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A wireless culture

In last class we discussed how we are in a stare of wireless culture. Every part of society in some way has been transformed into a wireless culture. The ways in which we communicate have become a disembodied experience. We focused on what it means to be in sync regarding waves of radiation. this new wireless culture freed messages and communication from physical communication. Wireless communication occurs instantly, while the telegraph physically used wires and took more time to process. The application of the wireless apparatus disembodied society but it also allowed us to become more sociable connected to other cultures. The invention of the wireless created a new world that we only read about from physical textbooks, news articles and television. As advanced technology ushered in a new media we came to truly appreciate this new technology as fluid and real.

The message of "OF One Blood"

In class, on Thursday, we concluded the Pauline Hopkins "Of One Blood" The discussion focused on what type of novel it appeared to be. The novel can be seen as part science fiction novel. Hopkins is "rediscovering" the experience of African heritage. In class, the two terms "Restoration" and "excavation"These two term are a response to Black Intellectuals such as W.E.B DuBois and Booker T Washington, who sought to filter race through to uplift African-American, with a unrealistic mindset. Hopkins is using her faith and the Bible as a way to make the past relevant.

Attempting to break in side"OF ONE BLOOD"

"The Expedition with which Ruel Briggs found himself connected was made up of artist, sevans and several men---capitalist---who represented the business interests of the venture."

-Chap. 10 Of One Blood, Hopkins p.75

One of the most profound messages I took from such a complex text, is the connection Briggs is involved with this journey. Briggs become somewhat lost in this world of new capitalism. He become emmersed in a journey that he truly does Desire'' to comply with this journey. Changes in humanity is occuring. The physchological game that this "Expedition" make me think how we are of one journey in life and how one blood unifies all colors, race and background. The journey is purely financial or maybe I am just blowing smoke, in how I am attempting to break inside the message of this text. The quote mentions capitalism. So, I am thinking that maybe this voyage is purly financial. The goals of capitalism is to create a viable and competitive market place , where all within a society can achieve success through hard work. Briggs being in this journey discovers more about himself and how he is apart of the struggle, the pain and suffering of the african people.

The Mystic Pad

To make use of the Mystic Pad, one writes upon the celluloid portion of

the covering-sheet which rests upon the wax slab. For this purpose no pencil

or chalk is necessary, since the writing does not depend on material being

deposited upon the receptive surface. It is a return to the ancient method of

writing upon tablets of clay or wax: a pointed stilus scratches the surface, the

depressions upon which constitute the "writing."

-----“A Note upon the ‘Mystic Writing Pad”’ Freud

This passage from Freud gives a psychological glimpse into the process of writing. Many people do not view it as a process. The process of writing can be difficult at times, because some do not take it slow and think about the words and how to use language to express thoughts. Freud is stating how our minds work as blank slates and the information we process is by the stylus As the stylus writes information on our brain, new ideas are given to the human mind, which allow us to be human. In order to be truly human one must allow this self discovery process to occur.

#eng400 #writing

Henry James's In the Cage: Paper Proposal

For my paper, I would like propose the text of Henry James’s In the Cage. Generally, I would like to focus on the aspect of class and how it is mediated throughout the text. The object of study for my focus is the unnamed female telegraphist. The female telegrahist contains some aspect of control between the classes. Information passes through her and received from her. The female telegraphist is functioning as some type of media herself.

There are many questions I have to explore to breakdown this aspect of class mediation. How did this profession of a telegraphist change women’s roles in the late 19th century? What type of women worked in this profession? How is this idea of class division a critique on woman’s roles in the late 19th century? How are there distinctions between working women and middle class women of this time period?

For this paper, I plan on using some general search engines, like Google and yahoo to get a general idea of what women of this time period did for a living. Also, I plan on using more academic data bases to find more in-depth details regarding my topic.

