Blogging Around

Luc Spiewak's iMedia blog post about a car bomb in Pakistan. He's not surprised at the destruction over there and thinks we should give up our efforts to help the east.

I can agree with you that this picture is both shocking and not shocking at the same time. There are plenty of bad things happening in the east. But sitting back and watching it happen is what we shouldn't be doing.

I disagree with you on the fact that we should "stay the hell out." What good has come from anyone letting things slide? We have pretty good peace in our country, so why can't we help others find the same? Yeah we spend too much money on others, and we should be helping our country instead. But, reconciling others problems will help everyone in the long run.

Chen's iMedia blog on Canon Rock. Basically, we all agree that combining old techniques with new makes a song great.

I have to agree with both Chen and Pat here. The great thing about music is that we have so many combinations and varieties available. Rock and classical? A perfect mix new and old. When an artist adds on to the old stuff and puts their own spin on things, magic happens.

For instance, the band Coheed and Cambria has this awesome mix of classical guitar, violin, and electric guitar. When these two combine, you hear how great it is together. Sure, classical guitar is beautiful enough on its own. But when you add the awesome, new age electric, it creates a surge of even more awesomeness. To sum it all up, music is godly, maybe in ways we don't even know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEsnX4utdyQ(Welcome Home-Coheed and Cambria)

iMedia: Transatlanticism and Tiny Vessels

Transatlanticism song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNqQC7R_Me4
Transatlanticism lyrics:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/deathcabforcutie/transatlanticism.html


Tiny Vessels lyrics:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/deathcabforcutie/tinyvessels.html
Tiny Vessels song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADa7n1fM12g


We've all heard of juxtapositions of ideas throughout movies and books. But what about through music? These two songs, Tiny Vessels and Transatlanticism, are juxtaposed in Death Cab for Cuties album, Transatlanticism. Tiny Vessels comes before Transatlanticism. The ending of Tiny Vessels fades into the beginning of Transatlanticism through the steady "footsteps."

Why did Death Cab for Cutie do this? Why does this bring interest, or extra layers to the meaning of the songs? We need to look at the lyrics of both songs.

Tiny Vessels is about a man letting go of the woman that he doesn't really love. "She is beautiful, but she don't mean a thing to me." As much as he wants it to work, he knows that it can't. Basically, hes over her. There are references to "Silver Lake" and "dark grey clouds."

Transatlanticism is about a man wanting to get closer to a woman. It seems they have been separated, whether it be in heart or literally by oceans. Once again, there are references to clouds and water. "The clouds above opened up and let it out;" "I thought it less like a lake and more like a moat." Instead of being too close the the woman, he needs to be closer(as he repeats TWELVE TIMES at the end of the song).

These two songs create an interesting scene for the listeners to think about. Was the lyricist feeling both of these songs at the same time? How can one want to be closer to someone, but at the same time feel too close? The blending of the two songs suggest they are similar. The idea here is that water can separate people(the references to moats) or pull them together(dark grey clouds).

Is it better to be far apart from the one you love, or to be too close to someone you only half love? Either way, there is still suffering. Sure, the songs are beautiful to listen to: slow and mesmerizing(especially Transatlanticism). But when you get down to the root meaning of the songs together, they make for a pretty depressing theme.

Why do we listen to depressing music in the first place? It doesn't make us feel better; if anything, it makes us feel worse. Is it because we can relate to it? Most of the people I know listen to music, and it isn't always happy. We go back to those sad feelings, over and over again. When we hear different pieces of music, we remember the bad times we've had(with people, instances, life in general). We all go through hard times, and need something to take our mind off the pain. But sad music increases the pain.

I think it is more important to acknowledge how we are feeling, then to just ignore it. Sad music makes us feel depressed, but if we can see our feelings, and look them in the face, maybe we can change them. These two songs put together side by side make us see the two sides of love. Each of us will probably be at both or one of those sides. Once we acknowledge they are there, we can learn from our feelings and move on to better places.

Connection: Philosophy to Daily Life

Each day seems to morph into the next. Our lives all swirl together. We eat the same food, do the same activities, and talk about the same things. The world is almost on autopilot; our culture succumbs us. As depressing and boring as it sounds, this pretty much sums up how most of us live our lives. Is this the philosophy we want to be living by? After all of what we have learned in school about thinking about our lives, none of us ever really do it except when we are forced to by our teachers.

