The article by Murphy Davis about Atlanta made me fairly angry, mostly because of the inhumanity of destroying so many housing buildings that people depend on. The fact that all the housing was cleared out for reasons such as building dormitories for the olympic athletes and for other trivial reasons just makes it worse. It's as if they just forgot about the people that probably couldn't afford to relocate, just cast them aside and let them deal with it themselves. He does a good job relating this to Woodruff park, how those in charge are more concerned with aesthetics than maintaining an area that's conducive to people enjoying themselves. However, at least some people, like the author of the article, have a better vision and intention. Unfortunately he probably has little influence over those who have been making these decisions, so perhaps the city is out of luck for a few years until some more empathetic people come to power.
Reading "The Uses of Sidewalks-Safety," I started thinking about the sidewalks around Kutztown. Most of campus is like a mini city, except we have sidewalks without streets, which is even better. Along with that, you will probably end up seeing people you know, at least some you recognize, so it's not like walking around a major city with thousands of strangers. However, I still feel like it's a fairly safe place to be , since there are so many people. People will certainly step in if they see a bad situation in progress. On main street in Kutztown, near the businesses, I would say that there is good interaction between the people on the street and the storefronts and apartments. I think that it's also a little different because most of the pedestrians are college students, and about half of them seem inebriated on most nights. During the daytime, however, there is a pleasant vibe and general sense of safety. I think that the sidewalks in the area are in good shape and I'm sure most people feel safe and comfortable while traversing them.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
My walk around, because I couldnt print it
Taking a general walk around campus to find an object of inspiration in which to write about led me to only one decision. The South Dinning Hall. Not only is it a gathering place for the students, a place to eat, a recreational center for those who enjoy sporting, it is also a place for relaxation and study. In fact, the best part of the SDH is its exterior: the benchs, the grass and trees, and the stonework.
All of these contribute to the overall feelings of relaxation, peace, and well-being. I find that I cannot go up to my room at night for a sleep if I do not spend a little time outside of the SDH, not only eating, but having a late night cigerette, and talk with my friends. The atmosphere is welcoming, and the purpose of the small courtyard is for the gathering of friends.
Even the architectural designs seemingly welcome a person. The glass façade, streaked with outlines of silver. The words “South Dinning Hall” in a fun, inviting script (red to catch the attention and hunger of people), and the semi-circular exterior drags the eye around the outside. Not only that, but the roof has boggled my mind since coming here and spending these nights staring at the building. I have long since wondered how to get up on to it, to sit in the middle and look up the DMZ, to be participate in its majesty for just a moment, before Public Safety arrested me.
Still, the SDH is the most interesting “truth” on campus…to talk of truths. It coincides with the reading we had. It’s a friendly place, where people can watch each other go about their business. A place to eat, a place to watch others, hang out, smoke, have a laugh.
All in all, it is the quintessential piece of architecture on campus.
All of these contribute to the overall feelings of relaxation, peace, and well-being. I find that I cannot go up to my room at night for a sleep if I do not spend a little time outside of the SDH, not only eating, but having a late night cigerette, and talk with my friends. The atmosphere is welcoming, and the purpose of the small courtyard is for the gathering of friends.
Even the architectural designs seemingly welcome a person. The glass façade, streaked with outlines of silver. The words “South Dinning Hall” in a fun, inviting script (red to catch the attention and hunger of people), and the semi-circular exterior drags the eye around the outside. Not only that, but the roof has boggled my mind since coming here and spending these nights staring at the building. I have long since wondered how to get up on to it, to sit in the middle and look up the DMZ, to be participate in its majesty for just a moment, before Public Safety arrested me.
Still, the SDH is the most interesting “truth” on campus…to talk of truths. It coincides with the reading we had. It’s a friendly place, where people can watch each other go about their business. A place to eat, a place to watch others, hang out, smoke, have a laugh.
All in all, it is the quintessential piece of architecture on campus.
outside the south dining hall
This is my page of description from one particular spot on campus. The printers didn't work in the computer lab, so I'm sending it here. Enjoy!
Outside the South dining hall, I find myself sitting at a picnic table with a group of good friends. It feels great outside, the weather is nice for a change, and people are walking around on their own little missions. I look inside through the window and see people eating lunch and laughing, everything looks inviting. The windows sprawl nearly 180 degrees and seem to reach to the sky from my viewpoint down on the bench. The wall of window creates a sense of open space and freedom. It’s as if the people inside and outside are barely separated, yet when you stop and observe, you notice many others doing the same thing. It feels like a shared sense of social interaction, even though most people are just eating. This whole area has a much different feeling than the cafeteria upstairs, where it sometimes becomes a challenge to find a place to sit down.
The fact that there are a few inviting tables outside for people to eat and socialize on tells me that whoever planned the layout for the area was thinking about creating a positive, comfortable place for people to spend their time. Half the time I am sitting out there, I am not eating anything, I am simply talking to other people and having a good time. I think that all the open space out there, including the lawn just beyond the table area, contribute primarily toward the purpose of social interaction. The majority of people on campus come to eat every day, so it is a central location for meeting up with people and talking, relaxing, and having fun.
Overall, I would say that this area outside the dining hall is my favorite place on campus, due to the atmosphere that exists there most of the day, including evenings. It is a focal point of sorts, and if nothing else, a place to refuel.
Outside the South dining hall, I find myself sitting at a picnic table with a group of good friends. It feels great outside, the weather is nice for a change, and people are walking around on their own little missions. I look inside through the window and see people eating lunch and laughing, everything looks inviting. The windows sprawl nearly 180 degrees and seem to reach to the sky from my viewpoint down on the bench. The wall of window creates a sense of open space and freedom. It’s as if the people inside and outside are barely separated, yet when you stop and observe, you notice many others doing the same thing. It feels like a shared sense of social interaction, even though most people are just eating. This whole area has a much different feeling than the cafeteria upstairs, where it sometimes becomes a challenge to find a place to sit down.
The fact that there are a few inviting tables outside for people to eat and socialize on tells me that whoever planned the layout for the area was thinking about creating a positive, comfortable place for people to spend their time. Half the time I am sitting out there, I am not eating anything, I am simply talking to other people and having a good time. I think that all the open space out there, including the lawn just beyond the table area, contribute primarily toward the purpose of social interaction. The majority of people on campus come to eat every day, so it is a central location for meeting up with people and talking, relaxing, and having fun.
Overall, I would say that this area outside the dining hall is my favorite place on campus, due to the atmosphere that exists there most of the day, including evenings. It is a focal point of sorts, and if nothing else, a place to refuel.
the readings
I have to admit, the readings interested me only somewhat. I will begin with the first one, "Woodruff Park." I can understand the authors disdain for the governmental process in which the refurbishment of this park was voted on, apperantly without consent of the public. I can understand this for many reasons, including the fact that I'm young, erroneos, and believe I know everything and can indeed run the established government with more ease than those doing it at the moment (albeit they are doing a horrible job). And I understand it on the same level, again because I'm young, and the mojority of wrongs done to a person, I believe, by the government is when they are young. Government meaning anything from parents, school, police, to D.C.
But that does not give any real example of the wrongings done to these people by the refurbishment. Sure, maybe from history one could pull examples of racism in the culture and city, but to adhere to that idea today and proclaim that the beautifying of a park was in fact a way to rid the city of winos and homeless is completely baseless. The fact that these people are homeless is for a combination of reasons, a complex variety of mistakes on there part and wrongs done to them, to purely say because the park was made "nicer" they no longer can sleep there. Well the question is did you really want them sleeping there? I think the truth is really that while they were there, the person was most likely disgusted by the fact that they were there, but once they had to move, all of a sudden a persons liberties are being forced away, an autocratic govt. is taking shape and the common man must fight it. Its just a way for the people to get excited and fight for what is "right."
I do agree though, with the fact that the Olympic site in Atlanta was garrish and ill planned. Indeed, why is the populations of the "transient Olympic visitors more important than the homes for the people of Atlanta." That is a fact that troubles me every summer when the Olympics are set up in a city. The sad truth is that the cities govt. does push out the less wanted society living in the city. Instead of helping the less fortunate, the govt. pushes them away, hides them in the back alleys of the "dangerous streets". Well the only reason the streets are dangerous are because that is how we make them out to be.
Which brings me to the second reading. "The Uses of Sidewalks-Safety" interested me a great deal, because for 13 years, I did live in a city. Paterson, NJ, one of the largest cities in NJ, and consequently a dubious 15 minutes outside of The City, is where I grew up. I can certainly sympathise with the author here. The danger and safety of the streets completely depends upon the persons within. Noone for instance, on my street growing up, raised a finger to dial 911 while my neighbor was being murdered, and everyone on the street knew what was happening. Nobody on my street stopped me from throwing rocks at squirills on the telephone lines, consequently throwing a rock through a sun room in a living room down the road.
It all depends upon the people. Not only that, but the idea that a less frequented street is more dangerous is completely rediculous. Some of the safer streets in Paterson, The City, and Newark are the one less frequented. The idea that an empty street could imply out of sight watchers generally scares people away, including those willing to do harm. Its more dangerous to walk a deserted street, by oneself, in the middle of the night when it is known that the more villinous are more capable of killing or robbing in the dead of the night. It is safe to assume that at night in the city, one is not going to come when help is called for, for fear of ones own life. hence, no 911 call to the dying man next door.
This is getting long, and I'm done. These are just a few of my opinions related to the stories we had to read, maybe we'll read this, maybe not. Either way, this is what I think.
But that does not give any real example of the wrongings done to these people by the refurbishment. Sure, maybe from history one could pull examples of racism in the culture and city, but to adhere to that idea today and proclaim that the beautifying of a park was in fact a way to rid the city of winos and homeless is completely baseless. The fact that these people are homeless is for a combination of reasons, a complex variety of mistakes on there part and wrongs done to them, to purely say because the park was made "nicer" they no longer can sleep there. Well the question is did you really want them sleeping there? I think the truth is really that while they were there, the person was most likely disgusted by the fact that they were there, but once they had to move, all of a sudden a persons liberties are being forced away, an autocratic govt. is taking shape and the common man must fight it. Its just a way for the people to get excited and fight for what is "right."
I do agree though, with the fact that the Olympic site in Atlanta was garrish and ill planned. Indeed, why is the populations of the "transient Olympic visitors more important than the homes for the people of Atlanta." That is a fact that troubles me every summer when the Olympics are set up in a city. The sad truth is that the cities govt. does push out the less wanted society living in the city. Instead of helping the less fortunate, the govt. pushes them away, hides them in the back alleys of the "dangerous streets". Well the only reason the streets are dangerous are because that is how we make them out to be.
Which brings me to the second reading. "The Uses of Sidewalks-Safety" interested me a great deal, because for 13 years, I did live in a city. Paterson, NJ, one of the largest cities in NJ, and consequently a dubious 15 minutes outside of The City, is where I grew up. I can certainly sympathise with the author here. The danger and safety of the streets completely depends upon the persons within. Noone for instance, on my street growing up, raised a finger to dial 911 while my neighbor was being murdered, and everyone on the street knew what was happening. Nobody on my street stopped me from throwing rocks at squirills on the telephone lines, consequently throwing a rock through a sun room in a living room down the road.
It all depends upon the people. Not only that, but the idea that a less frequented street is more dangerous is completely rediculous. Some of the safer streets in Paterson, The City, and Newark are the one less frequented. The idea that an empty street could imply out of sight watchers generally scares people away, including those willing to do harm. Its more dangerous to walk a deserted street, by oneself, in the middle of the night when it is known that the more villinous are more capable of killing or robbing in the dead of the night. It is safe to assume that at night in the city, one is not going to come when help is called for, for fear of ones own life. hence, no 911 call to the dying man next door.
This is getting long, and I'm done. These are just a few of my opinions related to the stories we had to read, maybe we'll read this, maybe not. Either way, this is what I think.
readings for the weekend
so, I just finished reading the articles in the textbook, and I figured since we have this blog and it's part of our weekend assignment to share our thoughts, I'd share my thoughts with all of you on these two readings.
First I'll address "The Use of Sidewalks" by Jacobs. It was a very long but interesting read on her philosophy of street safety, and I agree 100%. She goes on to basically state that public safety is exactly that - safety left up to the public. She uses a lot of experiences and examples to demonstrate her point. Having grown up in Philadelphia and spent a good amount of time within the city limits, I feel like I have a background knowledge to what she says and completely understand everything she says. Like this one time, when I was in 4th grade or something, I was walking home with a friend of mine from some kind of extra-cirricular thing, and these guys started following us [like high school aged guys, I guess about 17 or 18, and that seemed OLD to us then], we got scared because there was no one around until we got to the corner store around the corner from my house, and then the guys inside the store went outside and made sure everything was safe for us. Ok, long story made short, we didn't feel safe because nobody was around. It was 4 in the afternoon and most of the families were still split up, with kids inside doing homework with the doors locked and parents at work or on their way home, and nobody was outside. Similarly, I spent a good amount of nights this past summer walking around South Street and Market Street down in Philadelphia. I don't think I've felt safer in any other part of the city [except I refuse to walk on South Street past 7th going up, it's too dirty] than there, because of how full of life it was. I had gone down with my boyfriend and my friend for cheesesteaks at Jims, because we were bored [I know, lame right?] and even though my boyfriend was being stupid and saying 'hi' to everyone he saw on our way down, I knew nothing too bad could really happen because that part of the city is well lit, well used, and is just safe in all other aspects. I guess my experiences helped me completely understand her article. So, that's my piece on that.
I didn't particularly enjoy reading the other article about the park in Atlanta, and how by trying to make the park unwelcoming to one group [specifically homeless people], it made it unwelcome to all, but it made me think about Kutztown. We talked about in class on Wednesday how the pictures make it look like everyone works together, and the open spaces around campus promote group meetings, but then I also realised that Kutztown is TOO spread apart. It's too far to walk from Lehigh, where I'm typing this wonderful response, to the Student Union Building for a cup of hot chocolate and a meeting for a club. It's too far to walk to the Fairgrounds to get your car and GO somewhere. Even though KU has such open space, I kind of feel like it's too spread out, and it promotes hermitness to a degree. I mean, when I was looking at schools, I liked KU because of it's spreadout-ness, and I didn't like the cramped style of PSU Abington's campus, and I was pretty much going on purely asthetics. However, now that I'm at college, this open space is a pain to cover by foot. Think about it. It is way too far to walk to Taylor and Byrnes to get a coffee or something and study for finals during the bitter December cold weather. It's ten times easier to sit on my computer, make hot chocolate the way I like it in my cocoa machine [auto-shut off... take that, Housing!], and talk on instant messenger with my classmates and discuss finals THAT way. But that doesn't promote true groupwork. Do you catch my drift?
