Writing To Me [[ 2 ]]

1. At the beginning of the year, I knew that my grammar, introductions, and conclusions needed a lot of help. My grammar has improved, and once it was pointed out to me, I noticed that I use a whole lot of "to be" verbs. Once I tried changing some of these within my writing, the grammar seemed to fall into place more, and I liked my style. My introductions have improved more than my conclusions, but both have made a significant difference. Overall I would say I was pretty successful.

2. My strength as a writer is mostly my transitions. I used them all the time, and I think that this helps my writing flow, and sound much more advanced. It is hard for me to edit many aspects of essays, but transitioning and keeping the essay flowing is definitely my forte.

3. I still use way too many "to be" verbs in my writing. Even when I try to focus on it, the way I typically structure my sentences always seems to include them. I would like to still work on my sentence structuring ability so I could cut down on the number of "to be" verbs in my writing.

I love the idea of a tandem class. Being able to connect a writing class to an art class was really interesting. I love art, so using ideas from Humanistic Studies within an Art class (and vis versa) was my favorite part. I plan to major in Business Marketing, and I want to minor in Art, Advertising, and Psychology. I think this class relates to this combination and helped me realize this is what I want to do. If I had the chance to go back to the beginning of the semester, I would have definitely still registered for this class again.

Lost in Translation

I have previously blogged about names and their significance, but the play "Translations" only feeds into this topic even more!

Ireland has its own personal identity, which is based on history, background, heritage, culture, and many other affiliations such as these. A name also insinuates these same aspects of a history.

The British came in and tried to overtake every part of Ireland. They changed their education to English and changed Irish names of places to ones of English meaning.

Through translation, meanings are lost and some words must be altered. This book shows how sentences are not always translated word for word, and a lot of meaning is lost.

This got me thinking...relating back to the significance of names, what if somebody tried to translate your name and completely change the meaning and the history? Relating to Power, the question was posed about the significance of a name and if that has a direct reference to one's personality. If everything--names, streets, objects, etc.--was changed to a different language, would we completely lose all of the history and significance behind everything we know? Is a language that powerful or does this play just make it too big of a deal?

Do You Ever Really KNOW?

BELIEF VS. KNOWLEDGE
What defines a belief versus a fact and how can we differentiate between the two?

Our class's conclusions basically consisted of facts being things we can perceive and find definite, and beliefs filling in the gaps facts leave open. This is where things such as religion come into play. When things happen that can not be explained by fact, we use beliefs to make sense of it all.

The topic discussed in class that really caught my attention was about color. Is my definition of red the same as yours? How about orange or blue? Color is something we typically refer to as a fact. We "know" if something is yellow or green. But if it is a possibility that our concepts of color are even different, how can we differentiate between a belief versus knowledge?

Although this video is quite boring [monotone voice and elevator music in the background] mainly focuses on the topic of religion, it expresses a difference between a belief and a truth. It classifies knowledge as the medium between the two, which I found interesting. So does scientific proof make something a fact?

Defined by Your Name?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell so sweet?"

Shakespeare said it. Both Jamaica Kincaid and Linda Hogan continued to question it. So what does a name really mean? If we name someone upon their birth, without yet knowing them, is the name reflective of their personality?

LUCINDA: Short for Lucifer [Satan himself].
Before the reference to the definition of her name, Lucy says, "I felt like Lucifer, doomed to build wrong upon wrong." Do you always live up to your name? Or is it just a coincidence that her name directly relates to how she feels and acts?

OMISHTO: Means "She who watches".
The first few pages of the novel describe in great detail her surrounding and all of the sounds she hears and things she sees. She obviously lives up to her name of "she who watches."

Is your fate decided the moment you are named or do we really have free will?

If you were named something else when you were born, would you have the same personality or would your defining characteristics be completely different?

Dances with the Daffodils

Daffodils: Symbol of new beginnings, rebirth, and good fortune. Bloom after winter so part of this symbolism comes from the fact that they appear in the spring time.

Clearly, Lucy has attempted to begin a new life in America seperate from her old family and ties. If her main goal is to start her own new beginning, then why does she have such a passion against daffodils, the symbol of her goal?

COMPARE:

Mariah sees the beautiful flowers and is reminded of beauty, happiness, and a new hope.

Lucy looks at daffodils and the only reminder leads towards a hated poem. The poem seems very positive and happy, yet it provokes thoughts such as, "I wanted to kill them" (Kincaid 29). Her hatred has nothing to do with the actual flower, but rather the poem and its responses from the audience. After the performance of the reading, Lucy received praise, but only towards how she read the poem..only referring to her conformation. Lucy wants to be her own person, and realizes: "outside I seemed one way, "inside I was another; outside false, inside true." Lucy relates daffodils to this moment which relates it all back to having a fake outside and not showing your true self.

