“Faustian Economics" by Wendell Berry

Berry says that we Americans are greedy and wasteful because we believe that everything we have or acquire, is limitless. We do not think about the consequences of overusing resources that are very quickly diminishing, instead- we think of ways to circumvent the problems instead of deal with them. Let us talk about the problem of fuel for our cars and homes, not only is gas almost all gone; but it also destroys the environment and the atmosphere. Instead of fixing the problem of overusing the resource, people come up with the idea of using corn to produce the fuel needed to start our cars. I believe that Americans think that they have so many resources and possibilities to use things to their advantage, that if there is not...there are other resources to take its place. So when corn is finally too expensive to grow and use, as that effects what some animals eat, to what we eat, then what will be used when corn can not be used anymore? We Americans with our smart intellects will think of something, they really are using their resources to the max if I may say so.
Berry also uses many other writers data to support his theory that we are greedy. He talks about Marlowe's "Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" and the Declaration of Independence about how it says that humans are monstrous because it is innate; it is a trait needed to allow us to live in this dog-eat-dog world. Berry uses a lot of information he learned from other people to prove that Americans truly are wasteful and greedy. He uses data from writers, from an artistic standpoint, the Declaration of Independence, old folklore and from historical research. The point he is trying to make is backed by a lot of evidence from a broad spectrum of resources, not just from what he sees himself. The evidence validates what he says more than what he may have said on his own with no other data.

Writing With or Without Fear

What I think of Jacques Derrida is that he is an intense writer. I mean, if he fears that what he writes is blasphemous and "inadmissible" then by God, I think he is taking his work real seriously! Yes, yes, he is a writer...but I do not believe he should really care about what others think of his work and who he criticizes and what he opposes. Look, there will always be people who do not agree with everything you say, but that is what communication does- it allows everybody's thoughts to pool together so everybody learns. If we did not know what Derrida thought about a certain subject, then we would only know what we know. That does not teach us anything, we are not pushing ourselves to learn, even though what Derrida says might not be what we would like to hear. I never had anxiety about what I wrote, I want to hear the constructive criticism and want to know how others feel about a certain topic themselves. It is boring just to know how I feel, what kind of conversation can start if I reject everybody's ideas? Or if they reject mine? There would be no agreement or disagreement, there would be no talking it through. No learning. This is why I do not get nervous about what I write, if you want to talk about what I wrote- talk to me. If you do not like it, that is OK. I will not have the same thing to say as you, but hey you never know. Writing is a powerful thing that can initiate many conversations, but also problems. Derrida knows that; that is why he gets nervous when he writes what he thinks.

Language is a Slippery Vehicle

Language is a slippery vehicle that moves every which way with the turn of a wheel, or in language; the change of a word. Language has a lot of fluidity and can be used to steer a conversation anyway the driver wishes to go; it is never constant and in any moment it can change direction so fast nobody would even know. Language, like a vehicle though, can only go so far as a vehicle can only go so far until it hits a dead end. Robert Haas describes the limit of language in his poem "The Problem of Describing Trees." There are many ways to describe a beautiful tree that "glistens like aspen" but then when you stretch out all of the words that you could possibly use, how much more can you say? There is a lot you can say then about all those traits, and you can come up with even more things! Rodney Jones in "Hubris at Zunzal" describes how saying something without thinking is similar to dumping sweet coconut milk into a large ocean, then thinking of the mistake and trying to scoop it back up, or trying to retract your words. Language is useful for conversation and human development, but it can also cause problems between people when to hurt others. To both of these poets; language is a powerful thing that can describe so many images.

