Fun Fact: Walt Whitman's brothers were named Andrew Jackson, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson

PRE

He noted a bunch of random thoughts and lines, maybe poetry. His handwriting looks like mine - pretty messy. There are some sketches, most probably of himself. They are both realistic and like caricatures. There are also some random objects and signs. The writing and drawings seem to be influenced by his environment. There's many versions of a sketch. The content seems to be a lot about appearance and observations. Mainly I see addresses, locations, notes that seem like lines of poetry and sketches of himself or places. I think these are notes about things he wants to talk about in his poems and reveals that he is someone who takes inspiration from his surroundings.

POST

His addresses and names were those of people he knew and places he probably came to visit. His notes were actually part of a conversation with Abraham Lincoln. The content spans from religion, war, freedom, many themes that should be prevalent around the war time. It's cool that he realized "the future of world history was bound up in the success or failure of America's democratic experiment" before even Lincoln did. It shows how aware he was of the situation and world he existed in. None of the doodles are by him but they are of him. He loved to have his portrait taken and these doodles are probably by one of his drinking buddies. What we read about that shows how he was not the only one who liked to carry a notebook around and socializing actually involved artists, poets, journalists, and playwrights getting together to pass ideas around. The last page still doesn't make that much sense though it suggests that it's an allegory for America as I first thought. 

"The genius of the United States is not best or most in its executives or legislatures, nor in its ambassadors or authors or colleges, or churches, or parlors, nor even in its newspapers or inventors, but always most in the common people." - Walt Whitman

I dream a dream of Memes gone by(e)

The "American Dream" is something that gives people hope. It is the idea that no matter what your current situation is, you can become successful by being in the right place, at the right time, and by working hard. For many this place and time was America in the 1920s, just after the war when all anyone ever did was party. I think that most people thought America was the right place to pursue their dreams because America was once just a dream too. It became its own country after a long struggle for freedom and many bloody wars. Just after the most recent one in that time, America came back richer than ever and many people saw this as a time of opportunity.

America is the "Land of Opportunity" and one of its top tourist attractions was "freedom".

Wealth doesn't have to be having a lot of money. Even less so if you end up spending it all on dumb things :P I think wealth is having health, people that care about you, and being content with life so long as you can support yourself in the long run. Wealth is also sharing it with less fortunate people because spreading good fortune is good karma. Then you can probably sleep more soundly at night knowing that your actions are benefiting someone out there.


I think Americans' always associate wealth with having big mansions and 10 flat screen TVs or 20 cars and poverty is always that picture of the emaciated kid in Africa and scary bird. Those are usually the 2 extremes.
In reality it's less mild than that for the most part. Poverty is too common in America and still is a big problem. Especially in New York (and other big cities) where there aren't enough jobs or space for people to live. Most of the homeless population live in shelters with other homeless people. They work odd jobs and can't relocate because of their kids or just having no way to get around.

Article about Increase of Homeless Women in New York

Wealth is usually the Kardashians, but they aren't that rich.. they just like to flaunt their money. Because of them wealth (for a majority) has become more about what designer clothes to get, how many different shades of contour can fit on one face, and having 1231 cars. This generation where social media is at the forefront of marketing sells too much of material goods, which I guess is what everyone was obsessed with in the 1920s. Having more meant you were rich. That isn't true though and we still haven't learned that lesson.

Wealth should be succeeding and doing things that make a positive difference in the world. Otherwise, wealth doesn't mean much. For example, Bill Gates is still the richest billionaire at $79.2 billion net worth. He has the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation to help bring people out of poverty and stop world hunger and partners with different companies and students to aid in providing education. He has a giant aquarium in his house too but he also has a massive library with The Great Gatsby quotes on the ceiling, so it's ok. He earned it (for the right reasons)!! He has wealth but lives a meaningful life with it.


When it comes down to it I think that wealth should just occur naturally from doing the things you are passionate about doing. From watching a season of Keeping up with the Kardashians, even though they probably spend enough money to feed a small country, they stick together and work hard. Wealth shouldn't mean leaving family behind and blindly chasing something. That would just lead to failure. Sometimes it's difficult to find your way in the world and having family is important for support. They will also be there to tell you that one girl isn't worth dying for... that could've been helpful to Gatsby.
Wealth is being proud of where you came from and working towards making things better for everyone. Feeling fulfillment from doing good things is a better motivator than money and makes a positive difference.

