Final Blog

I can't believe this is our final blog.  I am ready for the semester to be over and for summer to start, however it is sort of weird coming to the realization that this is the last time I will be typing for my blog.  I did not even know that our final blog was going to be this Friday's until one of my group members mentioned it in class on Thursday.  It just makes it, the end, seem even closer.

This has been one of my favorite classes that I have taken here at Shippensburg so far.  I really didn't think I was going to like or even enjoy enrolling in any literature class here.  I imagined myself being forced to read both books and articles that I probably would not understand nor be able to analyze.  I imagined a literature class where I would have to try my hardest to remember the specific little details in a book in order to do well on a quiz.  I am so grateful that this class turned out to be something totally different and way better than I had ever expected.

There were many times where I enjoyed coming to class because I was eager to find out what was going to be discussed in class and how our topic was going to be connected to modern day issues or to related media examples.  I always liked watching the video clip examples (from YouTube).  It made it easier to analyze and discuss both the books and topics that were raised in class.  I always like having examples of any subject matter that I am trying to learn about, especially the visual ones like videos as I recently said.  And overall they are just fun to watch!

I have learned a great deal of information in this class about issues that are affecting me and basically everyone else in ways that I have never thought about prior.  For instance, I really liked the nonfiction book that we read, Culture Jam, because it was quite intriguing reading about the specific ways, or shall I say techniques, that advertisers choose to use in order to "manipulate" us into purchasing and supporting their products.  It is kind of scary because I know that I was certainly unconscious of them.  It makes me uncomfortable to realize how far many advertisers will go just to sell.  Reading Culture Jam was an interesting reality check.  Now I think I'll be more skeptical when it comes to accepting any ad for what it is.  For some reason I always thought of a nonfiction book as being boring... but this book has for sure altered my opinion on that.

I know that I value this class and will hold on to the many discussions that were held in class.  It was nice to consistently be able to relate all of the texts to present issues.  Also, I liked the variety of examples from the media that were used and how all of the books were closely related to one another.  It was a learning experience to have the chance to see the different ways each of the authors have taken to share one common message.  This was a really neat class and I am glad I ended up in it!

blog #9 - No More Books?

A world without books would be absolutely boring.  Banning books would basically be like violating a person's freedom.  It is almost as if you would be telling a person to "stop thinking" if you told them that no more books were allowed to exist.

Although I'm not much of a reader, it still makes me pretty angry to think about the thought of not being able to have the freedom to pick up a book and read it.  Therefore, I would have to say that I would miss books very much if we were no longer allowed to read them.

I haven't started reading Fahrenheit 451 yet so I won't be making any connections to it, but while I was reading the prompt for our blog that's due it kind of reminded me of one of the books we read for class, 1984.  Taking books away from a society is basically like having a form of control over people's minds just as in 1984 with how the Thought Police controlled people's thoughts using fear and deadly consequences.  A world without books would be a world without expression. 

I think there are many ways in which we "burn books" today.  One of the ways we burn books has to do with how so many of them are made into movies just as discussed in class.  I think it is great how books can be translated into movies but I also think movies overshadow the original books.  I remember when I used to not know that most of the movies that came out were based off of books.  I used to think they were just "original" movies.  I think this is definitely proof of the fact of how we really are burning books.  I know that when I see a trailer for a movie I never stop to think about whether it was based off of a book or not, nor do even think about the author who may have come up with the story.  It's like all the hard work and creative ideas of an author are just thrown out the window when the movie of the book comes out.  I can only think of some movies where the author was indeed recognized for their work.

I think another way in which books are burned today is with the way they are not being advertised.  Maybe there are a lot of advertisements out there for books that I just don't know about, but I feel like you don't hear much about all of the new and different books that come out (unless you are a fan of a particular author or are subscribed to a newsletter that contains them).  I feel that if books were advertised more and to a larger audience in multiple ways, more people would read a lot more and have the urge to go buy the book and read it right away just like they may do with a car, clothes, or shoe advertisement.  I know it would definitely make me want to read more often if I saw many interesting advertisements of books on a daily or weekly basis.

blog 8 - The Hunger Games!

I actually really enjoyed reading the book The Hunger Games.  I have never read a book like it before and I probably would have never have read it on my own.  I am really glad we were assigned this book because it always made me want to keep going further into this unique story to find out what unanticipated events were going to occur.  I found it to be a really creative way to try to get a point across to readers.  Also, I liked how the ending was both an unusual and unexpected one that would practically impossible to guess.

