Hannah Mayer

Excerpts from: Hatch’s Order of Magnitude: Methodical Rankings of the Commonplace and the Incredible for Daily Reference, by a Man of Extraordinary Genius and Impeccable Taste, by Michael Hatch.

Introvertedness to Extrovertedness:

1. Mute

2. Introverted

3. Quiet

4. Average

5. Open

6. Friendly

7. Outgoing

8. Gregarious

9. Life of the party

10. Raving lunatic

Intelligence:

1. Somatic death

2. Vegetable

3. Slow learner

4. Feeble-minded

5. Obtuse

6. Average

7. Astute

8. Perceptive

9. Bright

10. Gifted

11. Genius

12. Prodigy

Pleasure to Pain:

1. Orgasm

2. Euphoria

3. Bliss

4. Pleasurable touch

5. Comfort

6. Numbness

7. Discomfort

8. Irritation

9. Pain

10. Torment

11. Agony

Times to Eat:

1. Farm breakfast

2. Breakfast

3. Second breakfast

4. Brunch

5. Elevens

6. Tiffin

7. Lunch

8. Afternoon snack

9. Tea

10. Sundowner

11. Dinner

12. Supper

13. Late dinner

14. Dessert

15. Late-night snack

16. Midnight snack

17. Dead-of-night bite

This text made me feel a number of emotions. First and most powerfully, I felt humor. The author’s use of odd and clever words made me laugh out loud a number of times. I also felt a bit inferior because there were so many words I did not recognize and had to look up online. The text not only made me feel different emotions, but it made me think. I wondered how the author decided the order in which he put the words and what standards he used to compare with.

The text was so effective making me think and feel because it followed some of the guidelines laid out by Aristotle in “Poetics.” First of all, on page 3, Aristotle stressed the importance of a plot, and that plot should have a beginning, middle and end. Hatch (the author of the text above) uses this in each of his “poems” (comparisons/lists). He starts at the beginning with one concept and works towards the end where the concept changes (either to the opposite meaning, or on a scale from weak to strong). The middle of his poems is the transition period, where the difference between the first concept and the last are neutral.

Also under the category of plot, Aristotle says (on page 4) that “Reversal of the Situation is a change by which the action veers round to its opposite.” Hatch uses this model of reversal in every one of his poems. He starts with one idea (such as “stupid” or “pleasure”), and by the end of the poem he has made his way around the opposite idea (“smart” or “pain”).

Another important part of a poem or tragedy that Aristotle stresses is the character. He states that the character must be true to life (page 5). Hatch uses this suggestion in each of his poems, and that is why they are so funny to me; because everything is true!

If These Walls Could Speak

If these old walls; If these old walls could speak; Of the things that they remember well; Stories and faces dearly held; Rooms full of laughter; If these walls could speak. If these old halls; If hallowed halls could talk; These would have a tale to tell; Of sun going down and dinner bell; If these halls could speak. If these old fashioned window panes were eyes; I guess they would have seen it all-- Each little tear and sigh and footfall; And every dream that we came to seek; Or followed after; If these walls could speak. They would tell you that I owe you; More than I could ever pay. Here’s someone who really loves you; Don’t ever go away. That’s what these walls would say. That’s what these walls would say…By Amy Grant

A great way to look at this is by using Aristotle “the poet being an imitator, like a painter or any other artist” (6). I think this is important because the artist here actually paints the way someone would picture actual memories. The words have so much more meaning than just what is being said. They are simple guidelines to the direction in which your thoughts would go. This is a song that is sung at events for the sorority that I belong to. It really puts into perspective living in the house the many memories that you create with these friends. Girls that are not only friends now, but will continue to be years and years down the road. Therefore, making this piece of literature to truly move me and allow myself to fully realize every little detail in life. Aristotle also said “By ‘Diction’ I mean the mere metrical arrangement of the words” (2). The words in this song were arranged so very carefully. The way they flow together really made me think about the fact that there will not always be good in our lives. There will be many bad memories as well however, it is nice to know of the many people I can count on to pick me up when I need it. A lot of that will happen when living in a house with 35 other girls. Yet, the memories are irreplaceable, these memories that were created within the walls we live in, an experience that not everyone will be able to have.

