confused.

Case travels through Japan in William Gibson’s Neuromancer. Before we met Case, he had been in Amsterdam and Memphis. He is mainly in and around Tokyo. Case spends a lot of time in Ninsei, the heart of Night City. He stays in the district of Chiba. He travels from Shiga through Ninsei into Baiitsu. Gibson uses very specific examples and references to describe the places that Case goes. He points out specific objects in a place, or a certain type of decoration.

I am having a hard time understanding this book; I cannot distinguish when he is talking about a real place or cyberspace...

owlcreekbridge

The intro of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” begins with the description of a man. The reader is given small bits of information as the paragraph goes on, yet is left to ponder what exactly the situation is. The reader is drawn in because they are trying to figure piece together the information given to them, so they continue to read. The way Ambrose Bierce writes the story gives the reader the ability to paint an image in their mind of the man awaiting his death.

At the end of the fourth paragraph of the story, the point of view changes from 3rd person objective to 3rd person limited and we begin to hear the story of the hanging man. We read his thoughts and see what he sees through the narrator’s words. This change of point of view continues to draw the reader into the story. The change in point of views gives the reader a fresh perspective of what is going on and keeps them interested in the story. As the narrator talks of the man’s thoughts and feelings, it gives a more intense description of what is happening.

At part two of Bierce’s short story, he transitions from the present to the past. At this point we only know that a man is being hung and some of the feelings and thoughts he is experiencing. By going back in time, Bierce explains who the man is and why he is being hung. I feel that this would have made more sense had it been before part one, but it would not have drawn me into the story as part one did.

poems in music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf7FXc3rsTg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1NZg2GJI5Y

Today's generation is so involved in technology and "here and now;" poetry is put on the back burner. Earlier generations memorized and could quote poems, along with famous readings or books; the children of today quote song lyrics and lines from movies. A good number of American citizens don't know the Pledge of Allegiance, not to mention the National Anthem. I think that it's great that poetry is being put in current music, yet I feel as though a good portion of our generation will not recognize or appreciate the poetry.

machines of loving grace?

In his poem, “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace,” Richard Brautigan’s tone is very cynical. He makes it sound as though he wants animals and computers to coexist in the same environment. The author wants humans to live harmoniously with all mammals. Yet his sarcastic tone suggests otherwise. In the first stanza, the author mentions “mammals and computers live together in mutually programming harmony like pure water touching clear sky.” But the sky doesn’t technically touch water, since the earth is round. When reading the poem, one might believe that Brautigan thinks that everything he wrote is completely ridiculous. The way the author wrote the poem leads people to believe that he thinks nature and technology will never become one.

The title, “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace,” suggests that the author of the poem believes that everything should exist peacefully under the watch of extremely advanced technology. Brautigan suggests that living things and technology should be able to live together peacefully on more than once occasion, for example, “mammals and computers” or “pines and electronics.” He also says we should be “joined back to nature.” Brautigan compares flowers to computers and thinks everything should blend in together.

At first I thought that the author was most definitely pro-technology, but as I reread the poem a few more times I thought otherwise. As each stanza goes on, each idea of Brautigan becomes more extreme. He begins each stanza with “I like to think...” and then a phrase in parentheses. The first one seems to be wishful, as though it should happen in the future. The second stanza’s “thought” is more demanding than the first. The third stanza “it has to be!” makes me feel as though the author is being sarcastic.

casabianca

imagery:

-rolling flames

-thunder

-banners in the sky

-lone post of death

-young faithful heart

In Casabianca, Felicia Dorothea Hermans uses many different images to narrate a child’s last loyalty to his father. The boy, Casabianca, refuses to jump ship and abandon his father in the middle of a battle. The ship that Casabianca and his father remain on is burning to splinters, yet the boy remains faithful to his father. Felicia Hermans uses the imagery of fire throughout the entire poem, mentioning it in 7 of the 10 stanzas. It seems as if there is yet another battle going on between Casabianca and the fiery flames of the ship. In the first stanza, the boy is surrounded by flames, yet he does not seem to be fearful of the fire. The boy stands “bright and beautiful” on the deck of the once majestic ship. Casabianca asks his father “if yet [his] task is done,” wanting permission to withdraw from the battle. The boy does not realize his father is unconcious and cannot hear his request. As the poem goes on, the boy remains on the burning boat, awaiting anxiously awaiting his father’s reply. The flames grew rapidly as did Casabianca’s pleading cries to his father. In the fifth stanza, Hermans uses the phrase “And fast the flames rolled on.” In the seventh stanza, “the wreathing fires made way” is used to describe the fast growing flames. The flames “wrapt the ship in splendor wild” and flew like “banners in the sky” over father and son. Hermans uses a sudden bolt of thunder as representation of the fire’s victory over Casabianca. The bright, vivid fires of the ship slowly overtook the boy as he desperately called to his father. Hermans’s images of fire evolve from seemingly harmless flames to omnipotent, consuming wild blazes. The only thing strong enough to destroy Casabianca’s loyalty to his father with the blazing fire.

dark and early.

The sun hadn’t come up yet, and I was standing over the edge of the pool. As I dove off the edge, the icy water numbed my body and I remembered I needed to write a blog. Hence why the name of this blog is “5:30 in the Morning.” Honestly, if I had a choice, I would never wake up at such an ungodly hour. Yet the sport I chose to participate in requires attendance at morning workouts. I also have afternoon workouts, weight lifting sessions, and competitions. Swimming affects just about every aspect of my life: such as sleeping, eating, classes, socializing, etc. I cannot remember a time when I did not know how to swim. I began to compete for a summer league team when I was 3 years old and joined a club swim team when I was 7. On the downside, I have less free time because of swimming. I can’t see myself ever stopping swimming though. Swimming has given me so many opportunities to learn, travel, and make friends. Even though I have to wake up for practice before the sun rises and miss out on social events, I could never quit. Swimming is my life.