Poverty is most of the time due to circumstances and there isn't an easy solution. Other times it is because of making bad decisions. Either way, I think America values wealth too much and doesn't pay enough attention to poverty. It's all about selling an image and also about getting to the top without thinking much about the bigger picture. The system doesn't allow them to get out of it either. From having health insurance, to housing and clothing, and having a car, among other things there's no way!!! We all fear it but not enough of us do the things that can change it. That's way Trump is popular smh. He knows how to work the system and knows how to make big promises that appeal to people. THEEENN people (like my parents) who don't do their research thinks it's going to benefit them when it probably won't. So yeah. It's all because of the American Dream. Making impossible become possible, but with no strong foundation to begin with. It all comes crashing down!!!
(Ok I may be a fatalist but that doesn't mean it can't happen)

"I woke up like this/ We flawless, ladies tell 'em" - Beyonce

https://41.media.tumblr.com/65e2204bb2d8d1b439563190198aaf1a/tumblr_n3507zuU1q1qfajheo1_1280.jpg

Translations:
#1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.

• Diction- his word choice is pretty straightforward. 
• Syntax- No pauses; lack of punctuation
• Imagery/details- uneasy dreams; transformed; gigantic insect
• Structure- sentence is structured so that Gregor is in the process of waking up and finding himself transformed. It is in the past tense but it denotes he discovered it as he woke up. Something like he put his foot out and realized it wasn't a foot.
• Other stylist/figurative elements

#2: Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.

• Diction- like the first one it is straightforward. Less emphatic choice of words than the first sentence.
• Syntax- lack of punctuation, "one morning" and "from uneasy dreams" swaps places
• Imagery/details- uneasy dreams; changed; giant bug.
• Structure- in the past tense again but seems more like he woke up then figured out he changed into a bug after a while. Less drawn out than the other sentences.
• Other stylist/figurative elements- It omits the "in his bed part"; Gregor is now Gregory.

#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.

• Diction-  This seems to combine word choice from the first 2 sentences. Changes "uneasy" to "troubled" and "gigantic/giant" to "enormous"; same meaning but kind of gives a different feel to the scene. Connotation is a tad bit more negative, not by much. 
• Syntax- lack of punctuation, pretty much the same as the first sentence.
• Imagery/details- troubled dreams and enormous bug makes it seem pretty absurd, unexpected, and dark. "Troubled" is a little more negative than "uneasy"
• Structure- The same as the first sentence except "as" is replaced by "when". Gives it a story-teller vibe.
• Other stylist/figurative elements

#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.

• Diction: Word Choice is more severe than the previous sentences. 
• Syntax: uses more commas into several short clauses. Drawn out and long. 
• Imagery/details- imagery words describes a nightmare -- waking up from agitated dreams ro find oneself a monster. Strikes fear in the heart -- kind of reminds me of J&H because "monstrous" and "agitated" dreams seems like Jekyll transforming in his sleep.
• Structure: Starts with one morning unlike the other sentences. Separating the sentence into parts makes the transformation a little more dramatic.
• Other stylist/figurative elements

http://wonderful-language-sounds.tumblr.com/post/140570081861/translation-is-a-tricky-businessshould-you-do-a

The word choice changes the impact the scene makes on the reader and the severity of Gregor's discovery. The words chosen can make the scene very dark and fearful or just strange without the darkness. The sentences that include the "in his bed" part show how everything is good and orderly except... he discovers he's a bug. By omitting the "in his bed" part, the second sentence doesn't really tell us much about the setting, just that it's morning. #2 is the shortest sentence and cuts to the chase. I think it is more underwhelming than the other 3. The diction is pretty drab and only elementary school kids would think it surprising. Its pace is quick and there is not much of a lead-up. He just woke up and was like "oh I'm a bug." The last sentence is the only one that uses a lot of punctuation and I think this stresses the ominous tone as well as describes the transformation in an actually scary way. He's literally a monster, not just a "bug". The pauses are effective when paired with the word choice because it is more suspenseful and leads up to a reveal more so than the other sentences. The lack of punctuation in the other sentences makes it seem kind of matter-of-fact. Like he already knew it was going to happen.

