Zooming In: Lauren Archives

December 18, 2005

Evaluation

Seeing as I'm probably the last one to post.. I completely agree with what everyone else has mentioned thus far...

College is selfish. I often feel detached from the world. I don't read the paper, don't have time to really read news online, and hate the tv news. In a sense, this class was able to integrate current events with the concepts we were talking about. I liked how we were able to free think in class, it made me feel like my thoughts mattered, for once. Everything in class was really great, but the most STELLAR moment would have to be the final projects. I was overcome with so much emotion after the class had ended. It was a good way to see how far each one of us has evolved through our first semester as college students.

I've always been a very opinionated person, but I don't always vocalize what I am thinking. A skill that I have definitely acquired is my ability to express my thoughts and beliefs and justify them better. This class has caused me to think even more outside of the box, and that very important in such an autistic society today.

I hope I take all of this knowledge with me and put it to good use by questioning everything I don't understand, I am a better and more aware person having taken this class.

Posted by lcissearls at 12:22 PM | Comments (2)

December 03, 2005

Chapter 3

Comments

Most black people love and use aspects of Ebonics at all times because they are "with their own" and "revel in rhythmns of cadences of connection." However, many feel oppressed by society, and when around white people they switch to a more "proper" way of talking. I understood how Delpit's daughter, Maya was feeling. It was one thing to be the only black girl in a "proper all white private school," but she also had to tackle with the language barrier. When you don't fit in, it is onlly natural for one to question themeselves. I went through a period of self questioning myself. It is hard for people who are not the minority to understand this.
Language has a major influential role in society. When society is finally ready to see beyond skin color to access intelectual competence of black people regardless of how they speak, the world will be a better, more accepting place. Code-switching is a coping mechanism in which they switch between forms of speech.
After various experiments, it was determined that unconscious acquisition is more effective when a student is motivated. Furthermore, students don't identify with teachers who question their intellegence or with a curriculum that ignores their existence. They have little opportunity to speak up and when they do they are worried about being corrected.
Standard dialects are embedded in instruction that has little connection to children's cultural lives and personal interests. In areas that do not bring in the children's various languages or experiences, the children view themselves as defective because their personal feelings are not a part of their education. I believe this is completely true, if the natural language of a child is ignored, how does one expect the child to succeed in an academic environment that supresses their voice?
When instruction is stripped of children's cultural legacies then they are forced to believe that the world and all good things in it were created by others. This leaves students further ailienated from the school and its instructional goals. They are more likely to view themselves as inadequate. Not too long ago, there was a huge debate at Boston University about whether American Sign Language was a true language or not. This is ironic because Boston University has a strong deaf studies program and has a number of deaf students attending. Anyway, I remember being frustrated, and thinking what more does society want to prove that my own, natural language is in fact a language. How dare they question and say that American Sign Language has no culture of its own. They had no basis for the claims they were making. So I feel that I can easily relate to Delpit and her daughter, Maya.

Questions

Why do some people feel that Ebonics is not good enough to be a language.. what is their basis of this judgement?
Why were African American linguistic experts not consulted during the Okland School debates? I would expect these experts to be the primary source of information and resources.
What does it take and what does it mean for a person to "talk right?"
Why do people think of Ebonics as a cognitive deficiency?
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 students needs.

Posted by lcissearls at 03:00 PM | Comments (0)

Chapter 5

Comments:

No language or dialect is inherently superior or inferior to any other, and all languages and dialects are suited to the needs of the community they serve. Needless to say, dialects are inherently systematic and rule governed, deeply organized systems of great complexity.
It is almost impossible to hear someone speak without immediately drawing conclusions about social class, background, level of education and what part of the country someone comes from. This is a linguistic stereotype. People of Standard English are percieved as more ambitious, more intellegent, more self confident and more reliable. This is a social fact because people judge one another's worth on the basis of language.
The official definition of dialect is the language variety used in particular geographical region by a particular social class group. Also, in Britain the regional and social dimensions are related. The higher up the social class scale one goes, the less one encounters regional variation in speech. This accounts for the reason why British people are so sensitive to social implications of the language a person uses. This is often documented in movies and plays, for example Pygmalion and My Fair Lady.
People's way of talking can change according to the topic. Furthermore, contemporary linguistics is strictly descriptive and describes what people do. It does not mean that "anything goes." Speakers have assymetrical linguistic systems which means they can perciece and understand linguistic distinctions which they do not (or cannot themselves make.
There is a correlation between a child's language and their education. A child's language may be a disadvantage in their own educational progress, not because the language is deficient, but merely because it is different. This is often reflected in test scores of children.

Questions

Why is the term "lazy" attributed to regional or social dialects? Is this a British way of classifying language and separation of class?
Have there been any experiments done about linguistic stereotyping in American Sign Language?
If people know that no language is superior or inferior to any other then why do people still continue to discriminate people by their use of language?
Are there any dialects in history that have formally become a language?
Why are languages with writing systems considered higher and more functional than those without? ASL is an example of a language without a writing system, and I often feel at times that I can express more with ASL than with English.
Do you think that people have become more or less tolerant of linguistic diversity over the years?

