This image is a part of the scene from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when from what Dr. Lanyon knows Dr. Jekyll's assistent has come to his house to pick up the drawer that Dr. Jekyll has told him specifically to take from his cabinet. The assistant is however Mr. Hyde and he is asking Dr. Lanyon if he would like to witness his transformation. Lanyon then explains that he has done to much and come to far not to see what it all was for. This interpretation of the scene struggles to represent the novels words in a visual way because of the lack of expression. The image just shows the two men one nearly facing away only showing a part of his face which looks as if he has no care in the world for what is about to happen and the other man looking about the same. Both having no color and no emotion making this a very boring and uninformative sight.

Graphic Novel Response Two

The graphic novel is different from the novel in many different ways. One being that it simply provides pictures to give the reader information vital to the story as well as text. These pictures are vital to the difference because it is a totally different way of thinking and remembering what is going on in the story. For example many people study for a test by watching a video on the information, others listen to a tape, and some simply write the information needed down. The graphic novel is great for students that have trouble remembering what is going on in the story just by reading it. So when pictures are involved they are able to recall an image and put the story together in a different way. A second reason as to why these two ways of telling a story are different is that although both use text to describe the story a graphic novel is able to use the text to make the reader pay more attention or less attention to certain sentences, phrases, and words. For example if in the story someone screamed “I’m going to jump” in the novel it would simply state, “and then the man screamed at the top of his lungs ‘I’m going to jump” where as in the graphic novel the illustrators’ and writers are able to play around with the graphic design aspect of the words by using different fonts and size of fonts such as “I’m going to jump!!”. This would be frowned upon in a normal novel because it should be the authors words that make the readers imagination make up how the character says what he says not the way the words are shown. These differences are nothing but good because they define why some choose novels and other chooses graphic novels. It just has to do with your preference and really how your mind works. The examples that where stated previously are also ways in which the graphic novel enhances a novel’s message to a specific audience that focuses more on the artistic aspect of how a story could be presented. However to others who enjoy respect the words of an author and feel that diction and placement of words are what really make a story come alive these artistic traits could make that audience feel that graphic novels struggle to represent the novel’s theme. In some cases even to an artist a graphic novel can miss the theme of a story by how it is presented. Such as if the graphic novel is printed in black and white and made to look as if a sketch artist designed the graphics when what the story it is telling has somewhat of a bright and colorful love theme than the message that the story is showing may be misinterpreted. The same can be the opposite if the story is supposed to have a dark gothic theme and it is printed in the brightest colors with bubbly characters and curvy text that the reader will most likely be confused as to what the story is trying to say.

This scene shows Mr. Hyde beating and eventually killing a man that was just asking directions to Mr. Uttersons house. This enhances the novel because you are able to see exactly what the beating of the man would have looked like. You can see the emotion on both mens face and how the stranger was helpless.

Graphic Novel Response

The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde graphic novel is much different from the novel when considering the lack of detail in the graphic novel and the overwhelming amount in the original novel. However you are able to understand and view the details in the graphic novel. Another great difference between the two books is the amount of imagination you get to put into the story to make it your own when reading the novel you can imagine how everything looks and how exaggerated the actions are but with the graphic novel it flat out shows you exactly how everything should look. Some of the differences are good and some are bad it really just depends on if you want to be able to make up a world when reading a book and make the people and city look the way you see it in your head. Or have it showed to you so you know exactly how it is supposed to look so that it makes sense when reading the story. If you thought of a character looking a certain way and then you see how the author intended the character to look and it is completely different it might make you like the book less. A graphic novel can enhance a novel’s message in many different ways. Obviously it is a graphic novel because it has many pictures to illustrate the author’s depiction of the characters and the scene. This helps to enhance the message because you are actually able to see what the author is saying. For example if the author said, “… and then the man swung at the monster and knocked its teeth straight out of its mouth.” There would be and illustration that went along with this text showing you exactly how the man swung and all of the emotion behind both the man and the monsters actions to what is going on. There are also many ways in which you can graphically design this scene in a graphic novel as well that will also help the reader more understand the message. If the text is very large and in a way screaming at you then the scene is most likely an important and exiting one. If it is small and very plain looking than it may also be very important but unexciting and just two people exchanging words. The graphics in the novel are just as important there are numerous amounts of ways to show emotion, excitement, and drama through the faces the colors and the way in which the image is drawn. If the image is drawn with a sloppy hand you will think differently than if it was drawn with a careful more precise hand. Along with making the reader understand the message of the novel it can also make them more confused in certain ways like reading out of order because the graphic novel tends to jump around on the page and it is very easy to skip a box or read out of order. With so much going on in a graphic novel with illustrations everywhere and words jumping out at you the image may become less important to a reader that is more interested in the artwork that is put into the book.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Summary of Chapters 8-10

Once Utterson gets back to his home he opens the letters the first one was the one he found on Dr. Jekyll's desk it is a note with the present days date on it and tells Utterson to read the letter left by Lanyon. Utterson reads the next letter, this letter explains how after dinner one night Dr. Jekyll gave a strange letter to Dr. Lanyon that consisted of instructions to break into an upper room and take a drawer. He was then to take the drawer back to his house and wait for one of Jekyll's men to come pick the objects inside the drawer which was a red liquid and salt, later that night Mr. Hyde showed up, he came inside asked for a glass mixed the two and drank it he immediately started to transform into Dr. Jekyll. The consequences of experiencing this "magic" destroyed Dr. Lanyon and made him very ill. Dr. Lanyon ends his letter by saying he is very ill and will most likely die soon because of the traumatic experience. The last chapter is Jekyll's side of the story and where he explains main points of it. He describes his experiment, how he loves Hyde, and how he has a huge problem with his double side. He then explains how Hyde ended up taking over Dr. Jekyll and he periodically became weaker and weaker because of it.