As we read Sophie's World, there was one thing I was unsure of.

Everything.

All of the philosophy we learned got me thinking about if my life matters. Well, does it? Honestly, I don't know. How can I apply the philosophy we learned in class if I don't even know how it applies to my life. This seems to be the case with most of what we learn in school. Will I really need to know how many isotopes Carbon has, or who conquered the Aztecs? The application of things seems to be what matters in life. We learn things in school so we can use them in "The Real World." But is school right on this one? As much as I think about it, I still don't know the answers. I can formulate opinions, the school can formulate opinions, the world can formulate opinions, but what are they worth?

So, why do we learn about philosophy in class? What use is it to us? I think it's better to accept that you don't know anything. Once we realize that fact, we can move on and enjoy life. But that also gets us back to the one question, why does it matter? Life is a huge, big, round circle that no one fully understands. Personally, this is completely frustrating. What does it matter if I clean my room? If I get a ticket for speeding? Sure, I will face consequences, and maybe my life will not be as great as it could. As Linkin Park would say, "In the end, it doesn't even matter." But in reality, we have no idea if it does or not.

360 Degrees: Musical Taste

What does it mean to have good taste in music? Music is one of the most subjective things since it differs from person to person. As we grow older, change our opinions, and learn new ideas, our music taste changes. If we hear something on the radio we like, our music knowledge is enhanced. Why do we like certain kinds of music? What is the appeal? I think the music we enjoy has to be related to what kind of person we are.

The first music I remember hearing is my mom singing a lullaby to me. This cannot be where my music taste is derived from. Once we start hearing music on the radio and we understand what the music means, we can begin to actually appreciate music. It seems to be outside influences that tell us what to like. Radio stations tell us their music is the best, so when we were younger, we believed them. Until we mature and can fully understand music, we cannot know exactly what we like. After we have heard different genres, artists, and songs, can we decide what is best.

One's music taste isn't always confined to one genre of music, although sometimes it is. Why do some people keep themselves to one type of music, and never stray away? I have a friend who is obsessed with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Led Zepplin, and Pink Floyd. Now don't get me wrong, those bands are decent, and I love listening and playing to their songs. But I cannot imagine my world with just those bands. I seem to flip flop between classic rock, alternative, and even some pop. Does having a wider liking of music make you a better person, though? Because I like a variety of music, maybe I have a better perspective. Surely it is better to be open to different things. I have also been argued that you shouldn't force yourself to try new things, especially when you know you won't like it. Then again, how can anyone know if they like something unless they try it?

When I listen to the radio, I soon find a new song that I like. This means my perspective and taste is changing by the minute. Therefor, can we even define what our music taste is? If we are always changing, which is human nature after all, why are we trying to define ourselves? Humans need labels. It's the need for materialism stored deep inside of us. When someone asks what kind of music you like, maybe you list a few bands or the genre you most enjoy. When you do this, you are leaving out huge chunks of yourself. Each song you have listened to changed or motivated you in some way. Emotions stream from music. A sad song makes you depressed; a happy song makes you feel good.

Saying you have good taste in music is like saying you like pizza. Almost everyone likes pizza; its universal. Everyone thinks they have good taste in music. What I don't understand is how we can even begin to judge each others taste. We all love music, it doesn't really matter what type. Music is an expression of human feelings. When you listen to music, its you, the song, and your feelings. I'd like to think that my friends opinions on my music taste matters, but it really doesn't. If you love music, you'll eventually learn to appreciate all of it. Sure, you might never grow too fond of classic operas or heavy metal, but maybe someday you will see the beauty in both.

Metacognition

Looking back on my essay, I realize I followed the prompt and filled in all the blanks Mr. Allen asked of me. I reviewed my comma usage, added a few semi-colons here and there, and made sure my topic sentences flowed with the paragraphs.

But is that all that is required of me? Just following the rubric to earn points? As we have discussed in class, writing is about discovering. I learned through writing my essay that it feels good to get my thoughts out in an organized manner. Sure, I like following the rubric, using the guidelines to assist me through the essay. But, I think the rules for the essay should be guidelines, and not set rules.

