V's brilliance

            I disagree with the way the novel presents resistance and revolution to change society due to the fact that they resort to killing. I understand that the people being killed are villains, and some may even deserve to be killed, it shouldn’t be up to V whether or not it is right to kill them. In a certain passage V sends his friend Evey to Bishop Lilliman, who apparently takes advantage of little girls, which is extremely inappropriate and something he should definitely be punished for. V takes the matter into his own hands, with the help of Evey, forces the Bishop to swallow a poisonous communion wafer, which is undoubtedly not the way to deal with society. Later on Evey agrees saying, “ V, I didn’t know you were going to kill him!” I agree with Evey completely, because although V is on the right path in his ideals and plans, he is executing them completely incorrectly.

            The graphic novel format used in comics, is extremely weird and takes a little getting used to, but I definitely realize its ability to give an added dimension to the story. A passage in which I believe the images were truly crucial in terms of understanding the comic was during the reading of the diary, as Mr. Finch explains it to the leader. Some of the images included in this section really give you an added dimension into what was going on at this camp, and the explosions and such, which occurred there. I found the most important picture to be the one of V in room V with all of the supplies masterfully distributed around the room, giving you a clear understanding of how he performed this incredible task. An additional passage in which I was able to stop and enjoy the images, was the killing of the Bishop. Through the pictures I was able to have a better understanding as to how he was actually able to accomplish his task. Overall, I believe the addition of pictures gives an added benefit in terms of clarification and also may provide a alternative method in terms of description during a novel.

Franco Moretti's Article using computer tools

            There have been many different genres of literature throughout history, each genre having its particular peaks in terms of popularity. Franco Moretti writes a beautiful article called “Graphs, Maps, Tress” about the history of literature. The addition of graphs and charts into the article make it extremely unique and intriguing, as it is an added dimension, which we aren’t usually used to in this type of writing. Another benefit of this type of writing is that Moretti is able to show evidence for the claims he makes throughout his article. A drawback to this style of literature could be that the inclusion of graphs seem to make the paper less formal and almost influences the respectability of the article. 

            I think the use of computer tools, which were used in this article, would work much better in other fields such as biological and physical sciences. Computer tools influence in scientific papers would benefit from the informal nature of such papers, and the fact that scientific papers are more likely to demand backing in the form of charts and graphs to prove a scientists point. Computer tools, could also give a cleaner version of a scientists studies and findings, and therefore benefit the scientific paper in almost every manner. The use of computer tools could also be used in social papers, in order to give the reader a better understanding in terms of tables or charts, which give extra clarity and information. 

            Through the use of what I learned from this writing, we can incorporate the charts throughout the article in order to determine what style of writing would most likely be used in this time period. We could also take a look at the problems Shteyngart presents in the novel, and determine whether each one is realistic or too futuristic as another style of analysis of Super Short True Love Story. These are a few of the main ideas/themes of Franco Moretti’s article “Graphs, Maps, Trees.”

                    

In class discussion

During the second group's discussion I was sort of puzzled that so many people seemed to be on the side of Eunice over Lenny. To me it seems like Lenny is a much better overall person, and shows many signs of unselfishness, especially in the last section of the text where he helps (offers a monetary aid) out a former media friends of Noah's and also another child on the street. On the other hand I think Eunice is a much more self centered person, and only helps others in order to feel the satisfaction of accomplishment, as she does little else with her life. If you recall earlier in the book when she is chatting with her sister, she keeps injecting about how she is helping out at an abused woman facility, in a sense saying that her stay in Rome wasn't completely worthless. Also in the debate of whether Lenny has feelings for Eunice, I think that in his own way his manipulating ways are the only way in which Lenny can actually attract a woman of Eunice's caliber. I also believe that Lenny truly loves Eunice in his own weird way, which is the main reason he wouldn't let her go to Tompkins park, because of his love for her, and the fact that he didn't want anything to happen to her!

M Butterfly

            M Butterfly was an extremely interesting, and attention grabbing movie, which contained many unexpected, twists and turns throughout. The movie is based on the play, which was written by David Henry Hwang. A very entertaining aspect of the story was its ability to incorporate the issues of gender, ethnicity, politics, and the history of Arts into a single storyline flawlessly. The story is about a Frenchman, civil servant in French embassy, who falls in love with a Chinese opera diva, whom is actually a man working for the Chinese government. As the two seem to fall in love, Madama Butterfly is using Gallimard, Frenchman, in order to find out information regarding the French and their military decisions. The Chinese man, Song Liling, also uses the assumed roles of females in the Chinese culture perfectly in order to lure Gallimard in love with him, which is quite shocking.

            Gallimard is also told about an opera, by Song, in which a western man steals the heart of an oriental woman, before leaving her, which usually results in suicide. Gallimard becomes entrenched in the idea that this diva will be his butterfly, and pursues Song passionately. Gallimard is imprisoned for his treason to his country, while finding out his lover is a man. The movie ends with Gallimard impersonating the butterfly himself, and committing suicide because he has lost his soul mate. The association of Chinese culture, and women’s role is this culture is personified eloquently providing Gallimard with a sense of power over this supposed oriental woman. When Gallimard realizes that the person he has loved, and spent so much time thinking about is a man, is one of the most astonishing twists I have ever experienced in literature/film. His reaction to the news is quite expected, yet I am surprised at his ability to remain calm and resist violence. M Butterfly is a profound story in the sense that it is able to group together so many big topics, and put it together very nicely.