The Hunger Games reminded me of one of the other books we read, Feed.  It sad how manipulative the leaders or "controllers" of a society can be and how effective they can be at it.  Like for example, in Feed "the feed" along with all of its advertisements managed to control the minds, thoughts, and in turn actions of most of the characters in the novel.  And in The Hunger Games the Capitol managed to as well take hold of the lives of the people in the remaining twelve districts.  It is hard to understand how the people in these societies eventually lose themselves and their individuality while in the process of adhering to their society's norms/rules.  But at the same time if those in charge have the power to control a basic need of the people, like food for those in need of it in The Hunger Games, how can one not do everything they are told if it means life or death? 

One of my favorite moments in the book was when Cato, Katniss, and Peeta were all on top of the cornucopia giving their all to try and avoid the wolf-like creatures that the Gamemakers created and released into the arena.  I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen.  I think my favorite character in the book would have to be Peeta because of how genuine he was all throughout the book.  He never let the Hunger Games get to him and continued to not be affected by the fact that just about everyone was watching him.



I couldn't think of anything that went along with The Hunger Games at first but then I thought of MTV's The Inferno.  I think this show relates to the book in a lot of ways.  Just like in the book, The Inferno is basically like an assortment of many physical challenges in which the contestants have to fight their way until the end.  There are also an equal amount of girls and guys in the show just in the book.  And as it was discussed in class the producers of the show represent the Gamemakers who just wait for bad things to happen.  I really like this intro of The Inferno II because towards the end of it it shows the intensity of the games with the fire and the lining up of the contestants.

blog #7 - Bethenny Ever After

I never really thought about the actual number of reality shows there are out there now until we talked about them in class on Thursday.  It is crazy just trying to think of them all.  It seems like every couple of months there is a new reality show that comes out and it is becoming difficult to keep up with them all.  There is so much competition out there with reality shows these days that some shows go on for what seems like forever and some just seem to disappear after a season or two. 
I do like watching reality television.  It is kind of funny though because I do end up watching some episodes of a reality show that I may not like, but once I flip through the channels and watch it for a minute or two I become sort of glued to it and end up watching an entire episode.  It is so true that there is just something about reality shows that just intrigue us.
The reality show that I watched was Bethenny Ever After which is on Bravo.  I do not know why but I really like that show.  I find it to be quite entertaining to watch.  Although if I really think about it, why am I or other fans of the reality show so entertained by watching other people just basically live their everyday lives? 
The show is basically about Bethenny Frankel's life after getting married and recently having their baby, Bryn as well as how she juggles everything else in her life such as with her business.
I feel that a lot of the situations on the show are real, but of course we do not get to see everything and shows are always edited and definitely staged to keep things entertaining as we all know.  But for the most part I think most of the situations are real.  I think the main person Bethenny is real as she can be on the show because she is definitely not afraid to say what is on her mind and just basically be herself on tv.  She also lets viewers into a more personal part of her life by airing some of the time of when she visits her therapist.  I think a lot of people, mainly women, find this interesting to watch because it seems to be real and may help a lot of people that may have gone or are going through a similar situation.
It is also pretty funny to watch because as we all know producers of reality television are just waiting for embarrassing and insane events to be included in 'next weeks' episode.
Interestingly, I think this show is just one where most of the viewers/fans of the show just want to see the person do well in life and just be able to see how she deals with her past and present struggles hoping that everything works out.
I know how we talked about how there are some reality shows where the main entertainment of the show may come from watching other people suffer in some way, such as watching fights, but I do not think that this show goes for this at all.  I find this to be interesting because I know a lot of other shows that most of us watch do find ways to stir up catfights and just fights in general to simply entertain us and keep their show going.
I think it is sad though how reality shows can end up destroying people's lives and relationships with all of the drama they can bring.

blog 6 - big brother

I guess if you really think about it "Big Brother" exists in all sorts of ways.  It's like with the more technology we get the more we lose our privacy.  I think a lot of things about technology are awesome but when it comes to the issue of privacy it is almost as if I want no more of it.  I forget when I first heard this talked about in school but one of my teachers was talking about how the bonus card that you use at Giant is a form of surveillance.  After this instance I remember like one or two other teachers mentioning this as well.  I guess it is a form of surveillance because they know what you pick up when you go to the grocery store and from that they know what you eat, drink, or even what magazines you may read.  Before my teacher brought this to our attention I never thought of the bonus card in that way.  In fact, I never took the time to think about the bonus card.  Or even if I did I never had a negative view of it.  But now it is pretty weird to think that the corporation has a record on you and what you may buy everyday.  I don't have a problem with the bonus card but I guess this is just an example of how easy it is to not notice how closely we are being watched or even watched at all.

