Blog Party

I have located four different pieces of evidence that answers my question, what about certain literature types draws a person’s attention? The first, “Can’t Put it Down,” by Nick Hornby discusses reasons people are concerned with finding out what we read. He states that people like business owners, politicians and marketing executives are highly concerned with what we read because it helps them guide their campaigns to get our attention. The second source, “The Information and Reading Preferences of North Carolina Children,” by Brian W. Strurn, is a discussion on the results of a study done on what types of literature children choose. The study discovers that children primarily choose books based on their gender and then in four top categories. The third source is the book, “Why We Read What We Read,” by Lisa Adams. Adams explains that people choose the books they read simply on their current life situation and not what their interests are. My last source is another book titled, “I hear America reading: why we read what we read,” by Jim Burke. This book is a collection of letters from 400 avid readers talking about their lives and why they choose a particular type of literature. His conclusions mimic that of Adams in that people choose literature similar to their life situations. The only possible conflict would be between the two books and the study. However, the study was done with children, so I would argue that children don’t really have a “situation” and this would explain the basic generalizations to their choices.

Introduction: I walked into my room the other day and looked at the wide variety of books on my shelf. It is such a strange array from text books to science fiction and even a few political biographies. So I ask myself, why does a particular type of literature draw my attention at different points in my life and what will I be reading in the future?
Point 1: As children, we choose books based on our gender and what is the popular topic being taught to us in our schools.
Example: quote a line from the study
Point 2: As we become aware of our life situation, around teenage years, our reading choices is not based on our interests, but our place in this world. As we become adults and are more and more aware of where we stand in this world, our literature is closer and closer to matching our life.
Example: Use a quote from Burke
Point 3: Decision makers in this world care about what we read because of why we choice what we read. If we choose what we read based on our situation, then they want to know what are situations are.
Example: Use quote from Hornby
Conclusion: We read what we read based on the situations we live in. If we change our life situation, then it is only natural our library at home will change.

If our life situation dictates what we read according to these experts, then what does it mean when we read a book completely unrelated to our life?

Quote-Response-Blog 20

"I am glad I have found this napkin.
This was her first remembrance from the Moor.
My wayward husband hath a hundred times
Wooed me to steal it, but she so loves the token-
For he conjured her she should ever keep it-
That she reserves it evermore about her
To kiss and talk to. I'll have the work ta'en out,
And give't Iago. What he will do with it
Heaven knows, not I;
I nothing but to please his fantasy."
Page 991

I found this to be a very interesting quote. Not really sure exactly why, but you can really see the play though this quote and it is very easy to read. I wasn't struggling understanding what she was saying or anything. I could read it right though without having to stop a lot of times to figure out what was being said. I can also really see the line "What he will do with it Heaven knows, not I." I can really see this line being said and it is often said these days, perhaps not in those exact words but it got the point across and it is very easy to understand what they wanted you to get from it.

Free Style-Blog 22

When reading the play Othello, if there had not be a translation at the bottom of the page, I would have gotten nothing out of it. It was extremely hard for me, and others in the class, to understand everything that is going on. I find it extremely amazing how different our language really is compared to them. This is practically a different language, just as spanish is a different language to english. This play should have been given to us in spanish with the translation at the bottom because that is how I felt the whole time while reading it. "What are they talking about?" I find myself looking down below after every sentence if not almost every word. I think that at the bottom there should have to be a translation of a summary of what is exactly going on rather than just trying to substitute the translated word into the rest of the sentence that I still don't understand. Just really struggled with this play.

Scene-Response-Blog 21

After watching three YouTube clips from Othello, I thought I would respond on the 'Strangle her in her bed' clip. I found this clip to be very interesting in the fact that, when reading this play I had a hard time figuring out what was going on and what the expressions were that were involved. After seeing this clip, it really helped put in perspective what this play is all about and sometimes its hard for me to see the passion in the play because I get so tangled up in the words. So this really helped clear up the play and make it more realistic to me and more interesting.

Scene-Response-Blog 16

A common theme throughout Shakespeare’s writings is the decent of one of his characters from hero like qualities to absolute destruction. This theme reigns true in the film adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Othello,” “O.” The main character Odin, is a huge basketball star in his private school who quickly descends into the depths of murder with the help of his antagonist Hugo.

A particular scene that showed the beginning of his descent occurred in the gymnasium during one of their games. In an earlier scene, one of the star players, Mike, got into a fight so he was not allowed to play in the rest of the games. Hugo decided to use this as an opportunity to help destroy Odin. The scene begins with the game already in progress. Odin is playing well as expected and the team is winning. Hugo sees Mike in the stands and encourages to go hang out with Odin’s girlfriend Dessi. Odin does not seem bothered by this at all, but as the game ends, he sees Dessi celebrating with Mike. Earlier, Hugo had put thoughts in Odin’s head that Dessi was cheating on Odin with Mike. During that conversation, Odin blew off Hugo and basically told him that he didn’t know what he was talking about. But when Odin saw Mike with Dessi at the game he became jealous. Now the best part about this scene is there was no interaction between Mike and Odin or Dessi and Odin, but you could see the look on Odin’s face when he saw them celebrating as the jealousy swept over his eyes. The non interaction between these characters are vital for the audience to believe that Odin is beginning to believe what Hugo has been whispering in his ear. In that close up shot of Odin, the audience is pulled into Odin’s jealousy.

I really like this scene because it is the turning point in Odin’s character. Before this scene, Odin was strong and a superstar. He had no doubt in his mind that he was in love with his girlfriend and she was faithful to him. But at that single moment, all the doubt Hugo put into his head became a reality and the descent began. Ultimately, Odin would continue to believe Hugo and make bigger and bigger mistakes. Finally in the end, Odin let Hugo’s lies completely upend his life and he committed murder-suicide.

Free Style- Blog 19

I have recently just watched the play "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." This play was very interesting, and I thought it was even more interesting because this week we were also reading plays. I am currently in a theater lighting class, and so I have been studying the techniques of different lightings on different scenes. When reading these plays, I find myself thinking about what kind of lighting and what the scene would look like. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was a very interesting play. It had dreams thoughout it and so the lighting crew had to figure out had to make it seem like it was a dream without tell the audience straight out that it was. The technique we used was, to use a GOGO light, which makes it look like bubbles are flowing around in a circle giving the dream look. Also, when the actor was tell us his dream, he did not move or open his mouth, giving the audience the outlook that he isn't talking meaning it isn't real. I thought this was very important because it is very hard to show something like that without telling someone straight out and without having to do something extreme. Reading these plays has really made my mind wander and I'm really enjoying it.

Quote-Response-Blog 18

Iago: I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.
Brabantio: Thou art a villain.
Iago: You are- a senator.
Brabantio: This thou shalt answer. I know thee, Roderigo.

I really like this line. Even though this play is extremely hard to follow and extremely hard to read, this line helps the reader connect to the story. When Iago first makes a rude remark, Brabantio says "Thou art a villain," which was sounds like an insult but also a quick reaction to what Iago first said to him. Then Iago comes back with "You are- a senator," which I find to be extremely funny. Just looking at this without looking below to see what it means, the reader should have already understood what was meant by this. These days, it means the same thing as it did back then. I found this to just be very funny and made me understand the play that much more since I was struggling thoughout it to understand it. I had to look below after almost every line to understand the jargon.