Upon learning that we were going to be watching "The Importance of Being Earnest" I was kind of happy. Simply because its an AP English class, not often to you get to just watch something and after coming out of just having read Hamlet (a play I do really like) it was a nice break.
Even with that said, I still had my doubts as to how well I would actually like the movie, I figured that it would be okay, but not necessarily anything I would ever again want to watch. Oh how I was wrong.
I'm just going to come out and say it: I freaking loved this movie. I found it whimsical and funny, but not in the laugh out loud comedy way that must funny movies tend to be funny in, but as in the intellectual funny so that it made you think and actually digest what was happening. I liked the fact that the movie was completely serious, yet the dialogue in it is utterly outrageous.
I really liked the movie, I'm glad that we had a chance to watch a play that seemed more modern and was an easier assignment than most anything else that we've done. I do like a lot of the other assignments but something simple and easy at the end of semester was really nice.
Also I really did like the use of literary devices and irony and satire that was present in the movie.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Makeup Blog for Week 13
Mullins posted this article about "GIF" being named the word of the year and suggested we write about what our word of the year might be. That was originally my plan, however upon reading the article I saw that at the end it listed what it called "the shortlisted words according to OUP" and YOLO was one of them. Seeing that then sealed my plan for this blog, I would talk about YOLO and how in no way should that be considered one of the words of the year.
YOLO- defined as "You Only Live Once" has become the call of a lot of teens and young adults, its like a moment but an extremely stupid and haphazardly organized as in truth the only thing it stands for is an excuse for people to do stupid things without justifying having to worry about consequences. This is just breeding a society where it is acceptable to do whatever you want because well you only have one life. That does not rein true and shouldn't be taught to young, stupid children easily influenced by falsehood.
On another note, YOLO even isnt a word, its an acronym. Which yes some acronyms are words like "asap"but thats different and frankly not stupid. I dont think something short lived and ridiculous such as YOLO should be named the word of the year.
For the most part my hatred of the idea of naming YOLO as the word of the year just comes from the fact that in doing so it would almost be like stamping a seal of approval on the people that use that as reasoning for doing stupid and careless things. People are already going to do those things, they dont need any extra help from the Oxford American Dictionaries.
And for my favorite meme against YOLO:
YOLO- defined as "You Only Live Once" has become the call of a lot of teens and young adults, its like a moment but an extremely stupid and haphazardly organized as in truth the only thing it stands for is an excuse for people to do stupid things without justifying having to worry about consequences. This is just breeding a society where it is acceptable to do whatever you want because well you only have one life. That does not rein true and shouldn't be taught to young, stupid children easily influenced by falsehood.
On another note, YOLO even isnt a word, its an acronym. Which yes some acronyms are words like "asap"but thats different and frankly not stupid. I dont think something short lived and ridiculous such as YOLO should be named the word of the year.
For the most part my hatred of the idea of naming YOLO as the word of the year just comes from the fact that in doing so it would almost be like stamping a seal of approval on the people that use that as reasoning for doing stupid and careless things. People are already going to do those things, they dont need any extra help from the Oxford American Dictionaries.
And for my favorite meme against YOLO:
Makeup Blog for Week 12
I have to say that I believe the beauty of a word is very much a thing of personal choice. What attracts one person to a certain word, may not be the same that attracts another person to the same word, or even another person may not be able to stand the word. However, there are words that strike everyone in a way where that person suddenly sees them as beautiful, no longer are they just a word, but they become almost a single spoken masterpiece.
I think the beauty of a word for a person comes from the meaning, the pronunciation, the connotations attached to it, as well as personal experiences with it.
So here is my list of 9 of the most beautiful words in the english language and an explanation as to why:
I think the beauty of a word for a person comes from the meaning, the pronunciation, the connotations attached to it, as well as personal experiences with it.
So here is my list of 9 of the most beautiful words in the english language and an explanation as to why:
- Lovely - defined as "exquisitely beautiful;" I seriously really just love this word and probably slightly over use it due to that. I tend to favor it more so over simpler words such as "beautiful" or "pretty" because I feel like lovely encompasses so much more. I also like how it flows when you say it; it easily falls off the tongue, yet doesnt tend to slither out without notice and beautiful and nice can sometimes do.
- Wicked - defined as "evil or morally wrong" I also really like this word because it encompasses more than simply saying something is evil, it goes beyond that. I also however mostly like it because it has a second meaning, or more so of a connotation come out of it where as something is so good that it is evil or sinful. Like things being described as "wicked good" making them oxymoronic. I like the more positive definition of the word and the fact that it is so contradictory.
- Tattoo -
- Headstrong - defined as "self-willed, obstinate" I think one of the main reasons that I really like this word is just the fact that it tends to describe my personality a lot of the time, the fact that if I want something bad enough I will be unmoving until I get it.
- Wanderlust - defined as "a strong desire to travel" I'm not going to lie, technically this word is not a word in itself that I find beautiful, I really wanted to put the word "fernweh" however that is german and not part of the english language. With that being so, wanderlust was the closest I could come to it. Fernweh alternatively literally translates to "farsickness" which I find an interesting concept. Wanderlust seems to not capture the complete essence that I love from Fernweh, in the fact that it leaves out how fernweh means a longing for a foreign unknown place. I find the idea of that really cool.
- Efflorescence - defined as "flowering, blooming, growing" I think this word is really cool, it seems to almost paint a picture in your head of what is happening. It goes far beyond the words that define it, bring in an almost new meaning within itself. I just really like it.
- Eloquence - defined as "fluent or persuasive speaking or writing" I just like this because in itself it kind of is the definition and I think that is really cool.
