Zooming In

December 15, 2005

Evaluation

Just like everyone else, I have to agree that the "stellar" moment of the semester for me was seeing everyone's final projects. I was absolutely amazed by the variety of projects and how everyone invested themselves in their project totally and completely. The projects were all extremely different because they all used different mediums, yet they were alike because each focused on something that the author/illustrator/creator was extremely passionate about.

A skill that I have now that I did not have at the beginning of the semester is the ability to analyze and "pick apart" both visual and verbal works. I know so much more now about how the little pieces of visual and verbal works fit together to make a complete "masterpiece". I especially used this skill in regards to Crash, which I thoroughly enjoyed, although now I will "be forced to" analyze many movies I watch. (By the way, did anyone notice that Matt Dillon was nominated for a Golden Globe for Supporting Actor in Crash?)

In the future I hope to be able to apply the same regard and interest to all the areas I study. This class was so effective, I believe, because everything we learned had real world implications. My goal is to search for these in every class I take.

Posted by lciscotis at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)

December 04, 2005

Response to Lauren's Question

Lauren asked, “Why don't schools in linguistically diverse areas do bi-lingual programs, after all the primary goal of a school should be to meet its student’s needs,”.

I asked myself this same question as well as I was reading this essay. Certainly it seems that if bilingual programs are the most efficient way to learn a new language, schools should provide the resources necessary for them. Yet this is where, I believe, based on research that I have read, the problem lies. I did my first research report on different methods of second language acquisition. The disadvantage of the bilingual approach, which is also known as the grammar-translation method, is that it is often difficult to combine an individual’s first and second language. Schools simply do not have the resources, monetarily, mentally, or physically to educate the 5.5 million English-language learners in the United States. (Black 36). Of course, this information is extremely disheartening because if this method is as advantageous as experts claim it is schools should be able to find the resources necessary to at least move towards the bilingual method. I definitely agree with your concerns Lauren!

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

December 03, 2005

For Better or Worse

Here's a comic that I found in the newspaper a couple of days ago. I thought it might be useful for someone's project or just for enjoyment. Enjoy!!

http://www.fborfw.com/strip_fix/archives/001532.php

Posted by lciscotis at 04:19 PM | Comments (0)

Chapter 3 "No Kinda Sense" Response

Comments

1. I was stunned by Delpit’s reaction to her Maya’s requests for plastic surgery to make her lips smaller and her beliefs that Maya was, “…sinking into some sort of emotional abyss,” (54). I was truly surprised that she took her daughter’s requests as seriously as she did. I feel that this is normal behavior for a pre-teenager, to suffer at the hands of other, more “powerful” students. Although some of this could certainly be attributed to the fact that Maya was one of only a few black students in the school, I do not feel it is abnormal for a pre-teen to feel like an outcast, to feel as if they are different than everyone else. This is the harsh reality of many schools, but most students, I believe, grow out of this phase quickly and grow into their own selves.

2. I found Delpit’s description of the New York Times advertisement featuring Martin Luther King extremely interesting. The advertisement was so powerful, to combine Martin Luther King, a powerful, influential leader, with Ebonics, a language that is often considered unprofessional. But, the juxtaposition of both shows society that Ebonics is just as efficient and acceptable as any other form of language.

3. This article can be easily connected to the Pygmalion Effect we discussed in relation to “My Fair Lady”. Delpit said, “What happens when we do so, when we convince them that they come from brilliance, when we encourage them to understand their amazing potential? When they recognize that we believe in them, then they come to trust us, to identify with us, and to emulate us,” (46). Essentially, Delpit is saying that if we trust and support our students, they will grow. This is a perfect example of the Pygmalion Effect because those who are expected to grow academically, socially, and emotionally will grow.

4. Delpit said, “Teachers seldom know much about the children’s lives and communities outside of the classroom and either don’t know how or aren’t willing to connect instruction to issues that matter to students, their families or their community. Nowhere is the student’s very personhood acknowledged or celebrated,” (41). I completely disagree with this statement. Every single teacher I have ever had cared about me as a person even more than they cared about me as a student. They were all interested in my personal life, my family, my friends, my interests. I even had a few very memorable teachers who went the extra mile, becoming friends with my parents, friends my friends, friends with my siblings. I find it extremely disheartening that Delpit does not put more confidence in teachers. Surely, many teachers have more students than they are capable of teaching effectively, yet I am very doubtful that a teacher would not make an effort to get to know a student better.

5. I was really interested in Deplit’s attempts to create a lesson based on student’s interests. I think that this is an amazing way to get students involved in learning and, more importantly, make them realize the real-world implications of their learning. In general, I think this is the biggest flaw with education in general. Students are learning so much, but they do not how or where to use this knowledge. Connecting learning to the real-world makes it even more powerful.

Questions

1. Why does Delpit feel it is necessary to move her daughter to a new school, mid-year, when, it is my belief, her emotions were those of a typical pre-teen experience? (See Comment #1.)

2. Why does Delpit have so little faith in teachers in terms of their interest in students?

3. It is difficult for me to establish Delpit’s views on Ebonics, as she seems to go back and forth. What exactly is her opinion?

4. Delpit comments that African American, “…children come to believe that there is nothing in their heritage to connect to schooling and academic success,” (46). Is this true? Personally, I think there are a lot of African American role models that students can look up to. Am I wrong?

5. Delpit seems to be a famous, well-know, accepted linguist. Yet, she still has trouble compromising her heritage and her profession. Why is this?

Posted by lciscotis at 12:51 PM | Comments (1)

December 01, 2005

Chapter 5-- "Some Basic Sociolinguistic Concepts" Response

Comments

1. Stubbs said “It is almost impossible, for example, to hear someone speak without immediately drawing conclusions, possible very accurate, about his social class background, level of education, and what part of the country he comes from,” (66). I would like to take this a step further and say that we don’t even make assumptions. It is simply ingrained in our head that someone who talks a certain way is a certain sort of person. We do not make a decision to assume that a person is a certain way; it is simply imbedded in their dialect or accent. We simultaneously categorize them as we hear their speech.

