April 2009 Archives

As I read Chapter 16 in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, it affected me in a rather personal way.  Yes, sex has been an element of the media since practically the beginning of time.  However, today's novels, movies, television shows, newspapers, magazines, and internet sites take it to a whole new level.  No longer are sexual references subliminal messages, but rather they are blatantly obvious - especially to the eyes and ears of impressionable children and teenagers.  The media has enabled sex to take on new dimensions in society.  Premarital sex, contrary to actually waiting until marriage for sexual relations, is the norm.  STD's and abortion are all the more common "side effects" of the sexual epidemic scouring the world.  Sex is everywhere, and as each year passes, children become less and less naive to the inappropriate actions occurring everywhere, both in real life and in the fictional world.  Thus,  pre-teens and teens no longer view sexual relations as unnecessary for their age, but rather a fundamental part of life.  They don't understand that sex is a "big deal" that the consequences can be life-altering.

An obvious and heavily implied notion within the novel A Time Traveler's Wife is that fate cannot be changed.  Regardless of the fact that Henry can travel through time, he is still frustratingly unable to change any of the events which he witnesses.  Everything, both good and bad, that ever happened was supposed to happen exactly as it did, and there's not a single act which he could take to prevent it from occurring. 

Angle: Helpful hints to ensure you get along with your roomate(s)

Part A

Last Minute Delivery

  A simple miscommunication error led to unnecessarily hectic day for the Setonian Newspaper Staff at Seton Hill University. At 10:27 AM on Thursday, April 2, and urgent email had caused mass chaos throughout Seton Hill University.  Students following the instructions to "...stop by in the post office and grab a stack [of newspapers]," were in for a shock when they arrived at the appointed location to pick up the papers for delivery.  

  "I was flabbergasted when I followed the email's exact instructions, and upon arrival, none were there!" exclaimed freshman staff writer Christina Celona.  "I felt helpless, like a part of me was missing. I didn't know if they were stolen, but even if they were, I was too stunned to even remember who to report this incident to."

Similar occurrences happened to two other members of the Setonian Staff, freshman copy editors Melissa Unger and Becca Marrie. However, they took this incident with a slightly different attitude - neither was in the least bit surprised. 

  "I actually fully expect The Setonian to make mistakes due to disorganization," said Unger. "When I didn't find the newspapers at the post office, I just assumed that they had been delivered somewhere else and that I would find out about it eventually. I was not overly worried."  

  A follow-up email, sent 12:29 PM, cleared up all confusion for the staff members. The Setonian editor-in-chief, Tiffany Gilbert deeply apologized for any inconvenience caused by the false information. In the email, Gilbert stated "...I fibbed when I said the paper is at the post office.  It was actually delivered outside of the Setonian office.  Drop by sometime today if you can and help distribute."

  Within a half-hour of the apologetic email, the stack of newspapers had dwindled down after being successfully distributed to their variety of locations including the bookstore, DeChantal, Brownlee, Havey, Lowe, and Maura. 

  Celona and Marrie delivered a package together to the bookstore.

"I'm so glad we finally got this whole mess figured out," said Celona. "i hope I never have to feel that helpless feeling that I did a short time ago."

  Marrie, however, had other concerns on her mind.

  "I hope I don't drop this huge stack of papers," said Marrie.  "Though I guess it would make a good story for my media lab portfolio...'1200 Page Pick-Up.'"   

Part B

For my work on the Setonian Online, i have continued to accumulate more nutrition facts for our class project.  Hopefully, soon I will get to put these to good use. 

            

In his essay, Hanlon compares Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Eloquence" and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.  I must admit, at first glance I had thought that this essay would be about the use of eloquence in Elllison's novel.  It surprised me deeply to find that "Eloquence" was actually an essay written by Emerson.  I was legitimately disturbed that the Hanlon was comparing to works, for, as it seems to me, no other reason than the fact that the authors names are incredibly similar.

However, once I got passed the seemingly shallow reasoning for writing an article such as this, I was able to actually enjoy it.  This article was a much easier read than the last assigned one and I felt like I understood the majority of it.  

