April 24, 2006

Comparing a human’s mind to a printing press lends several ideas about how the human mind works. As a printing press we are assuming that as humans we replicate ideas and quickly are able to produce work and information. We quickly produce results and create what is expected of us. This definition has both positive and negative connotations. It is assuming a tremendous amount of input and quick production, but it also lends itself to assume that the human mind is capable of creating many complex things.
Comparing the human mind to a computer also creates several ideas about how the human mind works. But, in this definition we assume that the human mind is capable of several different functions. We are able to quickly process both complex and simple data and produce results, yet not in the same fashion as the printing press. Although this definition is similar to the printing press in many ways it gives more credit to the complex human mind. It allows for several different ideas to be processed and understood and defines the brain as an ever changing piece of technology.

April 21, 2006

system of brain chemistry exchanges is like a washing machine
Serotonin is the ‘water’ that flows in at certain times and is flushed out
depression is akin to low water pressure
blue moods can be compared to the scratchy music coming from a radio that is not properly tuned to the station

These metaphors do not lend themselves to consequences for certain actions. They liken themselves to actions of inanimate objects in which we have little control over. Therefore, these metaphors assume that much of how the human mind works is based on actions that are uncontrollable in our world. There is little we can do, besides minor repairs, to ensure that the mind works as we want and expect it to.

April 19, 2006

Diagnoses of problems have always been dependant upon the times that we live in. In the past, “back in the old days,” people were seen as being possessed by the devil, but now modern science has allowed us to understand this problem and attribute the issues to a chemical imbalance or a disease. Although the behaviors and problems associated with an individual have been the same we treat them very differently based on our diagnosis of the times. Someone possessed by the devil is seen as a helpless soul, someone who perhaps was not holy enough, or had the chance of being inhabited by a devil. This action is seen as curable if the devil is only convinced to leave the person’s body. The possession is viewed as a temporary situation as opposed to a permanent diagnosis. However, if a person is diagnosed with an illness then they are treated with medicines and therapy, but are never without the disease. We have pity for people in both situations, but those with a disease are clinical patients and maybe controlled by medication for the rest of their life. But a person involved in a possession will struggle with the devil and is helpless until they are rid of the devil. In this case, those with possession, such as Margaret Cooper, are treated as though they are helpless, while Eve, or people with a disease, are seen as people that, if on medication, should be able to control their behavior and attempt to live normal lives. Each woman is held accountable in different ways, but ultimately is at the mercy of their disease or possession.
I believe that both writers are correct in their account of a situation, but it all depends on the time of their interpretation. We cannot expect people to make determinations and diagnosis’ that are beyond their time. It is difficult for us to assume that they have the information that is present today back when they were writing their account of a woman’s possession/disease.

April 10, 2006

Anger is usually defined as an explosion or equated with fire and dynamite because it is often sudden. When you describe someone as unhappy it is a melancholy complacent feeling, yet anger is sudden and outrageous. People are often set off by anger for random events or things and the emotion comes out of nowhere. Before they were a calm individual, then out of the blue they are enraged and furious, like and explosion.
He compares his anger to a growing apple, something that lived inside of him that he did not express, and because of that it grew until it exploded from within him, into the sad fate of his foe. This metaphor highlights the way anger stays with us. Often, when we release or explain our anger it is gone, but if we keep it bottled up inside of us it grows and we become more enraged. We play it off and pretend it is not there through smiles and tears, but it still exists waiting to be released. But, his metaphor hides the idea of the act of anger and rage. It describes it in subtle detail, and finished with the fateful conclusion, but misses the ultimate explosion of anger, the release of the rage.

I grew some anger today.
Anger is growing inside of me.
He is growing red with anger.