2. I was really intrigued by the conversation that Stubbs had with the two fourteen-year-old girls. What interested me most was that they could not really pinpoint what was wrong with the speech they heard. Their reaction was very similar to one we, as a class, usually have. When we are asked what is wrong or different with a certain kind of speech, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly.

3. Stubbs questions about the relation between language and education are something that I had never thought about before. However, now that it has been brought to my attention I think that many people would associate a certain dialect with a lack of learning potential. I have talked about my father before and the fact that he does not pay attention to the pronunciation of certain words. Yet, he can juggle numbers better than anyone I know. Thus, from this and other evidence I have to agree with Stubbs’ assertions that language does not correspond to learning ability.

4. I was really interested by Stubbs acknowledgement of the difference between “using” and “understanding” a language. I never realized that when although a young child may “understand” a language; they may not be able to “use” it.

5. Stubbs also speaks about the use of different types of language in different settings. I was really interested by this because it seems to be one of the hottest topics in linguistics. It is amazing that so many people, linguists and non-linguists alike, recognize the importance of different conversational styles in different settings.

Questions

1. Stubbs touched upon the difference between accent and dialect, but I was not really satisfied with his conclusions. What exactly is the difference between dialect and accent?

2. Stubbs uses the phrase “…superficial features of language…” (67). What does he mean by this?

3. “We ought to be aware of the power of such social stereotyping?” (67). It is my belief that most people are aware of the power of stereotyping, but choose not to accept them. Do others share this belief?

4. Why is it that high class people speak the same, no matter the region of the country, while lower class people speak differently from region to region.

5. Why is it that, society, in general, is unaccepting of different types of speech?

Posted by lciscotis at 11:30 PM | Comments (0)

November 28, 2005

Crazy...

I have this Blog Address on my favorites and it tells you how many times you have gone to each website. And I have been to this blog website 437 TIMES!!! That's doesn't even count the times I went to the website when I wasn't on my laptop, like when I went on on my parent's desktop at home, at the library or in class. I just wanted to share this with everyone because I was absolutely stunned. I know I post an awful lot and have no life...but...

Posted by lciscotis at 02:14 PM | Comments (2)

Thesis!!

My thesis was: "This research proves that nonverbal communication is an integral part of language acquistion and that society is quickly learning the importance of gesture and , consequently, sign language, in language acquistion."

Posted by lciscotis at 11:11 AM | Comments (0)

November 27, 2005

POL Chapter 2

The concept that really interested me in this chapter was kitsch , defined as "art or literature defined to have no or little aesthetic value, yet which has value precisely because of its status in evoking the class standards of bad taste,". This concept truly intrigued me. Last year we had to do a report on a piece of art of our choosing and one of my classmates chose a "smashed-up" car that had been displayed in a museum. A fight ensued in my classroom over whether this was truly art. In the end, we decided it was. But, it is interesting to think that something may be given more acknowledgement and value because at first glance it has no value.

Posted by lciscotis at 12:07 AM | Comments (1)

November 26, 2005

My Thanksgiving...

I observed alot in terms of conversational styles over the course of this "vacation" from Simmons. One of the most prevalent things that I noticed is that everyone loves to tell stories about their family and the crazy things they do on Thanksgiving. For example, the day before Thanksgiving, Wednesday, I went to the orthodontist. (Yes, I do still have braces, and at the rate things are going, I will probably have them for the rest of my life!!) The hygentist spent my entire appointment talking about her family who she would be attending Thanksgiving with. She tried to emlate the conversations they would have, with hysterical results. Similarily, when I visited a few of my friends on Wednesday, they could predict what their Thanksgiving would be like: Uncle Jimmy would make fun of everything Uncle Bob said, Aunt Mindy would tell Cousin Sally she had gained weight, and so on. I think this has a lot to do with language and conversational styles because they are so much a part of who we are.

My grandmother is hearing impaired, but has never felt motivated enough to "improve" her situation. One of my other grandmothers is seeing impaired, and when the two get together, the results are comical. The one who can see, but cannot hear, will yell to communicate something that she sees to the other, while the one who can hear but cannot see will recount the stories that are being told to the one who cannot hear them. Of course, the results are very comical, and leave me and my cousins laughing until until our sides hurt. Still, it is very interesting to observe how we communicate with others, especially those who are very close to us, and how we always seem to fit into predetermined stereotypes.

In terms of my "relationship" with family and friends, things were different, I am not going to lie, but not completely different. As far as my family, things were completely the same, I fought with my sister ten minutes after I arrived home, my little brother and I followed our usual rituals, and conversation ensued as normal.

In high school, I had three people I would call best friends and two I would call very good friends. (Although I have difficulty defining them as such!) Four out of the five go to the same school (along with approximately a quarter of my high school class), and three of them live together. The other lives a floor above them, so she is constantly in their room. Thus, it was difficult for me to see how they have grown even closer while my relationship with them has become weaker. Of course, I talk to all of them all the time, particularly online, but it was difficult to see them laughing at things that I did not understand. I was used to being inside of the jokes, not having them explained to me.

But, we seemed to accept that things were different, that they would never be the same as they were the past few years. We accepted the silences in our conversations and simply celebrated the fact that we were together. Of course, we did talk ALOT. On Tuesday night I slept over in their dorm room, with eight other people and it was so much fun. We were able to catch up and laugh and just have a great time being together, even if our relationship will never be the same.

Although I am having trouble melding my "two lives" together, I know that my friends will always be there for me, even if we're not as strong as we used to be.

Posted by lciscotis at 11:27 PM | Comments (2)

November 19, 2005

Pygmalion

1.Although I have seen My Fair Lady performed numerous times, I did not find it any different than Pygmalion based on the first two acts. I think that the two plays are very similar, maybe even identical.

2.The Pygmalion Effect was recognized and studied by psychologists Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson, and, thus is also appropriately known as the Rosenthal Effect. In short, the Pygmalion Effect is a theory which says that if instructors of any medium have expectations for their students; the students will grow and learn according to these expectations. Rosenthal and Jacobson tested their hypothesis on a class of elementary school students. The two randomly selected twenty percent of the student body and told teachers that these students showed enormous potential for intellectual achievement. At the conclusion of the study this group of children showed a significant gain in IQ versus those who were not expected to do as well. Thus, this study shows that students who receive attention and expectations by their teachers perform to these expectations.

