Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Direction
So here I sit, I'm 28 years old and I'm trying to figure out my direction. That is, I think I know what I want to do next, it just depends on the direction. The way IT is running now it's hard to say what is the best way. I've been doing a fairly good job of becoming an engineer, actually focusing on one set of skills and gaining experience in it. It may not be a huge need for it, but I've learned how to tear things down and build them back up and work around them. (The life of a desktop software package engineer... taking an install from a vendor and re-working it into a package/script to use for deployment to workstations). I actually started to enjoy the work. And on the side taking a management training course and my college courses (math, English, etc.). Now that has all changed. The new job is way more hats. Nothing specific, the school of thought is that it's an enterprise and each person on the team should know all about it. Which in a sense is good, I could learn more about the server side of things and maybe even some networking bits. But on the other side, I can't delve deep into any one thing because I'll be too busy with everything else. It feels like a step backwards, which worries me, I like the direct route forward. It sure is a bit of a dilemma, because if I don't do the new job, what do I do?
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Been lazy
This is the perfect weather to be completely lazy. Most of this weekend I kind of hung around and did some cleaning and catching up on TV shows. No laundry this time. Actually I barely did anything productive. I walked as far as a block each day. Once for brunch and groceries. And once more for a cup of coffee. Sad? I think not. Today class started, Fundementals of Calculus. That's right kids, life is over. Plus I'm trying (not very hard) to catch up on the management training. And also I started some Six Sigma (google it) training. All wrapped up in a neat little bow, and soon to be torn to shreds. Work is total madness, heance the lazyness on the weekends. I'm excited about the news that Beckham coming to America. Now if only they would actually show American soccer games on TV. Well, it would be nice. Currently reading a series by Steven Burst (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jhereg_%28novel%29) Think Bond in a world of magic. Lots of great plot twists and a world that keeps you guessing. I recommened if you want to get sucked in to such a thing. I'm on my 4th book now, that sounds soooo geeky, but none of the books need to go in a specific order. He uses little clues to let you know where in the time line the story is taking place. Pretty clever.
Ok - that's all... back to work.
Ok - that's all... back to work.
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Gothic Lit Final - Grade 92
I'm very proud of my final, got a 92 on it. Enjoy!
FI. Short Answer (50 pts)
2. Explain the significance of the unicorn dream in the director's cut of Blade Runner. In what way does it relate to the unicorn origami Deckard finds at the end of the film?
The unicorn is an imaginative thought implanted into replicates. The humans were trying to give the replicates a sub-conscious mind. As I read further into the film, there are some repeating themes. It goes on to prove that even Deckard himself is a replicate. The origami left as a calling card by Gaff, in a sense saying that he would not come after him. Gaff knew about the unicorn dreams because he knows that they were given to the replicates.
5. Briefly explain two ways that 19th-century American writers transformed Gothic literary conventions. Use Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" to illustrate your answer.
As society changed over the century, so did the social fears. Poe’s use of poetic writing to describe the story gave people a chance to completely delve into it. He describes the surrounding estate and house with dark details. Instead of a castle being used to describe the Gothic theme, a large estate home was described. The story itself is about deep social fears of the time; incest, insane aristocrats, and being buried alive. These new themes helped carry readers along and such made the story set in “modern” times.
8. Briefly discuss and illustrate the two key cultural fears in Ridley Scott's Alien.
One of the first cultural fears I thought of from the movie Alien has to be what is out in space. This movie reminds us that maybe we are not alone in the universe. As we reach out farther into space, it becomes difficult to get help from others. The other fear is loss of human morals. At the expense of humans, the Company hopes to bring back alien specimens. Maybe the aliens are worth more than humans. Also the android is used by the Company to do their bidding. My thought is that we should be more fearful of ourselves than the aliens out in space.
9. Explain the role or function of the supernatural in Beloved.
Within the story of Beloved the supernatural theme is used to express the horrors of one’s own individual past. We learn from Sethe’s storytelling that her past is so horrible she can barely talk about, fearful of reliving it. Instead the ghost of Beloved and the eventual physical form allow Sethe to separate herself from the rest of society. Sethe is so deeply depressed about her past that she fears expressing those feelings. She basically wants it stay hidden away. This allows Beloved to feed off of Sethe’s guilty feelings to grow ever stronger. The supernatural powers feed off the fear of others. Even the rest of the town allows the ghost to existent because they believe in it. In the end Sethe needs people to help regain her sanity and completely exorcize the entity.
10. Briefly explain Angela Carter's use of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale in "The Lady of House of Love." What does Carter seem to be saying about the nature and power of love?
