Summary

Photography felt as if it it came and went extremely quickly. It was fun learning how to use the dark room although very frustrating at times. I feel that in the future I would like to take a course using only digital because I don't have access to a dark room on a regular basis. Photography will always be a little hobby of mine, where my true passion is in fashion. Check out my fashion blog at iheartgrey.tumblr.com

Photography Class Photos

Photography Class Readings

Because I am an extremely novice photographer I found all of the articles we read in class very interesting, and all of them shed light on some of my own perpetual queries surrounding the world of photography. I found, Discovery, Barriers to seeing, and reconstructing reality articles all very interesting, and filled with relevant information for someone new to the photography world. I enjoyed the Taoistic Camerawork: Method and Beyond as well, and found it interesting but too advanced for the level of skill I have at this point. There was an obvious progression with each article which I felt was very conducive to Art Education; the information almost seemed of common knowledge initially but as I read over each article a couple of time the deeper knowledge presented itself. In saying that, I would say that, I found the article “discovery” the most interesting and beneficial for me at this point. I have often looked at various photographs done by friends, family, or photos in magazines done by famous photographers and wondered why some photos feel flat with no emotion, while others can convey so much emotion. These photos are not always of humans or animals that often convey emotion but of objects such as a pile of rope that can look so beautiful. The opening paragraph states simply the answer to this question:

To master the art of seeing you have to develop the ability to become emotionally involved in what you are looking at and learn how to identify the harmonies of shapes and forms and colors that contribute to your feeling… The art of seeing, however, is on a higher plane; it enables us to discover the character of an object or a relationship between objects that moves our emotions and excites our aesthetic sensitivity. (23, Gross, Shapiro)

This made me think back to photos I have taken that have had the depth to convey a certain emotion, and this made me start to think why these photos were successful. Were these photos that I had liked, or did others comment on them as well? What was I taking photos of? Was I in a particularly good mood? All of these questions allowed me to reflect back and truly analyze successful situations that allowed me the opportunity to take some really good photos. When I think back I think that most often I allowed myself to let go of criticism; criticism of others and myself. I allowed myself to not feel embarrassed snapping photos that could possibly not turn out, and let myself become excited about the ones that possibly would.

            Some insights, regarding Art Education, I gained through the course readings were found particularly in the article Taoistic Camerawork: Method and Beyond. Henri Cartier-Bresson is quoted saying:

There should be a visual education emphasized from the very beginning in all schools. It should be introduced just like the study of literature, history or mathematics. With language, everyone learns the grammar first. In photography, one must learn a visual grammar. (101, Gross, Shapiro)

This quote made perfect sense to me, although others disagree and argue that you cannot teach artistic talent, I completely disagree. If you compare athletic talent and artistic talent you can surprisingly come up with quite a few similarities. Both the artist and the athlete have some innate talent that cannot be taught, but seems to come from within them, a part of their genetic make up. These talents are usually noticed at a young age because the child seems to grasp the concepts of either activity a little easier than their associates, and often they are just more naturally drawn to these specific activities.  An athlete is trained; they perfect their natural talents with practice, learning new methods, and repetitive movements and skills. Like Children need physical activity to learn movement and coordination of their bodies they also need art education to introduce basic artistic concepts giving children the skills to see the art around them.  Photography basic art education class could include the use of an empty picture frame. The teacher could have the children look at natural environments through the frame to see the picture there. This would allow them the to develop the initial stages of seeing through the lens before ever having to deal with the technical aspects of actually using a camera. Finally, noting the idea of “life-enhancing education” rather than “time-occupying education”.  It is stated that, “artistry must emerge from personal holistic growth, including the ability to be fully conscious while practicing camerawork” (np, Gross, Shapiro).  We spend so much time in the classroom without ever really engaging in what we are learning. Semester after semester goes by with knowledge flowing in and out of my conscious. Our photography class is an environment where we are given time to experience our way through the course, the only problem with this is allowing your self time to honor the experience. That, and the fact that depending what department you are in this type of approach to coursework may not work with your other schedule.

