Tuesday, December 13, 2016

World Text Analysis Essay aka "Globalization Gone Bad"

Globalism Gone Bad

According to Pun Ngai and Xu Yi’s article Legal Activism or class action, post-socialist China suffers from a political economy run by “no boss” and no labour, boss and system, when it comes to their construction industry. Workers have no way to be paid delayed wages unless they pursue “legal action or non-legal collective action.” This article argues that 40 million Chinese peasants have no other recourse but to but to deal with this “double absence”, due to sub-contracting. As functional as capitalism is in the United States, capitalism is not working in China because there is too much difference between the rich and the poor. Middle class does not exist, and for this reason, shows how globalization has gone bad.
Post Mao Tse Tung, China went from a communistic government to totalitarians, with party state. Tier level government ruled that were not democratic, and human rights’ laws were developed, but not necessarily executed. The problem stems from exploitive labor subcontracting. Labor systems began with “quasi-labour”(Ngai), businessmen creating social relationships with worker peasants from the countryside, who trusted these men. These peasants left farming with promises of making more money in urban sub-contracting jobs.  They could earn more money, faster working construction in urban areas for production. But this eventually became a lie and failed due to the system of hiring. In 1980,  “international competitive bidding” (Ngai) changed how the construction business worked. Construction was discovered to be profitable, as capitalistic ideas were introduced. The state was in control. Workers separated from management, skilled workers replace fixed workers, and general contractors were introduced. In late 1990’s a “multi-tiered subcontracting system” (Ngai) was established. This is good for “top-tier” capitalistic ventures but bad for workers, (low wages, more risk.) The 5 tier system consisted of a Property Developer (state or private), Construction Company (does bidding, dabao), a Contractor, Labour-supplier Subcontractor (xiabao), and worker peasants. Yet the workers left in the dark about labor contracts or their rights. They were given no formal contract, and as a result sub-contractors would care for workers. Workers were given “paper of debt” that said they would be paid, while China’s construction business exploded, but workers were not seeing the money. But why didn’t workers go to their boss and ask for the money? They had no idea who was the boss. The social origins of the sub-contracting system was the backbone of the “collective action” for the construction workers.  As a result, badly protected workers then destroy property and took violent action in response to no pay.
But nothing could be done. Sometimes the payment would not be made by upper tier executives until all construction was completed, and that could take years. Trust between tiers was now destroyed and as a result construction workers were doing free labor because they don’t even know who to ask money from.
             In January 1, 2008 (Reform Period) most significant Chinese labor law went into effect: The Labor Contract Law. This made upper tier developers liable to pay migrant workers through court system and legal procedures. Yet even with a legal system it did not help the peasants because they are not trained how to understand how it works and furthermore laws are not always on their side. As a result all labor struggles revolved around this construction pyramid.
Therefore, for a capitalistic economic system to work, to the extent it does in America, there has to be more equality, communication, humanity and transparency in the country itself. Countries that don’t have this will fail using a capitalistic system. What ever keeps this subcontracting system in check, whether it is democracy, religion or a code of ethics, worker relations rely on this trust. If this is not addressed, problems of violence and militant labor action will result. It is not the fault of capitalism, but rather the greed and the lack of humanity of the developers. The truth is that just because you have an idea that works in one part of the world, doesn’t mean it will work the same way in another part of the world. Countries cannot discount cultural, political and social issues when taking on global ideas.






Work Cited
Martin, Randy. "RANDY MARTIN -- WHERE DID THE FUTURE GO? -- LOGOS 5.1
WINTER 2006." RANDY MARTIN -- WHERE DID THE FUTURE GO? -- LOGOS 5.1 WINTER 2006. N.p., 2006. Web. 09 Dec. 2016.

Ngai, Pun. "Legal Activism or Class Action? The Political Economy of
            the ‘no Boss’ and ‘no Labour Relationship’ in China's
Construction Industry." China Perspectives No. 2 (86) (2011): 9-17. JSTOR. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

Sheehan, Matt. "A Day In The Life Of A Muslim Chinese Migrant Family." The

Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2016.

