Munro IOC

https://soundcloud.com/ssein/simon-sein-munro-ioc

"This is water" Analysis

Essentially, this text is an essay called  "This is Water" written by David Forster Wallace. Throughout the text, the author develops the idea that self perception of life, and perception of our surroundings is a crucial fact in our day to day life, that can affect our personality, and attitude. The main point of David Foster's essay, is the empathy towards the people surrounding us. As we grow up, we get involved in never ending routines that make us feel like everyday is the exact same day, in which nothing new, or surprising happens to us. Besides of this, as David Foster explains, when we  submerge in these routines, the mentality that we all have is that we are the center of the universe, forgetting that we live in a world in which there are people around who have the same, if not even worse problems than we have, therefore people's feelings, and thoughts are not being communicated to us when we are submerged in this routine.

Besides of this, the author shows a focus in explaining how important the knowledge or intellect is when it comes to adjusting our default-settings. Through the knowledge obtained, and though learning to have a mentality tat seeks to learn how to think, we are "conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience"as David explains.

One of the example used by David to show how this daily perspective of life, or lack of empathy works in our day to day life is the example of a man that has to go to the grocery shop at the very last moment of the day after working, having to queue for a long time, complaining about the people that are in the same situation as him. Once the situation is being described the author shows that in the next moment the person starts to realize that maybe the people that are queuing just like him, may have the same problems as him, or may have to face daily situations that are harder than his routine, therefore showing the importance of empathizing with the people around us, who sometimes we do not care about.

This essay makes us reflect about our day to day lives , therefore transmitting us moral values, such as the empathy that in some cases we lack, not considering the individuals around us, only being aware of our situation, and problems. Trough the use of characters, and life experiences of others, values can be expressed and messages can be transmitted to the audience, therefore making use of literature, to teach or to transmit a lesson, that applies to a wide range of individuals.

Munro Literature Reflection

What is the purpose and benefit of the study of literature?

When we compare literature a popular fiction, there are several differences that do make a huge difference. First of all, in literature, there is put more emphasis on the personality, attitudes, feeling, and emotions of the characters, describing at any moment the shifts in the personalities of the characters when it comes to different situations that the characters are facing. For that matter, from my point of view, the purpose of literature is to make the audience, or reader get involved with the character at a whole different level.

Since Alice Munro's stories present this situations in which unexpected occurrences happen to the main characters of her stories, the reaction of the characters invites us to empathize with them, being able to experience how it would be to be in that same situation. Therefore, my opinion is that reading literature gives us experience that can be applied to our lives, and allows us to be in situations in which we have not been before, only through reading a book. 

What is women's literature, and what is the value of studying it?

Woman's literature is literature written by women, and literature that has a thematic related to the  role that the female gender has had in society. Besides of this, in many cases a contrast between the male, and female gender is shown in this type of literature, so that the message can be transmitted clearly, and to the point.

Why were the themes and values of Munro's realism so significant during the 1950s to the 1980s? 

The impact of Munro's literature in those times was the fact that she was one of the first female authors that depicted the realism of the situation of the female gender in society. Her stories portrayed in a clear way how women have to struggle daily in situations in which society benefits men more than women, just because of the gender. Besides of this. the impact that her stories had, was huge since having this style in which there is put so much focus on the characters, the readers empathized more with the situations of female protagonists, that had to face these struggles.

Although she does not identify as a feminist author how has Munro's work contributed to gender equality?

As previously discussed, then portrayal of the struggle that female protagonists had to face in her stories, created the opportunity for the readers to put themselves in the skin of these protagonists, having to face situations in which being a women would not benefit them to achieve something. Overall, her work was a huge inspiration for the feminist groups,

What do you enjoy most about the content of Munro's work and what impact has it had on you?

From my point of view, the way in which she shifts the attitudes of the characters, and the way in which she develops the personalities, putting so much depth has made an impact on me, specially in the case of Clara, in runaway. Besides of that, the emphasize that is put as well on describing the setting, and making the setting play a role in the whole story, that is linked to the big picture of the theme, is what I liked the most as well. 

Music Anthology Role play

In this analysis I will analyze the song " Teenagers" written by " My Chemical Romance". The thematic of the lyrics of its songs is mainly focused on political controversy, and memories of life experiences.

