Culturally Intresting

As early as ten years old, I can remember enjoying a variety of written literature. This inventory of books includes many of the all time classics; Of Mice and Men, The Giver, Fahrenheit 451, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet’s Odyssey. It was not until I read the book Bless Me, Ultima written by Rudolfo Anaya, that I was actually able to relate to the characters in that story in a way that I had never been able to prior to that reading. As a proud member of the Latino culture, Bless me, Ultima had many factors of grammar and rhetoric that pulled me in farther in than I anticipated. His use of Spanish and English text combined with universal Hispanic situations and phrases, stylized writing, and incredible story made for a written work that was had for me to put down. culturally

Charles Barkley

I'm a sports fan. When I get home I usually flip on ESPN and see what is happening in the sports world. I did a search for some sports quotes to use for this assignment and found more than a few. Charles Barkley has a history of being able to say whatever he wants (often controversial) and walk away like a stunt man after flipping a car. I don't know if this counts as "writing" and I have no idea if he said it or if it was written for him to read, but it captures his personality of "tell it like it is".

"These are my new shoes. They're good shoes. They won't make you rich like me, they won't make you rebound like me, they definitely won't make you handsome like me. They'll only make you have shoes like me. That's it."

I find the frankness with which he speaks to be rather comical because it's true. I like it because it isn't flowery or sugar coated. The choice of words is definitely what makes it appeal to me, and who can listen to Charles Barkley talk without laughing at him? "Man, that's just turrible."

Liar, Liar

One song that I think has “cool” writing in it would be “Liar, Liar” by A Fine Frenzy. The lyrics were written by the singer Alison Sudol. The song is written about a person who was a liar, a deceiver, and just an all around poo poo. Here are the lyrics to the first half or so of the song:

“liar liar,
you’re such a great big liar
with the tallest tales
that I have ever heard

fire fire,
you set my soul on fire
laughing in the corner as it burns
right between the ribs
it’s sinking in

oh oh,
the sirens sang so sweet
and watched the sailors going down
oh oh, you talk to me in siren song,
yeah, anyone would drown
anyone would drown

sick and tired
of this mad desire
fluttering inside me like a hawk
wire wire,
you’ve got my hands on wires
well, heaven help you
when I get them off

right between the ribs
you’ll feel it then”

What I love about the writing in this song are the emotions that it plays on the listener. Everyone has dealt with a liar in their life at some point, so everyone can relate to this. My favorite part about this writing is how she starts the song by describing how this person made her feel really bad, so bad that she felt a burning sensation between her ribs. However, as the writing progresses she says that if she ever gets the chance she wants to punch this person in the chest so that they are the one who feels the pain between the ribs. That is just so cool to me.

The Garden

This is probably a horrible piece of writing to choose for this assignment, because I can't remember who wrote it, exactly what it's about, and I can't seem to find any exact quotes. But I'm going to post it anyway, because it's what came to mind as soon as I read the assignment.

It's a religious musical that I heard on a CD on the mission. It was about a garden that had a caretaker, and the individual stories of certain plants in the garden. They all had some kind of problem that the caretaker helped them to overcome, and there was a devil-like character that was represented by a snake (oh, so original!)

That's about all I can remember and I'm not even sure of those details, but this is why I picked it: The 'devil' character's main scene was amazingly written. The most obvious feature was the alliteration of the letter 's'. It was so frequent and so rhythmic that it immediately made you you think of a snake. It almost made the sound, "visually dynamic". At the same time, the words weren't repetitive or poorly chosen. It was such a powerful effect, but it didn't look like the writer was trying too hard.

The more subtle feature was a constant, but repetitive subtle beat that portrayed the character underlying personality or being subtle, and one who would repeatedly tempt until their victim was overcome.

I think the lesson I learnt from that was the art of choosing the right words. It's not just about the meaning - it's about all possible connotations. Some words sound powerful, others are belittling - every word has an emotional connotation that can be mastered to produce the desired reaction in a powerful way.

A Charitable Rockstar

Throughout my entire life I have grown up listening to U2. As I have grown older I have learned to not just appreciate the cool sounds in the background, but also the majestic and powerful words presented in each song. I am not going to share a U2 song with you today, but rather a quote given by Bono, the lead singer;

"God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them." -Bono

I think this quote works well for a few reasons. One being that it was written and spoken by one of the most influential men of all time, two because any person anywhere can relate to the realities that are portrayed throughout it, and three because overall it is powerful and appeals to our emotions. I find that the word choice is also very important, as I noticed he uses God a lot throughout the quote, this name in general holds a great power behind it and grabs readers attention.

Bono is one of my hero’s. Although he is a rockstar, he has charisma on and off the stage and has dedicated his life to giving back to those less fortunate than ourselves. I really like this quote because it demonstrates many of the different struggles people face throughout the world. When Christ was on the earth He was with the poor and the needy, and it is my belief that if we too put ourselves forward and serve one another that we can draw nearer to Christ.

The stronger the wind, the stonger the trees.

A few years back my mom put a copy of a quote by J. Willard Marriott in my room that states,"Good timber does not grow with ease the stronger the wind, the stronger the trees." I have loved it since the day I read it. I enjoyed the reference of wind and trees and its relation to trials. It took me a few times of really reading it and thinking about it to understand it clearly and have it apply to my life in many circumstances. This quote took hold of my emotions and made an impact on how I viewed the situations I have been in and the events that have occurred in my life. As trees grow, the more wind they recieve the stronger they are and more ready to handle larger winds as they grow older. Like the wind, we all face trials. When we are young, if we can turn our trials around and see that as we face each on we are growing stronger, we too will be ready for the "larger winds" or trials that face us as we grow older. I really enjoy the symbolism in this quote.

