EFFECTS OF DESIRE: OUTLINE

“DETRIMENTAL HUMAN BEING DESIRES: AN APPROACH TO ADDRESS THE SOCIAL ISSUES OF DESIRE”

I. PSYCHOLOGY OF DESIRE SHOWN IN FRANKENSTEIN

A. Evaluate Victor Frankenstein’s behavior before the creation of the monster

B. Evaluate Victor Frankenstein’s behavior after he gave life to the monster

1. Description of his disgust because of the monster’s physical features

2. Include description of how Victor Frankenstein was affected

a. Physically with the deterioration of his health

b. Psychologically

(1) Behavior – constant isolation

(2) Ruminance – revive in his mind his pain

II. BELIEFS, DESIRES, AND INTENTIONS AND THEIR NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES

A. Relationship between belief, desire, and intentions (BDI Agents)

B. Social psychology used for negative purposes

1. Conformity, Deindividuation, and Obedience

2. Introduce the maximum perpetrator of mass genocide Adolf Hitler

III. HISTORICAL FIGURES AS EXAMPLES OF DESIRE

A. Adolf Hitler and his desire to “purify” the German race

B. Thomas A. Edison and his light bulb

1. Persistence is not always negative – as a counterargument

2. Good intentions, bad consequences

3. Cheating as a defense mechanism

a. Pressures on careers, family

b. Merely personal wishes

My response to this sparkful night is in verse
Because in verse is how the curse
Is able to disperse and the nurse
named Translator can cure
This pure and at times obscure
Words that flow free as birds

Language
You are the one to blame
And the one to thank

I blame you for not being enough
I thank you for allowing the tough
Task of communication
So diverse and converse
So great and limited
So spacious and narrow

Dear Language,
You have many last names
Sir English and Mother Spanish
From one to the other poetry goes
As a boat stranded at sea
From one to the other words flow
Sometimes losing its essence
From one to the other language grows
Sometimes losing its melody
From one to the other glows
Sparkle, dull, soft and numb
Yet always preserving its purpose

Language, altered throughout time
What a crime to be the spine of
All the vice that once sublime
And lost in the climb of a pine
Sometimes losing the prime
Desire to comply with your own shine

My response to this night is in rhyme
Because in rhyme we could
Taste the sweet lemon of words
Smell the aromatic black print
Touch the paper in tears
Hear the beat of letters
See the author’s heart

How I will build to my thesis in my introduction: I will first introduce the movie ‘Her’ in which technology is so developed that it is intervening and perpetually changing the ways people communicate with one another. Based on the movie, I will lead to my thesis about how technology renovates and redefines three aspects of human’s connection to the world.

How I will support and expand on my thesis: I will first list two examples to support my thesis that technology is changing people’s way of communication from the movie ‘Her’ which are people avoiding direct conversation by finding specialists like Theodore to write love letters and instead of having relationships with human, many people fall in love with artificial intelligence. And then I will divide my body paragraphs into three parts, each talking about one aspect from the relationship between human and electrical devices; the relationship between human and human; and the relationship between human and inner selves. Totally, body paragraphs made up by these three points can summarize and illustrate my thesis.

The information needs to come first: I believe that firstly I need to introduce the main story of the movie ‘Her’ and the conflicts of communication ways as opening words. Because I want to start from an exaggerated future way of communication to trigger people’s reflection on how in reality technology is altering our world.

The examples of passages I will focus on from my primary source (movie ‘Her’) are: “You seem like a person, but you’re just a voice in a computer.” and “Theodore: I can’t believe that I am having this conversation with my computer. Samantha: You are not. You’re having this conversation with me.” And examples of the quotes that I plan to use from my secondary sources are “we’re setting ourselves up for trouble — trouble certainly in how we relate to each other, but also trouble in how we relate to ourselves and our capacity for self-reflection.” from “Connected but alone” and “Text messaging – 92% of teens in romantic relationships spent time text messaging with their partner at least occasionally. Talking on the phone – 87% spent time talking on the phone with their significant other.” from “How Teens Incorporate Digital Platforms and Devices Into Their Romantic Relationships”.

