Mar-04&CategoryCode=m2004&Product_Count=25

--Brenna DeCotis

Posted by lciscotis at 11:33 PM | Comments (1)

Thanks to Nanette Savides...

I have uploaded a list of assignments and their due dates for the Zooming In part of the LCIS! You can find it and download it in the side bar under Check it....

Hope it is helpful. Please do check it as assignments and their dates are subject to change...as evidenced by today's class...

have a loooooong weekend! Read lots of comics!

Posted by lcisEllen at 06:45 PM | Comments (2)

Words and Pictures

Words and pictures can have so many different meanings. They can mean something solitarily or they can mean something in combination with each other. This is what makes their meaning have such variety.

I think that both words and pictures can be powerful in their own way. Words tell the reader exactly what is meant to be interpreted, like for instance "the sky is blue". If this statement is read, then the person reading it will know that the sky is blue. If someone see's a picture of the sky that might not be so blue, maybe grey, the picture would have a completely different meaning. The picture could mean that it was a gloomy day or that maybe it was about to rain. In this case the picture and words have very different meanings. When a picture and words are together, the words can sometimes explain what is going on in the picture. This can be beneficial for anyone.

I also love how the reading on words illustrated that photographs can at times be subjective. A photograph is essentially a capture of a moment in reality. However a painting is a copy of reality. The difference in these two can be extremely different or very similar. They can either cause descrepencies or very realistic imitations. There is so much variety to words and pictures that two people can interprete so many different meanings from the same subject.

--Yasmin

Posted by lcisperez at 06:28 PM | Comments (2)

Tannen Article

I really enjoyed this article! I never realized before the impact culture has on an individual’s linguistic style. I found it fascinating that the difference between men's and women's linguistic styles can be easily explained by the conversational rituals they learned at an early age. I think one of the most interesting parts of this article was when she spoke about the study done where they asked students to predict what grades they would get in their first year. Although the men seemed to predict the same grades as women privately, publicly women predicted their grades significantly lower than the men’s grade predictions.

Posted by lcisowens at 10:09 AM | Comments (126)

Rachel

I thought that the articles we had to read were interesting. I never thought of how wordsa nd pictures go together, and how things have changed over the years. I enjoyed it..

(just a side note)

Posted by lcisnelson at 09:16 AM | Comments (0)

McCloud shows and tells

I have never read a comic strip, if this one even falls into that catagory, that was so complex before, and that made SO many points. "Show and Tell" really makes its readers (/viewers(?)) think about their everyday experiences on a whole new level. In our society, we cannot go a day without reading a word, or seeing a picture. But we do not spend these days connecting the two together. Words and pictures, as this comic emphasizes, have a long relationship. Cavemen wrote in pictures, and the earliest words were in picture form. However, words, over time, became less iconic and more abstract over time. Then there was a separation between the two, and then... a "collision"! The ironies of words and pictures was being presented more - through more symbolic paintings, etc.
The comic ends suggesting the differences of the affects of words being alone, pictures being alone, and the different ways they can work together, producing a variety of different impacts!

Posted by lcisthur at 12:39 AM | Comments (1)

Words and Pictures - and their blend!

I thought that this chapter reading handout, Words and Pictures, brought up a lot of points that we all experience each day of our lives, but do not recognize. If you asked me if there was a solid line between words and pictures, my first instinct would probably be "yes." Words are words and pictures are pictures, what's so complicated about that? Well... as with most things when you take a closer look, there is much more to it than we see on the day-to-day level. We realize that words go together in children's books, comic strips, newspaper articles, etc. Yet this article points out that pictures are usually ionic and words are usually symbolic. Even the size, boldness, and handwriting of words can have iconic affects; their visual characteristics have impacts on how we take in and analyze their meaning, and we do not even realize it until it's pointed out. Pictures still are important; this does not downplay their role. Pictures provide fundamental information words often do not. There are, however, overlaps in everything. Words and pictures can both be symbolic and iconic at the same time!

Posted by lcisthur at 12:25 AM | Comments (1)

Tannen Article - What is Linguistic Style?

I have to admit, when I saw the title, "What is Linguistic Style", I just thought I was about to dive into another article all about technical definitions, etc. - something dull. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this article by Deborah Tannen was not only very accessible, but also very interesting. It made points that I never really thought of on my own before, but once mentioned, can think about lots of personal experiences that back it up.
One would usually assume that there would be differences in lingusistic styles between people of different cultures, but to think about the drastic differences, and the impacts they have, just between people from different areas of the country, was rather eye-opening. Nevertheless, the most interesting part, and the main point, of this article, was about the different linguistic styles between men and women. Linking back to our childhood lifestyles and interactions with friends has a huge role in our adult and professional way of communicating. It explains how men can take the credit for a woman's work in the workplace, and how it seems to be accepted because of the "natural" differences between their linguistic styles. All in all, this is a prominant factor in women not being treated equally as men in professional fields, and is often not recognized, or even realized.

Posted by lcisthur at 12:14 AM | Comments (0)

October 06, 2005

Mimesis vs Social Construction

The debate regarding mimesis versus social construction is difficult to understand as a whole, much less come to a conclusion. Representation is complex and reaching conclusions is very much a matter of opinion. Mimesis refers to visual representations being returned to us as accurate and realistic, while social construction refers to creating an impression of a visual representation based on cultural meaning. Social constuction does seem more realistic, even though it involves distortion of reality. For instance, a Picasso painting is of something that actually existed in real life, but it does not look like this object through mimesis. Instead, it is a representation that we can understand because of social construction. Also, advertisements can give us a false reflection of the world because they are an attempt to idealize their product.

Posted by lcishagan at 11:50 PM | Comments (1)

PAINTING

The painting is a metaphor for how society tends to become obsessed with new technology and the technology is what their lives are based on. I see this because the TV is the center of the painting. Also, there are many random objects around the TV, which means that the owner of the TV is too busy to put things away. If things are around the TV, she must be basing herself there. I think the painter is trying to tell us that by basing our lives on one thing (especially as unrealistic as TV is) we become blinded by darkness and reality is too far to reach. The TV has a scene of night which to me, symbolizes darkness. The night tends to consume everything, even reality in this case. The moon represents the reality which is so far away because it is the only true brightness in the TV. In the painting, the walls are a dark gray (almost black) and there is no carpet, only concete floors. I think this furthers the metaphor of being consumed by TV. The owner of the TV (and presumably, the house) watches TV so much that she makes no time to make her house livable or even humanable. The broom indicates work. It is pushed aside and old looking (because there is no handle). To me, this shows that the girl has even pushed aside her work to watch TV. There is a plate on the TV, which reminds me of TV Dinners (the painting could be of before TV dinners). We generally associate TV dinners with lazyness because usually we eat at kitchen tables. Because the woman assumably eats by the TV, we see her lazyness even further. The phone is pushed to the back of the TV. It almost seems that the woman once was concerned about phone calls (a link to the outside world) but then became so obsessive that keeping the phone near was not important. We see no other furniture besides a folding chair. We can assume she uses the chair to watch TV in. She is so obsessive that she doesn't even furnish her home with things. It shows she doesnt even need to be comfortable to watch TV. The small TV compartment is open. We usually shut things when we leave, out of habit of keeping things tidy, but because she watches TV so much, she leaves it open for convenience. It seems she is even storing her clothes in the livingroom out of convenience. Truly, the painter is showing us that TV (and technology in general)consumes us and transforms us into obsessors.

I say the home owner is a "she" because there are "jelly" sandals in the living room, which a woman wears. Plus, the shoelaces on the steakers are colorful and generally, men do not wear colorful shoes.

Note- If someone else has this exact theme, please comment on mine and tell me and I will redo this. I thought I read most of the painting blogs. :) Thanks.

Posted by lcisyeich at 08:19 PM | Comments (2)

Social Constructionism

I definitely feel that the social constructionist view can be backed up much more easily than mimesis. Our interpretation of everything we see is consistently based on what we are surrounded by, may that be the media, art, friends, or family. Because everyone has different family members, friends, tastes in music and so on, opinions can vary in drastic ways. People learn to perceive the world based on their individual memory, emotion, and motivation. Mimesis, though correct in the idea that imitation is involved in meaning, leaves out the important factors of interpretations of language and images.

Posted by lcisowens at 07:58 PM | Comments (0)

Seeing Essay

Seeing, by Annie Dillard, is an eye-opening essay addressing the miracle of perception and the abstract idea that by eliminating depth a world of light, colors, and shapes burst open. By researching stories of blind patients who have gained the ability to see for the first time, Dillard learns that the realization of where objects are in relation to a person is a not born skill but rather a learned technique that the brain takes many years to develop. Gazing over orchards bearing ripe peaches, Dillard regretfully stated that “I couldn’t unpeach the peaches.”

Dillard’s brain, like almost everyone’s, has learned at an early age to appropriately gage distance, therefore making it almost impossible to dissect objects into formless blobs of lines, shapes, and colors. “…I couldn’t sustain the illusion of flatness...Nor can I remember ever having seen without understanding; the color-patches of infancy are lost.” I personally feel a sense of understanding toward Dillard’s wish to see the world as she did as an infant. Staring at the van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir posters on my wall, I envy their ability to detach from the actual figures and display their image through thick brushstrokes of light and color.

“I live now in a world of shadows that shape and distance color, a world where space makes a kind of terrible sense.” Lacking the ability to “unpeach the peaches” is an unfortunate, yet critical part of growing up. In class we discussed methods that organize what we see, such as the law of proximity, law of similarity, law of continuity, etc. These are all examples of why we are unable to detach from our perception. Our brain is trained to rationalize what stimuli our rods and cones sense. We are, at times, victims to our own skills of adaptation. Seeing clearly conveyed both the miracle of perception and regret that few people can actually “unpeach the peaches.”

