Lotus Exige S and other things - Random Image Essay #1

<Reading the post published right before this first is highly recommended to understand the whole thing.>

So I found this.

 

What do you see in thi picture? Well, obviously a green, fancy sports car. Also cloudy white sky, wet ground and some grass and forest behind the car. There is a bright sunlight so it isn't night yet, but its not near noon. There is a reflection of the car on the water so there are technically two cars in this picture.
This car is from Lotus, and the model is called 'Exige'. From Exige series, this car is "Exige S". That was why the image came up when I searched for 's'. Lotus makes sports cars, not just being fancy but actually used for car racings and so on. With its dynamic, unique design, this is being one of the most successful models among Lotus cars.
This picture is probably took in morning. It's obviously not afternoon when the sun is strong, so it might be evening or morning. But I see more of freshness from the color green, grass and the water on the ground, which makes me related to the morning times.
I thought there will be something else I can write from this kind of picture, but right now I am too tired right now to relate this image to broader concepts(culture, social impacts, picture's symbolic meanings, etc.) or search for more details. (I need to get some sleep today- I don't know why I'm so exhausted right now)
Good thing : I found a good way to find something to write about!

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Randomizer + Google = Something to write about!

I trying something new today : I first visited Random.org where I can get access to a perfect randomizer, and selected one from 26 english alphabet letters(randomized numbers from 1 through 26).  I got number 19, so the selected one would be s, the 19th alphabet letter.
Then I searched the letter on google, and looked for 19th image from above - and I found this.

I didn't know that there are so many 'S' designs.

Since I felt it will be so hard for me to extract something from this letter, so I tried 38th(19 times 2 as it is step 2) image presented, and lucky I found something else:

 Wondering what would this car be.

So I am going to write something on this picture right after this. Go see the next posting to find out!

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Favorite Singer Sings Favorite Song!

 

<Nessun Dorma>

 This is an aria from opera "Turandot" composed by Puccini. The notes reach up to top b, one of the highest a man can sing. Moreover, as the song starts very soft and silent and ends strong, the song is considered one of the most difficult arias of all. Maybe that's because we feel so impressive and beautiful listening to it.

--Lyrics--
Nessun Dorma! Nessun Dorma!
Tu pure, o, Principessa
Nella tua fredda stanza
Guardi le stelle che tremano d'amore e di speranza

Ma il mio mister e chiuso in me
Il nome mio nessun sapra, no, no
Sulla tua bocca lodiro quando la luce splendera

Ed il mio bacio sciogliera e silenzio che di fa mia

Dilegua o notte!
Tramontate stelle!
Tramontate stelle!
Alla'alba vincero!
Vincero, vincero!


The man singing in this video is Alfie Boe, a famous tenor from England. He performed "Les Miserables" as Jean Valjean, the main character in the musical's 25th anniversary concert(This was held in concert version -meaning it was more like a concert than a play). With stable breathing, nice, tender voice and absolutely amazing high notes, at least I think he is now one of the best opera/musical singers worldwide. In 2014 he will be performing Les Miz in Broadway as Jean Valjean, in actual musical version. You can find his awesome songs and performing videos on Youtube, and you will also be able to see him cooking if you search for it little deeper.

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What do you see 'In Your Fantasy'?

In my fantasy I see a fair world,
Where everyone lives in peace and honesty.
I dream of a place to live that is always free,
Like a cloud that floats,
Full of humanity in the depths of the soul.

In my fantasy I see a bright world
Where each night there is less darkness.
I dream of spirits that are always free,
Like the cloud that floats.

In my fantasy exists a warm wind,
That breathes into the city, like a friend.
I dream of souls that are always free,
Like the cloud that floats,
Full of humanity in the depths of the soul.



Any ideas what this poem means??

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Nella Fantasia

Nella fantasia io vedo un mondo giusto,
Li tutti vivono in pace e in onestà.
Io sogno d'anime che sono sempre libere,
Come le nuvole che volano,
Pien' d'umanità in fondo all'anima.

Nella fantasia io vedo un mondo chiaro,
Li anche la notte è meno oscura.
Io sogno d'anime che sono sempre libere,
Come le nuvole che volano. (Pien' d'umanità)

Nella fantasia esiste un vento caldo,
Che soffia sulle città, come amico.
Io sogno d'anime che sono sempre libere,
Come le nuvole che volano,
Pien' d'umanità in fondo all'anima.