Neoliberalism "Don't Tell Me What to Do!"

In a world bonded together by digital media, it has become more and more difficult for countries to become isolated from influencing each other. But that is exactly why neoliberal are nervous. The idea of public or national power horrifies these new liberals, who prefer to have individuals and states get back to taking power and running their own businesses'. A global economy, in their mind, leads to over seas money, jobs, as well as a confusing American ideology. How can we be patriotic, when more than half of our country is owned by other countries? There is a hypocrisy, or say, paradox that is created when we go outside our own country for help. Who can American's be loyal to? Our country or those that own our country? It depends if we mean ideologically or realistically. Ideally, American's imagine themselves as mavericks, heroes and pioneers. Realistically, Most American's are struggling to survive. And global media and communication only add to the problem. Although, the world is learning that perhaps foreigners are not as bad as they thought, (everyone like cat videos. Right?!), there is an increase in homogeny that occurs throughout the world. Starbucks opens in every foreign country,and a piece of cultural authenticity dies. Sacrifice is unavoidable.  It is no wonder that America  is scrambling back to private ownership. Neoconservatives are afraid that they will lose their rights of life, liberty and happiness. All I can say is "Don't Tell Them What to Do!"

Monday, December 12, 2016

Final Post - A Reflection

In the final hours of my last class, final semester, and end of my undergraduate experience, I have to pause and reflect on my experience in education here at CSUN.  I started college in 1980 and today in 2017, much as changed. My final class "Multigenre Literacy in a Global Context" turned out to be the most perfect end to my university journey.

Beginning my education in the pre-digital age, much of my learning was spent memorizing, spelling and re-writing papers, not for content, but for typos. Today, this is far from what is expected from me as a student. Never in my life did I think I would be sitting in a classroom with each student having access to an individual computer. Or surfing the web for film clips, or clicking links in real time for group presentations. No one in this class, except perhaps Mr. Wexler, could understand the reality of how much of a change this is, and how the computer age has affected our lives. Fellow classmates may hear stories of typewriters and carbon paper, or pagers and walkmans, but they will never understand how easy communication is today compared to thirty years ago.

But the most interesting part of taking college courses over a few decades is finding out that the information we learn evolves from generation to generation. Our content as well as form change. Facts get manipulated according to our ideology. And today is no exception. I grew up during a time when communication meant "wait", and patience was a lesson that had to be learned. Now, due to the global economy and digital age of communication, no has the patience to wait. Waiting is a thing of the past.

I think being in college at an older age was a great thing. It pushed me into asking questions, learning about the digital world, and embracing globalization in a way that if I had not continued my studies, would have been too intimidating to investigate. "Multigenre Literacy in a Global Context" was the perfect class to take in my senior year, because brought my past and present together, andit prepared me for future. And now that I am graduating into the 21st Century world, I think this class may have helped me the most.


Sunday, December 11, 2016

I'm an American. Who am I?

