Friday, September 24, 2010
Critical Analysis Podcast
For my podcast project, I am considering using The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. This children's book chronicles the destruction of the environment due to industrialization, but depicts it in an easily understandable way for children. I want to discuss how this book can help to teach children about sustainability and positive environmental practices. I read this book is a child, and never had any concept of the fact that it was actually an environmental statement. During my junior year of high school, we revisited this book in an AP Environmental Science class, and I realized the impact that Dr. Seuss' tale could have on young children. Especially in today's society, it is incredibly important that children develop a respect for the environment and all that it offers us. We can use books like this to teach these important lessons in a fun way. The Lorax was always one of my family's favorite books growing up, and had my parents, or a teacher, worked to illuminate the messages behind the story, it could have been incredibly influential in our lives. I would like to use my podcast to display the possibilities for learning in my favorite Dr. Seuss picture book.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Quotable Quotes- When the Emperor Was Divine
"He wiped off the leather with his sleeve and put the shoes back into the suitcase. Outside it was dark and in the barrack windows there were lights on and figures moving behind curtains. He wondered what his father was doing right then. Getting ready for bed, maybe. Washing his face. Or brushing his teeth. Did they even have toothpaste in Lordsburg? He didn't know. He'd have to write him and ask. He lay down on his cot and pulled up the blankets. He could hear his mother snoring softly in the darkness, and a lone coyote in the hills to the south, howling up at the moon. He wondered if you could see the same moon in Lordsburg, or London, or even China, where all the men wore little black slippers And he decided that you could, depending on the clouds.
'Same moon,' he whispered to himself, 'same moon.'" (Pg 67-68)
What really struck me about this quote, and about so much of the writing from the children's perspective, was the sense of questioning, wondering, and overall consciousness of life outside themselves despite the horrible circumstances. The boy has been shipped away from his home, has lost most of his belongings, is living in terrible accommodations, and has every reason to turn inward and become frustrated and angry, but instead, he wonders about the world outside of his newly shrunken world, specifically about his father who has been separated from them for so long. Despite some more innocent moments, the boy and girl in this novel show an incredible amount of maturity, and appear to be very wise beyond their years in their chunks of the novel. There is a weight that goes along with living through such an experience, and it is apparent that the children are changed by it. This quote is a perfect blend of the newfound maturity and the innocence of childhood. The boy contemplates what his father is doing, and wonders whether you can see the same moon all over the world, and comes up with a very educated, simple answer. You can, depending on the clouds. This is a very mature and thought-out solution to his problem. But with the boy's quiet repetition of "same moon," we see that he isn't assuring himself of this fact because of his scientific interest, but because he needs to believe it to maintain his connection to his father. The boy is still an innocent child who simply wants comfort. There was something so striking to me about his prayer-like repetition of "same moon...same moon" that I knew this was a quote of particular importance.
"He never said a word about the years he'd been away. Not one word. He never talked about politics, or his arrest, or how he had lost all his teeth. He never mentioned his loyalty hearing before the Alien Enemy Control Unit. He never told us what, exactly, he'd been accused of. Sabotage? Selling secrets to the enemy? Conspiring to overthrow the government? Was he guilty as charged? Was he innocent? (Was he even there at all?) We didn't know. We didn't want to know. We never asked. All we wanted to do, now that we were back in the world, was forget." (Pg 133)
I find this quote of particular importance when contrasted with my previous one. While being held in Utah, the boy wonders constantly about his father's every little action, and wishes to know exactly what his father's life is like, but when the family is finally all reunited, not only does the father offer none of this information, but the family never asks. Despite all of the years apart, and the deep ache they once felt to know what he was doing, they can't bring themselves to desire to know what happened to him. Captivity has changed the family. They are not the same unit they were before the father's arrest, and they are not the same unit that waited impatiently for letters from the family member far away, day after day. Despite all of the nagging questions, the family does not want to know, doesn't want to have to ask what happened. There is an unspoken understanding of the huge experience that has take place, and the family finds that it cannot connect the way it used to. More than connecting with each other, more than knowing the truth, the family just wants normalcy. It is only the most extreme of circumstances that can make you desire that over anything else.
'Same moon,' he whispered to himself, 'same moon.'" (Pg 67-68)
What really struck me about this quote, and about so much of the writing from the children's perspective, was the sense of questioning, wondering, and overall consciousness of life outside themselves despite the horrible circumstances. The boy has been shipped away from his home, has lost most of his belongings, is living in terrible accommodations, and has every reason to turn inward and become frustrated and angry, but instead, he wonders about the world outside of his newly shrunken world, specifically about his father who has been separated from them for so long. Despite some more innocent moments, the boy and girl in this novel show an incredible amount of maturity, and appear to be very wise beyond their years in their chunks of the novel. There is a weight that goes along with living through such an experience, and it is apparent that the children are changed by it. This quote is a perfect blend of the newfound maturity and the innocence of childhood. The boy contemplates what his father is doing, and wonders whether you can see the same moon all over the world, and comes up with a very educated, simple answer. You can, depending on the clouds. This is a very mature and thought-out solution to his problem. But with the boy's quiet repetition of "same moon," we see that he isn't assuring himself of this fact because of his scientific interest, but because he needs to believe it to maintain his connection to his father. The boy is still an innocent child who simply wants comfort. There was something so striking to me about his prayer-like repetition of "same moon...same moon" that I knew this was a quote of particular importance.
"He never said a word about the years he'd been away. Not one word. He never talked about politics, or his arrest, or how he had lost all his teeth. He never mentioned his loyalty hearing before the Alien Enemy Control Unit. He never told us what, exactly, he'd been accused of. Sabotage? Selling secrets to the enemy? Conspiring to overthrow the government? Was he guilty as charged? Was he innocent? (Was he even there at all?) We didn't know. We didn't want to know. We never asked. All we wanted to do, now that we were back in the world, was forget." (Pg 133)
I find this quote of particular importance when contrasted with my previous one. While being held in Utah, the boy wonders constantly about his father's every little action, and wishes to know exactly what his father's life is like, but when the family is finally all reunited, not only does the father offer none of this information, but the family never asks. Despite all of the years apart, and the deep ache they once felt to know what he was doing, they can't bring themselves to desire to know what happened to him. Captivity has changed the family. They are not the same unit they were before the father's arrest, and they are not the same unit that waited impatiently for letters from the family member far away, day after day. Despite all of the nagging questions, the family does not want to know, doesn't want to have to ask what happened. There is an unspoken understanding of the huge experience that has take place, and the family finds that it cannot connect the way it used to. More than connecting with each other, more than knowing the truth, the family just wants normalcy. It is only the most extreme of circumstances that can make you desire that over anything else.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Positioning and Being Positioned
Hello, my names are:
Megan Elizabeth Daub Westman- This is my full, given name. I have literally never been called my full name, unless someone is reciting it because they saw it written down. Even when I was a child and my mom would use her stern voice on me, she would always say "Megan Elizabeth Westman." My second middle name generally gets left out. My parents named me Megan for no reason except that they liked the name! My aunt's name is Margaret, so they may have gotten the inspiration from her, but there isn't any deep meaning behind the choice. Elizabeth is my grandmother's name, and Daub is my mother's maiden name. Despite the fact that it usually gets dropped, I am very glad to have my mother's maiden name included in my full name. I feel that it provides a connection to my mother's side of the family, and I'm glad to keep that in my name, and not just be a Westman. Westman doesn't really give anything away about my family's background or homeland, it's pretty generic! And it's useful because it's one that people rarely spell the wrong way.
Megan- 95% of the time, and to 95% of people, I am simply Megan. It's how I introduce myself, how my name appears on class rosters, and generally the norm for anyone talking to me. I really like my name, and couldn't imagine being named anything else. I feel that Megan suits me pretty well. It's a popular English/Welsh name and it means "little pearl." That meaning has never really resonated with me, but I like the name. I feel that Megan is a pretty informal sounding name, which is nice. Not incredibly dignified or anything, but it is simple, and has a nice ring to it, and I've never wanted to be named anything else.
