Convergence Culture

In the Introduction of Henry Jenkins' Convergence Culture, he defines "convergence" as the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behavior of media audiences who would go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they wanted. Convergence is a word that manages to describe technological, industrial, cultural, and social changes, depending on who's speaking and what they think they are talking about. In today's society, people expect all forms of technology and media to converge. However, these things are able to co-exist, rather than taking over a means of communication or technology all together. Participatory culture is in contrast of a convergence culture, a culture in which fans and other consumers are invited to actively participate in the creation and circulation of new content. People get to take part and voice their opinions on the changes that occur everyday. This feedback allows producers to understand what consumers do and do not agree with. With his experiences at MIT and publishing other books, Jenkins brings a unique perspective to culture and communication. The intended audience is all users of media, which is ever growing.

Looking and the Gaze

"Through looking we negotiate social relationships and meanings. Looking is a practice much like speaking, writing, or signing. Looking involves learning to interpret and, like other practices, looking involves relationships of power."

We are always looking; looking for admiration, curiosity, and understanding. By looking at all things around us, we learn new things and reduce uncertainty. In "Looking and the Gaze", men are portrayed as the dominant group, who have to power to look and objectify women. While the women are the ones being looked at, they begin to view themselves as objects.
The appearance of a woman is stereotyped as nurturing, emotional, attractive, subjective, and private. The appearance of a man is stereotyped as reasonable, objective, powerful, strong, and public. The various photographs portray women as very feminine and gentle. 
The dualism implicit in the Dürer image of the artist drawing the nude implies subordination of the woman. We do not see nearly as many drawings of nude men, for they hold the power of the looker and are thought to be the ones looking and admiring the women as objects. Again, the women are subordinate to men and therefore seek to please the man by becoming objects of desire.

Technology

I believe technology has a way of both uniting people and fragmenting people. The vast forms of technology and communication in today's society allows people from all over the world to stay connected. This communication permits people to learn more about each other and share their thoughts and experiences with virtually anyone. However, technology takes away from face-to-face communication between people. While people are connecting via technology, they are taking away from the real life conversation they may be having with someone. For example, while out to eat with a group, an individual may be texting a friend or logging onto Twitter. While this may keep this individual in the loop of the technological world and another friend, they are losing valuable time and conversation with the present group. It all depends on how and when technology is used as to whether it is being used to unite or fragment us.

The Purple Van

                It was a regular spring morning. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and the flowers were blooming. Inside our house, chaos was ensuing, as usual, as my mom was trying to get us four kids ready for school in a timely manner. Trying to help out and save my mom some time on the way to school, my dad offered to fill up the purple van with gas. I disliked this van very much. While it got us from Point A to Point B just fine, I felt like I was riding in a Barney-mobile. I never understood why we couldn’t have had something more practical, like silver. As he got into van, he soon realized that we would all be even later than anticipated. He walked back into the house to inform us all that the van would not start.

                My dad handed me the keys and told me to try to start the van. This would seem practical, to have someone else give it a try, if that someone else wasn’t ten years old. My younger brother, Connor, and I ran out to the van. To this day, I do not know why, but Connor was in the back seat, playing Pokémon on his lime green Gameboy, eagerly waiting to go to school. As I sat in the driver seat, I felt like such a grown up, pretending to drive on the freeway and turn corners smoothly. To my surprise, the van started with only one attempt of turning the keys. I did not know whether to run inside and tell my parents I had gotten it started or to continue to daydream of the freedom that came along with driving.

I began to fidget with the unknown gadgets: adjusting the mirrors, rolling down the windows, and cranking up the radio. I did not know what most things did, but I knew I saw my mom move the black lever next to the steering wheel while she drove. I gave this thing a pull, and the next thing I knew, the van began rolling down the driveway. I could not think straight or wrap my head around what was actually happening. While it all happened so fast, it felt like it was all happening in slow motion. I quickly looked back at Connor, whose Pokémon game was still in progress. He then realized we were going downhill and both of us were speechless. I looked forward again; we were getting further and further away from the house. The thought of stepping on one of the pedals in an effort to stop crossed my mind, but I had no idea how to. Before I could even try, the van jolted into our neighbor’s mailbox and came to a stop. I ran to the front door, where my mom had just happened to walk by. With no words able to come out of my mouth, I burst into tears. She looked outside to see the van in the middle of the street.

