Blog 15

It was a long four years, but also some of the fastest four years of my life. I've learned a lot and I've changed a lot. The past four years have helped me figure out who I am and what is really important. I have become so much closer to my family and I've made friendships that will probably last for the rest of my life. In many ways I am nothing like what I expected myself to be by the end of high school. I expected myself to still have straight A's and to be much more involved. However, in all the areas that I may have slacked I think I've made up for in others. For example, I've figured out exactly what I want to do in life, and even though that will probably end up changing, I have a clear goal for now. I also become much more focused on the things I really love, such as dance, by cutting out a lot of things that didn't matter as much. I've learned to love being a nerd and to enjoy learning even if that comes with early mornings and late nights. I've also learned that not everything has to be perfect because nothing ever will be and that it's okay to have fun doing stupid things. Mostly I've learned to embrace every opportunity and to try to enjoy every moment. I don't think I could ever say that these four years were the best or even great but I know I will look back on them and see some of my greatest memories with some of my greatest friends.

Blog 13

The American Dream 

I picture the American Dream as a middle class family with two or three kids living in an average sized home in the suburbs. Both parents have stable office jobs and one drives a mini van. They also have a pet golden retriever and tabby cat. They have family movie and pizza night once a week, and alternate vacations between Disney World and the Bahamas. Essentially, the American Dream is a life of family, stable finances, and fireworks on fourth of July. (they also love to take family photos)

In my opinion wealth is having not only the essentials but a little more. For example, a house with an extra bedroom, a Mercedes rather than a civic, a vacation in Jamaica instead of Wilmington, first class instead of coach, lobster instead of tuna. Wealth is having enough for a little excess here and there, and extreme wealth is having enough for excess in every aspect of your life. 

Americans feel that wealth is norm rather than the exception. We are all living in the pursuit of wealth as if it is easily achievable. This perspective, while optimistic, is also very naive.  Wealth is reserved for only a small percentage of the U.S. population and an even smaller percentage of the world population. Likewise, we view poverty extremely disproportionately. Poverty is viewed as something that doesn't happen here, and when it does, well, that's obviously a unique case with unique circumstances. 

I definitely find myself caught up in the unrealistic mindset that I described above. However, I feel like both poverty and wealth come from a combination of circumstance, opportunity, and luck. While, I think its great to aspire to wealth, I think that you also have to acknowledge that there is a lot more to living a happy and inspired life than having money. 

Blog 12

Original: Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheuren Ungeziefer verwandelt. 

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

• Diction: the word transformed has stronger meaning than the word changed, transform makes me think of something becoming completely different, the word gigantic is also stronger than the word giant but in my opinion has a connotation of being a word mostly used for exaggeration rather than relaying accurate information 
• Syntax: I think this translation has the best flow using the words as and awoke and found but this also makes it less abrupt and shocking of a statement, it sounds more like a metaphor than a literal description of events
• Imagery/Details: the words transform and gigantic have strong visual meaning 
• Structure: there are no commas so the sentence flows without really emphasizing and particular words

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

• Diction: the words woke, giant, and bug are much shorter and more abrupt than in translation #1, changed is also more subjective because a change can be either small or large 
• Syntax: starting with the characters name emphasizes it more 
• Imagery/Details: giant bug is more subjective than gigantic insect, I feel like the lack of specific details opens it up to interpretation 
• Structure: the lack of commas again in this translation creates a lack of emphasis on any particular word 

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

• Diction: troubled has a more negative connotation than uneasy, the word when is also a more definite time than in the last two translations, enormous is stronger than giant (I would picture an enormous beetle much larger than a giant beetle) 
• Syntax: starting with the word when creates emphasis on the time period rather than the character's name 
• Imagery/Details: this translation gives me the strongest imagery because of the word enormous and troubled which are stronger in my opinion than the words used in other translations 
• Structure:still no commas but the structure is very similar to the first translation 

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

• Diction: the words monstrous and vermin are very different from giant bug, they are much stronger, upon awakening and agitated also create a very different mood 
• Syntax: the order of details makes this translation very striking, it sticks the most with the reader in my opinion 
• Imagery/Details: monstrous vermin makes me picture a rat or mouse rather than an insect, however this is the most detailed translation which I think really draws in the reader, it also brings in the imagery of a bed  
• Structure: there are a lot of commas which breaks apart the thought and emphasizes the time period, the character, the location, and the even that has occurred 

How does the word choice, syntax, punctuation, and imagery shift in each affect meaning? Is one more effective than another? Why? What does this exercise bring up about the difficulty of reading translated texts? How do different translations effect the tone of the sentence? 

