Studying...

I have been studying the epithets and every time I visit the page that Chris created for it, I laugh! These pictures and epithets are hysterical and VERY memorable! Sometimes, I find myself walking on campus and I will see someone from a distance from this class and no longer think of their name, but their epithet! How great is that! My friends think that I am strange, but I don't care because I they are just jealous that they don't understand "our world"!

This class has been great! All the way from Yates to Kane to Ong to lists, epithets, memory theatres. I am sad that it is coming to an end. This is my last final- a great way to end the semester I would say!

Good luck to all!

The stories I tell...

Everyone tells stories, but most often those stories are non-sense, mundane stories of what happened that day or what someone heard...been there, done that. My stories though have evolved, thanks to my 5 year old niece. She is my little rockstar and as any child would, she LOVES to hear stories. I can tell by the look on her face that she will ask me that question "Can you tell me a story?" How could I deny that gorgeous little girl's request?! I can't, I never do.

This summer was when she really got into the storytelling mode...And I must admit, so did I! Our adventurous roadtrip from Minnesota to Montana was filled with imagination, creativity, laughter and imporvisation and in her eyes...wonder! To see her face light up or questions race through her mind fills me with a feeling of happiness and imagination. Children need stories told to them orally, they need to be creative, imaginative and live in a world of storytelling!

My sister-in-law criticizes me for "Making- up" stories and filling them with such non-sensical ideas! Her saying this makes me tell even more stories! How on Earth does she expect her child's imagination to bloom into something beautiful and unique if we do not share these stories! Thinking about this infuriates me, so I will move on to a new point.

The stories I tell her are about things that she has heard before such as princesses, unicorns and animals...then there are MY stories...the stories of hobbits and fairies and the lands in which they live. I like to set the scene for her, give her physical descriptions...the whole shebang! What I love most is the fact that none of the stories I tell her are written down, never again will she hear the exact same story. She knows this too- she will ask me to tell her a story of a hobbit, but ask me to change it or knows that it will not be the exact same. This though does not bother her!

I have tried so hard to write her a story and send it to her, but find myself ripping it up or deleting it. I do this because instead, I pick up the phone and call her, then I tell her a story. Often she has questions that follow and I come up with some imaginative answer to suit her curiosity and 5 year old imagination. No one else tells her stories like this, except maybe my dad, but even then it is not the same.

We tell stories in the car, after school, before bed, at dinner...you name it and we are storytelling! What better way for a child to pass the time. She doesn't need TV or movies, she has her aunt to tell her stories! Sometimes she even calls me before she goes to bed to hear a story. This makes my heart melt because I know that for her, I am the best stroyteller because I allow her to live in a fiction world even for a moment and to use her imagination! That girl is going to grow up to be a great inspiration and storyteller!

One last thing before my next class...
I began to grow tired from telling the same stories so now I ask her to tell me stories and we alternate...

She began one day by telling me a story of the 3 billy goats! I was amazed because for each goat she changed her voice and when she narrated she went back to her own voice. Then the troll steps onto the bridge and her voice goes deep and mean! She is a true stroyteller using her memory and imagination. Reciting stories she has heard and also coming up with her own! I told you she was a little Rockstar!!!!!!!!

Things we must do everyday...

These are a few things that I was thinking about as I lay in bed at 3am...thoughts run wild as you are preparing to enter the dream world. I came up with a list of things we really need to do everyday...

~Embrace in poetry (silently and orally)
~Dance and sing (preferablly in the rain)...this should be done because it allows us to immerse ourselves in both rhythm and sound- letting our creativity flow
~Tell a story
~ Leave our phones and music behind (I am after all Lisa the Luddite...) at least for a little while
~Take a walk and embrace the sounds of the Earth
~Listen to the Earth and interpret what YOU think it is saying or signaling
~Listen to a story
~And...well there is so much more I could add, but let's be sure to give at least one person a genuine smile each and everyday...

La Paix dans la vie

I don't know why I am posting this...it just goes along with my blog about the beauty of languages and how I came to this idea in my french class after presenting my poem...so even if you don't understand it, read it...try to read it outloud (I can't even read french outloud that well, so just give it a try)!!! The french language to me is beautiful written and oral, but there is something about a fluent french speaker or at least a graceful one reciting poetry...


Je m’assieds sur la barrière, il pleut.
Je pense…
Nous sommes tous connectés,
Par la passion, l’espoir et les rêves

Nos langues et cultures sont entre nous,
Mais nous habitons ensemble dans le même monde.
Nous devons accepter toutes cultures et langues
Et les gens comme ils sont.

Je chante à la lune et j’attends le prochain lever de soleil.
Je l’attends tranquillement
Pour le renouvellement, la paix et l’acceptation.
Ensuite, la nuit vient.

La nuit ne discriminez pas.
Accepter la vie que vous donnez.
L’amour de votre vie,
Et écrivez votre propre histoire.

Yates, blogging...dreaming- Bonne Nuit!

To be honest, Yates is a bit over my head. I think that Yates is over everyone's head! Tomorrow, I am going to dive in to her book one more time before my blogging adventures end...temporarily! I think that I will continue blogging on this page for quite awhile actually because I would very much enjoy that! Anyways...all I wanted to say was that it is 2:30am and this is no time for Yates and my brain to interact. AND...I love blogging!

More to come after I dream a bit...

My thoughts on Helena's thoughts...

After listening to Helena's brief presentation of her term paper "Sounds of the Earth in Myth and Oral Tradition", I just had to read it! The thing that caught my attention right away was the way in which she incorporated sounds into it. The echos, the river and the thunder. Sounds are so poetic and add so much to each and every experience. I am a person who loves sound, even silence to me is a sort of sound. The hum of fluorescent lights in the hall, pattering of the rain, a swoosh of a bird's wings. All those sounds can be so serene. What is it that calms babies? The beat of their mother's heart. Helena discusses the importance of sound before writing and how sound is involved in the Earth directly. Animals, weather, humans, and nature are all part of the sounds of Earth. Sound can be daunting or harmonizing. I got to thinking, the experience, mood, moment or place can impact how a person or animal reacts to that sound. For example, in the stillness of a forest when the rain falls lightly we are calm, if that calmness is interrupted let's say by a loud, roaring clap of thunder, we jump- we are then startled. The calmness turns to fear in a matter of seconds, all because of a sound. In a moment of excitement or exhilaration if we were soaring through the air, the rush of the wind and whistling or the atmosphere as we glide through the sky would add to the serene, yet exciting experience of flying.

