Happy endings & Babbette

Its all about the details. Babbette starts out just telling the what, and the what, and the what. Then she slowly adds the how and the why...but not really. The how and why are just the small details that are placed into the mixture at the end that really adds the shock factor for Jack. Either way she tells the story it ends the same, she’s taking dylar, was having an affair, and was not the same babette that she use to be. She says this with no emotion, no pity, but rather with selfish intent. This is how i think it is comparable the Margaret Atwood’s “happy endings”.

Happy endings & Babbette

Its all about the details. Babbette starts out just telling the what, and the what, and the what. Then she slowly adds the how and the why...but not really. The how and why are just the small details that are placed into the mixture at the end that really adds the shock factor for Jack. Either way she tells the story it ends the same, she’s taking dylar, was having an affair, and was not the same babette that she use to be. She says this with no emotion, no pity, but rather with selfish intent. This is how i think it is comparable the Margaret Atwood’s “happy endings”.

Happy endings & Babbette

Its all about the details. Babbette starts out just telling the what, and the what, and the what. Then she slowly adds the how and the why...but not really. The how and why are just the small details that are placed into the mixture at the end that really adds the shock factor for Jack. Either way she tells the story it ends the same, she’s taking dylar, was having an affair, and was not the same babette that she use to be. She says this with no emotion, no pity, but rather with selfish intent. This is how i think it is comparable the Margaret Atwood’s “happy endings”.

Happy endings & Babbette

Its all about the details. Babbette starts out just telling the what, and the what, and the what. Then she slowly adds the how and the why...but not really. The how and why are just the small details that are placed into the mixture at the end that really adds the shock factor for Jack. Either way she tells the story it ends the same, she’s taking dylar, was having an affair, and was not the same babette that she use to be. She says this with no emotion, no pity, but rather with selfish intent. This is how i think it is comparable the Margaret Atwood’s “happy endings”.

Happy endings & Babbette

Its all about the details. Babbette starts out just telling the what, and the what, and the what. Then she slowly adds the how and the why...but not really. The how and why are just the small details that are placed into the mixture at the end that really adds the shock factor for Jack. Either way she tells the story it ends the same, she’s taking dylar, was having an affair, and was not the same babette that she use to be. She says this with no emotion, no pity, but rather with selfish intent. This is how i think it is comparable the Margaret Atwood’s “happy endings”.

Girl Scouts

Thank the Lord i never had to go through girl scouts...I looked up on the Girl Scouts web site why exactly they sell cookies, and their answer was, "The activity of selling cookies is directly related to our purpose of helping all girls realize their full potential and become strong, confident, and resourceful citizens." Oh, what a nice sugar coated answer. It then says, "Girl Scouts practice life skills like goal setting, money management, and teamwork—and they have fun!". I dont think this is the only answer though. I think that these girls are being taught all of the above, but aswell i think they are getting taught to fake a smile to get what they want. They are conditioned and taught to be people pleasers, to serve and eventually get rewared. They focus on how many cookies they can sell, and work the majority of the year planning and budgeting and all that fun stuff. It teaches little girls to work hard to get what they want, but also to be at service to those around them.
Little boys play in the forest, and little girls sell cookies. Sounds like pretty gender spacific rolls to me.

Deconstruction.

So I tried to do this with Kendra, by asking her what was love, buts she’s way too over analytical and ended up answering my questions with questions and really strong statements. Then I tried to do this same question with my best friend, Anna, and she just got mad at me for “questioning her”. And when I told her to go with it, she said I was being ridiculous, and then told me to shut up. So I was ready to give up when my sister came along talking about her boyfriend, I asked her what she means by boyfriend, she said “duh, ZACK”. Which could have been the end of this conversation as well but I tried again…I said no, what’s it mean to have a boyfriend. She went on some o so typical 8th grade answer to that kind of question and ending with the statement “we just like each other”. Then I asked her what it means to like someone, being a sassy 14 year old, she responded, “my heart tells me so”. She then got a text from him, and walked off. Two failed attempts, and one boring answer later, my attempt at deconstruction was pretty much a failure.

O well, I tried.

Responsibility?

