Please enjoy my lovely, struggle video...I hope you enjoy :) P.S. this took me three hours **stares at screen cross eyed**

Wavy Whitman

http://www.fun-world.net/92558.html

Initial Observations

• 81 Cleremount CW
• 96 Court of
• Charles Hernie
• 10:00 a.m
• Georgia
• Brochure: Two characters as of a dialogue between A. Lincoln and Whitman
• As in a dream
• Lessons for a president elect
• Jew the Christ...there is love
• Why now I shall know whether there is anything in your liberty...I can see how much you can stand
• Does the Queen of England represent 1000 years?... and the queen of Spain 1000 years?... and you?
• Welcome the story-welcome the trial-let the waves
• Why now I shall see what the old ship is made out of 
• Ship of liberty...blow mad winds!
• See what stuff you are made of...ship of liberty
• Welcome this menace- I welcome them with joy
• Ship of the world- Ship of Hammond- Ship of the ages
• Ship that connects the world...Ship of the hope of the world...Ship of promise
• Drawing of older man looking out into the future
• Another image of the same old man but with his hand extended as if he's welcoming the "menace" or any other person considering Whitman believes in universal brotherhood
• Drawing of what appears to be Abraham Lincoln with the iconic large top hat on 

Whitman's notebook revealed a lot about how highly he though of the United States considering he called the U.S the "ship of the hope of the world". In addition, Whitman has high expectations for President Lincoln as he is hoping that he will be able to unify the world and create this sense of universal brotherhood by accepting people from all walks of life even those who we consider to be a "menace". Also, I find it interesting how Whitman compared the U.S to a ship, considering ships are always moving forward, despite any turbulence or rough winds. I feel as though Whitman truly wants the U.S to continue to push forward and evolve so that we can set an example for countries all over the world. The overall tone of this text seemed to be extremely optimistic as Whitman seemed to think so highly of America, even calling it the "ship of promise". By reading this notebook, I was able to gain insight on Whitman's overall bubbly and upbeat attitude, as well as his overwhelming desires to see America embrace equality.

Post Observations

• He believed religion separated people instead of unifying therefore he wanted something that would connect people together
• He was against slavery, but didn't like the abolitionist movement as he felt it was dangerous for the union
• He wanted to create another religion that would include all religions so that no one would be excluded 
• Used the word Liberty instead of Libertad, suggests that freedom is beyond the borders of the U.S 
• The demise of the Union is part of a historical cycle
• Whitman feels as though the challenges that Lincoln will face are going to be much harder than  before
• "Black clouds of death"....the price that Whitman believes the nation will soon have to pay
• The images are unlikely to have been drawn by Whitman
• The images were portraits of Whitman...not Lincoln
• Image of a harp, a symbol of poetry
• The last line being, "the last war": people were associating the civil war with a second American Revolution

After looking at the actual words of Whitman, the tone was a lot different than I initially thought. While Whitman did want the U.S to persevere and reach equality, he was a lot more concerned and worried with the outcome than I initially thought. He knew that Lincoln's job was going to be incredibly hard and doubted Lincoln's abilities, to an extent, considering he states that the U.S will reach the "black clouds of death" if a war were to ensue. I also find it interesting to see just how much of a liberal Whitman was. The fact that he wanted a religion to include all religions so that no one would feel left out is odd yet admirable. This notebook truly revealed just how much Whitman cared for his country, yet how he had little hope for the U.S following the Civil War considering he called it "The Last War".

• 
  

The American Dream

The American Dream is an integral concept that gives hope to people living within the United States that anything is possible. While the typical definition of the American Dream deals largely with materialistic objects such as a big house, nice car, etc., the true definition is based largely on perspective. Before beginning to write this post I asked my mom what her definition of the American Dream was. She replied by simply stating, "equitable freedom". Listening to her response fortified the idea that perspective plays a large role in the American Dream as I never really thought about freedom being a part of this dream considering America is supposed to be, "the land of the free". Now hearing my mom's definition, I understand why she would say this considering everyone isn't equally free. Different groups of people, whether it's based on race, gender, sexual orientation, etc, have certain limitations that push them further from equality and true freedom. 

