While I was reading the angle I was keeping in mind was how Gibson uses detailed descriptions to emphasis or portray certain moods or settings.
Pg. 72 “Smith sat very still, staring into the small brown eyes of death” – The sight of sitting very still can calm shows the seriousness and intensity of this situation.
Pg. 82 “[Molly] staring out the train window at blasted industrial moonscape, read beacons on the horizon” - This description depicts a lonely nature less world dominated by technology with molly is looking out into.
Pg. 85 “His eyes were a dark brown that matched the shade of his vey short military-cut hair”
-Gibson uses this man’s neatly short cut hair and dark eyes to represent what this man might possibly be like.
Pg. 86 “The right side of the street was lined with miniature scrapyards” – I like this quote cause Gibson’s descriptions does a nice job of letting the reader know exactly what kind of communities and society they are in.
Pg. 88 “It’s a horse, man. You ever see a horse?” – This quote uses descriptive writing to tell the reader how the characters feel instead of just simply telling them.
Pg. 88 “The alley was an old place, too old, the walls cut from blocks of dark stone” - The rest of this quote also does a good job a describing the setting almost to the point where the reader might be able to recognize smell.
Pg. 99 “Freeside is Las Vegas and the hanging gardens of Babylon” – Gibson uses familiar phrases to help describe a very unique and distant place that helps the reader connect.
Pg. 120 “The air here smelled of running water and flowers” – This is a nice quote of Gibson using the description of the setting to help depict the feelings of a character.
Pg. 129 “…until it vanished behind the band of the Lado-Acheson” – This quote describes the lack of “nature” in their society and it plays off in the emotions and attitude of Case.
Pg. 130 “…Case thought, watching the boy’s brown eyes” – The description the physical characteristics of the young boy are used to depict his personality without ever literally saying anything.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
When I first started reading Neuromancer I immediately picked up on one pattern involving the setting, and that was this place was a very depressing and miserable place to be. As I continued to read further I started noticing this reoccurring theme not only in the description of the settings, but in also the characters emotions, which in result intensified the description of the setting that much more. For example, Gibson writes, “But the dreams came on in the Japanese night like livewire voodoo, and he’d cry for it, cry in his sleep, and wake alone in the dark, curled up in his capsule in some coffin hotel, his hands clawed into the bedslab, temperfoam bunched between his fingers, trying to reach the console that wasn’t there”. Even in this man’s subconscious, his dreams, he is still overwhelmed by the pressures he faces in his everyday life, and it seems that even in his dreams he can’t escape the miserable coffin like hotel that he calls home. The mere fact that Gibson deliberately writes that the mattress is squeezing between his fingers is proof that Gibson is trying to emphasis the fear and misery that this man has to deal with. This truly sounds like whoever this man is he has found hell on earth.
Another passage that I found very descriptive of the “unique” setting that this novel takes place is when Gibson writes about the city and what the surroundings are like, and he says, “Now he slept in the cheapest coffins, the ones nearest the port, beneath the quartz-halogen floods that lit the docks all night like vast stages; where you couldn’t see the lights of Tokyo for the glare of the television sky”. I like this passage for two reasons. The First reason being is that it is so descriptive; it even goes into detail the lighting Case has to live in.The second reason is being that it is that the description is very figurative. Does the fact that he lives nearest to the port suggest anything about is spiritual standings? Or is a representation of his economical status? All sorts and kinds of questions can be asked about the following passage. And the detailed description of the setting makes it seem as if the passage becomes even more open to interpretation, which I found enjoyable.
