Pick Your Poison

Beer. A drink that has been part of the world’s history since possibly 9500 B.C., when cereal was first farmed in Egypt. There aren’t many who could turn down the offer of a refreshing, frosty brew, hence why it has become such a staple in our society. Many people start drinking from age 16 through 20, and it develops into an activity for social interaction. When people have parties, it usually isn’t held without some form of alcohol. As entertaining as a night of drinking may be, what’s the option for those who oppose getting drunk, those who can’t afford a hangover the next morning, or those who can’t drink for medical purposes? In comes the creation of non-alcoholic beer. These kinds of beer, the most popular being “O’Doul’s,” give a person the option of enjoying the taste of a beer as well as the sociality of a drinking environment.

Many people see O’Doul’s as a drink for those who can’t handle a real beer, meaning one with an average 5% alcohol content. Since O’Doul’s only has 0.5% alcohol, it is considered non-alcoholic, and is the obvious choice for those avoiding alcohol. In a social setting, such as a college bar or house party, people would think you’re truly joking if you asked for an O’Doul’s. They’d think, “What person under the age of 40 would honestly drink that? What’s the point? Why can’t he handle a regular beer? He must be such a lightweight.” People jump to these conclusions based on nothing but ignorant assumptions, not knowing any of the multiple reasons that said man would rather have a non-alcoholic beer.

There are a number of situations where a person could choose a non-alcoholic beer over a regular. To start, the person could choose to avoid a potentially head-splitting hangover. One of O’Doul’s commercials brings us to a young woman waking up in a hotel from what seems to be a very long night. She looks flustered, disheveled, and confused as to what happened last night. After getting queasy from the sight of her empty beer bottles scattered throughout the bathroom, she walks into the next room. After a pull of the light bulb’s chain, she encounters a heavyset man lying in bed with nothing but a pair of whitey-tighties on, beckoning her to lie down. No matter how many beers that girl drank to make that guy look good enough to sleep with, the whole situation would have been averted if she were drinking non-alcoholic beers all night long.

One major factor of this decision is the aspect of physical health. Health issues are major reasons to avoid the ingestion of alcohol. Cirrhosis of the liver is caused by repeated damage of liver cells, followed by the formation of scar tissue. This process ultimately leads to a loss of liver function. Your body processes and breaks down alcohol in the liver, and if you’re ingesting more alcohol than your liver can process, you will start damaging and destroying liver cells. If a person is diagnosed with Cirrhosis of the liver, there is already damage and scarring. Therefore, drinking alcohol would increase the amount of damage to your liver and ultimately end in liver failure.

Mental health could also play an important role in the preference of non-alcoholic beer. A friend, who works in aiding those with disabilities, recently told me of how she watches six men, who all have Down syndrome and behavioral issues. Whenever these men were in the mood for drinking, she said, they were only allowed to drink O’Doul’s since it is a non-alcoholic beer. If the men were to drink regular beer, the potential of them acting out or causing harm to themselves or others would significantly increase. Therefore, it is clear that the non-alcoholic beers would be a much safer choice.

The makers of non-alcoholic beers know that there are select handfuls of beer consumers who would rather have an O’Doul’s over a Budweiser; why else would they continue to make their product? Producers must assume that those who choose non-alcoholic beers over regulars are looking to enjoy the refreshing taste of a cold beer without the side effects of alcohol. They must also assume that the consumer drinks O’Doul’s at a party in order to be social and show a common interest with beer drinkers around him/her. If a person were 21 or older, at a party, sitting around without a drink in his/her hand, other courteous party-goers would offer to get you a drink after a few minutes of small-talk. A drink in the hand is a ticket to socializing with those around you, and that’s what producers think when they continue to put O’Doul’s on the market.

Beer has developed so much in our society that Keystone’s are now our keystones. They give us reason to socialize and interact with those around us. For those who wish to make new friends, but don’t wish for pounding headaches the day after, there is, and always will be, an O’Doul’s waiting for you at the bar.

Love Kills Slowly

Shakespeare has written hundreds, possibly thousands, of pieces of literature in his lifetime. His canon is one that is still admired and analyzed today. In all pieces of Shakespeare’s work, there are major thematic strands that are used throughout the piece, such as lust, appetite, animals, flowers, etc. These references are used in an almost obsessive manner by multiple characters in different situations, but every reference relates to the bigger theme. One theme out of Shakespeare’s repertoire is the concept of sickness. This theme is specifically used in his play Much Ado About Nothing, as well as multiple sonnets.