Posted by lcisowens at 06:09 PM | Comments (0)

Words and pictures

I am going to complain about the article "Funny What You Can Find In The Funnies". This article didn't made much sense and didn't grab my attention until the last paragraph. All of the writer's examples were so unfamiliar to me, that I didn't know how to respond to the writing after I read it. The "Dick Tracy", "Blondies", "Joe Palooka" what kind of comics are they? After my reading was done, I noticed that I gathered little information on how in some of those comics the main characters were intended to convince politically (Little Orphan Annie).
On the other hand, the other packet which included young couples' comic and conversation was interesting to me. When I read their conversation I felt little tension between those two. However, when I looked at the pictures on the next page, it almost made me very unsettled. In my mind, I imagined a picture of the couple to be closer to each other, but in the comics in the packet, they were physically close but emotionally detached from each other. The straight lines on their clothes, furnitures, on the walls, and finally on the blinder almost "screamed" at the viewer to be disturbed when looking at that comic. Visual images can show the meaing in few pictures what words can't in pages and pages.

~~~Zaya~~~

Posted by lcisbold at 05:22 PM | Comments (3)

The Lover v. the Stereotyper

Meaning can be made and the process of understanding carried out when one loves something. A mother knows when her baby is hungry with just the tiniest signal, such as a scrunched up face. The mother wants to put herself in the place of her baby to understand him and love him more. Annie Dillard understood this concept after comparing her drawn horse to those of a farm family’s. She admits that “the lover can see, and the knowledgeable.”

In that case, Dillard could not see. She was blinded by her own ignorance. The horse ranch family shared their lives with horses. They fed horses, trained them, raised them and lived with them. The children of the family probably even grew up with horses. Not only would the family have a seeming infinite amount of knowledge about the horses but also, they would love them. The family probably spent most of their days caring for them, so they would understand the way of the horse and the way they look in nature. Dillard probably had seen horses before but only visually. She did not understand the sounds they make or the angles of their legs while running. Her drawn horse came out to be a “monster” compared to the “real horses.” The horses were real because they were drawn by people with a true sense of what a horse is and what a horse can do.

Dillard uses the word “see” in her quote. At first glance, even I, a student on a quest for meaning, thought she meant visually seeing. After studying and studying of the same seven words it finally occurred to me to not be so literal. Dillard tells us that seeing is not all about our eyes, but also with our minds and understanding. To actually see is to be able to use all senses. Not only will we picture a four-legged animal on a farm as a horse, but we will smell, hear, feel and see it. We will remember the rough hair and the angles of the legs. We will remember how hard a horse is when we sit on it and furthermore, know the proportions correctly because we had to jump so high to get on it. We will, more importantly, be able to imagine being a horse. We will put ourselves in its place and feel its existence. In class we studied many paintings. In the painting with the two people dancing (woman in white dress and man in black) we knew they were dancing because we understanding the formation of people when they dance and the angles of bodies when they dance. We could decipher what the people in the painting’s possible feelings and thoughts were because we compared our own experiences with how theirs might be (if they were real people). We could probably draw them because we are familiar with dancing and the structure of women and men.

Subsequently, we generally do not know a lot about many things. We may specialize in one area but it is not the same. To understand is to know something in and out, as explained above. Not only can “the lover see” but so can the “knowledgeable.” A horse expert not only would have the experience with horses in study but also would understand why a horse acts the way it does or why it is even built a certain way. She/he would be able to “see” a horse. They would understand and appreciate what a horse is. They would not just associate a four-legged creature with a long nose and a main as a horse. Their mental picture would be detailed and raving in beauty.

A paragraph before the one described is a description of the artificial obvious. The artificial obvious, the stereotyped mental picture (including texture and color) of something binds us and leaves us unable to actually see. Dillard uses the example of searching for a frog that was supposed to be “green.” In the end, Dillard finally realized that not only did she accept the fact that everyone thought frogs were green, but she was wrong by a lot. A lover (and in this case it could be one who realizes the true nature of things) would realize that not only would the frog not be green, but it would not be anything like the stereotyped frog. Frogs generally aren’t slimy and they aren’t small and smooth. When I read the paragraph I didn’t understand why it was so significant that the frog did not look as expected. The frog was a symbol for her typecasting nature. She should have realized then that drawing a horse without love is impossible.

A distinguished teacher of mine told his classes every day the language of love. He said nothing could be done with meaning without having the characteristics of a lover. One requires patience, tenacity, depth, thoroughness, and faithfulness. This fits perfectly in with Dillard’s quote. To be able to see and make meaning from the seeing, we must have the patience to take the time and discover something. We must be tenacious and examine every part of this something. Most importantly, we must be faithful to what we see, not to what we think we see. We cannot force our expectations to be our reality.

As a side note- writing this essay really helped me understand Dillar'd writing. As I wrote I could relate all of the quotes and it really made me more open-minded to Dillard's thoughts. When I started reading the passage for the first time, I was reminded of Thoreau's "Walden." Because I am a more realistic (versus romantic thinker) I could not grasp his concepts and when I did, I did not agree. I can agree with Dillard's thoughts and relate/understand them and the text becomes less redundant; or maybe it just seems that way because she didn't force herself to live in the woods and cut off contact from the world.

Posted by lcisyeich at 03:37 PM | Comments (4450)

Comic reading

I really enjoyed the reading "Show and Tell" by McCloud. It was so much more interesting than just reading a normal essay or piece of work by someone. It caught my attention in the beginning and kept me interested throughout. I couldn't help but think of all of us back in Ellen's class when we had to try and break down the pictures for the first time. It reminded me of the boy showing his robot during show and tell and the teacher was trying to get him to say something other than "it uhh has one of these and it can do this becuase..uhhh" and how we were like "she's dancing because we see it..she just is!" The comic brought up alot of interesting points about writing dealing with pictures and words. I enjoyed this piece.

Posted by lcisnelson at 11:27 AM | Comments (5102)

Comics Readings

I really enjoyed the comics readings we had to do, especially the one in the book. I think that words are so much more powerful when there are pictures to illustrate what they mean. The images in the comics take away any confusion the reader might be having and enhance the entire experience. I must admit, I enjoyed reading kids books to the family of young boys I babysat last summer because of the pictures. Sometimes I would read them the words on the page, but then we would spend a few minutes talking about the picutres that they saw and what they thought those pictures meant. Sometimes the kids got more from the pictures than they got from the words. I think reading a graphic novel will be really interesting because I have never actually read one before, and it will be a nice break from the books we used to reading that are just words.

Posted by lcismardin at 10:05 AM | Comments (389)

Seeing Is a Free Gift

There is so much to see in life that sight in itself is a gift that is unfortunately not given to everyone. It is a sense that allows individuals to take in all kinds of visual images and interpret them from their own perception. In Annie Dillard’s essay “Seeing” she says “there are lot things to see, unwrapped gifts and free surprises”, meaning that seeing entails giving and that someone can receive that “gift” freely. Dillard wants her readers to realize the beauty of sight, and how seeing images can be on more than one level. I believe that sight can reveal hidden meaning in images that people see everyday and that with patience someone could be amazed at what they see.

Annie Dillard is right in saying that “there are lots of things to see”, because the world is full of visual images. People blessed with sight wake up every morning seeing their bed, shoes or window. These are everyday images that people do not really appreciate. Dillard shows appreciation for nature and how it can be full of surprises. A person could be looking at a tree and not see anything except for a tree with a brown trunk and green leaves. If that person looked closer and observed the tree for a while, they might be able to see ants slowly climbing up and down the tree maybe on their way to their anthill or a bird sitting in a nest. Most people do not even notice these occurrences and simply pass them by. Dillard sees this as a “gift” that is offered to us and that all we have to do is notice. Noticing what we see is important in appreciating our sight, because if people do not take the opportunity to notice something important may pass them by.

I agree with what Dillard is saying, and I believe that it means that people should not let life pass them by. Even when a person is consumed with meaningless visual images from media sources, they should have the desire to escape from that influence and see something that they haven’t seen before. People should venture outside of what they are used to seeing like reality television shows, busy traffic, street signs, and brick buildings. Going outside of a shut in establishment, and sitting on a bench at the park can allow someone to watch what happens in their surroundings the longer they sit there. They could see a biker pass on a bike with the wheels moving at a continuous speed and the bikers’ head focused on the path they wish to pursue. A bird may fly by, flapping its wings slowly up and down until if finds a nearby perch and decides to stop before it takes off to find the next perch. A plane might even pass by, looking as though it’s almost frozen in time until it seems to speed up and disappears in the clouds. Most people do not notice any of these things, because they do not consider it important to see. I think that time should be taken out to truly see these things, and wonder why a plane seems to move slowly in the sky, a bird can fly seamlessly and land with such grace, or a biker can ride so meaningfully from one point to another.

If people focus on concrete images like the tree, they will only be able to see a tree. If a person is able to detach themselves from the concrete image of a tree they may see what the tree has to offer, like the many creatures that may inhabit it. It is taking the time to find the hidden “gifts” of sight that make life so interesting. These “gifts” in sight are not just going to appear, but they just have to be found. There is so much to see in life that something new can be found everyday, all a person has to do is keep their eyes open.

--Yasmin

Posted by lcisperez at 12:18 AM | Comments (1)

October 05, 2005

Chapter 3 Question 2

The verb “to be” is different from verbs like “ask, tell, show, etc…” because it is a helping verb that connects a sentence together. The verb “to be” acts as a function word because it is used as an auxiliary verb to strengthen the use of a content verb.

It is definitely possible to invent new quantifiers; therefore they cannot be called closed class words. Words that can replace “very” and didn’t exist ten years ago are “mad” and “wicked.” Many quantifiers come and go and there is an unlikely chance that these slang quantifiers will continue to mean the same thing in the future.

Based on the difference between function verbs and content verbs it seems probable that they are stored differently in the brain. Function verbs are difficult to create, yet content verbs are constantly being added the open class.

Posted by lcisowens at 10:57 PM | Comments (0)

"Seeing"

“Seeing is of course very much a matter of verbalization.” This quotation from Annie Dillard’s essay “Seeing” certainly gives a whole new perspective on the concept of seeing. Really seeing the world takes a reasonable amount of effort and thinking. Annie Dillard is saying that in order to truly see the world, one must actually bring it to one’s attention by verbalizing it, either aloud or in one’s mind. By doing so, one makes actual observations and is forced to take in the visual stimulus instead of just casually taking note of it. One common example is looking at a painting; one must really look at it, observe it and think about it in order to truly see it for what it is.

I agree with Annie Dillard in that in order to truly see things, one must consciously bring it to one’s attention through some form of verbalization. I know that in my personal experiences, I tend to just take things in instead of actually seeing them in this way, just because there is always so much to see. One can’t possibly take the time to stop and look and consciously think about everything that one sees, there’s just not enough time in the day to do that.

Seeing things for what they truly are and taking the time to observe them instead of just casually noticing them is exactly what we’ve been doing in class with the paintings. We look at the paintings and pictures and then we analyze what’s really in the picture and consciously think about it on the semantic level.

-Jessica F.

Posted by lcisfaria at 10:51 PM | Comments (0)

"Blinded"

I'm not going to lie. I thought this assignment was really hard. Primarily because of the quote I chose.

Conscious and unconscious. Clean and dirty. Hungry and full. Rich and poor. Full and empty. Black and white. Girl and Boy. Alive and dead. On and off. Open and closed. Light and dark.

Unfortunately, life is not always as clearly laid out as we’d like it to be. Since young, we have been trained to make meaning from what we see. This processing is automatic and removes much of the thought from our understanding. Thus, this automatic response blinds us in a way from seeing the world as it is, without ever analyzing other interpretations.

Fortunately, our lives have changed quite a bit from the age of opposites. Our world as we know it has expanded to include many aspects of life- as well as increasingly gray areas. We have learned to replace existing perceptions with more accurate descriptions and sensations. Blurs between opposites distort our conceptions and creates a full understanding of the present.