The fairy tale story within the short story “The Lady of House of Love” helps bring to light the essence of the tragedy. Like Sleeping Beauty the young vampire girl is under a strong spell or poison inflicted because of her family’s background. They both wish to be rescued by love. Their belief in love is that it will conquer all evil and set them free. It is their only hope of freedom. Our hero comes along, his kindness and innocence breaks the cycle of death surrounding her. It gives the vampire girl a true sense of what it feels like to be loved by another. She is ultimately able to become something she wanted to be, even though it caused her own death.
II. Essay Answer (50 pts)
5. Gothic narratives of the 19th and 20th centuries, especially those that can be included in the Science Fiction genre, sometimes explore the complexities of creation. Interestingly, these tales also blend Judeo-Christian belief with Greek mythology to explore the social and personal ramifications of a rebellious man trying to usurp the creative function of God. Explain how Mary Shelley in Frankenstein, Nathaniel Hawthorn in "Rappaccini's Daughter," and Ridley Scott in Blade Runner each merge the Promethean myth with Biblical accounts of creation. Discuss what these tales are saying about scientific hubris and the dangers of transgressing the bounds of human knowledge and ability.
As humans become more intelligent about themselves and the world around them, the idea of being a god comes to surface. A few of the gothic stories raises the question of what might happen if a human plays god (or even mother nature). Creation can not be duplicated by humans alone; it takes the miracle of Mother Nature to breathe life. Any other type of creation is truly deemed un-natural.
In the novel by Mary Shelley, Dr. Frankenstein wishes to save to save humanity from death. He believes he can create life from human parts. That it is within his power to do this completely consumes him. This idea and the possibility of proving it overshadows the question of if it should be done. The good doctor does not think of what the consequences might be by creating a life that is not truly human. There is not set plan to teach, love and live up to his own mistakes. He is such punished by the creature for abandonment. It may be that Frankenstein had noble intentions, but he was unable to fulfill his commitment of creation of life. Carrying forward with the love and caring it deserved.
Also in the story “Rappaccini’s Daughter” the doctor desires to help humanity with cures that are out of normal reach. The question remains if his daughter was created by accident or on purpose. She is capable of handling the most dangerous of plants and flowers in the garden. But on the other hand she is kept from society because of the potential of causing others harm. Her father had yet again some noble ideas but without concern of the possible consequences. How long did he think he would be able to control and keep her within his four walls? Just like any other human she wished to be accepted and loved by others. She wanted to experience life as others, instead of being condemned to a fate she did not choose.
Finally as move to the science fiction genre with the creation of robots or replicates of humans. In Blade Runner the replicates are created to do the dangerously harmful and mundane jobs that humans no longer care to do. But some of these tasks, like the prostitute, require a higher level of human-like characteristics. Here lies the true problem with un-natural creation, how do you create something to be just like you but be able to control it? This is impossibility, as the movie explains. The replicates believe themselves to be humans until their own intelligence is advanced enough to help them see that they are not humans. This is why their life span is set to only four years, the humans believe this will help control the replicates from experiencing this. Again as these non-humans come to find out the fate they did not choose for themselves they break away and attempt to be free. In the end they decide to kill their creator so that no others will be created in such a way.
All of these stories represent what could happen if humans try to take over for god. It proves the point that humans generally do not have the capacity for such a complex thing as life. Each creator in the stories met with suffering and sometimes an end of their own life because of the creature they designed. The twist on both Frankenstein’s creature and the replicates in Blade Runner is the very emotional thought process. These creatures are innocent to the world around them and see the beauty in it that most humans have become numb to. Does that not make them just as human as the rest of us? It also questions what is human and what deserves to live. Thankfully we have storytelling to test these waters before we ever attempt to test them ourselves. And hopefully stop anyone thinking of playing god.
FI. Short Answer (50 pts)
2. Explain the significance of the unicorn dream in the director's cut of Blade Runner. In what way does it relate to the unicorn origami Deckard finds at the end of the film?
The unicorn is an imaginative thought implanted into replicates. The humans were trying to give the replicates a sub-conscious mind. As I read further into the film, there are some repeating themes. It goes on to prove that even Deckard himself is a replicate. The origami left as a calling card by Gaff, in a sense saying that he would not come after him. Gaff knew about the unicorn dreams because he knows that they were given to the replicates.
5. Briefly explain two ways that 19th-century American writers transformed Gothic literary conventions. Use Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" to illustrate your answer.
As society changed over the century, so did the social fears. Poe’s use of poetic writing to describe the story gave people a chance to completely delve into it. He describes the surrounding estate and house with dark details. Instead of a castle being used to describe the Gothic theme, a large estate home was described. The story itself is about deep social fears of the time; incest, insane aristocrats, and being buried alive. These new themes helped carry readers along and such made the story set in “modern” times.
8. Briefly discuss and illustrate the two key cultural fears in Ridley Scott's Alien.
One of the first cultural fears I thought of from the movie Alien has to be what is out in space. This movie reminds us that maybe we are not alone in the universe. As we reach out farther into space, it becomes difficult to get help from others. The other fear is loss of human morals. At the expense of humans, the Company hopes to bring back alien specimens. Maybe the aliens are worth more than humans. Also the android is used by the Company to do their bidding. My thought is that we should be more fearful of ourselves than the aliens out in space.
