The song Blue Train by John Coltrane was pretty cool. Made even cooler by the fact that the song title rhymes with his name. That's a pretty ringing endorsement from me considering that I usually don't go for music that doesn't have any words. This song made good background music as I did this blog and my many other subjects of homework.
As for imagery in this song, I obviously thought of a train as I was listening to it. Given the title, I'm sure that's only natural. It also made me think of being in a really classy restaurant/ blues club and listening to this song. I have a really good imagination, so it was easy to imagine myself there as this was being played way back when. This song also made me feel nostalgic for my childhood. I used to watch the two Fantasia movies all the time when I was younger. This song just seems like something that would fit in perfectly with the other songs in the movie. That means that, in addition to the two other images mentioned previously that I had in my mind, I also had this little cartoon version of the song running through my head in true Fantasia style. The cartoon was a messy thing about workers in a train yard. The workers look vaguely like the cartoon character Popeye. Towards the end of the song, when my little cartoon has played out, this song gets me thinking of street performers. Last winter in Chicago, I stopped to listen to this one performer that I found. He was really good, so this song brings back a pleasant memory of that time for me.
This song also seems like it would be good elevator or lounge music. Like I said earlier, it's easy to listen to it and do other things like homework, so it would be ideal to put in a lounge-type area or an elevator.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Modernism vs. Realism
Modernism and Realism are very similar and slightly different types of American Literature. Both reflected the vast changes undergone by society at their times. Realism was brought on due to the aftermath of the Civil War and the changes that it caused when people needed something solid or "real" in their lives. Modernism was brought on by the two World Wars, as well as other wars and changes in society such as the Prohibition and the roaring twenties. Society during the Modernism period wanted to create something distinctly theirs so as to again have a solid foundation amidst all the change. Both literary isms also share a focus on individuals and the psychology of the individual. They are also similar in that, for the most part, they both focus on things that could actually happen. This is true for Realism especially. Also, both Realism and Modernism authors considered each piece its own work of art that could be studied as a unit ("Introduction"). The language of the two literary periods is also the same. Both used the common language of the people, particularly that of the middle class, which was greatly expanding during this time period.
For as similar as Realism and Modernism are, there are also some major differences. While Realism and Modernism were both very descriptive, Realism was more into a stating of facts and Modernism used more of an image approach, particularly with the Imagist subcategory. In modernism, the description of (and use of images in)the event was just important as the event itself and what was happening in the story. In Realism however, the happenings of the story often got lost in the sea of detail (a.k.a. boring facts) that were used to describe the events. The authors apparently were just fine with that, and the aspect of boredom that permeates many Realism works has become a defining characteristic of Realism. Also, Modernism often places its ordinary hero in extraordinary situations, while Realism wouldn't dream of such things. One example is "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber, Walter, a painfully ordinary man, has vivid fantasies of extraordinary situations. While he isn't actually in them himself, the imagery (which is a major characteristic of Modernism) is enough so it seems that he is. The last difference that I want to mention is that for as much of the change that went on right before the Realism period, I think that Modernism had much more change that went on in its time. That just makes Modernism more legitimate in my mind.
While I'm on the topic of personal differences, I much prefer Modernism to Realism. Realism gets boring really quickly for me. That's not to say that I don't find Modernism boring at times, but Realism is boring practically all the time. I think the only Realism work that I can remember that was not boring for me was "The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Bierce. In Modernism, it was easier for me to find stories/poems that I liked, which I appreciated.
For as similar as Realism and Modernism are, there are also some major differences. While Realism and Modernism were both very descriptive, Realism was more into a stating of facts and Modernism used more of an image approach, particularly with the Imagist subcategory. In modernism, the description of (and use of images in)the event was just important as the event itself and what was happening in the story. In Realism however, the happenings of the story often got lost in the sea of detail (a.k.a. boring facts) that were used to describe the events. The authors apparently were just fine with that, and the aspect of boredom that permeates many Realism works has become a defining characteristic of Realism. Also, Modernism often places its ordinary hero in extraordinary situations, while Realism wouldn't dream of such things. One example is "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber, Walter, a painfully ordinary man, has vivid fantasies of extraordinary situations. While he isn't actually in them himself, the imagery (which is a major characteristic of Modernism) is enough so it seems that he is. The last difference that I want to mention is that for as much of the change that went on right before the Realism period, I think that Modernism had much more change that went on in its time. That just makes Modernism more legitimate in my mind.
While I'm on the topic of personal differences, I much prefer Modernism to Realism. Realism gets boring really quickly for me. That's not to say that I don't find Modernism boring at times, but Realism is boring practically all the time. I think the only Realism work that I can remember that was not boring for me was "The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Bierce. In Modernism, it was easier for me to find stories/poems that I liked, which I appreciated.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Job Shadowing Reflection
I had a great time at my job shadowing experience. I went to the Illinois State Library. This was a good experience for me because I had never even thought of being a research librarian before, let alone heard of the Illinois State Library before. I thought it was going to be really boring, but it was actually really interesting. I saw so much of the library that most people don't get to see. This job shadowing definitely made me consider being a research librarian. I knew I wanted to be a librarian, but this gave me more options. It was really helpful because I went around to all the different departments and got a broad view of what they do there every day. I also got good advice on possible colleges from the people who work there. They were all really nice, and I'm glad that I was able to on this job shadowing experience.
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