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Personal Literacy Narrative Draft 4

Brian Ingebretsen

5/9/14

ENGL 1A

The Ink within a Heart

My literary history is somewhat in its prepubescent stages; I understand the dynamics and mechanics but I have yet to do anything remarkable with it. I enjoy writing to the fullest extent; I love where your ideas can take you and I love the satisfaction of creating well thought out and profound statements such as this one. To me, writing brings about blissful solace while simultaneously delivering a message that is both powerful and assertive, cementing the written word as the pinnacle of the conveyance of ideas. The writing in my life will be ever changing and with the help that I have received from my teachers combined with what I learned from my experiences, I know that my writing ability has only begun to blossom.

            I grew up in the small town called Pleasanton in the state of California and I took to reading at young age. I loved reading so much that it developed into a love of writing theory and from then on I would always picture and plot the perfect ideas of how to properly write important essays and how to create grand spectacles with story writing. Having a novice and premature writing though process, along with only using the diction and syntax that I had known at the time, it’s safe to say that in my early years I wasn’t a very good writer. I had many great ideas but due to my stubbornness and laziness, they rarely got out onto paper which is ironic because if I wasn’t told to write, my ideas would flood onto the paper and many wonderful stories would be born onto the Earth. Little by little, however, I learned how to write more importantly and under time constraints getting my ideas across in a creative and relevant way; I grew out of my stubbornness and began to write. Once I got into high school, my writing had just passed the threshold of mediocrity which meant that I had been underprepared for what the higher education had in store for me. This would prove to be my downfall in the beginning but with the right teachers, I had trekked into a new dimension of writing that I had never once entered before. I was able to add emotion into my writing, it wasn’t just a school essay anymore and it was a testament to myself and to what I have been through. I used my experiences to fuel the paper, I professed tangible emotion to the reader so they would remain entranced and become unable to place the paper down. I had done this even for the most obscure of papers such as a book review or a compare and contrast piece because that creative and romantic spark had electrified my style. However, I was still missing the story telling aspect of my writing, I had the connections and the depth but I needed to develop my story. At about the same time I was just beginning American Literature in my junior year of high school with a teacher who had a reputation of being one of the hardest and whom, indeed, lived up to the name. During that period of writing growth, I had to read many American Classics including F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby which, still to this day, is my all-time favorite novel. There was a distinction to the book; so much description, emotion, and romance all in an elegant story about the harsh morality of the 1920s and its customs. This had launched the inception for what kind of writer I had wanted to be; I wanted to dance in my paper, to journey to distant lands and live out the adventures being portrayed such as the way Fitzgerald throws you into the being that is Nick Carraway.  Though it was difficult, I developed that new story aspect to my writing therefore completing my goal, now I could now tell a story with depth and emotion by taking my experiences and my emotions and letting them pour into whatever I was writing. This especially helped with scholastic research essays in particular because I could apply my own experiences and emotions to the facts that I cite and actually make my paper alive not just the bland and robotic factual paper that is the norm at school. Mrs. Pagtakhan is her name, my English teacher at the time, and she is the defining figure in my journey of the written word because she helped us crtitque our essays as if we were all literary scholars. There was never an A paper in the class but the way that she taught you to write made you feel as if you had gotten a phenomenal score , with her tips and tricks to the occasional blast on the paper, she helped me really get into what I was writing and dive deep into the material. Now that I have entered college I believe that I have all of the ingredients to conceive a fantastic paper and maybe even someday, a novel.

            Unbeknownst to myself, my writing achievement had also affected my personality and the way I look at others. I learned to convey more emotion and look at things in regards to depth and symbolism to fully understand someone. My emotional growth came, not in the form of writing, but in the form of psychoanalysis which opened my eyes to what humans really think and feel. I learned what triggered emotions and how to trigger emotions, I learned that we are all uniquely different even if we look the same and because of the experience I have learned to view humans in a more eloquent light. This understanding allowed me to humanize as well as romanticize my papers to make a lasting effect on the reader and to even help them perceive things in a more eloquent and thoughtful light. With these developing skills I am ready to succeed in my college career and into my future, using this ability at work, with my family, and my everyday life. I am a biological science major and my goal is to become a forensic biologist who works in a lab and uses superior skill to solve cases and provide justice back into a dangerous world. Though the only writing I would be doing would consist of lab reports and police reports, my people skills will help me just as much as the evidence. If I can make the suspects or victims comfortable I can get more out of them, using their valuable information to help stop a killer or a thief. With this new skill, I can already see the stars of success in my future.

            Writing encompasses everything that we do whether it is scientifically or personally related. It takes us places that we may or may not want to go it’s that powerful and affects the way people feel towards one another. Writing divides and pulls together, it hurts and heals, and it ultimately makes the world a better place. Writing is a time machine, it is a future entity and it can stop violence which makes it an invaluable skill to mankind. Writing is viewed in hundreds of different perspectives; right now you are feeling different about reading this than I am writing it. There are different experiences that can go into an essay like this and those experiences often turn the paper into a completely different story. This is why the concept of writing will never be perfected and why it will keep on changing and improving and getting better, there will always be different interpretations of writing as well as different feelings towards it.