Anyway, so those are just my thoughts, as drawn out and crazy as they may seem. Look forward to reading your thoughts/opinions later tonight/tomorrow before class. !!! Bye!
[ps: does anyone think they might actually do a real word under 'Word Verification' ?]
First I'll address "The Use of Sidewalks" by Jacobs. It was a very long but interesting read on her philosophy of street safety, and I agree 100%. She goes on to basically state that public safety is exactly that - safety left up to the public. She uses a lot of experiences and examples to demonstrate her point. Having grown up in Philadelphia and spent a good amount of time within the city limits, I feel like I have a background knowledge to what she says and completely understand everything she says. Like this one time, when I was in 4th grade or something, I was walking home with a friend of mine from some kind of extra-cirricular thing, and these guys started following us [like high school aged guys, I guess about 17 or 18, and that seemed OLD to us then], we got scared because there was no one around until we got to the corner store around the corner from my house, and then the guys inside the store went outside and made sure everything was safe for us. Ok, long story made short, we didn't feel safe because nobody was around. It was 4 in the afternoon and most of the families were still split up, with kids inside doing homework with the doors locked and parents at work or on their way home, and nobody was outside. Similarly, I spent a good amount of nights this past summer walking around South Street and Market Street down in Philadelphia. I don't think I've felt safer in any other part of the city [except I refuse to walk on South Street past 7th going up, it's too dirty] than there, because of how full of life it was. I had gone down with my boyfriend and my friend for cheesesteaks at Jims, because we were bored [I know, lame right?] and even though my boyfriend was being stupid and saying 'hi' to everyone he saw on our way down, I knew nothing too bad could really happen because that part of the city is well lit, well used, and is just safe in all other aspects. I guess my experiences helped me completely understand her article. So, that's my piece on that.
I didn't particularly enjoy reading the other article about the park in Atlanta, and how by trying to make the park unwelcoming to one group [specifically homeless people], it made it unwelcome to all, but it made me think about Kutztown. We talked about in class on Wednesday how the pictures make it look like everyone works together, and the open spaces around campus promote group meetings, but then I also realised that Kutztown is TOO spread apart. It's too far to walk from Lehigh, where I'm typing this wonderful response, to the Student Union Building for a cup of hot chocolate and a meeting for a club. It's too far to walk to the Fairgrounds to get your car and GO somewhere. Even though KU has such open space, I kind of feel like it's too spread out, and it promotes hermitness to a degree. I mean, when I was looking at schools, I liked KU because of it's spreadout-ness, and I didn't like the cramped style of PSU Abington's campus, and I was pretty much going on purely asthetics. However, now that I'm at college, this open space is a pain to cover by foot. Think about it. It is way too far to walk to Taylor and Byrnes to get a coffee or something and study for finals during the bitter December cold weather. It's ten times easier to sit on my computer, make hot chocolate the way I like it in my cocoa machine [auto-shut off... take that, Housing!], and talk on instant messenger with my classmates and discuss finals THAT way. But that doesn't promote true groupwork. Do you catch my drift?
Anyway, so those are just my thoughts, as drawn out and crazy as they may seem. Look forward to reading your thoughts/opinions later tonight/tomorrow before class. !!! Bye!
[ps: does anyone think they might actually do a real word under 'Word Verification' ?]
Nobody Is Safe!!!
This trend mentioned by Jane Jacobs in The Use of Sidewalks - Safety is that the more people use the streets and the more people that care about what is going on in the streets the safer they would be. However this trend shows that eventually no street will ever be a safe place as people care less and less about what is going on outside their window and more and more about what is going on inside. As Jacobs mentions "the sight of people attracts other people" and as people move out in favor of "safer places" less people will want to watch the outside and see what is going on which will make the streets a lonelier, more desolate, more dangerous place. This in turn will make more people want to leave causing it to become even more dangerous of a place to walk. It also seems that as areas are expanding there are smaller buildings and businesses being replaced by larger living facilities. The people that move into these buildings often replace the people that care about the streets and what is going on out there. This also makes the streets are more dangerous place and the rate that this is occurring is causing a rapid destabilization of the safety of these streets. As this occurs there will be less and less streets that can be safely walked on at night and the whole city will be engulfed in crime.
There seems to be many reasons why the streets become unsafe but once it starts it is like a domino effect and all hope is lost.
For the story of Woodruff Park and the Search for Common Ground, by Murphy Davis the reader is shown an example of how all the people in an area and are related and how an adjustment made to a public area to affect one group of people will ultimately affect everybody else. In this story Murphy talks about the changes to Woodruff Park to make it less hospitable to the homeless and downtrodden make it less hospitable to the general public. The city council has turned a beautiful park into an impersonal stretch of concrete, but on the bright side they could have made it into a parking lot. Oh wait, they already did that when they tore down living the Avon and Capital hotels. Atlanta, Georgia seems to have this obsession with keeping bums out of the parks, but at the same time they consider kicking people out of their homes by tearing down living residences such as hotels and low income housing an improvement to the city. Something there just doesn't add up but I can't quite put my finger on it.
There seems to be many reasons why the streets become unsafe but once it starts it is like a domino effect and all hope is lost.
For the story of Woodruff Park and the Search for Common Ground, by Murphy Davis the reader is shown an example of how all the people in an area and are related and how an adjustment made to a public area to affect one group of people will ultimately affect everybody else. In this story Murphy talks about the changes to Woodruff Park to make it less hospitable to the homeless and downtrodden make it less hospitable to the general public. The city council has turned a beautiful park into an impersonal stretch of concrete, but on the bright side they could have made it into a parking lot. Oh wait, they already did that when they tore down living the Avon and Capital hotels. Atlanta, Georgia seems to have this obsession with keeping bums out of the parks, but at the same time they consider kicking people out of their homes by tearing down living residences such as hotels and low income housing an improvement to the city. Something there just doesn't add up but I can't quite put my finger on it.
Sidewalks and Parks
In The Uses of Sidewalks - Safety, Jacobs introduces some very valid points about the relatedness of population and crime. I use the term population here in a very local, relative sense, meaning, those persons who frequent the "sidewalks" of discussion. Jacobs' points do stand to reason. When was the last time you heard of anyone being shot in Times Square? A mugging at Epcot? A stabbing in Philadelphia International? No one is going to commit these types of social crimes where there are so many people to not only witness, but prevent such an attack. I believe that what Jacobs is really saying here is that it doesn't matter what location is studied or at what time of day, the (maybe not sole, but certainly most prevailant) factor is simply a function of how many people are present. When a community is told to stay inside after hours, and similar things, then they will. They will also tend to shun the outdoors altogether in favor of their homes or the homes of family and friends in other areas. This reduces the number of, as Jacobs says, eyes on the streets, and therefore makes anyone who does wander around for whatever reason, more vunerable because of a lack of that social protection. "Power in numbers" is a great way to explain the phenomenon, suffice it to say that the power is generated not by an actively assailant group of farmers with pitchforks, but simply the knowledge that one is being watched.
As for the essay Wooddruff Park and the Search For Common Ground, I believe this is a specific example of a broader concept. Being a future teacher, I have my own educational philosophy. Something to the effect of "Whenever an action is taken without the specific goal of benefiting the students, it will harm them in the long run." After having read this article, I believe that the arguments presented there, along with my philosophy about education, are both simply examples of a more generic concept, that applies to any situation consisting of an administrative power and a population of "lay people" in which, any action taken or decision made without the explicit intention of benefitting said population as a whole, will, eventually, impair and deprive the population as well as weaken and defame the administration. It seems that this idea is the vehicle with which Davis makes his argument for the case of Atlanta.
As for the essay Wooddruff Park and the Search For Common Ground, I believe this is a specific example of a broader concept. Being a future teacher, I have my own educational philosophy. Something to the effect of "Whenever an action is taken without the specific goal of benefiting the students, it will harm them in the long run." After having read this article, I believe that the arguments presented there, along with my philosophy about education, are both simply examples of a more generic concept, that applies to any situation consisting of an administrative power and a population of "lay people" in which, any action taken or decision made without the explicit intention of benefitting said population as a whole, will, eventually, impair and deprive the population as well as weaken and defame the administration. It seems that this idea is the vehicle with which Davis makes his argument for the case of Atlanta.
The space between the grass and the street
"A city sidewalk by itself is nothing. It is an abstraction. It means something only in conjunction with the buildings and other uses that border it."
- The Uses of Sidewalks- Safety: Jane Jacobs
That is one of the most profound things that I’ve heard in a long time. Not so much because it has deep intellectual meaning but because it is such a simple though completely overlooked truth. She goes on to say that how people view a particular street really has nothing to do with the street itself but rather with the emotional connection that they have with it. A street can be beautifully manicured with impressive architecture and still promote such a feeling of insecurity that it will remain empty and unused.
The connection between use and safety that she made was an interesting one. After reading this piece, I started thinking about streets where I felt safest and where I didn’t. Even when surrounded by strangers, the feeling of safety is much higher than when walking around campus at night alone. This campus has very few areas that many people would view as "dangerous" in that there aren’t many places with tall bushes or any dark alleyways; it is typically well-lit and open. However, even just walking home the other night by myself after a lecture, I was distinctly nervous. Part of this is undoubtedly due to the stereotypical view that a female walking alone at night is at risk, but this feeling was substantially due to the fact that I live on the academic side of campus, so even though there were buildings around, there was no one in them. In The Uses of Sidewalks there is a passage that reads, "There must be eyes upon the street, eyes belonging to those we might call the natural proprietors of the street." That was the missing piece that factored so strongly into my feeling of apprehension.
I will only make a brief comment on the second piece. The main theme that I got from this reading was summed up well in this passage from Woodruff Park and the Search For Common Ground, "This pattern of destruction has been repeated, and there is little beauty, culture, or humanity left. What we have instead is precisely what the powers say they want: a ‘sanitized son,’ ‘vagrant free,’ and deserted enough to appear safe, devoid of the color of a rich urban culture whose life has never been antiseptic, colorless, cold, and heartless." It is critical, in order to make places safe for everyone, to create an environment that fosters that feeling of community and belonging, that feeling that makes people want to be out in their environment. Only then will the streets, sidewalks, and other spaces that define our lives be truly safe.
- The Uses of Sidewalks- Safety: Jane Jacobs
That is one of the most profound things that I’ve heard in a long time. Not so much because it has deep intellectual meaning but because it is such a simple though completely overlooked truth. She goes on to say that how people view a particular street really has nothing to do with the street itself but rather with the emotional connection that they have with it. A street can be beautifully manicured with impressive architecture and still promote such a feeling of insecurity that it will remain empty and unused.
The connection between use and safety that she made was an interesting one. After reading this piece, I started thinking about streets where I felt safest and where I didn’t. Even when surrounded by strangers, the feeling of safety is much higher than when walking around campus at night alone. This campus has very few areas that many people would view as "dangerous" in that there aren’t many places with tall bushes or any dark alleyways; it is typically well-lit and open. However, even just walking home the other night by myself after a lecture, I was distinctly nervous. Part of this is undoubtedly due to the stereotypical view that a female walking alone at night is at risk, but this feeling was substantially due to the fact that I live on the academic side of campus, so even though there were buildings around, there was no one in them. In The Uses of Sidewalks there is a passage that reads, "There must be eyes upon the street, eyes belonging to those we might call the natural proprietors of the street." That was the missing piece that factored so strongly into my feeling of apprehension.
I will only make a brief comment on the second piece. The main theme that I got from this reading was summed up well in this passage from Woodruff Park and the Search For Common Ground, "This pattern of destruction has been repeated, and there is little beauty, culture, or humanity left. What we have instead is precisely what the powers say they want: a ‘sanitized son,’ ‘vagrant free,’ and deserted enough to appear safe, devoid of the color of a rich urban culture whose life has never been antiseptic, colorless, cold, and heartless." It is critical, in order to make places safe for everyone, to create an environment that fosters that feeling of community and belonging, that feeling that makes people want to be out in their environment. Only then will the streets, sidewalks, and other spaces that define our lives be truly safe.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
My Cup of Tea
I found The Uses of Sidewalks –Safety to be an intriguing reading. The pieces style, topic, concepts, and ideas were all things that caught my attention. Not only did this reading catch my attention, but it held it throughout.
Jane Jacobs’s style of writing is one that appealed to me. She does not write in a way that is too technical, going above and beyond what the reader needs or wants to know. She writes in a style that speaks directly to the reader. Her writing is personable.
“A well-used city street is apt to be a safe street,” says Jacobs in the middle of the piece. I have to admit I don’t think I would have ever come to this conclusion on my own, but after considering this idea I found that I completely agree with it. It makes sense that the streets and sidewalks that are not used by as many people are unsafe because since there are not many people on them there is no one to watch out for one another.
There was another piece of this writing that caught my attention. I know that what I am going to say about it is a bit of topic with all the other things that I am saying, but personally I just found it amusing. At one point Jacobs says, “To be sure, there are people with hobgoblins in their heads, and such people will never feel safe no matter what the objective circumstances are.” Immediately when I read this my mom popped into my head. I love her to death, but she always…always thinks that something bad is going to happen in every situation. No matter how simple or safe a situation my mom will be the first to think of something that could go wrong. “Be careful!” is her favorite thing to say.
I also found Davis’s writing to be one of interest to me. It was written in a way that appealed to me, just as in Jacobs’s piece. This piece addressed an important issue in our society, the way we try to temporarily sweep the “garbage” under the rug (as Davis puts it). It is a horrible reality of our society, one that we should be ashamed of. Maybe if we would all take a stand on it like Davis attempted to in this article something would finally be done about it.
Jane Jacobs’s style of writing is one that appealed to me. She does not write in a way that is too technical, going above and beyond what the reader needs or wants to know. She writes in a style that speaks directly to the reader. Her writing is personable.
“A well-used city street is apt to be a safe street,” says Jacobs in the middle of the piece. I have to admit I don’t think I would have ever come to this conclusion on my own, but after considering this idea I found that I completely agree with it. It makes sense that the streets and sidewalks that are not used by as many people are unsafe because since there are not many people on them there is no one to watch out for one another.
There was another piece of this writing that caught my attention. I know that what I am going to say about it is a bit of topic with all the other things that I am saying, but personally I just found it amusing. At one point Jacobs says, “To be sure, there are people with hobgoblins in their heads, and such people will never feel safe no matter what the objective circumstances are.” Immediately when I read this my mom popped into my head. I love her to death, but she always…always thinks that something bad is going to happen in every situation. No matter how simple or safe a situation my mom will be the first to think of something that could go wrong. “Be careful!” is her favorite thing to say.