Is writing ever set in stone anyways? If we are so confined to rules, limited with our topics, won't all of our essays soon morph together? Of course, there are many ideas throughout the text. We might all have different topics, but our structures are all the same. Then again, you can have complex thoughts portrayed in simple structures. Aren't different, unique structures part of what make great books, great books?

As much as I wanted to go outside the set rules for the essay, I knew I couldn't. After all, I am an Academy student and I do care about my grades. But I found trouble finding my own voice through this essay. If I were to go back, I would reassess my sentences and make sure it sounds more like me. My grade will be happy for following the structures, but my creative writing skills will not.

P.S. sorry for going a little outside the guidelines(definitely not as bad as Sean's though ;))

Blogging Around

Alex's Post: Carry it Forward: "Beat by Beat: The Rhythm of Writing", writing a note to grandparents vs. writing intensely

I liked how Alex related what she learned in class to the real world. Sure, we all have to write papers and essays for school. Its required, we get a grade on them, so therefore we must do a good job. But what about elsewhere? Is it really necessary? Alex seems to think that when writing a note to her grandparents, it doesn't matter too much. They know her, they know her writing style, and they know she means well. But what about a note to someone you do not know? You need to get your point across, but you also want to get it across in the feelings you want to show. I don't think that we necessarily want to be intense with our writing, as Alex said, but we want to be honest and portray ourselves the way we really are. After all, it is our writing.

Connors Post: Best of the Week: Author-Character Interaction, the struggle between the author and his character

In general, this is a great topic to explore. We may not fully realize it at times, (although truly obvious), but the author has absolute full control over his characters. The authors goal is to intrigue his readers and teach them a lesson. In this case, there were many, but the most salient one was that of redemption. Hosseini pulled and tugged at Amir's strings, until he finally found the way. Hosseini made the road so hard for Amir that at one point he couldn't even talk. Isn't this hard for us to read? After all, why would a reader want to read about horrific events, such as rape, beatings, and suicide? For some reason, we actually enjoy this. Why is this? I don't really have a solid answer for this question, other than maybe we need some form of entertainment to keep ourselves occupied. But is that reason enough? Or is it just accepted in our society? Authors create suspense and put their characters through the worst of things, just for our entertainment.

Connection: Great Literature to Great Art

The intricate yet confusing pathways of great literature are sometimes difficult to find our way through. There are twists, curves, and plenty of blurred areas to which the reader might be confused. Not everyone sees things the same way; the way we see the lessons shown are always varied from person to person.

Great artwork is similar. We are not always aware, nor do we understand, what is going on. The artist may have one intention, and the gazer might see a totally opposite concept. Art has different meanings. Sometimes we cannot even comprehend what is going on with a piece of work. "What did the author do? How is this art, it looks like garbage!" But, because we do not understand something, does not disallow us from experiencing the artwork.

When I think of the Jackson Pollock paintings, my mind suddenly sees mixed up combinations of brown, green, and grey. Do I understand exactly what is going on in the paintings? No, not really. Do I want to? Yes, I do. But the question is, what does this painting make me feel? What does the artist want me to feel? If I think hard enough, maybe I will find the answers. Was there hatred behind this? Sadness?

I even asked my art teacher what he thought of Pollock. "What is going on with these paintings?" I questioned, looking for an honest answer. He replied, "There is emotion within these paintings. They allude to certain objects, feelings, places even, but the emotion and how they make us feel is the most important thing."

How can we understand literature and art, when there seems to be so many things going on with them? As we learned in our classroom, if you don't read especially careful, you will miss something. A paragraph swiftly skimmed through; a chapter read to get it over with. When looking at art, you have to regard the picture as if it was a book: very carefully. Books are complex. Art is complex. I have learned that the little details are important.

Maybe the main point isn't to be omniscient. Maybe it is flat out awesome that we don't understand everything. Couldn't you say that not understanding something completely bring on a new, individual perspective? The main point is that the little details make up a bigger picture, and the bigger picture makes us feel things. In my opinion, the more we feel, the better the piece of literature or artwork. Are we going to remember the color shirt a character wore and how it symbolized the hatred he felt for someone? Or are we going to remember how we felt when we learned a character died, or we learned an important lesson? How we viewed the scene, how it made us think, is what matters. The more different we think from each other, the further we expand our horizons of perception.

