http://socialdance.stanford.edu/syllabi/smarter.htm
I stumbled upon this website recently, and I thought it was interesting enough to be posted on my blog. In case you're too lazy to actually read the whole page, which I totally understand, here's a basic summary: Frequent dancing has been proven to make people smarter. It has been shown to ward off Alzheimer's and dementia. Dancing that requires rapid decision making, such as Zumba, instead of dancing where the pathways are already memorized helps strengthen a person's mental acuity. So get dancing and do your brain a favor! Luckily, MORP is coming up so you'll have a great excuse to dance as much as you can work that brain of yours!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 283; the end of Part 2
This section was filled with war information, which is kind of boring to me because like Scarlett, war does not interest me. So here's a little summary to make my final comments understandable:
The Southern people are still content despite food shortages, death, illness, and poverty. The Confederacy has won important battles, and rumors begin to circulate that the war will be settled at an impending battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. As the battle begins, news of widespread casualties slowly gets back to Atlanta. A large crowd of women gathers before the newspaper office to wait for casualty lists. Melanie, Scarlett, and Pittypat learn that Ashley has survived, but nearly every family in Atlanta has lost a relative in the fighting. Stuart and Brent Tarleton, the twins we met at the beginning of the novel, have died. The Confederacy loses the battle at Gettysburg. At Christmas time, Ashley comes home briefly. Scarlett loves seeing him, but wishes she could speak to him alone. Just before he leaves, she gets a moment with him. Ashley asks Scarlett to look after Melanie if he is killed. Scarlett quickly agrees and then kisses him passionately. Ashley kisses her back but quickly breaks away as Scarlett proclaims her love, and he hurries to the train station looking agonized....Possibly showing he shares the feelings of love? The Confederate army has lost ground and Atlanta suffers from cold and hunger. Atlanta openly hates Rhett as a food hog. Scarlett is burdened with two new problems now as Ashley has been captured, and Melanie is pregnant. Rhett has learned of Ashley’s imprisonment and tells Scarlett that Ashley could have won his freedom by betraying the Confederacy. Scarlett asks why Ashley would have refused such an opportunity, and Rhett, who claims he himself would have accepted, replies that Ashley is too much of a gentleman, quite similar to what her father had previously said.
I don't see why Scarlett chooses to put herself through this nonsense. She knows the more she thinks about, talks to, and in this case kisses Ashley, the more unhappy she will be that he is not hers. When she kisses him passionately and he kisses back I think it is kind of a turning point in their relationship. Not only are both people intrigued by what the kiss could have meant, but both have crossed a boundary. However, this relationship can't really grow now that Ashley has been captured, which is quite unfortunate. And I'm sure Melanie's pregnancy doesn't really help Scarlett feel better about where she is with Ashley, not that she can complain though because she already has a kid. So yeah, I liked this section for its actions and drama, but I gotta admit I'm kinda starting to lose faith in Scarlett's judgment and decision making.
The Southern people are still content despite food shortages, death, illness, and poverty. The Confederacy has won important battles, and rumors begin to circulate that the war will be settled at an impending battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. As the battle begins, news of widespread casualties slowly gets back to Atlanta. A large crowd of women gathers before the newspaper office to wait for casualty lists. Melanie, Scarlett, and Pittypat learn that Ashley has survived, but nearly every family in Atlanta has lost a relative in the fighting. Stuart and Brent Tarleton, the twins we met at the beginning of the novel, have died. The Confederacy loses the battle at Gettysburg. At Christmas time, Ashley comes home briefly. Scarlett loves seeing him, but wishes she could speak to him alone. Just before he leaves, she gets a moment with him. Ashley asks Scarlett to look after Melanie if he is killed. Scarlett quickly agrees and then kisses him passionately. Ashley kisses her back but quickly breaks away as Scarlett proclaims her love, and he hurries to the train station looking agonized....Possibly showing he shares the feelings of love? The Confederate army has lost ground and Atlanta suffers from cold and hunger. Atlanta openly hates Rhett as a food hog. Scarlett is burdened with two new problems now as Ashley has been captured, and Melanie is pregnant. Rhett has learned of Ashley’s imprisonment and tells Scarlett that Ashley could have won his freedom by betraying the Confederacy. Scarlett asks why Ashley would have refused such an opportunity, and Rhett, who claims he himself would have accepted, replies that Ashley is too much of a gentleman, quite similar to what her father had previously said.