Quotes:

1. "I must here speak by theory alone, saying not what which I know, but that which I suppose to e most probable." 

- This quote from the last chapter (Dr. Jekyll's full statement of the case) is a great one because it shows that even Dr. Jekyll has no idea what is going on with himself and Hyde.

2. "Here then , as I lay down the pen and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end." 

- I love this last line of the book because it really makes you think about the greater picture and what Stevenson was really trying to say. In my opinion of course I believe that he was saying that not by killing himself did he kill Hyde but by letting the world know of his feelings in a different way other than letting Hyde take control. In other words he found a new way of release that was able to destroy Hyde because there was no need for him.

Questions: 

1. Why were there no women in the novel?

2. What would you classify Dr. Jekyll's illness or disorder as specifically?

3 Do you believe that Jekyll created Hyde within his existing personality or created another personality completely that consisted of Hyde?

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Summary Chaperters 5-7

5. After Mr. Hyde disappeared Dr. Jekyll comes out of his reclusion. He started to hold dinners for his old friends and was finally at peace once again. On the eight of January Mr. Utterson dined with Dr. Jekyll and it appeared to be exactly like old times. On the 12th and 14th however the doors of Dr. Jekyll's residence were closed to all including Mr. Utterson. And once again Dr. Jekyll had cut himself off to the world. On the fifth night the lawyer decided to accompany Dr. Lanyon for dinner. Once he entered the Dr's home he immediately noticed that he had become much balder and older looking. His quality of manner displayed an essence of terror. During the dinner the Dr. spoke of how Dr. Jekyll and himself will never meet nor speak to one another again. Once Mr. Utterson got back to his house he wrote a letter to Jekyll complaining about his exclusion from his house and what the problem was with him and Dr. Lanyon. Jekyll then writes back explaining that although there is no tension with Dr. Lanyon and himself there is no possible way they will ever speak or meet again. He then goes on to say that he has a problem and must deal with it on his own with no one interfering and asks for Mr. Utterson to respect that. Dr. Lanyon dies a week later. After the funeral Utterson locks himself in his room with a letter written by Dr. Lanyon with the expectations of opening it although it specifically says not to. He stops himself and decides to visit Jekyll once more and from then on with the same results starts to visit the house less frequently.

6. While on a walk with Mr. Einfeld Utterson sees Dr. Jekyll inside Mr. Hydes old house. Jekyll says that he is still very ill but it is great that they were able to see each other. He then goes on to say that he would invite them inside but it is unfit for the occasion and that it is best to only talk from where they are at that moment. As they speak Dr. Jekyll randomly gives a horrific look at both of the men and then shuts the window he was speaking out of. At that moment the two men turned around and walked the other direction and it was not until about a block later that the two men looked at each other with the same pale face and scared eyes.

7.  Wile at home one day Mr. Utterson receives a visit from Poole Dr. Jekyll's servant. He says that there is something terribly wrong with Dr. Jekyll and he is very scared. He then asks for Mr. Utterson to come and see him at his home. When the two men walk into the house all of Dr. Jekyll's servants are huddled together and they give a sigh of relief when seeing Mr. Utterson. Poole takes Utterson to the cabinet where he believes Dr. Jekyll is. When asking to see Mr. Utterson "Dr. Jekyll" says he will not see anyone, but it is clearly not the Dr's voice. The men leave and Poole explains that he has been in there for a long time and when he saw him run to the cabinet it did not seem like his master. He said it looked like a deformed creature with a mask on. Immediately after describing him the two come to terms that they do not think it is Dr. Jekyll in the closet they believe that it is Mr. Hyde and that he has murdered the Dr. and is still in the cabinet. Before deciding on anything Poole describes that the Dr. wrote letter secret letters and gives two of them to Mr. Utterson to take a look at. They then put a plan together to break into the cabinet and see exactly what is going on. Once they break in they see only what appears to be Mr. Hyde dead on the floor. They search the entire house looking for Dr. Jekyll and do not find him anywhere. Mr. Utterson returns home to take a look at the letters and tells Poole that he will be back in the morning and he should call the police then.

Quotes:

1. "..and sitting close beside it, taking the air with an infinite sadness of mien, like some disconsolate prisoner, Utterson saw Dr. Jekyll."

- I chose this quote one because of the way the author describes the way in which Dr. Jekyll is seen how you can paint an image in your head of a tired struggling man that is passionately sad. And second because of how he says that the Dr. is like a prisoner which he is most definitely a prisoner of himself and of what he must hide from the world.

2. "But the words were hardly uttered, before the smile was struck out of his face and succeeded by an expression of such abject terror and despair, as froze the very blood of the two gentlemen below."

- This quote is a great example of the first personal experience with Mr. Utterson and Dr. Jekyll that really show that both the Dr. and Mr. Hyde are one in the same.

Questions:

1. Is the only reason why no one thinks that the Dr. and Mr. Hyde are the same person because they look so different?

2. What do the men think when they see how Dr. Jekyll acts in the window?

3. Is there a chance they think that the Dr. could be Mr. Hyde as well even though they look so different?

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Summary Chapters 1-4

1. A Mr. Utterson is introduced to the story at the very beginning, he is a lawyer, keeps to himself, and a great friend. One of Mr. Utterson's good friends is then introduced as well his name is Mr. Enfield they both take walks everyday and it is said they have nothing in common and wile on their walks do not say a word to each other and yet make sure they are not to be disturbed. Wile walking through a quite part of town they come across a house or more importantly a door, it is at this point in which Mr. Enfield proceeds to tell a story of a man who runs over a small child and in return gets badgered by the child's mother and other witnesses including Mr. Enfield. The man gives up 100 pounds for his error and leads the angry onlookers to that house and writes a check for the money and signs it as Mr. Hyde. It is said that no one ever goes in or out of the house.

