I was...

I was laying in my dorm room bed in Athens, Georgia, and my mind was racing. My parents had helped me move in earlier that day, and it was my first night on campus at UGA. As I stared up at all of my rad posters and signs on my wall, I began to think about what the future held for me in this magical environment of higher education. In the next few weeks I would be networking, meeting new people, going to my first classes, and experiencing all of what Athens has to offer. But beyond that, the next few years would shape me into the person I've always wanted to be, and lay the foundation for the rest of my entire life. A few years ago I never would have imagined myself going to school in Georgia, but for some strange reason it worked out and I couldn't be happier. Go Dawgs!

With daunting amounts of change and adjustment ahead of me, I knew I had to keep one thing close to heart:  where I came from. Although it seemed like a drag, I will never forget the countless hours I spent studying and working in the IB Program, and I will rest assured know that I am prepared for whatever rigor I will face in the future. I will never forget the teachers I've learned from, or the life-long friendships I've made while cooped up in the classrooms of that old school that I came to know and love. I certainly wont forget the countless hours I spent grinding and sweating in that stadium alongside my teammates. Perhaps what I will remember the most is the laughter I shared in those places, and learning how to smile when things don't seem to be going your way. Although it may not be so glorious, Millbrook High School has molded me into the person I am today, and although I am now a Georgia Bulldog, I will always be a Millbrook Wildcat at heart.

Witty Whitman

One of the first things that I immediately notice after looking at Walt Whitman's notebook is that it is extremely old and very hard to make out words. However, after studying it a bit more I can see the statement "Why, now I shall know whether there is anything in you, Libertad, I shall see how much you can stand." This is a very daunting statement. It is almost as if he is skeptical about the durability of the United States and its constitution. This may serve to show that Whitman is a cautious and pessimistic individual, however this way of thinking was probably very prevalent during the time it was written (1860-1861) because the American Civil War was just beginning, which would be the largest threat ever to the United States Constitution. Another interesting thing to note is that he is talking to "Libertad" (liberty) as if it were a person. This is a creative element that may foreshadow a tendency to use personification as a literary element to develop a different perspective on certain issues.

He then uses a metaphor to compare liberty to a ship, after saying "Does the queen of England represent a thousand years? And the queen of Spain a thousand years? And you welcome the storm - welcome the trial." This is almost taunting the United States. It seems as if he is on the outside looking into America during the Civil War and judging the United States and doubting its ability to remain a strong nation. This makes sense, given that the country it revolted against has been in place for a very long time and the United States has not even been a nation for 100 years at this point, but this may represent a form of skepticism towards the United States, which I think is a theme throughout this journal. I think that Whitman will use many metaphors in order to give the reader a new perspective on a certain issues.

According to what Whitman actually wrote and why he wrote it, I am fairly accurate in my own analysis of the text. He appears to have little hope in the United States, questioning its ability to withstand trials and tribulations. However, I am wrong in that I observed that it seemed as if Whitman was an outsider looking in on the American Civil War. According to the official analysis, Whitman was living in the United States during the Civil War and even volunteered as a nurse in it. I was also correct about Whitman's metaphor comparing liberty to a ship. According to the official analysis, this metaphor foreshadows further metaphors that add a new perspective on things. For example, Whitman will go on to compare Abraham Lincoln as a captain of a ship, giving the reader a different perspective and new insight on the matter.

Livin' The Dream!

My idea of the American Dream is complete financial security, and to be able to enjoy it with people I love. I would also add a flexible schedule, so I could leave work to travel and do other things I enjoy whenever I please. I would love to travel all over the United States doing things outdoors such as fishing, boating, hiking, etc., and I would want to take all of my closest friends along with me. My definition of wealth has two aspects. The first is having lots of money - enough to be able to retire and continue to live how you want for the rest of your life. The second aspect has to do with family and friends. A truly wealthy person has people whom they love to share their money and adventures with.

I feel like most Americans' ideals about wealth and poverty are split. However, most feel that wealth has to do solely with money. Some feel that having a lot of money is a result of hard work and it is commendable, and poverty is a result of lack of work and should be condemned. Although some people have certain advantages in accumulating wealth, this is where I stand. However, some people think that most of the upper class is born into wealth and has much greater opportunities to gain and maintain their status, while members of the lower class are born into poverty and do not have the opportunity to make it out. These people most likely believe that wealth is not necessarily all that commendable, while poverty is not due to the impoverished person's decisions and is due more to the environment they are born into. This debate comes up a lot in politics. Democrats usually side with the latter point of view and Republicans usually side with the first point of view.