When a child is born it is free. According to Sigmund Freud they are in what he referred to as being in an Id state, in which their primal urges rules. They have not been socialized yet. Yet very quickly the child learns their existence depends on the mother, so behavior develops to get needs met. The child starts to develop an Ego, which according to Freud is the social aspect, to communicate in such a way that it surpasses some of they Id urges, again in order to survive. Once the child gets these needs met by the mother, it is time to branch out to others, where it be a father, sibling, friends, employers and the world. The child's identity now develops, according to Freud, a SuperEgo. Who am I? What are my morals and values? What is my status in the world? And of course if any of these needs are not met at any of these critical points in development it effects the child's self-esteem. 
Now, what if I told you America was once a child born July 4th 1776. And the growth of our country has evolved in the same way, trying to get it's need met, but by who? Who was our mother? England? We had not mother. (Perhaps the statue of Liberty has more significance than we realize.) So how do we survive? We become pioneers. We invent. We create. We work hard. And in that we create our own identity. But while the center of our American ideology revolves a maverick, free spirit, a risk taker...some American's are afraid. They feel abandoned by the mother, and frankly emotionally freaked out! They then are ruled by the "Uncertainly Principle", where patriarchy, or the father come in to save the day! (It is no wonder American's love superheroes!) This patriarchal influence brings with it some very interesting American ideology: bravery, competitiveness, capitalism, detachment, existentialism and superficiality. Suddenly, America, the child has someone to look up to, some guidance and someone to trust, e.g., Mr. President or in God we trust. Yet we have to survive, so due to the lack of trust in out mother and the absence nurturing these qualities need to be adapted into out identity to survive. Or do they? What if we were raised by a loving mother, and this patriarchal ideology conflicts with our own, perhaps more humanistic point of view? And then what about the Id, which wants to kill the father, and marry the mother, according to Freud's interpretation in the Oedipus Complex.  How can America have it's own identity, when it's own identity conflicts with reality, survival and itself? It is no wonder that American's question their own identity. 
In the 50's the American dream was to live in the suburbs, own a house, have a wife and 2 kids, and drive a shiny new car. This was the idea of success and both men and women wanted this. But the reality of this dream turned out to be dismal: bank debts, owing money, heavy drinking, smoking addiction  and suicide. Desperation replaced the depression and daily life turned into a rat race. Making more money seemed to be the only answer, so capitalism created a way out of the hole. The problem is a patriarchal cycle, can never replace the need of a mother. American's will always remain discontent, needy and unfulfilled, unless they realize they can become the pioneer mother and nurture themselves.

The American Dream Meets Reality:19th Century to Post Modernism

Being an American centers on the right to pursue life, liberty and happiness. How this would be accomplished is a different story. In the 19th Century, the Industrial Revolution took hold and America's image of life was based on realism. A life  once ruled by European  aristocracy, religion, myth and folklore, now was run by commerce, industry, urban growth and the rising middle class. America's formal realism and the narrative story of how life should exist in America, now clashes with American social realism, which now brings up poverty, class distinction, crime and everyday difficulty of life. This was not the America people had imagined. Entering the end of the 20th century to the early 20th Century, WWI began and capitalism became America's identity. Urbanization joined industry and out of this came fragmentation, formalization, heightened subjectivity and alienation for the American people. That is American's priorities and values changed. Of course, this was all in their eyes to pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Yet, over the years it became increasingly difficult to be happy when their were no jobs, no way to move up the ladder and no middle class. The Depression proved to be a huge blow to America's pride as a country and brought social inequality to an all time high. What we needed was a war to bring American's together, and so when WWII started a Post-Modern American identity was created. The war gave people pride in America again, creating jobs, purpose and structure. The rejection of elitism, and comparison between worlds lead to embracing multiculturalism, immigration and the desire to bond with other countries by creating a global economy. Again, how this was going to be done was another question. The main question still remains though: How do we pursue the American dream of financial security without creating social injustice? If we examine America's past, we can learn from our mistakes. If we visualize America in the future, we will create a better world. But if we acknowledging American life today, we will find the solution from the generation who is most affected by it; today's youth.

Sunday, November 6, 2016

To Use Google Slides? That is the Question.

So now it's time to review Google Slides. Not much to say in the realm of what they offer creatively. GS is limited in the color options and font styles. 80 colors, 22 fonts. Yes, you can bold, italicize and underline, but it feels like using an electric typewriter, rather than a computer. Their templates are stiff and unimpressive. Their artistic tools pragmatic. Yet Google Slides may be the perfect tool for high schoolers just learning to do presentations! Easy to use, and allows immediate access to classmates, Google Slides' simplicity might be just what they need to gain confidence in this area. Take, for example, a student with limited creative experience. Slides will not overwhelm the student with too many choices. For the more experienced teen, GS will allow immediate input on projects, increasing participation and socialization... It's like a PacMan Game. Sure it's simple... not as complicated as say, Mind Craft, but still fun to play! If students have had experience using presenting projects in the past, you might consider another format, like Prezi or Powerpoint, but if your main goal is to have students learn to work together, Google Slides is ideal. 

