That's All Folks

I want to start this (FINAL YAY!!) blog by saying that at the beginning of this semster I signed up for Intro to Lit because I needed to finish off the last of my gen eds and heard it was an easy A. In no way has this class been "an easy A", and after looking back on how much I've learned I'm glad it wasn't. I feel that I got so much more out of this class then I have in some of my course classes even. Now I'm not going to say I've completely changed how I act and what I think because of this class, but it has made a difference in my life.


Through the issues we discussed this semester, such as Consumerism, Plentitude, Voyeurism, Censorship, ect... I now find myself thinking about and considering things that I hadn't before. Now when I'm shopping I try to think if I really need what it is I'm about to buy or if it's just a waste of money. I find myself trying to be more careful of what I put online because I'm not sure who is looking at the information.

I really enjoyed (most of) the nonfiction we read in this class. Although I had already purchased The Hunger Games over the winter and had planned on reading it once I finished my current series, I never would have read Feed. Even though it was an easy read, I feel that The Hunger Games was a great book. I finished the other two within the same week as the first. I noticed that I was thinking about the themes more analytically because of the dicussions we had in class and I was trying to figure out if the author had a hidden message or warning. And the rest of the material, even if I didn't like it as much, definitely taught me a lot and exposed me to topics I wouldn't have exposed myself to.

Thank you to everyone that contributed to my learning, and especially to Dr. Smith.

(And since I'm such an advocate of The Hunger Games now here is a clip I found)

Burn Baby Burn

The question asked in this blog could be viewed differently depending on the approach taken. If I consider a world without books, where books never existed, then I don't think anyone would notice the difference. But right now, if all of our books were taken away, I think it would have a huge impact on the world. All the written and shared knowledge that we share would cease to exist. The trend that each generation's IQ level increases over the previous would probably reverse, refer to the Flynn Effect. I know I personally would miss them because I enjoy reading a good book from time to time instead of always watching a movie or TV. The last part of the blog prompt took some consideration. Although we don't actually burn books everyday, we might as well. The number of people that actually use books for entertainment or to learn from seems to decrease with each generation. It seems that we ignore the opportunities that are right in front of us to be able to better ourselves and make the world a better place to be.

The Hunger Games: Survival of the Fittest

From the first word that I read from The Hunger Games I was hooked. I couldn't put the book down. It was funny because it was a book that I had purchased over the summer, intending to read once I got some free time. Now, after finishing the second book and starting the third I still can't stop reading. I finished the first two books in a matter of days and am on track to finish the third within a day. I absolutely became engrossed in the book and the story. I thought the story was easy to get caught up in and the characters were easy to become attached to. At numerous points through the first book I found myself hoping that events would turn on way even though I knew they wouldn't. Such as when Rue died, I was almost morning as much as Katniss. I felt like I knew the characters in the book as if they were my friends and felt the pain as each one of them died. 

Something that I immediately thought of when I found out what the Hunger Games actually were was the show Spartacus. In this show the gladiators have to fight each other, normally to the death, in an area with everyone watching. This just made me think of how the tributes had to kill one another with all of Panem watching. I won't give anything away, because I highly recommend reading the 2nd and 3rd books as they are just as good if not better than the fist, but especially in the 2nd book with everyone hanging on their every movement. Below is a clip from Spartacus: Gods of the Arena which was actually the unplanned prequel to Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The show received such high ratings in its first season that the producers couldn't help but make more episodes. This also reflects to how the people of Penam, even though troubled by the games, couldn't help but watch.

Is It Really "Reality" TV?

The article was interesting because it really made me think about voyeurism and the role I play. It made me think that I actually do enjoy the ability to watch peoples' private lives and their actions without having the risk of them knowing i'm doing it. 

After forcing myself to complete the "daunting" task of watching an hour of reality TV considering the questions asked in the prompt for blog #7, I must say that I realized I already knew a lot of what I concluded. The show I watched was the latest episode of the Jersey Shore. I actually enjoy this show and watch it on a weekly basis. I like the show because it is entertaining to watch a bunch of young adults basically do nothing but drink and be promiscuous. I think a lot of college students enjoy it not just because it's entertaining, but also because it makes them feel better about binge drinking and other things they may do in college. They see it on TV and feel that it is becoming more socially acceptable to do those things.

The clip I chose for this blog, because it was the only good one I could find, is from the Jersey Shore. In the episode, some of the main characters, Snookie, JWow and Sammi get into a physical cat fight with one another. The show draws viewers because it is known for having drama such as this. I did enjoy the episode but still 

realized what was happening was wrong. If it wasn't for the viewers that tune into these shows every week, the show wouldn't be popular and would be canceled.

Here is a link to the clip. Jersey Shore: Sammi vs JWow

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU

In 1984, the theme is about a totalitarian government and the dangers it possesses. The character "Big Brother" is never directly in the novel, although the character has a major impact throughout it. The fact that the thought police know ever move that the party members make through the means of the telescreen may not be that different from reality. In our society, could Big Brother not be the face of corporation? It is present everywhere and always keeps a watchful eye on all members of society. Just like how the party members in 1984 have to act in a certain manner in order to be considered "sane", people in our society have to conform to certain norms to fit in. The telescreen is similar to our internet and how everything we do is tracked and monitored. The searches we do in Google and the items we "like" on Facebook are all stored and processed in databases. This information is used to profile us and is sold to corporations so they know what we are more likely to purchase. And to think, all this information is given willingly. I don't know if we have lost our right to privacy or if we have given it away in ignorance. 

Thoreau Challenge: My Final Hours

Sunday was my last day of the Thoreau Challenge. By this time I was feeling better and the weather had gotten cold again. I was missing my phone and TV, all I wanted to do was lay in bed and catch up on all the shows I had missed. I spent the day looking over the chapters of my textbooks for the week, and I felt like I had done all the extra school work I could handle. I finished my book "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and although it was a good book, I was all "read" out. I started counting down the final hours until I could go on facebook and see what I had been "missing". As soon as my watch said 12am I turned my TV on and played an episode of LOST while checking my facebook and email. I was definitely glad that it was over, but I did find out that I waste a lot of my time doing pointless checks on facebook. I think I will probably only check my facebook once or twice a day now, instead of constantly being on it. I want to keep up my productivity with my school work since it feels good to be ahead and not playing the catch up game.

Thoreau Challenge: The next 3 days

The next 3 days of my challenge were Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. By this point it was much easier to be without my cell phone or TV. I'd caught up, and even gotten ahead with most of my class work. On Thursday I had my club officer meeting at 3:30, and after dinner I played a couple board games with my roommates. I was still feeling a bit sick so I took medicine and went to bed early. Friday I worked, and was worn out when I got home so I napped. After I woke up I had a fraternity event that night that went until late. Thankfully when I woke up Saturday I was feeling a lot better. I had arranged to meet my parents at the Hershey outlets that day. We had breakfast together, went shopping, and had dinner before I went back to Ship. I spent the night hanging out with my friends playing cards and chatting, it was a good time. I remember thinking that I only had two more days to go until it was Monday and I could start using my phone again.