"Daffodils" (1804)
By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

HOW CAN ONE SYMBOL REPRESENT TWO CONTRASTING IDEAS?

This symbol represents the concept of a symbol. It has many meanings, but which you choose to believe is up to each specific person. There are many possibilities, but each have a personal significance.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Dream Analysis

In the novel Lucy,the main character refers to some of her past dreams. Usually the author of a novel creates a vision of a fairly specific scene or reference in order to make sure the reader follows the logic. Sometimes it is not straightforward, but the author has a purpose for including it. I found this part of the novel to be particularly interesting, because dreams can be analyzed in multiple ways, and there is no specific answer or direct reference which can be considered a takeaway point. This was one of the interesting dreams Lucy shared:

"Lewis was chasing me around the house. I wasn't wearing any clothes. The ground on which I was running was yellow, as if it had been paved with cornmeal. Lewis was chasing me around and around the house, and though he came close he could never catch up with me. Mariah stood at the open windows saying, Catch her, Lewis, catch her. Eventually I fell down a hole, at the bottom of which were some silver and blue snakes" (page 14).

This dream seems to have a bunch of random points all thrown together, as many dreams do. After research about these components, I thought it was interesting how running from something is an instinctive response and is interpreted in dreams as a symbol of anxiety in your life. The need to run from the attacker can represent anger, jealousy, or love. Lucy refers to "and though he came close he could never catch up." The space between the attacker and the runner represents the closeness to the problem, and if they are gaining on you, it shows that the problem will not go away.
The fact that she is naked refers to her vulnerability. She talks about this dream at the beginning of the novel, when she first arrives. She still feels out of her comfort zone and vulnerable to the family, especially Mariah and Lewis.
Mariah stands at the open windows, as if she is blocking Lucy's only escape out, and acts as the only thing preventing Lucy from leaving this situation.
Typically the color yellow is symbolic of happiness, energy, and intellect. However, when the dream has a negative connotation, as this dream seems to have, yellow is representative of cowardice, sickness, and fear. This directly relates to the fear of not being able to escape the problem due to Mariah.
At the end, Lucy falls down a hole. Research says that falling typically represents the overcoming of problems.
Snakes within dreams are said to represent a yearning for sexual fulfillment. This goes back to Lewis chasing her, and reveals that Lucy has an intimate want for Lewis.
Silver is known to represent justice, purity, and protection. Blue represents truth. clarity, and openness. After the fall, Lucy feels that the problems between herself and Lewis have been solved, and symbols of intimacy appear in her dreams.

Dreams can never be figured out and analyzed 100% accurately. This may or may not have been what Lucy's dream actually represented. This is why I found the addition of dreams interesting in this novel. Unless you already know a lot about dream analysis or care to research, the deeper possible meaning of this paragraph isn't discovered.

Modern Shakespeare

The movie, O, is an obvious link to the play, Othello. The advantages of portraying the play as a movie give O the opportunity to show visual symbols that the play lacks. The opening scene shows a whole flock of white doves. Directly after the scene of the peaceful doves, the director shows one lonely black hawk. This symbol alone could have multiple meanings. Very directly, it compares the obvious racial difference between Othello and the other main characters. It introduces race as a major theme. Also, doves generally represent peace. The black hawk acts as the interrupter of this peace, which serves as a symbol of foreshadowing to the disruption Othello causes towards the end of the movie.
The idea that Othello was a moor was a main point in the play. The director of the movie had to find a way to suggest that race was a main theme without the ability to directly say he was a moor. The birds in the beginning were an opening symbol, but racial suggestions were constantly brought up. Rap music is the only genre used throughout the whole movie. The camera angles made sure to show the direct contrast of skin colors as they touched each other. Also, the opposing basketball team, the Bulldogs, consisted of only African Americans. I found this to be a huge symbol. A moor has the connotation of being Muslim, just like the Turks (the enemies of the Venetians). This gave Othello a major tie to the enemies. Just in the same way, that specific basketball game gave Oden a direct tie with his team’s enemies.
I thought it was very interesting how Julia Styles (Desi Brable) and Andrew Keegan (Michael Cassio) were both casted to play the roles of two of the main characters. They were also casted to play two of the main characters in 10 Things I Hate About You, another modern movie based off of a Shakespearean play. Before I watched O, I thought it would be very similar to the other Shakespearean modern adaptations I had seen such as 10 Things I Hate About You and She’s the Man. However, I feel like the other movies I had previously seen had plots which were enjoyable to watch, and it was simply a bonus is you understood the symbols and second meanings. O is not like that to me. My main enjoyment in watching this movie is to pick out the symbols and correlations, not to follow the story line and sympathize with the characters.