Sure, its nice to read a effortlessly easy book. Or look at a simple, plain painting. But do we learn anything from them? Do they bring on any powerful, exhilerating feelings? We don't need to remember every single minute, diminutive detail to enjoy a piece of work. We just need to experience and learn from what we see.

Best of Week: Nature vs. Nurture

The best observation from class on Friday was about how Assef had very circular, logical thinking. Personally, I view Assef as a bully and a troubled, uncared for child. But, as I learned throughout our class discussions, there are many more ways of looking at Assef.

Normally, I hate over analyzing books. Examining the characters too thoroughly, or picking out every piece of text that has some, most of the time minuscule, interest to it. But, with the characters in The Kite Runner, I believe you have to do this in order to understand the characters and plot line. On Friday, Roman discussed how maybe Assef wasn't exactly a sociopath. He thinks circularly, and his way was the only correct way. Hassan was a low class hazara, and Assef came from a wealthy family. Therefor, Assef thought he could bully Hassan and get away with it, based on these facts. We learned about this last year in English through fallacies. (Petitio principii, or "assuming the initial point.") With Assef, one thing led to another. Maybe he just didn't understand Hassan and his life. He drew conclusions about a culture based on what he had learned from other people/books/culture, not what he had actually experienced.

Was Hassan a bad person? Did he deserve to be beaten up? Of course not.

This idea made me think about my life. Am I similar to Assef? Do I make a conclusions about things I don't understand completely? And then draw even more, false accusations? After consideration, I have realized I do. I meet a new person, and don't really give them a chance. Maybe they dress differently, and so I assume that they are a weird person. This is something I need to work on, making less accusations. Was I raised like this? To judge, judge, and judge some more?

We make false accusations towards each other so often. Maybe we need to be the judges of our own actions, and not others. The more we judge each other, the more we lose sight of who we are as people. If we don't focus on ourselves, and instead on others, how will we ever become better people?

Change of Mind: The Kite Runner

Being open to new things can be difficult. Why change when things are already perfect? With the start of school, new people and teachers, its imperative you allow yourself to look at things openly.


Last year, I was shy and sluggish, not wanting to do anything. Homework would be assigned two days before it was due, I would be up until 1 o'clock the day before sprinting to finish. I was encouraged to talk in class, but the butterflies in my stomach were fluttering a little too fast for me. I wanted to do well in school, I knew I had to. The parents, the teachers, my younger sister and friends, they all looked at me like I was genius. As if I was programmed to do well, computer-like. Automatically expected to succeed. "I think I failed that test," I would say. My friends would reply, "Sam, I'm sure you did fine, you always do. You always study hard."



But the funny thing was, I probably hadn't. The hours that should have been spent studying were on Facebook. With my friends. Or texting. I had no motivation to cross the threshold into the lands of in depth thinking nor immerse myself into my academics. In the past I had gotten nearly perfect grades, been involved in masses of activities, and actually had a social life. Why was freshman year so different?


It took me a whole summer to understand, but I discovered my laziness occurred because it could. I didn't have to be interested in a subject to do well. I read, understood the storyline, and passed. Throughout the short time I have been reading The Kite Runner, I realized I could take two different routes. The first being the quickest. Read, get it over with, and not learn anything. The second road would be a little more challenging, but worth it in the end. Read with care, enjoy it, and understand the authors lessons and learn from them.


I can relate to Robert Frost's poem, The Road Not Taken.


"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;


Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,



And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I marked the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.


I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."



I learned from our discussions of The Kite Runner that you have to read carefully and try to understand things, rather than skipping right past them. You can either attempt or not attempt, and as Robert Frost tells us, the harder, less traveled route is the one that benefits us in the end.

I read the two chapters of The Kite Runner as fast as I could, to get through it and move on to other homework. But after discussing it with our class, I saw all the things I missed. Where was my mind while i was reading? Merely floating along the text, being just another piece of driftwood in the river of paragraphs? How did I fail to notice the beautiful symbolism and detailed metaphors Husseini gives? While we talked about it in class, it shocked me how a quick two pages can give off such an impression. If he can do that in two pages, I can't even imagine how much he will do with the rest of the book.

I have decided I don't want to miss out anymore. I want to care, and I want to know. I desire to be part of the light in our classroom, guiding everyone through the dark, unexplored parts of the texts we read.