Emily

Right now I’m reading a book called Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum. The novel is about a woman try to figure out her mysterious childhood and the influence of World War II on the events of her life. The author, Blum, tells the story from two different angles- that of the mother and of the daughter. She alternates between sections written from each point of view. I’m not sure I really like that the book is written like this, but I think it is probably the most effective way to show both viewpoints. It wouldn’t really make any sense to write half of the book from the mother’s perspective and then write the other half from the daughter’s. Blum does do a good job of making it clear who is telling her story by marking the sections instead of alternating chapter to chapter like some books do.

It seems like sarcasm has been around forever. However, it must have had its beginnings somewhere. According to Wikipedia, sarcasm was first recorded in English in 1579 in The Shepheardes Calendar, a poetic work by Edmund Spenser. It is even said that sarcasm appeared many times in the Old Testament of the Bible. One example occurs in 1 Samuel 21: 10-15. Lo, you see the man is mad; why then have you brought him to me? Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence?  —Achish, king of Gath, I Sam 21:10-15It is very interesting that sarcasm has been around since the time that the Bible was written, but then was not really used again, at least in public writing until the 1500’s. As far as people’s reactions to sarcasm. It sounds like people have always reacted in many different ways, but the overuse of sarcasm is not usually looked upon in a good light. 

I went to the public library the other day to get some books to read for fun because I love reading, but I’m tired or reading the books I am assigned for school. So right now I am reading a book entitled Twins. It is about a set of identical twins and it is really interesting to me because I am an identical twin. In real life I hardly know any sets of identical twins and people are always asking me and my sister what it’s like to have a twin but it is pretty impossible to explain. This book is so interesting to me because the author is doing a great job of explaining what it is like to be a twin: the things you know about each other without having to say them, how you like the same things but have very different personalities, etc. The most interesting thing about the book, however, is that it is written by a woman who does not have a twin. This is so strange to me because I can imagine how she could write a book about being a twin so accuratley without experiencing it for herself, although I suppose interviews and research might give her the foundation of knowledge to write the story.

Today I was watching TV in my free time and the only shows on were scripted “reality” shows on channels like MTV and VH1. Even though I think these shows are incredibly stupid, I found myself stopping to watch. This made me think, why are these ridiculous shows so entertaining? Why are people more interested in watching the “reality” of someone else’s life rather than living their own? I think it comes down to boredom and escapism. People are bored with their own lives so they spend their time watching other people live theirs. In real reality there are so many interesting things to become involved in and ways to spend your time that it seems crazy that we are interested in wasting hours of our lives watching mindless television. I also think that when people aren’t happy with their lives they like to see drama and things going wrong for other people; as the saying goes, misery loves company.

Today I was watching reruns of Grey’s Anatomy and the song “Where I Stood” by Missy Higgins played in the episode. It caught my attention because Higgins is one of my new favorite artists so I have been listening to her music and particularly this song lately. It got me thinking about why the writers of Grey’s would use this song in this episode. At this point in the episode the main character Meredith is talking to the chief of the hospital about her awful task of being the one who had to tell another nurse in the hospital that her husband died. She talks about how she had never seen or spoken to the woman before that day, but she will forever be the bearer of this tragic news in the young nurse’s mind. The song by Higgins starts out with the lyrics “I don’t know what I’ve done, or if I like what I’ve become…I don’t know who I am, who I am without you…” I thought perhaps these lyrics where speaking the thoughts of the two women in this scene. The first part of the lyrics would be the thoughts of Meredith, saying that she doesn’t like how impersonal her job is and doesn’t like what she’s done (telling a woman that her husband is dead). The second half of the lyrics seem like a cry of desperation from the young nurse who just lost her husband as she is saying her final goodbyes to him: that she doesn’t know who she is without her spouse and doesn’t know how she is going to go on without him in her life.

Currently in my history class we are reading Amusing The Million: Coney Island at the Turn of the Century by John F. Kasson. I haven’t read a huge amount of the book but already the thing that jumps out the most to me is the amount of change and progress that has occurred in America since around World War I. Specifically, dating and the relationship between men and women has changed so drastically that it is really incredible to me. Before there were places like Coney Island to go to men and women didn’t really date and when they went out together they had to chaperoned. Places like Coney Island brought people together and created places where men and women could hang out together. Basically, I just think it is incredible how much of an effect a central location for entertainment can have on a society.

In this post I’ll address what I meant by saying that songwriters have certain constraints placed on them that other writers do not and how this effects what they write. I will also give my thoughts on how the lyrics and music in a song relate to one another. The reason songwriters write songs is to put them to music and because the music and lyrics must match up, this added component dictates the phrasing and length of what they can write. Comparatively, other writers have it easy. Another reason song writing is so challenging is the fact that the lyrics and music must not only match up in terms of rhythm but also in terms of what is being sung matching up with the volume, tempo, and tone of the music. For example, the bridge or the part of the song that is the most climactic usually sounds different than the rest of the song to bring your attention to that point in the song.

In my opinion song lyrics are one of the most creative and effective ways of telling a story or making some sort of point. Augustana has been playing on my iPod non-stop since their better than expected concert here at Mizzou, particularly the song Twenty Years. I wasn’t very familiar with their music before the concert so I’ve been reading their lyrics as I listen to the music. The funny thing about song lyrics is that unless you like poetry, which I don’t all that much, they can be boring or confusing when read by themselves so I think what makes this composition unusual is the way the combination of music and lyrics make it interesting and maybe even thought provoking. I love the way songwriters dictate their thoughts and can be concise because they have constraints placed on their writing that someone writing a book or an article for a magazine would not. I think in this song especially, the writer is trying to get across the feeling of just being uncontent with life or maybe longing to go back to a happier time and that while he was free at one time, there are too many complications in his life now that are making that feeling an imposibility.