PR theme analysis 1

Globalization

In the novel, the theme of globalization appears quite frequently.  Globalization entails all things global, such as travel and communication.  For example, the emails Cayce gets from Damien in Russia and Parkaboy while in japan just serve as reminders as to how easy it is to reach around the world to people.  Another example is Cayce’s flight to japan.  She was able to book in on a whim, and while the flight probably takes more time than any other singular event in the novel (thus far) it takes the up the fewest number of pages.  The way it is presented makes it seem like travel these days is no big deal; traveling halfway around the world is something that happens all the time.  In modern times there is always a way of reaching anyone in the world at any given time. 

Meeting Generic Expectation

As far as my own expectations of science fiction, this novel does not exactly fit the mold.  I do like it, but it is not the same as the other science fiction stuff I read.  I am a geek, and the only other science fiction I have to compare this too are several Star Wars books and a few other books based on video games, but when compared to those books this one seems more like a modern fiction novel than a science fiction one; the reason being that this novel is set in the now, where the technology they talk about are things I have used before.  In other science fiction novels there are hyperdrives and space exploration and a great number of other highly advanced works of technology that I do not have a very good grasp on, whereas in this novel it is very easy for me to envision Cayce and all her tech.  While this novel is still considered science fiction, in my mind I lump it more in a mystery genre just because of that technology aspect.  

a rose for emily

By shifting the point of view from an all-encompassing “we” to the view of either Tobe or Homer, a few major and minor changes would occur in Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”. 

If the story was told by Tobe, one of the major differences would be word choice.  The use of certain derogatory terms for African Americans probably would not have been used.  In addition, the reader gets the feeling like Tobe would not have made as many assumptions about Ms. Emily, seeing as he had the greatest number of interactions with her.  When the narrator’s in the story say, “we said, ‘She will kill herself”; and we said it would be the best thing” it gives the reader the impression that the narrator does not think very highly of Ms. Emily, maybe because they do not know enough about her or for being a shut in.  Whatever the reason, the narrator does not seem too knowledgeable about Ms. Emily’s feelings, so I feel that the story telling is a bit skewed. 

If the story were presented by Homer, I feel that other differences would arise.  I feel that Homer did not think too highly of Ms. Emily either.  He did not intend to marry her, and he was just using her while he was in town.  If the story were told by him, the reader would get a more negative view of Ms. Emily, maybe one with less pity and more insult.  

all watched over by machines of loving grace analysis

                The poem, “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace, by Richard Brautigan, has an anti-technology tone and theme.  When read with the parentheses, the tone of the poem is wistful, almost as if the speaker is wishing that such an ecosystem of nature and technology could exist, but knows that it will not happen.  Also, although most of the poem carries has a more positive demeanor, the punctuation suggests that the parenthetical statements are more important.  The speaker uses exclamation points for the parentheticals, while all other lines are punctuated with commas and periods.  The choice of punctuation makes the parenthetical statements, and essentially the negative statements about technology, stand out from the rest of the text. 

                 

The poem, “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace, by Richard Brautigan, has a pro-technology tone and theme.  The reader draws a feeling of hope from the bulk of the poem, a feeling that such an ecosystem can and will exist.  While some will argue that the statements contained in the parentheses carry a more negative tone, one could argue that if they were more important than the actual text then the parentheses would not have been included.  The diction of everything outside of the parentheses is positive and describes the ecology of technology and nature to be a beautiful and very possible thing to accomplish. 

When I started the assignment, I was leaning towards interpreting the poem with a positive message about technology, but after doing the first part, I believe the poem has a negative message pertaining to technology.  As much as I would like to ignore the statements in the parentheses, I think the author included those for a reason.  While most of the poem does sound nice and peaceful, the parentheses make the statement jump out.  The punctuation also makes the statements seem like orders or commands, rather than just a poem on the coexistence of technology and nature.  The author included the parentheses for a reason, and although it may be convenient to just look at the majority of the poem for analysis, I believe that the parentheses highlight the importance of those chosen statements.