It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Hello all!
I am in a very good mood today as I have officially started Christmas Holidays!
Though I am on break, literary theory will not be and I will try to apply it to my wonderful break whenever possible!
Over the holidays I plan to work, sleep and eat delicious Christmas foods like egg nog, cookies, and more!
Happy holidays everyone and see you all in the new year! :)

"you know you love me, xoxo"

*Insert cliche about knowing oneself here*

The person who knows you better than anyone else is yourself. No one can never really know a person, but you know YOU better than anyone! (Maybe that could be because you are yourself, DUH!)
For Tuesday we have to write our final paper of 2009, which includes 2 biographies: one about our self as an individual, then the second about our self as a subject.
This brings me to ask a couple questions: What makes me..me? What am I and what am I not?
I am the only person that holds the correct answer to these questions, but I still am unsure of the answers.
Lately, I haven't felt like myself. Actually, in all honesty, I have not felt like myself for a while now.
I don't know who "the real me" is anymore and this temporary loss of identity makes it hard to write a 5 paper all about me.
In a blog for an English class I sure am getting philosophical! So I suppose I will wrap things up and start my search on looking for the "real me"!

"you know you love me, xoxo" (whoever me is!)

Ding Dong The JAR is DEAD!

Which jar you ask? That darn jar that was placed in Tennessee will haunt us no longer.
After writing a total of 3 separate papers on "Anecdote of the Jar", with each paper more difficult than the last, it is now done for good.
That's not to say that the memory of the poem won't live on. Much like the ruby red slippers in the Wizard of Oz, the poem has left behind 3 papers in its memory, along with many lessons learned regarding the topics of deconstruction, psychoanalysis and interpretation.
I did find the poem quite interesting as well, and after analyzing it 3 separate times I have discovered how much content, depth and meaning it has beyond some jar sitting on a hill.
I found the last paper on psychoanalysis to be one of the hardest papers I have written in a while.I knew the content and facts about both Freud's and Lacan's theories, I knew what I wanted to say but I had no idea where to start.
I find when I get confused like this, I procrastinate on papers because when I don't know where to start I don't start at all. Though this is a bad habit to have, my focus and determination always pulls through in the end and I have never not completed an assignment.
Looking forward to learning about ideology this week, and writing a paper that isn't about that jar! :)

"you know you love me, xoxo"

Sweet Dreams or a Beautiful Nightmare?

Oh, the beauty of dreams.
A place where you can think about anything and everything.
First is daydreams, the dreams you have while you are awake (or conscious).
A person has complete control over their daydreams, as they come from a person's conscious state of mind.
In my daydreams I like to dream about things that I wish could happen, or I think about upcoming situations or events and how they might play out.
I often find myself indulging in daydreams as they can be a nice escape from reality, if even for a moment.
The other kind of dreams happen when you are sleeping. These dreams come from an unconscious state of mind. This means that we really don't have much control over what we dream. Often dreams do not make a lot of sense and can reveal some suppressed memories or emotions. Dreams can indicate things that you never knew you wanted, or remind you of feelings you may be trying to hide.
I find that a lot of my dreams do not make any sense at all. The topics are completely random and may not even have an ending.
Your dreams could be about things that have already happened, things that will happen soon, things that you wish could happen, things that you hope won't happen, your darkest secret and even your biggest dream.
I think that about wraps up my dream rant.

Sweet Dreams everyone!

"you know you love me, xoxo"

Canadian Psycho

Hello all!
So the topic of discussion this past week was Freud's Psychoanalysis
I found it was really interesting, and the TA Kaitlyn did an amazing job teaching the class. With the smaller class size and her relaxed attitude, it was really easy to learn and comprehend the lesson.
Kaitlyn also did a good job of applying the elements of psychoanalysis to modern day topics and issues it made the lesson even more enjoyable and easy to remember.
Some examples that were discussed in class that stuck in my mind were the Iceberg example and the Kanye-TSwift example.
The Iceberg example was used to describe the human conscious and unconscious. Above the water, at the tip of the iceberg is the conscious. It is what everyone can see, and we are quite aware of it. We can also see how big it is. Below the water is the preconsious, superego, ego, Id, and the unconscious. These all bulk together to make the iceberg even bigger and more complicated than what it appears to be on the surface.
The other example involving singers Kanye West and Taylor Swift was used to describe Freud's theory about women. How Freud thinks of women relates to what Kanye West did to Taylor Swift at the MTV VMA's. Freud believes men are superior to women, and women are jealous of men because they do not have the same, ahem, equipment as them.
All in all, I found myself engaged in this class in a different way than I was engaged in every other lecture.
Can't wait for Thursday's lecture! :)
Cheers to learning. Knowledge is Power!