Posted by lcissearls at 02:31 PM | Comments (0)

December 01, 2005

Baldwin's article

Baldwin writes in his article, "The brutal truth is that the bulk of the white people in America never had any interest in educating black people, except as this could serve white purposes". Although I am white, I completely agree with this statement. I am sure that teachers don't consciously think about it, but they stereotype students and make assumptions. This has happened to me, after all I am the minority, just like most black students are.

In society, there is an increasing number of black students going to college, but I do not think they are given the same opportunity to succeed. I know that African-Americans have just as much potential, intellegence and drive to do well, but society often plays a role in whether they succeed or not. America has been fighting prejudice and racism for a long time, and I am sad to say that it is far from being resolved. The problems still exist in society and cannot be ignored. Ideally, the world will never be at peace, but the color of one's skin seems a petty issue when there's people starving and dying each day.

Baldwin's final paragraph is a powerful testament to society today. He does bring a lot of good points up. It is a fact that there are more white people than black people in prison, but the media seems to only focus on those black people in jail. Even when white people have done worse crimes, they still get lesser sentences than those that are black. These injustices in the courtroom reflect society, there is definitely a correlation between the two.

And Baldwin is true, American standards can't be trusted. Our legal system can't keep the innocent out of jail, so how are we supposed to trust it? Unfortunately, most people won't stand up and do anything about it until it may be too late.

QUESTIONS

Why haven't teachers in areas heavily populated by black students been taught Ebonics?
Why do countries feel the need to eliminate dialects and other 'inferior' languages?
Why are people still unsure whether to classify Ebonics as a dialect of English or a completely separate language?
Baldwin states that black people have had a profound impact on how white Americans sound. Is this also true with other countries?
Why does Baldwin believe that the era of black slavery in America would have been shorter if black people had been able to speak to each other?

Posted by lcissearls at 09:14 PM | Comments (0)

Response to Katie's Question

In response to Katie's question, the way a person uses language has a lot to do with their personality. The way people write, speak and phrase things is a telling part of who they are. Personality doesn't necessarily have to do with what language the person speaks (or signs) rather, how they express themselves. For example, in the movies and articles we've seen in class, syntax, tone are prevalent and help us as viewers and readers to have a sense of who or what the character/author is. I think that language impacts our personalities more than we think.

Posted by lcissearls at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)

Response to Katie's Question

Posted by lcissearls at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)

November 30, 2005

Chapters 2&6

Barbara Kreuger's images filled chapters 2 and 6 so I decided to learn more about her form of artwork. This is here for all of you to enjoy..

Barbara Kreuger is one of the most influential artists of the last three decades. Her technique incorporates the use of pictures and words through a wide variety of media and sites to raise issues of power, sexuality, and representation. Her works include photographic prints on paper and vinyl, etched metal plates, sculpture, video, installations, billboards, posters, magazine and book covers, T-shirts, shopping bags, postcards, and newspaper op-ed pieces.

Here are some websites where you can see more of her work... if you are interested..

http://mitpress.mit.edu/images/products/books/0262112507-f30.jpg http://www.maryboonegallery.com/exhibitions/2004-2005/kruger/gfx/MBG8952.jpg http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~artarch/womenartists/Contemporary/Kruger/1990.15.jpg http://www.mocp.org/collections/permanent/uploads/Kruger2001176.jpg http://www.artistsnetwork.org/artists/barbarakruger/barbkrugerflag.gif http://fusionanomaly.net/feminismbarbarakruger.jpg

Posted by lcissearls at 03:29 PM | Comments (1)

The Talented Mr. Ripley

For those of you who want to watch the entire movie, the movie has been returned to the media center at Palace Road. Watching the movie might help to make more sense of the many facets of Tom Ripley. It is a very interesting psychological movie...

Posted by lcissearls at 03:26 PM | Comments (0)

November 28, 2005

My thesis

Like any other language, American Sign Language consists of both lexical and syntactical variations caused by many different factors including linguistic and social constraints.

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

November 19, 2005

Chapter 11 comparisons

Lexicon, or vocabulary is ever changing. Some words are used often or not at all. New terms are introduced daily and added to our expanding vocabulary. This vocabulary evolves just as society evolves because language reflects such a society. At the same time, some words become displaced, and are not used as often. Nevertheless, the consistent adding of lexicon is the shortest change of all. Secondly, change in pronunciation takes slightly more time than the implementation of new vocabulary. Pronunciation of specific words is usually uniform in the majority of areas in our country. Since most words have already changed in pronunciation from old English I do not expect there to be much room for a change in pronunciation with the majority of words we use in our language. Additionally, pronunciation is auditory based and would have to be widespread for a change to occur, and would have to be from a source availiable to all (television .. etc.). Lastly, syntax, or the ordering of words would take the longest of all because there are certain rules and regulations for language to exist. One cannot put sentences together and rearrange words because not only would it change the meaning or make no meaning, it would not be familiar to the mass society.