The Pygmalion Effect was named after a Roman myth about Pygmalion and a statue he falls in love with, which is consequently the subject for George Bernard Shaw’s play, Pygmalion, and the popular musical, My Fair Lady. The myth of Pygmalion says that Pygmalion so adored a statue he had made that it came to life as a result of his constant hopes for and attentions on it. Similarly, both Pygmalion and My Fair Lady tell the story of a young, low-class woman who quickly rose to the top of society under the attention of a high-class, wealthy man. The connection between these stories and the Pygmalion Effect is that in all three cases an individual grows under the attention of someone else.

Of course, this theory is tested almost daily as society sees the outcome of teaching on students who are given attention and expectations versus those who do not.

Source: “Pygmalion Effect” Wikipedia. 19 November 2005. Online: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_effect

I think that source is very credible. First of all, the website is a .org, which means that what is contained in the website has been approved. Secondly, Wikipedia is a well known online encyclopedia and I definitely trust the information that they put on the Internet about various subjects, as I have used it before their website for research before.

Posted by lciscotis at 11:00 AM | Comments (0)

Language Changes & Language Acquistion!

Here are my thoughts about how language changes over time...

Pronunciation--Needs Average Amount of Time To Change--I think that pronunciation takes an average amount of time to change. My reasoning for this is that while it is easy to pronounce a word in a new, different way, it is difficult to adopt this into language. This is because society is accustomed to saying a certain word in a certain way, and adopting a new pronunciation and using it automatically (without thinking about it) is difficult to do. However, if a mispronunciation is used long often enough, it can be adopted by enough people to become commonplace.

Syntax (Order)--Needs Longest Amount of Time To Change--I think that syntax takes the longest amount of time to change because altering syntax requires an integral change in the way we use and construct sentences. Syntax rules are so ingrained in our language that it is difficult to even acknowledge their existence. Thus, changing syntax would be a huge change for society and require society to alter the way the deep-rooted way we think about language.

Lexicon (Vocabulary)--Needs Shortest Amount of Time To Change--I think that vocabulary is the 1st to change out of these three aspects of language because it is very easy to adopt a new word into our language. People make up words for certain things daily, and these words are often embraced by society. Similarly, it is much easier to use a new word then a new pronunciation or set of syntax rules.

This analysis is very reminiscent of the way that infants learn a new language. First, an infant probably picks up certain words, like “mom” and “dad”. However, their pronunciation is not really developed because they are still becoming accustomed to way that their mouths, tongues, and throats function in terms of language. Next, an infant will pick up pronunciation because they have heard the way that their parents and caregivers say certain words in reference to certain objects or actions. Also, they will become more familiar with and more controlling of their ability to speak certain sounds. Lastly, an infant will acquire knowledge of syntax. The reason for this is that, for the most part, order of words is not necessary to convey meaning. For example, if an infant says, “Blankie me,” it is evident that the child is looking for his blanket. Thus, syntax is not really an important part of language acquisition. Also, syntax in certain languages can often be very haphazard, random and difficult to learn. Thus, it takes a longer time to learn syntax than other aspects of language.

Posted by lciscotis at 12:40 AM | Comments (0)

November 16, 2005

Seeing & Writing Chapter 4

I really enjoyed the combination of pieces that this chapter contained. There were a couple of things that particularly struck me:

1. The introduction said "...more and more Americans--and young Americans in particular--see their self-identity through the lenses of popular images of the body. I found this quotation really interesting because it is so true!! I think we always see ourselves through the eyes of society, we really have no true, unbiased position. I think that this is one of the most prevalent things I learned in this course. Our brain is so full of preconceptions that it is difficult to see anything purely and blankly.

2. I really enjoyed the portraits drawn by Peter Rostovsky. They are really interesting because he draws portraits based on descriptions. And, they are so true to life. This just goes to show how everyone has stereotypes that hold true throughout society. Very interesting!!

3. I also really enjoyed the essay "The Skin Game", and I don't know why. I simply found it fascinating!

Posted by lciscotis at 11:39 PM | Comments (1)

November 14, 2005

Literally vs. Figuratively

I found this very interesting article on MSN on the "evolution" of the word "literally", that it has now come to mean almost the opposite of its orginal meaning. It applies to both our study of language and the evolution of language in Nanette's class as well as the literal and figurative regard we give to works of art in Ellen's class. I think it is really interesting, I hope you will too!!

http://www.slate.com/id/2129105/?GT1=7407

Posted by lciscotis at 07:27 PM | Comments (7)

November 13, 2005

Dialects

Question #1

Personally, I do not think that I have that much of a dialect. I think that there are very few words in my vocabulary that would distinguish me from any other English speaker. My father was born in Rhode Island and lived there all of his life. My mother was born in New York, but moved to Rhode Island when she was about 10. Thus, her New York roots do not have that much effect on her speech. I was also born in Rhode Island and, until coming to Boston, lived in the same house my entire life. I think what distinguishes me as a Rhode Islander more than my dialect is my vocabulary. For example, I use the word “wicked” way too much. The other day I was on my roommate’s computer and I was talking to one of her friends under her screename. Obviously, her friend didn’t know it was me and when I said “My essay wicked, wicked stinks,” she laughed for hours and immediately put it as her away message. So, this is something I think distinguishes me as a Rhode Islander more than my dialect. I looked at the dialect map which said that my speech is closest to that of someone from Boston. Although Rhode Island and Boston are technically far apart, I think that it is alright to categorize a Rhode Islander as a Bostonian speaker because our speech is very similar. (Although, I must comment that it is difficult to tell what a true Bostonian accent sounds like since everyone in Boston is originally from somewhere else.)

Question #2

I definitely think that social group affects dialect. For example, I baby-sit a lot and when I am on the phone with a potential employer I reflexively use a softer, more professional voice and enunciate more. My family loves to make fun of me because I really don’t sound like myself. But, this is definitely a testament to the effect of social groups on our dialect.