I also found Davis’s writing to be one of interest to me. It was written in a way that appealed to me, just as in Jacobs’s piece. This piece addressed an important issue in our society, the way we try to temporarily sweep the “garbage” under the rug (as Davis puts it). It is a horrible reality of our society, one that we should be ashamed of. Maybe if we would all take a stand on it like Davis attempted to in this article something would finally be done about it.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Sidewalks and Unwelcoming parks......
Jacobs wrote about how safe sidewalks and safe cities are synonymous. She explains that without safe sidewalks the city itself can not be safe. This makes alot of sense because cities both big and small and even suburbia have sidewalks. If you can feel safe walking on the streets than the general atmosphere of that part of town is safe. I agree with that.
What's interesting is that streets that are familiarized by ethnic people, or just people of the same culture have a safer feeling than those of upper class penthouse apartments. Jacobs used the example of her own street where when it appeared that an older man was trying to lure away a little girl, atleast someone from every building came out to make sure nothing wrong was going on. The only building where no one looked out was the newly renovated, more expensive apartment building....This might tell you something about the mentality of upperclass people.
The lower income ethnic cultures appear to look out for each other, while the upper class appear to not pay that much attention to their neighbors because they do not want the hastle of being attached to someone and therefore having some kind of responsibility. I thought that was pretty interesting....
On public space, i agree with andy in that the essay sounded alot like a campaign speech. It seems as if the writer had written a petition against the park in Atlanta. She declares that the only thing you can do with it is look at it and that remodeling that park pushed all of the homeless people away. Davis's sympathy to the homeless people is very humane. Although homeless people shoudn't be allowed to stay in parks around little children and so forth......not saying that all homeless people are no good but of course they are people so there will be some rotten apples in the bushel. Really the mayor should have spent the money on a soup kitchen or some other housing plan.. I believe that this story is a part of what is happening all over the US. Cities and small towns are giving into the american look. They are conforming all their stores and restaurants. They are making the whole mess clean and sanitary when cities are naturally dirty but alive and fun and personal..Pretty soon there will be a sign above beautiful restaurant saying "You make look but don't eat". Just like the park that won't let people in, so cities will eventually not want people in, only the appearance of people living in neat identical houses that have manicured lawns.
What's interesting is that streets that are familiarized by ethnic people, or just people of the same culture have a safer feeling than those of upper class penthouse apartments. Jacobs used the example of her own street where when it appeared that an older man was trying to lure away a little girl, atleast someone from every building came out to make sure nothing wrong was going on. The only building where no one looked out was the newly renovated, more expensive apartment building....This might tell you something about the mentality of upperclass people.
The lower income ethnic cultures appear to look out for each other, while the upper class appear to not pay that much attention to their neighbors because they do not want the hastle of being attached to someone and therefore having some kind of responsibility. I thought that was pretty interesting....
On public space, i agree with andy in that the essay sounded alot like a campaign speech. It seems as if the writer had written a petition against the park in Atlanta. She declares that the only thing you can do with it is look at it and that remodeling that park pushed all of the homeless people away. Davis's sympathy to the homeless people is very humane. Although homeless people shoudn't be allowed to stay in parks around little children and so forth......not saying that all homeless people are no good but of course they are people so there will be some rotten apples in the bushel. Really the mayor should have spent the money on a soup kitchen or some other housing plan.. I believe that this story is a part of what is happening all over the US. Cities and small towns are giving into the american look. They are conforming all their stores and restaurants. They are making the whole mess clean and sanitary when cities are naturally dirty but alive and fun and personal..Pretty soon there will be a sign above beautiful restaurant saying "You make look but don't eat". Just like the park that won't let people in, so cities will eventually not want people in, only the appearance of people living in neat identical houses that have manicured lawns.
Woodward Park and The Use of Sidewalks
I read both of these stories and it seems to me that they are closer to campaign speeches or a town council meeting than essays. In Woodward Park, Murphy Davis talks constantly about how the city of Atlanta is trying to make itself look better at the expense of people in the city that should be helped. This essay is the most like a campaign speech because Davis criticizes the current mayor about his overhaul of the Park to keep homeless people out and make the city feel "safe." Her passage on the city's renovations to make way for the Olympic games in 1996 remind me of another city that did some "changes" when they had their Olympics. And that city would be....Berlin, Germany in 1936. Atlanta tore down numerous buildings and displaced a great number of underprivledged citizens so that the Olympic Centennial Park (which looks really nice according to some of the pictures that I have seen of it) could be built. In Nazi Germany (1936), the government decided to remove any signs of Nazi activity such as the Gestapo and anti-semetic signs in the city so that their Olympics would take place without interruption and avoid controversy. Of course that was not avoided when Jesse Owens won a large number of medals for the USA and Hitler refused to put on Owens' medal.
ANYWAY, where was I? Oh, yeah. This story reminded me of that because Davis's thoughts on the city's work. "The park and surroundings are being redeveloped, not because Atlanta wants to cultivate public space, but because the world is coming to town, and Atlanta wants a clean facade; the "garbage" will be swept under a rug temporarily. (308)" Towards the end, Davis intensifies her dislike of the mayor's work when she emphasizes her ideas of reviving the parks and making it so that people feel welcome in Atlanta. This ending emphasis showed the tone of this essay. I believe that even if she was not writing this for political purposes, although I think she was writing this for the Open Door Community (if you read the small exerpt before the story), I think she wanted the people of Atlanta to realize what is happening to the city and the "improvements" that are taking place are actually hurting the city. On a side note, this city sounds a lot better than Los Angeles in Jacobs's essay.
In The Use of Sidewalks, Jacobs introduces the fact that sidewalks and streets are the main part of a city which makes sense if you think about it. Without sidewalks, people would have to walk in the streets and without streets, theres no where to walk, drive, or move. Well what about waterways like rivers? That's not the point because we are talking about dry land here. I did not mind this part of the essay because it was informative but it was not overly aggressive. Once Jane Jacobs begins to list statistics, then I thought that she was being more textbook than persuasive or informally informative (if that makes sense). Overall, she hates Los Angeles. That is clear to see. If you were in Los Angeles and knew about all the problems they had in you didn't have to live there, wouldn't you hate it too? Now personally, what scared me a little bit is the fact that Philadelphia made one of the lists for high crime. Forcible rape is the 2nd or 3rd highest in Philly. Now I would recommend that any girl going to Philadelphia anytime soon should first buy at least one of these items: pepper spray, a flail, or a taser. Flails are much cooler than the other two. But overall in L.A, you need your own set of bodyguards to feel safe according to Jacobs. They are the highest in forcible rape, major crimes overall, aggravated assault, and probably some other wonderful categories. Jacobs says that LA is this bad is because their streets are bad. No one can say that the streets of LA are not bad because there is even a video game out there called Streets Of LA, where you go around either shooting people, get shot at, or steal stuff (Much like Grand Theft Auto to be honest).
To prevent this kind of thing from happening in other places, Jacobs suggests a neighborhood watch in towns. She gives a lot of recommendations and all make valid points. I know that my town has a neighborhood watch and I know that because there are signs everywhere on my street for it. My town is a lot safer than Los Angeles, but since we have Bloomsburg University, it may not be necessarily that safe. Not to hurt BU's image, but there are a lot of frat parties off campus will lots of alcohol. I live about two blocks from a bar and I continually see college students returning from it walking down the middles of streets still half-drunk. But overall, we are a safe town. In Jacobs's town, she has a neighborhood watch and explains a situation that I wish that she had not mentioned. There was a struggle between a man and a little girl and people were coming out of their houses or businesses to intervene when necessary. The problem with this is that the girl was the man's daughter. Now if that family lived in that town, you would think that SOMEONE would have realized that, "Hey, I've seen those two together before. Maybe their related." But no, instead the entire neighborhood made a big scene out of it and probably drove those two away from that town forever, if they lived there or not. Personally, if I went outside everytime I heard or saw something questionable, I would pitch a tent in my backyard. I don't have the best neighbors and they prove that on a regular basis. I do not want to go off on a tangent again, so I will stick with what Jacobs is trying to say. Cities are not safe because their streets are not safe. That makes sense and making sense feels good.
Now let's see how many times it takes for the word verification to finally work?? Any bets?
ANYWAY, where was I? Oh, yeah. This story reminded me of that because Davis's thoughts on the city's work. "The park and surroundings are being redeveloped, not because Atlanta wants to cultivate public space, but because the world is coming to town, and Atlanta wants a clean facade; the "garbage" will be swept under a rug temporarily. (308)" Towards the end, Davis intensifies her dislike of the mayor's work when she emphasizes her ideas of reviving the parks and making it so that people feel welcome in Atlanta. This ending emphasis showed the tone of this essay. I believe that even if she was not writing this for political purposes, although I think she was writing this for the Open Door Community (if you read the small exerpt before the story), I think she wanted the people of Atlanta to realize what is happening to the city and the "improvements" that are taking place are actually hurting the city. On a side note, this city sounds a lot better than Los Angeles in Jacobs's essay.
In The Use of Sidewalks, Jacobs introduces the fact that sidewalks and streets are the main part of a city which makes sense if you think about it. Without sidewalks, people would have to walk in the streets and without streets, theres no where to walk, drive, or move. Well what about waterways like rivers? That's not the point because we are talking about dry land here. I did not mind this part of the essay because it was informative but it was not overly aggressive. Once Jane Jacobs begins to list statistics, then I thought that she was being more textbook than persuasive or informally informative (if that makes sense). Overall, she hates Los Angeles. That is clear to see. If you were in Los Angeles and knew about all the problems they had in you didn't have to live there, wouldn't you hate it too? Now personally, what scared me a little bit is the fact that Philadelphia made one of the lists for high crime. Forcible rape is the 2nd or 3rd highest in Philly. Now I would recommend that any girl going to Philadelphia anytime soon should first buy at least one of these items: pepper spray, a flail, or a taser. Flails are much cooler than the other two. But overall in L.A, you need your own set of bodyguards to feel safe according to Jacobs. They are the highest in forcible rape, major crimes overall, aggravated assault, and probably some other wonderful categories. Jacobs says that LA is this bad is because their streets are bad. No one can say that the streets of LA are not bad because there is even a video game out there called Streets Of LA, where you go around either shooting people, get shot at, or steal stuff (Much like Grand Theft Auto to be honest).
To prevent this kind of thing from happening in other places, Jacobs suggests a neighborhood watch in towns. She gives a lot of recommendations and all make valid points. I know that my town has a neighborhood watch and I know that because there are signs everywhere on my street for it. My town is a lot safer than Los Angeles, but since we have Bloomsburg University, it may not be necessarily that safe. Not to hurt BU's image, but there are a lot of frat parties off campus will lots of alcohol. I live about two blocks from a bar and I continually see college students returning from it walking down the middles of streets still half-drunk. But overall, we are a safe town. In Jacobs's town, she has a neighborhood watch and explains a situation that I wish that she had not mentioned. There was a struggle between a man and a little girl and people were coming out of their houses or businesses to intervene when necessary. The problem with this is that the girl was the man's daughter. Now if that family lived in that town, you would think that SOMEONE would have realized that, "Hey, I've seen those two together before. Maybe their related." But no, instead the entire neighborhood made a big scene out of it and probably drove those two away from that town forever, if they lived there or not. Personally, if I went outside everytime I heard or saw something questionable, I would pitch a tent in my backyard. I don't have the best neighbors and they prove that on a regular basis. I do not want to go off on a tangent again, so I will stick with what Jacobs is trying to say. Cities are not safe because their streets are not safe. That makes sense and making sense feels good.
Now let's see how many times it takes for the word verification to finally work?? Any bets?
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Intro and Culture is ordinary COMBO!
Hi! i know this is late but i'm doing a intro/ comment on the reading because in a sense many things about me probably have something to do with the culture that i grew up in.
My name is Ashley Barchik. I live on a farm in Fairmount Springs which is in NEPA near Benton. I like to think of myself as a creative person. I enjoy writing and art,etc... I went to Northwest Area and graduated in a class of 80 people. I knew almost everyone in my school and atleast knew everyone's families. On friday nights my friends and i would go to football games and to a local pizza place afterwards or have awesome woods parties during the summer and or warmer months(warmer months because tents and sleeping outside was often involved) .
I love the country and was born and bred a farmer's daughter. I have a connection with William's because of growing up on a farm community. I can see arms of industry pushing back the farming communities. My grandfather came from Poland and started farming...most of my family have at some point farmed. Speaking of families I have quite a big one totaling 12 aunts and uncles and 28 first cousins, not to mention all the second and third cousins and so forth....
I can see what Williams was saying in how culture is ordinary because culture is everywhere. Wherever there is a group of people, there is culture. I'm not sure that there can be culture with only one person...however I could be wrong. Since culture is everywhere it is an everyday ordinary thing, however in certain characteristics of cultures other than your own, the culture may become extraordinary. This is only because you aren't used to that certain culture. Therefore i believe that culture is only ordinary when it is your own or when a different culture is similar to your own. Cultures can become extraordinary only when viewed by an outside standpoint.
Your own culture even though ordinary may still be changed. To quote Williams, " A culture has two aspects: the known meaings and directions, which its members are trained to; the new observations and meanings, which are offered and tested." Your own culture therefore gives you the freedom to grow while at the same time giving you restrictions based on old traditions.
I know that where i grew up i ran barefoot through the fields, in high school threw dead animals in people's yards for kicks, used words like hannah( don't you think?), yous guys(you guys), dyou(do you), and would spend my evenings watching the setting sun over my pond. My culture to me is ordinary because i am familiar with it and grew up with it all my life. But my culture to some of you might be totally removed from your ordinary culture.
All in all i started out thinking that culture is ordinary but i can really only place that word "ordinary" on my own culture and those like it. To any different culture i think of that culture as something more...
My name is Ashley Barchik. I live on a farm in Fairmount Springs which is in NEPA near Benton. I like to think of myself as a creative person. I enjoy writing and art,etc... I went to Northwest Area and graduated in a class of 80 people. I knew almost everyone in my school and atleast knew everyone's families. On friday nights my friends and i would go to football games and to a local pizza place afterwards or have awesome woods parties during the summer and or warmer months(warmer months because tents and sleeping outside was often involved) .
