Lost In Translations

"Language is the source of misunderstandings."
— Antoine de Saunt-Exupéry
Translating from English to Spanish or from Italian to English has never been one of my favorite things to do. It seemed like I was able to get the word for word literal translation, but something was lost, something was distorted. I found this interesting website that shows how when translating a sentence five times by computer the meaning is completely lost and distorted. It reminded me of one of my favorite childhood games, telephone. In the play, Translations, it was also so interesting to see the distortion of the of translations played out. When I was in Guatemala a few years ago, we were talking to some local women. After talking a while, we realized that they spoke a different dialect of Spanish. We were talking about this piece of fruit we had found, and they immediately started laughing. Apparently, we had found a very unripe piece of fruit, while we thought we had found a great treasure that was going to be a delicious snack later in the day. Do you have any crazy translating experiences or misunderstandings? Here is a movie that relates to this topic that you may be interested in.

Oni

"'Dance with this,' and I dance and as the wind stirs in the trees..." (235). The final line of the novel Power ends with reference to Oni, or wind. Oni is not simply wind for the Taiga people, but rather a source of life that sustains. As Omishto fans herself and dances, she creates her own wind. A wind that empowers her to be the woman she desires to be. The woman that she knows she can be. Does our breath create a wind for others, a wind which helps them fly? I really liked the idea of Oni that was mentioned throughout the text because for them this wind is what keeps them going from day to day. What keeps you going from day to day? Others' expectations? External pressure? God? Faith? For me, it is a combination of many things, but it is definitely an intangible presence.

Knowledge vs. Belief

Omishto says that "believing and knowing are two lands distant from each other" (40). In my opinion, knowing and believing have more in common than some understand but it is crucial to be able to distinguish between the two. To know something is based off of provable facts based on first hand knowledge of something that you have experienced. Essentially, believing is putting faith in some other input and accepting it as truth. The things we believe require no proof or evidence. We believe them because they are part of and support a larger system of beliefs that we have been forming throughout our lives. They are most often things that have no empirical evidence nor do we feel that they require any. Knowledge only takes a person so far, and at a certain point a person simply needs to believe. This is why I see knowing and believing to be similar because they are continual, when knowledge ends belief picks up. Knowledge and belief compliment each other and together they establish ourselves. It seems that Omishto is confused on these two, and thus is insecure about herself and is greatly influenced by her surroundings. Do you think Omishto is struggling to find herself in these two worlds: the old and the new? What does she know and what does she believe?

What's in a name?

In both novels, Lucy and Power names play a significant part of the main character's identity. Lucy Josephine Potter is a character who has an identity issue. When she learns the origin of her name she finds relief and a sense of self: Lucy- derived from Lucifer is a reference to the devil, Josephine- named after a wealthy uncle with hopes he may share some of his wealth, and Potter- after a wealthy English man who was a slave owner. To me these names do not reflect who Lucy is, but understanding the significance of these names allows Lucy to take ownership of each name regardless of their accuracy. Omishto, also wears a name with significance, meaning "the one who watches." Like these girls, I, too, hold a great sense of identity with my name. From the start, I have had to deal with mispronunciations and misspellings of my name- Máire pronounced Mora. They even spelled my name wrong on my birth certificate! Máire is the gaelic name for Mary meaning "bitterness," "wished for child," and "beloved." Since I have had to deal with a lot of mispronunciation, I have learned to love and take a great sense of ownership and pride in my name. As unique as it is, it fits my personality to a "t"! I know we talked about this a little in class, but do you take ownership of your name like Lucy, Omishto, and I do? Or would you prefer to have been named something else?

