Blogging Around: Rebekah and Anna

In her blog post, Rebekah gave us a 360 degree perspective of rock and roll music. From a bad influence and the cause of druggies and rebels to the greatest thing ever heard, rock music has been a ground for change.

My comment on Rebekah's post:

Rebekah, Being a rock and roll lover myself, I really enjoyed reading your post. I have also experienced others' varying opinions of rock music, but this post raises many interesting questions. Music is a very very powerful form of expression, and I think that it was the driving force behind many of the revolutions of thought and societal values in the 60s and 70s. It became a strong foundation for many people and propelled their causes forward. With so many effects associated with it, maybe rock and roll did change the world.

Anna's iMedia blog post reflected a new Levi's commercial that went against the norm, was artfully done, and very grasping. The commercial had the underlying idea of rebelliousness that also had historical relevance.

My comment on Anna's post:

Anna, First off, I totally agree with everything you said. Upon seeing these commercials, I was completely captivated. I experienced the same exact thoughts: "artistic; historically relevant, yet refreshingly modern; frightening, yet optimistic." Basically, it was the coolest Levi's commercial I had ever seen. Ever. Also, Anna, stop stealing my thoughts. This post addressed every thought in my head and you even brought attention to the ones that were elusively unaddressable (great minds think alike!) I was so happy to see a thought-provoking commercial with meaning and not a superficial figment of the modern world.

iMedia: Apocalypse Please

The song, "Apocalypse Please" by the band, Muse, addresses issues within our society and human responses to these issues.

When confronted by a difficult situation or a dramatic event, it is natural for humans to turn to a leader for guidance. The lyrics,"Declare this an emergency/ come on and spread a sense of urgency/ and pull us through.../ this is the end of the world," demonstrate this dependence on leadership in dire situations.

Another reaction is for humans to turn to a higher, "other" power or spiritual being as is illustrated in the following lyrics, "It's time we saw a miracle/ come on it's time for something biblical/ to pull us through.../ this is the end of the world." There is a commonality throughout history for religions to expand and flourish during times of crisis, which could be due to loss of hope in any other guiding force.

I chose this song because of the recent buzz about the Mayan theory of the apocalypse on December 21, 2012. Recently, movies, such as "2012," TV shows, and books regarding the apocalypse have been spewing from every direction.

Not only does this song address recent concerns of the end of the world, but it also addresses human philosophy and responses to these situations.

"Apocalypse Please" by Muse

Poor Tom and the Ghosts of Christmas

A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a greedy man who is confronted by three Christmas spirits that help him achieve redemption and embody the Christmas spirit.

Edgar's disguise as Poor Tom relates to the Christmas spirits in the novel, A Christmas Carol. During his first appearance, to King Lear, Poor Tom catches Lear's attention because they share the feeling of misery. However, Poor Tom gives Lear a new perspective on his situation and calms some of his rage as he tells Lear that he had no daughters to drive him mad and that his insanity was caused by his own actions. Poor Tom sheds light on Lear's situation as Lear recognizes that others have it worse than him.

Lear echoes Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol as the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Christmas Yet to Come confront Scrooge concerning his way of life. These ghosts present varying perspectives on Scrooge's life and force him to realize his ways and change them for the better.

Hopefully Poor Tom's warnings will reshape Lear's thinking and force him to re-evaluate the immature treatment of his daughters as he refuses to talk to them like Scrooge changed his way of life.

360 degrees: The Pink Cow

The Pink Cow. What an interesting work of art. Andy Warhol strikes again with a display of dual vibrant colors that turn ordinary into extraordinary.

But not all see it the same way.

Some say, "The cow isn't even pink. It's red. And why would anyone make a cow red? Cows definitely aren't red. When was the last time you saw a red cow?

While others reflect, "I think Mr. Warhol's clashing colors present a deeper, underlying thought. The cow is clearly the subject of the piece as it is the darker color against the brighter yellow background. The sharp division in the pink and yellow illustrate the debated issue of animal rights."