First off the singer of this song, Gerard Way, embodies the voice of a resented teenager towards the attitude of the government, or the adults. It is clear that he plays the role of a person that is warning the youth of the way in which it is being manipulated, while at the same time he is giving advice about what to do against this manipulation.

The main theme of this song is therefore manipulation that "they" is enforcing to the teenagers. When Gerard says " They" we can discern that he is referring to the author of the manipulation, which in the mean time the targeted audience of the song, or the audience that has to understand the message of this song is the teenager.

                                     If we take a look at the chorus of the song:



                        " They said that teenagers scare the living shit out of me
                                the could care less as long as someone'll bleed
                               so darken your clothes, or strike a violent pose
                                    maybe they'll leave you alone but not me."


What is clear just by looking at the chorus is that when Gerard says they, he is referring to a group of people that is oppressing his targeted audience, therefore, that is the reason why in the third line of the chorus he is giving advice to the audience about what to do against this oppressor.

Looking at the three main strophes that make up the song, it is possible to recognize three sub themes in which this idea of manipulation is further expressed, along with other ideas that relate to it. In the first strophe:


                                   " They're gonna clean up your looks
                                     With all the lies in the books
                                       To make a citizen out of you
                                        Because the sleep with  gun
                                    And keep an eye on you son
                                So they can watch all the things you so."


There are several times in which "they " is used again. In this strophe the main idea is the fact that Gerard wants to transmit to his audience, the teenagers, that somebody is deceiving them, and controlling them, in order to make them be the class of people that they want to be. Furthermore, in this verse the word citizen makes the difference, since the idea that the oppressors what to shape the characteristics of the audience, being the teenagers, in some way is a proof that shows that the oppressor is the government. Besides of that, in the first two verses, the singer uses an assonance, as a rhetorical device, to slow the tempo of those first two verses, putting emphasis on them, therefore giving those first two verses a higher value, or importance.



                                 "Because the drugs never work
                                   They're gonna give you a smirk
                                  Cause they got methods for keeping you clean
                                They're gonna reap up your head,
                                 Your aspirations and shreds
                                 Another cog in the murder machine.


In the second strophe there are important literary features and details that play an important role in adding importance to the main theme, the manipulation. First off in this strophe the singer uses two metaphors. In the second verse, when the singer says " They're gonna give you a smirk", he is not literally meaning it, but instead he is meaning that the government,or oppressor over the teenager, is going to play the role of a friendly and inoffensive organization in order to act as a double edged sword, since a smirk portrays the idea of a fake intention. Secondly, there is a use of connotation when Gerard says, " They are gonna reap up your head", again it is not the literally action what matters here, but the idea that the government is gonna implant a way of thinking into the minds of the youth, in order to make them forget about their dreams and make them become the kind of citizen they want. Finally in the last verse there is use of metaphor as well, with the intention to portray the idea that  manipulation the minds of the teenagers, and controlling them is just a part of the big puzzle, that the government is carrying out to take advantage of the citizens in order to only benefit itself.


                           "The boys and girls in the clique
                              The awful names that they stick
                             You're not gonna fit in much, kid
                             But if you are troubled and hurt,
                           What you got under your shirt
                             Will make them pay for the things they did"

In this last strophe the main idea being expressed by the singer is the fact that at one point the teenagers can take action over this situation, and make a difference. In order to portray this idea, the singer uses Imagery, to make the audience either think about the resented feelings of a broken heart, after being deceived, and manipulated, or also think about the strength that the teenagers have to make something happen, motivating them in either way to do something about this manipulation. This last idea is expressed in the last verse, " Will make them pay for the things they did".



All in all, in this song the main theme is the manipulation. The singer, and author of the song portrays the idea that the government manipulates the youth, or the teenagers, not allowing them to dream, and manipulating their minds through school, in order to create a specific sample of individual. As it has been discussed, the use of metaphors, connotation, and assonance helps the author to depict the message. Finally, as secondary message of the song, the author uses Imagery to express the idea that it is possible to do something about this manipulation, encouraging the teenagers to look to what they have inside of them.

Summer Blog #MyTravel

Once my vacation is Spain finished my mindset of vacation was over. The idea of forgetting about scholar duty could not stay in my mind longer, since I was back at home. When I thought that my vacation was over, and that I had to go back to the scholar mindset, my parents told me that we were going on vacation to Romania to visit some family, and to end up the summer in the best way possible spending quality time with the family.

