How that simple dot at the end of the sentence became something you use to tell people you're mad. Right. Now.Â
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How that simple dot at the end of the sentence became something you use to tell people you're mad. Right. Now.Â
Of One Blood
"Undoubtedly your Afro-Americans are a branch of the wonderful and mysterious Ethiopians who had a prehistoric existence of magnificence, the full record of which is lost in obscurity."
-Of One Blood, p.99
"It is hard to believe your story. From what a height must this people have fallen to reach the abjectness of the American Negro," exclaimed a listener.
"True," replied the Professor. "But from what a depth does history show that the Anglo-Saxon has climbed to the position of the first people of the earth today."Â
-Of One Blood, p. 101
"...return and restore the former glory of the race."Â
-Of One Blood, p. 101
I've actually had this selection saved in my drafts since last week, and until today's class I didn't exactly know what I wanted to post using this selection. Today's class discussion focused in the restoration and excavation of African-American history rather than the reconstruction or reparation of the race's history, which can be seen in the selections above. On page 98, Hopkins uses the Professor to tell the story of ancient Ethiopia. I believe that Hopkins uses this story to demonstrate the significance of Ethiopia as the genesis of civilization. She even uses Biblical genealogies, as well as scientific evidence(whether it is real or factual, I don't know) to propel the story. Hopkins suggests that canals (traffic, defense, irrigation), lakes (water storage, land fertilization), astronomy, philosophy, and chronology can be traced back to the Ethiopians. A listener states that the race has fallen from this magnificence; however, the Professor suggests that the race hasn't fallen from that glory, but that history only shows the rise of the Anglo-Saxons as the first people or civilization. So, it is not a matter of making a new place in history for the race, but rather a restoration or return to the magnificence that is already there--a reclamation of history.Â
1. Keyterms:
Televised reality
Manipulation
Influence
Audience
Brainwash (hijack)
Strategic
Emotions
2. Basic structure of the paper, so far:
Introduction
Basic plot summary, which contains information relevant to the topic I will discuss.
An overview of reality TV using information from the sources Iâve compiled. Then relating that to the novels.
A section where I explicitly explore the use of televised reality in the novel through to perspective of one character. How does the influence and manipulation of media affect this character? How does the character respond?
3. Sources:
Books:
The Hunger Games and Philosophy: A Critique of Pure Treason by George Dunn and Nicolas Michaud
Approaching the Hunger Games Trilogy: A Literary and Cultural Analysis by Tom Henthorne
How Fantasy Becomes Reality: Seeing Through Media Influence by Karen E. Dill
Propaganda by Edward L. Bernays
Articles:
Class on Fire: Using the Hunger Games Trilogy to Encourage Social Action by Amber M. Simmons
Determining Dimensions of Reality: A Concept Mapping of the Reality TV Landscape by Robin L. Nabi
Media in the Hunger Games by Mary A. Malos
An Exploratory Study of Reality Appeal: Uses and Gratifications of Reality TV Shows by Zizi Papacharissi and Andrew L. Mendelson
4. Â Central Question:
How does Peeta take advantage of the Capitalâs use of media in order to influence the views of others?
'We have heard of such a God, but have not paid much attention to it. How believe you, Ergamenes?' 'In Jesus Christ, the son of God,' replied Reuel solemnly. 'O Ergamenes, your belief shall be ours; we have no will but yours. Deign to teach your subjects.'