'Nella Fantasia' means 'In My Fantasy' in italian.
This music was initially a part of "The Mission" soundtrack. Composed by Ennio Morricone, it had no singer in it at first since he thought human's voice is the worst musical instrument and doesn't go with his music well. Instead, the main melody was played by oboe. (This is why the title was 'Gabriel's Oboe' at first) In the film, the oboe melody is presented as if a man in the movie is actually playing it.

Sarah Brightman, a famous soprano singer persuaded Morricone and first made it into a vocal song. This song became extremely famous in Korea after it was introduced in a TV program "남자의 자격".

 

This video is a performance of "Il Divo", an international popera group. I recommend you to read the lyrics along the song - it gives you a new impression.

 

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Bible Verses #1

I usually read the Holy Bible in Korean, but I once planned to read it in English (..which also remained as plans..). I would like to share some merciful scriptures from the Bible with you guys! (Unfortunately in English of course..)

 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.     

John 3:16

Call me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:3

"Arise, Shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the ewarth
    and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn."

Isaiah 60:1-3

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Hebrews 13:5

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Matthew 11:28

 

 

Amen!

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Rhetorical Device - Alliteration

          Alliteration can be defined as a repetition of the first sound or sounds in two or more words that follow each other in succession. However most of the examples of alliteration usually contain at least 3 words that start with same sound as alliteration of 2 words often occurs coincidentally.

These words may be adjacent or may be separated by some words between them. This is because prepositions are often fixed as conventional expressions, so it is hard to think of new one that starts with particular sound that matches in those cases. This also happens to verbs as there are not many synonyms for often used ones, such as ‘have’, ‘do’, ‘be’ and so on. Because of this, many examples of alliteration are comprised only with nouns.

Alliteration is found very often in poetry; but, is also found in many works of literature because it adds interest to the written and spoken word as it makes the sentences sound rhythmic.

           Alliteration is also often used in tongue-twisters as it is hard to pronounce quickly and makes the sentences sound fun. There are some famous ones such as :

-She sells sea-shells by the sea shore.

-Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers.

 

           This device is also used often in novels and poems as well as following :

-I watched the bare brown back of the prisoner marching in front of me. (A Hanging, Gearge Orwell)

-Behemoth, biggest born of earth, upheaved His vastness (Paradise Lost)

-So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. (The Great Gatsby)

Bibliography : examples.yourdictionary.com

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'The Tell-Tale Heart' and Gothic Literature

           We’ve all learned that ‘Gothic literature/novel’ (or genre of Gothic) is a mixture of mostly horror, thriller, mystery, science fiction, and Romantic. I found out that ‘Romantic’ novels (with a capital R) do not mean love stories but is a type of novel from Romanticism, and includes impractical/idealistic ideas. I also came to know that most of the short stories written by Edgar Allen Poe are Gothic. Especially, stories titled <The Black Cat> and <The Tell-Tale Heart> were the typical ones.

<The Tell-Tale Heart> is a story of a murderer who kills an old man for his hate towards his eye. While the old man was sleeping, this ‘mad man’ (who rejects being called that way) sneaks into the man’s room for 7 nights to make his actual murder perfect. From these, most of the readers feel frightened since the reason for his murder and the method are so unusual and it lies out of normal range of prediction. We often feel horrified when we get to know about ‘psychopaths’ around us since their thoughts are highly unpredictable, and they usually don’t show their madness until they actually commit crimes. I guess that’s the part where we feel horror, and where shows that this story falls into the category of Gothic.

The specific depiction of the man’s emotions is another part that makes us feel tension and horror. For example, the author illustrates the emotion and actions of the mad man when he was silently sneaking into the old man’s room in the darkness. The writer also shows specific emotions and thoughts of this man, and increases readers’ fear even more. This hits its peak at the last part of the story, where the man hears the old man's heart beating louder and louder.

Some might say this story contains mystery, but I thought this book can’t be a mystery. There is a chance of myself being wrong, but from my point of view, this story can never be mysterious about something. I can see that there are many scenes and elements that can be a mystery, but the point is, the murderer himself is the narrator. Since we already know who is the murderer, why and how he killed the victim and so on, there is no curiosity that can rise from this crime for the readers. Still, the overall atmosphere and the fear it is creating lets the story be a good example of Gothic literature.

To be honest, I didn’t enjoy reading it since the story was all about a murderer and his madness, so it couldn’t be a comfortable type of story to read. I don’t hate it though-I surely found out that it is not only scary and frightening, but is valuable from the aspects of literature as well.

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How does the use of genre and writing style support the main ideas in George Orwell's 'Why I Write'?