As far as the relatively new dialect categories according to social groups, such as, “Surfer Dude” or “Urban Youth”, I definitely think that these groups do exist and are prevalent. In some sense, I think they may be even more important than geographical groupings. The reason for this is that people identify more with their social group than their geographical location. Thus, they take on the attributes of this social group. (Of course, it must also be said that these social groups are commonly associated with certain areas. For example, a “Surfer Dude” would probably be from California; an “Urban Youth” would probably be from New York City, Boston, or any other northeastern city.)

Posted by lciscotis at 10:22 AM | Comments (1)

November 12, 2005

Ansel Adams Assignment

1. I have been to the Museum of Fine Arts many times and each time I go I feel something different. However, the general aura that the museum gives off is the same each time. The museum, for me, is something sacred, something special, something beautiful. The reason for this is because the artwork is so elegant and so cultural. Yet, at the same time, the work in the museum is within my reach, it is touchable and understandable. When I went to the museum a few weeks ago for a French project, I was able to sit on the floor for as long as I wanted to study the painting I was writing a report on. This has made the museum feel, to me, like a good friend. Friends are touchable, but they always possess that quality of uncertainty. This is exactly what the museum is for me. I will always be able to access the MFA, both physically and emotionally, but there will always be more to explore, more to see, and more to enjoy.

2. I think that this quotation by Berger is very interesting because it is something that we usually don’t think about. Most of society, including myself, presumes that the art work in a museum is perfect, flawless, and influential. It is difficult to be critical of art displayed in a museum because we presume that if it is hung there, it must be good. Most of the time, this work is wonderful, but I think it’s important that we develop our own opinions about artwork instead of just accepting those of society. For example, if we do not like a certain piece of work in the Museum of Fine Arts, of if we do not feel that it deserves to be there, we should not be afraid to express our emotions and criticisms. As far as Ansel Adams’ photographs, I think that they truly deserve the display space that they have in the Museum of Fine Arts. Adams was truly an artist and his work expresses so many sentiments that cannot be described with words.

3. For an Ansel Adams landscape, I chose Merced River, Cliffs of Cathedral Rocks, 1939. The thing that initially drew me to this image is the sheer size of the objects that are depicted. This picture shows a river that splits to go around a huge cliff. The long, wide river is flanked by enormous, vibrant trees, yet the trees are positively miniscule in comparison to the enormous cliff behind them. I think that this is one of the reasons that Adams chose to capture this scene. I am sure that he was, as I am, enthralled by the power and charm that nature, in particular this scene, holds. I think by taking this picture he was hoping to share this view of nature with the rest of the world. Adams certainly utilizes the three levels of visual data in this photograph. He uses representation because the picture clearly depicts the scene. However, he also uses symbolism because the trees, rivers, and other aspects of nature are used to symbolize other things. In my mind, these are used to symbolize the power nature has over the world. (This point is well exemplified by the recent natural disasters in the world.) Lastly, Adams uses abstraction because he places a lot of focus on the shapes and textures of these objects. Thus, through this photograph he is able to reach a simpler concept as well as a more complex one.

4. For an Ansel Adams portrait, I chose Georgia O'Keefe and Orville Cox, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 1937. This picture shows Georgia O’Keefe and Orville Cox friends of Adams’, on vacation in Arizona. The picture is stunning because Adams is able to capture so much through a seemingly simple image. I think that what was most important to Adams in this image was conveying the mood, emotions, and personalities of these two friends. Through this photograph, he is able to capture their expressive and extremely revealing facial expressions and body language. The jovial, youthful nature of their relationship shines through. This portrait relates to the many landscapes by Adams in the Museum of Fine Arts because he expresses many of the same sentiments. He accurately describes the mood of both his landscapes and portraits and uses great detail. He also uses the three levels of visual data. Of course, there is representation which accurately physically describes the scene. However, there are also symbolic and abstract aspects which bring the photograph to another level. Through the use of these aspects Adams is able to categorize this photograph as a typical relationship between two friends in the midst of a beautiful scene.

5. A painting by Ansel Adams that I would describe as abstract is Dunes, Oceana, California, 1950. The thing that makes this photograph so amazing is the fact that Adams took the picture very close-up. Since the picture was taken so close-up, it is difficult to tell that these shapes and textures are actually sand dunes. By using this technique Adams is able to bring a seemingly simple photograph into the abstract and use the details of the sand dunes to create even more images. I think that this is exactly what was important to Adams in this image. He hoped to create an image that would reach beyond its immediate identity into something new. He has certainly done this through the three levels of visual data. Of course, there is the visual representation of the sand dunes. Second, there is the symbolic nature of the photograph, with which Adams is able to use this scene to emit feelings of the power of nature and a greater sense of the world. Lastly, there is the abstract quality of Adams’ photograph, which simplifies the image into mere lines and shapes. This photograph relates to Adams’ work as a landscape artist because, once again, he is able to create an entire mood through his photographs. We not only see the sand dunes, but we also glimpse the entire scene and what is happening throughout it.

6. The Ansel Adams photograph that really caught my attention was Houses in Rain, Mineral King, California, 1936. This photograph shows a small, quaint, clean, and very original home. However, surrounding the house is acres and acres of fields and mountains. Wildflowers run rampant around the house, but the house is extremely neat and clean. This is what truly appealed to me about this painting: the sharp contrast between the natural world and the manmade world. The well-cared for house is planted in the middle of nature’s greatest wonders and while the house can be “tamed”, nature certainly cannot. Another reason I chose this photograph is because I think it echoes the sentiments of many of Adams’ photos. Personally, I find that the majority of his work comments on the powerful, untamable aspect of nature. This is certainly true in this particular photograph because nature is so wild and uncontrolled in comparison to the neat, tidy home. Of course, I also chose this photograph because I really enjoyed the visual juxtaposition of the house planted in the middle of such vast nature. I think this photograph is a “work of art” because encapsulates the conflict between manmade products and nature. In this photograph, Adams is able to capture nature’s overwhelming power over anything manmade.

Posted by lciscotis at 02:03 AM | Comments (0)

November 10, 2005

My Conversations...