Presentations 5/2

Brian Ingebretsen

5/2/14

ENGL 1A

Presentations

Andrew, Francisco, and Ivan

Should College Athletes be Paid

Positives:

·         Very knowledgeable  about their topic

·         Good composure

Negative:

·         Very disorganized with their speaking

Pavel, David, and Forrest

Violent Video Games

Positives:

·         Great lead off arguments and rebuttals

·         Multimodality was a nice touch

Negatives:

·         They seemed to be neutral on the subject because they never really took a side

Presentations 4/30

Brian Ingebretsen

4/30/14

ENGL 1A

Presentations

Irania, Jessica, and Randee

The Truth about Diets

Positives:

·         Very factual and consistent

·         No stammering by the speakers

·         Seemed confident and well read on their topic

Negatives:

·         Not so stellar eye contact

·         Irania did most of the talking

Blake, Daniel, and Doyle

Space Exploration

Positives:

·         Very confident and well spoken

·         The group had fantastic chemistry

Negatives:

·         Relying too much on fictitious stories and sci fi

·         Blake and Daniel did most of the talking

Presentation Reactions

Brian Ingebretsen

4/28/14

ENGL 1A

Spencer, Melissa, Thai

Altered State of Legality

Positive

• great eye contact and strong voices

• very passionate about their project

Negatives

•  Too fast on slides and didn’t explain as well as they could have

• Didn’t breakdown their charts or statistics

Dana, Thor, Ben, JB

Show me the money

Positives

• Clear and concise voices

• Dana, Ben and JB were confident about their topic

Negative

• Thor seemed to have been stuttering and looked nervous

Matt, Jose, Brett

Fast food in America

Positives

·         Presentation was fun and the delivery was interesting

·         Enthusiastic about their topic

·         Interaction

Negatives

·         Way over the time limit

·         Cussing

Response

Brian Ingebretsen

4/29/14

ENGL 1A

Response Paper

This group project was a learning experience for all three of us. We learned the value of teamwork and individual journalism and applied those factors to our work. Our project has a mixture of humor, seriousness and sincerity which we believe to be the perfect formula for a fantastic presentation. Our facts are accurate and our sources are legitimate with all participants doing their fair share of the work. Each of us have found our own information to help contribute to our project and have made a great connection for our friendship as well.

Response 3

Brian Ingebretsen

4/14/14

ENGL 1A

Response #3

Fletcher, Ed. "Crime - Sacto 911." The Sacramento Bee. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014

            Fletcher reports on a prostitution case that has happened right here in the city of Sacramento which emphasizes the point that sex trafficking can happen anywhere. The culprit was found to have been pimping women out of a south Sacramento home after neighbors noted such oddities as continuous male guests and constant running of electricity. This article brings a sense of realism to a problem that is usually broadcasted to be in other countries or just other states in general and was written for those who live in Sacramento.

Walter, Seanna. "Prostitution Ring Article Was Underplayed." The Columbus Dispatch. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014

Walter brings to light that prostitution is usually swept under the rug when it comes to the media as she writes a rebuttal to a recent article regarding the break-up of a ring. She notes that the section discussing the prostitution was only mentioned on the back as a small story when it actually should’ve been front page news. The discovery of kidnapped girls ranging from 13-17 apparently isn’t as important as some other media dubbed event like the super bowl. This article is meant to enrage the populous and get them to realize that prostitution and trafficking are a very real problem in this country and we downsize it to the point where everything is ok.

Spring Break essay

Brian Ingebretsen

4/1/14

ENGL 1A

Frozen Majesty

Over Winter Break, I was offered the greatest pleasure that any child or adult would revel in; a trip to the Magic Kingdom of Disneyland. This, however, was no ordinary Disney trip; instead I was treated to the magnificence of the happiest place on Earth blanketed in snow and glad tidings and, being it the first time being to Disneyland during winter, I fell in love with the warmth that the frosted-over park exuded. Usually when I take the yearly trip to the Magic Kingdom it’s in the summer where the sun is high and there is an omnipresence of shorts and tank tops. Since I am used to the warm weather and abundance of ice cream, traversing the park in the highest point of winter really seemed like a culture shock, not just weather-wise but experience-wise too. I gaped in awe as the Disneyland I was used to transformed into a literal winter wonderland with fantastic scenery and beautiful decorations, I knew I was in a magic kingdom. Sleeping Beauty’s castle was draped in beautiful white powder and covered from top to bottom with lights that pierced through the winter chill and left a warm feeling. A giant Christmas tree overlooked the park in all of its glory and even the Disney characters, who roamed around, got into the holiday spirit, I still regret not taking a picture with Donald Duck in a sweater. The demographics included humans of all ages, races and sexes and it really brought me joy to see all of these diverse people getting along in harmony, kind of like a small bubble of frozen paradise. This is one of the main reasons why I love going to Disneyland, the kingdom is always joyful and is never plagued with such social problems that the real world faces. Everyone can enjoy all the rides, all the food, and all of the landmarks that have been made famous by the previous Disney films. During my trip I journeyed through the park locating all of the subtle differences between the winter and summer versions and I wasn’t disappointed. The differences ranged from subtle to extravagant, subtle coming in the form of differently costumed characters and extravagant being an understatement for attractions like the Haunted Mansion Christmas. The Haunted Mansion is transformed into the movie ride for Nightmare before Christmas and it is all the more wonderful, I almost wish they kept it up for the entire year but that would ruin the magic I presume. Disneyland during the winter is truly a treasure to behold but if I were given a ticket to anywhere in the world I would pick Italy for a number of cheesy romantic reasons. First off, I have never been to Europe so it would be an appropriate time to visit one of the most romantic cities in the Union where you can travel by water and gawk at all the wonderful areas around. I would also like to explore the natural meadows of the Italian landscape and look at the history as well as the old fashioned. I would love to hear the language of love being spoken, falling smoothly out of the mouths of the native speakers. I would want to sit at a café and watch as time slows and becomes a part of the rippling of the calm water. Going to Italy has been a dream of mine ever since I was a little kid because I always had a likeness for natural age and history. I love Venice and I would love to ride down in a boat with someone truly special while looking up into the clear sky. I would love to see the history and majesty of Rome, all of the statues and dilapidated buildings just oozing with history. I would love to take a few weeks and just explore the grand country with as much depth as I could possibly see. That being said, though, Disneyland has always been my favorite place of all time and seeing it for the first time in December cemented that fact. There will never be a place as magical as the Magic Kingdom.

Visual Rhetoric Project

A Story beyond the Roots

Brian Ingebretsen

ENGL 1A

This project required me to think outside the box to cultivate an impressive idea about the subject to my last essay which was the connection between science and literature to create Romanticism. At first I brainstormed many ideas but as more time went on and more rules were added, these ideas seemed to be futile until I arrived at one idea that I felt to be a fantastic interpretation. This object was a flower that had the natural look on the outside and the literature on the inside to further support the idea of the underlying connection but the final product fell flat and I had to begin again. The flower was a great idea but the way it was created gave it an infamous image of Kindergarten status work and tackiness with no representation of actual natural life so I decided on another, entirely new project. I decided on exploring the correlation between a tree and the written word and thought of ideas such as having book pages for leaves and so on, however, there were no perfect ideas. I wanted the literature to be effective and the nature to be believable and practical which ties into my secondary theme of simple complexity because my view on the correlation is in fact simple complexity. You can have a subject as simple as a forest but in order to create a world in and around that forest, you need to use complex structures and imagery to completely teleport the reader because without this complexity, they won’t really see the depth or the actual beauty of the forest. Though I could not do what I really wanted to do, I tried my best with the materials I’ve commandeered and the ideas that I have put to practice. Using two coffee cups, I created the base of a tree and used construction paper as the color source even though I wanted to use actual bark at first. The bark would have given it the natural aesthetic feeling but I decided to make that with the leaves instead which also include strips of a story that I had written myself. The leaves for the tree are actual leaves from a tree, however since they are killed right when they are pulled off; I have to replace them so the project still has its natural beauty to it. The story I wrote  is a Romantic themed short story about keeping in touch with your past and never forgetting it as you strive to the future which I thought was appropriate because in a way that is how we, as college students, are feeling now. The tree has a mixture of story pieces and natural leaves to fully combine the two ideas into one grand impression which is what my topic is entirely about. Though obviously my item connects nature and literature, it needs to be supplemented to contrive the actual meaning which is simply that you cannot have Romanticism without a combination of science and literature. It relates to my previous essay in regards to message and tone by showing how both nature and literature go hand in hand with each other and how a simple idea can have a complex message. The tone itself is simple and joyous, it is far from beautiful but it gives the looker a sense of mystery as they use their own interpretation of what they believe to be the correct view which is what my plan is. My topic cannot be answered in black or white, it can only be answered by interpretation by others and how well they critically think about it because there really is no right answer. My object would serve the best purpose if it were hung outside to really be one with nature and really be a part of the message it is trying to send.

While making my project I had to overcome a few obstacles that would’ve doomed it in the beginning and actually served to be learning purposes for myself. I had to think of a clever and practical idea that the audience would understand just by looking at it and also have that underlying theme that I’m looking for. Next I had to think of creative ways to create my object and by using critiques that I received in class; I was able to fully create my object though I still used construction paper. I learned a lot throughout the making of this project and I’m glad I was able to experience a project like this. It is the first project of this caliber that I have completed so it offered many new and fun challenges that I had to overcome using cleverness and logic. I learned the significance of combining an idea on paper with a real tangible object to help supplement the message. Grade-wise I believe that I should receive a B because though the project may not look the best, the idea is there and helps fill out the rest of the message. My subject was hard to create an object for just because it is such an opinion based topic that anything I create will be open to interpretation which is what I recommend for my topic.

Rhetorical Visual Project (Idea)

Brian Ingebretsen

3/17/14

ENGL 1A

Beneath the Rose (Idea)

For my visual rhetoric project about how science and romanticism go hand in hand, I will make a symbolic rose that will serve as a metaphor for what I am trying to convey. The rose will be made out of red, white, and green construction paper and inside will include romantic writing. My plan is to make a white rose and on it I will inscribe Romantic writing, whether it will be a poem or short story I’m not sure, and around it I will place red petals “peeling” off. This is to symbolize the scientific aspect of my paper because roses are usually seen as red but with the red being peeled off, the Romantic literature part becomes present making them one in the same. My goal is for the viewers to get that science has an underlying Romantic literary aspect and that you can find it anywhere. 

Genre Analysis Draft 3

Brian Ingebretsen

3/12/14

ENGL 1A

 Natural Crossroads: The Division of Romantic Science

Nature, in its entirety, can entice a beauty that cannot be fathomed by a lone, living creature and is equally, in every way, mysterious. Nature provides some with a sense of solace and escape while for others, a scientific playground where one can learn about the Earth and enjoy its benefits in the process. This fundamental aspect of nature is often viewed by scientific storytellers who strive to explore the mystery of life while the beauty and elegance of nature is captured by storytellers who see it for its tranquility, sanctuary, and wisdom. These authors and painters would soon help give rise to what literary and art scholars call the Romantic Age of the 19^th Century. This was an era of simple enlightenment and natural freedom, an era that showcased the majesty and simplicity of nature. Authors, artists, and scientists, ranging from the past to the present, have all basked in the tranquility that was and still is the natural world. Though some perceptions are different, the overarching idea of mysterious serenity combines writing, artistry and science and creates something so remarkable that its natural bliss rivals even that of Mother Earth herself

The perceptions of Romantic nature come in a plethora of different ideas and are drawn from different experiences which are how this movement began. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing as cities began to cultivate dirt, slime, and unattractiveness that scared away many and gave the world a completely new and disgusting image. The pioneers of Romanticism valued the beauty and simplicity of nature over the dull and gray of industrialization and did everything to raise awareness of the travesty. Did they stop industrialization? No, they did not but it is not what they failed to do, it is what they successfully accomplished and that was bringing on a new genre of storytelling. During the era, the world was omnipresent with these storytellers and came about in different shapes and forms: writers, artists and philosophers, and with each story written or art piece perfected, a new idea would find its way into the overarching Romantic world. The idea of majesty and power made its way to artist Caspar David Friedrich and his famous painting entitled Wanderer above the Sea of Fog as it depicts the powerful scope that nature offers viewers.  The painting is of a wanderer who looks out onto a sea of clouds which hide mountains and other natural mysteries with the metaphor usually being that he is looking into the unknown of a future that is not too far ahead. This idea is delivered in regards to perspective of the figure to the environment making it seem that he is far closer than he really is. Taking this into mind, this piece provides the viewer with a sense of elevation as they are pulled into fantasy and, like the wanderer, look into the face of their not so distant but heavily clouded future. The painting is a marvel of Romantic design and clearly conveys what the artist was trying to showcase, it shows power, beauty, and the unknown which were frequent ideas used in the storytelling. Though these ideas of power and beauty were commonly used, how they were used were very seldom the same.

There was a hazier Romantic movement that had cast a shadow over the known spiritual and serene idealism, a quixotism that focused not on the simplicity and elegance of nature but on the complexity and darker depths of human nature and emotion. These stories told tales with an abundance psychological undertones and a strange, gloomy elegance that combined fear and beauty; these fictions opened up an entire new realm of fantasy. Dark Romanticism delved deep into the minds of the human and portrayed temptation, sin and self-destruction, shedding a metaphorical, but sometimes real, light on the hardships and aggravation faced in everyday life; Edgar Allen Poe is the quintessential example of a man who quite literally had been through hell and back. Poe, who is one of the most famous of the Dark Romantics, absolutely loved writing about psychological paradigms and other dark subjects including death, mourning and decomposition. A story written by Poe, which is entitled The Fall of the House of Usher, ensnares this ideal of psychological darkness and uses it to convey a form of mystifying, yet creepy, splendor. In contrast to the painting, the story depicts nature as “…an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime” as the story takes the reader into the dreary and melancholic House of Usher (Poe). There is a certain magnificence to his descriptions as he speaks phrases of vast imagery including “the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit” and “with an utter depression of soul which I can compare to no earthly sensation more properly than to the after-dream of the reveler upon opium” with each line containing glorious amounts of detail and description (Poe). There are some grand and obvious contrasts between the painting and this story but one mustn’t forget that there are comparisons too including the amount of detail in each of them. They both incorporate the power of nature and the effect it has on the real world; in one case it is seen as an empowerment to self-will and in the other it is a force of strange and demonic powers, which one has no control over. This contrast also divides the readers, crating those who choose dark over light; those who are intrigued and curious will walk into the shadows rather than reach for the stars. Though Poe deals with tough subjects such as death and illness, the audience is, in every way, mystified by the subtle calmness and eloquence of the work; so much so that they may even find themselves exploring psychology to test themselves to see how powerful emotions can really be and how severely they affect their lives.