Another passage that I found very descriptive of the “unique” setting that this novel takes place is when Gibson writes about the city and what the surroundings are like, and he says, “Now he slept in the cheapest coffins, the ones nearest the port, beneath the quartz-halogen floods that lit the docks all night like vast stages; where you couldn’t see the lights of Tokyo for the glare of the television sky”. I like this passage for two reasons. The First reason being is that it is so descriptive; it even goes into detail the lighting Case has to live in.The second reason is being that it is that the description is very figurative. Does the fact that he lives nearest to the port suggest anything about is spiritual standings? Or is a representation of his economical status? All sorts and kinds of questions can be asked about the following passage. And the detailed description of the setting makes it seem as if the passage becomes even more open to interpretation, which I found enjoyable.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Corbin Cutshaw
April 28th, 2009
ENL 3
Words with Meaning
Ever since mankind came across the ability to communicate with one another there has been some form of recording or documentation of that ability, whether it was paintings on the insides of caves, drawings on the dried hides of animals, or books and novels. But since the beginning of these documentations literature and writing have always had a cloud of controversy hanging over it. Granted, that the controversy surrounding these authors varied from time to time were for different reasons, nether the less it still made writers of such professions very unpopular. But one way writers were able to have freedom of speech yet not be criticized was to write using symbolism and allegories. By using this technique it allowed writers to have freedom of speech without the fear of heavy criticism, and also allowed for a “deeper level” of thinking which has become very popular in today’s literature. In other words, authors could freely write pieces that said one thing, but that could mean something entirely different. In the poems by Dylan Thomas and Carl Sandburg both authors use negative thematic categories, such as anger and hate, to express emotions that can be entirely different from what the meaning might be perceived as.
The poem “Hate” by Carl Sandburg is about is a friend killing another friend with the last words being “I’d give you the shirt off my back”. In the beginning the reader is not aware that the two gentlemen are friends, and it continues to say that the killer cried and looked back in sorrow on the killing, stating “It was a shot in one second of hate out of ten years of love”. The twist that Sandburg throws in though comes in at the very last words of the poem ending in, “I’d give you the shirt off my back …And I’ll kill you if my head goes wrong”. What makes this writing so unique is that it is a message within a message. Yes this poem could have the literal point of view such as a man accidently killing his friend, but what Sandburg is really trying to say here is the importance of our actions. That one wrong on even unintentional action can have a great impact in future years. For example in the poem if that man would have restrained himself from taking his friends life at the one late sorrowful second, they could have continued to be friends and possibly changed each other’s lives. Authors of such kind of literature are very specific of word choice in the writings so everything has a certain purpose or meaning. If the reader is left confused or in the mist of crossroads of determining what exactly this poem or reading may be saying to them specifically, that was probably the goal. Sandburg was totally aware of exactly everything thing in his poem and how the reader would perceive it. “Hate” by Carl Sandburg is a perfect example of authors writing to be taken less literal and having “double” meanings behind they’re work.
The interesting part of “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas is that it is obvious that rage does not literally mean that when he says, “Rage, rage against the dying of the light”. That main discussion of this writing does not involve that. What the real question is what does it mean to “rage”? Does it mean to never give up, to stay optimistic and keep fighting? Does it mean to protect the survival of the innocent and good? Or does it have a totally different meaning for us then it did for Thomas’ time and culture? The real answer is unfortunately we will never know for sure. One thing that we do know that is for sure is that Thomas was very precise with his writings, as most authors are of their own work. He knew that what he was writing could be viewed in multiple of number of ways and he did it on purpose, the only problem is that we don’t what way.
Everyone at one point or another has heard the phrase “you might not get a second chance”. It is a common phrase used to emphasize the importance of the decision about to be made. The reason why this little quote is able to project such a large message is because it is written in a way in which the phrase can have a double meaning. In other words, this quote is saying be careful because once it is done its done, but really, really be careful of all the possible effects this decision might make. Almost in one sense that one right or wrong decision can radically change the future. It was the same type of double meaning that Sandburg used in his writings to get certain type of feelings or ideas across to the reader. For example when Sandburg writes,
“I’d give you the shirt off my back” … And I’ll kill you if my head goes wrong”, he is trying to say that for one second if one is not thinking clearly, or for some reason is not thinking and their head is wrong, consequences are very likely. Something can happen as drastic as to kill someone, and ruin ten years of love in one split moment of hate. This is what Sandburg is trying to get across to the reader, and he is doing it in a way in which the reader might not perceive of right away. Dylan Thomas writes in the same type of fashion in his poem “Do not go gentle into that good night”. When he writes “rage, rage against the dying of the light” which appears frequently throughout the writing, it is pretty sure that he does not mean rage as in the way of fury of violence and anger, it is something deeper than that. As you can see in each tercet of the poem it is describing a different type a man whether he is wise, wild, good, etc. and says something about their character based on the attributes. But why go through all this effort? Why describe these men’s character just to say one thing about “raging against the dying of the light” even if the actual term “rage” is unknown or subjective in this poem? This is just too many questions that are left unanswered in this writing to be able to say that there is not a second meaning behind this poem. In result it is fair to say that Thomas clearly meant for there to be a second meaning behind this writing, even if it may vary with every reader.