When my parents told me the new I was shocked since I had not been there for seven years, therefore my first though was that it would be pretty different than the way in which I remembered it. The idea was to visit the family and spend two weeks gathering with old friends who live far away from us, but my main motivation for the trip was to see how the city in which I was born had changed.

When we landed in Timisoara, Romania, the climatic conditions were drastically different to Abu Dhabi's climatic conditions. The air was fresh, and some humidity made up an amazing atmosphere in which, taking a walk, and hiking were activities that could be done placidly. Most of the city showed many old buildings with historical meaning, although some places were not well preserved as some of them were half rebuild and half restructured. On the other hand the city was full of vegetation, and parks, that give the city a contrast, between the urban side, and the natural side.

Finally, one of the small but important details that I could notice in this city, is how open is the attitude of the people of Romania to learn languages from outside to make the foreigners feel more comfortable, when visiting their country. This fact surprised me in some way, since it is a quality that not all the countries have. Comparing this attitude to the attitude of the Spanish citizens, and services, they are totally opposite, having an attitude of arrogance if the foreigner does not know their language. 

Summer Blog post #My vacation

When I hear the word vacation, most of the time, the first image that crosses my mind, is the image of travelling around the world, and going to places where I have never been before, or places away from home. On the other hand, my parents' image of vacation is simply rest at home for endless days till the vacation is over. Being loyal to my philosophy of vacation, this summer I decided to go to Spain on vacation to see my friends from there, and to be in a different atmosphere for a short period of time.

First off, it was my first time travelling alone, without my parents, having to take all the flights at the right time by myself. At first I thought that it would be pretty confusing and stressful, but once I understood the way in which it is necessary to proceed when taking a flight, I realized that it was not a big deal. After I landed in Spain, my first thought was that nothing changed, everything stayed the same for a  2 year period of time. Not only the physical place, buildings, houses, landscape, but also my perception of the Spanish lifestyle, and my relationship with friends and family. In some way I felt like I never left that place, since after the first two days, being around the people I did not see for years did not feel like a new thing, it felt more like a thing that I kept doing for those two years that I left the country.

Visiting Spain has helped me to realize that I have an opportunity to choose where to study, while most of my friends do not. This fact has opened my eyes, encouraging me to put even more effort at school since not so much people around me has this opportunity. Overall my travel has given me a breath of fresh air, allowing me not to worry about the next scholar year.

How to write about Spanish people

How to write about Spanish people.

Always talk about their laziness and lack of professionalism. If possible include that they are always late at work, in the case that they get a job. Do not forget about the fact that all they eat is tortilla, paella, and jamon Serrano(Serrano ham), and about the fact that the only sport that they like is football. It is of vital importance, to mention that Spain is one of the countries that works less during the day, taking several rests during the workday, putting so much emphasis on the Spanish “siesta”, which is the rest taken in all the country between the 14:00 hours to the 17:00 hours to eat and take a nap. Besides of that, an important part to mention that could not be forgotten, is to include that three out of four words that they say are insults, being the language in which insults are used the most.  

In what concerns tradition, all the Spanish people are guilty of killing bulls without mercy, without exception, even if they have never been to a bullfight, you should include them as guilty individuals that are in favor of killing bulls, as a way of entertainment. Mentioning how corrupted the Spanish government is, is also a good point that might show an important characteristic of the country.

In the case that you want to write about the general attitude of the Spanish people, do not forget to include their passive interest towards culture, only caring about football, and relaxing, and do not forget about their lack of manners, that makes them easily recognizable when they travel to foreign countries.

Besides of that, when talking about how each Spanish person acts with another, always include that they have to know everything that happens in their lives, and in the case that something is going good in the life of one, the other will always be jealous, and undervalue his achievements, instead of being happy of the achievements of the other. Never forget to include how bad the Spanish people drive. Make sure that you include that every Spanish driver has obtained his driving license in a raffle.

Lastly, always include that there is no Spanish individual that is able to talk in a different language than Spanish properly, either because of poor pronunciation or lack of grammar that makes their skills to communicate in a different language pretty embarrassing.