Revisiting The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

" When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease--of joy that kills"

-The Story of an Hour

After reading this short story by Kate Chopin, I could not help but compare the text to Henry James's In The Cage. Both the novel and short story present a female protagonist that is focus of each work. Mrs. Malllard and the unnamed telegrahist are in search of some abstract type of fullfillment. The Unamed telegraphist is in search of control and domination of herself and placement in the world. while Mrs. Mallard is in search of true freedom. I have read the story of an hour many times and each time I dive into the text, I learn something new about how it is working. Mrs. Mallard and the Unamed telegraphist are both experiencing a tension dealing with men. Both novel and short story serve as a commentary on the sufferings of women. After close reading the final line ,from The Story of An Hour, I began to see how a typical sad event like death marks the begining of true joy.

The final lines in the short story allows the reader a glimpse into the mind of a woman, who desires to be free from an assumed abusive relationship. After finding out her husband is still alive, the story reaches this climaxtic event. Her death signifies the end of her suffering. The shortness of the story mimics the brief joy Mrs. Mallard feels after she finds out that her husband has died. After the revelation that this fact is false, she dies physically herself. Throughtout the short text, the reader is taken for an emotional ride with Mrs. Mallard. We are able to see her sense of freedom but only to witness in one fleeting moment her joy taken away from her and replaced with death. The act of dying is profound to Mrs. Mallard because it figuarative death in the text but a literal death to escape her disease that is her husband's exsistance. I also thought of how the title, the length of the tale are both working together. The title in a way tells you the length and speaks to the reader because the event occur in a short period of time.

The Difficulty in Reading Henry James

In last class, we discussed how to read Henry James. The Sentence structure is often difficult to understand. I found myself re reading many sentences over to get an idea of what was going in the novel. The plot is very fluid because it is a stream of consciousness novel. The ideas and situations are real, but they are occurring in the mind of the unnamed female telegraphist. We, the reader. are only given thoughts and flashes of her mind. Many times the subject is vague and unclears as stated by Professor Carey.

I would agree that the subject in James's 3rd stage of writing is very dense and abstract. Also, the fact that his writing style has stages is phenomenal. a The knowledge of what is presented is never explicit. The interpretation of what each sentence means is open to the reader. James's focus on language is very vague, but he is creating an effect and placing the reader in the text. I feel like James is the telegraphist, who contains all the secrets messages and desires. James has all the answers to these meanings, but leaves all the answers to the reader. I found that reading the novel with no distractions is the best policy. The sentence structure can get one lost in a character analysis. In class, Professor Carey discussed the effect of sliding pronouns, as another difficulty. I think James is allowing the reader to function as a medium to present order but disorderly. Perhaps out of disorder, the reader can make order. This process makes me think of Edgar Allan Poe's The Narrative Of Arthur Prym. Poe was trying allow the reader to discover truth and while that novel was difficult as well. In reading James, the reader is attempting to answer the question of meaning and function.

#eng400 #henry james #diffuclt

This distant reading assignment proved to be very challenging to me, due the fact I could not upload my word cloud, using Wordle or Voyant, on Tumblr.The novel of my choosing was Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I found this novel from what I goggled to be a novel about women’s roles and how those roles affects society. I tried not to summarize my thoughts concerning the novel. Nevertheless, I found it beneficial to scan over the text to gain a better understanding of the text.

In my discovery process, I noticed the words future, connected, civil and vanity were all used 18 times in the text. These words intrigued me greatly. I don’t think that Jane Austen placed this critical vocabulary in the text by accident. The exact number of times used for these words produces some type of effect for the reader. Most of the words in pertained to a female character. I am assuming that this female character is undergoing some type of rite of passage, into woman hood. Marriage may be involved through the usage of the word civil, which would denote some type of union. Vanity is usually associated with women.

