Blogging Around

I really appreciate Nour's insight to post-modernism. Her explanation and opinions about the concept really got me thinking. As I was reading her post, this question arose in my mind: How does post-modernism not only affect us personally as individuals, but how does it influence us as a society? Post-modernism impacts our individual daily lives in many aspects. This includes media, whether it be newspapers, magazines, television, internet, etc.

"Nour, I thougt your ideas, views, and opinions about post-modernism were very well thought out. You really had me thinking of ways to look at both sides of this concept, and not very many people can make me do that.

Media, one could argue, is the puppet master in our lives, while we individuals are the puppet slaves. The men and women who preach information about the world to us through 24 inch televisions are practically spoon-feeding us our knowledge of the rest of the world. We want to believe whatever they say, becuase they are the experts on everything having to do with media, or so we would like to think. But just think, not even 100 years ago people were surviving without all of this technology. Computers and televisions were unheard of at this time. Radios and telephones were in their primitive youth. Newspapers and magazines were the main sources of world happenings. There were no newscasters to convince people of what they should and shouldn't believe. Most people were able to read the news and know exactly what was going on in the world.

Nowadays, media has taken over our lives. There are dozens of news channels on t.v. and on the radio, and no one story is exactly the same. A newscaster on CNN might provide their audience with a different view of the healthcare reform than a person on FOX news. With our media today, it is almost impossible to get the full story from a single source.

The concept of post-modernism has influenced today's world in many ways. When it comes to media there is no right or wrong answer, there is only what the viewer or reader chooses to believe."

The second post I commented on was Elizabeth's post titled "Connection: The Use of Kites and Cycle of Power." I really enjoyed reading her post because she explains the important relationship, not only between characters, but also between a toy and the story that results because of it.

"Elizabeth, your thoughts and ideas relating the kite to the vicious Cycle of Power was brilliant. I was very intrigued and interested to read more about your idea. I felt as if I was reading your exact thoughts as I read your blog post. I especially liked that you were able to show how one simple object unfolded the rest of the novel.

I too believe that the use of the kite was a symbolic measure of power; the one who captures the kite captures the power. Amir relished his power so his father would be proud to call him his son, but Amir also abused his power by betraying his best friend. Again, as you pointed out in your post, the kite symbolizes both Amir's breaking point and his moment of acceptance/ realization."

Connection: Broken

In the book The Kite Runner, the main character, Amir, is forced to face a lot of different situations (i.e. death, torture, poverty, fear, guilt, etc.). Over the course of the novel, Amir becomes more and more emotionally and physically broken. The song "Broken" by Seether portrays the similar feelings that Amir is also experiencing.

"Because I'm broken when I'm open,
and I don't feel like I am strong enough.
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome,
And I don't feel right when you're gone away.
You've gone away, you don't feel me here anymore."

These lyrics show a clear understanding of how hard it is to be alone. It shows insecurity and the need to hold back. Amir expresses similar emotions when he is reminded of his past, lives in the present, and thinks about the future. His past encounters with death, trauma, poverty, and fear influence him for the rest of his life. But Amir's true breaking point was when he lost his best friend and his father. Amir wasn't prepared to live on his own, "broken when I'm lonesome," and Amir's life changed after the people he loved were gone forever, "and I don't feel right when you're gone away."

Best of Week: Form is Content

This week in class we discussed the novel Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. We talked about the concept of "form is content," meaning that the author writes a certain way in order to evoke certain emotions and responses from the reader. The following excerpt from the book shows how the author uses the form of writing in second person to provide the reader with a more personal experience.

"You open your mouth. Open it so wide your jaws creak. You order you lungs to draw air, NOW, you need air, need it NOW. But your airways ignore you. They collapse, tighten, squeeze, and suddenly you're breathing through a drinking straw. Your mouth closes and your lips purse and all you can manage is a strangled croak. Your hands wriggle and shake. Somewhere a dam has cracked open and a flood of cold sweat spills, drenches your body. You want to scream. You would if you could. But you have to breathe to scream.
Panic."

In this specific passage, the author uses many different writing techniques in order to give his writing the exact feel he wants the reader to see. Hosseini includes fragments, which provide, in my opinion, the reader with a sense of urgency. Another thing the author includes is a very detailed use of sensory language. Through his use of sight, touch, smell, sound, and taste, we can get a clear sense of the situation and actually feel as if we are living in that moment. After reading this passage, I can clearly see how important the concept of "form is content" really is. This idea is what separates the good writers from the great writers.

Captured Thought: Multi-tasking

Everyone, including myself tends to multitask at one point or another. We do it so we can finish the jobs faster and get on with the more important things in our lives. But is doing more than one thing at a time really effective? In the short term multi tasking might seem like the most convenient option, but in the long run, it could have negative consequences. For example, doing your homework and eating dinner might save you 20 minutes so that at 7:00 you can get to soccer practice on time. The immediate effects of this are quite positive; you are able to complete your homework, eat your dinner, and get to soccer without being late. But what about long term? You continue with your eating dinner and doing homework routine for several weeks and are exhausted from soccer. Since you are saving that extra 20 minutes by combining the two jobs, your homework is not being completed to the best of your ablilty. When it comes time to study for the test, you realize that the homework you had done was not effective in helping you prepare for the exam. You take the exam and recieve a poor grade.
This was an "aha" moment for me. I have learned through experience that multi tasking is, in many aspects, effective in the short term, but in the long run, it may not be the best way of getting things done.