Back to Helena's essay and Earth, sounds not only represent emotions, or invigorate those feelings/ emotions, but sounds represent the seasons. Sounds signal a season- whether the beginning or the end of it. As Helena pointed out, we know when spring is approaching because the birds sing. Fall is at its peak when the leaves are crunching inder our feet.

Sadly, science and technology have the ability to decrease the importance of sounds to people. Why listen to the trees or the birds to signal a seasonal change when we can pullout our calendar or surf the web to check the weather and Earth's position?!

Well, let's all go back to the storytelling tradition. Let's pretend even for a night. Don't look online to see when you can catch the full moon, instead, open your window, go up in the mountains and listen for the wolf howling to the full moon. Listen to the crickets chirping to signal to you when you can begin your storytelling around a campfire. I must say, this all sounds so much more exciting and appealing than getting online to find this information!

Thanks Helena for opening our eyes a little wider to the fact that nature has so much to offer us and to help us better understand what a deep connection nature has to the oral world!

The power of names

The class was full of presentations and comments regarding "the power of names". One would not stop to think about this unless they were told to or it was presented to them in class, I suspect. Kari's presentation was wonderfully informative in the way of this power and naming. Jana also did a great job presenting this AND putting me on the spot! Names are powerful in the sense that they are intimidating, personal, form a connection between listener and speaker and in general give power to either the namer, the one being named or both!
Names have the power to exclude, include or be a part of a prelude (I just wanted that to rhyme). Then I thought- thanks to my parents, this is my name...in a way THEY are the ones that had power over my name for so long! Why name me? Why didn't I have the power to choose? Maybe the whole time I was crying after birth was me chanting my name! Ok...this is a bit far fetched, but it's a point nonetheless!

Names also at one point in time represented class! They can represent culture, attitude, religion, beliefs...the list could go on and on. I am amazed at all of these thoughts that I am having regarding simply one thing...NAMES!

Isn't that the first thing you ask when you meet someone, or the first thing they tell you?
"Hi what's your name?" OR "Hi, I am...!" It is familiarity, manners, sincerity. Names have meaning, significance, sentimental value- very similar to objects.

Another random thought- I like the way a name can make you shiver...well I also hate it at the same time! Who's that one person you dislike so much? The one person that makes you happiest? The one person who really hurt you? Isn't there an electrfying feeling that goes right through your body when you hear their name? This happens to me sometimes. At times the feeling is a shiver of excitement, other times it is a wave of regret or hurt. Maybe it is the turning of your stomach or the rose tint to your cheeks that give away your feelings of the name.

I could go on and on with names and feelings, names and sounds, or names and significance! I think it would be fun to make a list of random names, hand the same list out to everyone in a class or group and next to each name write the first thing that comes to mind! I am sure for every name someone would have a feeling/emotion, person or experience/moment to relate back to that name! Just a thought...

Perhaps I will be back for more name knowledge later...

Dreams...

The dreams presentation that my group did for the class was one of the most incredibly rich presentations that I have been a part of. I must say though for those of you in Dr. Sexson's literary criticism last semester, the Don Quixote skit I was luckily a part of, took the cake! Dreams are so powerful and full of meaning but so often people look past them, can't remember them or consider them to be "dumb" or "embarrassing"! They are none of that! Dreams are incredible, it is a moment in which you are part of a completely different world, a world in which only YOU can be. No one else sees your dreams or can experience them the way you do. Dreams are the one thing that you have that are completely YOU!

I was amazed at the dreams chapter in Kane's "Wisdom of the mythtellers" and found it difficult to even convey what I was thinking. The section that I studied most thoroughly in Kane's chapter 4- dreams was "Each has its own dreaming" on pages 131-134. I was both astonished and confused at the information regarding the metaphysical world in relation to mythtellers. It is the separation of the actual world from the dream world. In this dream world, pieces of nature are spirit, not entities in this universe. Nature is an energy, a mental energy. The mythtellers connect this energy back to dreaming. The dream state or world is one in which the mythtellers language is song and image, rather than concept. This was shown in Kane through "The Earth Shapers" story at the beginning of chapter 4. Dreams like the oral world are layered and connected to the idea of boxes within boxes which we have seen before. Dreams are potent in a talismanic box which also represents the world of Gods. The talismanic box is a symbol of memory or we could say it is "consciousness within consciousness, within consciousness, within consciousness". The energy mentioned before creates infinite layers (made up of songs). In these layers, humans drift through, unable to hear each detail of the dream consciously. Also in the dream world, nature is personified. For example, the earth itself dreams (of beauty, etc.) and the flame distinguishes boundaries. These boundaries include: Light versus dark, potential versus actual, and the spirit world versus this world. Dreaming is an act of creating, which is an act of remembering. Most importantly, we must remember that "in the act of doing nothing, one is dreaming".

I would also like to say that Kane's chapter 4 and Dr. Sexson's article "re-membering Finnegans wake" were closely connected for me in the sense that each discusses dreams and the act of dreaming being a remembrance. Why can we not forget certain memories when we try so hard? Why must we always be thinking of certain people when all we want to do is forget them? We can ask ourselves this as often as we want, but for me there is only one answer. That answer is this: We can't forget and we never will. Everything is stored in our dreams. Perhaps one day we will "forget" something or someone, but eventually it will come back to us. It will always come back to us because our dreams do not allow us to forget or let go of it. Our dreams are our memories and our memories are our dreams. Suppress it, but it will find you! Your dreams create you. One who thinks they cannot dream or that they can run from their dreams is sadly mistaken and why on earth would one want to do that?!

Dream to remember and remember to dream...

