This is Lauren

Well. This is me. Yipee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB9GfSmeXnk

http://www.teachertube.com/members/viewVideo.php?video_id=242408&title=Tosh_and_Lauren_Talk_About__Lauren

HTRLLAP: The Garden Party

What does the story signify?
"The Garden Party" focuses on social classes. Laura's class throws lavish parties as members of poorer classes perish outside. Her class sends scraps to members of that poorer class, looking condescendingly on them as if they were dogs. Is it the thought that counts? Laura faces this gap between her life and the lives of others, not quite understanding how to handle it. The story shows one debutante's coming into glory, though she often has second thoughts.

How does it signify?
Laura's discomfort with her social situation is shown mainly through dialogue. She hopes to stop the party to honor the dead man, but her counterparts laugh this idea off as improper. The proper socialites seem to be given bird-like qualities: Jose is called "the butterfly," Laura goes to meet the workers and "away she flew," then she "skimmed" back to the house. Birds do resonate in society as elegant and graceful, flying above all else. Perhaps Laura's mother is the mother bird pushing her chicks out of the nest and into the socialite world around them. That woman and Laura's sisters were a bit flighty. (Haha! Yes!) Laura's slight disconnect from her world is shown multiple times in her appreciation of nature. She comments on the beautiful day and the lovely air. She admires the work man who stops to smell the lavender. On the other hand, her family only worries about material things like the marque while Laura worries about the trees it will cover up.

So, I thought I did pretty well! I picked up on the meaning of the story, and sort of got how the author did it. My response was very similar to the examples.

Foster points out the similarities between Laura and Persephone. Those similarities are very, very close. I was pretty amazed. It added a new understanding to Laura's character and a timeless feel to the story. I personally am not up on my Greek myth knowledge, so I didn't recognize the similarity myself.

HTRLLAP: Chapter 21- Marked for Greatness

(You all know what book I'm going to pick for this)

The Phantom of the Opera. Love. Passion. Operas. Masks. As soon as I read this chapter about physical imperfections, Gaston Leroux's classic novel flooded my mind. Following musicals, movies, and sequels also feature the main character with a physical imperfection, but we need to go to the original. The original Phantom (his name is actually Erik) wears a full black face mask. Erik has deep, deep set yellow eyes that can only be seen in the dark giving him the look of a person with no eyes. His skin is pale, deathly white and slightly translucent. His lips are paper thin as though they are not there at all. Creepiest of all, the cartilage of his nose is absent leaving only two holes in his face. The same situation applies to his ears. He has about three long hairs sprouting from his otherwise bald head. Not quite the sunburn-looking, not that bad, forgettable next to Gerard Butler's beauty deformities of the 2004 movie. Anyway, Erik was born with his deformities, causing his mother to cast him aside and society to reject him. That's what led him to the Paris Opera House and the catacombs underneath.

Not only do his deformities cause his living situation, but, as previously suggested, they alter his relationships. Those who seem his are frightened. Those who are not frightened become his only allies. When his falls in love with the young Christene Daae, she is initially drawn to his lies about being an angel and his voice. Once she realizes what he looks like, she tries to run. Still, she's drawn to his musical power and deep sadness. But the Phantom is frightening, and Christene is naive and scared. Trouble ensues as the Phantom becomes obsessed with the girl who cannot stay away.

Marred from birth, the Phantom was cursed to a lonely existance. His story is troubling and depressing. All I want to do is give him a hug. The sad part is, I don't know if I could.

HTRLLAP: Interlude- One Story

Once again visiting the concept that no stories are wholly original, Foster throws in the word archetype. An archetype appears over and over in literary works. It is a basic "story component" (pg 191) that simply cannot be put to rest. They excite or interest us so much, that even archetypes found in modern books can provide the same desired reaction.

Here's am example: a race against time to save to world/human race/someone in danger. Our hero battles something or someone with a time limit, be it a bomb or a serial killer waiting to strike or a meteor heading towards earth. If he or she doesn't win, people die. The story creates suspense and that squirmy feeling readers get when they know this will end well but can't help doubt.