Throughout time old wives tales and stories have been made and created to mainly entertain us, but to also teach us a small lesson or two. The same thing can be said for literature and author too. Authors can not only write about great expeditions across far and bizarre lands like The Odyssey, but they imply great meaning of what it takes to be leaders and to have courage to never quit. Such poets like Dylan Thomas and Carl Sandburg did this same exact thing in their writings by using thematic categories to express emotions and ideas that can be entirely different from what the meaning might be perceived as.
April 28th, 2009
ENL 3
Words with Meaning
Ever since mankind came across the ability to communicate with one another there has been some form of recording or documentation of that ability, whether it was paintings on the insides of caves, drawings on the dried hides of animals, or books and novels. But since the beginning of these documentations literature and writing have always had a cloud of controversy hanging over it. Granted, that the controversy surrounding these authors varied from time to time were for different reasons, nether the less it still made writers of such professions very unpopular. But one way writers were able to have freedom of speech yet not be criticized was to write using symbolism and allegories. By using this technique it allowed writers to have freedom of speech without the fear of heavy criticism, and also allowed for a “deeper level” of thinking which has become very popular in today’s literature. In other words, authors could freely write pieces that said one thing, but that could mean something entirely different. In the poems by Dylan Thomas and Carl Sandburg both authors use negative thematic categories, such as anger and hate, to express emotions that can be entirely different from what the meaning might be perceived as.
The poem “Hate” by Carl Sandburg is about is a friend killing another friend with the last words being “I’d give you the shirt off my back”. In the beginning the reader is not aware that the two gentlemen are friends, and it continues to say that the killer cried and looked back in sorrow on the killing, stating “It was a shot in one second of hate out of ten years of love”. The twist that Sandburg throws in though comes in at the very last words of the poem ending in, “I’d give you the shirt off my back …And I’ll kill you if my head goes wrong”. What makes this writing so unique is that it is a message within a message. Yes this poem could have the literal point of view such as a man accidently killing his friend, but what Sandburg is really trying to say here is the importance of our actions. That one wrong on even unintentional action can have a great impact in future years. For example in the poem if that man would have restrained himself from taking his friends life at the one late sorrowful second, they could have continued to be friends and possibly changed each other’s lives. Authors of such kind of literature are very specific of word choice in the writings so everything has a certain purpose or meaning. If the reader is left confused or in the mist of crossroads of determining what exactly this poem or reading may be saying to them specifically, that was probably the goal. Sandburg was totally aware of exactly everything thing in his poem and how the reader would perceive it. “Hate” by Carl Sandburg is a perfect example of authors writing to be taken less literal and having “double” meanings behind they’re work.
The interesting part of “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas is that it is obvious that rage does not literally mean that when he says, “Rage, rage against the dying of the light”. That main discussion of this writing does not involve that. What the real question is what does it mean to “rage”? Does it mean to never give up, to stay optimistic and keep fighting? Does it mean to protect the survival of the innocent and good? Or does it have a totally different meaning for us then it did for Thomas’ time and culture? The real answer is unfortunately we will never know for sure. One thing that we do know that is for sure is that Thomas was very precise with his writings, as most authors are of their own work. He knew that what he was writing could be viewed in multiple of number of ways and he did it on purpose, the only problem is that we don’t what way.