Knowing that cameras are appearing in more and more public places is pretty creepy because we do not even know where they are located anymore.  I mean when we were younger there might have been a couple of cameras here and there for places such as convenience stores or other stores in general and those cameras were often in plain sight.  Now because of the advanced technology we have today they can be well hidden.  Like it was said in class, who know when and where we are being watched.  Big Brother definitely exists today and in more and more places each and everyday. 

I think we have lost our right to privacy in a lot of ways but I think it is becoming more and more difficult to draw a distinct line between how and when we should be watched and when we should not be for the reason of security.  In 1984 the characters have basically no privacy whatsoever and I hope that we will never have to end up with that consequence.  I think the issue of security is so important but how much more can we do until we end up in a situation similar to the characters in 1984?

Our group talked a lot about how terrible it was that Winston along with the others in the novel felt fearful of doing almost anything.  They couldn't be themselves for fear of being watched by the telescreens or being caught by the Thought Police for a simple thought.  Our group said how everything they did was for the Party, that is all they thought about.  They couldn't trust anyone not even their kids.  I hope we never have to face this in the future!

blog 5 - my feed ads

One of the first advertisements that would probably show up on my feed would have to be one that involves traveling.  A traveling advertisement that could pop up on my feed is one for Expedia.com.  I really like the website because it lets you search for a variety of things like tickets for attractions, flights, vacation locations, and so much more.  Not only do I like it because you can find great deals on it but it is just an overall great way to search for a vacation spot that you might of never thought of traveling to.  It's fun just being able to search for vacation packages and planning ahead for the summer!  And it is also cool when you end up finding a great value for a trip.

Another advertisement that would be on my feed would be one for Target.  Who doesn't like Target haha.  I just went there this past Friday.  I think they have cute stuff like with their clothes and a variety of other things.  I also like looking at what they have for the home like decorations, or comforters and other items like that.  Target always seems to have a modern style with their products which is why I like going there so much.  They also have a great selection of books.

A third advertisement that would appear on the feed would be an ad for interior design.  I love looking at pictures of creative ways to design and decorate the different rooms in a home.  It is cool to mix and match and adjust designs to fit a person's own particular style.  It is also really neat to see pictures of extremely modern or futuristic designs in a building or home.  It is fun changing things around so it helps to get some ideas together.

Another advertisement that would pop up on my feed would be one for showing different movies that are coming out in theaters or on dvd.  I like watching movies because it has a way of letting you escape whatever is on your mind at the moment or it can help you by relating to a situation that you may be going through.  I enjoy most types of movies it just depends on what my friends and I feel like watching at a particular time.  I remember when I was in middle school me and my friends would go to the movies all the time.  It's kind of funny thinking back on it because right beside the theater was always crowded with a bunch of kids in middle school almost every Friday.

now that the challenge is over...

It may be a shame to say it, but I am glad that the challenge is finally over!  Although it was not too hard for me to stay away from things like the television; it was hard for me to keep on remembering to avoid technology altogether.  Like I stated before in my previous blogs for this challenge it was not hard to stay away steer away from technology on the weekdays but it was pretty difficult to do so on the weekends.  Like driving to go home on the weekends without the radio turned on or not being able to catch up with two of my favorite shows that were on demand.  That part of the challenge made things pretty boring at times.

Now that this challenge is over it made me realize how much we rely on technology during our free time.  It is like as soon as we get our work done we immediately turn on the television, or go to the movies with our friends, or sign in to facebook, or use our cell phones to text our friends.  This list could go on and on with the amount and types of technology that we have available to us today.  Technology surrounds us each and everyday even if we do not want to be around it.

This challenge made it more noticeable to me just how much technology can ruin a person's life.  This reminds me of the documentary that we had to watch that was about the online game World of Warcraft and how this game was becoming an addiction for the people in the documentary.  It is scary how dangerous technology can be to our lives.  It can take away from valuable family time, expose people to life threatening situations, and lead to an addiction like in the Second Skins documentary.  If we do not learn to manage our lives with today's technologies then technology may take over our lives in the future.

the challenge

          Spending my time without technology has not been too hard, especially during the school week.  There is always so much work to be done for my classes so it keeps me busy and away from technology already.  Not being able to call people on my cell phone has been pretty tough though.  Sometimes I would go to reach for my cell phone to make a call and then I remembered.  I do have to admit though that I did end up having to use my cell phone to text my friend about when and where to meet to eat.  This was the only reason I used my cell phone for.  Other than for that reason I stayed away from it.  It was just too hard to find out when to meet people when you had to without a cell phone.