Another perspective says, "This is pretty awesome. I like the vibrant colors and the random cow. It's even kinda comic-bookie. Andy Warhol was a cool guy."

A few others:

"I like the colors, but the cow doesn't fit."

"I like the cow, but the colors don't fit."

"What was this guy thinking?"

The last question seems to remain true in all of the perspectives: What was Andy Warhol thinking? We don't really know for sure, but he took a cow and made it "WOW" (I know, I'm so funny). This ignorance is present in all of these views, but it also makes each point of view question more.

Why did Warhol choose a cow as his main attraction? Was he actually trying to prove a point? Was he just trying to be funny? Personally, I think Warhol chose the cow for a number of reasons. Warhol's art revolved around American culture with subjects such as a Campbell's tomato soup can and Marilyn Monroe. The cow represents America's acres of farms and dependence on agriculture. Cows are also simple and, well, random.

What if Andy chose different colors? What if he didn't change the original color of the cow at all? What if he added a few more colors to the spectrum? The colors of a work of art lend great meaning and understanding. In any situation, a different palette would change the outlook entirely. Whether outrageous or conservative, the colors shape the perspective of the beholder.

Metacognition: Kite Runner Essay

While writing the Kite Runner essay, my thought process was something along the lines of, "You have a plan in front of you. Fill in the gaps, expand, flush out, and git 'er done."

But, in more depth, I noticed that I was making many connections from Kite Runner to the outside world. I like the way I can pick out symbols and identify their meanings and even connect them to other parts of the book or other ideas altogether. Not only is this present in my essay writing and reading for school, but I think the Academy has reshaped my mind to spot these connections in everything: TV shows, books, movies, anything. But that's another story for another time.

Sometimes, I am surprised to see that I can use such high-level thinking and form ideas that are hidden deep within the heart of the text. However, there are times when I over-evaluate simple thinking and ignore blatant clues that are right in front of my eyes.

I would like to expand my thinking even more and cover many different areas while reading books and writing essays. For example, I would like to be able to pick out elements of good writing (i.e. Beat by Beat) while noticing literary elements and taking note of themes, questions, characters, and underlying ideas. I have merely scratched the surface in doing this, but I know that the horizons are endless.

Chen and Graicey: Blogging Around

Chen's Connection post was about Amir and Hassan's unequal and, in Chen's words, "brown-nose relationship." Chen reflected on how Amir subjugates Hassan and makes him feel inferior, despite his loyalty to him. This is my comment from Chen's blog:

http://jasonc2012academy.blogspot.com/2009/09/connection-hassan-bridge-over-troubled.html#comments

Graicey's Change of Mind post was about our judgments and the way they limit our actions. This is my comment from Graicey's blog:

http://graiceyvacademy.blogspot.com/2009/09/change-of-mind-mockingbird.html?showComment=1255364992808#c7559040636973973955

(I was having trouble pasting the comments into this post, so I settled with inserting the links to the comments themselves. I hope this isn't too much of an inconvenience.)

Connection: Amir and The Hero's Journey

"The Hero's Journey," according to Joseph Campbell, is a series of common elements in works of writing that the typical stages of a character's adventure. While reading The Kite Runner, I couldn't help but notice a strong connection between the two. Does this mean that Amir is a hero?

A condensed form of steps of the hero's journey are as follows:

1. The Ordinary World
2. Call to Adventure
3. Refusal of Call
4. Meeting the Wise Mentor
5. The First Threshold
6. Tests, Allies, and Enemies
7. Supreme Ordeal
8. Revisiting the Mentor
9. Return with New Knowledge
10. Seizing the Prize
11. Resurrection
12. Return

Now, most readers wouldn't consider The Kite Runner an adventure story, but the hero's journey reveals an alternate view of some of the events that occur in the story. There is one point in the story in which Amir's life takes a dramatic spin: the Call to Adventure.