The theme of sickness is used in Much Ado About Nothing whenever the conversation relates to love, which leads to the common view of love-sickness. This theme is also broken down into smaller streams; when relating to lovesickness, branching streams include Cupid, disease, sick/sickness, ill, plague pestilence, complexion, pale, and death.  “Cupid” is used in I.i.35, I.i.163, I.i.223, I.i.243, and II.i.748. “Sick” is used in II.i.671, II.ii.764, III.i.1088, III.iiii.1552, V.i.2208, and V.iiii.2633. “Ill” is used in II.i.538, II.i.556, II.iii.896, III.i.1160, III.ii.1257, and III.ii.1282. “Disease” is used in I.i.74. “Plague” is used in II.iii.898 and III.ii.1319. “Pestilence” is used in I.i.74. “Complexion” is used in I.i.284 and II.i.671. “Pale” is used in I.i.222. “Death” is used in V.iii.2509.

The arrangement of these themes is directly related to the comic curve of the play. The curve starts at one point and then slopes downward, which grows in happiness and bliss, but away from normalcy; it continues to fall until the turning point of the plot. In Act III, scene ii, when Don John brings Don Pedro and Claudio to see a false Hero making love to Borachio. After that, the curve slopes upwards towards normalcy again. The sequence of thematic streams is used in the same pattern, and shows the process of being lovesick. Once one falls in love, the person gets ill, worsens, and approaches death, with only a chance of rebounding and recovering. Cupid is one of the first streams mentioned, followed by streams such as sickness, ill, pale, etc. The streams develop into the ultimatum of death, when Hero metaphorically dies in Act IV, scene i. This ordering is intended to represent the progression of falling in love and how one becomes physically sick from love.

We know Shakespeare obsesses over thematic strands, but how often does he truly incorporate them into his writing? In Act I, Cupid is mentioned first by Beatrice, talking of Benedick’s return. The next two times are from Benedick, and the last mentioning is from Don Pedro. Don Pedro says in Act I.i.222, “I shall see thee, ere I die, look pale with love,” saying that one gets pale and sickly once fallen in love. “Sick” is mentioned as a comparison to love. Benedick says in line 223 of I.i “With anger, with sickness, or with hunger, my lord, not with love.” In III.i.1088, Hero explains to Ursula the plan of how to make Beatrice believe Benedick is in love with her. “My talk to thee must be how Benedick is sick in love with Beatrice.” Benedick also says at Act IV.iiii.2633 “they swore that you were almost sick for me.” This is when he discovers that the relationship between Beatrice and he was all a set-up. In Act III.ii.1319, Don John says to Claudio and Don Pedro “O plague right well prevented! So will you say when you have seen the sequel.” The plague he is referring to would be Claudio’s marriage to Hero, for this line is said after Don John leads the two to the false Hero peepshow. These uses all have a direct relation to the theme of love. In Act V.iii.2509, Claudio reads an epitaph that he had written in memory of Hero. He says: “Done to death by slanderous tongues was the Hero that here lies: death, in guerdon of her wrongs, gives her fame which never dies…graves, yawn and yield your dead, till death be uttered.” The relation between plot and theme is that Hero represented Claudio’s love and affection. After the incident of Hero’s adultery claims, Claudio lost his liking of Hero. However, we see that Claudio’s love never really dies, since he vowed to read his epitaph at Hero’s tomb annually; “Now, unto thy bones, goodnight. Yearly will I do this rite” (V.iii.2529).  These themes are all directly related to the involvement of love between the characters.

The visual media project we produced also played an important role in showing the significance of the theme and relevance to the play. We were able to show the sequence of sickness that one goes through when falling in love, which then leads to becoming lovesick. The use of thematic streams that branch from the central sickness dogma follow a pattern that mimics the flow of this play’s dramatic curve; it starts at an initial point and plummets away from normalcy by developing the theme into a form of sickness worse than its previous . When we first presented our project, the class had a difficult time understanding the concept of it all, and it made the group realize that it takes much more to show all the segments of love and its effects on a person.

The theme of sickness does not solely relate to Shakespeare’s play. It also pertains to a number of his sonnets. Sonnet CXLVII’s first quatrain says “my love is as a fever/ Longing still for that which longer nurseth the disease/ Feeding on that which doth preserve the ill/ The uncertain sickly appetite to please.” This means that his love is like a fever that looks for that which keeps one sick, and it feeds on the same component that keeps one sick to please the uncommon appetite. “My reason, the physician to my love/ Angry that his prescriptions are not kept/ Hath left me, and I desperate now approve/ Desire is death, which physic did expect.” Reasoning is the solution to the sickness of love, and the personified reason is angry that love is taking over and making one ill. Now that the narrator is in love, his desire is death, which was what the reasoning was expecting. “Past cure I am, now reason is past care/ And frantic-mad with evermore unrest/ My thoughts and my discourse as madmen’s are/ At random from the truth vainly express’d.” The narrator is past cure and reason alike, and also insane with constant unrest; his thoughts are like those of a madman, at random and rarely based on the truth. “For I have sworn thee fair and thought thee bright/ Who are as black as hell, as dark as night.” This last line closes the sonnet with the narrator’s false pretense of his love being bright and fair, when she is really black as hell and dark as night. This relates to the sickness theme expressed in Much Ado About Nothing in that it also shows the sequence of love. One falls in love, and then undergoes a process of sicknesses, ultimately leading to death.