I have been trying this week to listen to other people's speech and notice the subtle differences. There were three main things I noticed this week and in the past:

1. My roomate Sarah is from Norwood, about 20 minutes from Boston. During the past couple of months I have noticed that she pronounces vowels, particularly "a" and "o" differently than I do. For example, I pronounce the word "dad" with what I would call a soft "a". Sarah says "Dad" with a very long, hard, exaggerated "a", like "Daaad". (Sorry for the weird notation, but this is difficult to convey in writing.) Similarily, she pronounces "o" more like "u". Instead of saying Mommy with a distinct "o" sound, she says something closer to Mummy, with a "u" sound. There are lots more words which signify the same thing, but these are the two best examples. Since I met her I have been trying to "correct" her speech. (Meaning bring it closer to mine!!)

2. My cousin Kate is five years older than me, but we basically grew up together and did everything together. For this reason, many of our mannerisms are the same. Kate went to college at UCONN and returned after four years with distinctly different vowel sounds which my sister, brother, and I love to make fun of. She, similar to Sarah, but not in the same way, also exaggerates her "a" sound. A clssic example of this is the word "traffic". Her "a" sound is very exaggerated, as if she is saying "I am stuck in traaaaffic." Also, she calls her mother "Ma". Instead of saying "Ma", she says "Maaa" (which ryhmes with Baaa--like a sheep. I think this is interesting because her speech used to be identical to mine, and it has now altered slightly because she was in a different geographical location for few years.

3. Lastly, I have been studying my father's speech for years. As I mentioned in class, he does not pronounce the "h" sound. He says "uge" for "huge", "appy" for "happy", "urricane" for "hurricane", etc. Once, just for fun and because I like to bother him, I tried the candle trick from "My Fair Lady" on him. For those not familiar with this, the "h" sounds produces a short puff of air which should make the candle flame move. With my dad, nothing happened!! My dad also makes many speech errors. For example, we have some good friends with the last name "Scothon". Most people pronounce it "Sco-thin". My dad has no clue how to say it. Usually, he says "Sco-shin". I honestly have no clue why he makes such errors. I think it is just his personality, he does not really pay attention to difficult pronounciations and spellings. It is something to ponder though!!

--Brenna D.

**P.S. I am REALLY sorry that this is so long.

Posted by lciscotis at 01:31 PM | Comments (0)

November 09, 2005

Mid-Semester Evaluation

Three Things That Have Facilitated My Learning:

1. This BLOG. I really think that blogging has helped my learning. In a classroom it is often difficult to know what others are thinking, and the blog helpes me to understand what others think of certain things. The blog is also great because I am able to bounce off the wonderful ideas of others in order to generate my own. I especially enjoy when people post things that relate to things we discuss in class. I think a big part of learning is when people post things that relate the classroom to the outside world because this is how we know that what we are learning is valuable. I only wish that people would do this more.

2. The MOVIES. (Crash, Slam) I like watching these movies in class for basically the same reason. It is awesome that we are able to relate our classroom work to something bigger. Of course, being able to incorporate "pop culture" also helps to make the class more interesting and fun!!

3. The DISCUSSIONS. I really love how our classroom discussions are open-ended. We are able to discuss almost anything freely and without hinderance. Also, the format is very informal so I am not afraid to say something because I know that my thoughts will be acknowledged and considered for their worth. (Or lack there of!!)

One Thing That Has Hindered My Learning:

1. Although I may regret saying this, I wish that we were able to do more formal/extensive reading and writing in place of the busy work. Although I believe that reading a chapter and answering questions on it is necessary for learning, I wish that we could reflect more on it. For example, instead of spending so much time reading about morphemes, we could go out and research those particular aspects of this subject which most interest us. I also think it would be interesting, in the future, for other classes, for every student to go out, find an article they find interesting in relation to a particular subject, and then share it with the class.

--Brenna D.

Posted by lciscotis at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)

November 08, 2005

Please help me SLAM.

Sometimes I wish

Sometimes I wish, wish

It would just stop

Stop

STOP

This and that and this

Would STOP

SLAM to a stop.

Boom, Bang, SLAM, Stop.

Halt, grind, SLAM, Stop.

The pain, the laughter.

The joy, the games.

The shame, the tears.

The images and the words.

The responsibilities, the plans.

SLAM, SLAM to a stop.

I want to go back.

Go Back.

Back.

White Walls.

White Shoes.

Brown Hair.

Brown Eyes.

A Pencil.

A Book.

Stop SLAMMING into me.

Stop SLAMMING into you.

Please help me stop.

White walls.

Please help me slam.

**Like everyone else, there's supposed to be stanzas!

Posted by lciscotis at 12:55 PM | Comments (1)

November 07, 2005

Back to Persepolis...

I found this article on msn.com and I just wanted to comment on its simliarity to some of the issues found in Peresepolis. Marjane Satrapi spoke alot about how many women sought to break the rules imposed on them in terms of clothing by wearing shorter skirts, tighter tops, etc. This article shows that this issue is still prevalent today.

Further, my best friend is Muslim and often has trouble combining her individual style with the regulations she feels inclined to follow. When we were in Paris this spring, there were a few different occasions where someone approached her and said that her clothing was inappropriate. Of course, this made her very self-conscious and concerned that she was not fulfilling her religous "responsibility". Just something to ponder...

http://www.slate.com/id/2128906/?GT1=7407

Posted by lciscotis at 02:02 PM | Comments (1)

November 06, 2005

Dear John Wayne...

Frankly, I was a little confused by this story. I think that it is commenting on the nature of spoken word and its abilities to create both lies and truth. Etta Joseph tells the story of her affair with John Wayne, which she maintains is more the truth than anything found in books or other scholarly materials. Whether Etta really is telling the truth or just mocking the reporter's authority is left for the reader to discover. Personally, I think Etta fabricated this story to poke fun at the truth and highlight the fact that we should never just accept the truth. It is an interesting concept because so often we accept what others tell us without actually discovering the truth ourselves. I'm interested in hearing what others thought of this piece.

Brenna D.

Posted by lciscotis at 12:00 PM | Comments (3)

November 05, 2005

Ansel Adams Says...

When I was watching the Ansel Adams documentary, I was intrigued by a comment that he made which I think sheds light upon one of the discussions we have been having throughout the semester. Our discussion concerned whether we should take pictures to preserve a scene or appreciate it as we see it. Adams said, "You can't help trying to record what you see,". I think this says alot and really gets down to the essence of the arguement. When we take pictures we are attempting to prolong the feelings we get while viewing them. Pictures do just this and Adams, obviously a pioneer in photography, realized this.

