Thursday, March 25, 2010

Blog 7

My experience in English class has been pleasant. From the first day we were thrown into writing and reading. I've been out of the loop for a few years so it was refreshing. I never learned about philosophy in the past so when I started this class it was interesting. Our reading assignments are very insightful. The trip to the museum was fun and educational. I don't have any questions about the class. Everything is direct and clear.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Blog 6: The Matrix

The film “The Matrix” directed by Andy Wachowki is a movie filled with symbolism. The movie explores the idea of reality and illusion. Everything in the film has a meaning behind it. It can be interpreted many ways which I did. From religion to reference to other movies and even names.
Reality in “The Matrix” is a huge illusion. If I were in “The Matrix” I would want to know the truth. Ignorance may be bliss but I rather feel and experiance things in their true form. Neo and the other chracters fighting the agents were seeking justice and the truth. They wanted a real meaningful life. Above all freedom is what is important. It is what I ultimately want. Reality and knowledge is what the the red pill gave Neo.
While watching the film I noticed that we today have a close bond with our technology. This can be extremely dangerous. They may have the ability one day to control us or even become us. I already consider myself a cyborg. As the years pass I add more technology to my life to do things for me. The practicality of one day living in the matrix is not so bizarre. People and machines are not that different to me. The computer has a brain, which is a lot like ours and other components that are similar. And it’s only in the beginning stages when you really look at it. We may become the matrix on our own by adding technology to our daily lives and one day want to rebel because we went too far.
The names of the characters all have a meaning behind them and for the most part are religious. The name neo means “new”. He was the main character in the film that would be the “new” force in the Matrix. Morpheus who was the captain of the leader of the Nebuchadnezzar, which is the ship of the human defense, is named after a Greek god which is the god of dreams. He awakens Neo. Trinity, which is the most obvious, is Neo’s love interest. Trinity in Christianity stands for The Father ,The Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is the way Christians believes you reach eternal life. Trinity revives Neo in the film, which supports the meaning of her name. One last example is Cypher, which means zero and is closely associated with the devil and Judas. I could immediately tell he resembled Judas when he betrayed Morpheus his leader.
The Matrix from what I’ve observed does closely resemble Alice in Wonderland. Alice and Neo are both thrown into an unfamiliar reality. There are both being led by another character to ultimately accomplish a goal. They discover new things in a strange reality. Reality becomes hard to tell from fiction, which is a huge part of both movies. Another movie that shares a lot of similarities with the Matrix is Shutter Island. Leonardo Decaprio plays a patient named Teddy in a mental institution who believes he is a detective uncovering an unethical conspiracy involving testing on the human brain. It takes a while for both Neo and Teddy to grasp their reality after living in an illusion.
“The Matrix” is a well thought out screenplay. It was filled with many things from different sources. It made me think hard about humans and machines. It also made me think how previous movies I had watched. It even made me think of today’s world and where we are going. Is this what we have to look forward to? Time will tell.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Blog 5

After reviewing my syllabuses I have ordered the important assignments and test for each course. For American Film written assignment one is due March 23rd. My fist test for this course is April 4th that is based on films and material in lecture notes and reading assignments. Written assignment two is due April 20th. Test two is April 24th based on films and assignments. Test three is on May 25th also based on films and assignments. On May 27th we must prepare our oral film analysis. We must finish by June 3rd. After reviewing my syllabuses I have ordered the important assignments and test for each course. For American Film Written assignment one is due March 23rd. My fist test for this course is April 4th that is based on films and material in lecture notes and reading assignments. Written assignment two is due April 20. Test two is April 24th based on films and assignments. Test three is on May 25th also based on films and assignments. On May 27th we must prepare our oral film analysis. We must finish by June 3rd.
Mass Communications syllabus isn’t too detailed. The assignments are posted on blackboard. Each week there are about roughly three questions to answer. Week seven, which is from April 18th to the 24th, we have a Mid-term project due. On Ideology; Propaganda. From May 30th to June 4th.
For English Composition 1 and Research Paper we were instructed to make a blog and look for our assignments on Dr. C. Jason’s blog of our class. An essay is due March 22nd based on the movie The Matrix. So far we have had six blogs that will be evaluated March 23rd and a quiz will be given as well. I shouldn’t encounter any problems getting all my work done.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Blog 4: Truman Syndrome

Truman Syndrome is believed to be is a culture-based delusion. The people who suffer this psychological delusion believe they are in a television show or are being monitored like Truman Burbank in the film "The Truman Show". These people basically think the world they live in isn’t real. They even go as far as at times believing people and events are fabricated all together. They become enraged and lash out at certain people and things. This makes the condition dangerous. These patients usually make direct reference to the film “The Truman Show” and other movies and books like it. I can see how a person could “feel” there life is staged and everyone is in on it but I don’t understand how someone could actually “believe” it. Sometimes life can feel rehearsed and fake. A sane person knows that your whole life can’t be a show or staged with actors and cameras everywhere. Truman Syndrome affects the person so much at times that they have to take antipsychotics and antidepressants. They even go to therapy sessions. A person suffering from Truman Syndrome once went, as far as to almost committing suicide because they wanted to be released from the “reality show". This syndrome appears to link pop culture and mental physical conditions. I used wisegeek.com and cnnhealth.com to look up this condition. I believe they are reliable because they basically mentioned the same exact thing about the condition. The Truman Syndrome could also be just a new twist on an old condition.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Blog 3: The Truman Show