â Of One Blood, Pauline Hopkins, Chapter XIV (132)
 This mirrors the belief of Jesus bringing salvation to believers of Him, and mirrors older passages in the bible when people have rejected older religions to follow Christianity. I realize why Hopkins might have employed The Holy Trinity into her story. The obvious is that Reuel is a symbolization of the son of God, but beyond that is the Last Supper when Jesusâ own blood and body, The Eucharist, was offered as a sacrifice amongst the Apostles, before the crucifixion.Â
(via cpassons)
I was actually going to make a post about this same quote. Interesting interpretation; however, I viewed this is in a different way. I saw this as Hopkins' way of demonstrating Christian missionaries in Africa. The people seemed to have mindlessly switch their religion, and some may view this as what missionaries do. Here, Reuel could be seen as a fairly successful missionary; he simply mentioned his belief in Jesus Christ and then an entire civilization agreed to follow; however, the people are following Reuel, not Jesus--which would make him an unsuccessful missionary. Those are just a few random thoughts during my reading. I guess they don't really go anywhere, but I definitely got a 'missions' feel when I read that quote.Â
Paper Proposal
   For my final paper, I would like to examine the way that media is used to influence and manipulate the views and beliefs of society within The Hunger Games trilogy. I am not sure which of the novels I would like to set my focus, currently I seem to be leaning towards Mockingjay due to the use of propaganda, brainwashing, and an overall abundance of manipulation through media that takes place within that novel. The terms propaganda and brainwash are not explicitly used; however, the terms âpropoâ and âhijackâ are used and we can infer through their usage that they indeed relate to the terms propaganda and brainwash. I would also examine the ways that society and individual characters react to that influence and manipulation. These are a few ideas that I have narrowed down so far.
   By focusing on the influence and manipulative powers of media within the novel, many questions spark my interest. How do the characters react to the manipulation? With such a great abundance of media influence and manipulation through that media, how does society distinguish between true or false information? Does society even make that distinction? Does the society even take an interest in the possibly of false information? How do certain members of society react to the media? Do they unconsciously believe everything, recognize the falsehood of the information yet do nothing, or recognize the falsehoods and take action? Which members of society fit into those categories? To which District do they belong and does that really matter? What forms of media influence and manipulation are evident in the novel?
   Although, I have not narrowed my topic down enough, I have found a good number of promising resources. I have found two books that focus on The Hunger Games and literary analysis, which consist of essays on numerous topics relating to the trilogy. I have also found a few articles that examine the influence of reality TV, as well as a book that discusses how fantasy becomes a reality. Finally, I have discovered a few sources that discuss propaganda usage. I have only skimmed most of these resources over the past few days and am looking forward to reading them in their entirety in order to determine their usefulness.Â
"The Story of an Hour"
    In Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" I see a lot of different aspects of 'breaking' or 'breaking down.' There is the breaking of a passenger list, a selection of people that are breaking away from the rest by choosing to travel on this particular train ride. There is the breaking of the train, a malfunction of machinery that is the catalyst of our story. Then there is the breaking news, both to Richards and then to Mrs. Mallard, which leads to a brief breakdown, or 'storm of grief' and then finally then the truth shatters, and is no longer the truth, when the husband is actually alive and returns home in the end. The story is packed with break downs and seems to be what fuels the story.
   I would like to suggest that there are two major break downs within the story. 1) The break down at the beginning, which is a break down of Mrs. Mallard's reality. 2) The break down at the end, which is a break down of Mrs. Mallard's imagination.
    Mrs. Mallard's reality breaks down when she finds out that her husband is dead--that's her reality, her life (not that her husband is her life, but being married is a large aspect of her life). She no longer has a husband, essentially she is no longer a wife. In the third paragraph, she receives the news, accepts it authentically, and moves on --she goes into her room. This is when her imaginative life begins--this new, free life without the restriction of marriage; however, this imaginative life is also broken down in the end. While she dreams of a long, free life--she doesn't get that, she only gets death. Although, death could also be equivalent of the long life she imagined. Her body and soul are now free from life, rather than free in a long life spent for herself. So, maybe her imaginative life is not completely broken down by her husband's return, only transformed into death.
"One of these was that, decidedly, her little home must be not for next month, but for next; the other, which came indeed as she resumed her walk and went her way, was that it was strange such a matter should be at last settles for her by Mr. Drake."
-In The Cage, p.208
For our telegraph girl, the novel seems to end on some bits of certainty although her head remains full of thoughts. The final conversation with Mrs. Jordan, which revealed Captain Everard's true identity, must have come to a real shock for her. She was not in 'the know' as she had previously thought. Instead, the 'reality' of the whole situation with Captain Everard and Lady Bradeen, came not from her knowledge, but from someone else, who occupied another 'cage'--Mr. Drake.