I also noticed that many times the author used the word absence 27 times. Absence means not present in a certain place. Someone presence is lacking in the novel. The word usually is “connected” with a female character. What in the character life is missing? Another word that appears many times in the novel is “your”. It appears 465 times in the novel. Someone is being addressed in a direct manner. The word is functioning as a declaration to someone one. It is asserting to some character, which must be given some type of direction. The word “after” appears 199 times. After usually shows an action that has occurred after one instance. What function does this word serve in this novel? What is the effect of so many events happening after? Austen may be using many of these repetitive words to draw close attention to the actions of the main characters. Most frequent words used included the (4,496), to (4,209), of (3,717), and (3,607), her (2,216). The word “her” stuck out the most. This led me to believe that a woman was the antagonist of the story and centers around some type of conflict. The article “the” is not usual, because it usually starts a new sentence and begins a coherent thought.

Nevertheless, as I continued to scan for the frequency of more words I found the name of Elizabeth, which appeared 593 times. Elizabeth must be the focal character of the novel, because her name appears the most in the novel. After I noticed the name I discovered the focus on titles in the novel. The word ‘’miss” appears 283 times and “Mr.” appears 783 times. These are titles used for respect for adults. The male address appears more times than the female address. This suggests some type of division between the two sexes.

Overall, this assignment proved to very enjoyable. It allowed me think about dissecting a text by completely focusing on the words. The words form sentences and the sentences form the novel. From the words, a reader can learn what the text is attempting to communicate. The title itself suggests some type of division. A prejudice communicates division of some sort and pride is a behavior that is usually associated with “vanity”.

I found this really cool photo of a early telegraph post office. I get the sense of how one could become immersed in the job as a telegraphist. In my reading, I found the unknown female telegraphist to be one of isolation at the same time lost in the male dominated business.

"She had had a way then of glancing at the people's faces, but she had early learned that if you became a telegraphist you soon ceased to be astonished"

-Henry James, In The Cage

The unknown female telegraphist has become so absorbed in her job, that she almost becomes invisible. The faces become a part of her being and time becomes still. The single soletary moment of time becomes a way of living. There is a common cliche that says the eyes are the mirror into the soul. The souls of these faces become apart of the telegraphist. The telegraphist is a transporter of messages and therefore is the medium between people. She serves as the lines between their communication.The fact she understand her function, makes her the focus of these novella. I think James is presenting this work in a stream of consciousness style to show how complex the telegraphist job truly was and how women roles transformed and became a bit complex at times. The secret of the customers messages is highly respected to the female telegraphist. She lives in her own way of life. As I continue to read, I am wonder how her role will change?

#eng400 #telegraphist

In the Cage: A first take

"Her function was to sit there with two young men the other telegraphist an the counter-clerk; to mind the "sounder" which was always going, to dole out stamps an and postal-orders, weigh letters, answer stupid questions, give difficut change and, more anything else count words as numberless as the sands of the sea." -unnamed narrator, In The Cage

In diving in this novel, I noticed the internal monologue of this unnamed character. These flashes in time are occuring all in her mind. The above quote gives the reader a glimpse into how the woman functions in society. Her postition is what defines her and makes her intergral part of the company she is a "slave" to. The quote also gives a glimpse into how she is apart of the lower class is exploited. In this male dominated society, she functions as piece of technology. She is lost as a person and becomes more of a machine.Also, the novel is giving me a sense of how women were lowed in class and considered slaves to their male counterparts. The quote mentions how the unamed woman answered "stupid" questions.

The new wave of communication was the telegraph. It shaped society and allowed women to work and see their roles, become relevant in a new communication age. In class, Professor Carey made the point that this novel takes place in England. England is the beginning of American Society and is the road map for American beliefs, language and laws. Furthurmore, the class issue make me view this novel as social commentary of how women were not in control of their situation, however in this novel, the unnamed woman is allowed to change her situation, yet she has a lack luster attitude to change. Another remarkable approach to the novel is how James unpacks the idea how class is a tension from the start of the novel. The idea of how women "function'' is varied and is often presented to the reader as a means of technolgy. Women must be subdued and looked after at all times, because if let to their own devices, they will not function properly. I think that is function of the two men, for the unnamed woman. The mere fact she is not presented with a name, shows how she is a shadow to her male workers.

