This semester is actually the first time in my life that I have ever written a research paper. My first research paper was for my psychology class; in APA format. I was thinking, what on earth is APA and MLA. To follow through with this paper, I had to do a little research on my own about how to write a research paper. However, the online websites only gave me some of the basic details on how to write a research paper. When our psychology teacher provided us with a link on how to do intext citaions and and referencing, it seems pretty easy. I learned that you have to cite the page number and the authors and the end of the sentence in parenthesis and we have to give the full information the end of the page. The same goes for MLA, although the way you cite it is quite different; and that learn right her e in my English class. I have to say that even though I am not an expert on how to write a research paper, I would say that I have come completely far with this. I got the whole concept of in text citations, however, I get confused when it comes to citing website in between the sentences. The rest, with is the reference page is still confusing as well because you have to write the authors name, date, publication, title all in a different place. So yes I think I still need to work on that. I hope I become an expert on this by next semester because I know I will need this in the future. I thank my professors this semester for preparing me and giving me a jump start on how to write a good research paper.
-Thanks Proffesors. =]
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
1st. Draft: Campbell's Theory && The Matrix
A hero is only a hero in a heroic world. The movie The Matrix is a very interesting film because it contains the Hero’s Journey theory that Joseph Campbell has talked about. Campbell feels that a movie should have a well stabled structure that works well with it. For instance, a comedic movie would not go well with a thriller structured blueprint. Campbell believes that there are twelve stages to a Hero’s journey. Act I: Ordinary world, call to adventure, refusal of call, meeting the Mentor. Act II: Crossing the Threshold, Test Allies Enemies, Approach the Inmost Cave, Ordeal, Reward (seizing the sword). Act III: The Road Back, Resurrection, Return with the Elixir. As these all apply to Neo’s Journey through the Matrix, one would say that according to Campbells theory, Neo is a true Hero.
The first stage to the Hero’s Journey is the “Ordinary World.” The ordinary world is the Hero’s everyday life; it is basically the living and breathing place before he takes on his adventure. At this point, the hero is a human that is completely oblivious as to what would happen in the future. From the movie, one would say Neo’s journey started from the “ordinary world.” He had a regular life with a stabled job and went by the name of Thomas Anderson. Neo is very unconscious of what is out there because according to Neo, “out there” is an unknown world. The second stage is called “Call to Adventure”; it is when the hero receives a call to begin his deeds. Of course, this mission call disrupts the man’s ordinary life because of the many threats to his safely. Neo’s call for action is when he and Trinity began their first conversation at a club. As Trinity approaches Neo she then says “right now, all I can tell you is that you are in danger. I brought you here to warn you.” This is basically a wake-up call for him; he now knows what is in store for his future. Neo also goes on to ask Trinity “what is the Matrix?” Trinity response is “…no one could ever be told the answer to that question. They have to see it to believe it.” This leaves Neo nothing but curiosity. At this point one will think will Neo go on with the quest to find out what the Matrix is? Or will he stay in his ordinary world?
Stage three is “refusal to call.” As the hero is willing to agree to the quest, there are still fears that need to be conquered. As Neo works diligently in his office, he gets a sudden phone call from a man. The man warns Neo about the Agents that are in his office area and tells him to get out of there immediately if he does not want to know what they want him for. As Neo does not know his way out, the man then goes on to guide him. When Neo reached the window, a sudden fear of dying came over him; the man says “there are only two ways out of this building. One is that scaffold. The other is in their custody. You take a chance either way. I leave it to you.” Neo then refuses to climb out the window and decides to turn himself in to the Agents. Stage four is known as “meeting the mentor.” The mentor is one who is to direct the hero through his journey; he also strives to dismiss the hero’s doubts and fears and provide strength and bravery. Neo’s mentor is known to be Morpheus; the captain of the Nebuchadnezzar Ship. For their first approach, they sat down to converse about Neo’s curiosity as to what the Matrix is. Morpheus begins to answer his question by saying “the Matrix is everywhere, it’s all around us, and here even in this room…it is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.” As Neo asks to wonder what the truth is, Morpheus continues to say “that you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage.” The mentor continues to say to Neo that he really cannot tell him what the Matrix really is but rather he find out for himself. Morpheus then opens both his hands; the right hand contained a red pill and the left a blue pill. If Neo takes the blue pill the story will come to an end, and he shall wake up and believe whatever he wants. If he takes the red pill, he shall “stay in Wonderland” and Morpheus will show him how “deep the rabbit-hole goes.” Neo takes the red pill and this marks the beginning of his new life.