It is revealed to us that Mr. Drake is a butler, who Lady Bradeen has been hired away from Lord Rye. Confession: I love, love, love Downton Abbey. If I have learned anything from Downton Abbey, it is that the staff knows everything that goes on in the lives of their employers--especially the staff that work both upstairs and downstairs. They are constantly interacting with high class society, while not actually being a part of that society. It is almost as if they are in two worlds at once. As butler, Mr. Drake would be the most involved in the affairs of his employers. Mr. Drake is also in a cage, just like our telegraph girl. Rather than a post office, he is in a house and constantly attends to the business and affairs of the upper class. Just as our telegraph girl has a constant flow of upper class members in and out of her own little cage. Mr. Drake is brought into their lives, just as the telegraph girl is brought into their lives and business through the words they send. I feel that their positions in society are almost identical, with a few differences.
What is interesting is that Mr. Drake seems to have receive a more factual and real account of the inner workings, while the telegraph girl only receives information through the telegrams. To take it a step further, she only sees a quick and abbreviated part of their lives--just like the telegram is a quick and abbreviated form of communication. She must piece together those small selections of information to form her view or opinion of what is actually going on. She imagines the rest of the story, while Mr. Drake seems to be able to live the story along with those people--he does not have to imagine; he is there with them. This is cheesy, but to relate it to the distant reading exercise: The telegraph girl is using Wordle or Voyant and Mr. Drake is actually reading the novel.
--or at least that's how it all seems to me.
How not to read Brave New World
For the distant reading project, I chose Aldous Huxleyâs Brave New World. Huxleyâs novel was published in 1932; however, it is set in London in the year 2540. I selected this novel, obviously because I have never read it, but also because it is near the top of my âto-read list.â Also, because it seems to keep popping up in various conversations in the past year. I primarily used Voyant for this project because there were far more details and data to dig through than were offered with Wordle. (Plus Wordle only wanted to work when it felt like it, rather than when I actually needed it to workâwhich may have just been a Java issue.)
After the elimination of the common stop words, character names were most commonâBernard, Lenina, Linda, et. Also, âsavageâ occurs 189 times in the novel. After skimming through the results for about 10-15 minutes and noticing a few connections, I decided to read a brief summary of the novel, in which I discovered that âsavageâ actually refers to a character, as well as a group of peopleâfrom my understanding of the summary. It is interesting that âsavageâ is used so many times to refer to these people or person. Are these people really so different that they must constantly be referred to as savage? Apparently so, considering the vast majority of the population is technologically produced in laboratories rather than through natural reproduction like the âsavageâ population. Who are the real âsavagesâ in this world?
There also seems to be a recurring use of the words that can relate to the human bodyâwords such as eyes, face, voice, hand, feet, blood, age, old, young, man, woman, boy, girl. âVoiceâ is used 105 times and âeyesâ is used 101 times, âsaidâ is also the most frequently used word in the novel once the stop words are eliminatedâit occurs 315 times. At first glance, both âsaidâ and âvoiceâ would seem to solely suggest that there is a large amount of dialogue in the novel; however, Iâd like to suggest that these word frequencies show that communication is important within this society. Even more important is the way that the characters speak to one another. It seems to matter if a character speaks in a lowered voice or a demanding voice. The tone of voice seems to be important, in order for the author to use it with such frequency throughout the novel, most notably in the concluding chapters. Also, âeyesâ is one of the most frequently used words after âvoice.â From this data, I am thinking that the things that characters say, how they say them, and what they see is a large part of the novel.
I also get a sense of separateness, as well as an escape from something. First, there is the use of âsavageâ which refers to a character, or group of people, that is set apart/separate from society. As I looked through the word list, I noticed the word âsomaâ which is used 61 times. I had never seen this word before so searched and found that, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, soma is an âintoxicating drink holding a prominent place in Vedic ritual and religion.â The drinking of soma produces immortality in the Vedic religion. Also, according to the OED, in Brave New World, soma is âa narcotic drug which produces euphoria and hallucination, distributed by the state in order to promote content and social harmony.â Later, once I read the summary of the novel, I found that the characters actually take soma in order to escape from society. If something is not going their way or they are not having the best of days, soma seems to be their solution. While this may promote social harmony, I see it as a disconnect, a way to separate oneself from the world.
