The new Hobbit movie comes out on Dec 14! I just saw the new trailer for it and let me say, it is looking pretty awesome. I'm sure that it will be amazing regardless, but I would prefer if it didn't have too much foreshadowing to the Lord of the Rings in it because I feel like that didn't really happen in the book, but then again, maybe not. I haven't read it in a crazy long time. Actually, I think that I might have only read it once. Yeah, I don't remember reading it more than once. I should defiantly if I have time read it before the movie comes out. I remember last year Sherlock Holmes was coming out right in the middle of December and it correlated perfectly with the end of the semester so I was able to go see it at midnight on the day that I took my last final. It would be awesome if I could do that again, but I'm not sure what the last day of the semester is this year, or when my finals are. I'll have to check.
Speaking of movies, for my culture credit tonight I'm going to watch Princess Mononoke. As much as I was complaining about Japanese the other day, it is pretty cool that I get to watch anime for culture credit. Another option we have for culture credit down the road is attend a sacrament meeting in Japanese. I guess that you could go to all of church, but sacrament is all that you have to go to. I'm sure that I wouldn't be able to understand half of what they were saying though. Is there even a Japanese ward in Provo? I think there might be because of the language housing place. I'll have to see. Anyway, if that goes well I'll let you know how it goes.
Hey, I just realized that my birthday is in two weeks. What should I do for it?
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Steak and Salmon
So today down at the Branbury then had a steak and salmon feed with potatoes, and salad, and cotton candy and it was awesome. When I had the option though I chose salmon, because salmon is awesome but the crazy cats that I was with decided that I was the crazy one and that steak was far better than salmon, So what is your all's opinion? Steak or salmon?
Hmm, I really can't think of what else to say. I sat underneath a dangerous tree today. I think they were acorns but I'm not sure, but something in the tree kept falling down on people who were underneath. I didn't get hit but there were a few close calls. Ok, so it's been 8 minutes and I'm blanking on stuff to talk about so... the end!
Hmm, I really can't think of what else to say. I sat underneath a dangerous tree today. I think they were acorns but I'm not sure, but something in the tree kept falling down on people who were underneath. I didn't get hit but there were a few close calls. Ok, so it's been 8 minutes and I'm blanking on stuff to talk about so... the end!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Analyzing Poetry
So, in my Literary Interpretations class we are currently learning about different methods of analyzing poetry and let me tell you, it is some of the most ridiculous stuff I have ever heard. I don't know who decided that the people who came up with the methods of analyzing poetry had that authority but, I'm so glad that around the 90's or so people started challenging their ideas and decided that they make no sense because really, they do. Let me share with you some of the basic ideas.
1) In order to truly understand poetry, historical context must be ignored. Apparently, poetry is only relateable to whatever is currently going on, no matter when it was written. Now, while I see how you can certainly apply old poems to current situations, it seems weird that that "true" way to analyze a poem means that you have disregard everything that was going on at the time it was written.
2) In order to truly understand poetry, authorial intent must be ignored. So now, not only are we ignoring what was happening when the poem was written, but also what the author was trying to say. Again, I can see how you can gain meaning from a poem without knowing what the author wanted you to know, but still, why not consider it?
3) In order to truly understand poetry, reader background must be ignored. Here the argument is that readers are subjective and that they will twist the interpretation of the poem to fit into their life. Well, yes, that is true. But if you aren't trying to make the poem connect with your life than what the heck are you analyzing it for anyway?
4) All allusion is essentially a lie. Since we are ignoring authorial intent, than we must ignore all allusion as we know it. Instead, all allusion is a two way street. For example, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (yes, I realize that this isn't actually a poem) alludes heavily to the Bible, but, the Bible also alludes heavily to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Even though it was written thousands of years earlier. Ok, I can kind of understand this idea if you read texts out of the order that they were historically written, but can you imagine if someone came up to you and said "Wow, I just finished reading the Four Gospels, there sure are a lot of allusions to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in it!"
Basically, all that matters to these crazy poetry people it the text itself. As in, the words themselves. So there is a lot of study about denotation, and connotation, and why this word was used instead of that word and so on and blah, blah, blah. It's really a pretty dry and dull way to analyze something, but I'd probably be ok with it (aside from the fact that it's kind of boring) except that when the critics get tired of analyzing words, they start breaking their own rules.