            To further uncover issues discussed in this paper I would start reading various photographers’ blogs, autobiographies, biographies, watch documentaries, basically just gather as much information I can on them. I would read magazines, analyze their editorial spreads, and basically just see what has worked for them throughout their careers. It would be interesting to follow the progress of one photographer that you admire particularly and follow their career from start to present, observing the different routes the have taken, and what eventually became their trademark.  It might also be interesting to do some reading on different artistic methods such as, sculpture, drawing, painting, and visual arts to further broaden your understanding, and hone your artistic eye.  Maybe taking yoga and mediation would allow you to become more in touch with yourself and your emotions allowing an environment free of judgment while you are working. The ways to improve oneself in any venue are endless; all it takes is time and an open mind. 

J preparing for our move to TO

In Flight

Not my photo but it was my concept. Working on an entire album of puff pictures from M+E wedding.

inspirations from my fave blogs

Just got my new bells for summer and with the bad weather we have been having this is a look I can do until the weather gets warmer.

too cute.

My inspiration for back to school shopping in grade 8. I think I just might head out and grab myself a pair of Calvins.

love the shoes. love it all.

summer inspiration.

Teachers as Politicians

 

So once again this blog will be used as a school blog. Lucky for me I only have a few followers and none of them have checked up on my blog since it became primarily a literary blog...I think I will have to start a new fashion blog after this semester because all of my beautiful fashion photos have been polluted with school work. However, that is neither here nor there so I will get on with it.

Carrie and the politician are the first thing that came into my head when I started this entry so naturally I had to search for a photo of them before I could carry (no pun intended) on with my work.

Anyways I will get to the point. In ED-P 498 a couple of weeks ago we were asked to discuss a couple of quotes with a partner and use the discussion for the base of our first journal entry. Now I cannot find the notes I had taken but if my memory serves me correctly we were discussing teachers as politicians within the school. While discussing this topic both Whitney and I mentioned how whether or not you are a political person we all have personal views that tend to surface without being completely aware of this happening. While teaching within a school it is important to not force these views and beliefs onto the students and not let these views or beliefs affect the way we view our students. 

New Year New Age. I'm 30!

Ok so this new years post is late but I'm still revelling in the fact that I am 30. I just wanted to take a break from life and post some things that inspire and make me question some of my life choices. Ha ha.

Can't I have hair like that? Seriously loving blonde hair. Damn this dark natural shade. 

So cute.

Love it so cute so comfy so style-y.

hee hee hee

Really wanting long messy hair

so sweet

Best for last

Final Paper Proposal

For my paper I will be focusing on Bernice and William Wilson both by Poe, as well as The Birthmark by Hawthorne. I intend to discuss the use of monomania that is prevalent in both Bernice and The Birthmark.  I find it particularly interesting how Poe in Bernice uses monomania to focus on the one thing that his wife Bernice contains that he finds beauty and perfection in - her teeth.  While in The Birthmark, Hawthorne’s character focus’ on the one thing he finds imperfect about his wife- her birthmark. I plan to incorporate William Wilson by arguing that this story is not only about the figure of the doppelganger, but that the doppelganger is a fixation caused by monomania which I will argue is related to William Wilson’s extreme narcissism. I will touch on the fact that William Wilson is a short story focusing on the psychological self-splitting which results from Wilson’s inability to body and mind. Wilson’s inability to escape his own demons perpetually draws his thoughts in to focus on him self as the text goes on.  It is his deep attachment and focus on himself that I believe can be related to monomania. These texts will be linked together through the genre of the short story and the themes of the gothic, and dark romanticism. I have not completely worked out my argument but so far these were some of my favorite reading from this course. I have been doing some researching today but it is proving to be more difficult than expected. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Works cited

Moldenenhauer, J.J. “From Murder as a Fine Art: Connections between Poe’s Aesthetics, Psychology, and Moral Vision.” The selected Writings of Edgar Allan Poe. Ed. G.R. Thompson. New York, 2004. 829-844. Print.

Kennedy, G.J. “ From Phantasms of Death in Poe’s Fiction.” The selected Writings of Edgar Allan Poe. Ed. G.R. Thompson. New York, 2004. 896-904. Print.

Armstrong, L. “The Shadow’s Shadow: The Motif of the Double in Edgar Allan Poe’s “ The Purloined Letter”.” The selected Writings of Edgar Allan Poe. Ed. G.R. Thompson. New York, 2004. 863-873. Print.

Crews, C.F. “The Logic of Compulsion.” Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Tales. Ed. James McIntosh. New York. 1987. 380-389.

