To Infinity and Beyond

Extra Credit- Analysis of Kristen Zemina’s MyStory

rastipe — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 01:23:36 +0000

I am analyzing Kristen Zemina’s MyStory project. When I looked over her project, I definitely see it to be an excellent form of unconventional literature. She utilized some of the techniques that we learned about in class, from the other authors. I feel like she had a good grasp on our specific experiment’s goal, and did a good job of expressing her ideas in an unconventional way in her project. The text of her project functioned well as a paradoxical text.

She used varying sorts of poetical techniques such as anecdotes, images, in which she incorporated herself, short, fragmented thoughts, and more factual thoughts. These functioned well to draw the attention of the reader. Her text was paradoxical, and against the myth in the way that she talked about a young girl who idolized a Russian prima ballerina. When we think about the cold war era, and the communists and their actions at the time, we don’t think about the effect that it has on young children, and what they are hearing their parents say about the Soviets. This girl was simply impressed with the Russian ballerinas, and how good they were at it. The ballerinas themselves weren’t bad communists, but the way her mother talked to her and around her about them, it made it seem like they were just as bad as the nation that they were from. The little girl kept saying how Natalia Makarova was ‘just like her’. She doesn’t understand her mother’s way of thinking that all people from a bad place are bad. This is an area of the cold war that was most definitely left out, because I have never even thought to contemplate this idea. She takes this idea, and makes it clear to the reader her ‘experience’, and it was definitely something that was a potential blindspot.

The affect that I gathered from this project was one of sadness and confusion by this girl who doesn’t understand why her mother won’t let her idolize this ballerina, that hasn’t even done anything wrong; she is just from the place that our country happens to be at ‘war’ with. There was also a small sense of rebellion. The girl was going against her mother’s wishes, and continuing to follow the ballerina and what she was doing.

This project is a great example of critical expressionism. It clearly involved a lot of critical thinking, and she expressed her thoughts in a very expressive way that was able to immediately draw my attention. Besides the fact that I was just particularly interested in her topic, the way she sculpted her entries together and formed her images, figurative and actual, was very expressionistic. The images that she incorporated into her entries functioned well by adding to the effect of her words. By based on what we learned in class, and what we read, I feel that I can put this project into the same category as the authors that we read. It covered all the bases; it was paradoxical, creative, yet critical.

http://kzemina.wordpress.com/tag/mystory/page/2/

Linger

rastipe — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:50:56 +0000

The shuttle launch was a success. We finally got the first man on the moon. America is rapidly exceeding expectations of all those who criticize us. But something is hanging over my head that distracts me from this triumph. I can’t celebrate. I know, its a big deal. But it isn’t the most important thing going on in our country right now. I can’t put a finger on my exact feelings. I’m excited, but i’m worried. I’m sad and anxious. I want to be optomistic, but i’m hesitant.

“Dolores!! Come here, you have to watch this press conference fromWashington! Daddy may be coming home!”

Dinner

rastipe — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:44:45 +0000

Sitting at dinner tonight, it was me, Thomas, Phillip, Denise, Darlene and Mother. Mother cooked chicken and vegetables from the garden that daddy had planted before he left. School starts tomorrow, and we got a letter from Daddy saying he thinks he will be getting released soon. The mood at the dinner table is light tonight, everyone is excited about school tomorrow and about meeting our new teachers. Mother is humming under her breath, and her happiness has been contagious. We can’t always correlate good fortune with a circumstance of triumph, or success. But sometimes it seems as if the light at the end of the tunnel gets a big smaller with each accomplishment.

Reassurance

rastipe — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:20:10 +0000

Me and my dad have always been close. He went with me in 5th grade when I went to the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. He has actually gone on every field trip i’ve ever been on. When I moved away from home, it was hard for both me and him, considering i’ve alwasy esteemed him to be not only my father but one of my closest friends. Even though he isn’t here, knowing he is close by and can get to me if he needs to is reassuring to me. The thought that if I ever needed him and he wouldn’t be available is as foreign to me as the other side of the world. Nothing would be able to comfort me, not even something that the rest of the nation would be rejoicing about…

Figure

rastipe — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:10:39 +0000

Good times never seemed so good?

rastipe — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:13:46 +0000

Things since July 16 have been interesting around here. Mom walks around singing all the time. All these ‘happy, everybody loves each other’ songs, she can’t seem to get enough of. We’ve gotten a lot of letters from dad lately, and that makes us all happy. I’m still a bit uneasy about all the good feelings everyone else has, I don’t see that it can be that simple. We have a huge success in one thing, so all our problems disappear? I’m not so sure, but my mother disagrees. I went down to Lake Lanier today, to go for a swim and clear my head. As I was getting dried off and ready to ride my bike back home, I saw that the sun was setting. I sat down on the bank, and watched as the sun fell behind the water. It was the most beatiful thing I had ever seen, and I thought to myself that maybe my mom was right.

Childhood

rastipe — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:54:48 +0000

As a child I was always overly interested in space. We went to Washington D.C. when I was in the 5th grade, which was a big deal. My favorite place we visited was the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. I loved looking at the airplanes, and especially seeing all the rocket ships. I sat in every video that they showed, talking about space shuttles and launches into space. I was so fascinated with how the space crafts looked so peaceful floating in space. I told myself that space is peaceful. One of my teachers from grade school, Ms. McDaniel had a book about the solar system. I would read it every chance I got and think about how awesome it must be to witness that magnificence first hand.

Off we go into the wild blue yonder…

rastipe — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:47:06 +0000

My brother came into my room today. He is two years younger than me, and wanted to talk about the shuttle launch. We talked about the significance it had to our lives. It is a big step for our country. The 20th century is one thus far of breaking the odds. It was against all odds that the United States of America would be the first country to set foot on the moon. Especially after we trailed the USSR in the space race, with them having actually been the first to successfully get a space craft into space. I’m hoping that this giant step we have made is one towards peace not only in our country, but in the others.

My brother always pretended as a little boy that he wanted to be an astronaut when he grew up. I asked him if he remembered. He did. He has changed his mind. Now he wants to be in the air force. Like daddy.

Lose yourself

rastipe — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:25:27 +0000

With last weeks phenomenon still fresh in my mind, me and my sister Denise, who is 2 years older than me set of to vacation bible school. Its late July, and its that time again. With whats recent in everyones mind, of course our theme is Space, and going beyond what you can see. Craft time is always my favorite.

“What is that a picture of?”

“Oh this is the rocket ship that landed on the moon.”

” Oh thats beautiful, what are you going to do with it?”

” I’m sending it to my daddy in the mail.”

“Oh thats a wonderful idea, i’m sure he’ll love that.”

Art class has always been my favorite in school. I find that I can express myself best through drawing. This picture is simple. Its simply a rocket ship, but I can let myself get soaked up in drawing this picture, and let the thoughts that keep me awake at night go.

How sweet the sound

rastipe — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:51:19 +0000

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now i’m found, was blind but now I see. Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did, that grace appear, the hour I first believed.”

We sang that song in church this morning. Its meanings are endless to me. I’ve been so worried, and so much has been going on lately. But we go to church still every Sunday. Mom says you’ve got to have faith. Faith in what exactly? I guess faith in everything. Faith in Jesus. Faith in America. Faith in our President. Faith in our troops. Faith that space is as magnificent as we’re told. We can’t see these things, or people. We don’t know thier plans, but faith can save us in one way or another.