Everyone at one point or another has heard the phrase “you might not get a second chance”. It is a common phrase used to emphasize the importance of the decision about to be made. The reason why this little quote is able to project such a large message is because it is written in a way in which the phrase can have a double meaning. In other words, this quote is saying be careful because once it is done its done, but really, really be careful of all the possible effects this decision might make. Almost in one sense that one right or wrong decision can radically change the future. It was the same type of double meaning that Sandburg used in his writings to get certain type of feelings or ideas across to the reader. For example when Sandburg writes,
“I’d give you the shirt off my back” … And I’ll kill you if my head goes wrong”, he is trying to say that for one second if one is not thinking clearly, or for some reason is not thinking and their head is wrong, consequences are very likely. Something can happen as drastic as to kill someone, and ruin ten years of love in one split moment of hate. This is what Sandburg is trying to get across to the reader, and he is doing it in a way in which the reader might not perceive of right away. Dylan Thomas writes in the same type of fashion in his poem “Do not go gentle into that good night”. When he writes “rage, rage against the dying of the light” which appears frequently throughout the writing, it is pretty sure that he does not mean rage as in the way of fury of violence and anger, it is something deeper than that. As you can see in each tercet of the poem it is describing a different type a man whether he is wise, wild, good, etc. and says something about their character based on the attributes. But why go through all this effort? Why describe these men’s character just to say one thing about “raging against the dying of the light” even if the actual term “rage” is unknown or subjective in this poem? This is just too many questions that are left unanswered in this writing to be able to say that there is not a second meaning behind this poem. In result it is fair to say that Thomas clearly meant for there to be a second meaning behind this writing, even if it may vary with every reader.
Throughout time old wives tales and stories have been made and created to mainly entertain us, but to also teach us a small lesson or two. The same thing can be said for literature and author too. Authors can not only write about great expeditions across far and bizarre lands like The Odyssey, but they imply great meaning of what it takes to be leaders and to have courage to never quit. Such poets like Dylan Thomas and Carl Sandburg did this same exact thing in their writings by using thematic categories to express emotions and ideas that can be entirely different from what the meaning might be perceived as.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
ROUGH draft
Ever since mankind came across the ability to communicate with one another there has been some form of recording or documentation of that ability, whether it was paintings on the insides of caves, drawings on the dried hides of animals, or books and novels. But since the beginning of these documentations literature and writing always have had a cloud of controversy hanging over it. Granted that the controversy surrounding these authors varied from time to time were for different reasons it still made writers of such professions very unpopular. But one way writers were able to have freedom of speech yet not be criticized was to write using symbolism and allegories. By using this technique it allowed writers to have freedom of speech without the fear of heavy criticism, and also allowed for a “deeper level” of thinking which has become very popular in today’s literature. In other words, authors could freely write pieces that said one thing, but that would mean something entirely different. In the poems by Dylan Thomas and Carl Sandburg both authors use negative thematic categories, such as anger and hate, to express emotions that can be entirely different from what the meaning might be perceived as.
What the poem “Hate” by Carl Sandburg is about is a friend killing another friend with the last words being “I’d give you the shirt off my back”. In the beginning the reader is not aware that they are friends, and it continues to say that the killer cried and looked back in sorrow on the killing, stating “It was a shot in one second of hate out of ten years of love”. The twist that Sandburg throws in though comes in at the very last words of the poem ending in, “I’d give you the shirt off my back …And I’ll kill you if my head goes wrong”. What makes this writing so unique is that it is a message within a message. Yes this poem could have the literal point of view such as a man accidently killing his friend, but what Sandburg is really trying to say here is the importance of our actions. That one wrong on even unintentional action can have a great impact in future years. For example in the poem if that man would have restrained himself from taking his friends life at the one late sorrowful second, they could have continued to be friends and possibly changed each other’s lives. Sandburg was totally aware of exactly everything thing in his poem and how the reader would perceive it.