I believe that it isn’t the writer who is to be held responsible for what they write about. Obviously something in whatever has been created will have a character or a viewpoint that is reflective of his or her own, but who’s to say that they aren’t allowed to write out of a different viewpoint. They write about what will sell, and the majority of the time, what will sell will be borderline controversial. People don’t like to read about a prefect life, they don’t like to see a functional family as much as a dysfunctional family—we as a society ask for it. How often do we laugh at obscene racist and sexist jokes, it is entertainment! The writers write for the dough, we have got to come to grips with that. Yes they will insert what they believe somewhere among the characters and plot, but you cant say that the underlying message sent is that which is believed by the writer. They write what we want to hear, that’s why there are the warnings before TV shows and programs, we make the choice about what we watch or read. Who is to be held accountable except yourself?

ART?

I believe that overall it is by social consensus that we decide what real art is. Whatever the general public says about art is the definition of art for that moment in time. When it comes down to it, anything made that is significant to someone, if it really means something, can be considered art. What I think is beautiful, you may think is hideous. What I think is a brilliant or amazing poem, someone else may think is retarded and useless. First and foremost the piece of art will have some sort of significance to the artist, making it art. Then whoever else finds meaning and significance in that piece; to them they have just defined that as art. Though subjective, we must accept that this is how art is defined. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? So who is really able to define art? When in reality it is completely indefinable. People still try, but we will never reach one right answer. There is no right answer. That is what is amazing and beautiful about it, art is what you want it to be, it is subjectivity by definition. And no matter how hard people try to boil art down to a formula or a right or wrong, Art will always be art to somebody.

Disorder

Traveling, a poem by Simon J. Ortiz, celebrates the disorder found in an apparently mentally unstable man’s quest for finding various locations either made up, or of some significance to him. We find our man searching through various resources to find various locations, but when “he asks the librarian for a book but it is out and he looks hurt and then he rushes back to the globe”. The disorder is found in that, this poor man has been emotionally, or mentally damaged and the “hurt” that he feels is instantaneous and short lived. It doesn’t really matter to him that he didn’t get what he wanted, and he just continues on as if nothing had upset him. The other thing that caught my eye was in the phrase, “Traveling to known and unknown places”. What exactlly is an unknown place? The disorder is found in the insane man, this insanity is celebrated. It is nothing to hide or be ashamed of, but rather he just continues on his way, searching aimlessly for places, and books, and through globes to keep his mind busy.

Words & Reality?

Jennifer Johnson

Disclaimer: MJ, I started to do this as the typical “8th grade paragraph” then got off on a tangent that I think was important, so it kind of strayed from the way it should be, I hope that’s ok, I still put CDs, then explained them. I just added a lot of commentary.


I think this breakdown occurs in the adequacy of our system of language more so then our inadequate understand of reality. Language is dynamic. It is always changing, the meanings of words are extended, twisted, and fit to what people need them to mean. Call it postmodern, i could care less, it is the truth. Though that seams somewhat pathetic, you have to deal with it. Language isn’t just one set answer—time changes, social usage changes, and untimely meanings can change. For example, as discussed in class the word “thing”... What exactly is a thing? It is such a vague word—a “thing” can be anyTHING. There it is again! We have an inadequate system of language to depict reality. But also, there are some things that just cant be described anyway. These thoughts, feelings, and emotions are real. They are apart of reality, there is just no way to possible express them in words any further then the basics. This as well points to our inadequate understanding of language and how it is used, or should be used. I believe that people can communicate withOUT language, though it is helpful, it isn’t necessary. Think about it, people use actions, body language, and their eyes to communicate some of the most important and necessary truths in life. When I was in Romania I didn’t need to know the language to tell these kids that someone loved them... me, and Jesus. They knew... they knew that just because I was there...holding their hands, dancing with them, and laughing with them that I cared. That someone loved them. That they had a reason for being on this earth, their reality may not be comprehendible to them, they question their very purpose for being born but they do realize that they are here, and they have to chose to embrace that. The breakdown of words is in language, not in reality...because we feel that what we cannot express

Its still there, we just don’t have the words that describe, or show what we feel sometimes.

Hyperreality.

Hyperreality: "Hyperreality is an inability to distinguish between what is real and what is not. Hyperreality can be described as enhanced reality. Some people become more engaged with the hyperreal world than with the real world." (1)


I have fallen victim to hyperreality in more ways then one. I believe that many young girls and teenagers fall victim in the areas of romance and relationships. Primarily this is found in Disney Movies, where the theme is always, and they all lived "happily ever after"(2). Though i believe that people can live happy lives, this hyperreality creates children who expect to be pampered like a princess, find a handsome prince charming, who saves them from something evil--they then get married and live "happily ever after". Though nothing is wrong with young girls who desire to be princesses the fall is in the conclusion... life isn’t all about falling in love, and living happily ever after. Love takes work, and so does living "happy" life. How many of us are happy all of the time? It's not happiness, its joy, and true everlasting joy can only come from the Lord, not from just any Prince Charming. A second example of this is in soap operas found on TV. They portray "extreme dramatic relationships [that] are a heightened form of reality that some people relate to as being real."(3) If someone bases the relationships that they have off of the dramatic and so much more interesting lives of the people on soaps, they find their life to be incredibly boring. There is no way life would ever measure up to the high drama and intensity of "soap like" portrayals of how life really is. Hyperreality affects everyone, especially in today’s postmodern society where we always question what real truth is.


(1,3) http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-hyperreality.htm
(2) http://www.jamieliew.com/category/movies/

Christianity vs. Postmodernism

SPU WAS AMAZING THIS WEEKEND!

anways, i think we as christians have to deal with this "crisis" of postmodernism. It cant be avoided, and it cant be 100% embrased. We have to find some middle ground, but this also is dangerous, becuase when people compromise on this kind of subject a disaster awaits. The huge factor that needs to be dealt with is the major difference that postmodernism rejects metanarritives. Christianity in itself is a metanarriatve. So how do we help a society of people who dont really care, becuase to them it is all relative? good question, i think people need to be educated on what has been happening in society, and then they need to be told the Truth, the real Truth. We cant embrase this worldview, but we have to learn to live along side it, and be a light, to share truth. We cant make postmodernism go away, we gotta learn to "fight it" in a learned, intelligent manner.

Happy Endings.

Mr Johnson, i left my assignment book at school where i wrote down the blogging assignment, and you dont have it on your page, and no one has done it yet... so im clueless as to the second question we had to disguss. i do remember the first so i will answer that, and then finish the rest tomorrow.
I think the first question was pretty simple and just asked why the last section is a metafiction, and the answer is that becuase in the mist of telling the story, the writer addresses the story being written about as part of the story.....
i will finish this later when i know the second part of this assignment.

Jack Sparrow = <3

Jack Sparrow is a postmodern pirate because... he seems to go throung his life without a care, he doesnt live with any fears becuase he know, or thinks at least that is is his fate. So whatever happens to him, is what was suppose to happen. As long as what he is doing is in some way benifiting him, he will do whatever. He doesnt plan, yet has one goal. And knows that eventually he'll get what he wants. He just has to let time play its thing until eventually he is in favor of his own fate. He's life is chaotic, and he likes that. And so do we as an audience, being a postmodern audience. We never know what his next step is, and we dont ever know what the right next step is. We experience his adventure in a different way.

I LOVE CAP. JACK SPARROW!

and Orlando bloom is pretty amazing too.

William Turner!!!!

Ants BLog

Its friday night, im dead tired and have no motovation to write this out... o well. Well my "Ants" experience happened right after this assignment was given. I like to think that im a pretty outgoing person when im put in situations like this, so i really didnt have any fears or issues with the assignment. So it went a little like this, wednesday after class...durring lunch i went to go put gas in my car becuase i woulndt have time after school to go to that, so i went down the hill to costo, cause thats the cheep gas, and when i get gas there i get to use moms credit card, nort my own hard earned cash. i get there, and its like i was the only car there, i get out pump my gass and stand there waiting for the tank to get full. This nice young man, who worked there came up to me...which in a way freaked my out, and my natural instinct as he began to talk to me was to go sit in my car and avoid him. Shamefully, i will admit that is just what i did. As he came over he saidhows it going, him...seeing my unwillingness to chat just said have a great day, and walked away. Immediatly following this, i was like CRUD, perfect moment to not be an ant... but i blew it. So i was kind of upset. I went back up the big hill, and decided to go to safeway becuase i was craving a SOBE drink, and i was searching to redeam myself for being a complete loser. I got my drink, got in line and bang...then it happened. The girl infront of me in line was getting a bagel, her credit card wasnt working, and it was like 57 cents, so as she was screabling to count change in her oversized purse i said just add my drink to that and i'll pay for it. She looked up at me, and said thank you, told me her name was rebecca and that she was already late for work after break, she said "i'll get ya next time" and ran out the door. That was it.

"go to it"

I think his words have an approving tone, i honestly dont think he cares enough about them really to care weather or not they die. He would have spent more time explaining if he didnt approve. He apporoves, becuase they get the death they deserve....a pointless, stupid, meaningless way of dieing...for two pointless, stupid, meaningless chatacters.