We usually associate the dark with the mysterious unknown, with threat and crimes. Conversely, light is often paralleled with clarity, purity, justice and truth. In reality, this is not always the case. Despite the fact that light and dark are opposites, they have very similar effects on our senses. We need to look beyond the ordinary, past the stereotypes, and the known. Take off the masks we all hide behind- what do we really know about light and darkness?

We can’t always make sense of the things we see in both the light and dark. Thus, “if we are blinded by darkness, we are also blinded by light.

Posted by lcissearls at 09:18 PM | Comments (2)

Annie Dillard's "Seeing"

Despite the flexibility with which the two words "seeing" and "looking" are interchanged, the two have very different meanings when it comes to viewing images. In her essay, "Seeing," Annie Dillard addresses these difference through the following quote:

"The world's spiritual geniuses seem to discover universally that the mind's muddy river, this ceaseless flow of trivia and trash, cannot be dammed, and that trying to dam it is a waste of effort that might lead to madness. Instead you must allow the muddy river to flow unheeded in the dim channels of consciousness: you raise your sights: you look along it, mildly, acknowledging its presence without interest and gazing beyond it into the realm of the real where subjects and objects act and rest purely, without utterance. 'Launch into the deep,' says Jacques Ellul, 'and you shall see'" (pg. 103).

Seeing is something that we cannot help but do. From the moment one opens their eyes when they wake, until the moment they close them to sleep, they are seeing everything that is around them. We do not choose what we see, but rather go about simply happening to see other people, places, objects, etc. Looking is different in that we choose what it is we look at. Looking involves a conscious process of interpreting and finding meaning in something that we merely see.

In our world today we are constantly bombarded with images that are meant for us to not just see, but really look at. When we view specific advertisements, we do not merely acknowledge the syntactical elements of the image, such as the shapes, lines, colors, etc., but instead we relate semantic meanings to the advertisement and form some sort of idea about the product being advertised, ultimately helping advertisters accomplish exactly what they set out to do.

Annie Dillard suggests that we not look at the "ceaseless flow of trivia and trash" that we are constantly exposed to. We must see those things, but waste little time and effort on their existence. We should gaze "beyond it into the realm of the real where subjects and objects act and rest puerly," or in other words we must remember the fact that images, which are just blobs of color, should not invoke any deeper meaning into our minds. It is the social constructionist approach in us all, or the tendency to make meaning our of everything we merely see, that makes it almost impossible for us to see images, but not look.

Posted by lcissullivan at 04:19 PM | Comments (1)

Language According to Gender

When reading the Tannen article, I was struck by how true it described the behavior of women. I never realized just how much women are always trying to divert attention away from themselves and are always ready to compliment others, but never feel comfortable receiving compliments themselves. When Tannen described the behavior of boys as practically the opposite, always needing to "one up" other boys and never wanting to represent themselves as weaklings, I was not surprised because this is definitely true of most young boys, and I have observed this many times.

However, I always thought that this self promoting use of language that young boys employ was something that they eventually grow out of. I didn't think that grown men still felt the need to avoid the "one down" position through their use of language, but rather I assumed that as men grow older, they slowly depart from this practice and begin to use language as women do.

I realize after reading this article that this is not always the case. Some men live their whole lives feeling as though they need to be the boss, and what one grown woman may consider to be a very innapropriate or rude remark, a grown male may find perfectly acceptable. It is sad to think that for some men and woman there will always exist this communication barrier, but if more people were informed of the psychological reasons behind the behavior of men and women, perhaps fewer conflicts would arise from these differences.

Posted by lcissullivan at 03:48 PM | Comments (1)

Tannen article

When I first looked at the Tannen article online, I did not expect to enjoy it just because it seemed so long. But I ended up actually liking it. Everything that Tannen brought up made so much sense because we have seen it all before, I just never took much notice of these things. It is true that women and men are very different, but I never thought of how different they were when they spoke. Different things are expected out of men and women, and it seems like women are expected to be less self confident in how they act and what they say. I know that I am not very confident when I speak up in class or even when I am talking one on one with someone who is older, more experiences, or superior to me. I always thought I was just shy, but it's interesting to think that some of this could have to do with the way I interacted with others as a child and how girls are brought up differently than boys are.

There seemed to be a lot in this article that I could relate to, especially the part about men not wanting to stop and sk for directions. We have all heard this before, and most of us have witnessed this. Men do not want to be put in a situation where they are seem as vulnerable or insuperior. However, women it seems have no problem stopping to ask for directions because they expect to be put in situations where they are vulnerable or insuperior, because that is the way it has always been. This is a sad thing to think about, because I don't want to be looked at as vulnerable for the rest of my life. I wish Tannen had explained some ways in which women could overcome what was expected of them and how they could learn to speak an act in a way that has the same effect (at least in the workplace) as men do.

Posted by lcismardin at 10:15 AM | Comments (1)

Fromkin Chapter 3 Question 2

a) I believe it should be listed as a function word because it is different to verbs like “ask” in use, conjugation and behavior and better suited by definition to function words. Function words or grammatical morphemes are used in relation to the syntax of a sentence they are therefore more constant, skeletal if you like, and are not being added to in the way that content words are. Functions words are therefore considered to be a closed class.

Auxiliary verbs like “to be” have a grammatical function in a sentence and function alongside other verbs like “ask”. They are unlikely to be drastically changed or added to, and so I think it is correct to list auxiliary verbs under function words.

b) I believe that quantifiers are not a closed class but that they can and are being added to. I believe that “mega” might be one such addition by appropriation in recent years. In addition the popular obscenities of the day are often used in place of “very.”

~ Nanette

Posted by lcissavides at 09:30 AM | Comments (0)

Stopping To Pick Up the Pennies ... Dillard first draft

“These appearances catch at my throat; they are the free gifts, the bright coppers at the roots of trees.” -Annie Dillard, Seeing

Life today is hectic, complicated, rushed; anything but simple. Everything that matters to us seems to be a matter of time, technology, money. That is what drives us, what our vision holds. Yet that is also what makes things complicated, and in turn, is what blinds us. In a world dominated by financial goals, we ironically overlook the “many unwrapped gifts and free surprises” that surround all of us. According to Annie Dillard in her essay, Seeing, we do not see them. Seeing is more than mere sensory input, it requires perception. It is up to each and every individual, no matter who, no matter where, to make the effort and truly see for themselves. To make the effort to do more than observe and recognize, but to actively make meaning of what they see. To see more than our basic visual input of “reality.” To look past the complicated to the simple; to see what actually does matter in life. They are all around us; the world is “planted” with nature’s treasures, waiting to be discovered. They wait, hidden until discovered, to reward those who take the time to look for them, for those who finally see, for those who finally experience their overwhelming beauty.
Annie Dillard compares herself as a child hiding pennies, to nature hiding her own “free surprises.” As she places the shiny pennies in the roots of trees, nature hides her “unwrapped gifts”. They both wait patiently for someone to come along and delight at the discovery of their jewels.
There are “lots of pennies in the world” “cast broadside with a generous hand”, and yet, it is “dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won’t pick up a penny.” Here Dillard makes her point – “who gets excited about a mere penny?” Despite nature’s abundance of wondrous gifts, people today overlook them; it is not what excites them. They do not look for it, and it does not jump out to them in the midst of their rush of life.
People do not realize, that overall, it is up to each individual to look for their own “bright coppers at the roots of trees;” to unearth the deep simplicity of life: to see what there is and understand the world. A person must “cultivate” nature in this way and overlook life’s materialistic priorities and complexities, as “only the simplest animals perceive the universe as it is.” Dillard expresses that we need to live life to the fullest, to take a step back at each of our days and to stop and appreciate nature, to “pick up the pennies.” When we do this we will truly see, we will truly understand, and we will truly live. We cannot rely on anyone else for this, we each have to take the time and search for it on our own. Dillard assures us that when we find this beauty and appreciation of life, the “appearances” will be so overwhelming that “they catch at your throat.”

Posted by lcisthur at 01:26 AM | Comments (2)

Alfred Leslie Painting

The first significant object that stuck out to me was the crescent moon in the image of the T.V. When I thought to analyze the meaning of the moon, the phrase "many moons ago" came to mind. The waxing of waning of the moon is a metaphor for the passing of time. Noticing the 1970s/1980s looking objects (shoes, phone, T.V., etc.), I realized that these objects stood for a certain era that is to be interpreted as completely out-dated, though it was only 30 years ago.

I think the broom without the handle, a bit more in the background than the rest of the objects, is metonymy, representing a loss of control; a loss of control over how the world changes as out-dated objects crowd our memory. The handleless broom is a hint that though the scene is cluttered and there seems to be no way to clean up. The panel being opened on the T.V. shows the ability for humans to change the way they live life, however because this painting is “still life” of seemingly meaningless objects no action is taking place.

-Emmy O

Posted by lcisowens at 12:58 AM | Comments (0)

Alfred Leslie Painting

The first significant object that stuck out to me was the crescent moon in the image of the T.V. When I thought to analyze the meaning of the moon, the phrase "many moons ago" came to mind. The waxing of waning of the moon is a metaphor for the passing of time. Noticing the 1970s/1980s looking objects (shoes, phone, T.V., etc.), I realized that these objects stood for a certain era that is to be interpreted as completely out-dated, though it was only 30 years ago.

I think the broom without the handle, a bit more in the background than the rest of the objects, is metonymy, representing a loss of control; a loss of control over how the world changes as out-dated objects crowd our memory. The handleless broom is a hint that though the scene is cluttered and there seems to be no way to clean up. The panel being opened on the T.V. shows the ability for humans to change the way they live life, however because this painting is “still life” of seemingly meaningless objects no action is taking place.

-Emmy O

Posted by lcisowens at 12:58 AM | Comments (0)

October 04, 2005

Fromkin Chapter 3, Writing Exercise #2

2.) The auxiliary verb “to be” is different from other verbs because its conjugation is not immediately obvious or what would be expected, especially to a foreign speaker. Its conjugations are arbitrary to the infinitive in structure. For example, the verb “to ask” is conjugated in a way that has more of an expected pattern we can decipher that makes more sense. The conjugations sound and appear like the infinitive: I ask, you ask, she asks, we ask, and they ask. In the irregular verb “to be”, the conjugations are completely arbitrary to the infinitive; I am, you are, she is, we are, and they are. None of the conjugated verbs are like the base of the verb infinitive “be”, whereas in a verb like “to ask”, they are.

I would not say that adverbs that quantify, like “very” are closed class. In my experience, I have seen new quantifiers being used – by different people, in different areas, etc. Some are slang, which goes to show that these types of words are opened class and that more can be created. For example, some of my friends and I would joke around and say “ouber”, like the German word, in the same context as “very”. An even more solid example is one of the amusing things I have noticed coming here to Massachusetts from California; people say “wicked”. I have never heard this word used in this context, meaning “very” or “really”, like it commonly is here! I suppose young Northern Californians are known for saying “hella” to mean “very”, which is (perhaps fortunately) not used here. These quantifiers were not used decades ago, and have probably been around only in the past five years or so.

The brain functions content and function words differently, and I think the above examples of the newer, slang-like quantifiers are evidence. Function words, like “very” and other quantifiers, have a grammatical function. They do not have a clear, specific meaning associated with them, or a specific concept that needs to really be thought about. As a result, function words are easier to create and slip in and out through our sentences and speech, as they seem to require less thought. However, function words are considered to be closed class, mostly because words such as “and,” “or,” “a”, “in,” “of,” “the”, and other conjunctions, prepositions, articles, and pronouns, are completely arbitrary and so far have been irreplaceable. In many ways, although considered open class, it may seem more difficult to create a content word, as it would mean creating a new word for concepts we think about – such as specific ideas, concepts, actions, or particular objects. When we create a quantifier, it does not denote anything too complex, and can be subconsciously slipped in and out of our speech. However, if one is raised knowing that, for example, “Kleenex” are tissues, relatively new content words do not require much thought or contemplation.