The interesting part of “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas is that it is obvious that Thomas did not literally mean “Rage, rage against the dying of the light”. That is not in discussion. What is in discussion though is what does it mean to “rage”? Does it mean to never quit and give up? Does it mean fight against the killing of good? Or does it have a totally different meaning for us then it did for Thomas’ time and culture that he wrote in? The real answer is that we will never know for sure, but what we do know is that Thomas is no fool. He knew that what he was writing could be viewed in multiple of number of ways and he did it on purpose, the only problem is that we don’t what way.
What the poem “Hate” by Carl Sandburg is about is a friend killing another friend with the last words being “I’d give you the shirt off my back”. In the beginning the reader is not aware that they are friends, and it continues to say that the killer cried and looked back in sorrow on the killing, stating “It was a shot in one second of hate out of ten years of love”. The twist that Sandburg throws in though comes in at the very last words of the poem ending in, “I’d give you the shirt off my back …And I’ll kill you if my head goes wrong”. What makes this writing so unique is that it is a message within a message. Yes this poem could have the literal point of view such as a man accidently killing his friend, but what Sandburg is really trying to say here is the importance of our actions. That one wrong on even unintentional action can have a great impact in future years. For example in the poem if that man would have restrained himself from taking his friends life at the one late sorrowful second, they could have continued to be friends and possibly changed each other’s lives. Sandburg was totally aware of exactly everything thing in his poem and how the reader would perceive it.
The interesting part of “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas is that it is obvious that Thomas did not literally mean “Rage, rage against the dying of the light”. That is not in discussion. What is in discussion though is what does it mean to “rage”? Does it mean to never quit and give up? Does it mean fight against the killing of good? Or does it have a totally different meaning for us then it did for Thomas’ time and culture that he wrote in? The real answer is that we will never know for sure, but what we do know is that Thomas is no fool. He knew that what he was writing could be viewed in multiple of number of ways and he did it on purpose, the only problem is that we don’t what way.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Other universe of BW/ Villanelle
The first thing I think of when I notice the title of this poem involving Batman the superhero is, “oh fun”. I immediately recognize something that is familiar to me in the title and that instantly draws my attention. I think this is very important in regards to literature because success or popularity in writing is largely determined by whether or not the author is able to connect with the reader. If the author is able connect to the reader, or grab his/her attention, whether by the title or the subject matter in which he writes about, the more interested and attracted the reader is going to be. This is what exactly happened to me. I realized that I was familiar with the subject matter that Sinister was writing about and that automatically drew me closer into the reading. So having subject matter that is very familiar to society, such as Bruce Wayne in batman, it will greatly affect the shape of the poem into whatever perception the reader has.
When Sinister uses the title involving Bruce I feel as a reader that it in some ways makes the poem more literal. As I started to read this poem I found that since I was able to easily connect to the poem because I was familiar the subject I was taking everything that Sinister wrote more literal. Now whether or not Sinister meant that to happen for the reader I have no idea, all I can say is that the way Sinister went about the structure and matter of the poem made me take everything more literally.
"kenny"- Villanelle
Why laugh at a child in agony?
Is he more than just a crumb?
Poor, poor Kenny
With nothing more than a penny
No wonder why his friends call him a bum
Why laugh at a child in agony?
When being nailed to a tree
Cartman did nothing more than eat a cinnabon
Poor, poor Kenny
Normally we would stop such a meanie
Oh, how gruesome
Why laugh at a child in agony?
Is he really that unlucky?
To always have such terrible outcomes?
Poor, poor Kenny
Thank God these toons are phony
For this would be truly lowsome
Why laugh at a child in agony?
Poor, poor Kenny
When Sinister uses the title involving Bruce I feel as a reader that it in some ways makes the poem more literal. As I started to read this poem I found that since I was able to easily connect to the poem because I was familiar the subject I was taking everything that Sinister wrote more literal. Now whether or not Sinister meant that to happen for the reader I have no idea, all I can say is that the way Sinister went about the structure and matter of the poem made me take everything more literally.