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Welcome to the Digital World

If I did not have 2 kids who use internet on a daily basis, I would probably be totally intimidated by the digital world. It is amazing to me that even Kindergarteners can navigate around a computer, while I myself struggle to relearn even the basic skills.  But today it is sooooo essential to understand and embrace digital media to be current. When I went middle school and high school in the 70s, typewriters, pagers, CB radios, landline telephones, television with 13 channels and the radio were as high tech as it came. You had to wait for someone to get off the phone to use it, you had to watch a TV show when it aired because you couldn't tape it, and you had to retype your entire 15 page essay over if you made a mistake, like a spelling error. Just by these examples you can see how the world can pass you by today if you do not stay current. So what does the older generation need to do to keep up? Admit we don't know, and ask. It may sound easy, but not so for those with an ego, those who resist change, or those who are easily confused. This is why I am grateful to be in college now as an older student. Learning at an older age requires you to let go of old learning styles and embrace the new. I now understand that how we communicate affects my generation even more than the content we pursue, because if we don't reach out to learn the universal mode of connecting, we run th risk of isolating ourselves from the younger generation. Therefore, I will continue to be on the look out and open to learning the latest apps, software and digital devices, because I know that by the time I finish writing this passage, there will be yet another form of communication created that I will need to be ready to use!

Friday, October 21, 2016

The Magic of Cinema in the Classroom

One of the best things about the digital age is that films may be accessed easily by a classroom. Our last two classes required us to present group projects using film as not only in analysis, and work cited, but also as presentational material to promote class discussion. After years of sharing ideas with other students in the form of verbal book reports, I can tell you that nothing brings a deeper, all inclusive conversation in a class like film. The doors open; visual, auditory, psychological, political, aesthetic, religious and mythological analysis all were revealed instantly, and I believe create a classroom environment rich in connections between all these subjects. When I grew up in the 80s, education like this was not as fluid. Ideas were categorized, separated and more black and white. Today, with technology and film analysis brought into the classroom, we are not only exposed to the content and form, but may also explore how the film became available to us in the first place, and how this affects the world around us. Using films in the classroom gives information, stimulation and teaches us practical presentation skills we can build when we tackle the real world.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Film and Engaging Cinema

Why are so many people fascinated with film? This is what the book Engaging Cinema by Bill Nichols tries to answer. In the chapter "Storytelling and Narrative Fiction Film" we can see how telling a story not just is about beginning, middle and end. Perspective, subliminal messages, manipulating emotions and creating open ending questions for the audience to answer are just some areas this book tackles. In the film Forrest Gump,  the protagonist represents the archetype of the innocent. This is unusual in storytelling because the main character is usually the everyman, but in this film, Forret is an outcast, due to his lower than average I.Q. This film however, does take advantage of the narration aspect, keeping him as a bystander, with life events, history and time passing him. The analysis done on this film during class covered key narrative elements, plot, style and interpretation. But there is so much more to this film on a deeper level. I plan to explore the topics of history, mythology and political influence on this film in our next class. Note: Group work by those presenting this film was enlightening!

Monday, October 3, 2016

POETRY SLAM

Poetry is meant to be read out-loud. At least this is what I discovered during our class last week. As each student read their poem, ideas, opinions and emotions lifted off the page and transcended written word. I never realized how powerful free form poetry can be. Students actually got teary-eyed, angry and heartfelt in their recitations. It was also wonderful to hear so many different style of poetry. Some used elevated vocabulary, some vulgar, some verbose and others trite. Yet, none of it came out of ego. It came out of each writers' soul. It was if we could listen to their heart talking. I believe such openness and vulnerability brought us together as a class. We bonded because all of the experiences that were written about , no matter how personal or unique, were universal to us in emotion. We are all connected as humans. Reading poetry aloud, likes us to our common core: humanity. 