              George Orwell was a writer who dealt with political issues and criticized undesirable form of governments in his novels, mostly in relation to the ones that existed at that time. ‘Why I Write’ is his autobiographical essay, which is mainly about answering two questions: ‘why’ and ‘how’ he writes.

Orwell recognizes that in nature, he would have been writing purple passages -sentences or expressions without specific meaning but rhetorical purpose only- and artistic, beautiful books without any political purposes. However, as he was living in the time when totalitarianism was hitting its peak, international relationships were worsening every day, and World War II was about to  take place, he felt responsibility to reveal the truth against the wrongs –especially political ones- done around the world. In short, he implies that he writes in order to let the general public acknowledge political injustice.

In the last paragraph, Orwell states how prose should be written (and how he tries to write), metaphorically, that “Good prose is like a windowpane.” Windowpanes are made up of glass and windowsills. Glass is transparent, symbolizing the place we see the world through. Windowsills are the ones that judge where the glasses will be placed. As writer’s political aspects differ from each others’, the windowsills will be placed differently. If all prose is like a windowpane, the readers will be able to see the world in diverse aspects from different angles. Therefore, the people will be able to remain objective, decide right or wrong themselves and eventually find out the injustice in the politics.

This piece of writing is a mixture of several different genres. First, this writing is an autobiographical essay. As the author writes about himself and his own thoughts, this essay is surely being autobiographical and expository. While in novels, authors must stand behind characters to convey messages and thoughts, usually in indirect ways, Orwell was enabled to write down his thoughts on why and how he writes freely and directly.

Second, this essay is being persuasive, since the author is giving out his opinion on which kind of prose is good. Since he is not being argumentative or against something, it is not a typical persuasive essay, but he is at least arguing that prose should never be lifeless but like a windowpane.

Poetry also comprises this writing. There is a poem in the middle of the essay, written by Orwell, which shows his struggle between writing style of his nature and style which the world wants him to write. The poem is being effective in conveying his struggle within short, symbolic words. Through this, readers could clearly see the reason why he writes right now. It also makes readers feel fresh to read poem inside a prose.

Orwell is being very dry and simple with his sentences in this essay. He tries to use rhetorical expressions or metaphors less as he writes. This makes the sentences look clean and clear, which helps him to convey exactly what he wants to. Being straightforward in meaning also shows that we are in emergency(when international tension has elevated) that we can’t be vague or misleading with our words.

Simple and clear sentences also let the whole essay be definitive. As people read this, they will feel that the writer is very confident and has no doubt on whatever he is writing about. This helps the essay to be more persuasive as he argues about how prose should be written.

Plus, this might be related to the fact that Orwell is viewing ‘purple passages’ negatively in this essay. In his young days, he once admired the literary value of those and wanted to be writing those later as they were producing joy and pleasure, making the sound rhythmical. However, he says they are ‘lifeless’ in the end since they are not helping the readers to see the world through a windowpane that the writers have made.

George Orwell’s essay ‘Why I Write’ is definitely a well-written essay as its genres; autobiographical, expository, persuasive and poetry; and its writing style, being dry and simple, benefit the intensity and delivery of the main points positively and effectively.

 

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"The saddest string music ever composed"

Chaconne in G minor - Tomaso Antonio Vitali


          Chaconne in G minor composed by Vitali is considered one of the saddest classical musics. Chaconne initially means a piece of dancing music of Latin America. Europeans (especially Germans and Itailans) of the Baroque period developed this into a classical instrumental piece in three-quarter time music with deep, solemn melody.
         Performance of  Jascha Heifetz(1901-1987), also known as "the emperor of the violin", is considered the best of all (I will make a post about him soon :D), but the audio sound qualities are not as good as modern ones like this one. I will provide you with links to his performances in Heifetz post as well! This video contains music of Sarah Chang (Young-ju Chang), Korean famous violinist who is now a professor in Juliard.

Vitali's Chaconne is maximizing sorrow and heart-breaking pain through many variations of splendid melody of the string. Also, background bass sound from the orchestra is adding depth and grandiosity to the music.

I hope you enjoy this!

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Turning June and did nothing.

          I started to feel an urgent need for me to manage my blog and post things.. I am almost the last person posting something other than class materials in my class.