April 5, 2006

The definition of technology taken from Dictionary.com is as follows:

The application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives.
The scientific method and material used to achieve a commercial or industrial objective.
Electronic or digital products and systems considered as a group: a store specializing in office technology.
Anthropology. The body of knowledge available to a society that is of use in fashioning implements, practicing manual arts and skills, and extracting or collecting materials.
However, redefining this definition to incorporate writing as a technology using the anthropological definition would be as follows:
The body of knowledge available to a society that is of use in conveying a thought or idea, fashioning implements, practicing manual arts and skills, and extracting or collecting materials.
I think that the definition of technology should be expanded to include writing because much of what we consider to be technology is based on our use of language and writing. Writing is our most basic source of technology. Before Bluetooth and laptops we simply had writing and thought to aid us in solving problems and conveying ideas. No one today would understand much of our modern technology without relying upon writing to explain the technology, as well as its purpose and use. Defining technology as “new gadgets” omits a plethora of technological innovations. Based on this definition many of the things that we use on a daily basis are no longer considered a technology. When the wheel was invented centuries ago it was considered a new technology (a “new gadget” if you will), but based upon modern definitions, it is now just a wheel. However before the wheel and before cell phones there was language and writing, our most basic yet complex, technologies.
I think on a daily basis one relies upon language and writing to communicate and make decisions. Whether it is conveying a thought or idea concerning a text, or a feeling we depend upon technology, i.e. writing, to walk us through that action. Humans require the need to express themselves and express thought and emotion and writing allows us to do just that. When deciding upon a college to attend, or evaluating a job offer we use writing to make that decision and explain to ourselves as well as others our rationale. Yet, this technology is so versatile it can be used for this, that, and everything in between. Without this not-so-modern convention we would be left in the dark, lacking any modern necessities, all available through the use of writing.

April 3, 2006

The images I found in various women’s magazines vary from weight loss ads, to maternity ads, to perfume and clothing ads. Yet, they each have something in common. Each of these ads depicts how people, specifically women should appear to the outside world. In each of the various ads the media is communicating to women how they expect them to look and act; pressuring women to lose weight to appear a certain way, advertising to married pregnant women, and expecting young girls and women to be docile, complacent individuals. These advertisements illustrate how appearance-based our society is, and outlines how women should appear and behave in our society.
It is very apparent then that women who do not conform to these limiting roles are left abandoned in our society. They lack role models and representatives of themselves in their reading material and advertisements. It can also be assumed that the discrepancies between real life and advertisements can lead individuals to question their identity. Are they normal, is the person that is on the pages of a magazine representing America, or are they representing what America wants us to be? Then, should these individuals alter their lifestyle in order to become what they are supposed to be?
Sadly, much of the advertisements placed in the magazines do not reflect the diversity of our country and culture. They tend to only reflect women of a certain size and color and severely limit the depth that we hold within our society. Although some women do fit into these molds, there needs to be more diversity in our advertisements that reflect the entire population, not a select few. Yes, women can be docile and cute, but they can also be assertive and aggressive. We need a selection of both personalities that allow women to decide who they want to be rather than being told what they should be.

March 8, 2006

Frankenstein created a monster. The monster was made through the use of technology and wisdom. But, this was not his only difference as a being. Each individual has their own fingerprint, their own DNA, which makes each of us an individual. Although the monster possessed the DNA and fingerprints of others did not exclude him from being an individual. Each of us, in our own right is original and creatively different. But, these differences are for us to realize, and are not often presented to us. In the case of the monster however, he quickly discovered he was different. He was greeted by the world as a monster, and individual that people ran from in fear. Quickly this sense of not belonging taught the monster he was different. But, not only was he different in his appearance, he also differed in his upbringing. By watching the family and reading their books he was able to fully realize in what capacity he was different. He lacked a family and a “normal” upbringing. He was never taught to read, or laugh, or play, rather he had to learn these fundamental tools and technology on his own, by himself. Through this use of technology he was able to capture the essence of his difference, a sense of where he fit in in the world in which he lived.
Much as the monster felt excluded through the use of technology individuals often have the ability to feel the same way. Viewing a movie or reading a book often places one in an environment to which they are not accustomed. The themes to these stories differ, but often the tale that is told is much different than what the viewer/reader has experienced. Does the scene portrayed in the book/film represent reality? Was I supposed to experience this life? Why is my life and my experiences so different? Often one finds themselves asking these questions, questioning the life they have thus far lived. Am I normal? Or are the events on the screen/page purely fictional? In this case, ones differences can be fully manipulated by the hands of the author/director. They have the power to deem what is “normal” and to eliminate the differences that all of us are likely to experience in our lifetime.
In the story Great Expectations, the main character, Pipp, becomes aware of his identity through helping the old man. Before this instance he was a solemn individual who lacked anything that made him an individual. He maintained the same life, and it was not until he was able to assist someone else that he discovered himself. He became an independent character, separate from his surroundings and the others around him. He was fully Pipp, a boy who held an identity away from his simple life. The monster in Frankenstein found himself in a similar way. By helping the family and watching them from a distance he discovered himself. He was not only a monster that scared people away, he was a person who was capable of love and caring for others.