Taking all of these points into consideration, my definition of the American dream would be happiness. To me, this combines freedom, equal opportunity, economic prosperity, family, etc. To aspire to be truly happy is what I personally think the American dream is. Happiness should be the motivator rather than solely materialistic objects like the typical definition of the American Dream. Personally, a big house and things of that nature do make me happy but it would be significantly less appealing without family and friends. 

Wealth is also an interesting concept to think about and to define. The first things that pops into my head is economic wealth considering when someone says that they are wealthy they typically mean rich. However wealth has a variety of other meanings such as self-wealth(confidence, assurance, etc.) and social wealth(friends, family etc.). So when thinking about the true definition of wealth, I would say it's a combination of all three types: Economic, self, and social. As far as the most important, I definitely think it's self, social, and then economic even though all three are important. My attitude towards wealth is that a balance should be created between the three, making self and social the most important. Loving yourself and having a strong confidence combined with being surrounded by people that make you happy and uplift you, is  truly a powerful thing as it leads you closer to the "American Dream"--Happiness. 

I definitely feel as though Americans' attitudes towards wealth deal strictly with economic wealth. Whether it's in music or advertisements, people are always influencing others to get more "stuff". The media makes it seem as though the richer you are, the more happy you are. We are constantly being bombarded by images of people in nice cars and giant homes smiling and laughing and looking as if they don't have a care in the world. These images are then ingrained in the minds of the American people as they see this and aspire to be like them. People in these high, influential positions should spread images of other types of wealth so that we Americans can become more well rounded, and self loving individuals. 

Poverty is another issue that is extremely prevalent in American society. To me, it seems as though everyone looks up to those who are wealthy, but seem to ignore those who are in poverty. We are so ready to take away programs such as food stamps, and universal healthcare without coming up with other practical solutions. Not to mention, I find it ironic how we have people in congress who have never been in low poverty situations making decisions about crucial government support programs. It's so easy for people who have never been in those types of situations to say things like "work harder" or "try harder" when they've never been in these predicaments. Also, without solving the key issue of education disparities within low income neighborhoods, poverty will continue to be an ongoing cycle that will become harder and harder to escape. 

The Danger in Translation 

Translations: 

#1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.

• Lack of punctuation
• Longer sentence with added adjectives
• "As" makes it sound less harsh...eases the reader into what is about to occur
• Use of transformed- gives an image of a complete and drastic change also has positive connotations
• Use of "awoke"- more formal

#2:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.

• Noun at the front of the sentence introduces character to the audience in an abrupt fashion
• woke/awoke- the use of "woke" makes the mood less uptight and formal
• Use of "changed"- sounds odd to the reader...alters the flow of the sentence
• "bug"- less specific, gets the audience questioning what type of bug. However, it still provides a similar image within the minds of the audience while not being as focused as the first
• bug vs. insect- "bug" has more negative connotations than insect

#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.

• Gregor/Gregory- Gregor sounds like more of a foreign name vs. Gregory which is a typical name in America
• "Troubled"- this has more negative connotations that uneasy
• With the use of  the phrase "he had found" it makes it sound like more of a surprise
• Enormous- provides imagery for the audience

#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.

• "One morning"- The beginnings of a fairytale or fable, makes the reader believe the story will begin in a positive manner
• "agitated dreams"- doesn't have the same negative connotations as the rest of the adjectives used to describe the dreams he had
• Use of punctuation- alters the readers pace/more choppy/ overuse of punctuation creates lengthy sentence...more drawn out
• "monstrous"- roots word: monster: negative connotations
• vermin- completely different meaning from the translations above....more of a negative connotation. 
• Intense imagery created

By evaluating each of the translated texts, it is clear that syntax, diction, punctuation, etc, largely impact the meaning as it alters the imagery, and overall tone and mood. There was a complete lack of punctuation in the first three translations which created a steady cadence for the reader, as well as sped up the overall rhythm which ultimately leaves the audience more surprised or caught off guard as a result of finding out that Samsa turned into a bug. In addition, by having no punctuation, there isn't a sense of suspense created which ultimately takes away from the drama of the sentence. Furthermore, word choice played a great part in the creation of meaning which could be shown by evaluating the four texts. Specifically the adjectives used to describe the type of dream Samsa had reveal a lot about tone as well as mood. For example, "uneasy dream" sounds a lot less serious than "troubled dream". The difference then allows the audience to feel more sympathy towards a character who had a "troubled" dream thus impacting the mood and setting a much darker tone 

