This class has taught me a lot of things. At the top of the list is cynicism. Starting at the very beginning with Culture Jam, I've read a lot of literature that tells me this world isn't always all it's cracked up to be. I've learned that we're on a slippery slope as a society, and a lot of things can go wrong if we're not careful. Exploitation, stupidity, addiction, dependency on technology, and censorship are all prevalent in the world today, and this class gave me a first-hand look at where we could end up if we let it get the best of us.
I found myself actually getting into books like Hunger Games, and responding with anger to books like Culture Jam. 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 made me think, and I learned a lot of things just because they were good for me. I was always sort of a realist, so I appreciate the fact that this class took what's wrong with society today and made me more aware of it. Literature doesn't always have to be "Once upon a time" and "happily ever after", because that's not always how life turns out.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Blog #9: Burn Before Reading
A world without books is a world without knowledge or creativity. It would be a world full of idiots who do whatever the person/thing in charge tell them to do (Feed, anyone?). It's as simple as that -- a world of gray, nothing vibrant or original, and when we lose our originality and uniqueness, we lose our freedom.
Would I miss books if they were suddenly made forbidden? Absolutely. Just because I do not read books often does not mean I would not miss them. I like to be creative, and if books were banned, the ability to share creative ideas with others would be very limited. We'd all have to rely on word of mouth for history, entertainment, and sometimes even help.
Every day we burn books in one way or another. The burning of books resembles the destruction of what makes us ourselves. It is a form of censorship, and we are constantly being censored or having information censored from us. We burn a book every time we blindly believe something. We burn a book whenever we pass on an opportunity to gain knowledge. Any time somebody tells us what to think, or how to act, or what to do, and we obey without asking ourselves why, we burn a book. These are books that we should be reading and writing, but without our individuality, they are instead thrown into the fire, and eventually we will run out of books.
Would I miss books if they were suddenly made forbidden? Absolutely. Just because I do not read books often does not mean I would not miss them. I like to be creative, and if books were banned, the ability to share creative ideas with others would be very limited. We'd all have to rely on word of mouth for history, entertainment, and sometimes even help.
Every day we burn books in one way or another. The burning of books resembles the destruction of what makes us ourselves. It is a form of censorship, and we are constantly being censored or having information censored from us. We burn a book every time we blindly believe something. We burn a book whenever we pass on an opportunity to gain knowledge. Any time somebody tells us what to think, or how to act, or what to do, and we obey without asking ourselves why, we burn a book. These are books that we should be reading and writing, but without our individuality, they are instead thrown into the fire, and eventually we will run out of books.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Blog 8: It's All Fun and Games Until Someone Loses a Life
Hunger Games is one of those books that you're reading and thinking, "OK, we get it. Times are tough, dystopian literature, yada yada yada, in-depth description of everything, when is this gonna pick upHOLY CRAP INTENSE VIOLENCE AND GORE YESYESYES". I hated putting it down when I knew something good was about to happen. I expected a little bit more tiptoeing when it came to how children died, but much to my surprise, there was barely any censorship at all. I actually felt like it could have been real because there were no euphemisms or language that was clearly added to make the book more suitable for sensitive eyes. I really enjoyed this book and (time permitting) I'd like to read the other two. Not surprisingly, Katniss got most of my emotion and responses. I love a good underdog story, and that clearly played into this novel. The government-controlled living space is a pretty common theme in the material we've been reading, most notably 1984. The Lottery, though shorter, is not unlike Hunger Games in most of its themes (embrace of brutal tradition and awareness of senseless violence). Dystopian literature is the core of most of our reading material this semester, and Hunger Games is no different.
One of the core requirements of a Computer Science degree is making Tron references whenever applicable, so you can imagine my excitement in posting this:
Look familiar? Newbie underdog fights a stronger character to the death for apparently no reason, much to the amusement of a huge audience, all while the game maker watches. If Hunger Games had LightBikes and featured multiple versions of Jeff Bridges I wouldn't be able to tell the two apart. The dashing young blonde gentleman named Sam is Katniss, and Lizor is one of the many unfortunate teens who fell victim to the power of irony.
One of the core requirements of a Computer Science degree is making Tron references whenever applicable, so you can imagine my excitement in posting this:
Look familiar? Newbie underdog fights a stronger character to the death for apparently no reason, much to the amusement of a huge audience, all while the game maker watches. If Hunger Games had LightBikes and featured multiple versions of Jeff Bridges I wouldn't be able to tell the two apart. The dashing young blonde gentleman named Sam is Katniss, and Lizor is one of the many unfortunate teens who fell victim to the power of irony.
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