One of the most prominent themes in Pattern Recognition by William Gibson, is the theme of the internet and social networks, and how these are similar and different from the real world. The two ideas as Cayce puts it “evert” to each other, one eventually becoming part of the other. Because Cayce is such an introverted and mysterious person, he interactions in the social networking world seem extreme. From the beginning she admits that her online network “...is a way now, approximately, of being at home. This forum has become one of the most consistent places in her life, like a familiar cafe that exists somehow outside of geography and beyond time zones.” (4) Her online F:F:F is her oasis when she is in an uncomfortable and new scenery.
Most importantly, Cayce acts as an active social member of her online network. In the real world, Cayce is more silent and keeps to herself. But her personally does a complete 180 when she is participating in her online forum. Cayce checks her iBook at every possible chance. It becomes a pattern throughout the novel, that whenever she has access to the internet, she pulls out her book and checks her hotmail and the F:F:F for updates and new information.
The online social networking that Cayce does serves as a main indicator of how Cayce is as a person. In the flesh, she is quiet and shy, and she is greatly affected by others actions. With her allergies to labels and symbols, in the real world Cayce painfully reacts to meeting new people. She judges before she should and it hinders her interactions with people. In her online world, there are none of these distractions. Online, it is simple CayceP and other users. These other users just have names. No faces, no labels, nothing to distract.
Cayce first breaks through her shell in the real world when she faces the fact that she will need to know Parkaboy’s real name, and will have to meet with him face to face. “And I know this sounds completely insane, but I need your name. I don't actually know it.” (278) This is a major point when the online world is slowly everting into the real world. It is not pleasant at first and “The name feels strange on her tongue.” (279) For this first time, Cayce is interacting the same in the real world and in her online comfort zone.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Pattern Recognition Blog
Marketing
The main character in Pattern Recognition has a phobia of commercial market symbols and logos. This at first struck me as incredibly weird. I did not get it. I still don’t understand exactly why she is so sensitive to them. It gives me a weird thought process into the idea of marketing and branding and consumerisms. For example, in the first section of the novel Cayce discusses how her fear of labels started long ago when she was 6 with the Michelin Man. I can’t help but think as to why this affected her so much. I used to find mascots like that terrifying, but it never sent me into a complete fear of all such things for the rest of my life. It makes me question what is the purpose of mascots and labels. Because if their main purpose is to attract consumers, why is it scaring some people. Is this why she has her job of analyzing such things?
Mystery/Spy Genre
I had no idea what to think going into this book. I knew it was science fiction, but I didn’t know exactly what that meant. The thing that surprised me most is the mystery. You never know exactly what Cayce or Parkaboy or Dorotea is thinking about. They all have some sort of mystery as to how much they know about each other and the sources of their information. Behind the everyday plot in Cayce’s life, she has this cyber life going on with Parkaboy that relates back to Dorotea and it makes Dorotea out to be the bad guy in the situation. For example when Dorotea brings up her second design in the meeting with Cayce she shows an image that causes Cayce to have flashbacks to horrible memories, but we never find out exactly how Dorotea knows about her phobia. It is a strange theme of mystery in the book with Cayce’s trip to Japan and her mission with the F:F:F. The mystery behind it all makes the book very thrilling.
The main character in Pattern Recognition has a phobia of commercial market symbols and logos. This at first struck me as incredibly weird. I did not get it. I still don’t understand exactly why she is so sensitive to them. It gives me a weird thought process into the idea of marketing and branding and consumerisms. For example, in the first section of the novel Cayce discusses how her fear of labels started long ago when she was 6 with the Michelin Man. I can’t help but think as to why this affected her so much. I used to find mascots like that terrifying, but it never sent me into a complete fear of all such things for the rest of my life. It makes me question what is the purpose of mascots and labels. Because if their main purpose is to attract consumers, why is it scaring some people. Is this why she has her job of analyzing such things?
Mystery/Spy Genre
I had no idea what to think going into this book. I knew it was science fiction, but I didn’t know exactly what that meant. The thing that surprised me most is the mystery. You never know exactly what Cayce or Parkaboy or Dorotea is thinking about. They all have some sort of mystery as to how much they know about each other and the sources of their information. Behind the everyday plot in Cayce’s life, she has this cyber life going on with Parkaboy that relates back to Dorotea and it makes Dorotea out to be the bad guy in the situation. For example when Dorotea brings up her second design in the meeting with Cayce she shows an image that causes Cayce to have flashbacks to horrible memories, but we never find out exactly how Dorotea knows about her phobia. It is a strange theme of mystery in the book with Cayce’s trip to Japan and her mission with the F:F:F. The mystery behind it all makes the book very thrilling.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Changing "A Rose For Emily"
If “A Rose For Emily,” by William Faulkner was changed from plural first person point of view to singular first person point of view and was narrated by Tobe, the story would change drastically. In the point of view it is in now, the main character, Miss Emily, is extremely ominous and mysterious. If we had a singular point of view from someone such as Tobe, the character development of Miss Emily would be much greater. Since he is such an inside source to her, we would learn more about Emily, and also a lot more about Tobe, who is barely spoken about in the original version.