I love the country and was born and bred a farmer's daughter. I have a connection with William's because of growing up on a farm community. I can see arms of industry pushing back the farming communities. My grandfather came from Poland and started farming...most of my family have at some point farmed. Speaking of families I have quite a big one totaling 12 aunts and uncles and 28 first cousins, not to mention all the second and third cousins and so forth....
I can see what Williams was saying in how culture is ordinary because culture is everywhere. Wherever there is a group of people, there is culture. I'm not sure that there can be culture with only one person...however I could be wrong. Since culture is everywhere it is an everyday ordinary thing, however in certain characteristics of cultures other than your own, the culture may become extraordinary. This is only because you aren't used to that certain culture. Therefore i believe that culture is only ordinary when it is your own or when a different culture is similar to your own. Cultures can become extraordinary only when viewed by an outside standpoint.
Your own culture even though ordinary may still be changed. To quote Williams, " A culture has two aspects: the known meaings and directions, which its members are trained to; the new observations and meanings, which are offered and tested." Your own culture therefore gives you the freedom to grow while at the same time giving you restrictions based on old traditions.
I know that where i grew up i ran barefoot through the fields, in high school threw dead animals in people's yards for kicks, used words like hannah( don't you think?), yous guys(you guys), dyou(do you), and would spend my evenings watching the setting sun over my pond. My culture to me is ordinary because i am familiar with it and grew up with it all my life. But my culture to some of you might be totally removed from your ordinary culture.
All in all i started out thinking that culture is ordinary but i can really only place that word "ordinary" on my own culture and those like it. To any different culture i think of that culture as something more...
Culture is Ordinary Response
I agree in what he says about the culture. I believe that the culture a person grows up in is very ordinary to them. This is because it is the only culture they know well and what they see happening is the "norm" in their eyes. Williams chooses to use examples in his own life to support his ideas and what he saw on that train ride was something he was familiar with. I believe he uses the word ordinary as opposed to unfamiliar or even extraordinary. Something that is ordinary to you would feel odd but it wouldn't feel extra special etiher because your culture is what you see and live with in your everyday life. That doesn't mean your culture is not extraordinary to someone else, does it?
Culture is "ordinary??"
It seems weird to me how the author continues to claim that culture is ordinary. How can culture be ordinary if it is different in every aspect of its meaning? There are few cultures that are the same and no one would consider them anything but unique. I personally do not consider Pennsylvania culture ordinary but I am used to the lifestyle associated with the area.
I do understand how Williams is stating that culture is ordinary because it is all around us. It makes sense in how he is applying that phrase because culture is something that you cannot avoid and is always present. I just believe that for the culture to be completely ordinary that nothing unusual would happen. (I almost used the phrase "out of the ordinary" but that would have been redundant.)
As far as the Gulliver's Travels reference, I believe it was fitting because it showed how Raymond Williams was felt as if he was considered insignificant compared to the clergymen when they went into the library. This could show his belief of an ordinary culture because he is used to all of the pitfalls that he has so often experienced in his life. For culture being creative and that being a "way of life", that is very true. I think that because the culture of any place changes continuously that people have to abide by that and make it a part of their lives. It is ordinary in that sense because people are accustomed to change but also creates a individual sense of belonging.
Williams' writing style is impactful but he almost goes with trying to ask for sympathy for everything that has happened to him or his family. If he had used less sentiment and kept with applying his ideas on the entire community or population that he could have made his message more universal and less personalized.
I do understand how Williams is stating that culture is ordinary because it is all around us. It makes sense in how he is applying that phrase because culture is something that you cannot avoid and is always present. I just believe that for the culture to be completely ordinary that nothing unusual would happen. (I almost used the phrase "out of the ordinary" but that would have been redundant.)
As far as the Gulliver's Travels reference, I believe it was fitting because it showed how Raymond Williams was felt as if he was considered insignificant compared to the clergymen when they went into the library. This could show his belief of an ordinary culture because he is used to all of the pitfalls that he has so often experienced in his life. For culture being creative and that being a "way of life", that is very true. I think that because the culture of any place changes continuously that people have to abide by that and make it a part of their lives. It is ordinary in that sense because people are accustomed to change but also creates a individual sense of belonging.
Williams' writing style is impactful but he almost goes with trying to ask for sympathy for everything that has happened to him or his family. If he had used less sentiment and kept with applying his ideas on the entire community or population that he could have made his message more universal and less personalized.
Intro for ME
Hey I know that this is kinda late but my Internet has been acting up. Anyway, I am Andy Breisch. I am from the town of Bloomsburg, which is about 45 minutes from Williamsport or any other city or town of interest almost. I am a freshman majoring in computer science for software development. I am not in any clubs right now but that should change because I am going to want to do something on campus and watching television in my spare time does not sound all that exciting.
I used to be in the marching band and tennis teams when I was in high school. I was in my high school's drumline where I was a snare drummer for five years (I started in eighth grade because I was "special" haha) Over the last two summers I played in both USTA tournaments and Team Tennis leagues. I really like the movie Ocean's Eleven (the new one, not the Rat Pack version although I never saw that one) and am a big Carolina Panthers fan.
I used to be in the marching band and tennis teams when I was in high school. I was in my high school's drumline where I was a snare drummer for five years (I started in eighth grade because I was "special" haha) Over the last two summers I played in both USTA tournaments and Team Tennis leagues. I really like the movie Ocean's Eleven (the new one, not the Rat Pack version although I never saw that one) and am a big Carolina Panthers fan.
Culture is Ordinary
Let me start by saying I am not one to understand a story just after reading it. That is why it took me soo long to post about this short story. I need to reread a piece to understand it even in the slightest bit. So below is my interpretation of the story and forgive me if it doesn't relate to yours.
Williams starts out by describing his hometown. He used unique words and colors to illustrate a vivid picture in my mind. I can see myself in his surroundings. After describing his hometown, he continues by introducing some of his family members. He tells of his hardworking grandfather and then of his father. Then he states, "Culture is Ordinary." He claims that the way in which he was brought up was to see the shaping of minds.
I agree with Williams. Although every society has its own shape, beliefs and traditions, they all have a common ground. Even though every person is different in their own particular ways, we can all find some similiarities if we sit down and try.
So although it may be short. This is what I got out of it. Hopefully during class today I can open my mind upp a bit more......tootles
Williams starts out by describing his hometown. He used unique words and colors to illustrate a vivid picture in my mind. I can see myself in his surroundings. After describing his hometown, he continues by introducing some of his family members. He tells of his hardworking grandfather and then of his father. Then he states, "Culture is Ordinary." He claims that the way in which he was brought up was to see the shaping of minds.
I agree with Williams. Although every society has its own shape, beliefs and traditions, they all have a common ground. Even though every person is different in their own particular ways, we can all find some similiarities if we sit down and try.
So although it may be short. This is what I got out of it. Hopefully during class today I can open my mind upp a bit more......tootles
Culture is Ordinary - Response
I would tend to agree with Williams' depiction of culture as an equivocation. Indeed Williams explores his two interpretations on the subject. The first defining culture as a general term for the characteristics of a certain area or group. His alternative definition leaves culture to be described as exploration and self-realization through education and the arts. Every word written in his article in some way contributes to these two supported views on the subject. However I feel that it is between the lines that Williams offers his true statement. "Every human society has its own shape, it's own purposes, its own meanings." And yet, in an essay supposedly devoted to defining a topic, he provokes even more ambiguity by never offering concrete examples of such shapes, purposes, or meanings. Perhaps, it's doo difficult a task.
It is my opinion that what Williams is really suggesting here is that, to him, culture has the two meanings he took such great care to define. But, in his definitions, I believe lie the rumblings for an argument that maintains the thoery of relativity. Meaning, in his culture, "culture" has the two meanings presented, but in a "different" culture, the word could have a dramatically "uncommon" interpretation. Either way, it's difficult to generalize and specify terms when dealing with concepts that suggest that they, in themselves, could be evaluated in more than one way. I'll close with a quote from one of my favorite shirts, that I think plays into the same hand: "You're unique, just like everyone else."
ps: I hate blogger.com's "Word Verification" image recognition scripts.
It is my opinion that what Williams is really suggesting here is that, to him, culture has the two meanings he took such great care to define. But, in his definitions, I believe lie the rumblings for an argument that maintains the thoery of relativity. Meaning, in his culture, "culture" has the two meanings presented, but in a "different" culture, the word could have a dramatically "uncommon" interpretation. Either way, it's difficult to generalize and specify terms when dealing with concepts that suggest that they, in themselves, could be evaluated in more than one way. I'll close with a quote from one of my favorite shirts, that I think plays into the same hand: "You're unique, just like everyone else."
ps: I hate blogger.com's "Word Verification" image recognition scripts.
fashionably late?
Hey everyone! I am currently lacking a laptop and it's been a struggle to get access to a computer this weekend, so please forgive the lateness of my introduction (although I'm glad to see I'm not the only one)! My name is Cara, I'm from a small-ish town called Camp Hill located across the river from Harrisburg. I graduated this year from Cumberland Valley High School, which I hated, and I actually took all but one of my classes in senior year at Harrisburg Area Community College. It was a good deal, I only had to go to high school for 45 minutes a day and now, as a freshmen, I already have quite a few credits that transferred.
I'm a very optimistic person; I almost always have a smile on my face and I love getting to know new people and experiencing new things. I dabble in a wide range of hobbies-- singing, photography, art, writing-- but I don't really take any of them as seriously as I wish I would. Out of all of them, though, writing is the one I always find myself coming back to. From the short stories I wrote obsessively as a kid to the journal I've been keeping religiously for as long as I can remember, writing has been a lifelong passion for me. I'm excited for this class and the opportunity to practice more and hopefully improve my abilities.
I'm majoring in Psychology, which has been another lifelong fascination for me. I have a very analytical mind and I love to ponder what is really going on in people's minds and what causes them to behave the way they do. I'm currently taking a Sociology class, and the lecture this morning happened to fit perfectly with the points Raymond Williams made in Culture Is Ordinary. Judging from the other responses I read over on the blog, I think many people misinterpreted his point based on his use of the word ordinary. Of course culture is an amazing, incredibly complicated thing, but at the same time, nothing could be more ordinary; it encompasses every aspect of our day-to-day lives and all that is most familiar to us. In Sociology today, my professor said one thing that I found very interesting in particular: on Earth, only humans have come to rely on culture rather than instincts to ensure their survival. Since we are such social creatures and our place in the cultural hierarchy is of such importance to us, culture has become so ingrained in our minds that it has actually taken the place of instinct. Of course, that is just the universal aspect of culture, the parts of it that apply to every individual member-- the awareness we all share of the proper ways to greet a new person, when to eat with silverware and when to use our hands, etc. But beyond that, there is definitely a more individualized version of culture that is shared by smaller groups: families, groups of friends, employees of the same company, all of these share a culture that is a microcosm of society at large, but which applies only to them based on their shared experiences and environments.
Alright, enough rambling! See you guys in...about an hour. :)
I'm a very optimistic person; I almost always have a smile on my face and I love getting to know new people and experiencing new things. I dabble in a wide range of hobbies-- singing, photography, art, writing-- but I don't really take any of them as seriously as I wish I would. Out of all of them, though, writing is the one I always find myself coming back to. From the short stories I wrote obsessively as a kid to the journal I've been keeping religiously for as long as I can remember, writing has been a lifelong passion for me. I'm excited for this class and the opportunity to practice more and hopefully improve my abilities.
I'm majoring in Psychology, which has been another lifelong fascination for me. I have a very analytical mind and I love to ponder what is really going on in people's minds and what causes them to behave the way they do. I'm currently taking a Sociology class, and the lecture this morning happened to fit perfectly with the points Raymond Williams made in Culture Is Ordinary. Judging from the other responses I read over on the blog, I think many people misinterpreted his point based on his use of the word ordinary. Of course culture is an amazing, incredibly complicated thing, but at the same time, nothing could be more ordinary; it encompasses every aspect of our day-to-day lives and all that is most familiar to us. In Sociology today, my professor said one thing that I found very interesting in particular: on Earth, only humans have come to rely on culture rather than instincts to ensure their survival. Since we are such social creatures and our place in the cultural hierarchy is of such importance to us, culture has become so ingrained in our minds that it has actually taken the place of instinct. Of course, that is just the universal aspect of culture, the parts of it that apply to every individual member-- the awareness we all share of the proper ways to greet a new person, when to eat with silverware and when to use our hands, etc. But beyond that, there is definitely a more individualized version of culture that is shared by smaller groups: families, groups of friends, employees of the same company, all of these share a culture that is a microcosm of society at large, but which applies only to them based on their shared experiences and environments.
Alright, enough rambling! See you guys in...about an hour. :)
Beep Beep Boop
Well, I'm not sure how well written my thoughts on "Culture is Ordinary" will be, seeing as my roomie has her friend over and I am becoming distracted. I do agree with Williams' statement. Culture is diverse, exquisite, intricately complex, but yet it is ordinary. It is what we are, who we are... we encounter it every day, every minute, every second. Culture is life. It is a part of our every day lives. Do you take time out of your busy schedule each day to ponder the influence culture has on your way of life? Probably not. This is because we view it as ordinary. But on the other hand, culture, like I stated earlier, is intricately complex. It is what makes each person and each family different from the other. Ok, that's all for now. Hopefully I'll be a better analyst in class, or for the next thing we read. Yeah, I hate when my roomie is home, LOL.
My thoughts on the article
I think one of the important things to notice in Raymond Williams' article is his goal in informing and teaching us about his thoughts on culture. He spends quite some time vividly describing the place where he grew up and lived, while making a point that it is much different than the academic community he is now also familiar with. I think this does a good job illustrating the fact that culture is ordinary in that it is found everywhere, with all people. Culture is inescapable, so you must take it into account when studying any person, place, or group of either. While I was reading Williams' descripition of where he grew up, it was easy for me to see that I could spend just as much time reflecting on the places I have lived, the relationships, changes, and progressions that I have witnessed and been a part of. He allows us to identify and then explains in detail what he means with the phrase "culture is ordinary". On page 6 he mentions that he insists on using the word "culture" to mean both a whole way of life and the arts and learning as well. He says these definitions go hand in hand, and I think he is correct when saying you cannot look at one without the other. When you see a community, you are looking at its culture and what that culture has produced as a changing, progressive, working body.
A thoughts on culture
Just a few quick things on our reading. Number one, I completely disagree with the term "culture is ordinary". Maybe ordinary in the sense that everyone has a sense of difference, of importance, of society, and thereby making it an ordinary track of thought, and of feeling throughout humanity. But to begin to say that culture in itself is ordinary is mistaken, for it is extraordinary.