February 27, 2006

Technology is constantly changing. The forms that technology takes alter the impact that the technology has on a person or society. In the example that was used in class, technology was presented in several different forms: letter writing, story writing, film-making, and web site production. Each of these forms has a different mode of expression and assumes a different tone to which the author or director must realize.
Such as any author must change his or her story depending on their audience, one must also alter their story depending on their use of technology. One cannot tell the same story in a letter that one would in a movie; the very different forms of technology deserve very different forms of expression. As I began to experiment with different technologies I was able to experience this fact for myself.
Letter writing, one of the most basic forms of writing and technology assumes a very specific audience; the person to which one is writing. One only has to cater to this particular person or persons when communicating using a letter. One does not need to factor different people or situations into their communication; rather they are familiar with the audience and how to approach them. This was illustrated through the various forms of a letter. Writing to ones own friends assumes a very different tone and audience than writing to one’s mother. The audience is different; therefore they must be addressed differently and communicated with through a different tone.
When transforming a letter to a story the tone and audience changes again. This piece of writing is now introduced to an entirely new audience; an audience the author may be unfamiliar with. Much less may be assumed about what the audience knows and understands as well as the tone one may take. Writing to people one is familiar with may dismiss many formalities which may be necessary in story. Just as the author is unfamiliar with the audience, the audience is unfamiliar with the author. The author must be careful how he/she addressed its readers.
Transformation from a story to a film also involves several changes. Film has the capability of using literal illustration of thoughts and feelings of people and characters. The audience does not need to be told as much through narration and dialogue, rather they can view for themselves on a screen how to interpret and translate thoughts and actions of characters. Therefore, a story must be changed to film through illustration. In a story an author must describe in detail actions and ideas, dialogue of characters, and often their most inner thoughts. Much of this can be omitted as it is translated to the screen. But, one must be sure not to omit too much of a story when placing it on film. Generalizations that can be overlooked in a story, pieces that are left to the audience to distinguish, can often be left out and drastically change a story. An author and a director must be very careful to sustain the tenacity of a story, but also to play to the audience through the use of literal illustration.
Finally, placing a story into a web production also involves many changes. As the web environment continues to become more diverse and changing many freedoms are afforded authors of stories. Numerous interpretations exist to convey ones thoughts and feelings to their audience through the World Wide Web. But, many of the same issues involving film are present when dealing with an online environment. Interpretation is left up to the author and the audience, but one must be careful to include the right amount of information to keep the audience interested and involved, but not to leave them lost and confused.
Examining these different forms of technology and writing the audience is constantly of importance. One must always be conscious of their audience regardless of the form of communication. Yet, as a story unfolds, through a letter, story, or film, the person (the “you”) is forever changed. It is up to the audience to decide who the “you” is. In a letter “you” may start out as the author, yet “you” is quickly changed to a person or a character in a story, and then on film. “You” has left the bounds of you personally when one introduces it to an audience. The you changes much as stories are changed for dramatic effect and interpretation in film. “You” is now a character on film, or in writing, that must be interpreted by its audience.
As the “you” changes in the story, so does the person who created “you.” Once a story is released to an audience, whether it is your mother or friend, you are no longer the author. The audience decides who the you is. Is “you” a negative, pessimistic character, or is “you” a caring giving individual? One may have written the “you” as a specific someone, but ultimately the audience decides “you’s” outcome. The audience’s decision about “you” may be based on outside factors such as society and experience, but ultimately it is their choice to determine who that person is, not the author.
Writing has never been a simple task. Although the words may flow freely, an author must constantly maintain supreme awareness. The audience, the environment, and the way in which a piece of writing is presented all must be addressed by an author. Forgetting about one issue can drastically change the outcome of writing. To know and understand ones audience and how a piece will interact with an audience and an environment is a true gift never to be ignored by great writers everywhere.

