Portfolio May 3, 2010

Online Literature: Friend or Foe?

            In today’s world when a persons thinks about reading online they think convenience, speed, and about the abundance of knowledge. The vast majority of information collected in the World Wide Web allows anyone to have the texts they desire at the click of a button. This brilliant advancement continues to gather human achievements in a singular location, which has created an age of technological education that can be experienced by any person with access to a computer. I have chosen a website that has a collection of over 25,000 texts for free, and it is formatted to look like an open book. The website is called bookrix.com, and it is a legitimate form of writing that is absolutely beneficial to an educational institution due to the massive collection of literature and immediate access.

            Novels were once seen as frivolous pieces of work that should only be enjoyed on ones free time, and now they are commonly used tools for educational purposes. The same can be said about the up and coming texts being presented over the internet. New information or techniques are always seen as controversial until people can fully understand the effects of the recently acquired technology. Personally, since I have grown up in the age of both online texts accompanied with tangible ones, I have been able to see that both are beneficial to developing my knowledge. The online website allows me to view any full book without having to search libraries or bookstores endlessly for misplaced novels or out of stock merchandise. This online compilation of texts is an innovation that will continue to further the knowledge of anyone who chooses to see it as advancement in learning rather than a hindrance.

            The ideas presented by Birkerts would suggest that our generation is moving towards disregarding traditional ways of reading and replacing them with internet based alternatives. Birkerts says, “I see instead a steady displacement of old by new, a generational pressure that escalates its momentum gathering as the members of the old dispensation age and die off”. (Birkerts 214) Though this is an understandable fear for traditionalists, the internet actually better preserves the information that the past provides us. By compiling it on the internet it will always be present in cyber-space and thus the new technology is actually a beneficial advancement. Information from the online texts found on my website help to give millions access to literature that is being preserved, and not altered to become some abomination to its original copy.

            Online texts have become my generation’s link to the past through literature. Where as libraries and bookstores can not always provide people with the information they seek, the internet provides a promise of instant gratification. The texts are not changed from the original and are simply posted to the internet for greater access. The fact that the texts are on a computer screen and not on paper should make absolutely no difference in the amount of information taken from it, let alone the readers experience with the literature. A book can be enjoyed no matter where you read it, so why not be able to do that from a personal computer? Reading is supposed to be an enjoyable experience and it is wrong to think that the vessel on which the literature lies should make any difference on the ability to learn from it.

            When one is reading it is assumed that it is a solitary action to take place in a calm quiet area. Bookrix.com has altered that perception that enjoying a novel must be in private. Birkerts says, “We will all spend more and more of our time in the cybersphere producing, sending, receiving, and responding, and necessarily less time interacting in a “hands on” way with the old material order”, which is true but more beneficial than he may realize. (Birkerts 215) By using the forums on the website to discuss the books, people are able to see different points of view and information they may have missed when reading the text. The website allows for books to be seen in a whole new way due to the now thriving social network. Humans are naturally social creatures and this website creates a place where people who enjoy literature can come together and share the enjoyment of reading.

            The social aspect of reading on the internet should be seen as an innovation, and not as something detrimental to society as Birkerts would suggest. By creating the website Bookrix.com people are able to do what comes naturally, and that is to come together in a social setting. The idea that a person can obtain this level of social connection without even leaving the house allows for a new age of communication. The only sole difference between the online world and a text is the aspect of social networking. Reading should be experienced in whatever way best illuminates the message of the book and through the networking greater detail and insight are shed on the novels.

            Digital texts and print books present the same information, yet are seen as two completely different things. Birkerts says, “The aura is there when we stand in front of the original of a painting, and is absent when we are before the copy-even if the copy is so faithful as to be nearly identical”. (Birkerts225) I find this statement to be completely irrelevant when speaking about books because the written word still maintains its power no matter what medium it is presented in. The website Bookrix.com presents texts in a way that emulates a tangible text. When truly enjoying a book one should not focus on the vessel that carries the message but the message itself. Birkerts focuses solely on the past and therefore can never see that books are timeless no matter how they are presented to a reader.