Truman Burbank in “The Truman Show” reaches a point in the film where he discovers the true nature of his life. This discovery motivates him to find the truth about everything. He awakens from a life he thought he knew. Truman no longer accepts a world that has been handed to him. Many people go along with a hand thats dealt to them.
Christof the person who controls Truman Burbank’s life feels that his ambition to find the truth is nothing but a small phase. He thinks if he really wants to discover the reality of things there’s no way to stop him. That statement is really challenged when Burbank attempts to find the truth. He is faced with every obstacle imaginable. He eventually succeeds and reaches the real world. Truman’s triumph says a lot about the roll of free will in our lives. We as humans have the ability to think freely. We do not however have the right to act freely. Depending on the situation you may not be able to even voice your opinions without restraint. Everyone is restricted at a certain level, which is enforced by others or yourself; it can even be a combination of both. We are shaped by our environment, experiences, and imagination among other things. The issue is when things that are representations of something else and not its actual self. This begins to build a false reality such as Truman’s life. Everything was a representation of something else. When he tried to break free it was nearly impossible which is the same for our world we live in.
Our free will is limited. We have laws, regulations, time frames, currency, fears that stop us from discovering truths we don’t know exist. Fear can be instilled in us by false ideas we have or were told, for instance when your mother tells her child not to make funny faces because their face will stay that way. This is a perfect example of how from childhood we are faced with false ideas that prevent us from doing what we want. Yes indeed we do grow up and learn that certain things are false but sometimes we never have the ability to figure it out.
We do have the free will to discover what we want if we know what were looking for. Our roll that Truman resembled showed how we should question things against all criticism. He illustrated the way we should be determined to find answers. Even when you encounter people who believe your wrong and believe you are making mistakes, you must at times use your free will to discover your truth. Truman turned on everyone who loved him and even risked his life for something he believed in. That is something exceptionally brave people do. They use their power to think and question in combination with free will to get answers. Answers may not always be there if we try to find them but we can get closer. We don’t know if Truman ever got any closure or satisfaction of finding the real world. What is certain is that truth is what we all have a desire to obtain in its pure form not corrupted by anyone or anything.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Blog 2

“The Allegory and the Cave” is a fictional story written by Plato. It’s an allegory. An allegory is a representation of something that is complex with something physical. In the story Plato writes about a group of people chained in a cave. They are unable to see anything but a wall in front of them. On the wall are shadows created by a fire and objects such as people and animals passing it. The prisoners naturally mistake all the things they see as reality. The prisoners know of nothing else. When they see a shadow they automatically assume its the literal object, instead of understanding that the shadow is just that a mere shadow. The names of forms are real objects to the bond people in the cave.
Plato shows through “The Allegory and the Cave” that we rely on forms heavily for our reality. Socrates, Plato’s instructor, is the person telling the story about the prisoners in the story. He suggest that if the a prisoner was let free he would first reject that the sun holds all the responsibility for the shadows. He would be shown that the shadows are not the literal objects. The newly freed prisoner would reject this new found knowledge because it is not comprehensive to him. Socrates later also says eventually the prisoner would understand if forced to see actuality. Socrates proposes as well if the prisoner would to share his discovers with the others in the cave they would immediately discard his “ideas”. They would think he was tainted and would even try to slay him if he tried to let them go. Plato tells through the story that mankind makes his own reality through forms and some can discover the true nature of things. However ,even if the true nature of things is discovered it may be mistaken for something false and the cycle continues.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_Cave

http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/cave.htm

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Blog 1: I am a Cyborg

A Cyborg can be defined as a person who is attached to technology physically or metaphysically. In the physical aspect a person can literally have artificial components in their body, such as an artificial heart or robotic arm etc. On the other spectrum would be the metaphysical which is the interaction with technology and dependence on it. It is beyond the physical. In today’s world it is almost impossible to go about your day without coming into contact with technology. In some instances it is a necessity. It is a way of survival. Technology becomes more sophisticated by every passing day. I am most defiantly a Cyborg metaphysically and one day in the future physically as well.
Technology is not only a tool but my life. From the minute I was born technology was introduced to me. Monitoring my heart rate, assuring I was healthy. My earliest memories involve video games and television. When I began school a requirement was to pass computer class. It introduced me to another brain that was separate from mine but linked in some manner. As the years passed the computer and I became more attached. It involves a lot of technique and discipline. At times I feel I am one with my computer.
Besides the computer there are many devices I use to go about my day which makes me a Cyborg, for instance something as simple as my transportation. To even begin the process of traveling I buy a metro card with my credit card. I no longer have to physically have money on me. I use the subway daily to get where I need to be. I cannot use the subway without my metro card. When I get into the train I rarely have to do much thinking. The train announces the stops and the direction its heading. It even tells me about delays and changes. In my life I have other devices to do much of my thinking for me.
One major device that makes me a certified Cyborg is my cell phone. It has become the center piece of my life. It keeps me connect with most of the world. Cell phones have become so advanced that I can do many things on it just as if I were on my computer. I download applications that help me with my daily life. There’s an application for almost anything you can think of. I’m almost never without it. I feel like its part of me. I believe this will only become truer as time progresses.
At any moment I can seen with electronic device. Whatever the device may be it is helping me in some way. It gives structure to my life. Granted I can probably go sometime without technology but it would not be a productive time. Technology is a wonderful tool that advances the world and makes life easier. Eventually we will all be Cyborgs if we’re not all already. It seems to be unavoidable. The possibilities are endless.
 
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Staying Sane by Christoher Negron is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.