At the start of this project it was not extremely clear what we were to do. Before receiving instruction on the project, it was just told to us that the project having to do with this book would be different. As stated earlier in class it would not be an essay. This was because so many essays have already been written on the book Jane Eyre. Therefore this project would be different. One day we were told our project would be a mashup. When hearing these words it is pretty safe to say that everyone looked at each other in a confused way; all most likely thinking what in the world is that. That day we were not exactly told what we were to do. We were only given an example of David Shield's book Reality Hunger. It used the same format that we would use for our mashup. It used outside quotations out of context and then brought them together to bring across a developing idea or point. In the days that followed we were given our instructions. These included the format of how this project needed to be, and also the minimal requirements. Honestly, at this point not all of us were convinced.
When looking at the format that needed to be taken for this project, specifically I was still not sure what needed to be done. I felt that the directions at first were not extremely clear. Then when looking at the minimal requirements, at first I thought it was actually a lot of sources that we needed. Especially a lot of sources from our book and our curriculum. Then only there was some outside sources. But, upon completion of the project, I did realize something else. I do admit that my partner and I used the very minimum amount of sources that we needed. However, there was a direct purpose for this. When we actually gathered sources, we had an ample amount of sources from the book and our curriculum. But, we struggled to find outside sources. This was actually an amazement to me. I thought that those outside sources would be the easiest to find but that proved otherwise. I will comment on our minimum use of sources in a second. First however, I would also like to say something on the formation of our groups. Our groups as much as we were allowed to chose by ourselves, it was clear that some people were overflow because there was not enough room. It was also mentioned that this project was meant to be beneficial when working in a large group. Although I did not work in a large group and it is unfair for me to therefore speak on their behalves, I go the feeling that by having a larger group you needed much more sources and that these sources were extremely hard to come by. That is the impression I got.
These are all the ideas prior to our project and the gathering of sources and so. But, there was also the extremely important part of putting this mashup together. After determining the idea that we wanted to get across, and collecting our sources, we set out to format our mashup. At this point we actually had many different ways that we could go. All these ways were significant and related to the book and the outside world in many ways. However, we could not get over one idea. Our topic was independence and we thought, what if we declared our own independence. In light of the situations all across the world, in the past and actually in the very present, we felt that it would be an interesting task to declare our independence. So we sent out to do so. At the beginning we stated examples, specifically the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. We felt that this was an appropriate place to start, to describe past revolutions and independence. We proceeded to then describe the challenges that have been faced. This is the why for creating this mashup. In the end we firmly stated our independence and our realization of what we have done. That was the most significant part. This was the mashup. Under that we had our sources. One note about the sources, I know that there was a time saving tip that said to do your bibliography at the end. However, the way it worked for us it actually proved quicker that we did the sources as we created the mashup. This is something that we noticed. In the end we signed our document. We signed after the sources because the mashup was supposed to sound as if one voice was speaking. That's what the end provided.
So you may look at our mashup and see that it only uses the minimum amount of sources. This is true. There is nothing to hide about this. While inserting our mashup sources we were in a flow. We got near the end and saw that this would be a perfect place to end. We had many sources still left but where we were we felt as if it was perfect. We then proceeded to count our sources and saw that we were a couple short. We knew that this did not reach the minimum amount of sources so we needed to insert a couple more. Those added at the end were not ideal, we would have like to removed a couple sources actually. But, not to down those sources it was still near perfect. We were extremely satisfied with what we produced. It was concise and to the point of what we wanted to do. We wanted to declare our independence and the way we did it was just perfect. Our choice for a title supports this. This was our Declaration of Independence. Another note is our choice of posting this on a blog. We felt that this format was extremely important and significant. By putting this on a blog it makes it available to the public. This is public. This is for the public to see. By putting this out to the public it can gain support from the public, gaining comments or likes. This is exactly what a declaration like this needs; it needs support. Tangibly, it was also much easier to put this on a blog.