Posted by lciscotis at 01:17 PM | Comments (1)

November 02, 2005

Ways of Seeing

** I am not sure when we have to read this for, so I decided to do it now!!

I really enjoyed this essay because I feel like it summed up alot of what we have been discussing in class for the past couple of months. For example, the essay talked about the copious reproductions of famous paintings, for example, and the fact that we have become desensitized to these paintings because they are so widely circulated. Similarily, the essay also talks about the capacity of cameras to capture a single moment.

However, the essay also delves deeper into some topics, such as the effect of history on paintings and how we view paintings from the past. I especially find this interesting because our perspective today is very different from that of people of the past. Thus, this gives paintings a different gestalt then they were orginally painted.

Posted by lciscotis at 07:40 PM | Comments (0)

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)

October 29, 2005

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 25, 2005

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)

October 24, 2005

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)

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)

October 23, 2005

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)

October 20, 2005

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)

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)

October 16, 2005

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)

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)

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)

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)

October 04, 2005

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

September 29, 2005

Semiotic Analysis of Alfred Leslie Painting

This picture seems very simple at first glance, but after it is studied a bit,it seems more complex. The denotative aspects of this painting are, first off, the big brown box in the middle of the picture. This box is a television, and it shows, on the screen, a nightime scene. The person viewing the picture knows this because we use our previous knowledge to help us view the painting. We know that a small sliver of yellow against a dark background is the moon, and we know that the background with streaks of gray, blue, and purple is the sky. We also know that the yellow, orange, and red slice at the bottom of the painting is the sun rising. We recognize this based on our prior knowledge. The scene around the television is even more intriguing. On top of the television rests a plate, an old pair of sneakers, and an old-fashioned telephone. Next to the television is a yellow chair, and on the other side a pair of blue sandals and a broom. All of these objects we are able to identify because we match their shape, color, and other attributes to those we know to be true of certain objects.

The connotative part of the painting is much more interesting. It asks us to study more than the simple identity of these objects, but to decipher what they mean. For me, this picutre connotes a family, always busy, always on the move. The placement of objects act as a metaphor in this photo, for their random placement and use in this photo signifies that the same is true of the family. The apparent dishelvement of the objects is also a testament to the same thing. The sneakers appear less vibrant than they probably did orginally, while the chair has a grayish covering, meaning that it has been used again and again. The chair does not seem like one that would be found in this type of room, we would probably expect to see a big, comfy armchair, yet the existence of this chair attests to the frantic nature of the family's life. The metonymy in this photo is the scene on the TV, which in my mind stands for things that are always changing, never static. Just like the life of the family, where a new day begins practically before the previous one ends. I think that this picture could have been interepreted many ways, yet this is the one that was most prominent for me.

--Brenna DeCotis

Posted by lciscotis at 02:12 PM | Comments (3)

September 27, 2005

Semiotics And Iconography

I found these readings (the long one in particular) a bit confusing and difficult to follow. I cannot wait to discuss them in class and I hope to get a better handle on the topics being discussed.

Other than that, the main emotion running through my head when reading these essays (and also Chapter 1 of Practices of Looking), was that I cannot believe that all of these theories and ideas about viewing an image go through our brains so fast. I am always amazed at what our brain can do, and this certainly tops it all. We are able to spend as little as three or four minutes looking at an image and immediately form connotative and denontative ideas. That this goes on our brain without us even knowing amazes me.

I was also interested in the differences in opinion and belief between the book and the "handout essays". This just goes to show that although something is in a text book or an essay, it certainly does not have to be fact. --Brenna DeCotis

Posted by lciscotis at 06:27 PM | Comments (0)

Genie and Background!

When I was doing more research, I was profoundly struck by the amount of tragedy in Genie's family. There was so much more going on in this situation than just child neglect. First off, Genie's father was twenty years older than her mother, not a very unusual situation certainly, but an interesting fact to add to the story. Her mother was blind, due to an accident when she was young and was hit in the eye while helping her mother wash clothes. Her father grew up in a series of foster homes, but was still devestated when his mother was killed in a hit-and-run accident just prior to Genie's birth. It is believed that her father was serverely mentally ill, which affected his family in so many different ways. The couple had two children before Genie and her brother, both of who died due to apparent child neglect.

The reason I chose to write about this aspect of Genie is because there is apparently so much more to the situation than just face value. It is so complex, and despite Genie's father's apparent guilt, he certainly cannot be blamed for the entire situation, for some of it was beyond his control. I learned about Genie last year in psychology, but each the topic is brought up, I am intrigued beyond belief with the complexity of her situation. P.S. I got my information from: http://www.psychology.sbc.edu/cesarz.htm

Posted by lciscotis at 04:30 PM | Comments (1)

September 26, 2005

Practices of Looking--Chapter 1

I found Chapter 1 of Practices of Looking very interesting and informative. The part that interested me the most was the comments that the book made about the value of images and while some people may place a certain visual representation at a very high level, others may not.

I found this particularly interesting because I have often wondered, for example, why the Mona Lisa is such a famous painting, and why the painting my eleven-year-old brother made in art class last week is not. Is the Mona Lisa valued because of the quality of the artwork? Is it valued because of the man who created it, Leonardo da Vinci, who is no less than a hero of intelligence in our minds? When I went to Paris in April, I saw the Mona Lisa (La Jaconde in France) and I have to admit, I was entranced, along with the two hundred or so other tourists who were knocking each other over in the hope of getting a glance. (Although I must admit, it was very orderly and everyone got their turn to be up close!) As I look at the picture I took of the Mona Lisa I am still amazed. But, in all honesty, I do not know why. Why is it that back in April my friends and I ran past all the other art to see the Mona Lisa? Is it because there were big signs proclaiming her new location in Le Louvre? Possibly one person was impressed with the Mona Lisa many years ago and the excitement just grew. Who knows? But, I can say that despite the value that is put on certain works of art, I think all art, modern art, digital art, "fine" art, whatever, deserves as much attention and study as the Mona Lisa.