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

What is a Poem?

I have never been into poetry, not because I do not like it as a form. I was just never introduced to it well in my youth. But today I cannot believe this form was not explored more in my high school classes. There are so many ways a poem can be looked it is the perfect vehicle to understand so many aspects of writing. In class we were asked to write our own poems, which were judged on form only. Not content. I think this is one of the most important aspects about poetry. You cannot judge what a person deems important to write about. You can only look at meter, metaphors, similes, rhyme etc. Is the poem too literal, as Diane Keaton's poetry reading in Sleeper illustrates. Or is it too childlike, simplistic, without deeper thought. I have grown a deeper appreciation for poems, since I have studied several in class. It has caused me to slow down in my reading with them and focus on why the poet might choose that word, as well as take in the whole poem as a whole to find the overall message. Either way, poem are worth investigating. I have found writing  poetry yourself, demands several things. A knowledge of topic, having something to say, being open, vulnerable and brave to say your thoughts, and a creative mind to invent, compare and contrast ones thoughts to make them universally embraced, yet uniquely told. A good vocabulary doesn't hurt either ;)

Poems


September 25, 2016
My Love

Old now, to some people
Not great to look at,
But if you saw my journey 
you’d see my beauty.
I’ve held many kids
Carried the load when no one else could.
Made friends feel safe and secure.
Let animals lick me.
Didn’t mind getting dirty.
Had fun times, did some racy things
But never hurt anyone.
Sure, I had my ups and downs
Broke down every once in a while,
But I kept things moving, even when others stopped.
I may not be in great shape now,
You may not want to show me off.
But I’m here for you
Till the day I die.

Sincerely,
2004 Honda Odyssey.



My Gift

Text. Meet me at Hugos.
Rub my feet, hugs and smiles.
Americana, Trader Joes dark chocolate,
Tears and laughing tears.
Bass serenades, Colburn, Tanglewood,
Green juice, driving to school.
UCLA, exercise, dorm,
ComedySportz, Barely Legal, After Dark.
Mahler, Bach, practice,
Staircase, Mondos, surfing,
and a bright vintage grapefruit shirt.
Violet Hair, movie making.
Clean room, messy room,
Kind to animals, Family hug,
Talk, talk, talk, stream of consciousness.
My children are my gift.






Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Why Poetry is an Indispensable form of Literature to Study

At first glance, a poem may be seen as a melodramatic, narcissistic, disjointed, pretentious piece that is just plain boring to study. Yet, the most amazing thing occurs when you start to analyze it. Each poem actually becomes a life force to be reckoned with! Last week I learned that Poetry really is the perfect tool to learn  history, language, ethics, logos, ethos, perspective, humanity and creativity. As an educator their is no better gift than to pass on this information to students, so I find poetry to be an indispensable tool to use as educators. Here's why:.
Students learn about history through the time it is written, what current events were going on during the time and the authors history.
Students learn about the importance of language by word choice, order of words, repetition, rhymes and combination of words.
Students learn the ethical values of the time based on what is written, the logic that is being used to form the poem, in addition the logic that was thought during the creation of the poem: essentially how one thinks, and the emotion that can be expressed in passion, message through content and form.
Students learn how to examine a poem from different perspectives. Can it be misunderstood? Is it bias or insulting? Does it focus form the perspective of many or few. And can we as students still read it without judgment or resistance?
Students learn poetry teaches humanity. That we are all human and share similar emotions, experiences and thoughts that we can relate to and bond us.
Finally, students can learn to be creative in their own expression. Free to create without judgment. Free to express deep emotion, without fear.
This to me is the greatest gift of all, and this is why we need to keep teaching poetry in school.