The distant reading exercise is an excellent way to look at how words work within a text and exactly what the frequency of certain words can reveal about the text. This is something I would like to play around with more and use novels that I have and have not read.
I'm going back to the end of chapter II in this post, a few of the things mentioned in class have since reminded me of some things I had underlined or noticed throughout my earlier readings.Â
"She was perfectly aware that her imaginative life was the life in which she spent most of her time"Â (120).Â
She seems to admit here that she does spend most of her time within an imaginative life. In a job like hers, there seems to be a constant influence from the outside world of the upper class society. Although her job seems to be awfully boring and uneventful, she seems to use her imagination to make it worth her while. I feel that she imagines herself as being a part of this higher class within society. These are the people that she spends most of her time with --with them constantly coming into the office. She imagines that she is a part of their lives and their routines. She feel connected to that way of life--isn't that why she doesn't want to move to a different part of London? Moving would mean a disconnect from the class that she desires to be accepted into. This all seems to be a part of her imaginative life until she finally meets Captain Everard for the first time outside of the office--as well as outside of her imaginative life?Â
In chapter II we learn that our main character borrows book for "ha'penny a day." In chapter III, Picciola is mentioned as one of the books that she has recently borrowed. I've never heard of this 'charming tale" so I went to the notes in the back of our editions In the Cage, which state, "Picciola: A whimsical romance by French writer Joseph Xavier Boniface (also known as Saintine), written in 1837 and subsequently translated into English. The story is of a captive in prison who falls in love with a weed growing outside his cell."
That last sentence really stuck out to me--it seemed a lot like what James is doing with In the Cage. So far, our main character seems to be set apart from the rest of society, she also seems to be in a small room --prison? And she seems to be 'falling in love' or at least fixated with the romance that is possibly growing between Lady Bradeen and Everard. Just something I noticed during my reading.
"She had surrendered herself moreover, of late, to a certain expansion of her consciousness; something that seemed perhaps vulgarly accounted for by the fact that, as the blast of the season roared louder and the waves of fashion tossed their spray further over the counter, there were more impressions to be gathers and really--for it came to that--more life to be led."
--In the Cage p.121
While reading the beginning chapters of the novel, it is apparent to me that the 'unnamed telegraph girl' has the constant influence of modernity around her. First off, she works in a telegraph office, she is surrounded by this new form of communication. She lives in Mayfair, the most affluent part of London during the time. She seems to be in a cage of vast modern influence. In the passage that I quoted above, we see that 'the waves of fashion tossed their spray further over the counter, there were more impressions to be gathered." I could imagine that a good number of people visit her workplace each daily. She is constantly influenced and impressed by the fashions and forms of society that the people bring in with them. Modernity seems to be forced upon her on a daily basis, no matter if she is welcoming it or not.
Judge Pyncheon is left in this dark room, which we later find out of him to be dead, while Hepzibah and Clifford make their way outside-which still gray from the weather is brighter than the inside of the Pyncheon house. Â To relate this to the Bible passage, Judge Pyncheon is caught in the darkness because of his hate for light and truth, which he has hidden from the world for years. Â Clifford, though not without faults, and Hepzibah are not as evil as the world has made them out to be. Â
It's great that you've made this connection, Jessica--it has gotten me thinking of a few different aspects of the novel. The house may seem to be so dark and gloomy because the land was acquired from the Maule's is such an 'evil' way. The darkness of Colonel Pyncheon's decisions seem to haunt the house with darkness.Â
Also, a simple observation: Phoebe represents light while Hepzibah and Clifford always seem to be associated with darkness and shadows. Phoebe attends church on a regular basis, whereas Hepzibah and Clifford do not--they cannot even make it across the threshold of darkness. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Phoebe attends the church, which we can assume means that she is a Christian (I don't personally believe that simply attending church makes one a Christian, but let's just go with Phoebe being a Christian.) Therefore Phoebe/Christian = light ... Hepzibah and Clifford 'NonChristians" = darkness/shadows
Just some things that your post made me think of.Â
Screen cast Reflection - Paper Through TIme
This project allowed me to view a database that I probably never would have spent time on. When I first viewed the webpage, I thought that it seemed pretty interesting, but once I got into the research and information that make up the database, I felt a bit overwhelmed. As stated in our screencast, the content on the webpage can get very scientific and technical--which was a turnoff to me. However, I was able to find information that I was interested in, such as the history of paper making. It was interested to view a sort of 'outline' of the history of paper making, as well as drawings and photographs that represented some of the techniques. Paper could be deemed the first computer. Everything, at one point, required the use of paper--important documents, receipts, tickets, etc. but now all of those things can be accessed digitally.
