JaraWhite

Introduction to Weblogs -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

"Maybe it's no surprise, given how empowering it can be to have one's own thoughts transported instantly across the globe. But once there, they become fodder for anyone who is inclined to turn an author's words against him."

I've never been one for blogging. I always thought it was weird having my personal thoughts out there for everybody to see. But after reading the article I can see how appealing it is to have people viewing your blog and giving feedback on your writing. As well as all the good blogs can do if someone was writing about an important issue going on in the world. However their are some bad factors about the whole blogging thing such as people tearing your worka apart, judging, and critizing you which I have to admit is not something I'm looking forward to.

Fitzgerald, ''Bernice Bobs Her Hair'' (online) -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

"At eighteen our convictions are hills from which we look; at forty-five they are caves in which we hide. "

This quote struck me when I read it, and I'm not really sure why maybe because it sounded deeply profound. But the more I read it and looked at it I begin to see it differently or understand it differently. When I think of myself and other young people today I think its harder to stand by our convictions because were so concerned with what other people think and how others are going to view us. I do beleive that as you get older that it begins to matter less what people think of you and more of what you think of yourself.

Lemire, I'm an English Major: Now What? (Intro & Ch 1) -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

"My biggest mistake was believing that everything I needed to know, I would learn in school, and that what I learned in school was everything I needed to know."

I love this quote because I can relate to it so well. Coming here I entered school thinking this is the place thats going to make me someone and teach me all I needed to know about the world and that is just not true. Because most learning goes on outside in the real world interacting and learning from people, and just from plain experience.

Foster (1-3, 5) -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

So vampirism isn't about vampires?

When I read Fosters chapter on vampires I was surprised to find out that my favorite blood sucking creatures had a greater purpose in life other then drinking blood, and living for all eternity. I like reading stories involving vampires particularly ones in which they fall in love, but I found it quite interesting the symbolism behind vampires. The whole bit in which he explains best as "an older figure representing corrupt, outworn values;a young, preferably virginal female; a stripping away of her youth....;a continuance of life in the old man;the death or destruction of the young woman." It just becomes fascinating when put that way.But why is it that we only mourn the loss of youth and innocence?? and why is it not about bringing as much "life" as possible back to someone whose lost all hope?

Reflection Paper -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

While reading the play Trifles everything seemed pretty straight forward to me. A woman was abused, she finally snaps,and kills her husband. Their was no real hidden mystery for me even when the canary was found, it just added more of a motive for what Mrs. Wright did. But what did go over my head was the irony that was in the play. I didn’t become aware of it until I read Chera Pupi’s blog and she pointed out the irony in which Mrs.Hale says “knot it” which was significant of the quilt as well as the knot around Mr. Wright’s neck. And the fact that the woman had banded together and decided they were not going to tell these men what they think happened. I enjoyed the play more after I read Chera’s blog. I noticed the cleverness Susan Glaspell used as she conveyed that women are just as intelligent as men, maybe even more so because they were able see things that the men couldn't.

Foster (19,20) -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

" Literary geography is typically about humans inhabiting spaces, and at the same time the spaces that inhabit humans."

After reading Fosters chapter on Geography I have to say that I am guilty of overlooking geography. I don't pay as much attention as I should to the place where the character is going or the place where they live. I guess I missed the hidden messages behind mountains, and rivers and creeks, and maybe in some of the books I've read I was supposed to but I can see now how that is not true for all of them.

Eliot, ''The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock'' -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

I'm not really sure what T.S. Eliot The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is about. I was thinking it had to do with the passage of time, growing old and death, but the reference to Hamlet and lines 112-120 are losing me. Also what is the " Yellow Smoke" I was thinking it was death laying in wait but I could be totally wrong.

Foster (Ch 12 and Interlude [p. 183]) -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

" We bring an individual history to our reading, a mix of previous readings, to be sure, but also a histoey that includes but is not limited to, educational attainment, gender, race, class, faith, social involvement, and philisophical inclination." (pg. 103)

While in school whenever my teacher would point out something of significance in a novel or play, I'd always think where did he get that from, or he must be making it up, cause I don't see it. It was just never evident to me until I started looking deeper, and started looking at it from his point of view. I see now that symbolism is really our point of view, and how we view the world is sorta how we see it in the books that we read. Its like everyones reading a different story because we've all been through different things, grew up in different places etc.

Foster (6-9, 11, 14) -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

" Violence is one of the most personal and even intimate acts between human beings, but it can also be cultural and societal in its implications."

I have to say I never thought of violence or violent acts in quite that way of being intimate. I'm not really one for violence whether its in a book or a movie, but I can see how an act of violence can say something significant about a culture or even a generation. As well as something about us as people from our reaction to it.

