Final but not Finished

I have to say, overall this class has been very informative. I have been able to follow along with what has been asked of us and understand as to why we are being asked to do it, I can only hope that everyone else's Senior Seminar class is this great. Besides learning a great deal from this class, I was able to make friends that i hope will be around for sometime. And the connections I have had with everyone and the professor in this class has been great, I could not have asked for a better experience or a better way to end my final semester here at CSUN. I hope that Professor Wexler will continue to teach for many years to come so that others students will be able to get the same experiences that I have had with him.

Overall each section of this course has helped me to see that just because I learned something two years ago, it doesn't mean  that I wont have to use the same skills gain in my life. I have learned how to access my prior knowledge in order to complete some of our tasks, as well as to refresh my memory so that I could complete anything else that was being asked of me. Although I found the poetry section the most confusing and complex, after I wrote a sonnet myself, I have come to better understand their meaning and function. Writing poetry has been the best way for me to ever understand what other authors are trying to say, but i never thought that i could write a sonnet, but I can and I did. Thank you Professor Wexler.

Lost in Living

What does it mean to be lost in translation? It is not just being lost in country unlike your own and surrounded by a language you do not understand. It is about being lost in the world and trying to find your own place within it, a place where you belong. The place doesn’t have to be one of a particular location; it can be a connection one has with another person in the same situation. Lost in Translation is not a film just about being lost in language and miscommunication between cultures, but also between people in one’s own surroundings; one does not have to go to another country to be lost in what is being said and done around them, it is easy to get lost in what others are doing and while trying to find a place that they fit into.

First thing one will notice about the film Lost in Translation by Sophia Coppola is the miscommunication that is found between Bob Harris, Charlotte, and the people they are surrounded by. The fact that Sophia Coppola has filmed the movie in Tokyo, surrounded in a language that the main characters do not understand is an idea that was perfectly executed. Bob and Charlotte are lost in the culture and language around them while all they are trying to do is find themselves. Had the film taken place in America, the idea of being lost would not have been as strong of a message as it was, the idea of one not knowing what is being said and done around them is confusing and at times frightening. This can be seen when Bob Harris is filming his commercial for whiskey, he doesn’t really know what the director is asking of him and when the director does speak, and the translation of what he said just doesn’t seem to give enough context based on how long he was speaking for. Thus Bob Harris has to work on instinct and his own interpretation of the director’s reactions to him. Not only is Bob Harris lost in Tokyo, he is lost in his own family and the life he has at home, it is becoming one that he is estranged from and he is becoming unfamiliar to his own family. When he does talk to his wife, although he understands what his wife is saying, he does not understand why his life is unravelling the way it is. It is best stated by Randy Martin in Where Did the Future Go? What is happening “The home would revert to its originary Greek status as oikos–the root of economy–now the scene where money not flesh would be constantly fondled as all manner of futures (pensions, kids educations, debt disbursements, home mortgages) would be worked over into the wee hours”. Bob kids are getting used to him not being home, it also seems that his wife is beginning to feel this way as well; she has become concerned with nothing that is going on in Bob’s life other than the fact that she is trying to remodel his office and cannot obtain the right carpet. Bob is unconcerned with his office, he could care-less what it looks like, he wants to know what his family is doing, one can tell that if he had his choice, he would not be in Tokyo, he would be at home. But in order to maintain their life and his status of being famous, he must take these odd jobs in other countries in which lead him to being lost in the world around him. Bob has become a stranger to his family, he is a stranger in Tokyo, he is confused by all around him and finds solace in Charlotte; a women who is experiencing some of the same problems as he is.

When we meet Charlotte, we see her as a shy lonely woman who is trying to spend quality time her husband even though he has to work. Although she is with her husband in this strange world, she is lost because he spends most of his time working and leaves her to entertain herself. Charlotte, like Bob, is trying to find her way in this strange world, and not just the one in Tokyo but the marriage world itself. Charlotte went to Tokyo with her husband because she had nothing else to do and wanted to spend more time with him, but it has turned out that she is spending more time alone.  The time that she spends thinking and trying to hang out with friends, but she is coming to realize that her time there is one of finding herself and trying to figure out if the life that she has chosen for herself is the one that she really wants. The bond she creates with Bob is one of commonality, on the surface they both know that they are lost in this strange country, they are unsure of what is going on around them, they do not know the language, but they find that they able to make the best out of it by finding the world around them is only as good as they make it. In Cultural Space and Urban Place The New World Disorder it states that “Space is a construction and material manifestation of social relations which reveals cultural assumptions and practices” meaning that the world around Charlotte is one that she has created. She has the ability to change the loneliness she feels, and the feeling of being lost by changing her social relations; this is done through the relationship she builds with Bob. What makes this relationship different from the ones that she has with her friends and even that which she has with her husband is that this one is built upon common experiences in the current world they are in. She has found that she is not the only one that feels the way she does about being in this strange place, both of them are dealing with social relations and with their personal relationships with their spouses. Bob is nearing the end of his marriage, whereas Charlotte is just beginning hers, both offering a new perspective on what could be in the future.

Though many people can understand as to why both Bob and Charlotte felt lost during their time in Tokyo, it is also important to see that they weren’t just lost in Tokyo; they were lost in their everyday lives. Both of them have family and friends around them and still they found that the connection they made with a total stranger was stronger than what they could have formed with their own families. The important part is to realize that the relationship they formed was one based purely on their commonalities and it was nothing sexual. They were only in search of someone that they could share their experiences with, and someone that could relate to what they were going through. The end of the movie is brought together perfectly with Bob whispering something to Charlotte which helps to ratify that not only have the viewer’s been lost in this world with Bob and Charlotte, they are lost outside of them as well.

                In the end being Lost in Translation can happen to anyone, anywhere, and at any time, it is up to the person to find someone they can relate to during this time and find the points in life that are worth celebrating. Nobody has to travel these roads alone, some may choose to, while others take someone along for company, either way it is always best to figure out where one belongs in this strange world.

Works Cited

Harvey. Cultural Space and Urban Place The New Disorder. 12 December 2013. PowerPoint.

Lost In Translation. Dir. Sophia Coppola. 2003. DVD.

Martin, Randy. Where Did the Future Go? 12 December 2013. PDF.

Lost In Plain Sight

What does it mean to be lost in translation? It is not just being lost in country unlike your own and surrounded by a language you do not understand. It is about being lost in the world and trying to find your own place within it, a place where you belong. The place doesn’t have to be one of a particular location; it can be a connection one has with another person in the same situation. Lost in Translation is not a film just about being lost in language and miscommunication between cultures, but also between people in one’s own surroundings; one does not have to go to another country to be lost in what is being said and done around them, it is easy to get lost in what others are doing and while trying to find a place that they fit into.

First thing one will notice about the film Lost in Translation is the miscommunication that is found between Bob Harris, Charlotte, and the people they are surrounded by. The fact that Sophia Coppola has filmed the movie in Tokyo, surrounded in a language that the main characters do not understand is an idea that was perfectly executed. Bob and Charlotte are lost in the culture and language around them while all they are trying to do is find themselves. Had the film taken place in America, the idea of being lost would not have been as strong of a message as it was, the idea of one not knowing what is being said and done around them is confusing and at times frightening. This can be seen when Bob Harris is filming his commercial for whiskey, he doesn’t really know what the director is asking of him and when the director does speak, and the translation of what he said just doesn’t seem to give enough context based on how long he was speaking for. Thus Bob Harris has to work on instinct and his own interpretation of the director’s reactions to him. Not only is Bob Harris lost in Tokyo, he is lost in his own family and the life he has at home, it is becoming one that he is estranged from and he is becoming unfamiliar to his own family. When he does talk to his wife, although he understands what his wife is saying, he does not understand why his life is unravelling the way it is. It is best stated by Randy Martin in Where Did the Future Go? What is happening “The home would revert to its originary Greek status as oikos–the root of economy–now the scene where money not flesh would be constantly fondled as all manner of futures (pensions, kids educations, debt disbursements, home mortgages) would be worked over into the wee hours”. Bob kids are getting used to him not being home, it also seems that his wife is beginning to feel this way as well; she has become concerned with nothing that is going on in Bob’s life other than the fact that she is trying to remodel his office and cannot obtain the right carpet. Bob is unconcerned with his office, he could care-less what it looks like, he wants to know what his family is doing, one can tell that if he had his choice, he would not be in Tokyo, he would be at home. But in order to maintain their life and his status of being famous, he must take these odd jobs in other countries in which lead him to being lost in the world around him. Bob has become a stranger to his family, he is a stranger in Tokyo, he is confused by all around him and finds solace in Charlotte; a women who is experiencing some of the same problems as he is.