Posted by lcisthur at 10:54 PM | Comments (0)

Words and Pictures Reading

I was taken back a few times reading the "Words and Pictures" packet. On several occassions, I felt myself saying "ah ha!" or "I never thought of that!" Coming from a family that is more science and math oriented, more in tune with logic and reason, I never questioned many of the aspects of words and pictures that I am continuously forced to question in class everyday and in the reading passages. On page 24, in the packet, there is a picture of a church, only represented by black lines. I see the church vividly because of the cross on the top and the shape of a house depicted on the white background. The reading tells us that this image is only composed of ten black straight lines, and yet "it is largely by convention that we identify a roof, two walls, a tower and a cross." This image is more of a symbol on the symbol-icon scale. We can see the cross and we know that it represents Christianity (the cross of Jesus). We see the almost hexagonal shape, and we know that it represents a house, a building, or in this case, a church. We see the taller structure next to the house, and we know that it is a tower. The resemblence of these placed lines to an actual church is a stretch, but this image, in particular, directed my mind in a different path, to not always look so literal into pictures, but to analyze them. To think that this picture is only composed of ten lines, but still holds such meaning and power is absolutely intriguing. I will not be able to look at another symbol or icon without truly analyzing the image being presented to me. --Christina

Posted by lcisgancarz at 09:57 PM | Comments (1)

Women and Men

The tannen article had a lot of answers to assumptions that most people have about men and women in a business environment. We always hear about incidences were there are women who feel as though they need to be represented in court, because they think that they have not been properly acknowledged by their male counterparts in the workplace.

The communication between men and women does have a lot to do with how men and women are raised differently. Women are raised in a more nurturing environment where competition is not as respected and giving praise to someone is something that is rewarded. Men are the complete opposite where they enjoy competition and learn not to be put down by others but to take control in a situation. I think that this does affect men and women when they are interacting with each other.

I think that all we have to do is try to think of other ways of communication that don't always have to do with trying to find better ideas than someone else or trying to be better than someone else. There is a time to give complements to someone, give structured criticism to someone, or step up the pace by coming forth with a good idea about something. In order to change this men and women should just try to get out of their comfort zone and try to communicate in a different way. Although to avoid being too aggressive, people should judge the reactions of the person that they're communicating with and know when they should step back. Communication can involve so many situations, and everyone has there own way and right to communicate in a particular way.

--Yasmin

Posted by lcisperez at 09:49 PM | Comments (1)

Assignment 3, writing exercise

The advantages of morphological modifications are numerous. We can make our conversations more creative by using words like "unpretty" instead of "ugly" to put more emphasis and focus on the fact. Also, it gives those who are native to the language a wider range of lexicon to use without using complex words that a unintelligent or young person might not understand. It gives those who are not native to the language an easier time learning it because they could potentially use/learn half the words someone native would. For example, if a nonnative speaker of English knew the word pleasant but not horrid, he/she could put the prefix un- on pleasant and use a totally correct word without learning more vocabulary. This of course, depends on the person learning these suffixes and prefixes. It is relatively easy to learn these prefixes and suffixes, though. There aren't that many available to learn (at least not as much as content words).

We are able to plant more meaning in each word if we have these modifications and we can potentially understand any word as long as we know the little modification suffixes.

I found it really easy to pick up the different languages in the book exercizes. I am not saying that I understand the language and could repeat things back to you, but I understand how the words were set up and it seemed not so hard from the standpoint that the book gave.

Posted by lcisyeich at 09:33 PM | Comments (1)

Comics Readings

I really enjoyed these three readings on comics. I had never quite realized how much is actually encompassed in those little blocks, its really amazing.

I was really interested in how words and pictures combine to make the comic what it is and in the fact that there are seven different combinations of words and pictures. Amazing! Last year, in English class, we read a comic that I can't remember the name of. I am sure alot of other people have read it/seen it too. It commented on the nature of humanity, how everything starts out simple, with basic love, and then everything escalates to war and crime, until the world is destroyed and the cycle begins again. I think this comic is the perfect example of what the three articles commented on, that comics act as a vehicle for meaning and are much more than just entertainment for children.

Posted by lciscotis at 09:28 PM | Comments (2)

Chapter 3 Morphological Modifications

Morphological modifications make a language more flexible to innovation, because it gives a langugage a more considerable amount of choices of words. These modifications permit people to use numerous morphological combinations so as to form new words or even to break down a word so that it can be more easily understood.

However, this can make any language all the more difficult to learn, especially if you are trying to learn a language that is not your own language. You would have to learn which words are root words, or which part of a word in not a root morpheme. Also when learning a new language it is difficult to tell which words include prefixes or suffixes. This is only possible if you know the root morpheme. Also there can be many complex or compound words in a language that can be hard for a person who doesn't know that language to understand. In order to understand another language a person has to have a lexicon of that language so that they will be able to understand the morphological modifications of the language.

Morphological modications in a persons native language are a lot easier however, because that person has a large lexicon for their own language and are able to use morphological modification. Morphological modifications in general give words a wide array of meanings, which why human language is so intricate and profoundly creative.

--Yasmin

Posted by lcisperez at 08:49 PM | Comments (0)

Mimesis or Social Construction?

I think we mimesis, or images and language, to represent the world around us. As people, one of the most important things we have is our language, and without that, we would have no way of communicating things to each other. We are always trying to imitate the world by using our language and talking about it, or showing what we see by using images. We try to imitate what we see and what we hear on the street. We dress like people we admire and we talk like everyone else around us. We are constantly using both images and language to show and represent the world we live in. If we couldn't use language or images to communicate what we see, what would we do?

Posted by lcismardin at 08:21 PM | Comments (1)

Number 1 for homework 3

I think that there are several of advantages in having morphological modifications to words in a language which makes the language easier to learn. People don't just learn words in a matter of a minute. In order to actually remember the meaning of a word it might take a few minutes for one person, but I know for myself it takes several of times reading the definition and using it in context. If people have a sense of what prefixes, suffixes, and circumfixes, you can create many words from just one root word. For example, I know what happy means, but if I say unhappy, I know that it is the opposite of happy becuase of the prefix un-...also I know that happyness is the noun form of happy because of the suffix -ness. These added suffixes and such allow our language to be more fun and diverse. It allows people to create words if they are stumped and can't think of the correct term, they can just turn a root word into that adjective or noun. I think without this ability to do this, our language would be pretty dull and consist of a million more words than it already does and make it even more complex.

Posted by lcisnelson at 04:07 PM | Comments (1)

Comics & "Show and Tell"

This reading assignment definitely has caused me to view comics in a different light. Not only do comics show the interaction of pictures and text, they are American idioms. Comics chronicle American history, expressing the ideas, moods, social and political traditions of the time. It is true that comics reveal much about our values which are often subliminal, or hidden from our awareness. Additionally, comics are not only for children, but for everyone. Comics are simple enough for many people to understand and are usually in "layman's" terms. Comics can be used for political and social fronts because they often have underlying meanings. If you think about it, there are political cartoons that often grace the "world" section of various newspapers. Just like art and seperate literature, comics and other mediums that intertwine both words and art forms are integral in understanding our society as a whole.

Moreover, it was really interesting how Scott McCloud, the cartoonist taught a lesson through his comics. His comics portrayed what he really thinks about comics, that they are an integral art form in society containing both language and visual aspects. He traced the relationship between words and images very effectively. Another interesting point is that when reading comics we note the bolded, bigger letters as representations of loudness or screaming, but this kind of message is really subliminal. It was only until the reading brought this idea (that words can represent the emotions and emphasis of the author) that I realized how we process this information.

Posted by lcissearls at 11:18 AM | Comments (1)

Tannen Article Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed the article because it took apart some of the stereotyped, and often nebulous, ways in which we don’t seem capable of getting communication “right.”

Tannen does a great job, in my opinion, of showing how much of this is has to do with cultural differences and how men and women of the same ethnic group do in fact have different language cultures or styles. She made refreshingly clear connections between these cultures and our manner of expressing and understanding or misunderstanding.

I had to laugh when she explains the way girls and boys learn conversational rituals and says of girls learning to downplay the ways in which one is better than the others that “nobody really takes such modesty literally.” This is so true! There were many other instances in which I felt she was doing a great service to the divide between the sexes.

And although the article was focused on corporate America there were many instances in which I could relate to cross-cultural differences. And some times when both as a foreigner and as a women I realized I fall outside of the norm of either one or both by virtue of my individual make-up.

This was a fascinating reading - I’m glad it was prescribed (I think everyone should have to read it!) and look forward to discussing it in class.

~ Nanette Savides

Posted by lcissavides at 11:14 AM | Comments (0)

"Seeing" Draft

“Bud I don’t see what the specialist sees, and so I cut myself off, not only from the total picture, but from various forms and happiness” (Dillard 95)

People have different perspectives. If I see an image and interpret its meaning in my mind I don’t expect anybody else to have exactly the same interpretation. While growing up, our perspectives keep developing almost every moment as we go along the unbroken line of life. Our experiences diverge and vary in different societies and cultures and we unintentionally choose to bring those practices into our understanding and analysis of what we see.

I have come across interesting incidents in my culture that make me ponder about image and its meanings and how people acquire it. One day, I went to have lunch with my friends back at home in Mongolia. It was the day after I came home from boarding school in another country for the summer. We went into a typical local bistro. As soon as I stepped into the bistro, I started to observe and experience using all of my senses. I remember the smell of the food that emanate only at the bistros, and the sight and touch of those typical tables and chairs that looked so memorable to me. Nevertheless, I wasn’t sharing this commemoration with any of my friends, since they went in there everyday therefore they didn’t have any interest besides eating. I told them about my feelings and explained in this situation, to my friends who were “the specialist” and I was the guest, the outsider. I became an outsider in my own culture because I was coming from another culture with different views.

As people travel and expand their vision they certainly are encouraged to compare cultures. Annie Dillard, the author of “Seeing” writes, “I don’t see what the specialist sees, and so I cut myself off” Her observation and vision don’t have to be exactly the same as “the specialist” who can be referred to anyone but her. Each one of us has unique way of looking at the world. Our ways of looking to the world “out there” will never be repeated. I was intrigued that my “guest vision” brought an unusual view of the bistro to my friends and I. My revelation differed from my friends’ and it might have made my friends take another look at the bistro.

When Dillard states “cut myself [herself] off, not only from the total picture, but from the various forms of happiness” she is afraid that she may not be original and therefore she may not fit in. She states that she becomes unhappy when she cuts herself off “from the total picture”. If one is disconnected from the society, that person will feel alienated. People sometimes need time to be by themselves. However, not many people can be isolated and be happy. In my opinion, the character is not happy in the essay, because she detaches herself from the rest of the society, illustrated as “the total picture”, and she becomes unhappy and disengaged from “various forms of happiness”. Human beings feel better if they are attached and involved to society and its groups. We become connected through what we see and what we experience together through visual culture.