2. Mr. Utterson goes home and pulls out Dr. Jekyll's will and reads through it and sees that everything he owns would go directly to a Mr. Hyde who he has never seen before and has just currently heard of. Mr. Utterson then visits his friend Dr. Lanyon who was also a friend of Dr. Jekyll to see if he has any information on Mr. Hyde but fails to get anywhere. He then proceeds to spy on the house that Mr. Hyde supposedly lives in. Finally one day he catches him on his way into his house and speaks with him. The next day he visits Dr. Jekyll's house and coincidentally sees Mr. Hyde there sneaking around the back wile Dr. Jekyll is not home. Mr Utterson goes on to believe that Mr. Hyde is stealing from Dr. Jekyll unwilling to wait for him to pass on.

3. A fort night later Mr. Utterson eat dinner with Dr. Jekyll and others and stayed late to talk to him about his will. Once Mr. Hyde is brought up the Dr. gets somewhat offended and suggests dropping the topic. He goes on to say that he is in a very strange situation that can not be spoken of. The Dr. insists Mr. Utterson promises to abide by the will and give everything to Mr. Hyde if he ever passes and Mr. Utterson promises him.

4. One year goes by and out of no where a maid witnesses a very ugly man who is found to be Hyde murder one of Mr. Utterson's clients. He investigates the murder and searches Hyde's apartment but does not find him however he does find the weapon used for the murder as well as a checkbook. Hyde is gone even after weeks go by.

Quotes:

1. "'Hyde?' repeated Lanyon. 'No. Never heard of him. Since my time.'"

I chose this quote because it is so suspicious to me that someone fairly close to Dr. Jekyll has never even heard of the man that according to the will would get all of Dr. Jekyll's possessions.

2. "I saw Mr. Hyde go in by the old dissecting room door, Poole,' he said. 'Is that right, when Dr. Jekyll is from home?"

I find this quote interesting because it seems as if the butler is not even aware that another man is protruding around his masters home as if the man lived there.

Questions:

1. Why does Mr. Hyde run of the small child in the beginning of chapter one?

2. Why doesn't Mr. Utterson question Dr. Jekyll's reaction to the topic of Mr. Hyde?

Application Exercise 2

1.Shape: The author uses short paragraphs and great amount of detail. By doing this the reader learns a great amount in a short amount of time. 

2. Language: The authors vocabulary is very broad. The author uses complex words to make the story more interesting and give more life to characters and settings. The words give more detail to the subject being spoken about. You share the point of view of the author and it is trustworthy. 

3. Describe the situation of the work: The setting affects the events because they are set inside a train for a long period of time which is most likely cramped and will shift the emotions of those on board. Natural forces come into affect because you get to see how humans react to a situation such as that.

4. Describe your response: What really makes me understand the story is the fact that I watch many movies set in this time period and I truly love the ambiance that comes with it so I can picture the scenes very easily and the way in which the characters speak to one another and act. 

5. The works purpose was to get the feel for people reactions and ways of life. How some people live in a certain way and do not want that way to be disturbed.

Application Exercise 1

1. -Someone is looking down on another person polishing a door handle.

    -They are the same person and he looks up at him self in a mirror.

    -His fingertips bunch together.

    -He brings his hand to his forehead.

    -He extends two fingers and wiggle them.

    -It is said that the man is being watched.

    -The man makes an arc similar to a watch hand with his free hand on his opposite hand.

    -Someone speaks from around the corner.

    -He turns and the hand making the arc returns behind his back.

    -A black fist is in the mirror.

2.- You learn that the man is perhaps crazy because he has been coped up for so long. He feels as if someone is watching him at all times. And he is most likely a Black male because of the fact that a black fist shows up in the reflection of the mirror.

- He most likely does what he does because he has been alone for a very long time with not even a glimpse of the outside world.

- He wants to speak.

- Nothing.

-Because he has no freedom.

3. -The situation makes a South African prison seem like pure nothingness, a place where you have nothing and get nothing. The only thing you can do to try and keep yourself sane is by cleaning your surroundings but it will most likely not help.

- It makes the work even more emotional and dreadful.

4. -I react to this poem with a feeling of somberness and helplessness. 

- It makes me feel depressed in one hand and in the other it makes me feel free because I am not in that chamber.

- The only time I have felt that way is when I have been kept at either school or work for too long and a break was not in the near future.

5. -The title suggests that you make a prison a prison with your actions and thoughts but the only reason why you are there in the first place is because of other people.

-The title fits the poem exactly because that is basically a quick summary and exactly what the author meant for the reader to get out of it.

-I do believe the assertion the title makes because it is what could happen to anyone and it is what happens to most people. It is not the walls or the smell of a jail that makes you crazy it is you.

Man's Nature is Evil

In this completely separate article a philosopher named Hsun Tzu explains his idea of how people are born purely evil. He believes that when you are born the only way to become good and stay good is through harsh discipline. Basically Hsun writes that people are naturally born with envy and hate that will eventually lead to violence and crime unless they are disciplined. The article is an argument against Mencius and his article on how mans nature is good. To be specific Hsun writes “Goodness is the result of conscious activity.” Personally I prefer Mencius’s view on mans nature because it is more of how I view it. It is very interesting to know where Chinas way of Law and Discipline stems from. You can clearly see how much of Hsun’s thoughts transferred over to the Chinese culture. The idea of man being born entirely evil seems too strong, because if man was born evil than how does someone such as myself have feelings and have care for people. My parents did not discipline me very much as a child because it was unnecessary and yet I still feel as if I am partly good. There are more flaws to Hsun’s way of thinking than there are with Mencius’s although they can and will be argued by many. It is also interesting to think about how many would agree with each article if brought to different countries such as America and China you would most likely get people in one country choosing one side and another country choosing the other side. All due to how information was transferred over so many years ago and whose thoughts were heard by whom.