On Oct. 29th, I attended the Literature is Alive poetry reading in B & N bookstore. It was 8 pm. The light was dim, a perfect environment to listen to poetry because when we are not able to see very clearly, we will focus more on what we can hear and feel. The tapes we listened to were original tapes in which poetry were read in languages in which they were written. Before the reading started, I thought that since I did not know those languages, there were no ways that I could understand those poems. However, I was only half right. The first five poems were written by a Colombian poet Eliana Maldonado Cano. The reader’s voice was plain, creating a peaceful feeling. I liked the fifth poem “Memory 2” most. In this poem, Eliana writes, “Sometimes we encounter, someone who reaches out from the body without windows…… In the real world this does not exist, we lack the courage to draw the words out from the veins.” I was not sure whether this poem was describing a feeling of admiration or friendship or love. But it is just this hazy feeling and unlimited potentiality that make poetry so beautiful.

Unlike the plain voice of the reader of Eliana’s poems, the voice of the reader of Juan Salzano’s poem was full of emotions. Some words in Juan’s poem “Jellyfish 1” like “translucid animal”, ”omnivorous soul”, ”bears the weapon”, ”explode”, ”scaffolding” all symbolized strong conflicts in the poet’s mind. Correspondingly, the emotions in the reader’s voice changed from passionate to melancholy and sad then to sorrowful and tired; and finally went back to plain and flat, like a kind of exhausted despair. It is true that I could not read the original poem and nor could I understand what the reader was reading but listening to the tape actually created a feeling of having dialogues with the poet. Though there are undeniable linguistic and cultural barriers between us, I could still empathize and engage in this poem. It is just this universal understanding that makes art so great and eternal.

The poetry reading presented by Literature is Alive and OOMPH! Illustrates the indispensable ability to translate poetry between languages. Each of the poems, written and read in Spanish, reflected strong meanings and purpose in terms of both style and structure. In terms of style, the emphasis that the natural, fluid Spanish paces on the words adds significant meaning to each of the poems. Additionally, the variations based on the native tongue, whether from Spain or central/south America added distinct touches to creating more power and edginess in the wording or fluidity and romantic beauty, respectively. On the other side, finding the right words in the English translation represents a key factor in maintaining the correct structure. A translator must be able to keep the same or similar amounts of words in each line to keep specific spacing between words and between lines that the author writes. Additionally, the use of specific question marks, commas, and conjunctions must be somewhat similar in order to keep the intended pace of the poem.

Overall, Spanish poetry just like any language’s specific poetry contains in own important meanings and values. There is power involved, spirit, messages of hope, and pride all integrated into this poetry and maintaining these values to the fullest extent possible is a difficult, but very pivotal task.

Primary (revision of blog post #1):

In the “Eye in the Sky” podcast, one of the speakers on the topic deplores the idea of such an invasion of privacy saying, “There [is] no way you could trust government with this volume of information.” In making this comment, the speaker urges us to reevaluate the ramifications of this advanced technology and the amount of faith we have in the intentions of those who intend to use it.

Secondary (revision of blog post #5):

Kate Murphy further argues the more invisible effects of lack of privacy, including conformity and the stifling of individuality causing depression, anxiety, and the like. Murphy compares privacy and sleep saying that “just as being unconscious for a portion of the day is restorative, so is being unselfconscious.” The essence of Murphy’s argument is that people who want privacy aren’t trying to hide anything as might be assumed, but rather just want to hold on to themselves.