The sickness theme is also present in Sonnet CXVIII. “Thus policy in love, to anticipate/ The ills that were not, grew to faults assured/ And brought to medicine a healthful state/ Which, rank of goodness, would by ill be cured/ But thence I learn, and find the lesson true/ Drugs poison him that so fell sick of you” (118.9-14). The rules of love, which are to anticipate the wrongdoings, grew to failures guaranteed . They then brought you to a healthy state, which would be cured by illness. But then he learned something he found to be true; the drugs that usually heal have poisoned the man that has fallen in love with you. This sonnet strongly connects the theme of sickness with the concept of love.

Love may be a very complex, inconceivable concept that is difficult to explain, but Shakespeare does it best by comparing it to illness. He has shown that love mimics a sequence of sicknesses by using this thematic strand in an obsessive fashion. 

Devouring Time

Devouring Time, blunt though the lion’s paws,

And make the earth devour her own sweet brood;

Pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger’s jaws,

And burn the long-lived phoenix in her blood;

Make glad and sorry seasons as thou fleets,

And do whate’er thou wilt, swift-footed Time,

To the wide world and all her fading sweets;

But I forbid thee one most heinous crime:

O, carve not with thy hours my love’s fair brow,

Nor draw no lines there with thine antique pen;

Him in thy course untainted do allow

For beauty’s pattern to succeeding men.

Yet, do thy worst, old Time: despite thy wrong,

My love shall in my verse ever live young.

Time is the one factor in this world that does not change for anyone or anything. Everyday I’m sure you hear “there isn’t enough time in the day” or “I wish I could go back in time,” but no matter how much we grumble, time keeps going at the same pace it’s been moving at for the past 4.55 billion years. Many aspects of our lives change over time, such as our preferences, our physicality and mentality, and our peers. Nonetheless, there is the chance that some pieces remain stable and firm. One slice of life’s complicated pie is the expression of love. While growing up, individuals learn to what they are and are not attracted. A guy may like blondes in high school, but then develop an infatuation for brunettes in college. However, when the masses find true love, the object of their perfection is quite permanent for them. If they even believe in such a thing, seeming perfection stays with them. Love becomes a necessary part of the body, like the heart or liver. Shakespeare’s nineteenth sonnet talks of the changes time can bring; blunting the lion’s paws, plucking the teeth from a tiger’s jaw, even making the earth devour her own sweet brood. The narrator of the sonnet, however, forbids one aspect from Time’s “most heinous crime to the wide world and all her fading sweets”, and that is his love. Time is not allowed to change his love’s face (19.9-10), the image of beauty, but it is allowed to leave its mark on succeeding men (19.11-12). “Yet, do thy worst, old Time: despite thy wrong, my love shall in my verse ever live young” (19.13-14) No matter what time does to the world and all its components, his love will never change.

In Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing, Claudio is a young soldier who falls in love with Hero, daughter of the wealthy nobleman Leonato. The term “love at first sight” is best to describe the relationship between Claudio and Hero; Claudio is strongly influenced by what he sees, and after looking at Hero, he instantly fell in love and they agree to be married. The antagonist of the play, Don John, hears of this marriage and looks to ruin the ideal relationship by setting up a vindictive act. With the help of his henchman, Borachio, he makes Claudio believe that Hero is cheating on him by showing him a false Hero having intercourse in front of an open window. The dramatic irony is that the audience knows it’s really Borachio’s woman, Margaret, but Claudio truly thinks its Hero. On the wedding day, Claudio refuses to marry Hero and accuses her cheating. Since everyone believes Claudio, who is backed up by Don Pedro the Prince, Hero is slandered and scolded for committing such a foul act. The friar suggests that Leonato should tell everyone Hero is dead, hoping that the framers would come clean after hearing that an innocent girl has died from grief and shame. This would represent the effects of time; “And do whate’er thou wilt, swift-footed Time, To the wide world and all her fading sweets” (19.6-7).

In act V, scene iii, Claudio visits Hero’s tomb, mourning her believed death, and reading an epitaph that Leonato ordered him to write. He may as well have written Shakespeare’s Sonnet 19 instead. He posted it onto the tomb wall and promised to read it on that day, every year.  This dedication shows that Claudio still has feelings for Hero, even though he thinks she has done him wrong. “Now, unto thy bones good night! Yearly will I do this rite” (V.iii.24-25). The sonnet should actually take the place of Claudio’s epitaph, since he is showing that his love for Hero will not change over time, even if time has taken Hero’s life.