Quote 1: “If the nature of man were good, we could dispense with sage kings and forget about ritual principles.”

Explanation: I chose this Quote because it brings up a good point and that is that people must not be born fully good but people must not be born fully evil both because we do have kings and we do have people who forget about ritual principles and live life along with everyone else.

Quote 2: “A man, no matter how fine his nature or how keen his mind, must seek a worthy teacher to study under and good companions to associate with.”

Explanation: This principle is still practiced today. Your parents always tell you to have good smart friends because they have a big impact on you just as your teacher does the same. People try so hard to get into a good college because good teachers reside there and if you are taught by the best teacher you have a better chance at being the best student.

Man's Nature is Good

This article starts out with the explanation of Kung Fu Tzu and Meng Tzu or also known as Mencius and their idea of man being born either good or evil. To be more specific you are born with a "blank slate" that could go either way. The question is man forced in one direction or is it molded into either direction depending on the person. Mencius speaks of how your surroundings and the events that go on in ones life will change how much evil or goodness will come. If you are born in a time of hunger or depression you are more likely to be evil or if your parents who are considered your teachers teach you to be good you will be good. You are naturally born with both good and evil inside but what you take from life will bring one of the two out more. This article is very interesting to me because I often think about people and how they can be so evil and yet so good at the same time. Throughout your life I think you find that balance of good and evil but on your way there you find yourself stuck judging yourself making some evil decisions and some good ones. Personally I catch myself weighing the amount of good and bad decisions I have made just in one day and hope that they balance themselves out. Another reason as to why I like this article is the way Kung Fu Tzu and Meng Tzu speak and how clearly you understand exactly what they mean.

Quote 1: “The nature of things is like swirling water: channel it east and it flows east, channel it west and it flows west. And human nature too is like water: it doesn’t choose between good and evil any more than water chooses between east and west”

Explanation: I believe this is a great quote because it almost sums up Master Kao’s precise thoughts of what this article is all about and it does it in such plain and simple terminology. It is the best metaphor for fit so that you can imagine exactly what he means.

Quote 2: “When people see you’re like an animal, they think that’s all the potential you have. But does that mean this is the human constitution?”

Explanation: Although it may not pertain to the exact message this article is talking about I do believe this quote is a good one because someone’s reaction to somebody else not acting human once is normally evil towards that human but if you were to think about how that person is not normally like an animal you are judging so instead of them being the evil man you are.

The Shadow

"The Shadow" written by Carl Jung is an article focusing on the contents of personal consciousness and unconsciousness and their invariable archetypes. This article speaks of the examination of dark characteristics as well as the emotional nature behind them. The article also goes on to explain that a mans shadow can be seen easily but a different story is told when face to face with the same evil. 

This article was a very complex and difficult piece to get through. The amount of vocabulary only used by someone who has much knowledge on the specific subject is vast. This makes it hard to follow and even harder to understand. Although many examples are given some even personal to the writer which does make you continuously engaged in the reading.

Campus Space

In the Role of Design and Space the author writes about a family who decides to view the Mid-Rocky University campus. They are confused as well as disappointed due to the fact that no signs nor directions to the administration office can be found. It takes them longer than normal to find the office. It is clear that the administration itself is either unaware or doesn't care enough about their visitors to apply more material to make getting around the campus easier. My first year of high school and college have both been very similar to the situation this family was in. Both times I thought i had a good idea where my classes where but about four minutes before class is about to begin I get lost. Not only because the building is hidden but because the rout to get simply to the second floor is unseen it takes about five minutes and two laps around the first floor to find the hidden staircase. As you can most likely understand anyone could get frustrated when trying to find a building or a classroom at a fairly large college or high school.  This would definitely change the behavior of the people going or just visiting these campuses. Students not only get frustrated because they cant find the class but then they get to the class late and miss important information. A persons behavior will also change just being in a certain location in general. If your at a school I am sure you do not feel as if you were in a theme park or club. There is a certain level of excitement that comes along with the space your in the controls how much energy you gain for the activities that go on in that area. 

Comics In L.A.

Los Angeles has a population of 3,792,621 people this makes it the second most populated city in America behind New York City. L.A. was founded in September 4, 1781 by Felipe de Neve who was a Spanish Governor, however N.Y.C. can be traced back as far as 1624 making it much older. New York City also only has an area of 305 square miles. All factors are detrimental when thinking about using a major city as the base of a comic strip. Everyone knows New York City as the base of great Comics such as Spider-Man and as you can see they have many prime facts as to why they chose the great city. Now although Los Angeles may not have the numbers is is a very well known city with a lot of potential. So without solely looking at the facts as to why it is not a great comic city look at the great stories that could come from all of its perks. Consider Hollywood, a numerous amount of famous actors and actresses live in Los Angeles and could easily make a great comic strip story. Another great idea that could come from having a comic focused on in L.A. is unfortunately the amount of major gangs and violence that goes on daily. We honestly need a superhero to keep the grime down. We may not have the crowding or the Gothic look that N.Y.C. has but we definitely have an interesting and lively style that may potentially change or at least give comics a new look.