The sense of an individual in terms to culture are extremely different. Just looking at the different posts of introductions, from my own, to all the others, shows a different background, different thought cycle, a different way of responding to what is commonly called "culture". Everyone does not read the word Nike and think the same thing...for all I know there, within our classroom, are 20 different thoughts on Nike. For example, another person might think a comfortabe, good looking, though over priced shoe, where I would see child labor.
Williams writting, though not misunderstood or cast aside in any way, is just another opinion of the matter. The way he words it though, that is where the difference in the opinion lies. He gives his background, through generations, leading up to the two near deathbed stories of his fater and grandfather, which only emphazises his point, his questioning. Williams connects both discovery and creative effort under the word culture, though I would dare to go farther and say Culture is what encompasses each person. It is what makes a man see a friend, and enemy, to begin to stereotype, and can, if not controlled and seen in a wider realm, destroy a persons ability to be open minded.
Thats all
Jeff
The sense of an individual in terms to culture are extremely different. Just looking at the different posts of introductions, from my own, to all the others, shows a different background, different thought cycle, a different way of responding to what is commonly called "culture". Everyone does not read the word Nike and think the same thing...for all I know there, within our classroom, are 20 different thoughts on Nike. For example, another person might think a comfortabe, good looking, though over priced shoe, where I would see child labor.
Williams writting, though not misunderstood or cast aside in any way, is just another opinion of the matter. The way he words it though, that is where the difference in the opinion lies. He gives his background, through generations, leading up to the two near deathbed stories of his fater and grandfather, which only emphazises his point, his questioning. Williams connects both discovery and creative effort under the word culture, though I would dare to go farther and say Culture is what encompasses each person. It is what makes a man see a friend, and enemy, to begin to stereotype, and can, if not controlled and seen in a wider realm, destroy a persons ability to be open minded.
Thats all
Jeff
Hey, here's my late introduction
Currently my laptop is getting fixed at the Resnet office, and I have been having a tough time finding able computers to use this weekend, so please excuse my tardiness in posting. My full name is Zane Zwillinger, which some people find interesting, I don't know why. My birthday is Dec. 23rd, so I am almost a christmas baby. I like music, some of my favorite artists are Radiohead, the Talking Heads, the Grateful Dead, Brian Eno, and many more. I also enjoy the outdoors, such as going swimming, hiking, running, and anything else that sounds fun. I'm on the swim team here at KU, and today is the first day of practice, hopefully it won't be too tough. Anything else, just ask. Hopefully it will be a fun semester!
Hey Everyone!
Hey Guys, sorry it took me so long to say hello! My name is Jenna and I am a Junior here at Kutztown. I am a Finance major and absolutely love to dance. I am a part of the dance program here along with being a part of the board of the University's Dance Team. I hope we all have a fun semester together!!
Thoughts on Culture
Hey guys – I’m currently in the car on the way home from Michigan, where I went with my family this weekend to visit my sister. (Four hours down, eight to go…) I just read “Culture is Ordinary”, and afterwards began to think about not only the essay, but also about my ability to write and analyze what I read. I’m very sad to say that I’ve never been able to do the latter very well. I do love to read, but I suppose I love the things where you don’t have to think much. As for writing, I’ve never felt that I wrote well. I never know how to start and finish… and this makes doing everything in between very difficult. I love grammar. I enjoy using it correctly and learning new things. I also enjoy words – where they come from, weird things about them, etc.
And so I’ve discovered my problem. I love the very basics of writing – words and grammar – I’m just horrible at putting them together to form my thoughts, or dissecting them in order to analyze others’ thoughts. So my purpose for taking this class was to improve upon these two things, and I hope to do just that.
About the essay… Before I began reading I tried to think of what my definition of culture would be. I decided it was the different traditions and ways of life that each group of people follows and practices. I also thought about the title of this essay, “Culture is Ordinary”, and realized that I did not agree with this statement at all. However, after reading the excerpt I understood Williams’ meaning. Every group of people, whether it is a family, a nationality, or a religion, has its own traditions, beliefs, and ways of life. Everyone has their own culture, making it ordinary. While this is true, it must also be said that while every culture exists for the same general purposes, each one specifically is not ordinary; it is the opposite, extraordinary.
And so I’ve discovered my problem. I love the very basics of writing – words and grammar – I’m just horrible at putting them together to form my thoughts, or dissecting them in order to analyze others’ thoughts. So my purpose for taking this class was to improve upon these two things, and I hope to do just that.
About the essay… Before I began reading I tried to think of what my definition of culture would be. I decided it was the different traditions and ways of life that each group of people follows and practices. I also thought about the title of this essay, “Culture is Ordinary”, and realized that I did not agree with this statement at all. However, after reading the excerpt I understood Williams’ meaning. Every group of people, whether it is a family, a nationality, or a religion, has its own traditions, beliefs, and ways of life. Everyone has their own culture, making it ordinary. While this is true, it must also be said that while every culture exists for the same general purposes, each one specifically is not ordinary; it is the opposite, extraordinary.
Culture is Extraordinary!
While I can understand that Raymond Williams is using ordinary as a way of saying that everyone has culture, I think that the word usage doesn’t give the reader a real sense of the meaning of culture. Everyone does have culture, but the word ‘ordinary’ is often associated with something being mundane and boring. Culture is definitely not boring. Some cultures may not seem to be too exciting on the surface, but there are always quirks that make each little culture fascinating. Saying that culture is just ‘ordinary’ takes away some of the importance of it; it’s almost like saying that the newspaper comes out everyday, so the news is average and not very important. I agree that culture is everything in an environment and is constantly growing, but the way that Mr. Williams went about telling the reader this is confusing. Judging by the beginning of the excerpt, I thought that he would have used stories to explain how different cultures are extraordinary. Instead of doing so, Mr. Williams proceeded to explain to the reader that culture is merely ordinary; and while it’s different and has “individual meanings,” it also has merely “the most ordinary meanings (p.5).” I would agree with some of Raymond Williams’ basic ideas; but I can’t agree with his ‘ordinary’ word usage, that one word takes away from the point of the excerpt. If he had stated that everyone has culture or that culture belongs to everyone, his ideas would have been much easier for the reader to understand.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Not crazy, sanely challenged... there's a difference
Guten Tag, I’m Melissa (or just Mel) Lemke. I’m from Pine Grove, at least that’s what my address says; I’m actually from a tiny village (yes, I said village) outside of Pine Grove. I love reading and I spent a lot of time in a library growing up (combination of reading a lot and my Mom being a librarian). My major is library science with informational technology. The informational technology part will probably be a slight challenge; because if something can go wrong with a computer, it will go wrong if I’m there. I love the Harry Potter books and movies and have dressed up as a few of the characters at one point or another. I’m a vegetarian and have been, in various stages, for about 3 years. I have a bad tendency to not pay attention to where I’m walking and run into doorways, walls, closed doors, people, etc. If you see me not paying attention and about walk into something or someone, please get my attention before I do; thank you. I’m very shy and tend to be quiet; but get me started on certain subjects, and I’ll never shut up. My parents and older brother, Phil, are great people and we all get along well; even if I occasionally disagree with my family politically (I tend to be very liberal and my Dad and Phil tend to be conservative on most issues). I love politics and debating politics, as long as said debate doesn’t take place in front of a large group of people.
"Special" culture is overrated.
"Culture is Ordinary" seemed odd to me, and I'm not sure yet what to make of it. I come from almost the opposite view as his intended audience--I've always seen culture on a lower level. He does mention that the word should have both meanings ascribed to it, so I have to learn to think of high art as culture, too, but that was tacked on to validate his message to those who need to see the lower as culture.
Putting my ambivalence aside and looking at how the text is placed together, I found the beginning mention of how he couldn't get into the library interesting. It could be meant to explain exactly why culture has to be ordinary, in that many would never have a chance to experience it if they had to seek out what's considered the great pieces of art and writings to do so. The bulk of the essay shows what should be added to the high-brow view and how it should be changed, but it spiders out from that initial idea.
The landscapes he described are ordinary, in that most people have either seen something similar personally or in photographs, but he describes them as vividly as one might describe a famous landscape in a museum. It shows his opinion, but subtlely, almost as if to prepare the audience for the fact that culture isn't just the standout, figuratively grabbing you by the collar, time-tested "entertainment", but everything, somehow.
Looking it like that makes it a lot more interesting than it was at first read. I still don't know if I like it, but at least that's something.
Putting my ambivalence aside and looking at how the text is placed together, I found the beginning mention of how he couldn't get into the library interesting. It could be meant to explain exactly why culture has to be ordinary, in that many would never have a chance to experience it if they had to seek out what's considered the great pieces of art and writings to do so. The bulk of the essay shows what should be added to the high-brow view and how it should be changed, but it spiders out from that initial idea.
The landscapes he described are ordinary, in that most people have either seen something similar personally or in photographs, but he describes them as vividly as one might describe a famous landscape in a museum. It shows his opinion, but subtlely, almost as if to prepare the audience for the fact that culture isn't just the standout, figuratively grabbing you by the collar, time-tested "entertainment", but everything, somehow.
Looking it like that makes it a lot more interesting than it was at first read. I still don't know if I like it, but at least that's something.
"culture is ordinary"
it's ordinary to be different - agree or disagree.
when i read this piece, i wasn't at all clear on what it meant. still in a fog from the long weekend, it took a few more reads and a glass of iced tea to finally concentrate on williams' words (no, i'm not a caffiene junkie). and then i realized that williams was commenting on how culture, your environment while you shape and grow throughout your adolescent years, shapes the journeys we all take, which may all end up to be rather similar in the end.
but to my first comment - let me cite the reading:
"The questions I ask about our culture are questions about our general and common purposes, yet also questions about deep personal meanings. Culture is ordinary, in every society and in every mind." - Raymond Williams, "Culture is Ordinary"
think about the questions you ask yourselves about purpose. the questions are similar but the answers are always different. for example, what is your purpose in coming to kutztown? how will these classes enlighten your academic resume and thought processes? we may all ask ourselves these questions yet the answers will always be different. so is it ordinary to be different?
i thought the article was very thought provoking and made me raise a lot of questions about my own culture and how it has affected me, growing up first in philadelphia, then in abington, and finally finishing my adolescent years in ambler, pa?
i wasn't a very big fan of williams' writing style. i agree with caitlin - it sounded too dreamy and unrealistic to be true and definitely made me feel unfocused.
since this isn't actually formal, i don't have to write a formal conclusion, which is nice because i really don't like those very much, because i hate the idea of having to conclude an idea instead of being able to continue to expand and grow from it. so, please feel free to leave comments of concern, grammar corrections, etc. .. and i'll see you all in class tomorrow!
when i read this piece, i wasn't at all clear on what it meant. still in a fog from the long weekend, it took a few more reads and a glass of iced tea to finally concentrate on williams' words (no, i'm not a caffiene junkie). and then i realized that williams was commenting on how culture, your environment while you shape and grow throughout your adolescent years, shapes the journeys we all take, which may all end up to be rather similar in the end.
but to my first comment - let me cite the reading:
"The questions I ask about our culture are questions about our general and common purposes, yet also questions about deep personal meanings. Culture is ordinary, in every society and in every mind." - Raymond Williams, "Culture is Ordinary"
think about the questions you ask yourselves about purpose. the questions are similar but the answers are always different. for example, what is your purpose in coming to kutztown? how will these classes enlighten your academic resume and thought processes? we may all ask ourselves these questions yet the answers will always be different. so is it ordinary to be different?
i thought the article was very thought provoking and made me raise a lot of questions about my own culture and how it has affected me, growing up first in philadelphia, then in abington, and finally finishing my adolescent years in ambler, pa?
i wasn't a very big fan of williams' writing style. i agree with caitlin - it sounded too dreamy and unrealistic to be true and definitely made me feel unfocused.
since this isn't actually formal, i don't have to write a formal conclusion, which is nice because i really don't like those very much, because i hate the idea of having to conclude an idea instead of being able to continue to expand and grow from it. so, please feel free to leave comments of concern, grammar corrections, etc. .. and i'll see you all in class tomorrow!
Jess Unleashed....
Hey class. My name is Jess Williams. I am a freshman with a major in Elementary/Special Education. I'm from a small place called Dorrance which is about 20 minutes from Wilkes- Barre. I graduated from Crestwood High School. I was the president of key club and captain of the Cross Country and Basketball Varisty teams. I unfortunately tore my ACL in the beginning of basketball season, so I wasn't able to finish the season out. As of August I was able to play basketball once again, which is sooo exciting. Its my passion and I couldn't stand living with out it. I love Harry Potter and Scooby Doo. I laugh a lot and love to smile. I act like an immature child practically all the time.
I have four best friends that mean the world to me. Their names are Kelsey, Kim, Jess, and Katie. They make me laugh and give me the best memories. I have a boyfriend of 9 months back home and I miss him so much. His name is Adam and I dont know where I'd be without him.
I'm still getting adjusted to Kutztown. Everything is so unfamiliar and its hard meeting new people. This class seems awesome and I can't wait to see what happens this semester. So there ya go....I'm done with talking about myself. I left out some stuff but thats basically me.
I have four best friends that mean the world to me. Their names are Kelsey, Kim, Jess, and Katie. They make me laugh and give me the best memories. I have a boyfriend of 9 months back home and I miss him so much. His name is Adam and I dont know where I'd be without him.
I'm still getting adjusted to Kutztown. Everything is so unfamiliar and its hard meeting new people. This class seems awesome and I can't wait to see what happens this semester. So there ya go....I'm done with talking about myself. I left out some stuff but thats basically me.
culture...
i'm not sure how i felt about this article. i agree with it entirely...im just not sure if i liked how he got around to explaining what he meant. culture is an interesting thing to me. people often think of culture as only what we know today as american, or europeans, or those of us from "upper scale" nations but it is true that culture existed within every place on this earth that people coexist. In Africa there are different cultures where people drink animal blood and stretch their lips. In Alaska there are cultures far different from what we have here in mainland United States and still we never think of them. i love the idea of culture because it is a sense of unity and i enjoyed that portion of the article.
Culture Response
When I hear the word culture I tend to think of highly guarded art museums with world famous, priceless artifacts or five-star restaurants where people wait months for a reservation. After reading Williams essay "Culture is Ordinary" I realized that culture is much more than the bits and pieces that make it to the glossy pages of our magazines. Culture is everything that surrounds us, no matter how simple or insignificant it may appear to be. Williams made a bold statement in his essay by defining culture as "art and learning" as well as the "processes of discovery and creative effort." Williams is saying that the moment a child recites his ABC's for the first time in a kindergarten classroom is just as important to our culture as the moment Salinger finished "Catcher in the Rye."
