The End: Final Blog

When we started this class I automatically assumed that it would be just another boring Literature class that I would have to suffer through. Thankfully, I couldn't have been more wrong. I feel as though I've taken a lot more than just knowledge about the books we read in class away from this course. The fact that the majority of us had differing opinions, the fact that my generation really doesn't know a lot of what we're supposed to, the narrow mindedness of some individuals that we looked at in connection to the books we were reading, etc.
Reading Culture Jam and Dumbest Generation really opened my eyes and angered me. I won't lie, I felt a little frustrated when we would discuss my 'generation' in class, but I think it was because I was realizing just how much my generation has turned a blind eye to knowledge. I don't want to be known for nothing, and I especially don't want to be known for my stupidity.
Overall though I really enjoyed the books and supplements we were assigned to read. They all, in their own ways, helped show me that there are more things that I need to learn about and more things that I want to prevent from happening. I'll even go as far to say that Hunger Games might be on my favorite books list. The blogging assignments were annoying at first, but now that we're at the end of the course I really feel that they helped me further think about the topics we were discussing in class and really form my own opinions on everything, which is great! It was definitely a change for me and I came to love it.
To wrap things up, I really am happy we discussed the idea of censorship and used the video of the Westboro Baptist Church. That media really solidified my feelings and opinions of anger and frustration. It helped open my eyes to the ups and downs of censorship, which I found pretty interesting.
I am happy to say that I am walking away from this class with more knowledge than I expected. From our discussions and debates I'll be able to better prove my points and connect more books and their themes to bigger issues. If we're all to walk away with anything from this course I hope its the desire to make a change.

Burning Books

Okay, I will be the first to admit that reading has taken a back seat on my priority list lately. But I will say that reading is one of my favorite things to do when I have the extra time. Personally I would be pretty sad and upset if books were taken away or banned. I kind of feel like its one of those situations where you don't really appreciate what you have when it's available to you all the time, but if someone were to tell me that I wasn't allowed to read I would have an even bigger desire to do so.

I feel that if books were to be a thing of the past our future would be no where near as smart as past generations. Doctors and Psychologists use books to help diagnose sick individuals. Students use text books to help understand topics that are discussed in class and to broaden their knowledge. Some people just use books as a form of escape. A world without books, I feel, would be extremely different then the world we're used to.

Sadly, I feel like we are already beginning to "burn" books now. Our generation especially would rather watch reality tv or surf the internet before sitting and reading a book. Another way we burn books is by simply passing them by. If a title or cover doesn't look interesting to us we pass it up with out even finding out if it has an amazing story woven within it.

These are just my opinions, but I really hope that books don't become a thing of the past. Personally, I think we need them.

Hunger Games

I absolutely loved reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I found it difficult to put down and ended up reading it within two days. Collins made it so easy for the reader to relate to Katniss and her struggles and accomplishments. I too, have a younger sibling so I found that I believed in every decision Katniss was making throughout the book. I also think that it was wonderful that her, and partially Peeta,  stayed true to themselves and their beliefs throughout the trials of the games. Katniss was still kind-hearted and truly believed in people. The love story between Katniss and Peeta also added to the intensity of the book. As a teenager, many times a person will have deep feelings for another and never voices them, or, in Peeta's case, voices them and isn't taken seriously. Listen to this song quickly before I go on:

OK, so I'm sure many of you have heard this song before, but after reading this book I couldn't help but somewhat think of Peeta and his feelings towards Katniss. Even though she didn't fully buy the fact that he was in love with her, Peeta was still there for Katniss through everything and looked after her when she needed it. Without his comfort it seemed she would have never made it through the games.
All of these books that we've read in this class so far seem to have a common theme of a person or people rebelling against a higher power or supreme. I think its interesting to see how Katniss showed her disrespect toward the capitol by decorating Rue. Much like how Winston wrote in a diary knowing it was breaking the ministries rules.
I am SO glad we read this book  for this class. It has definitely  become one of my favorites and I can't wait to start the next in the trilogy ( as nerdy as that sounds :P)

Obsession with Reality TV

Okay, so I will fully admit that I am a reality show junkie. Teen Mom, Jersey Shore, I watch them all. It's my guilty pleasure and no, it doesn't make me dumb for loving it. For this assignment I chose to watch the finale of Jersey Shore If you don't know, it's a show that follows a group of people living their lives at the Jersey Shore over the summer. Heres a clip of just a couple things that happened this season:

This particular episode wasn't as eventful as the others, but I was still hooked. It started out with a clip from the previous episode where, Mike, "The Situation", chose to tell Ronnie that Sam was "creepin" behind his back with another guy at the club that Mike knew. Of course that turned into a blow out fight where Sam denied everything, but Ron had enough and the episode ended with them calling it quits. Jenny finds out shes going to be "exclusive" with her summer fling, Snooks "gets it in" and considers that a great way to end the summer, and Deena and Vin get into a fight where he calls her the name that no one wants to be called, ANGELINA. (Yeah, I know that sounds dumb but it was entertaining for me ha). It ended with everyone saying goodbye to each other and saying how they wished to do it again this summer.
I think that the show is really following their lives, yeah maybe some things are embellished or some fights are instigated, but its still what's going on in their lives. It's kind of sad to admit, but I enjoy watching the arguments and the crazy things they get into. They get paid to have a good time, say what's on their mind and allow people to watch it. I did feel a little bad for Deena, who was called Angelina because she got in the way of Vinny hooking up with her best friend. But other than that, I thought the episode was pretty funny.
This show appeals to me and many others because it's exactly what I wish I could be doing. I'm not shy to admit that sometimes I wish I could get paid to live in a house with fun, entertaining people, have an easy job and get paid to have a good time and make others laugh all summer. Doesn't that sound even a little appealing to you?
I feel that my role as the viewer is to continue watching what I like, and right now Jersey Shore seems to fulfill a lot of what entertains me. Theres drama, friendship, partying and a lot of things to laugh at. With out viewers like me there wouldn't be a need for the show.
Reality TV may not be the best thing to watch, but I'll fully admit its got me hooked, at least for now and I can't wait for the next season on JS.

is somebody watching you?

In todays society it is difficult to go somewhere or do anything without someone else knowing. Ever go to a clothing store and while looking at an absolutely fabulous top, glance up and see a camera recording your every move? What about this situation: You meet an old friend for lunch and proceed to tell them about an awesome vacation when suddenly the stop you and say, "Oh I saw your pictures, looks like it was a good time." With today's technology anyone can know anything about someone. Have we lost our entire sense of privacy? The answer to this question can go in many different directions.

Personally, I feel that having security cameras and other things in public places quite acceptable. Say someone were to attack a person in a dark parking garage late at night. Without the security tapes the offender may never be caught. If you have nothing to hide then why worry about it?

When it comes to Facebook, I feel that there are definitely some flaws to the system. If you choose to set your profile to private, it should stay private. The fact that some companies and employers can get onto a social webpage and see what you write is unfair. I read an article  earlier about a woman who posted a facebook status and was fired for it. Is it justifiable? You be the judge.

Word of advice: Keep an eye on what you say or do, you never know who may be watching.

My Personal Feed

When I first saw this prompt, I wont lie, I felt kind of lost. It was hard for me to really pinpoint what exactly would come up in my feed simply because I am interested in so many different things. After much thought I came down to the following four things; Itunes, Philadelphia sports, clothing/shoes and Ocean City, Maryland. Yeah, it's a little random, but they all explain my personality and whats important to me.  

The first product that would be advertised on my feed would be Itunes. It is no joke to anyone who is close to me that I am addicted to music. I constantly have music playing and if I don't then a song is normally stuck in my head. Music has always been one of the main things that has been able to  completely calm me down or pump me up and I truly believe that there is a song for every mood. By having Itunes in my feed I'd be able to keep up with the newest artists and buy the newest songs. 

Next would be all Philadelphia sports news, updates, merchandise, tickets, etc.. I grew up in Lancaster which isn't a long drive from Philadelphia so making trips there was a normal thing that occurred quite often.  My whole family is really into sports so watching and going to games is really a bonding experience for all of us. I am pretty girly but take me to a game and I will scream just as loud, if not louder, than the grown men around me. My daddy taught me well, and I will be a Philly girl for life. 

 

The next thing that would be advertised on my feed would be clothing and shoe campaigns. I love everything about shopping and putting outfits together so having stores advertise their sales would be ideal for me. I'll even go as far as saying that shopping calms me down and can make my day better. For instance, last week was super stressful and I wasn't feeling well. I went home and before coming back to school stopped at the mall and picked up a few cute staples, which instantly made me feel a little better. Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm ridiculous but hey, it works for me haha. 

The final advertisement that would be on my feed would be for the the beaches in Ocean City, Maryland. For as long as I can remember my family has been going to Ocean City every year, so I have many special memories there. We were even lucky enough to get a house there a couple of years ago and ever since I have spent my my entire summers down working and relaxing with friends. To say that summer is my favorite season is an understatement, so having ads that remind me of all of the fun and exciting things I'll be partaking in this summer would be amazing. 

No technology?...seriously?

After reading the articles that were presented to our class this week I have finally realized just how tied to technology I really am. The idea of going just one short week without my ipod or cell phone made me uneasy. Doing the challenge would be eye opening, I admit, but there is no point it me lying to myself about whether or not I would be capable of succeeding in doing it. I feel as though many people my age would be going through the same emotions. We've out grown our baby blankets, and instead, now look to our cell phones as comfort items. 


Even so, I found this quote from Thoreau quite memorable:

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life...."

While the majority of what Thoreau said made sense, this quote seemed to hit home for me. I recently have come to the conclusion that I am not living my life to the fullest and have started to over look the small details that make life important. Maybe if I were to try to get back to what really mattered, like nature and the simple things, I would be getting more out of life. Its just a thought.

Are we dumb?