Rick Warren

I received an email from my mom a couple weeks ago that made a great impact on me. It was an excerpt from an interview with Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life. The interview gave Warrens perspective of what money and fame can do to your life, and that it cant fix those terrible tragedies that life throws at you. His book sold 15 million copies in the last year bringing wealth and fame into his life. In the same year his wife was diagnosed with cancer. This changed their lives forever and he knew that money and fame weren't the only things that mattered. The main focus of the interview was to show us that God didn't put us on earth to fulfill a to-do-list. Hes more interested in what we are then what we do.

This impacted me a great deal because usually when people are thrown into money it can really take their lives and turn them completely around. He kept his values and morals intact and knew exactly what needed to be done in order for his life to stay on the right track. Aristotle said, " that it is not the function of the poet to relate what has happened, but what may happen-what is possible..."(3)Warren tells us that hes not going to focus on what happened to his wife and with the fame he acquired but what life has for them in the future and what good they can do with what they were dealt. It helps the reader to have a more positive attitude and outlook on life when someone uses this type of writing. Aristotle also talks about plot. The one Warren uses in his interview is the scene of suffering which is "a destructive or painful action, such as death, bodily agony, wounds and the like" (4). As human beings we can relate to the pain he's going through. When the writer gives personal accounts, it helps us to have emotion and it can help us to imitate the behavior Warren is trying to bestow upon us.

Graduation Speech 9/13/09

The text I have chosen for this post is the speech given by the valedictorian of my high school graduation class during the graduation ceremony. It was truly a graduation speech; beginning with memories from elementary school up until our graduation night, talking about our futures, our attatchment to each other and to our town, and ending with everyone in tears. But, there is one line that I keep in the back of my mind: "We are North Branch. As much as we may or may not like it, we are this town and this school. The memories and the people that embody ourselves here are the basis for our potential to make changes within our own future lives, the lives of others, and possibly the world."

I'll probably never forget that speech and, more specifically, that line. It moved me so much mostly because it was such an emotional time in general, but also because those words directly related to me and my life. Aristotle's work said that in relation to the character of a speech or actoin, it "...must be true to life: for this is a distinct thing from goodness and propriety (5)." Those were the most appropriate and real words that I could've heard to describe how much a part of me that town was and still is and how I felt at that time. There was no other way they could've been expressed than through that speech, for "the vehicle of expression is langauge..(6)"

Money Matters

A presentation was given in my Personal Financial Planning class that spoke on how to develop good money habits. The main objective was to learn how to share, spend, and save your money. The presenter had the class repeat the quote “The money you spend today can change the world.” An example the presenter gave to illustrate the quote was the by telling a story about a young woman. At one of his speaking arrangements at a camp he challenged the youth to raise money to donate to the camp. At the end of the summer he was astonished to learn that the kids had saved their money up to donate. He found their donation to be remarkable because these kids were in need of the money themselves. Every year since a different group of kids has given money to the camp. The presenter later learned that one of the kids from the first year had died in a car accident. He was told at the funeral that she was the one to urge the group to donate. She had taken his words to heart, that their money could change the world.

This story moved me because of the way the presenter told it. He was genuinely surprised by the gift the kids made. He was impressed by the generosity of the kids and he himself learned that he should share more. The Aristotle piece said that “to learn gives the liveliest pleasure, not only to philosopher but to men in general.” page 1 Although he constantly speaks on good money habits his speeches had became in some ways redundant to him. The children’s gift made him realize that he was helping to shape their money habits and by doing so he was changing the world. He was able to learn from the children's generosity. The tragedy of the death of the young woman added a new perceptive to the presenter. He would never have thought she would be the one to urge the others to give. In the reading it said that “Tragedy is an imitation, not of men, but of an action.” page 2 The actions of the young woman created a snowball effect. Her death was a tragedy because of her actions in life. Her generosity was the cause of her peers to give. She not only affected the presenter and her peers but the subsequent groups that attend the camp.