Amir's call to adventure started with a phone call from Rahim Khan, beckoning him to Afghanistan. Rahim then presented his request for Amir to find Hassan's child, marking the official call to adventure. This was the point that marked the end of the ordinary world and a turn in Amir's life. He originally refused the call, but then realized that it was his only shot at redemption for his actions.

As Amir sets out on his journey in the first threshold, Farid becomes his companion and transporter, linking him to the stages of his journey. Amir makes friends and foes, but then he is tested to his limits in the Ordeal, or confrontation and fight with Assef.

Amir's brawl with Assef could be called the climax, the battle, or the ordeal, but one thing remains true: it is the darkest part of his adventure and separates Amir's old self from the new. A violent and traumatic fight made room for change and new beginnings in Amir's life and allowed Amir to finally achieve some sort of redemption within himself. Assef had doled out the punishment that Amir had longed for for decades. So, this Return With New Knowledge cleared a path for Amir to Seize his Prize, Sohrab.

The Resurrection was a time of peace for Amir; a time away from the stresses of his past journey and a time of reflection on how he had changed. This was an internal struggle for Amir, yet it had finally lead him to his Return home with Sohrab. He had seized his prize and brought him home safely, but failed to subdue Sohrab's pain.

So, as Amir concludes his journey, can he be considered a hero?

Best of Week: The Western Mind

The West has always been, well, different. We're the guys hanging out in the upper lefthand corner of the map, distant from the hip and happenin' Eastern hemisphere and enormous Eurasian land mass, yet we hold an immense amount of power. The US is simultaneously a newborn (less than 300 years!) and an economic superpower. Not to mention we have cowboys. But how does this change our thinking?

As we discussed The Kite Runner, Sean mentioned the presence of a feeling of closure in the story, especially in chapters 14-18 when Rahim Khan contacts Amir and Amir makes amends with his past. We came to the conclusion that Hosseini wrote this way to appeal to the Western mind.

So this is a lie.

Hosseini tied up various loose ends of Amir's past just so we Americans could sigh with relief and release our balled fists and get on with the book knowing that Amir had confronted his torn past. Sure, it makes some of these ideas pretty and wraps them up in a nice, neat parcel, but I feel cheated.

I feel cheated of the real story. The way Amir's life really played out or the way Hosseini really wrote it. I want to know what the book would have been like if Amir had to live the rest of his life in ambiguity, drifting through the depths of the unknown. Would his emotions get the better of him and drive him to insanity? Would he conquer his grim past and carry on with his life? Too bad I'll never know.

Of course, we really don't know the truth about Hosseini's motives, but I found the idea intriguing. How often do authors rewrite or change the message of their pieces to attract specific audiences?

Carry It Forward: The Kite Runner

To be quite honest, I had never really evaluated an author's motives in choosing to write in a specific genre, especially fiction. While non-fiction is strictly based on truth and fantasy is a limitless realm of wonder, fiction was just different. In my mind, it was a genre that gave authors more freedom in writing their stories but set limits by assuring that they were still believable. To put it simply: fiction was believable make-believe.

This opinion was quickly put to rest during our Kite Runner discussion as we contemplated Hosseini's decision to write a fictional memoir. During the discussion, Mr. Allen brought up the very thought-provoking idea about our public versus our private selves. We choose what we want others to see, leaving the rest to the depths of our private, inner selves. It was then that I realized the intensity of the seemingly-dull fictional genre.

Fiction allows the author to submerge their private thoughts into the context of a story without making them public. It allows them to delve into their own experiences and let another character feel the things they felt, act the way they did. It grants authors the freedom express their inner selves in a creative form.

Now I see that Hosseini's choice was artful and meaningful, as each tear shed by Amir was a tear that once grazed his own cheek and each smile was one that had lifted his spirits. I felt the joy, lonliness, and utter despair of each of the characters as Hosseini wove these emotions out of his own heartstrings, forcing his emotions through those of the characters. Fiction can be as boundless as the fantastic genre or as limited as non-fiction writing, but the choice relies on one's private or public self.