Dear Nicholas,
let me start off by saying I feel bad for you or anyone that has to read this book. This book is unbelievably boring. How anyone can sit and read this book all the way through without falling asleep is a mystery to me. If anyone can succeed in doing this they deserve a medal. In the first chapter the narrator is introduced (I believe she said that her name was Mary, but that part wasn't exactly clear to me.) Mary is a college student living in England. The chapter starts off with Mary contemplating the connection between women and fiction. She thoroughly contemplates how the two involve each other. Her strongest first statement is, "A Woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."(p.4) Pay attention to this statement. This is her opinion on the subject matter. The narrator also believes that both women and fiction are "unsolved problems" (p.4) During the chapter Mary attends an important luncheon at the University. At this luncheon a guest hums a song under his breath. One that depicts women a certain way during the war. Apparently this song does not depict women in a positive way. Mary begins quoting famous women poets that support her feelings against the song. Know this. This gives me and should give you the impression that Mary is a strong willed woman and strongly believes in not distinguishing a woman's distinct place or "role" in society. Mary then retreats back to her own thoughts. Deciding what she herself should write about, each of her thoughts lead her on different tangents. These tangents are extremely difficult to follow, so pay close attention.I feel as if I should be able to tell you more. I'm having a hard time summarizing the book myself. As hard as this book may be to read it is a significant piece of literature. In my opinion this book is distinguishing women writers and making room for them in a male society. It is important to see how their writings do effect opinions today on female writers. Hang in there and keep reading!
Kate
Monday, October 15, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
HW:19 What is the real deal with blogs?
Response to paragraph on pg. 85 in Klein and Burstein's Blog!
On page 85 I found a paragraph that I felt contradicted everything this book has stated in previous chapters. In other words I felt that this paragraph was saying that not many people are blogging. Having just argued in previous chapters that blogging was so popular and the new "it" thing to be doing. This paragraph is contradicting that and saying that blogs have no meaning. "The typical blog written by a teenage girl who uses it twice a month to update her friends and classmates on happenings in her life" (pg.85) What? Incidentally the previous reading that I just did for this class was about how important and popular political blogging was, and how much money bloggers are making. My point is if blogging wasn't so popular, why would be bloggers be raking in so much money? This paragraph is almost in a way misleading. It contradicts previous statements that this book has made. However, I do find this paragraph to be an important one. It does show that there are different opinions on blogs, which this book has not made clear in past readings. It is important to recognize every ones views on what they think to be important subjects.Blogs are changing the world one step at a time. By becoming more wide ranged they are allowing more voices to be heard. Essentially what I'm saying is that it is important to know where each person stands on the subject of blogging.
On page 85 I found a paragraph that I felt contradicted everything this book has stated in previous chapters. In other words I felt that this paragraph was saying that not many people are blogging. Having just argued in previous chapters that blogging was so popular and the new "it" thing to be doing. This paragraph is contradicting that and saying that blogs have no meaning. "The typical blog written by a teenage girl who uses it twice a month to update her friends and classmates on happenings in her life" (pg.85) What? Incidentally the previous reading that I just did for this class was about how important and popular political blogging was, and how much money bloggers are making. My point is if blogging wasn't so popular, why would be bloggers be raking in so much money? This paragraph is almost in a way misleading. It contradicts previous statements that this book has made. However, I do find this paragraph to be an important one. It does show that there are different opinions on blogs, which this book has not made clear in past readings. It is important to recognize every ones views on what they think to be important subjects.Blogs are changing the world one step at a time. By becoming more wide ranged they are allowing more voices to be heard. Essentially what I'm saying is that it is important to know where each person stands on the subject of blogging.
Monday, October 8, 2007
HW:18 "least favorite blog"
Response to "Hearts of Darkness, In Congo They Rape Three Year Olds."
http://jezebel.com/gossip/hearts-of-darkness/in-congo-they-rape-three+year+olds-308412.php at http://www.jezebel.com
I found this article to be the worst article posted in the last seven days. This article was heartbreaking. In the Congo a group of men called the Rastas are raping little girls and women. This is disgusting to me. Little girls? Let alone rape at all. What kind of person could do these things to someone who cant help themselves or fight back, what kind of person would do this at all? "Many have been so sadistically attacked from the inside out, butchered by bayonets and assaulted with chunks of wood, that their reproductive and digestive systems are beyond repair." That is awful not only are they scared emotionally, but physically also and for the rest of their lives. The article states that the type of terrain found in the Congo, is ideal for committing these heinous crimes. There are so many hiding spaces due to the massive jungle. The article comments that this group of men seems to be doing this because they are bored. How is this a form of passing time? The thought that crosses my mind is how could a man do this when it could be his daughter, sister or his wife? What justifies this to them? The most disturbing quote was in the last paragraph."they do it to three-year-olds and generally burn the babies who are too young to rape." This gave me goosebumps. Burned babies? How? Why? I just don't understand what runs through their minds as they are doing this. This article really bothered me and really made me question the true nature of some people.