O'Connor, ''A Good Man is Hard to Find'' -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

" You don't look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people!"

this quote just struck me as a bit funny, with the grandmother trying to reason with the killer telling him he comes from good people so he must be good. It just seems so wrong, and the grandmothers whole frame of thinking like what is "common blood" and how does that make you bad or worse then everybody else ?

Hamilton, Essential Literary Terms (1-31) -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

Wow who knew there were so many terms to define a piece of literature. Catergories, sub catergories, sub-sub categories. Why must everything have a label? why can't it just be what it is. Can't the reader discern for themselves what type of play their reading without having to go into drama, tragedy, tragicomedy, can't they figure out what the author is trying to tell them on their own.

Forster, ''The Machine Stops'' -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

" It was naked, humanity seemed naked, and all thses tubes and buttons and machineries neither came into the world with us, nor will they follow us out, nor do they matter supremely while we are here."

This quote struck me when I read it because it made me think of our desire to own "things" in today's world. We are defined now a days by how much we have, and most times we're driven because of the things that we want, whether its a new car or house. But really all these things mean nothing, when we die we can't take them with us. We were born into this world not needing them, so why are material things so important?

Hamilton, Essential Literary Terms (112-149) -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

When I read Dr. Jerz review of my paper he commented that certain sentences were showing rather then telling. I had no real clue as to what that meant. Reading Hamilton's book it makes more sense and I can understand now how maybe I needed a little more detail in what I was trying to say.

Anonymous, ''Everyman'' -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

"My condition is man's soul to kill; If I save one, a thousand I do spill;"

This quote I found interesting I'm not sure why I just did. Here Goods speaks of stealing or killing a man's soul. Which I guess shows how money can corrupt people, or that it tends to do that to some. I also found it interesting that to "save" one or make one man rich I must "spill" thousands of others or many others must be poor. It just makes you think about how many people are poor because Donald Trump is a millionaire or does ones wealth even affect others?

Hamilton, Essential Literary Terms (68-97) -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

I had no clue that so much went into writing a piece of literature. I mean obviously I know it's not easy but their is alot to be considered when writing. How you write the words, what words you actually use, the order in which you put the words. I hadn't realized it was all so precise.

Hamilton, Essential Literary Terms (98-111; 150-166) -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

"..sudden overwhelming insight or revelation evoked by a common place object or scene..."

Trackbacks

London, ''To Build a Fire'' -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

"Its instinct told it a truer tale than was told to the man by the mans judgment"

When I read this quote it made me think of how in very dier situations we as people revert back to our natural instincts. Whether we're lost or someones been hurt, we don't necessarily follow "procedures" and in that aspect we are sort of like animals. Yea we think we know everything and are competent enough to handle it, but in case of an emergency all that common sense seems to go right out the window. Or maybe not out the window but our survival instincts definetly pick up, and we do things we don't normally think we're capable of.

London, ''To Build a Fire'' -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

" That's the river you have to lay your pain in, in the River of Faith, in the River of Life, in the River of Love...."

When I read this quote it made me think of how if any of us are to survive the harsh realities of life in this world then we do need to rely on faith and love and life. It seems that believing in love and having faith or trust is someone makes dealing with the pain a whole lot easier, and it makes life just a tad more bearable.

Portfolio 1 -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

Blogging for me has been a totally new expierence. I had many reservations about it at first, worrying about what people would think of my writing. Wondering if I wanted so many people viewing my work. But now I see that blogging is nothing to be afraid of. I also view it as an informal diary or journal. One in which I can freely my thoughts on the readings.

Coverage - Here is a list of the agenda items that i ahve posted on the reading. Most contain my thoughts on a certain quote from a reading. Or a thought on the reading in general.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/welcome_to_my_world_1.html#more
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/teh_difference_between_now_and.html#more
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/finding_out_about_the_real_wor.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/im_going_to_drink_your_blood.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/isnt_it_ironic.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/geographical_error_1.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/dazed_and_confused.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/where_ive_been.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/oww_that_hurt.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/bad_blood.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/labels.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/living_in_a_material_world.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/show_tell.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/the_poor_make_me_rich.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/i_had_no_idea.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/eureka.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/basic_instincts.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/faith_love_and_pain.html

Depth- This is a listing of the blog entries I've posted that have made me look deeper into the text.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/living_in_a_material_world.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/labels.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/basic_instincts.html

Interaction- This section contains a list of some of the blog entries I have commented on. Excuse the grammar and spelling mistakes.