The Impact of a Books Cover

I found an anonymous quote that says, "A closed book is a closed mind." I would like to disagree with this statement because so much about a book can often be interpreted from its cover, while the book is closed. Your mind takes the image and runs with it. Despite the common phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" everyone does it, most likely unconsciously. In the novel Lucy, the cover tells the reader a lot about the content of the book, but without knowing what to look for the plain cover could be overlooked amidst a shelf full of books. Looking at this cover for the first time, the flat colors mesh together to create an image of a solemn woman. The contrast between her skin tones and the harsh orange background create a sharp distinction between the two. The circle with the image in the center focuses our eyes on this image of a woman while the light green is overlooked. Within the book, this light green (her past) serve as a significant part of who Lucy is in America and why she acts that way. The image of the daffodil faintly shown in the light green reminds us that the past contributes to who a person has become. This cover influences my understanding of this novel because the focus is on Lucy as an au pair but as we read on we learn about the light green (her past) inhibits Lucy to truly love.
I found an interesting blog created by a person who works in a public library and judges books by their cover everyday... Check it out....

Personal Aesthetic

David Sokol gave a lecture about "The Noble Room: Unity Temple" located in Oak Park, Illinois. This Unitarian/ Univeralist church was designed by the the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Aside from giving some history of the place he talked about why it took about three years to rebuild after it was destroyed by a fire on June 4, 1905. The famous American architect had his vision of what would be best for the place, the congregation had their opinion on what would be best and most practical, and the contractor from his experience had his personal aesthetic about such a building. These three people came together often and butted heads on quite a few matters. Because each party had their own opinion, the reconstruction of the famous temple was slow.
When it comes down to it, everyone must compromise: Sanjeev needs to either accept Twinkles new found fascination with Christian paraphernalia or suggest a compromising situation in order for their marriage to work out. The narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper and her husband needed to find a room that suited both peoples aesthetic. In order to create a "room of one's own" each person strives to reach his or her own personal aesthetic, but realistically this is not practical. The Unity Temple stands as an example of many compromises. Think about how many compromises you made today? Let's see, for me I have about 5 (finish my math homework/ watch a show, eat a cookie/ go for a longer run, go to half the basketball game/ be on time for work.... the list goes on). If I could have everything my way I would have stayed for the whole basketball game. But if I wasn't at work, people would not have someone to ask questions to. Frank Lloyd Wright would have had less seating and more geometric shapes with planters on top of them, but then the congregation would not have enough seating. Twinkle would continue to collect the knickknacks, but their marriage would most likely fail. We all need to know how to sacrifice our personal aesthetic to mesh together with others, just as Wright had to do with the reconstruction of Unity Temple.

Communication Under the Same Roof

Within "This Blessed House," the characters of Sanjeev and Twinkle quickly get married and begin living together under the same roof. Their love for one another comes across as questionable and their opposite mannorisms and attitudes become clear. Sanjeev has more of a serious attitude and heavily relies on other peoples' opinions. But Twinkle, on the other hand, is livelier and she seems to always look on the bright side of things. While cleaning the new home, Twinkle finds a vinegar bottle with Christ's figure and proudly places it on the undusted mantel. As the process continues, other tacky Christian figures emerge and are placed on the mantel as well. Sanjeev becomes quite irritated by these icons while Twinkle is continually intrigued by them and consciously looks to find more. As I was reading, I was thinking of insignificant mannerisms that people I have lived with do that have irritated me over the years and how I have handled the situation... Does your roommate always keep the shades closed or place her stick bottle on your dresser? Did your brother always slam his door at night? Did your mom chew gum loudly in the car? And did you ever mention that it annoyed you? For me, I related to Sanjeev because he rarely voices these irritations. As insignificant as the act may be, it often begins to build up to something that does not need to be. The key to sharing space with someone is open communication, something that Twinkle and Sanjeev are clearly lacking.

yoo-nuh-vur-suhl?

