In the second half of The Better Pencil Baron focuses on societies overall dependence on technology. Baron points out that technology, like email, has grown to a point where not using it stops progress. Society has made it impossible to function without the use of technology. We can't communicate without cellphones or email. Companies can't function without these tools either.
Baron also points out that the growth of MySpace and Facebook were extreme in the course of five years. People went from logging onto Facebook once a week to logging on multiple times a day. The social aspect of Facebook has taken over society. We spend more time scrolling on people's Facebook pages then we do actually communicating in person. With the constant growth of time spent online, it's surprising that people still have time for jobs.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Friday, September 19, 2014
Baron, A Better Pencil
"People had learned to trust and use certain kinds of writing--legal texts, public inscriptions, business documents, personal letters, and even literature [. . .] writing, on closer examination, turned out to be neither more or less reliable or ambiguous than the spoken word, and it was just as real."
This section of Baron's writing I found particularly interesting. After reading Ong and Achebe's works, it was easy to draw comparisons to what each author had to say. Ong spent most of Orality and Literacy focusing on the change from the spoken language to the written one, and how societies changed as a result. Achebe's Things Fall Apart is an indirect example of both works. The village of Umuofia is visited by missionaries who bring about the greater change towards the written language with the Bible. The people of Umuofia don't immediately transition to the missionary's way of life, but slowly get there. With the Bible present before them, they see that writing is another way to keep track of their stories and other important memories.
Baron, in this portion of the text, also mentions that the literacy rate in ancient Greece was "well below 10 percent;" however, it is interesting to see that the majority of people put faith in documents that they could not read or understand without the help of someone else.
Now we don't trust the sanctity of a verbal agreement; a contract or deal must be written out. The difference between then and now isn't quite shocking. By looking at Greece, the rapid use of written communication is a clear indicator that agreements would forever change. When a permanent form of documentation is available, it is much more reliable then a verbal contract, where one member of the contract could surely change their minds or attempt to change the agreement because the other member can't remember it word for word.
This section of Baron's writing I found particularly interesting. After reading Ong and Achebe's works, it was easy to draw comparisons to what each author had to say. Ong spent most of Orality and Literacy focusing on the change from the spoken language to the written one, and how societies changed as a result. Achebe's Things Fall Apart is an indirect example of both works. The village of Umuofia is visited by missionaries who bring about the greater change towards the written language with the Bible. The people of Umuofia don't immediately transition to the missionary's way of life, but slowly get there. With the Bible present before them, they see that writing is another way to keep track of their stories and other important memories.
Baron, in this portion of the text, also mentions that the literacy rate in ancient Greece was "well below 10 percent;" however, it is interesting to see that the majority of people put faith in documents that they could not read or understand without the help of someone else.
Now we don't trust the sanctity of a verbal agreement; a contract or deal must be written out. The difference between then and now isn't quite shocking. By looking at Greece, the rapid use of written communication is a clear indicator that agreements would forever change. When a permanent form of documentation is available, it is much more reliable then a verbal contract, where one member of the contract could surely change their minds or attempt to change the agreement because the other member can't remember it word for word.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Achebe, Part 2
The use of technology altered Okwonko's life. During the funeral service of a influential clan member, Okwonko's gun went off and killed a teenage boy. Since killing another clansman is sacrilege in his culture, Okwonko was forced to flee to his mother's homeland. If Okwonko had not taken possession of the gun earlier in Achebe's work then this situation would not have happened.
As a result, he is further influenced by technology. I find it interesting that Okwonko's limited knowledge of the technology he was being subjected to or was using led to his demise. He wasn't comfortable with the lack of control he suddenly found in his life when the missionaries came and the sudden fleeing of his village. If Okwonko had more experience dealing with change and the different technologies the "white men" brought with them, then perhaps he would not have killed himself.
As a result, he is further influenced by technology. I find it interesting that Okwonko's limited knowledge of the technology he was being subjected to or was using led to his demise. He wasn't comfortable with the lack of control he suddenly found in his life when the missionaries came and the sudden fleeing of his village. If Okwonko had more experience dealing with change and the different technologies the "white men" brought with them, then perhaps he would not have killed himself.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Things Fall Apart, Achebe
dtcengl375fall2014.blogspot.com
The majority of Achebe's work focuses on the rituals associated with Okonkwo's cultural. Things I found interesting were the constant "donations" of yams to their ancestors and other related rituals.
When Okwonko beat his wife during the Week of Peace before planting their crops, he was forced to give multiple items like yams and chickens back to the Earth because of the villages fear of retribution.
Another ritual I thought peculiar because it is not seen in our culture, was that related to children. Okwonko's second wife Ekwefi had 10 chilren who all but one died before the age of three. Those in the village believed that Ekwefi's children were obanje or cursed children, who died and then were reborn in the womb only to die again. But to break the cycle, a very wise medicine man was called and spoke to the child about an item that kept them tied to the earth. It was everyone's belief that the only way Ekwefi's daughter would live is if the item was broken, severing her tie to it and the items tie to the earth.
For us, we don't associate birth with evil or haunted spirits. We see it as a beautiful thing no matter what.