Stage five is called “Crossing the Threshold.” This is when the Hero is ready for his journey. He may go by his own will or by force; Neo taking the red pill, there is no turning back. For him to leap over to the other world, Morpheus leads Neo into a room filled with high-tech equipments. There he sees the rest of the ship members Trinity, Apoc, Switch and Cypher. As Neo takes a seat, Trinity quickly fixes electrode disks onto him and then places a set of earphones over his ears. Morpheus then goes on to say that the red pill is designed to “pinpoint” Neo’s location, as Neo asked what he meant exactly, Cypher then says “it means buckle up Dorothy, ‘cause Kansas is going bye-bye.” This states that Neo is beginning to dislocate himself from the Matrix and onto the real world. Through the process, Neo observes a cracked mirror beginning to rejoin itself together. Neo slowly moves his two fingers into the mirror and found it to be liquid-like, when he pulled from it, the mirror rapidly spreads thorough his entire body. This leads him to a womb-like shell where he is plugged in by many metal tubes, here; Neo struggles to survive from the thick gelatin. From this scene, one may conclude that the shell is the sign of Neo’s rebirth; as it shows he is very well naked, bald similar to what babies look like the moment they enter earth. Furthermore, the back of the shell opens and sucks the gelatin and Neo like a vacuum, leading Neo into a black hole that contains an ocean full of water. Neo then begins to fight to stay alive when suddenly a metallic cable lifts him and places him onto the ship with the rest of the members. When Neo tries to focus on his vision, Morpheus tells him “welcome, to the real world.”
Didn't get a chance to finish the theories..
-No conclusion yet..
Used two soucrces -The Matrix & Joseph Campbell's Theory Article.
The first stage to the Hero’s Journey is the “Ordinary World.” The ordinary world is the Hero’s everyday life; it is basically the living and breathing place before he takes on his adventure. At this point, the hero is a human that is completely oblivious as to what would happen in the future. From the movie, one would say Neo’s journey started from the “ordinary world.” He had a regular life with a stabled job and went by the name of Thomas Anderson. Neo is very unconscious of what is out there because according to Neo, “out there” is an unknown world. The second stage is called “Call to Adventure”; it is when the hero receives a call to begin his deeds. Of course, this mission call disrupts the man’s ordinary life because of the many threats to his safely. Neo’s call for action is when he and Trinity began their first conversation at a club. As Trinity approaches Neo she then says “right now, all I can tell you is that you are in danger. I brought you here to warn you.” This is basically a wake-up call for him; he now knows what is in store for his future. Neo also goes on to ask Trinity “what is the Matrix?” Trinity response is “…no one could ever be told the answer to that question. They have to see it to believe it.” This leaves Neo nothing but curiosity. At this point one will think will Neo go on with the quest to find out what the Matrix is? Or will he stay in his ordinary world?
Stage three is “refusal to call.” As the hero is willing to agree to the quest, there are still fears that need to be conquered. As Neo works diligently in his office, he gets a sudden phone call from a man. The man warns Neo about the Agents that are in his office area and tells him to get out of there immediately if he does not want to know what they want him for. As Neo does not know his way out, the man then goes on to guide him. When Neo reached the window, a sudden fear of dying came over him; the man says “there are only two ways out of this building. One is that scaffold. The other is in their custody. You take a chance either way. I leave it to you.” Neo then refuses to climb out the window and decides to turn himself in to the Agents. Stage four is known as “meeting the mentor.” The mentor is one who is to direct the hero through his journey; he also strives to dismiss the hero’s doubts and fears and provide strength and bravery. Neo’s mentor is known to be Morpheus; the captain of the Nebuchadnezzar Ship. For their first approach, they sat down to converse about Neo’s curiosity as to what the Matrix is. Morpheus begins to answer his question by saying “the Matrix is everywhere, it’s all around us, and here even in this room…it is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.” As Neo asks to wonder what the truth is, Morpheus continues to say “that you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage.” The mentor continues to say to Neo that he really cannot tell him what the Matrix really is but rather he find out for himself. Morpheus then opens both his hands; the right hand contained a red pill and the left a blue pill. If Neo takes the blue pill the story will come to an end, and he shall wake up and believe whatever he wants. If he takes the red pill, he shall “stay in Wonderland” and Morpheus will show him how “deep the rabbit-hole goes.” Neo takes the red pill and this marks the beginning of his new life.
Stage five is called “Crossing the Threshold.” This is when the Hero is ready for his journey. He may go by his own will or by force; Neo taking the red pill, there is no turning back. For him to leap over to the other world, Morpheus leads Neo into a room filled with high-tech equipments. There he sees the rest of the ship members Trinity, Apoc, Switch and Cypher. As Neo takes a seat, Trinity quickly fixes electrode disks onto him and then places a set of earphones over his ears. Morpheus then goes on to say that the red pill is designed to “pinpoint” Neo’s location, as Neo asked what he meant exactly, Cypher then says “it means buckle up Dorothy, ‘cause Kansas is going bye-bye.” This states that Neo is beginning to dislocate himself from the Matrix and onto the real world. Through the process, Neo observes a cracked mirror beginning to rejoin itself together. Neo slowly moves his two fingers into the mirror and found it to be liquid-like, when he pulled from it, the mirror rapidly spreads thorough his entire body. This leads him to a womb-like shell where he is plugged in by many metal tubes, here; Neo struggles to survive from the thick gelatin. From this scene, one may conclude that the shell is the sign of Neo’s rebirth; as it shows he is very well naked, bald similar to what babies look like the moment they enter earth. Furthermore, the back of the shell opens and sucks the gelatin and Neo like a vacuum, leading Neo into a black hole that contains an ocean full of water. Neo then begins to fight to stay alive when suddenly a metallic cable lifts him and places him onto the ship with the rest of the members. When Neo tries to focus on his vision, Morpheus tells him “welcome, to the real world.”
Didn't get a chance to finish the theories..
-No conclusion yet..
Used two soucrces -The Matrix & Joseph Campbell's Theory Article.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
CyberPunk
Cyberpunk is about expressing (often dark) ideas about human nature, technology and their respective combination in the near future. There is a negative aspects and it includes a man’s appreciation for machine. Now-a-days we are really reliant on technology for our necessities such as online shopping. Cyberpunk also involves hackers, artificial intelligence and mega corporations for high-tech and low-life.
In some senses cyberpunk isolates us from reality. As mentioned before about relying on the internet for our needs, we also separate ourselves from the general society. Websites like Facebook or Twitter makes us believe that that is the real world; we tend not to go out psychically these days to meet new people. We believe that everything and anything is found online. Cyberpunk is basically uses a method of “virtual reality environment” to replace the “real world.”
The Matrix involves cyberpunk concepts, cyberpunk visuals and high-tech. Neo has been taking away from the real world and onto this cyber space which is what the cyberpunk focuses on; taking man away from reality. Also, Trinity, Morpheus and other members of the ship can by classified as the hackers in the movie.
Resource- http://www.cyberpunkreview.com/what-is-cyberpunk/#comments
In some senses cyberpunk isolates us from reality. As mentioned before about relying on the internet for our needs, we also separate ourselves from the general society. Websites like Facebook or Twitter makes us believe that that is the real world; we tend not to go out psychically these days to meet new people. We believe that everything and anything is found online. Cyberpunk is basically uses a method of “virtual reality environment” to replace the “real world.”