Posted by lcissearls at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)

Pygmalion Effect

The pygmalion effect is perhaps best known in management and education circles as the self-fulfilling prophecy. This "phenomenon occurs when a false definition of the situation evokes a new behavior which makes the original false conception comne true." Specifically, once a certain measure is established, we tend to act in ways that are consistent with the measure even if it is not accurate. The basis of this idea is from Pygmalion, of course. The story of Pygmalion is that the prince of Cyprus wanted a sculptor to make an ivory statue of the ideal woman. As the story goes, the sculptor Pygmalion fell in love with his own sculpture and prayed to Venus, the god of love to bring her to life.

The Pygmalion effect particularly addresses the idea that beliefs and expectations, whether correct or not affect the outcome of a situation. For instance, labeling someone as a criminal, and treating the person as such may foster criminal behavior in such a person. The Pygmalion effect is indeed in play as it governs much of how we live. If a teacher expects her students to perform lousy on a test, the Pygmalion effect states that that expectation will be reflected in the low scores of her studnts.

http://www.accel-team.com/pygmalion/ *Seemed credible and reliable because it was a network for companies to improve their employee productivity, and alal the information corresponded with what I read on other websites.

Posted by lcissearls at 02:27 PM | Comments (0)

November 13, 2005

Conversation Styles

That there are different conversation styles in sign language as well. There variations in signs due to regional location, as well as speed and the flow of conversations. For instance, deaf people from the south say that those from the north sign fast. There are also several ways to sign the same word. I know there is probably 3 or 4 different ways to sign birthday.

Posted by lcissearls at 11:24 PM | Comments (2)

November 10, 2005

Dialect Variations

I was born in a suburb outside of Washington DC. However, I've been raised in Rochester, New York. Rochester is the third largest city in the state of New York. Unfortunately, not many people know where it is. Rochester is practically in the middle of Syracuse and Buffalo and is completely surrounded by bodies of water. There is the Erie Canal, which runs through Rochester, the Great Lakes and Finger Lakes. My dialect is rather interesting. My mother grew up in New York City and attended an oral school for the deaf, which was the primary mode of teaching deaf children back in the day. Although she and her classmates were "taught" to speak, my mom doesn't really use her speech now, and is not good at it. My mother has never heard a spoken word in all her life; she was born profoundly deaf to deaf parents. It is said in the deaf community that people like my mother for instance, have "deaf speech." My father, on the other hand grew up in Hampton, Virginia. First, his parents put him in a normal school, where he flunked out because he did not have means to an interpreter. My father was then sent hours away from home, and forced to live at Virginia School for the Deaf. Needless to say, my father flourished here, becoming an actor, all around athlete and valedictorian for his senior class. Anyway, my dad has what is called progressive hearing loss, which means that he was born with enough hearing to pick up some sounds (this is the deafness I have). Therefore, he was able to hear people talk and learn how to speak rather normally. My father's speech is not as good as mine, but his is comprehensible, and he does use it when needed. My father does have somewhat of a southern accent, plus he sometimes eliminates certain sounds to words. Both my parent's primary mode of communication is American Sign Language. My mother is Jewish, my father was Catholic but converted to Judaism on his own. I consider myself Jewish. I believe that I do have somewhat of a New York accent. My roommate has poked fun at the way I say water, banana, and animal. I don't really know how to compare how I talk, as I don’t really know what I sound like in all honesty?
It is very possible that “social group” is a factor in different dialects. I think that everyone switches dialects at one point or another, without realizing it. Different dialects have a lot to do with the age of the people you’re speaking with. Dialects also have to do with emotions and tone of voice. Additionally, race, class, and sexual orientation have to do with dialects. I know for a fact that in certain situations I speak to my parents differently than my friends, and I know a lot of people do.

Posted by lcissearls at 01:59 PM | Comments (0)

MFA Assignment

Wooden floors that others have walked on before me. Art filling the white of the walls. Oriental rugs plastering the floors. Slate and Granite floors from Santa Fe. Wisdom and books, changing emotions. Works of art brought back from various countries. Tastes of culture, experience. Posted works of young children's creativity. Artwork showing progression, stages. Eclectic yet modern appearance. The Ansel Adams exhibit is like home to me.

Berger states, "Yet when an image is presented as a work of art, the way people look at it is affected by a whole series of learnt assumptions about art." I think that most people believe that artwork in museums are always great and deserve to be housed there. I think this causes people to force themselves to like artwork just because it is in a museum. That should not be the case. Artwork sold on the streets should be considered just as much "art" as the Mona Lisa is. Needless to say, personal taste affects perceptions on art.

