Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Reading Blog #2: Brave New World

1 How does Brave New World show the relationship between science/technology and political power?
Throughout the story, it is shown that scientific and technological advances can aid the government's power. The very beginning of the book opens up with the Director giving a tour of the 'London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre'. Even the very name of this organization connects science with the effect it can have on the government. In the hatchery the workers and scientists have developed astonishing ways to mass produce embryos. This is to the advantage of the government because they are able to monitor every development of each embryo and also of every baby/child after he/she has been decanted. Also because everyone grows up in the conditioning center, the government has complete control over what everyone believes, enjoys, and does. With the scientific ability to mass produce babies, the government has the power to condition everyone to their liking.

2. In Brave New World, what is the government's view of a good citizen?
The ideal citizen in the society of Brave New World is one who is always happy and who loves one's class. The government encourages everyone to participate in activities that will make them happier. For example, little children in the conditioning center have "Elementary Sex" which shows that from a very young age, children are taught to pleasure themselves. Also, people are given soma which relieves them of stress and gloominess. The government's stress on happiness is especially prevalent when the Director says, "this colleague of yours-- or should I anticipate and say this ex-college? -- has grossly betrayed the trust imposed in him. By his heretical views on sport and soma, by the scandalous unorthodoxy of his sexlife, by his refusal to obey the teachings of Our Ford and behave out of office hours, 'even as a little infant' he has proved himself and enemy of Society, a subverter, ladies and gentlemen, of all Order and Stability, a conspirator against Civilization itself" (Huxley 156). This shows that the government looks down on people who don't force themselves to be happy.

3. If everyone (with a few exceptions) is happy, why might this society still seem like a dystopia?
Even though most people seem pleased with their life in Brave New World, we (as readers) still view it as a dystopia because the people in the society don't actually know if they're happy or not, they're just told that they are and they force themselves to be happy. This is proved when the Savage says, "well, I'd rather be unhappy than have the sort of false, lying happiness you were having here" (Huxley 184). This shows that the soma and the erotic activities don't actually make people truly happy, they just trick them into thinking they're happy. Also, in this society, the government has complete power because they condition, which is almost like brainwashing, everyone from when they're babies into believing and enjoying what the government wants them to believe or enjoy. This is horrible for us (American readers), because we grow up fearing all-controlling governments. For these reasons, the society in Brave New World seems more of a dystopia.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Reading Blog #1: Brave New World

In Brave New World, the government creates equality and conformity by conditioning everyone at a young age. The people in the society believe that everyone is equal because they know that all people are "physico-chemically equal". The government also creates conformity by separating everyone into a caste and making people dress according to their caste. 
In their society, religion, art, and literature are all eliminated. By eliminating these factors, conflict is also reduced. These three factors all encourage people to question their surroundings, so without these, people don't know to analyze and think about what's going on. Also, to ensure that everyone loves the caste they're decanted into, they hear things when they sleep according to their caste. For example, the Betas hear "Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able to read or write. Besides they wear black, which is such a beastly colour. I'm so glad I'm a Beta" (Huxley 40). After hearing this multiple times per night, the children learn to love who their are and their caste. This in turn reduces conflict.
The government makes everyone happy by telling everyone that they're happy. For example, when Bernard asks Lenina, "don't you wish you were free?" she responds by saying "I am free. Free to have the most wonderful time. Everybody's happy nowadays" and then Bernard says "Yes, 'Everybody's happy nowadays.' We begin giving the children that at five" (Huxley 101). This shows that the government has been telling 5 year old children that everyone is happy and the children believe it. Also, in there society, there's such a thing as "soma" which can be taken to make one feel happy. This cures most of the gloominess in society. 
The society in Brave New World is a utopia. Everyone genuinely believes that they're happy, except for strange exceptions like Bernard, and everyone is perfectly content with their status in life. Although to us the government's way of decanting babies and forcing people to like the caste seems horrible, most people in their society like the government and the way everything works. So, for them, it is a utopia.  

Ethnography

What are benefits of emic and etic perspective?
Being an outsider it's easier to analyze behaviors and why they might be strange. Being an insider, you can analyze but at the same time, justify why people act certain ways.

- People can see why things are logical or not.
- Things that don't make sense can be explained.
- People of the culture will be open to you, they will understand that you're being creepy and you're just trying to learn about their culture.

Rain on a Scarecrow

What is the song about?
I think this song is about loosing property.