"kenny"- Villanelle
Why laugh at a child in agony?
Is he more than just a crumb?
Poor, poor Kenny
With nothing more than a penny
No wonder why his friends call him a bum
Why laugh at a child in agony?
When being nailed to a tree
Cartman did nothing more than eat a cinnabon
Poor, poor Kenny
Normally we would stop such a meanie
Oh, how gruesome
Why laugh at a child in agony?
Is he really that unlucky?
To always have such terrible outcomes?
Poor, poor Kenny
Thank God these toons are phony
For this would be truly lowsome
Why laugh at a child in agony?
Poor, poor Kenny
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
EM dash, Dickinson
When trying to interpret what the dashes mean in Dickinson’s poem it is important to remember that the way Dickinson used them might be entirely different from the way the reader might perceive it. Of course the more obvious interpretation of the dashes could to be to connect and/or to separate ideas, but the problem is that we as readers have no way to know how Dickinson intended us to perceive it. In other words, the readers have no way to know how Dickinson used them, and we as readers all have different ways of understanding or reading it.
Another way in which we as readers could interpret the meaning of the dashes is that the dashes may be trying to put an emphasis or certain words or phrases. If this is true in anyway, it once again brings up the issue on what exactly is Dickinson trying to get across to the readers and that will be entirely different to every reader.
In my personal opinion it seems that the dashes try to make an emphasis on certain words and phrases by connecting them. For example when she says
“Of Chambers as the Cedars—Impregnable of Eye—"
She is trying to emphasis the strength and durability of the “Chambers as the Cedars” by stating that it is “Impregnable of Eye”. Cedars are known for resisting damaging insects such as termites which are very abundant on the east coast and in the south. Cedar is also known for having a very pleasant scent so it was used in higher society because it is more expensive. So having a chamber built out of cedar would be a very optimal choice, and Dickinson is trying to put emphasis on this chamber by using the dashes to make sure the reader connect the two phases.
Another way in which we as readers could interpret the meaning of the dashes is that the dashes may be trying to put an emphasis or certain words or phrases. If this is true in anyway, it once again brings up the issue on what exactly is Dickinson trying to get across to the readers and that will be entirely different to every reader.
In my personal opinion it seems that the dashes try to make an emphasis on certain words and phrases by connecting them. For example when she says
“Of Chambers as the Cedars—Impregnable of Eye—"
She is trying to emphasis the strength and durability of the “Chambers as the Cedars” by stating that it is “Impregnable of Eye”. Cedars are known for resisting damaging insects such as termites which are very abundant on the east coast and in the south. Cedar is also known for having a very pleasant scent so it was used in higher society because it is more expensive. So having a chamber built out of cedar would be a very optimal choice, and Dickinson is trying to put emphasis on this chamber by using the dashes to make sure the reader connect the two phases.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
A night in a hotel...
For most people a night in hotel might mean a number of different things, and maybe even kind of “exciting” if you will. But to me it is far from anything similar to a vacation or fun. The reason for this is because I play football and baseball for UCD and with college sports comes with a lot of traveling. Although this might sound like it would be a lot of fun, which it is, it all comes with a price. It is very common for me to miss two to three days of class due to traveling and because of this student-athletes are forced to do all they’re class work and homework on the road or in hotel rooms, which is exactly why I have gave the title of the blog “A night in a hotel”. I don’t think that anybody in the right mind would WANT to do homework when traveling and staying in hotels, but for student athletes it is something we just have to accept. Staying in a hotel means that someone is away from home and doing something at of the norm, which is something most people would enjoy from they’re chaotic normal lifestyles, but not to us. To student athletes, hotels just mean hectic traveling routines, long bus rides, and long nights in hotel rooms doing homework when others would be having a much better time. Even though I am only a second year in college I have seen the inside of enough hotels that I can tell you the basic outline of a hotel and the rooms just by knowing the name of the resort or hotel. So just remember the next time you are staying in a hotel, probably for vacation, that a night in a hotel room can mean a number of different things for different people.
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