Comic Book Space

This article "I Am New York" explores the connection between New York and Marvels Comic books. It explains the relationship New York has with numerous super hero's especially Spider Man. Whedon and Cassaday say that "Spider-Man's comments about a 'whole life' spent in New York, about being 'part of a greater whole' and 'enmeshed,' speak largely to the enduring importance of New York City in the Marvel Universe." You could not find a more perfect quote to specifically explain how much New York and Marvel Comics depend on each other. Later in the article Kirby explains that "This idea of Marvel sutured to the real world through New York has also enabled the easy transition of Marvel product into other visual media, as demonstrated through Sony's highly successful Spider-Man movie franchise." This is another great point and one that just opens more and more points of view that could be looked into on the subject. The friendship between New York and Marvel Comics has made many great thinkers dream.

Public Space

Why it is a Great Park

There is a park about half of a mile from my house that is called Lazy Jay Park. This park is approximately one block long and half of a block wide, the land has been a public space for as long as I have been alive. Lazy Jay is a great fairly large park with lots of space for sports and other activities. It also has a great play area with swings and slides. Lazy Jay is a great place to bring your child to teach them how to interact with other children or even teach them sports such as how to catch a baseball.  The location of the park is on the outskirts of the San Fernando Valley which is nice because personally living on the outskirts you find that you have to drive further to get to most things such as a grocery store or the mall. Knowing that the government notices this and would place a park in the middle of all the homes is comforting. Whenever someone in that area decides to take a walk or bike ride they are more than welcome to ride through the park and get some exercising done. Many people go to the park and there are a lot of groups that gather there to get projects and meetings done. Lazy Jay is well groomed and taken care of on a regular basis so it is not at all a damper on the community, it actually makes it much better.

Reasons to Renovate

The ways in which I would renovate Lazy Jay Park would be to add more concrete to it. I have been living in the same house since I was one years old and since elementary school I have been skateboarding. I grew up getting to know many skateboarders who lived in the area. Almost every one of those friends of mine who used to skateboard do not today and one main reason for that is because there are no places to practice relatively close. If a skate park were to be added to Lazy Jay even a small one the amount of kids that would normally be home on their computers or playing video games would be out exercising. If the skate park was anywhere close to decent people from further away would come to visit it and the small businesses around it would potentially get more business which is always a good thing. The skate park could also put on events and all around support the community. The park as of now is focused mainly on the part of the community that plays sports, jogs, and has kids under the age of 10. This leaves a good amount of people in the community with absolutely no use for Lazy Jay Park. If anything another part of the community the skateboarders would have a place to go and people interested in skateboarding even a little bit would be able to go and watch stunts be performed free of charge. Another great reason for building a skate park within Lazy Jay is the mere idea of taking those skateboarders who are normally busy bothering store owners by skateboarding in front of their establishments and giving them an alternative place to skate freely.

Right to the City

The article The End of Public Space? is an article about the fight over what some call a national land mark. Peoples Park is piece of land in danger of being replaced with buildings that would become an extension of the University of California. The Chancellor of the University has proposed to build dormitories on the property that they legally own. However Peoples Park has become home to many homeless people who are scared that the place they feel free to roam will be taken away. Others argue with the school saying that by making the park no longer public you are taking away part of the community's freedom.

Favorite Quotes

- "...defenders of the park were zealous in their determination that no new structures be built there and that some of the traditional structures -- such as the stage and the 'free box' be preserved at all cost."

I chose this quote because it really hit home to how these people feel about the park. Not only would they hate for anything to change Peoples Park but they want the park to be preserved forever.

-"... not that it was a dangerous or out-of-control place but rather that it was working as it should." 

This quote is relevant because the park is and always has been working completely fine and has not disturbed the community and in many was has probably saved the community a lot of trouble because without the park there would be no place for the homeless to go.

Ideal Study Space

Imagine a room with wood floor making it easy for any chair with wheels to glide from one side to the other especially a customized lazyboy recliner made especially for working on any task. This chair would be equipped with the greatest pencil sharpener whole puncher wireless mouse that is hooked up to the two enormous flat screen monitors that make up one of the four walls. These two flat screens make typing essays, reports and blog posts as easy as possible. There are also compartments attached to this chair for storage and placed in one of the many storage compartments is a remote that controls not only the large monitors but three fans that hang from the ceiling for when it gets hot and the heater that is directed towards the object that the next button controls which is a desk that is as wide as one of the entire walls. This desk is automatically collapsible to make room for other activities and projects and because it is attached to the wall it does not have legs to keep it up. This allows more leg room which makes whoever is studying much more comfortable. The main points to this study space are comfort, simplicity, and organization. Comfort has already been explained, the simplicity comes with the amount of furniture in the room. The only furniture in the entire room is the desk and the chair. The walls are painted a light grey that is not too bright and not too dark to maintain a professional style. The desk is white and has two led lights built into it so that when projects that concern drawing or tracing come up they can be done with ease. The entire ceiling is also made up of lights making no one part of the room darker or brighter than the other. Going back to the simple colors in the room the lazyboy is made up of actual wood with a nice shiny clear coat finish and black leather, again to make it look simple and professional. The remote I spoke about previously would also have a button on it that would deal specifically with two windows. One window is located on one wall and takes up the entire upper half and the other is on the opposite wall with the same dimensions. These are placed in this way so that once you decide to roll the windows down you get a nice air flow that goes straight through the center of the room. You can also control the blinds and tell them whether to be shut or open or up or down. My last edition to this great dream work space would be artwork all around hung up on the walls that aren’t being used. These pieces of work would be my own, pieces that I myself have created. They would be beautiful vibrant pieces that I can change without taking them down I can move them around my wall like an app on an ipad.

