Hello,
I would just like to say that overall the course was very manageable. Take it from a guy that had two classes during the Writer's Craft period. Anyone that says that the course had too much work or whatever just has really bad time management skills. I also liked how you told us when everything would be due on the first day of class (or one of the first days... I forget). It allowed me to figure out when I would be busy or when I could expect a lot of work. I don't know if I could use the word "fun" (as you do) to describe this course, but it wasn't a bad course!
I am very confused about the "last blog entry" thing, though. When you said "blog entry" I thought you meant to post something on our blogs. However, all of my classmates have posted theirs on here and so I guess I should do the same. Here goes nothing...
Dear Ms. Hyde,
Hello. How are you? I hope you are doing well. It is never a fun thing to hear about someone that is not doing well! How am I, you ask? Well, I am fine thank you. I am actually supposed to be studying for Geography right now. However, I just remembered that I had to do this last blog. It wouldn't make a lot of sense to not do this blog since I managed to do every other blog! You managed to do every other blog, you ask? Why, yes I have! Not only did I have two courses to balance during the Writer's Craft period, but I managed to do so quite well, writing most of my blogs the day they were assigned and eons before some of my classmates wrote theirs (I hope this is not a run-on sentence, a problem I learned to correct from your wonderful and appreciated guidance). Hey, did you hear about the Tiger that was supposed to be in downtown Hamilton! It turned out that it was just a big advertisement scheme. If we compare this scheme to other schemes, we would find that this scheme was indeed the most "schemey". I am so glad that you taught me how to do compare/contrast essays or else I wouldn't know how to compare schemes! Wow, look at all the neat-o skills I learned from Writer's Craft! It is as if I took all of the lessons I learned to heart and managed to turn them into meaningful skills! What a great guy I am! I think that I deserve a great prize for my efforts! Perhaps the highest mark imaginable would be an appropriate reward? If you don't agree, I could write a persuasive essay to prove my case. After all, I did learn how to master the art of the persuasive essay in your class!
Hope you consider,
-Dylan
(ps. Have a good summer!)
Monday, June 21, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
A Sunrise Through Dark Eyes
(I am assuming that all people referred to as "blind" in this blog were born "blind")
Seeing (pardon the pun) that blind people have never had the chance to gaze upon anything and have no real concept of what objects look like, I understand that references to colours and images will not be effective. More unique explanatory techniques will be required.
"The first step in understanding what a sunrise looks like, is to imagine a ball. Although you have never seen a ball, you have felt its shape before in your hands. It is very round. Imagine that ball in the middle of a blank canvas"
"Now you must imagine the colour of that ball. I know that you have never seen colours, however, all colours have emotional connections to them. Thus, I want you to imagine that that ball in the sky is the same colour as you feel when you are being cowardly or afraid. Imagine that the ball is yellow"
"The next step is to imagine that yellow ball surrounded by a plethora of colours. To understand the array of colours, imagine yourself when you are experiencing mixed-emotions. There is red for angriness, blue for sadness, yellow for cowardliness, green for sickness. Think about all of those emotions mixed together into a beautiful mess."
"Finally, now imagine all of this coming after a great length of blackness. Think about what you can only observe on a daily basis, and then imagine yourself suddenly being able to open your eyes to what has just been described to you. This occurrence is what it is like to view a sunrise after a dark, black night"
Seeing (pardon the pun) that blind people have never had the chance to gaze upon anything and have no real concept of what objects look like, I understand that references to colours and images will not be effective. More unique explanatory techniques will be required.
"The first step in understanding what a sunrise looks like, is to imagine a ball. Although you have never seen a ball, you have felt its shape before in your hands. It is very round. Imagine that ball in the middle of a blank canvas"
"Now you must imagine the colour of that ball. I know that you have never seen colours, however, all colours have emotional connections to them. Thus, I want you to imagine that that ball in the sky is the same colour as you feel when you are being cowardly or afraid. Imagine that the ball is yellow"
"The next step is to imagine that yellow ball surrounded by a plethora of colours. To understand the array of colours, imagine yourself when you are experiencing mixed-emotions. There is red for angriness, blue for sadness, yellow for cowardliness, green for sickness. Think about all of those emotions mixed together into a beautiful mess."
"Finally, now imagine all of this coming after a great length of blackness. Think about what you can only observe on a daily basis, and then imagine yourself suddenly being able to open your eyes to what has just been described to you. This occurrence is what it is like to view a sunrise after a dark, black night"
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Going to a Play
Being an experienced "playgoer", I have been able to observe many different styles and types of plays. Therefore, I have been able to discover first hand what it is that I expect and like in a dramatic performance.
For what I expect, I expect a play that will not have any "errors". When I say "errors" I mean that people should not be forgetting their lines, dance routines should be well choreographed and delivered, music should be played perfectly, and the audience should show respect for the performance. Nothing is more embarrassing than seeing a "professional" bobble around attempting to remember what it is that they were supposed to say. Nothing is more boring than seeing a dance routine that you could have put together and performed better yourself. Nothing is more saddening than hearing music that has been played carelessly. Nothing is more irritating than having the person sitting beside you talk throughout and undermine a great performance. One might even suggest that I expect perfection when attending a dramatic performance.
For what I like in a dramatic performance, I am somewhat specific. I do not like to find myself guessing correctly the sequence of events in a play. What is the fun in watching a production that is doing everything that I expect it to do? I might as well have stayed home and watched a handful of other plays exactly like it on youtube or television. I also like plays that contain some humorous bits. I love a good tragic tale, however, a good mood-lightener is always refreshing. Whether it be expert placing of a witty or quirky character, or an actual performance of the comedy genre, it does not matter! I just want to laugh and enjoy myself once in a while, and doesn't everyone? Finally, I like plays that try to make me think of something "bigger" than the play itself. A good story is one thing, but a great message is something much more. There is nothing more exciting than discovering new parts about yourself while deciphering a message delivered just for you.
If a play has all of these components, it is quite a rewarding experience to attend. However, if a play fails to deliver some or most of these vital parts, it is nothing more than "just another play".
For what I expect, I expect a play that will not have any "errors". When I say "errors" I mean that people should not be forgetting their lines, dance routines should be well choreographed and delivered, music should be played perfectly, and the audience should show respect for the performance. Nothing is more embarrassing than seeing a "professional" bobble around attempting to remember what it is that they were supposed to say. Nothing is more boring than seeing a dance routine that you could have put together and performed better yourself. Nothing is more saddening than hearing music that has been played carelessly. Nothing is more irritating than having the person sitting beside you talk throughout and undermine a great performance. One might even suggest that I expect perfection when attending a dramatic performance.
For what I like in a dramatic performance, I am somewhat specific. I do not like to find myself guessing correctly the sequence of events in a play. What is the fun in watching a production that is doing everything that I expect it to do? I might as well have stayed home and watched a handful of other plays exactly like it on youtube or television. I also like plays that contain some humorous bits. I love a good tragic tale, however, a good mood-lightener is always refreshing. Whether it be expert placing of a witty or quirky character, or an actual performance of the comedy genre, it does not matter! I just want to laugh and enjoy myself once in a while, and doesn't everyone? Finally, I like plays that try to make me think of something "bigger" than the play itself. A good story is one thing, but a great message is something much more. There is nothing more exciting than discovering new parts about yourself while deciphering a message delivered just for you.
If a play has all of these components, it is quite a rewarding experience to attend. However, if a play fails to deliver some or most of these vital parts, it is nothing more than "just another play".
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