"The Pilgrims"- the act of storytelling

I completed the novel, The Pilgrims, by Mary Shelley this evening and was amazed at this novel as well and the way in which it discussed storytelling. I had to read this book for my 18th century and restoration British literature course and am now very glad I chose these tales as opposed to any other. Each of the tales in this book were based on legends or myths and resembled stories being re-told in a way. The forward by Kamila Shamsie (every time I see her last name I think it says “Shaman”) was quite intriguing because of how she addressed storytelling. She considers it “a medium for revealing the most intimate details of character, the key component to affecting reconciliation, or a means of confirming deep loss”, which I find to be very accurate. When I or others I know tell stories they usually do convey at least one of these elements that Shamsie has addressed. Shamsie also states that, “within each story, listeners and tellers are closely linked, yet in the world of fact we are entirely aware that however compelling each story is, it belongs to the world of fiction: its language and tone separating it by centuries from our contemporary lives”. This statement I both agree and disagree with. I do believe that each story is in some way fiction, but it is not necessarily completely fictional. To me stories are based on some sort of reality, experience or knowledge that is also truth. Storytelling to me represents the truth in a creative way. It is conveyed in a way that will reach to a larger audience so that they may take something from that. This I think is especially important in the literate culture because we want to somehow connect with the oral culture which is so “foreign” to us. By incorporating those “Real” elements into stories we are able to do so. The Pilgrims is a compilation of stories about stories. Each includes tellers, tales and audience.

The beauty of languages spoken

Today in my French class we had to give oral presentations (speaking in French of course) and it made me realize how beautiful orality is and the importance of it in every language. While French is a great language to read, I so very much enjoy listening to it whether through music or recitation or even random conversations. I wrote a poem in French for my presentation and reciting it was such a different experience. While we have read aloud pieces of French literature, the experience of reciting my own poetic piece in a foreign language was almost exhilarating. The act of orally presenting in French was so different. It was a mix of confusion, knowledge, and it seemed as if I was in a different world. As I sat listening to the other presentations, some poems, others comics or essays, I was amazed that here we all sat doing nothing except listening to this beautiful language and being able to comprehend, for the most part, what each one was saying. There is something beautiful about orality. Sometimes one has to step out of their zone of everyday conversation and presentation to realize that though. I definitely did this and it was today that this realization struck me. I thoroughly enjoyed having this spark ignite in my French thoughts.

Antiphony

On Monday evening, I finished the book Antiphony for my world literature class. While reading this book, all I could think about was how I could relate it to Dr. Sexson’s Oral Traditions course. This book is about the Sami culture, the way it used to be and the way it is now. Three stories are told from women of three different generations, but all of the same family. Not only does she learn about their oral culture but she learns about them as individuals and how their culture has shaped them. The whole novel is storytelling and it is a beautifully compelling tale of these three Sami women. The literate culture also intersects here. The young girl observing the Sami culture reads to the oldest woman from the bible. The way in which the oral culture evolves and diminishes in this world of the Sami amazes me though. I loved this novel because yes, I was reading it but at the same time I felt as if I was really there with the characters. I was able to, in a way, listen to their stories as I told them to myself in my head, then I could imagine the settings and people because each was so vividly described throughout the novel. The stories and emotions are conveyed through the description of sound and facial expressions. The narrator/ observer of the stories in the novel explain that she knows when to be silent because the facial expressions and pauses signal to her what to do. This is only possible in the oral culture. This novel also touches on the idea that with the younger generations so much is lost in the oral culture because we are too busy to stop and simply listen. Reading this novel was saddening in a way because it makes me realize how much we really have lost in the oral culture, but gives me hope that the importance of storytelling will circle around again.

These are some of my favorite quotes from the novel that mean so much more than what someone who has no knowledge or passion for the oral culture may simply surpass:

“A slow, gentle fall.
I didn’t find the words?
Or didn’t I want to find them?
Was I walking into a tradition?”
(Stien 124)

“She explained, calmly like an old, experienced teacher, one who doesn’t have to emphasize. She went far back. Knew the lines. Accounted for everything that was taken- bit by bit.” (Stien 116).

“She is full of memories. They cheer her up.” (Stien 78).

Term Paper- Oral Traditions Spring '09

Oral Connection to Poetry through Sound


“The slightest sound matters. The most momentary rhythm matters. You can do as you please, yet everything matters. You are free, but your freedom must be consonant with the freedom of others.” –Wallace Stevens


The beauty of poetry lies very much within the sound when recited orally. Sound in poetry can not only reflect the meaning of poetry to an extent, but it is able to convey emotion as well. Orally, sound through poetry connects the speaker with the listener. Written poetry is unable to impose the same impression upon a person due to the lack of sound. Tonality, repetition, rhythm and onomatopoeia are a few elements that can be astoundingly important in oral poetry.

Poetry as an oral tradition has been lost through the generations due largely to the print culture. While reading poetry is a wonderfully imaginative experience it does not create the same senses and feelings as the oral tradition does. Orality allows poetry to come alive through sound. This sound is created through the speakers voice in which emotional sincerity, meaning and eternal beauty are apparent. Poetry in itself is an eternal beauty and that beauty can never be lost. Listening to a poem elevates the listener to a completely different level of knowledge, understanding and appreciation of sound and poetry.

The tone of a person’s voice has the ability to convey so much or so little to the listener. Emphasizing tone in terms of quality and pitch are necessary when reciting poetry. Quality is important because in poetry one must set themselves inside of it, as if they are a part of that poetic piece. By doing so, the poet or speaker becomes engaged in the poem fully. The speaker can emphasize the mood of the poem by simply changing the pitch of their voice. Pitch can emphasize various moods whether that is anger, sadness or happiness. A monotone quality and pitch might emphasize a sort of dullness or somberness of the poem.

The rhythm with which the speaker recites the poem is also very important. The speaker has the ability to show an “oracular, meditative, soliloquizing rhythm emerging” (Sound and Poetry xxvi) through pace change. Rhythm as an utterance is important in poetry because it can exclaim sound itself or a message.

The ways in which oratory utilizes pattern and repetition differs greatly from that of common speech. Alliteration is one way in which pattern is shown in poetry. Take Beowulf for example, repetition and sound is used in that epic work to create an imagery of the battles and characters within the poem. This pattern creates a heroic imagery and strength. Chanting is one example of speech that also shows heroic qualities and removes poetry from the category of common speech (Sound and poetry xxv).

