[Emily Buckley-Crist]

Because of social media, I think that it’s much easier for authors not only to draw attention to themselves, but to reject or support paratext from another individual. Authors can also answer questions and provide information about their work to readers directly through social media, continually adding to the paratext of their texts.

[Emily Buckley-Crist]

Please focus on the first question

[Emily Buckley-Crist]

The capitalization of “Liberty,” seen in the Bliss, Hay, and Everett versions in the first paragraph, emphasizes the importance of the concept, especially in the context in which this speech was written. With this change, Lincoln seems to be enforcing that liberty is a right regardless of race.

The addition of commas separating “of the people, by the people, for the people,” seen in every version except Nicolay in the final paragraph, changes the rhythm of the address by slowing down the recitation of these phrases, adding more weight and power to each.

[Emily Buckley-Crist]

The amount of viable information we have access to is definitely increased, but it takes greater effort to weed out that which is reliable and useful. Schools are trying to show students what makes a source trustworthy for academic research, as mentioned by Casey, but there isn’t the same set of accepted, respected sources there once was.

[Emily Buckley-Crist]

I disagree that watching Youtube or wikihow videos is the same as observing something in realtime and in person. These videos allow anyone to observe something- such as a man fishing- secondhand; the viewer cannot take the same knowledge from the video as a firsthand observer would because they are not in that environment with the fisherman, and the senses of smell and touch are completely lost while sight and sound are limited by what the cameraman/editor chooses to include ( as well as the quality of the camera, ability of the cameraman, etc.).

However, secondhand observation is better than no observation, and these videos do allow students and those who are simply curious to gain at least some knowledge about things they might not otherwise, whether due to distance or cost. It is more beneficial for someone from Kansas to view a Youtube video about the ocean than read a description of it, but watching a video does not equal experiencing it in person.

[Emily Buckley-Crist]

Jenny’s comment about J.K. Rowling publishing Cuckoo’s Calling under a pseudonym reminds me that prior to the publication of the Harry Potter series, she was cautioned against using her full name (Joanne), as her editors and publishers felt that a women’s name on the cover of a book, even one with a male protagonist, would discourage boys from reading it. These biases are impressed upon children at a young age, both in terms of race and gender, and have not improved since Thoreau’s time.

[Emily Buckley-Crist]

I agree with Maya that we won’t come to  conclusion as to whether or not Thoreau was prejudiced against the Irish, but there was a general disrespect for the Irish at that time, and I feel like this affected Thoreau’s writing about the family. He also seems to forget his own privileges of education and sufficient wealth (especially in comparison to the Field family) because of his preconceived notion that his solitary, simple lifestyle is not only attainable, but the best for all, regardless of situation. As mentioned by Daisy, he doesn’t really acknowledge that a family attempting to live such a lifestyle would likely face more challenges, as he is blinded by his ideas.

[Emily Buckley-Crist]

In addition to the brief summaries elsewhere on the jacket mentioned by Emily, readers often approach more popular or widely read books with some preconceived notions. Most people have generally knows what happens in Romeo and Juliet, and it may affect how they approach the text. The same thing goes for recent books such as The Fault in Our Stars and the Divergent series, readers may hear or read certain things about the books that change how they would read them without any prior knowledge or opinions.

[Emily Buckley-Crist]

I agree with Ali that you can learn more about nature through experience than through reading. However, I think that some reading may be necessary to gain the standard vocabulary used when discussing such topics with others, simply for ease of conversation and understanding. It is obvious, especially in Walden, that Thoreau has done a fair amount of reading and research on nature, as he refers to plants and animals using the Latin scientific names (binomial nomenclature).

[Emily Buckley-Crist]

I also disagree with Thoreau. In addition to Kasey’s comment about the issues of translation, I find the terms “classic” and “literary canon” to be much less defined than they may have been fifty years ago. This is largely due to the wider variety available to the public, which allows people to read what interests them more, rather than only the more classic works that were the most available before. Digital media has certainly played a part in this, with those who use e-readers being able to access practically any books they want with only a couple touches on a screen. I also wonder what Thoreau considers to be classics beyond the specific works he mentions.

[Emily Buckley-Crist]

I agree with the previous comments that an author isn’t responsible for how their works are interpreted. However, I think it should be pointed out that some current authors, especially within the young adult community and others that have a strong online presence, answer questions about their intent in writing and how they interpret certain aspects of their writing through Twitter and other social media networks. This is something that would not have been possible twenty years ago, and is another way in which technology has impacted literature.

Wake Up Now’s literature is certainly misleading, and the desperation felt by most of the members seems to lead them to misinterpret the information that is available, though not exactly prominently displayed and promoted.

[Emily Buckley-Crist]

I felt that Damien understood the material and the likelihood of success with Wake Up Now, and just had a sort of blind faith that he would be one the few to prosper. The company doesn’t seem to be truly dishonest, but it also doesn’t make information about the current statistics of success obvious in presentations and the company’s website. The true intent and point of the company is also unclear, and it seems to thrive on ambiguity.

[Emily Buckley-Crist]

I agree with Julia’s comment about how books are displayed in a store, and feel that beyond the displays, the categorization of books by the publishers and stores also plays a factor in terms of who chooses to read them. A book shelved in the young adult section of a book store or library, with the kind of covers described by Holly, is likely to attract a very specific audience. However, if placed in a section that doesn’t cater to such a specific group of readers (such as simply “Fiction” or Contemporary Fiction”) with a new cover, the book would probably attract a much more diverse, and larger, group of readers. The same can be said for fantasy and science fiction, which also seem to be directed at a specific set of readers and may not be reaching the widest audience they could be.

[Author]

Posts