The Matrix involves cyberpunk concepts, cyberpunk visuals and high-tech. Neo has been taking away from the real world and onto this cyber space which is what the cyberpunk focuses on; taking man away from reality. Also, Trinity, Morpheus and other members of the ship can by classified as the hackers in the movie.
Resource- http://www.cyberpunkreview.com/what-is-cyberpunk/#comments
Monday, May 9, 2011
The Mirror in "The Matrix" of Media Ecology.
This Article was a bit confusing, the first couple of pages talks about Lucan: the Mirror Stage and a bunch of other stuff that is totally irrelevant from The Matrix, although the only thing they had in common is the “Mirror.”
Anywho…
The article I have chosen is called “The Mirror in The Matrix of Media Ecology” by Kenneth Rufo. The articles main argument is about the Mirror in the scene where Neo was about to change into the “real world” and it is showing how this links to the story of Lucan: The Mirror stage. In Lucan’s story, the mirror stage creates an ego that is basically reliant on external objects on an individual. It also goes on to say that the mirror stage is a sign of rebirth. The scene where Neo was transforming, they often showed the mirror movements from every aspect. Then Neo begins to put his fingers into a liquid exterior mirror, which is when the mirror runs through his body; this is what the author states to be the “rebirth/awakening”. This is where the new Neo is born and released from the Matrix. It is also stated that Neo is always doubled, he went from Thomas Anderson/Neo, computer programmer /hacker, human battery /resistance, dead/alive. Also, the world he lives in does not require mouse, keyboards or touch; he is able to work his magic effortlessly. It also says that “the battle for freedom of humanity has been lost in the real world” meaning all means of bondage has been held on earth and everything in the Matrix is basically “freedom.” From my perspective of the article, I believe that it is trying to say that the mirror is a gateway between the bondage of stimulation and the beginning of the real world; the mirror is a mere depiction of Neo’s rebirth.
Anywho…
The article I have chosen is called “The Mirror in The Matrix of Media Ecology” by Kenneth Rufo. The articles main argument is about the Mirror in the scene where Neo was about to change into the “real world” and it is showing how this links to the story of Lucan: The Mirror stage. In Lucan’s story, the mirror stage creates an ego that is basically reliant on external objects on an individual. It also goes on to say that the mirror stage is a sign of rebirth. The scene where Neo was transforming, they often showed the mirror movements from every aspect. Then Neo begins to put his fingers into a liquid exterior mirror, which is when the mirror runs through his body; this is what the author states to be the “rebirth/awakening”. This is where the new Neo is born and released from the Matrix. It is also stated that Neo is always doubled, he went from Thomas Anderson/Neo, computer programmer /hacker, human battery /resistance, dead/alive. Also, the world he lives in does not require mouse, keyboards or touch; he is able to work his magic effortlessly. It also says that “the battle for freedom of humanity has been lost in the real world” meaning all means of bondage has been held on earth and everything in the Matrix is basically “freedom.” From my perspective of the article, I believe that it is trying to say that the mirror is a gateway between the bondage of stimulation and the beginning of the real world; the mirror is a mere depiction of Neo’s rebirth.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Dorian Gray and the Imagination: 1st Draft
The reading, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is a very interesting novel. One will find that many of the characters in this story are filled with imagination. One in particular that has gone absolutely insane with their imagination is Dorian Gray himself; let us say it is the making of Lord Henry. Because of this, Dorian has no heart or care for the world. He becomes very selfish and tends to corrupt the innocent. His sins have even been portrayed in a portrait that was painted of him. From this novel, I believe it is true to say that the mind is a powerful thing.