             The internet is a place meant for exploration and expansion of technology and knowledge. Reading is one of the many advances that have taken on a new life through the internet, and it has caused a revolution. Information is now easily transferred and shared with anyone who has a similar interest. Bookrix.com has played on the idea of communal reading and their forums allow thoughts and feelings on a novel to be displayed in a forum for world wide view. Birkerts truly believes that this innovation will be the downfall of the old classic way of reading, but is that really such a bad thing? Reading will now be for all and not just for a collect few. The internet provides a faster and easier way to learn, and this should be seen as a triumph not a defeat.

Reflection

In my final essay I attempted to work on the specific points that I did not develop as fully as I could and a subject that I hadn’t touched on completely in my original paper. I revised the paper by adding multiple new paragraphs to tie the information together more coherently so that each subject was explained thoroughly. The main points I developed more were the social aspects of Bookrix.com and how that is the sole difference between written texts and online texts, and also that reading should not be based on the vessel on which it is read. The two points allowed me to completely round out my argument against Birkerts so that the paper seemed more cohesive and developed.

            This semester I have worked on my attention to detail and ensuring that I develop my thesis and other main points clearly. With each paper I have gotten better at those key things which has allowed me to see any mistakes I make in the future more clearly, thus allowing me to fix them before submission. I would like to continue to hone my skills in these areas in order to develop a stronger and stronger paper each time. I have definitely made my thesis much stronger in my final papers, and therefore my papers should only get better from here. In the coming semester at Washington College I would like to experience a broad range of English courses to broaden my horizons even further. I believe that by studying each style of literature I will be able to better construct my point and style in a paper.

Wired April 23, 2010

In today’s world when a persons thinks about reading online they think convenience, speed, and about the abundance of knowledge. The vast majority of information collected in the World Wide Web allows anyone to have the texts they desire at the click of a button. This brilliant advancement continues to gather human achievements in a singular location, which has created an age of technological education to be experience by any person with access to a computer. I have chosen a website that has a collection of over 25,000 texts for free, and it is formatted to look like an open book. The website is called bookrix.com, and it is a legitimate form of writing that is absolutely beneficial to an educational institution due to the massive collection of literature and immediate access.
Novels were once seen as frivolous pieces of work that should only be enjoyed on ones free time, and now they are commonly used tools for educational purposes. The same can be said about the up and coming texts being presented over the internet. New information or techniques are always seen as controversial until people can fully understand the effects of the recently acquired technology. Personally, since I have grown up in the age of both online texts accompanied with tangible ones, I have been able to see that both are beneficial to developing my knowledge. The online website allows me to view any full book without having to search libraries or bookstores endlessly for misplaced novels or out of stock merchandise. This online compilation of texts is an innovation that will continue to further the knowledge of anyone who chooses to see it as an advancement on learning rather than a hindrance.
The ideas presented by Birkerts would suggest that our generation is moving towards disregarding traditional ways of reading and replacing them with internet based alternatives. Birkerts says, “I see instead a steady displacement of old by new, a generational pressure that escalates its momentum gathering as the members of the old dispensation age and die off”. (Birkerts 214) Though this is an understandable fear for traditionalists, the internet actually better preserves the information that the past provides us. By compiling it on the internet it will always be present in cyber-space and thus the new technology is actually a beneficial advancement. Information from the online texts found on my website help to give millions access to literature that is being preserved, and not altered to become some abomination to its original copy.
Online texts have become my generation’s link to the past through literature. Where as libraries and bookstores can not always provide people with the information they seek, the internet provides a promise of instant gratification. The texts are not changed from the original and are simply posted to the internet for greater access. The fact that the texts are on a computer screen and not on paper should make absolutely no difference in the amount of information taken from it, let alone the readers experience with the literature. A book can be enjoyed no matter where you read it, so why not be able to do that from a personal computer? Reading is supposed to be an enjoyable experience and it is wrong to think that the vessel on which the literature lies should make any difference is the ability to learn from it.
When one is reading it is assumed that it is a solitary action to take place in a calm quiet area. Bookrix.com has altered that perception that enjoying a novel must be in private. Birkerts says, “We will all spend more and more of our time in the cybersphere producing, sending, receiving, and responding, and necessarily less time interacting in a “hands on” way with the old material order”, which is true but more beneficial than he may realize. (Birkerts 215) By using the forums on the website to discuss the books, people are able to see different points of view and information they may have missed when reading the text. The website allows for books to be seen in a whole new way due to the now thriving social network. Humans are naturally social creatures and this website creates an place where people who enjoy literature can come together and share the enjoyment of reading.
The internet is a place meant for exploration and expansion of technology and knowledge. Reading is one of the many advances that have taken on a new life through the internet, and it has caused a revolution. Information is now easily transferred and shared with anyone who has a similar interest. Bookrix.com has played on the idea of communal reading and their forums allow thoughts and feelings on a novel to be displayed in a forum for world wide view. Birkerts truly believes that this innovation will be the downfall of the old classic way of reading, but is that really such a bad thing? Reading will now be for all and not just for a collect few. The internet provides a faster and easier way to learn, and this should be seen as a triumph not a defeat.