Posted by lciscotis at 11:57 PM | Comments (1)

September 25, 2005

Language Chapter 2: Question #1

This question is a very interesting one because it seems that the language of each aphasiac is affected differently by disease or trauma. However, some similarities can be found. For example, patients with damage to the front part of the left hemisphere, Broca’s Aphasiacs, tend to have difficulty with diction, syntax, and small function words. On the other hand, patients with damage to the back of the left hemisphere, known as Wernicke’s Aphasiacs, had difficulty with vocabulary and diction. However, their pronunciation and speaking skills were excellent.
In general, the language problems of aphasics seem to be small, but they make a big difference in language. In the examples that were given in the book, the most common problems included misuse of specific parts of speech and difficulty with word order. In general, vocabulary did not seem to pose a problem. Patients had no trouble choosing words that signified what they were trying to convey. In addition, although I was unable to study the pronunciation of the patients, there was no comment about overwhelming mispronunciation by the patients. Thus, although the language of each aphasiac is changed uniquely by trauma or disease, it seems that, in general, grammar and finer points of language are what is lost by aphasics, while a larger sense of vocabulary and general rules of language are maintained.

Posted by lciscotis at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2005

"Seeing"--Annie Dillard

Hi Everyone-- I do not know if we are supposed to blog about this or not, but I am anyways! I was not really impressed with this essay. Although I really enjoyed the main point of the essay, it took me a while to wittle down the numerous examples and explanations. I think the core of the essay is the following statement, from Paragraph 8, "The lover can see and the knowledgeable can see,". This statement is basically saying that those who want to see things, can see the tiny things in life. Those who want to see the birds in the trees will be able to see them, those who want to experience every aspect of nature will. I definetely agree with this statement. So many people blow through life and leave no time to experience what they could. I think that only focusing on the biggest part of life deprives someone of the most interesting part of life. The part of the essay that was most interesting to me was Dillard's descriptions of blind people who were given the gift of sight later in life. Many did not appreciate it and were stunned by the vastness, color, size, and detail of their world. This was interesting to me because it shows how much we take for granted, and how if we don't wish to see the small things in life, we won't. Although I really enjoyed the intentions of Diallard's essay, I think she could have easily obtained these same objectives (maybe even made them more prevalent) if she had made the essay shorter and more succinct.
--Brenna DeCotis

Posted by lciscotis at 06:59 PM | Comments (1)

September 18, 2005

Visual Illusion

My Visual Illusion: http://www.exploratorium.edu/exhibits/mona/mona.html

This visual illusion interests me because it relates to a project that I did last year in my psychology class. The project assignment was to investigate some aspect of memory. I chose to research and explore facial recognition, or what it is that makes humans able to recognize someone again and again despite different environments, hairstyles, clothing, attitudes, and more. What I found was that our temporal lobe is responsible for facial recognition. Some of the neurons located in the temporal lobe are able to recognize certain facial features. Thus, even when a face is altered, the temporal lobe can still recognize finite features on the face. People whose temporal lobe has been damaged may not necessarily be able to identify the face that they are seeing. This condition is called prosopagnosia. (This word originates from the Greek word prospon meaning face, and the Greek word agnosis meaning without knowledge.) Usually, prosopagnosics can tell they’re looking at a face and can identify separate facial features, eyes, nose, and mouth, but they do not know whose face they are seeing. These people cannot recognize celebrities, family members, or even their own face in a mirror. Instead, they must identify people by context, clothing, body build, and tone of voice.
More interesting research that I discovered on facial recognition was facial fragmentation studies that have been conducted. During facial fragmentation studies, subjects attempt to identify individuals in isolated photographs, such as a photo of only one’s nose. These studies revealed that we tend to identify people by their eyes first, then by their mouth and nose. When asked to describe the face of a person, the most distinguishing characteristic was hair. Eyes, nose, and eyebrows closely followed hair.
Thus, I was really interested in this visual illusion. The reason that I think that we do not immediately recognize the problem with the picture on the right is because our brain is so quick to identify the photo as the Mona Lisa that it does not focus on the fact that something is wrong with her face.
P.S. Sorry to go into sooooo much detail, I just find this so interesting. If you find it interesting as well, here is another website that I used for my project last year which explores some aspects of facial recognition.
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/java/faces.html

Posted by lciscotis at 09:00 PM | Comments (1)

"Practices of Looking" Introduction

I found that the "Practices of Looking" introduction was not radical, but simply a outline of what we can expect to see in this textbook. The part of the introduction that did strike me was the authors' many comments about fine art vs. "modern visual art", art that has resulted out of computers, TV, radios, and other technology. I thought this was a very intersting point. Since "modern art" is very new as compared to other forms of art, I completely understand how many are slow to accept it. I think it is definetely important, however, since it makes up such a huge part of our lives. Something that is so important to us certainly deserves to be studied. I am a definite advocate of colleges teaching "modern visual arts" and I think that many colleges have chosen to do this. --Brenna DeCotis

Posted by lciscotis at 07:42 PM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2005

Ode To A Ruler

Smooth, straight, cold, and sharp. Even the word “ruler”, rolls off your tongue, clean and precise. My ruler is smooth, straight, cold, and sharp, and as I run my finger over its surface I can feel the small indentations marking one eighth inch, one quarter inch, one half inch, one inch. The backside of my ruler is coated with a thin layer of cork, complete with a sticky, gummy, gooey area from the price tag. Much of the cork is peeled off from times when I compulsively picked at it, leaving jagged edges and crooked lines. The cork that still covers the ruler is littered with phrases and words, the most noticeable one being the big “Brenna”, which was outlined again and again in blue ink by my friend Elizabeth, who was apparently incredibly bored in History class. The ruler is also covered with short words I didn’t know how to spell and was attempting to figure out, “irregular” and “fierce”. The small hole on one end of the ruler is perfect for twirling it around my finger, over and over again; as it threatens slash my face down the middle each time. The ruler has an interesting smell, a combination of wood and metal, a curious mix of the natural world and the manmade world, the untamed world and the civilized world.
More importantly, this ruler brings me so many memories. Memories of my 4th grade Honors Program, “REACH”, when I consistently got low grades for not using a ruler correctly and of hours and hours of math homework in high school. It reminds of my former workplace, the Cumberland Public Library, where one of my fellow workers used a ruler to write, even if it was only a scribble to remind herself of something. She kept a different ruler everywhere, one at the front desk, one at her own desk, one at a colleague’s desk. Without her ruler, she was completely lost, and her writing became horrifically illegible. Most of all, however, my ruler reminds me of my mother, who is adamant about the use of straight lines and neat corners and always chides me for not using a ruler when doing projects and presentations.
Always reliable, always straight, always strong, always there for me, my ruler is like a best friend. Although I miss my friends so much in these first couple of weeks of college, it is good to know that some of my best friends—my material possessions, are still here with me.