In the end we thought that our mashup turned out real well. At first it was not clear what we were to do or even what we wanted to do. We looked at this project and thought about why we actually had to do it this way. Most of us rather wanted essays. However, after completion of this mashup, I can confidently say that this was a great project. The mashup took a different approach, different from anything I have ever done before. But this was a good thing. It changed the way on how I can look at things now. Plain and simply I also now know what a mashup is. But, overall the process was successful. I wish there may have been more guidance at the beginning, and maybe if we were told about the project before we read the book it may have helped before. But, the way it turned out is perfectly fine. It worked and I enjoyed it. It was successful.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
An Inconvenient Truth: The U.S. Wants World Democracy
When the Cold War started, the two main superpowers, the Soviet Union and the U.S., had opposing viewpoints on the entire world. It is safe to make the argument that the Soviets supported Communist States while the U.S. put all of its support behind Democratic States. Specific examples I will get into later... However, the Cold War is all of 20 years behind us, and the U.S. still maintains the same mentality as during the Cold War. The Soviets do not exist anymore but we still implore the same tactics based on democracy as before. It is my claim that the U.S. wants world democracy and it will stop at nothing short to achieve so.
The Soviet Union, through the Warsaw Pact, created a strong Eastern Block of communist countries loyal to it. In addition to grabbing East Germany, and East Berlin, this is how the U.S.S.R. started its Communist domination. The U.S. throughout the years then held responses in Korea for example where it supported the democratic South Korea, while the Soviets supported the communist North Korea. Another incident was in the Vietnam War. Again, the U.S. supported the democratic South, while the Soviets supported the communist North. In these two cases the communist North both won. However, later on we get to Cuba, where the Soviets supported Cuba and all its actions because it was communist. The U.S. condemns Cuba as a Communist State to this day. Tensions have arose over this. Then we get to Afghanistan. The Soviets invade Afghanistan in an attempt to promote communism there. The U.S. responds by arming the Taliban resistance forces with weaponry. The Taliban prevail, communist dies out, right? Yes, but now the Taliban is killing our soldiers in Afghanistan causing more problems. All of this because of our angst for democracy.
Through these examples during just the Cold War alone, we see that communism always seems to find a way to bite us in the ass. This just makes us want democracy even more. The Cold War ended, and what do we do? We go after more democracy. We go into Iraq to take down a dictatorship and put into place what we want as a democracy. We continue our combat in Afghanistan to go after the forces that we helped arm against the Soviets. We try to undo all the harm that we have already caused in this world, but unfortunately I do not see much good coming from that so far. People say that we must learn from our history but this is completely false. We continue to repeat history, by making the same mistake after mistake and putting ourselves into a deeper hole. No one learns from history. History is just always repeated. This is what leads up to today.
Today there are multiple revolutionary movements in the Middle East and Africa. These revolutions are all trying to overcome a dictatorship and implement a new government, that of a democracy. When hearing this it is an invitation for the U.S. to become involved. But at first the United States balks. There is no response and a neutral position is taken. But time takes over and the U.S. must respond and it does so with a firm stance on democracy. Again. Going after democracy is nothing new for the U.S., it just continues on its old ways. Therefore we are only left to think what is next for the U.S. in this situation in the Middle East. Obviously it will have to do with democracy, but to what extent? Who knows.
It is such a privileged to live in a democratic place such as the U.S. It harms me to think about these places not as fortunate as ours. But what problems me even more is the question that arises due to this. Are not some of these countries better off without our democratic intervention? I do not understand why we as the U.S. go to foreign places, and impose our influences. Some countries are better off without our democracy, and I ask for the name of one country that received our democratic help successfully, without conflict. I hear no answer. This is because whenever we go in with democracy, we come out with more harm then good. This is what I cannot conceive. It irritates me what the U.S. does, and it irritates me more that there is nothing that I can do about it. That is how our democracy works.