John Hollander found that sound pattern plays the role of allegory or metaphor in a poem (Rosu 17). This is possible because sound has the ability to create images or represent something larger. Oratory is more formal and is improvised in a creative way, whereas common speech is informal and the casual improvisation suggests that. Repetition plays on significant words or points within a poem. Through repetition, the listener remembers what is said. In some instances, the speaker will use repetition as a way to remember what they have to say as well, making improvisation easier.

Sound becomes important in the process of imitation also. Sound imitates the mood of the poem through use of vocals such as strength, pitch and tonality while also imitating words or sounds themselves through onomatopoeia. Meaning and emotion in poetry shift easily and depend heavily on sound. Sound in poetry “interacts with the visually and kinesthetically perceived space around them” (Ong 127). The lack of sound can also impact poetry orally. Silence portrays a dramatic feeling while in some cases creating ambiguity.

While sound and orality has much to do with the recitation of the poem, it also involves any accompaniments to the poem. Musical accompaniment is a creative and powerful way to express the language, feel and meaning of a poem. Poetry itself is often considered to be musical, such as lyrical poetry. Lyric poetry provides a voice in the way that it tells a story or reflects a series of events (Ong 137).

Northrop Frye describes musical poetry to consist of a “pleasant variety of vowel sounds” (Sound and Poetry xi). Musical poetry is consistent and stresses tonality and accents. Poetry can be musical, and I suppose one could say that music is poetic; they are two very separate things. Frye supports this by stating that “music is music, and poetry poetry, each a world of its own” (Sound and Poetry xxiv). Unmusical poets on the other hand, I would assume have a more ambiguous take on poetry and incorporate that vagueness into their works. Poetry that is unmusical seemingly lacks accompaniment and/or great expression of sound.
Sound is of great importance to poets, speakers and listeners. Oral poetry is also very much about the interaction between the speaker and the listener. While the recitation is extremely sound oriented and expressive, it is the listener who chooses to take in what is being said and most importantly how it is being said. Engaging within sound can be a powerful, fantastical experience in so many ways. The speaker has the ability to create magic within the words. The interpretation of sound and poetry is a completely different topic in which every speaker and listener creates to their liking.

It would be imprudent for one to think that poetry must be accompanied with sound or music though. While sound can add a great deal to poetry, it also takes away from it. Sound can be seen as a messenger of poetry and the meaning, but it is important for one to see that the sound is not the meaning itself (Rosu 16). Sound takes away from what the poem means because ultimately the poem is itself; that is the meaning. In order to fully understand a poem, it must be laid down on a blank surface, devoid of emotion, tone and “forced” meaning. This then opens it up for the reader or listener to place their interpretations on it. Wallace Stevens is one poet that shows this through his imagery and the lack of finalization of his imagery (Rosu 10).

Wallace Stevens and Robert Frost are two poets that have compelling views on sound and poetry. Robert Frost believes that “word exists in the mouth not books”, which gives one the impression that to Frost, orality is a necessary part of poetry (Rosu 18). Stevens though believes that “poetry is words; and that words, above everything else, are, in poetry, sounds” (Rosu 18). Looking at Stevens’s statement one may take from it that whether poetry is spoken out loud or not, sound is still very much present and essential.

Sound and poetry are beautifully connected in various ways which one may never take into consideration. While it is clear to see this connection, it also creates the question of whether one can exist without the other. Sound can act as a mask, an imitation or an accompaniment to poetry. Whether sound is present or not, it has the ability to create an unseen beauty while also allowing one to create their own fantastical image or meaning within the poem. Sound through oral presentation is a great influence to poetry creating a completely different experience where one can become another.

Points that stuck with me through Ong's Chapter 5

When I saw the word Loci on page 123- I immediately thought "Memory Theatre", places in the mind where ideas are stored. As I read this over and over I thought "I wonder how many places are in my mind and what is really stored in each one?" Never have I thought to think how I store things, why certain things are stored and where. Are they grouped? If so how? Chronologically, through connected events, by emotions? I picutre my memory to be sort of like a book or a compilation, somehow everything is organized by me on some sort of unconscious level.

One other thing that I found interesting was the idea of print and privacy. Oral traditions are very communal in the sense that they are shared, done together and almost a celebration.
For example, in my world literature class we are looking at Faroese ballads. They are chanted by communities as a whole and given emotion, tone, the oral tradition there relies on the people as a whole. The oral tradition is individual on the level that the bard (leader) must be able to improvise those ballads if he is to forget them word for word.

The idea of Print as closure and spontaneity is a topic that requires much more indepth thought on my part and another blog as well...


Oral traditions are being taken over by the print culture now and therefore people read in private. Many want complete silencewhile reading. The only time i read aloud is to my niece, nephews or the children I nanny. All of us take joy in that reading time because it has become a really fun tradition, whether between me and one of them or all of us. Basically what I am trying to get at, is the fact that the print culture has also produced isolation. When I am at home in the summers I spend a lot of time alone reading which of cuorse i love, but until reading Ong's page 128 I did not realize I was isolating myself.

Some thoughts...Ong- Chapter 4

When I read Ong, I find it similar to reading Northrop Frye. While Ong makes some very interesting and important points I do not always understand what exactly he is saying. That, I guess, can be kind of fun! I really enjoy reading Ong, even though many times I only catch pieces of what he is trying to get across. One thing that stuck with me was what Ong considered to be a literate human being: "beings whose thought processes do not grow out of simply natural powers..." (Page 77).
One frightening idea that Ong addresses is that of death and its connection to writing. Plato associates death with writing because he consideres it "inhuman" and finds "that it destroys memory". The image of a dead flower is now engrained in my mind...it is an image of a dead rose, once a deep red lying on an old wooden desk next to a piece of parchment and an ink pen...ink splatterded on the blank paper. This I would consider grotesque and downright depressing.
Ong also believes that technology is not necessarily dehumanizing but that it can give life to the human spirit and teach. While this is true I still see the association with technology and loss. While so much is gained, so much is also lost. What is lost exactly? Writing letters and mailing them, sending pictures in the mail, walking to a friends house to see if they can get together...now we can just text and meet somewhere! While all of this is so convenient and exciting, it teaches us so much but also takes away from these things that seemed so "traditional". Even writing though is considered a technology. It is a technology I have come to love. Journalism is what I would love to do and personal journaling is something I take joy in each and every day. It is the act of writing that helps me get out what I am thinking, while helping me to remember certain things. While sometimes it is helpful to remember, sometimes I do not want to. One last thing that I was just thinking of: Sometimes something that happened, was said, or learned will be remembered no matter how hard you try to forget it. Sometimes without writing it down it is still remembered- not as word on a page but as an image in your memory. I have found this to be true- especially lately and my own memory has been astounding me. What I am getting at is- the smile on my nieces face whenever I return home can't be written down or converyed even orally. It is an image only I can carry with me in my mind.

