Final Draft: Capitalism and Personal Gain

     Technology and the new media have influenced our generation in terms of being able to gain more knowledge on what can be deemed useful and what cannot. The movie Babel is a film that interlocks four stories from different parts of the world and depicts how globalization is more evident than ever before, due to new forms of transportation and technology. The movie expresses this idea of globalization through the object of a gun. The gun is an object that ties all four families together. Throughout time humans have express their wants for a utopian-like society. This is hard to define because a utopia is something defined by the individual. Is this idea of globalization a good thing or a bad thing in regards to progress towards a utopian-like society? In many cases, we find that literature depicts a utopia to be a close-knitted society that works for the good of humanity in effort to promote equality.
     By promoting equality, we can generally state that even with globalization, a utopian-society can be created. In Fredrick Jameson’s “The Politics of Utopia”, he discusses how people view politics today has a large effect on how people stray away from encouraging a utopian-like society. This is most evident when he mentions communism by stating, “Thus ‘utopian’ has come to be a code word on the left for socialism or communism” (35). In today’s day in age, we find that people have changed their focus from humanity to commodities. Due to human nature, people have become addicted to the idea of always wanting more which strays away from the goal of promoting equality.
    The movie Babel proves how far away we are to achieving utopia in that the movie depicts pain and emphasizes a division of class through cultures. For example, when the American wife gets shot, her husband immediately asks for assistance from his government. The husband’s main goal is to get his wife medical help and for her to be transported from the small village where they are temporarily residing. When the helicopter comes to pick up the husband and wife, we come to sympathize with the villagers and not the wife's condition because we come to realize that equality is not present. If a Moroccan villager had been the one to get shot, the treatment of the situation would have been very different. The separation of race and class plays a huge part in segregating ourselves which strays away from a utopia.
     Another example of inequality in Babel is the story line of the Mexican nanny. The Mexican nanny takes the children she is watching across the border to her son’s wedding. At first we sympathize with the nanny in her decision because she was being told to miss her son’s wedding. The nanny who is far away from her family and who is also in a country that is not her own gives her a sense of vulnerability. It’s not until the drive home that we shift our sympathy from the nanny to the children in regard to their vulnerability in an unknown territory. This is another example of inequality among race and that how we view things are in terms of one’s vulnerability. This example can be articulated through the article, “Where did the Future Go”, when he states, “ The history of capitalism is one in which enormous human diversity has blossomed and been socially articulated along lines of class, race, nation, gender, sexuality, religiosity, as well as urbanism, technology, literacy, institutions of social welfare, specialized expertise–all of which can be captured by the term difference” (5). The early Greeks started this notion that to be different was something to be feared. The Greek’s didn’t necessarily believe in equality but they most definitely didn’t believe that one person should deem themselves wiser than another.
     In terms of the movie, the gun was the key object that connected the four stories. In general, globalization has connected many unlikely people from across the world.  The concept of globalization has become a great advantage in terms of commerce, but in terms of wanting to create a utopian-like society is it more practical for us to attain a more communist viewpoint and de-connect ourselves from the rest of the world as North Korea has? This concept brings fear to people in the sense that we are intentionally leaving ourselves vulnerable. Drastic political ideas bring fear to people which distract them from their want to attain a utopian-like society.
     The film Babel exemplifies these main ideas of globalization and how we have become a very personalized society. Before people take into consideration the needs of humanity they focus on the needs of themselves. If anything the movie depicts mankind as being emotional and vulnerable which emphasizes the dangers of globalization in the sense of terrorism and destruction. For example, one thing that seems to be a requirement in attaining utopia is philanthropy which the movie fails to demonstrate. Each family in the movie expressed their stories in effort to benefit themselves. Charitable giving or a depiction of mercy is limited in Babel which forces the viewers to consider their actions in their own lives and question whether they want to continue moving forward towards a globalized world that focuses on personal gain.

Avid Tutor Experience for Service Learning

As an Avid tutor at Northridge Middle school I have come to realize the importance of Reciprocal Civic Engagement. It is crucial for teachers to get rid of this "Messiah Complex" in order for our student to succeed. The Avid program is really good at creating a family-like environment in the sense that the students have the same classes with each other for their whole middle school education. By teaching our kids to collaborate with one another by using technology we are not only teaching our students to work through their problems but also to teach them to reach out to other people outside their everyday interactions.