When we meet Charlotte, we see her as a shy lonely woman who is trying to spend quality time her husband even though he has to work. Although she is with her husband in this strange world, she is lost because he spends most of his time working and leaves her to entertain herself. Charlotte, like Bob, is trying to find her way in this strange world, and not just the one in Tokyo but the marriage world itself. Charlotte went to Tokyo with her husband because she had nothing else to do and wanted to spend more time with him, but it has turned out that she is spending more time alone.  The time that she spends thinking and trying to hang out with friends, but she is coming to realize that her time there is one of finding herself and trying to figure out if the life that she has chosen for herself is the one that she really wants. The bond she creates with Bob is one of commonality, on the surface they both know that they are lost in this strange country, they are unsure of what is going on around them, they do not know the language, but they find that they able to make the best out of it by finding the world around them is only as good as they make it. In Cultural Space and Urban Place The New World Disorder it states that “Space is a construction and material manifestation of social relations which reveals cultural assumptions and practices” meaning that the world around Charlotte is one that she has created. She has the ability to change the loneliness she feels, and the feeling of being lost by changing her social relations; this is done through the relationship she builds with Bob. What makes this relationship different from the ones that she has with her friends and even that which she has with her husband is that this one is built upon common experiences in the current world they are in. She has found that she is not the only one that feels the way she does about being in this strange place, both of them are dealing with social relations and with their personal relationships with their spouses. Bob is nearing the end of his marriage, whereas Charlotte is just beginning hers, both offering a new perspective on what could be in the future.

Though many people can understand as to why both Bob and Charlotte felt lost during their time in Tokyo, it is also important to see that they weren’t just lost in Tokyo, they were lost in their everyday lives. Both of them have family and friends around them and still they found that the connection they made with a total stranger was and I stronger than what they could have formed with their own families. 

This weeks essay was quite difficult to write because there is just so many directions one could go with it. I was trying to make sure that my point was made without going over board. I think with the fact that it is also finals week, i may have over done it with the explanations and detail or i could have completely missed the mark with the whole thing. I am thankful though that we get a chance to have others read it before we turn it in because i am just unsure about the whole thing right now. I just want to it be perfect since this is my final semester and I want to get the best grades possible. I have learned so much from this class that it would be a shame to fail now. I can only hope that my ideas and feelings are expressed perfectly with this last essay. Besides our last paper, this class has been amazing, my professor is a great educator and I have made several news friends. I can only hope that we keep in touch since we are all graduating this semester.  I just want to say congratulations to everyone in my class and at CSUN for graduating.

Media in Today's Classroom

While reading the chapters for today, it seems that many of the teachers and students during the early 80's and 90's resisted the idea of having media in the classroom. Teachers thought that there would be nothing educational that could come out of teaching the students about media and that student would only use such media to portray their own views of what they think is going on in media at the time. But as time progresses one can see that students really find their own meaning within media. They are able to convey their feelings and ideas in a more tangible way, allowing the teachers to chose a detailed lesson plan for each student/class/or groups. 

With the introduction of media in the classroom, teachers and students can collaborate together on how media affects them not only in their everyday life, but also how it portrays stereotypes. By comparing books to their film counter parts (and vice versa)  students can see how the ideas one puts down on a page on be changed and twisted into someone else's idea in film.