My Study Space

My study space consists of a fairly wide authentic looking wooden desk. On this desk sits my laptop that hooks up to another monitor so I can view two pages at once. Next to my Laptop on the left side sits my printer. The lighting comes from four lights all facing different directions from the center of the ceiling giving a respectful amount of light to all four walls. I like to keep everything very clean and in order so that when I do sit down to work I have no distractions and can focus on certain tasks. The theme I would give my room would be professional. Although it is not necessarily boring I do have many framed posters and canvases on my walls to make the room more artsy and interesting. This is something I like about my workspace as well as the fact that it is an area where I can go and disappear from the world around me with nothing but a door to get in and out and a window that pears out over the houses in my neighborhood. I also like the fact that my entire house is located on the outskirts of the San Fernando Valley so it is already very quite. Some things I do not like about my work space is that I occasionally like distractions when I work I feel as if when I am in an environment that is completely quite makes me a little depressed. I cannot stand to stay in my work area too long without at least putting on some music or taking a break from the silence anyway possible. Another dislike I have with my workspace is something that I cannot do without. My computer consists of the Internet, which is very hard to resist, and is one of my biggest distractions. Although I do have the Internet to distract me I have made sure that there is no way a television would ever be place in my workspace. One piece of furniture that I am proud to have in my workspace that is a minor distraction but would never take out is a record player. Although it is a little distracting I find that I actually get work done faster when listening to music. My workroom has a combination of colorful paintings and other artwork as well as business like grey walls and wooden antique like furniture. The only space I have for storage is under my bed so I do have a lot of storage type boxes sitting in corners which ends up taking up a lot of space so my desk is quite close to my bed and when I set down to work I end up having trouble getting around because my floor is carpeted and my chair is supposed to be able to role around but sadly it does not. This is a pain but on the good side it makes it so when I do sit down I will not get up for a wile.

“The Veldt” Summary

In Ray Bradbury’s story “The Veldt” a mother and father to two young children witness a psychological change within their children. The story is set in a futuristic time when more or less everything is done for you. People do not cook they don’t even rock their own chairs. People have become lazy and unable to live without technology. The story revolves around a single room called the nursery. This room was made specifically for the children. Any thought the two of them had would virtually appear on all for walls making it seem as if you are someplace else completely. The mother and father become weary of what the kids are imagining because every time they go into the nursery they find themselves in the middle of Africa with lions nearby ripping some poor animal apart. Later the parents find that the nursery’s were constructed to be able to see the thought of children to psychologically diagnose them easier. So after getting a psychologist in to look at the scene of Africa they figure out that the kids are actually mad at the parents for threatening to shut the house down and live without technology. They also find out that what the lions were ripping apart was actually them.

My thought on “The Veldt”

These children were obviously grown up in a family that relied on their electronic home. So in this case they sought their house as a part of their family and probably the most important member of their family because it supplied them with things that they loved. In a family like the ones we have today this love would have gone directly and solely to their parents because they are the ones that are cooking and cleaning and taking care of them. As parents they did raise these children wrong in my eyes because they did not have much of a part in their lives. Their home did more for them than anybody else ever did so by taking that away they don’t have much at all. Now when considering the lions tearing up the parent however I think that that is a bit too gruesome. I don’t think any child should be thinking thoughts such as that no matter how angry they are. It also doesn’t seem as if the children didn’t get disciplined at all and pretty much just got whatever they wanted. So when the slightest things are taken away from them or when they are not allowed to do something they want, they have a temper tantrum. Basically these children are very spoiled and need a sense of appreciation for the things that they have. And the parents in this case along with probably the entire society need to not be so lazy although their technology has become very advanced and the need to cook, clean, or even rock themselves to sleep is not needed. It doesn’t matter what state the world is in and how far technology goes cultures will have the same values and one strong value is to take care of your children and this did not happen.

Thesis

Is there such thing as too advanced when it comes to artificial intellegence?

"Dreamland"

Late fall 2008 a man named Keith Colons sits inside a Coffee shop located in the San Fernando Valley and starts to remember the day like it was yesterday. More than 45 years prior to this day Colons had stumbled into a situation that was unforgivable. In 1963 on the South Shore of Groom Lake 100 miles from Downtown Las Vegas is a top secret "Military Base" it has been called "Dreamland", "Paradise Ranch", but most popular "Area 51." This base has been home to numerous cosperacy theory's but no one has ever come forward to explain what really goes on there. Keith Colons was a test pilot for undercover aircraft's and flew over Area 51 on a regular basis. One day a top secret aircraft malfunctioned and he went down one mile from the military base. He is now able to recall the events that went on that day. He remembers a truck with three men hanging out of it rushing to get him inside. He was placed in the most confined room he had ever been in. This room was pearl white from the floor to the ceiling with no windows one door and a single chair. No longer than ten minutes later a team of men came in and inspected his injuries. He had minor injuries but could not walk very well so was wheeled to a near by cart to travel to the opposite side of the base. Colons starting to clutch his chair goes on with his story. They took a bag and placed it over his head unable to see anything he was transferred half a mile to the surgical area. With every room that was passed a different noise was heard. Scratching and Grinding. One noise in particular caught his attention most of all, it was the sound of dogs barking. About ten seconds after hearing a powerful bark from what had to be a nearby dog the vehicle he was in had been attacked by the dogs. He was able to get the bag off of his head and hid behind a nearby tank of some kind of liquid. He was able to get to his feet and not knowing exactly what was going on new he had to get another mode of transportation to get out. As Colons looks around he sees an suv in a nearby covered area labeled "Dreamland." He also sees what looks like a dog that had been shot near by. What he comes to realize is that it is not a dog, it is a machine dressed up in realistic fake flesh and hair. It had all the same characteristics of a dog except a lack of bones and added mechanisms that made it move exactly like one. As he limps over to the dog he hears more of them in the building that he suspects they must have broken out of. He finds another cart and instead of leaving he sneaks into the building to see what was going on. What he finds is a kennel full of malfunctioning robotic pets that have been locked away. What is even more bizarre is what he finds next in the building labeled "Dreamland." In this building he finally figures out the purpose of this top secret "Military base." As he walks into the building he walks into a test world made up of functioning men, women, pets, servants, and everything you would need to have an ideal society made entirely of machines.