Conflicts the song addressed.
The crops aren't enough to pay loans. (Man vs. government)
When life is difficult he feels like dying. (Man vs. self)

Make a claim about Mellencamp's use of symbolism/imagery.
Mellencamp uses a lot of symbols to represent life on a farm (scarecrow, plow, etc.); Mellencamp grew up on a farm.

Make a claim about his word choice.
He uses words like blood, scarecrow, and blackbird to create a bad situation.

He favors farmers because he shows how hard life is for a farmer.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Tone

The tone of quotes 1-3 is mysterious. Some words that add to the tone are (quote 1) "bizarre things, charms, gifts of witch-men" and (quote 2) "they had faces like grotesque masks" and (quote 3) "deathlike indifference". These words all have strange connotations and represent things that are unfamiliar.

The tone of the fourth quote is scared and then it changes to amazed. At first, he says "while I stood horror-struck". You can imagine from these words that he is disgusted and bit frightened of the people he's describing. Then when he talks about the white man he says "he was amazing". He does this to contrast the natives with the white people.

By "othering" another country, the people become unified because they share a similar belief.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

"Batting Clean Up and Striking Out"

SOAPSTone

Subject: The subject of Dave Barry's Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out is the differences between men and women. These differences are illustrated by the examples he uses, for example, he explains how women have a need to keep things clean and men can't see dirt. He also uses differences in interest; men like sports and women don't care about sports.

Occasion: Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out was written in 1988. The essay's time of creation is conveyed when he mentions the World Series. The probable place of the essay's creation is the United States. He gives a lot of characteristics of stereotypical Americans.

The time and place of the essay's creation influence the essay by allowing the author to exaggerate stereotypes.

Audience: Dave Barry's specific audience for Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out is men with a good sense of humor. The author's target audience is exhibited by his emphasis on male interests (such as sports) and makes women's need to clean seem almost absurd.

Purpose: Dave Barry's purpose in Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out is to entertain. He adds in some funny anecdotes and exaggerates things. For example, women's ability to see dirt "at the level of molecules". Women obviously cannot see dirt that small, but we understand his point and it is funny.

Speaker: Dave Barry, an entertainer, thinks it's important to identify differences in people using humor so not to offend anyone. This is illustrated by his use of mockery and exaggeration. He gets his point across without actually hurting anyone.

Tone: Dave Barry shows a humorous and light attitude about the differences of men and women. These attitudes are expressed by his exaggerations, jokes, and anecdotes. The silly jokes and his humorous tone help his purpose because without them, it would be very difficult to make it entertaining for his audience.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Reading Blog # 3: 1984

Big Brother has won. By the end of the book, the Party has brainwashed so many people that very few people will think for themselves. And the people that actually do think are so few in numbers that they are powerless to change anything in society. Although Big Brother has failed to completely eliminate thought crime, they are able to suppress the "criminals" so that they have no impact on the overall society. The Party is even capable of brainwashing some "criminals" into thinking that they love Big Brother. Winston says, "Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious" (Orwell 70). This quote shows the helplessness of the people in having an impact on the government. The only way the Party can be brought down is, as Winston said, for the proles to rebel. The proles are not considered "people" so therefore, they don't abide by the Party's "laws". The proles have the ability to think for themselves and if they could realize their power, they could have an impact on the entire society. I think, in the end, Winston resolves to not think. He would rather become unconscious and simply follow the Party rather than think and stand up for what he knows is the truth. Ultimately, this shows that Big Brother has won. The Party may not have completely brainwashed Winston, but they convinced him that it is more worthwhile to simply remain unconscious. Throughout the novel we have experienced Winston's desperation for people to wake up and realize that everything the Party says is lies. But, in the end, Winston says, "Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother." (Orwell 297). If he were to allow himself, I think Winston would still see that Big Brother and the Party are evil. However, instead he convinces himself that the struggle was against himself and that he actually loves Big Brother. This is what the Party wants, and therefore Big Brother has won.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Love Language

1. I assumed that the guy likes the girl and the girl is shy because she won't talk to him. Since the guy keeps trying to communicate with the girl, I assumed that he wants to get to know her.

2. The two people have different languages. The girl is deaf and the guy isn't. Since the guy can't talk to her, it makes communication really difficult.

3. The external conflict is the girl can't hear when the guy tries to talk to her.

4. The girl likes the boy but she is embarrassed by the fact that she's deaf. She has to decide whether to take a chance and get to know him or to ignore him.

5. The girl solves her internal conflict by telling the boy that she's deaf and he still likes her. The external conflict is resolved by the boy finding another way of communication, passing notes.