Book Review: The Moon and Sixpence

 

The Moon and Sixpence is a novel released by W. Somerset Maugham, an English playwright, novelist, and short-story writer, in 1919. The protagonist is Charles Strickland, who gives up everything of his life—perusing his dream without the bond, the pure and only dream – drawing.

I have heard this great writer W. Somerset Maugham from a film review on The Painted Veil (2006). His works have received rave reviews among many reviewers even till now about his observation of humanity. By thinking of reading his other work after being published a century later, I picked a book about pursuing a passion by sacrificing everything in life. The metaphor of ‘moon’ is the idealistic realm of Art and Beauty, while ‘sixpence’ represents human relationships and the ordinary pleasure of life.

Should we pursuit the dream?

Charles Strickland was described as someone who looked commonplace, just a suitable, dull, honest plaint. All of a sudden, the hero left his wife only with a letter after seventeen years of marriage. Then he went off to Paris, and no one could change his mind. The book did not cover how a forty-year-old stockbroker with children nearly grown-up clicks his desire for art after more than a century’s stable life that everyone thinks could never go wrong. Many Asian parents or even young adults treat prosperity as their life goal. It is easy to understand – if we do not have the wealth to survive our basics, how should we convince people we care to believe us? And if we followed the crowd, immersing ourselves into the competitive but beneficial workforce market. How many of us would be as brave as the protagonist, giving up all to fulfil the younger self’s desire?

“I want to paint.”

“But you’re forty.”

“That’s what made me think it was high time to begin.”

/

Question: Do you think it is selfish and dumb to pursue their dream if they had a settled-down relationship with a child or two and a respectable career? Do you consider that a wise decision?

 

Emotions and Actions

Dirk Stroeve is a very kind man, a substandard artist, though he possessed a keen sense of art. His simple thoughts bring Charles to his house for good care (his wife nurse Strickland in his illness), his wife refuses and rejects, but he insists. He shares his studio with Charles without noticing his wife, and his wife falls in love with the moved-in, gifted artist. He still loves his wife so deeply that when he sends Charles back to his place, Dirk’s wife state she will follow wherever Charles goes. Dirk is hurt but what he did was senseless and heinous. Dirk leaves the lovers in his studio and even gives his wife money. After her suicide, Dirk returns to the studio and finds her nude portrait. The outrageous render him to destroy the unbearable mark of love, but he can’t do so since he believes it is a marvellous piece by Charles. Dirk returns to live with his mother in Holland. At this point, Dirk still invites Charles to go with him to Holland.

I have never read any character like Dirk before – extremely raw plus no other thoughts when contacting others. He has no pride. He, again and again, shows a lack of self-love and self-esteem, which put the narrator and readers speechless (I was surprised and angry the first few times, but felt helpless and disappointed when he once again against his voice). After his wife swallowed a load of oxalic acid trying to killed herself, Dirk shows how inferior he could be to just wish to have a glimpse of her wife. Out of guilt and shame I supposed, the woman refuses to see him, making Dirk distraught. The inferior and the attitude of him causes one to have pity on him but at the same time and put them in an embarrassing position as his friends and the doctor and nurse which his wife’s healer.  

It is, to me, a new way to read throw words considering the characters’ reactions, to comprehend the needs of self-growth which manage emotions correctly helps one to deal with situations properly by not hurting themselves.

/

Question: You admire a person for his or her talent; however, he or she insults your work and despises you on your face. Now, his lack of morals is covered by his illness and poverty. Will you take care of the person dedicatedly?

The Grant Finale!

 

Dear all,

Here is the time and order for your presentations.

Please begin getting into my Webex meeting at 9:10 and we will officially begin at 9:20.

Thank you.

I again would like to remind you of your late works if you still intend to fulfill the requirements for this course. Points will somehow be deducted for all late works so as to demonstrate fairness to those who always finish their requirements on time. This should be understandable. 

Ok, I am eager to see your final presentations tomorrow! This presentation should be your chance to tell how much devotion you have invested in this project.  I hope this final project, serving as a capstone project for the multiliteracies course, becomes a nice wrap-up for all your hard work!  Good luck!