I think #3 and #4 both include more effective imagery words than the first 3. They both describe the transformation as something dreadful while the other 2 don't really attach much of a negative connotation to the insect part. I guess bugs aren't bad or scary fundamentally, we just don't like them. Sentence 3 uses the word "troubled" to describe the dream and "troubled" usually is negative i.e troubled upbringing, troubled teen... very traumatic. So even though he was merely a bug, it still affected his mental, in contrast to "uneasy" which seems somewhat less severe. The best imagery is in #4 I think. I just like "agitated" and "monstrous vermin". Even though "vermin" isn't necessarily the same thing as "bug", we know he transformed into something nasty!! Vermin encompasses more unwanted pests than the simple "bug". It serves to bring kind of a Gothic literature feel, with the monster element and the uncanny... where Gregor is not as he appears. The sentence structure helps because there are so many pauses that once you get to the last part of the sentence it's got some zest. You got the "agitated dreams" foreshadowing something bad and then bam! He's a monster. It's probably significant that each clause adds on more details. It reads kind of like a movie where they don't quickly reveal the whole shot but reveal little by little to keep the viewer intrigued.

There isn't really any way to figure out which text is most effective because they all appeal to different sorts of audiences and there isn't a single interpretation of Gregor's actions to go from. Some make the discovery more suspenseful and some make it more quizzical. Imagery and word choice change the tone a lot because the words used portray him differently in each. He could be scary or just gross. It is difficult reading translated texts because just one sentence can change the characterization or tone of the whole thing. Word choice and punctuation have many variations and who's to say there is one correct way to translate a sentence? So we may never know what the actual text reads like. There are also many words that do not have English equivalents. So there are many limitations based just on language and the meaning conveyed.

https://41.media.tumblr.com/1e8f453eca60d4647d35a5a8942aa30a/tumblr_nk7cleGERW1u6j9tpo1_1280.png

My Daily Quote: "You got this. Make it happen."

Record and upload voice >>

(I hope that recording works)
(If not there's this link)

Criterion A: 6-7 because I think I got the general message of the text and used appropriate references especially for Shakespeare's context and time period. Something I would like to make sure I do next time is explain more of the context of the scene and what was happening around it.

Never Let Me DOnate my organs

***CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE****

- What similarities and differences do you find? Speculate on the reasons for the various covers.

These covers want to communicate loss of something.. in a very futuristic society where very advanced scientific procedures can be performed. The girl running away is indicative of loss ... in this case of memories or of people. The organs show how the society is focused on medical, or health and symbolizes the organ donation. I also think that without faces on the cover, it kind of symbolizes how the clones aren't really individuals and they are just objects. The organ picture combines the Hailsham element of art and the clone element of organ donors which is neat because it shows 2 important aspects of the main character's lives right on the cover!!

1) What are the first words that come into your mind when you see this image? What does it make you think of?


2) If you hadn't read any of the novel, what would this image make you think the book was about?

 Now that you've read the novel, what kind of relationship(s) does this image have to the text?

3) Who seems to be portrayed? From whose viewpoint are we looking?
I think it's Kathy because she is the one that tells the story and she knows about loss of loved ones because of organ donating and because of being a clone the best. If it was from someone else's view, for example Ruth's, they might not have focused on the reality of being a clone as much as Kathy would. She is the one that is mainly lucid and accepting of it the whole way through. Ruth was obsessed with being acknowledged and popular the whole time, and trying to be better than Kathy. Tommy struggled with his attitude, art, and finding a way to fit in. Kathy reflects on her life as a clone and what it really means.

4) Does this image spark any ideas about the cultural construction of the book?
that says "super high tech" not "super high tea"

5) What kinds of people would make this book, and what kinds of people would read it?


Translation: People who appreciate every moment of life or wish they did. Because everything is temporary.

What u doing Tommy

spidey senses

kathy

There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want. ~Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes

https://www.ted.com/talks/isabelle_allende_how_to_live_passionately_no_matter_your_age/transcript?language=en

Summary

Isabel Allende talks about aging and how life can still have purpose and joy no matter what age you are. Isabel gained freedom because of aging -- she does not have to care what people think about her anymore. She goes on to say that she stays passionate by saying yes to whatever comes her way even though it is hard. She also trains her passion by trying to stay in love.

She talks about how we all start aging at birth and being "old" is not decided by when we get medicare. We all feel younger than our age because spirit does not age. She gives an example of someone who finds joy in helping girls in Nepal escape domestic bondage and how that gives her eternal youth.

As a final note, she says jubilación is retirement in Spanish. Retirement is a jubilation, a celebration. Because we have paid our dues and have contributed to society, we have choices. She chose to be passionate.