Time is a continuous freight train on a never-ending track. You could try to stop it as much as you can, but it’ll keep pushing forward. Many qualities of life change dramatically over time, but there is always a certain handful that can stay the same and that can be retained by the written word. Lucky for Claudio, his love for Hero initially faltered, but stayed strong in the end, and this is proven by his writing of her epitaph. 

Forget Bedtime Stories, Here's a Youtube Video

Technology is a factor in today’s society that is progressing and developing at an exponential rate. To look back as little as five years ago, people would say that the tech used back then is completely out of date and useless; the technological advancements made across the globe in current times is simply amazing, to say the least. Products are being developed that people couldn’t even dream of, or only saw in science fiction. Laser technology, satellites, space exploration, medical developments, the list goes on forever. I’m sure if you look around the room you’re in, you’re guaranteed to see one piece of technology that was made within the past 10 years. Although the advancements are grand and vast, there are many contrasting views on the growth of this new age. One of the stronger opinions say that technology is a giant hindrance on our culture; it kills social and communication skills, shrinks our ability to focus, and changes our whole thought process.

Despite the negative views on technology, there are some positive aspects to these developments. In Gary Small and Gigi Vorgan’s article from “iBrain”, different effects from new technology are discussed and seen as beneficial. For starters, the word “google” is now an official verb, which means, “to search for information about (someone or something) on the Internet, typically using the search engine Google.” People are now referred to as “Digital Immigrants” or “Digital Natives”, depending on whether they have to adapt to the changes or grow up learning the basics of technology, and then some. As the world becomes more digital and automated, we are learning to react more quickly to visual stimuli and improve many forms of attention. We are also learning to strain out only the information we’re looking for when surfing the web. The incredible speeds of the Internet are also affecting our times of reaction. Since the processes we perform on the computer are becoming so choppy and automated, we have learned to complete our actions as quick as possible. There has also been proof that average IQ scores are steadily rising, and the ability to multitask without error is improving (thanks to video games). It may even be possible that future generations will evolve with smaller hands in order to type and text faster and more efficiently.

As many benefactors as there may be, people will still find flaws in technology. Adam Gopnik's article "The Information" talks about 3 different types of people with different views on the advancement of technology: the Never-Betters, the Better-Nevers, and the Ever-Wasers. These divisions set the views of technology on a black-white-gray scale; the Never-Betters are for, the Better-Nevers against, and the Ever-Wasers in the middle. One Better-Never thought is that the Internet is taking over our minds and that we aren't able to think for ourselves anymore. Due to the amazingly fast pace that the internet works at these days, our time to process actions is diminishing every day, and possibly even more automated due to our technological repetition. Going to websites, checking e-mail, making online purchases (for you shopaholics out there), etc. When we find a site that we really enjoy, and we visit often, the process to get to that site almost becomes second nature. Checking e-mail is a zombie-like process, seeking out only the new messages that seem significant enough to actually read. Most of the time, people pay no mind to how they complete their objective, since it's the same process every time. Some say that the real damage is being done at the neurological level, that our children are having their brains altered by too much instant messaging and such. These mentalities maintain the dogmatic idea that technology is bringing society down to a dumber level, and the fact that people are slowly, but surely, turning into drones only reinforces the views of Gopnik and other Luddites. 

Michael Wesch's video “Web 2.0” argues that the machine is breaking the process down for us so that tasks are simpler and less time consuming, such as uploading media onto websites. For example, in Wesch's video, it describes how the HTML Internet language fuses the content of a page with the form. Then XML comes along and divides the two; the code of XML only describes the content of the page, not the form. The Internet is also breaking down our reading and writing skills. Every action we perform on the Internet is becoming more automated and systematic for us, and it takes little to no effort to focus on a selection of writing, despite the type. As technology advances, the "efficiency" of our interpretations online is increasing, and our levels of focus are steadily declining, since we're spending less and less time on each page and link on the web. Computers are also evolving into machines that can remember our technological habits, such as the pages we visit, the music we listen to, the style of fonts we like, etc., and this is only contributing to how little we have to think while on the internet. As I said before, we only need a small amount of focus while surfing the web, and as the world grows more and more automated, that level is becoming infinitesimal. It’s even possible that the increasing cases of ADD and ADHD are due to the growth of the Internet. If this trend continues, how do you think all generations following ours will be different from us? They may even have mentalities on the complete opposite end of the spectrum compared to ours today.