Capitalism and Personal Gain

      Technology and the new media have influenced our generation in terms of being able to gain more knowledge on what can be deemed useful and what cannot. The movie Babel is a film that interlocks four stories from different parts of the world and depicts how globalization is more evident than ever before, due to new forms of transportation and technology. The movie expresses this idea of globalization through the object of a gun. The gun is an object that ties all four families together. Throughout time humans have express their wants for a utopian-like society. This is hard to define because a utopia is something defined by the individual. Is this idea of globalization a good thing or a bad thing in regards to progress towards a utopian-like society? In many cases we find that literature depicts a utopia to be a close-knitted society that works for the good of humanity in effort to promote equality.
      By promoting equality we can generally state that even with globalization, a utopian-society can be created. In Fredrick Jameson’s “The Politics of Utopia”, he discusses how people view politics today has a large effect on how people stray away from encouraging a utopian-like society. This is most evident when he mentions communism by stating, “Thus ‘utopian’ has come to be a code word on the left for socialism or communism” (35). In todays day in age, we find that people have changed their focus from humanity to commodities. Due to human nature, people have become addicted to the idea of always wanting more which strays away from the goal of promoting equality.
    The movie Babel proves how far away we are to achieving utopia in that the movie depicts pain and emphasizes a division of class through cultures. For example, when the American wife gets shot her husband immediately asks for assistance from his government. The husbands main goal is to get his wife medical help and for her to be transported from the small village where they are temporarily residing. When the helicopter comes to pick up the husband and wife we come to sympathize with the villagers and not the wife's condition because we come to realize that equality is not present. If a moroccan villager had been the one to get shot the treatment of the situation would have been very different. The separation of race and class plays a huge part in segregating ourselves which strays away from a utopia.
     Another example of inequality in Babel is the story line of the Mexican nanny. The Mexican nanny takes the children she is watching across the boarder to her sons wedding. At first we sympathize with the nanny in her decision because she was being told to miss her sons wedding. The nanny who is far away from her family and who is also in a country that is not her own gives her a sense of vulnerability. It’s not until the drive home that we shift our sympathy from the nanny to the children in regard to their vulnerability in an unknown territory. This is another example of inequality among race and that how we view things are in terms of ones vulnerability. This example can be articulated through the article, “Where did the Future Go”, when he states, “ The history of capitalism is one in which enormous human diversity has blossomed and been socially articulated along lines of class, race, nation, gender, sexuality, religiosity, as well as urbanism, technology, literacy, institutions of social welfare, specialized expertise–all of which can be captured by the term difference” (5). The early Greeks started this notion that to be different was something to be feared. The Greeks didn’t necessarily believe in equality but they most definitely didn’t believe that one person should deem themselves wiser than another.
     In terms of the movie the gun was the key object that connected the four stories. In general globalization has connected many unlikely people from across the world.  The concept of globalization has become a great advantage in terms of commerce, but, in terms of wanting to create a utopian-like society is it more practical for us to attain a more communist viewpoint and de-connect ourselves from the rest of the world as North Korea has? This concept brings fear to people in the sense that we are intentionally leaving ourselves vulnerable. Drastic political ideas bring fear to people which distracts them from their want to attain a utopian-like society.
      The film Babel exemplifies these main ideas of globalization and how we have become a very personalized society. Before people take into consideration the needs of humanity they focus on the needs of themselves. If anything the movie depicts man kind as being emotional and vulnerable which emphasizes the dangers of globalization in the sense of terrorism and destruction. For example, one thing that seems to be a requirement in attaining utopia is philanthropy which the movie fails to demonstrate. Each family in the movie expressed their stories in effort to benefit themselves. Charitable giving or a depiction of mercy is limited in Babel which forces the viewers to consider their actions in their own lives and question whether they want to continue moving forward towards a globalized world that focuses on personal gain.

Ways to use Skype in the classroom

https://education.skype.com/?kme=Google+Adwords&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=signup&gclid=CIrik5iXubMCFY6DQgodWQoAwA

http://edudemic.com/2012/08/skype-in-classroom/



Great sources for teachers to make use of Skype in their classrooms!