Neighbors congregated to find out what happened and to make sure everyone was okay. Connor finally looked up from his game and realized he should probably get out of the van. We were both fine, but the van was not so lucky. It had a large, mailbox-imprinted dent in the back and would not start once again.

Needless to say, we were all late to school. 

Eyes

Everybody in my family has brown eyes, except for my younger brother, Connor. Growing up, I always tried to figure out who looked like who in comparison to my parents and what traits we got from each parent. After the discovery of Connor's blue eyes, my older brother, Ryan, and I came to the conclusion that Connor did not belong to either of my parents. This theory sent Connor crawling under the table, crying. It took my parents attempts as numerous as the stars to explain to Connor that he was, in fact, their son, he just had different color eyes. As Connor grew older and a little wiser, he used his blue eyes to his advantage. He figured out that his eyes are like the ocean and the sky, whereas the rest of our brown eyes are like dirt.

The House on Mango Street

Hairs – pg. 6

Everybody in Esperanza’s family has a different type of hair. Her papa’s hair sticks up like a broom. Her own hair is stubborn, rejecting barrettes. Her brother’s, Carlos, hair is thick and straight. Nenny’s hair is slippery and Kiki’s hair is like fur. However, no one in her family’s hair compares to that of her mother’s. Her mother’s hair is pretty and curly. The scent of her hair is comforting, for when she is holding her children, they feel safe.

This writing style of Cisneros gives vivid insight into the family of Esperanza, discussing their hair types. It shows that each member of the family is unique, just as everyone has different hair; they most likely have different interests and personalities, as well. The affection Esperanza has of her mother’s hair presents a close relationship between the mother and her children. Esperanza admires everything about her mother’s hair, especially that the smell of it gives her comfort and a sense of safety.

Meme Ortiz – pg. 21

Meme Ortiz’s real name is Juan. However, everyone calls him Meme, except for his mother. Meme has a big dog and lives in the house that Cathy’s dad built. His dog is big sheepdog with gray eyes. It has two names, a name in English and a name in Spanish. Meme’s house is wooden and slanted. The front contains twenty one steps, which are lopsided, as well. The backyard is mostly dirt and boards which used to be a garage. The tree is the most memorable part of the backyard, with large branches and plenty of squirrels. The dog barks at the bottom of the tree; the tree which is chosen for the First Annual Tarzan Jumping Contest.

The writing style here is very descriptive. A lot of detail is given in order for the reader to be able to visualize the house and dog of Meme Ortiz. The details move throughout the house, where it then leads to the backyard. There is no plot throughout this passage, just descriptions, until the very end. It is not until the last paragraph that we learn that in the backyard is the tree that the children chose for the First Annual Tarzan Jumping Contest. In the process of winning the Tarzan Jumping Contest, Meme broke both of his arms. Cisneros focuses on the vivid details of Meme, his house, and his dog in just about a page of text.

Gil’s Furniture Bought & Sold – pg. 19

Esperanza and Nenny go to a junk store, owned by an old man. They do not have any money to buy anything. Therefore, they are to browse in the dark. In the store are tables, refrigerators, couches, and T.V.s, none of which are in great condition. It is easy to get lost in the store, for everything is stacked on top of one another. Nenny likes to ask the old black man questions. When they are in there, Nenny asks the man what some item is. He responds that it is a music box. The sound of a music box strikes Esperanza’s interest, but to her disappointment, it is only a wooden box, with nothing pretty about it. The owner starts up the music box and lots of things begin to happen. Unbeknown to Esperanza, she has to turn around and pretend that she does not care about the box. She does this so Nenny does not see how stupid she is, that she is so enthralled by the box. Nenny wants the box and asks how much it is, but the man replies that the box is not for sale.

This writing style is descriptive, as well. However, this story gives more than just descriptions of a person or thing. It visualizes a story for the reader. One can picture a dark store with an old man sitting at the counter. The two girls are looking around at all of the various items, knowing they cannot buy much.

Unlike many of the other vignettes, this one contains a plot, tells a story, and has some action. The action, while not very intense, is the process of the girls looking around the store, finding the music box, imagining their interest, and then being rejected of the box. Cisneros gives the reader information about the man, the store, and the two girls who are looking around.