           

Theme evaluation

Theme: Literacy and/or Literature in the Online Social Network Era 

 The first passage I found interesting was one in which Lenny was at a bar with Noah and Vishnu and he begins talking about his emotions/love for Eunice, “the two of us. What if we just went home and read books to each other.” Noah proclaims, “You just halved my viewer load. You’re killing me here...” I feel, as this phrase is a wonderful way to summarize the people’s appreciation for literature, as soon as he mentions literature and his emotions, people stop listening to the stream. This is one of the first times in the novel where Shteyngart gives you a feel for the people’s repulsion for books.

Another passage which was very appealing was, “what kind of freaked me out was that I saw Len reading a book… I was going to teen my sister but I was so embarrassed I just stood there and watched him read.” It is quite fascinating how Eunice felt about Lenny reading a book, its like he’s committing a sin which sounds pretty ridiculous. The passage helps show you the disgust people in the book feel about literature. Yet, with the way our culture is evolving with the Internet, we aren’t too far from a society in which books are rarely used.

A third passage, which deals with Literacy, is one in one of the chats between Eunice and her sister Sally. Eunice types, “So please act brain smart. Do you know anything about Classics?” and sally responds by telling her she has scanned some of them and asks, “ Why do we have to impress him?” This passage seems very important, in the sense that it shows the two girls view on literature, and although neither of them are very into it they understand it is accompanied by intellect. This passage is significant because it seems like it is the first time where someone is appreciating the ability to read, sans Lenny. These are a few passages, which have an impact upon the theme of literacy.

"All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace" Interpretation

            In the poem, “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace” written by Richard Brautigan, there seems to be two different ways of interpreting his message. The first interpretation of the poem is in an anti-technology tone, in which Brautigan seems to be playing tricks on his readers. There is a reference about how “deer stroll peacefully past computers,” which almost sounds like sarcasm to me because of the way computers seem to be located in forests, around all kinds of animals. The main reason to think the poem was written anti-technology is the last stanza of the poem in which Brautigan talks about computers watching over us, which almost sounds like he is trying to warn us of what may occur in the future. “We are free of our labors, and joined back to nature,” sounds like humans have been regulated to animal behavior while computers were the superior power.

            The second way of interpreting the poem is in the literal meaning, a pro-technology tone. The poem is written in a sense of love for technology and how it would be wonderful to have computers everywhere. The statement of how, “mammals and computers live together in mutually programming harmony,” seems like Brautigan is describing a world in which people, animals and computers can live in harmony together without any kind of problems or stress. Another reason this poem seems to be pro-technology is the style in which it is written, providing a positive naturist attitude. Brautigan sounds like he would love to see the development of computers to extend out to new extremes, as he states multiple times in his poem.

          I believe the anti-technology tone is more convincing, because of all his statements and phrases, which seem too over the top to be earnest and sincere. Also there is a trend in American writers/poets to be anti rather than pro-technology because of the history of literature and its decreased popularity since the rise of computers. Brautigan also seems to be hinting at an impending doom with his final stanza of his poem in which computers have taken control while humans live in the wild like other mammals. It is quite astonishing to think this poem was written more than 30 years again, as its ideas have come so close to reality. These are a few reasons why I believe this poem was written in an anti-technology tone.

Casabianca Review

·        Boy standing on a burning ship

·        Flame that lit the battles wreck

·        A creature of heroic blood

·        The flames rolled on, he would not go

·        And fast the flames rolled on

·        Upon his brow he felt their breath,

·        And in his waving hair,

·        And looked from that lone post of death

·        In still, yet brave despair

·        While o’er him fast, through sail and shroud

·        The wreathing fires made way

·        They wrapt the ship in splendor wild,

·        They caught the flag on high,

·        And streamed above the gallant child,

·        Like banners in the sky.

·        But the noblest thing that perished there

·        Was that young, faithful heart. 

 I chose the poem called “Casabianca” written by Felicia Dorothea Hemans, because of the unbelievable sense of imagery it contained. The poem is written about a young boy, and the setting is a burning ship, containing astounding descriptions about this raging fire on the verge of engulfing this poor yet brave young boy. The ship seems to be some kind of battle ship, which has endured defeat, and is on the verge of burning down. The young boy shows immense bravery and passion, as he waits for a response from his father in regards to the completion of his task. What the young boy doesn’t know is that his father is dead, so he stands strong waiting his fathers approval. I believe the imagery of the powerful flames signify the heart, passion and love of the young boy. As strong as the flames are, the boy’s devotion to his father is stronger and he is unwilling to leave his post without his fathers consent of completion. The boy shows an unbelievable amount of bravery in that he understands that he is in trouble, through his cries of distress, yet his vow and love for his father hold him back from escaping.

The way the flames of the fire are addressed in the poem make it so realistic, and it really makes you sad to think of the poor boy stranded in this situation. The way Hemans is able to portray the flames, as the passion within the boy to complete his task is breath taking, and the wreathing fire symbolizes the burning love he has for his father. Even when the boy realizes his doom, he stands strong and waits for whatever will come. The ending of the poem seems to put everything together perfectly, as it states that, “the noblest thing that perished there was that young, faithful heart.” Throughout this poem, the boy is described as brave, passionate, heroic and noble which are all words, which could also illustrate the gripping fire that is engulfing the ship. This poem is very well written, and contains some of the best descriptive imagery I have ever experienced.