February 22, 2006

Dear Mom,
As I look back on my past so much of it has been shaped by my upbringing. Being the oldest child I have always attempted to be the center of attention. However, in public this was not always the case.
When I was much younger in the third grade I was very shy away from home. I was very quiet and rarely spoke up in my classes. I became almost a wallflower seldom yearning to be the focus of attention. I infrequently spoke out of turn and kept to myself and my close friends both in class and on the play ground.
However, it wasn’t until my parent-teacher conferences that you and Dad became aware of this fact. I remember you telling me how shocked you were to hear that I was so quiet in school. You actually questioned the teacher when she made these remarks to you. Yet, at that time I was a very different person at school. I had become so accustomed to ruling the house, or at least my younger sisters, and did not adapt the same when I was around my peers. It was only when I was home that I came out of my shell and became Elizabeth. But at school I became introverted, back into my shell, into that girl with brown hair.
It wasn’t until much later in school that I fully blossomed. I became comfortable with myself and with others my own age and my true self came out. With the encouragement I felt at home and the relationships I made with my friends I became a fully functioning and boisterous child, the child you always knew and loved.

Dear Rachel (a friend from high school),
You know how I am always the loudest one anywhere, at a party, sitting around, at the movies? Well I wasn’t always so loud. The person that you have become best friends with was not always this way.
Much like many kids are shy when they are younger, I was extremely shy. But, I wasn’t always this way. At home I was loud and obnoxious with my sisters and maintained my presence as the oldest, a personality you are very familiar with. Yet, when I went to school I was very different. I became very shy and introverted and didn’t really talk that much. Hard to believe I know, but I really was very shy. I had a few close friends that I spoke to, but the majority of my time was spent quietly playing with them, rarely shouting out ideas in class.
Yet, over time I became more comfortable with myself and began to speak out more and my “home self” became more like my “school self” until they were one in the same. Since I have gone to college I am sure that I have changed a bit, as everyone does, but it is hard for me to become more extroverted than you already know. That is what makes us friends, our balance between who we are together and who we are to the world; loud, sometimes obnoxious girls.

Autobiography:
Born December 22, 1983, a Thursday
Grew up as a child in Kettering, OH
My first sister Samantha was born March 20, 1986
Slowly I became adjusted to life as a sister
We moved to Mansfield, OH
My second sister Caroline was born, December 28, 1988
We moved back to Dayton, to Centerville, OH
I started preschool and kindergarten
I entered Cline Elementary School
(insert autobiographical letters)
I graduated from Cline and went on to Magsig Middle School
I graduated Magsig Middle School and entered Centerville High School
In high school I became interested in business and joined International Businesss Management
I obtained my learner’s permit and then my liscence
I graduated from Centerville High School in June 2002
I went to Miami University in the fall of 2002 to study Marketing

Story telling always adjusts to ones audience. Much as we discussed in class, a play is just a rehearsal without an audience. Stories are much the same way. It is how you shape your words around your audience that makes them a story. In my autobiographical letter my story changed to fit my audience. The people I wrote to not only differed in age and background, but also in relation to the relationship I hold with them. Knowing these individuals as well as their interests and opinions I was able to shape my story to their liking and their audience. Parents and friends differ, therefore their stories must differ to keep them entertained and willing to read more into a story, autobiographical or not. It is also important to shape the story from the audience’s perspective. My parents saw me as their child, so I related to them as their child, while I told the story to my friend as a peer, as if she was there with me. She can relate to this experience much more than my parents because of her experiences and ideas.
Because this was written in a letter I was able to take several liberties that would greatly differ if this were a published piece. For one, I would be less forthcoming with my thoughts, and I would have to tailor my thoughts for a more general audience rather than a specific person. A general audience would be more interested in the basics, if interested at all, while those that I know and cater to would be more receptive to details.
Much like this letter format differs from a published piece, so does the “you.” You in a letter refers to the specific person to which I am writing while a you in a published piece is much more general, although still a reader it is not a specific reader.