Author Archives: justin.joseph1

Natalie and I worked together for our digital essay 🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyY4gM728uM

Topic (that has changed three times already):Disney movies feature some details that promote bad behavior in children. I changed to this because I was watching Lion King, and when it came to the part with Timone and Pumba eating those bugs, I couldn’t help but think, “Man, those bugs look scrumptious.” Don’t they? Welcome to peer pressure, kids.

This digital essay is going to be a lot of fun. I’m planning on making a parody of a Disney movie and I have a ton of them. If I can, I would make something along the lines of “Lion King: Abridged.” I guess I look forward to it, because I want to see how I can use technology to prove a point. The session we had with Dr Waltzer was very informative, and he seems like such a cool guy.

To make an abridged version of the Disney movie I eventually choose, I’m using some pro video and audio editing software. One thing I lack is a microphone. I know I can use my studio headphones as a microphone, but I doubt the audio quality is going to be anywhere near what I expect, unless Dr. Waltzer knows what I should do. There’s a question I should ask him. All I have to do now is focus on this “frame and case” method and try my best to adhere to it. Hopefully this thesis won’t change, and I won’t get sued.

It really is a modest proposal by Jonathon Swift. I may not agree with everything he suggested, but it doesn’t mean he seemed adamant or stubborn about it. He’s pretty nonchalant. I don’t know if I’m interpreting this right, but if I am then what the ****? Fattening children up to feed them to the wealthy would help various areas of national concern? OK I know this is completely unethical, but why is he implying what he means in such a straight forward way? And why do I acknowledge the points he’s making as valid? Like how it helps fight overpopulation, unemployment, and costs of supporting extra children? It’s sick. I wonder what his motivation is behind such a proposal. Maybe he doesn’t like children. I get the feeling he’s probably a hoarder. He doesn’t just want to get rid of the surplus amount of children, he wants to make use of that flesh, too.

I’m really starting to like this book. Foer is really good at slipping in information almost unnoticed. You really have to read between the lines to know what’s going on, and I think that’s a smart technique to keep the reader on edge. For example, on page 119, the character writing the letters mentions that his mom says “God bless me” when she sneezes. On page 144, Foer slips this bit of information in, through another character who imitates Oskar’s grandmother. I actually went back to find the page where it was first mentioned, still in awe how this author is appealing to me.

From the given information, I can now assume that the person writing the letters is Oskar’s grandmother’s husband; or his grandfather. The letters weren’t exactly for Oskar, they were for his father. I like that more snippets of information are being given because now I can see a clearer picture. So when I stop reading, I don’t look like this anymore:

Now the reading isn’t about flipping back and forth between pages trying to find answers. It’s more like letting the story unravel by itself. I don’t think it’s an easy task for any author, but I have a feeling I’m going to remember this book for a long time.

Sometimes Oskar seems like the mature man stuck in a 9 year old’s body, but at others, he is just as immature or rather, at the same level of maturity others his age are. I seem to see this in a few places in the story. It’s as if he acts like others his age, sometimes saying things he doesn’t mean, or saying it in a way that is misunderstood. We all know he can be mature at times but on the flip side, I think there is a struggle between his intellect and wisdom because they are on different levels. Like when he is at Ada Black’s house and he compliments the maid, but in a way that was almost patronizing.It makes me wonder, what’s more important? Facts? Or knowing what to say at the right time?

A nine year old child named Oskar with the intelligence of a grown man. Foer has created such an interesting character. Why is he only 9 years old? Why didn’t Foer make Oskar’s character older? It would make more sense if he was older, but the knowledge this kid seems to have is just astronomical. On top of this knowledge, he has an inquisitive nature, which I think adds a little bit more authenticity to the story. I mean he’s 9 years old, he can’t know everything. It’s natural for a kid his age to ask questions and to infer, both of which he does.

I get the point that the story is about his father who died in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. I just don’t understand what the rest of the story is getting to. Is it just going to talk about the life of this kid after the incident? I wonder if he really is going to find out more about his father. He’s smart and he picks up clues, even when there aren’t any, like when he was younger and his dad used to send him out on scavenger hunts with no clues. It also makes me wonder whether his father’s disappearance is also a staged “scavenger hunt.” Yeah, that would make the story interesting.  It’s also kind of confusing how the story goes back and forth between Oskar and another character that lived a lot longer ago than him. It could be a grandparent, or a great grandparent. It could be someone that’s not even related to Oskar. The only upside to it is that the cover sort of  makes sense now.

When I think of how smart Oskar, this is what comes to mind: