brendanfromnyc

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Class notes 4/9/21

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Poe’s “The Balloon Hoax” acts as an intriguing metaphor for writing in the newly emergent era of mass publication as it represents the mass spread of mis-information and how people process it. The irony of this hoax being printed in an official newspaper speaks for itself, showing how even then compared to now fraudulent truths are created and given authority. Just because a popular source has seen it, or a large amount of people have read and talked about it does not grant it credibility. One major detail that can be accredited to modern media is the usage of the all caps, gigantic font of the title. This, paired with the clickbait-like vocabulary and grammar in the intro, with examples like: “ASTOUNDING NEWS!”, the first thing you see when opening the document.

(I realized I forgot to post this earlier)

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Poe’s “Murder in the Rue Morgue” can be indebted to periodicals, with a large reason behind this being his formatting. While not exactly broken into columns, like periodicals, Poe breaks his writing up into many sections, each discussing something different and in a very compact and concise way. Poe’s story touches on the concept of finding meaning in periodicals by criticizing the format itself while playing off of it. This is related to the differences he frames between “analytical power” and “simple ingenuity” as Poe stresses to the reader the importance of analyzing the text as opposed to simply reading it and processing it as is. This makes it so that you must pay special attention to what is written as opposed to the format it is written in.

This newspaper, The Evening Post, is formatted into many columns with minuscule text, forcing the reader to read the more clearly visible large subheadings. This is different from book reading as this does not limit you to a linear progression, from page to page and cover to cover, but rather from section to section, scattered and divided. When taking a look at the page as a whole and processing it, numerous patterns emerge, including the first letter of each different paragraph (in certain rows only) being much larger and bolder than the rest, indicating the start of a new section. Additionally, there are numerous accompanying photos of ships increasing in size under the “SHIPS” subsection, with FOR — next to it indicating the destination. From an outside perspective, one not knowing English would still have some knowledge with the depictions of boats. In order for me to describe a newspaper to somebody who has no knowledge of what one is, I would describe it as a listing of current events and updates within the region. More significant and groundbreaking information tends to be towards the front page or cover and at the top. To describe the physical newspaper itself, I would say it is a black and white set of pieces of paper connected in a similar style to a book, broken up into different categories spread out over about five pages.

[brendanfromnyc]

This newspaper, The Evening Post, is formatted into many columns with minuscule text, forcing the reader to read the more clearly visible large subheadings. This is different from book reading as this does not limit you to a linear progression, from page to page and cover to cover, but rather from section to section, scattered and divided. When taking a look at the page as a whole and processing it, numerous patterns emerge, including the first letter of each different paragraph (in certain rows only) being much larger and bolder than the rest, indicating the start of a new section. Additionally, there are numerous accompanying photos of ships increasing in size under the “SHIPS” subsection, with FOR — next to it indicating the destination. From an outside perspective, one not knowing English would still have some knowledge with the depictions of boats. In order for me to describe a newspaper to somebody who has no knowledge of what one is, I would describe it as a listing of current events and updates within the region. More significant and groundbreaking information tends to be towards the front page or cover and at the top. To describe the physical newspaper itself, I would say it is a black and white set of pieces of paper connected in a similar style to a book, broken up into different categories spread out over about five pages.

[brendanfromnyc]

“England in 1819” is dealing with similar ideas as “Death or Liberty” as it depicts in detail how there is a struggle as “an army, which liberticide and prey... slay; Religion Christless, Godless.” Liberticide means to be destroying liberty, and this line means that a group of people, akin to the skeletons, are destroying liberty and religion. The skeletons also fought against the woman who was next to the rock titled “Religion”, depicting the attempted death of religion. The line, “Rulers who neither see, nor feel, nor know,” also can relate to the image as the crown, representative of the king in the image, is in the corner up high, glowing and safe from all danger. There is no harm for him as he doesn’t feel (nor see) the danger below. A third detail is the line “golden and sanguine laws which tempt and slay” which depicts the gold sword titled laws, a very literal depiction of this line, and it’s attempt to slay radical reform.

Our discussion of meaning can be related to the reading of Ozymandias as the interpretation depends on the lens and context in which it is read. If you read the text on a surface level and not fully interpret the true meaning, an entirely different poem will be read. If you were to view the image not knowing English nor the meaning of any of the words, it would simply look like skeletons fighting a woman. By knowing the deeper meaning, the true realization of its content is inherent. The same applies to Ozy and reading it in full verses truly understanding it. Only by analyzing Ozymandias and interpreting what each line means in detail can you fully understand the poem.

The image: “Death or Liberty” shows an army, seemingly made up of skeletons holding banners, fighting and attacking a woman. She is the only one made of flesh besides her loyal lion companion. She is losing the fight, her sword waving and too weak to do anything. The skeleton warriors (and one made of chains? are holding banners with negative things such as “slavery”, “starvation”, and “robbery”, juxtaposing the rock the woman stands by which says “religion” and the collar of her lion that says “loyalty.” The biggest detail is the cape the main skeleton wears which reads “Radical Reform.” The skeletons are wearing dark and drab clothing whereas the woman has bright colors and a shield with a logo embossed on it, potentially that of a flag. The skeleton attacking her also has an arrow with an hourglass attached to it.

This image assumes of its audience that us as the audience should recognize the skeletons and the things they represent are negative. They make it as though we should know it is the woman who is good and her ideologies are right that are under attack. It also, on a more literal level, expects the audience to recognize English. Associating this with the flag imprinted on the shield, it expects you to know where this is occurring. It also expects you to know that religion and the woman herself are losing and dying based on the body language between her and the radical reform preaching skeleton. On the bottom it says “radical liberty is to take liberties”, which is left as a tiny detail as the audience is supposed to know that this is a clashing of ideologies on government, with the woman’s sword saying “the laws”. It assumes we will associate the woman losing this battle with the death of religion and the proper government and way things have been.

The image doesn’t show the benefits of radical reform. It highlights all the negative aspects and depicts it as though it is an evil that is taking over. It obscures any possibility of radical reform being good, and focuses so much on religion being the backbone of the opposition that it fails to state other reasons. Yes, the woman is holding “the laws”, though it is depicted to not be capable of doing anything. Focusing too much on this image rules out other ways of seeing radical reform as a whole. If someone were to recreate this image but switch all of the labels and text of the skeletons with that of the woman, it would depict religion as evil and radical reform as a positive ideology.

The image, in a broader sense, in my view, means that radical reform will be the death of England. It will take over, rendering the laws useless. It will be on top of religion. Things like murder, robbery, “the age of reason”, will all prosper once London falls to radical reform. This is significant as, as seen with the flames and smoke in the back left, will destroy England as a whole. On a very basic level, this image represents radical reform and all of its aspects taking over and undermining the foundation of the institutions established and transforming something holy (as seen with the crown in the corner glowing like God), into a burning chaos.

[brendanfromnyc]

The image: “Death or Liberty” shows an army, seemingly made up of skeletons holding banners, fighting and attacking a woman. She is the only one made of flesh besides her loyal lion companion. She is losing the fight, her sword waving and too weak to do anything. The skeleton warriors (and one made of chains? are holding banners with negative things such as “slavery”, “starvation”, and “robbery”, juxtaposing the rock the woman stands by which says “religion” and the collar of her lion that says “loyalty.” The biggest detail is the cape the main skeleton wears which reads “Radical Reform.” The skeletons are wearing dark and drab clothing whereas the woman has bright colors and a shield with a logo embossed on it, potentially that of a flag. The skeleton attacking her also has an arrow with an hourglass attached to it.

This image assumes of its audience that us as the audience should recognize the skeletons and the things they represent are negative. They make it as though we should know it is the woman who is good and her ideologies are right that are under attack. It also, on a more literal level, expects the audience to recognize English. Associating this with the flag imprinted on the shield, it expects you to know where this is occurring. It also expects you to know that religion and the woman herself are losing and dying based on the body language between her and the radical reform preaching skeleton. On the bottom it says “radical liberty is to take liberties”, which is left as a tiny detail as the audience is supposed to know that this is a clashing of ideologies on government, with the woman’s sword saying “the laws”. It assumes we will associate the woman losing this battle with the death of religion and the proper government and way things have been.

The image doesn’t show the benefits of radical reform. It highlights all the negative aspects and depicts it as though it is an evil that is taking over. It obscures any possibility of radical reform being good, and focuses so much on religion being the backbone of the opposition that it fails to state other reasons. Yes, the woman is holding “the laws”, though it is depicted to not be capable of doing anything. Focusing too much on this image rules out other ways of seeing radical reform as a whole. If someone were to recreate this image but switch all of the labels and text of the skeletons with that of the woman, it would depict religion as evil and radical reform as a positive ideology.

The image, in a broader sense, in my view, means that radical reform will be the death of England. It will take over, rendering the laws useless. It will be on top of religion. Things like murder, robbery, “the age of reason”, will all prosper once London falls to radical reform. This is significant as, as seen with the flames and smoke in the back left, will destroy England as a whole. On a very basic level, this image represents radical reform and all of its aspects taking over and undermining the foundation of the institutions established and transforming something holy (as seen with the crown in the corner glowing like God), into a burning chaos.

[brendanfromnyc]

My tool is Pinterest. While it can be beneficial, other times it obscures the ability to properly find valuable information and content. The tool itself can’t help me to see what might be necessary as it is limited to what other users post. If I were to search up for example wundertopf, which I did, I somehow yielded only results of pasta. Adding the word jar to it only showed me images of empty jars. While useful in finding short videos and photos, true data and literature is left forgotten. While this might not convey a bias directly in regards to analysis, it does hamper its ability to analyze without providing valuable facts and information. The platform doesn’t have a visibly ideology unless you would count its lack of text. In order to overcome this, I would need a secondary site. Pinterest is useful for making visual power points but lacks substance and text or deep and intensive readings.

