Hey everybody,
A few things came up in office hours today that I'd like to clear up. So...
1) A number of you were worried that if you decided to write on one of the poems, you might "get it wrong," since your interpretation or reading of the poem wouldn't be the same one Claudia or I might come up with. As far as we're concerned, there is no right or wrong way to read a poem (or the Nietzsche or Freud, for that matter). Lots of people have come up with different interpretations of everything we've read in class up to this point, some of which are quite different from the ones we've been laying out. You are more than welcome, if not outright encouraged, to do some digging and figure out what you think any of the poems or essays mean. Be creative. Be bold. Be original. We don't care if your readings accord with ours - in fact, we'd be thrilled to learn something new.
What you do want to do, however, is be smart. And that means you need to back up your reading with evidence from the poems. That is to say, a less convincing reading isn't necessarily one that disagrees with either of our interpretations (even the ones we've been working through in class), but one that isn't supported by the poems themselves. There are no right or wrong answers here, but there are more or less convincing readings - your job is not get things "right" but to be persuasive. By all means disagree with me (or Claudia!), but make sure that when you do you support your argument with actual evidence.
2) If you're going to choose option #3, you should feel free to use almost any of the poems we've given out. I say "almost" because I've decided to not let people write about Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken." Despite all I said above about there being no right or wrong readings, to my mind the quite common interpretation of the poem - that the poem celebrates choosing the less conventional option - is absolutely incorrect. By which I mean that it's not supported at all by the poem itself (for what it's worth, Frost himself called that poem "a wolf in sheep's clothing"). Since we didn't discuss that poem in class, I'd be very worried that this common interpretation would be the one you worked with. Which would be a problem. So choose any poem (how about "The Innocence"?) but that one.
Good luck!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
WRITING ANALYTICALLY Exercise 2.4. shazzam!
1a) Fewer Americans walk through neighborhoods.
1b) Perhaps more American homeowners just don't want people walking in front of their property.
1c) Form over function: sidewalks don't enhance curb appeal.
2a) Families value togetherness.
2b) House designers cater to this trend by incorporaing kitchens, living rooms, and family rooms into blueprints.
2c) Family members want to spend time not only with each other but also with guests. Living rooms by front doors provide an ideal space for entertaining.
3a) When it comes to coexistence, privacy begets harmony.
3b) Robert Frost valued privacy.
3c) The frustration that the ladies of Room 205 experience when I barge in unannounced is reflected in Frost’s remark.
4a) An anatomical reason explains why men have trouble expressing their feelings: compared to women, men have fewer connections between the part of the brain that is responsible for emotions and the part that is responsible for communication.
4b) Women can verbalize emotions and reasoning more readily than men can.
4c) If this trait is based on gender, and, if gender has a genetic basis, then this trait must also have a genetic basis.
5a) More and more American courts are applying the lens used to evaluate crimes committed by mature adults to crimes committed by maturing juveniles.
5b) A young defendant’s age and inexperience cannot preclude her conviction.
5c) More adults serve sentences for crimes they committed as juveniles because, supposedly, the actions of juveniles are directly comparable to the actions of adults.
6a) Most juveniles have underdeveloped capacities for judgment and impulse control.
6b) American courts should consider this limitation when resolving the fate of a juvenile defendant.
6c) It may also be implied that, once a person’s frontal cortex is fully developed, that person is responsible for all her actions.
7a) Women tend to make their commands appear less aggressive by voicing commands as they voice questions.
7b) Younger men have begun to speak like women, and the line that distinguishes stereotypically male and female traits has been blurred.
7c) As these younger men age, the demographic of men who exhibit this stereotypically female tendency will extend to older men.
8a) It’s easy for shoppers to lose track of time.
8b) Store managers want customers to ignore time, shop for longer periods, and make more unplanned purchases.
8c) Since stores rarely have clocks, employees must use other timepieces—watches and cell phones, for instance—to keep track of time.
