Metacognition: Jane Eyre Mashup

It's difficult to predict the dynamics of a group project. Going in the Jane Eyre mashup, I already knew that I didn't want to work alone because, when looking for Jane Eyre quotes, I would have to look through the entire book. Being in a group meant that each of the members combed thoroughly through a section of the book. That made the work of a mashup seem less overwhelming in the first place. I came into the project expecting it to run fairly smoothly and to finish it in 2 meetings (along with a little bit of individual work). 

Before the first meeting, I knew that I had to find enough passages to add to the mashup. I kept the idea of my group's theme "void" as a guidline of what to look for. I started to come up with possible subtopics for "void" while looking through Jane Eyre. I expected that these subtopics would be how the final mashup was organized; then thinking that grouping sources together and then figuring out how to order the groups would lead to the final mashup.

I was happy with the workload that I was expected of with this mashup; dividing the work of finding sources evenly through the group evened out the project and had everyone's opinion/work in the final product. I also was very grateful that I had 3 other minds to work with. I would have surely gotten stuck with trying to order the sources together.  I found this extremely helpful when I got stuck trying to sequence the mashup while discussing with the rest of my group: when I got stuck I sat back and waited to get un-stuck. However, I was surprised that I started to space out while listening to the rest of my group and found it hard to get back on the train of thought. 

I'm glad that I can collaborate with a group and still have my thoughts in the final product (no one's voice got lost), but I need to make sure that in the future I try to stay on the group train of thought even if I get stuck. Also, when working alone I need to find a way to always get un-stuck without getting distracted. 

Overall, I exhausted my brain working on this project and trying to agree on a sequence of sources with a group of four people. I've learned that I just have to keep thinking even when group meetings draw out and opinions started to run in circles. 

Change of Mind: Expression Through Punctuation

I've never really given punctuation in writing a second thought. I merely used it to have the sentence flow correctly in the reader's mind and to have it be grammatically correct. I learned to separate thoughts with periods, commas, colons, semi-colons, and dashes. But, this wide array of symbols all used to place a pauses into writing seemed excessive. Of course there are specific grammatical rules when a comma should be used versus a semicolon, but I found the rules rather unnecessary. Why should there be so many different ways to express a pause? In response to my annoyance, I just stuck to using the symbols I knew I could use correctly and safely (mainly commas and semicolons).

An in-class discussion on Brönte's use of colons, semicolons, commas, and dashes all in one paragraph made me curious as to why she used such a variety (specifically on page 305). Punctuation wasn't exactly my main focus in reading Jane Eyre, but taking a closer look as to why Brönte carefully selected her punctuation intrigued me. The different pauses of each punctuation create a complex rhythm of thought and understanding of characters' minds (mainly Jane). Jane usually uses long and flowing sentences when describing events in her life. When she suddenly separates thoughts, the different punctuation puts emphasis onto specific items in lists or realizations in trains of thought. Pauses create emphasis and different punctuation adds variety and direction to important words and phrases. 

When realizing how all of the different punctuation symbols can be used to my advantage to shade and deepen the hues of my writing such as Brönte does seemingly unconsciously, I will make an effort to fully understand how to use different punctuation correctly. Fear of incorrect grammar hindering the flow of my writing (or even at the expense of a grade) was holding me back from using all types of punctuation. If I understand how to use all of it, I will use a wide variety to enhance my writing. Varied punctuation adds another depth to ways writing can express feeling. I realize now that this is done by word choice, word order, sentence length, and now punctuation among others. The complexity of expression in writing becomes one degree easier with the help of having varied punctuation on hand.

360 Degrees: David H. Koch Theater

In Lincoln Center, it is not easy for a specific theater/hall to stand out. In this collection of performing venues, one can see professional orchestras, college orchestras, musicals, Shakespeare, opera, and ballet; often several performances at once on some evenings! What's so fascinating about one of them, the David H. Koch Theater, is its impressionability and design to compliment the ballet performed there. 

The David H. Koch Theater is the first thing that pops into my head when recalling a tour I took of the Lincoln Center. As to why it sticks out more than others, the theme captured my attention at first. When walking into the lobby, it appears as any standard performance entryway. When the guide mentioned the theme of a music box, I looked through the carefully designed details to see the flow of the theme. I saw the rectangular lobby as the opened music box, ornately lined with rows of jeweled lights and ceiling adorned with sheets of gold. The audience is meant to be on display while in the lobby; the three rows of walkways around the center of the rectangle allow people to see others from all tiers.

Inside the stage area lies the biggest gem. A spectacular chandelier mimics a large jeweled broach. All of these precious metals in the theater surround and reflect light onto the dancers spinning in the music box. 

This theme in the theater also reflects views on ballet. By putting them on display in a music box, the audience expects perfection. Each turn is pulled by the music and every dancer is uniform. The ballerinas in music boxes do not even change position. They slowly twirl with the crank of minute chimes. Although this sets up an enchanting performance experience, should the dancers be expected to perfectly dance like a wind-up ballerina in a jewelery box?