Avoiding the television during the week was not hard at all for me.  I had a lot of work to do this week so I didn't get a chance to watch some of my favorite shows.  It did not matter too much to me though.  I guess as the week went on the challenge, not so much got easier, but I kind of got use to not using the technology that I normally would use.  While doing this challenge I realized just how much "noise" we surround ourselves with.  Whenever I walk down the hallway there is almost always someone playing music in their room and it is hard not to hear it.  If I heard someone else's music playing and if it was a song that I knew I had to try to just keep on walking down the hallway without singing the lyrics in my head because that would mean I was listening to music haha.  So everytime I heard music in the dining hall or in the dorms I had to try my best to ignore it and concentrate on something else.

a week without technology

One full week without technology.  At first I thought no way I am not going to do this because I was like, how am I going to do without my cell phone.  It is not that I cannot live without my cell phone because I text my friends all day with it, it is the fact that I use it to know when and where to meet people for lunch, dinner, and even for group projects.  But thankfully I started this challenge on a Friday when I went to go home as soon as my classes were over so that helped.  I ate lunch at the cub that Friday before I left for home.  It was weird because I basically never watch the tvs that are mounted high up in the cub but when I remembered I was beginning the challenge I had to remind myself that I could not watch it for even a minute.  It is weird how at first you do not even want to do something like watch tv or listen to music, but as soon as you are told not to do something for a particular reason it makes you want to watch tv or listen to music that much more.  It was really odd not to be able to turn on the radio while driving home.  That is the first thing that I like to do because I gotta have my music playing, but no I had to remind myself once again not to turn it on.  The ride was not bad at all though because I had someone in the car with me and we talked the whole way like we always do.  So far the challenge was not bad at all.

blog 4

There was this one section from Henry David Thoreau's Walden that intrigued me.  It was under the section heading Thoreau's Ideas on Modern Technology and Communication.  Thoreau wrote, "Men think that it is essential that the Nation have commerce, and export ice, and talk through a telegraph, and ride thirty miles an hour, without a doubt, whether they do or not; but whether we should live like baboons or like men, is a little uncertain" (Thoreau).  This surprised me because I never would have thought that people during the time around the 1840's would ever feel the way Thoreau did.  It is hard to believe that the people during this era had such a negative view towards technology already.  I remember how we all laughed in class at Thoreau's thought that a man 'riding 30 miles an hour' was somehow ridiculous.  It is kind of funny to think how someone going only 30 miles an hour disturbed Thoreau, but at the same time 30 miles an hour about 170 years ago was considered a fast speed in their eyes.

Thoreau's quote makes me think that if people back then were feeling uncomfortable with the technology they had such as with telegraphs, then we today should feel extremely uncomfortable with the amount and different types of technology that we have today.  Wow, it is almost sickening in a way to begin to think of just how much technology has become so intertwined with our lives and how it is very or shall I say extremely difficult to try to escape from it all.  Our generation is tangled with technology.  This idea kind of goes along with the quote that was on our quiz this past Thursday.  The quote that I am talking about was the one that was from Feed and I think it said something like 'the feed is us' or 'we are the feed'.  That is basically how we are today with technology.  I think it is great the way technology has advanced over the past couple of decades because it has helped so many people in so many different ways.  However, I am talking about when technology has the habit of distracting us from what is really important in our lives.

The fact that we have this extra credit opportunity opportunity makes me take a step back to realize that we really are dependent on the technology that we have today and that it really is truly a "challenge" to try to step away from it.  Honestly, I do not think that I would be able to live for one year in a secluded wood.  It would probably horrify me.  I would not have a problem living without a television, or the internet, or a cell phone, or anything of that nature if I had to, but the biggest "challenge" in that challenge would to be secluded from interacting with other people.  I think we are all so use to being around our friends, family, and peers and even everyday strangers we walk past each and every second that it would be way too bizarre not to talk to or see anyone for one whole year!

blog 3

I did not realize that older adults actually referred to us as being the “dumbest generation”.  It is kind of disappointing to hear this because I believe it is such an unfair term to use.  Watching the video interview in class this past Thursday and finding out whom Mark Bauerlein was and what he had to say kind of gave me mixed feelings on his point of view.  It is not a good thing at all that he views our generation as being incompetent.  I think it would be interesting to hear him talk about what he believes should be done differently in order to help us no longer be the “dumbest generation”.  As I said before I think using the word “dumbest” is an unfair way of describing us.  I like the point that was brought up in class of whether or not the generation before us should know what we know now such as with the technology that is available today.  I never thought of it that way but that is a pretty good argument. 