As I was going through each translation, I noticed that even the smallest changes in wording and structure made me think differently about the scene that the author was describing. It also made me focus on or not focus on certain details. In my opinion, the effectiveness of each translation depends on what the author is trying to achieve. For example, is it trying to be shocking or abrupt etc. If the author wanted to shock the audience I think the fourth translation is the best, but if the author was trying to be abrupt, I think the second translation is the best.

 This definitely makes me question translated texts. I never really realized how much the smallest changes in punctuation could affect meaning. However, I think overall the text has the same message. For example, I understand from all four translations that Gregor Samsa had bad dreams and then woke up as a large bug, even though this is communicated very differently from each translation. I think the tone was most effected by each translation because the imagery and the message stayed relatively similar but my interpretation of the tone changed a lot from each one. I felt very differently based on the words used in each translation. 

Blog 11

Blog 10

Dunsinane Performance 

Blog 9

James Cameron: Before Avatar.....a curious boy

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 James Cameron is arguing two main points throughout his talk 1) the importance of imagination and 2) the importance of taking risks to inspire the audience and give advice. 

His argument relies primarily on pathos, he uses anecdotes from his own life to capture his audience and make them feel connected to him as the speaker. He uses a small amount of humor but his speech isn't overwhelmingly funny, which makes it light and enjoyable but also serious in driving home his two main points. Cameron is a well-known and successful film maker making his advice not only reputable, but also coveted by many. 

Imagination

James Cameron begins his talk by describing himself as a young boy. He discusses his childhood obsession with science fiction novels and how that motivated him in every aspect of his life. The creativity and imagination that those novels spurred in him drove him to be not only a scientist, but also a great film maker and movie director. 

His imagination allowed him to make movies that broke boundaries and used new technology, such as Avatar. 

It also led him to deep sea diving, which influenced his movies and played on his science fiction fantasies from his childhood. 

Risk-Taking 

When Cameron first imagined the movie Avatar, with its layers of CG, he was told it would be impossible and had to shelf the idea. However, after years of waiting and developing new technology he was finally able to create the world he had seen in his head so long before. The movie broke boundaries with the technology used and the way that Cameron was able to create a world that was completely imagined, yet, also completely realistic. 

When he was only 15, Cameron decided he wanted to be a diver (the closest he could get to science fiction-like space travel was exploring the ocean with it's alien-like creatures). However, he lived a good 600 miles from the nearest ocean. But, he didn't let this small inconvenience stop him. He was scuba certified and continues diving today. He even made dives for the filming of the movie Titanic, combining his love of the ocean and film-making. 

I chose this talk because I knew of James Cameron and I've seen the movie Avatar a million times. My brother had told me about how his original idea for the movie had had to be shelved for many years and I was interested in what Cameron would have to say about the movie and his successful career. After watching this talk, I think that Cameron's two main arguments are actually very relevant to me personally. I, like him, have always loved reading, especially as a kid. Also like him, those books influenced my interests in many ways. I had a huge imagination growing up and as a dancer and an artist (sort of), imagination is a very important part of my life. Risk-taking, also plays into those two aspects. 

Blog 8

 In your mind, are there any heroes in Double Indemnity? If so, who?

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I don't think that any of the characters in Double Indemnity could be considered heroes. In the beginning of the film, it appears as if Phyllis Dietrichson is the hero, treated unjustly by her evil husband. However, the entire movie is centered around her committing an act that makes her just as evil. We also find out later in the movie that she is manipulative and scheming, and that her plans went far beyond just escaping from her husband. 

We could also see Walter Neff as a hero. In the beginning, he helps the defenseless Mrs. Dietrichson and risks exposure and punishment. However, even the goodness of this act is masked by the romance that ensues between him and Mrs. Dietrichson, resulting is his gaining as much, if not more than, Mrs. Dietrichson from their committing the murder of her husband. Even in the end, when he pulls the trigger on Phyllis and confesses his evil deeds to his coworker Keyes, he runs away from the punishment he deserves instead of facing his sentence heroically. 

Lastly, there's Keyes. The suspicious coworker, that only serves to burden the main characters.  Though Keyes lacked full understanding of the plots and motivations of the other characters, he had the potential to foil their plans early on. Small issues of timing and the over-looking of minuscule details are the only things that stopped him from figuring everything out sooner. For example, when he visited Mr. Neff at his home and narrowly missed Mrs. Dietrichson, who had also stopped by. If any character in this film had the potential to be a hero it would have been Keyes, even if circumstance did not allow him to reach that title.