Along with the jewelry box theme, designers incorporated modern art to put relate ballet to everyday happenings. These pieces scattered throughout the theater relate to ballet in a less rigid sense than the overall theme. Human expression, emotion, and natural beauty are among the themes of the art. Because the art pieces are more subtle than the overall theme, this puts less emphasis on the raw expression part of ballet. 

No matter if the audience picks up on the main theme or the modern art on display, the overall feel and design of this theater makes it stick in people's minds. The attention to detail make it a theater specifically for ballet and heighten the experience of watching ballet in the theater. Meaning and detail; not just slapping four walls together, add power and significance to this building. Care in design in most anything can yield strong effects on the audience.

View of the stage and chandelier

Lobby (note the gold ceiling; it is thousands of tiny gold leaves smoothed together)

Dialectics: Germline Genetic Modification and Bioethics

Germline Genetic Modification: I have the potential to save millions of lives and generally improve living for every person on the planet. With my method, embryos (or egg/sperm cells) can be modified to produce specific genetic outcomes. For example, a group of genes that would make the baby be born with muscular dystrophy could be removed/altered/replaced so that the baby would have normal functioning muscles. This could be used for other life-threatening genetic conditions.

Bioethics: While allowing people to live without diseases such as muscular dystrophy would improve their lives, what would happen if the gene alteration cause another problem elsewhere? If by somehow altering the muscles genes, the blood genes gave the baby a type of blood disease, how can that be justified? If there is room for error, then why take the risk? 

GGM: Of course there are risks with my process. There are with any. If the door to technology that could possibly cure every genetic disease or birth defect is opened, why not work to get in? Now there may be negative side affects, but in the future there could be perfect genetic modification developed. By not taking the risk now, any chance for that discovery is denied. That doesn't seem fair. There are people who would risk their child having other possible complications if it meant their child's increased probability for survival. 

B: The people who would take the risks with using genetic modification would be at an advantage to other parents who were not willing to take the risk. In the future, there could be very risky genetic modification that could fix Child A's muscle problems. Child B's parents don't want to take the risk because they believe their child will be able to have a happy life with their support. Child A does not get any negative outcomes from the surgery and becomes a professional sports player. Child B lives with their muscle problems and stays with their family their whole life. How is that fair? 

GGM: Well, it would be Child B's parents' faults for not taking the risk. Maybe that would be unfair though, because Child B could have ended up with further complications from the modification than Child A. This method, when perfected, would yield better and fairer results than with the risks now. As long as it can keep being tested, I don't see any potential problems from it in the future.

B: Less risks would make it slightly fairer, but how far is this process going to modify people? Treating diseases is one thing, but anything else is unnecessary. 

GGM: In the future, it would be possible to modify gender, eye color, height, memory, athletic inclination, those sorts of things. Humans could finally live up to their full potentials! There could be flawless rulers of countries and highly skilled builders. The perfect society seems in reach...

B: Yeah that's definitely not any more fair than before. For the people who can afford to genetically modify their baby, great! They can have little perfect geniouses climbing to the top of their preschool classes, getting into higher education programs, better schools, better jobs, etc.. For the rest of the world population, where many of them live below or around the poverty line, they just have to deal with whatever nature gives them in their children. The gap between rich and poor will become so incredibly large that the people who aren't genetically modified may be so low in superpower-genious-perfect-ness that they will become merely extras in society.

GGM: Well, I guess that will have to be taken into consideration for the future. It's amazing how altering a few genes now could lead to controlling the outcome of the world from the source (how people are developed in the womb). For now though, curing diseases will have a positive outcome to babies who would otherwise have the diseases. As soon as the risk for other negative side effects decreases, this should be used.

B: I agree with that last part. It's similar to preventative medicine, except this time it's administered at the earliest stage possible. Just be careful when looking to modify other things...

iMedia: Clausen's Kyrie (Memorial)

In less than an hour, I will be playing some of the first notes in the Techny Music Festival. This is a huge gathering of high school chorus groups and a few players from the Glenbrook Symphony Orchestra (I'm included in this) coming together for combined pieces. The Techny Church is a very full and echoing hall, so every piece becomes etheral. One piece I'm playing in strikes me as extremely moving and powerful. Clausen's Kyrie (from Memorial) commemorates September 11th, the final movement being a memorial for the lives lost.

Before I knew the background of the piece, I loved it for the flowing, beautiful melodic lines and weaving harmonies. After learning the background, the piece went to an entirely new level for me. My mindset while playing took a solemn and reflective turn.

Music is a fantastic way to express emotions. From having the chance to play this piece, I can show my thoughts on September 11th without having to say anything. I can play as intense and dramatically as I want to without judgment. When people get together to perform pieces of music, something incredible happens. Each person's interpretations blend together to create an overwhelming emotional projection.

A bassoonist playing in the piece shared how she had the chance to perform the entire work at its premier in New York. She said that, even though it's hard to make choir directors cry, there was not a dry eye in the venue by the time the last note was played. This piece has historical significance that every audience member high school-aged and up can reflect on. September 11th was a national tragedy, every person who heard of it has been affected in some way. Coming together to commemorate it with a powerful musical work releases overpowering emotional reactions.