Reflection of Hawthorne's work

The House of the Seven Gables. The various misfortunes that the Pyncheon family and the decay of the Mansion are one in the same. The moral decaying of Pyncheon family relating to land rights. I feel like Hawthorne is critiquing focusing on the past. The Mansion is an obvious symbol of the declining Pyncheon fortunes, but it also stands as a more simplistic warning against the dangers of becoming too reliant on the past. The house and the Pyncheon family lineage are dying spiritually and physically. The house still stands and is a reminder of the past. I still feel like these chapters are operating like portals into a new way reading literature. Hawthorne is challenging us think about the spiritual realm in relation to the physical world.

shellieanne92

"For centuries, humans have used various technologies to help manage data, whether it was Incan knots or Egyptian hieroglyphs. The introduction of new technologies, therefore, is an important part of the context in which we set meaning for new information." —Peter Schilling, Amherst College

This is an EXTREMELY interesting article that I recommend everyone read; especially those of you who are education majors! Peter Schilling discusses how the way we learn through technology actually changes our brain, which I know is a topic we touched on earlier in the semester.

I think the most important idea to take away from this article is how crucial it is to incorporate digital technology into the classroom and into learning. This is the world that surrounds us now—students today have access to technologies their teachers did not, and it is going to be almost impossible for a teacher to educate their students if they do not learn, understand, and utilize digital technology in the classrooms. This is how students’ minds have been re-wired; this is how they communicate.

I mean it when I say I am thankful that this class has pushed all of us to take the step towards using technology as epistemology (in other words, to study knowledge), because I believe this is how classrooms are going to be operating from now on. Or at least, until the next learning revolution comes our way!

zcjoneseng400

Maybe all of this weird shit that Hawthorne writes is just that…just him being weird and writing weird shit. Writing about some then- current issue, but not really writing about it.

eng400

Does this sadden or excite you? If literature gets redefined as just writing that responds to its own moment, consciously and/or unconsciously, how does this make you feel? What gets lost? But also, what new possibilities open?

zcjoneseng400

It both excites and frustrates me, confuses me, even. If literature were to be redefined as just writing that responds to its own moment and to it’s own time, then how can we relate to it now? By trying to understand the context in which a novel is written? Surely the context is lost. The context of any book probably changes with every stroke of the author’s pen; from the first line of a letter on an author’s manuscript to the last period on a printed copy, the context has changed.

”[…] Then also there is the important question of repetition and is there any such thing. Is there repetition or is there insistence. I am inclined to believe there is no such thing as repetition. And really how can there be.[…]That is what makes life that the insistence is different, no matter how often you tell the same story if there is anything alive in the telling the emphasis is different.[…] It is very like a frog hopping he cannot ever hop exactly the same distance or the same way of hopping at every hop. A bird’s singing is perhaps the nearest thing to repetition but it you listen they too vary their insistence.” Gertrude Stein. Lectures in America (1934)

I guess that best sums it up…there’s always some message…expressed a million different ways…but still the same message.

"The farmhouse was built of wood, a board outercovering over a framework of logs. It was in reality not one house but a cluster of houses joined together in a rather haphazard manner.” Sherwood Anderson. Winesburg, Ohio (1919)

One objective reality that manifests itself…in fragmented subjectivity? I don’t even know if that makes sense…meh. It’s like we’re 7 billion split personalities of…..yeah I’m getting way too deep and off track here, but:

"I see it as a night scene by El Greco: a hundred houses, at once conventional and grotesque, crouching under a sullen, overhanging sky and a lustreless moon." F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby (1925)

I’m waiting for something similar to pop up in …Seven Gables (if I haven’t already overlooked it),at which point I will likely throw up my hands in surrender and admit that we must be in Limbo. Ohhhh eternal recurrence, what a vicious cycle you are!

