“Kids, think about your public?” I continuously hear in class. “Every single article you have read, every text has a specific purpose.” “Would you write the same way to an adult than to a K-4 child?”
Yes, I know. It’s a pretty boring idea to here over and over in every single class, at least twice a week. However, I must recognize it is a pretty good advice, though it’s not that easy to apply it and yet sound natural. Like now, I’m sitting trying to write the most honest, natural and practical piece I’ve written, and yet I can hear my teacher saying, “Sara…you should consider proofreading this. Remember proof reading is the most important part of writing.” But yet I’m not going to change. This is my first attempt to write a contemporary piece, and I will use Kurt Vonnecut’s first chapter of “Slaughterhouse-Five” as my tutor.
My first lesson: know how to arrive to the public. Kurt used a relaxed tone throughout the chapter saying “So it goes” (Kurt Vonnecut. Slaughterhouse-Five. Pg. 6, 9, 21, 22) five times, “Mr. So-and-So” (Kurt Vonnecut. Slaughterhouse-Five. Pg 7) once, and starting countless paragraphs with the word “So” as we see in page 9, 13, 15 and 22. Later, the reader had to pass through several pages of text and ideas from other authors on the serious matter of “Children’s Crusades” (Kurt Vonnecut. Slaughterhouse-Five. Pg. 15.) So my tutor used the contrast between the words and the matter to leave the massage instilled in the reader for a pretty long time.
Second Lesson: play with the reader so he breaks the rule of order. I have no idea whatsoever how Vonnecut was able to pull this off, but he did. First, he gave us small insights of the future and when he arrived to the moment when the scene actually happened, Kurt repeated the scene as if he hadn’t said a word about it. For example, in the beginning he wrote: “ And I’m reminded, too, of the song that goes:
My name is Yon Yonson,
I work in Wisconsin,
I work in a lumbermill there.
The people I meet when I walk down the street,
They say, “What’s your name?”
And I say,
“My name us Yon Yonson,
I work in Wisconsin…”(Kurt Vonnecut. Slaughterhouse-Five. Pg.3) Later, in page 7, out of the wild the sentence comes reminding us of the song, saying, “My name is Yon Yonson, I work in Wisconsin, I work in the lumbermill there.” These fascinating games Kurt plays with the reader catch the attention, especially when he does many similar moves like this one.
Finally, what really impressed me is that I couldn’t resist the temptation of skipping the entire book until the last page, after reading, “This is a failure, and had to be, since it was written by a pillar of salt. It begins like this:
Listen:
Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time.
It ends like this:
Poo-tee-weet?” (Kurt Vonnecut. Slaughterhouse-Five. Pg. 22) And the bittersweet part is…it does end like that.
“Yes Mr. Vonnecut, Slaughterhouse-Five chapter one. I think I achieved today’s goal.” I say.
“Well, what is the goal, Sara?” He says.
“For contemporary writing breaking the rules is a luxury, and feel free to play with the reader, as long as you highlight the importance of the theme with contrast.” I reply.
“Bravo. Now you may go to chapter two.” He responds.
lunes, 31 de agosto de 2009
jueves, 27 de agosto de 2009
The Two Faces of a Coin
During the reading, we can see how Dante is divided into the student that followed Virgil and the Dante that is narrating.
Analyzing, I found out that Dante that narrates, has had integrity through the entire trek. For example, we can see he grows nervous and speechless in the forest when he said, “Ah, it is hard to speak of what it was, that savage forest, dense and difficult, which even in recall renews my fear: so bitter-death is hardly more severe!” (Inferno, Canto I, 4-7). At the same time, we can notice the same insecurity at the end of hell, when in Canto XXXIV lines 22-27 he said, “O reader, do not ask of me how I grew faint and frozen then- I cannot write it: all words would fall short of what it was. I did not die, and I was not alive; think for yourself, if you have any wit, what I became, deprived of life and death.” We can notice that when he first says, “so bitter-death is hardly more severe!” he repeats himself later talking about the state between “life and death” explaining he “did not die, and I was not alive.” Dante kept this side of him very stabilized and with the same ideas and thoughts, because when he was writing the narration he was no longer in his journey. This solid character gives the reader a look into future, so we can see what Dante finally turned into.
However, the student shows us more the personal changes in Dante through the book. One of Dante’s most significant grows was in recognizing the importance of being good, and every time he became less flexible with sinners. “Francesca, your afflictions move me to tears of sorrow and of pity.” (Canto V, 116-117) he said in the second circle to an unfaithful soul, but “O unenlightened creatures” (Canto VII, 70) was his response when he saw the avaricious in the seventh circle. I believe with this clue we can take an educated guess to what the Inferno would be like if it wouldn’t have stopped in the Treacherous.