~~~Zaya~~~

Posted by lcisbold at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)

Reminder: Writing Assistance Available

This is a friendly reminder from WA Amy that I am available to read any and all drafts or assignments. I can provide advice and critique on content, grammar, or structure and can also, if needed, be a sounding board for ideas. If you are interested in having me review your work please e-mail me (amy.tureen@simmons.edu) or call me (x1283) so we can set up a meeting time.

Posted by lcisamy at 01:09 AM | Comments (0)

October 03, 2005

“…Construct An Artificial Obvious…”

“As soon as you can forget the naturally obvious and construct an artificial obvious, then you too will see deer.”

One does not expect to see a deer when looking in the woods on a cold, snowy evening. One does not expect to see a deer when playing in the meadow on a scorching summer afternoon. Yet, in Annie Dillard’s “Seeing” she challenges us to do just that. This quotation is actually attributed to Stewart Edward White, another author who wrote about aspects of seeing and observing. Thus, White, and subsequently, Dillard, urge us, individuals as members of a larger society, to look beyond what is initially prevalent. They are advising society that they will only see so much unless they want to see more and challenge themselves to see what is hidden.

Personally, I think that this quotation reveals so much about our visual culture as a society. We are so quick to look at a scene without allowing our mind to actually see it. We see what we expect to be there, we are unable to see something we didn’t anticipate. In Dillard’s essay she gives the example of the bullfrog, saying that she could not see the bullfrog until she allowed her mind to encompass all that a bullfrog could be. We will not see a deer unless we allow ourselves to do so. We, as a society, try to prescribe what we will see. Unfortunately, when we do this we end up missing things.

Another aspect of this quotation is how it corresponds to the three levels of visual data. When we think of the woods on a snowy evening, we have a particular picture, a symbol, in mind. Our conceptions of particular things are so firmly formed in our minds that we do not allow any variation. When we view something, we expect to see the symbol for this thing, the stereotypical essence of the scene. Thus, I think that White and Dillard are urging us to fight our preconceptions of what a scene will be like and asking us to go back to representation, when our minds allow us to see the scene as it really can be seen.

Posted by lciscotis at 11:07 PM | Comments (2)

Seeing Essay: "What? Analyzing grass in college?"

On the first day of biology lab, Dr. Connie Chow brought us outside to the Muddy River, and told us to sit down and observe a patch of grass. We weren’t even told what exactly to be looking for or noticing and I began to think, “this is a college level course, and we are watching grass?” But during this time of solitude, I found myself lying on the grass, eye level with the blades, observing the unique blend of greens and browns and oranges and creams. This region seemed so large, though I knew that if I stood up, this unfamiliar world would only be a tiny part of the scene I saw everyday. It was not until a few minutes after commencing my study that I began to touch and feel the broad grass leaves and examine each particle of soil in my hand. As I moved closer to the grass, I could see minute creatures eating and tearing at each fiber, gnawing for food. I actually closed my eyes for a moment and let my fingers be my guide. I mimicked what the blind people, like in Annie Dillard’s essay, had been living. They learned to touch, feel, and sense the area around them. Their hands were their eyes. They were able to imagine the grass and imagine the branches through their senses. I was unfortunate. I already knew the shape of the tiny rocks and the color of the grass, and I could not visualize these certain aspects of nature in any other way.

Ever since I was young, I could identify a picture of a tree. I had knowledge of its size and shape. I knew that a brown rectangle with a green circle on the top would be a sign of a tree. A blind person, from birth, would not have this ability. Their trees would all be drawn differently. How amazing to have your own perception about the world as it truly is! It is clear why they never wanted to open their eyes if they had the chance. And yet though I am able to see, I never stopped to truly look at the entire ecosystem, buried in the greenery beneath my feet.

In a very split second, my small patch of grass was disrupted by a rather long bug. It sat on the dead branch for just a moment, but I could see its streaks of gold and red in its shell, and the green grass provided such a stark contrast to its body. It stayed for but a moment, rubbing its legs together, but I would have never noticed it if my eyes had not been at level with the grass. This bug that had nearly startled me, was a beautiful surprise. To think nature could display such a myriad of colors, from the dark brown-black dirt to this vibrant creature astounded me. Why did I never notice such color in nature before? It is because I never truly opened my eyes.

Like Dillard, “I would like to know grasses and sedges—and care”. This is the beginning of my journey into the world beneath my feet.
-Christina

Posted by lcisgancarz at 07:08 PM | Comments (3)

Response to Tannen

The article by Deborah Tannen was very interesting. Not only did it raise ideas and facts about who gets heard and why, it addressed the idea of men vs. women. Throughout history, women have always been considered inferior. Although some changes have been made, women still seem to have to fight and try harder than men do in various areas. Part of the discoveries that Deborah Tannen mentions seems to be directly linked to the gender issue. For instance, women have always been told to downplay their opinions and feelings on many occasions. Girls, at young ages emphasize how they are all the same, and those that tell others what to do are thought of as bossy.

Also, last year the president of Harvard University stated that women are exceptionally weaker in mathematics and sciences than men. If opinions like these exist still today, then the language that women use in general will reflect this. For example, judgements of confidence can be inferred from the way people present themselves. Specific tones of voice, rate of speed, loudness and word choice affects the perception of others on the person speaking. Women also tend to share the wealth- especially in group situations they tend to state 'we' meaning that everyone contributed to that particular project, although that may not necessarily be the case.