Nicholas Carr’s article “Is Google Making Us Stupid” sends the same message as Gopnik’s article; technology has a significant effect on our society. It affects the way we think, the way we interact, the way we communicate, and much more. The shame of it all is that future generations will be born without experiencing a life without the mass amounts of technology that there will soon be. Anyone who was born around the late 80s or earlier has an idea of what life was like without technology orbiting around our skulls. It seems like kids today are born with Blackberrys in their hands and their 5th birthday present is a MacBook. Kids like these don't know anything but a life full of technology, and when they see how our culture was without all the hype, they'll sit there in disbelief and ask "How is it even possible to live like that?” If someone needs to find a certain piece of information, such as the background of a culture, different generations will find different ways to access what they need due to their experiences with technology & the Internet. An older adult who isn’t familiar with the Internet may prefer to look up an African tribe in the Britannica Encyclopedia set, while a high school student would simply type the name into Google and skim multiple pages until they pick out the information they need. That’s how the Internet is dividing the people; that’s how it’s affecting our culture. 

Is technology becoming too much of a problem? It seems that way. With the constant desire to go faster on the web and to have more features than any other product, our minds are becoming as automated as the voicemail message on your new 4G cell phone (if you even know what 4G is). Technology, mainly the Internet, is affecting the masses in such a way that our future generations won’t even think of opening a book. At least 1 computer will be in every house within the decade, and it will be the primary source of all information needed. Our children’s children will be able to multitask 5 different chores at once and make decisions in a split second, thanks to all those video games. Overall, the growth of technology in our society has its share of malefactors, but its development & impact is unfortunately inevitable.  

Lovesick

To See or Not To See? That Is the Question

Read J. Anthony Blair on the question of whether visual arguments are possible. On your blog, write for twelve minutes (time yourself!): Can images do what words do? Why or why not?

Images are perfectly capable of doing what words do. One image could enforce the same point as a twenty page thesis, and have the same impact, if not a better one. The phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words" is heard commonly, and that is because, as said before, a single picture could prove the same point as a lecture or published paper. Blair argues that images are not as significant because they can be interpreted in multiple different ways. He says that a visual argument has to be clear and understandable. Does that mean that all images used in arguments are difficult to understand? A prime example would be during World War II, with the image of Rosie the Riveter. Women were needed in the factories while the men were at war, and the image of Rosie gave strength and self confidence to many women that thought they weren't able to contribute to the war. It may be true that a Picasso painting may not be used for a social argument, but there are images that are perfectly capable of delivering the right message to its viewers.

Project 2 Thoughts

After thinking about my project, I kinda feel like some of the arrangements weren't 3-page worthy. Writing about Claudio's affection for Hero was significant, but pretty simple, and hard to elaborate on.

Malevolency, thy name is Don John

In Act IV.i, Leonato repudiates his daughter's virtue. Why? Defend the claim that this announcement (legitimate or not) is a return to the status quo, the so-called "normal" of the action.

Leonato repudiates his daughter's virtue because he believes that she actually was the one that was caught in the act, which was the reason Claudio refused the marriage. Since there was no marriage, Hero would not be married into a family of wealth, which is what Leonato expected. It essentially is a return to normalcy because it seemed like things were going too well; Beatrice and Benedick were starting a relationship, Don Pedro was successfully making his matches, and it all seemed as if it were going according to plan. Too bad life doesn't always go the way we want it to, and Shakespeare shows that by making this perfect couple, who seemed too good to be true, fall apart due to a malevolent framed act established by Don John.

My vernacular...aka my own words

In your vernacular, paraphrase the speaker's argument in either sonnet II or sonnet VIII


When forty winters shall beseige thy brow,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,
Thy youth's proud livery, so gazed on now,
Will be a tatter'd weed, of small worth held:
Then being ask'd where all thy beauty lies,
Where all the treasure of thy lusty days,
To say, within thine own deep-sunken eyes,
Were an all-eating shame and thriftless praise.
How much more praise deserved thy beauty's use,
If thou couldst answer 'This fair child of mine
Shall sum my count and make my old excuse,'
Proving his beauty by succession thine!
This were to be new made when thou art old,
And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold.


After you go through forty years, and you get wrinkly and tired looking, you'll look back on the wardrobes of your youth and see that it's nothing more than a worthless, tattered hand-me-down.


When you're asked "where did your beauty go? What happened to all the good times from your lusty days?", it'll show in your tired, worn eyes that you'll think it was practically worthless all along.


What's the point of staying so superficially beautiful when you can tell people "my beauty will pass down to my son, and he'll be the same way I was"? He'll prove your beauty by being beautiful himself


When you get old, you'll find your old beauty fresh within your son, and you'll get that warm & fuzzy feeling inside when you're all mopey and glum

Claudio and Hero Inamorato

Why does Claudio fall in love with Hero? How do you know?

