Nitimur in Vetitum

Extra Credit

dylan1294 — Fri, 07 May 2010 02:24:00 +0000

Reading Groups

I found reading groups both very insightful and rewarding. When preparing to write an essay about an article, it is important to explore all aspects of that material. By discussing the piece in a group, I was able to see how different people interpreted the author’s intent and motive. This helped me when I was writing my weblogs because I had been able to discuss and formulate my ideas with other writers.

Weblog Assignments

Weblog’s were fun because they allowed me to write what I felt without the normal constraints of an academic essay. One thing I liked was that our assignments were graded for completion and content. This allowed me to be more fluid when writing because I was only concerned with expressing my ideas.

Essay Assignments

I enjoyed the Essays because they gave me on opportunity to take my abstract thoughts from my weblogs and turn them into a formal paper. The process we learned was new to me and was a great help in my brainstorming. The Topic Triage provided a very organized but thoughtful way to generate the key ideas of the essay. Having the folder system was also nice because it ensured our work couldn’t get lost.

Discussion Forum

I have to be honest, I did not participate in the discussion forum. However, anything that gives students an outlet to communicate and discuss ideas with their peers in very beneficial. Being able to bounce ideas off others students in class helped me write essays which were more toward the reader than my conventional style.

Peer Review

One of the best aspects of the class was the process of the Peer Review. It was unlike any editing process that I was familiar with. At first I was skeptical the peer review, but it proved very useful. Having readers look over your work and give tips on how to make it more readable. Also being able to read your work aloud in front of peers gives you a way to feel where there could be ways to make it more fluid. Of all the things I learned in this class, this is the one tip I will take with me.

Ms. Jolemore,

I had a great semester, thanks for helping me get through it. You were a great teacher.

Dylan Jones

Writing Reflection II

dylan1294 — Tue, 04 May 2010 17:27:16 +0000

I agree with Orwell that political motives are one reason that many people are driven to write. Furthermore his definition of “political motive” is on point, that it is the desire to give someone a new perspective on something, to look at an event in a different light. One book that had a great effect on how I viewed the world was “Island” by Aldous Huxley. For those who aren’t familiar with Huxley, he is most well-known for his tome of dystopian literature, “Brave New World”. “Island” is a departure from the portrayal of Human society as something that attempts to dominate and control controls and paints a picture of a post modern, harmonious planned society. The plot is not as important as the ideas it imprints upon the reader, but to understand them one must have a basic knowledge of the plot. An English reporter, a picture of the modern disaffected and conflicted bourgeoisie, awakes on the beach of a tropical paradise. What he discovers on the island is a unique culture that is a blend of western humanist ideals and eastern religious philosophy. Throughout the course of the novel, we learn that the main character Will Farnaby is the typical post-war Westerner. He hates his father, feels terrible guilt about his mother, and has little hope for finding satisfaction or happiness in life. He is initially very skeptical of the society he stumbles up, believing their Taoist humanism is simply foolishness. As he learns more about them and they learn more about his life, he opens up to their ways. This had a very life changing effect on me. One main point of the novel is the ideals of eastern religious philosophy, sans the religion. Huxley was fascinated with transcending the mere mud pit that is human existence and finding something with meaning. This was a common feature of post war thought, trying to find meaning in the senselessness that is life. What I took away from the book was the concept of living in the moment, of not holding on to toxic emotions until they ruin one’s life. Being able to work through one’s doubts are fears is crucial to having a peaceful life. The point of life is the quest for knowledge and communal benefit. “Island” gave me a view on life I had previously viewed as wishful and pedantic, that people can truly live harmoniously for the benefit of everyone.