If men view women as bossy when they promote their ideas and take responsibilty for their work, then how will the situation change? Additionally, since women tend to say 'sorry' more often, they appear to be weaker and less confident and blameworthy than those that dont. Women tend to think of saying 'sorry' as a way to mediate problems and to move forward. If society continues to view women as inferior, then perhaps their speech will continue to reflect that trend.

I want to throw these two ideas in: This article only addressed spoken languages, but I am curious to see if you think this would be true in another situation: Think about an all-deaf corporation with both men and women. Would the same findings take place?

Also, if the heads of big corporations are informed of the various ways people talk and the male vs. female differences, would this change the way women and men will be evaluated when qualified for a promotion or job?

Posted by lcissearls at 05:53 PM | Comments (1)

Seeing Essay

“I couldn’t unpeach the peaches.” Humans are doomed to make meaning of what we see and once we make meaning it cannot be erased. It is irreversible. After reading the accounts of blind people gaining sight, Annie Dillard forces herself to see as they do, in color patches and flat shapes. However, she is deluding herself because she knows the meanings of the color patches and shapes. She knows through experience those color patches are not just patches existing without a role or an explanation. By trying to see in color patches Dillard is denying the existence of her knowledge. Knowledge of an object through sight cannot be erased thus the color patches Dillard sees will always be peaches. Dillard laments the loss of ability to see objects without meaning. “…that evenings he saw the angel who rolls away the light before the darkness, and mornings the angel who rolls away the darkness before the light...Later on you don’t see these things anymore.” Why do sunrises and sunsets have to be restricted by their names and meanings and not merely appreciated for their beauty? Dillard wishes to “unravel the world from reason.” Perhaps she misses her childhood and the innocence and simplicity of a child’s life. After all, she did begin Seeing with a memory of when she was six or seven years old and many of her experiences with seeing in nature connote the sense of regaining wonder for the beauty of nature. Seeing is not a voluntary action. I cannot choose whether I want to understand what I am seeing or whether on that particular day or moment I would rather not know I am looking at my cell phone or a pen or pencil. ‘Oh, I’m sorry; I don’t really feel like seeing today. Try again another time, please.’ This is a statement I have never considered saying to another person. It is an incredibly bazaar and unfathomable concept to consider turning the ability to see on or off. I use the term seeing, which is a physical action, but I am implying understanding, a mental action, must be accompanied by it. The two go hand in hand because, as humans, both Dillard and I seek understanding. It does not suffice to leave the world as color patches without meaning.

-just to note, it is supposed to be broken up into paragraphs but the site won't let me do it

Posted by lcisfreya at 04:45 PM | Comments (2)

Tannen article

I thought that this article was really interesting. I agree with what Tannen says about the male and female differences in many aspects. WHen she talks about how men are more reluctant to ask for directions than women, I think we all can attest to this. I always tell my father, my brother, my boyfriend, a male friend, if they don't know where we are going to just stop and ask for directions and mainly the response I get is "where can I stop...we will just find it." But I stop in a heartbeat.

Another point that Tannen brings up that I found interesting was the fact that peoples style of language are so different and sometimes can be misinterpreted. I never thought of that before. To know that just because someone pauses longer than I would isn't because they don't know what to say but because of their style of speaking really interested me. From now on I'll remember that and not just try to fill in the gap and think that the person I'm speaking to is not interested like the person in her example did and thought. Also it was interesting reading about how one person goes about explaining something because he or she feels that that is the best way to go about it but the other person takes it wrongly and misunderstands. I can't think of an example right now but I know I have probably done this a million times.

Overall, I thought this article was quite interesting and it really has opened my eyes up to different views on things.

Posted by lcisnelson at 09:49 AM | Comments (1)

October 02, 2005

"The Power of Talk" Response

I really enjoyed this essay because I think that it is very true to life. For the last few years of high school, I was in classes with relatively the same group of people. The four boys were very good friends, as were the eight or so girls. But, I recognize alot of what Deborah Tannen discusses in her article as what went on in our classes. The boys were always happy to share their achievements, academic, athletic, whatever. (These boys, through another interesting "gender conflict" that I would love to research sometime, never did (or do) any work, yet always got excellent grades.) The girls on the other hand, were a bit more modest and did not announce their achievements, but waited until they were asked about them. The boys were quick to put eachother down, while the girls were more supportive and respectful of eachother. As a group, we grew very close and very comfortable with eachother. However, despite our closeness, these characteristics continued to hold true.

Another reality that I recognized in this essay was the manner in which a female criticizes or corrects a subordinate versus the way a male does the same thing. I think that this is true in many workplaces. In the movies (and although I realize that movies are not the ultimate example, I think they can serve some purpose), female coworkers often form a firm rapport despite their status level. Male coworkers are less likely to do so and much more openly critical of secretaries and other subordinates. A real-life example that I can give of this is in my dentist's office. There are three dentists who work there, twin sisters (their dad used to be the primary dentist) and one of their husbands. The female dentists are much more friendly, jovial, and supportive of the numerous female dental hygenists who work there. The male, however, while not rude to the dental hygenists, does not establish the same level of friendship. This is what I think may be a bonus to the female communication skills, friendship. Meanwhile, men are more competitive and thus less likely to establish friendships in the workplace.

--Brenna DeCotis

Sorry this is so long! I always have the intention of writing a short essay, but obviously it never works out.

Posted by lciscotis at 10:55 PM | Comments (1)

Chapter 3 Morphology Question

• The advantage to having morphological modifications to words is someone who knows the meanings of bound morphemes in a language can learn a new word in that language and then attach prefixes or suffixes to the word to learn more words simply by knowing the bound morphemes. This is easier than learning individual words for each meaning a bound morpheme has. For example, if a student were learning English and they knew the meanings of the prefix “un” to be the opposite and the suffix “ness” to make an adjective a noun and learned the meaning of the adjective “desirable” they would know the meanings of “undesirable”, “desirableness”, and “undesirableness” merely through attaching the prefixes and suffixes to “desirable.” Making grammatical connections through bound morphemes is often easier to memorize than learning separate words for the opposite of “desirable”, the noun of “desirable”, and the noun of the opposite of “desirable.” As for flexibility, it seems in the English language bound morphemes are constantly added to content words whether it is true to the rules of prescriptive grammar or not.

Posted by lcisfreya at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)

Seeing Essay- First Draft

Seeing, by Annie Dillard, is an eye-opening essay addressing the miracle of perception and the abstract idea that by eliminating depth a world of light, colors, and shapes burst open. By researching stories of blind patients gaining the ability to see for the first time, Dillard learns that the realization of where objects are in relation to a person is a not born skill but rather a learned technique that the brain takes many years to develop. Gazing over orchards bearing ripe peaches, Dillard regretfully stated that “I couldn’t unpeach the peaches.”

Dillard’s brain, like almost everyone’s, has learned at an early age to appropriately gage distance, therefore making it almost impossible to dissect objects into formless blobs of lines, shapes, and colors. “…I couldn’t sustain the illusion of flatness...Nor can I remember ever having seen without understanding; the color-patches of infancy are lost.” I personally feel a sense of understanding toward Dillard’s wish to see the world as she did as an infant. Staring at the van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir posters on my wall, I envy their ability to detach from the actual figures and display their image through thick brushstrokes of light and color.

“I live now in a world of shadows that shape and distance color, a world where space makes a kind of terrible sense.” Lacking the ability to “unpeach the peaches” is an unfortunate, yet critical part of growing up. Illusions discussed in class, such as the law of proximity, law of similarity, law of continuity, ext. were all examples of why we are unable to detach from our perception. Our brain is trained to rationalize what stimuli our rods and cones sense. We are, at times, victims to our own skills of adaptation. Seeing clearly conveyed both the miracle of perception and regret that few people can actually “unpeach the peaches.”

Posted by lcisowens at 05:51 PM | Comments (1)

My Culture Rewrite

My Culture—Smallest State, Fictional Heroes, & America Rewrite

It is hard for me to describe my culture because it is comprised of so many things. So many people, places, and things have contributed to me being me, and I probably don’t even know them all. But, there are a few overwhelming factors that played (and still are playing) a huge part in forming me.

Firstly, growing up in the smallest state and, I believe, the most unique place in the world has done indescribable things for me. At first glance, it is hard to tell the difference between Rhode Island and any other state in the United States. But, when you look closer, Rhode Island is so unique and growing up there is unlike growing up anywhere else. Everything about Rhode Island is so extreme. The weather is like no other place, I boil every summer, freeze every winter, and everything else in between. Providence is like any other city: tall, busy, and daunting buildings fill a metropolis with everything you could ever want. Narragansett is like any other beach town: rows and rows of three room shacks threatening to tumble down if one more toddler runs through their rooms. Burriville is like any other small, secluded town: there’s no cell phone reception and if you’re born in Burriville you die in Burriville. But the extraordinary part is that all of these extremes fit into such a small state, small enough for us to experience it all. In no other place can a five-year-old boast he has been to and can name every town in the state. Thirteen-year-old girls can name every mall and shopping strip and all hopeful sixteen-year-olds compete to see who has driven on every highway in the state.

It is this notion of closeness and comfortableness that has been so important for me. I am really comfortable with myself as a person, but I am also very comfortable with everything and everyone around me because I grew up that way. This is not to say that new situations and different people do not intimidate or scare me. They do. But, I think that growing up in such a small, comfortable place has helped me to achieve the intimacy needed to adopt new people and situations.

Another part of my culture that is very closely related to this notion of closeness and comfortableness is my very family-oriented life. My mother spearheads this effort by making sure that my entire family (my father, seventeen-year-old sister, eleven-year-old brother, and I) always eats dinner together. In the past few years, this has resulted in us eating dinner somewhere between 8:00 and 10:00. Although some people role their eyes and shake their heads, we feel confident about eating together even at this late hour. My mother is also a firm believer in day trips, which my friends like to call “Brenna’s Historical Town Trips”. We go on a day-trip about once a month, whether it is to a museum, historical place of interest, or any other interesting area. Although I complain because I want to go out with my friends, or go to work, or do homework, I really enjoy these trips. It is one of the things I miss most about being away from my family at college.