The Soviet Union, through the Warsaw Pact, created a strong Eastern Block of communist countries loyal to it. In addition to grabbing East Germany, and East Berlin, this is how the U.S.S.R. started its Communist domination. The U.S. throughout the years then held responses in Korea for example where it supported the democratic South Korea, while the Soviets supported the communist North Korea. Another incident was in the Vietnam War. Again, the U.S. supported the democratic South, while the Soviets supported the communist North. In these two cases the communist North both won. However, later on we get to Cuba, where the Soviets supported Cuba and all its actions because it was communist. The U.S. condemns Cuba as a Communist State to this day. Tensions have arose over this. Then we get to Afghanistan. The Soviets invade Afghanistan in an attempt to promote communism there. The U.S. responds by arming the Taliban resistance forces with weaponry. The Taliban prevail, communist dies out, right? Yes, but now the Taliban is killing our soldiers in Afghanistan causing more problems. All of this because of our angst for democracy.
Through these examples during just the Cold War alone, we see that communism always seems to find a way to bite us in the ass. This just makes us want democracy even more. The Cold War ended, and what do we do? We go after more democracy. We go into Iraq to take down a dictatorship and put into place what we want as a democracy. We continue our combat in Afghanistan to go after the forces that we helped arm against the Soviets. We try to undo all the harm that we have already caused in this world, but unfortunately I do not see much good coming from that so far. People say that we must learn from our history but this is completely false. We continue to repeat history, by making the same mistake after mistake and putting ourselves into a deeper hole. No one learns from history. History is just always repeated. This is what leads up to today.
Today there are multiple revolutionary movements in the Middle East and Africa. These revolutions are all trying to overcome a dictatorship and implement a new government, that of a democracy. When hearing this it is an invitation for the U.S. to become involved. But at first the United States balks. There is no response and a neutral position is taken. But time takes over and the U.S. must respond and it does so with a firm stance on democracy. Again. Going after democracy is nothing new for the U.S., it just continues on its old ways. Therefore we are only left to think what is next for the U.S. in this situation in the Middle East. Obviously it will have to do with democracy, but to what extent? Who knows.
It is such a privileged to live in a democratic place such as the U.S. It harms me to think about these places not as fortunate as ours. But what problems me even more is the question that arises due to this. Are not some of these countries better off without our democratic intervention? I do not understand why we as the U.S. go to foreign places, and impose our influences. Some countries are better off without our democracy, and I ask for the name of one country that received our democratic help successfully, without conflict. I hear no answer. This is because whenever we go in with democracy, we come out with more harm then good. This is what I cannot conceive. It irritates me what the U.S. does, and it irritates me more that there is nothing that I can do about it. That is how our democracy works.
Monday, April 11, 2011
360 Degrees: Government Shutdown
Upon recent weeks, one of the main political issues that have been circling around is the potential government shutdown. Through recent time, a growing concern within our nation has to do with the large national debt and large government spending. This directly stems from our budget deficit which directly correlates with the potential government shut down. The reason why the government would shut down is because it would not have a new budget. The current budget is soon to run out and there is no budget in place. This has caused a problem that for the short term has just been resolved; however it took time and effort to look at all potential problems with this issue.
The first issue that this possible government shutdown has to do with is the budget issue. As said before, for many years our nation’s budget deficit has been continuously accumulating to insurmountable levels. It seems impossible to recover from such a deficit. But, it has come from years of abusing our budget. It has been from overspending in one area to another, but we can never see where we do not need the money. We as Americans just keep on spending. It leads to the questions, where can we make budget cuts? And, should we make these budget cuts? These are questions that need to be addressed and answered by our politicians.
Speaking of politicians, another issue leading to a possible government shutdown is the divide between Republicans and Democrats. Throughout politics, this has been an extremely strong divide. This divide has not allowed for much bipartisan collaboration on such serious issues where both sides have opposing viewpoints. This seems like one of those cases. Democrats do not want to cut spending in areas such as education, public services, and newly implemented government projects; however they do see possible cutbacks in defense. Republicans on the other hand want to cut spending and even cancel some of the new projects, but eagerly opposed defense cuts. Seeing this divide previously, it is expected that this divide would come up when talking about budget cuts, but never so seriously.
What is striking in this case is that the government is one step from shutting down all its non-essential aspects. This is shocking but it is not completely uncommon. Although a complete government shutdown has not happened, under the Clinton Administration there was a brief shutdown of some non-essential parts of the government for a short period of time. As you guessed it, it was over a budget deficit. Unfortunately, we have not learned from our mistakes and this issue regarding our budget and deficit lingers leading to the unfortunate case of a possible shutdown.