            In the article I choose from d2l it read, “kids these days are just as smart and motivated as ever” (Newsweek).  I was shocked to see this because at first before I had even read the article I thought it was going to be all about how “dumb”, as Bauerlein would call us, we are.  However, it was not, thankfully.  I completely agree with the statement that we’re “motivated as ever”.  Most of the members in my group disagreed with what Bauerlein called our generation. Just because we have grown up with all of this new technology that does not require us to retain as much information, doesn’t mean we’re dumb.  I think every generation has its own focus, and ours happens to be the many new advancements of technology.  It is both crazy and amazing that our generation had and is continuing to have the unique opportunity to witness some of the major inventions and advancements in this field of technology.  Maybe we are not quite using the technology (we have today) wisely but in time we will manage to figure out what it should be used for and what it shouldn’t be used for through trial and error and follow that path.  I think right now we’re just fascinated with these all of these brand new gadgets but in time we will become better at managing and balancing the relationship we have with this new world and era of technology.

blog 2

I found the media that was assigned for viewing, Second Skin, to be both alarming and informative.  I never really watch documentaries all so it was interesting to see how this particular game of World of Warcraft can potentially damage a person's life as well as the lives of their families.  It is hard to understand why and how people become so addicted to this online game but at the same time I guess it is not.  The reason I say this is because the one guy who was in the documentary, the one whose wife gave birth to twins later on, argued how him spending time playing World of Warcraft is the same as someone who chooses to spend his or her time in the garage working on a car, or drinking seven or eight beers at the bar, and so on.  I think he makes a good point by saying that but at the same time I don't think he realizes that the way he is spending his time, by playing this game, is beginning to consume his life and ruin his relationships with his family.  It was sad to see some of the people in the documentary put the online game first and their family members second.

It was shocking to see how easily a person can fall into this addiction of online gaming.  For instance how the nephew of the one guy named Daniel Bustard became addicted to World of Warcraft as soon as Daniel B. stopped playing the game and started getting his life back together.  It was nice to see him come out of his addiction and get a job but disturbing to see hear his nephew say that he was playing the game for about 18 hours a day.

During Second Skin one of the guys explained how he liked playing the game so much because in it he claimed that didn't have to worry about not having the nice car, or the nice house, etc.  I think this relates well to one of the themes discussed in Culture Jam of how people are kind of being sucked into this false idea of what success or happiness really is.  It is sad how companies are advertising their products in a way that makes potential consumers believe that their so-called product is what they need to purchase in order to be happy.  There is this passage in the book where the author Lasn writes, "Cars are identifiers. They complete us, they renew us, they reinvent us. Which explains why so many of us dutifully walk into a car showroom every few years for a rejuvenating boost" (Lasn 81).  It is wild how outrageous and ridiculous some advertisements can be and yet we do not realize sometimes how much they change the way we see ourselves and gauge success based on material things.  Again this ties into why the gamer in the documentary says he feels he needs to escape all these expectations by playing an online game where it does not matter how much one has and how everyone starts out equally.  
This car commercial is an just one example of how irrelavant a car commercial can be to the actual car to try and make consumers feel like they need the specific car.

blog 1

Hello. My name is Angel. Some of my interests/hobbies include photography, music, snowboarding, and traveling. My major is biology and I am currently trying to find out what I want to have a minor in. I signed up for this class because I was interested in seeing what books were going to be chosen for us to read. I think it can be kind of fun sometimes to be required to read certain books that you wouldn't read normally because it really broadens your view on things by opening up a new subject area to you. The last book I read was called The Undomestic Goddess. I am really interested in music and its many different aspects. For example, I like everything from just learning how to play different instruments to simply listening to some of my favorite artists. I also really enjoy watching movies because they have a way of letting you escape everything else for some time. As far as literature goes, I used to read a lot when I was little but as I have gotten older I have not read as many books as I would have liked to. Literature in my opinion is any type of written/printed material with an endless number of topic areas.