<3
-- ok, it's not letting me copy-and-paste so now I have to re-type all of mine in this blog! ah
2) If kitchen is not separated from the rest of house could imply that food needs to be closer to other living habitations. Could contribute to Americans watching TV more and more and want to be able to eat and watch TV at same time. If watching more TV, taking away from family time and if spend less family quality time, the family support system will not be very strong and could lead to children being less efficient in growing up because of lack of support and family community. Also if closer to other rooms, that means a person doesn't have to walk that far to food which means two things: there not walking as much to get to the food and they made be eating more food because it is more readily available. This can also lead to obesity!
3) Could imply you have a responsible, good-minded neighbor if they take the initiative to put up a good fence or take care of their fence. You would also be suggesting that the way a person handles their things represents who they are as a person. Could also suggest that a good fence means that it is one that keeps neighbors out of your space, meaning that "good neighbors" are ones who don't bother you. Therefore the fence would act as a barrier....not sure where else to go with this
4) First thing I want to say is how does this person know this? If it's scientific information, than it implies that females are more able to express their emotions than males. And if true, males have and excuse to be disabled of expressing their emotions. If men have an excuse for this, then maybe they won't even try to talk out their emotions and if men do that, women will go crazy!
5) Could be saying that culture is getting more violent and therefore younger people have the ability and capability to commit "adult" crimes. Could also be suggesting that TV culture is affecting reality. A lot of teens watch TV now a days and there's a lot of violence on TV. TV could be affecting how we act in society (this is actually proven!) Also could be saying courts want to convict people of more crimes. Are they suggesting that children can commit adult crimes when their brain isn't even fully developed?
6)Haha what I just said! Can someone really be tried of a crime when they don't have a brain of an adult yet? If more kids are getting convicted, then more kids are in jail. Jail becomes more of a reality for a kid. Kids will experience the unpleasantness of jail that could affect them for the rest of their lives. This could make them even more violent than before. They will not get taught proper coping skills and will not be properly enforced in jail while their brain is still developing. Therefore what ever they get taught in jail could permanently affect them for the rest of their lives.
7)Giving a question sound to a statement implies the person isn't really confident in the statement they're saying. Implies lack of trust to whomever the person is directing statement to. Also statement the statement said if said by a women sound a lot like a mom talking to her child. So if men are saying more statements like that, then maybe they're are beginning to stay at home more often now than constantly having to work all the time and therefore participatin more in the family which will build stronger families which will make people happier! maybe more dads are becoming stay-at-home dads (yayee!)
8)Shopping malls and grocery stores don't want you to leave! They want you to stay longer so you will buy more things, if you buy more things, you're not only reinforcing the store but also buying things that you possibly don't need that you could be spending on things you really do need or if you have extra money you could give it to someone who really is in need! Though having no clocks in stores could have a backfiring affect in the sense if people get too tired and dehydrated while shopping because they lose track of time they could not want to go to stores anymore because of this occurance.
Exercise 2.4
I forgot to post my answers on the blog-- hope this isn't too late.
Exercise 2.4
1. New housing development don’t see sidewalks as a priority.
Sidewalks are no longer seen as a necessity.
Sidewalks may now be considered obsolete: people may start driving more and walking less.
2.Because of an increase in their design, living rooms and family rooms seem to be popular among home buyers.
Families may prefer eating together in the family room, which is closer to the kitchen, than the living room, which is closer to the front door.
Guests may use the living room because it is close to the front door.
3. People relish the privacy of their homes.
Robert Frost valued fences highly, perhaps for its ability to prevent intrusion.
Robert Frost had fences.
4.Females are better fit to express emotions verbally than men are.
When talking, females tend to connect emotions to words more so than men do.
Men may be less inclined to emote in a conversation.
5. Minors may be committing crimes severe enough to warrant adult sentences.
The American judicial system may be flawed on the account that minors, who are by definition, not adults, are increasingly tried and convicted as adults.
The magnitude of the crime takes precedence over age.
6. Minors should not be sentenced as adults because until the age of twenty-one, the part of the brain which is responsible for judgement and impulse control is not yet fully developed.
The American judicial system may be flawed on the account that minors, who have brains which are physically more prone to committing crime than adult’s brains, are increasingly tried and convicted as adults.
There is also another flaw in the fact that those who are 18 and 19 years of age are also considered adults.
7. Many women may not identify well with authoritative positions.
The similarity in speech may indicate a newfound familiarity among men and women.