It is quite obvious and horrendous what a government shutdown would do. It would in some way or another disrupt the lives of every America. Fortunately, our Senators and Representatives recently decided on a new budget that will last till 2012. This does solve the problem in the short term, but it just makes us worry about it in the future; that is not a solution. It brings up the question how can our government actually solve this problem? Unfortunately it has never answered that question for the problem continues. We have a problem on our hands, but we do not have to deal with a government shutdown till 2012 possibly. What does this lead us to believe?
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Dialectics: Sports and Off-Season
As an athlete, I always put in my best effort while playing. However, the effort that you put up on the field often has to be subsidized by the effort put up off the field. Sometimes you must put in more effort off the field than on. Ideally, the effort on and off is equal, but it is astronomical. That is only ideally. In reality, what is often seen is that athletes only put in the effort on the field because that is all they think that matters. That is not to say everyone does that. Professional athletes put in insurmountable effort off the field just so they can succeed when actually playing. However, not all of us are professional athletes. There must be a balance between the two that needs to be found in order to succeed.
Athletes generally think that the most important aspect of what they do is their performances while playing the game. For professional athletes, all we see is their effort on television while playing their respective games. Many kids grow up with the ideology that only the effort put up on the field counts. This is due to what they see. As much as this is true, non of the athletes on television got to where they are now without the effort put up off the field. All the days prior to playing they have to work hard in whatever they are doing. The saying "practice makes perfect" is true. All athletes must practice hard and put in each days worth of hard work to achieve something great. Non of the athletes in today's world would be where they currently are without all the hard work and practice put in in the past.
When talking about the hard work put in in the off-season, this does not necessarily mean practicing the same thing over and over again. For example, if you are a soccer player, your hard work in the off-season should not only be the practice you put in playing soccer with the ball. It is important and should not be over looked. You still need to practice what you do to a degree. But there is another area that needs the effort put into it. This can be athletic training such as strength or cardiovascular training. Most athletes that want to succeed will need to put in this type of effort to get better. While working out, I have often heard my friends say, "working hard or hardly working?" I have overlooked this until this point. That hard work that is put in in the weight room is significant to success. Many people overlook it at hardly work, but it is important not to do so. You must always work hard to then succeed while actually playing.
It is evident that hard work and practice translates into the performance on the field. It can easily be transferable to any sport that any individual plays. The best example is from our school. It is obvious that our volleyball program does not breed the tallest players. It has been dug into us day after day. But, we do everything we can to overcome this, and we have proven to be a successful program. We are told be must become better, faster, and stronger. You get better by practicing, you get faster by working on your foot speed, and you get stronger by working out. Jokingly, it is often said we need to get taller but unfortunately if there was a way we would have already found it. Anyways, those three words that have been repeated to us are necessary to our success. All that effort comes through the off-season. It is then where you succeed. Without the off-season, no work would ever translate into the success that is actually seen during the season. The two go hand in hand to achieve success.
Athletes generally think that the most important aspect of what they do is their performances while playing the game. For professional athletes, all we see is their effort on television while playing their respective games. Many kids grow up with the ideology that only the effort put up on the field counts. This is due to what they see. As much as this is true, non of the athletes on television got to where they are now without the effort put up off the field. All the days prior to playing they have to work hard in whatever they are doing. The saying "practice makes perfect" is true. All athletes must practice hard and put in each days worth of hard work to achieve something great. Non of the athletes in today's world would be where they currently are without all the hard work and practice put in in the past.
When talking about the hard work put in in the off-season, this does not necessarily mean practicing the same thing over and over again. For example, if you are a soccer player, your hard work in the off-season should not only be the practice you put in playing soccer with the ball. It is important and should not be over looked. You still need to practice what you do to a degree. But there is another area that needs the effort put into it. This can be athletic training such as strength or cardiovascular training. Most athletes that want to succeed will need to put in this type of effort to get better. While working out, I have often heard my friends say, "working hard or hardly working?" I have overlooked this until this point. That hard work that is put in in the weight room is significant to success. Many people overlook it at hardly work, but it is important not to do so. You must always work hard to then succeed while actually playing.