The question arose in class whether or not we believe Shakespeare's work is universal?? While taking notes during the film "O," I felt like I was writing a brief summary of the plot of Othello... When I was first asked this question I was unsure of how to answer it, so I turned to my trusty friend Mr. Dictionary- he told me that UNIVERSAL mean:
* "applicable everywhere" (yes)
# "affecting, concerning, or involving all" (yes)
+ "used or understood by all" (not necessarily his language used in his text but the drama- yes)
= "present everywhere" (yes)
So after responding yes to each of these definitions, I realized how universal Shakespeare's work really is. By work, I am not just referring to his actual text but rather on a broader level: his drama and plot. Everyone can watch a movie such as "O" and relate to it in some way. We understand feelings of anger, jealousy, love, trust, and hurt because they are uncontrollable human reactions to ordinary situations. What Shakespeare does is pick and pull at universal human emotions, capturing his timeless audience into the plot. This plot can be represented in millions of different ways, but it is and always will be understood.


/ˌyunəˈvɜrsəl/ Show Spelled Pronunciation

LIGHTS... CAMERA... ACTION!

Camera angle, lighting, music, color pallet, and character placement are all things that are very interesting to me. Some people overlook these elements in a film or a play but these "insignificant" features are what really emphasizes the point of a particular scene. To me, being a director seems like it could be so much fun! Being in that authoritative position where you can decide how you want a scene to be portrayed to the audience is really an awesome thing entailing so many decisions. In a way, it could be considered brainwashing because YOUR vision of a particular scene is what is being shown to thousands of people. Reading and viewing Othello are two completely different experiences, but I was definitely glad that I read it first. By reading Shakespeare's work first I was able to visualize how the various scenes were played out rather than be shown/ told how another person interpreted that same scene. Though I did enjoy watching different interpretations of the same text, if I were a director, things would have been different.... but I am not... yet, at least.

Manipulation

Doesn't it just make you cringe when you (as an audience or a reader) can see the horrors that are going on while the characters are completely oblivious as to how they are being manipulated? If someone was observing my facial expressions while I was reading Othello, I am sure they would have had a good laugh! Each time Iago so smoothly used his words to set up his whole master plan, my hatred grew for his character. Iago created mass amounts of suspicion and havoc to almost everyone he came in contact with. This was not the first time I had similar feeling for a character, and I am sure it will not be my last. Let's take for example the character of Galinda in Wicked, this "sweet, innocent girl" manipulates those around her in an attempt to land the man of her dreams. In my mythology course last semester, I read Medea by Euripides. The character of Medea had similar devious manorisms as Iago. Both took total advantage of those around them in an attempt to attain personal satisfaction. For Medea that personal satisfaction was revenge and Iago longed for revenge but also to move up in the rankings. How can someone be so selfish to literally destroy and end the lives of those they are trying to get "one up on?" Medea ends up fleeing in a chariot with her dead children and no place to call "home," all with a smile and no glimpse of remorse. As Iago is taken away in Act 5 to become a tortured slave, he too shows no sign of remorse... how is this possible? Euripides, Winnie Holzman, and Shakespeare do a wonderful job of evolving characters with a good "reputation" to be villains and manipulators!
Here are the facial expressions of boldface, backstabbing, liars.... would you fall for their games?


Galinda, Iago, Medea

Girl... INTERRUPTED

"Have you ever confused a dream with life? Or stolen something when you have the cash? Have you ever been blue? Or thought your train moving while sitting still? Maybe I was just crazy. Maybe it was the 60's. Or maybe I was just a girl...interrupted."

Susanna (Winona Ryder) is a typical teenager displaying confusion and insecurity while struggling with making sense of the ever-changing world around her. During the two years she spent at Claymoore, she was able to create a real sense of self but not until after much strife. Boundaries were tested and questioned. The difference between friendship and betrayal was learned but more importantly the distinction between sanity and mental illness was defined, or was it? After watching the movie, did you feel you better understood a mental illness? Or did you even feel like you may have a mental illness? Or did you negate the real presence of mental illness in our society?

As the title implies, "Girl, Interrupted," many young girls and women are interrupted by societal expectations. If somehow we do not fit the "norms" there must be something wrong with us, maybe even a mental illness. These diagnoses are quickly placed on people, rather than considering the immense amount of stress and pressure they feel from the world around them. Girls, in my opinion, are especially interrupted from living ordinary lives. For Susanna, the pressures from home and school brought about a sense of insanity and even a suicide attempt. Her life was put on hold for two years until she was able to step back from society and redefine herself. In my opinion, everyone needs to take some time to themselves in order to escape insanity. Maybe even in a room of one's own...