Vision

This is totally random but today I was at a place called "Vision Real Estate" and I saw an awesome quote by our very own Thomas S. Monson.  It said, "Vision without work is dreaming.  Work without Vision is drudgery.  Vision coupled with Work is destiny."  Now I don't really know what makes this so cool to me but I have always loved quotes like this.  The word choice is truly inspired.  I love sentences that play on words.  I really honestly can't explain it but the way this quote was written was amazing.

O Captain! My Captain!

O Captain! My Captain is a wonderful poem by Walt Whitman. I love the very image provoking words he chooses in each sentence. The poem is about a ship that has finally made it to its final destination. It has gone through a lot, but it has succeeded. Sadly, however, the captain has just died. A moment that should be happy is now sad. The emotions that this poem evoke are powerful. Here is an excerpt from the poem:

O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

This stanza is effective is its use of happiness in exclamation. The puncuation used is supposed to create a sense of joy and happiness and later even sorrow. Also there is great imagery in how the death of the captain is depicted. Even though there is happiness throughout the ship their leader is dead therefore none shall be happy. The words chosen at the end are equally powerful. He is fallen cold and dead. This is great poem, i hope you like it too.

Funeral Blues

This piece of writing is from the poem "Funeral Blues" by W.H. Auden. Some of you may recognize it from the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral. It is about the death of a loved one and the feeling that the entire world needs to pause. I love the entire poem, but I will just quote the last two stanzas because I think they are the most powerful:

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

I think this poem is incredibly powerful. It definitely conveys the emotion that since this person has passed, nothing matters anymore. It is definitely an effective appeal to pathos. I also think that the punctuation plays a major role in conveying the feeling of the poem. The constant use of commas in the first stanza set a pace of desperation and longing. In the last stanza the semi-colons set a tone of reverence. I also really love the verb usage in the last stanza; "pack", "dismantle", "pour", and "sweep" create great images and make the poem even more dramatic.

Fire and Ice

I have always loved the poem Fire and Ice by Robert Frost. I am particularly fond of poems that rhyme but are also intruiging and interesting. This poem is short and simple but it can be analyzed and it can be interpreted many ways. This poem talks about the conflict between passion and emotion and hatred and cruelty. I feel like this peom contains a debate in its few lines. This poem has a nice ring to it and it is easy to read. The words are simple yet the ways the poem can be interpreted are not.

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

Robert Frost

10 years at ESPN can do some good

I really like the writings of sports analyst Andy Katz.  Katz is a sports writing for ESPN.  In his articles Katz does a good job relaying what he feels about the subject, but he is also aware of the truth of things.  He does a good job portraying ethos and logos, which is weird for a writer of his topics [sports].  With most sports writers it is easy for them to hide behind the quotes from players and coaches. Katz lets the quotes be the least of his articles.  Its hard to find concrete examples for but they are there. In an article talking about the Big East Katz wrote, "Clearly, this race is wide open, and tabbing any team ahead of the others may have been highly premature."  This is a great use of diction and imagery.

Faithful Reading

I know this might sound a little corny, but one of my favorite books to read is True To the Faith. The text it possesses is greatly rewarding to me spiritually and eternally. Some of the gospel references in this book teach and guide me in the type of decisions I make in my life. As my nineteenth birthday approaches I’ve been reading the Missionary Work portion. It is guiding me and leading me in my decisions to pursue a mission. One of my favorite quotes is when it states, “The lord spoke of the joy that comes into our lives when we share his gospel.” This greatly inspired me to count my blessings and motivates me to have the desire to share the gospel with anyone willing.
Another great quote on missionary work reads, “In fulfillment of this command, able young men in the church have a duty to prepare spiritually, physically, and emotionally to serve as full-time missionaries.” This book is full of valuable information that can prepare me for life’s road blocks. Finally, one of the best aspects of True To the Faith is the cross references between the standard works and talks given by prophets of old and of latter-days. This book definitely is worth the venture to read at anytime you can afford to read it.

Franklin's Prayer

Reading from Benjamin Franklin's letter to George Washington during the Constitutional Convention:
"In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how is it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings.
"And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, the sacred writings, that except the Lord build the House they labor in vain that build it.'
"I firmly believe this, and I also believe without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this partial building no better than the builders of Babel. We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.
"I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that Service."
I find it incredible that this man of science and human understanding recognized the power of a Father in Heaven. His words become especially convincing in the second paragraph when he compares an event of little consequence such as a sparrow falling to the rise of the United States of America. His words appeal emotionally to each person’s patriotic and spiritual beliefs. The words of Franklin in this letter compel the assembly with such emotion that there seems to be no other logical choice but to pray for the assistance of Heaven.

The Trees- Great Racism Analogy

This is one of my favorite songs by Rush. Its called "The Trees." It is about a quarrel that breaks out in the forest between the maples and the oaks. The maples represent African-Americans (as I understand it) and the oaks represent white Americans. This song was written shortly after the Civil Rights movement. It just has a really powerful message and it makes you think about racism a little bit different. In the song, the maples complain that they don't get enough light because the oaks take it all up. The oaks think that the maples should be happy in their shade. My favorite part of the song is the end:
So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights.
"The oaks are just too greedy;
We will make them give us light."
Now there's no more oak oppression,
For they passed a noble law,
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe, and saw.