Surely countless works and stories are popping into your head. One I can remember? Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. In this first installment in the chronicles of Robert Langdon, the college professor/sybologist/adventurer must help the Swiss Guard find a small canister of anti-matter that simply awaits detonation. When the battery pack for the canister runs out, the anti-matter will hit the side of the canister and blow Vatican City and surrounding Rome off of the map. For the next 500 pages, Robert runs around the Vatican reading clues from ancient artwork and literature. The suspense is intense (That rhymed. Unintentional.) and readers are taken on a roller coaster journey. This is just one modern example of an ancient archetype.

HTRLLAP: Chapter 17- ...Except Sex.

*Guess what! More spoilers.*

When I first read the prompt for this assignment, I thought "there is no way that I have ever read or seen anything that even remotely suggests sex without saying it." Eventually, I realized that sexual allusions are everywhere, especially in movies like Moulin Rouge that want to keep a PG-13 rating. Then, I re-watched the mother lode of sexual suggestive-ness: Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Anyone who's seen RHPS knows that it's.... crazy. There's no other words. With a plot that is all over the place, a transvestite alien scientist, and raunchy inappropriate-ness everywhere, viewers must be warned. There are four major "almost sex" scenes. Each involve different characters and add immensely to characterizations and plot.

1. The first scene is between Dr. Frankenfurter and his sex toy creation, Rocky. After singing a lovely song about muscles and sweat, a curtain pulls back revealing a bed chamber as the marriage march plays. Rocky and Dr. Frankenfurter walk into it and as the curtain closes, Frankenfurter jumps on top of Rocky, straddling Rocky's chest with his legs. And we all know what happens next. What this shows is that Frankenfurter is infatuated with his creation, and Rocky has a rampant libido and no idea what's going on, making him easy to manipulate later in the movie.




2. Second, we see an interesting encounter between the heroine Janet Wise and Dr. Frankenfurter. Frankenfurter comes into Janet's dimly lit room and seduces her while disguised as Janet's fiancee Brad. When she realizes that her lover isn't Brad, she freaks out, but Frankenfurter convinces her to play along. Behind a screen, the two start kissing and we hear laughing as the screen goes dark. We see that Frankenfurter has a libido worse than Rocky and that he is very persuasive.But we also realize, that Janet isn't as uptight as she seems. She is gradually falling into the castle's decadence.




3. The third scene is almost verbatim to the second. This time however, Dr. Frankenfurter preys on Brad. Once again, using the same words, Frankenfurter convinces Brad to play along and the screen again goes black. It seems Brad has a weak will as well. Janet sees the two men (if you'd like to call Frankenfurter that) together on the camera screen, and she is driven straight into the arms of...




4. ...Rocky! She finds him crying after being chased by some very big dogs, and she just goes for it because she feels betrayed by Brad. Janet sings a very suggestive song and the two are last seen laying together in a box. Later, they're found holding cloth up to hide their naked bodies. This infuriates Frankenfurter and Brad, though both eventually forgive their partners.

From all this suggested sex, viewers clearly see that there is something erotic and strange going on in the castle. Well, they don't clearly see it, but it's understood. Straight up sex scenes would make RHPS just too much to handle. Suggested sex scenes make it awkward, but fun.

HTRLLAP: Chapter 15- Flights of Fancy

*Caution: Spoilers...? I think.*

In chapter 15, Foster elaborates on the effect of human flight in literature. He does leave out on category of character: characters that not only have wings, but are full-blown birds. Why would an author choose a bird as his main character? Or in the case of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, (What can I say? It's very symbolic and such.) why would the author choose a seagull, the most boring of birds?

I don't know much about seagulls, but from this novel, I learned that seagulls don't do much crazy, impressive flying. They just fly low in order to capture food. So, Jonathan Livingston's special flight isn't just a spurt of uneasy flying. His achievement consists of beautiful, majestic flight: high, fast, and dangerous. He uses it to metaphorically break free of the restrictions usually placed on low-flying seagulls and to literally break free of his binding bird clan when they exile him for being ridiculous.