Trees, Illouette Ride, Yosemite National Park, about 1945: Landscape This is an amazing photograph. The foreground has two large trees growing close to each other. It seems as if one is alive and the other is dead. The one that is dead is stripped bare of its bark, while the other is alive, and every grain of existence is evident in its textured, lively bark. At the roots, pinecones and bark are untouched, surrounding the earth beneath these trees. He incorporated the three levels of visual data in this photograph in various ways. First of all, Adams is trying to symbolize the cycle of life and death in nature. Representation is displayed in the scene by two polarized opposites right next to each other. Alive and dead. The abstractness of the photograph is focused on the texture of the trees, bare and rough, light and dark. This abstract style Ansel implements pays careful attention to shape and color rather than reality.

Mr. Shepard at his home, Independence, California, about 1936: Portrait The man in the photograph, or Mr. Shepard, is weathered by the passage of time. His wrinkles are deep, an indication of how old, and how rough his life has seemed to be. He looks permanently tied to the chair, which goes with the house. Mr. Shepard always has and always will be a part of the house he is in front of. One needs to look closely to see him, the white, paint-peeling fence is in the foreground and Mr. Shepard almost seems a blur. He blends in with the house, as if Adams caught him in an unexpected moment. The relationship between the old man and the house was particularly of importance to Adams. He was trying to communicate that. This image is symbolic because it displays the typical preconception of an old man. The photograph is a representation of aging, because it shows how the house has grown old with Mr. Shepard. Additionally, this piece is abstract because it did not capture his face directly. Although a portrait, Mr. Shepard is in the background, hidden by the fence protruding in front of him. This relates to Adam’s landscapes because it shows a single view of the house.

Museum Storeroom, de Young Museum, San Francisco about 1935: Abstract This photograph is rare and amazing, it shows museums behind the scenes. The storeroom in the photograph represents generations of art and histories. The molds and sculptures of animals and people look as if they are in motion, unaware of the audience. The molds seem to be moving, arms are raised to the ceiling, feet are perched in the air, and some statues are crouched, almost human. Ansel Adams tried to show what we don’t always see in museums and this was important to him because even he is unfamiliar with basements of museums. This photograph is definitely symbolic of general art. Representation in this piece shows the real world, and that all people are multidimensional, just like art. This is represented by the shadows in the room. Lastly, this photograph relates to Adam’s work as a landscape artist because it just shows an untouched scene, left as it is.

Trailer Camp Children, Richmond California, 1944: Picture that speaks to me I could keep looking at this picture and not get over the emotions I see on the children’s faces. Their faces are history. They represent poverty, the collapse of wartime economy and they are the foundations of what we as a society are today. There are three children in the foreground; they are the focus of the photograph. Their faces reveal grief and despair. The oldest child is watching over the younger children, a toddler and an infant. There are signs of fatigue under the children’s eyes. There are wrinkles where there should be pure, smooth skin. These kids are hardened, absent and distant but yet they are still there. They are captured and alive in the photograph, stored on film, a single second in time. Dirt is prevalent on their clothes, there is even dirt between the fingernails. The children seem genderless, as one cannot tell who is a boy or who is a girl. The photograph is a strong image, caught in the right moment. Out of the three kids, only the infant is looking at the camera, and the eyes are the windows to the soul. They are us. To capture such an image, is a work of art. To reveal emotions so powerful makes this photograph speak to me.

Posted by lcissearls at 12:33 AM | Comments (11)

November 09, 2005

Lauren's Mid-semester Evaluation

Three things that have been helpful in this class..

Writing on the blogs has definitely allowed me to write more often. This enables me to write more fluently, taking the ideas from my head and putting it down on paper at a convenience.
This class has given me a different outlook on viewing the world. I look more carefully and analyze, rather than just assuming.
Getting feedback from peers that know the content an the course is definitely helpful. Not only did I recieve constructive feedback, I also got more ideas and different viewpoints about the same topic.

One thing that has not been helpful/hard...

I feel like Practices of Looking was a hard textbook for me to get through. Although it was very interesting, I felt like the readings were wordy and repetitive. By being so long, the text actually lost the meaning, and the reading did not seem as effective.

Posted by lcissearls at 11:07 AM | Comments (1)

November 08, 2005

attempt at slam poetry (yes, without a beat)

A spark, a start

I am always thinking

run on continuously

Nothing ever ends

Worn, burnt out and beat

Spiraling out of control

Frustration, desperation

Took my chances

On what you said

was wrong

Loneliness. Solitude.