Today we read some analysis by a guy who said that all poets essentially go through a literary Oedipus Complex, where they feel the need to "kill" whatever poetry they are alluding to and to make their piece better (oh, also apparently, according to him, every work of poetry refers to another work, whether you realize it or not). So, aside from the fact that this theory is a bunch of malarkey, it's all about authorial intent, it ignores the idea of "two way allusion", for the most part it deals with historical context, and is highly subject to the critics own interpretations. So, yeah, it just broke every rule and it's still a dumb was to analyze poetry.
Ironically, the only idea behind analyzing poetry that I thought was good was the three rules that they rip out of the text book in "Dead Poet's Society" (although I have no idea what happens in the rest of the story, we just watched that clip in class) which are that poetry should be measured by:
1) Determining the objective of the poem, what is the poem about, or what is it trying to tell you?
2) How well does the poem complete its objective/s (or its measure of focus)
3) How important are the objectives of the poem to the readers (or its measure of significance)
A good poem either completes its objective/s well or has ideas that are important to the reader. A great poem is both important to the reader and is masterful in completing or expressing its objective/s.
That sounds like a good way to look at poetry to me!
1) In order to truly understand poetry, historical context must be ignored. Apparently, poetry is only relateable to whatever is currently going on, no matter when it was written. Now, while I see how you can certainly apply old poems to current situations, it seems weird that that "true" way to analyze a poem means that you have disregard everything that was going on at the time it was written.
2) In order to truly understand poetry, authorial intent must be ignored. So now, not only are we ignoring what was happening when the poem was written, but also what the author was trying to say. Again, I can see how you can gain meaning from a poem without knowing what the author wanted you to know, but still, why not consider it?
3) In order to truly understand poetry, reader background must be ignored. Here the argument is that readers are subjective and that they will twist the interpretation of the poem to fit into their life. Well, yes, that is true. But if you aren't trying to make the poem connect with your life than what the heck are you analyzing it for anyway?
4) All allusion is essentially a lie. Since we are ignoring authorial intent, than we must ignore all allusion as we know it. Instead, all allusion is a two way street. For example, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (yes, I realize that this isn't actually a poem) alludes heavily to the Bible, but, the Bible also alludes heavily to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Even though it was written thousands of years earlier. Ok, I can kind of understand this idea if you read texts out of the order that they were historically written, but can you imagine if someone came up to you and said "Wow, I just finished reading the Four Gospels, there sure are a lot of allusions to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in it!"
Basically, all that matters to these crazy poetry people it the text itself. As in, the words themselves. So there is a lot of study about denotation, and connotation, and why this word was used instead of that word and so on and blah, blah, blah. It's really a pretty dry and dull way to analyze something, but I'd probably be ok with it (aside from the fact that it's kind of boring) except that when the critics get tired of analyzing words, they start breaking their own rules.
Today we read some analysis by a guy who said that all poets essentially go through a literary Oedipus Complex, where they feel the need to "kill" whatever poetry they are alluding to and to make their piece better (oh, also apparently, according to him, every work of poetry refers to another work, whether you realize it or not). So, aside from the fact that this theory is a bunch of malarkey, it's all about authorial intent, it ignores the idea of "two way allusion", for the most part it deals with historical context, and is highly subject to the critics own interpretations. So, yeah, it just broke every rule and it's still a dumb was to analyze poetry.
Ironically, the only idea behind analyzing poetry that I thought was good was the three rules that they rip out of the text book in "Dead Poet's Society" (although I have no idea what happens in the rest of the story, we just watched that clip in class) which are that poetry should be measured by:
1) Determining the objective of the poem, what is the poem about, or what is it trying to tell you?
2) How well does the poem complete its objective/s (or its measure of focus)
3) How important are the objectives of the poem to the readers (or its measure of significance)
A good poem either completes its objective/s well or has ideas that are important to the reader. A great poem is both important to the reader and is masterful in completing or expressing its objective/s.
That sounds like a good way to look at poetry to me!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Last Friday Night
So, I spaced out yesterday and forgot to write so you get to
hear from me today. I spent the high majority of yesterday paper quilling,
which if you don’t know, is when you take strips of paper and wrap them up into
shapes. It can look kind of cool. The only problem with it though is that it
takes forever! I also played bigger or better with Sarah and Autumn. If you
remember me talking about the time I played with Karen last year, than you know
that I know how this game is best played.