The other part of my culture that has made a big difference for me is being a reader. My mother read out loud to my sister and I until we entered into high school, and even then we stopped reading together mainly out of necessity, not choice. When I was ten, I would read three or four books at a time, each different people, and each in different situations, yet I would dive into each as if I was a dog in the desert. I still do the same, yet I only read one book at a time. (Or maybe two at the most!) Books, although inanimate and unfeeling have been so much for me. Their characters have let me into a world I could have never entered previously. They act as role models, heroes, and allow me to take the best part of them and make it a part of me.

Many people believe that their nationality is a very important part of their culture. In my case, this is not true. Although I do not think that I neglect my Irish and Italian culture, I really see myself as a true American. I am an American, with all the freedoms and restrictions, privileges and losses that this word connotes. I have been so lucky to always have food in my stomach and a roof over my head. Although recent events in the United States have made many doubt the country they live in, being an American is just so strong a belonging that it is one I could never dismiss. Being an American has made me who I am and helped me become who I am today.

Posted by lciscotis at 05:51 PM | Comments (0)

Genie

There are many things about the Genie case that are beyond astonishing. I think there were many downfalls to the research being done but more importantly, the study on language aquisition could not be conclusive because she was mentally retarded from birth (the reason why the father abused her in an act to protect her). The case, though recent, is inconclusive and thus, quite agitating to make any guesses about human nature with.

I am quite interested in why Genie was abused so. Her father (a severly depressed man) commited suicide and left a note saying "The world would never understand." His death is ambiguous also because his suicide could have been for selfish reasons (not wanting to go to jail for child abuse) or because of his mental state. He said he wanted to "protect" his daughter after finding out that she was slightly mentally retarded. His protection could have been from the outside world (which he was quite unhappy with from childhood because he was in so many foster homes) but like his other children, he probably got annoyed that Genie disrupted him from even simple things like thinking. Proof against the father's "protection" claim could be the nonsensical treatment including being "tied into a sleeping bag which restrained her arms (and)she was put into an over-sized crib with a cover made of metal screening." It almost seems he was afraid of her by locking her in restraints. There was no way she could have escaped the room; so the extra restraints seem unnecessary and done for mentally imbalanced reasons.

Also, I am quite interested in her learning the words "stopit" and "nomore." She might have learned these words from her mother who may have shouted when and if the father beat her too. But, the words are so childish, it seems like her language aquisition was activated but not continued.

Lastly, her physical development was strange. We all know about her spitting and her malnutrition and low body weight. Something odd I found was that she had two nearly complete sets of teeth. That could have been baby teeth and adult teeth. But, don't baby teeth fall out on their own? What do baby teeth need to be signaled to leave?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_children http://www.feralchildren.com/en/showchild.php?ch=genie http://www.feralchildren.com/en/pager.php?df=leiber&pg=3

JESS YEICH

Posted by lcisyeich at 05:18 PM | Comments (1)

Mimesis v. Social Construction

Every culture uses social construction to put meaning to words. We see a BMW with a woman and we think that the woman is rich. We know that BMW’s are expensive (if they weren’t we would see as many BMW’s as Toyotas). We relate someone driving (and thus, most likely owning) an expensive car to being rich. We do this because cars are not top priority for money to go into (for most people) and if someone used a large amount of money to buy a car, they must have extra money to “throw around.” We associate extra of anything to be of a higher quality and more rich because the average person does not have much extra money to use carelessly. Continuing on, if someone from another culture came here and observed even the most simple of commercials, they could not see the BMW as expensive or come to the conclusion that the woman is rich. This could be because in their culture there isn’t a large social class difference or even because there aren’t BMW’s there.
If every culture used mimesis as a means to represent things, it can be said that there wouldn’t be the mind set to quickly judge. If we could not relate costly items to rich people (or vice versa) there wouldn’t be as many social classes. We would imitate things but not stick our cultural identity labels on things (so to say). Yes, we do imitate things (such as in Freya’s example The Arnolfini Marriage by Jan van Eyck). We use the representations of real looking things (such as the couple and the dog) but to make metaphor and meaning in the world.

-Jess Y

Posted by lcisyeich at 05:13 PM | Comments (0)

Something Interesting...

Hi Everyone!

I subscribe to "Teen Ink" Magazine, which is a monthly journal containing works by teenagers: poems, essays, artwork, etc. So, I was reading my September issue and I found this article, titled "Webster Ain't Perfect". I really enjoyed this essay and I think it is very relavant to what we are discussing in Nanette's class and particularly to Chapter 3. I am including the link to the online edition, so I hope you take the time to read it. It's really short, I think you will enjoy it.

--Brenna DeCotis

http://www.teenink.com/Past/2005/September/19236.html

Posted by lciscotis at 04:48 PM | Comments (1)

Chapter Three Writing Exercise

Question 2

The verb "to be" is different from other verbs, such as "to ask," because it undergoes irregular morphological modification. Unlike most verbs that can be conjugated as the following: I, you, we, they ask; he/she/it asks, the verb "to be" changes form: I am; you, we, they are; he/she/it is. Based on this, the verb "to be" should be a content word because it does not follow the rules of morphology, but rather one must memorize its different, grammatically correct forms.

Quantifier words are not a closed class of words. An example of a quantifer word that is only used in the Boston area and probably wasn't around 50 years ago is "wicked," which is another way to say "really." People living in other regions of the U.S. are not familiar with this word, but perhaps someday it will become incorporated into their vocabulary of quantifier words. Another example of new quantifier words comes from a popular movie about future life in space. In this movie the characters use the terms "micro" and "macro" to express quantity as in "very" or "not very." Although they are not used in this way today, perhaps in the future they will be used like this as quantifier words.

The process in which the brain learns function words is a simple process of memorization. On the other hand, when the brain learns content words it only needs to learn the root and rules for morphological modifications, but does not need to memorize every single possible morphological variant of the word. The brain draws upon these components when they are needed and compiles them accordingly in a creative process, whereas when the brain needs to call upon a functional word, it simply needs to memorize the word, and use little to no creativity in applying it.

Posted by lcissullivan at 02:06 PM | Comments (0)

Morphological Modifications

Question 1:

Language in general must be able to withstand and make necessary transitions when changes occur. The advantages of having morphological modifications leaves the language freer and able to fit with the changing times. Another advantage is the flexibility for innovation- new words, suffixes, prefixes, and morphemes for instance can all be created freely. I am sure several hundred words are added to our dictionaries a year, with that number, language must be plastic enough to incorporate morphological modifications. Furthermore, without restrictions on morphological advances, accidental gaps in our lexicon (like unsad) are frowned upon but the meaning can still be revealed.

Posted by lcissearls at 01:13 AM | Comments (0)

Language Chapter 3 Assignment

Question #2

The auxiliary verb “to be” is different from other verbs, like the verb “ask”, because the verb is conjugated by using different words which have almost no similarity to one another. For example, the first person singular form of the verb “to be” is “am”. The third person singular is “is”. The third person plural is “are”. These verb forms follow no pattern and are very random. On the other hand, the verb “see” is conjugated by adding a suffix to the verb. For example, the third person singular form is “sees”. This is distinctly different from the way that the verb “to be” is conjugated. Thus, I have to conclude that although the verb “to be” may seem like an auxiliary verb, it is not. It has a very strong, straightforward purpose and definitely is not just a “helping verb”. The verb “to be” is often used along with other verbs, for example, “Johnny is playing with Suzy.”. However, it is also used by itself, for example, in the sentence “Maria is five years old”. Thus, I would definitely say that the verb “to be” is a content word.

Quantifiers are definitely not a closed class. Quantifiers are created every day and used differently by various groups. For example, as a Rhode Islander, I say “wicked” as a quantifier. For example, I commonly say, “This pasta is wicked good.”. For people from another region, this may seem odd, but for my friends and I this term is perfectly normal and part of everyday speech.

I definitely believe that this our brain handles function words differently than content words. Content words have a distinct purpose in our brain; we can attach a picture to the content word in our head. However, function words are much more ambiguous, and it is difficult for most people to attach a distinct meaning to function words. In the same way, function words are very difficult to translate into other languages. In my French course, that is one of the things I struggle with most because function words do not follow any finite rules, instead they are used interchangeably and without pattern. Thus, I think our brain does store these two types of words differently, simply because content words are easier to attach a concrete idea onto.

Posted by lciscotis at 12:17 AM | Comments (0)

October 01, 2005

More than a Painting

The last time I was able to come on here to blog I couldn't find this painting, and now that I have chance to again on my computer, I think I am probably one of the last ones to see and try to analyze it. I will attempt to not repeat any one else's ideas, but I'm afraid some of the "general ideas" behind it might overlap.

I would definately agree with someone who said that this painting is a metaphor. I see it as a metaphor, not in the figure of speech sense, but in the sense that this painting can be regarded as representatitive or symbolic of something else abstract. I see it as a metaphor for the struggle, and somewhat cycle of life. For the struggle, I see a man having to work hard in a job every day, probably one he does not particularly enjoy, to earn money for his wife and kids at home. I see the wife at home, working cleaning the house, keeping her children under control. Despite the continous hard work from both the man and woman, their lifestyle is not luxurious. I've always thought about how you can look at life in two ways: "working to live", or "living to work". Yet, I always come to the conclusion that they are really the same thing in the end. When it comes down to it, working every day to make end's meat, to raise a family, to keep a humble home, to live life each day, is both working to live and living to work. In this respect, I see this painting representing the (somewhat depressing) cycle of life... the cycle of growing up in a humble home, going off to work every day, having children, working hard taking care of them, working hard to have a home, working more... then getting old, and that was your life. Then your kids go off to work, hopefully have a humble home, and then start the cycle again...