Men under the age of 30 may be in environments where declarative statements and command forms are not prevalent.
8. Shopping malls and grocery stores don’t feel the need to tell their customers the time while they shop.
Shopping malls and grocery stores want to keep their customers occupied with shopping; knowing the time may threaten or shorten that.
Shopping malls and grocery stores want your money and are greedy.
-Bryan h
Exercise 2.4
1. New housing development don’t see sidewalks as a priority.
Sidewalks are no longer seen as a necessity.
Sidewalks may now be considered obsolete: people may start driving more and walking less.
2.Because of an increase in their design, living rooms and family rooms seem to be popular among home buyers.
Families may prefer eating together in the family room, which is closer to the kitchen, than the living room, which is closer to the front door.
Guests may use the living room because it is close to the front door.
3. People relish the privacy of their homes.
Robert Frost valued fences highly, perhaps for its ability to prevent intrusion.
Robert Frost had fences.
4.Females are better fit to express emotions verbally than men are.
When talking, females tend to connect emotions to words more so than men do.
Men may be less inclined to emote in a conversation.
5. Minors may be committing crimes severe enough to warrant adult sentences.
The American judicial system may be flawed on the account that minors, who are by definition, not adults, are increasingly tried and convicted as adults.
The magnitude of the crime takes precedence over age.
6. Minors should not be sentenced as adults because until the age of twenty-one, the part of the brain which is responsible for judgement and impulse control is not yet fully developed.
The American judicial system may be flawed on the account that minors, who have brains which are physically more prone to committing crime than adult’s brains, are increasingly tried and convicted as adults.
There is also another flaw in the fact that those who are 18 and 19 years of age are also considered adults.
7. Many women may not identify well with authoritative positions.
The similarity in speech may indicate a newfound familiarity among men and women.
Men under the age of 30 may be in environments where declarative statements and command forms are not prevalent.
8. Shopping malls and grocery stores don’t feel the need to tell their customers the time while they shop.
Shopping malls and grocery stores want to keep their customers occupied with shopping; knowing the time may threaten or shorten that.
Shopping malls and grocery stores want your money and are greedy.
-Bryan h
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
PDF Writing Analytically
Here you will find a link to a pdf file of some pages of writing analytically. See you tomorrow. Claudia
A copy of the hw assignment, scanned.
Apparently some people don't have the fourth edition so I thought I would scan it.
Implications HW
Charles
Inferring Implications from Observations
1.
Some parts of the American way as we know it is slipping away.
New housing developments are more concerned about their profit margin than their customers.
Sidewalks were once integral to the ideal American residential landscape.
2.
The average family or home buyer values having some sort of central or at least attached, kitchen.
A living room is more for display and entertaining guests, while a family room, with its more intimate size, is for the permanent residents.
The family room might be where the family gathers after a meal.
3.
Very few, if any, people like intruders, even perhaps acquaintances on their private property.
Part of being a good neighbor may include minding your own business.
Robert Frost despised his neighbors, maybe they were loud at night, or maybe they had kids who ran in his backyard.
4.
The female brain is better able to connect emotions and spatial reasoning into words.
The male brain is inferior because most people would like to be able to improve communicating emotions and reasoning verbally.
Women are better in cognitive faculties than men.
5.
The American court system is flawed because people who aren’t adults are being tried as adults.
Teenagers who commit crimes cannot be held in the same moral obligation as adults.
Either crime is on the rise or more juveniles are committing crimes so heinous that it would cause a judge to believe the defendant must be seen as adult, for the good of the people.
6.
Juveniles should not be tried as adults because biologically, their brains are not developed, especially in the area of judgment making and controlling impulses.
If anything, the current trend for lowering the age for which a teenager can be considered an adult, should be reversed because the human brain is not fully developed even at the age of 18.
An undeveloped segment of the brain means that it does not function, and people who hit their temples really hard might not be rational or have restraint.
7.
Women may have a tendency to confused other people because what appears at first to be a seemingly innocuous question is actually a command.
Men under 30 are mimicking a speech pattern usually found in women, or younger men talk like women.
We must diagnose a solution to an old linguistic tendency that until recently, was not a problem.
8.
Shopping malls and grocery stores want to take your money, so they don’t remind you how long you’ve spent inside.