Discussing the theoretical nature and psychological nature had made the Romantic form quite popular but some followers were seeking the bigger canvas; the connection between fantasy and science. Science is a grand motivator of Romanticism because it acts as a stimulant to the fantasy: it brings the poetry to life, aids the viewer in locating the original inspiration for what they are observing, and calms them with its omnipresence of natural spiritualism. The two complement each other in such a way that if one factor is altered or removed then the entire piece would be demolished; think of a bridge being supported by two ends. The science of Romantic storytelling teleports its audience into a paradise of solace and solitary by freeing the mind to explore the image shown in depth, just as if one were on a mountain looking out or in a dilapidated house feeling ill. According to Algis Valiunas, who wrote the article entitled Scientists Fallen Among Poets, there are many storytellers who provided a larger portal into the understanding of both science and romance. These contributors include Mary Shelley and Humphrey Davy: both who are on opposite sides of the Romantic bridge but share the same idea in that science and romance simply go hand in hand with each other. Valiunas continues his understanding by defining what science really is which, according to him, is

“…driven by impulses of imperious ferocity, indifferent to ordinary human needs and moral structures, defying Heaven itself in the quest for knowledge, and enjoying ecstatic moments of revelatory apprehension in which the great questions receive their answer” (Valiunas).

Science focuses on deciphering the secrets of the wild and untamed nature, delving into the depths of what a naturally occurring substance really is. Romantic writing takes this idea and exemplifies it to a degree of beautiful and heavenly art by providing context to the audience about what specific part of nature is being discussed and then leaving room for the story to take ahold of the imagination and investigate the broad new world. This idealistic bridge connects the audience to the beauty of nature and an aptitude for science and everything in between leaving that gray area open to however much imagination can be freed. There are two ways to view the scientific perspective of the romantic art dividing the spectators into two groups: those whom are fans of the theoretical and fantastical nature and those whom relish the idea of internal emotion and spectacular darkness. These journeyers walk a fantastical bridge and even though there may be two versions, the reader will always find their way to the other side.

I too am on this bridge connecting fantasy with science and I plan on making my journey across the Romantic bridge as long and slow as I can because there is so much to grasp and if I go any faster, it may just slip from in between my fingers. All three of these storytelling techniques speak out to me and I adore the direction they are going and how they are written but in terms of whether I’d choose between Transcendentalism and Dark Romanticism, I have to say that I prefer the Wanderer painting over the Usher story. I chose the Wanderer painting because it speaks to me on both an emotional level and a spiritual level because it symbolizes how I live my life; in the clouds and ready to face the unknown wonders ahead of me. As for the least effective, I would have to say that the Usher story and all of its psychological undertones fits because there is a sort of claustrophobia that attributes to this genre, the sense of inescapable darkness that just pulls you in and doesn’t let go which may be troublesome for those who want to feel free and at the highest point of their imagination. The tone of the painting is that of majesty, it feels like you are really standing on that mountain and feeling the breeze while looking out at your unknown destiny. This being said, all three of the stories have different messages once encoded and they are all each made to hide that certain enigma; for the painting it was a metaphor on destiny and for the Usher house story, it was the decay of a world; for the article it was an informative piece on the combination and virtue of both science and romance. Though these stories are of the same subject, they are all quite different in a very obvious manner which includes the lightness of the painting, the darkness of Usher, and the science of the article. As stated before, there are many different styles of Romanticism: the transcendentalist view, the dark view and the scientific view which are each written and shown differently from one another.

The transcendentalist view is more imagination oriented meaning that there is a lot more descriptions of the tranquility of a subject while the darker side tackles and forms a certain beauty around psychological aspects such as fear, regret and melancholy. The science genre takes on a more academic route because it describes the significance of the two together as a whole and how separating them would destroy the concept meaning that the tone of said style would be more informative rather than story oriented. This is the reason why the idealist movement was so successful, with the combination academia and fantasy the reader is pulled into a fantastical world of both the fundamental and artistic forms of nature. Feelings like this implore the belief that reading can have a personal effect on the reader or could even change the reader to some degree. Changing the reader simply means altering their perspective on the world, reading something with different ideas may open the readers mind to new thoughts that would never have been thought without the push. Romantic storytelling does this by opening the imagination to the possibility that beauty, mystery, and science are all the same and coexist well with each other.

 Romanticism conveys the image of the beauty of the natural world and how a simple life can always be a better life. It brings about peace and preaches the message of solitude and completeness and also brings the mystery of science and mixes it with the power of storytelling. There are types of Romanticism that follow different patterns, whether it is about power, nature, or even fear they all combine into one overarching subject; the human. Humans want to see the beauty in everything even if it deals with death; humans convey emotions about many different things which are what the movement was trying to show. Humans are individuals, not machines, they do what they want and they follow their emotions wherever they take them. If one is to find true beauty they need only look within themselves at their emotions and what better way to let your emotions out than by looking at a painting or reading a story and just let it take them away. Your mind is a meadow and you are allowed to plant any seeds you want; so go ahead and plant the seeds of discovery, scientific mystery, and the eloquence of life at its fullest.

