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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.