Blog IV

dylan1294 — Tue, 04 May 2010 16:43:36 +0000

Mr. Fish believes that the problem with the way English is taught is the mechanical process that is used, devoid of style or individuality. It is my experience that he is quite correct in his assumption that English Teachers put an overzealous amount of emphasis on content, and form and style take a backseat to rigid rules and formulaic sentences. In Fish’s class English is being taught to educate students on both how to write and how to speak. In my opinion, Fish has a very successful strategy for teaching exceptional writing, which is to first ensure students have an understanding of how to use language and the art of rhetoric. As Fish aptly points out, being able to produce large amounts of information on a subject does not mean one can write an effective paper. By understanding how to speak in a clear yet stylistic manner that appeals to the listener will translate into appealing writing. When Fish challenges his students to create their own linguistic system and to develop a method to teach it to others, he is giving them an opportunity to understand how to convey ideas and meaning. This skill can then be translated into a mastery of English. The intent of Mr. Fish seems to be to give his students practical writing skills that will benefit them in the “real world” and not just in a static academic environment. By forcing students to use and consider facets of writing that they normally wouldn’t, such as syntax and lexicon, they become better at using style to convey a message. This is a crucial part of learning how to write. The reader is not concerned with a formless glut of information, that is an encyclopedia. However, the right content coupled with a pleasing style is effective. This is why I believe Fish is a good teacher, because he understands that the style of how one presents information is more important that the information that is being presented.

Blog III

dylan1294 — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:38:52 +0000

While Bloom may not present his argument in the most diplomatic manner, I find that his position is based on a lifetime of experience in the upper echelons of American academia. While some critics may find his opinion the ranting of a reactionary old man, I believe that his is stating the truth, albeit an unpopular one. Bloom’s chief concern is that the National Book Foundation gave its prestigious Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters to Stephen King, a choice which both Professor Bloom and I find unfounded. While Mr. King has undoubtedly written many stories and sold an extraordinary amount of books, his brand of literature is more of a populist vein. Both Bloom and this author believe that this sort of writing in not on par with the legacy of the American literary tradition and doesn’t merit the recognition of the NBF. One of Professor Bloom’s chief laments is the overall decline of literature in this country in the past half century. There are many factors which contributed to this, and in this essay several of them will be discussed. The first and most obvious reason can be traced back to the post-war boom in consumer good sales. One of the goods, the television, forever changed how entertainment and information was delivered. While there were many benefits to this, such as delivering information faster and to a broader demographic, there were also many negative aspects. As television has becoming a more dominant facet of everyday life, printed mediums have suffered. Not only has television reduced the volume of print, it has eroded the appreciation of the written word. Another factor of the decline in the appreciation of literature is the failure of the United States public education system. Education has been boiled down to numbers and statistics. No longer are the tomes of literature taught to our youth, there are no more lively discussions of Fitzgerald and Faulkner, no adventurous children inspired by Twain or Whitman. This has been damning to the enjoyment of literature, because without exposure, there can be no opinions on the subject. In this writers opinion the final blow to the appreciation of quality literature came from the rise of mass consumerism and the evolution of writing from an art to a business. It cannot be said that this shift has kept the masses from reading, in fact, it has encouraged it. Almost everyone has read a bestselling novel my Jody Picolut or Nicholas Sparks. That is the chief problem. Since the major publishing houses are in the end, only businesses, they are concerned with marketing a product that will be well received. This means they are concerned in selling a book that will appeal the broadest group. Unfortunately, this means that the quality must often suffer. All these circumstances have combined to make serious literature a trend that is often considered antiquated and “unpopular”. This is evident in the response of Almond to Bloom, where he seems to write as if he is an old madman trying to hold on to a culture which no longer exists. I feel that though Bloom may be harsh in his analysis, his is sadly, quite correct.

Writing Reflection I

dylan1294 — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:04:03 +0000

I read to learn. I read to remember. I read to forget. I read because it lets me go into myself. I read to be alone. I read to feel like I’m with friends. I read because it makes me feel human. I read because it’s a precious skill. I read to seek advice. I read to get away from the world. I read to find it. I read to help myself. I read to find knowledge. I read to be entertained. I read to be amazed. I read so that I can dream. I read because it lets my imagination soar. I read to find faith. I read to find solace. I read to feel things that I’ve never felt. I read to understand experiences I’ve never had. I read because there are those who cannot. I read to continue the literary tradition. I read to help myself understand others. I read to learn tolerance. I read to learn compassion. I read because literature is the essence of civilization. I read because knowledge is precious. I read for those who cannot. I read for those who are oppressed. I read for those who yearn to read. I read to honor those who have written. I read because literate is art. I read because books are my refuge from reality. I read to be in someone else’s shoes. I read to go on adventures that I couldn’t go on any other way. I read for fun. I read for happiness. I read to cheer myself up. I read to reflect. I read because I think. I read because I am. I read because I CAN.