                                                             Bibliography

Valiunas, Algis. "Scientists Fallen Among Poets - The New Atlantis." The New Atlantis. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.

Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Fall of the House of Usher." Poestories. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.

Friedrich, Caspar David. "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog." Artble: The Home of Passionate Art Lovers. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.

Genre Analysis Draft 2

Brian Ingebretsen

3/4/14

ENGL 1A

Nature and the Ingenuity of the Romantic Vision and Scientific Mystery

Nature, in its entirety, can entice a beauty that cannot be fathomed by a lone, living creature and is equally, in every way, mysterious. Nature provides some with a sense of solace and escape while for others, a scientific playground where one can learn about the Earth and enjoy its benefits in the process. Though the fundamental nature is looked at through the scientific perspective, the beauty and elegance of nature is captured by authors and painters who see it for its tranquility, sanctuary, and wisdom. These writers and painters would soon help give rise to what literary and art scholars call the Romantic Age of the 19^th Century. This was an era of simple enlightenment and natural freedom, an era that showcased the majesty and simplicity of nature. Authors, artists, and even present day scholars have all basked in the tranquility that was and still is the natural world, though some perceptions are different, the overarching idea of beauty and power never left the minds of the men and women who poured their soul into Mother Earth and received her bliss in return.

The perceptions of Romantic nature come in a plethora of different ideas and are strewn from different experiences which are how this movement began. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing as cities began to cultivate dirt, slime, and unattractiveness that scared away many and gave the world a completely new and disgusting image. The pioneers of Romanticism valued the beauty and simplicity of nature over the dull and gray of industrialization and did everything to raise awareness on the travesty. Did they stop industrialization? No, they did not but it is not what they failed to do, it is what they successfully accomplished and that was to bring on a new genre of storytelling. During the era, the world was omnipresent with these storytellers and came about in different shapes and forms: writers, artists and philosophers, and with each story written or art piece perfected, a new idea would find its way into the overarching Romantic world. The idea of majesty and power made its way to artist Caspar David Friedrich and his famous painting entitled Wanderer above the Sea of Fog as it depicts the powerful scope that nature offers viewers.  The painting is of a wanderer who looks out onto a sea of clouds which hide mountains and other natural mysteries with the metaphor usually being that he is looking into the unknown. The painting is a marvel of Romantic design and clearly conveys what the artist was trying to showcase, it shows power, beauty, and the unknown which were frequent ideas used in the storytelling. Though these ideas of power and beauty were commonly used, how they were used were very seldom the same.

There was a darker Romantic movement that had formed in the midst of the Romantic boom, a romanticism that focused not on the simplicity and elegance of nature but on the power and darker depths of nature. These stories told tales of immeasurable psychology and a strange, dark elegance that promoted fear as well as beauty, these tales opened up an entire new realm of Romanticism. Dark Romanticism delved deep into the minds of the human and portrayed temptation, sin and self-destruction, making them the pure story objective for the storyteller. Edgar Allen Poe was the most famous of the Dark Romantics and absolutely loved writing about psychological paradigms and other dark subjects including death, mourning and decomposition. A story written by Poe, which is entitled The Fall of the House of Usher, ensnares this ideal of psychological darkness and uses it to convey a form of mystifying, yet creepy, beauty. In contrast to the painting, the story depicts nature as “…an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime” as the story takes the reader into the dreary and melancholic House of Usher (Poe). There is a certain beauty to his descriptions as he says phrases of immeasurable imagery including “the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit” and “with an utter depression of soul which I can compare to no earthly sensation more properly than to the after-dream of the reveler upon opium” with each line containing glorious amounts of detail and description. There are some grand and obvious contrasts between the painting and this story but one mustn’t forget that there are comparisons too including the amount of detail in each of them. They both incorporate the power of nature and the affect it has on the real world; in one case it is seen as an empowerment to self-will and in the other it is a force of strange and demonic powers, which one has no control over.

Science is a big motivator of Romanticism; it brings the poetry to life, whisks away the reader to a world of unimaginable beauty and wisdom, and enthralls the reader in the majesty and omnipresence of natural spiritualism. The two complement each other in such a way that if one factor is altered or removed then the entire piece would be demolished; think of a bridge being supported by two ends. The artistry of Romantic storytelling teleports readers into a paradise of solace and solitary and really helps them find peace within themselves and within others. According to Algis Valiunas, who wrote the article entitled Scientists Fallen Among Poets, discusses the many storytellers who provided a larger portal into the understanding of both science and romance. These contributors include Mary Shelley and Humphrey Davy: both who are on opposite sides of the Romantic bridge but share the same idea in that science and romance simply go hand in hand with each other. Valiunas continues his understanding by defining what science really is which, according to him, is “…driven by impulses of imperious ferocity, indifferent to ordinary human needs and moral structures, defying Heaven itself in the quest for knowledge, and enjoying ecstatic moments of revelatory apprehension in which the great questions receive their answer” which easily translates into the ideal formula to producing a wonderful romantic story (Valiunas). Science focuses on deciphering the secrets of the wild and untamed nature, delving into the depths of what a naturally occurring substance really is and Romantic writing takes this idea and exemplifies it to a degree of beautiful and heavenly art. These works of pure imaginative art relay a sense of wonder and mystery into the reader to get them excited and curious about what is really out in the wild and gives that wondrous tone and overarching majesty that nature truly has to offer. This Romantic bridge connects the audience with the beauty of nature and an aptitude for science and everything in between.