http://jezebel.com/gossip/hearts-of-darkness/in-congo-they-rape-three+year+olds-308412.php at http://www.jezebel.com
I found this article to be the worst article posted in the last seven days. This article was heartbreaking. In the Congo a group of men called the Rastas are raping little girls and women. This is disgusting to me. Little girls? Let alone rape at all. What kind of person could do these things to someone who cant help themselves or fight back, what kind of person would do this at all? "Many have been so sadistically attacked from the inside out, butchered by bayonets and assaulted with chunks of wood, that their reproductive and digestive systems are beyond repair." That is awful not only are they scared emotionally, but physically also and for the rest of their lives. The article states that the type of terrain found in the Congo, is ideal for committing these heinous crimes. There are so many hiding spaces due to the massive jungle. The article comments that this group of men seems to be doing this because they are bored. How is this a form of passing time? The thought that crosses my mind is how could a man do this when it could be his daughter, sister or his wife? What justifies this to them? The most disturbing quote was in the last paragraph."they do it to three-year-olds and generally burn the babies who are too young to rape." This gave me goosebumps. Burned babies? How? Why? I just don't understand what runs through their minds as they are doing this. This article really bothered me and really made me question the true nature of some people.
HW 17b:Gossip dosent matter
Response to Klein and Burstein's Blog!:
I found Zuniga's blog to be more informative. While I was reading each of their interviews I found Zuniga's to be the best blog for following the upcoming election. Zuniga's blog was also efficient and gave topics on what he believed, and then he allowed others to share their opinions. I felt that Cox's blog was geared more toward gossip and sex scandals. Don't get me wrong, these are interesting blogs, but how can they really give us the information that we need to follow an important election? I can see how someone might say Cox's blog posts would give more background information on the potential candidate, but my interest is geared more toward what they stand for not what they do in their spare time. I also connected a little more with Zuniga's because he shared democratic views. I'm not a democrat I honestly am not sure what political party I belong to. However, I did grow up listening to my parents who are democrats, and he shares similar views as they do which I can relate to in a way. Zuniga's blog touched on real issues that the country is struggling with. He is against war, which is such a huge controversy in our country now. His opinions on his posts allow people to get their point across on the issue as well. From his interview I gathered that he seemed like a really knowledgeable person. When following something as serious as politics I believe it is important to receive concrete information from the source. Cox's information was accurate but not vital in the whole picture. Zuniga's blog interested me and I found it very helpful to know what type of issues we need to be focusing on throughout the upcoming election.
I found Zuniga's blog to be more informative. While I was reading each of their interviews I found Zuniga's to be the best blog for following the upcoming election. Zuniga's blog was also efficient and gave topics on what he believed, and then he allowed others to share their opinions. I felt that Cox's blog was geared more toward gossip and sex scandals. Don't get me wrong, these are interesting blogs, but how can they really give us the information that we need to follow an important election? I can see how someone might say Cox's blog posts would give more background information on the potential candidate, but my interest is geared more toward what they stand for not what they do in their spare time. I also connected a little more with Zuniga's because he shared democratic views. I'm not a democrat I honestly am not sure what political party I belong to. However, I did grow up listening to my parents who are democrats, and he shares similar views as they do which I can relate to in a way. Zuniga's blog touched on real issues that the country is struggling with. He is against war, which is such a huge controversy in our country now. His opinions on his posts allow people to get their point across on the issue as well. From his interview I gathered that he seemed like a really knowledgeable person. When following something as serious as politics I believe it is important to receive concrete information from the source. Cox's information was accurate but not vital in the whole picture. Zuniga's blog interested me and I found it very helpful to know what type of issues we need to be focusing on throughout the upcoming election.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
HW 17: Jezebel
I chose to respond to a blog on Jezebel's website:
When I looked at Jezebel's website I really liked it. I found myself reading way more than just one story. They were all really interesting too. However I chose to summarize about the blog under the top BIG FAT LIES, Does Exercise make you hungry instead of thin? http://jezebel.com/gossip/big-fat-lies/does-exercise-make-you-hungry-instead-of-thinThis topic just popped out at me, and to be honest made me nervous. As a college freshman girl, the freshman 15 is a constant reminder in the back of my head. The article says that working out is good for your health and does make you feel better for yourself. However, working out does burn large amounts of calories and carbs which can make you a little more hungryafter exercising."Taubes admits that working out is great for your health, but, "the one thing that might be said about exercise with certainty is that it tends to makes us hungry." He suggests that what really determines how fat or lean a person is has more to do with the body's own internal programming."-Gary Taubes. I disagree with his theory. There is a large amount of people who have lost significant amounts of weight from working out. In conclusion I do find this article informative. It does give you a different insight on exercising.
When I looked at Jezebel's website I really liked it. I found myself reading way more than just one story. They were all really interesting too. However I chose to summarize about the blog under the top BIG FAT LIES, Does Exercise make you hungry instead of thin? http://jezebel.com/gossip/big-fat-lies/does-exercise-make-you-hungry-instead-of-thinThis topic just popped out at me, and to be honest made me nervous. As a college freshman girl, the freshman 15 is a constant reminder in the back of my head. The article says that working out is good for your health and does make you feel better for yourself. However, working out does burn large amounts of calories and carbs which can make you a little more hungryafter exercising."Taubes admits that working out is great for your health, but, "the one thing that might be said about exercise with certainty is that it tends to makes us hungry." He suggests that what really determines how fat or lean a person is has more to do with the body's own internal programming."-Gary Taubes. I disagree with his theory. There is a large amount of people who have lost significant amounts of weight from working out. In conclusion I do find this article informative. It does give you a different insight on exercising.