Blog II

dylan1294 — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:20:55 +0000

In my junior year I became very good friends with a classmate one year older than me, who for this story will remain nameless. Like most people our age, we often would do a little partying on the weekend, and many times saw people get “out of hand”. This friend graduated a year before me, and then attended TCC. Though we were no longer in school together, we remained good friends and still hung out all the time. In August of 2009, he found out he had been accepted as a transfer to VMI, and wanted to celebrate. One thing led to another, and we ended up getting in a very serious car accident. For the purpose of this story, the details of that will be omitted, but that doesn’t have any bearing on this story. The difficult choice came when my friend was charged with various crimes in relation to the accident. It was a terrible situation, not only because of the accident and the trouble that he would face, but that it may jeopardize his attending VMI. After the stress and shock of the incident, my friend got a lawyer and began to prepare for his case. This is where I had to choose between what I wanted to do and what I should do. My friend told me that there was a way he could possibly have all the charges dropped. This could happen if I lied in court and testified that I didn’t remember who has driving the car, but was sure it was not my friend. I thought a lot about this, because while I knew that lying would be immoral and wrong, I didn’t want my friend’s life ruined. After lots of careful thought, I decided that I was not going to lie. It was wrong, it was against the law, and it was downright un-American. While this decision didn’t end our friendship, it created a rift that ultimately caused us to drift apart and no longer talk. While I regret that we are no longer friends, I do not regret what I did. I learned that if you have to compromise your morals for something, then that thing isn’t worth it.

Blog I

dylan1294 — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 02:45:29 +0000

“We Strive after the Forbidden.” When heard in passing this phrase comes off no different from any other old Latin proverb, outdated and uninteresting. While many people may think that this bit of thought from Ovid is just something one learns in a Latin Class, I think a much more profound sentiment is contained in its simplicity. Recently, I have begun to feel a sort nagging thought in the back of my head, and while it is little more than a cliché, I feel I must address it. It is a sort of “Why are we here, and what does this all mean”. The best way, in my opinion, to answer this question was to turn to the bastion that is Western Thought. While stumbling around the library looking for a book to being my inquiry with, I happened upon “Ecce Homo” by Frederick Nietzsche, and fortunately this was a very good way to start. In the introduction Nietzsche makes a reference to “Nitimur in Vetitum”, which is the aforementioned “We Strive after the Forbidden”. While one would need to read the book to understand the context in which this is given, no prior knowledge is required to understand its true meaning. To strive after the forbidden is something that is inexplicably and intrinsically human. The desire to learn, to know, to explore, and to discover is something that all man harbors deep in his bosom. I think that much of humanity, and for that matter Western Civilization, could be characterized as a constant struggle to grow and evolve into something new and better. One could argue that the developments that shaped our modern world have been little more that attempts to discover that elusive “unknown country”. Take for example, the development of thought and philosophy of the Greeks to something as practical as Cyrus McCormick and the Cotton Gin.

During my attempt to answer my nagging thought and discover why, in fact, we are here, I learned that there is not and may never be an apparent answer. But that I have learned isn’t the point. The answer may be ever elusive, but that does not mean the question should not be asked. To continue learning, and, growing, and searching is the point, and in this one may gain the solace they were looking for when they asked themselves “why?”. For all these reasons, I have chosen to name my blog “Nitimur in Vetitum”, because I now try to conduct my life with this proverb as my guiding principle. A life well spent is a life where one never stops learning, never stops growing, and never stops thinking. In the journey to discover the forbidden, we discover what seemed most apparent to being with, ourselves.

More About Me

dylan1294 — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:04:40 +0000

I was born in Chesapeake, Virginia but have lived in Norfolk my enitre life . I worked at Magnolia Steak over the summer but quit so I could go to school full time. I am majoring in Business Administration. In the fall I hope to transfer to James Madison University. I like to read alot, mostly American Classics like Stienbeck or Fitzgerald, and I enjoy the occasional round of golf.

Hello Everyone

dylan1294 — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:38:02 +0000

My name is Dylan and I am creating this blog for my English composition class. I have never made a blog before but I am very excited to get started. I just graduated from Maury High School and this is my first year of college.