I really liked the use of a screen cast for a presentation, rather than a traditional in class presentation. The screen cast was not as intimidating, if there was a mistake, we were able to start over--which I took advantage of a few times. Alison and I were not able to use the Screenr website, but found an alternative--QuickTime, which was easily accessible. I also found that the screen cast presentations were more interesting to watch, than a traditional presentation. Overall, I had a good experience with this project.
PREFACE THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES
cooljustinafan:
Also, I am fascinated with the notion of âpotalâ and âdoorsâ as connectors as mentioned in our class disscussions. Doors are indeed connectors that are framed and represent a tranformations. The Preface itself is a door way or a connector to the actual meat of the text. It is the precursor that sets up the entire novel without it, the reader cannot develop an intimate connection with the literary work.
Wow, what a great point about the Preface as a entrance way and connector to the novel itself. This is so true, and I believe this is the purpose of a preface. A reader must go through the preface, to get into the text. In many ways, the preface is an entry way into the text--it can prepare the reader for what's next--perhaps it can even frame the novel, or provides a frame for the novel?Â
I was scrolling through my Twitter feed earlier today and spotted this; it reminded me of the reading and discussion in the previous class. The idea of stained glass as a precursor to video is interesting. In my mind, I image that the creation of the stained glass art would be similar to what we viewed in "A Day Made of Glass"--it took their art and use of glass a step further, much like how the video/advertisement took technology we're accustomed to a step further into something so futuristic, yet possibly only a short number of years away. The video also took glass a step further, much like how the stained glass brought about a new use for glass rather than just a transparent inside-from-outside barrier. Just like digital technology, glass is everywhere around us.Â
"If the outward world was changed by glass, the inner worlds was likewise modified. Glass had a profound effect upon the development of the personality: indeed, it helped to alter the very concept of the self." --Lewis Mumford, "Glass and the Ego"
With the invention of glass, the entire world seemed to be modified and enhanced. In the three videos, I noticed that the peoples' lives primarily revolved around the use of technology/glass; it was apparent that they were all heavily reliant on the technology. Â I will admit that a few of the conceptual ideas and inventions in the "A Day Made of Glass" video were pretty darn cool, but what happens if a problem arises with the technology, software, etc.? For example, in "Sight" the lady says that her Sight crashed in the middle of a run and she was unable to find her way home. There seems to be an over reliance on the use of technology in these videos.
The use of glass and technology seems to distract from their ability to develop an authentic personality. For example, the homes in the videos are so plain! The homes in "A Day Made of Glass" and "Sight" seem to be decorated by the technology itself, rather than physical decorations/objects--i.e. the photos on the refrigerator and the projection of art and awards in "Sight." The characters in the videos seem to be so reliant on the technology that they have failed to develop a personality that exists outside of that technology. Again, what if the technology crashes--will they lose themselves?Â
"A New Daguerreotype of Emily Dickinson?"
"The daguerreotype was discovered in western Massachusetts in 1995, and the dealer purchased it from a home in the Springfield area. Compelling evidence suggests that the picture was taken in Springfield, probably by J.C. Spooner, who purchased Otis Cooley's studio in 1855. Many who have studied the well known daguerreotype of Emily believe that Cooley was the photographer of that image. Verification of the daguerreotype as plausibly Dickinson includes analysis of the eyes by Dr. Susan Pepin (Dartmouth Medical Center) and extended comparison to those of the teenaged Emily in the image we know so well." -Dickinson Electronic Archives