Article of the Week Reflections 20/2/15

Most of us are aware of these current world events taking place, but our level of understanding varies.  I find these gallery walks to be very important and beneficial to our worldview.  There's quite a difference (and ultimately, a blurred line) between knowing about an event and understanding one.  Everyone can pour out their bias after a brief news segment, but thinking critically and understanding not only what is going on but what causes these events is where true world knowledge lies. In the future, it will become more and more important to stay up to date and well informed; but interestingly, I think that task will become increasingly difficult.  There's little need to say why.  Also, understanding conflicts will help in combatting them, and perhaps even solving them.

In the future, I hope we can all branch out more in topic selections and truly find where our interest lies.  I think I've found a few topics that I'd love to learn more about, which is important.  Obviously, this isn't everyone's cup of tea and I understand apathy.  I really do.  But I'm trying to break free of mine (trying to rid myself of all things Nietzsche and Sartre), so keeping up to date is a personal goal. I also hope to see little-known topics being brought up, because those can be equally devastating to world peace. Conversation about our topics, and not just brief summaries, would also be of a great benefit.  But either is equally..cool.

To Kill A Mockingbird ~ 18/12/14 (Late now)

Prompt:  Final Thoughts on the book

Well after about a month of reading it, I suppose some of my feelings toward the book have faltered and diminished.  But that won't be a problem... Coming of age novels are supposed to stick with you, and reoccur throughout your life.  While I may not be analyzing one of it's predominant themes, I am still seeing its influence in my life, and the world.  And not always the book specifically.  Through further reading, keeping in touch with current events, and keeping To Kill A Mockingbird's message in the back of my mind; I've begun to see the novel's themes take place in the world.  The non-fiction world.  Perhaps this gives me an advantage over the other blogs, as more experience always helps.  
I couldn't properly begin to explain these observations, because the novel should mean something different to everyone.  We're all at different stages of acceptance, or 'living in someone else's shoes'. We've all had different social experiences, and different negative events impact us.  But the one message we can all take as a whole is putting aside differences.  Not just walking in someone else's shoes, which can apply to even the most similar humans.  But actually setting differences aside and standing up for what you believe in, regardless. 

That being said, I am not sure how the world will react to Harper Lee's 'new' installment of Scout's story.  Of course, the outcome is predictable.  There will always be the ignorant and immature critics saying it wasn't as good the second time around.  Which it won't be, unless Harper Lee can defy all odds. There will be the over-exaggerators, and all that comes in between.  Will the new novel have the same effect?  Will it combat the same reoccurring issues with the blunt force it has before?  Or will it be a romantic novel of Scout's future?  How can we be sure.  I might not purchase the book (I have many suspicions), but I will read it.  And over-analyze it.  And try to be more intelligent than I actually am. 

http://clouded-ambition.deviantart.com/art/To-Kill-A-Mockingbird-31766439 (credit to the artist)

26/1/15: Neverwhere (Late obviously)

Prompt:  Where do you think the story is going?  Where would you like it to go?
Pages read: 0-90

While I'm not entirely sure I'll be continuing with reading this book, I definitely have a strong premonition of where it is headed.  For that reason, I am leaning towards finishing the book, because I am definitely enthralled.  And coming from someone who dislikes the entirety of fantasy novels, that's quite a statement.  My personal fascination with morals and the all too human has never manifested itself in a interest in angels and demons surprisingly.  However, through Richard Mayhew's confusion and inadvertent plunge into the metaphorical depths of London I've found myself wrapped up in the storyline.