Megan Elizabeth- On occasion, people call me Megan Elizabeth. Mostly my family, or when people are joking around with me and choose to use both names. It always feels very affectionate and caring to me when people use both names, probably because it means that they know my middle name, and it has sort of a warm, loving ring to it.
Meg- I am often Meg to those who know me very well and those who don't know me at all. My closest friends and family call me "Meg" as an affectionate nickname. Those who don't know me well and don't necessarily really remember my name sometimes call me Meg because that's all them remember... Either way, I like the name and don't mind. It is very friendly sounding, and I always enjoy being known as Meg. For a short period in high school, I thought I wanted to go by Meg as the norm, but quickly realized that while it's a good nickname, Megan really suits me more on the whole. Though, in classes with multiple Megans, I often go by Meg to make things simpler.
Nutmeg/Meglet/Megaroo- These are all variations on my name that have been nicknames since childhood. Nutmeg comes from the spice, Meglet comes from my love of Piglet from Winnie the Pooh, and Megaroo is one that my sister made up and it stuck. All of these are fun things to be called, and rather cute nicknames, and I've always enjoyed them.
Smeags- Not the most flattering nickname in the world, but this one was started last year by my group of friends at American and has stuck. We had a thing for watching lord of the rings, and someone realized that meg and smeagol sounded similarly, and thus "Smeags" was born. Though I can't say I'm super excited to be compared to Gollum's creepy split personality, we all have nicknames for each other and the use of this one, silly as it is, is always affectionate and appreciated. It has stopped representing smeagol to me, and is just a nickname! Weird as it is, I've grown to like it.
MegWest- To the group of kids who I did community theater with in high school, I became MegWest. Pretty obvious, some one just chose to combine parts of my first and last name and created this nickname. This nickname always makes me feel very in control and in charge, because it would often be called across a space to ask me to make decisions about what we were doing. In a community theater organization run by under 18-year-olds, you take on a lot of responsibility and this nickname signifies to me all of the work that I did while in charge of the company. It will always mean something special to me.
Hello, my names are NOT:
May-gan- For some reason, many people are convinced that my name is pronounced this way, and it is not! I had a teacher in high school who I knew very well, and had for 3 out of 4 of my years, who even wrote my college recommendation, and stilled called me "May-gan" by the end of senior year. Some people just pronounce it that way, and I've learned not to mind, but sometimes it still irritates me a bit when it happens.
Meagan/Meghan- For being such a simple name, there sure are a million ways to spell Megan. Mine is the simplest, and to me makes the most sense, so I never understand why people assume there will be an extra a or e or h thrown into the mix.
Ed- When we were young, my sister caught on to the fact that my middle initials spell "Ed" and started to call me that. It would make me very very angry because I didn't have any clever boy's name to call her, and I always hated when she called me Ed. To this day, she'll bring it up and I'll be irritated, regardless of the fact that I know it's silly and it's been many years!
Wegan Mestman- Go ahead, laugh. It's funny. This is a nickname that everyone in the world except for me thinks is hilarious. I think it's stupid, and I realize it sounds funny, but it bothers me. People will say it and laugh and I'll just sit there and be unamused. I don't know what it is about this nickname, but I don't like it. Nicknames are generally affectionate, but this one just feels mean. I don't like it, and don't think I ever will!
Megan Elizabeth Daub Westman- This is my full, given name. I have literally never been called my full name, unless someone is reciting it because they saw it written down. Even when I was a child and my mom would use her stern voice on me, she would always say "Megan Elizabeth Westman." My second middle name generally gets left out. My parents named me Megan for no reason except that they liked the name! My aunt's name is Margaret, so they may have gotten the inspiration from her, but there isn't any deep meaning behind the choice. Elizabeth is my grandmother's name, and Daub is my mother's maiden name. Despite the fact that it usually gets dropped, I am very glad to have my mother's maiden name included in my full name. I feel that it provides a connection to my mother's side of the family, and I'm glad to keep that in my name, and not just be a Westman. Westman doesn't really give anything away about my family's background or homeland, it's pretty generic! And it's useful because it's one that people rarely spell the wrong way.