Surrounded by people

Left and right

Miles away from the norm

Ordinary

I tango with life

Prologue to epiloguge

Gliding every step of the way

I am nobody you know

Posted by lcissearls at 11:13 AM | Comments (2)

November 05, 2005

MFA Assignment

Posted by lcissearls at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)

November 03, 2005

Autistic American Culture

This chapter was rather interesting and caused me to think more intently about life today. American culture is becoming increasingly autistic. People are too busy with work and the other things that govern their lives to be aware of the world that surrounds them. Everyone seems to be in a single mindset; causing them to lose touch. Technology has a huge impact on our difficulty to make lasting relationships. For instance, computers are supposed to broaden our horizions, but in reality, it divides us. We use google to find answers rather than asking them. Our autistic culture is prevalent in the kind of art we create and what we analyze. We let the media and advertisements establish what we wear, how we talk and what we think about.

Posted by lcissearls at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)

Never Quite fits the Sight

"Yet, the knowledge, the explanation never quite fits the sight" - John Berger

We see the world with our eyes which are continuously moving and searching, attempting to make sense of what is visible. By being visually aware of what surrounds us, we create relationships and meanings. However, what we see can sometimes not be translated accordingly into words. We often cannot relay our visual experiences into what we know, verified by words. Additionally, although our senses work synomynously to create an understanding of the world, there is still ambiguities and frustrations about what we say, and what we mean to say.

This ties into John Berger's description of perception as the the understanding/interepretation of the viewer. Images become especially meaningful to those who can create associations with it. After all, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

Posted by lcissearls at 10:11 AM | Comments (1)

October 29, 2005

Karen Finley

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

Studium (Denotation):

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

Punctum (Connotation):

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

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

October 27, 2005

more photography

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

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

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

October 25, 2005

Eliza

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

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

October 23, 2005

Getting personal..

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

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

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

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

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

October 20, 2005

On Photography

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

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

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

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

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

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

October 19, 2005

Bits and Pieces

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

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

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

October 18, 2005

Group 2's compiled information

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

revenue share fell after 1978-79 Iranian revolution and continued after war -300,000 Iranian casualties, including 61,000 missing in action and 5,000 in Iraqi prisons -2.5 million Iranians have become homeless, have lost their jobs, or are displaced. Most of these have taken sanctuary in refugee camps, makeshift shacks, and temporary shelters in major urban centres or in peripheral areas of war zones -A government survey taken after the end of hostilities revealed that 593,000 civilians were physically and/or mentally disabled by the war -The future productivity of Iran has been permanently altered; the energy and capacity of millions of productive working people who served in the war have been irretrievably lost -In the war region alone, more than 20 per cent (9,300) of the pre-war classrooms (44,300) were damaged or destroyed. Over a third (450,000) of the region's 1.25 million students fled elsewhere. This placed great strains on receiving school systems, which were forced to teach pupils in continuous shifts -a total of 102 'health houses', 84 rural health centers, 80 urban health centers and 12 provincial and/or district health centers were destroyed -Water and sewerage systems in the area were also heavily damaged -extensive minefields and unexploded war materials in all of Iran's five war-affected provinces have posed daily hazards to local populations. Reza Malekzadeh, representative of the Iranian Ministry of Health, reported in 1991 that at least 10 people a day were wounded, maimed, or killed by live war munitions -ground battles and aerial bombardments caused extensive destruction of forests - a process that was exacerbated by people searching for cooking fuel to replace normal supplies; run-off and erosion have increased as a result -Farmlands in the five war-impacted provinces appear to be contaminated by toxic materials emanating from chemical and biological weapons. During the war, produce from southern Iran was considered unhealthy and could not be marketed, thereby driving up prices and creating shortages -The war wiped out 4,000 villages, damaged 52 cities, and destroyed about 120,000 houses; 6 of the cities were completely levelled while another 15 sustained damage of 30-80 per cent. -over 30 per cent of the villages in the five most war-torn provinces were completely destroyed; others sustained severe damage -The monetary value of damage to human settlements was estimated at $13 billion for the period September 1980 to September 1985. For the entire war, human settlements damage may have exceeded $18 billion -By the time that Iran and Iraq agreed to a cease-fire, Iran's industry was operating at only 20-30 per cent of capacity -Oil installations in the Gulf region were a primary attack target. The main Iranian loading terminal, located in Kharg Island, was badly damaged in August 1982, effectively halving Iranian oil exports -oil revenues generally account for over 95 per cent of Iran's foreign exchange earnings and pay for the bulk of Iran's industrial inputs, food imports, and military needs

Websites used:

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

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

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

October 16, 2005

Comic Analysis: Dilbert

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

October 13, 2005

The Subject

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

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

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

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

October 05, 2005

"Blinded"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

October 04, 2005

Comics & "Show and Tell"

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

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

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

October 03, 2005

Response to Tannen

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

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

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

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

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

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

October 02, 2005

Morphological Modifications

Question 1:

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

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

September 29, 2005

Alfred Leslie Painting

Society is always evolving. To me, the broom seems to represent old technology being swept away, providing a basis for the current world to build on on. Although we are always advancing, some things stay the same- for instance, the broom has remained relatively unchanged in appearance and function. Furthermore, the broom is hard for the viewer to see, with the television dominating the foreground. There are various things cluttered on top of the tv, and it seems that whoever is watching the set is too busy and focused to think about the things around it. The broom represents society for me.