Dreams..remembering...EPIPHANY!

As I was reading the "Re-membering Finnegan" I felt like I was in another world! I really loved reading the article and was so "into" it when my sister called me- she just could not comprehend the excitement! I felt like I was really able to connect "Re-membering Finnigan" to Kane's chapter 4- Dreams.

What I took from these 2 readings- I may be completely off topic, but this is what I have to say about them:
We are more ourselves and in touch with our lives through our dreams than in the daily life we lead. That is why dreams can be so insightful, while at times also being hurtful, disappointing, scary, happy or sad. sometimes dreams reflect what we already know but mostly they help us to discover the things we don't know or perhaps the things that we do not want to confront when we are awake! I love this..."and only in sleep do we begin to awaken all we have forgotten." What we want to forget or try to forget is never fully forgotten, it is simply sotred in our dreams. It is as if our dreams know right when to unleash certain things to connect to our life when we are "awake". Maybe that is why we go day to day remembering certain people, things or memories. Life, like Joyce's Finnegans Wake, is made up of layers. Oh my goodness, I was watching "The Notebook" last night and there is a line in there that I immediately remembered when reading "Re-membering finnegan" it fits right in with these readings including memory and dreams . "Nothing is ever lost or can be lost"- Noah says this to Allie in the film. Somehow these three pieces of works I have mentioned all fit together like a little puzzle and it was so exciting being able to so easily make a connection!

"What are we, after all, without our memories...without our dreams?"

The Memory Theatres

While listening to people present their memory theatres in class I was absolutely amazed! I thought that Dr. Sexson was asking us to do something impossible when he first mentioned this assignment. I now know that was not so.

Everyone had a unique memory theatre, method of remembering and list of items. Each one in a way reflected that person's interests. It was great to listen to people rattle off information that may mean nothing to me, but to them it is something!

I found it interesting that our memory theatres were not numerical but spatial. When asked to go to a certain number and repeat from there we couldn't but if we asked them to go from a certain item it was possible. I was the same way, I had no idea what the numbers were unless it was number one or fifty...aka first and last :)

Great job to everyone! Very impressive!!!

The Mystery of Dreams

My group presentation is focusing upon Ch. 4 in Kane's "Wisdom of the mythtellers". This chapter had me locked in fully the whole time. I took each section very slowly because there was so much to embrace. The creation story of the Earth was how the chapter began and it was so mythical while incorporating a mysterious beauty into that creation.

Reading Kane's Chapter 4 brought so many thoughts to my mind. How does one separate the real world from their dreams? Is it possible to even separate them? Myth like dreams creates an astonishing energy within- yet that energy can also be very external.

"The act of creating is a sort of rememering" (Kane 132).
Do we create our own dreams on some unconscious level in order to remember certain things? I love this quote from Kane because it is so true. We create many things in order to remember, whther it be a scrapbook, image or writing.

Kane also speaks of dreams as a portal. He refers to a portal into "Pattern" but I could not help but think dreams are a portal into so much more- in a way they are a portal into reality, desires, what we may think of as the impossible and a portal into another life. Dreams are so powerful because they can reflect things that have or have not happened. But why do we dream of things that have never happened and HOW?! When I try to think about the process of dreaming I am absolutely set apart from reality, I feel as if I enter a whole new world. This world is full of mystery, wonderment, and possibility. Just as in reality, in dreams anything can happen- things can go unfinished. While dreams are so different than real life they are also so much the same. Aren't both a mystery to some extent?

Kane also says, "There is something sacred about our feelings, something that prefers not to be talked about." (page 143)
Is this why we have dreams? Are some of our feelings meant to be discovered only by us and by dreaming we can uncover those feelings?

There is so much to discover within this chapter but right now I feel like it is out of reach...for the moment...

My Memory Theatre Methods

50 Places to see before you die...I chose this list of places because I am so passionate about traveling. Unfortunately, the past few years my traveling has decreased due to the college life and debt.

The way I remembered the 50 items was very similar to other classmates. Connecting the place to an image in some way. My memory theatre was my walk downtown. I walk downtown often and so that was most familiar to me and seemed easiest to relate places to. I started at campus- the north hedges suites and moved through campus down College to 8th and worked my way downtown to Tracy.

For example, Safeway was Victoria Falls because I pictured my friend Victoria and I walking to safeway and her falling. The stream on campus was Florida...pictured being surrounded by water. I simply associated people, memories or used alliteration to remember these places. It was easy to picture my self in these places on the list through my walk downtown.

To remember I repeated the places outloud, walked through it in my head over and over, then also wrote them down. Writing things down over and over is one way that I find helpful.

Test Material~ Good Luck!