HW 16b: Response to the 5 Pillars of blogging.
I chose to do option B and respond to Robert Scoble's 5 Pillars to what made blogging "hot".
In Scoble's interview he talks about the Five Pillars of Blogging. He claims that this is what makes blogging "hot"(Klein and Burstein p.130) Scoble does not give a direct meaning for each pillar, the following pillars are my best interpretation of what he was really trying to get at. The first pillar is ease of publishing. Blogging allows people to say whatever they want and feel is important with out having to go through publishers and editing. Blogs do save people incredible amounts of time when they are trying to get a point across whether it just be a small comment or a huge issue. Publishing and editing can take years. The second pillar is discoverability. My interpretation of this is that blogs let people know that everything has a website. Everything is commentable. There are so many topics to blog about, and discoverability helps me learn that. The third pillar is cross-site conversations. This pillar allows other bloggers to know what their fellow bloggers have been up to. It allows them to know what websites they've been to and commented on. The fourth pillar is permalinking. Blogs make life easier and take you to the link of exactly where you want to go. Again blogs save time which makes life easier for everyone. The fifth and final pillar is Syndication. Syndication is a form of keeping in the know. This pillar keeps you up with new websites, and also helps you find new ones that might interest you. This pillar also allows you to browse any website you want without giving out any personal information. This is helpful because know you can just check something out without becoming completely involved. I'm in agreement with Scoble, his five pillars make perfect sense of why blogging is so popular at this day in age. Blogs are so easy to come across and help get so much information out into the world.
In Scoble's interview he talks about the Five Pillars of Blogging. He claims that this is what makes blogging "hot"(Klein and Burstein p.130) Scoble does not give a direct meaning for each pillar, the following pillars are my best interpretation of what he was really trying to get at. The first pillar is ease of publishing. Blogging allows people to say whatever they want and feel is important with out having to go through publishers and editing. Blogs do save people incredible amounts of time when they are trying to get a point across whether it just be a small comment or a huge issue. Publishing and editing can take years. The second pillar is discoverability. My interpretation of this is that blogs let people know that everything has a website. Everything is commentable. There are so many topics to blog about, and discoverability helps me learn that. The third pillar is cross-site conversations. This pillar allows other bloggers to know what their fellow bloggers have been up to. It allows them to know what websites they've been to and commented on. The fourth pillar is permalinking. Blogs make life easier and take you to the link of exactly where you want to go. Again blogs save time which makes life easier for everyone. The fifth and final pillar is Syndication. Syndication is a form of keeping in the know. This pillar keeps you up with new websites, and also helps you find new ones that might interest you. This pillar also allows you to browse any website you want without giving out any personal information. This is helpful because know you can just check something out without becoming completely involved. I'm in agreement with Scoble, his five pillars make perfect sense of why blogging is so popular at this day in age. Blogs are so easy to come across and help get so much information out into the world.
Monday, October 1, 2007
HW 14: Response to Ito
Response to Klein and Bursteins Japanese Blogger Champions Internet Democracy:
I chose to respond to Ito's interview. Since his interview was more on the humorous and less serious side of blogging, I found him to be the more interesting of the two. In addition I also admired his sense of respect, the respect he gave to others and the respect he recieved in return. "You can do what you want but you're in my living room, so be respectful because I have to take care of this place." Naturally Ito is explaining his blogging style. In addition to him letting you voice you're own opinion, he demands respect on his blog page. Futhermore, I also find Ito to be more of a creative blogger. His blogs range from all different topics. To put it bluntly, blogging can be boring, it seems to me that Ito keeps his readers intrigued. Along the same lines, he seems to be an unpredicatble person. Ito claims that his favorite blog happens to be a religious one. According to his interview it didnt seem to me that any of his blogs touched on the subject of religion. As a result I find this to be another interesting fact about him. As a result I find Ito's blogging interesting and something that I might like to read.
I chose to respond to Ito's interview. Since his interview was more on the humorous and less serious side of blogging, I found him to be the more interesting of the two. In addition I also admired his sense of respect, the respect he gave to others and the respect he recieved in return. "You can do what you want but you're in my living room, so be respectful because I have to take care of this place." Naturally Ito is explaining his blogging style. In addition to him letting you voice you're own opinion, he demands respect on his blog page. Futhermore, I also find Ito to be more of a creative blogger. His blogs range from all different topics. To put it bluntly, blogging can be boring, it seems to me that Ito keeps his readers intrigued. Along the same lines, he seems to be an unpredicatble person. Ito claims that his favorite blog happens to be a religious one. According to his interview it didnt seem to me that any of his blogs touched on the subject of religion. As a result I find this to be another interesting fact about him. As a result I find Ito's blogging interesting and something that I might like to read.
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