Nausea: Music that Strikes a Core to the Heart

Nausea- A world of randomness chaos 

Jean-Paul Sartre is a renowned philosopher of Existentialism. His famous work follows Antonie Rouquentin, a writer who questions and explores his own existence. He goes through phases of extreme observation of his surrounding world, going beyond the materialistic world and questioning every single object and person in his life, only to find himself in a world of order that is chaotic, in other words, randomness, which causes him to have nausea. In an instant, he arrives at a bar that is equally unbearably to stand. The group of men playing poker, and as he deciphers the winning odds, or the strange drunken man approaching him with a vibrant outfit, all made his stomach turn. Until he asked the waitress to play music on the vinyl, he began another round of nausea. A peculiar kind of nausea that made him on cloud 9.  

"For a moment, the jazz is playing; there is no melody only notes, a myriad of tiny jolts. They know no rest, an inflexible order gives birth to them and destroys them without giving them time to recuperate and exist for themselves." 

Antonie describes the music highly resembling his existential conflict. Prior to the passage, he describes the vocal chorus as "short" or "abrupt manner," signifying a sound of order bores him. It does not merely pique his interest as much as the randomness of Jazz music. He takes time in writing every detail on how it makes him feel, or the memories that have been brought forth, like trips to Barcelona. In a way, Antonie represents Jazz music, for he excludes traits of randomness or disoriented melodies, not following the conventional way of thinking about life. Without forcing it, he thinks beyond the box.

Reflection: My Relationship with Music

I have a personal relationship with music, and I think as humans, we all are. Music has a way to touch the core of our hearts with melodies, and it can bring the most vulnerable memories to our minds. Yesterday afternoon was a study session with my friend Mia. We went to a hidden 24 cafe hidden in the streets of Gongguan. As I was catching up with her, some songs were playing in the background. I had to abruptly pause the conversation and tell her that this music has significance in my life, for it reminds me of a past lover. We proceed on engaging in a chillax yet intense conversation about our past. Among the questions were: "What did you learn from this person even though he has hurt you so badly?" "Why did you think this happened to you?" "What comes after this heartbreak?"  It was a therapeutic moment for both of us. Because it allowed us to reflect on the past as well as our whole being, and test and explore fate itself. All thanks to a song that reminded a person of the past. This shows the great magnitude of music in human physiology, and how certain music touches the uncharted territory of our hearts, as it was for Antonie in Nausea. 

Stranger Things Season 4 - Volume 1: The Power of Music 

*Spoiler Alert* 

The new installment of Stanger Things follows an Upside Down monster called Vecna, who infiltrates into the minds of the weak and traumatized, and kills them in a horrific and ghastly manner: by sucking up their blood, breaking the bones of their limbs, and pulling their eyes. For an instance, one of the main characters name Max was struggling with the death of her brother, Billy. She was greatly affected by it, shying away from her friends and indulging in unprescribed drugs, making her the next victim of Vecna.

 

In another scene were Nancy and Robin, who was in a mental facility finding answers about Vecna and a potential cure for Billy. They established that music can cope with the broken minds of the patients, for it has a calming effect, especially the right songs that hold some personal meaning. On the verge of Billy's brain abduction, while in her mind she is desperately escaping Vecna's mind control, the crew finally was able to put on Billy's headset and play "Running up the Hill" by Kate Moss. In a climatic fashion, Billy has flashbacks of her fond memories with her friend, fighting all her might against Vecna, and running toward her friend's safe arm. 

Conclusion 

I binge-watched Stranger Things last Saturday and found Nausea in the 24hr cafe store on Sunday. At the same time, they both gave me descriptions of how powerful music is. Whether it is fighting off a fictional character, or making sense of the world, music will always be an ageless comfort media for humans. In my opinion, there is no single person that hates music, because songs and melodies are very personal. A certain order of tunes strikes a core in one's heart. Therefore, music will be one of the biggest friend we have in the vast majority of the world. As I continue my journey in this lifetime, there will be a playlist with endless songs that reminds me of hidden memories. 