So how did these objects bring me to this? Well, I see the television as meaning the humble family entertainment source, as an object that is valued and as an object that took effort to make enough money to buy. I see the plate on top of the television to mean that life is not always smooth, that there is always more work to be done, and that it is not easy keeping a home -there is always more to do, and that adds to what your life seems to be about. I see the red sneakers and the blue jelly shoes to mean that there are kids in the home, kids that need to be told to do certain things, perhaps a boy and a girl, that need to be reminded not to fight, to chew with their mouth closed, to do their homework, to go to bed. I see the broom as a reminder that there is always more to do in a home, fancy or not. Yet cleaning in itself could also be seen as an inevitable cycle: things get dirty, you work to clean them, they get dirty again... The folding chair, as it sits in what must be the living room, means that this is not a fancy home, but one that has enough to get by, not going first-class or living in luxury. To top it off, the image on the television screen, which to me at first looked just like a reflection on the glass, is a picture of what seems to be water glowing under a night sky. To me, I see the sky as a reminder of life being here long before we were, and continuing long after we are gone, and this reinforces the idea that this painting, the images it represents, together represent the cycle of working hard and living the humble life cycle.

Posted by lcisthur at 11:24 PM | Comments (0)

Alfred Leslie's Painting

This painting clearly evokes a particular mood. It is difficult to put into words this exact Gestalt, but I felt it as soon as I looked at the painting. If there is a synonym for ANTI-nostalgia this would the the one that I am looking for. At first, it seemed like it might be nostalgic (because of the retro aspect) when I tried to analyze the painting, however the mood it evokes is too musty and uncomfortable to ignore.

The focus of the painting looks fuzzy, almost like a TV screen itself. Whether this is because it is on the computer, I can't discern. The TV is obviously old, and the reflection inside looks like a beach. When I asked someone else what she saw, she said "a parking garage", but I believe that it is, in fact, a beach. Although it is indeed a part of nature, it is reduced to something sterile and dim on the TV screen. This could be a metaphor for the fact that society will not get outside, but instead watch it from the comfort of their TVs.

Behind the TV, there is nothing but darkness and shadows. This signifies that society as a whole, using this one person's TV, does not want to go outside, and see what is in real world, beyond their television. There may be a window back in the darkness, or a door, but we don't want to see it. It is blocked off with the mustard-colored chair, which is a symbol for the ugliness of the indoors. Because the shoes are on top of the TV, I believe that also supports the idea that the owner (or all of us) doesn't want to go outside. They are new, still bright red. Most people would put their shoes by the door if they are planning on using them to go outside.

As for the broom without a handle, it is a metaphor for something that doesn't work, or isn't functioning. Maybe this is the belief of Leslie that our society isn't functioning. This may be metonymy, representing the world as a whole. If I'm not mistaken, Jellies are a rather new invention. So, even though the time depicted by the artist looks retro, the jellies may be a sign that it is actually this current day he is representing. And, a metaphor to say that this is what the world is being reduced to: plastic shoes. Nothing is natural, even the image of "nature" on the TV screen.

The empty plate also supports this idea. Whoever was watching TV, was probably also eating, which is something common and a sign of laziness to us. He is saying that this little world with the TV, food, and unused shoes is blocking out everything that is natural and everlasting. A TV, shoes, types of furniture can go out of style, as all of these have, but what is outside and natural, does not.

Overall, everything in this picture as a whole is menotymous, a fragment of one person's living room, representing a whole society's lifestyle.

Posted by lcishagan at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)

Social Construction vs. Mimesis

This quotation is very interesting and intriguing. I never really thought about the world in this way and it’s definitely an interesting new perspective. I think that I agree with social construction view as opposed to mimesis. I think that so much of what we see and hear from every source in the world impacts how we interpret things. Reading the newspaper, watching TV, talking to friends, listening to music all impact what we think and how we perceive the world. Therefore our world is shaped by our experiences and since everyone experiences a different combination of things, people perceive the world differently. Mimesis, on the other hand, doesn’t take into account the way that culture shapes people and affects the way people see things.

-Jessica F.

Posted by lcisfaria at 08:24 PM | Comments (0)

Language Chapter Three

Question Number Two

The auxiliary verb “am” and other similar words should be considered function words because a word like “am” is usually only used before a more descriptive verb, or adjective, such as I am jumping, or I am skinny. A content word is what conveys the meaning of what is said and “am” seems to be used like an article or some other word that is not descriptive and is rarely used to develop a more complex idea.

Society invents new words constantly, including function words. “Very” is a word that doesn’t imply any particular meaning, it just adds to another word, like “I am very ill.” New quantifiers are invented with every new generation. A word like “super” was probably not used 50 years ago to describe quantity. Sentences like, “He is super cool”, or “I am super hungry” are now used in different context rather that just “Superman” or “This candy is super”. Also, the New England term “wicked” is used in place of “very”, like in the sentence, “I’m wicked thirsty.”

Posted by lcishagan at 08:15 PM | Comments (0)

Morphology

I think that having morphological modifications in a language makes the language much more flexible and open to new words. Since we are able to create different words from one root word by adding morphemes to it, we are able to create more new words than a language that didn’t have morphemes. I know sometimes I make up my own words by using a root word and a morpheme that doesn’t usually go with the root word. If I can’t find a word that I want, sometimes I can add “ish” or another morpheme to a word to create my own word. Morphemes give our language more variety, but I don’t think they make it easier to learn, because if I wasn’t fluent in English, I might get confused when someone added on to a root word and I wasn’t familiar with what the addition meant. There are so many prefixes and suffixes that I think it would be hard for someone who isn’t a native speaker of English to memorize them all.

Posted by lcismardin at 07:49 PM | Comments (0)

1. Morphological Modification

•“Part of our linguistic competence includes knowledge of the morphology of the language” (Fromkin 107) Words are units of meanings with internal organization. Under the rules of morphology, root morphemes combine with affixes to form more complex words. The morphological modifications make language easier to learn because once we know the lexical content, or root we recognize affixes that change the meaning (derivational) of the word. These rules help us to remember or recognize new words. Therefore, morphological modifications make it simpler for us to make new entries to our mental lexicon.

Posted by lcisbold at 06:01 PM | Comments (0)

Chapter 3: Morphology

What are the advantages of having morphological modifications to words in a language? Does this make the language easier to learn, more flexible to innovation? How?

The advantages of having morphological modifications to words in a language are numerous and make a language easier to learn. Having morphemes allows the speaker to know more words in the language by learning rules that will change the meaning of the root word slightly. The speaker would only need to learn the root words and all of the possible affixes. For example, if you take the word “mistreatment” the speaker would need to learn the root “treat” and the affixes “mis-” and “-ment.” Then the speaker could apply these affixes to a new root to make another word such as “misalignment” and the speaker’s vocabulary can expand immensely.

-Jessica F.

Posted by lcisfaria at 05:37 PM | Comments (0)

Seeing-First Draft

“Unfortunately, nature is a very much now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t affair. This is a quote from Annie Dillard’s “Seeing” that can have both a literal and a metaphorical meaning. Dillard writes about the miracles of nature that happen in the blink of an eye. A fish jumping out of the water, a deer disappearing behind a tree, she tells us that we must watch for these things and keep our eyes open. If we close them for even a second, we could miss some of nature’s greatest gifts to us. However, the meaning of this quote goes beyond just the syntactical elements that are written on the page.

Life happens so quickly, and we tend to miss many important things everyday because we are too busy to see what is around us. Like with nature, we need to take the time to really look at the things around us and notice what is going on. If you don’t take the time to notice life more carefully, you could miss out on some of the greatest things that ever happened to you. In other words, life could be said to be a very much now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t affair and this semantic meaning is just as important, if not more important, then the syntactical one about taking the time to notice nature.

Really seeing something is a hard thing to do. It takes time and patience, but trying to practice seeing could give you a very valuable skill. Take the time to really look at something and enjoy it, because it could be gone before you know it. Life is full of surprises waiting to be discovered. Annie Dillard writes about her childhood pastime of hiding pennies under the roots of trees for an unsuspecting passerby to find and pick up. You wouldn’t want to be that person who briefly notices the penny, but then after realizing it could have been the one coin he needed to complete his collection, goes back to pick it up and finds that it is already gone.

Posted by lcismardin at 03:27 PM | Comments (2)

First Draft for Seeing

In Annie Dillard’s “Seeing,” she writes “What you see if what you get.” Although I’ve heard this saying many times before, and it can be considered a universally known proverb, Dillard brings the meaning to life in this essay. However, this meaning is not evident by just one quick read, but rather it is semantic and you need to interpret it and allow it to make sense in your own life.

Dillard tries to explain this quote by using her childhood as a prime example. She writes about her joy of placing pennies in a Sycamore tree root or in a hole in the ground, hoping that someone would share her joy when finding it. “But-and this is the point- who gets excited by a mere penny?” (Dillard 95) This is true, who gets excited about the little, everyday things that happen in life? This is the point that Dillard is trying to make and explain.

These pennies, although they seem to be worthless, can actually be the make-it or break-it point for a person. Whether it is a homeless person scrounging for anything he or she can find, a wealthy person who has a hobby of collecting coins and hoping to find one that is worth some money, or an everyday, average person that is glancing at the ground and sees a penny on “heads” and is excited because he or she feels like they will have good luck for the rest of the day. These pennies are what you see, a copper colored circle with the face of Abraham Lincoln, some covered in dirt and some shiny and new. However, what you get is not just based on its visual syntax but what it symbolizes and represents for you and what you make of it.

This message that Dillard makes is extremely important. It doesn’t apply to just herself or to only one person, but rather to everyone. You can’t open your eyes wide to just the broad picture and expect to get a full sense of life. It’s the small details that should be the focus point and the little things are what give life meaning. This message means one thing for me but can mean something totally different for another person. It is based on your views and culture. You can go through life not taking the time to notice what is around you, but then again “What you see is what you get.”

Posted by lcisnelson at 03:22 PM | Comments (1)