Posted by lciscotis at 11:07 PM | Comments (4)

September 13, 2005

"Stork Stopped By"

The night before my Casey Affleck was born I Rip Van Winkled at my grandmother’s house and awoke Michael Phelps at the Olympics. Then, around 9:00, the phone rang. I Lance Armstronged into the kitchen and Little Peter Cotton Tailed from one foot to the next, silent cell phone ringing slightly. Of course, being the Marcia Brady, I had to American Idol audition and endure my sister’s Red Sox 2004. Finally, I got my turn at the phone and heard my father’s sponge in water voice. “Timothy,” he said, “A boy,”.
Later that morning, I went to a Mad Hatter party for my friend. I was seven years old and I was at an age where I did not want a Britney Spears happening, I just wanted to Goodyear blimp through life. So, I stayed Eeyore, but when the word “baby” came up, I was not reluctant to Jennifer Aniston with Vanity Fair. After that I couldn’t stop talking, Katrina in New Orleans.
I remember Forrest Gumping into the hospital and recognizing the new Simmons Library smell. I waited for college acceptances in Willy Wonka’s masterpiece and Ramirezed around the diamond into my mother’s room, only to see her like a firefighter on September 11th. Minutes later, my father mother ducklinged us back into the hallway to look into a Vatican Square on Pope Benedict’s Inauguration of babies. I immigrants on Ellis Island, but could not see my Drew Lachey. Finally, my Dad pointed him out. Funny, when we returned from Iraq with him he was the ugly duckling with the swans. Thank goodness he did not Peter Pan.

Posted by lciscotis at 09:38 AM | Comments (1)

September 11, 2005

My Culture—Smallest State, Fictional Heroes, & America

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 threaten 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.
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 with 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.

*Sorry this essay is sooo long!! I know it was supposed to be shorter, but I just have this compulsive problem with writing too much.

Posted by lciscotis at 09:08 PM | Comments (2)

Does Anyone Know...

Sorry this is a little off topic, but does anyone know what Book Discussion we are supposed to go to? I think it is arranged by FYE class, and I do not know if all of us are together in the same FYE class. There is Honors 1 and Honors 2, for some reason I think I am in Honors 2, but I am not sure why. If anyone has any idea, could they clue me in?? Thanks.

Posted by lciscotis at 06:47 PM | Comments (0)

September 10, 2005

What Is Language?

This entire chapter seemed to be hinting at the question "What Is Language?" and I definetely think it is a difficult thing to define. Certainly, I could give a textbook answer, but I think language is so much more complex than that. I really enjoyed the questions at the end of this chapter because they made me think about what I had just read in a fun, creative way. I definetely think that for something to be language, the individual producing it has to be capable of producing unique, new language. Language that is just regurgitated and spit out is certainly not language, it is simply that--regurgitation. However, I am not as adamant as our text book in distinguishing the difference between language and "not language". I understand the texts' reasons for doing so, yet I do not agree with them. I think that language is whatever you make of it. If an animal is able to communicate with a series of "tale-wags", then all the more power to it. In the same way, I think that language must be defined seperately for each species. The differences between animals and humans are so complex that I do not think we can compare language.
As far as the next discussion question, I do not think the two statements are equally probable. I think the statement "I learned a new word today" makes much more sense because the individual saying it is acknowledging that they acquired a new word that was not in their vocabulary previously. The statement "I learned a new sentence" makes less sense because the individual already had the components for that sentence in their head, they had just not combined them in this unique way yet.

Posted by lciscotis at 09:45 PM | Comments (0)

September 07, 2005

I love "Ode to an Orange"!!

I found this "essay" by Larry Woiwode extraordinary. Even as I type this I have not finished reading the piece because I have so many things I want to say. First off, I am really enthralled by the language that Woiwode uses. Alot of the thoughts and concepts that he shares are ones that I am familiar with and believe in, yet he words them in ways that are so unique and orginal. For example, when he says "Their appearance was enough to set my brother and me to thinking that it might be about time to develop illness, which was the surest way of recieving a steady supply of them," (Lines 5-9), I recognized his thoughts so much. Very often I see something and I know I want it. Sometimes it's food (actually very often it's food!), but sometimes I see my dog and know I want to hug her, or I see a swimming pool and know I want to go swimming. Woiwode was able to word this feeling so explicitly. I felt this way about so many things that Woiwode said. The other thing I noticed and enjoyed about Woiwode's essay was how it achieved simplicity and complexity at the same time. Some of the language was simple, but I did need to use my dictionary to look up some words. I hope everyone enjoyed this piece as much as I did!!

Posted by lciscotis at 10:27 PM | Comments (3)

My name is Brenna.

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Posted by lciscotis at 12:16 PM | Comments (0)

July 15, 2005

My Introduction--Brenna DeCotis

Valuable Visual Experience: I have a yellow Lab named Lily who is two years old. Out of all of the amazing things that I see and enjoy in my community, seeing Lily sleeping has to be the most rewarding. Although it may sound childish and a bit naive, experiencing something so peaceful really makes me rethink my own life. The other part of this that is rewarding for me is that it makes me realize that wherever I go and whatever I do, however much changes in my life, Lily will always be waiting for me when I come home.

Valuable Verbal Experience: F. Scott Fitzgerald--"Riding in a taxi one afternoon between very tall buildings under a maueve and rose sky, I began to bawl because I had everything I wanted and knew I would never be so happy again."

Just like Yasmin, I cannot wait to learn about everyone!!

Posted by lciscotis at 09:29 PM | Comments (3)