Analysis

The speaker is 71 year old, married, Chilean-American author Isabel Allende. She is considered the "world's most widely read Spanish-language author". "Allende's novels are often based upon her personal experience and pay homage to the lives of women, while weaving together elements of myth and realism," which may be why she is so knowledgeable about life and living it. Her purpose is to influence people of all ages to make choices that will guide them towards a meaningful life.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_Allende

She uses ethos by mentioning her age, 71, and using other older people as examples throughout the talk. Age is an important aspect of her talk and she puts emphasis on how aging is not a restriction. Pathos is used when she uses the examples such as Olga Murray, woman who works in Nepal who by the age of 88 has saved 12,000 girls, Ram Dass, a man who had a very bad stroke, and Grace Dammann, confined to a wheelchair after a bad car accident. These examples of people who seemingly are in sad/ hopeless situations become inspiring because they are optimistic and appreciate life as it is. It appeals to people who have been in terrible accidents or situations themselves and have begun to lose hope.

She claims that society decides when we are old, "usually around 65, when we get Medicare, but we really start aging at birth. We are aging right now, and we all experience it differently." She challenges how society views aging by saying aging is also about attitude and health. She supports this with an anecdote about Olga Murray who works in Nepal to save young girls from domestic bondage, which makes her happy and eternally young. These points illustrate how aging is defined by the individual rather than the society and by the choices the individual makes. Furthermore, she acknowledges that age has made her lose things but that did not mean that it was all over for her. She says, "What have I lost in the last decades? People, of course, places, and the boundless energy of my youth, and I'm beginning to lose independence, and that scares me." She has also gained much from aging. This includes freedom from having to please anyone, lightness from not carrying grudges, ambition, vanity or any of the deadly sins, fearlessness, and spirituality.

Antonio Banderas

Her structure is basically making a claim and then supporting it with stories or quotes from other people. She weaves in stories of older women exemplifying beauty on the outside and well as the inside. She also uses many examples such as the Dalai Lama and Ram Dass. She weaves in humor with her comments about how she sees herself as vain because it's difficult for older women to be noticed in this culture and how she is in love with Antonio Banderas to make the topic seem lighthearted. The style of the talk is very lighthearted and based on her and other people's experiences with aging. Her diction is euphonious, "passionately", "tenderness", "sensual", and subjective. She speaks in an informal way but her words are chosen to illustrate the beauty of aging rather than denounce it. 

The end result is that the audience can identify with her no matter what age they are because it is true that everyone is aging. The tone created is a reflective one that is intended to inspire. The reader, who may believe that there are no merits to aging or is scared of it, will begin to see that age is not a setback. It is the attitude and the choices that make life what it is. Anyone can live the life they dream as long as they practice loving and making the right choices. Be more hedonistic, be more vain -- as long as you're happy.

Personal Connections

At first I picked this because, truly, I dread becoming an adult. Even though there is no one right way to age I think she is right in saying that it's mainly the attitude about life and what choices we make that can make aging pleasant. I'm someone that likes to keep improving as I go and I just don't feel like I want to take on all these responsibilities at one time. Another problem I have is having ambition without the motivation to go through with things. I mean.. a lot of people probably go through that but I hope I'll find a way to make ideas into reality. 

In relation to Handmaid's Tale, I would never want to be like Offred who lives her life basically in a cage. All she can do is daydream at night, to the point that her daydreams and reality blend together. That must be really damaging to her mental health. I like the idea of having choices and being unique. Instead of age being her handicap I think it was her will that kept her from taking action. She probably didn't even pay attention to aging since her life was the same routine everyday and her only responsibility was to get pregnant. 

As far as Never Let Me Go (chapters 1-5) I think it's totally sketch that they're all living together at Hailsham and are clueless as to what is really going to happen in the future. But I guess that would make aging less scary. To some extent it's like they aren't aware of what to be scared of yet so they just live a humdrum existence. Living a prescribed life versus living with freedom to choose... I would want freedom. Even though being told what to do eliminates uncertainty, it doesn't guarantee happiness. Part of life should be making mistakes and making choices, otherwise how would you really know you're living?

Flickety Flixin

When I think of Lady Macbeth, what comes to mind is beguiling, powerful, ambitious, manipulative... basically the opposite of what was expected of women during the time Macbeth was written. She is basically #goals
Based on shows/movies that I have watched (except How to Build a Better Boy) I would most likely recommend these to Lady Macbeth. Orrrr some teen angst version of Lady Macbeth. Angsty Teen Girl Macbeth.