For your final presentation

 Dear all,

 From now to the final presentation day (6/1), you should work on the following:

1. Revise your video according to the feedback you receive.

2. Create PPT slides for your final presentation, which should include: 

    a. The rationale of your design/idea, e.g., the problem you have observed. Which SDGoal your design is aiming to achieve. Please support your descriptions with numbers and facts. (Narration).

    b. The solution to the problem, e.g., step-by-step explanations with images and descriptions of how your ideas or products are created and built. (Description/Process). 

    c. How and where we can use the product you invent or apply the system/concept you build. (I understand that this aspect might have been presented in your video, so it's ok to ignore this.)

    d. How different or newer your invention is than the similar ones in the market (comparison/contrast/argumentation).

    e. Prepare questions you predict to have while presenting your ideas. 

Please upload your revised videos before hand on 6/1.

[Part 1] Jude the Obscure - A Cautionary Tale for a Dreamer

Jude the Obscure - A Dreamer's Nightmare

Jude the Obscure is one of Thomas Hardy's most depressing and controversial literary works of his lifetime. It is one of the extensions of the classical tale of Greek tragedy, where the main protagonist goes through a heroic journey, yet always falls into his demise and suffering towards the end. Jude the Obscure can put a bad taste in a dreamer’s mouth, for it destroys their aspiration and expectations of the future, looking forward to a better life. In the novel, Jude is a dreamer, a working-class man who aspires to be a university student. However, his toxic stoicism philosophy is attributed to his catastrophic life of unfortunate events. Rather than accepting his status quo, he strived for a better life that opposes the hard labor implicated in his people: a farmer with no class. Moreover, the novel sheds the cruelty of social classification, heirlooms, and social norms during the Victorian era. 

Understanding Jude - When stoicism becomes toxic

Jude exhibits the qualities of a stoic man, believing that hard work results in a good outcome. He is relentless when it comes to learning, even tackling Latin which is one of the hardest languages to acquire. In addition, he partakes one of the biggest challenges in the Victorian era, which was heading into the big, industrialized city and striving to become a university classical man. However, fate does not go his way, in fact, it goes to the darkest pits of haplessness. Rejects by the school he applies to, rejected by the woman he fell in love with upon meeting her in the city, and even rejected the society that simply does not welcome him. That is just the first half of the story, and we see how everything is working against him, preventing all possibilities of his dream from coming true.

Personal Reflection 

As a reader, Jude the Obscure is a cautionary tale that abates fear within me. I consider myself a dreamer, and I always dreamed of a better life aboard. However, due to my family’s financial difficulty and history, I’ve always known that my dream coming true is 1 in a million. A question remains mysterious to me, however. If the multiverse was real, and there are millions and billions of me making different choices and living different lives, where I blinded myself with stoicism, how much pain will I be willing to endure despite the dream not becoming true? We humans rely on hope to keep us moving forward, that is why heroic characters attract us, and often they are rewarded with the same amount of hard work they have put into reaching that goal. However, we also forget that it’s a cruel world, and people live with advantages and disadvantages that set us apart from each other. The starting point for people will never be the same, and there are a lot of inconveniences and tribulations that halt our progression to success or happiness. I know life can be unfair, but knowing where to stop or accept and appreciate what I have can make life a little bearable. This is the mistake Jude has made in the novel. He keeps on going on even though he knows the upper-class society does not respect his existence in their world. From time and time again, he undergoes more pain and suffering, with the worse being his oldest child killing himself and his two younger siblings because they think it was their fault for their parent’s sad life. All could have been prevented if he finally accepted his mundane and appreciated what small happiness can come through it. Overall, it is a distressing story.

Time with Cathy Lin

Dear all,

We have received your group videos, version 1, but Group 1 has not submitted its storyboard. Cathy and I will meet with each group and give suggestions for revision. As you saw on my DST website last semester, we will make it a small-scale contest and showcase your works on the website.

