I am curious how having a visual component as part of Agee’s story telling process effected the way he thought about constructing Now Let Us Praise Famous Men. When there are no images to accompany the text, it is the responsibility of the author to construct the image in the mind of their readers; for Agee, he already knew what those images would be. I think that because the images were available to the readers, Agee was able to focus more on the feelings he hoped to produce in his readers. For example, when describing people sitting on a porch, Agee wrote, “The young man’s eyes had the opal lightings of dark oil and, though he was watching me in a way that relaxed me to cold weakness of ignobility, they fed too strongly inward to draw in a focus: whereas those of the young woman had each the splendor of a monstrance, and were brass.” This description is more about intangible qualities than tangible ones.

I think it’s interesting to compare between this week and last week’s reading the difference between writing for fictionalized versus real characters. In both Keene and Agee’s writings, the authors are giving voices to people who would not have otherwise existed in the minds of their readers. The authors also are both exercising creative control over the narrative of their characters whether or not they are fictional. I think that as long as the authors are honest about their writing, this is not an issue. For example, when Agee writes, “I might say, in short, but emphatically not in self-excuse, of which I wish entirely to disarm and disencumber myself, but for the sake of clear definition, and indication of limits, that I am only human.”

Source of definition:  Merriam Webster

populism (noun)

1. support for the concerns of ordinary people.

Ordinary Person 1 comes from humble means. Her mother, a high school teacher, raised her to value education. At the moment, and for the next several years, Ordinary Person 1’s primary concern will be maintaining a high GPA so that she can earn a merit scholarship to a top medical school.

Ordinary Person 2 hates her job but knows that, in the long run, the job benefits will be worth her monotony. She spends her days teaching high school students basic math concepts, who instead of listening to her, rely on tutors and Khan Academy to help with their homework. Ordinary Person 2’s primary concerns are calling her daughter and remembering to feed the dog.

Ordinary Person 3 could not care less about what was happening in the news. She spends her days playing cards, taking old-person pills, and inquiring after her friends’ grandsons. Her most immediate concern is the marriage of her granddaughter who is 25 and still in school. When Ordinary Person 3 was 25, she was married and had a child.

Ordinary Person 4 went on a date last week, which he thought went very well. He is concerned that his date never followed up; did he do something wrong? Perhaps it’s his fault for letting his grandmother set him up with her neighbor’s granddaughter. It would have been great to have a doctor in the family.

The readings for this week presented interesting frameworks for writing in the context of historical narratives. The Keene story from Counternarratives was particularly interesting in this regard because it rotated through several different styles of writing within one story. Similar to the thesis of the Hartman piece, I think Keene’s rotation reminded the reader of nuances that are left out when only one type of narrative is expressed. Hartman forces the readers to think about the validity of certain types of investigations, which for various reasons tend to erase actors from history. Keene’s piece was also a commentary on people’s stories not being told because the entire narrative was set up as if it were a very long footnote.

Hartman questions limits of history as a discipline that draws directly from an archive; these narratives are not capable of drawing the whole picture, especially of those who do not exist in the archive. Makkai’s story, while fictional, evokes real feelings in readers that project the tragedies of war perhaps better than a nonfiction piece could. While there is no right or wrong answer for the creative liberties that can and should be taken when discussing historical events, I think that as long as it is clear to the readers what the sources are (whether an archive or the creative liberty of the author) the most important aspect is that a diverse range of important stories are being shared.