We started off the game with a mechanical pencil and ended
with some kind of Cortozone 10 type of skin irritation lotion. We decided to
stick with that because Sarah actually needed it. So we kept it and went back
to the apartment to find something else. So we got an old Christmas ornament
that was left by their old roommate and we ended up with a computer monitor.
Yep, some guy gave us a computer monitor. It was a pretty newish one too. What
on earth we would do with that, I have no idea, but hey, who knows right? So we
kept the monitor and went back to the apartment and got a can of tomato paste
(why anyone would want tomato paste anyway is beyond me) and ended up with a
frying pan. Yeah, people are willing to give up some weird stuff, but whatever.
After that we made no bake cookies with some random stuff that was around.
Sarah had the awesome idea to put the no bakes before they had set up over
bananas. I’ll admit that I was a little skeptical at first, but it turned out
pretty awesome.
I don’t really have a whole lot of plans for today, aside
from doing homework, but tonight I am going to a dance performance called
Evidance. I have to go and write a paper on it for my dance class, but I think
that I’ll be pretty good, so I’m kind of interested in going.
I also discovered today the best way to get rid of extra
change. You just take all of your left over nickels and dimes and put them in
the vending machine. Then you push the button to get your money back (or buy
something if you want I guess) and you get quarters back that you can use for
laundry. It’s a good way to get laundry money too since I don’t know where a
change machine is around here. I’m kind of surprised that they aren’t around
more, I mean everyone needs quarters.
So, have a good weekend and do something awesome.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Today we did group reviews in my composing personal history class. I always find it interesting what people have to say and I actually did find today helpful. My favorite critiquing, review things, whatever you want to call them were the ones that I did in my screenwriting class. I love it when they would read my scripts because they were all totally meant to be taken at boring old face value but the class would always try to find some hidden illusions or secret meanings or something crazy like that. It was kind of like listening to conspiracy theories but it was about stuff that I had written. Apparently with my writing today though I need to deromneyify it because it comes off as too cold shoulder and not personal enough. I think that my 150 prof was trying to tell me that last year when she said that me that I wrote "too well". That's such a weird thing to say though, that it's "too good".
I haven't really done anything else exciting today. I watched some parks and rec and I actually got some work done during my ginormous 3 hour break between classes. Crazy right?
So no big plans for the upcoming weekend. Tomorrow night I think I'm going to one of the classic movies the library is putting on and then Saturday I'm going to a dance performance.
I haven't really done anything else exciting today. I watched some parks and rec and I actually got some work done during my ginormous 3 hour break between classes. Crazy right?
So no big plans for the upcoming weekend. Tomorrow night I think I'm going to one of the classic movies the library is putting on and then Saturday I'm going to a dance performance.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Thoughts on Blood (and other things)
What to write about today? I don't have a specific rant planned. I went to a health and wellness fair this afternoon where I had a spinach smoothy and then I went home later and actually made one. It was actually alright. Especially considering that there was spinach in it. I don't dislike spinach, but it just seems like a weird thing to put in a smoothy. They also had a blood testing booth so I had my blood tested. I already knew that I was B+ but I wanted to watch them do it to see what it actually looked like. It was kind of cool. Speaking of blood, some of my friends have started giving plasma to pick up a little extra cash and I guess sometimes it can be green? That's kind of crazy.
Oh, and another question. So a lot of your blood is blue but turns red when exposed to oxygen right? So why is it that when you give blood it's red? It hasn't been exposed to oxygen since leaving your body right? Is it because it still contains blood from when you inhaled? How crazy would that be if you gave blood and it came out blue? One time I burned my arm right across one of my veins and the burn turned purple, I assume because of the blue and red blood mixing together. Is that why bruises can be purple and blue too? After all, bruises are just broken blood vessels right?
Today I also went to a debate about the economy with the college republican and college debate teams. I'm trying to become more informed about the different issues. I'm pretty sure Hannah, Seth, and Aaron would all be pretty aghast if they knew how unknowledgeable about everything I still am but I'm working on it... some. The debate was sort of interesting. The problem I had with some of it was that they would start arguing about something that I didn't know what it was so I'd just tune them out. Basically what I took away from it was that both parties want to give the middle class more money to spend to put more money into the economy. The republicans want to do that by lowering taxes and the democrats want to do that by giving people loans. At least that's what I think they were saying. If not, that's to me what they're saying now!