[brendanfromnyc]

My tool was Pinterest, and after using it thoroughly I realized it’s value lies in the ability to make groups. If you search up one specific item or element, you can find similar posts, connecting thoughts and ideas, or even find all of the information you needed compiled into one section. There was also a shopping feature, but that doesn’t necessarily matter in terms of using it for course material (unless I used it to buy the course material).

Sadly with the language barrier I couldn’t find anything about the wundertopf jar, the result being a surprising amount of images of pasta.

This exhibition allows me to understand concepts in a more dynamic way, associating more pictures and videos with it than bare text alone.

[brendanfromnyc]

My tool is Pinterest, and with it I’ve determined it’s function to be posting separate “boards” with different “pins”, essentially categorizing things and using photos to represent them, like pinning photos on a cork board. It seems that is the extent of its capabilities, though you can search for specific boards and pins along with a separate “today” section to view current and relevant things. My hope for using it as an aid to literary criticism is that it can find valuable information (in the form of photos) about whatever I am trying to study or learn about.

My tool is available at Pinterest.com

[brendanfromnyc]

The process of bookmaking is more intricate than one might have originally expected it to be. For me, personally, I found the syep of printing to be the most fascinating as it is much more industrialized and complex than a simple printer spewing out page by page.

The ten distinct steps are:

1) The accumulation of raw materials, such as paper stocks, variations of ink, and the type of covers.

2) Designing the book: While a seemingly simple step, multiple factors weigh into this such as the page and typeface size and style, the usage of weight and color, etc.

3) Typesetting is the third step, though it is the first step in the manufacturing process. Here, the electronic manuscript is converted into the proper style, producing a “galley” of the text, which is then proofread.

4) Then, “lasers” are produced, which is the exact layout of the pages but printed on regular paper which is then reviewed by the publisher to make sure it is accurate and correct.

5) Filming, which is a peculiar step, is next. Here, negatives are taken of each page to produce the opposite of what will be printed. The negatives are thoroughly checked to ensure there are no issues.

6) Here, the negatives are then “stripped” into the correct placement on a large sheet known as a “goldenrod” or “flat”. This is to ensure that all the text is properly lined up.

7) A rather interesting step, each flat is photographed, the negatives being put onto an aluminum sheet called a “plate”. The parts of the plate that contain text or illustrations are then doused with chemicals that attract ink to ensure the text will print when it is on the press.

8) The prints are the sent to a press. If it only requires one color, it will only go through the press once. The prints go through the press once per color.

9) The pages are then printed and dried and are sent to a bindery, the flats are folded into book “signatures” which are properly folded 32 or 64 page sections, which are then fully connected in the right order. This process also includes connecting the spine, trimming the edges, etc.

10) The final step, now that the book is actually complete, is quality assurance checking, which is to run a series of tests on certain steps in the process to make sure it is properly being created and distributed.

Source: www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Book.html

[brendanfromnyc]

“The Mind of the Last Son of Putin”. New York. 2021.

This jar, on first glance, seems to mainly be filled with print-out photos and transfigured figurines, but each item was deliberately chosen due to its immense personal and ideological connection to the owner.

Here is my Wundertopf; my jar and lid.

Inside I have placed:

The brain!

Books!

Music!

A chess piece!

God!

The universe!

The imagination!

Hallucigenia!

Myself!

And last but not least...Vladimir Putin.

Dr. Seuss says, "Oh, the places you'll go!'

I have an addendum:

"Oh, the places the mind will go!"

Tumblr, in case I don't see ya (again), good afternoon, good evening and goodnight!

[brendanfromnyc]

[brendanfromnyc]

For tonight’s addition is my command strips. While I know it seems like such a simple thing, to me they’re something essential into defining me. To elaborate, ever since coming to college I’ve used the same command strips to hang and re-hang all the posters in my room. These posters are an extension of me and what I value, what I represent, and what I will continue to be. These are the last of the original pack I bought coming into college my freshman year. These simple, tacky strips, that seamlessly remove my poster from the wall and allow me to reuse it, have allowed me to preserve and display who I am for all those who enter.

[brendanfromnyc]

For today’s addition I included the first ever stamp I received from Canada. I always wanted to go to Canada but I couldn’t get the opportunity especially with the travel ban. I bought a set of earrings (giant rubber ducks) off Etsy as a surprise for my girlfriend and was thrilled to see a bunch of Canada stamps. I thought it was so cool, earning its spot in my jar.

[brendanfromnyc]

For today’s addition to the jar is the 80th green Oswego mask. It’s wild to me to think less than a year ago these didn’t exist and now every student has two of them at least. Seeing these and what they represent has given me feelings of wonder.

[brendanfromnyc]

My friend gave me some Valentine’s day candies. I found this to be very special and considerate which is why I feel it deserved a spot in the jar.

[brendanfromnyc]

Realized I forgot to post this yesterday but I won a scratch off ticket and had to add it to the jar. I love to gamble and this is something wonderful to me.