April 19, 2010

My website, http://www.bookrix.com/, is a place where you can view books for free online in the actual form of a book. The imagery is shown as an open book and by clicking on the arrow it will turn the page for you. Birkerts believes that the technology of reading online will hinder a person’s ability to be able to truly feel emotions the way they were intended to be felt. Even though Birkerts says, ” We sacrifice the potential life of the solitary self  by enlisting ourselves in the collective”, I believe that the internet actually opens up a person to access to a better understanding of texts. It should not make a difference as to which vessel you read from be it a book or an online text. Either way you are gaining the information and are able to read it in a way that is most convenient for that specific individual. A point that could be used against my argument is that Birkerts says that because of the internet we are trained to multi task and be rushed. The fact that the mind wanders could hinder a person’s ability to focus on the text at hand. This argument is valid but not necessarily true for all who choose to read online. Online reading is more convenient and therefore more information can be obtained than having to search down the information else where.

Edward Scissorhands vs. Frankenstein March 26, 2010

A monster is described as, “A cruel, wicked, and inhumane person”. In all actuality the creatures that are considered monsters are not seen as people to begin with. Monsters are something that are created through emotional distress and not necessarily through their appearance. All creatures are initially seen as pure and innocent until someone gives them a reason to be otherwise. In the film Edward Scissorhands the plot focuses on the same material as in Frankenstein with a slight twist. Edward Scissorhands shows through outside stimuli how a creature can easily become a good entity or an evil one depending on the treatment they receive and their response towards it.

The scene that is the most prominent in the film is the creation of Edward in the laboratory. The inventor creates Edward with noble intentions in order to have a companion, and therefore he treated his creation as something to be treasured. The key idea behind the scene is that if you love and nurture someone they will learn that behavior and exhibit that towards others. By creating the initial sense of acceptance, the “creature” in Edward Scissorhands he was able to mesh and function within society. Edward felt love and therefore he differed from the creature in his emotional stability.

            The scenery and how the environment is introduced in the film provide an insight to how humans want to be perceived. The houses are practically identical, it is always bright and sunny, and the men are always on the same schedule for work. This cookie cutter atmosphere allows a viewer too see that people want to be perfect and by looking a certain way, they believe they must be. Edward is wearing a complete black outfit which contrasts the pastel pallet of the town and everyone in it. By making him look so different from everyone it allows for the lesser characters in the film to always have a slight fear of him, and this allows them to turn on him at the blink of an eye. Through imagery, a perfect town is presented only to be shown as flawed once Edward had arrived and the film comes to an end.

            People and creatures alike are in no way perfect, and thus it seems as though all should be equal and no one better than another. In fact, this is not the case and some tend to think of themselves more highly than someone who looks different from them. In Frankenstein it was an immediate negative reaction towards the creature, but in Edward Scissorhands he was not immediately judged. The demeanors of the creature were both initially innocent, but only Edward maintained his innocence throughout the entirety of the film. This shows how the creatures are treated differently depending on the society, but in the end people always jump to judging and blaming. In the end of the film, Edward is blamed for violence when he was in fact the one being harassed and used. The people immediately turn on him even though he has been nothing but innocent the entire time. They form a mob that goes up to the castle to either arrest him or ensure his death. In Frankenstein Victor hunts the creature down in order to kill him and relieve society from the creature. The fact that society comes together to wipe out all of those who are different and appear to be a threat at the slightest mishap shows the turmoil and mistreatment the creatures must endure. People are the ones that are actually the monsters due to their quickness to judge and place blame on those who are different from themselves.

            The film shows many different influences from Frankenstein, but the one thing that remains the same in both movies is the message that people are in fact the true monster. The scenery and actions of the people are tools that helped create the same sense of the creature being out of place in the world. Edward Scissorhands is a prime example of how the message of Frankenstein is used to show how creatures that look different than us will ultimately be criticized based on their appearance.Humans are imperfect just as creatures are, and this film shows the direct correlation to Frankenstein due to the way the film was presented to show the downfall of an innocent creature.

Movie:Edward Scissor Hand and Frankenstein March 19, 2010

The movie I will be using is Edward Scissor Hands directed by Tim Burton. The movie is directly related to Frankenstein due to the theme of creation and destruction. There are a few scenes I would like to focus on including the one where Edward is created. The man creating him (Vincent Price) creates Edward in a laboratory just as in Frankenstein, but in this case he is nurtured and cared for. It shows that the creator has a direct effect on the outcome of the creation. By nurturing Edward and informing him of the world he took on a delicate demeanor towards the people around him. In Frankenstein the creator neglected the creature and did not give him any information on the world causing him to go down the path of destruction and mixed emotions. In this scene Vincent gives Edward a pair of hands as a present which he intends to attach and make him whole and at this moment he dies. Even though Edward is left alone, just as the creature was, it was unintended and Edward knew he was cared for. This caused him to attempt to find and please all around him instead of causing destruction intentionally to find his place in the world. Another scene I believe to be prominent is the end scene. Edward is attacked by Jim and Edward accidentally kills him while only trying to protect himself. Kim saves him by bringing an extra scissor hand down to say he is dead so that he may live in peace knowing that Edward had done no harm. The townspeople may not have believed Edward was truly and innocent creature thus showing that the creature is in fact more human that human kind itself. The are many prominent scenes that will help me to develop the thesis based on how both the creature and Edward begin innocent and through their interactions and the way people perceive them shapes their actions and weather or not they truly become a monster or simply an innocent misunderstood person.

Frankenstein: fall from grace February 26, 2010

Frankenstein appears to be simply about a misguided scientist disregarding one of his failed experiments, but to the trained eye it is much more than that. Through the integration of themes and quotes from Genesis the relationship between creator and creation is emphasized to convey the love and hate Victor and the monster feel for each other in the novel.

            Genesis is the story in the bible that describes how the earth and mankind came to be. When man was first created by God they were made to be in his image. This idea is directly related to how Victor created the monster to be in his likeness both mentally and physically. The creatures in both instances were expected to be pure and immaculate in every way, yet this was not the case in either situation. The relationship between the creator and the monster starts off as envy and then when the creature is seen as flawed it is shunned and sent from paradise. Perfection is a trait that is desired in both Genesis and Frankenstein, and that is what causes the ultimate demise of the creatures.

            In Frankenstein, the monster perceived himself to be like Adam. He believed that he was the chosen one who was to be loved and praised, but the internal demons within Victor prevented that from ever happening. Instead the monster was seen to be like Satan just as in Genesis. The monster was the fallen angel who only wanted to be like his creator and experience what humans did. This fact is apparent when the monster says, “Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me”. (Shelley 116-117)   This shows the relationship between Genesis and the plight of the monster in Frankenstein.

            According to certain views all beings are created with a blank slate, and that they are seen as beginning life as inherently good. This was the case with Adam but the monster was neglected this opportunity to be seen as a good creation. The monster says, “…His creator; he was allowed to converse with, and acquire knowledge from, beings of a superior nature: but I was wretched, helpless, and alone”, which shows his unfair situation that led him down a dark path. (Shelley 116-117)  The monster was not allowed to share in knowledge as Adam was, yet they both ended up expelled from paradise by their creators. The fact that the yearning for knowledge and the acquisition of it ends in disaster leaves the question: Is the inquisitive nature of creatures and humans going to lead to their demise more so than their success?

            The creation of creatures weather they are human or inhuman should be celebrated and the being should be nurtured. Genesis and Frankenstein are perfect examples that compliment each other on the subject of creation. Through similar situations the relationship between creator and creation can be thoroughly explored.

Frankenstein 2 February 19, 2010

The turmoil that is felt by victor due to what he considers a mistake is a reflection of how he feels about himself. The monster is not necessarily just a monster but a reflection of himself. By creating this being he is giving birth to something new that he hopes will make him proud, which is how he feels at first. Once the monster became something he saw as ugly and evil he shunned it and refused to acknowledge its existence. He in turn is really just disappointed and appalled at what he himself has become. The idea that he can turn away the monster so easily shows that Victor is a very emotionally disturbed man. He knew internally that he was creating this monster so that society would see him in a brighter light. It was all just a show to make him famous in the eyes of his peers. By giving this creature the appearance of how he feels inside I believe he was trying to eliminate those feelings. Throughout the novel Victor attempts to hide who he is as a person, yet after careful examination you can see right through his disguise. The monster attempts to better himself throughout all of this even though he is generally seen as an abomination. If Victor had never abandoned him like he abandoned his feelings then the monster would have been a success. This shows that everything is inherently good, and as long as you nurture the goodness in someone their appearance will just become an after thought.

Autobiography February 7, 2010

 

Reading and Writing: How It Has Affected Me.

The significance of literature in society today is no doubt profound. Experiences I have had with reading and writing have helped to shape my understanding of the past as well as the present. There have been both positive and negative times in my education with reading and writing, yet I must always muster up the strength to continue on even when the negative times are more prominent in my memory. Literature is indeed great, but that is only true when an individual chooses the material rather than having it forced upon them. Books are something to be enjoyed and only read by those who will do just that. Reading and writing is an art form that is rapidly decaying, and I believe that if it is forced upon us that will continue to happen.

I was once enthralled by the thought of reading a book whether it be in class or in the confines of my own room. Then once specific books began to become “required reading” they began to lose their magic. By being forced to endure such bland books my love for reading has dwindled. When I was younger and could choose the books I read there was no stopping me once I began. The idea that a reader can fall in love with the stories in books is a truly great thing. When Birkerts speaks of his daughter’s experience he says, “But we must also try to avoid any association of the medicinal-that books are good for her and that reading is a duty”.¹ This shows that reading cannot be looked at so sternly if people are to continue in their endeavors in literature.

Many memories come to mind when I think of writing, but one sticks out more than the others: poetry. My English class my senior year of high school was based on the annotation of poems. This experience of having to do such a tedious task completely threw me off poetry. The constant picking apart at the specific meaning of the poem ruined it for me due to the fact that it left no room for interpretation. What the teacher said it meant was the “correct” way and we were not able to figure it out or discuss it ourselves. By repeatedly forcing the information into me instead of allowing my class to enjoy it, I now have a deep disdain for it.