I enjoyed reading Nick Drnaso’s Sabrina partially because of the novelty of reading a graphic novel and partially because I was intrigued by the story and characters.  I am wondering how the effect of this story would have differed in various formats, and also how integral the graphic novel features were to the development of the plot. I thought the ability of the graphic novel to transport the reader into different settings and mind frames is superior to traditional books. For example, while emphasizing the fake news narrative through emails and radio, the author only had to display an image of the inbox and radio to set the scene and the reader could focus on the content of the narrative. I was very aware of how much the pace could vary depending on the amount of text on a page. I think this created a cyclical effect that made it seem like more time had passed in the story.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/31/nordic-prime-ministers-troll-trumps-viral-orb-photograph

Nordic Prime Ministers Troll Trumps Viral Orb

Dear Diary,

I don’t think I’ve ever had a more brilliant idea. Today, at a conference of Nordic leaders I spearheaded a photo op mimicking the recent viral orb photograph featuring Trump, Sisi, and King Salman. At first, I sensed some hesitation to my proposal, but when Juha got on board, I knew the others would follow. The Finnish always seem to get their way.

I should not be that surprised at the lack of self-awareness displayed by Trump’s PR team who decided it was an OK idea to pose for a photo with a glowing orb next to two world leaders with questionable human rights records. Whoever it was, perhaps I will write them a thank you note because there is nothing like some provocative humor to get the diplomatic juices flowing! Cooperation amongst Nordic states is the best it has been in years.

Scandinavia has so far been left out of the tweet firestorm that is the American government today, and I am secretly hoping to get in on the action. But this isn’t about me. The Sustainable Development Goals featured on our orb deserve as much good press as they can get, because honestly, at this rate, we are as likely to meet our goals as Denmark is to acquiring a nuclear weapon. If I could promote the Sustainable Development Goals every day I would, so today was really a win-win all around!

Yours truly,

Erna Solberg

Prime Minister of Norway

In what could be called a manifesto on exactitude, Italo Calvino’s lecture articulates what he sees as an ideal attribute of writing: exactitude. It was difficult for me to reconcile Calvino’s obsession with exactitude and his general critique of language as not being truly able to accomplish its goals. Not only does language take many forms, but literature also serves many functions across societies and caters to a wide array of readers. Raymond Williams’ Culture supports the idea of readers being as important, if not more important, than the writing. “Culture” has had different meanings in different time periods, proving that it is important to cater to the socio-historical context specific to your readers.  I was not convinced that Calvino’s main points are as universalizing as he presents them.

Juxtaposed with the other readings of the week, the exactitude lecture made me think a lot about length. Calvino made a claim something along lines of him wishing to speak as little as possible such that his words are always precise. This intentional form of language is a cure to what Calvino identifies as the “language plague.” Length, though not always, is a quite intentional and an immediately noticeable aspect of writing. The poem by William Carlos Williams is several pages long, which adds rhythm, repetition, and a cyclical effect. This is an instance where, depending on the intentions of the author, the length of the poem could have been prioritized over the exactitude of the language.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Description 1:

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, are mechanical objects that fly without a human on board. They are usually operated by humans in remote locations but are sometimes controlled by autonomous machines onboard the aircraft. UAVs range in size and shape and serve a variety of functions. Though originally developed for military use, UAVs are now used widely for commercial and recreational purposes.

Revised description:

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), which are more commonly referred to as drones, are technologically advanced devices that do not require the presence of a person onboard in order to fly. Drones are ordinarily operated at a distance by human controllers, but more advanced drones can be directed by autonomous machines onboard the aircraft. UAVs can be small enough to fit in the palm of your hand or large enough to resemble a human carrying plane. The architecture of drones also varies as the devices serve a variety of functions. Though the creation of drones was initially the result of innovation for national security purposes, the unmanned objects expanded their utility to include an array of commercial and recreational uses.

Description 2:

Once serving exclusively militaristic purposes, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are now prevalent across society. They are called by a less technical name, drones, and are used by corporations and children alike. Unlike a regular aircraft, a drone does not need a human on board to operate. Instead, the control of the aircraft can take place on the opposite side of the globe. When advanced drones are equipped with autonomous machines that make real-time decisions about the path of the aircraft, human control is no longer necessary at all. Because drones serve a variety of functions, they can be big or small, modern or classic looking, and are built with amenities specific to their uses.