The tone of this essay will now change to the more informal first-person view because I need to discuss which story had the most significant impact upon myself. Both of these stories speak out to me and I adore the direction they are going and how they are written but I have to say that I prefer the Wanderer painting over the Usher story. I chose the Wanderer painting because it speaks to me on both an emotional level and a spiritual level because it symbolizes how I live my life; in the clouds and ready to face the unknown wonders ahead of me. To others this may have a similar affect because, like myself, a lot of other people are visual learners and thinkers rather than arithmetic which makes the painting a lot more relevant. As for the least effective, I would have to say that the Usher story and all of its psychological undertones fits because though it delves deep into the emotions of pain and neglect that we can all attribute to, I like to experience that of wonder not of reality and despair. The tone of the painting is a magical tone, it feels like you are really standing on that mountain and feeling the breeze while looking out at your unknown destiny. This being said, all three of the stories have different messages once encoded and they are all each made to hide that certain code; for the painting it was a metaphor on destiny and for the Usher house story, it was the decay of a world; for the article it was an informative piece on the combination and virtue of both science and romance. Though these stories are of the same subject, they are all quite different in a very obvious manner which includes the lightness of the painting, the darkness of Usher, and the science of the article. As stated before, there are many different styles of Romanticism: the transcendentalist view, the dark view and the scientific view which are each written and shown differently from one another. The transcendentalist view is more imagination oriented meaning that there is a lot more descriptions of the tranquility of a subject while the darker side tackles and forms a certain beauty around psychological aspects such as fear, regret and melancholy. The science genre takes on a more academic route because it describes the significance of the two together as a whole and how separating them would destroy the concept meaning that the tone of said style would be more informative rather than story oriented. To some degree, I believe that reading affects someone personally but in most cases we are already drawn to what we like and stay away from what we don’t. You may enjoy a certain genre or love reading about some important figure but you will always be drawn to a certain type due to experiences in the real world. I live with my head in the clouds and I absolutely adore life, so much so that when I first read a romantic story I was hooked and from then on I have based everything I read and write on the Romantic notion because it feels good to me.

Romanticism conveys the image of the beauty of the natural world and how a simple life can always be a better life. It brings about peace and preaches the message of solitude and completeness and also brings the mystery of science and mixes it with the power of storytelling. There are types of Romanticism that follow different patterns, whether it is about power, nature, or even fear they all combine into one overarching subject; the human. Humans want to see the beauty in everything even if it deals with death; humans convey emotions about many different things which are what the movement was trying to show. Humans are individuals, not machines, they do what they want and they follow their emotions wherever they take them. If one is to find true beauty they need only look within themselves at their emotions and what better way to let your emotions out than by looking at a painting or reading a story and just let it take them away. Your mind is a meadow and you are allowed to plant any seeds you want; so go ahead and plant the seeds of discovery, scientific mystery, and the eloquence of life at its fullest.

Bibliography

·         Valiunas, Algis. "Scientists Fallen Among Poets - The New Atlantis." The New Atlantis. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.

·         Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Fall of the House of Usher." Poestories. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.

·         Friedrich, Caspar David. "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog." Artble: The Home of Passionate Art Lovers. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.

(SWA) Movie Analysis 3/5

Brian Ingebretsen

3/10/14

ENGL 1A

(SWA) Movie Analysis 3/5

Terror can be influenced by a number of factors; whether it is by sound, sight, or feel. This method is why horror movies are so successful in omitting terror, with the right combination of the factors; one can easily be terrified beyond belief. Of course there is also trial and error that accompanies the horror drama because any wrong mixing of the factors can lead to a bland and boring attempt at horror. Starting with the 1922 German vampire movie “Noseferatu”, the premise relies on visual, throughout the entire movie, the viewer is subjected to shadow shots, quick transitions, and close ups. The films downfall comes at the hand of having too much visual scares and not enough tension build-up which can come from the feeling and sound.

The next movie that we watched was “The Shining” and this film added a sense of depth that we didn’t receive in Noseferatu. This depth created an intense claustrophobic feel to the film which was a great way of developing tension that leads to the payoff scare. That being said however, it failed to fully build tension because alas the music was a bit too upbeat for the movie to be taken real seriously and some of the visuals were just laughter inducing.  The final movie was “The Conjouring” and this movie utilized all three factors however the biggest payoff came from the sound that the movie omitted. The sound would differ from being completely vacant to a sudden high pitch screech which brought up the tension in a fast way. The downfall to this film was that they didn’t utilize the combination to its fullest extent, in other words they went a little soft on the scare factor.