Revenge: 

Synopsis: Crazy girl assumes a false identity to get revenge on the people that destroyed her father's life. She knows kung fu and has a tech savvy best friend to help her along the way. In order to get closer to the family she is trying to take down, she gets in a serious relationship with their son Daniel. The plot thickens as secrets get out and more people become involved in Emily's life.

Why: Lady Macbeth is not so hell bent on revenge but she does share crazy ambition with the main character, Emily Thorne. In Revenge, Emily Thorne, whose real name is Amanda Clarke, assumes this fake identity to get in with the high class society in order to get close to the people responsible for her father's downfall. It's similar to how Lady Macbeth made Duncan feel at home and all nice and cozy while she was really plotting to kill him. Things got hairy in the show and I stopped watching after the first season, so sorry Lady Macbeth that's all I can say. It definitely shows “Fair is foul and foul is fair” because Emily acts as if she truly wants to be part of that society and even goes as far as dating the son of the people she is targetting. The only way she can get her revenge is to get close to them and get them when they're not expecting it.

Mean Girls:


Synopsis: Naive newbie Cady Heron has been homeschooled in Africa her whole life and has never known what high school is actually like. When she moves to a new town and enrolls in high school she meets "The Plastics", a group of rich, popular girls comprised of Regina George, Gretchen Wieners, and Karen Smith. She starts to hang out with them while secretly plotting to ruin them with the help of two outcasts she befriended, Janis and Damien. Slowly she becomes more and more like them when she develops a crush on Aaron Samuels, Regina George's ex bf.

Why: I definitely see why Cady turned into a Plastic -- the glamour, the parties, the boys. Janet and Damien in this case are Lady Macbeth-ing Cady by telling her that she could finally destroy The Plastics if she just sabotaged them while hanging out with them. Cady, like Macbeth, instead of just stopping with the sabotage she becomes the new popular girl. Regina George wants her throne back so to get revenge she says that Cady made the burn book. (SOOOO Mean Girls is not a waste of time, it is totally worth the watch and prepared me well for high school.) The theme of Ambition is shown through Cady's attempts at becoming the new Queen Bee and going for Aaron Samuels.

Gossip Girl:


Synopsis: The show follows a group of rich and over-priviledged Upper East Siders whose life and gossip is chronicled by an anonymous blogger by the name of Gossip Girl. There are turbulent romances and plenty of drama to go around. There are no boundaries for these teenagers and the problems that they run into seem ridiculous as well as far fetched. In this world, the kids act like adults and adults act like kids.

Why: It's the scheming that makes me think Lady Macbeth would watch this. Blair Waldorf is the head schemer in this show but everyone at some point comes up with a plan to get what they want. It's so ridiculous that it's addictive. It may tie in with Prophecies a little bit because all of these rich kids have their futures planned out for them so they do whatever they want to, and go overboard with it, in order to fulfill their roles.


How to Get Away with Murder:

Synopsis: HTGAWM follows a group of ambitious law students and their criminal defense professor through a murder case and soon it is apparent that things are more complicated than they seem. As the case that they are working on becomes unraveled, more secrets unfold and more people die in order to keep the secrets untold.

Why: The murder case gets more complicated with each episode just like every scene does in Macbeth. People keep dying. But I think Lady Macbeth would relate to this because it's all about deception and coercion. Without spoiling too much I'll say that there are multiple deaths that were not accidents... To protect the people they love, the characters go to the extremes. It's fun watching each person squirm and attempt to deal with their guilt.

Reign:


Synopsis: Mary Queen of Scots comes to France to marry King Francis and learn the ropes to rule the court. It follows her and her ladies-in-waiting through their journey to navigate a world full of sexual intrigue, dark forces, and fierce foes. There are challenges when it comes to power and keeping it, as Mary learns while she battles those who oppose her.

Why: Reading Macbeth reminded me of this show a lot. The schemes that Mary and Francis come up with involve deception, killing people, keeping secrets, the usual historical drama shebang. The first season had supernatural forces and prophecies regarding King Francis' death as well as a situation with Queen Catherine's illegitimate child that roamed the hidden passageways of the castle. Needless to say, many people died in order to prevent the prophecies from coming true.

BONUS: How to Build a Better Boy basically what Lady Macbeth attempted to do to Macbeth. I don't see her watching Disney movies but this would be a great start.