Even when exiled, Jonathan Livingston continues to experiment with flight and the mental freedom he feels during it. This leads him to a fall from a great height to a rocky death. But then, Jonathan Livingston finds himself in a new dimension of higher existance where he can teleport. Each level of existance allows him to shed earthly boundaries and to experience greater freedom. Pretty trippy, right?

HTRLLAP: Chapter 10- It's More Than Just Rain or Snow

In The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, (I don't know what my deal is with Narnia books right now...) young Lucy Pevensie becomes the first character to discover the magical world of Narnia by crawling through a wardrobe. When she reaches the land, snow covers the terrain. Now, Narnia is huge. The landscape varies: covered in snow, forest, and fields. So why did C. S. Lewis choose to thrust Lucy into the snow?

From reading chapter 10, I realized just how many characteristics of snow also characterize Narnia. By creating a snowy, Narnian vision in the reader's mind, Lewis gives Narnia traits without flat-out saying them.

Go back in time a bit to when you were about, say, seven. One single snowflake hits the ground, and, all of the sudden, you are thrown into a frenzy. Snow is magical for children and adults alike. Narnia also flows with magic. It is, after all, a land hidden behind a wardrobe with talking animals. Snow invokes feelings of fascination and wonder, which Lucy feels as she travels through her new discovery. A landscape coated with snow seems new and quite different from the original landscape. Similarly, Narnia is a new and fresh landscape to Miss Pevensie.

On the other hand, snow can be cold and dangerous. When the White Witch is introduced to the reader, she is coated in white furs and pulled by polar bears. Lewis clearly wanted to associate her with snow as well. The White Witch, is not fresh and quiet, but is instead icy and cruel. As much fun as snow can provide, we often forget how we would die if left alone in it. Snow can be unforgiving, just like the White Witch that tempts Lucy's brother Edmond.

HTRLLAP: Chapter 7- ...Or the Bible

*Caution, here be spoilers*

One simply cannot separate The Chronicles of Narnia from The Bible. Almost every installment in the series shows religious ties, but the novel with the most is the final chapter, The Last Battle, which includes numerous allusions to the book of Revelation and Christian prophecies about the end of the world.

Anyone who's read The Chronicles of Narnia recognizes Aslan's correlation to Jesus. In The Last Battle, an ape named Shift finds a lion skin that was left by a hunter and puts it on, pretending to be Aslan. Sound familiar? Shift directs the people of Narnia to do deeds in his name for his own enjoyment. All in all, Shift is the Anti-Christ, wooing people over with lies.

There is also an evil character named Tash. One reference to a specific Bible verse appears when Aslan returns and forgives a follower of Tash who was not satisfied with his leader and lead a wholesome life. A little bit of "whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me" type thing.

In the end, Aslan calls all the denizens of Narnia, dead and alive together. He then separates them out, sending one group into the shadows never to be seen again. It is believed that they were sent to the Land of Tash, a symbol for Hell. The rest basically die, and Narnia is destroyed. However, the reader then rejoices when a New Narnia is created, and those who were deemed worthy get to spend all of eternity in joy, happiness, and light in the Land of Aslan. Just like Heaven, right?

Almost Bible History 101 for children. Kudos, C.S. Lewis, kudos.

HTRLLAP: Chapter 5- Now Where Have I Seen Her Before?

According to Foster, texts are linked in a system called intertexuality. This cements the relationship between characters, plots, and themes in literature. That being said, the same basic characters and character types appear in multiple works. Forster says, in all bold print, "there's no such thing as a wholly original work of literature."

Two matching characters that I have encountered live in the pages of Anthem by Ayn Rand and Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. The main character of Anthem, later self-named Prometheus, lives in a world where all forms of individualism and knowledge have been eradicated. Prometheus eventually finds a tunnel left from the old world, which leads him to discovering electric light. He presents his findings to the great Council, and they banish him from the town, leaving him to fend for himself in the wilderness. Always the explorer, Prometheus finds a home left behind that is filled with modern marvels and books. He uses these tools to develop a new society that includes the words "I" and "me" and reaches a higher state of enlightenment than that of his previous mates.