I don't see why Scarlett chooses to put herself through this nonsense. She knows the more she thinks about, talks to, and in this case kisses Ashley, the more unhappy she will be that he is not hers. When she kisses him passionately and he kisses back I think it is kind of a turning point in their relationship. Not only are both people intrigued by what the kiss could have meant, but both have crossed a boundary. However, this relationship can't really grow now that Ashley has been captured, which is quite unfortunate. And I'm sure Melanie's pregnancy doesn't really help Scarlett feel better about where she is with Ashley, not that she can complain though because she already has a kid. So yeah, I liked this section for its actions and drama, but I gotta admit I'm kinda starting to lose faith in Scarlett's judgment and decision making.
Spellbound
In the movie, Spellbound, different young students' journeys through the national spelling bee are explained. The kids and their parents are very different from one another, especially Neil's and Ashley's parents. Neil's parents drilled him every day for hours on all the different words. His father spent more time on the camera than Neil did and was determined to make Neil the champion. He bragged about his training plan, the house he built on his own, and during the competition it was stated that Neil's grandfather in India had paid 1,000 people to pray for Neil to win the spelling bee. If Neil won, 5,000 people would be fed in celebration of the success. Neil's parents and grandparents seem more obsessed with Neil's victory than Neil does. Ashley's mother is a single mother however, and is focused on how great Ashley's achievements are compared to what was expected of her. She is extremely proud of Ashley, even when she fails, and makes it seem like the greatest achievement from winning the competition would be the money prize the winner receives. She is very realistic though in her views of what Ashley can achieve because she states it'd be nice to have that money but pretty unlikely. Although both parents are pretty supportive of their children, Neil's parents focus on victory only while Ashley's mother focuses on the happiness of her daughter and the possible income she could receive because of it.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 248
WOW...by far the best section yet! It kills me to stop reading now, but I know if i don't I'll never get another post in. So here's a short catch up summary so I can hurry up and start ranting about my feelings over this:
Atlanta is filled with gossip about Scarlett’s shocking behavior (dancing with Rhett.) Pittypat says that Rhett is a terrible man, but forgives him when he sends Melanie’s wedding ring, which he bought back. Gerald, her father, arrives to confront Rhett and take Scarlett back to Tara in disgrace. He leaves to talk to Rhett and returns in the middle of the night, drunk and penniless from playing poker. In the morning, Scarlett promises to keep his behavior a secret as long as he allows her to stay in Atlanta and he agrees. The following week, Scarlett sneaks into Melanie’s room to read a letter Melanie recently received from Ashley. In it Ashley discusses his doubts about the war, but Scarlett pays little attention to his soul-searching questions. She is simply relieved that Ashley has not written Melanie a love letter. Scarlett puts away the letter, convinced that Ashley still loves her. The war still drags on and Rhett is the most famous Confederate blockade invader, sneaking boats through the Yankee blockade in order to sell cotton and other Southern products in exchange for necessities. He becomes the most popular man in town despite his reputation for disregarding socially acceptable behavior. He and Scarlett talk frequently. She enjoys the informality occasioned by the war and lives an active social life. After months of polite behavior, Rhett starts publicly expressing his contempt for Confederate idealism and declares that he works for personal gain, not for the Southern cause. One night at a party, Rhett scandalizes his audience by exclaiming that the war is about money, not pride, rights, or glory. In the carriage ride home, Melanie defends Rhett, revealing that in his letters Ashley has expressed beliefs similar to Rhett’s. The revelation that her shining idol and a scoundrel have the same opinions about the war confuses Scarlett, again relating back to her belief that all men are vile. The entire city, with the exception of the Hamilton household, alienates Rhett. He continues to call on Scarlett, however, and gives her a fancy hat from Paris so she will stop wearing the required black mourning veil. One day Melanie tells Scarlett that a prostitute named Belle Watling gave her a considerable sum of money for the hospital. Belle wrapped the money in a handkerchief, which Melanie now holds, and Scarlett sees that it bears Rhett’s initials, obviously meaning he had been with the prostitute. Scarlett is enraged that Rhett would do something like this. She believed that only vulgar men would consult women like this and after this event realizes that maybe all men participate in these activities and is appalled at the thought. She decides that men are vile, and Rhett Butler was the worst of them all. She thinks of the most awful thing she could do to him, but instead chooses to put the handkerchief in the stove and watch it burn.
