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.