Poems

                   Choices         

There was a girl who ran away, yet stayed

She watched her life in dismay and each day

Friends came and went, love gone, and life delayed

Reaching for what, she didn't know, or to say

For she was gone and it all stayed the same

Life went on for everyone, yet she still lost

To her they were the ones who held the blame

But all of this to her came with a cost

When all seemed too much for her to handle

There came a light ahead of all of it

It shone so bright, it's light like a candle

Knowing she will one day have to admit

              Lives cannot be lived solely for others

              We must stand up and embrace our druthers  

(Iambic pentameter, 5 feet to a line, with 10 syllables in each line)

                  Without

Not a day passes without you on my mind
The thought of your touch drives me wild
Your voice sends shivers down my spine
Your eyes look through me like no one ever has

You know me like no other
Your kisses touching me in a way
That none could before

I miss you when you are not near
I yearn for your touch
Your kiss
The sound of your heart in my ear

They say it will all come together in the end
But waiting takes too long
I want you now
I need you close
But until then, here’s my heart

Hold it close
Please don’t break it
I have only one
And only you can take it

(Free form)

Explifies Jabberwocky

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves    

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; 

All mimsy were the borogoves,    

And the mome raths outgrabe. 

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son    

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun    

The frumious Bandersnatch!" 

He took his vorpal sword in hand;    

Long time the manxome foe he sought— 

So rested he by the Tumtum tree,    

And stood awhile in thought. 

And, as in uffish thought he stood,    

The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, 

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,   

And burbled as it came! 

One, two! One, two! And through and through    

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! 

He left it dead, and with its head    

He went galumphing back. 

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?    

Come to my arms, my beamish boy! 

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"    

He chortled in his joy. 

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves    

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; 

All mimsy were the borogoves,    

And the mome raths outgrabe.

Corey Weber

Prof. Wexler

English 459esm

September 23, 2013

                                                                    Explifies

            Poetry is not always simple forth coming pieces of work that contain all of their meaning in an easy simple format. Poetry is full of different uses of language, analogies, and context creating a different meaning from words, and images. Many poets like to use several different techniques within their poetry to show the range of their emotion and the depths in which poetry can take its reader. One poem that exemplifies this not only uses many of these techniques but also twists the English language to create new words and show the complexity of the language itself is Lewis Carroll’s The Jabberwocky.

            Carroll’s The Jabberwocky is an excellent example of how complicated the English language can be. Carroll creates new words creating a mythical creature and story within this poem. The words are those of Carroll’s own creating and several are two words put together to create a new meaning. “Humpty Dumpty's explication of "Jabberwocky" in Through the Looking Glass equates language with a portmanteau, a large leather suitcase that opens into two separate compartments. Explaining "slithy" as a combination of "lithe" and "slimy," Humpty Dumpty refers to words in the language of travelers' baggage: "You see it's like a portmanteau--there are two meanings packed up into one word" (Goldfarb). With this explanation we can see that there was thought put into the words that Carroll was choosing to use within this poem. The nonsensical words, is something that strikes interest in the readers of this poem. Upon reading the poem, one can see why children would love the poem. Children are the creators of this made up words; everyday they are creating new ones because they sound funny, or they just haven’t figured out how to pronounce certain letters yet. The poem like many of its words also has to different meanings. The first being the more noticeable, is about a boy’s journey into manhood and all that he will face along the way; the second being hidden within in the words themselves, is the exciting journey that is the English language (language in general). “The pleasure of the poem resides not in the two independent experiences of the poem but in their coincidence in a text that "packs" them together” (Goldfarb). This poem is a building block for those just learning the English language and how all of its components work together and those teaching parts of speech to both English and non-English speakers. As well as showing the language is a hurdle that both young men and women will have to face as they come into adulthood. The Jabberwocky is almost a coming of age poem for those who have yet to go through these hurdles in life. This poem seems to almost make more sense to those of a younger age because they have larger imaginations, while adults struggle with it because of the unknown words found within. The poem and its author seem to be almost trying to make this connection, showing that if a child can relax and have fun with the poem, then adults should too. The worry of being correct and having the right answer all the time is not something that one should be looking for in a poem; they should just be enjoying the journey of it.

