V for Venglish

     V for Vendetta is quite an AMAZING novel. After learning that the movie I previously viewed is actually the recreation of a novel, I was caught by complete surprise and disappointment. I didn't believe that such a miraculous movie could get any better; this novel would not do it justice, especially if it is in the format of a comic book. However, I was proven wrong. The unique thematic elements used in the novel successfully represented the effects of revolutionary resistance on a particular society. The results of this are quite a convincing case for many of V's methods making the story much more engaging.
     I think that the effects of revolution and the resistance to said revolution are quite accurately portrayed in the novel through the use of a few thematic elements. In a world in which the government controls what the people watch, read, listen to, where they can go and when they can go there, revolution is an amazing mode of change. Especially when the discrimination of homosexuals, african americans and also the ban of certain works of art, books, even the ban of roses, the retaliation of the people is reasonable. Especially in the story of Valerie; which pertains to all of these taboo elements. She was abducted out of her own home by the government due to her homosexual orientation. Her story and integrity inspired a large, fiery passion within Evey Hammond's own heart, encouraging her to stand up for her own integrity and free herself from the control that the government had on her. Although Evey was "happy" and content with where she was, she was imprisoned, nonetheless. This supports V's beliefs that the people are living in bondage. After freeing Evey and using the intimidation image of the government to set her free, even from death, he makes it quite apparent that the people are truly living in the Faraway Tree, instead of the "Land of Do-As-You-Please."
     Many people have lost respect for comic books and undermine the validity of it being actual literature. I believe that that this novel is proof that that is not true. The comic book format actually magnifies several aspects of the story that the traditional format could not. For example, when Gordon is murdered, the picture magnified the series of dramatic flashbacks that Evey had of her mother dying worked out exceptionally well. Rather than using just words, the pictures provided an effect that would have been merely glimpsed over in any other format. Another prime example is when Evey is listening to Bishop lilliman's sermon and it provides the voice over for the murder of the guards  taking place at the exact same time outside, or the singing of the vicious caberet that plays through a series flashbacks throughout the lives of many characters in the novel in the prelude to the second book. In both of these examples, it is evident that two actions are taking place for two seperate reasons, however, their functions complement one another. Only in this format would something as unique as this be understood and provide the same caliber of quality. These made the story EXTREMELY engaging and I concentrated on both the pictures, and the words; more so the words.
    
    

Moretti- Taking on a Different Perspective

     Moretti takes full advantage of an extremely peculiar way of approaching the literature genre. He chooses to use a method of computer science to express the same topics expressed in an ordinary piece through the use of graphs and charts. As you may already be able to tell, there are numerous benefits, as well as drawbacks for this kind of approach.
     The benefits of using this approach is that it can be a major time saver. If you are faced with a very dense novel, or you have a large load of books to digest, rather than take the time to analyze each novel closely to gather information, you could use a graph to take all of said information and summarize it in such a way that not only do you extract the same amount of information, but you also can see patterns and similarities much easier. Also, you may be able to find the exact information that you need through cross referencing multiple novels, forecast future events through the analysis of patterns in the graphs and please a wider audience by using a method familiar to both scientist an writers.
     The drawbacks of using this system is that it is unfamiliar to the public and may not always deliver the same, in depth perspective that one may wish by glancing over key concepts. Also, this way is more unusual in that it relies upon graphs, rather than words, which are a key point in literature.
      A really neat, yet futuristic way of incorporating an interdisciplinary way of combining literature and computer tools would be a program that reads/records the frequency of words within a novel and can produce possible themes, or one that can analyze the personas of the characters within a novel and generate random endings to a story, based upon valid calculations of the characters.
      I think that we could approach SSTLS in other ways, such as through literary critics, peer analysis, the author's biography, other novels by the same author, the time period that it was written in and the fashion, or style, that it is written in.

The Universal Language of Love

    The film, M Butterfly, contains multiple themes that relate not only to its time period, but also to the miraculous transformation that the human soul goes through in its conquest of true love. Gender, ethnicity, politics, art and love are major points that are touched upon by the film unique storyline. These themes help to tie the overall plot of the film together as the bittersweet relationship mutates and entrances the audience. 