Personally, I feel as though translation #4 is the most effective as it combines strong word choice, syntax, and imagery. By beginning the sentence with "One morning" and a comma,  it seem as though this story is a mere fairytale or that it will begin in a light and uplifting manor considering all the audience initially reads is this phrase before taking a pause. This irony is one of the reasons that this sentence is the best as it caused the mood to be abruptly shifted from hopeful and optimistic to surprised and disgusted. Word choice was also key in this sentence as the use of the phrase "monstrous vermin" created the most foul image within the audience's minds in relation to the other sentences. While there is a slight change in meaning from insect or bug to vermin, I think that vermin holds a lot more negative connotations than the other two nouns used which helps to add to the repulsive nature of the text. 

When reading each translated sentence, there are definitely dangers in translation as the overall message might have been similar in all four, but the tone and mood is drastically different. Specifically speaking, text 2 is immensely different from text 4, as 2 seems a lot more lighthearted considering the character only had "uneasy" dreams and turned into a "giant bug" versus "troubled dreams" and "monstrous vermin" which have a lot more negative and dark connotations. These differences are substantial and blatantly show the dangers of translation and how the perspective of the translator can greatly impact the the end result and how this end result is perceived from varying audiences. 

Practice IOC

1) Preparation:

2) Recording: http://vocaroo.com/i/s1sjTQxj5yKB


3) Grading:

• Knowledge and Understanding of the text or extract: 7
• Whenever I would give a claim, I backed it with textual evidence that directly supported the claim. I was able to show my understanding of the extract by giving explanations of each portion and showing how it affected the bigger picture. 
• Understanding of the use and effects of literary features: 6
• I think that I was able to discuss the use of literary devices in an effective manor as well as the effect it has on the audience and overall text. However, I could have gone into greater detail about how these devices affect the audience in order to receive a higher score.
• Organization: 4
• I feel as though I was pretty well organized as I went from literary device, to literally device and gave examples for each one. I also went in the order of the text so that it would be coherent and easily followed.
• Language: 3
• My language was effective and clear but I probably could have used more formal language while discussing elements from the text. I also need to work on my use of filler words and work on rambling. 

I've Got You Covered....

**FREEBIE**.....#PanthersNation

Storytelling & Abortion

In the TedTalk, "A better way to talk about abortion" by Aspen Baker, Baker argues the importance of transforming topics of conflict, such as abortion, to topics of conversation. With this as the basis of her argument, she proceeds to address other issues such as poverty and sexuality and how people must create empathy regardless of their political stance on such issues. Therefore, through this TedTalk, Baker hoped to alter the perspectives of the audience and have them flee from rigid positions, and merely understand the ideas and stories of every person. 

In order to get her point across, Baker utilized a combination of ethos, logos, and pathos in attempt to fully capture the audience and have them open their minds to the idea of shifting conflict to conversation. 

• Ethos: Baker's credibility is established near the middle of her TedTalk as she discusses how she cofounded an organization nearly 15 years ago called "Exhale". She then proceeds to discuss how this foundation was created in order to give people an outlet to talk about their abortions and other tough issues in a non-bias and non-political environment. In addition to the fact that Baker has her own organization, her credibility also increases with her use of statistics within her presentation. Facts such as, "one in three women in America will have an abortion in their lifetime" strengthens her credibility as it made her seem like more of an expert in her particular field. In all, Baker's use of ethos is relatively effective as it made her seem like a more reliable source considering her role in her organization and knowledge of abortion. 