My Dorm Room

    When entering my dorm room, one would find two very different personalities present. My roommate and I have different decorating styles and organization techniques. My desk area contains bright colored storage boxes, several pictures of my friends and family, and is clean, for the most part. The desk of my roommate is cluttered with her school textbooks and assignments. She has one picture of herself and a friend mounted above. Looking at the lofted beds, it is usually fairly easy to distinguish whose is whose. While my bedspread is vibrant and decorative, it is also covered with homemade blankets and several pillows to sleep with. My roommate's bed is pretty plain, with white sheets and a green comforter covering them. One thing that would throw someone off while entering our room at the end of February is the Christmas tree that is still sitting on our windowsill. It is my roommate's Christmas tree, which she has not had the chance to take home yet. While I am a huge fan of Christmas, this is something that bothers me. Another thing that bothers me about my room is my roommate's guitar, that sits by our refrigerator, which has never been opened or played. I am a fairly neat person and prefer my room to tidy, but I have learned to compromise when living with someone else.
    I believe our different decorations explain our personalities well. While I enjoy colorful, vibrant accessories, she sticks to safe, classic colors. It is hard to consider my dorm room "home" because less than half of it expresses who I am as a person.

Brave New World Close Writing

        As Bernard and Lenina are on their holiday together, their views on individualism and freedom are discovered. Pages 90-91 highlight their differing ideas, as well as exposing more of their identities to the reader. “’It makes me feel as though…’ he hesitated, searching for words with which to express himself, ‘as though I were more me, if you see what I mean. More on my own, not so completely a part of something else. Not just a cell in the social body. Doesn’t it make you feel like that, Lenina?’” (Huxley 90).  Bernard has an inner inhibition that there is something more purposeful he is to be doing with his life. While Bernard yearns for something more than the everyday, group routine and longs to let something out of him out, Lenina is terrified of the idea of being alone with Bernard, away from a group. Lenina responds to Bernard’s question with tears, “’It’s horrible, it’s horrible,’ she kept repeating. ‘And how can you talk like that about not wanting to be a part of the social body?’” (91). Lenina sees nothing wrong with being a part of the social body, and in fact, longs for group support and stability. She feels as if she is free to do what she wants and feel how she wants. However, Bernard feels enslaved by his conditioning and his predestined life as an Epsilon. 

Close Writing Practice

        The passage describing the twins is one of vivid description. The description begins with a loud, unpleasant sound of their shrill voices. The passage continues with the stream of twin reproduction. "Twin after twin, twin after twin, they came---a nightmare. Their faces, their repeated face---for there was only one between the lot of them---puggishly stared, all nostrils and pale goggling eyes" (Huxley 201). One gets the sense of constant repetition, as thought the twins continually enter, all looking the same. While dressed in khaki, the collaboration of their squealing and chattering gives the reader a sense that the twins have rather similar charactersitics to an animal. Acting much differently than normal eight year olds, the twins climb and clammered through the hospital beds, disrupting the patients. All of these detailed descriptions of the twins makes them seem annoying and monstrous.

Brave New World Proposal

Individualism/Freedom

Chapter 3

“'Has any of you been compelled to live through a long time-interval between the consciousness of a desire and its immediate fulfillment?’” (Huxley 45)

                In the Brave New World, the people expect immediate fulfillment. It is unlikely for one to have to wait for the things they want. So uncommon that one person answers the question with a one-time instance of having to wait between the consciousness of his desire and the fulfillment of having a girl he wanted. This quote presents the freedom that the people believe they have, the freedom to want something and to receive it almost immediately.

Chapter 4

“’Did you ever feel,’ he asked, ‘as though you had something inside you that was only waiting for you to give it a chance to come out? Some sort of extra power that you aren’t using—you know, like all the water that goes down the falls instead of through the turbines?’” (Huxley 69)

                Bernard begins to get a feeling that he has something different inside of him, that he wishes he could bring out. This untouched potential relates to the sense of individual in the novel, or lack thereof, which Bernard begins to think about.

Chapter 5

“’Everyone works for everyone else. We can’t do without any one. Even Epsilons are useful. We couldn’t do without Epsilons. Every one works for everyone else. We can’t do without any one...They don’t know what it’s like being anything else’” (Huxley 74).

                This repetitive statement acknowledges the lack of individualism within the group. There is a group mentality that everyone depends on one another, and even the Epsilons serve a purpose. People are oblivious to their own strengths or weaknesses within their caste. This motto makes everyone feel useful, while ensuring that no one goes off to do their own thing.

 “’Everybody’s happy now’…They had heard the words repeated a hundred and fifty times every night for twelve years” (Huxley 75).