McWilliams, JR.P.J. “Hawthorne and the Puritan Revolution of 1776.” Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Tales. Ed. James McIntosh. New York. 1987. 371-379.

Incompatibility

Eva St. Clare is the idealized character to represent the incompatibility of slavery and Christianity. She is a completely moral being, devout Christian and laments the existence of slavery. Although her family owns slaves she does the best she can to make the slaves feel that they are valuable human beings and are loved. Eva sprouts a friendship with Tom and asks that her father buy him in order to look out for him. Eva’s father is not a Christian, and although he is a fairly decent master as far as slavery goes he is not the moral being that she is. Eva assists Tom in writing letters because he is illiterate; this is an example of Eva’s moralistic value. By helping Tom have a voice she is using her voice/love as an agent for change. Although Eva is surrounded by racist individuals (ie. St. Clare, Marie and Ophelia) her purity and anti-slavery stance eventually trickle down and seep I to their own beliefs. Although it takes Eva’s eventual death for racist Ophelia’s transformation, her death is what initially sparks her father’s realization that slavery is wrong as well. On her death bed she requests her father release all of their slaves and by the time he comes to understand that this is the right thing to do, it is too late and her father passes away as well. However, even though her father may have been too late to have the slaves released he did manage to find religion. Eva’s character is used to display that true, pure, devout Christians and slavery do not mix. It is either you are a Christian or you do not believe in religion but you do believe in owning and selling slaves. Stow uses Eva to be at the farthest end of the spectrum away form slavery.

Something to take my mind off of school

I just le love this photo

yessssss

ya ya ya I know...but  I just love her

hate her...love her style. ah.

The Doppelganger

William Wilson insane? I think so. I don’t even know how you could argue he was not insane unless this was a super natural tale, and then of course we could argue anything to be true. However, I am interested to see how people come up with an argument to claim William’s sanity.

William early on in the story (pg. 217) mentions how he is a descendant of a family with strong imagination and easily excitable temperament. He also mentions these traits effected him from an early age. William admits to a history of mental illness in his family and that he has not escaped it. It is clear he suffers from some sort of delusions as he mentions that during his stay at the boarding school the location of his sleeping apartment was never clear. It seems to me unless he is describing a dream he is living in some sort of altered mental state.

William mentions his superiority to his schoolmates, and how no student could rival him scholastically or his popularity among the other students, besides the other William Wilson. William states on pg. 220 “ I secretly feared him, and could not help thinking the equality he maintained do easily with myself, a proof of his true superiority”.  Although the two Williams are rivals, if what William said earlier about not having competition at his school was true, he could have created the second William Wilson in order to engage in some challenge or competition at school.

Similarities between the two Williams become more convoluted as now all of the sudden it is stated that they were born on the same day, they began to look more alike, and the second Williams voice although could only be heard at a whisper resembled that of the first William perfectly.  William states on pg. 224 “ I could with difficulty shake off the belief of my having been acquainted with the being who stood before me, at some epoch very long ago”.  It seems as though William has been dealing with the illusion of his double since a very young age and that it is just staying with him longer now, as he gets older. It is common for people who suffer from mental illnesses to have the traits come out, as they get older. This is especially common among males who suffer from schizophrenia. The second William Wilson could be a conscious of the first William Wilson. William tends to get himself into trouble especially when he steals money from Lord Glendinning’s while playing cards. If the second William was used as a conscious it would make sense that he was the one to draw attention to the first Williams cheating.

It is clear to me that William Wilson is in fact insane when at the very end of the story he attempts to kill his doppelganger but instead realizes he has killed himself. It seems that he could only evade his insanity for so long. Who knows if anything in the tale happened the way it was told as we can’t tell how far Williams delusions were stretched.  

The Ladies

Hope Leslie and Magawisca are both a strong and positive representation of women, which would seem uncommon for female characters at that time. Magawisca’s strong morals are displayed not only to her own race but to the white people as well. She saves Everell, sacrificing her own arm, and again puts herself at risk by connecting Hope Leslie and her sister back together. Magawisca is described as strong, confident and beautiful. Similarly Hope Leslie is described in the same manor. Hope Leslie and Magawisca are sort of the same character except one lives in a white persons world and one lives in an Indian persons world. Both characters cross the racial divide in order to fight for what they believe to be right. Hope Leslie also has strong inner morals and relies on this inner instinct to guide her choices in life. She has a strong connection to Magawisca and feels she can trust her when she says she will reconnect Hope and her sister. Hope also helps to free Nelema from the accusations of witchcraft and also facilitates Magawisca’s escape from prison.