Skype a New Media Resource

Creation Myths

The Deus Faber creation myth or “The Maker God” is a classification for the Myan creation myth of Popul Vuh.The Deus Faber myth is a creation myth where the diety creates mankind in a craftsmanlike way. The myth of Popul Vuh describes a dual creator that goes through three attempts to create man. First, they create man out of clay but when the rain comes they are washed away. In their second attempt they create man out of wood but the men have no mind and no hearts so they wiped them out with a flood. The Maker then decided to grind corn and gave it shape in human form. But these humans were too perfect and were able to see into the heavens, so the maker decides to unmake the first men a little by impairing their eye sight and their understanding. Thus creating man. The Popul Vuh myth is very intricate and complex which is what makes it a great myth to fall under the Deus Faber category.
The most common creation myth we come across is that of Ex Nihilo which means “Out of Nothing”). This myth can best uncover the Hebrew myth of Genesis. This is a very well  known myth because it is interpreted through many religions, a couple being the Islamic, Christian, Catholic, and Jewish faiths. The Genesis myth categorizes with the Ex Nihilo because the story starts out with God creating the universe merely by “speaking into existence” (43). The way that God creates mankind in the Genesis myth can be also categorized as a Deus faber myth because God creates Adam out of the dust portraying his creation as a craftsmanship.

Mr. Right

I thought things were perfect, I thought you were the one
you said everything right, you made the theater come to life
What had to change?
Everything seemed too good and I guess it was
You were wrong to lead me on, but I'm glad you did
you were able to check everything on my list except you missed the mark
your qualities didn't suffice and your true personality came out
My prince charming turned to dust and you became apparent
I now know to take my time and never settle for the one who isn't my Mr. Right

Reflections

This is where I come to think
I watch the people deep in conversation or in distraught
I think about what if's and need nots
I secretly question them like some sort of over analytical shrink
Do they realize what their making with their lives?
Are they hurting or deep in despise?
They think not of the what if's and why's
only the problems of the day and their strifes
One day you will come to see my friend
Life is not about the strife but about how we choose to walk in our everyday lives

A Corny Version Of Adelle's, "I Set Fire To The Rain"

I let you break my heart And you failed to try and mend It, you were changed and I was over, Until you tried to win me back.

My  mind is strong But my heart is far too weak To stand in your presence and I tremble at your feet.

But there's a side to you that I never knew, never knew All the things you'd say, they were never true, never true And the games you play, you would always win, always win

But I set fire to the rain Watched it pour as I touched your face Let it burn while I cry 'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name

When laying with you I felt safe and hopeful too, with you here forever, thought you and me together would be forever.

'Cause there's a side to you that I never knew, never knew All the things you'd say, they were never true, never true And the games you'd play, you would always win, always win

I forgive you for your fame, watch you grow as I stay the same, but you left and you took everything that I gave  you away , awaaaayyyy I set fire to the pictures And I threw your shit  into the flames Where I felt somethin' die, 'cause I knew that That was the last time, the last time

 I bet you wake up by the door Now that I'm gone, must be waiting for me

I forgive you for your fame, watch you grow as I stay the same, but you left and you took everything that I gave  you away , awaaaayyyy I set fire to the pictures And I through your shit into the flames Where I felt somethin' die 'Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time, oh

Oh, no Let it burn, oh Let it burn Let it burn

Read more: ADELE - SET FIRE TO THE PICTURES LYRICS

*Please don't be harsh it was an assignment and I don't plan on becoming the next great song writer.  You're lucky you don't have to hear me sing it! :)

First Draft : "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love"

