iMedia: Minimalism

     Looking at this photo of a modern bathroom, you see the least amount of materials used as well as the large open space in the bathroom. The sink does not touch the floor and in turn leaves more space for the consumer. The contour of the chair, sink and the mirror complement each other well because they are rounded. In the bathroom, there are no corners to the sink and this gives the room a more luxurious and basic look. These are all examples of what attracts me to this style called minimalism.

      Minimalism is a practice that many modern interior designers are starting to use in the 21st century. Luxury homes use this approach in decorating to seem more simplistic and more resourceful. The wealthy are crazed with the thought that everything has to be “green” in this day and age and as a result minimalism has been taking over many homes in America.

       Minimalism conveys a calm flow of energy and that allows me to clear my mind and feel a sense of tranquility. My chaotic mind is affected by its surroundings so to me this is a perfect example of how I would like my house to look like. Minimalism does not just effect the way we furnish our homes but also the way that we modernly create music as well as art. The result of this style affecting so many aspects of life allows us to conclude that it molds the current American culture today.

Carry It Forward: The Shadow Catcher

In the Book Shadow Catcher Marianne Wiggins creates two stories that are told simultaneously. Her initial story is about her figuring out the connection between Curtis Edwards and her father. Later on Wiggins create a second more traditional story about how her fictional characters Clara and Edward get to know each other and their future. Having such a complex storyline requires the reader to go into depth with details in the traditional story and analyze why characters have certain feelings and traits. This type of analyzing is open to interpretation and is exactly why this story is so exciting for the reader.

I appreciate the time Wiggins took coming up with a way to convey a story in more than one way. Despite the books difficulty it is extremely enjoyable once understood. Very few authors take the approach of writing two stories that is truly one. I have found that this structure is mostly seen in movies and TV shows but is unheard-of with books. I thought her creative and innovative way of telling her fictional story was a modern approach to writing.

Next year in college I know books will only get harder to comprehend and be more abstract than previously. This book will help me look at books in the future with a keener eye for detail and understand how to take the story apart piece by piece. Questioning the structure of the piece is also a big idea that is over looked and tells a lot about the stories importance. I will also focus more on asking why the author chooses to include some information about a topic and be specific with another. The choice of language and word usage is another big idea that can help when it comes to analyzing and understand books that I will read in college.

Metacognition: QE Essay

Starting the QE essay was definitely the hardest part. Picking out which question I was most comfortable with was the toughest task. My thesis was what role education serves in creativity and imagination. I was surprised I picked the question I did because I would usually dispute that question. After I turned in the first section of my essay and reading the comments made on it, I realized I was concentrating more on my intro example than the question at hand.

This is a recurring issue I have with writing papers. I tend to get lost in thought about my essay and try to analyze all parts when I digress without even knowing I did so. I have to learn to always refer back to the thesis so that I do not get lost in trying to prove my point.

I was surprised how easy it was for me to write the body paragraphs. Once I got started, I was able to accurately communicate what I wanted to get across and had strong examples to support my thesis. Even though my first three paragraphs were hard to follow, I realized I needed to get into the swing of writing and then I was successful communicating my thoughts in a concise and thoughtful way.

I find it increasingly helpful when I have another pair of eyes look at my work because I may think I am communicating something when the reader realizes I have not touched based upon what I want to come across in the essay. I have always had trouble with writing and I dread it every time I have an assignment such as this one. Even though I dread these assignments, I try to do my best and always push through my obstacles, in this case communicating my points.

When writing the third section of my essay I easily came up with a resonant image that many have already heard. I used the metaphor a house is built from the ground up, education is like the basic building blocks to ones imagination and just like a house, it cannot be built without the foundation. This image was easy to relate because it made a direct relationship to the reader, therefore making it a strong relationship. I felt if there were more deadlines, for example to turn in a revised section two that it would not only help the teacher when grading but also me because I would learn from my mistakes that maybe I did not catch.

Blogging Around

In Becca’s “Best of the Week” blog she explained that thoroughly reading and applying ourselves to the reading will help us with its understanding and help us in the long run.

My comment on Becca’s blog:

Becca,
When you began explaining how many of us have trouble really learning something, I had a flashback of reading The Shadow Catcher. For example, I had read the same paragraph for 10 minutes straight one time without even remotely understanding what I had just read. Sometimes letters become bunched together and become blurred while your brain is thinking and communicating with something else entirely different than looking at the task at hand.
I realized that thinking about how we think is a very complex and different way of analyzing oneself and I appreciate you writing a blog about this because most do not take the time to think of the importance of a word that most would just blow over. I agree that it is a smart and beneficial move to actually take the time and look up that unknown term for ones greater understanding.



Rayn had an interesting initial reaction to Susan Sontags Essay one that was objective and not Biased.

My comment on Rayn’s blog:

Rayn,
I appreciate your perspective on how you let yourself look outside of the box as you heard Susan Sontag’s essay. Most classmate’s initial reactions were just completely disagreeing with Sontag and her “anti American views” but I enjoy that you did not automatically take an initial side as you familiarized yourself with what really happened with facts and looked at the bigger picture rather than just passing biased judgment.

I also enjoyed your comment about how you thought that media runs America and this is true in many aspects especially for all ages. For example, magazines, newspapers, movies and much more all create biased views for those reading articles or those watching the news. I agree that America likes to think its all about the facts when in reality they just really want to skew the perspective of what they want you to believe.