Not only do I agree with what Williams said in his article, but I also enjoyed the style of writing he used in his piece. Williams began the article by describing a religious institution. This cathedral perfectly matches the typical reader's preconcieved notions of culture. He then introduces his own ideas of culture by detailing his childhood. Williams was making it easier for his readers to accept the ideas that he was offering on culture by comparing them to the already widly accepted views. Williams some how managed to make an interesting piece that kept my attention and made me think.
P.S. I like the idea of having us respond to our readings by writing informal blogs, this way there will be a lot less fluff and it will make reading everyone's ideas a lot more intresting. But as you can probably tell by this response, I had trouble straying from the formal essays I had to write in high school. But I did use the word I a lot which was blasphemy in all of my English classes. Hopefully as the semester goes on I will be able to loosen up on here.
Not only do I agree with what Williams said in his article, but I also enjoyed the style of writing he used in his piece. Williams began the article by describing a religious institution. This cathedral perfectly matches the typical reader's preconcieved notions of culture. He then introduces his own ideas of culture by detailing his childhood. Williams was making it easier for his readers to accept the ideas that he was offering on culture by comparing them to the already widly accepted views. Williams some how managed to make an interesting piece that kept my attention and made me think.
P.S. I like the idea of having us respond to our readings by writing informal blogs, this way there will be a lot less fluff and it will make reading everyone's ideas a lot more intresting. But as you can probably tell by this response, I had trouble straying from the formal essays I had to write in high school. But I did use the word I a lot which was blasphemy in all of my English classes. Hopefully as the semester goes on I will be able to loosen up on here.
Culture is Ordinary...
When I first read Culture is Ordinary, I wasn't sure what to make of it. It hadn't caught my attention in any special way. I had to reread it several times for it to truly sink in. The author's writing style didn't make me want more like other books that I've read had. I think the author had a good message but the way he went about telling his message didn't appeal to me all that much.
I like how Raymond Williams tells his story as he is traveling back home from where he goes to school. It illustrates very well how two very different settings could be united by something so simple. The author benefits from both worlds because he has a pretty complete view of life. He has experienced both viewpoints while most people only ever experience one.
Culture is something that can't be escaped no matter where you go. Every society has their ways and beliefs. That is why culture is ordinary. It's something that is experienced every day and something that affects every person. Culture is what makes the world so great and exciting. It doesn't matter where you come from or how much money you make or what color your skin is. The one uniting factor for the human race is that we all have a culture.
I agree with the author when he says both meanings of the word, culture, must be used to fully understand it. The arts and learning affect our whole way of life and vice versa. I believe that you can't have one without the other. Culture is a vital aspect of our life and we must respect it, even if it's different than our own.
I like how Raymond Williams tells his story as he is traveling back home from where he goes to school. It illustrates very well how two very different settings could be united by something so simple. The author benefits from both worlds because he has a pretty complete view of life. He has experienced both viewpoints while most people only ever experience one.
Culture is something that can't be escaped no matter where you go. Every society has their ways and beliefs. That is why culture is ordinary. It's something that is experienced every day and something that affects every person. Culture is what makes the world so great and exciting. It doesn't matter where you come from or how much money you make or what color your skin is. The one uniting factor for the human race is that we all have a culture.
I agree with the author when he says both meanings of the word, culture, must be used to fully understand it. The arts and learning affect our whole way of life and vice versa. I believe that you can't have one without the other. Culture is a vital aspect of our life and we must respect it, even if it's different than our own.
Ian B "Culture is Ordinary"
I thought that the reading for the weekend by Raymond Williams, “Culture is Ordinary,” was an interesting take on what exactly the word “culture” really refers to in our society or any society for that matter. Williams holds, as he reiterates several times throughout the selection, “culture is ordinary.” He believes that it isn’t what some scholar or some historian holds that define what our culture is, but rather that it is the contribution of average people that shape the cultural identity of our society.
Williams’s talks about his family, who came from the humble origins of a farming family and evolved into the industrial workforce of his contemporary time. He claims that it is the learning of new skills and the new relationships and interactions that everyone experiences throughout their lifetimes that defines culture. Williams even writes about speaking with his grandfather and his father, as they spoke excitedly about the things that mattered to them, and while they used different idioms, their messages were one in the same.
Williams goes on to speak about society at large, and how culture shapes the identity of an entire population of people. Societies are founded on the concept of a group of people who share common threads that tie them together, and the culture of these societies are perpetuated in the institutions as well as the people who live in them, creating a unique identity by which these people are known. IN this kind of dichotomy, the word culture, according to Williams, has two meanings. A general meaning which is associated with the people, and the special meaning which can be associated with the processes and the accomplishments of the institutions.
I have to say that I agree with Williams whole take on culture which he illustrates in this article. Whole societies form around the common threads that tie their people together, and everyone in that culture contributes their own little niche into their culture at large. Even our modern culture is defined not only by the great scientific achievements of our great institutions, but by the ordinary people who walk the streets every day. Culture is ordinary because we experience it on a daily basis, it is not even just the works created by our culture, but it is the combined consciousness of all of us.
Different=Similar
After I finished reading Culture Is Ordinary I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, and I also wasn’t exactly sure how to take it. I went back, reread some parts and looked over some other people’s opinions on it. Finally, I was able to come to a couple conclusions on the piece.
To start, I wasn’t crazy about Williams writing style. The way he wrote this piece, especially the story in the beginning made it seems dreamy in a sense that made it hard for me to stay focused on his point. After reviewing it again I was able to take from it the point that we all are on the same journey. An issue I like to see addressed. Too often do I see people who feel as if they are the only ones to encounter a certain situation, or experience a certain event. It can be uplifting and inspiring to hear someone tell you that everyone is on a journey, and that everyone’s journey entails encountering many of the same things.
I also appreciated the main idea that was carried throughout this piece--the idea of culture being ordinary. I didn’t know if I agreed with Williams when I first saw the title of this piece. But, after reading it a few times and contemplating on the issue I came to see that I do. I agree that culture is…ordinary. Culture is different. It is different for each person, and it is different in various situations. But, it is in and through those differences that culture becomes ordinary. Culture’s differences are what make it the same for each person, and in each situation.
To start, I wasn’t crazy about Williams writing style. The way he wrote this piece, especially the story in the beginning made it seems dreamy in a sense that made it hard for me to stay focused on his point. After reviewing it again I was able to take from it the point that we all are on the same journey. An issue I like to see addressed. Too often do I see people who feel as if they are the only ones to encounter a certain situation, or experience a certain event. It can be uplifting and inspiring to hear someone tell you that everyone is on a journey, and that everyone’s journey entails encountering many of the same things.
I also appreciated the main idea that was carried throughout this piece--the idea of culture being ordinary. I didn’t know if I agreed with Williams when I first saw the title of this piece. But, after reading it a few times and contemplating on the issue I came to see that I do. I agree that culture is…ordinary. Culture is different. It is different for each person, and it is different in various situations. But, it is in and through those differences that culture becomes ordinary. Culture’s differences are what make it the same for each person, and in each situation.
our dreams are made out of real things
Recycler, clothes maker, tennis player, and many other things
Quite possibly some of the most important things about me were left to the imagination so i am here to clarify on some level. My name is Lena and I probably care about too much. Since i was a little kid i've had a passion for the environment and saving the world. I remember following my father around as he would pick up other people's litter and talk to me about how important it is to care for the environment; just as i recal watching my mother examining insects that she would pin in her abnormally large collection. I am an extremely sentimental and passionate person about many things. ( i frame things like flowers i've been given, ribbons, and wrapping paper). I always said that if i had a choice of one career i would do for the rest of my life i would be a professional tennis player and now that the US open is truly underway, that strangely unrealistic desire of mine is now flying full throttal. I cry at award shows, tennis matches, and the special olympics. I laugh when no one else does at things that aren't supposed to be funny and don't laugh at all when a "funny" joke is told. I own a stethascope that i use to monitor my heartrate (which i am convinced is off track) and to listen to my stomach when i dont feel well. I write poetry, essays, and novels out of order and keep the scraps in various cigar boxes. I have an obsession with James Dean who i think is magnificent, i love the sound of people typing, and i am starting to crochet my own clothing. I do not fall in love easily but once i do there is nothing more important. For me love is the driving force of the world and nothing is more meaningful or beautiful.
I am aware that i made myself sound like a real pansy but im definitely not all that i may seem to be. I'd love to get to know all of you so feel free to say more than hi to me.
ps: im a liberal
Quite possibly some of the most important things about me were left to the imagination so i am here to clarify on some level. My name is Lena and I probably care about too much. Since i was a little kid i've had a passion for the environment and saving the world. I remember following my father around as he would pick up other people's litter and talk to me about how important it is to care for the environment; just as i recal watching my mother examining insects that she would pin in her abnormally large collection. I am an extremely sentimental and passionate person about many things. ( i frame things like flowers i've been given, ribbons, and wrapping paper). I always said that if i had a choice of one career i would do for the rest of my life i would be a professional tennis player and now that the US open is truly underway, that strangely unrealistic desire of mine is now flying full throttal. I cry at award shows, tennis matches, and the special olympics. I laugh when no one else does at things that aren't supposed to be funny and don't laugh at all when a "funny" joke is told. I own a stethascope that i use to monitor my heartrate (which i am convinced is off track) and to listen to my stomach when i dont feel well. I write poetry, essays, and novels out of order and keep the scraps in various cigar boxes. I have an obsession with James Dean who i think is magnificent, i love the sound of people typing, and i am starting to crochet my own clothing. I do not fall in love easily but once i do there is nothing more important. For me love is the driving force of the world and nothing is more meaningful or beautiful.
I am aware that i made myself sound like a real pansy but im definitely not all that i may seem to be. I'd love to get to know all of you so feel free to say more than hi to me.
ps: im a liberal
Yeah
Hey everyone, Brandon here, and I guess I will begin with an introduction. Originally born in Berks County, I then moved one county over to Lebanon County, before making a return here for college. I love to skimboard. Maryland and Delaware beaches are where I'll be found for a majority of the summer. I also enjoy longboarding, or "sidewalk surfing," which is why I'm quite fond of the hills around campus. My winters are spent on my snowboard, normally at nearby Bear Creek. My love for the beach has inspired me to study it in college, a marine physics major. I love to listen to music. I like to describe my taste as chill, artists like Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews, Eels, and Bright Eyes take up more space on my hard drive then anything else. I would have to say the highlight of my life to date would either be my snowboarding trip to Breckenridge, Colorado, or the last trip to Ocean City, Maryland this summer where the waves were nothing less then gorgeous. I was a two sport athlete in high school and have loved sports as long as I can remember. Captaining both the soccer and track teams this year was an experience I will never forget. Oh, I forgot to mention, Philadelphia will be winning the Super Bowl, and Penn State will be winning the National Championship.
Now I understand I am supposed to reflect a little on Raymond Williams' "Culture is Ordinary." It raised some interesting points to me while I was reading it. Culture really is ordinary. Feeling out of place somewhere away from your comfort zone is about as normal as human life. Not only does this statement represent a difference between the many countries of the world, but the many differences inside those countries that make them unique. Different really is normal. The only reason culture will never be accepted as normal is a theory I learned in tenth grade history, ethnocentrism. Every culture has a feeling of being the best, and until culture really is accepted as normal, it will be difficult to portray as normal. Raymond Williams may have been correct in his statement, and culture is what makes the world what it is, but while culture may be ordinary, it will be a long time until it is truly viewed that way.
Now I understand I am supposed to reflect a little on Raymond Williams' "Culture is Ordinary." It raised some interesting points to me while I was reading it. Culture really is ordinary. Feeling out of place somewhere away from your comfort zone is about as normal as human life. Not only does this statement represent a difference between the many countries of the world, but the many differences inside those countries that make them unique. Different really is normal. The only reason culture will never be accepted as normal is a theory I learned in tenth grade history, ethnocentrism. Every culture has a feeling of being the best, and until culture really is accepted as normal, it will be difficult to portray as normal. Raymond Williams may have been correct in his statement, and culture is what makes the world what it is, but while culture may be ordinary, it will be a long time until it is truly viewed that way.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Coco on "Culture"
Hello all--figured I'd comment on "Culture is Ordinary" while I had a second. I enjoyed this article--I love the way it opens--with Raymond Williams in a place between "high art" (an exclusive library,) and "pop culture" (cartoon of Gulliver's Travels.) He leaves the city, and throughout his journey uses a ton of imagery, particularly in describing the colors he sees--"...green meadows" "...fields red..." "Black Mountains..." "...grey walls...". He heads toward his home, in the valleys, rich in farms and, as we soon learn, rich in culture. In the small bio preceding the text, we are told Williams is an intellectual, taught at Cambridge--(high art.) His journey, though, inspires tales of his childhood, and his schooling where "...a curtain divided the two classes." By repeating the phrase "culture is ordinary," we see that he defines culture using both his childhood, where his mind and the minds of those around him grew and were enriched through teaching and discovery , and the typical definition of culture, that of art and high class. I completely agree--that our individual culture is a mix of our learning, our world, our environment, and also those little things that enrich us--the sophisticated work of the masters, whether they are authors, artists, etc. etc. I can't wait to learn more about this--to discuss it in class--I'd like to think I'm interpreting it right but we'll see--once you guys start posting regarding the article I'll read them, compare, comment, and see if we're feeling the same vibes--!!
Hope everyone is having a good weekend, see you all soon!
Hope everyone is having a good weekend, see you all soon!
It's Ian everybody!
Hey everybody, I know I took a little while to get my own post up on the blog, but that's because I was thinking of how I wanted to approach my whole extended introduction. I'm a little new to blogs, so when I still couldn't think of any systematic approach, I figured I would just sit down and start typing and the words would come. I guess they have because I'm through quite a bit already, so let's get on with the show!
My full name is Ian Michael Baxter. I was born to my loving parents Julia and Gregory Baxter on July 5th, 1988 In the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. We live in Springfield, Delaware County and our family now has six members, my Mom, Dad, and little siblings Christian, Brian, and Anna. I graduated from St. Francis of Assisi parish school in 2002 and Monsignor Bonner High School in 2006. I am now a computer science major here at Kutztown, getting ready to represent the university in swimming and all around having a great time at college so far.