When I finished reading Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" many thoughts were going through my head. Initially though, I was very disturbed by the narrator and her obsession with the yellow wallpaper. How could someones entire life be controlled by something so simple as wallpaper? Her every minute and thought was centralized around the wallpaper and its hideous pattern. As the story progresses, Gilman begins to personify the paper and she even envisions a woman trapped behind the paper. With additional reading, I attained a better grasp of what was going on with Gilman herself as well as the historical context in which Gilman was subject to while writing this work. Historically women, as a whole, were still considered to be inferior. I saw this shown by the secrecy of the narrators writing as well as how she was totally controlled by her husband. When I learned about the severe nervous condition that Gilman was suffering, I began to think that the troubled narrator is a reflection of Gilman herself. Is this really a piece of fiction, or is this a medium in which Gilman could share her story? By the end of the text, I really felt that the feelings the narrator struggles with are also fears of Gilman.

The Concept of the "Blogosphere"

Virginia Woolf unfolds her argument that "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction" (4) throughout her book A Room of One's Own. During the time when she wrote this book, writing for women was looked down upon and often discouraged, as were many other freedoms we now take for granted. In order to become a successful writer, Woolf argues that a woman needed money and a private room in order to write fiction. Paula Maggio, in her blog post "Blogs as Literary Devices," refutes Woolf's argument based off of present day experience and opportunities. The recent popularization of "blogging" allows women, men, and children of every race, religion, and ethnicity to write from their heart. Due to the fact that blogging is free, informal, and uninhibited everyone has an opportunity to express themselves freely with just a simple click of a button. Soon, unexpressed thoughts and ideas are published for anyone to read. Maggio talked about how this allows for empowerment of an individual and I agree with this idea completely. There is a "blogosphere" for anything and everyone, which creates a safe place to write about anything. Our society has progressed so much within the last century, it would have been inconceivable for Woolf to imagine a world where freedom of thought and words was so simple. The room that Woolf talked about is now behind millions and millions of computer screens where people are able to escape for a moment from their busy lives and express themselves with hopes to be heard. Who knows, maybe someday their blog post will be the most widely read blog. Until then, at least their thoughts and feelings are out there. Virginia Woolf would be proud.

Lives and Times

Living in South Bend, Indiana forces me to embrace the COLD. Along with the excellent education that I am receiving, I have also learned to overcome the blistering, cold winter days (which seem to be quite abundant this winter). As I walk out of my warm classroom building and enter the negative twenty degree weather and another blizzard, my creative juices somehow began emerging. One assignment I have is to create a metaphor that captured my writing process. What more appropriate metaphor than a blizzard, one in which I cannot see a foot in front of me. Each step in the fresh snow becomes one step closer to the final destination, either my dorm room or a completed paper, though the beginning is often blurred. Usually when I write, I become easily overwhelmed and bombarded with ideas which could create a dynamic paper but the end product is never clear. I often write and rewrite my opening paragraph several time before I have something that works, sometimes I even begin my paper with an unfinished, unclear opening. In a blizzard, the snow obstructs my vision making it difficult to see where I am going or even where I have been. As I continue to trudge through the weather, my steps become clearer and clearer. Similarly, with each page that I write the paper begins to unfold in a more clear cut manor. Perseverance during this stage of the writing process and during a blizzard is crucial in order to move forward, to complete the task. When the blizzard dies down, all that is left is a beautiful, snow covered scene- everything becomes clear. I never seem to have a problem writing my concluding paragraphs because once the body is complete everything comes together forming (hopefully) a masterpiece. This masterpiece may not be as beautiful as the freshly snow-kissed trees or the unbeaten sidewalks, but the paper is complete. And that, to me, is a masterpiece.