"you know you love me, xoxo"

Deconstructing My Anecdote of the Jar

So I just finished my deconstruction of Anecdote of the Jar
And this was by far the hardest paper thus far.
I know I mentioned in the last post that I had my "lightbulb" moment and that I understood everything, but when it came down to putting my thoughts onto paper it proved to be quite tricky!
Can't wait for the discussion in class tomorrow to see how everyone else found this paper to be.
I'm off to bed!

"you know you love me, xoxo"

Deconstruction Brilliance

Hello all!
So this week in class we discussed the Deconstruction theory, and its relation to Structuralism.
Previous to the class, I felt pretty good about the topic of Deconstruction.
When I read the readings I got through all of it and I really truly understood the concept of Deconstruction.
I am usually pretty quiet in class, so when Dr. Pound asked the class what the two ways of identifying something were I had a "lightbulb" moment and found my hand shooting up into the air.
When I was called upon, I said my answer with a little less confidence than what I had 10 seconds ago, but I was correct!
It was an exhilarating feeling to know that I knew what I was talking about.
There are 2 ways to identify something 1) x=y and 2) x is not y
First is x=y, the object has a given identity. The second is x is not y. This simply means that an object is one thing because it is not another. For example, a cat is a cat. It is not a bat, rat, hat, or mat. It is a rat.
There is also the binary opposition. This is when something has an identity based on its polar opposite. You cannot have one without the other. Some examples of this are light/dark, evil/good, black/white, right/wrong and so on.

Now that I have discussed the positivity of understanding the concepts discussed in class, I should now talk about the frustration of not understanding.
This something that Dr. Pound went over with us earlier on in the week. As a class we discussed how it felt to be frustrated and confused with the task at hand and methods we could try to better understand what we were working on. I really enjoyed this discussion and found that I could relate to a lot of the points. My major problem is that when I get stressed and confused I do one of 2 things: 1. I give up and procrastinate. 2. My focus is there, but I become distracted and put my focus towards other things.
I find the later of the two occurs more often, especially when I am studying. I try to focus on my work and I end up cleaning my room, make my bed, clean my closet, refold all the clothes in my drawers, and do just about everything else but my homework.
At least I know I am not the only one out there that gets distracted!
But I should wrap this up and focus on some more homework!

"You know you love me, xoxo"

The Sleeping GIANT problem

Hello blogging world!
Tomorrow is the big day where our 2nd response papers are due, this one being focused on Structuralism and the myth of the Sleeping Giant.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I am finding this paper quite a challenge for a variety of reasons.
First of all, I have been born and raised in Thunder Bay and am proud of it, but in all honesty I only became familiar with the legend of the Sleeping Giant at the beginning of September.
My discovery of the legend was due to my job as a Student Ambassador for Lakehead, and one of the activities for Orientation was a bus tour around Thunder Bay, so that all of the first year out of town students and their parents could see all of Thunder Bays many exciting sights.
Yea, we only made a few stops, but one of them was of course the Sleeping Giant. At this stop we were to tell the families its legend, which I was emailed that morning, printed off and brought it along with me to regurgitate to the out-of-towners later on. I think the Sleeping Giant is beautiful, and even though I can see it whenever I wish, I value the time spent just looking at it from views like Hillcrest Park or the Marina. Those from out of town also LOVE the Sleeping Giant, as it is one of those "postcard" worthy landmarks.
In regards to the paper due, I find the topic "Structuralist Analysis of the Sleeping Giant Myth" very specific, but also very broad, all at the same time.

Maybe I've just finally lost all my marbles, and I'm only half way through first term. Maybe I'm thinking about this paper too much, and it is a lot simpler than I think it is. Or perhaps I'm not thinking about it hard enough, and it requires much more work than I think necessary. Who knows?

This is gonna be one heck of a school year

"You know you love me, xoxo"

Happy Thanksgiving

Hello world!
I apologize for this belated post, as I was out of town for the holidays.
Sadly I did not have any turkey, stuffing or anything else delicious of that nature.
Instead I went shopping with my family which was just as good, plus the clothes I bought will last me longer than the turkey would have in my tummy (yes I called my stomach tummy though I promise you I am not 5 years old haha)
Well now that I got that out of the way, on with my blog!
I thought the class discussion about "Anecdote of the Jar" was quite interesting. Everyone had so many diverse and educated opinions on the poem, I found it all fascinating.
It was almost like the example Dr. Pound gave in class about interpreting art. So many people see one thing so many different ways, ways you may never have even thought of until they were pointed out to you.
I know for me I didn't think of half the things the class pointed out until they were brought to my attention. Through all the different interpretations the poem became so much more than just words on a page; it came to life.
I think that could be related to the phrase "To each his own". Everyone is unique and individual in their own way, so though some of our views may be similar, no one is the exact same.
Well, thats all I have to say on the topic for now. Off to give the structuralist perspective on the legend of the Sleeping Giant!

