The American Scheme

1. How would you describe the “American Dream?”

The "American Dream" is a very subjective idea, relying upon a person's perspective and experience. I have a completely different view from someone who has come to the United States from a country where circumstances are worse. If I had to define the American Dream, I would describe it as the freedom and ability to pursue a life that's worth living. In an ideal world, the rights and opportunities of every person in the US would be equal. Everyone should have the ability to accomplish their goals, no matter what adversity is faced (race/gender/sexual orientation/social status). But obviously, this is not always the case in our country.

2. What is your definition of wealth?

The most common association with wealth is money. However, it can also be intangible, manifesting itself as health, happiness, etc. I would define wealth as prosperity, either monetarily or emotionally. While it is popular to say that money isn't necessarily to live life fully, I have to disagree to some extent. It's great to rely on things in life to be rich other than money, like relationships and an enjoyable job. But in reality, money is needed to really achieve the American Dream. My grandfather came to the US from China when he was a teenager, and had no money in the beginning. Because of that, he was not able to progress in society and had to work more than his fair share. Until he was able to afford the American Dream, he did not live prosperously.

3. What are Americans’ attitudes toward wealth and poverty?
Wealth plays a major role in society (class, home, friends, community, etc.). Again, it would be nice if everyone had the opportunity to be wealthy and no one would be affected by poverty. But in reality, there are a shocking number of homeless or poverty-stricken people in America. The average American is most likely too busy worrying about their own financial situation to be concerned about others less fortunate than them. I think that it's something that we're all aware of but not willing to acknowledge. Americans strive for wealth but are conscious of poverty that affects the nation, as well as the rest of the world.

4. What is your attitude toward wealth and poverty?
I see wealth as part of the American Dream, but I can be realistic by saying that I will never be extremely wealthy. I also feel a slight amount of guilt for being more fortunate than the impoverished population in the United States. One aspect of wealth and poverty that impacts me, as well as (most of) my peers, is the issue of student loans within the country... Which brings me to...

Bored in the USA:

The lyrics are here.

When I was typing this blog post, I was reminded of this super cheerful, upbeat song. Along with making a social commentary on the mindlessness and emptiness of everyday life in America, Father John Misty also comments on the debt that so many people go through while trying to pay for college (which he later calls a "useless education" with a cruel laugh track playing in the background).
On top of this, he ties in the idea of the American Dream with the lines, "Is this the part where I get all I ever wanted? Who said that? Can I get my money back?" This is referring to the fact that, as kids, we were painted a picture of an ideal suburban life, but in reality, the American Dream is not as perfect as it sounds. Heavy stuff.

Translation/Traducción/Traduction/翻译

 Translations-

 With as much technology and communication as we have in modern life, you'd think we would be able to perfectly translate anything from one language to another easily. But the problem is that when we switch between languages, some of the meaning is lost. These expressions cannot be translated verbatim. For example, I have been emailing back and forth with my pen pal from Beijing Royal School for the past week. His English is pretty good, but there are times when I know he meant to say something else. His opening sentence was, "My name is 傅雨来, I'm 15, 2 years less than you, but I've tested my mental age is about 40 years old." I'm guessing he didn't really mean he had the brain of a middle-aged man...
 This is the problem we face in literature as well as everyday life. In both "The Stranger" and "Metamorphosis," there are several ways to interpret the first sentence (the four translations for "Metamorphosis" are included below). With each translation, the meaning of  the sentence changes slightly but surely. Amongst the four translations, it seemed like diction caused the most change. Depending on word choice, the sentence could be either detailed or simplistic. The translators used varying degrees of description to illustrate the scene to the audience. The syntax changed the way each sentence flowed, and punctuation either aided or hindered it. Imagery paints a more vivid picture of what the scene appears to be to the audience. In some cases, the imagery is simple and does not give the audience much to imagine. In others, the translator incorporates a complex diction that allows the audience to picture the scene more clearly.
With this exercise, it becomes evident that from the original sentence, different translators can interpret different meanings depending on how they chose to phrase the sentence. While the translated words may be close to what the original author intended, it is impossible to directly translate the tone and feeling of what the author wrote in his own tongue. For example, in The Stranger, Camus uses the French word "Maman." However, this does not translate directly into English. So translators must find either the closest word in a foreign language or keep the original word, limiting the understanding of the reader. A single sentence might alter the way a story is perceived based on diction, syntax, imagery, and structure.


#1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.

•  Diction- The word "awoke" sounds more formal and out-of-date; "uneasy dreams" sounds mysterious, as opposed to saying a nightmare; "transformed" has more of a science-fiction sound, unlike the word "changed"; "gigantic" is an extreme adjective, going beyond "big" or even "giant"
• Syntax-There are no commas in this sentence; flows easily; to the point
• Imagery/details-"Uneasy" specifies what kind of dream it was; "in his bed" was added for detail to the setting; "gigantic insect" is used to explain to the audience his appearance; the sentence seems very wordy but is very descriptive
• Structure-There is no punctuation in the sentence and it uses a standard structure

#2:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.