Oh, and another question. So a lot of your blood is blue but turns red when exposed to oxygen right? So why is it that when you give blood it's red? It hasn't been exposed to oxygen since leaving your body right? Is it because it still contains blood from when you inhaled? How crazy would that be if you gave blood and it came out blue? One time I burned my arm right across one of my veins and the burn turned purple, I assume because of the blue and red blood mixing together. Is that why bruises can be purple and blue too? After all, bruises are just broken blood vessels right?
Today I also went to a debate about the economy with the college republican and college debate teams. I'm trying to become more informed about the different issues. I'm pretty sure Hannah, Seth, and Aaron would all be pretty aghast if they knew how unknowledgeable about everything I still am but I'm working on it... some. The debate was sort of interesting. The problem I had with some of it was that they would start arguing about something that I didn't know what it was so I'd just tune them out. Basically what I took away from it was that both parties want to give the middle class more money to spend to put more money into the economy. The republicans want to do that by lowering taxes and the democrats want to do that by giving people loans. At least that's what I think they were saying. If not, that's to me what they're saying now!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The Conundrum
So everyone, I have a conundrum that you should help me to resolve. In order to graduate I have to take either 4 semesters of a foreign language or another semester of math, either Calculus, Stats, or I think some weird math philosophy class. Not being too particularly fond of math, I decided to take a foreign language, after all, I'm going to be in school for at least 4 semesters anyway. Now here lies the problem. I started taking Japanese, since I had taken it in high school and I had friends who had taken/were taking it and it's a language that might actually be useful. I assumed that I would continue enjoy learning it. The problem is that... I don't, at all. Have you ever done a project where you pick a topic that you really enjoy but by the end of the project you never want to hear someone mention that topic again and you have to avoid it for a while? Japanese is like that for me, except that I can't just ignore it, I have to study it every day for the next 4 semesters, theoretically. So here now are my options: Continue to study Japanese, switch to a new language, or take a math class. So, here's the problem with each situation.
1) Continue to study Japanese
Suck it up and study Japanese for the next two years. Do reasonably well in the class ( I certainly don't have the gift of tongues but I do ok) and try to enjoy it but probably fail.
2) Switch to another language
This would probably be ASL. Have to start over at 4 semesters of study next semester and potentially have to go to school for an extra semester. Get about the same grades, maybe a little better if I enjoyed it. Possible enjoy the language more but no guarantee
3) Take a math class
Have one horrible semester filled with a subject that I don't necessarily hate but certainly have a strong difficulty understanding. Work my tail off for probably a not that great grade and be most likely extremely frustrated and discouraged for a semester (math and I just don't understand each other. That's why we ended it the first time). Possible repercussions on my GPA for the lower grade I'll undoubtedly get but be done after only one semester. No affect on length of time in school.
So, thoughts, opinions? The add/drop deadline for this semester has already passed so I'm stuck with Japanese for this semester whatever I decide but who knows what I should do next. At least I have a semester to figure it out and who knows, maybe I'll enjoy Japanese again after a while.
1) Continue to study Japanese
Suck it up and study Japanese for the next two years. Do reasonably well in the class ( I certainly don't have the gift of tongues but I do ok) and try to enjoy it but probably fail.
2) Switch to another language
This would probably be ASL. Have to start over at 4 semesters of study next semester and potentially have to go to school for an extra semester. Get about the same grades, maybe a little better if I enjoyed it. Possible enjoy the language more but no guarantee
3) Take a math class
Have one horrible semester filled with a subject that I don't necessarily hate but certainly have a strong difficulty understanding. Work my tail off for probably a not that great grade and be most likely extremely frustrated and discouraged for a semester (math and I just don't understand each other. That's why we ended it the first time). Possible repercussions on my GPA for the lower grade I'll undoubtedly get but be done after only one semester. No affect on length of time in school.
So, thoughts, opinions? The add/drop deadline for this semester has already passed so I'm stuck with Japanese for this semester whatever I decide but who knows what I should do next. At least I have a semester to figure it out and who knows, maybe I'll enjoy Japanese again after a while.
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