Some may say that Dorian’s mind is polluted by the one and only Lord Henry. Lord Henry is a very dear friend of Dorian. They first met at Basil’s house where Basil introduced the two. As Basil was painting a portrait of Dorian, Lord Henry starts to have a deep conversation with Dorian. The conversation was based on beauty; Lord Henry wants Dorian to realize his beauty and take advantage of it. He believes that with Dorian’s charming looks and personality he is able to do anything and everything he desires. Lord Henry then says “When your youth goes, your beauty will go with it, and then you will suddenly discover that there are no triumphs left for you…” (16). By there not being any “triumph” left when Dorian grows old, Lord Henry is insisting that Dorian live his life and cherish his beauty the best way he can. However, in Lord Henry’s mind, he does not mean for Dorian to live his life heavenly but rather he live in sin. That’s how selfish Lord Henry is. Even Basil himself has warned Dorian of Lord Henry’s bad influence, but certainly there was no stopping Harry’s influence over Dorian. By now Dorian’s imagination has triggered to newer things. Already he was afraid to grow old and lose his flawless good looks.
When a splendid portrait was painted of Dorian Gray, Dorian becomes very conscious of his beauty. He then thought of what Lord Henry had said to him early about beauty and the brevity of it. Dorian say’s “But this picture will remain always young…if it was the other way! If it was I who were to be always young, and the picture that were to grow old!” (19). This statement seems to be more of a wish. He could not stand the thought of him losing his attractiveness; he feels that if one loses their charm, they lose everything. It seems as if Lord Henry stored this fantasy world onto Dorian’s mind, a fantasy of never having to grow out of his youth. Dorian now thinks that youth is the only important thing worth living for. It is pretty clear that Lord Henry is the cause of Dorian’s mind being so impure.
There had been a time where Dorian Gray fell in love with a gal by the name of Sybil Vane. He loved her for acting talent; she is a work of art in his eyes. He adores her ability to play numerous roles a week. This day she is Juliet, another day she is Roseland and the next she is Imogen. It was because of Lord Henry’s saying that made Dorian have this “wild desire to know everything about life” (24). So Dorian fell for this girl because she is a fine art piece. However, when this art piece decides to alter, he then finds not one interesting thing about it. Also, as Lord Henry became a bad influence to Dorian Gray, Dorian Gray becomes a bad influence to others, particularly the young and innocent. Every relationship Dorian has with a young man, the young man’s life soon becomes horrid. Alan Campbell, a former friend of Dorian, was force to participate in a dreadful act for the sake of his life. Although Dorian spared Alan his life, Alan soon committed suicide. One will think it is because he was not able to take the unlawful act he has done for Dorian. Dorian’s mind is of a high range; he thinks of himself as someone very powerful because of his beauty, the influence of Lord Henry has definitely changed his mind and character.
As the portrait of Dorian Gray has altered I wonder, did his wish come true or was it all in his head? When the news about Sybil’s death came about, the portrait showed a sudden sign of cruelty. At first Dorian thought it was because of him being cruel the night before, however, when Lord Henry told him about the tragic news Dorian figured it all out. The Novel stated that the portrait “had received the news of Sybil Vane’s death before he had known…it was conscious of the events of life as they occurred” (51). This shows that the portrait is able to portray all the sin’s that Dorian has committed. Also, as he got older in age and not in youth, the portrait seems to grow older in appearance; this goes back to his the wish he had made before. One may wonder if the portrait is able to guide Dorian through his life and display his soul; apparently it has done just that. It may have all been in Dorian’s head as we might have thought however, once Basil emphasized every detail of the picture, it was pretty clear that it was not his imagination. Towards the end when Dorian had enough of the portrait reminding him of his sinful ways, he decides to destroy it. Apparently, it was not the best idea in mind; the portrait returned to the beautiful young Dorian Gray we all know and on the ground laid a dead, older loathsome version of him.
In conclusion, I would say it is a known fact that Dorian Gray has a very corrupted mind. He has become a bad influence on others just like Lord Henry has been to him. Lord Henry has altered the child’s mind with ignorance and selfishness for the world. The caring Dorian Gray that we have known from the beginning of the Novel is definitely not the sinful Dorian we have known at the end. The portrait displayed it all. This novel truly has all the “terrible beauty of a great tragedy”.