     Ethnicity played a major role in the progression of the relationship between the two main characters. In the 1960's, it was not exactly "traditional" for a French diplomat and a Chinese opera singer, as is frequently stated by Song to Rene. She also refers to his western stereotypes of the orient and that he is mistaken if he believes that she will be submissive due to his skin color. Also, because of their conflicting cultures, they are forced to pursue one another in secrecy. This may also be partially due to the fact that this is a marital affair. The famous line "Only a man truly knows how a woman is supposed to act" is echoed nonstop throughout their relationship due to Song being a man imitating the persona of a woman in the stage of life and Rene admitting that he "loved the lie" and that he found a more fulfilling love life with a cross-dressing male, rather than with his biologically correct wife and, ultimately, assume a female identity.

     Rene's love of the Chinese operatic arts cause him to become hypnotized every time he watches Song on stage and is caught in his own web as he creates a fantasy world in which love reigns dominate over reason and morality. This, in combination with Song recommending that he "educate" himself on her traditions, cause him to have an affair with Song and also become easily manipulated by his feelings of her mysticism by overlooking the very important fact that she is a man and is slowly sapping him of governmental Intel. This leads into the world of politics, as not only are Rene's emotions being manipulated, but so are his political powers and resources. Song is stealthily relaying governmental secrets from the French to the Chinese on the status of American troops formations in Vietnam.

     M Butterfly is a phenomenal story of taboo love and betrayal between two people, both living a lie to discover the truth within themselves.

    
     
    t, and love

Technology Reshaping Humanity

     Gary Shteyngart's fiction novel, Super Sad True Love Story, is a very odd and interesting piece of literature. There are a myriad of themes expressed throughout the chapters uniquely displayed in the format of a diary. There is one that I feel has arisen quite a few times through the past dozen pages or so that I have read and it's impact on the characters and plot in question as a whole is becoming more and more apparent. The theme that I focused on is the social media reshaping what it means to be human in this futuristic world.
     Three passages in particular that have supported this certain theme are found within close proximity of one another. The first is a letter to Eunice from her mother and an instant messaging conversation between Sally and Eunice found on pages 72-73. These relate to the theme by allowing technology to modify the interactions between humans in such a way that conversations are done over the internet, rather than in person. This not only makes something that was originally intimate, into something that is impersonal, but it also allows humans to mask their feelings from one another; avoiding conflict altogether by keeping it buried within the recesses of one's heart. such is the case when eunice questions sister about her fathers abuse towards her mother and herself and she either does not respond, or changes the subject.
     Another passage that relates to this theme are the F.A.C applications found on the apparati (pg 88). Meant to "Form A Community", this is a resource used to judge a stranger and determine if they carry the possibility of being a compatible mate. This has totally obliterated the dating scenario by discouraging the pursuit of quality conversations meant to introduce one person to another, by encouraging the browsing of one's profile to produce a set of three scores that ultimately decide whether or not a person is right for you. This not only destroy one's self esteem, but it also takes way from the value of knowing who that person truly is as a person, and not a statistic due to the fact that technology has a difficult time reading emotion and feeling, over numbers and other forms of data.
     One last passage that relates to this particular theme is the fact that an individual's profile is available for viewing on the web. Such is Lenny's case when he is scoped out by women while meeting with Noah and Vishnu. His profile is read by the women in the bar and they feel that through these facts, they gain an entire idea of who he(Lenny) is as a man. This is not only inaccurate, but preposterous, because there is no way to take into account the means as to how those facts came to be, nor can he be accurately portrayed as a individual due to the lack of tone, emotion and justification in the profiles. They are merely numeric figures, that is all.
     These three passages tie into the them that the social media is reshaping what it means to be human because they promote conventional modes of communication, or lack thereof. Humans no longer value quality time with one another without agendas due to the increasing influence of technology and the inflation of the importance of one's social status.