The following is the schedule for you to enter the meeting room on Webex:

https://ctld.webex.com/meet/syying.lee

Group 1. 9:20 ~ 9:40

Group 2. 9:45 ~ 10:05

Group 3. 10:10 ~ 10:30

Group 4. 10:35 ~ 10:55

Group 5. 11:00 ~ 11:20

Group 6. 11:25 ~ 11:45

**We will have your final group presentations done on 6/1. Each group has 20 minutes plus 5 minutes of Q&A. 

Note: In addition to working on your final creative video, I'd like to remind you that you can also think about submitting more logs, essay drafts, or revised individual videos if you wish to upgrade your scores. The deadline is 6/8. (I have set 5/31, but now you can have one more week to do all the revisions, OK?). And then your portfolio (including the progress report and process report is due on 6/10. 

For tomorrow

Dear all,

For tomorrow, I had planned to talk to you individually about your d2e3; however, our TA Cathy will have to go for a PCR check in the morning and I am still 自主管理, plus additional admin work coming up. I may need more time to finish reading and commenting on your drafts. We both will send out time slots for you to fill in for individual conferences, but they may or may not be in tomorrow morning. 

Since there is no formal class tomorrow, please make the best use of the extra time to prepare your storyboards, videos, reports, and even portfolios. 

Please remember that we'll conduct group meetings with 業師, Cathy Lin, who and I will give you comments and suggestions on your videos. You also have to turn in your storyboard with text and effect explanation earlier so that we can help with your text revision. The following is the storyboard format for you to follow. 

Still online!

Dear all,

We are still meeting online for tomorrow's class, so even I can enjoy the luxury of working in my own home. Now I know your favorite of having classes online, though working onsite is still considered more effective from the teachers' perspective. I have asked my colleagues, your other professors, and obtained a unified result--they prefer teaching onsite. You may have your preference, but our observation is unfortunately the opposite, XD!

Anyway, let's do what we should do as a professor and students for the last real class. I'll explain what we'll do for the last three classes. 

First, sharing! I'll invite two or three of you to share something worth talking about in the past week: your SDGs presentation contest! Or anything you read or viewed. I feel guilty that I gave very little chance for you to do so during the semester. 

Second, we'll read a (probably longer) essay that demonstrates how to write a college-level paper using the right format. I hope it'll be helpful for your assignments for future classes. We'll read a paper reporting on a female artist, Frida Kahlo, whose legendary and tragic life was fully reflected in her artworks. Even for a paper this long, there are still a thesis statement and an explicit or implicit topic in each paragraph. It may not be perfect, but then you can suggest a way to improve it. Please check Moodle for the material.

Third, we'll go over a small exercise on word logic. "Do we still need to do such entry-level practice?" Believe me, some of you do. You have ideas and creativity, but your story is oftentimes compromised by the unclear use of words. I have uploaded the practice on Moodle last week,

Lastly, I'll walk you through the final Process report after creating your group project. This Process report, different from the weekly progress report, should be done individually. It shall include your weekly report, but it mainly records your personal experience during the project. Then the process report shall be included in your portfolio. Examples will be given tomorrow at the end of the class.

For the last three sessions:

5/11~5/17: work on your storyboard and video. The first version will be due on 5/22, Sunday.

5/18: individual conferencing on your d2e3. Both Cathy and I will be responsible for the essays we read. No real class. You can make the best use of the time getting your storyboard and the first video draft ready for comments given by Cathy and Louis on 5/25.

5/25: Individual group conferencing on your videos with Cathy and Louis. It may be done online, or in the reading lab. Your storyboard with text shall be ready for correction. 

6/1: Final presentation online or onsite, depending on the pandemic situation. 

How to Die Alone: The Foolproof Guide to Not Helping Yourself

 

How to Die Alone: The Foolproof Guide to Not Helping Yourself

 

Nothing wrong if you are a PASSIVE thinker

Bookstore never lacks of books with contents inspiring people to be positive or giving guideline of how to think positively. In this modern times, people are overwhelmed with too much, which may over their endurances. Therefore, people will seek for the solutions to get rid of the unbearable stresses. It is a book works the same with others, but in a way the other way around. It a guideline helping you NOT HELP yourself. Frankly, that sounds a bit depressing and also too passive for children to read. I will say it is not a book for everyone, but it is also for everyone, which depends on how people see this work in their eyes. More or less, it brings a bit negative energy and may affect its readers to think in a way escaping from all the difficulties. However, it is also a lifestyle that helps people get rid of the heaviness depriving their breath, like a temperate hut where they can curl themselves up in security. Sometimes, I somehow get in a condition that I want to hide from my friends, family and life, and I will put on headphone, sinking my mind into deep, deep water. I can hear nothing but my breath. 

