What's your relationship with your reader(s)? 10/26/11

Like oil and water, we dance around each other. The oil is squirted into the glass. You hit the water with a quick intensity, slicing through the molecules like a knife thru soft butter. Immediately you are immersed in the water; H20 molecules entreat and engulf you initially. As time passes, however, you withdraw from the water, recoiling at any contact until you succeed in separating yourself entirely from the H20 molecules. Yet still you remain side-by-side in the same glass; sitting atop the water, pressing down upon the dense mass of liquid below. It is not until you both are violently shaken or stirred that you again interact with the water in a rhythmic dance once again until you calmly recoil, settling in your place atop the water below.

Andrea Gibson- "Love Poem"

this reminded me a lot of the one poem we read...i think it was called "Litany" by Billy Collins? i just noticed a similar pattern the rhetorical moves of this piece and Collins' (see this post for more info on the rhetorical moves in Collins' poem).

My Zero Draft of Project 2 according to Wordle

My body MIGHT BE LIKE... 10/24/11

My body might be like me; it might straddle the line which defines who I am and who I seem [to be] like or appear to be. Although my body has never been home, in some ways it still is the noun that is me. It also might be the verb that destroys the noun that is me, and it also might be the adjective that will destroy the noun that is me.

My body IS NOT LIKE... 10/24/11

series of comparisons, pick 1 & expand upon it.

My body

• is not like me
• is not like a cool bath on a hot summer day
• is not like walking in from the rain
• is not like the comfort of feather-filled pillows or of sinking into your bed after a long, hard day
• is not like home, but is the only place of residency i have ever known
• is not like the soft fur of a rabbit's back or the stride of a lion or tiger, filled with power and grace

My body is not like home, but is the only place of residency I have ever known. There lies no warm, soft bed within my walls, nor is there a dog bounding to the door upon my return. A sloped, sideways grin does not stretch upon my face upon the thought of my body. No ball of joy warms my stomach to sit night after night in my body, nor do I ever sit comfortably in my own skin. I do not wish it to remain as such, forever to be remembered in this way. My body is not where I retreat to in times of [peril] despair or hardship, nor where I go in search of support. My body is not the noun which is affected bby the verb or adjective- it is rather the verb AND adjective which destroys the noun that is me. It is the source of my woe and despair [suffering] and I am afraid it will never be the noun that truly represents me.

A place you feel 2 ways about- Brainstorm

My Body- home since i was born; functions, but never how it should
               - not the home i've ever wanted
               - matches my twins but i always wish it weren't so

• it is like art
• i yearn to change it & make it different. I want to grab hold of it & make it my own
• it's a place i go back to when the day is over and done, only to sleep, but never to dream. never to curl up with a good book in the chilly afternoon. only a place in which i keep my clothes and shoes, but never a place i keep my dreams.

Rhetorical Moves 10/24/11

rhetorical moves: those signals that announce to a reader (independent thinker) that the writer is changing direction- ways to advance an agrument

Billy Collins, "Litany"
stanza 1: define by metaphors
stanza 2: define by the opposite
stanza 3: define by potentiality
stanza 4: "not"
stanza 5: switch to new topic
stanza 6: more about new topic
stanza 7: still more about new topic & return to original topic

Coney Island of the Mind 10/21/11

This shows Coney Island as a dream of wonders- a childhood playground; like a carnival. That's the Coney Island the man remembers- it's in his mind. The man also doubts that Coney Island's existence cuz of how empty and desolate it is now. Both these images of Coney Island converge in his mind- the dream and the doubtful of existing. This made me feel sad, lost, forgotten childhood dreams.

Home is like... 10/21/11

Home is like coming in from the cold rain. Home is like the sound of a soft, raspy, relaxed voice singing a slow song. Home is being welcomed into my love's arms, feeling them wrapped tight around me. home is looking into his eyes and knowing he is looking into mine thinking the same thing. Home is when we are together. It is in the smile on his face, the twinkle in his eye, and in the way he says "fantastic."

Revised Inkshedding (notecard) 10/20/11

While transparency aims to present the object itself without awareness of the medium used, hypermediacy aims to also take into account the medium through which said object is presented. A documentary, for example, aims to deliver the true story without movie-making showmanship that could partly obscure the message. It aims to be transparent in order to fully tell the story. An action-packed adventure movie, on the other hand, attempts to use modern technology to amaze viewers with spectacles otherwise impossible without computers and camera tricks.

Prezi Presentations 10/17/11

1st Prezi:

• hypertext- more natural way to write?
• hypertext- associates 2 things not previously connected
• we don't think in essays, we think randomly (associatively)
• hypertext is how our minds work vs. conventional writing

2nd Prezi:

• hypertext makes reading more natural
• a link between two different things; connects ideas in a nonlinear fashion
• visually, it creates a cloud, a network (association)
• does it lead to a destination? => of thought, of knowledge
• have we associated knowledge or learning as a physical journey & destination?

Prezi Presentations 10/12/11

1st Prezi (Briana, Leah, etc.):

• computer- processes info vs. machine

2nd Prezi:

• evolution of writing machine- changing technology improves writing
• codex=>printing press (creates society that understands writing; revolutionary, but tedious)=>computer (biggest revolution; interwoven society; almost all have access)=>social networking=>blogs
• how does this evolution impact the standard of living? the economy? poverty level? communication? societal norms? how does this impact comprehension?
• does society become more literate due to this evolution (interaction w/ text or literacy)??
• the way we think changes, but is language changing with it?

Jacques Derrida 10/12/11

Are you ever afraid to write? Do you take writing as seriously as Jacques Derrida?

Yes, I am sometimes afraid to write. I am incredibly averse to conflict, rather angry conflict. When I write, whoever reads what I am writing can't see my facial expressions, or hear the tone in my voice or even see the gestures I make when I talk. I'm afraid in the same way Derrida is- who am I, what authority do I have to challenge, or attack someone else's thoughts, ideas or arguments? I do get scared beacause I  do take writing seriously on a certain level- it's a safe space for me to put my thoughts down. Thoughts don't stay in my head, so I have to write or say them to remember. Therefore, writing is sacred- it's my thoughts, my mind. Writing is like bearing my soul- one can know exactly what goes through my mind if one reads a particular piece of my writing. Because this is true for me, I assume (probably wrongly so) that the idea of writing as a sacred space is true for others & their writing. It's like I'd be attacking the very thoughts inside someone's head; invading the only sacred space (sanctuary) some may have.

Taylor Mali 10/7/11

Differences between spoken & written poem?

The poem itself seems to be a comment on society today in the oral form, yet it seemed to have a deeper meaning in the other form. It seemed to become more of a critique of society; it questioned why society has become this way and how did it get there?
Spoken word allows the privelege of the speaker to heavily infuse his/her own intentions and meaning into the words spoken.
The textual writing space presented the words as a conversation- questions addressed to everyone (the audience) that are intended not to be answered, but to be responded to with action, with change. The textual writing space transforms the spoken word into a call for action (engagement) rather than just a passing comment.

FFW- Is the machine using us? 9/28/11

Wow. I feel like that was an epic evolutionary idea that I just experienced but haven't processed fully. Wesch said the machine is us, so asking if the machine is using us is interesting. I don't know what to think, or how to process that really. Robotics? Intelligent life? or what is it? how to process & understand the word/use of machine...the web? other people taking advantage of us, our blogss, our online lives- our lives in general?? to put it simply, I have this odd paranoia that says yes, the machine is using us...but another part of me doesn't care...

1st group Prezi

A link to my first group's Prezi can be found here.