Blog Assignment #3-
The first time I watched the machinima video tribute to Langston Hughes poem, “Suicide’s Note,” I thought it was sad to see a video game character so lost in his fight that suicide was his only escape. However, the more I watched the video, the more I began to think that maybe machinima art is not the way to depict serious poems such as this one. Suicide is something I do not take very lightly, and to see this poem portray that action like it did is not how I would respond to the poem.
One part of the video that I did think was effective was the background song. It set the mood in a calm and depressed way that properly could parallel the feelings of someone considering suicide. Having the meaning of this poem acted out by a video game character detracts from the meaning of the poem. In one way, the video game setting partially makes the situation feel lighter and less solemn. The machinima version diverges from the tone of Langston Hughes poem because it is not a proper depiction on the seriousness of the poem.
The Simpson’s is always full of references to popular culture whether it is a reference to politics, literature, or other areas. In the episode The Secret War of Lisa Simpson, Lisa mentions Emily Dickinson and her great works. She then refers to her as “crazy as a loon.” Later in the episode, John Keats’ poem, “Ode On a Grecian Urn,” is being studied in her class. These references can be important to this pop culture moment because it a short, but good reference to well known poets and their works. References like these can inform the audience of key works in poetry and can help them become familiar to them.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
"All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace" by Richard Brautigan
Blog Assignment #2-
Richard Brautigan’s poem “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace” can be interpreted with an anti-technology message because of the sarcasm he uses when describing nature and technology. For example, he compares “computers as if they were flowers,” which people today may find silly. Brautigan makes it sound like technology intertwined in nature is ridiculous and that technology has no use of purpose in nature. It seems that Brautigan is stating that technology cannot and should not be accepted into nature. Therefore, he can be trying to convince his readers of considering an anti-technology point of view.
On the other hand, Brautigan may be sending a pro-technology message to his readers. Phrases such as “programming harmony” may be used to explain that technology and nature should be able to work together in our society. He is hoping that in the future, technology can be less of a part of life associated with busyness and stress, and more related to comfort by saying we can be “watched over by machines of loving grace.” Technology can possibly become helpful to nature and the environment. From these points, Brautigan may be trying to convey a message towards pro-technology.
After reading this poem many times and considering both sides of the argument, I believe that Richard Brautigan is trying to communicate an anti-technology point of view. The tone in this poem is sarcastic and said in a joking matter. When he uses phrases such as “the sooner the better” and “right now, please!” he is saying that soon technology can become intertwined in our society when it should not be. He is saying that we should be aware of technology becoming too big of a part of our lives whereas we should still be able to appreciate nature and the environment around us. Richard Brautigan is trying to prove that technology and nature are not equal and should not be one in the same in our society.
Richard Brautigan’s poem “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace” can be interpreted with an anti-technology message because of the sarcasm he uses when describing nature and technology. For example, he compares “computers as if they were flowers,” which people today may find silly. Brautigan makes it sound like technology intertwined in nature is ridiculous and that technology has no use of purpose in nature. It seems that Brautigan is stating that technology cannot and should not be accepted into nature. Therefore, he can be trying to convince his readers of considering an anti-technology point of view.
On the other hand, Brautigan may be sending a pro-technology message to his readers. Phrases such as “programming harmony” may be used to explain that technology and nature should be able to work together in our society. He is hoping that in the future, technology can be less of a part of life associated with busyness and stress, and more related to comfort by saying we can be “watched over by machines of loving grace.” Technology can possibly become helpful to nature and the environment. From these points, Brautigan may be trying to convey a message towards pro-technology.
After reading this poem many times and considering both sides of the argument, I believe that Richard Brautigan is trying to communicate an anti-technology point of view. The tone in this poem is sarcastic and said in a joking matter. When he uses phrases such as “the sooner the better” and “right now, please!” he is saying that soon technology can become intertwined in our society when it should not be. He is saying that we should be aware of technology becoming too big of a part of our lives whereas we should still be able to appreciate nature and the environment around us. Richard Brautigan is trying to prove that technology and nature are not equal and should not be one in the same in our society.
Monday, January 11, 2010
"Design" by Robert Frost
Blog Assignment #1-
Images:
Spider, fat and white, moth, satin cloth, witches’ broth, flower like a froth, dead wings, white, innocent heal-all, night, darkness, design.
The first stanza of this poem describes the image of a spider on a flower waiting for the moth to come. To the spider, the dead wings of the moth are part of being able to eat and survive. This is a part of the spider’s life that is crucial to survival. From the point of view of the moth, this is a dark time because its death is near. The spider may not be aware of the impact it’s actions have on the moth. From this, it is clear that events in our lives cannot just be looked at from our own point of view, but in the larger picture as well. The second stanza explains the two sides of this encounter. When describing the flower that the spider waits upon, encouraging words like white, representing purity, and innocent heal-all are used because the spider is accomplishing the task of surviving. On the other hand, words such as witches’ broth and darkness are used when describing the fate of the moth. The underlying meaning of this poem is revealing that the simple designs of aspects in our lives can be both helpful to some but catastrophic to others. It can teach us that parts of our every day lives can affect others without us being aware of it. We should not only be aware of the details in our lives, but also how it relates to others in the big picture. In parallel with the Robert Frost’s poem, the spider understood the details of its own situation without being aware of the impact on the moth. Everything in life has a purpose that we can learn from and grow from. In our own lives, we must always be aware that even the smallest things in life have its own story and train of events that may occur afterwards.
Images:
Spider, fat and white, moth, satin cloth, witches’ broth, flower like a froth, dead wings, white, innocent heal-all, night, darkness, design.
The first stanza of this poem describes the image of a spider on a flower waiting for the moth to come. To the spider, the dead wings of the moth are part of being able to eat and survive. This is a part of the spider’s life that is crucial to survival. From the point of view of the moth, this is a dark time because its death is near. The spider may not be aware of the impact it’s actions have on the moth. From this, it is clear that events in our lives cannot just be looked at from our own point of view, but in the larger picture as well. The second stanza explains the two sides of this encounter. When describing the flower that the spider waits upon, encouraging words like white, representing purity, and innocent heal-all are used because the spider is accomplishing the task of surviving. On the other hand, words such as witches’ broth and darkness are used when describing the fate of the moth. The underlying meaning of this poem is revealing that the simple designs of aspects in our lives can be both helpful to some but catastrophic to others. It can teach us that parts of our every day lives can affect others without us being aware of it. We should not only be aware of the details in our lives, but also how it relates to others in the big picture. In parallel with the Robert Frost’s poem, the spider understood the details of its own situation without being aware of the impact on the moth. Everything in life has a purpose that we can learn from and grow from. In our own lives, we must always be aware that even the smallest things in life have its own story and train of events that may occur afterwards.
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