The female characters that Cooper represents in his novel are not as strong or as interesting as Sedgwick’s. Cora and Alice are much more submissive and powerless. Everything is very frightening for them and they need men to come to their rescue. Alice is much more of the weak, scared women. Cora is the stronger of the two and offers to sacrifice herself and her sister to the savages so that the others can escape. Cora is confident that they would not harm her or her sister. 

Both authors use two females as the main representation of women in their novels. Cooper has only two women in the novel while Sedgwick’s main female characters are two of many. Another similarity is that both authors have one main white female lead and one other. Sedgwick has both her main female roles represented equally whereas there is a string imbalance between Cooper’s Cora and Alice.

Twains bark is as big as his bite.

Twain does seem like quite the crotchety old bastard but I have to agree with him.

4. They require that the personages in a tale, both dead and alive, shall exhibit a sufficient excuse for being there. But this detail also has been overlooked in the "Deerslayer" tale.

When reflecting rule number four onto The Last of the Mohicans I think the best example of a character displaying no real reason for being there is David Gamut. Besides trying to spread Christianity his character does not really accomplish much. He becomes slightly more useful or manly under the charge of Hawkeye but I think the novel could have done without him. Cooper appears to want to show how the white man would have adjusted to the wilderness with Gamut’s character. If this is so Cooper might be trying to show how the white man is out of place in the wilderness but I don’t even think that is the reason. Cooper still has Hawkeye who has transformed himself into a hybrid man; he looks white and is white but has all of the skills of surviving in the wilderness that is essential to the natives’ livelihood. To me he was just another character I had to figure out in this already confusing novel that could have been left out in order to develop other characters in the novel better which would help the reader feel more connected to the novel. Which leads us into the next rule I found related to The Last of the Mohicans.

11. They require that the characters in a tale shall be so clearly defined that the reader can tell beforehand what each will do in a given emergency. But in the "Deerslayer" tale, this rule is vacated.

I agree with Twain %100 on this one. Trying to figure out what was happening with all of the characters was very troublesome. I was thinking maybe it was because Cooper had already written two novels using these characters that to understand them completely you would have to read those novels first.  But according to Twain, Cooper did not do this in the previous novels either. He just starts writing as if he was in the middle of a story and expects the reader can piece everything together. As the novel goes on we do not really get to know these characters any better. Maybe it is just the long boring writing style that prevents this but nevertheless Coopers characters did not draw me into this book in any way.

Last of the Mohicans was very painful. Let’s hope the next novel is better.

Blonde Ambition

if i had blonde hair I would want it to look like this...

or this...

and i would dress like this...

and this.

I love all of these blondes. I go through phases where I desire to lighten my locks but I know that

me and blonde do not mix so I will live vicariously through these gals.

fairies and indians

Well, go thy way; thou shalt not from this grove,

Till I torment thee for this injury.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream. II.i. 47-8

The epigraph from chapter four is taken from A Midsummer Night’s Dream where Oberon and Titania are arguing over the Indian boy Titania is taking care of since the child’s mother died while giving birth. Oberon is jealous of the affection Titania show’s the boy and tries to insist that she hand him over to Oberon so that he can use him as one of his servants. Titania denies Oberon his requests so he vows to get even with her. Oberon is furious and instructs Puck to put a potion on Tatiana’s eyelids that will have her fall in love with some sort of hideous creature. Oberon plans to humiliate Titania and says he will not give Titania the antidote for the potion until she hands over the Indian boy. There are some underlying issues regarding jealousy between Oberon and Titania that adds to this feud.

Chapter four in The last of the Mohicans is the point where Magua pretends to be taking the group to Fort William Henry via a short cut with underlying intentions to get the group off track. He then acts as tough he has lost his way and they all believe to be lost in the woods. Hawkeye comes upon them and is suspicious of Magua, as he believes it is unnatural for an Indian to be lost in the woods. Hawkeye then learns that Magua is a Huron and all his suspicions are confirmed, as he believes that the Huron are an untrustworthy tribe. They concoct a plan to capture Magua but their plain is foiled when Magua becomes suspicious and takes off into the woods.