This Earth of Mankind (Novel by Pramoedya Ananta Toer)

“You think, boy, because you wear European clothes, mix with Europeans, and can speak a little Dutch you then become a European? You’re still a monkey.” “Close your mouth!” shouted Nyai loudly in Dutch. “He is my guest.” Mr. Mellema’s eyes shifted dully to his concubine...Her eyes burned with hatred and disgust. “You have no rights in this house. You know where your room is.” The nyai pointed to a door. And her pointed finger was clawed. Mr. Mellema still stood in front of me, hesitant. “Do I need to call Darsam?” she threatened. The tall-big-fat man was confused; he growled in answer. He turned and walked, dragging his feet, to a door next to the room I had just occupied, and disappeared behind it (pp.47-48).

This Earth of Mankind is set near the end of the 19th century in Java, Indonesia. During that time, Indonesia suffered under Dutch colonialism. The narrator and concubine in this passage are both natives, while Mr. Mellema is European. This brief encounter is important because it provides a bold introduction to the character of Nyai.

According to Aristotle, a character must have a good purpose, know his or her place in society, be true to life, and demonstrate consistency (p. 5). Nyai's purpose in this passage is to defend her guest in front of her husband. In doing so, however, the concubine does not behave in a polite manner or abide by society's expectations of her. Like the narrator, she is a native who speaks fluent Dutch. She is also married to a European tradesman. Her quarrel with Mr. Mellema therefore represents both lower class and female dominance in a household where the reader expects upper class, male dominance.

Good purpose, Aristotle states, is "relative to each class. Even a woman may be good, and also a slave; though the woman may be said to be an inferior being, and the slave quite worthless." On the subject of propriety Aristotle states, "There is a type of manly valor; but valor in a woman, or unscrupulous cleverness is inappropriate" (p. 5). Given these two statements, Aristotle would most likely say the character of Nyai is absolute crap. Her purpose in this excerpt is inappropriate for her class. This is of course assuming that Nyai's greater purpose (challenging society's norms regarding gender, race and class) goes unnoticed...I wonder how Aristotle felt about poetry as social commentary...

In conclusion, is Nyai's character true to life? Maybe not. Nevertheless, she is intriguing. She forces the reader to pause and consider his/her own society's expectations, as well as the inner workings of other societies ("Us" and "Them" and "It"). Hopefully Nyai's character will remain what Aristotle describes as "consistently inconsistent" in terms of 19th century Indonesian custom as well as the reader's expectations (p. 5).

Obama's Speech Target Center

The text I chose is a transcript of President Obama’s speech given yesterday at the Target Center in Minneapolis, which I found in the Star Tribune. I have posted a link to the piece below.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/59134707.html?page=1&c=y

Saturday’s speech follows President Obama’s address to Congress last Wednesday, September 9th in which he outlined his new health care plan. During yesterday’s speech at the Target Center, the President historicized the health care reform debate, outlined specific clauses in the new plan and addressed financial concerns in relation to the plan. In addition, the President offered several specific and touching incidences of Americans who have struggled emotionally and financially due to faulty heath care practices.

After recalling these incidences, the President made the claim that “no one should be treated that way in the United States of America.” Aristotle would have defined this tactic as one likely to inspire pity based upon his definition that “pity is aroused by unmerited misfortune “(4). Thus Obama’s claim is that no American should have to experience this kind of treatment, because it is not merited. Upon reading this text, I was in agreement that these individuals were indeed experiencing “unmerited misfortune,” and this led me to feel pity for them. Aristotle also claims that there are specific “circumstances which strike us as terrible or pitiful,” and that the most effective of these situations occurs when “the tragic incident occurs between those who are near or dear to one another” (5). While Aristole may not agree that bureaucrats and everyday Americans are near and dear to one another, Obama is trying to highlight the fact that all Americans are human and in that sense they should honor one another’s humanity by not attempting to profit off of misfortune.