Now on to the next one. The main character of Jonathan Livingston Seagull is called Jonathan Livingston and is, wait for it, a seagull. How constricting could the life of a seagull be? Apparently, very. Jonathan Livingston loves to fly. Not normal seagull flying: shallow, short, and only for eating. No, Jonathan Livingston loves to really soar. He practices flying as high as he can and making sharp, fast nose dives. This ridiculous seagull behavior gets his thrown out of his colony. Jonathan Livingston, once exiled, just keeps experimenting. He finds the deep emotional state of serenity in flying, and one event sends him on his way to enlightenment.

See the similarities? Both characters love to search for knowledge in worlds where such things are frowned upon. Both get thrown out of their communites. Both use that to reach higher states of happiness. Both can teach us lessons about reaching our own potentials.

A List of Literature

1. Lord of the Flies (1954) by William Golding intrigues me with its dis-topia theme. The survival of the fittest story of plane wrecked young boys should prove to be haunting. The book is about average high school read size, and the writing style seems easy to understand with descriptive clauses and fragments.



2. J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye (1951) was recommended to me by my grandma. She and I usually have the same taste in books and movies, so I decided to give it a go. I think I will enjoy the "teenage angst" story, even if I don't have much angst myself. This book will be perfect to reward my hard-working reading muscles since it is only about 300 pages and the writing style is that of a seventeen-year-old boy. I can for see the style adding to the characterization of Holden Caulfield, the main character.



3. The Kite Runner (2004) by Khaled Hosseini tells the story of two boys in Afghanistan and how events affect their bonds. From what I've read, this book seems both moving and interesting. It has been recommended to me by many people who have varying tastes. The 400 pages are written in first-person style, which is different from many books that I read.



4. Last year, nearly every boy in my English class read George Orwell's 1984, (1949) and they continue to rave about it's greatness. The style seems to be very similar to Huxley's Brave New World and the themes match some too, though 1984 is longer at about 400 pages. 1984 presents a "utopian" society that turns out not to be very utopian after all. I love reading utopia/distopia novels such as Anthem, Brave New World, and The Giver which I have read previously in school.



5. Catch-22 (1955) by Joseph Heller was another novel read by and lauded by my classmates. It is a satire on the effects of war, a genre I don't usually read. I have heard that the style, though not overly grammatically difficult, is hard to read. Since the book is about 550 pages, it should prove to be a challenge, a challenge I'm willing to take.



6. The Awakening (1899) by Kate Chopin is shorter than most of the books I read at only 120 pages. I saw it on a "Must Read Classics" shelf at Barnes and Noble, and decided to check it out. Telling the story of a Victorian woman trapped by society and her "awakening" to a new world differs from the scary, adventure stories I love. Online reviews make The Awakening appear to be an intellectual delight. The style seems easy to read with short paragraphs and simple words, since the story takes place in New Orleans, Chopin chooses to use French phrases which might require the use of a translator.



7. I was first introduced to this book when we watched the movie in Oral Comm. I know that the book is probably far better, so Fahrenheit 451 (1953) by Ray Bradbury sits on this list. A classic example of my favorite genre, the sci-fi novel chronicals the tale of a fireman in a world where firemen start book-burning fires instead of putting them out. Soon, he discovers the wonders of the literature that has been kept from him for so long. Bradbury's style in the 200-page novel seems discriptive and full of supporting clauses. I believe I will enjoy the haunting tale.



8. Pride and Prejudice (1813) by Jane Austen has been recommended to me multiple times by Tosh. She simply adores this book, and she and I usually share tastes in books and movies. Written in the 1800s and at about 300 pages, I am expecting to be challenged by the novel, but the sample I read seems to have short chapters and paragraphs. The classic story of courting rituals between rich and poor has appealed to people for ages, and I should be no diferent.



9. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson embodies the classic horror story of man-controlling-science-and-then-science-gets-crazy along with the next entry on my list. A review I read said the ending was one of the best in horror literature history, so I'm excited for that. I expect this book will be a challenge as well as the writing style seems classic of the 1800s and it is almost 300 pages.



10. Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley wraps up my list with a monster. Once again a classic horror story, it tells of Dr. Frankenstein's monster and how he loses control. I have heard that this book can be difficult to read, but that the subject is interesting, so it balances out through the almost 250 pages.

How long is it? How old is it? Writing style? Story?
Title. Author. Publication date. Number of pages. Difficulty level. Reflection.

HTRLLAP: Chapter 1 - Every Trip is a Quest...

Zombies. Brain-eating, slow-walking, groaning and grunting zombies. A large portion of zombie movies lack any substance at all: zombies just aren't as scary as other horror movie fiends, and directors use that to make brain-numbingly dumb movies. Ahhh! Zombies, Pot Zombies, and Zombies, Zombies, Zombies: Strippers vs. Zombies show the bar that has been set for this genre of film.

But then, from a golden glowing cloud, comes a different breed: Zombieland! Maybe I'm far-reaching. Maybe I'm just too in love with this movie. But the point is, even Zombieland has just a little to give. That is, it tells the epic story of a quest of two characters in particular. So... Here we go.

1. Our quester(s): Two sisters, Wichita and Little Rock, surviving in the zombie-infested United States. When everyone they knew turned into zombies, they knew that they must stick with each other to get by. However, they shy away from creating bonds with other survivors they meet.
   


2. A place to go: The two sisters are found by our other two heroes, Columbus and Tallahassee, in a super market where they try to trick the boys to get their supplies. When the lovely ladies finally decide to band together with the dashing boys, they tell us that they are headed for an amusement park in Los Angeles, an amusement park that is supposedly a zombie-free haven.



3. A stated reason to go there: Little Rock, the younger sister, is searching for the Garden of Eden in their "Zombieland" USA. She wants to find a place where she can lose her fears. Wichita, however, secretly knows that the zombie-free rumors are bogus. She just wants to please her sister, afraid to tell her otherwise.



4. Challenges and trials: Travelling with Tallahassee and Columbus, the sisters must first and foremost face hoardes of zombies. They learn Columbus's rules to surviving a zombie apocalypse. Wichita, always looking out for her little sister, faces the decision between being loners or joining this zombie-fighting pack permanently. Along the way, the sisters try to run off multiple times, but always seem to go back.



5. The real reason to go: After fighting a hive of zombies attracted to the sudden activity in the amusement park, Wichita and Little Rock realize that without Columbus and Tallahassee, they are alone in this zombie-world. On the road to LA, they faced the constant pull to have other human community. Still, they continued to run from it. The realizations at the amusement park showed them that they loved their companions, and they genuinely shared a love with them. Not to mention a zombie-killing group of four is way better than two. The quest showed them the importance of family, even if that family is a Twinkie-crazy, gun-happy cowboy and a paranoid, clown-fearing nerd.

Toulmin and Teachers

Most Americans are guided by teachers through a significant portion of their lives. These teachers are put in positions to mold and shape who students can become. Still, the teaching profession faces hard times on the status ladder. A teacher shortage plagues our nation. We can partly thank the low respect for the teaching profession as a whole. As a nation, we must find ways to change this view of one of the most important professions in the cultivation of our future.

Vern Williams presents a solution in his Internet response to this dilemma. I agree with him in saying that allowing teachers more control in the curriculum and the practices of the classroom will help to raise the status of teachers. Curriculum for schools is largely determined by groups in the government of teachers who may or may not still be practicing. Students are changing, and teaching methods need to be changing with them. Who better to invent and implement these changes than teachers who are interacting with students every day? Teachers who have seen the times change and have kept up with innovations. Teachers who could have revolutionary ideas about how to teach this new "YouTube generation" of students with attention spans as long as a YouTube video. If teachers were allowed to control what and how they taught more directly, they could teach the material better and be more appreciated for it.

Some may say that if teachers were given such freedom, students would not learn what is needed. I am not saying that standardized curriculum should be thrown out the window. I am saying that teachers who want to implement new ways to teach that curriculum should be lauded and allowed to do so. If they can make the necessary learning more stimulating for students, we can raise a generation of students who will remember fondly their teachers. These students could then be inspired to grow their own ideas on learning. This would be a welcome change from teachers in my school who teach only the state-set material using state-given textbooks with state-written worksheets and nothing else. Sure this may teach students to pass the state standardized tests, but that is about it.