Posted by lcissearls at 02:44 PM | Comments (1)

September 28, 2005

Devil's Advocate

"Hence the material world only has meaning and only can be seen by us, through these systems of representation.” I believe that the social construction theory is more valid than mimesis. While the social construction theory addresses language and images, mimesis is merely an imitation of what is already real. I believe that social construction gives the foundation for mimesis.

Social construction believes that the language and images construct the material world for us. Since various languages and images surround our everyday lives, we are able to imitate the world around us. Social construction is more or less the idea that each person creates their own worldly reality. This is the basis for everything else. It is only after we can make sense of our own world that we can choose whether or not we want to be affected by mainstream society. Not everyone in society conforms to the norms of society, it is merely a choice. Furthermore, chapter 1 in Practices of Looking talked about how individuals view artwork, advertisements and the general world in diffrent ways. Interpretations will always vary due to race, class, gender, and reality. It is people's experiences that contribute to understanding the world.

I tried really hard not to contradict myself. Believe me.

Posted by lcissearls at 04:43 PM | Comments (1)

September 27, 2005

A bit of everything..

The reading assignments were very interesting. Basically all the information was new for me, and it felt somewhat unnatural and uncomfortable learning completely new ideas. For me, it was somewhat challenging to process theories about visual analysis: semiotics and iconography. Despite the initial frustrations, this class does a fine job constantly provoking new thoughts and changing the way I view the world.

Chapter one talked about how advertisements can have numerous interpretations and that our thinking can be completely altered by looking at a simple ad. I believe that advertisements, television commercials and bilboards can send subliminal messages through our perception. When reading this, it just reminded me of some of the concepts in Feed. Although the characters in Feed were constantly bombarded with advertisements, news updates and random information, we too are constantly stimulated by the same things just in a completely different way.

I also want to mention that I really enjoyed the Metaphor: Communicating by Analogy gave me a completely different understanding of metaphors and how we use them on a daily basis. Usually the analogies or metaphors we hear about in class are from famous writers and are complex. I also didn't know that there were three different kinds of metaphors. I never really understood the differences between metaphor and metonymy when my english teachers in high school explained it.

The reading assignments were truly very enlightening and I'm excited to learn new things this semester...

Posted by lcissearls at 07:12 PM | Comments (0)

Genie's word sequencing

Although I did learn some new things about Genie's case from the internet, instead of repeating the facts that everyone has already mentioned, I wan't to mention something that came to mind as I was watching the video.

Genie was eventually taught American Sign Language and although the words signed (for ASL) are English words, the grammar is different. Although I am a native signer, I am honestly not an expert on explaining why exactly the grammar is different. The information below is from a the sign language university website. The reason why I wanted to bring up this idea is because although Genie's sequencing of vocabulary was not similar to that of English, some of her phrases could be accepted when signed in ASL. Perhaps Genie was jumping a bit between both languages? Despite some of Genie's phrases being accepted, I still don't think Genie's progress was actual language acquisiton. But I think this is an interesting thought.

*American Sign Language has its own grammar system, separate from that of English.

What this means is ASL grammar has its own rules for phonology, morphology, syntax, and pragmatics.

In general, ASL sentences follow a "TOPIC" "COMMENT" arrangement. Another name for a "comment" is the term "predicate." A predicate is simply a word or phrase that says something about a topic. In general, the subject of a sentence is your topic. The predicate is your comment.

When discussing past and future events we tend to establish a time-frame before the rest of the sentence.

That gives us a "TIME" "TOPIC" "COMMENT" structure.

For example: or "WEEK-PAST Pro1 WASH MY CAR "

[The "Pro1" term means to use a first-person pronoun. A first-person pronoun means "I or me." So "Pro1" is just a fancy way of saying "I" or "me." In the above example you would simply point at yourself to mean "Pro1."]

Quite often ASL signers will use the object of their sentence as the topic. For example:

"MY CAR, I WASH WEEK-PAST" [Note: The eyebrows are raised and the head is tilted slightly forward during the "MY CAR" portion of that sentence.]

Using the object of your sentence as the topic of the sentence is called "topicalization." In this example, "my car" becomes the subject instead of "me." The fact that "I washed it last week" becomes the comment.

There is more than one sign for "WASH." Washing a car or a window is different from the generic sign for "WASH" to wash-in-a-machine, or to wash a dish. The real issue here isn't so much the order of the words as it is choosing appropriate ASL sign to accurately represent the concept.

There are a number of "correct" variations of word order in American Sign Language (Humphries & Padden, 1992).