Peer Review Follow-Up Script

Brian Ingebretsen

3/6/14

ENGL 1A

Peer Review Follow-Up Script

A) The classmates’ whose papers I read had some interesting ideas but need to work on the flow of their writing. Their sentences stop too abruptly and are usually there as filler which isn’t bad but they do not have a sentence to fill.

B) I received one omnipresent gripe and that was that I had failed to put an academic article, the whereabouts of which are currently pending. Other than that I only have a few punctuation errors and some awkward lines and also my conclusion needs work.

C) They did help a lot because my essay is far from perfect, I know that, and they had some pretty good, yet obvious advice that I will definitely use in my revision. My main mission right now is to find an article.ft

This Side of Paradise Response

Brian Ingebretsen

3/2/14

ENGL 1A

This Side of Paradise Response

The novel I chose to respond to is one that I have not even finished yet but is so good that it deserves some recognition: the novel being This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This novel tells the story of Amory Blaine who grew up under the care of servants, prosperity, and culture but is moved into the real world when the mother develops a sickness. Culture shock hits Amory so fast that he has little time to adjust, leaving him as a spoiled, mannered, and confident in a suburb in Minnesota. It is a story of growing up and readjusting to successfully thrive in society, it tells us of the good and the bad of growing up groomed and also the good and the bad of growing up in a normal suburb. Amory attends college and has an elated confidence so grand that he will do whatever he wants and assume the results will be triumphant. In a way this novel connects with everyone who is going to college for the first time, going to high school for the first time, etc. We all receive these new rules on how to act in public, on how to behave and how to be successful but we really lose out on actually being himself just as Amory has lost himself to his changing personality. Amory deals with love and loss, social awkwardness and social reverence, feelings we all encounter and are too naïve on how to act or live by them. What I love about this book so far is that it is so romantically written that you cannot look away; by romantic I mean that Fitzgerald uses descriptions and emotion to turn a love scene into a majestic happiness that the reader develops, this includes me. There was a scene in the novel that I can read over and over again because it is so beautiful that I cannot help but look back, it is the scene where you look up from the book with a big smile on your face and just relish in nature and the world. This feeling is why I picked the topic for my research paper, not because it was a fancy period of writing and art but because there was so much emotion and heart put into it that you cannot help but develop a feeling of elation once you finish with the writing or art piece. I read these novels to emphasize my love for the world and all that it has to offer, they help me love and relish nature in all of its glory, physical and emotional nature. Physical nature, being the outdoors and foliage that blankets the landscape but the nature that really affects me and my life is emotional nature. Emotional nature includes the natural emotions you express when you are in love, saddened, fearful, or just plain happy and each of these have an infinite grip on your life. These Romantic novels emphasize these natural emotions which leaves a lasting impact on you and how you see the world and all of its people. The novel will make you happy to love someone because of its beautiful descriptions and will make you happy that there are people in this world that can make you happy. You will side with Amory, you will hate Amory and you will love Amory just because of how Fitzgerald writes him, being a young adult before the flapper era was something to behold as told by Amory, you will want to live there yourself because of all the imagery that is put in place to stir up emotion. I, without-a-doubt, recommend this novel to the highest level because it displays beautiful imagery, wondrous emotion, and majestic description which, if done right, creates a masterpiece of coming of age fiction. Though I have not finished the novel, I can still promise that it is all good from start to finish with a brilliant author at the helm. He understands emotion and nature and in this day of age, where technology rules with an iron fist, it’s never a bad idea to lift your head above the clouds and love life.

Shitty First Drafts

Shitty First Drafts

The excerpt that we had to read from was that of Shitty First Drafts by Ann Lamott and it talks about the drafting process for writing. Lamott covers major topics including her attempt at discouraging the rumor that famous authors write their acclaimed novels in one sitting. The truth is that they don’t they usually spend days to even weeks on paragraphs just to make them sound correct. In the excerpt, Lamott jokes about how her friend decides on whether to write for the day or to kill himself because writing novels of a certain magnitude can be a jaunting task. The excerpt taught me to always use the draft system although I believe that the system I have now is the best for my type of writing.

Multimodal Definition

Brian Ingebretsen

2/4/14

English 1A

A New Frontier for a Common Language

In my opinion, multimodal means that the written word is being portrayed through the eyes of the media meaning that, we are exploring new technologies to get our messages across to our friends and even around the world. That is the beauty of multimodal communication, you can reach to the farthest corners of the world with just the click of a button and you are connected to them almost instantaneously. We aren’t separate countries anymore; we are a connected world with new ideas coming from the U. S. to Australia to Germany to Mexico. This new was of communication helps us see every aspects of the world, the television and the internet bring us up close to events on the other side of the world while calling and writing keeps us up to date with people who living a completely different life with different values and morals. I, personally, use this form of communication a lot which helps me stay in contact with those whom I left back at home to come to Sac State. I communicate with people in different states and, to a certain degree, with people in different countries.