Knowing the character Dante will turn into, and the pace and stream he is growing into, I have the adequate constrains to believe that prolonging the Inferno would mean that humans and souls have turned into a rotten race. If there are souls that should go under Lucifer, they have to be so poor that even though they have to suffer like any other, and yet their sweat wouldn’t melt down Dante but actually strength in it. I can’t think of a crime that would make Minos tell a soul to go to the circle under Lucifer, though I would make that circle the home of the souls that feed themselves from the pain of others, or the people that only spoke lies.
Maybe after all the centuries after Dante there have been sins that would deserve such punishment, and that would mean that the people have turned into a sour race, but it will also be a green light for others to change.
Analyzing, I found out that Dante that narrates, has had integrity through the entire trek. For example, we can see he grows nervous and speechless in the forest when he said, “Ah, it is hard to speak of what it was, that savage forest, dense and difficult, which even in recall renews my fear: so bitter-death is hardly more severe!” (Inferno, Canto I, 4-7). At the same time, we can notice the same insecurity at the end of hell, when in Canto XXXIV lines 22-27 he said, “O reader, do not ask of me how I grew faint and frozen then- I cannot write it: all words would fall short of what it was. I did not die, and I was not alive; think for yourself, if you have any wit, what I became, deprived of life and death.” We can notice that when he first says, “so bitter-death is hardly more severe!” he repeats himself later talking about the state between “life and death” explaining he “did not die, and I was not alive.” Dante kept this side of him very stabilized and with the same ideas and thoughts, because when he was writing the narration he was no longer in his journey. This solid character gives the reader a look into future, so we can see what Dante finally turned into.
However, the student shows us more the personal changes in Dante through the book. One of Dante’s most significant grows was in recognizing the importance of being good, and every time he became less flexible with sinners. “Francesca, your afflictions move me to tears of sorrow and of pity.” (Canto V, 116-117) he said in the second circle to an unfaithful soul, but “O unenlightened creatures” (Canto VII, 70) was his response when he saw the avaricious in the seventh circle. I believe with this clue we can take an educated guess to what the Inferno would be like if it wouldn’t have stopped in the Treacherous.
Knowing the character Dante will turn into, and the pace and stream he is growing into, I have the adequate constrains to believe that prolonging the Inferno would mean that humans and souls have turned into a rotten race. If there are souls that should go under Lucifer, they have to be so poor that even though they have to suffer like any other, and yet their sweat wouldn’t melt down Dante but actually strength in it. I can’t think of a crime that would make Minos tell a soul to go to the circle under Lucifer, though I would make that circle the home of the souls that feed themselves from the pain of others, or the people that only spoke lies.
Maybe after all the centuries after Dante there have been sins that would deserve such punishment, and that would mean that the people have turned into a sour race, but it will also be a green light for others to change.
martes, 25 de agosto de 2009
Whiteland
With rules
We maintain order
And never keep the fools.
It's your dreams we clone
And perfection lies
In this zone.
After the border
Chaos is grown
But under our cover
Tranquility is in reorder.
We maintain order
And never keep the fools.
It's your dreams we clone
And perfection lies
In this zone.
After the border
Chaos is grown
But under our cover
Tranquility is in reorder.
Time to Change?
The video Two of the Twilight Zone, has some important symbols and meanings that relate to other pieces such as Dante’s Inferno. I will try to identify some of the relationships in order to understand the poetic justice.
I can relate the video with some symbols of Dante’s Inferno. For example, during the last circles, Dante sees that the people aren’t burning in hell, but stuck in ice. In this case, the ice represents the cold and hard hearts the treacherous had. In contrast, during Two, the scenario is a very lonely one just like the characters hearts. Nevertheless, there are other symbols that are the opposite, such as the dress. I understood the dress as a peace symbol, or a get away from that lonely heart. Meanwhile, in the Inferno no matter how much pain you have you must continue forever, with no exceptions. In the Inferno, the rules are much more strict, so we can see that the characters that caused pain will live with agonization eternally, while in the video the characters had the chance to change and the poetic justice ended up as a positive consequence.
I can relate the video with some symbols of Dante’s Inferno. For example, during the last circles, Dante sees that the people aren’t burning in hell, but stuck in ice. In this case, the ice represents the cold and hard hearts the treacherous had. In contrast, during Two, the scenario is a very lonely one just like the characters hearts. Nevertheless, there are other symbols that are the opposite, such as the dress. I understood the dress as a peace symbol, or a get away from that lonely heart. Meanwhile, in the Inferno no matter how much pain you have you must continue forever, with no exceptions. In the Inferno, the rules are much more strict, so we can see that the characters that caused pain will live with agonization eternally, while in the video the characters had the chance to change and the poetic justice ended up as a positive consequence.
jueves, 20 de agosto de 2009
Superman and Lucky Charm Conversation
Luckycharm
Hey there.