Primary

Man’s all compelling need for survival is evident in the development of the main characters, the boy and the man, in The Road. Some critics argue that McCarthy suggests the possibility for redemption of mankind. This is indeed how Ashley Kunsa views the portrayal of these characters as she believes, “we discover the seeds of the works unexpectedly optimistic worldview.” However, this is a contention with which I vehemently disagree. The Father and the boy, who are described metaphorically as those who are “carrying the fire” and “the good guys” appear to be moral characters who do not succumb to barbaric acts such as cannibalism. Yet, the impressive moral standard of the father and the boy simply provide a false illusion to the reader that there are those who can triumph in McCarthy’s truest test for optimism.

– Here i quoted Kunsa as a foundation for the development of my own argument. I implemented the “They say, I say” structure that was so strongly emphasized in class and in doing so made my argument stronger and more valid. By quoting someone with a different idea, and then immediately rejecting it, I have effectively proven that I have considered opposing view points but still remain steadfast to my original beliefs.

Secondary

This is effective because the poster is an altered version of the iconic propaganda used in George Orwell’s celebrated novel ‘1984’. Its is at once recognisable to the audience. The use of the image of google, which we are all familiar with and is central to many of our lives, makes concept of a totalitarian society wherein everyone is watched becomes very immediate and imminent.

– the secondary source i used in this paragraph is George Orwell’s 1984. Not only is this directly related to the poster that I was analyzing, but the novel itself is also an icon of totalitarianism and therefore makes the posters relatable to the general audience.

One example from one of my posts where I quoted a primary source was blog post 6 when I wrote this: An example of a close reading is on page 21 when Jessica Hale mentions that Victor in the story describes Elizabeth as “a possession of my own”, which is very effective because it clearly shows that women were perceived as objects. This can be seen as both a primary source because it is quoting Frankenstein and a secondary source because it was in a peer-reviewed article. One example from one of my posts where I quoted a secondary source was blog post 7 when I wrote this: In Haste’s paper, she states that Lewis Wolpert argues “that scientific knowledge is counterintuitive and requires us to go against the obvious, the commonsensical.” I usually introduce the quote with a phrase, embed the quote, and analyze it at the end of the sentence and extend the analysis to the next sentence.

Revised Quotation Statements:

In her book, Frankenstein, Victor mentions Elizabeth as “a possession of my own” suggesting a submissive and objective quality to Elizabeth rather than a human being worthy of equality. In other words, by making this comment, Mary Shelley hints social standards regarding woman value at the time period.

In Lewis Wolpert’s view, “scientific knowledge is counterintuitive and requires us to go against the obvious, the commonsensical.” The essence of Wolpert’s argument is that we use common sense of what we know to make sense of the unknown through both metaphors and science.

I quote from a primary source in my first blog post, where I write about the issues that “Eye in the Sky” by Radiolab. On the other side, I quote from a secondary source in blog post six where I analyze Jessica Hale’s paper and mention her use of someone else’s argument. Though her primary source is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, her secondary source represents other writers’ critiques. In both cases, I utilized quotations to either create my thesis statement or understand the “they say” component of an argument. After giving a short summary of what “Eye in the Sky” presented, I used that upon building my main-point in my argument. In analyzing Hale’s argument, I mentioned writer Shoene-Harwood’s literary writings to explain how the author of the paper employs others’ opinions to build upon her own.

Here are the revised versions of the quotations I used in my blogs:

1. In “Eye in the Sky”, a podcast by Radiolab, the issue of surveillance is discussed. The post talks about an “eye in the sky”, or a modern camera, that allows investigators to “scroll back in time”. The authors of this podcast emphasize there being an eye in the sky that allows for time to become more fluid in order to suggest that the government is invading people’s privacies.
2. In her paper “Constructing Connectedness: Gender, Sexuality and Race in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein”, Jessica Hale argues that males show signs of femininity by being nurturing towards their female lovers. In her paper, she supports writer Shoene-Harwood’s point that “men who feel secure enough in their masculinity to display feelings of domestic affection…who seem perfectly balanced in their manliness which incorporates rather than categorically excludes the feminine”. Because Hale emphasizes the importance of homosocial relationships between men in the novel, Shoene-Harwood’s points emphasize her main-point.