A Crazy World Indeed

The poem "All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace" can be interpreted in many ways. Two views that can be derived from its passages is either a pro-technology view, or an anti-technology view.
     It can be said that the author of the poem had an anti-technology view when his tone is considered to be one of a sarcastic nature. The lines "and the sooner the better" and "right now, please!" can come across as a mockery of the benefits of a technologically advanced society. When nature and the cybernetic world are said to one day coexist, it sounds slightly odd, even oxymoronic, because not only are the two groups complete opposites of one another, but the definition of cybernetics is the mechanical and electrical replacement of human control and functions. Thus, the two would, by nature, oppose one another and prove that their coexistence is near impossible. I feel that the author stated that it is indeed possible to make one think about how ridiculous the notion truly is and encourage their perspective to evolve into an anti-technological view.
     When reading the very same poem, it can become apparent that the author has a pro-technology view if it is assumed that each and every word is genuine, rather than sarcastic, and that the vision of a harmonic bio-electric world is authentic. The lines " where we are free from our labors and joined back to nature, returned to our mammal brothers and sisters, and all watched  over by machines of loving grace" would be the innermost aspirations of the hopeful author and valid evidence of his true intentions of what image he wishes for the world around him to bear. The lines may also convey the message that near impossible relationships are possible, so long as they are wished for and envisioned.
     I think that the anit-technology read is much more convincing, by far, than the pro-technology read. This is purely based upon the degree to which one is capable of analyzing and dissecting said poem, of course. I personally feel that although the author's tone may be translated as hopeful, on a superficial level, it will be revealed as sarcastic and mock the actual question of whether machines and nature could coexist, especially if the latter is to eventually become dominant. It seems that everything that is said through the angle of a pro-technology reader is described in such a way that it falsely invites such a change in life in order to make the ludicrous statements obviously ridiculous.

Casabianca

     Casabianca is a poem, written by Felicia Dorothea Hemens, that is saturated with vivid images of the story that lay behind the words. I felt that three major images that reoccured throughout the poem, and ultimately helped to piece together not only the storyline but the intimate emotions of the characters themselves, are: the boy's form, his shouts for his father, and the flames/ burning deck. The boy's form was an interesting twist early on because I originally began reading the poem under the impression that the main character would be a typical burly, rugged, intimidating lumberjack on a courageous journey. However, the fact that he is announced as a "boy" that was in the midst of a burning wasteland quickly eliminated any chances of a happily ever after. Seeing as to how it is a young boy and not a man helped to inspire sympathy and heartbreak from the reader. It made me personally assume that he was helpless and that he was alone. The fact that this youth constantly called out to his father not for help, but to fulfill his duties to the fullest extent, " Speak father, must I stay?" combined flawlessly to switch the scene from a lost child on the battlefield, to a soldier defending his country with honor. Rather than calling out for help and running for the hills, but asking for his father's permission to leave his post enforces the image of a true brave soul that this boy really is. Lastly, the flames and burning of the land add in the final touch of the overall scheme of things, which is the ultimate sacrifice. "The flame that lit the battle's wreck shone round him o'er the dead" creates a magnificent scene of death and destruction surrounding the main character and amplifies the mood vastly once the young soldier offers his own life as a sacrifice, rather than abandon his responsibilities. The flames brought to life not only the dying land surrounding our hero, but his undying love for his father's authority and command.  All three of these visual components utilized imagery flawlessly and blended superbly into one titanic scene of a boy, shouting for his father, amidst a background of flames.

Reading the "Tone" in my voice

The reason that I chose for this particular title to represent all that my blog stands for is because of the many denotations of the word "Tone". Tone is not only my nickname and short for Antonio, but it is also a musical term that is defined as any sound with reference to it's quality, pitch, strength and source, as well as a literary term defined as a particular quality, way of sounding, modulation, or intonation of the voice as expressive of some meaning, feeling and spirit. These additional meaning relate to my blog in the sense that both relate to one's own interpretation of life and our emotional connection to the environment around us. A major factor of music is the skill of improvisation. This relies heavily not only the talent of the performer, but their inner passion and emotions. I have been a jazz musician for about 8 years of my life and have experienced first-hand the amazing privilege of speaking from your heart through the notes of your instrument.  Also, the tone of a character or their persona portrays their feelings and emotional connection towards a specific topic. The perspective of a person can be interpreted much more accurately through not so much their words, but the manner in which they say the words.  All of these components combine to create a major part of who I am as a person, which is a charismatic, out outgoing extrovert and this will most likely be reflected in my blog posts and writing. My blog will be a window into both who I am and what I believe about the world around us.