For example you could say: "I STUDENT I" or, "I STUDENT" or even, "STUDENT I."
Note: The concept of "I" in these sentences is done by pointing an index finger at your chest and/or touching the tip of the index finger to your chest.*

Posted by lcissearls at 05:20 PM | Comments (3)

September 24, 2005

Chapter 2 Question

3) The left hemisphere dominates language, rythmic perception, judgement and mathematical thinking while the right hemisphere is superior in pattern-matching, recognizing faces and spatial thinking. Since the left brain controls language functions, Kana (phonetic, like English) would be more affected by left brain damage. Additionally, the left brain is known to process letters, numbers and words. This ties to the speech aspect of the left side.

On the other hand, a patient with right brain damage would have more difficulty reading Kanji because it is symbolic and uses spatial and recognition skills. The right side of the brain is able to distinguish objects or symbols from one another. The right brain is better at processing faces, places and objects.

My answer can be backed by the apple experiment conducted with a split-brain patient. The experiment placed an apple in the left hand of the patient. The left hand was being governed by the right side of the brain (dominant in processing objects etc.). The person, with the apple in hand was able to use it, but not name it. Contrarily, when the apple was placed in the right hand (controlled by the left part of the brain) the patient was then able to name the object- apple.

Posted by lcissearls at 01:20 PM | Comments (0)

September 23, 2005

Seeing

When I first began "Seeing" by Annie Dillard, I was unsure of what direction she was going in. Although she was very descriptive and provided numerous images, I didn't really enjoy the piece until I started reading all of the factual information about the newly-seeing blind. The essay posed a repeating issue in culture- medical advances and 'who' they benefit. Is it right for parents and medical professionals to have the power to change a child's life, especially those who are blind (or deaf) at birth? Although its only natural for all parents to want the best for their children, I cant help think that it absolutely changes the child's life, for better or for worse.

Obviously, I have not been a parent yet, but it is strange for me to think that parents have total authority over their children's fate. I know this is a very sensitive topic, but I would like to hear comments about what everyone else thinks about these medical advances.
For some similar cases think.....

-Achondroplastic dwarfs undergoing surgery to lengthen their legs -Intrasex (born both sexes) being designated a boy or girl by the parents -Profoundly deaf children born to hearing parents; cochlear implants to make them "hearing"

Posted by lcissearls at 11:00 AM | Comments (1)

September 17, 2005

Geometrical Optical Illusion

The illusion I've chosen can be found here: http://www.grand-illusions.com/triangle.htm

This illusion is quite interesting because it not only involves optical tricks but mathematics as well. When I first saw this illusion I was quite puzzled when I the triangle rearrangement did not look exactly the same. At first glance, the triangles look like they are the same size, especially since they were built using the same shapes. Also, I remember constructing triangles (with only a certain number of shapes) in math class- and my math teacher saying that triangles built with the same shapes had the same area. Anyway, this illusion puzzled me, then after some thinking, I finally realized the trick.

I picked this illusion because it is different than all the other illusions we've looked at. It takes a bit more than a quick glance to figure out what the illusion really is all about.

If you want a mathematical explanation about the second triangle illusion, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the link.

-Lauren Searls

Posted by lcissearls at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2005

"Deaf people can do anything but hear." - I King Jordan

Unlike many deaf people, I was born into a culture. Most deaf children (approximately ninety percent) are born to hearing parents, thus eliminating their exposure to different aspects of Deaf Culture, including language (ASL), norms, tradition, rules of behavior, art, and other values.

Ever since I was little I've been on the fence, the verge of conforming, but never quite stepping in. Being an individual in two worlds is not always easy. The reoccurring questions of identity always seem to pop up. The answer lies within the cumulative years of my existence, experiencing life as a bi-cultural and bi-lingual individual with American Sign Language being my first language and English following closely after.

The deaf and hearing worlds have many similarities, yet stark contrasts. Both worlds provide different benefits and different restrictions. It is an interesting position to be in, to be able to involve myself in both worlds and refuse to settle for just the benefits of one. Although the hearing world and deaf world have their differences, I have created a bridge between the two, balancing these two cultures the best I know how.

Yet, transitioning between two worlds is not always easy. There are many reasons why breakdowns exist between the two cultures; causing me to take a variety of difference stances depending on the moral and social issues that I am confronted with. I constantly have to expose my identity, heritage and culture to both worlds.

Sadly to say, there are many misconceptions about deaf individuals. I have been faced with many prophecies of the "hearing mentality" which is instilled by many professionals. Their stereotypes have caused some to believe that deaf people will only par up to certain standards; specifically the much acclaimed "inability of a deaf child to read beyond a fourth-grade level." The unfortunate beliefs and other stigmas that I am up against has not hindered my ambition to succeed; but rather has accelerated my claims to prove that these ideas should not be generalized.

Although being deaf is a big part of my culture, it is not all of it.

As the child of two photography/travel aficionados, photography has always been an enormous part of my life. Since young, my parents have always taken pictures, contributing to love and deep understanding of photography. Additionally, my parents have always made traveling a significant part of my life, believing that constant exposure to different cultures and places would enrich my life.