9. Explain the role or function of the supernatural in Beloved.
Within the story of Beloved the supernatural theme is used to express the horrors of one’s own individual past. We learn from Sethe’s storytelling that her past is so horrible she can barely talk about, fearful of reliving it. Instead the ghost of Beloved and the eventual physical form allow Sethe to separate herself from the rest of society. Sethe is so deeply depressed about her past that she fears expressing those feelings. She basically wants it stay hidden away. This allows Beloved to feed off of Sethe’s guilty feelings to grow ever stronger. The supernatural powers feed off the fear of others. Even the rest of the town allows the ghost to existent because they believe in it. In the end Sethe needs people to help regain her sanity and completely exorcize the entity.
10. Briefly explain Angela Carter's use of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale in "The Lady of House of Love." What does Carter seem to be saying about the nature and power of love?
The fairy tale story within the short story “The Lady of House of Love” helps bring to light the essence of the tragedy. Like Sleeping Beauty the young vampire girl is under a strong spell or poison inflicted because of her family’s background. They both wish to be rescued by love. Their belief in love is that it will conquer all evil and set them free. It is their only hope of freedom. Our hero comes along, his kindness and innocence breaks the cycle of death surrounding her. It gives the vampire girl a true sense of what it feels like to be loved by another. She is ultimately able to become something she wanted to be, even though it caused her own death.
II. Essay Answer (50 pts)
5. Gothic narratives of the 19th and 20th centuries, especially those that can be included in the Science Fiction genre, sometimes explore the complexities of creation. Interestingly, these tales also blend Judeo-Christian belief with Greek mythology to explore the social and personal ramifications of a rebellious man trying to usurp the creative function of God. Explain how Mary Shelley in Frankenstein, Nathaniel Hawthorn in "Rappaccini's Daughter," and Ridley Scott in Blade Runner each merge the Promethean myth with Biblical accounts of creation. Discuss what these tales are saying about scientific hubris and the dangers of transgressing the bounds of human knowledge and ability.
As humans become more intelligent about themselves and the world around them, the idea of being a god comes to surface. A few of the gothic stories raises the question of what might happen if a human plays god (or even mother nature). Creation can not be duplicated by humans alone; it takes the miracle of Mother Nature to breathe life. Any other type of creation is truly deemed un-natural.
In the novel by Mary Shelley, Dr. Frankenstein wishes to save to save humanity from death. He believes he can create life from human parts. That it is within his power to do this completely consumes him. This idea and the possibility of proving it overshadows the question of if it should be done. The good doctor does not think of what the consequences might be by creating a life that is not truly human. There is not set plan to teach, love and live up to his own mistakes. He is such punished by the creature for abandonment. It may be that Frankenstein had noble intentions, but he was unable to fulfill his commitment of creation of life. Carrying forward with the love and caring it deserved.
Also in the story “Rappaccini’s Daughter” the doctor desires to help humanity with cures that are out of normal reach. The question remains if his daughter was created by accident or on purpose. She is capable of handling the most dangerous of plants and flowers in the garden. But on the other hand she is kept from society because of the potential of causing others harm. Her father had yet again some noble ideas but without concern of the possible consequences. How long did he think he would be able to control and keep her within his four walls? Just like any other human she wished to be accepted and loved by others. She wanted to experience life as others, instead of being condemned to a fate she did not choose.
Finally as move to the science fiction genre with the creation of robots or replicates of humans. In Blade Runner the replicates are created to do the dangerously harmful and mundane jobs that humans no longer care to do. But some of these tasks, like the prostitute, require a higher level of human-like characteristics. Here lies the true problem with un-natural creation, how do you create something to be just like you but be able to control it? This is impossibility, as the movie explains. The replicates believe themselves to be humans until their own intelligence is advanced enough to help them see that they are not humans. This is why their life span is set to only four years, the humans believe this will help control the replicates from experiencing this. Again as these non-humans come to find out the fate they did not choose for themselves they break away and attempt to be free. In the end they decide to kill their creator so that no others will be created in such a way.
All of these stories represent what could happen if humans try to take over for god. It proves the point that humans generally do not have the capacity for such a complex thing as life. Each creator in the stories met with suffering and sometimes an end of their own life because of the creature they designed. The twist on both Frankenstein’s creature and the replicates in Blade Runner is the very emotional thought process. These creatures are innocent to the world around them and see the beauty in it that most humans have become numb to. Does that not make them just as human as the rest of us? It also questions what is human and what deserves to live. Thankfully we have storytelling to test these waters before we ever attempt to test them ourselves. And hopefully stop anyone thinking of playing god.
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