It is evident that hard work and practice translates into the performance on the field. It can easily be transferable to any sport that any individual plays. The best example is from our school. It is obvious that our volleyball program does not breed the tallest players. It has been dug into us day after day. But, we do everything we can to overcome this, and we have proven to be a successful program. We are told be must become better, faster, and stronger. You get better by practicing, you get faster by working on your foot speed, and you get stronger by working out. Jokingly, it is often said we need to get taller but unfortunately if there was a way we would have already found it. Anyways, those three words that have been repeated to us are necessary to our success. All that effort comes through the off-season. It is then where you succeed. Without the off-season, no work would ever translate into the success that is actually seen during the season. The two go hand in hand to achieve success.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Captured Thought: Apple
Just last week Apple released its new and improved Ipad 2. Upon release, it is Apples newest gadget that attempts to propel the company forwards. Before going forward, it should be noted that I am not the biggest fan of Apple. Regarding computers, I completely despise Macs. I am a PC. However, Apple must be given credit for its production of the Ipod which changed the way we listened to music forever. I have to say, I do own an Ipod, but who doesn't. In the next few moments I will take you back and include the history of Apple and its success and where that success lies. Additionally, I will add my thoughts on what I really do think of Apple.
Apple started in the spring of 1976. At that time it produced its first computer kit. But, it wasn't until 1984 the Apple released its first Mac computer. Considering inflation, today it would have cost around $5000. A price so large for a product that compared to today's standards is astonishing. It was here that Apple's stock rose. However, at the same time Microsoft and IBM were producing their own products at fractions of the cost, and as a result Apple's stock soon feel. At the time it did produce its first PDA and portable computer which they would not know would be part of their successful future.
It was in 1998 that the first IMac came out. The all inclusive desktop computer immediately skyrocketed sales. It was this type of computer that would hold to be part of the future of Apple. The next step of success came when Apple decided to open its own stored. Originally their products were only sold in the typical electronic stores. But they opened a store in California and have grown from then on. This was one of the greater decisions made by Apple, to open its own store. With the desktop computer, Apple then came out with its MacBook laptop in 2006. Currently, Apple generates most of its profit from laptop sales. Third on the list is desktop computer sale. Apple was always going to be based on its computer sales, but it saw opportunities elsewhere and jumped on them with success.
Going back, in 2001 Apple unveiled its most successful product to date, the Ipod. The Ipod transformed the way people listened to music. But to Apple it did more than that; it generated all the money. Apple sales skyrocketed. This was one of the greatest inventions of all time which has to have credit given to Apple. Without the Ipod, music would not be the music we listen to today, and Apple would not be apple. Apple would go on to introduce the Iphone which I count to be similar to the Ipod, and also introduced in 2003 was Itunes. As much as people use Itunes today, monetarily it is actually the least profitable aspect of Apple. However, if Apple wants to continue selling the Ipod, it will need to provide its consumers with the music as well.
So here we are today. Apple has seen so much success throughout its history. It is in their nature to continue producing products that attempt to revolutionize us. That is exactly what Apple attempted to do with the Ipad. Now we have the Ipad 2. In criticism to Apple, is it really necessary to come out with products in rapid succession? It seems as people just bought number 1 and now there is a number 2. This is one thing that I will not understand soon about technology. Additionally, I have heard of the multiple flaws with the product. Although it is unfair, and incorrect for me to criticize without using the product, mounting reviews are the source of my comment. Additionally, there are far more tablets on the market now for the fraction of the price of the Ipad, and that have far greater capabilities. In retrospect, I will not be turning over to the Mac side anytime soon. I will still be a PC. My 2005 Ipod is enough, as well as it should be for multiple people. Kudos to Apple for being where it is today, but really?
Apple started in the spring of 1976. At that time it produced its first computer kit. But, it wasn't until 1984 the Apple released its first Mac computer. Considering inflation, today it would have cost around $5000. A price so large for a product that compared to today's standards is astonishing. It was here that Apple's stock rose. However, at the same time Microsoft and IBM were producing their own products at fractions of the cost, and as a result Apple's stock soon feel. At the time it did produce its first PDA and portable computer which they would not know would be part of their successful future.