For more notes up to Test 1 check out Chris's, Jana's, Rich's, Kari's and Kevin's Blogs! :)



KANE:

1.- Moonbone repetition

2.- Property

3.- Agriculture

4.- Practical

5.- White Berries

6.- Caribou & Frogs

7.- Definition of Myth- Myth is the song the Earth sings to itself



ONG:

1.- Primary Orality

2.- Secondary Orality

3.- Chirographic- Writing

4.- Typographic- Typing

5.- Distinction between Vision and Sound- Page 72



YATES:

1.- The Story of Simonedes- Idea of Loci

2.-The Movement of Memory: Rhetoric-> Ethics -> Cosmos

3.- St. Augustan- Memory & Confession--metaphor of the Cave; Page 47



Other Questions:

1.- Liberal Arts: GGRAMAD
2.- Neoplatonism- Mysticism
3.- What's the importance of February 20th? It's John Nay's Birthday!!!!
4.- Anamnesis- RECOLLECTION; What we've forgotten is everything!
5.- Parataxis
6.- Bicameralism
7.- Esoteric- Secret & intimate
8.- Imagination- Kevin Luby's reference 1 hour photo for memory
9.- Shahar Azad- 1,001 Nights
10.- Difference between Artificial and Natural Memory
11.- Collective unconscious VS. Personal Unconscious
12.- Plato- Feydrus~ Writing happens outside the mind
13.- When Does Professor Sexson give blood next? March 17th- St. Patrick's Day
14.- Memory, Imagination and Soul- Kevin Luby's 3 major topics
15.- 3 Epithets given by Ong: The Brave Soldier, The Sturdy Oak and The Beautiful Princess
16.- Ben's Epithet= Keen Kenning Ben and Kate's Epithet= Kate with the Beautiful Eyes

The next question may or may not be on the test:
17.- Bruno- Burned at the Stake on February 17, 1600 for discussing cosmological element of memory

Good Luck!!! Bonne Chance!!! :)

My Memory Theatre Items

I think that this is very interesting, not to mention- traveling as much as possible is my dream!! (Airports don't count!!) National Geopgraphic adventure and Travel are my all time favorites!



*50 Place to see before you die:



-The Grand Canyon, USA

-Great Barrier Reef, Australia

-Florida, USA

-South Island, New Zealand

-Cape Town, South Africa

-Golden Temple, India

-Las Vegas, USA

-Sydney, Australia

-New York, USA

-Taj Mahal, India

-Canadian rockies, Canada

-Uluru, Australia

-Chichen Itza, Mexico

-Machu Picchu, Peru

-Niagra Falls, Cananda/USA

-Petra, Jordan

-The Pyramids, Egypt

-Venice, Italy

-The Maldives, Maldives

-Great Wall, China

-Victoria Falls, Zambia/Zimbabwe

-Hong Kong, Hong Kong

-Yosemite National Park, USA

-Hawaii, USA

-Auckland, New Zealand

-Iguassu Falls, Argentina/ Brazil

-Paris, France

-Alaska, USA

-Angkor Was, Cambodia

-Himalayas, Nepal/ Tibet

-Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

-Masai mara, Kenya

-Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

-Luxor, Egypt

-Rome, Italy

-San Francisco, USA

-Barcelona, Spain

-Dubai, United Aran Emirates

-Singapore, Singapore

-La Digue, Seychelles

-Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka

-Bangkok, Thailand

-Barbados, Barbados

-Iceland, Iceland

-Terracotta Army, China

-Zermatt, Switzerland

-Angel Falls, Venezuela

-Abu Simbel, Egypt

-Bali, Indonesia

-Bora Bora, French Polynesia

---Clichés---

I love clichés, I can't deny that one. Then again, some of them REALLY bother me- they are so dry! I find that I most often use clichsé when I am engaging in conversation with one of my roommates. If we are telling a story or simply conversing back and forth, we always end up saying at least one cliché at the same time. These are some of the clichés I find my self using most often (I am sure I will think of more) :

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"What goes around, comes around."- This one is my all time favorite, it's so true! KARMA!!

"Great minds think alike."

~Flyting~

Oh how I love a colorful insult! I know that my sisters and I endured much verbal abuse from each other while growing up, but I was having such a hard time coming up with some flyting examples of my own that we used. We would usually just threaten each other, then hold it over their heads that we'd tell the parentals...that was bad enough! Flyting is definitely something that children are better with. The family I nannied for in Minnesota has four children, I would hear the most random insults come out of their mouths, but for the life of me cannot remember. I really wish I could!
This makes me wonder, why do children feel the need to come up with these sayings and other flyting examples to bring one another down. A majority of the time it is so unnecessary. Well...actually I guess it is never necessary, but quite humorous. Elementary school seems to be a major flyting "target"- the playground, outside where the teachers are less likely to hear and these poor children (the prey of flyting) are more likely to get away,by running into the baseball fields or hiding the tube slide.

The nine muses and classroom objects

Thermostat- Erato (Muse of Erotic Poetry)

Chalkboard- Clio (Muse of History)

Screen- Urania (Muse of Astronomy)

"Quiet" Desk- Thalia (Muse of Comedy)

Overhead Projector- Polyhymnia (Muse of Sacred Songs)

Old Brown Desk- Terpsichore (Muse of Song & Dance)

Bulletin Board- Calliope (Muse of Epic Poetry)

Snowman- Euterpe (Muse of Song)

The "F"- Melpomene (Muse of Tragedy) OR (Mel Gibson eating a pomegranate)

Writing is preservation

Writing is preservation. I journal to preserve memories, whether it is a very important event or simply a day in which I engaged in normal, routine activities. I love, love, love to journal and write! I look back at my journal and think..."Wow, I forgot about that!"
I love that feeling when you can look at an entry from, let's say September and just reading brings you back to that time, place, memory! In many of my journal entries I will write where I am while journaling (I was rarely at home), what I did previously or plan to do, what I may be dealing with at that time, and the ups/ downs of life. It is really intriguing to see what has changed (even minor things) since past entries.
It is easy for me to forget small, silly, "irrelevant" details of my days. Journaling helps me preserve them and remember them again temporarily. When I can't remember I just open my journal. I like this because although I wrote it and have read it numerous times, it is still a sort of suprise to me!! It's kind of fun!

Everyday is a new day...a day to remember

Discussing Groundhog's day today reminded me of our 9-11 discussion. "Make each day a 9-11", but only in the sense that you should remember each day just as well as you would a tragic day. As humans, we tend to relate words and images to something embedded in your mind that is effectivew, meaningful and always there. If we find something meaningful in everyday. Whether it be an image/ word or song, we can relate it to a memory from that day and at least then we are left with at least one thing embedded in our mind for that day.

Many people take each day for granted (and unfortunately I cannot deny the fact that I am one of those people). I recently found out that someone close to me was diagnosed with breast cancer. It is a strong reminder that even if a day brings about negative news or people, you must learn from them. Embrace the things you have and stop worrying about the things you don't (which is much easier said than done, I know).