Claudio falls in love with hero because he sees her with his eyes, which is the main theme of Claudio, and falls for her beauty. Hero is also soft spoken and reserved, which is the opposite of Beatrice. He gets upset when he hears that the Prince is looking to get with Hero, and thats how we know

Masquerade Pros: Bringing Creepers to a Whole New Level

Masquerades hide identities, so that people could get really creepy and tell others that they're someone, when they're really not. A person incognito could make up anything they want and spoon-feed it to whoever is willing to listen, and the best part is that the listeners may never really know the true identity of the speaker.

P.S. I stumbled upon this video and thought it was pretty relevant to the topic of our class

Ye Olde Title: "Much Ado about Nothing"

I see the title as an indication that the story is full of simple situations that get blown out of proportion and become overcomplicated. Someone in class used the term "making a mountain out of a molehill", and from my own preconceived thoughts, I could definitely agree with that phrase. If the title were pronounced "noting" like in the days of old, it could change the whole interpretation. Its possible that "Much Ado about Noting" could be about paying attention/disregarding the details of communication, and the events that develop because of those misunderstandings

Beatrice's Line, I.i.129 (in my book edition)

"I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me."

Beatrice seems like she's overplaying the hatred of Benedick and she's so worried that people would think she likes him, but its really all a facade. She could've had bad relationships in the past that give reason to this mindset, or she could just be acting like an immature girl in junior high

DO IT NOWWWWWW

Words with "sl-"

• sly
• slither
• slick
• slide
• slip
• slay
• slow
• sloth
• sling
• slit
• slack
• slur
• sloppy
• slim
• slimy
• slumber
• slope
• slander
• slew
• slam
• slough

Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 "My mistress' eyes"

Shakespeare uses the same kind of form and tone as Collins' "Litany" such that they both degrade their loves, in a way. They both use lines that diminish the lover's beauty, and say lines that debase the image of the loves. As much as the two authors talk badly about the lovers, in the end they redeem them by saying that the lovers are still great and better than the others.

Billy Collins- Litany

The way he adds a sort of modern tone to the classical, formal poem makes the revised edition very funny. It's a sort of dry humor, but what adds to its level is the fact that it is a love poem in which Collins alters some lines to contrast the theme. The original lines are talking about comparing the lover to nice things such as the bread and knife, and then the new lines strongly contrast the theme of the original lines. It almost seems like the new lines are added to make it seem more conversational. The way he says parts like "there's no way you are the ____", or the less romantic additions such as "the pigeon on the statue's head" add a certain informality to it, which makes it funny since it originally is a classical poem

Freshness of Dickinson

I see Dickinson's poem as being fresh because of her wording and the meaning of the phrases. Starting from the last line, "The Truth must dazzle gradually Or every man be blind", she shows no other option but to ease into the truth, or else the person would be overwhelmed, as if being blinded. The capitalization of certain words also shows how she intends to emphasize certain words.

Shihan's "Flashy Words"

1. Talks very quickly
2. Audience participation
3. Starts off loud to get attention
4. Uses variations of phrases that sounds the same (realize/real eyes/real lies)
5. Established the theme at the beginning, then goes back to it in the middle of the poem
6. Uses self-experiences
7. More variations (piece/peace)
8. Ends on a quieter, more serious note to finalize his point

Taylor Mali Text

Things I Observed from the Text:

1. The text made the video seem shorter since we had to read as we went along
2. The way the text was written with the new-aged tone made it seem even more comical
3. The way it was animated added to the feel of the poem
4. The way that some words were italicized and in different fonts adds a visual to the change of tone

Taylor Mali Video

Things I Observed from the Video:

1. His Scrabble shirt
2. When he wasn't making fun of the new-aged tone of voice, his own tone was very stern and proper
3. It's funny because it's true
4. He used his hands as well as his tone 
5. His examples were things people hear almost every day but don't truly realize
6. The new-aged tone makes his point sound less serious

Inksheddin' on Gopnik

     Adam Gopnik's article "The Information" talks about 3 different types of people that each have a different view on the advancement of technology; the Never-Betters, the Better-Nevers, and the Ever-Wasers. Although he talks about all three groups, it truly seems like he's favoring the Never-Betters, who are anti-internet and see technology as a problem. Gopnik's tone suggests that he finds our technological advancements a bunch of hindrances and unnecessary factors.
     One of Gopnik's thoughts is that the internet is taking over our minds and that we aren't able to think for ourselves anymore. Due to the amazingly fast pace that the internet works at these days, our time to process actions is diminishing every day, and possibly even more automated due to our technological repetition. Going to websites, checking e-mail, making online purchases (for you shopaholics out there), etc. When we find a site that we really enjoy, and we visit often, the process to get to that site almost becomes second nature. Checking e-mail is a zombie-like process, seeking out only the new messages that seem significant enough to actually read. Most of the time, people pay no mind to how they complete their objective, since it's the same process every time. The fact that people are slowly, but surely, turning into drones only reinforces the views of Gopnik and other Luddites. 
     Gopnik, as well as many other authors, degrade the advancements of technology, but there are many other opinions that see them as progressions. The internet may not necessarily be destroying our train of thought, but fusing to become a part of it. It is enough of a staple in our society that it is a part of our own knowledge. The speed of the web allows us to gather copious amounts of information in mere seconds, instead of shuffling through reference books all night long. Also, we are not losing capabilities to the internet, but learning from it and gaining more enhanced thinking skills, such as multitasking and decision making. Without a doubt, the internet is changing the way we think, but depending on how you look at those changing aspects, it could be beneficial or hurtful. At the rate all these developments are getting to us, I'd say that majority of people find them advantageous, and new tech will continue to fill the shelves and systems of every store on the market.