An Excerpt from President Obama's Victory Speech

The other day as I was viewing posters at a poster sale, I came across a poster with the complete text of President Obama's victory speech. Each time I read or hear this speech, I am easily given a sense of hope for the world, which overshadows many of the disasters and misfortunes that have occurred the past 8 years. Please refer to the 13th paragraph from the link below to view my particular excerpt I am commenting on. It starts, "I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know your didn't do it for me..."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/3383581/Barack-Obamas-victory-speech-Full-text.html

Despite the crumbling economy and job losses, Obama promises to turn the economy around and create new jobs. This follows Aristotle's view of Thought, which is, "Thought--that is, the faculty of saying what is possible and pertinent in given circumstances." (p. 2). Improving the economy and creating jobs is completely possible during these difficult times, even though we have all heard the economy is at its worst point since the Great Depression. Obama states that brave Americans risk their lives everyday by fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. This follows Aristotle's view on how character is created, which is, "Character comes in as subsidiary to the actions." (p. 2). The events and actions that Americans fight in and go through in these 2 countries gives them the characteristic of being brave.

Camp Letting-Go

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/30/AR2009073002817.html?sub=AR

So this is the independence we seek for our children -- to turn our closest relationships into acquaintances. Of course, I knew this getting into parenthood. But the reality remains shocking. For a time, small hands take your own -- children look upward, and you fill their entire universe. They remain, to you, the most important things in the world. To them, over time, you become one important thing among many. And then an occasional visit or phone call. And then a memory, fond or otherwise.

The memory of my own father, gone these 17 years, is fond and blurry. He shrank in my mental universe from sun to star, bright and distant. With every season of camp, I dim to my sons as well. It is the appropriate humility of the generations. It is also harder than I thought. And I don't know how to let go.

 

 

     I selected an article that my father recently sent me in an email.  It had actually been sitting in my inbox, unread, for weeks.  I was much too busy preparing for college to read some stupid article from my dad.  Fortunately, we were given this assignment and I was forced to take five minutes to read that “stupid” article, which actually ended up being quite worth my time.  Ironically, the article was about parents watching their relationships with their children naturally dwindle as they grow. 

     One of the main reasons that this article was so moving was because the subject matter was that of a more familiar tragedy.  Aristotle repeatedly wrote of the importance of the tragedy, which made me automatically think all writings must have death in them to be intriguing.  This article put a new light on the tragedy, while also following Aristotle’s suggestion on page five about the severity of tragedies between those close to us. The fading of relationships with those we love is heartbreaking, but natural. 

     On page four of Poetics, Aristotle wrote about the appeal of reversal of situation.  It is the “change by which the action veers round to its opposite, subject always to our rule of probability or necessity.”  The author of the article seems to be promoting this summer camp that he sends his child to every year, somewhat denouncing parents that don’t know how to let their children grow up and be independent.   That possibly being the author’s original intent, writing his feelings on the subject had the opposite effect on him.  By the last paragraph, it is clear that the article has evoked his own fears about watching his child slowly drift away.    

We Who Are Alive And Remain - Marcus Brotherton

Text: "It's been noted that soldiers in premodern eras sometimes went unnamed. A man was more efficient, so it was thought, it he was simply known as soldier - one of many. But modern soldiers have names. Although the men of Easy Company functioned as a group during the war, all were individuals. They grew up in various places all over America. They had brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers."

This is quote is from the beginning chapter of a book filled with the life stories of men who who were paratroopers during World War II, their life stories largely defined by the years they spent at War. This quote really hit me hard while reading this book because today in society I believe that many in America have gone back to premodern times, in that, most of us know soldiers as soldiers but not as individuals... and when we hear that news brief we don't always realize that the soldier they are talking about on the television is a brother, a son, a friend, or maybe even a father.

This can be evaluated by Aristotle when he says (pg5) "But when a tragic incident occurs between those who are near or dear to each other.... these are the situations that can be looked for by a poet." This makes me realize that many people distance themselves from the life and death of a soldier because they are not like family or near or dear - so to them no tragedy has occurred. Another quote from Aristotle that relates to this passage is from page 4 "...for pity is aroused by unmerited misfortune, fear by the misfortune of a man like ourselves." This relates because a soldiers death is in fact an unmerited misfortune -and pity - not tragedy- a result to many.