Superman
Hi dude. What is up?
Luckycharm
Nothing very interesting, what about you?
Superman
Not much, I am reading Inferno by Dante.
Luckycharm
Oh, I read that last year. It is pretty long, but enjoy it.
Superman
Yeah, well I am already in the circle of the avaricious.
Luckycharm
Ah, you are almost half way there, good luck.
Superman
Hey Ethan is having a party next Tuesday, do you want to come?
Luckycharm
Yes, sure. But I have to convince my mom to let me go, since she is really pissed off by the problem with Andrea.
Superman
Yeah try to convince her, but what problem with Andrea?
Luckycharm
You don’t know what happened?
Superman
I have no idea.
Luckycharm
Well, she gave me the answers for the AP exam, and my mom found out.
Superman
Oh, you are in trouble dude.
Luckycharm
Yeah, I know.
Superman
Well that sucks, but I have to get on reading. So, we will talk tomorrow.
Luckycharm
Ok, and thank you again for the invitation.
Superman
Bye.
Luckycharm
Bye.
Hey there.
Superman
Hi dude. What is up?
Luckycharm
Nothing very interesting, what about you?
Superman
Not much, I am reading Inferno by Dante.
Luckycharm
Oh, I read that last year. It is pretty long, but enjoy it.
Superman
Yeah, well I am already in the circle of the avaricious.
Luckycharm
Ah, you are almost half way there, good luck.
Superman
Hey Ethan is having a party next Tuesday, do you want to come?
Luckycharm
Yes, sure. But I have to convince my mom to let me go, since she is really pissed off by the problem with Andrea.
Superman
Yeah try to convince her, but what problem with Andrea?
Luckycharm
You don’t know what happened?
Superman
I have no idea.
Luckycharm
Well, she gave me the answers for the AP exam, and my mom found out.
Superman
Oh, you are in trouble dude.
Luckycharm
Yeah, I know.
Superman
Well that sucks, but I have to get on reading. So, we will talk tomorrow.
Luckycharm
Ok, and thank you again for the invitation.
Superman
Bye.
Luckycharm
Bye.
Flying Bill of Knowledge
The surface is full. The oceans have drowned a great deal of surface and land has sheltered the rest. Animals have over weighted the world, and the plants have made Earth one of the only green panoramas in the universe. There is no more space for anything else, and seeing to believe, is not a very useful thought. The modern world has adapted to the crowded world, so decided to make things inform of light, simple, weightless, fast and pure. Words have no material but a meaning, information in reachable but there’s no way of grabbing it, and music can be saved in the air with no need of instruments. This is our new way of living, a completely light and efficient way, were everyone is welcomed and can move and do whatever they want with little effort.
Literature has arrived to a point were it has mixed with the new way of living, and the product has turned into blogs, posts and other cyber works. With this new structure, we haven’t lost any essence, since we have written the same as we would have written in books. In the other hand, we have gained a lot since there is space for errors and the public is a larger one from anywhere in the world. Nevertheless, I must admit that just how there is pollution in the world, there is pollution in our light books or blogs. Like Sarah Boxer explained in her review of blogs, most people write any shallow and simple or stupid because, "They don't care if they leave you in the dust. They're not responsible for your education.” Fortunately, there are a lot of human trees that feed upon the pollution in our air, and explode the simple and creative language of smiles and clichés and rumors.
The new idea of blogs remembers me an advertisement of the Citibank. The poster had a bill folded in shape plane, and said that money can fly and move with no interests or luggage, and you can take it anywhere. Well, I believe that blogs are the same. I don’t need space, or pay any interests, they follow me anywhere I go and they carry themselves, just like a flying bill of knowledge.
Literature has arrived to a point were it has mixed with the new way of living, and the product has turned into blogs, posts and other cyber works. With this new structure, we haven’t lost any essence, since we have written the same as we would have written in books. In the other hand, we have gained a lot since there is space for errors and the public is a larger one from anywhere in the world. Nevertheless, I must admit that just how there is pollution in the world, there is pollution in our light books or blogs. Like Sarah Boxer explained in her review of blogs, most people write any shallow and simple or stupid because, "They don't care if they leave you in the dust. They're not responsible for your education.” Fortunately, there are a lot of human trees that feed upon the pollution in our air, and explode the simple and creative language of smiles and clichés and rumors.
The new idea of blogs remembers me an advertisement of the Citibank. The poster had a bill folded in shape plane, and said that money can fly and move with no interests or luggage, and you can take it anywhere. Well, I believe that blogs are the same. I don’t need space, or pay any interests, they follow me anywhere I go and they carry themselves, just like a flying bill of knowledge.
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