Author: anna charny

Today is the last day we can submit blog posts (does today being in December, negate the “November flurry”?) Anyway, I remember writing a blog post a few weeks into the semester about my frustration with blog posts, but also remember thinking I shouldn’t post it on the blog. I thought that these feelings shouldn’t be shared, and my idea wasn’t complete, so why should I post it? I think I knew I shouldn’t have posted it then, because I needed to give myself time for the idea to ripen, and to allow myself reflective moments, so I can see how much I’ve grown from my original writing of this post. My original post, titled in a word document as follows, “Potential Bad Blog Post,” goes like this:

Continue reading “An Unfinished “Potential Bad Blog Post” and Some Good Ole Interdisciplinarity”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, now that I’ve learned the concept of Schrodinger’s Cat, I can’t stop relating it to everything I see, read, or learn. SO there I was, *dramatic music ignites,* writing my essay, *dun dun dun,* when I came across the chapter heading in “They Say, I Say” titled “YES/ NO/ OKAY, BUT.” Within this chapter that discusses how to disagree with an idea, appears to be a paragraph titled “AGREE AND DISAGREE SIMULTANEOUSLY.” And this, my friends, is the concept of Schrodinger’s Cat.

Continue reading “Schrodinger’s Cat is Everywhere!!”

After almost a full semester of this English class, while many notions have become clearer, one that stands out to me is the power of group work. I remember when we were assigned our first essay, and we sat together and were told to discuss what ideas we had for the essay. I, *sigh*, did not do my homework and had no idea what to write about. Luckily, my ability to think on my toes helped me pull an idea out that lacked a cohesive, thought out, plan. After I brought the idea up with a group, I could see my group member’s eyes light up as each had something to contribute. Nearing the end of that meeting, I was solidified with an essay idea and felt confident to go ahead and write. Being able to discuss my ragged thoughts, and have others give me input, which led to further discoveries in my own mind, got me from point A to point B in a much more interesting way than if I had stared at a blank computer screen for hours by myself.

Continue reading “The Power of Group Work”

Throughout the novel Zulus, it has become very clear that any person who strays from the thin, tall, white, character, is called out by one character or another. For example, on page 87, “Two men wanted the fat woman,” (Everett.) This regarded Alice, and “the fat woman” narrative carries throughout the whole novel, until she is no longer fat. When Alice narrates about Theodore Theodore he “did not fit the physical norm, being very short, under five feet,” (Everett 22.) The way Alice calls out specific physical characteristics of the people around her, emphasizes how during times of war, or turmoil, people turn to stereotyping.

Continue reading “Zulus, our society, stereotyping in times of trouble”

When we first watched the videos on Schrodinger’s Cat I was reminded of all of the reasons I never pursued science. Thoughts ran through my mind, with the liking of, “this makes no sense,” “did someone actually become famous for this?” and, “how long do I have until I can stop paying attention, because I don’t like this theory!” However, a lightbulb flashed and I understood the theory and now I can’t stop seeing it. Schrodinger’s Cat is not stating that things are both literally dead and alive at the same time, as I thought it was claiming originally. Rather, in means, our perception declares how we view a being. A cat, that could be dead or alive, is only dead when we finally see it, because as humans, we have a specific perception of death. Meanwhile, the cat might not perceive death the same way, and therefor, still be living.

Continue reading “Schrodinger’s Cat, Meridian, the World”

“The path from A to B will always be curved.” Over and over again, my mother has relayed this phrase to me. “It’s about the journey, not the destination” and cliché after cliché. Overall, she has tried to get me to understand one message—the so-called “plan” I have paved for myself may not, and probably will not work out as I foresee it. Maybe it’s because she’s my mother, or maybe it’s my own narcissism, but I have always disregarded her notions because, in my mind, my plan will work out. I will be successful. I will accomplish the next five steps I have to get to my goal and I will not stray.

After reading Byrd and Gates biography of Toomer, I can imagine my mother’s beaming smile as everything she has told me has been affirmed by someone as successful as Toomer. I can hear her say, “and guess what happened to Toomer? He didn’t have a clear path!” Then we’d laugh, I’d say “you’re always right, I get it.” in an overly sarcastic tone, we’d sip on our cappuccinos and move on in conversation. But she is right, and she would be right about Toomer.

Reading about his life has given me a new perspective on how important the journey is. He succeeded in becoming a well-known author, but his novel Cane would not have amounted to such achievement without Toomer’s years of bumbling around, traveling, and taking up odd jobs.

“Toomer was acting principal at the Institute from September to November 1921. This seminal, three-month sojourn in the South provided him with the materials, inspiration, and much of the setting for what became the first and third sections of Cane. Prior to his first visit to the South, Toomer’s writing lacked a specific sense of place that could serve as the setting and foundation for his heart.” (Introduction I)

Toomer had to go to several different universities, ranging from body building, to agriculture, and especially to theater, so he could eventually take on his passion for theater, which, in turn, gave him inspiration to finish his novel. Evidently, Toomer adhered to interdisciplinarity throughout his life. Interdisciplinarity is when two or more academic principles combine to one outcome. It is clear that Toomer wouldn’t have been as well- rounded, and subsequently, able to include so many perspectives into his life and his writing without all of his academic endeavors. Toomer was also impatient, indecisive, and many other confusing adjectives, but that’s a whole other story.

Recently, I have realized that a lot of the things I thought I wanted to do with my life, don’t actually interest me. (Classic college, am I right?) Reading this biography has been incredibly reassuring that I am allowed to feel this way, and that hopefully similar to Toomer, I can implement interdisciplinarity into my life. With this, I can add up all of the parts of what I do like about different subjects, into one product in my life. So, thank you Toomer, for proving my mother right (hate to say it…) and for giving me a wave of comfort that the curved path is not only acceptable, but admired, and recommended.