Web 2.0 Argument

Q. What is Michael Wesch arguing about the nature of reading, writing, and thinking in the Web 2.0, digital world? Is the machine using us? Is this a bad thing?

A. Michael Wesch's argument in his video is that the machine is breaking the process down for us so that tasks are simpler and less time consuming, such as uploading media onto websites. For example, in Wesch's video, it describes how the HTML internet language fuses the content of a page with the form. Then XML comes along and divides the two; the code of XML only describes the content of the page, not the form. The internet is also breaking down our reading and writing skills. Every action we perform on the internet is becoming more automated and systematic for us, and it takes little to no effort to focus on a selection of writing, despite the type. As technology advances, the "efficiency" of our interpretations online is increasing, and our levels of focus are steadily declining, since we're spending less and less time on each page and link on the web. Computers are also evolving into machines that can remember our technological habits, such as the pages we visit, the music we listen to, the style of fonts we like, etc., and this is only contributing to how little we have to think while on the internet. As I said before, we only need a small amount of focus while surfing the web, and as the world grows more and more automated, that level is becoming infinitesimal. I wouldn't be surprised if a laptop is made that senses what you wanna do while on the internet. If (and when) this ever happens, good luck to us all...

"The Readers in the Text". If they're not there, you better start another draft.

The inclusion of the reader in any text is a pretty crucial component of good writing. Readers like to be interested in what they're reading, and whats more interesting than writer/reader interaction? It's like when you go to a magic show or Cirque du Soleil or anything of that sort, and the performers suddenly pull you up on stage and make you a part of their act. The interaction makes the experience much more memorable. In writing, interaction is performed with questions in the text and making a connection to the reader in some way. Ultimately, all your readers are also your critics; they're the ones assessing your whole style of writing. The reader definitely belongs in the text, and in order to appeal to the masses as a writer, you must know how to relate to the reader and show him/her that you know what you're talking about and you know how to make the reader realize his/her own experiences that coincide with the topic of the writer. The connection is key!

Is Google Making Us Stupid? (It's highly probable)

1. Would there even be a point of keeping libraries in the future if all information is kept digitally?
2. Is the Internet that much of a staple in our society that it's being compared to something as common as a clock?
3. Does scattered attention and diffused concentration (p.5) contribute to the increase in ADD/ADHD cases in children?
4. Why is it so important to increase the efficiency of gathering information?
5. Wouldn't majority of society be scared of artificial intelligence becoming too smart? (2001:A Space Odyssey; I, Robot; War Games; etc.
6. Is it likely that we are going to wind up as a machine-like culture that relies on technology?

 This article, compared to Gopnik's "The Information" article, sends the same message; technology has a significant effect on our society. It affects the way we think, the way we interact, the way we communicate, and much more. The shame of it all is that future generations will be born without experiencing a life without the mass amounts of technology that there will soon be. Most of us in this class were born around the early 90s/late 80s, so we have an idea of what life was like without technology orbiting around our skulls. It seems like kids today are born with Blackberrys in their hands and their 5th birthday present is a MacBook. Kids like these don't know anything but a life full of technology, and when they see how our culture was without all the hype, they'll sit there in disbelief and ask "How is it even possible to live like that?"

Rhetoric vs. Arguments

rhetoric |ˈretərik|
-noun

• the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, esp. the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.

argument |ˈärgyəmənt|
noun

• an exchange of diverging or opposite views, typically a heated or angry one
• a reason or set of reasons given with the aim of persuading others that an action or idea is right or wrong

When people use rhetoric, I see it as a way to make others think about the topic of choice in a way that they wouldn't normally think of; to instigate new thoughts and sides of the subject that enlighten either a positive or negative aspect, depending on how the speaker wants to make the subject look. Rhetoric is different from an argument because there has to be a right & wrong in an argument, and rhetoric is more of helping people choose a side and leaving an impression in their thoughts.

