Reading and Writing in a Digital Age

I love Alissa’s mom’s story. Her grandmother was laying on her deathbed, old and decrepid. She calls her daughter close, to whisper some words in her ear, maybe for the last time. And what does she say? “Im bored.”

This is a great story. When i heard it, i started laughing. I can totally imagine my grandmother saying that when she’s sitting around, but thank God she’s still halthy.

I think what makes a great story is a flash of irony at the end. Here, I was expecting her to whisper a final goodbye to her daughter, a final farewell. But what she actually said couldn’t be more youthful! I can see a little kid saying that to her mom, but certainly not a dying old mother to her daughter.

It also teaches an important lesson- old people are way older on the outside than they are on the inside most of the time. And important lessons are also part of what makes a story great.

I’ve posted an assignment sheet on the Assignments page of the blog.

Please print it out, read it over before class next Monday, and begin thinking about what you will do for your Audio-Essay. Proposals are due by next week, Tuesday (Oct 2).

Pose your questions here by commenting on this post–that way we can all benefit from the conversation.

“And with these words he hastily left the room, and Elizabeth heard him the next moment open the front door and quit the house. The tumult of her mind was now painfully great. She knew not how to support herself, and, from actual weakness, sat down and cried for half an hour. Her astonishment, as she reflected on what had passed, was increased by every review of it. That she should receive an offer of marriage from Mr. Darcy ! that he should have been in love with her for so many months ! so much in love as to wish to marry her in spite of all the objections which had made him prevent his friend’s mar- rying her sister, and which must appear at least with equal force in his own case, was almost incredible ! it was grati- fying to have inspired unconsciously so strong an affection. But his pride, his abominable pride, his shameless avowal of what he had done with respect to Jane, his unpardon- able assurance in acknowledging, though he could not justify it, and the unfeeling manner in which he had mentioned Mr. Wickham, his cruelty towards whom he had not attempted to deny, soon overcame the pity which the consideration of his attachment had for a moment excited.”

– Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Every time I read this book, I never fail to marvel at the way Jane Austen captures so precisely the feelings and emotions of people with words. There are many passages within her works that are just amazing and this is only one of them. Although this excerpt may not seem to be as relate-able as others out of context, It really stands out to me because it packs so much emotion through the wording. Every word used has an impact and adds to the expression as opposed to taking away from it. Here Elizabeth is simply shocked at Mr.Darcy’s proposal but the way Jane Austen managed to describe it made me feel like there was some sort of torrential storm in the characters minds. Her writing is extremely captivating and keeps me on my feet and most importantly makes me feel.

Hey, apparently a few of you also use the internet as a controlled distraction when working. If any of you are looking for a good ‘white noise’ then check out this link that I stumbled upon a long time ago. It helps my concentration a lot when I’m working, its called RainyMood.com. It just makes it sound like its raining, with the occasional sounds of thunder. Nothing special. Check it out if you’re interested.

“If nature has made you for a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that–warm things, kind things, sweet things–help and comfort and laughter–and sometimes gay, kind laughter is the best help of all.”
– Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess

A Little Princess is practically crawling in sage advice and wisdom. This quote is so honest and true, I can’t help but get teary eyed when I read it. This little girl lost all of her worldly possessions and loved ones in the world, and yet she has an understanding that most people simply dont. If you dont have any money, you are not a less valuable person, and you still have so much to give. Aside from being extremely inspiring, this quote makes me feel like the little kids are the ones who have it right. Bacause they know what really matters. And it isnt money.

“One day Cunegonde, while walking near the castle, in a little wood which they called a park, saw between the bushes, Dr. Pangloss giving a lesson in experimental natural philosophy to her mother’s chamber-maid, a little brown wench, very pretty and very docile. As Miss Cunegonde had a great disposition for the sciences, she breathlessly observed the repeated experiments of which she was a witness; she clearly perceived the force of the Doctor’s reasons, the effects, and the causes; she turned back greatly flurried, quite pensive, and filled with the desire to be learned; dreaming that she might well be asufficient reason for young Candide, and he for her.”

This quote is from Voltaire’s “Candide.”

I love this quote because it is what really pulled me to read the rest of “Candide.” I was afraid that it would be too dry and that the political commentary it made would be incomprehensible. This innuendo for Cunegonde seeing her tutor and her mother’s chambermaid having sex in the woods, and, from seeing it, developing her own desire for Candide, made me laugh out loud in my high school’s library. It wasn’t a very well-used library, so my laughter didn’t affect anyone else, but it gave me sufficient reason to continue reading.