Megan- 95% of the time, and to 95% of people, I am simply Megan. It's how I introduce myself, how my name appears on class rosters, and generally the norm for anyone talking to me. I really like my name, and couldn't imagine being named anything else. I feel that Megan suits me pretty well. It's a popular English/Welsh name and it means "little pearl." That meaning has never really resonated with me, but I like the name. I feel that Megan is a pretty informal sounding name, which is nice. Not incredibly dignified or anything, but it is simple, and has a nice ring to it, and I've never wanted to be named anything else.
Megan Elizabeth- On occasion, people call me Megan Elizabeth. Mostly my family, or when people are joking around with me and choose to use both names. It always feels very affectionate and caring to me when people use both names, probably because it means that they know my middle name, and it has sort of a warm, loving ring to it.
Meg- I am often Meg to those who know me very well and those who don't know me at all. My closest friends and family call me "Meg" as an affectionate nickname. Those who don't know me well and don't necessarily really remember my name sometimes call me Meg because that's all them remember... Either way, I like the name and don't mind. It is very friendly sounding, and I always enjoy being known as Meg. For a short period in high school, I thought I wanted to go by Meg as the norm, but quickly realized that while it's a good nickname, Megan really suits me more on the whole. Though, in classes with multiple Megans, I often go by Meg to make things simpler.
Nutmeg/Meglet/Megaroo- These are all variations on my name that have been nicknames since childhood. Nutmeg comes from the spice, Meglet comes from my love of Piglet from Winnie the Pooh, and Megaroo is one that my sister made up and it stuck. All of these are fun things to be called, and rather cute nicknames, and I've always enjoyed them.
Smeags- Not the most flattering nickname in the world, but this one was started last year by my group of friends at American and has stuck. We had a thing for watching lord of the rings, and someone realized that meg and smeagol sounded similarly, and thus "Smeags" was born. Though I can't say I'm super excited to be compared to Gollum's creepy split personality, we all have nicknames for each other and the use of this one, silly as it is, is always affectionate and appreciated. It has stopped representing smeagol to me, and is just a nickname! Weird as it is, I've grown to like it.
MegWest- To the group of kids who I did community theater with in high school, I became MegWest. Pretty obvious, some one just chose to combine parts of my first and last name and created this nickname. This nickname always makes me feel very in control and in charge, because it would often be called across a space to ask me to make decisions about what we were doing. In a community theater organization run by under 18-year-olds, you take on a lot of responsibility and this nickname signifies to me all of the work that I did while in charge of the company. It will always mean something special to me.
Hello, my names are NOT:
May-gan- For some reason, many people are convinced that my name is pronounced this way, and it is not! I had a teacher in high school who I knew very well, and had for 3 out of 4 of my years, who even wrote my college recommendation, and stilled called me "May-gan" by the end of senior year. Some people just pronounce it that way, and I've learned not to mind, but sometimes it still irritates me a bit when it happens.
Meagan/Meghan- For being such a simple name, there sure are a million ways to spell Megan. Mine is the simplest, and to me makes the most sense, so I never understand why people assume there will be an extra a or e or h thrown into the mix.
Ed- When we were young, my sister caught on to the fact that my middle initials spell "Ed" and started to call me that. It would make me very very angry because I didn't have any clever boy's name to call her, and I always hated when she called me Ed. To this day, she'll bring it up and I'll be irritated, regardless of the fact that I know it's silly and it's been many years!
Wegan Mestman- Go ahead, laugh. It's funny. This is a nickname that everyone in the world except for me thinks is hilarious. I think it's stupid, and I realize it sounds funny, but it bothers me. People will say it and laugh and I'll just sit there and be unamused. I don't know what it is about this nickname, but I don't like it. Nicknames are generally affectionate, but this one just feels mean. I don't like it, and don't think I ever will!
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