The Experience Machine

Have you ever had a great dream that you never wanted to wake up from but sadly had to at some point? What if you didn’t have to wake up, would you? In the article “The Experience Machine” Harvard Philosopher Robert Nozicks idea of a machine that gives you any experience you desire is explained. This machine has the power to insert you into a world (a dream world) where you feel as if you can do anything. This includes directing an award winning movie, perform a guitar solo for the president, or even become the president. This is all happening as your actual body floats in a tub with electrodes attached to your brain. This machine even has the power to release you from the world every two years so that you can choose a life for yourself and change it to try something new. In a single life time you would be able to experience going to the moon, writing a novel, pitching in the world series, and much more. But as you’re enjoying this fake reality what is actually going on back in actual reality? This is the fact that concerns me the most. While everyone is living their dreams who are the unlucky few that takes care of earth wile everybody’s gone? If this is as amazing as it seems to be why would anyone not jump into their ideal life? Another question that gets raised is, while in the fake world do you get any sense of accomplishment? If I knowingly jumped into a dream land and become the best director of all time there would be no success there would be absolutely no thrill. And if the machine was made to erase your original mind will in the new world wouldn’t it just be an elongated dream? In this case every time someone created a family or fell in love in this dream world they would just wake up from it in two years and have to start all over again. While back on earth my body is nothing but skin and bones. There is absolutely no real emotion in anyone. If you really think about it however we already have something equivalent to this in many ways. The chemical that is used to knock someone out for a tooth pulling or surgery is very similar to the experience machine. Although you cannot pick your destiny you will one hundred percent of the time get thrown into a new world. Even with this chemical you are able to leave reality and just by having that power people get a glimpse of what it would be like if this experience machine were ever created. And if it is ever created I don’t think I could ever use it because I would be afraid of the real world and its disappointments. I would also be afraid of how many people in my life right now I would lose to this machine. Friends and family that would try it and never want to come back to everyone else who remains on earth.

Panopticon

Imagine a world where classrooms are set up like investigation rooms with absolutely no knowledge of what is on the other side of the one way mirror having the intentions of always keeping you in line, would it work? This idea sounds terrifying and overpowering, if I were in that classroom I would feel like an animal being watched at the zoo. This is not something I would ever like to imagine actually happening and do not believe it would ever work. If this were to come into effect my prediction would be that the bad students would still do bad things and the good students have nothing to worry about. If I walk down the street today and constantly have a patrol car follow me yes it would be very annoying but in reality it would just be a waste of their time because I know that I will not do anything illegal. Although I have nothing to hide this bugs me because it is completely unconstitutional. By putting this idea into motion the government is treating us like a test subject. However I am all for using this idea in jails all over because those are the specific type of people you need to be watching constantly. Using this practice of maybe watching and maybe not the inmates will have to stay on their toes at all times. But by using this concept in both prisons and public schools makes them feel the same. If I were to walk into this futuristic school I would already feel as if I had done something wrong to get there and I doubt that would make a better environment. 

1984 Questions

1. What is the significance of the posters that read: BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU? Who is Big Brother?

- Big Brother would be considered anything to do with the government in this case in chapter one it would be the helicopter patrolling the houses or the T.V. that listens to your every word. The significance is that you have no idea when your "big brother" is actually watching you so your always on your toes.

2. Where do we see evidence of panopticism in the novel?  

- In this novel you see evidence of panopticism with the poster it reveals that "Big Brother" is watching you but you have no idea if "he" really is or is not. It is just the possibility that makes you scared.

3. What is the telescreen, how is it used and what is its purpose?

- The telescreen is a flat dull mirror looking object that is a part of a wall in your house. This object spits out information "Big Brother" has chosen for you to listen to. The telescreen can not be turned off only turned down.It receives and transmits simultaneously so whatever you say above a very soft whisper it will pick up.

4. What is the significance of the Party slogans: WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH!

- The significance of  these slogans are that they are exact opposite. They are saying that war is good, freedom is bad, and that you should be ignorant to whatever we are doing because you have no say in it anyways.

5. Who are the Thought Police and what do they do?

- The Thought Police are undercover police men or women who watch for people who might possibly have intentions that are unfit for their society.

6. What is the Two Minutes Hate and what is its purpose?

- The Two Minutes Hate is a time where Emmanuel Goldstein a supporter of the counterrevolutionary  somehow got onto the telescreen and voiced his opinion on Big Brother and rambled on about his ideas and conspiracies.

7. Why does Winston begin writing in the diary?

- The book says that the reason for Winston picking picking up the diary in the first place was the geography of the room.

8. How would you feel if you lived in this world?

- Personally I would hate to live in this world i would feel confined and not free at all. If this were the world we lived in now I would try my hardest to get out and get as far away as I could, maybe live in the wild.

9. In what ways is our world like this world?

- Some similarities between this world and our current world would be the way in which our police patrol the streets and on some occasions hide around corners to sneak up and catch you doing something wrong. Another similarity would be the fact that our government is trying to censor what websites we are allowed to go to.

10. Do you think it is possible for our world to become like this one in the future? In what ways?

- I think in some ways we are already like this world and in others it would be very hard to become like it because of the amount of citizens that would give their lives to have actual freedom. If our government were to start taking control like they did in this story our public would fight back with full force because of the way we have grown up already in our society full of free minds. But anything is possible.

Bonus: What is Orwell's purpose in writing this novel?

- I believe that Orwell's purpose for writing this novel was to open everyone's eyes to what could possibly become if we the people do not hold our ground and hold onto our freedom.