                                              The Passionate Shepherd to His Love

    According to Frank Madden, author of “Exploring Poetry”, “The subject of poetry is human experience”(60). Not only is writing poetry based on experience but also reading it. By breaking down the poem we can identify its rhyme scheme, rhythm, background history, and its implored context which will help us better articulate the poem . Christopher Marlowes poem “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” has many forms of structure that are important to follow in order to deliver the poem with the rhythm it was meant to be spoken with. The importance of pronunciation doesn’t just depict the aesthetic nature of the poem but also helps us as readers embrace the emotional engulfment of the poem.
    Christopher Marlowe was a British poet in the time of the Elizabethan era. The history of a poem can shape the whole interpretation of a poem. If the pronunciation in the poem is not being spoken properly, the whole rhyme scheme can be thrown off and initially effect the way in which one interprets the poem. For example, in stanza five, the last couplet of lines 19 and 20 end with the word move and love. These two words are meant to follow the rhyme scheme of aa/bb. In other words, they need to be pronounce with an Old English accent which would make the word move rhyme with the word love. Frank Madden expresses the importance of language and pronunciation when he states, “When language is effective it prompts our imaginations and provides us with clear images, rhythm, and insight”(101). The background history of the poem not only provides us with the tools we need to read the poem but also the poets language helps us connect with the poem on a personal level.
    The speaker in the poem,”The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”,  performs as the character of the shepherd. The shepherd is speaking to the one he loves and expresses all that he can offer her. The shepherd expresses this form of offering when he states, “ A gown made of the finest wool/ Which from our pretty lambs we pull/ Fair lined slippers for the cold/ With buckles of the purest gold”(Marlowe). It is human nature for us to be able to connect with this poem because love is a common experience that requires us to interact and express what we have to offer the person we would like to share the rest of our lives with. Marlowe uses engaging language that allows his readers to fully imagine the gown and the slippers he is offering his love. Thinking back on the time period, the statement of being able to offer the purest gold for buckles on a pair of slippers that were meant for ones feet depicted the class and wealth that the shepherd has. Knowing the time period can help us grasp a better understanding of the poem that we might have otherwise bypassed.
    As mentioned earlier, a poem is a reflection of experience. According to Louis H. Leiter’s journal “Deification through Love: Marlowe’s “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”, “The experience of feeling “love”, the transformative or expansive effect of passion on human beings has permeated the seemingly simple pastoral landscape” (445). Poetry can also help grasp readers by way of inexperience. For example, If someone had never fallen in love before they would have a small sense of what love has been like for others. People are able to open up their imaginations and discover new experiences through poetry. However, this brings up the issue of interpretation. People will come to interpret ones poem based on their own experiences. The person who has been infatuatedly in love will have a completely different interpretation than a person who has never been in love.
    Marlowe uses the tool of repetition in three out of his six stanzas. In repetition we often find the importance that the speaker is trying to evoke. In “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” the line “ Come live with me, and be thy love” is the repetitious line that the character the shepherd is trying to convey. The emotion becomes much more significant when the poem conveys repetition. When the speaker speaks this line throughout the poem we become to realize the urgency the shepherd has in his chance to offer all that he has to the one he loves. The common curiosity that builds in Marlowe’s readers is the unanswered response that the lover will give the shepherd.
    The experience of reading poetry allows the reader to developed different interpretations of the poem after each reading. Have you ever discovered something new when reading the poem the second time around? Being able to formulate new interpretations and experiences through reading poetry is more important than trying to figure out the poets exact meaning for the poem. Often times poets don’t or didn’t have the chance to explain the meaning of their poem. By not including an exact meaning the poet is allowing their reader to develop their own perception of the poem. By open interpretation readers are able to experience an emotional connection with poetry.
    Christopher Marlowe’s “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” is a beautiful poem that is best read out loud. The articulation of the poem is best displayed through the urgency and passion that the shepherd expresses while trying to win the heart of his love. The background history and the rhyme scheme helps the reader better understand how the poem should be projected. Not only does Christopher Marlowe connect with his readers on an emotional level through his poem but also provides his readers with an experience. 

Works Cited

Leiter, Louis H. "College English." National Council of Teachers of English 27.6 (1966): 444-49. Web.

Madden, Frank. Exploring Poetry: Writing and Thinking about Poetry. New York: Longman, 2002. Print.

Smith, Philip. 100 Best-loved Poems. New York: Dover Publications, 1995. Print.

       

Can Music Be Considered Poetry?

Ne-Yo makes use of metaphor and depicts his form of expression through music. Can we categorize Ne-Yo as a poet? The dictionary definition of poetry is " the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts". I feel that songwriters should be categorized as poets. The only thing that differentiates songwriters from poets who merely state their poems is the way songwriters vocalize and express their poem through means of song. Both provide forms of rhythm and rhyme. I chose to use Ne-Yo's "Let Me Love You" because it brings forth a connection to many other love poems that provide metaphorical meaning and multiple interpretations.

Technology Shaping Education Today

My name is Shanna Wright and I am a student at Cal State Northridge majoring in English with emphasis in Education. As a future educator, I hope to inspire and ignite my students with a passion for literature and to teach them the skills they need to express their ideas through their writing.Not only have Teaching strategies changed drastically but also the way in which students can access information. Media and technology have  become a vehicle for learning in our education system. By incorporating technology into our curriculum we are ultimately helping our children learn the skills they will need to access and share information in college and the work force. As students evolve they shape the future by expanding their ideas and knowledge at earlier ages through media and technology.