June 27, 2005
Survival Guide for Asperger's patients
Survival Guide: Asperger's Syndrome
This is a link to a book written by a man named Marc Segar. Segar has Asperger's Syndrome, and wrote this book as a guide to all the "unwritten rules" of society.
Many of these rules would apply to Christopher in various instances throughout the book. For example, the section on body language would probably help Christopher understand a bit more about why he cannot seem to process people's facial reactions. He complains that they move too quickly, but also says that he has a photographic memory. In hindsight he may know what they were expressing, but not at the moment when he could react to the expressions.
Peruse this source and think about Christopher--would reading this source change Christopher's interactions with the rest of the world? How?
Posted by KarissaKilgore at 03:01 PM | Comments (0)
June 25, 2005
The Right Answer
I might finally be able to begin keeping up with this reading and blogging now that I have a moment to breathe... Thank goodness!
Although, I shouldn't be complaining because I somehow always find time to blog. It's just something that I do. Whether it's about things in my life, news, a book I'm reading, or just a bit of rambling, I find time to sit and type for a bit.
I want to address an important point without lecturing. This is an exercise in exercise, really, so I'll begin with a stretch--you can't expect to find the right answer.
It's just not possible.
Now, you're thinking that what I just said is a real stretch--that I'm lying.
"Of course I should expect to find the 'right' answer. It's out there and, golly, I'll find it! With the right books, search engines, literary guides, and footnotes I will find the right answer."
Guess again. This is college. Sometimes there isn't a "right" answer. You're going to have to decide whether or not it's "right" all on your own.
The reason this is an "exercise in exercise" is because you must practice not looking for the "right" answer. A fault of the majority of secondary schools is to instill that there is one answer that will be correct, leaving the rest as incorrect and therefore not of value. This is sad because schools must "teach to the test" for assessments, and students get the bad bargain because their intellectual stimulation plummets. Cutting off thinking at the "right" answer stunts creativity. Narrowmindedness stems from this sickness, leaving young minds shriveled and living from hit to hit on the "right" answer, their drug for sustenance.
This is the basis of literary discussion, which is something I'm sure all of you have had experience with in the past. At the very least, you've got to be open minded in discussing a text. There are innumerable facets to any one piece. If you come into a discussion with a "right" answer in your head, that's fine. Just be prepared to defend it against some other person who also has a "right" answer in mind. They might not be the same "right" answer, and in fact, one of you may be wrong!
There's the best part, though. Not in error, but in defense. Finding evidence in the text to support your points: passages, nuances, implication, and all the best things you can draw out of the words you've been given--this is the fun, the challenge, and the purpose. Even if your answer doesn't turn out to be what you expected, you have learned, through defense, more about looking for answers.
What really matters, though--a consensus? A majority? Whatever the teacher says?
Yes.
Never take for granted the thoughts and opinions of anyone in your classroom. You are all there to learn, and you learn from each other as much as you do any other source. Literature is rather subjective--it can be interpreted differently by different people. I may not see the same things as you do, but we read the same book and still got different results. Why? I am not you. You are not me. Our lives influence how we see things, and therefore we are not objective (unless we must be or choose to be, then this is a different scenario and would perhaps produce the same conclusions; however, this cannot be certain).
You've been given this book and reading assignment to stimulate this sort of discussion. Thinking differently is not a problem. The problem is the intuitive want to find a "right" answer when, in fact, one may not exist.
Posted by KarissaKilgore at 09:44 PM | Comments (0)
June 19, 2005
Stick It Up: noting a good start
I've been able to finally sit down with this book and read. Lately with the craziness of my summer, reading has been the last thing on my mind, other than the reading I do for my summer classes...
First of all, I want to say that I am enjoying the art of the book. When I bought my copy at B&N I thought it was neat that the dog was cut-out on the front cover, and that the inside panel was a starry, colorful page with the traditional snippets of reviews laid out nicely. An attractive book is never a bad, thing, although I typically adhere strictly to the adage about judging by covers.
I was struck by the number of the "first" chapter--2. "Two," I thought. "But this is the first chapter..." *shrug* I turned the pages without any trouble. A book is a book is a book, whether the first chapter is "2" or "157" (which is also a chapter in the book because they are all prime numbers).