The majority of Achebe's work focuses on the rituals associated with Okonkwo's cultural. Things I found interesting were the constant "donations" of yams to their ancestors and other related rituals.
When Okwonko beat his wife during the Week of Peace before planting their crops, he was forced to give multiple items like yams and chickens back to the Earth because of the villages fear of retribution.
Another ritual I thought peculiar because it is not seen in our culture, was that related to children. Okwonko's second wife Ekwefi had 10 chilren who all but one died before the age of three. Those in the village believed that Ekwefi's children were obanje or cursed children, who died and then were reborn in the womb only to die again. But to break the cycle, a very wise medicine man was called and spoke to the child about an item that kept them tied to the earth. It was everyone's belief that the only way Ekwefi's daughter would live is if the item was broken, severing her tie to it and the items tie to the earth.
For us, we don't associate birth with evil or haunted spirits. We see it as a beautiful thing no matter what.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Literacy and Orality, 2nd half
dtc375fall2014.blogspot.com
Reading the second half of Ong's Literacy and Orality, a topic I found interesting was the concept of writing being seen as an unknown "thing" many wanted to avoid or couldn't resist avoiding event though they didn't understand it. And then computers being the unknown "thing" that was confusing and foreign to many. The inevitable question in my mind was "what comes after the computer?"
Computers are designed to do all kinds of amazing feats; some are interesting and exotic, but they aren't that hard to imagine since we are in the era of technology. Since Ong wrote Literacy and Orality in the 1980s, it easy to see why computers were the new and unthought of form of communication. However, in the age of technology, what will we create that is so out of the box that we can't begin to fathom it?
Not only was writing and computer technologies seen as unfamiliar, but also as a method to be lazy. This is something that I also find interesting because typing an essay or writing notes for a class seem so extensive and in no way lazy. However, for those in an oral culture, memorization is only done verbally, while the written text can always be viewed again. While the physical act of writing and using the computer seem in no way lazy, I understand the concept Ong et. al. is trying to make.
Reading the second half of Ong's Literacy and Orality, a topic I found interesting was the concept of writing being seen as an unknown "thing" many wanted to avoid or couldn't resist avoiding event though they didn't understand it. And then computers being the unknown "thing" that was confusing and foreign to many. The inevitable question in my mind was "what comes after the computer?"
Computers are designed to do all kinds of amazing feats; some are interesting and exotic, but they aren't that hard to imagine since we are in the era of technology. Since Ong wrote Literacy and Orality in the 1980s, it easy to see why computers were the new and unthought of form of communication. However, in the age of technology, what will we create that is so out of the box that we can't begin to fathom it?
Not only was writing and computer technologies seen as unfamiliar, but also as a method to be lazy. This is something that I also find interesting because typing an essay or writing notes for a class seem so extensive and in no way lazy. However, for those in an oral culture, memorization is only done verbally, while the written text can always be viewed again. While the physical act of writing and using the computer seem in no way lazy, I understand the concept Ong et. al. is trying to make.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Orality and Literacy, 1st Half
dtc375fall2014.blogspot.com
As Walter J. Ong points out there can be no literacy without orality; however, that is not the case with orality without literacy. The "biases" of literate people regarding oral cultures is surprising to me.
Never have I thought "how does someone memorize something without writing it down first" because that action is so commonplace to me. However, Ong explains that we as a literate culture assume that those who have no written language memorize things in the same way.
When I give a speech, I write it out and then memorize it. My speech stays consistent throughout, unless a panic and start babbling. However, in an oral culture, a speech or a story isn't "memorized." There is no way to remember word for word what the person said to you. And the emphasis you put on certain aspects of the story won't be the same the next time you tell it.
It is interesting to see how many of Ong's explainations can be reverted back to Milman Parry's work with Homer's Iliad. Parry explains that the Iliad was basically metrical formulas strung together and could be "remembered" through those formulas. By emphasizing these point, Ong further establishes the fact that oral cultures work harder to memorize and retain information. That is much different than writing something down and then memorizing the passage word for word.
Are you really learning something when reciting verbatim as compared to rehearing and knowing a story to retell it?
As Walter J. Ong points out there can be no literacy without orality; however, that is not the case with orality without literacy. The "biases" of literate people regarding oral cultures is surprising to me.
Never have I thought "how does someone memorize something without writing it down first" because that action is so commonplace to me. However, Ong explains that we as a literate culture assume that those who have no written language memorize things in the same way.
When I give a speech, I write it out and then memorize it. My speech stays consistent throughout, unless a panic and start babbling. However, in an oral culture, a speech or a story isn't "memorized." There is no way to remember word for word what the person said to you. And the emphasis you put on certain aspects of the story won't be the same the next time you tell it.
It is interesting to see how many of Ong's explainations can be reverted back to Milman Parry's work with Homer's Iliad. Parry explains that the Iliad was basically metrical formulas strung together and could be "remembered" through those formulas. By emphasizing these point, Ong further establishes the fact that oral cultures work harder to memorize and retain information. That is much different than writing something down and then memorizing the passage word for word.
Are you really learning something when reciting verbatim as compared to rehearing and knowing a story to retell it?
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