Reflections

Last blog! Wow....

At the beginning of this semester, I didn't even understand what rhetoric really was. And I most certainly didn't know how to write a rhetorical analysis paper... I thought I sucked at writing in general, and avoided it as much as possible. Hence, why all my writing components were left for my senior year here at UT... Not a good idea btw. I'm glad I learned about some of the major theories of rhetoric and the proper formula for rhetorical analysis papers for future reference. I wish I could say that I'm an expert at applying this knowledge when it really comes time to write my papers, but I can't. I still have trouble finding the right evidence for my claims, and my introductions definitely still need work. But at least I've improved. (The finding evidence thing really sucks when it comes time for the LRO, though. I never know what to put as proof of my improvement throughout the course. Oh well... moving on.) And I loved observing the discussions/debates in class. It's a great learning experience, even if I don't ever join in. (I don't particularly like the sound of my own voice and public speaking is honestly kind of terrifying.) But listen to others debate about the novels we read or the theories we learned was a great way to get multiple perspectives on the same topic. This blog actually does the same thing as well, which is cool. The most important thing I learned this month, however, is that almost everything I was taught in elementary through high school about writing was a bunch of crap. It helped me none in this course... What a wonderful feeling to know 12 years of taking Language Arts was a waste...

In closing, I would just like to say that everyone in this class was awesome... very fine people. I hope you guys have a wonderful 2 1/2 week break before we have to get back for the Fall.

Ma Ma Main claims for Prompt 1b

This is the second time I have to type this cause Blogger erased EVERYTHING when I hit spell check cause the computer blocked the pop-up!!! Ahhhh!!!

Hola, Ash and Simon. Here are some of my arguments for my paper. I'll elaborate more when I write the actual paper, and of course, provide the support then as well. Here's what I got so far... Though it's a crappier version since my original was DELETED! Grrrrrrrrrr.

-Set up my pentad for D-503's "illness"... Which is going to be what I read to you guys in class yesterday.

-The One State treats imagination and soul as sicknesses because they affect how a person thinks and feels and the actions they take; Therefore, if you possess either of these, you will not be exactly like everyone else. And as we know, individuality is not an acceptable characteristic in the One State. (I think I'm going to take you advice here and incorporate the bulletin into this argument... more details later.)

-D-503 thinks his new personality and feelings are illnesses because he wants to use that as an excuse for why he broke the One State's rules. He convinces himself that he is not well and he is not in full control of his actions. This way, in his mind, he is still very loyal to the One State, because the "real" D-503 would never do anything that's not allowed. (I want to show that the nature of his sickness is a social construction moreso than a physical or mental ailment... again, details later.)

-Zamyatin created this element of the story to warn people of what could happen in Russia if totalitarianism reigned on: People would lose their freedom and feel bad for thinking and doing things they know are not bad but are not accepted in the eyes of their society. I'll read the intro and do a little more research to try and show that Zamyatin wrote this story as a reaction to the events that were taking place in Russia during that time.

-Zamyatin's argument would be effective on an audience of free-thinkers, non-communists, artists, etc. such as himself.

Sorry guys, no spell check this time... Not risking it. I'm not going to click any button other than "Publish"!! Hope you two have a grand "8 day" weekend!

D-503 and I-330's Ideologies

D-503 and I-303's ideologies are the same in the sense that they both have certain beliefs about the One State. But, while D-503 believes that the One State is the perfect place to live, I-330 thinks the exact opposite of the One State. D-503's confusion and love for I-330 led him to stray from his original beliefs a bit; but in the end, his loyalty for the One State remained true and he was able to finish his entries for the launching of the Integral in order to let others outside of the Green Wall know how "great" the One State is. D-303 is a conformist and I-330 is a rebel. He tries to repress his emotions, she lets them flow free. He believes imagination and freedom is bad, she thinks they're good. Their loyalties lie in different places, but at least they have a common goal: happiness (even though their methods to achieve this goal may be radically different).

Happiness

Note to classmates: I'm writing this on 2 hours of sleep after I finished moving everything out of my apartment last night. It's been a long weekend... and this might not make sense cause I'm barely able to function... I think Zamyatin made happiness the goal for the citizens of the One State because happiness is what (almost) everyone wants to achieve. The One State controls every aspect of life and believes that it will help its citizens to achieve happiness by eliminating all of their freedom, but Zamyatin tries to show that this system does not work with D-503's story, who discovers a new part of himself after meeting I-330 and begins to seek true happiness. I'm not sure if the novel would work if it were some other criterion other than happiness, because (using the examples that were given) not every wants to achieve excellence and not every wants to be a hard worker.

I don't know, that's it... my mind is dead. Sorry this was so short.

Oh my... I forgot....

This post is a day late... Oh well.

I think that D-503's preoccupation with math is a reflection of how he views the world around him (until he met I-330, of course). Similar to in math, in D-503's society, things are clear-cut and there is always a solution to every problem. I think Zamyatin uses D-503's fixation of math to make his audience aware that often time we are taught what to think instead of how to think. And when a problem arises where we were never told how to handle, we become distressed (and this is what happened to D-503 when he wasn't sure what to make of his feelings for I-330). I think Zamyatin also uses D-503's preoccupation with math to show that everything in the real world is not as simple as it is in the One State, where everything for the most part is black and white, and that not everything has a rational solution.

Thoughts on We

We is actually the first science fiction novel I've ever read, and I have to say it's surprisingly good. It's a fast, easy read and it keeps me interested. Though, sometimes I do wonder if Zamyatin has taken some kind of drug before writing. But as we briefly discussed in class, he might just be one of the few who have mixed perceptions of their senses (Synesthesia is what this condition is called, I think). Even with his sometimes off-the-wall descriptions, Zamyatin's use of imagery has the ability to paint a vivid picture of what's going on in the reader's mind. Pretty awesome. Based on the reading so far, I think that Zamyatin is trying to show the readers how horrible a society without freedom is. I think he uses D-503 as an example of how unaware an individual can be of their own situation. It seems as if he's been brainwashed by his government. He's been constantly told that the One State is soooo great and this strict, orderly lifestyle is necessary because a life with choices and freedom will only end as it did in the past, in chaos and war. His character believes that his life is great, while the readers see that the people in this society aren’t really living, only existing, because of this lack of freedom. I think We is Zamyatin's way of warning against overly-powerful governments that take away our basic freedoms. Did that even make sense? I hope so...

Imagery

The world Zamyatin has created with his book, We, is one of order, harmony, and perfection. When D-503 describes the sky on page 3, he claims that a blue, "unblemished" sky is how a sky should be. He then amuses himself by remembering how "the ancients" would be so captivated by things such as clouds, for in his world they were considered "absurd" and "disorderly". His description of the clear blue sky reflects the society which he is in, "sterile, immaculate" and how everything else was meant to be. If it is not perfect, it is not part of their world inside the Green Wall.

I chose this particular imagery, the sky as painted by D-503, because it was the first instances where I saw that the world Zamyatin was creating, in this opening description of his imaginary society, was that of utopia. I don't know if it's because we've talked about it so much in class (for the papers) or what, but the idea of utopia is still stuck in my mind, and the world of We in the assigned reading is exactly what I would imagine a completely over-the-top utopia would be like.