Before I got very far in the book, I realized that the numeric value of the chapters was growing much quicker than the number of pages. This is usually reversed. Pagination (thankfully NOT in prime numbers, because then I would be really confused...) is not something I pay much attention to unless I'm making notes. Scribbling a phrase or topic I want to remember with a little "p.#" is a habit I've made with the assistance of a large rainbow cube of Post-its. Sometimes I'll write the chapter and page number, but today as I wrote "ch. 31, p.16" I was confused for a millisecond. I guess that's something I'm not used to, that's all.
Oh, more about those perfectly pasted Post-its... (Sidenote: Wow, do I love Post-its.) It's a habit I formed early in my academic reading endeavors. When I didn't want to tote around my notebook with my lit. book, I'd stick a little stack of maybe ten or twenty sticky notes in the back of my book. The best thing about them is that you can put them on the pages as-is, rip them for little tags, use different colors to systematically dialogue what you need to remember...
Okay, so I get a little obsessive about the Post-it thing :-)
But just having little slips of paper handy makes my reading easier (I prefer the sticky paper because if I clumsily drop my book they won't scatter). When it's for class I make lists or reference possible themes... but anymore all I jot down are blogging topics, things of personal interest, and stuff that I think is purely and uniquely stated and worth remembering.
I got to about page 40 before I had to get back to my take-home math test :-/ (This week is mid-term for the rest of my classes, so I don't know how much I'll get to read this week, either! At least I'll be done with my math class this Thursday.)
But I already tore up three Post-its--one green, two pink--and I have two more pink ones stuck to the inside cover decorated with my sloppy script. Off to a good start...
Posted by KarissaKilgore at 10:09 PM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2005
Welcome to Dust Jacket
Hello, Class of 2009! My name is Karissa Kilgore. I'm a student at Seton Hill University, and I'm helping to facilitate this blog we're calling "Dust Jacket."
Who's the "we" I'm talking about? Well, I'm working with faculty (specifically Dr. Jerz) to help you learn more about the book you've been assigned to read before coming to Seton Hill in the fall for your first semester at the University.
That's the whole purpose of this blog--helping you. We'll discuss relevant topics and themes within the book, and even take a deeper look at some things just by asking questions.
I'm just getting through the book, myself, so be sure to add your thoughts by clicking "Comment" below any entry. This entire blog is dedicated to YOU, so feel free to give feedback and suggestions.
Posted by KarissaKilgore at 10:23 AM | Comments (5)
"Silver Blaze"
"Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?""To the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime."
"The dog did nothing in the nighttime."
"That was the curious incident," remarked Sherlock Holmes.
...
"...a dog was kept in the stables, and yet, though some one had been in and had fetched out a horse, he had not barked enough to arouse the two lads in the loft. Obviously the midnight visitor was some one whom the dog knew well."
The title of this book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, actually references a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle titled "Silver Blaze."
Christopher references this short story because of his interest in Sherlock Holmes and the logic used in his mysteries. Why Christopher--who sees nothing but the logical in his life--would choose Holmes as a "hero"? Why is the reference to the story important?
Posted by KarissaKilgore at 10:07 AM | Comments (1)
June 14, 2005
A Little Latin Goes a Long Way
In beginning of my Googling for more about this book, I came across a bit of information that may help in a holistic approach to themes within the book and perhaps even a rationalization of actions of the protagonist.
Occum's Razor: Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem.
(translation: No more things should be presumed to exist than are absolutely necessary. Literally, however, it means "Entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity.")Occum's Razor is also referred to as the the principle of parsimony. Someone who is parsimonious is frugal, stingy, economical, tight with the moneybags. A scientist following the principle of parsimony practices economy of explanations, i.e., s/he goes with the simplest of explanations to understand a particular observation.
Found by Googling "Haddon + Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime," source @ www.thesis.mekerr.com.
More information on Occum's* Razor
*Alternate spellings include Occam and Ockham.
Posted by KarissaKilgore at 10:15 AM | Comments (1)
June 09, 2005
Reading List
Seton Hill University's class of 2009 is reading John Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. We're planning to talk about it on this blog.
Extended
Posted by Dennis G. Jerz at 04:19 AM | Comments (0)