Looking at the cover of this book gives me goosebumps. While i agree that, yes, my generation has become quite obsessed with new technologies ( take a look around the quad, more than half the people you would pass walking to class would have an Ipod, cell phone, or PDA out ) I would not go as far as saying that you couldn't trust us. It's a bold statement that I am not willing to take laying down. 

"those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

- George Santayana

I am a firm believer in this statement. Our country has gone through so much change and growth over such a short amount of time, that to forget where we came from and how we got here is absurd. Without history we would be  lost when it comes to making decisions about our future, whether its to make a good change, or correct a bad one. We would never have a black president without the civil rights movement and we'd be speaking a different language if we had allied with a place like Japan during WW2.  When a survey is conducted and a good portion of people my age can't answer these questions correctly, it makes me have to agree with the basic premise  Bauerlein is bringing to attention. 

In contrast though, I do have to say that my generation has a lot going for them. Education programs around the country are using these technologies to help us better understand the information that is coming at us. By using new technology to introduce and teach America's youth it is allowing more students to become interested in new topics more than they would be if a blackboard and chalk were in front of them. The people in the following video are real students and educators opinions of how technology is helping us. 

 Yes, we are more inclined to 'google' something if we do not know the answer, but once we do search it we are capable to apply it to other sources of knowledge that we have acquired over time. This also ties into the idea of an "information overload" that was discussed in Culture Jam. If so much information wasn't being thrown at us at one time maybe we'd be more inclined to remember more of it? Just an idea. 

I feel as though the generations above us are putting too much emphasis on what we do not know, and not enough on what we do know. Yes, saying that American Idol is more important than knowing who the speaker of the house is, is out of hand, I do believe that we are not as "dumb" as you  may think. We are making positive changes in our country and have been for awhile. We are more capable of finding a cure to a rare disease than we were even 50 years ago. Without technology, and our knowledge/ "obsession" with it these advances would be dismal. 

So yes, Mr. Baurelein, my generation may be oblivious to some important information, but to point the finger and say that we are dumb is out of hand. Take a look at what we can do with our knowledge instead of what we aren't doing with it. 

Blog # 2

Honestly, before we started reading Culture Jam I didn't really realize just how much social media had taken over our lives, and after watching the Second Skin documentary it really concerns me. I feel as though many people are becoming addicted to games and devices and are losing their grasp on reality.


Kalle Lasn points out to the reader the details that the majority of us are becoming oblivious to. I could guarantee right now that in the library at least half, if not more, people have Facebook opened on their computers. To "unplug" ourselves would literally make most people anxious and uneasy, which really says something about how much we're becoming addicted to these types of things. 


Second Skin really highlighted this in an extreme way. The part that really got to me the most was the fact that gaming was becoming more important than sleep. A date for a die hard gamer would be meeting up in a game and slaying something. Come on? how is that even considered a date. I feel as though the majority of the people who were extremely addicted were just hiding from their problems in the real world and going to the game for support. Which would make their real life problems even more hard to deal with. 
To put it simply I found the video disturbing. To be addicted to a game is just as bad as having an addiction to a drug-to go without it is unthinkable. 




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZdnU9ii6Mg&feature=related

To get a reaction like that just because your account got deleted is ridiculous and pathetic, but more than anything it's sad. I dont know about you, but it really gets me thinking, maybe i should "unplug" for awhile and get back to what really matters. 

Hey Everybody :)

Hi guys! My name is Kiran and im currently a sophomore at Ship. I came into school declared as a Psychology major and I absolutely love it. I really want to help people and I find it fascinating to learn and understand the way people think. I absolutely love music (going to shows) , sports (Philadelphia!) and dance, I've grown up around the three my entire life. I have been blessed with a really understanding family who always push my brother and I to explore new things. That led to me finding my love for photography and photos.

When scheduling for this semester I came across the description for this class and it really interested me. I have always loved books and I thought it would be cool to be in a class that devoted much of the time to reading and interpreting different types. The last book that I read is actually one of my all time favorites by Alice Sebold entitled, The Lovely Bones. It was my fourth time reading it and I seem to enjoy it more and more every time.

 When it comes to pop culture I seem to have a broad spectrum of interests. Music wise I will listen to anything that captivates me whether it be Country to old Hip Hop and R & B, but i would have to say my favorites right now are Mac Miller, Taylor Swift, Wale, Passion Pit and The Audition. Movie wise I love any romantic comedy, I am currently really excited to see "No Strings Attached" with Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. When it comes to TV I'd like to say that I don't watch a whole lot of it but I'd be lying if I said wasn't addicted to television shows like 'Jersey Shore', 'Pretty Little Liars' and 'E! News' (who doesn't love their celebrity fix).

 

Literature to me personally just means anything that I can read and comprehend that will teach me something I did not know before. Personally, I believe that I have had pretty good experiences with literature both in High School and in my personal life and I hope to keep it as part of my routine for years to come.

Thanks for taking time to read my blog! I am so excited to get started with this class!