Some may say that Dorian’s mind is polluted by the one and only Lord Henry. Lord Henry is a very dear friend of Dorian. They first met at Basil’s house where Basil introduced the two. As Basil was painting a portrait of Dorian, Lord Henry starts to have a deep conversation with Dorian. The conversation was based on beauty; Lord Henry wants Dorian to realize his beauty and take advantage of it. He believes that with Dorian’s charming looks and personality he is able to do anything and everything he desires. Lord Henry then says “When your youth goes, your beauty will go with it, and then you will suddenly discover that there are no triumphs left for you…” (16). By there not being any “triumph” left when Dorian grows old, Lord Henry is insisting that Dorian live his life and cherish his beauty the best way he can. However, in Lord Henry’s mind, he does not mean for Dorian to live his life heavenly but rather he live in sin. That’s how selfish Lord Henry is. Even Basil himself has warned Dorian of Lord Henry’s bad influence, but certainly there was no stopping Harry’s influence over Dorian. By now Dorian’s imagination has triggered to newer things. Already he was afraid to grow old and lose his flawless good looks.
When a splendid portrait was painted of Dorian Gray, Dorian becomes very conscious of his beauty. He then thought of what Lord Henry had said to him early about beauty and the brevity of it. Dorian say’s “But this picture will remain always young…if it was the other way! If it was I who were to be always young, and the picture that were to grow old!” (19). This statement seems to be more of a wish. He could not stand the thought of him losing his attractiveness; he feels that if one loses their charm, they lose everything. It seems as if Lord Henry stored this fantasy world onto Dorian’s mind, a fantasy of never having to grow out of his youth. Dorian now thinks that youth is the only important thing worth living for. It is pretty clear that Lord Henry is the cause of Dorian’s mind being so impure.
There had been a time where Dorian Gray fell in love with a gal by the name of Sybil Vane. He loved her for acting talent; she is a work of art in his eyes. He adores her ability to play numerous roles a week. This day she is Juliet, another day she is Roseland and the next she is Imogen. It was because of Lord Henry’s saying that made Dorian have this “wild desire to know everything about life” (24). So Dorian fell for this girl because she is a fine art piece. However, when this art piece decides to alter, he then finds not one interesting thing about it. Also, as Lord Henry became a bad influence to Dorian Gray, Dorian Gray becomes a bad influence to others, particularly the young and innocent. Every relationship Dorian has with a young man, the young man’s life soon becomes horrid. Alan Campbell, a former friend of Dorian, was force to participate in a dreadful act for the sake of his life. Although Dorian spared Alan his life, Alan soon committed suicide. One will think it is because he was not able to take the unlawful act he has done for Dorian. Dorian’s mind is of a high range; he thinks of himself as someone very powerful because of his beauty, the influence of Lord Henry has definitely changed his mind and character.
As the portrait of Dorian Gray has altered I wonder, did his wish come true or was it all in his head? When the news about Sybil’s death came about, the portrait showed a sudden sign of cruelty. At first Dorian thought it was because of him being cruel the night before, however, when Lord Henry told him about the tragic news Dorian figured it all out. The Novel stated that the portrait “had received the news of Sybil Vane’s death before he had known…it was conscious of the events of life as they occurred” (51). This shows that the portrait is able to portray all the sin’s that Dorian has committed. Also, as he got older in age and not in youth, the portrait seems to grow older in appearance; this goes back to his the wish he had made before. One may wonder if the portrait is able to guide Dorian through his life and display his soul; apparently it has done just that. It may have all been in Dorian’s head as we might have thought however, once Basil emphasized every detail of the picture, it was pretty clear that it was not his imagination. Towards the end when Dorian had enough of the portrait reminding him of his sinful ways, he decides to destroy it. Apparently, it was not the best idea in mind; the portrait returned to the beautiful young Dorian Gray we all know and on the ground laid a dead, older loathsome version of him.
In conclusion, I would say it is a known fact that Dorian Gray has a very corrupted mind. He has become a bad influence on others just like Lord Henry has been to him. Lord Henry has altered the child’s mind with ignorance and selfishness for the world. The caring Dorian Gray that we have known from the beginning of the Novel is definitely not the sinful Dorian we have known at the end. The portrait displayed it all. This novel truly has all the “terrible beauty of a great tragedy”.
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