What I learned today, or rather what was embedded in my mind today:
"Pay attention to this day- It's all you've got"
"Everyday is there for you to dicover what is there. It is up to you to bring in the experience of a lifetime."
"Each day do something that is worth repeating."
"We don't focus and pay attention"...at least not enough to enjoy life's moments both good and bad.

This Blog reminded me of a quote that I often think of...
"Life is what happens while you're busy planning it."

My first memory...

One of my first vivid memories involves school...and a severe hatred for it! I was in Kindergarten, every morning my mom would make me chocolate Malt- O- Meal! If there was not Malt-O-Meal it was not an ordinary day. Chocolate was my favorite, but sometimes I would settle for the maple due to the fact that I had devoured all the chocolate! Anyways, my sisters had already left, I went to PM kindergarten. I would sit at the counter on a high stool, eating my Malt-O-Meal in peace. The same conversation always ensued with me asking if I could stay home. Every weekday this conversation would occur, I never gave up. I was NOT going to go! Oh, no! Every now and then I would get my way because I would cry and cry and cry! The days that I actually went to school I would cry. I hated kindergarten! Now, I would do anything to go back! This also happened a few times in 2nd grade.



Finally, my mom was so fed up with me crying to stay home she had to lie to me to get me to go. She told me that if I didn't go she would have to call the cops. Hahah- needless to say, I went.

I laugh about this now and was really laughing the other day because my 2nd grade teacher e-mailed me asking me if I remembered this?! Well, if she remembers it then I must!! Haha! She was asking me why I cried? or if I really ever knew. Oh the memories...

Memory as a Dance

I am going to be honest, the beginning of the semester has been a whirlwind of activities, work and many other things. I did not even attempt to take the time to look at other blogs. I regret that! But, this weekend I took some time to read a few other blogs...focusing on something other than my own work, their work is just as important!!!

One of the blogs I read was Kate Beaudoin's titled "The Dance". While this blog was very short, it was also very inviting and interesting. Memory is very much about both mind and senses, which we sometimes forget. Memory is also about music. The connection between music and memories is so intriguing!! One simple song can bring back so much, it no longer is a simple song playing then! For example, listening to The Hotel Cafe Tour songs brings me back to last spring because that is when I first heard it and listened to it all the time! Carrie Underwoood-a short lived summertime CD...
When you are doing something memorable and hear a certain song, you remember not only that song, but the moment. I can remember the person, what we were doing, what we said about it (if anything), oh God I am such a freak...sometimes I can even remember the date!!! That can be kind of scary...I don't know why though! I should be happy about that right? It definitely keeps things interesting. Talking about this memory reminds me of another actually- it's like a chain reaction! I remember talking to my roommate about this back in August. We discussed how if something happened or we hung out with a certain person we could remember details like the date, what we wore, where we went, etc. It's all very remarkable!

~Olfactory Memories~

Reading Helena's blog, "memory palace", made me consider, especially this weekend, the connection between smells and memories. I was at my sister's house this weekend and the smell of her house brings back summer memories for me. I lived with her while taking a six week literature course here. The smell of the soap in the bathroom brings me back to the many nights of getting ready and going out, having the time of my life! The bedroom which was mine temporarily...many late nights studying with the moonlight spilling through the window. Waking up in the early mornings to my nephew (only a few months old at the time) crying or laughing...that has not changed either!

We also baked cookies, which was often a summer favorite on her husband's poker nights! All these smells bring back sweet summer memories. The smells bring back not only the memories in the house, but what I was going to do. So, like the soap in the bathroom- still all I can think of is how many times I would be getting ready and where I went once that was done or more importantly who I went with!

My first summer in Bozeman was this past one, it was by far the best summer I have ever had! If only I could bring it back...but that is what the memories are for!

Ong- Orality

"Proverbs from all over the world are rich with observations about this overwhelmingly human phenomenon of speech in its native oral form, about its powers, its beauties, its dangers."
(Ong 9)

Reading something is a very powerful thing, but when you hear it, it becomes that much ore powerful. Speech, especially an oral tradition, in its native language is nothing less that fascinating. As Ong says, it really is powerful and beautiful at the same time. What I question is its danger. How is it dangerous? I had never thought of this before. Is it more dangerous to the world that it faces or is the world it faces more dangerous to the speech (in way of destruction)? Ong leaves me pondering the dangers and beauties of oral speech. The list it seems could be endless. I am left thinking that perhaps one of the dangers of orality and native speech is the simple fact that to many it is the "unknown", a mystery that if in another language we would more than likely not know what it was saying.

Kane- Mysterious Relationships

"They knew that we live in a world of mysterious relationship. The whole world seems alive with relationships we cannot see, except that they make their presence felt in other relationships which we can see." (Kane 40)

In a way every relaionship is a mystery to someone. Whether it be a relationship between people, Earth or sky. No matter the relationship, there is always some sort of mysteriousness, unknown substance within it that may or may not be visible. Sometimes the unknown is what holds it together and sometimes it is the unveiling of the unknown that could tear it apart (that made sense to me...)!

Anyways, Kane uses ecology to describe this mysterious relationship that is both apparent and not to us, as humans. Usually, it is relationships in nature that tend to be overlooked, yet are so very important. Many things in nature are entertwined and depend on each other to survive. In myths, any times animals are very humanized in the sense that they are the beauty, the soul and the life of the Earth. Nature is what we try to connect to in some way in myths because it is more knowledgeable than we are. Nature "tells" us things in myths that we otherwise would not know.

Kane also states that, "Often it is better that something remain a mystery." This is so very true. Perhaps knowing can lead to the destruction of relationships. Mystery keeps it exciting, mystery is not seeing the whole picture.

I just have to add this cliché that came to my mind as I typed up this blog..."What you don't know, won't hurt you"- I always hated that one!

Yates- the poet and the artist

One of the most intriguing passages from Yates's "The Art of Memory" is when she presents Plutarch's idea that "Simonides called painting silent poetry and poetry painting that speaks; for the actions which painters depict as they are being performed, words describe after they are done." This quote describes this sort of relationship between art and poetry or poetry as art. Yates also points out that both of these forms of art are so visual which only emphasizes their connection. This gets at the idea of memory because memory is very visual. With memory there is usually some sort of vivid picture, image, which perhaps may be blurred, but its still so effective. To describe this image, the memory associated with it and the impact it has on us we use words. These words are poetic in the sense that they work simultaneously with images and provide others with an intimate idea of the other person's memory.