As I mentioned in class, I wrote a book of stories for the swim team at Bonner so that they could keep telling my stories in my absence in the years to come. I guess I could say that I'm really looking forward to an English course if I already have a book under my belt, and the truth is that I am because I love reading and I love writing. Some of my favorite authors are greats like Isaac Asimov, Herman Hesse, Douglas Adams, Ian Flemming, Anthony Burgess and the like. A lot of people like to ask why I want to be a computer science major if I love writing and more creative endeavors so much, but there's a story behind that too. I've always been interested in computers because of my father, who works as a network technician at Unisys, but jobs in this industry are hard to come by thanks to the constant threat of outsourcing that is now the norm. Well, I found the niche that allows me to combine creativity, technical ability and my passion for the medium into one great career. This is why I've decided to pursue a career in video game design and development.
So in summary, I love; college, reading, writing, swimming, and video games. I love all my Philly sports teams from the Phillies to the Eagles, and from the Phantoms to the Sixers. I like pizza and burgers as well as Chinese food and seafood. I love all kinds of movies from Casablanca and Bridge on the River Kwai to Star Wars and the Matrix. So that's really about it, and please don't judge too harshly, as this is my first blog post.
My full name is Ian Michael Baxter. I was born to my loving parents Julia and Gregory Baxter on July 5th, 1988 In the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. We live in Springfield, Delaware County and our family now has six members, my Mom, Dad, and little siblings Christian, Brian, and Anna. I graduated from St. Francis of Assisi parish school in 2002 and Monsignor Bonner High School in 2006. I am now a computer science major here at Kutztown, getting ready to represent the university in swimming and all around having a great time at college so far.
As I mentioned in class, I wrote a book of stories for the swim team at Bonner so that they could keep telling my stories in my absence in the years to come. I guess I could say that I'm really looking forward to an English course if I already have a book under my belt, and the truth is that I am because I love reading and I love writing. Some of my favorite authors are greats like Isaac Asimov, Herman Hesse, Douglas Adams, Ian Flemming, Anthony Burgess and the like. A lot of people like to ask why I want to be a computer science major if I love writing and more creative endeavors so much, but there's a story behind that too. I've always been interested in computers because of my father, who works as a network technician at Unisys, but jobs in this industry are hard to come by thanks to the constant threat of outsourcing that is now the norm. Well, I found the niche that allows me to combine creativity, technical ability and my passion for the medium into one great career. This is why I've decided to pursue a career in video game design and development.
So in summary, I love; college, reading, writing, swimming, and video games. I love all my Philly sports teams from the Phillies to the Eagles, and from the Phantoms to the Sixers. I like pizza and burgers as well as Chinese food and seafood. I love all kinds of movies from Casablanca and Bridge on the River Kwai to Star Wars and the Matrix. So that's really about it, and please don't judge too harshly, as this is my first blog post.
How bout them Phillies?!
I realize that this title may not be the best way to begin a piece for an English class but really, how bout them Phillies. They beat their rivals, the Atlanta Braves, today by a score of 16-4, and I am elated . I'm not ashamed to say it; I, Ellie Moore, am a die-hard Phillies phan. Bobby Abreu was my favorite Philly and is still my favorite player even though he is now a Yankee. This, however, does NOT make me a Yankees fan. If there ever comes a time when I support the Yankees franchise, in any way, you can rest assured the world will soon come to an end. I am just as passionately in love ( well, almost ) with my boyfriend Brian. He is currently a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh in Johnstown, studying pre-med. He's an EMT and is earning his pilot's liscence. We do everything together so whenever I'm talking about myself he is very likely to come up. I myself am a Communication Design major, which is just a fancy way of saying advertising. I love all kinds of art but especially painting and drawing, and the work I do is usually of one of the two loves of my life: Brian or the Phillies.
Don't get me wrong though; my family is very important to me too. I live with my parents, my younger sister, younger brother, and a multitude of pets. My sister, Xan, is a sophmore who loves anything to do with music. She plays the trumpet, is in marching band, concert band, and district band, and is currently learning guitar. My brother, Ethan, is in eighth grade and is also a huge Phillies fan, though not as much as me. We also have a golden retriever named Lucy that my mom got to replace me when I went away to college. She is four but still acts like a little puppy. We also have a cat named Jeremiah and two turtles, a hamster, and a fish all currently without names.
In addition to art, baseball, and boys, I also am involved in my church, enjoy softball, dance, choreography, and kayaking. I love cool weather and rainy days. "When I grow up," I intend to move to Maine or Vermont. Its so beautiful up there, and the weather is always so nice. But for now, Kutztown will have to do.
I really enjoyed reading "Culture is Ordinary" for several reasons. William’s style of writing is one which really appeals to me. He is descriptive and yet simultaneously concise. He is able to give the reader a vivid picture of the event he is describing as it unfolds without losing his message in superfluous detail. One reason why I believe this technique is so successful correlates well with the title of the piece. His description is of a very ordinary, commonplace experience. In his words, "It is a journey, in fact, that in one form or another we have all made." This journey is one that every person reading this article can relate to. Not in its specifics perhaps but the basic outline has elements that have pertinence to everyone’s life.
In this way, Williams is exactly right; culture is ordinary. When I first read the title, I thought what an impossible statement that was. I’m an art major, and I’m here at Kutztown learning how to break away from the mundane- to make the world interesting by being different. However, upon further deliberation, I found that I agreed with him, at least, to a point. Culture is a highly diverse and colorful concept, with so many variations and nuances that sometimes two different cultures can appear to be completely unrelated. Nevertheless, there are common threads to be found. That, I believe, is the point which Williams is attempting to get across. No matter what particular culture you look at, the experiences are the same. There is no conversation, no work of art, no style of clothing, no experience that is without a parallel. Even though technology is constantly changing and advancing, allowing us access to experiences that before were unimaginable, that in itself is ordinary because that change is a process that has always occurred and will constantly continue. These recurring themes are what makes culture unoriginal and completely ordinary.
Don't get me wrong though; my family is very important to me too. I live with my parents, my younger sister, younger brother, and a multitude of pets. My sister, Xan, is a sophmore who loves anything to do with music. She plays the trumpet, is in marching band, concert band, and district band, and is currently learning guitar. My brother, Ethan, is in eighth grade and is also a huge Phillies fan, though not as much as me. We also have a golden retriever named Lucy that my mom got to replace me when I went away to college. She is four but still acts like a little puppy. We also have a cat named Jeremiah and two turtles, a hamster, and a fish all currently without names.
In addition to art, baseball, and boys, I also am involved in my church, enjoy softball, dance, choreography, and kayaking. I love cool weather and rainy days. "When I grow up," I intend to move to Maine or Vermont. Its so beautiful up there, and the weather is always so nice. But for now, Kutztown will have to do.
I really enjoyed reading "Culture is Ordinary" for several reasons. William’s style of writing is one which really appeals to me. He is descriptive and yet simultaneously concise. He is able to give the reader a vivid picture of the event he is describing as it unfolds without losing his message in superfluous detail. One reason why I believe this technique is so successful correlates well with the title of the piece. His description is of a very ordinary, commonplace experience. In his words, "It is a journey, in fact, that in one form or another we have all made." This journey is one that every person reading this article can relate to. Not in its specifics perhaps but the basic outline has elements that have pertinence to everyone’s life.
In this way, Williams is exactly right; culture is ordinary. When I first read the title, I thought what an impossible statement that was. I’m an art major, and I’m here at Kutztown learning how to break away from the mundane- to make the world interesting by being different. However, upon further deliberation, I found that I agreed with him, at least, to a point. Culture is a highly diverse and colorful concept, with so many variations and nuances that sometimes two different cultures can appear to be completely unrelated. Nevertheless, there are common threads to be found. That, I believe, is the point which Williams is attempting to get across. No matter what particular culture you look at, the experiences are the same. There is no conversation, no work of art, no style of clothing, no experience that is without a parallel. Even though technology is constantly changing and advancing, allowing us access to experiences that before were unimaginable, that in itself is ordinary because that change is a process that has always occurred and will constantly continue. These recurring themes are what makes culture unoriginal and completely ordinary.
Friday, September 01, 2006
IT'S ME!!!
Hello All!!!
My name is Caitlin Griffo. Lets see...you guys may remember me as the vegetarian, gymnast, or the adopted girl. I have been a vegetarian since the summer before I started 6th grade. I was laying on my bed on the 4th of July and suddenly a thought popped into my head. I yelled downstairs to my mom, "I'm not eating meat anymore! I want to be a vegetarian!" Since that day not a bit of meat has entered my mouth, a fact that I am extremely proud of! Another thing I am proud of is my accomplishments in gymnastics over the years. Gymnastics is my passion! I could ramble about it for hours on end...so don't get me started unless your willing to shut up and listen for awhile. I did it from the time I was three until I was 16. I had to quit because my coaches became idiots. Sometimes adults act like children, and children take the role of adults. I still coach gymnastics though at a non-competitive gym called Boing! which I love and adore. I also waitress at a Pizza Hut when I'm at home. On the topic of me being adopted, please feel free to ask me any questions. My adoption story is one of my favorite stories to tell, along with the story of how my boyfriend and I came to be.
As I also mentioned in class I am a elementary/special education dual certification major. So of course I am obsessed with kids. I just can't get enough of them, I mean really I don't understand how some people cannot like kids, it just blows my mind. Someday, I hope to teach 4th graders because that is my favorite age to work with. My mom and birthmom are both teachers so it kind of runs in my blood and the way that I was raised. I'm that kid that grew up playing school with her stuffed animals, I mean I even used to give them tests.
Oh...and I can't forget to mention that I LOVE the Eagles!!! So watch out! Once pre-season is over I might get kind of crazy! And, I must mention that I am thrilled that Feeley is back on the team!!! I love him! I'm also a NASCAR fan! GO Kasey Khane!!! I love him too!
Ok before I go on for too long about this...that...and the other things I'll just shut up. Please don't hesitate to talk to me about anything. I love meeting new people. I'm always up for basically anything!
Have an amazing night...talk to ya'll soon! (One of my best friends is from Georgia so sometimes I talk a bit southern.) CYA!!!!
Caitlin :)
My name is Caitlin Griffo. Lets see...you guys may remember me as the vegetarian, gymnast, or the adopted girl. I have been a vegetarian since the summer before I started 6th grade. I was laying on my bed on the 4th of July and suddenly a thought popped into my head. I yelled downstairs to my mom, "I'm not eating meat anymore! I want to be a vegetarian!" Since that day not a bit of meat has entered my mouth, a fact that I am extremely proud of! Another thing I am proud of is my accomplishments in gymnastics over the years. Gymnastics is my passion! I could ramble about it for hours on end...so don't get me started unless your willing to shut up and listen for awhile. I did it from the time I was three until I was 16. I had to quit because my coaches became idiots. Sometimes adults act like children, and children take the role of adults. I still coach gymnastics though at a non-competitive gym called Boing! which I love and adore. I also waitress at a Pizza Hut when I'm at home. On the topic of me being adopted, please feel free to ask me any questions. My adoption story is one of my favorite stories to tell, along with the story of how my boyfriend and I came to be.
As I also mentioned in class I am a elementary/special education dual certification major. So of course I am obsessed with kids. I just can't get enough of them, I mean really I don't understand how some people cannot like kids, it just blows my mind. Someday, I hope to teach 4th graders because that is my favorite age to work with. My mom and birthmom are both teachers so it kind of runs in my blood and the way that I was raised. I'm that kid that grew up playing school with her stuffed animals, I mean I even used to give them tests.
Oh...and I can't forget to mention that I LOVE the Eagles!!! So watch out! Once pre-season is over I might get kind of crazy! And, I must mention that I am thrilled that Feeley is back on the team!!! I love him! I'm also a NASCAR fan! GO Kasey Khane!!! I love him too!
Ok before I go on for too long about this...that...and the other things I'll just shut up. Please don't hesitate to talk to me about anything. I love meeting new people. I'm always up for basically anything!
Have an amazing night...talk to ya'll soon! (One of my best friends is from Georgia so sometimes I talk a bit southern.) CYA!!!!
Caitlin :)
Hey Everyone!
Hey! It's Kelly. It seems a lot of posting has been going on. I think this may be one of the best assignments I've ever gotten. I guess I'll introduce myself a little more than I did in class. I'm from Bethlehem and I've lived there all my life. It's an extremely boring town but I still love it! I'm an English major which is good for me because I really don't like anything having to do with math or science. I really respect people who are good with numbers. I consider myself a pretty easy going person. I just like to relax and have a good time. I love to laugh and I have to say my friends keep me laughing a lot. I really like watching movies but I usually wait until they come out on DVD. Movie theater prices are too expensive for me! I love TV and its usually on whenever I'm doing something. I like to swim and thats one thing I wish I would've gotten more involved with. People generally think I'm a quiet person but thats not really true. I'm probably the loudest out of my friends. It just takes me awhile to open up to people. There's not many interesting things about me. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone and I hope we have a really great semester!
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Howdy
Hello everyone...This is a nice looking blog we have going. Though this is posted under Dommenikos, I will swear to you that is only the name that I wish I could've had. My real name, being Jeff, was introduced yesterday in class. Im sorry if you don't remember me, but suck it up, we'll meet soon.
Just a few things about myself I suppose. Well, I have a very large, very greek name, and yes, I do know the modern and classic greek translations for it, because I know that was the first thing that came to your minds. My friends are the first thing that come to my mind when the word "family" is mentioned, other than my beloved mother of course. I have to say that as much as I hate the fact that I must work, I love to work, its odd...I can't not work, but I have to yell about it when I do. The irony. Anyway, I enjoy books very much, and I am a large Harry Potter fan...just books though, I hate the movies, destroys the creative mind, especially in children. I am a Studio Art major, and it just so happened I dropped French today but I could care less, considering I have 18 credits to my name already.
I could write all day, but I won't bore you.
I have many a thing to do at the moment, and one is not sitting here anymore.
I wish you all a wonderful goodnight, great weekend, and I'll see you on Tuesday
Thats all
Jeff
Just a few things about myself I suppose. Well, I have a very large, very greek name, and yes, I do know the modern and classic greek translations for it, because I know that was the first thing that came to your minds. My friends are the first thing that come to my mind when the word "family" is mentioned, other than my beloved mother of course. I have to say that as much as I hate the fact that I must work, I love to work, its odd...I can't not work, but I have to yell about it when I do. The irony. Anyway, I enjoy books very much, and I am a large Harry Potter fan...just books though, I hate the movies, destroys the creative mind, especially in children. I am a Studio Art major, and it just so happened I dropped French today but I could care less, considering I have 18 credits to my name already.
I could write all day, but I won't bore you.
I have many a thing to do at the moment, and one is not sitting here anymore.