Those teachers are not the ones who are remembered. I will remember my innovative teachers: the one who challenges us, but still makes us feel like he is our friend; the one who let us pick what broad, real-world topics we were interested in and then taught the concepts based on those; the one who created a role-playing game to teach us the ever important, timeless concepts of history. These are the teachers that inspire me.

The Great Gatsby

Using The Great Gatsby as a channel, Fitzgerald presents his views on America and the prosperity she experienced in the 1920s. His hopeless reflection through the narrator Nick on the last page of the book analyzes the American mindset about the past and the future. He suggests that though we try valiantly to move forward and modernize our world, we can never out do the wonder that nature provided originally. The future may seem bright and accessible, but all we can do is let destiny run its coarse.



The Old World descriptions illuminate the reader's imagination with images of youth and joy. When the narrator lost himself in the island, the man-made structures faded away leaving the memory of the old island. Fitzgerald alluded to the landing of Dutch sailors in America, the first foreigners to do so. The beauty of this new land inspired them, filling them with dreams, desire, "wonder." The "fresh, green" land stood untouched by humans for them and "flowered" by only the graces of nature. The diction of the passage makes readers feel they can see the glorious land that could be captured in a breathless "enchanted moment" and hear the personified trees speaking softly.



In contrast, when Nick returns to his modern island, he sees "inessential houses," "dark fields" of struggles, and the ghosts of the glory of the past. He acknowledges how humans strive toward that "orgastic future" but can never quite get there. That imaginary ideal eludes us every time, and we strive ever harder to catch up. In his intentional fragment in the second to last paragraph, Fitzgerald builds up the excitement and hope for the success of the future. Then, it suddenly stops. The fragment brings us back to Earth where we can never achieve as much glory as we desire. Fitzgerald compares humans to boats who can try ceaselessly to row against the current but always find themselves pushed back, maybe even farther back than where they started.



The 1920s were filled with extravagance and wealth, and this is demonstrated in The Great Gatsby. Throughout the book, however, Fitzgerald uses his characters to bring that high-life mentality back down to Earth. He reminds us that success and development do not always mean happiness. He reminds us that excessive spending or partying does not always make us friends. He also reminds us of the beauty of the natural world, a world that we did not touch.

"My Wood" Screencast

Here's my screencast on "My Wood"

Consumerism and Happiness

There are two ways to get enough: one is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.

-G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

Over the last few days, while reading about consumerism, a common idea has continually popped up. Almost every article I have read discusses the happiness levels of Americans now and in decades past. Turns out that people in the 1950s were just as happy, if not happier, as we are now. But how could that be?! They didn't have nearly the "stuff" that we do!

According to Chesterton, they were just as happy as we are because they desired less. Consumerism is a ravenous monster: you can try all you want, but it will never be satisfied. If we continue to buy and buy and buy and buy, a non-ending cycle will develop. Buying "stuff" may make you satisfied for a short amount of time, but later that feeling leaves and you feel the need to buy more.

Maybe, then, we should take Chesterton's advice. Maybe we should try to desire less. Maybe we should appreciate what we have more than what we want.

Heart Warming Advertising

A nice family sitting down for dinner. Cute kids. Yummy food. Milk. Ahhh... Don't you just want to jump right into that advertisement, take a seat, and eat with them? I sure do.

The creators of this ad play on our heartstrings in order to make us want to buy some delicious Stouffers lasagna. They used one of the techniques described in the New York Time article: they are making the home seem more fun. Who needs to go out to eat at an expensive restaurant when you can just pop some lasagna into the oven and enjoy marvelous family time? If "every family dinner is a story waiting to happen," then every family dinner is a chance to make memories and and a great time, even at half the cost.

But the advertisers don't want to let us forget that every family dinner requires something to dine on. They are reminding us that staying in for dinner can be just as fun (especially if you have a fairy child) and that we can always turn to Stouffers for a delicious center to the family dinner.