What is a memory?

A memory is a preservation of knowledge. We learn something new every second of our life. It may be very, very trivial, but it's still new. A memory can relate to a person, place, object, experience or something you heard. Some memories make an imprint causing us to never rid them from our minds, while others are simply "there".

Memories alter who we are. They help us to shape our future experiences and attitudes.

Memories are sometimes all we have.

My Memory Theatre

It took me a long time to come up with one single place to use as my memory theatre. I am going to start with my room, but I am a really indecisive person and my mind is always all over the place so this could be difficult. Pretty much everything in my room is connected with some sort of memory whether it be a cd, photo, lamp or quote. I choose to decororate with things that are most meaningful to me and I always always connect them to a certain person or moment. Ok, even my shoes I somehow think of something. This is a little ridiculous, goodness. My room is so familiar to me that if I connect a certain memory with something, I think I will be more likely to remember it.

I chose my room because to me it is calming, it is the one place that is mine, where I can escape. Everything here is here because I chose for it to be, it reflects what kind of a person I am and what is important to me or what my interests are.

This is my memory theatre. Perhaps, my room does change (in fact, I just painted it) but so do memories. This is another reason I thought it would be appropriate to use my room as my memory theatre.

Room Observation

Dr. Sexson gave us an assignment to observe a room. So, I decided to observe my sister's bedroom instead of my own because I knew it would be much more interesting for me! My thoughts were very random as I observed, but here goes!

Small, though that is probably because of all the clutter! The last time I saw this many clothes was when I was shopping at Nordstrom...my god! I mean how many pairs of sevens does a girl need...nevermind, don't answer that! Frye boots! Jealous! I should have known, nowhere in sight is there one photograph! She hates "junk" like that. Oh-interesting thought! Photos are one way many people remember things, they help us to remember things! Photos are one of the things I cherish most and I don't think that anyone could have too many! But, my sister is the opposite, she will have her photo taken, but don't ever give her one!
Very modern, random paintings...very interesting...she loves art.

What? Brianna reads books? Oh, wait...listen to these titles!!!
~"Are you there Vodka, it's me Chelsea"
~"The Secrets of Skinny Chicks"
~"He's just not that into you"

Moving on...to wrap it all up, a ton and a half of clothes, shoes and health magazines. Very interesting.

Memory

Memory- remembrance

If you ask an english student what memory is, they'd respond with an answer similar relating to what people can/ do remember, a recollection of moments or ideas. If you ask someone from geeksquad what memory is they'd respond by using some sort of computer language, talking about database and gigabytes...thanks, but no thanks.

Memory can be both good and bad. I think that most people remember things that impact them the most. Happy, sad or funny- all can be equally important and affecting. Honestly, how many times at family gatherings do you hear someone say, "remember when..."? A lot!

Memory is amazing because each person's is unique. Not only do people have unique memories, but so do animals. Apparently, elephants have an amazing memory, especially older females of the herds (ability to recognize "friendly" faces). Goldfish do not have a memory only seconds long, but approximately 3 months long!

But...one thing I think that you all will find useful to this class- some tips from Wiki (our most "reliable" source out there, come on!):
~Increase oxygen supply to brain through exercise
~from me- write it down and repeat it until you really are unable to do so anymore!

"What do I know now, that I didn't before?"

If you asked yourself this everyday, throughout the day, you could have an immense amount of things to say each time. The answer(s) to this question may be trivial, but no doubt you'd at least have an answer, or two or three or fifty.

Today, I would say...

I know that it is possible to ride your bike on ice, fortune cookies are my new favorite snack...well, the list goes on and on, and probably only gets more trivial from here...

I think I just might start a journal revolving solely around this topic...I will have to bring it everywhere because throughout, let's say an hour, I learn a lot I didn't know before. Even trivial matters can be interesting and definitely new!

I have been pondering this thought of trivial conversations. Then I began to think...because of all the trivial conversations I have had with my mom, I have gone into debt. Well, trivial conversations amongst other things have put me in debt. But, really- $200 for a cell phone bill- was any of what we said truly worth that. Maybe some, but not much.

Ephemeral- short lived, leaving no trace
*Encarta Dictionary

There are so many things in life that are ephemeral. Friendships, conversations, feelings, relationships...life itself. Most importantly and upsetting, stories are ephemeral or at least they can be. Why are things ephemeral? Can we even answer this? Ephemerality is a little unnerving. The only life we have left of things and people passed are stories, memories. If those are not long lived we lose a lot. Oral traditions are so often looked over. Perhaps, even in trivial conversations there is something of significance hidden there.

"We know there are no facts, only stories"
"Old people have a bad habit- they die"

The nine muses

Muse- to think deeply

Muse- the particular, gift or inspiration of an artist

*Encarta Dictionary

The Nine Muses:

Calliope- epic/ heroic poetry
Clio- History
Eroto- Love/ erotic poetry
Euterpe- music/ lyric poetry
Melpomene- Tragedy
Polyhymnia (polymnia)- Sacred song, oratory, lyric, singing, rhetoric
Terpischore- choral song and dance
Thalia- comedy and bucolic poetry
Urania- Astronomy

*Thanks to Wikipedia

First day of class- the adventure begins...

Class flew by the first day. It was, as I expected, just as intriguing as the first day I had Dr. Sexson for Literary Criticism.

Esoteric- inside. Secret. Understood by few. Wikipedia refers to it as being "Mystic", something that only "enlightened" people can comprehend. These descriptions make the word esoteric seem that much more powerful, exclusive, and mysterious. Yeah...I like that.

As a student, I love google! I googled "unfrequented church" and what I found as my first result included a quote ,"One day, while serving in a remote and unfrequented church, he turned toward the invisible congregation and said, “Peace be to all! ..." Is this what an unfrequented church is all about. The word unfrequented is to not be visited often, lonely and desolate.

Loci- Location helps memory.

Well, that right there is what I call a successful forst day of class.