• Logos: This was an integral tool that Baker utilized as her supporting evidence consisted of basic/logical characteristics such as the need for an increase in listening skills as well as empathy. While there wan't an abundance of evidence, the evidence that was used seemed compelling as it evoked a sort of "aha" moment within the audience considering her suggestions seemed realistic. To further her point of conflict to conversation, she addressed a stance called "provoice" which strips away the political conflict surrounding abortion and other controversial topics, and deals more with listening and storytelling. By elaborating on the importance of listening and informing the audience of ways they can strengthen such skills(ex. asking open ended questions), the audience is able to further see her perspective considering these are quite logical suggestions. As far as bias, Baker had an abortion following graduating from college. This could have hindered her from evaluating the pro-life aspect of abortion but ultimately didn't affect her argument as she never outwardly stated that she was pro-life, or pro-choice.

• Pathos: Baker attempted to create emotion within the audience as she discussed her abortion and how she was conflicted with making the decision. She then proceeded to say how she never had anyone to discuss this with as it is not a topic that people are having or are comfortable with having. This led to her argument pertaining to being "provoice" and how people need an outlet to talk about these events. Overall, this was an effective strategy as it made the audience think critically about differing perspectives and how this idea of people not having an outlet is actually true considering these topics are so politically charged. 

Personally, this TedTalk was really interesting as Baker discussed the topic of abortion in a very non-traditional way. As someone who considers themselves to be on the side of pro-life, I was initially intrigued by the title as I thought it was nearly impossible to have a "better way to talk about abortion". This video way completely different from what I thought it would be, as she discussed a solution or an idea that isn't really talked about. As humans we tend to like controversy and the idea of being on the winning side. However, the way Baker stressed the importance of active listening and empathy, made me alter the way in which I look at such topics. 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images

Double Indemnity

The 1940's was an interesting time period for women as their roles in society changed rather frequently. Initially, they had little to no rights within the job force, earning significantly less than their male counterparts for completing the same tasks. With the onset of World War II, factories were in desperate need of workers as most of their employees were drafted to the war. Women were then able to step up to the plate and take over the jobs that normally would have been filled by men. Women began to be seen in a more powerful way and were beginning to be looked at as more than house wives and caretakers. However, this newly formed power didn't last too long as the return of soldiers brought widespread wage cuts and layoffs for women. The powerful image that society once held towards women, swiftly changed as the original mindset of gender roles began to resurface. 

In the film, "Double Indemnity", Barbara Stanwyck's character, Phyllis Dietrichson,was portrayed in a variety of ways just like that of women's rights in the 1940's. In the opening scene where we first see Phyllis, she is conveyed in a very sexual, yet rather powerful manor that reflects the way in which women tend to be seen for more of their physical attributes than their psychological. We see Phyllis for the first time standing on the second level of her home wearing nothing but a towel. The angle used to convey this scene, was that of a high angle which is used to make the person or object look superior or powerful in relation to the audience or in this case, Walter Neff. To Walter, Phyllis was mesmerizing with her iconic ankle bracelet and exposed legs walking down the staircase. Accompanied by a tracking shot and high contrast lighting, the audience is taken along this stroll, never losing sight of her features. As a result, Walter sees her as a beautiful, yet unattainable woman that he would love to some how get the chance to be with; and to the audience, she is seen as a woman that could do no wrong. 

Of course Phyllis doesn't remain in this innocent role as she gradually becomes more and more deceitful as the film progresses. The audience is able to see just how manipulative she can be in order to get what she desires. No better scene depicts these character traits as the scene that occurs around the 1 hour and 35 minute mark where Phyllis is sitting on a chair smoking a cigarette and Walter comes in to confront her about her perpetual lies. This scene is the complete opposite of the one discussed in the previous paragraph as Phyllis is displayed on both a low angle, and shown in extremely low key lighting. These contrasting scenarios truly show the shifting in characters along with their roles. The intense dark lighting correlates with Phyllis' manipulate and evil demeanor while the low angle suggests that because of her actions she is now seen as less than or subhuman in relation to both the audience as well as Walter. Walter has lost all forms of respect for her, as he is now putting the pieces together in terms of all of her disturbing crimes she has committed. 

This last scene shows a lot about the views towards women during the 1940's as it seems to convey the message that a women who is too overtly sexual, or too powerful, must have some level of deceit within her. This furthers the notion during the 40's that women should be sweet, covered, house wives who are soft spoken and always obey their husbands. Essentially, this film seems to say to not trust women who own their sexuality because they'll be able to use their bodies to get anything they desire.