Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Informing Myself

The tip that I can apply to my paper is the idea of getting more informed about contemporary art. I only have a limited background on that subject. Since I am writing a critical essay, I should have a substantial amount of knowledge about the type of art I do not like and what precisely I would like to see changed. Otherwise, my statements are unfounded and may not be credible or truthful. Plus, expanding my knowledge base allows me to go into more detail within my essay. It will also give me more confidence in my statements and opinions regarding art and its true definition.

Monday, September 24, 2007

My Essay vs. "The Owl Has Flown"

I attempted to emulate Birkerts’ essay in at least some respects although there are numerous differences between mine and his. I like the way he used oppositions throughout his piece in order to get his point across. It also set up an easy organizational scheme. I would like to carry that organization over into my own essay. I don’t think I have that quite figured out in my own essay yet but I plan to work on that this week.

In many ways, Sven Birkerts’ essay is quite different from mine. First of all, “The Owl Has Flown” flows very smoothly and transitions easily from one topic to the next. My essay, on the other hand, lacks smooth transition. I change topics rather choppily. Furthermore, my essay doesn’t have a lot of varied sentence length. The majority of my sentences are pretty long although they don’t really seem to ramble. Birkerts also uses extensive examples and historical evidence to justify his argument and persuade the reader. My essay doesn’t have much evidence as support; I only use the references to the two articles in Making Sense.

These two essays have two main similarities. Firstly, both use a critical structure. Birkerts pushes for a change in the way we currently read and take in information. I would like to alter art’s current trend when it comes to style and subject matter. We both have a specific goal in mind. The other similarity is the perspective of the essay. Both are personal opinion and are subjective.

BB (195-201)

Past teachers have always stressed the importance of voice in an essay. In the days of the district-wide essay rubric, voice was always the easiest points to score. Today, when I think about this essay on art, I struggle with finding my “voice.” I never really know whether it’s there in my paper or not. Lamott made me realize that voice is truly the key to your story, or in our case, essay. Although, I think that voice is harder to grasp in an essay than in creative writing.

I also don’t want to get stuck in the mode of using another person’s essay as the precise model for mine. The problem is that it’s just so easy to use another person’s structure and organization. It takes the stress out of creating your personal structure. I’ll just have to focus on getting some ideas and tips from the Making Sense essays rather than completely borrowing the set-up.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

BB (151-171, 80-84)

The idea of criticism is rather frightening. I know that I’m usually afraid to let anyone else read my work. I have this immense fear that they’re going to say that I’m the worst writer they’ve ever seen and that I shouldn’t even consider picking up a pen again. I know it’s dumb to think that but I do nonetheless. I can totally relate to that section in the reading. I’ll definitely be scared to get my rough draft back from everyone who reads it. It’ll be completely covered in comments and cross-outs. I’m not looking forward to that moment.

I can also relate to the concept of false starts. I always have this concrete idea of what exactly I’m writing about but then by the end of it I have some completely unexpected result. I don’t think that’s a bad thing but it’s sometimes rather surprising to see how you really had no idea what you were going to end up with.

Monday, September 17, 2007

"The Wall, the Screen, and the Image" by Marita Sturken

I visited the Vietnam War Memorial over a year ago with my AP Government and Politics class. It was an extremely moving experience. Seeing all of the personal momentos and pictures that people left there was so touching. I specifically remember there was a box of Dots (the candy) left by one of the engraved names and there was a note about how it was the soldier's favorite candy before he was killed. For some reason that specific memory sticks out in my mind.

I had heard about the controversy over the designer and the additional statues but I had never realized how many different sides there were to the issue. I guess I just never imagined that Vietnman veterans would heatedly argue over a memorial dedicated to them and their lost friends and comrades. That kind of shocked me.

I also never thought to analyze the precise design of the wall. While I was there I did pick up on the symbolism of the reflection the wall creates, but I hadn't even thought about the way it cuts into the earth and the color of the actual wall. I think it's a bit sad that people were so divided over the creation of this memorial. I would think, or at least hope, that people would unite to create a meaningful remembrance of a finished war, but apparently I was wrong.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

BB (21-32) & Web Articles

“Shitty First Drafts”

I can completely relate to the problem of shitty first drafts. I had always feared that I was the only one who suffered from this issue. It’s so nice to know that everyone, even professionals, create almost worthless first drafts. I just hope that I can get to those third drafts where everything is perfected and neat.

“Perfectionism”

Before I even began this chapter, I knew that I could definitely learn something from it. I definitely consider myself a perfectionist to the fullest extent. This semester I’m going to work on reducing the constant voice that perfectionism puts inside my head. It will be tough but I’ll do my best to put these thoughts behind me.

“How to Say Nothing in 500 Words”

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of simply restating the general arguments that everyone will have in their essay; I know I have many times. It seems that writing about something unusual will be a bit more difficult but I think that the actual writing will be easier. If you’re writing about something from a different perspective, then it will become more interesting to you and therefore easier and more enjoyable to write about. I will attempt to take a less obvious side from now on.

