10 Books

From what I learned in Literature and Media Studies is a better understanding of how ideas are translated onto different mediums. This class helped me appreciate literature more because of all the good books we read and discussed in class. Some notable works were The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, and Sleep Donation by Karen Russell. Being an individual that doesn’t read books often, its never because I don’t enjoy reading. In a world where time is limited and there are plenty of books to be read, it is hard to stumble upon a literary work that is interesting for me.

From my last experience with books before this class would be in high school. Some books I remember reading is Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Animal Farm by George Orwell and the short story I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison. I know I have read more than that in my life but these works are significant to me.

Some books that I have heard of but didn’t read yet and would like to read includes A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. A book I remember reading but didn’t finish is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. A lot of my book choices are often from other people’s recommendations and a lot of the books I read are pretty old. I find that good writing is recognized a while after it is written which makes it hard to find good books written recently. 

Trumpman Them Boyz Up To Sumthang

I chose this Donald Trump picture on the internet because I find it satirical yet not far from the truth. He is the type of person who would be able to get attention because of his outlandish and aggressive attitude, using his business experience and wealth to help him throughout his campaign. My biggest deal with Trump is that  internet eats up his every move. There seems to be no stopping to face appearing randomly on the internet somewhere from news article, videos, and internet memes. The interesting thing about the internet is the wide range of opinions that can go from intellectual debates on political viewpoints to literally shitting on Donald Trump because he is a joke. In this picture, Donald Trump is compared to people who go purging. For anyone who doesn't know what that means, they are people who enjoying doing all illegal things like murdering, stealing, rape and all that good stuff. It relates to him since he probably does all the things I said anyway (Indirectly or directly, who knows?). I think the most important part of the picture is the incorporation of lowbrow humor to the overall message which is "Donald Trump and his son do not look like people you would trust".

My voice

As an artist, there are options to decide in your art making. One particular focus that I am working on is my company, Sigi Squad. It is a brand of clothing and accessories such as stickers and patches. I want to use apparel as a canvas for my art and to represent my voice as an artist. So far I’ve been working on this project on and off for a couple of years and it helps me get a sense of the business aspect of the art industry. My voice is visually represented through my illustrations and graphics as well as color choices and collaborations with other artists with similar tastes. My work is supposed to get me motivated to complete bigger projects with my own ideas. Knowing that I have full control over what kind of work I am making is better than working for someone else.

Paul Thomas Anderson

After watching the short film, Cigarettes and Coffee by Paul Thomas Anderson, I didn’t know he directed Boogie Nights so I decided to watch that since I’ve heard of it but never seen it before… and boy, I did not expect that. After that, I watched There Will Be Blood featuring the dude from Gangs of New York. My first impression of Paul Thomas Anderson is that he is a very talented director who is able to make a movie out of any topic really. What made his films stand out from others is his ability to make things interesting through presentation and playing with human emotion. In Boogie Nights, I did not expect the main protagonist to be about a dude who is well endowed and for me to feel bad for him when his mom kicks him out. Anderson keeps it very clear with visual narrative as I noticed in all three films. The visual clues and context made it easy to understand what was going on in the opening sequences of Anderson’s work. There is also a good blend of different shot types to keep it new and refreshing.

His name is similar to another great director, Wes Anderson, which I talked about earlier this semester. After analyzing both directors, I noticed some similarities and differences between them. Compared to Wes Anderson, his style is slower paced version because he heavily relies on the actor’s performance to persuade the audience (And not shot in one-point perspective). Some similarities are the use of long take shots and compositional planning. In my opinion, I prefer P.T. Anderson better because his style and more intense and interesting to watch.

In-class writing 10/28/15

1. Are there any prominent symbols in the story? If so, what are they and how are they used?

The main character/ mad scientist mentions some of the prominent symbols in the story. Terms like experiments, Martians, and the world are used more often than not. An example would be when the scientist tried to apologize to his girlfriend’s father about his actions (unstated) when they were having a conversation about Martians. He also mentions that the Martians are taking over the world. The scientist also talks a lot about his scientific progress and achievements throughout the reading and mentions his laboratory, all the work he has done and his secret double life (Probably related to the Martians).

2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the work, with which you were able to connect.

I connect most with the secrets kept in a relationship when the character mentions about his “evil” side and all the things his girlfriend doesn’t know about him. The predicament of either revealing your true self to somebody or not has a significant impact on the main character’s relationship with his girlfriend.

3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use?

One thing I find interesting is the information you get from the context of an apology letter. If I were to make this into a film, I would add scenes that would take place before the letter is written. Maybe even have the opening scenes a close-up of the girlfriend holding the letter. I think the voice of the author captured a lost romance that this character is reminiscing about. The choice in words that described their relationship was well written as well as the format of the letter. Because of this, I would choose to have a voice over narrator read certain passages of the letter and have actors portray some of the events that are mentioned. I can imagine a combination of a mad scientist movie like Dr. Strangelove and a romantic chick flick like Dear John.