Last, but not least, my middle name; Oppenheimer is an enormous part of my Jewish identity. My grandmother, Ruth Oppenheimer escaped the extremity of the Holocaust by taking refuge at the Israeli School for the Deaf in Berlin, eventually fleeing by boat. Having my grandmother's maiden name, I feel a great responsibility pass on my Jewish heritage.

To all,

Sorry this is so long. I had a lot that I wanted to say and felt that two paragraphs wouldn't do much justice...

Posted by lcissearls at 12:14 PM | Comments (6)

September 10, 2005

Ode to...

To find the best fashion, travel to Milan, Paris, Tokyo, Montreal, New York or London. For those that prefer more unique, cheaper bargains, consignment shops do the trick. I have a favorite back in flat, cold Rochester, where winter lasts six dreary months. While many decide to stay at home, I brave the city sidewalks freshly sprinkled with salt. I am able to find the beauty in Rochester, after all, there are unique stores, alleyways, cafés, bookstores and interesting buildings only if one looks hard enough. Needless to say, I love the smell of fashion in the winter.

I am always prepared for a hunt. My well-trained eyes scan the disorganized racks, while my fingers pull and tug at the stiff and starchy fabric. The clothes are used, and lonely. They long for a home, hoping that their personality (fit, color, pattern) strikes me enough to take them home. After endless searching in the musk-doused store, I feel ready to leave. Nothing’s caught my attention. But, a good hunter must know when to go with her gut. Although tired, and ready to brave the roads back home, I felt as if there was something…just waiting to be found.

You’re a worn shade of black, yet soft to the touch due to frequent washings. The taste of experience is embodied in every fiber. You smell wise, because you’ve been places. Even as a children’s shirt, you fit well, seeming to cover my most worrisome areas. The yellow logo, although not as bold as I imagine it once was, is a universal sign, and a welcome to all. The sweet smell lingers in the cotton and always brings me back…

I wore you to a harbor of some sort. The sailboats were beautiful and the taste of the sun and salt water lingered in the air. The breeze from the wind felt nice on my semi-tan back. I remember how my hair was curling up and forming Shirley Temple-like patterns at the top of my forehead. I wondered if the sun lotion I slathered on made me look greasy. But I know it did. The first time I ever wore it, I wasn’t expecting the reaction I got. You were plain and worn, but I know I never loved something so much as I loved you in that moment. The man made me laugh, and I grinned the sheepish smile that I always pull out in times of irony. I spoke an Americanized “thank-you” like never before.

An ode to you, thank you for setting me free. No T-shirt could ever compare.

Posted by lcissearls at 10:28 AM | Comments (3)

September 07, 2005

Response to "Ode to an Orange" and more..

Ironically, it is often unexpected or simple pieces of literature that makes me think the most. The essay, "Ode to an Orange," as simple as it was, caused me to get in my analyzing/thinking mode.

"Ode to an Orange" made me wonder how often I actually pause to think about the color, textures and methods of eating my favorite foods. I know I hardly ever think about savoring the taste of my daily meals. How much does the visual appearance of food have to do with our hunger and desire to consume? And those who can't see what they're eating? What impact does visual and verbal messages have on the foods we eat?

Since I was reading this essay as my friend at Northeastern was cooking us some tempeh (a fermented soybean cake popular in Asia). I did something I do not usually do. I ate VERY slowly, savoring the taste of Middle Eastern spices. Meanwhile, I made sure I noted every texture that passed in my mouth. As strange as this sounds, eating slowly and thinking about what exactly I was eating made me feel full, and more content.

We all can achieve the pleasure that Woiwode described in his essay. Perhaps, only if we think more about what we're eating.

Posted by lcissearls at 11:14 PM | Comments (6)

August 14, 2005

Introduction

BACKGROUND: My eyes are the most important pair of anything I own. Forget the matching pairs of socks in the wooden bureau and the favorite pair of earrings. My awareness of my vison is deeply linked with my deafness. Although I do not perceive my deafness as a disability, it is usually true that when one sense is"lost" other senses become even stronger.

Although visual experiences are part of my daily life, the most significant have always incorporated art and culture.

SIGNIFICANT VISUAL EXPERIENCE: The outside of my bedroom door is filled with a select variety of postcards and other images. Under these pieces of art, white wood seeps through what is left uncovered. Over the years I have developed a continuous infatuation with these cards that depict a variety of scenes; ranging from countries to cities, artwork to photographs and more.

SIGNIFICANT VERBAL EXPERIENCE: "Your life is your own and no adult should be allowed to shape it for you. -Augusten Burroughs (Taken from Running with Scissors)

I'm counting the days until I get to meet you all.. Enjoy what's left of the summer :)

Posted by lcissearls at 03:48 PM | Comments (2)