Collaborative Learning and the "Conversation of Mankind"

We all do it; this it that I'm referring to is the collaboration of ideas. We add a little bit of what we know, to a little bit of information that she, he, they and you know; and it all pools together to give a lot of information that can be useful. This collaborative learning has been around for years and still thrives, because it is indeed useful. Information given by a group of people with many different ideas and levels of intellect; is more beneficial than getting information from one person who is smart; that one person will have his own way of thinking and nobody is completely right. If the information is from only one source, how can we be sure it is truly correct? Another benefit of collaborative learning is that while yes, we learn more because we learn new ideas from others, we can also solve problems much faster and with more ease.
Bruffee explains the benefits of collaborative learning when he talks about the group of medical students who examine a patient, compared to one medical examiner who examines the patient on his own. "What she [The researcher M.L.J Abercrombie] found was that students learning diagnosis this way acquired good medical judgment faster than individuals working alone." Students who worked in a group could find a diagnosis faster than a student working alone.This makes sense, because every member of that group could provide knowledge that they have and use that to help them with their dilemma, where as the individual would have to use the only knowledge he has and then go on to do extra work and find out what others have to say about it.
This collaborative learning is also exemplified in our class setting, when Professor Lay makes us peer review, or do the ink shedding. We each add our insights to what one person already knows to make a whole list of ideas and make something big from the little information we had at the beginning. It enriches all of our minds because it teaches each of us something new; what may be old to one of us may be something entirely different and new to another person. This is how we all learn from each other, collaborative learning.

Twelfth Night Production

After watching Twelfth Night on Friday night, I got more insight about the story. Let me tell you though, I am glad to have read the story first and then watch the play, because it was a little confusing at times. Over all it was very well done. The scenery with the pillars and the spiraling staircase, the leaves and the platform was beautiful. Sir Andrew and Sir Toby were hilarious and hey Sebastian wasn't bad looking! One thing that I imagined differently when reading the story was Olivia's accent. I didn't really think of her having such a "southern" accent like that if I may, I thought it would be more...I don't know. Just not too thick of an accent, I had to really strain my ears and hear her out. Whoa, whoa! One other thing that I was thinking about throughout the play was, why was Sebastian's friend Antonio so intent on following Sebastian? Did he have a little thing that was more than friendship for Sebastian? Hmmmm...
The production was amazing and I thought every character did a splendid job, I'm glad that Hofstra provides us with shows like these and it's not just about partying and drinking on the weekends, yuck.

'Til next time,
Lita

Theme of my second essay

For my second essay, I want to focus on how Olivia could be spoken about in Shakespeare's first sonnet. The first sonnet talks about how the young man is too self-absorbed to want to pass on his genes and procreate, or to pass on the beauty. This could easily be referred to Olivia because even Viola said to Olivia in Act 1, Scene 5, lines 240-242 "Lady, you are the cruel'st she alive If you will lead these graces to the grave And leave the world no copy." Viola told Olivia that she should marry Orsino so that her beauty lives on [because beauty lasts only so long]. This sonnet would be perfect with my theme of roses and beauty lasting only so much, because as people get older their beauty wears down, except for George Clooney who seems to get more and more handsome as time passes by, but in general- beauty should be passed along and Olivia did not want that at the beginning of the play. She did not find any MALE she encountered, worthy enough for her.

Twelfth Night Presentation

"Beauty lasts only so long..."

Shakespeare compares women to roses; how beautiful they are and how frail they are as well. This song was chosen because the subjects each have two meanings, just as Shakespeare uses words in different contexts.

Una Palabra

Una palabra no dice nada
y al mismo tiempo lo esconde todo
igual que el viento que esconde el agua
como las flores que esconde el lodo.

Una mirada no dice nada
y al mismo tiempo lo dice todo
como la lluvia sobre tu cara
o el viejo mapa de algun tesoro.

Una verdad no dice nada
y al mismo tiempo lo esconde todo
como una hoguera que no se apaga
como una piedra que nace polvo.

Si un dia me faltas no sere nada
y al mismo tiempo lo sere todo
porque en tus ojos estan mis alas
y esta la orilla donde me ahogo,
porque en tus ojos estan mis alas
y esta la orilla donde me ahogo.

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Translation

A word does not say anything
And at the same time it hides everything
Just as the wind that hides the water
Like the flowers that mud hides.

A glance does not say anything
And at the same time it says everything
Like rain on your face
Or an old treasure map

A truth does not say anything
And at the same time it hides everything
Like a bonfire that does not go out
Like a stone that is born dust.

If one day you need me, I will be nothing
And at the same time I will be everything
Because in your eyes are my wings
And the shore where I drown,
Because in your eyes are my wings
And the shore where I drown