Bonus II: What is totalitarianism?

- Totalitarianism is when the government or state has complete control of everything that goes on.

“Humans like Machines” and “Artificial Minds”

               

  For this assignment I read two articles one called “Humans like Machines” and the other called “Artificial Minds” both of these articles explained how it is completely possible for machines to have minds like humans. So this would mean that robots would not only be able to walk and talk like us but think for themselves and feel pain as well as other human like details. As you might be able to tell I am not at all for this futuristic iRobot technology. This type of stuff scares the bajeesis out of me, I am completely fine with a robot butler or something like that where I tell it what to do and it does it. But when we give them feelings and their own thoughts what makes them unable to think how a serial killer thinks and just think how difficult it would be trying to stop a robot serial killer that can’t necessarily die although it does feel pain it still is a robot. I heard recently that scientists found a way to use a known flu or virus as a weapon and whether this is true or not isn’t it the same concept. For the sake of argument let’s say that this is true wouldn’t it be one of those things like the atomic bomb that we just might want to erase from our scientists minds and not release it to the world so that it doesn’t get used against us? In my human mind I feel like there are some things that should be kept under wraps. This is one of those things.

Surrogate Questions

1. What are the advantages/disadvantages of a surrogate?

-The advantages of having a surrogate would be crime rates dropping, good looks and not nearly as many health problems if any.

-The disadvantages would be loosing certain feelings of accomplishment or difference that you would have walking around in your own body such as working out to achieve great abs or enjoying your time with someone  as you and not as some robot.

2. Would you want to try a surrogate? Why or why not?

-The only reason I would try a surrogate is to do things I wouldn't normally do that might be dangerous but then again i wouldn't want to because the sense of accomplishment for that act is gone because it isn't really you that is trying the stunt its your robot body.

3. In the film, it says that 98 percent of the population uses surrogates. Why would society be so eager to be someone else--someone beautiful and perfect? What does this say about our society?

-The majority of our society will do anything to look and feel perfect just look at lip injections and random procedures such as that. Those same people will also spend however much to make it happen and don't care if it takes away other feelings such as love or accomplishments because they don't care much about those feelings. This makes our society look emotionless and in my eyes a little careless.

4. In the film the company VSI's company slogan is: "Life... Only Better." If you experience something via a surrogate--- is it real? Is the experience better?

-I would not consider the experience real at all and I feel like there wouldn't even be an experience since you know your not in danger of getting hurt you might not feel the same feeling of excitement or get scared at all.   

The Loss of The Real

The Loss of the Real is an article that explains how technology as twisted our ability to sence what is real or not. It explains the specific type of mechanical animals that you would see at Disney Land and how they are nothing like real animals you would see in the wild or even at a zoo. The author then goes on to explain the "artificial Crocodile Effect" this effect gives an animal such as a bird or an elephant emotions just like a human. Disney uses this effect to attract children and lead them to believe that animals are able to communicate and interact with humans.

Quotes

1. "artificial crocodile effect, makes the fake seem more compelling"

- I have grown up watching disney movies and to this day think they are one of the greatest things to ever happen. This artificial crocodile effect although is true i dont think it harms anyone.

2. "Now they just want to talk online. it used to be that things weren't so artificial". 

-Personaly I dont talk online at all but i dont connect being artificial and talking online to a friend at all i dont understand why they are being put together.

Questions to the Auther

1. Did you watch any Disney movies or go to Disney Land as a child?

2. Would you bring your child to Disney Land or let them watch a Disney movie knowing about the "artificial crocodile effect"?

Summary of "Society is Dead, We Have Retreated into the iWorld"

After admitting that Andrew Sullivan the author of "Society Is Dead, We Have Retreated into the iWorld" uses an ipod he explians the problem with them and society. He says that our decisions about people should not be chosen randomely on line bu in person by geting to know the people around you. This is ruined due to ipods because everyone would rather be left alone with their music.

Quotes

1. "Human beings have never lived like this before."

-I chose this quote because i feel that it doesnt matter at all that we havnt lived like this we are humans and are changing constantly. Its like saying we had never lived the same now as we did before automobiles.

2. "You get your news from your favorite blogs, the ones that wont challenge your view of the world."

-I believe that every News station out their is bias and that you will be able to find a blog that just simply tells you what happened without making you think on one side.

Questions

-What do you think about colleges constantly using the internet to get information to students?

-Do you think the news stations have no bias opinons about everything that gets covered?

No Music for Twenty Four Hours

So a couple of days ago I was assigned to go twenty four hours with either no texting no facebook or no listening to music. Since I don’t text much or go on facebook I decided to challenge myself by putting the ipod away for a day. It was not very hard and actually kind of peaceful. My life doesn’t necessarily revolve around electronics although I do use them a lot especially my ipod. Not only did I recently stumble upon a great artist and one of my favorite’s rite now named Ed Sheeran but I also got brand new beats by dre headphones so the 24 hours were actually pretty difficult because of the urge of wanting to discover more great music. This experience definitely opened my eyes to how involved in the music world I actually am and how often I’m trying to find new artists that haven’t hit the scene yet. The hardest part of this assignment was driving back and forth to school and all around the valley with no music what so ever. This act could possibly drive someone actually insane. Thankfully I’m ok and hopefully didn’t miss any good new songs on kroq or Jack fm. Out of all of my choices for this project this was definitely the hardest because I could live the rest of my life without if not just facebook than the entire internet. I could also live on without texting but It does come in handy every once in a wile.

Jacob Anderson is a first year student at California State University of Northridge. Unsure what exactly to study he is undeclaired at the moment. On his journey through college he must complete various projects and tests. His most recent project concerns the internet and its impact on society.