Reading to me is supposed to be something a person can take pleasure in but I rarely find that to be true anymore. Birkerts says, “Literature holds meaning not as a content that can be abstracted and summarized, but as experience”.² If I had been more able to simply experience writing instead of having it “abstracted and summarized”, reading would be a completely different thing to me. My experiences when I was still in elementary and middle school were positive due to the lax environment. The choice to pick our own books with just the incentive of a good grade allowed the freedom that I so greatly enjoy. Once high school hit, there was no longer the freedom with reading but a structured curriculum for what books to read. These are the experiences that have shaped my feelings on reading, and although I still love to read books of my choosing, I frown upon being forced to read dull material.

The idea of writing, on the other hand, is something I tend to enjoy more than reading. Writing allows me as an individual to broaden my thought on a specific issue and to say what I am thinking. Even though there are prompts I am given to answer, there is more freedom than if I were given a book and told to read. The ideas that are able to be expressed during a paper can at times be liberating. When I was in the tenth grade my English teacher gave us a wide range of freedom when it came to choosing our topics. The books he gave us to read also helped due to their enticing themes. By showing us that writing can be used as an expression of ones feelings instead of a simple answer to a question, he kept my love of writing alive.

 Reading and writing have both had a profound affect on me, both good and bad. Through my years of experience I have learned that they are important factors in one’s life, yet the way which we are allowed to learn it determines how we feel about it. The two entities have profound power and have allowed me to express the way I feel. Freedom in both is essential in order to keep the love of the art alive. Reading should always be something we should feel the obligation to do, but the texts themselves should for the most part be our choice. Writing on the other hand must be structured, but once a certain amount of mastery has been accomplished our ideas should be able to run free on the page. Reading and Writing to me are important solely for the fact that they broaden our horizons and hopefully evoke our emotions.

Bibliography

1. Birkerts, Sven. Gutenberg Elegies. 2. 1. NY,NY: Faber and Faber, Inc., 2006. 29,32. Print.

Chapter 2 January 29, 2010

In Chapter 2 Gutenberg speaks of how to him reading is, “…like a drug”. (pg. 37) I believe that the actual text in hand helps him to have a more personable experience. The book itself gave him an escape without the distraction of the internet looming a click away. In this sense I understand the idea that the book alone consumes your interest instead of the internet as a whole. Bookstores and libraries, where Gutenberg tended to spend a majority of his time, have a more magical view than a desktop in your living room. I agree with the fact that those settings are a more stimulating environment in which to read.
He speaks of finding first editions of books and calls them, ” trophies”. (pg.48) If the internet were to be used, it would make the search less special than if it had not been done by one’s self. On the other hand those environments can also put books on a pedestal in a sense. Instead of just admiring the work itself and sharing it with others, the price being put on the book itself is taking away from the value. The internet is free and does not put such restrictions on the text itself. Gutenberg has had his good points, but I believe he needs to take a look at the cons of his argument as well.

Gutenberg Elegies:Chapter 1 January 22, 2010

     The Gutenberg Elegies reflects Birkerts less than positive views on technology. In the text Birkerts says, “Reading, for me, is one activity that inscribes the limit of the old conception of the individual and his relation to the world”, (pg. 15) which shows his endearing feelings towards tradition. Technology seems to be more so of a burden in the literary world than a gift. Birkerts view on technological advances is that of disgust and disappointment. Traditionally writing is a very hands on process which takes time and care. By using computers it becomes a fast almost emotionless act. Birkerts believes that, ” We are living in the midst of a momentous paradigm shift”. (pg. 18) He believes that the technological revolution has severely hindered the development of literature. Books should be laid out in your lap and carefully studied according to his views. The old world charm of reading a book has been lost in a sea of computers. Birkerts utterly despises what technology has done to the modern world and how it has affected people today. I believe that technology can help the spread of literature and makes information more accessible to the common person. Technology can be misused, but in the case of literature it helps to develop it into a format that people today can relate to.