Nothing Really Mattress

#1
- The diction is casual, almost discreet as if nothing important happened.
- The fact that he was transformed into a giant insect comes at the end, making it seem the least important.
- The uneasy dreams create a relatable scene, the gigantic insect is vivid and easy to imagine.
- The structure makes the fact that he transformed seem unimportant as opposed to the morning he awoke, and the uneasy dreams.

#2
- The diction is less descriptive
- It flows nicely, like a short and simple sequence of events.
- It seems like a happy scene, not as scary or intimidating as the others.
- The structure is very laid back, almost like a minor addition to an account of daily events.

#3
- The diction places more importance on the event that occurred. Anticipation is created by using the word "when."
- Troubled dreams comes before the morning, placing emphasis on the tragedy of the situation.
- "Troubled dreams" create a sense of discomfort. "Enormous bug" also creates a disturbing image.
- Structure adds to the feeling of discomfort and fear.

#4
- The diction creates suspense and fear.
- The use of all the commas with the frightening diction adds to the suspense and creates a feeling of fear.
- "Monstrous vermin" creates a terrifying image; very scary imagery.
- Structure helps build suspense up to the final part of the sentence where he was "transformed into a monstrous vermin."


The literary choices in the first translation make the event seem somewhat casual. However, the use of the word "insect" creates a sense of peculiarity and fear. In the second translation, the literary choices are similar, but I would argue that the events seem even more casual or discreet. The terminology and chronology in the third translation sort of takes the fear out of the sentence and almost makes it seem playful. The fourth translation is simply terrifying. I feel like he is still in a nightmare when it is translated in this way. This definitely strikes the most fear into the reader. As we see, the shift of literary devices in each translation can shift the meaning of each from casual to playful to terrifying, all depending on the connotation of each.

I would not argue that one is more effective than the other, because they are each effective in their own way. If the goal was to make the translation seem intense and terrifying, I would definitely argue that the fourth translation was the most effective. This is because the use of stops (commas) builds suspense and the diction (monstrous vermin) creates very scary mental images. However, if the goal was to make the incident seem as discreet as possible, I would say that the second translation was the most effective. This is because it is concise, there are no breaks in the sentence, and the imagery is less vivid than the others. The effectiveness of each translation varies depending on the intent of the original author.

This shows that texts can be interpreted in very different ways depending on the translation. If the book is translated with a different tone from the original text, it could completely change the meaning of the story through its literary aspects. The more a reader reads a certain translation, the more astray they could become. This is why translating texts accurately is so difficult yet so important. It is also why there is so much controversy about the translations of very significant works of literature such as religious texts (I have had personal experience reading different translations of the bible). I suppose the only way to obtain an authentic understanding of a translated text is to learn to read it in its original language.

Practice IOC

I am analyzing a passage from pages 108-109: "'Hold on, Tommy'... 'I'll be all right, Miss.'"

IOC RUBRIC EVALUATION

A: 3. My knowledge of the text seems superficieal; I don't really dive deep into the meanings of certain things, and I only really talk about two things.

B: 6. I definitely talk about the use of literary features, specifically tone and structure, and talk about how it creates questions in the reader's mind leaving the passage open for interpretation. However, I do not go into very much detail.

C: 2. There is some organization; I don't jump back and forth between points. However, it in not as organized as it should be and I often found myself at a loss for words and/or repeating myself.

D: 2. I don't speak as formally as I should. I use made-up terms such as "othering" and don't use a varied vocabulary.

What Fear Can Teach Us

https://www.ted.com/talks/karen_thompson_walker_what_fear_can_teach_us

This is a TED talk by Karen Thompson Walker, a fictional novelist, describing her connection between fear and the imagination. Her main point is that in American culture, fear is viewed in a bad light, and people are encouraged to conquer it by disregarding it, but in reality it can guide us and make us more successful. She claims that fear poses the burning question of "what will happen next?" which triggers the imagination to make up scenarios. She says that these scenarios are almost like stories, and that instead of thinking of them as fears we should think of them as stories. She emphasizes that these stories can be very vivid in our imaginations, and often times we only prepare for the most frightening and vivid stories, rather than what is more subtle in the imagination but more likely to actually happen. She closes by asserting that this can lead us astray and that we should use the more subtle but realistic fears as guides, because then we will be better off in the long run.