It was in 1998 that the first IMac came out. The all inclusive desktop computer immediately skyrocketed sales. It was this type of computer that would hold to be part of the future of Apple. The next step of success came when Apple decided to open its own stored. Originally their products were only sold in the typical electronic stores. But they opened a store in California and have grown from then on. This was one of the greater decisions made by Apple, to open its own store. With the desktop computer, Apple then came out with its MacBook laptop in 2006. Currently, Apple generates most of its profit from laptop sales. Third on the list is desktop computer sale. Apple was always going to be based on its computer sales, but it saw opportunities elsewhere and jumped on them with success.
Going back, in 2001 Apple unveiled its most successful product to date, the Ipod. The Ipod transformed the way people listened to music. But to Apple it did more than that; it generated all the money. Apple sales skyrocketed. This was one of the greatest inventions of all time which has to have credit given to Apple. Without the Ipod, music would not be the music we listen to today, and Apple would not be apple. Apple would go on to introduce the Iphone which I count to be similar to the Ipod, and also introduced in 2003 was Itunes. As much as people use Itunes today, monetarily it is actually the least profitable aspect of Apple. However, if Apple wants to continue selling the Ipod, it will need to provide its consumers with the music as well.
So here we are today. Apple has seen so much success throughout its history. It is in their nature to continue producing products that attempt to revolutionize us. That is exactly what Apple attempted to do with the Ipad. Now we have the Ipad 2. In criticism to Apple, is it really necessary to come out with products in rapid succession? It seems as people just bought number 1 and now there is a number 2. This is one thing that I will not understand soon about technology. Additionally, I have heard of the multiple flaws with the product. Although it is unfair, and incorrect for me to criticize without using the product, mounting reviews are the source of my comment. Additionally, there are far more tablets on the market now for the fraction of the price of the Ipad, and that have far greater capabilities. In retrospect, I will not be turning over to the Mac side anytime soon. I will still be a PC. My 2005 Ipod is enough, as well as it should be for multiple people. Kudos to Apple for being where it is today, but really?
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Best of Week: Epiphany
We live day by day not knowing what our future holds for us. We may not even realize what our purpose here on earth is. Truthfully, no one knows for sure what their purpose in life is. However, some people do have some insights. When that realizations is something that is so great, so sudden, such an intuitive insight, it can be considered an epiphany. In class this week we discussed what an epiphany is. It is a great realization far beyond the simple degree.
At first without any consideration of meaning, when I heard the word epiphany in class I immediately thought of the Christian feast holiday of the Epiphany. This is a feast is a commemoration of the "appearance" of Christ. But immediately after thinking about this, the class made it clear that we were talking about epiphany as an intuitive insight into something. It is not until further reflection that I made a connection between the feast day Epiphany and the actual word epiphany. The holiday is based on the "appearance" of Christ. The word is used to describe a realization. However this realization is something so sudden that it "appears". Whether an epiphany is something that "appears" to be true or suddenly "appears" is still something that i have not concluded upon. However, I definitely made a significant connection between the two when looking deeper into it.
My realization of this here is not an epiphany, it is too small to be so. In fact, I have not yet had my epiphany. I have not had my one great realization of my life. This may be embedded in what my purpose of life will be. Looking at it now, I still do not know what I want to do later in my life. According to my Plan Test I am supposed to be a cop, you know how that will turn out... But without being so cynical about it, I am still in the process of thinking what my future will hold for me. I am waiting for my epiphany. Until that moment, I do not know what my future will hold for me in the slightest idea.
At first without any consideration of meaning, when I heard the word epiphany in class I immediately thought of the Christian feast holiday of the Epiphany. This is a feast is a commemoration of the "appearance" of Christ. But immediately after thinking about this, the class made it clear that we were talking about epiphany as an intuitive insight into something. It is not until further reflection that I made a connection between the feast day Epiphany and the actual word epiphany. The holiday is based on the "appearance" of Christ. The word is used to describe a realization. However this realization is something so sudden that it "appears". Whether an epiphany is something that "appears" to be true or suddenly "appears" is still something that i have not concluded upon. However, I definitely made a significant connection between the two when looking deeper into it.