Best of Week: Finding a Character's Mind Through Language

In writing, language is paramount. The ideas in an author's head cannot be expressed without carefully selected words to craft an idea into a story. As discussed in class this week, language can also lead the author to discover a character's mind. 

Instead of figuring out a character and then using language to describe it, the language is played around with until the character is discovered. Relating to the question, "Can something come from nothing?" this idea takes small words on paper and webs them together to create a character. 

With this technique, I could learn to write from a different angle. Traditionally, I would try and come up with the perfect character in my mind and then form the language around that. Instead, starting with a few adjectives or thinking about what vocabulary my character would have gives insight into the character's mind. From this approach, I can begin to see inside the mind of an imaginary person. The way language is used in context of the character to show situation, setting, and thought process puts the character in relation to surroundings. The way the sky is viewed by the character shows how the character thinks. An emotional reaction or sparked memory from the sky could lead to insight and wondering about the character's past. 

Outside of writing, looking at a person through their language can reveal more than just what that person is saying. I now know to really focus in on a person's language while they are talking. Speech patterns, vocabulary, tone, and word choice can show what that person is thinking. For example, a stutter and nervous laughs may show a person is uncomfortable, while overuse of fancy words and awkward sentence structure may show a person trying to appear smarter than they really are. 

Language is such a necessary and amazing scope into cognition. This seemingly simple act communicates much more than just words out of mouths or read sentences on white sheets. This form of expression can be used to find out what makes and affects gears turning inside minds. It's even powerful enough to cross reality and be applied to fictional characters (almost with minds of their own).

Change of Mind: Heart of Darkness

I've always understood the concept of uniqueness and individuality, but now, Heart of Darkness flipped a switch in my brain to wrap around just how individual we are. From reading this quote, I had to pause and think.
 

""it is impossible to convey the life sensation of any given epoch of one's existence--- that which makes its truth, its meaning--- its subtle and penetrating essence. It is impossible, We live, as we dream--- alone.""
 

I became hyper-aware about everything that I was doing. With the first breath I took, I realized that everyone will experience the rush of air into lungs, but I am the only one who will experience the feeling of air through my lungs. Every breath I take is completely unique and unrepeatable. More complex, every thought I have, through winding paths of nerves and stimulants, can never be replicated in anyone else.
 

This opens my eyes to how important expression is. In order to share unique thoughts and feelings, we turn to speech, writing, and arts. With each melodic line played, an invisible string works its way into the listener, pulling and triggering a similar path the player is expressing. From the main river of core understanding in the listener, it can bend and branch out into different interpretations and ideas.
 

Without expression, our lives would be extremely lonely. We can only hope to share emotions and thoughts with other people to connect and weave relationships with. Even the simplest expression of eye contact can fire strong emotions and connections.
 

The essence of moments; that original spark of emotion and thought are something to be cherished as unique in ourselves and to sometimes be shared with others through expression. My mind is opened up to the complexity of simple emotions and the importance of communication from reading Heart of Darkness.

Metacognition: Thinking and Learning During 1st Semester

When I started first semester, I was happy to start out fresh. I wanted to do my best in school. I finished all of my homework as soon as possible and studied hard for tests. But, after a while the rigorous pace of trying to learn everything possible; I got burned out. My life outside of school was too busy for me to do every assignment perfectly. I realize now that I have to accept imperfection. All that I can do is give every assignment my best effort and complete them on time. 

Another thing that I have realized in the course of first semester is that, when reading a book for English, reading it closely and being focused the first time pays off. When looking back in the book to refresh for a paper, I don't see any information as brand new. Learning something right before a paper or test is not a good thing. This is especially true with social studies; I find that now I don't have to re-read everything to understand concepts. What really benefits is trying to explain the concepts in my own words to see if I understand them. 

During first semester; I found about halfway into October that I was feeling tired most of the time. I was staying up late into the night doing homework and studying for tests. I would come home from school, take a fifteen minute break, practice until dinner, eat, do homework, and then eventually go to sleep. I still keep this same schedule now; but I try and divide my homework up so that I am not overloaded on any given day (although this still seems to happen on Thursdays for some reason). What I have also realized is that if I pay close attention in class; the homework and preparing for exams are easier and take up less time to complete. This gives me a little extra sleep; which then helps me focus during the day. 

In the past, I tended to see English as an easy and light-loaded class. I was hoping that this year's work load would be similar to last year, but I was a bit nervous too. I was wondering how grading would work, whether I would get high grades, and how the entire class' attitude would be. The very beginning of first semester, there was a general sense of unsureness. That is normal, though; every year starts with the unknowns. I was happy to find myself looking forward to when I would finish all of my homework and leave English for last (mostly with the blogs). Now that I know how to deal with the work load; I know how to structure my time effectively. I've settled into a comfortable routine with my classes and I am glad that I had first semester to figure it all out.