I wish you all a wonderful goodnight, great weekend, and I'll see you on Tuesday
Thats all
Jeff
Boba Fett Girl
I made another post earlier but I guess it didn't work so here is a shorter version. I swear the one I wrote this morning was much more creative.
I'm Elena and I'm pretty familiar with blogs. I have my own website which is basically nothing more than an over glorified blog with forums. I write on it under my pen name so I tend to keep the url a secret. Maybe one day you'll stumble upon it when surfing the web. I'm a secondary ed-English major which is ironic since I am horrible at grammar. I love reading though and I can't wait to share my passion for reading with others. I love to write whatever comes to mind but I'm horrible at transitions and formal writing, everything always comes out as one big stream of consciousness. I hope that this class will help improve my writing. I also love music as do most people. I love "geek-rock" and "indie" music. My favorite bands are Modest Mouse, They Might Be Giants, Ween and Weezer. I'm also addicted to MMO-RPG's and so most of my partying at KU will probably be done at lan parties. My father is Colombian but I'm probably the palest person in the class so no one would guess. And yes I am wearing a Boba Fett helmet in my profile picture. I dressed up at the Episode III premiere and I dueled a man dressed as Darth Vader with plastic light sabers but alas Boba wasn't meant to use a light saber and I lost.
The End
I'm Elena and I'm pretty familiar with blogs. I have my own website which is basically nothing more than an over glorified blog with forums. I write on it under my pen name so I tend to keep the url a secret. Maybe one day you'll stumble upon it when surfing the web. I'm a secondary ed-English major which is ironic since I am horrible at grammar. I love reading though and I can't wait to share my passion for reading with others. I love to write whatever comes to mind but I'm horrible at transitions and formal writing, everything always comes out as one big stream of consciousness. I hope that this class will help improve my writing. I also love music as do most people. I love "geek-rock" and "indie" music. My favorite bands are Modest Mouse, They Might Be Giants, Ween and Weezer. I'm also addicted to MMO-RPG's and so most of my partying at KU will probably be done at lan parties. My father is Colombian but I'm probably the palest person in the class so no one would guess. And yes I am wearing a Boba Fett helmet in my profile picture. I dressed up at the Episode III premiere and I dueled a man dressed as Darth Vader with plastic light sabers but alas Boba wasn't meant to use a light saber and I lost.
The End
Today is sunny!
It's a really nice day out and I'm just happy that it is not raining. I'm currently at the library downloading some lecture notes for my Intro to Oceanography class- I believe I failed to mention I am a Marine Biology major. You can usually spot me around campus listening to my iPod or hanging with the fabulous girls from Rm. 112 in University Place. :) Tomorrow is Friday, which not only excites me because it is the beginning of the weekend, but because I am going home for Labor Day to see my family and friends, etc. I am a pretty open person when it comes to meeting new people, so don't be afraid to strike up a conversation.
Today is sunny!
It's a really nice day out and I'm just happy that it is not raining. I'm currently at the library downloading some lecture notes for my Intro to Oceanography class- I believe I failed to mention I am a Marine Biology major. You can usually spot me around campus listening to my iPod or hanging with the fabulous girls from Rm. 112 in University Place. :) Tomorrow is Friday, which not only excites me because it is the beginning of the weekend, but because I am going home for Labor Day to see my family and friends, etc. I am a pretty open person when it comes to meeting new people, so don't be afraid to strike up a conversation.
It works!
hey guys. I guess this thing works!! In case you don't remember me, I'm Jeni, the girl computer science major. I don't think I mentioned this in class because I tend to get weird remarks but I'm going to try to add International Business as a double major at the end of the semester, and I'm also a German minor.. and I'm trying really really hard to graduate in three years. No lies. I already have 21 credits to my name. I'm excited because I think I can do it. So, let's see. I like frogs and bright colors and shiny objects and I spin weapon line [colorguard, marching band] here at KU. I love music, pretty much anything except country, opera, gospel, church, and west-coast rap. I love to dance, anywhere anytime, and I love DDR [because it's a dancing video game. Awesome]. And I love to sing. I don't really watch TV, but when I do, Colbert Report is the favorite, hands down. I love musicals, especially Wicked [who doesn't] and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I graduated from Wissahickon HS in Ambler, PA, class of '06!!
I guess that's enough random facts about me that I can think about for now... if you see me around campus, just say 'hi'! I don't bite.. hard... often.. :) Peace, guys!
- Jeni
I guess that's enough random facts about me that I can think about for now... if you see me around campus, just say 'hi'! I don't bite.. hard... often.. :) Peace, guys!
- Jeni
WAOO!!!
I must admit, I am a total blog GEEK. I have many and update them almost daily. But "Blogger" is leaving me in a state of "wha???" at the moment, but at least I made it onto the class blog, right? I'm Jonelle... you probably remember me as the chick with the cat glasses who loves Harry Potter. I enjoy writing immensely and find myself writing blog entries for hours on end or 22 page letters to my friend Stacey back home. I just enjoy writing, particularly persuasive essays or journal type things. I don't know if I mentioned my major in class already but I am a Clinical Psych/Counseling major and hope to become a Criminal Psychologist one day. You know, the guys on Law and Order who get into the minds of the killers to see why they are complete duffers. I have always been a firm believer in Justice so I suppose that is one of the reasons why I am choosing this career. I am definitely excited about this class and the blog. Catch you guys later!
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
"Marilyn" arrives..!
Hi there! It's Colby---that cornball goober nerd that loves The Office (alot..)---Remember me? This type of junk is new to me--I'm sort of old fashioned and not a big fan of computers, but ho hum, oh well, I'll get used to it. (I do enjoy a foxy computer geek though...!) So, what else should you guys know about me? I love MM-(Marilyn..)--I also love MSNBC--I was crazy about the Abrams Report until Danny got promoted to general manager of the station...now that his foxy face is not on my screen anymore, I'm slowly moving to CNN, which is rough territory---I'm not particularly fond of their anchors (nancy grace..)...and although Anderson Cooper is ridiculously handsome, he's just a smidge too serious --he's got a permanent brow crease from it. I'm very close with my family and my two younger sisters, I'm missing them bunches but my two roommates are my best friends from highschool, so they're the next best thing. Actually, my third best friend from school (yes, you can have more than one,) is currently in New York City, a freshman at Parsons majoring in Fashion Marketing--I'm jealous, I love her very much and hope she's having tons of fun. I feel like I'm blabbing, but hopefully you're enjoying it---or rolling your eyes--! What else...?....I suppose I have very intense emotions--I either love "it" or hate "it"..a little black and white, so I suppose I can be difficult at times---I'm conservative--I don't curse, although I find it hilarious when other people do--(especially my mother, when she is throwing our vacuum cleaner down the steps)---A friend once told me the only thing wrong with me is that I'm a Republican. I think I'm too young and perhaps too uninformed to choose a political party for myself--to be labeled as "this" or "that", though like I said, I am very old fashioned and tend to lean toward the Repub's. I support Georgie, that darling man--I love learning about government--and though I've only experienced about fifteen minutes of Professor Fisher, he seems FAB--- but ho hum--that's enough serious talk, and enough about me! I'm super excited for this class, can't wait to get started---hope to have some interesting discussions, can't wait to start writing-----say "Hi Coco" if you see me floating around--I'll be so excited!
See you all soon....
-Colby
See you all soon....
-Colby
I'm in!
Hey guys - this is Marilla. I already introduced myself in class today, but I will do it again. I commute to school every day from Oley (about 25 minutes). I'm actually still in high school - I'll graduate in June 2007. I'm part of the early enrollment program. The way it works is all the classes I'd be required to take my senior year of high school I take at KU and it counts for my senior year of high school and my freshman year of college. It's a very good deal. I'm an environmental engineering major. It's my hope one day to save the environment from all of the evil things we do to it. I'm also in Kutztown's orchestra and the Reading Symphony Youth Orchestra. (I play cello.) I swim with the Albright Aquatic Club, a USS swim team. Other than that I love to cycle, ski, kayak, and anything else that's outdoors.
Welcome to Mahoney's Honors Composition Blog!
Hello all!
Welcome to the blog for our Honors Composition course. As you will notice, this blog is not empty. The conversation you will be entering has been going on for two semesters. I encourage you to check out how students have used this blog in the past and some of the ideas and projects they have made public for all the world to see.
The concept of "a conversation" will help frame how we investigate writing, language, and audience over the course of the semester. In particular, we will often return to a quote from the literary and rhetorical scholar, Kenneth Burke, who highlights the conversational nature of knowledge making through his metaphor of the "parlor":
Welcome to the blog for our Honors Composition course. As you will notice, this blog is not empty. The conversation you will be entering has been going on for two semesters. I encourage you to check out how students have used this blog in the past and some of the ideas and projects they have made public for all the world to see.
The concept of "a conversation" will help frame how we investigate writing, language, and audience over the course of the semester. In particular, we will often return to a quote from the literary and rhetorical scholar, Kenneth Burke, who highlights the conversational nature of knowledge making through his metaphor of the "parlor":
Imagine that you enter a parlor. You come late. When you arrive, others have long preceded you, and they are engaged in a heated discussion, a discussion too heated for them to pause and tell you exactly what it is about. In fact, the discussion had already begun long before any of them got there, so that no one present is qualified to retrace for you all the steps that had gone before. You listen for a while, until you decide that you have caught the tenor of the argument, then you put in your oar. Someone answers; you answer him [or her]; another comes to your defense; another aligns himself [or herself] against you, to either the embarrassment of gratification of your opponent, depending upon the quality of your ally’s assistance. However, the discussion is interminable. The hour grows late, you must depart. And you do depart, with the discussion still vigorously in progress (110-111, brackets mine).
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Losers...
I was sitting at my computer, unable to concentrate on studying for my finals. And, suddenly I remember this blog. I decided to check it out because...well...why the hell not? I'm pretty surprised that you guys (Ben Harvey and Greg) are still trying to keep this thing alive. But, I also hoped that our class was still communicating with each other. I think it's safe to say that this has been my favorite class, people and otherwise, that I've had since I've been at KU. Too bad our "Reunion" didn't work out. Thanks for the effort, Greg.
And Ben Harvey, in response to your book discussion idea: I have started a book called The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins. It's an argument against Intelligent Design, in favor of Evolution. If anyone's into that kind of thing. It's very interesting. It takes the complexity of Evolution and breaks it down into very simple ideas. It's really, very interesting even if you are not a science buff.
Have a great Summer.
And Ben Harvey, in response to your book discussion idea: I have started a book called The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins. It's an argument against Intelligent Design, in favor of Evolution. If anyone's into that kind of thing. It's very interesting. It takes the complexity of Evolution and breaks it down into very simple ideas. It's really, very interesting even if you are not a science buff.
Have a great Summer.
Monday, May 01, 2006
I couldn't get you tickets to the Daily Show
... but I did come up with these videos of Stephen Colbert from the most recent White House Correspondents' Association Dinner! Enjoy.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
So how is everyone?
So, no one has left anything since Greg tried to get us all some tickets to the daily show. I am taking a chance on the fact that maybe some of you actually check back on this thing everyonce in a while. I just wondered how everyone is doing. The blog is here, so I think we should at the least use it. I propose, since it was for a comp class, and that is something that can be associated with English, we should use it as a way to recommend and talk about books with each other. I know that this may be a lot to ask of some of you, but I think it could be a fun way to both keep in touch and still use this thing, rather than let it be a waste of cyber-space. That means you too Mahoney. With all of this in mind I will start off. I'll try to keep it down to a minimum Ben Post.
Recently, I have read a very good series of books put out by the New Internationalist, a British magazine. These books are part of my reading for class in Honors International Studies. These books are great. If you ever find yourself trying to have a political discussion, and you tend to be liberal, sorry Amber, these books offer a wealth of facts. They tend to definitely bring out the facts that they see as important, and write off the facts of the opoosition as manipulated, but they are in general a really good resource. Most recently, we have read about fair trade. This is an issue that I have known a little about for a long time, but this really crystallized some of my ideas and my resolution to take some action to effect change, even if it is only on a small scale. I think that fair trade is something that could completely replace free trade, if people would be willing to look beyond their own wants and needs, and be willing to pay fair wages to producers in other countries. I liked one of the ideas that I got from one of the resources called Equal Exchange. There are large companies that produce both fair trade coffee and fair trade chocolate. My idea is that I will try to get my local grocery store to start carrying them. I think that it will be one way to make a small difference. If people see the goods, and they are available for purchase, they will be more likely to buy fairly.
That is about all I am going to say for now. I hope that this gets to some of you ande that you think that it is a worthwhile oportunity to keep in touch and exchange some thoughts and ideas. Until someone responds, later.
Recently, I have read a very good series of books put out by the New Internationalist, a British magazine. These books are part of my reading for class in Honors International Studies. These books are great. If you ever find yourself trying to have a political discussion, and you tend to be liberal, sorry Amber, these books offer a wealth of facts. They tend to definitely bring out the facts that they see as important, and write off the facts of the opoosition as manipulated, but they are in general a really good resource. Most recently, we have read about fair trade. This is an issue that I have known a little about for a long time, but this really crystallized some of my ideas and my resolution to take some action to effect change, even if it is only on a small scale. I think that fair trade is something that could completely replace free trade, if people would be willing to look beyond their own wants and needs, and be willing to pay fair wages to producers in other countries. I liked one of the ideas that I got from one of the resources called Equal Exchange. There are large companies that produce both fair trade coffee and fair trade chocolate. My idea is that I will try to get my local grocery store to start carrying them. I think that it will be one way to make a small difference. If people see the goods, and they are available for purchase, they will be more likely to buy fairly.
That is about all I am going to say for now. I hope that this gets to some of you ande that you think that it is a worthwhile oportunity to keep in touch and exchange some thoughts and ideas. Until someone responds, later.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
That was a rather quick response.
"Thank you for your interest. Unfortunately, we do not accomodate large groups here. Thanks again for your request."
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Even though no one in the class still reads this.
I requested approximately 12 tickets (saying that I was speaking for our class) for a taping of the Daily Show sometime before May 1st. I also asked if it would be possible to speak with Jon Stewart or any of the writers on the show. This is the email I received in response:
Let's keep our fingers crossed?
Hello Daily Show Fan!
Thank you for your request for last minute tickets! If you are successful in your request you will hear back from us. If you do not hear back from us, unfortunately we could not accomodate your request. Any future 2006 request should be made via phone to 212-586-2477.
Anyone looking for confirmation letters, need to e-mail the address on their booking letter, not this address.
Audience Dept
Let's keep our fingers crossed?
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