My realization of this here is not an epiphany, it is too small to be so. In fact, I have not yet had my epiphany. I have not had my one great realization of my life. This may be embedded in what my purpose of life will be. Looking at it now, I still do not know what I want to do later in my life. According to my Plan Test I am supposed to be a cop, you know how that will turn out... But without being so cynical about it, I am still in the process of thinking what my future will hold for me. I am waiting for my epiphany. Until that moment, I do not know what my future will hold for me in the slightest idea.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Connection: Poetry and the State of the Union Address
Poetry is a way to use language and words to get a specific meaning across to the reader. The use of language in a poem is extremely significant. It can bring across a specific type of feeling. Language can be the most powerful thing. However, what also makes poetry is its form. Form is content. This is a specific idea we observed earlier this year in class. It was more deeply exemplified in our current study of poetry. All of these thing directly relate to one event in the United States just a week ago. That is the State of the Union address made by President Obama. President Obama used many tactics that also apply to poetry in his address.
When President Obama made his address there was an extremely surprising thing involving the members of congress that attended this speech. That is that the members of Congress both democrats and republicans were siting together. Obama made this comment, "What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow". Obama uses syntax here when saying this. He orders his words in an extremely interesting way. Syntax is a huge portion of poetry. Seeing that Obama used this throughout his speech connects it to poetry. The speaker and situation within this speech was also significant. Obama was speaking to what seemed for a moment to be a unified congress. But, more importantly he was delivering a State of the Union address to the people of the United States. Obama must have acknowledged this so he would know what to include in his speech. This is an important aspect of poetry. The writer must identify his audience on what he is writing about. Additionally, Obama used a professional structure when he wrote this speech and then delivered it to the people. He knew exactly what he needed to cover in his speech and structured it so that nothing that he wanted would be left out. Structure is what makes poetry. Without it, pertinent information is not received by the reader. This is also true about the speech. What was important was included, what was not was not. It speaks to how important structure is in so many forms of writing.
In a way, Obama's State of the Union address is an act of poetry. He uses many aspects included in poetry to execute his address. A more close examination of his speech reveals many tactics used by poets within their own writing. It can be said that Obama is a poet writing his poem, the State of the Union address. Looking at his address as a work of poetry is significant because it reveals many subtle aspects that would not otherwise. These can speak to the true meaning of his address. Poetry is all around us. Everything in some way or form includes aspects of poetry. The State of the Union address is a work of poetry.
A full transcript of the State of the Union address:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/us/politics/26obama-text.html
When President Obama made his address there was an extremely surprising thing involving the members of congress that attended this speech. That is that the members of Congress both democrats and republicans were siting together. Obama made this comment, "What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow". Obama uses syntax here when saying this. He orders his words in an extremely interesting way. Syntax is a huge portion of poetry. Seeing that Obama used this throughout his speech connects it to poetry. The speaker and situation within this speech was also significant. Obama was speaking to what seemed for a moment to be a unified congress. But, more importantly he was delivering a State of the Union address to the people of the United States. Obama must have acknowledged this so he would know what to include in his speech. This is an important aspect of poetry. The writer must identify his audience on what he is writing about. Additionally, Obama used a professional structure when he wrote this speech and then delivered it to the people. He knew exactly what he needed to cover in his speech and structured it so that nothing that he wanted would be left out. Structure is what makes poetry. Without it, pertinent information is not received by the reader. This is also true about the speech. What was important was included, what was not was not. It speaks to how important structure is in so many forms of writing.
In a way, Obama's State of the Union address is an act of poetry. He uses many aspects included in poetry to execute his address. A more close examination of his speech reveals many tactics used by poets within their own writing. It can be said that Obama is a poet writing his poem, the State of the Union address. Looking at his address as a work of poetry is significant because it reveals many subtle aspects that would not otherwise. These can speak to the true meaning of his address. Poetry is all around us. Everything in some way or form includes aspects of poetry. The State of the Union address is a work of poetry.
A full transcript of the State of the Union address:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/us/politics/26obama-text.html
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