"Emerson's model of spoken composition, proceeding from the recognition that every hstener is also a potential speaker ("How many orators sit mute there below!" [1903-04, 7. 63]), also captures the most charged moments of eloquence to appear in Ralph Ellison's Inuisible Man, a novel that measures the self-reliance of its nameless protagonist through his growing acumen as a public speaker."

This quote seems to relate both works by using a common concept of both, nameless speakers.  In the Invisible Man, the narrator makes himself known through his words, not through who he actually is.  

Though this was undeniably still difficult to read, made significantly more sense than the last essay.

TrackBack

In his essay, Hanlon compares Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Eloquence" and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.  I must admit, at first glance I had thought that this essay would be about the use of eloquence in Elllison's novel.  It surprised me deeply to find that "Eloquence" was actually an essay written by Emerson.  I was legitimately disturbed that the Hanlon was comparing to works, for, as it seems to me, no other reason than the fact that the authors names are incredibly similar.

However, once I got passed the seemingly shallow reasoning for writing an article such as this, I was able to actually enjoy it.  This article was a much easier read than the last assigned one and I felt like I understood the majority of it.  

"Emerson's model of spoken composition, proceeding from the recognition that every hstener is also a potential speaker ("How many orators sit mute there below!" [1903-04, 7. 63]), also captures the most charged moments of eloquence to appear in Ralph Ellison's Inuisible Man, a novel that measures the self-reliance of its nameless protagonist through his growing acumen as a public speaker."

This quote seems to relate both works by using a common concept of both, nameless speakers.  In the Invisible Man, the narrator makes himself known through his words, not through who he actually is.  

Though this was undeniably still difficult to read, made significantly more sense than the last essay.

In his essay, Hanlon compares Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Eloquence" and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.  I must admit, at first glance I had thought that this essay would be about the use of eloquence in Elllison's novel.  It surprised me deeply to find that "Eloquence" was actually an essay written by Emerson.  I was legitimately disturbed that the Hanlon was comparing to works, for, as it seems to me, no other reason than the fact that the authors names are incredibly similar.

However, once I got passed the seemingly shallow reasoning for writing an article such as this, I was able to actually enjoy it.  This article was a much easier read than the last assigned one and I felt like I understood the majority of it.  

"Emerson's model of spoken composition, proceeding from the recognition that every hstener is also a potential speaker ("How many orators sit mute there below!" [1903-04, 7. 63]), also captures the most charged moments of eloquence to appear in Ralph Ellison's Inuisible Man, a novel that measures the self-reliance of its nameless protagonist through his growing acumen as a public speaker."

This quote seems to relate both works by using a common concept of both, nameless speakers.  In the Invisible Man, the narrator makes himself known through his words, not through who he actually is.  

Though this was undeniably still difficult to read, made significantly more sense than the last essay.

In his essay, Hanlon compares Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Eloquence" and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.  I must admit, at first glance I had thought that this essay would be about the use of eloquence in Elllison's novel.  It surprised me deeply to find that "Eloquence" was actually an essay written by Emerson.  I was legitimately disturbed that the Hanlon was comparing to works, for, as it seems to me, no other reason than the fact that the authors names are incredibly similar.

However, once I got passed the seemingly shallow reasoning for writing an article such as this, I was able to actually enjoy it.  This article was a much easier read than the last assigned one and I felt like I understood the majority of it.  

"Emerson's model of spoken composition, proceeding from the recognition that every hstener is also a potential speaker ("How many orators sit mute there below!" [1903-04, 7. 63]), also captures the most charged moments of eloquence to appear in Ralph Ellison's Inuisible Man, a novel that measures the self-reliance of its nameless protagonist through his growing acumen as a public speaker."

This quote seems to relate both works by using a common concept of both, nameless speakers.  In the Invisible Man, the narrator makes himself known through his words, not through who he actually is.  

Though this was undeniably still difficult to read, made significantly more sense than the last essay.

 ". . . the cast-iron figure of a very black, red-lipped and wide-mouthed Negro . . . stared up at me from the floor, his face an enormous grin, his single large black hand held palm up before his chest. It was a bank, a piece of early Americana, the kind of bank which, if a coin is placed in the hand and a lever pressed upon the back, will raise its arm and flip the coin into the grinning mouth."