Shopping malls and grocery stores are owned and managed by the same type of greedy people.
Strategic managers are able to reduce costs, boost sales, and increase the volume of consumers, all in one.
Inferring Implications from Observations
1.
Some parts of the American way as we know it is slipping away.
New housing developments are more concerned about their profit margin than their customers.
Sidewalks were once integral to the ideal American residential landscape.
2.
The average family or home buyer values having some sort of central or at least attached, kitchen.
A living room is more for display and entertaining guests, while a family room, with its more intimate size, is for the permanent residents.
The family room might be where the family gathers after a meal.
3.
Very few, if any, people like intruders, even perhaps acquaintances on their private property.
Part of being a good neighbor may include minding your own business.
Robert Frost despised his neighbors, maybe they were loud at night, or maybe they had kids who ran in his backyard.
4.
The female brain is better able to connect emotions and spatial reasoning into words.
The male brain is inferior because most people would like to be able to improve communicating emotions and reasoning verbally.
Women are better in cognitive faculties than men.
5.
The American court system is flawed because people who aren’t adults are being tried as adults.
Teenagers who commit crimes cannot be held in the same moral obligation as adults.
Either crime is on the rise or more juveniles are committing crimes so heinous that it would cause a judge to believe the defendant must be seen as adult, for the good of the people.
6.
Juveniles should not be tried as adults because biologically, their brains are not developed, especially in the area of judgment making and controlling impulses.
If anything, the current trend for lowering the age for which a teenager can be considered an adult, should be reversed because the human brain is not fully developed even at the age of 18.
An undeveloped segment of the brain means that it does not function, and people who hit their temples really hard might not be rational or have restraint.
7.
Women may have a tendency to confused other people because what appears at first to be a seemingly innocuous question is actually a command.
Men under 30 are mimicking a speech pattern usually found in women, or younger men talk like women.
We must diagnose a solution to an old linguistic tendency that until recently, was not a problem.
8.
Shopping malls and grocery stores want to take your money, so they don’t remind you how long you’ve spent inside.
Shopping malls and grocery stores are owned and managed by the same type of greedy people.
Strategic managers are able to reduce costs, boost sales, and increase the volume of consumers, all in one.
Please forgive any formatting errors. I do not seem to be able to get the numbering system to work. Does any one know how to fix that problem.
Ritwik
Exercise 2.4
1) There were different requirements from the township to the developers in the past.
Sidewalks are a necessity and the loss of these sidewalks is deplorable.
Housing developers are unwilling to build sidewalks.
2) Family rooms require privacy and comfort as they are close to the kitchen but far from the door.
Living room is now used for entertaining guests.
Old house designs had every room fenced off.
3) Beings outside need to be kept off ones land and beings inside the fence should not get out.
Neighbors prefer to maintain a degree of separation between the two living areas.
Robert Frost supported the above viewpoints.
4) Female are more prone to using emotions when talking.
Males are prone to keeping emotion out of their conversation.
There are major differences in male and female behaviors.
5) Minors should not be convicted as adults for committing crimes.
Most countries other than America do not follow the same practices.
The age of 18 is an appropriate age for assuming responsibility for one.
6) People only become responsible at the age of 21.
People under 21, cannot be held completely responsible for their crimes.
The development of the frontal cortex brings about responsible behavior.
7) Young men are becoming less confident when giving orders.
Women use rising inflections because they wish to form the statement as a question and not an order.
Women have been less confident when giving orders for a long time.
8) Clocks are a necessity in grocery stores and shopping malls.
The lack of clocks in grocery stores and shopping malls is a common phenomenon all over the world.
The grocery stores and shopping malls do not follow a strict time schedule.
Poems for Thursday
Hey everybody,
Here are the poems for tomorrow (Thursday). I doubt we'll be able to get to all of them, or probably even most of them, by tomorrow, but I certainly encourage you to write papers about any that may happen to grab you.
poems
(link should cause you to download a word document)
Here are the poems for tomorrow (Thursday). I doubt we'll be able to get to all of them, or probably even most of them, by tomorrow, but I certainly encourage you to write papers about any that may happen to grab you.
poems
(link should cause you to download a word document)
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