Bethany Bouchards Entry
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/BethanyBouchard/2007/01/scary_mermaids_of_death.html#comments

Shayla Sorrells Entry
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ShaylaSorrells/2007/01/growing_pains.html#comments

Hallie Geary's Entry
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/HallieGeary/2007/02/even_knowledge_leaves_us.html#comments
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/HallieGeary/2007/02/a_nazi_machine.html

Matt Henderson Entry
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MatthewHenderson/2007/01/anti_christ_figure.html#comments

Discussions- This contains blog entries that I've written that have sparked a discussion.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/basic_instincts.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/living_in_a_material_world.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/the_poor_make_me_rich.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/labels.html

Timeliness- Blog entries that have been entered a good deal before they were do are, although the vast majority of my blog entiries are entered the night before class

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/i_had_no_idea.html
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JaraWhite/2007/02/welcome_to_my_world_1.html#more

Xenoblogging- A list of blogs, in which i was the first to comment.

Shayla Sorrells
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ShaylaSorrells/2007/01/no_common_courtesy.html#comments
Hallie Geary
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/HallieGeary/2007/01/innocence_and_maturity.html#comments
Bethany Bouchard
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/BethanyBouchard/2007/02/a_confused_misfit.html#more
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/BethanyBouchard/2007/01/why_im_in_english_and_not_math.html#comments

Poetry Selections -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

This poem was my favorite out of the bunch because as a kid I loved the swings. Mind you I had a fear of heights but on a swing that didn't matter, all I cared about was touching the sky. I think Stevenson caught the feeling a kid gets when their on the swing, up in the air. The only sad thing about it is swings are for "children" and as an adult you kinda miss being able to touch the sky. Not that I still don't get on swings, because I do, it's the kid in me that will never die lol

Jerz, ''Poems: Short but Effective'' -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

Your absence has gone through me Like thread through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its color.

I like this poem because it is short and sweet. Yet it still manages to convey loneliness and sorrow without going into great detail. We don't have to sit and analyze every single word because the author gets straight to the point. It still has an emotional effect which you wouldn't, at least I wouldn't normally expect from four short lines, but it does. I think it's great and not to mention time saving

Jerz, ''Poetry is for the Ear'' -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

Poetry is meant for the ear; pay attention to the sounds the words make.

Poetry for me has always been something I write when I'm mad or sad, or whatever. And I never intend for other people to read or hear it because I know it sucks ,but also because its just for me. But writing a piece of poetry for people I can see is not going to be an easy task. I never thought of poetry as being for the ears, I don't know why I just haven't. But their is definetly alot of work that goes into it. I'm not sure I even know where to begin. How do you write for the ears?

Lemire (skim Ch 2-7) -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

"

While reporters are fond of styling themselves as an unsentimental, even cynical crowd, they remain in the business to bring an ignored problem to the attention of the public; to put a human face on suffering or victory; or to make sense of a complex issue."

When I first came here it was with the intention of getting a degree in Journalism. I thought that I could write stories or report them on major issue going on in the world. I thought that I would be able to help people on a global scale. Basically do everything the quote says .Well after a while I began to re-think my decision. I didn't know whether or not I could do it. After reading Lemire's I'm still not sure whether I want to continue with it or not, but it did provide me with insight into the field and the buisness .There were many things I was unaware of and many characteristics that I didn't know I needed to posses in order to ba a good journalists.

Lemire (skim Ch 2-7) -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

"Magazines are sexy: they're colorful, they're glossy, and they can seem either more intellectually stimulating and more plain fun than a newspaper."

When I thought about becoming a journalist I thought of writing for a newspaper or becoming a news anchor, but I never considered writing for a magazine. I don't know why ? They basically consist of everything I want. They're global and reach everyone. They can pertain to a certain area of interest .All in all magazine writing seems perfect. Now whether or not I can or will actually do it is a different story.

Lemire (skim Ch 2-7) -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

Reflection Paper: Chapter 5

When I read Jenna Miller’s blog entitled “Hamsters or The New Yorker” it made me think more about the magazine industry. In my own blog I talked about possibly writing for a magazine because it seemed to contain all the positive aspects I was looking for when it came to being a journalist. However, I leaned more towards consumer magazines because they are better known, and just seemed much more glamorous. After reading Jenna’s blog I can see the appeal of a trade magazine because they do pertain to your “passions and interests”, but unlike Jenna who knows she wants to write about animals, I don’t necessarily know what my passion is.
Jenna’s link is: http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JennaMiller/2007/02/hamsters_or_the_new_yorker.html

Lemire (skim Ch 2-7) -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

Reflection Paper: Chapter 3

Graduate school has never entered my mind. I always thought what’s the point of doing four years of college just to have go back and do another four years, possibly even more. After reading Margaret Jones’s blog in which she discussed how she wanted to attend graduate school solely because she knew she would get paid more by doing so. I began to see the definite advantages of graduate school. Not only is it a good decision because of the degree, and the higher education, but also the opportunities awarded you for a better job and even a better salary. Now Margaret at the end of her blog decided graduate school wouldn’t be worth the hassle especially if she has a family to think about. I however see the benefit of graduate school, and how it would not only benefit me, but also any family or personal relationship I might have.
Margaret’s Blog: http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MargaretJones/2007/02/changing_my_mind.html