It would be interesting to see this short story written in a different way where we could get both the thoughts of the rest of the town, as we do in the original, and if we got the close and personal thoughts of Tobe. From this point of view, the story would seem in a way creepier. It already has a sort of haunted, uncomfortable theme and if we were to change the point of view so we could understand more the personal aspects of what is going on with Miss Emily, it would only become more uncomfortable. She is so quiet and mysterious I feel that there is nothing, even from Tobe’s point of view, that we could learn about why Miss Emily is the way she is. From his point of view we could only learn more of her background and more of what she does when she “disappears.”
It would be interesting to see this short story written in a different way where we could get both the thoughts of the rest of the town, as we do in the original, and if we got the close and personal thoughts of Tobe. From this point of view, the story would seem in a way creepier. It already has a sort of haunted, uncomfortable theme and if we were to change the point of view so we could understand more the personal aspects of what is going on with Miss Emily, it would only become more uncomfortable. She is so quiet and mysterious I feel that there is nothing, even from Tobe’s point of view, that we could learn about why Miss Emily is the way she is. From his point of view we could only learn more of her background and more of what she does when she “disappears.”
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Blog 3: All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace
Brautigan’s “All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace” can have both positive and negative meanings in regards to the growth of technology and the decline of human appreciation of nature. Like most poems, both sides of the argument are very easily represented. A lot of the interpretation depends on how the reader’s own background comes into play.
For the anti-technology side, one really notices how the author uses descriptive and positive adjectives when talking about nature. When the author is talking about the machines, there are hardly any adjectives beforehand. The key point that makes this poem seem as if it has a negative tone towards the growth of the technological age is found in the third stanza, and the fourth and fifth lines. It says, “...where we are free of our labors, and joined back to nature...” This line implies that the author feels bound by machinery. It seems as if he’d like to be as he puts it,‘free’ of technology. Also, him saying the word ‘joined’ when talking about nature implies that technology has separated man and nature, which is unnatural.
On the other side of the issue, many people find this poem to have a positive outlook of the uprising of the technological age. This can be taken from many of his lines where he describes the interaction between nature and technology to be united. In the first stanza, fourth line, it says, “...where mammals and computers, live together in mutually, programming harmony...” These lines imply that it is possible and a very good thing that humans and nature and technology are all coexisting peacefully. The last line in the poem is also evidence that this poem could have positive meanings. The words “machines of loving grace” imply that machines and technology are not evil, but loving.
I personally think that the argument for this poem being a positive one between nature and technology is more convincing. Though there are lines that could be interpreted negatively, overall the author is supporting the development of new technology and is simply commenting on the interaction between nature and technology. It is not necessarily a bad thing, but just a change, that could and should happen peacefully and positively.
For the anti-technology side, one really notices how the author uses descriptive and positive adjectives when talking about nature. When the author is talking about the machines, there are hardly any adjectives beforehand. The key point that makes this poem seem as if it has a negative tone towards the growth of the technological age is found in the third stanza, and the fourth and fifth lines. It says, “...where we are free of our labors, and joined back to nature...” This line implies that the author feels bound by machinery. It seems as if he’d like to be as he puts it,‘free’ of technology. Also, him saying the word ‘joined’ when talking about nature implies that technology has separated man and nature, which is unnatural.
On the other side of the issue, many people find this poem to have a positive outlook of the uprising of the technological age. This can be taken from many of his lines where he describes the interaction between nature and technology to be united. In the first stanza, fourth line, it says, “...where mammals and computers, live together in mutually, programming harmony...” These lines imply that it is possible and a very good thing that humans and nature and technology are all coexisting peacefully. The last line in the poem is also evidence that this poem could have positive meanings. The words “machines of loving grace” imply that machines and technology are not evil, but loving.
I personally think that the argument for this poem being a positive one between nature and technology is more convincing. Though there are lines that could be interpreted negatively, overall the author is supporting the development of new technology and is simply commenting on the interaction between nature and technology. It is not necessarily a bad thing, but just a change, that could and should happen peacefully and positively.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Blog #2: Robert Frost - "Design"
images:
-dimpled spider, fat and white
-white heal-all (flower)
-moth
-satin cloth, rigid
-death
-witches' broth
-snow-drop spider
-flower
-dead wings of a moth
-paper kite
-white flower
-wayside blue, innocent flower
-kindred spider
-height
-darkness/night
-small
patterns:
-rhyming couplet
-two lines rhyme, then switches
-line 10 breaks regular pattern, then rhymes 2 lines later, in pattern
In Robert Frost’s poem “Design” he uses a traditional couplet style of rhyming. He rhymes two lines and then switches for the next two lines. There is only one break in the pattern at line 10, which he then works back into the poem.
The imagery in Robert Frost’s poem “Design” is extremely detailed. In the first two lines, he introduces what I believe to be the three most important symbols in the poem: a spider, a month, and a flower.