Different from my experience, she shares somethings more daily, hilarious or I will say silly. It seems to me that Mo Welch doesn't see herself as a cynical girl, but she is always being honest to herself and all. And to mention more, the scenarios she provides in the book are most modern people will encounter. Instead of confronting it, she deals with awkward stuff in her own way in order to ground herself in this overwhelming world. Instad of telling you to cheer up, she tells you to GIVE UP-- to BE YOUR SELF. Her mindset doesn't work for every single one, but it's so novel of her to help people by teaching them not to help themselves. 

How to hide when you see someone you know in public

One of the chapter is teaching people how to hide from one they know in public. Not from their dear friends, sometimes people get awkward when meeting ones that can neither be categorized into  stranger nor friend. You must have experience that you work with people from other department, but you never talk to each other after conference or presentation. And when you accidentally meet up in public, will you greet to them with arms waving in the air and bright smile? No, least I  won't. I will take a sec to think whether I should say hi or not, for a brilliant reasons. Will them respond me? Do they want to say Hi to me? Do I mistake them for others? So many self-questioning pops up in my inside world, bombarding myself. Then, it usually ends up by a silent passing-by. There are steps  how you can play hide-and-seek in public when seeing familiar strangers and unfamiliar friends. 

• Jump into the middle of that clothing rack

• Lie down in that bush

• Blend into that tree

• Walk behind that server. (Keep the same pace.)

• Hold that baby. Look, you're just a passing mom now.

• Give back that baby. You're ready for that kind of responsibility

• Jump into that sewer. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were regular turtles before they saw Cerard, the friend they didn't want to talk to.

That's a bit exaggerating, but it's funny of her to avoid meeting people by borrowing other's baby :) Unwillingly or willingly, we have to do unpleasant things to match other's expectations OR fake self-expectation. She shows a sense of freedom and unlimited desire to GIVE UP the stress choking her. In a way GIVING UP life, she saves her life. It is suggested that you don't push yourself too much and have a life accepting the genuine self. Of course, if you oppose her mindset of ideal life, your thoughts may also be one of possible answer of WONDERFUL life, because-- there is no typical answer for reference. I have ambivert personality that cause me sometimes to feel stressed out with socializing stuff and sometimes lonely within disconnected world. Therefore, I am still on my way to my suitable lifestyle. And you? What personalities do you have?

Things that I wonder: 

1. Are you a cynic ?

2. Do you think her ideas of "Helping oneself by teaching them to not helping themselves." an acceptable concept?

3. What do you do when being overwhelmed by the tided-up life and never-ending works? Do you like your life now? 

I would like yo know your answers :))))))))) Please comment belowwwwwww ❤❤❤

That's all for this book. Hope you like it.

The Book Thief My Favorite Chapter: The Joy of Cigarettes

 The Joy of Cigarettes

Exchanging books with Cigarettes:

Lisel's foster papa, Hans Hubermann, is the one who steps into Lisel's heart and caress her pain of the loss of dear brother and mother. When arriving Hubermann's household, Lisel resembles a bird losing her wings that fly her to the sky and holds no beliefs to anyone. Hans bends his back, stretch his head into the car, and reaches hand to the dazed girl with eyes covered with sorrows. Hans treats Lisel in a way that all the fathers do to their daughters, even better. To make Lisel talk, Hans talks about the book when finding her holding it in hands on the bed. It is a book belonging to her brother. Naturally, Hans reads the book to Lisel and teachers her the meanings of every words she doesn't comprehend. Sitting by her bed, he reads from chapter to chapter in a voice fatigue, desire to sleep, but never tiredness. Sometimes, Hans can't resist the heaviness of eyelids and falls into dream beside Lisel's bed. Lisel will wake him up with excitement to know the following story. Then Hans will take in a deep breath to refresh his mind, opens up his eyes and read "Chapter Twelve, Respecting the Graveyard." By the end of the night, he stretches his back and invites his highness to the breakfast. 