I guess that really wasn't too short, but oh well. I find it funny how easily Scarlett comes across men, and how she finds men with similar tastes so different from eachother. Rhett and Ashley seem so similar except that Rhett is actually telling Scarlett he loves her. I don't see what Scarlett's problem is, even though I guess I've kind of felt the same way. It's always more intriguing to go after something, or in her case, someone that you know you can't have. Unfortunately for Scarlett though, not only is her dream man taken, but he's also at war meaning he could die any day. I'm afraid she wont get the chance to be with him as she had hoped. And after this scandal with Rhett and the prostitute, I can feel a major event coming on...Just as the war is reaching a low point of failure, Scarlett's love life is also reaching a low point of deception and lies. Microcosm once again?
Atlanta is filled with gossip about Scarlett’s shocking behavior (dancing with Rhett.) Pittypat says that Rhett is a terrible man, but forgives him when he sends Melanie’s wedding ring, which he bought back. Gerald, her father, arrives to confront Rhett and take Scarlett back to Tara in disgrace. He leaves to talk to Rhett and returns in the middle of the night, drunk and penniless from playing poker. In the morning, Scarlett promises to keep his behavior a secret as long as he allows her to stay in Atlanta and he agrees. The following week, Scarlett sneaks into Melanie’s room to read a letter Melanie recently received from Ashley. In it Ashley discusses his doubts about the war, but Scarlett pays little attention to his soul-searching questions. She is simply relieved that Ashley has not written Melanie a love letter. Scarlett puts away the letter, convinced that Ashley still loves her. The war still drags on and Rhett is the most famous Confederate blockade invader, sneaking boats through the Yankee blockade in order to sell cotton and other Southern products in exchange for necessities. He becomes the most popular man in town despite his reputation for disregarding socially acceptable behavior. He and Scarlett talk frequently. She enjoys the informality occasioned by the war and lives an active social life. After months of polite behavior, Rhett starts publicly expressing his contempt for Confederate idealism and declares that he works for personal gain, not for the Southern cause. One night at a party, Rhett scandalizes his audience by exclaiming that the war is about money, not pride, rights, or glory. In the carriage ride home, Melanie defends Rhett, revealing that in his letters Ashley has expressed beliefs similar to Rhett’s. The revelation that her shining idol and a scoundrel have the same opinions about the war confuses Scarlett, again relating back to her belief that all men are vile. The entire city, with the exception of the Hamilton household, alienates Rhett. He continues to call on Scarlett, however, and gives her a fancy hat from Paris so she will stop wearing the required black mourning veil. One day Melanie tells Scarlett that a prostitute named Belle Watling gave her a considerable sum of money for the hospital. Belle wrapped the money in a handkerchief, which Melanie now holds, and Scarlett sees that it bears Rhett’s initials, obviously meaning he had been with the prostitute. Scarlett is enraged that Rhett would do something like this. She believed that only vulgar men would consult women like this and after this event realizes that maybe all men participate in these activities and is appalled at the thought. She decides that men are vile, and Rhett Butler was the worst of them all. She thinks of the most awful thing she could do to him, but instead chooses to put the handkerchief in the stove and watch it burn.
I guess that really wasn't too short, but oh well. I find it funny how easily Scarlett comes across men, and how she finds men with similar tastes so different from eachother. Rhett and Ashley seem so similar except that Rhett is actually telling Scarlett he loves her. I don't see what Scarlett's problem is, even though I guess I've kind of felt the same way. It's always more intriguing to go after something, or in her case, someone that you know you can't have. Unfortunately for Scarlett though, not only is her dream man taken, but he's also at war meaning he could die any day. I'm afraid she wont get the chance to be with him as she had hoped. And after this scandal with Rhett and the prostitute, I can feel a major event coming on...Just as the war is reaching a low point of failure, Scarlett's love life is also reaching a low point of deception and lies. Microcosm once again?
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 195
This section has definitely brought the excitement I was looking for! I'll fill you in so you can enjoy it as well.