Michael Jordan HOF speech

My speech is the one Michael Jordan gave when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

http://pointsinthepaint.com/articles-2009/september/michael-jordan-hof-speech.html

Jordan's main point of his speech was thanking people for contributing towards his competitive nature.  Throughout his whole speech he thanked coaches, teammates, family, and opponents that intentionally and unintentionally pushed him to be the best.

Aristotle says on page 6, "...a probable impossibility is to be preferred to a thing improbable and yet possible."  This quote made me think more about the road that Jordan traveled throughout his career.  What Jordan did seemed impossible and hard to believe but Aristotle changes the prefixes on two words and he makes what Jordan accomplished seem possible but improbable.  This didn't change my thoughts on Jordan but changed my attitude towards Jordan a more positive one.  Another quote from Aristotle on page 6 that affected my view towards Jordan was, "If an enemy kills an enemy, there is nothing to excite pity...But when the tragic incident occurs between those who are near or dear to one another..."  Opponents that Jordan played against were a positive factor in developing his competitive nature and coaches that cut him from teams or reduced his playing time is where Jordan struggled.  After reading "Poetics" I realized that opponents were the people that developed Jordan into the athlete he ended up being while coaches on his team were slowing him down.  Aristotle changed my ideas and thoughts quite a bit by making me look at Jordan's examples from a slightly different lens.  

"Harnessing The Power Of The Brain"

The article I read comes from the television journalism show 60 Minutes. It is entitled "Harnessing The Power Of The Brain." I have posted a link to the written story below.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/31/60minutes/main4560940.shtml?tag=currentVideoInfo;segmentUtilities

The 60 Minutes report covers the tragic, yet inspiring, tale of people battling ALS a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's Disease. ALS tragically paralyzes the physical body while leaving the brain in a fully functional state. Reporter Scott Pelley poignantly tells the story of Cathy Hutchinson and Scott Mackler, victims of ALS, battling back against their illness. By working with scientists, these two are some of the first ALS patients to connect their brains to computers, enabling them to communicate with loved ones and even control computers and wheelchairs through brain power.

Aristotle would have loved this 60 Minutes episode as it had many of the same characteristics that he deemed important in creating quality literature (and what other plans would he have had on a Sunday night at 6pm?). First, Aristotle writes in his essay Poetics that “When a tragic incident occurs between those who are near or dear to one another…these are the situations to be looked for by a poet” (5). The article’s main characters are more than just random people. They are loved ones to many. Second, Aristotle writes that a story should be written about “a man… whose misfortune is brought about not by vice… but by error or frailty” (4). He also writes “It is probable that a thing may happen contrary to probability” (6). These two things are exactly what Pelley uses to tell the story of regular people who were unlucky and do something that previously seemed impossible and overcome the odds brought upon them.

Posting Assignment #1 (due Sunday 9/13, 11:59 P.M.)

This assignment has two parts.

Part One: FINDING

Over the next couple of days, take note of texts you encounter that move you -- that make you feel and/or think and/or act in the world in a new or different way. A "text," as I mean it here, is simply a piece of writing or speech; it does not have to be a novel or story or poem; it could also be an email, or a set of instructions, or a story you (over)hear.

Part Two: POSTING

Choose ONE of those texts that moved you in the strongest way, and present it at the beginning of your blog posting in no more than 150 words. You may either (a) type it out verbatim, if it's less than 100 words long; (b) provide a link to it, if it's online; or (c) summarize it. Then, in the remaining 150-250 words in your post, use the excerpts from Aristotle's "Poetics" to help you explain WHY the text was so effective at making you feel, think, or act differently. Please make reference to at least TWO specific passages in the "Poetics" and cite their page numbers.

A reminder: as always, this post is due on Sunday at 11:59 P.M. Then, before Tuesday at 11:59 P.M., you should read everyone else's posts and comment upon at least one of them (comments should be about 50-100 words long). I will grade posts and comments each week and send you the grade, along with brief comments, via email. For details on all of this, see pages 4 and 6 of the syllabus.

And as always, if you have any questions or issues, feel free to contact me.