I feel that there is a need for this TED talk because first of all, society is taught to disregard fear instead of using it as a guide, which leads to us being unprepared in times of danger. Secondly, our emotion takes over and we prioritize more vivid but irrational fears instead of the more subtle but realistic ones. She uses examples to describe this from mainstream society today, including relevant examples of problems the world faces such as gradual climate change and heart disease, effectively appealing to her audience, which is 21st century Americans. She establishes ethos by using a real story of the whaleship Essex which inspired the world renowned book "Moby Dick." As a result she comes across as fairly knowledgeable because she critiques their situation and explains why they didn't survive. This gives her a certain authority that draws the listener in.

The point of this talk is to teach, hence the title "What Fear Can Teach Us." She wants us to look at fear in a different, more realistic way so that we will be better off in the long run. In a way, she is also dissuading the audience from thinking of fear as something to be disregarded, and from using our emotions when we're fearful to lead us to irrational conclusions. The intended audience is middle class America, and she is able to appeal to them in part by using a personal example of childhood fears (earthquakes in particular) to relate to the common American, as well as by using inclusive words like "we" and "us" to engage the audience and make the audience feel like they can relate to her situation (having irrational childhood fears). Karen Thompson Walker appeals to emotion in this way as well, and uses vivid descriptions of things like cannibalism and being stranded in the ocean to induce emotions of fear in the audience, which encourages them to take her advice in order to avoid and survive frightening situations. She appeals to reason by using "if... then" statements in explaining why pre-conceived notions of fear are wrong and giving a more realistic (in her opinion) way of viewing fears (she asserts that we should view our fears as stories).

She conveys her message by starting out telling the audience to imagine themselves in a terrifying scenario, and gradually telling more and more of this story as her talk goes on, giving commentary in between each piece of the story and thus building suspense in the audience. She speaks very sternly and seriously, pausing at times for dramatic buildup with the ultimate goal of evoking fear in the audience, which it does to an extent. In the end she provides relief by speaking in a more happy and optimistic tone and offering solutions to the problem, adding a touch of enthusiasm to her voice. I thought that this style and register was very effective, because it played on my emotions by inducing fear in me while at the same time building suspense, and at the end providing comfort and relief, making me feel as though if I apply her conclusion to my life, then I will continue to feel comfort and relief in dangerous or frightening situations.

Film Noir: "Black Film"

In Double Indemnity, there are a multitude of elements that seem dark or depressing. The first, and most obvious, would be the setting. The setting is typical of film noir. The visual conventions include dark interiors, heavy shadow, high contrast, and bars or slashes of light. I noticed that many of the bars or slashes of light are created by slatted blinds.
 
 
Along with the aforementioned details, I picked up on the fact that the setting was often very foggy or dusty, which made the setting not only more dark and depressing, but it made the setting seemed cramped and uncomfortable.
 
Overall, the use of dark and depressing conventions in the setting portrays the environment that the characters live in as dangerous and full of corruption, mystery, and violence, inhabited by people with dubious motives and poor morals.

Many dark and depressing themes exist in the storyline as well. At the very beginning of the film, Walter Neff is giving a confession in which he states "I killed him for money - and a woman - and I didn't get the money and I didn't get the woman. Pretty, isn't it?" This brief summary of his motives sets the tone as depressing from the start. The entire plot following this is dark and depressing as well. It begins with a wounded (depressing) insurance salesman walking up to his partners office. He makes his confession in which he is seduced by a beautiful girl into cheating his insurance company (dark) in order to get a double indemnity for her husbands death (dark). If that is not dark then I don't know what is. To add icing on the cake, their love soon turns into hatred for each other (dark AND depressing). Nothing turns out how the characters wanted, the lady's husband is killed, and Neff goes crazy, cheats his company, loses his woman, and confesses it all at the end. This film has dark and depressing written all over it in dark black paint (see what I did there?).