                This assumptive notion that everybody is happy is engrained into their heads continuously. This prevents them from thinking they are unhappy or doubting their freedom. They are told what happiness is, without the opportunity to figure it out for themselves.

“Feeling that it was time for him to do something…and when the others began to jig and stamp and shuffle, he also jigged and shuffled” (Huxley 84).

                Bernard does not have the same feelings or reactions that everyone else does, the ones that he should. Instead, he has acquired feelings of his own. However, this makes him feel as though he does not fit in. With this progressive individualism, Bernard still feels obliged to act like everyone else.

Chapter 6

“’It makes me feel as though…’… ‘I am free. Free to have the most wonderful time. Everybody’s happy nowadays’” (Huxley 90-91).

                Bernard continues to talk about his feelings of being himself. By looking at the sea, he feels as though he is more of his own person, and not so much a part of the group. However, Lenina is disgusted by the thoughts of his individuality, of not wanting to be a part of the group. Bernard knows they are not free, and when he asks Lenina if she wishes she were, she already believes they are free.

Chapter 7

'“Old?...’That’s because we don’t allow them to be like that”’ (Huxley 110).

                When exposed to the “real world”, they are horrified to see someone who has grown old. As with anything else, the people of the Brave New World do not have the choice to grow old, repressing them from their freedom. The key words here are “we don’t allow”. The directors have complete control over how the people look, act, and feel.

"Savage Reservation"

“For instance,” [Linda] hoarsely whispered, “take the way they have one another here. Mad, I tell you, absolutely mad. Everybody belongs to everyone else- don’t they? Don’t they?” she insisted, tugging at Lenina’s sleeve. Lenina nodded her averted head, let out the breath she had been holding and managed to draw another one, relatively untainted. “Well, here,” the other went on, “nobody’s supposed to belong to more than one person. And if you have people in the ordinary way, the others think you’re wicked and anti-social. They hate and despise you….”  (Huxley 121).

        This passage, spoken by Linda, makes the commitment men and women have to one another “savage” compared to the relationships in the Brave New World. Linda has been a part of both worlds, yet still regards the Brave New World to be the normal way of life. As the savage reservation seems much more normal than the Brave New World to today's readers, it is all foreign to the people of the Brave New World. In the Brave New World, it is expected to have multiple sexual partners and to not get attached to one another.

        Love and commitment are not concepts that are comprehended by the Brave New World. Linda is a prime example of the understanding of this. She does not know any better than to "have" as many men as she wants. Again, this had always been expected of her in the past. In the above passage, she references "the ordinary way", referring back to the Brave New World non-commital relationships, where everyone belongs to everyone else. By entering the savage reservation, her lifestyle has been looked down upon and reprimanded for belonging to more than one person.

My Reading Process

When I sit down to read, I take quite a few things into consideration. If it is an assigned reading, I usually plan to read the entirety of it in one sitting. If it is a book of my own choosing, I won't want to put it down and am able to read for hours. I prefer a quiet, comfortable area, often times my couch, my bed, or a peaceful place in the library. My reading experience becomes most enjoyable with a cozy blanket and a warm latte. When deciding on what book to read, I am guilty of judging a book by its cover. I am drawn to bright, modern covers with a creative title. This isn't to say I won't give a book a chance even if I don't like the cover as much, however. I prefer romantic, easy reads that don't take much thought. Ones that tell a nice love story, and I can visualize it clearly. However, I occasionally crave mystery and suspense in the books I choose. As I read, I create my own little world, where I am taking part in the story at hand. It becomes an escape from reality, one that I wish to not be interrupted from. I cannot have music playing, the television on, or people talking while I read. I need to give the book my undivided attention and get distracted easily if other things are going on. I read the book chronologically, from beginning to end in order to comprehend the whole story the way it is supposed to be. I used to dread reading and never understood why people read books for plain fun. However, once I had more free time and found stories that interested me, reading became one of my pastimes. I liked how I could pick up any book and become a part of a story, learning about the characters, going through good times and hardships with them. By reading a book more than once, I found that I can experience completely different things or interpret it in a different way depending on what was occurring in my life or what I had experienced since the last time. As everyone's reading process is different, so is their reading experience. Not everyone is going to feel the same way about a character or relate to a situation the same. I am able to experience it on my own, in my own way. That is what I find most enjoyable about reading.

Testing, 123

English 204!