The hospital holds a fundraising bazaar, but as a widow in mourning Scarlett cannot attend without breaching decorum. Unlike the other widows, she thinks it unfair that she works like a “field hand” to prepare for the bazaar but cannot attend. At the last moment, Scarlett and Melanie are called in to work at a booth. At the bazaar, Scarlett is shocked by her own lack of patriotism during the speeches about the glorious Confederate cause; she'd much rather dance. Rhett Butler, now a famous blockade-runner for the South, appears and teases her about her marriage to Charles. Dr. Meade, Atlanta’s foremost citizen, sends around a collection basket to encourage women to donate their jewelry. Scarlett donates her hated wedding ring, which I found quite strange. Melanie mistakes Scarlett’s action for courage and throws her own wedding ring into the basket, also quite strange. Dr. Meade proposes that the men can bid to dance with the lady of their choice in order to raise money for the hospital. As a widow, Scarlett is strictly forbidden to dance, but Rhett bids a hundred and fifty dollars in gold on her. Shockingly, Scarlett accepts and hurries to the dance floor. Rhett tells Scarlett that he admires her beauty and spirit and that he knows the war bores her as it bores him. Scarlett pretends to be angry, but she knows that what he says is true. Rhett chooses to charm her more while they dance squeezing her tightly. Scarlett insists he must stop and that she will be angry if he does not stop because Pittypat is coming over. She knows Pittypat will be angry at Scarlett for dancing with a man. Rhett responds by saying he loves they way she looks when she is mad, for she is even more charming with her Irish background adding to the charm. He brings up the day at Twelve Oaks when she threw a huge fit because of Ashley and says it is one of his priceless memories. She convinces him to stop and walk over to the window with her before she has to endure a confrontation with Pittypat.
Scarlett must give into her charming tendencies and dance with this fool, who makes it obvious he is in love with her. He only brings up her beauty though, which brings me back to remembering previously when Scarlett mentioned that the tools she must use to win a man are a pretty dress and a clear complexion, beauty. Does Rhett really love her? If so is she in any position to pass up true love? Her situation at the moment seems pretty frustrating as the man she thought she loved has found another woman and he is now unavailable to her...why doesn't she find another man and restart this portion of her life? That's just my opinion...maybe she'll do what I think she should? Guess I'll find out.
The hospital holds a fundraising bazaar, but as a widow in mourning Scarlett cannot attend without breaching decorum. Unlike the other widows, she thinks it unfair that she works like a “field hand” to prepare for the bazaar but cannot attend. At the last moment, Scarlett and Melanie are called in to work at a booth. At the bazaar, Scarlett is shocked by her own lack of patriotism during the speeches about the glorious Confederate cause; she'd much rather dance. Rhett Butler, now a famous blockade-runner for the South, appears and teases her about her marriage to Charles. Dr. Meade, Atlanta’s foremost citizen, sends around a collection basket to encourage women to donate their jewelry. Scarlett donates her hated wedding ring, which I found quite strange. Melanie mistakes Scarlett’s action for courage and throws her own wedding ring into the basket, also quite strange. Dr. Meade proposes that the men can bid to dance with the lady of their choice in order to raise money for the hospital. As a widow, Scarlett is strictly forbidden to dance, but Rhett bids a hundred and fifty dollars in gold on her. Shockingly, Scarlett accepts and hurries to the dance floor. Rhett tells Scarlett that he admires her beauty and spirit and that he knows the war bores her as it bores him. Scarlett pretends to be angry, but she knows that what he says is true. Rhett chooses to charm her more while they dance squeezing her tightly. Scarlett insists he must stop and that she will be angry if he does not stop because Pittypat is coming over. She knows Pittypat will be angry at Scarlett for dancing with a man. Rhett responds by saying he loves they way she looks when she is mad, for she is even more charming with her Irish background adding to the charm. He brings up the day at Twelve Oaks when she threw a huge fit because of Ashley and says it is one of his priceless memories. She convinces him to stop and walk over to the window with her before she has to endure a confrontation with Pittypat.