Game of Poetry

Diane DeLaurentis
Professor Wexler
September 16, 2016
ENG ESM423
Game of Poetry

According to Linda Gregerson of The Atlantic online, sonnets follow a certain structure, “…(fourteen lines of iambic pentameter, a fixed rhyme scheme) and, of equal importance, a set of thematic and rhetorical conventions” (Anthology).
While sonnets are usually structured in this way, by examining form through word choices, rhyme and meter, we can see how playwright, William Shakespeare manipulates and enhances the meaning of his love sonnet, Sonnet CXVI, to show that love is a fickle and an unpredictable game.
One way, Shakespeare uses form to illustrate the love as a game, is through the double meaning of words and word repetition, such as in the line, “Love is not love/ Which alters when it alteration finds,” (2-3). Using the word “love” twice in one sentence causes the reader to repeat the subject of the poem, which in terms of expressing love is a bold feeling to admit. Readers then experience the bravery of their claim by the sheer utterance of the word. By doing so, Shakespeare gets the chance to play with his reader’s emotion. Repeating these words also demands the reader to think twice, as in the phrase “Or bends with the remover to remove:” (4).  “This mirroring of words is suggestive of a loving couple” (BBC), yet because this reads as a whole as a contradictory statement. Shakespeare appears to be playing a trick on the reader revealing the mischief of love, which backs the poems meaning that “[t]he story was of love—love unrequited, love requited but unfulfilled, love so fleeting fulfilled as merely to make suffering keener, love thwarted by the beloved’s absence, or aloofness, or prior possession of another. Impediment was as central to the sonnet as was love” (Auditory). By manipulating the words themselves, Shakespeare proves that the form of a love poem can be as teasing as a game.
Another way Shakespeare parallels the experience of love with poetic form is by manipulating his rhythm and meter.
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark.
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken. (5-8)
Shakespeare plays with rhyme and meter, by surprising the reader with an extra beat in the sixth and eighth measure of each stanza. The reader is now forced to rush the words shaken and taken if they are to fit into the rhythm and meter of the poem, thus illustrating a playful surprise in form. The off rhythm of reading the sonnet then, reflects the unstable nature of experiencing love. Shakespeare also shows fickleness in love by using words that parallel nature’s ever-changing pattern.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom. (9-12)
Love, being seen as a natural experience is associated with nature, and in nature things bloom and die. Just like the seasons love blooms and then fades. Shakespeare chooses words to express the imagery of nature and then expresses how fickle love is. Words like “rosy” to express the bloom of love, and the use of “sickle”, as used by the grim reaper, as a symbol of death. In addition, Shakespeare uses the couplet, “If this be error and upon me proved, / I never writ, nor no man ever loved.” (13-14), at the end of his sonnet to express the idea that love is fickle. The readers’ natural rhythm of A/B/A/B schema is broken abruptly by E/E. Although, this is the conventional structure for sonnets during this time, it is still jarring in the readers’ experience of reading the poem. It is as if the poet anticipated the comfortable rhythm of its audience and purposely tried to shake things up a bit at the end. In addition, couplets are usually indented to the right, away from the rest of the poems position. It’s as if to say in layout form, love is not fixed. You can’t hold or tie down love.
William Shakespeare’s Sonnet CXVI is a wonderful example of how form lifts content. His sonnets are playful, teasing, tricking, testing and unpredictable and by reading the poetry one can experience what it feels like to be playing the game of love.


Work Cited
Anthology, Audible, and Linda Gregerson. "William Shakespeare. Sonnet 116." The
            Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 12 Sept. 2016. Web. 20 Sept. 2016.
"English Literature William Shakespeare: Sonnet 116." BBC-GCSE Bitesize: Structure
            and Language. Bbc.co.uk, n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2016.
Smith, Philip. 100 Best-loved Poems. Dover Thrift Editions ed. NewYork: Dover, 1995.
            Print.