            The form of the poem is not in that of the a,b,a,b format, in fact it in a format all its own. Although not all of the lines rhyme with another, each stanza is still of have at least two rhyming lines. For example the first stanza is in a,b,c,b format followed by d,e,f,e, in the second, g,h,g,h in the third and so on; thus giving the poem a rhyming feel to it, but not one that feels too much like a limerick or nursery rhyme. The form of the poem helps to convey the message better because it allows the reader to see that there is more going on, you just have to figure out what it is. This poem is a great example of expository writing. It gives a lot of information, and ideas but it us to the reader as to how they use them. “Far from being nonsense, each line is meticulously crafted to give the impression that it is saying something serious. In Alice's own words, "It seems to fill my head with ideas -- only I don't know exactly what they are. This is exactly what a good expository text should do. First, present an idea, which of course will be fuzzy until you take the second step, which is to clearly explain it” (Yaffe). The poem clearly explains what it is that is going on and what is the outcome of it all. The words are just the vehicle in which this story is presented; it is up to the readers to imagine what it is. The form and the description within the poem leads to the development of what is going on. Most readers know how to read and understand the basics of sentence structure, with this one can figure out which words are the nouns, verbs, adjectives, and so on thus arriving at the meaning of the poem.

            In all, the poem is a great teaching tool for those of all ages, it is a fun poem to read, hear, and decipher. With so many words sounding the same and having different meanings within the English language, it is easy to see as to why it has become easier to teach parts of speech using The Jabberwocky instead of traditional methods. “Language form and meaning are related in complex ways.

Meaning is distributed across many aspects of an utterance: its argument structure, its closed-class and open-class forms, and its intonation. However, the contributions to meaning of each of these aspects are highly overlapping. This information redundancy can help listeners recover from communication errors (Wolff, 1991) as well as assist them in learning new elements of the language. The Jabberwocky poem illustrates this idea very nicely. Although it is filled with novel words, readers (even as young as Alice) can still infer some of what is being said. When people hear a novel word, they can induce part of its meaning from information conveyed by other aspects of the whole utterance (Billman)

Using all that has been learned thus far, a person can pick up a copy of The Jabberwocky and see that "Beware the Jabberwocky (noun), my son! / The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! / Beware the Jubjub bird (noun), and shun / The frumious (adjective) Bandersnatch (noun)!" / He took his vorpal (adjective) sword in hand: / Long time the manxome (adjective) foe he sought-- / So rested he by the Tumtum (noun) tree, / And stood awhile in thought. /  And, as in uffish (adverb) thought he stood, / The Jabberwock (noun), with eyes of flame, / Came whiffling (verb) through the tulgey (adjective) wood, / And burbled (verb) as it came! / One, two! One, two! And through and through / The vorpal (adjective) blade went snicker-snack (adverb)! / He left it dead, and with its head / He went galumphing (verb) back, etc. All of the made up words within the poem gain their meaning from the words found around them and how the reader deciphers what the author is trying to say.

            In the end, one should not take poetry too seriously, in doing so one may lose the meaning in a poem that the author had originally intended for it. It takes a team effort between the reader and poem to come up with the core meaning. But it is supposed to be an experience in doing it, not a struggle. Most poems are not written to confuse the reader, so take the time to see what it is that is trying to be said and remember to pay attention to all of the words being used to figure out the poems true meaning.

Works Cited

Billman, Angel Cabrera and Dorrit. "Language-Driven Concept Learning: Deciphering Jabberwocky." Journal of Experimental Psychology; Learning, Memory, and Cognition (1996): 539-555. Web.

Goldfarb, Nancy. "Carroll's Jabberwocky." Explicator (1999). web.

Yaffe, Philip. "http://ubiquity.acm.org.libproxy.csun.edu/article.cfm?id=1386855." May 2008. Ubiquity. Web. 23 september 2013.