My feelings for the protagonist, Richard Mayhew, are yet to be determined.  Nevertheless, I wish him the best ending.  Perhaps... Although we all know the happiest ending isn't always the most interesting.  From this point in the story (the first day he 'slipped through the cracks' of London society), I haven't the slightest idea of what can 'realistically' happen in this story.  An educated guess would be that he meets up with the mysterious Door again.  No, not the inanimate object.  Richard met Door on the way to a very important dinner with his ex-fiancé and her boss.  Door had collapsed in a pile of her own blood (mixed with assorted others') on the street, and Richard was adamant in his passive way about not leaving her there to waste away.  Through his and Door's encounter, Richard meets up with some unique and morally ambiguous creatures (who are not quite humans, in my understanding) and is unwittingly transported into this not-quite new realm.  It's London, but not.  His history is erased, his job has been taken, his apartment sold, and his coworkers and significant other have no memory of his existence.  Gathering from that, I reckon Richard will be maladjusted to life in the murky realm which has until this point, remained nameless.  Door and Marquis de Carabas's ambiguous hinting at this world has left Richard dazed and confused, as well as justly angry.  I predict there will be confrontation between the two parties.  Door and her acquaintances are infinitely more knowledgeable about the power and magic and all that, so I'm interested in what will become of their relationship.

As for what I would like to see happen, there are many possible outcomes.  Truly, I need to be further into the story to really grasp my feelings towards its characters and storyline, but I am hoping for an all-out battle of the wits.  As stated earlier, I've always been fascinated by the workings of good and evil, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Neil Gaiman presents these forces in his novel.  At this point in time, romance would seem out of place.  Richard has just been dumped (in his terminology) by his fiancé, and romance right now would take away from the adventure and plot.  Perhaps there will come a time for it, but for right now, Richard should restrain himself.  He's not among the company of humans, so who knows what kind of weird stuff an inter-species relationships entails.  All this being said, I'm looking forward to reading the next few chapters.  This is one of those books when each page can contain a plot-twist and/or vital fore-shadowing.

AoW Impressions 2/2/15

At this time in our lives, learning about current events is one of the most important things we can do.  It certainly broadens my perspective, and I hopefully become more enriched and cultured.  On a less self-centered scale, knowing what's going on in the world will help bring change.  Because of these reasons, and a few more, I'm really impressed with what everyone shared on Friday.  The broad range of topics (climate change to social justice, from neurology to the state of coral reefs) were fascinating, and I could see that nearly everyone had a good time sharing and experiencing.  Personally, being able to share my interests to people my own age is a rare and exciting activity.  In the future, I hope to see our class become more comfortable with sharing, and find out what most interests us.  

Because this should've been two paragraphs, I'll talk about what I learned from the showcased articles.  I particularly enjoyed Emily's article, because it wasn't a go-to or a topic that is widely discussed in the news.  Neuroscience is dark and mysterious, and the article she chose helped clear up suspicions and doubts.  Well I'd already believed gender exists on a spectrum, but now there is evidence to support that claim.  I'm very happy the class was able to hear about it.  As always, ISIL updates are scary but fascinating.  So rarely does televised go into detail or tell an objective story, so hearing multiple articles from different sources was very important to me.  

Final TKAM Analysis (maybe)

Prompt:  What is the purpose in having different versions of a story? Think about how different versions contribute to the overall understanding and interpretation of that piece of work. Use specific concepts to support your opinion.

I suppose there is an importance to having multiple versions of the same story.  In the case of folk-tales and fairytales, these stories have been adapted through word-of-mouth, stage, and literature to reach different audiences and age groups.  In the case of ancient literature, and foreign language novels - many have been adapted and translated and warranted different interpretations.  Whether or not these interpretations are high in quality, or popular amongst the mass the original might've attracted - they do serve a purpose.  Maybe they serve to the creator's ego, or reap the earnings off a major title.   Maybe an artist just wants to express themselves, or a big-time director wants to make a successful film adaptation of a popular novel.  The latter example is the case we're observing with our reading of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Recently concluding both the novel and film, I have noticed many differences between the way I reacted to major scenes and themes in both versions.

Everybody likes to slag off the movie version, or at least most people.  While it's true that in many cases, the novel or story has been absolutely butchered; there are always pros and cons to both.  Basically put.  The common opinion is that movies often portray more emotion, as the viewer is able to feel more empathetic to a living, breathing person. This is entirely dependent on who the viewer is, however.  But in summary and to generalize, films help a viewer feel what's going on; and by association, relate and learn from whatever the message being pushed is.  Another reason film adaptations shouldn't be overlooked is their appeal to a broader audience.  For many people, watching a movie is much easier and more entertaining that reading a novel, or watching a play, or sitting and listening to a word-of-mouth story. This makes them very important, especially if they have controversial or important themes.