- Labyrinth - defined as "A complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one's way" I just really like the definition, the idea of a maze and running around it, millions of paths around you and not knowing for certain which one will lead you out. Labyrinth is very much like life.
- Serendipity - defined as "finding something nice while looking for something else" I like the idea of what this word holds. The fact that you have found something worth while while looking for something else, its like and unexpected surprise and who wouldnt like that?
Makeup blog for Week 11
For my second independent reading book I had picked "After Dark" by Haruki Murakami. I had heard that Murakami was a really awesome writer and had many of his books recommended to me, but never before had I read one. So when I saw this as a choice on the list (and noticed that it was one of the shorter ones and since I was reading this and "Breakfast of Champions" at the same time it seemed to make sense) I decided it was about time that I read a Murakami. And I'm glad I did.
I really loved this book, it was different and festinating and read really quickly. Needless to say I enjoyed it a lot. There were two main reasons that I really liked this book, the first being that it was written in 2nd person point of view. Second person POV is used little in writing just because usually authors don't want to break the third wall with the reader and acknowledge that the reader exists in a separate world from the book. However Murakami wrote in second POV and it actually provided some really cool insight that otherwise would have been lost. By writing in second person POV Murakami invited the reader into the world of the book, he made it more essential that they notice every detail of what was happening and made it feel like they were part of it by observing the action. This was key to the major themes within the book.
The other main reason that I really loved this book was by the way that everything in it was very circular. All the characters tied into one another, they all had their stories intertwine in one way or another. By doing this Murakami achieved his purpose of showing that the world may seem like such a large place, yet it is completely and totally interconnected. In doing this he was also able to show that one tiny event, such as someone you met years ago recognizing you in a restaurant, can change the whole entire course of a night.
The theme of the book was something that I found really cool and almost enlightening, "After Dark" is definitely a book that I would read again and would recommend to others.
I really loved this book, it was different and festinating and read really quickly. Needless to say I enjoyed it a lot. There were two main reasons that I really liked this book, the first being that it was written in 2nd person point of view. Second person POV is used little in writing just because usually authors don't want to break the third wall with the reader and acknowledge that the reader exists in a separate world from the book. However Murakami wrote in second POV and it actually provided some really cool insight that otherwise would have been lost. By writing in second person POV Murakami invited the reader into the world of the book, he made it more essential that they notice every detail of what was happening and made it feel like they were part of it by observing the action. This was key to the major themes within the book.
The other main reason that I really loved this book was by the way that everything in it was very circular. All the characters tied into one another, they all had their stories intertwine in one way or another. By doing this Murakami achieved his purpose of showing that the world may seem like such a large place, yet it is completely and totally interconnected. In doing this he was also able to show that one tiny event, such as someone you met years ago recognizing you in a restaurant, can change the whole entire course of a night.
The theme of the book was something that I found really cool and almost enlightening, "After Dark" is definitely a book that I would read again and would recommend to others.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Makeup Blog for week 10
For this blog post I've decided to do the attempt to tackle the question of fate vs. free will.
Fate (per definition from google) is "The development of events outside a person's control." Meaning that basically it is all the things in life that are happen and are going to happen simply because the higher power of the universe wills them that way.
Free will (again, per definition from google) is "the ability to act at one's own discretion, without the constrains of fate." Again, this means that basically its out ability to act and do as we please.
Now, for the big question. What defines the things we do, fate vs. free will? No one has been able to come up with a simple answer for this, and honestly there probably isnt one. Personally i feel that it is a good mix of both, I think you kinda can't have one without the other. This is because if we left every life choice be decided by faith then nothing would ever be accomplished, we would become paralyzed by our lack of decision. And the same can essentually be said about trying to control everything with our free will, if something is meant to happen in life then one way or another it is going to happen, no matter how hard we try to stop it.
This is essentially the problem that arises in Oedipus Rex as Oedipus is told the prophecy that is going to happen to him so attempts to do everything in his power to keep it from coming true. Even in doing this, even with extending the reach of his free will he still can not escape fate and the prophecy reins true.
I guess it boils down to the fact that personally, I feel like to make life work and to move forward in it, we need a good balance between fate and free will. We have to make out own choices and live with the consequences of them, not just wait for some outside force to decide things for us, but in the end if something is supposed to happen, it will happen regardless of what we do to try and stop it.
Fate (per definition from google) is "The development of events outside a person's control." Meaning that basically it is all the things in life that are happen and are going to happen simply because the higher power of the universe wills them that way.
Free will (again, per definition from google) is "the ability to act at one's own discretion, without the constrains of fate." Again, this means that basically its out ability to act and do as we please.
Now, for the big question. What defines the things we do, fate vs. free will? No one has been able to come up with a simple answer for this, and honestly there probably isnt one. Personally i feel that it is a good mix of both, I think you kinda can't have one without the other. This is because if we left every life choice be decided by faith then nothing would ever be accomplished, we would become paralyzed by our lack of decision. And the same can essentually be said about trying to control everything with our free will, if something is meant to happen in life then one way or another it is going to happen, no matter how hard we try to stop it.
This is essentially the problem that arises in Oedipus Rex as Oedipus is told the prophecy that is going to happen to him so attempts to do everything in his power to keep it from coming true. Even in doing this, even with extending the reach of his free will he still can not escape fate and the prophecy reins true.
I guess it boils down to the fact that personally, I feel like to make life work and to move forward in it, we need a good balance between fate and free will. We have to make out own choices and live with the consequences of them, not just wait for some outside force to decide things for us, but in the end if something is supposed to happen, it will happen regardless of what we do to try and stop it.
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