Chapter 15 A bridge---- to Judge Pyncheon's true character

" Hepzibah's presentiment had not deceived her. It was no other than Judge Pyncheon, who after in vain trying the front-door, had now effected his entrance into the shop." pp.160

The above quote makes me view the Judge as a magical type figure. He is the bridge to the past for Hepzibah. The, judge is a ghost like figure that enters and leaves the text similar to how p doors leave. He represents the old aristocratic order of the past. The tension he places towards Clifford and Hepzibah is highlighted in this door/chapter. I have stated on a few other blogs that these chapters operate as doors in the physical sense as well as metaphorical. I believe Hawthorne is allowing the reader to view The Judge as a figurative ghost in the sense, because his presence is always present throughout the novel. The judge is a mirror into the mistakes of their family lineage pertaining to land rights. In the above quote, Hepzibah is receiving a tensing situation, because of the Judge's presence. Judge Pycheion evokes an uneasiness in her soul. The idea of family and bloodline become skewed due to how The Judge treats Clifford and Hepzibah. The Judge is a force that comes through the "doors" as he see fits. The judge is a complex character that is viewed by society as one of high honor and respect, yet he operates in the novel as a ghostly and mythical figure

#eng400 #bridge Judge character

"Thinking about Doors as visual markers"

Today in class we discussed an array of topics concerning "The House of Seven Gables" .The markers part of the discussion spoke to me profoundly. I began to think of these doors in the text as markers themselves. Doors separate and create a visual distinction. The contrast between the past and present was thoroughly discussed in-dept. Hezipbah is marked by her past as a blood relative of the Pynchenon family. the portrait serve as frames or doors into the past for Hezipbah. The visual registers of the ringing bell alert her to this marker. Professor Carey stated, The visual realm is disembodied".

I would agree that these visual markers are skewed due to the fluidity of the characters. They act as ghost that have no concrete existence only through the frames they are viewed. When I mention doors, I speak of frames. The House itself is a unyielding force of the novel, but is the central source of tension of the novel. The house is the physical frame that mediates through the town. Also, these visual registers are disembodied, because they allow are given life through perception, without perception they are merely ghost floating without a purpose. I feel as though Hawthorn is challenging our perception of how we view doors and more than a mere distinction. Doors are continuing to operate as mark of some sort of passage of time

#eng400 #Markers #visual

Hepizibah as A Slave to Capitalism----- A Machine

Last class, Professor Carey discussed the idea that Hepzibah was transitioning from an aristocratic society to a capitalistic society. After class, I went back and close read a passage from chapter four that highlights that point. She has been framed in this shop which is a form of the new capitalistic system and now must sell customer goods to make a living.

The above quote accurately displays this tension. The bell becomes a signifier to Hepzibah. Her role as a women is changing through this new technology of Capitalism. Capitalism is working as an agent of change for her way of life. This new technology becomes to mirror itself when her non-verbal communication with her customers, makes her move "machine" like. Slaves move similar to this fashion. All moving together in unison like a "machine" for some desired goal. The shop itself is the medium we see this message of capitalism and change of women roles. As society changes so must the technologies used to better society change as well.

spowelleng400

cooljustinafan

“You are a young woman yet. Why, I hardly thought myself younger than I am now, it seems so little while ago since I used to see you playing about the door of the old house, quite a small child! Oftener, though, you used to be sitting at the threshold, and looking gravely into the street;...

I would say that the door can be viewed as a Threshold and a door to maturity. Hawthorne is allowing doors to become complex. Doors are the frames of which we shape the world. Perhaps her "grave" look allowed foreshadowed the skewed view she would have going from an aristocratic society to a more capitalistic society, as mentioned in class by professor Carey. The same playful like innocence Hepzibah she exhibits as a child "mirror" the ignorance she has towards now being a worker in a transforming society guided towards a free market system.

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