Novels and other written (and oral) works are important in the sense that the reader gets "the full picture".  There's not as many limitations in writing and speaking, so characters and themes are developed deeper.  With written versions of stories, some readers may have a harder time putting themselves in the characters shoes, which complicates the reception of the piece. There may be more room for interpretation in written versions, as every line can be read into and there is little dispute about context.  Personally, (I hate sitting through movies) (unless James Dean is in them) I find that I get more out of novels and written stories.  But these factors are mostly dependent on "what type of learner you are".  I'm assuming you know what I'm talking about...

In the end, you get what you take out of each different version of a story.  Some mediums are bigger (and more useful) than others.

By far the cheesiest cover I've found yet

To Kill a Mockingbird ~ Found Poetry

"Mr. Nathan Radley"*

Come out on the porch...

Reading the Bible -

Scared him pale, though.

Radley's posture was ramrod straight

Word was his bond

reading the Bible.

Old, a foot-washing Baptist

Hankerin' after Heaven as he went by

Going to Hell -

reading the Bible.

Anything's that pleasure is a sin

What secrets...

Burn right with me

Mr Radley was dying,

What he did was his own business

the house died. 

A peril of everlasting torment

A sad house

Mr Radley

reading the Bible

worse than whiskey in the hand of...

To Kill A Mockingbird ~ Character Analysis

Character pair: Miss Maudie Atkinson and Mr. Avery

The characters mentioned above, Miss Maudie and Mr. Avery, are starkly contrasting in personality.  While both have been shaped by the often quiet life of Maycomb, they have different views on life.  We could say Miss Maudie is more open minded than Mr. Avery, and less set in her ways.  Although,  both are persistent and hold strongly to their beliefs.  From their interactions with Dill, Jem, and mainly Scout the reader can tell Mr. Avery doesn't care for children all that much.  However,  based on Miss Maudie's interactions with Scout, we can see she has a great patience for children.  In this respect, Miss Maudie and Mr. Avery are foils of each other.  Both are religious, but one takes it to a father extremity (Avery).  From the way Mr. Avery speaks of his beliefs, and how Miss Maudie passes on wisdom more than moral evaluation, they both bring out the best and worst in each other.  Perhaps the most important of their similarities is that Miss Maudie and Mr. Avery both work on arbitrary conditions, which means they both work for the greater good and will always assist those in need.

Miss Maudie and Mr. Avery both hold that neighborly relationship with Scout; the one where all parties are unsure of where they stand with one another.  From Scout's words and actions, the reader can see Scout holds Miss Maudie in higher regard.  Certainly, she wouldn't go about mocking her with a caricature on a snowman...  It's not that Scout doesn't respect Mr. Avery, it's that he doesn't hold very much respect for her.  If I were to put myself in her shoes, I would definitely prefer Miss Maudie to Mr. Avery based on the way they treat me.  The contrast in both characters shows which types of people Scout prefers and what she actually wants.  While there may be an underlying desire for another female figure in Scout, we can see Scout really wants to be listened to.  Going along with the recurring theme of coming-of-age, Miss Maudie helps Scout through that when she is ostracized by the boys.  Mr. Avery also offers advice to Scout.  Rather, he admonishes her and her sibling.  But Scout takes it well (relative to her other reactions) so the reader can see she may like Mr. Avery.

Scout uses Miss Maudie as an example, and Mr. Avery as more of a cautionary tale. Again, this shows that Miss Maudie and Mr. Avery are foils of each other; but also that Scout and Mr. Avery are foils as well.  Scout, although she may be too young for me to say for sure, is open-minded and inquisitive.  She sees Mr. Avery as a grumpy old 'preacher' and from that I think she takes caution not to become someone like that.  With open-minded and more abstract thinking Miss Maudie, we can see Scout's admiration of her reflect in Scout's actions.  She heeds her advice more than Mr. Avery's - and rightly so.  For the virtue of brevity, I'll just keep this at: Miss Maudie could be seen as an alter-ego of Scout.  Perhaps an older alter-ego, Miss Maudie could be a glimpse into stubbornly independent Scout's adult life.