Scarlett must give into her charming tendencies and dance with this fool, who makes it obvious he is in love with her. He only brings up her beauty though, which brings me back to remembering previously when Scarlett mentioned that the tools she must use to win a man are a pretty dress and a clear complexion, beauty. Does Rhett really love her? If so is she in any position to pass up true love? Her situation at the moment seems pretty frustrating as the man she thought she loved has found another woman and he is now unavailable to her...why doesn't she find another man and restart this portion of her life? That's just my opinion...maybe she'll do what I think she should? Guess I'll find out.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 159
Not gonna lie, this section was a little less entertaining than past ones. But hey, doesn't that hint that something great is building up? Even if it doesn't I'm going to pretend that it does, because the beginning of the book impressed me. Before I give my commentary, here's a very short summary:
Scarlett and Charles marry just one day before Melanie and Ashley’s wedding. The men then go off to war and Charles dies of measles two months later. Scarlett gives birth to a son and names him Wade Hampton Hamilton, after Charles’s commanding officer. Scarlett hates the restrictive and boring life of a widowed mother, hates the general excitement over the war, and hates that Ashley is married. She takes a trip to Atlanta to stay with Melanie and her aunt, Pittypat. One morning, Scarlett, Prissy, and Wade arrive in Atlanta to visit Melanie and Aunt Pittypat. Atlanta, a railroad hub, has sprouted army departments, hospitals, and foundries during the war. At the Hamilton house on Peachtree Street, Pittypat and Melanie are thrilled to see Scarlett. Uncle Henry, Pittypat’s brother, talks to Scarlett about Charles’s fortune, which is now Scarlett’s. The hustle and energy revive Scarlett. Her only complaint is that she must do volunteer nursing work in the soldiers’ hospitals, which are full of sweaty, wounded men that stink of gangrene. Scarlett is disgusted by nursing, and claims to hate it. Melanie is also disgusted by nursing and could be found vomiting after several of the procedures to remove the gangrene from wounded soldiers.
I feel bad for Scarlett now that her plan has backfired. She is now unhappier than she previously was without Ashley. But now she must be even more involved in his life and cannot move on and forget him because she was married into the same family he was married into. I can't blame her for being disgusted by nursing, I would be too. I just hope her situation improves!
Scarlett and Charles marry just one day before Melanie and Ashley’s wedding. The men then go off to war and Charles dies of measles two months later. Scarlett gives birth to a son and names him Wade Hampton Hamilton, after Charles’s commanding officer. Scarlett hates the restrictive and boring life of a widowed mother, hates the general excitement over the war, and hates that Ashley is married. She takes a trip to Atlanta to stay with Melanie and her aunt, Pittypat. One morning, Scarlett, Prissy, and Wade arrive in Atlanta to visit Melanie and Aunt Pittypat. Atlanta, a railroad hub, has sprouted army departments, hospitals, and foundries during the war. At the Hamilton house on Peachtree Street, Pittypat and Melanie are thrilled to see Scarlett. Uncle Henry, Pittypat’s brother, talks to Scarlett about Charles’s fortune, which is now Scarlett’s. The hustle and energy revive Scarlett. Her only complaint is that she must do volunteer nursing work in the soldiers’ hospitals, which are full of sweaty, wounded men that stink of gangrene. Scarlett is disgusted by nursing, and claims to hate it. Melanie is also disgusted by nursing and could be found vomiting after several of the procedures to remove the gangrene from wounded soldiers.
I feel bad for Scarlett now that her plan has backfired. She is now unhappier than she previously was without Ashley. But now she must be even more involved in his life and cannot move on and forget him because she was married into the same family he was married into. I can't blame her for being disgusted by nursing, I would be too. I just hope her situation improves!
3.1 Diction Exercise
A. Words
Stubbornly, appetite, dreamy, presence, idly, stillness, buried, mournful, absolute
B. Elements of Diction
1. Concreteness; straightforward, unequivocal
2. Sound; aggressive, coarse
C. Claim
In the poem "It Is Not The Fact That I Will Die That I Mind," the author, Jim Moore, employs coarse and aggressive sounding words to expose the frustration he feels about his inevitable demise.
Stubbornly, appetite, dreamy, presence, idly, stillness, buried, mournful, absolute
B. Elements of Diction
1. Concreteness; straightforward, unequivocal
2. Sound; aggressive, coarse
C. Claim
In the poem "It Is Not The Fact That I Will Die That I Mind," the author, Jim Moore, employs coarse and aggressive sounding words to expose the frustration he feels about his inevitable demise.
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