“My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I’m well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He’s always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being. So don’t talk of our separation again: it is impracticable”

– Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

When I first read this passage from Bronte’s book, I was deeply moved by Catherine’s (the speaker) words. Catherine speaks of a connection so deep and profound that it is undeniable that it is true love. Despite her feelings, Catherine is caught in a love triangle between Linton, the man she is married to, and Heathcliff, the man she deeply loves. She compares her love for Heathcliff as “the eternal rocks beneath” showing how she needs him in her life to provide stability and comfort. This simile is contrasted with her love for Linton which is like “the foliage in the woods”, which is ever changing and not as necessary. This passage is surprising in its raw and exposing nature but what us more surprising is that Emily Bronte wrote this story when she was only 16, showing her great ability as a writer.

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself 
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

Who can not help but feel jolly and joyous after reading this passage? I remember as if it were yesterday, my parents tucking me into bed, reading my favorite story to me almost every night. What I love about this Dr. Seuss poem is the sense of optimism and “upbeatness” is evokes. Dr. Seuss’s use of rhyme, whimsicality, and playful wording speaks to everyone; there’s a reason this is still one of my favorite passages at age 19. There’s something about the flow of the words and their simplicity, yet their deep idea that captivates me. I love the juxtaposition of the simple diction employed yet the not so simple underlying and motivating message-decisions in life are up to us, no matter how old we are and what we choose to do. Dr Seuss writes in such a way that the words seem to flow off the page; they are whimsy and playful yet filled with seriousness and meaning. Dr Seuss is one of my favorite authors because his works are memorable and everlasting. His messages are instilled in me due to his specific style of writing which to me is unforgettable and so unique to him.

As soon as I read the prompt, I went straight to my drawer full of books. I opened it up and shuffled around, looking for a good book to write about. Couldn’t find one. So I closed the drawer and bounced a few ideas around my head, then I saw it. On my dresser was a small french children’s book from a few years back. Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

The book is very well-known, translated into plenty of different languages and has been popular internationally. The messages of the book are what makes it so popular. It can be a seemingly simple book, but the themes of the book are some of the most complex ideas that people struggle with. It is not the run of the mill children’s book with a happy ending.

Here is a quote that was translated into English from the book, with a few pictures (everybody likes pictures.)

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/literally-psyched/files/2012/03/ElephantInSnake.jpeg 

**Here are the pictures, the first drawing is meant to be looked at before the passage. The second is meant to be seen after reading the end of the passage.**

I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them.

But they answered: “Frighten? Why should any one be frightened by a hat?”

My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing: I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained. My Drawing Number Two looked like this:

 

This quote from the book makes me think. Before we read this scene, the teacher (who was teaching us this book at the time) came around with the first picture. She asked us all what we thought it was. The first person said hat. Second person said the same thing. Third person, same. I think one person said “Perry the Platypus” but that was as creative as it got. I swear, when I first saw the picture, I thought it was a snake eating an elephant. But, everyone else said hat and the one weird kid said Perry the Platypus so there was absolutely no way that I was going to say a snake eating an elephant. So, I said “a hat.”

We read the passage and saw how are previous attempts were the wrong, boring, and safe answer. I was so confused why I censored myself in the first place. The “adult” in me didn’t want to be set apart from the rest of the “adults” in the room. It was only high school and I was already becoming old and boring. I was even starting to get grey hair… (Little fun fact about me) As we get older and are expected to act like the proper young adults, the more we lose ourselves and who we are. College is a time to mature and grow up, but one should never lose all of the “kid” inside us.

I try not to censor myself too much. I do things that make me happy, not always because it looks good on a resumé. Yes, I’m a little weird. But, I think that everyone would be a little weird if they did not censor themselves because of society.

The whole book focuses on ways that alter your perception of the world. The main character is a young boy. The man who discovers him, learns more from the little boy than the little boy can ever learn from him. I highly suggest reading it. The translations are great but if any of you are fluent in french, then I’d spring for that copy.

This is a quote from my favorite play ever, “Our Town, by Thornton Wilder

“We all know that something is eternal. And it ain’t houses and it ain’t names, and it ain’t earth, and it ain’t even the stars . . . everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings. All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you’d be surprised how people are always losing hold of it. There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being.”

I like this particular quote so much because it talks about what’s really important, without saying what that one thing is so explicitly. The things we value and teach our kids and they teach their kids and so on, what each individual thinks and believes is what lives on far after us. Not our houses, our buildings, but the education we build and teach our children, that what continues – that is eternal.