We-Patterns

In Yevgeny Zamyatin's We, there is the obvious pattern of geometric descriptions of everything in D-503's world. D-503 even describes sounds as having shapes in "He looked at me, laughed sharply, javelinishly" (Zamyatin 80). This pattern is used to exaggerate the dependence the society has on math, so much of one that even abstract ideas or non-tangible items must be condensed into an easily understood, definite, mathematical idea. If this mathematical need wasn't there, D-503 would not have been able to describe it as "javelinishly," giving it a definite shape, but instead could have said something such as, "it pierced me" with it still having the sharp connotation, but remaining abstract.

March 11, 2009

Dystopian Journal #1: Topic C

In We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, the idea that math can be used to explain everything in the universe is pushed to the extreme in the sense that the fictional society starts to believe that math should be used to explain everything. Not only is everything to be explained by math, but everything has geometric descriptions: face like an X, O shaped mouth, etc. This hyperbole of a civilization is shown to be the result of mathematical growth from today's society. Everything lately has been in terms of numbers such as the economy where everything depends on formulas and figures determined by other formulas and figures and so on. Zamyatin is not telling people to abandon math, the society functions just fine using it, it is just an extremely boring one if it is relying solely on arithmetic properties. The main character, D-503, even starts out loving the preciseness of math and how he is able to use it to explain anything he wants using a formula, so clearly the reader is not supposed to despise math and all of its results, just realize the lack of excitement it brings with it. Zamyatin suggests an alternative that math is an acceptable tool for areas of life that would require it, such as engineering, science and architecture, but indirectly related areas should be left clean of it. In general, life should be full of spontaneity and unpredictable events rather than cold and calculated numbers dictating exactly how everything will function for years upon years to come. If everything is able to be calculated from information of the past, those calculations would be able to predict what would happen in the future and the point of having a future is so that one can go into it not knowing what will come next.

-Word Count: 300

March 3, 2009

Journal: Meursault's Conclusion

By the end of The Stranger Meursault comes to the conclusion that he doesn't in fact care about any part of his life once he has accepted the idea that he is going to be executed. Camus most likely did not intend for the reader to come to this same conclusion unless under similar circumstances where inevitable death was coming quick and even then, probably not. Most likely, Camus intended for the reader to feel sorry for the man who had but a few days left to his life and would make nothing of them except to be completely apathetic about every aspect of his dwindling time. Camus wanted the reader to realize that in the last days of his or her life, he or she should make the most of what is left instead of giving up after accepting the fact.

March 2, 2009

Journal: Thesis Statement

Although many regard Albert Camus' The Stranger as a purely existential work, it is shown that, through use of symbols, character foils and the author's tone, the theme is in fact that meaning to life invades one's being no matter how hard it is resisted.

February 25, 2009

Journal: Personal Philosophy's Effect on Reading

Since my personal philosophy can be somewhat hard to fulfill completely in trying to find a book, I often go with more contrasting angles to at least one of the main points of my beliefs. In doing so, I often find out more about how I am unlike the characters of the books I read and I can see more of how other people may choose to live their lives. When I do find a book where the protagonist is quite a bit like myself, I can find myself bored with it because I already know what it is like to live that life and therefore I don't have much to learn from that book. If the protagonist is my polar opposite, I am often much more entertained, as long as it is pulled off well by the author, since it is much more fun to learn about something new in this world than it is to repeat what I already know, especially when I know it because it also applies to myself.

Journal of Sun and Other Image

Sun:

1) "We took a minute to watch the freighters in the harbor, which was ablaze with sunlight" (page 25). The image of the sunlight reflecting on the harbor uses the word "ablaze" rather than something such as "illuminated" to give a sense of Meursault's inner thoughts actually being more emotional rather than the indifferent outside appearance he has most of the time.

Rooms:

1) "He has only one room too, and a little kitchen with no window" (page 28). The symbol of rooms in a person's living area representing the complexity of the individual's mind shows that Raymond's mind is just as simple as Meursault's.

February 24, 2009

Journal: Mariposalism, My Life Philosophy

- Good things happen when a person does good things.

*Why: rather than being a seemingly magic occurrence, I believe that if a person does something good, will inspire someone else who will then pass it on and it will eventually return to the original person.

- Religion is there as a moral base for people, not a thing to live for.

*Why: all religions give unique, yet valuable moral codes to live by, but a person needs to just use that as a base so as to develop their own ideas for their morals. Many cultures in the past have lived and died for their religion which they were unmoving for and such horrible things are not acceptable for just enforcement of one group's beliefs over others'.

- Tolerance of other individuals' ways of life is important for accepting oneself.

*Why: If one's own belief system is the only correct one, then that person is under the impression that they're the only one who should be allowed to exist. As humans are creatures that require community to get by and mentally function correctly, such a belief encouraging solitude is inefficient.

- Wrong doing against another is wrongdoing against all, which is wrongdoing against oneself.

*Why: To do harm towards another human being is damage upon all of the human race as a whole. This damage to the whole as well affects the doer of the actions as they are also a member of the whole. Doing the harm to another person also reflects inside a person and if it does not emotionally distress them, it makes them wickeder and therefore worse off.

- Artistic expression is the best way of releasing stored emotions.

*Why: Rather than using the pent up anger, for example, to hurt someone who may or may not be in some way responsible for it is an inefficient use of energy. Through artistic expression to create something, the person releasing the emotions can get them out, not hurt anyone and have created something that they can be proud of.

- True loss only occurs when an individual loves something more than himself or herself.

*Why: If something does not matter to a person as much as he or she does, then they do not realize the depth of the situation, the person is able to say "I still have myself." If what or whomever they have lost mattered more than himself or herself, the individual does not have himself or herself as a fallback plan, they are hit with the full intensity of the loss.

- To learn more is to provide oneself with the means to lead a happier, more fulfilled life.

*Why: By learning more possibilities for directions in which to take life, a person is able to realize which ones are best for him or her. With an increase of possibilities, a person is not stuck in a place where he or she is unhappy and cannot figure out how to fix the problem.