•  Diction- "Woke" sounds more modern; "in his bed" was omitted, which shortens the sentence and helps the flow; "giant bug" seems like the simplified version of "gigantic insect"
• Syntax- "As" is not the first word, making it less wordy as the first translation; there are no commons again; straightforward
• Imagery/details- Isn't as specific as the first translation; using "one morning" seems matter-of-factual and not detailed
• Structure- There is no punctuation again; there are less details that the translator added
• Other stylist/figurative element- "Changed" seems more internal and external, while "transformed" in the first translation sounded more physical.

#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.

•  Diction- "Awoke" is used again; "troubled dreams" sound more concerning, like it was more than just a typical nightmare; "enormous" is more descriptive than "giant"
• Syntax- No commas again; "he found he had been" is very wordy compared to the others
• Imagery/details- "In his bed" gives the reader setting details and makes the setting intimate
• Structure- No punctuation again; this gives a more roundabout way of describing what is g0ing on (instead of being direct)
• Other stylist/figurative element- More descriptive than the others

#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.

•  Diction- "Upon awekening" is a very uncommon phrase that makes it a more dramatic action; "agitated dreams" seem more aggressive than "troubles dreams" and the other translations; "monstrous vermin" is again, very dramatic in the scene
• Syntax- Several commas, unlike the other transitions; sentence is cut into 5 emphatic segments
• Imagery/details- "In his bed" is a detail that is added as more of an afterthought
• Structure- Choppy; cut with a lot of commas; sentence doesn't flow well
• Other stylist/figurative element- The entirety of the sentence is much more dramatic than the other translations

Freebie

Dunsinane

Ted Talk Storytelling

 Here's the video: https://www.ted.com/talks/julia_sweeney_on_letting_go_of_god#t-446329

 

Julia Sweeney's Ted Talk is an excerpt from her autobiographical monologue, "Letting Go of God." In this video, she tells two different anecdotes from her early life that explain to the audience how she came to be an atheist. Her first story begins with Sweeney on her 7th birthday. Her parents, who are Catholic, reveal to her that she has reached the age of reason and is now capable of committing sins. Later on, she finds out that she is a month younger than she was told for years. Consequently, Sweeney's astrology sign changes from Virgo to Libra and she realizes that she technically had another month of being able to commit sin. The next story picks up years later when Sweeney is visited by two Mormon missionaries trying to convince her to join their church. She invites them in and listens to what they have to say, not knowing much about the religion. After hearing the two explain the history of Mormonism, Sweeney reflects on how absurd it sounded to her because of her Catholic bias. She then has the realization that if she weren't Catholic, she would think the story of Jesus would sound just as absurd.

In this video, Sweeney is presenting her point of view on religion. She grew up Catholic, but started doubting her faith after several years. She establishes ethos by telling two personal stories that led her to her conclusion on faith. While giving information about her background and how she came to be the person she is, she also injects humor into the anecdotes, making them entertaining for the audience instead of just personal stories. Sweeney uses detailed facts/history about both Christianity and Mormonism, allowing her to come across as fairly educated on the topics. Julia Sweeney is also well known for her acting, most notably on Saturday Night Live. Her reputation allows her to have a certain credibility with the audience and conveys her as a comedian more than a serious theologian. 

Sweeney's intention in speaking is not to attack religion, but to expose people to her perspective while also entertaining them. The talk is also somewhat persuasive because of her use of storytelling to draw logical conclusions in life.

The intended audience of the presentation is the Ted Talk live audience, while the secondary audience is anyone watching the video online. The people in the audience could be either of the same religious belief as Julia Sweeney or interested in learning about a religious belief other than their own. Sweeney appeals to a certain sense of uncertainty and skepticism which aided her in reaching the conclusions she did about religion.

The speaker uses two anecdotes to explain why she began questioning her Christianity. Overall, she concludes that religion starts to sound unbelievable when it is examined from an objective perspective. But if you're raised with it, it doesn't seem out of the ordinary. Sweeney argues this point by telling personal stories that exemplify how religion didn't make sense to her, as well as using humor to entertain the audience. These stories and resulting conclusions employ logos, using logical reasoning to persuade the audience. Sweeney also appeals to emotion by causing the audience to feel not only amused, but also questioning toward their own belief system.

This presentation can be categorized under comedy; while the speaker tells her stories, she uses jokes to entertain the audience. She presents two humorous anecdotes in linear order (one that took place when she was seven and one that took place years later), and then reached her conclusion for the audience. Sweeney has both a sarcastic tone (when she tells her jokes) and a passionate tone (when she tells her stories). Her speech is somewhat casual, giving it a conversational style to better relate to the audience.

Usually, talking about the subject of religion would be more formal and reserved, as not to offend anyone. But Sweeney takes a much more casual approach, even going as far as making it comedic. This does not necessarily conform to a conventional storytelling for the subject, but it does complement the content well. It makes the mood relaxed with more of a pleasant, suggestive feel rather than a teaching, instructional one.

Julia Sweeney's intention was more to offer a new perspective on religion rather than force her beliefs on the crowd. Overall, she was able to fulfill this by adding humor and relate to the audience. Her stories were very personal to her, but presented them in a way which was understandable to the audience. However, a crowd in an earlier time period may not have been as receptive because of how informal it is about the topic.

I chose to analyze this video because I personally grew up in a Catholic setting, like Julia Sweeney, but started to wonder about the validity of religion and how it mostly depended on where a person was raised. I found that the story she told, although not exactly the same, is much like mine.