The last passage of that book goes like this:

We at the Bayern Cemetery Association hope that we have informed and entertained you in workings, safety measures, and duties of grave digging. We wish you every success with your career in the funerary arts and hope this book has helped in some way. 

(I will fall asleep in the very beginning of it if I were Lisel. It is amazing of her to be awake the whole night and focus on story-telling huh?)

On first Christmas Lisel has with Hubermann's family, she doesn't expect to get gifts from foster parents, clearly knowing that she is lucky enough if she has good food on Christmas' Eve with bad financial condition of the family. To her surprise, she finds a newspaper-wrapped present in the bright snowing morning. Book small books are in there. She hugged both of her foster parents in joy and thrills. Another morning, she pops out the questions bothering her for long when all are eating soup. "I just wanted to know how you found the money to buy my books." she asked. Then Hans took out the tabacco ration to roll a cigarette. "Are going to tell me or not?" she asked impatiently. Hans laughs and tells her that he is telling her. He makes cigarettes to exchanges books. Eight cigarettes for one book. It sounds strange right? People take education through the help of thing we are told not to touch. Except for books, he exchanges some dresses that Rosa in desperate needs and sometimes eggs. There is no denying that cigarettes bring them joy.

Questions:

Who was the first person teaching you to read and write?

Who accompanied you through out the night with sleepy face?

Who always thought of what you needed and wanted?

My answer to all questions above is my grandpa who left me 9 years ago. He was a wise old gentleman with strong body figure and passion for game-playing. There was nothing that I didn't count on him. By the time night forcing people to go to bed, I couldn't get in my dream so often with insecure of being lost in there or meeting human-eating monsters. Whenever that happened to me, he hugged me into his arms that could protect me from every harm, telling me stories of him being carpenter, fighting with gangsters, being haunted by the ghosts and et. It was so mean of him telling me a frightening story during bedtime, but I was never frighten because he always ended the stories by telling me how he kills those ghosts and monsters so bravely. 

As my grandpa, He rarely turned my requirements down, almost never. Candies, pinky bags, princess dresses and gigantic dolls, would all appear on my birthday, piped up like a mountain. Despite his few salary from being a school guard, he tried his best to satisfy a willful and difficult girl. However, I was spoiled because he taught me to be granted when I became a third grader by taking me to do some volunteering works. Instead of telling me how lucky I was to have those sources, he showed me people with almost nothing. in the process of helping others, I gained tremendous feedback from the people I helped and acknowledged that I should cherish what I had. Like what I said, he was a wise man, just like Hans to Lisel. 

You must have people like my grandfather to me:) And I would like to know~~~You comment below and share your story with me. 

The 12th Week

Dear all, (https://ctld.webex.com/meet/syying.lee)

Since our 12th week, we formally step into the final part of this curriculum: the making of SDGs related Digital Storytelling. I have realized that several of our students have registered to join the SDGs English Presentation Contest at the LC. I hope you start a new topic. If you'd like to extend what you do for this presentation to the DST project for this course, there will be a new format to adapt to and more explanations to provide. You'll see through how the progress report may guide you and learn from the examples I have shown before. 

Tomorrow, due to the pandemic situation, we'll have another online session. We'll begin with an invited speaker, Cathy Lin, a marketing director very professional at creating promotional videos, who is going to talk about how to make your video more effective.  We'll start at 9:20. for one hour.

For the rest of the time, we'll continue our writing lesson: Argumentation. Through reading and discussing the content and structure of the sample essay, you'll learn how to structure your arguments with evidence. I also believe this practice will help you write the 3rd essay. Comparing and contrasting as a means of analysis are often used with arguing and reasoning. Though you don't have to practice writing persuasive essays, we'll do it through outlining and debating (not formally).

If time allows, we'll spend some time reviewing the SDGoals, and more examples from an international contest. 

See you in the air!

Reminders

1. Previous drafts

2. Individual video 2

3. For serious late works, point deductions will be enacted.