The description of these images in the poem allows for the reader to interpret a meaning by the end. Each individual is described delicately.
The spider in this poem is described throughout as dimpled, fat, white, snow-dropped, and kindred. All of these images seem to be harmless, but while reading the poem, the spider is in fact the predator of the moth. The spider blends into the environment. Even though the environment to us is small and insignificant, occurrences such as this one happen every day, but are blended in so well, we do not notice.
The moth is described as death, and having dead wings carried like a paper kite. These images are delicate. The moth seems innocent and fragile, but it’s life and it’s light was taken so easily and so quickly. Once again our attention is brought to a small act that normally we would not notice.
The flower is the only major component that is not described as purely white. It is described as a white piece of rigid satin cloth, wayside blue, and innocent. The flower is the bystander in this situation. It was merely there for the incident between the spider and the moth. The significance of the flower being white is that the scene that is happening right in front of it, molds right into in the flower.
I believe that this poem is really trying to open the readers eyes about life and death. It happens every day. Often times, like in the poem, it happens without the significance of it really affecting anyone. To many people, all they see is the innocent flower; the spider and the moth blend in. All these characters are white, the color of innocence, because death, which is generally represented through darker tones, is often hidden and people are unaware of its presence.
-dimpled spider, fat and white
-white heal-all (flower)
-moth
-satin cloth, rigid
-death
-witches' broth
-snow-drop spider
-flower
-dead wings of a moth
-paper kite
-white flower
-wayside blue, innocent flower
-kindred spider
-height
-darkness/night
-small
patterns:
-rhyming couplet
-two lines rhyme, then switches
-line 10 breaks regular pattern, then rhymes 2 lines later, in pattern
In Robert Frost’s poem “Design” he uses a traditional couplet style of rhyming. He rhymes two lines and then switches for the next two lines. There is only one break in the pattern at line 10, which he then works back into the poem.
The imagery in Robert Frost’s poem “Design” is extremely detailed. In the first two lines, he introduces what I believe to be the three most important symbols in the poem: a spider, a month, and a flower.
The description of these images in the poem allows for the reader to interpret a meaning by the end. Each individual is described delicately.
The spider in this poem is described throughout as dimpled, fat, white, snow-dropped, and kindred. All of these images seem to be harmless, but while reading the poem, the spider is in fact the predator of the moth. The spider blends into the environment. Even though the environment to us is small and insignificant, occurrences such as this one happen every day, but are blended in so well, we do not notice.
The moth is described as death, and having dead wings carried like a paper kite. These images are delicate. The moth seems innocent and fragile, but it’s life and it’s light was taken so easily and so quickly. Once again our attention is brought to a small act that normally we would not notice.
The flower is the only major component that is not described as purely white. It is described as a white piece of rigid satin cloth, wayside blue, and innocent. The flower is the bystander in this situation. It was merely there for the incident between the spider and the moth. The significance of the flower being white is that the scene that is happening right in front of it, molds right into in the flower.
I believe that this poem is really trying to open the readers eyes about life and death. It happens every day. Often times, like in the poem, it happens without the significance of it really affecting anyone. To many people, all they see is the innocent flower; the spider and the moth blend in. All these characters are white, the color of innocence, because death, which is generally represented through darker tones, is often hidden and people are unaware of its presence.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Why I am a Fish Out Of Water
Why did I name myself Fish Out Of Water? The name in a way explains itself. That is how others view me and how I view myself. I have spent many hours of my life in a swimming pool. I swim almost every day. And I have since I was 5 years old.
I learned to swim when I was two years old. I come from a family of swimmers, and my parents just “threw me in the water” until I could swim. Soon after, I was on the local swim team.
At the same time, my parents also had me try out other sports such as basketball, soccer, and volleyball. But none of those worked out. Every single “land sport” I tried out for I was completely awful at. I was, and still am to this day, clumsy on land. Walking can even be a challenge for me. I always feel much more natural in the water.
I have competitively swam since I was 5 years old. I chose UC Davis not only for the academics, but for the athletics, as I am a member of the women’s swim team.
Therefore the name Fish Out Of Water is essentially a simple description of myself. I love the water. I am a fish. When I am not swimming, I am out of my natural habitat. Swimming has and always will be a necessity in my life and I will always be proud to be a fish out of water.
I learned to swim when I was two years old. I come from a family of swimmers, and my parents just “threw me in the water” until I could swim. Soon after, I was on the local swim team.
At the same time, my parents also had me try out other sports such as basketball, soccer, and volleyball. But none of those worked out. Every single “land sport” I tried out for I was completely awful at. I was, and still am to this day, clumsy on land. Walking can even be a challenge for me. I always feel much more natural in the water.
I have competitively swam since I was 5 years old. I chose UC Davis not only for the academics, but for the athletics, as I am a member of the women’s swim team.
Therefore the name Fish Out Of Water is essentially a simple description of myself. I love the water. I am a fish. When I am not swimming, I am out of my natural habitat. Swimming has and always will be a necessity in my life and I will always be proud to be a fish out of water.
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