Punctuation: Changing or Not?

In a constantly changing world punctuation rules must change with different interpretations as time and language evolves.  Punctuation changes with language and culture because different dialects, words and discoveries come about. (Source A).  Punctuation should change between different literatures depending on the context.  For Example; the poem On Punctuation, source B, contains no punctuation and yet still clearly conveys a message.  Poems, songs, and stream of consciousness writing should not necessarily need punctuation.  What does punctuation really do?  Quite honestly punctuation could be compared to the same as a rest in sheet music.  It serves for a break in flow which allows time to breath and adds some effect.  If a literary work was read aloud,  a person listening wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a period at the end of a sentence or 12 parentheses. (Source D). Since time and punctuation change, it should thereby be used as an option.  In a formal write-up punctuation may be useful to convey ideas, however, in a song it might be more dramatic to refrain from using punctuation.  It is an interpretation, just as the oxford commas use is constantly debated, punctuation should be debated as opinions and language change.

The Bluest Eye: An In Depth Look

“I got blues in my mealbarrel

Blues up on the shelf

I got blues in my mealbarrel

Blues up on the shelf

Blues in my bedroom

‘Cause I’m sleepin’ by myself” (Morrison 51).

Blues is a reoccurring theme in The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison. The section above is but one quote of many examples of that musical style.  Blues is a form of gospel music derived from the “deep south” (Google sources).  The characters in The Bluest Eye move to the north in order to find more peace but discover it is no different than the south.  Morrison includes the reference to the Blues Music in order to convey that the south is still very present in the characters and brings about the theme of heritage.  No matter what skin color a person is, everyone has some sort of past or heritage.  Heritage is one thing that unites every person.  Lastly, Morrison connected the theme of blues into the opening of the book.  The story describes a “cat” and “dog” which are actually nicknames that originated from blues/jazz artists (Blues and Jazz History).  Therefore, Morrison uses the blues musical genre-throughout her novel- in order to serve as a heritage trait from the south that unites all people: white or black.

Flowers

Several stories describe flowers for imagery or as a symbol.  Flowers are all unique and all contribute to a story in their own way.  If someone is described as having rosy cheeks, that beautiful appearance is actually derived from the Rose flower.  Yet, color affects the meaning of a flower as well.  A dark colored Rose would have a more negative connotation than a light colored Rose.  Flowers are important because they “[remove] carbon dioxides and toxins in the air” while “feed[ing] the honeybee population” and “provide soothing sympathy to many of life’s ceremonies”(Pro-flowers.com).  When a person brings a flower into their house, it represents the outdoors and indoors coinciding. It shows how nature and humans can interact without destruction.  To another point, a flowers smell is a powerful as a potent drug that comes over you, and lulls through your mouth, and deep into your throat.  In the story The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison, she describes “marigolds” in the prologue of her book. By researching the meaning of Marigolds the definition is “pain and grief”(Google-dictionary/search).  Morrison uses this flower which ties into the rest of the book which also has much pain and grief throughout it.  Therefore, flowers are one of the most symbolic references in nature, and can be used in any context.

Emotion: A Lesson in Grammar and Senses

e·mo·tion

əˈmōSH(ə)n/

noun

1.    a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.

For this blog I would like to change the definition of emotion.  The dictionary definition is seen above.  Focusing attention to “circumstances” it is possible to change ones state of mind towards a subject.  Please click on the link below and have your volume up to listen to the music as you read the selection. (You may need to right click to open it in a new tab)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RpYTPBgbLo&list=PL3QK-FeOu2cd1ULEkI5Zp1B5aN6nO9xL4&index=4

                

            Why are holidays in the United States being removed? Are they too flamboyant and fun? Holidays should be embraced through celebration for all cultures. People do not attempt to change national holidays in other countries, therefore why should they be changed here?

Okay stop the music. Was the previous piece fun and festive? I hope so. Now listen to the next piece and read the selection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOEaMnxqM5s&list=PL3QK-FeOu2cd1ULEkI5Zp1B5aN6nO9xL4&index=7

Holidays in the United States are being removed!! Some people claim that they are too flamboyant and fun! Why should we remove holidays here?! Is it then a fair statement to say that all holidays in other countries should be eliminated?! Holidays must be embraced!

               

            Once again stop the music.  Here is one last piece to listen to and read.

               

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3epw26xaj8&list=PL3QK-FeOu2cd1ULEkI5Zp1B5aN6nO9xL4&index=8

Holidays are fun. Why are people trying to take away, what brings joy to millions of people every year? It saddens me to have knowledge that holidays are being removed in the United States, while other countries are allowed to keep them and enjoy.

               

             Did you evoke different emotions after each selection? If all three pieces were read without music and had no grammar, they would all sound exactly the same.  To conclude this blog, I would like to define Emotion as a reaction to stimuli of the senses.

The Function of Memes

First let me begin by describing what a meme is. Basically a meme is a picture of something-possibly a person, animal, or object- that when words are added to the picture, represent an ironic situation.  These pictures people then use to describe their day or whatever they wish to add humor to.  Yet, how do we think the people in the meme feel. In a way we are all oppressors when we laugh at a picture of someone who making a face and is caught off-guard.  Another phrase for this in current jargon is a “candid” picture.  So what makes these situations so humorous to us? Well, a quick search on Google will bring up hundreds of websites, all allowing you to create your own meme. As one website has a button entitled “insert embarrassing image here” (funny-memes), it is apparent that it is irony that creates the humor.  When we see a picture of someone or something imitating an action we do in a more exposed way, it seems strange to us and causes a reflex of laughter.  One episode of the popular TV show The Big Bang Theory states “humor is derived from the element of surprise” which is backed up by the example below.

The Scarlet A

In the novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a young woman named Hester is forced to wear a large scarlet letter A on her clothing because she committed adultery.  This object was a repeating theme throughout the story and one can only fully understand its affect by breaking it apart.  First, the letter stood as a symbol of her sin, one that relates to the other symbol of her sin, Pearl. Pearl forces Hester to leave her letter on. Next, the color scarlet has a negative connotation and would be considered a hot color. This also relates to Pearl when she wears the scarlet dress.  The letter is traced in gold threads which is ironic because gold typically would be worn by someone of a high social status.  The town’s people describe how outsiders feel about the letter as the book progresses. At first they concluded the A stood for adulterer; however, eventually the A was deemed as able.  This demonstrates the power the public has on ideas, which would also explain peer pressure.  Lastly, the letters comprising the words “S-C-A-R-L-E-T” and “L-E-T-T-E-R” are very harsh sounds. The CAH and ET sounds slice through the word like a needle puncturing fabric.  These explanations should allow a full understanding of the scarlet A.

Opinion and Fact

          The difference between two concepts- opinion versus fact- can be very difficult to understand. When judging whether a statement can be placed into one of these two categories; people use their own opinions, hence the term “judge”.  As defined by a dictionary, an opinion is a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. Compared to a fact which can be defined as a thing that is indisputably the case. Therefore, the sole way to prove that a statement is a fact is to have a unanimous opinion that the fact is correct.  Take Bigfoot for an example. There is much evidence surrounding the existence of Sasquatch and thousands of sightings. However, even though many people know Sasquatch is existent as a fact, it cannot fully be accepted as long as there are people who do not believe or disagree with the concept.  In the novel The Scarlet Letter Hester is shunned extremely by the fellow women in her community, however the book never directly refers to men doing the same.  One opinion I would like to contribute is that women tend to be bothered more particularly by other women due to the realization that they are in the same position.  They same could be said for men.  Whether or not you choose to take my opinion as fact, it’s your choice.