Materialities of Writing

1) The crayon assignment was very interesting because I haven't used a crayon since I was in first grade; I've always used colored pencils, so using a crayon irked me a bit. However, while doing the project, I felt like a little kid again, even though I'm in my 2nd year in college. I didn't have to think differently, but writing with a crayon was definitely tedious and I found that it took more effort to write legibly with a dull crayon on the verge of snapping in half.

2) Project #7- This project was arranged very neatly in essay form. The point of the writer was very comprehensive, and he stated his personal thoughts and interpretation of the poem very clearly.  It was slightly on the plain side, considering that other projects had titles and creative borders, but it was still well put together.

Project #1- Very plain and standard. There were no borders or images added to the page. It was written in essay form, but it lacked creativity.

Project #18- Another plain project. It was written very neatly and clearly for someone using a crayon, but like the others, it lacked any creativity.

Project #8- This project was very sloppy. It had no arrangement or form, and it looked very rushed. The person used life examples to relate to the idea of the poem, but seldom talked about the poem itself, and it seemed like the point veered off topic.

Project #16- This project had a title with a very creative style and nice, almost elegant borders. Both factors of this project show a strong sense of self-expression, and that the person follows his/her own style. The writing itself was difficult to read though.

Project #9- This was another creative project, which looked well-arranged. The border was nice and the background texture was a nice touch. While reading, I noticed a good vocabulary and talk of sensitivity and emotion.

Project #17- This project was definitely one of the more creative and expressive projects in the class. The border consisted of flowers and stems, which added lots of color; the front and back header had the sun peeking onto the page, and it gave off a very positive vibe. The writer showed a very clear understanding and interpretation of the poem, and she expressed it in a way that was easy to understand. The major con of this project was that she did it in pencil, which totally contravened the point of the project. We were supposed to see how difficult it was to write with a crayon, and notice if that affected our writing in any way. Since #17 wrote in pencil, that's like cheating.

3) If there were a culture that only used crayons as their writing tools, I believe the writing would be much shorter, but also much more complex and selective. Writing with a crayon is very difficult and tedious. They're fragile, they dull easily, and people tend to write bigger in order to be legible and comprehensive. Considering these reasons, these people would have to be very selective with what they're writing about, in order to keep the writing to a minimum, but also to still get the point across to the reader. The use of crayons could also improve creativity while writing. There are hundreds of different color crayons, and people could utilize different colors to emphasize certain meanings of words or whole sections of their writing.

4) As noticed with the crayon project, the writing implement you use directly effects the physicality of writing. While writing with the crayon, I had to really think about what to write; the crayon makes writing difficult since it's constantly getting dull, and you have to write bigger in order to be legible. The characteristic of the implement strongly determines how a person writes. Pens and pencils are very neat and easy to write with, so people don't hold limits on what they're writing about. A person using a colored marker that smears a lot would probably take their time with the writing and write neatly so that his hand doesn't smudge the writing. These factors would also affect the process of thinking. As stated before, crayons are difficult to write with, so people would want to write less with them, and the pen has no limit since its neat and easy to write with. It would be interesting to see how people write with unusual tools, such as magic markers, paint brushes, fingers/finger-painting, and maybe even quills.

Analysis of Pantene Commercial

Throughout this commercial, there were multiple personal aspects shown between the girl with the ponytail and the deaf girl, who I believe are sisters; perseverance & determination by the deaf girl, and jealousy & slight ostracism by the sister. The sister was shown practicing the piano diligently, with a very modern style of playing. Her sister, the deaf girl, was shown playing violin; at times, with an old man on the street. As she played, it seemed that she didn't have any worries, and the only thing that mattered was that violin. During the girls' practice session, the ponytailed sister gets very frustrated with her deaf sister, telling her that she'll never be able to play well since she's deaf. This shows that the sister doesn't believe in her sister, and she shows no support in what the deaf girl really wants. Also, while playing on the street with the old man, a group of vandals start harassing the deaf girl, shoving her around and even shattering her violin. They reach such a level that they beat-up the old man as well, and the only potential reason is that the old man and the girl are both deaf.
     Towards the end of the commercial, we see the ponytail sister at a classical music competition, performing very modern, almost sinister, music. The crowd was very pleased, and the show was believed to be over, until one more contestant was said to perform; the deaf girl came to compete against her sister and to prove anyone wrong who had disbelief in her. As she was playing, the deaf girl recollected all her thoughts about playing violin, the positive and negative. As she channeled her feelings from all these experiences, her music became invigorating and passionate, so passionate that her hair was whipping around like Medusa's scaly locks. At the end of the deaf girl's performance, the crowd was awestruck, and the sister was green with envy. After all her enduring and weathering, the deaf girl proved that anyone can be exceptionally different.