The rage that Oberon is feeling when saying “thou shalt not from this grove” mirrors the rage of Hawkeye when he realizes the dirty tricks that Magua is up too. I believe the use of the epigraph in this chapter is not necessarily to replicate the motives that Oberon has but instead to use this chapter to set the tone for upcoming battles in the future.

The Cave

The threat of the wilderness and what the wilderness hides plays a huge role in

Edgar Huntly or, Memoirs of a Sleep-Walker. One of the parts I found most interesting was at the beginning of chapter 17. Edgar seemed to finally feel as though luck was on his side after his terrifying experience in the cave in chapter 16.

Thus I was delivered form my prison and restored to the enjoyment of the air and the light. (164)

In any other direction, I might have involved myself in an inextricable maze, and rendered my destruction sure: but now what remained to place me in absolute security? (164)

These previous passages allow the reader to feel that Edgar has some time to get himself sorted out. He appears to have found a safe cavern where he can possibly get rest and nourishment. But in the next few sentences with little description to illuminate what has come to light we understand that all of this has changed. Edgar realizes there are Indians in the cave with him.

Had some mysterious power snatched me from the earth, and cast me, in a moment, into the heart of the wilderness? (164)

The realization that he is in a cave with the natives immediately fills Edgar with dread and fear. He now feels as though instead of narrowly escaping an inextricable maze he has ended up buried in the center of one. For Edgar the Indians represent the vast terrifying wilderness. He now feels as though he is back in a nightmare with nothing tangible to ensure his safety. He appears to be completely lost in time and space.

Was I still in the vicinity of my paternal habitation or was I thousands of miles distant? (164)

By writing with little emphasis of the description of the cave Brown is able to quickly change our and Edgars feelings of the cave within a few sentences. When Edgar originally finds this cave it is somewhat of a relief to know he has somewhere safe to hide. But as quickly as that relief came it is gone with the revealing of the Indians sleeping within it. I don’t necessarily think he does this on purpose it seems to just flow with the inconsistency of his writing.

If an author more orientated toward the picturesque wrote these passages they may have put more description in the appearance of the cave. Possibly describing the walls and perhaps some images found on the walls of the cave.  I think the quick change from security to despair would have been lost in this passage had it been written by an author more orientated toward the picturesque.

Terror and Horror. What is the dif?

Watching the movie "Copycat" was probably the single most terrifying moment of my life. I was fifteen years old at the time and it was movie night with my girlfriends. We all curled up on the single bed my mother had turned into a couch and settled in with blankets, popcorn, ect. From the moment the first serial killer corners Dr. Helen Hudson in the washroom a cold sweat covered my body. A paralyzing fear swept over me and all I could do to make it through the film was to cover myself completely in a blanket with only a small eye and nose hole. My body actually felt paralyzed and it took the only sense I had left to just remember to breath. It was that feeling you have when your dreaming and you need to move because a train or car or something is going to run over you but you cannot for some reason move any of your limbs. The intense fear the movie created for me was so real. I could not move my body at all even go to the washroom. I just sat there frozen, sweating and hardly able to speak besides the odd barely audible squeak. The fact that Dr. Helen Hudson was an agoraphobic probably did not help matters. I have never watched a scary movie since that night. The terror i feel when watching them is just not worth it for me.

 I know for some people this movie was probably comical at best. This is why the distinction between terror and horror can be subjective. Terror is the anticipation of something "bad or scary or gruesome" happening and horror is  actually witnessing or experiencing  this "bad, scary or gruesome"thing. A horror film for example which is all blood and guts is just that for some people for myself however it is absolutely terrifying. Horror to me is driving or walking around ring round and seeing the blood and guts of some poor bunny that has now become road kill. Terror is said to precede horror. That being said there is terror without horror. Which to me is probably worse in the case of a book or film because just never knowing is the worst. In real life if the horror never comes that is just fine with me. I guess you can have horror without terror but that seems more tricky.  A lack of build up to a horrific occurrence could be a case of horror minus the terror. The example of the bunny cold be horror without terror... unless there was a witness to the build up of the roadkill.

this is me

Hi my name is Noelle and this is my first ever blog. I am kind of excited about it. I actually read a lot of fashion blogs and have often thought about starting my own blog but have just never got started. So I thought I would start off by posting some things that have interested me lately but do not in any way relate to our class.