“Freewriting”

Freewriting is one of the best ways to get your ideas out. You focus only on the task at hand and just keep going till it no longer comes. I’ve already used the practice of freewriting when I was creating my own personal definition of art. I just kept writing all of my thoughts about art until I couldn’t think of anymore. This practice is my favorite way to “get the ball rolling” as they say.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

"The Owl Has Flown" by Sven Birkerts

I think it's pretty true when Birkerts says that "The old growth forests of philosophy have been logged and the owl of Minerva has fled." I'm pretty sure that true wisdom is rather rare these days. People always get so caught up in life that they don't allow themselves to see the "complete picture." The majority don't want to take the time to see beyond the obvious facts and make connections between them. They simply want to finish what they're currently reading and quickly move onto the next thing on their list. I admit that I've fallen into this mode as well, especially when I'm trying to decide on something new to read. There's just so much to choose from, even within a single topic, that it's completely overwhelming and I have no clue where to start. Then once I finish one book I want to start another so that I can cover as much ground as possible.

When it comes to serious reading, I'm definitely one of those people who will "crack the covers and slip into an alternate world." That's why I love reading so much. It's my escape from reality; I get to immerse myself and my thoughts in some totally different world, even if only for a short time. I don't think I'll ever abandon my skill of reading seriously.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

"Imagination & Reality" by Jeanette Winterson

Although Winterson made some valid points in her essay there are a few statements that I disagree with. For instance, her belief that"the education system is not designed to turn out thoughtful individualists, it is there to get us to work," is nonsense to me. Although that statement may be true for some students I think that the majority of students, especially those in college, use their education to become unique individuals with their own thoughts and opinions. I personally think that she went a little too much on the offensive against American society and culture. I understand that our society isn't perfect and that all of us are materialistic, at least to some extent, but it's not as if our entire population are a bunch of machines that only view things from a completely materialistic point of view. I just think she was a bit harsh in her criticism. She also seems to think most people who claim to like art are frauds and cannot truly appreciate art: "To recognise the worth of a thing is more than recognising its worth to you." I think most people do truly try to appreciate art in every way that they can. They're not just parading around claiming to like art so that they seem tasteful or classy. Although I don't agree with all of her points, she does still make some compelling observations.

Monday, September 10, 2007

"In Plato's Cave" by Susan Sontag

The semi-history of photography: I never thought I'd find it all that interesting but reading about all the different aspects that Sontag presents was more exciting than I thought it'd be. I had never truly realized how many different views there could be for only one photograph. Now that I think about it, it does make sense. You take your own idea out of a photo; everyone can have their own individual interpretation, just like our descriptions of the painting in the coffee shop. Since I love history I do know that photos have played a very important role in America but I never knew how many other purposes photographs can serve. The possibilities are basically unlimited. I like Sontag's statement that taking a photo makes an event or object immortal in some ways. It's an interesting concept that I'd never really considered. By taking a picture you're capturing the world at that precise moment and it will always live on in the moment once the picture is developed. On a different note, I have to admit that I'm definitely one of those people that always takes a camera on a vacation, but I never realized how obsessed we Americans are with our photos. I must say that this piece pretty much opened my eyes to the wide world of photography.

Sunday, September 9, 2007

BB (33-43)

"School Lunches"

I never really thought about it, but back in the public school days, the contents of your sandwich really did say something about you and your parents. Everyone around you would make unspoken judgments based solely on what your sandwich was made of. Anything other than plain old Wonderbread registered on the "weird factor," at least when it came to the outer shell of your sandwich. Luckily those types of judgments are no longer made; at least I believe they're no longer being made. I honestly hope that adults have risen above that level.

"Polaroids"

You never know where your writing may take you. That's the lesson of this chapter and I love it. Your thoughts and ideas will take shape as you go along. Don't stress over your final destination. You should just go with flow and see what happens. It's as simple as that; man, do I love simplicity!

Thursday, September 6, 2007

The Coffee Shop Painting

At first glance, one’s eyes are not quite sure what to focus on first. Should they find the birch trees in the background? Or the bush with berries on the right? Or the spot of sunlight coming down right through the tops of the trees? After taking the entire painting in, the intense variety of greens will register. They range from a dark olive hue to a light, almost-white shade. When looking more closely at the painting one will see the small, but noticeable flowers on the tips of some of the blades of grass and the red berries attached to the leaves on the bush. After examining the ferns, grasses, and other assorted plants, the viewer may see the painting as if it were a photograph; possibly one that a hiker may have taken while on a trek through the forest. The hiker may have stopped to rest for a minute and suddenly realized the natural beauty of the calm, undisturbed forest with the morning sun showing itself through the trees. The painting fully captures that splendor.

Reading Reflection (BB 3-20)

First let me say that I was originally expecting Bird by Bird to be a pretty dull book. Boy was I wrong! Any book that has “Shitty First Drafts” as a chapter title cannot possibly be qualified as dull! I love her style because it seems as if she’s simply speaking with you face to face. It’s undeniably a nice change from the books for my other classes. Anyways, onto the rest of the assignment.

For me the concept of the one-inch picture frame is absolutely brilliant! Who wouldn’t want to make the task of writing less daunting? The answer: no one! Taking things step by step rather than obsessing over the overwhelming “big picture” is truly the way to go. It’ll save time, frustration, and tons of stress. Sign me up! I definitely plan on using Lamott’s philosophy as I work through all of my assignments and papers in every single one of my classes. If only I could have discovered this earlier and saved some hectic times in high school.

I also really like the fact that Lamott is completely honest with you when it comes to writing. She tells you straight out that it’s difficult and it’s going to feel excruciatingly painful at times. Realizing this will only make it easier to deal with the hell that one will often runs into as a writer. Once again, I believe this idea can be applied to daily life. Nothing comes easy, and the sooner that we all realize that, the sooner we can move on and actually begin enjoying life. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this book so I can not only improve my writing skills but improve my overall life as well. Thank you English 170 also known as the Writing Seminar!