"you know you love me, xoxo"

The Quest for Something More

Interpretation. Everyone does it, myself especially. I know that I am always looking for something more. I believe that everyone talks cryptically and that there is always a code that needs to be cracked and a hidden meaning that needs to be discovered. This may be because of a certain bit of insecurity I possess. Or perhaps it is because I am just a curious person and feel that there is always more to be discovered.
I don't feel that my addiction to interpretation is a bad thing but I am sure it could have some negative repercussions in the future. Though my interpretation affects all aspects of my life I think it has the biggest impact on my romantic life, my relationships.
I am sure every guy I have dated (though the list is quite small) could vouch for me when I say that I always over analyze EVERYTHING that is said or done. They could say one thing and I will inquire more about it. I want to know every thought that ever goes through their head, and feel that whatever they say to me has some hidden meaning behind it.
Also, in my general life, whenever I find myself in a moment of silence with an individual between conversations I always break the silence by saying one little magic word: "What?"
This can also sometimes be elaborated into "What are you thinking?" "What do you mean by that?" or "What did I do?"
Do I think this is something about myself that will ever change? Probably not. I don't think a thirst for knowledge is a bad thing. The only thing I think I need to be careful about is being prepared for the answers when I ask so many questions.
Well folks, that is all I have to say for this evening. I'm going to go on with my life and interpret everything I can.

"You know you love me, xoxo"

Represent!

Hello world!
So the past week in class we discussed liberal humanism and representation. The discussions on representation stuck out to me personally, and it all just clicked in my head. I never realized how many things in the world represent other things. There are universal representations and there are personal representations. The McDonald's M is an example of a universal representation of the restaurant. My name, a picture of me, a photograph of me, a picture of Thunder Bay, and the name of my school are all examples of representations of myself. In life you subconsciously see things several times every day and associate them with other things. One of my friends is a huge fan of the Calgary Flames hockey team, so whenever I see the Calgary Flames logo I think of them. I think the most common universal representations are with corporate logos because everyone knows them. Universal representations cross language barriers that nothing else can. There are very few words in the English language that are recognized universally, but there are dozens of symbols and logos that can be picked out by people of all cultures and ethnicitys.
Now to focus on personal representations. I never really thought that you could associate a person with a word, but a person can definitely be represented by their name on a piece of paper. A photograph is the most ideal representation of a person because not only does it show what the person looks like, it gives a hint about their personality or their way of life. I feel that every picture of me accurately represents myself as a person. In most of my pictures I am with my friends, my family, travelling, dancing, or just being a goofball, which are all things that make up my life. All in all, who knew that we didn't have as much control as we thought over how we are represented?

"You know you love me, xoxo"

Losing my Religion?

Hello there!
So last class we discussed religion and literature, there similarities and differences, and there impact on our culture and things like nationalism. I found our class discussions on this topic very interesting and informative.
Now I bet you are wondering (or at least I hope you are), what is my opinion on this topic?
And the truth is, I don't really have one.
Religion has never really had a huge impact on my life, and though I have a handful of friends that could argue the topic of religion until their faces turn blue, I usually just sit back and listen.
I do not come from a religious family, I have attended Sunday masses a grand total of 2 times in my life, and I don't consider myself Christian or Catholic.
But I hope this doesn't lead one to believe that my life is without religion, because it's not.
I was baptized Union as a baby, and I pray often. I also believe in God and own a bible (though I never read it).
Another way religion has been included in my life is that I achieved my 40 community hours, that were required to graduate from high school with, from volunteering at a children's bible group at my old elementary school. Everything I know about God I learned from Good News Club.
Has religion had an impact on my life? Sort of. I live with its influence and I could also live without it. I feel that it was my choice to have it included in my life in the first place because it is not present in my home.
So there you have it. My "opinion" on religion, or lack there of.
Hope you found it interesting.

"You know you love me, xoxo"

hello blogging world!

Hello out there!
This is my first blog, and I don't quite know how this whole "blogging" thing works yet.
Seems to be like an online journal or diary or something.
I don't think I could ever post anything that personal on the internet.
Well, here's hoping I'm entertaining enough to persuade others to read this thing.
And believe me, I will try my best!
Now to end this with a quote from my favourite fictional blogger, Gossip Girl.

"you know you love me, xoxo"