          To be honest, I'm not really a good writer.. not a long writer either. (You can see this easily through my postings and essays on this blog)  My writing skills both lack in quailty and quantity! Ah, hopeless. I never lived abroad (especially English-speaking countries) or never learned basic English properly. I made no efforts to write and speak better English. I was simply lucky. Luck is what brought my English here.
          I always become reluctant to press the 'publish' button whenever I post essays on my blog... I realize there are so many eyes out there, ready to read my essays and giggle at my errors. I try to revise more but it doesn't work that well. Also my main reader has a pen and a paper to evaluate my writing skills and can directly report this on my student record paper. Whenever I tried to start writing something to post here, I felt like thrown naked in the middle of a group of lions, ready to chew and swallow me up. I had to make lame excuses to make myself stop writing "inevitably" and do something else.
          And 'Coding' thing? That was one of the biggest factors that stopped me from entering my blogger page. I didn't know anything about it, but just heard other people saying it is extremely complicated and hard for amateurs. This slowly generated fear inside me of coding and even feel guilty for not doing what Mr. Menard wanted us to do.
          So, it was about generally two things : sense of inferiority and fear towards 'coding'. This slowly generated some kind of 'fear' inside me of blogging which made me avoid writing in English and forget about my blog here. 'It's just too much for me', I thought.
          But then, I just thought : this won't make any difference in the end. No matter how much I feel pressure about the blog or how much I struggle, doing nothing will never improve my English writing nor will grant me a good grade in English class. That's when I started to think, 'I need to do something here.' Writing whatever I want to talk about might never help me improve, but it's going to better than nothing, right? So finally, I started searching for templates and blog designing strategies on the internet, and applied them to mine. And that was yesterday(June 2nd).
          And today, as I am writing free essays and putting efforts into blog designs, I am finding this somewhat interesting and fun! Coding was a bit complicated but wasn't that hard. I'm also counting on what Mr. Menard told our class : 'grammar (and vocabulary) will improve as you write more.' Fear did nothing good to me. Confronting directly into what I have to do and trying to get it done was the answer. Stopping makes no changes.
          Uhhh.. I lost point here. (Who cares..) So, in conclusion, what I truely wanted to tell you(whoever that is) is that I AM GOING TO POST THINGS 'FIERCELY' FROM TODAY!!
So be prepared to visit my blog and read, guys! Thank you! : )

Oh, and by the way, I'd like to thank Mr. Menard for conveying me such nice lesson above (while I'm not sure rather he will read this or not).

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TOEFL Response #2 : A World Without Wires

         What would be the most annoying thing in the world? Well, there might be a variety of possible answers, but I am sure that one of them is electric wires of electronic devices. That’s why the word ‘wireless’ is considered very innovative and often used in advertisements. For instance, when we see wireless headphones or wireless televisions, we feel so new and fresh. However, I can definitely say that in the next 77 years, seeing devices with wires in normal days will become a rare experience for most people. 



        Generally, there are 2 uses of wires. First, wires are used when connecting two devices for informational exchanges. Wires of this use are decreasing day by day. For example, applying Wi-Fi technology to smartphones and laptops is letting people get rid of wires for LAN. Also, a few clever industries are putting this into their products such as printers. In the next few decades, Wi-Fi technology that can be applied to other kinds of devices will be developed, and will let all sorts of gadgets be connected to computers or smartphones. Users will be able to easily manipulate other devices around only if they can get access to them. For example, people will not need wires when using hard drives or USBs. Computers will be connected to big screens without wires, when giving presentations. 

Wi-Fi will enable connections without wires.

Moreover, air conditioners, washing machines and even lights can be connected by Wi-Fi to computers and work as a remote controller. The only problem with this is their higher costs. Wi-Fi available electronic devices will be more expensive than normal ones with wires as they would contain special signal receivers inside them. Therefore, if a new strategy to lower the cost of producing the receiver is found, this technology will soon be commercialized and put into common use.



    Second, people use wires when charging electronic devices by plugging them in the electric outlets. While many industries are interested in solving the first problem above, they usually consider wires for charging are inevitable. However, there is a brand-new technology that is being developed and published. Applying electromagnetic induction, gadgets that need no wires but a special device that induces electricity are being commercialized.

      Problem with this technology is that users need to put the gadgets on the device or else it will not be charged. Another technology that doesn’t even need this device is also being researched, but this is facing its hardship now since charging efficiency is much lower and its biological safety hasn’t been granted. However these small problems will definitely be fixed and will soon be available in markets. If this technology is combined with increased battery capacity, use of wires for charging will drop drastically.

 

           There are several possible benefits from drop of wire usage. Firstly, cost of initial resources will decrease, as massive amount of copper (and other metal resources in it) and rubber will be saved. Plus, air pollutants and CO2 produced when burning those will disappear as well. Lastly, people will get less annoyed as they do not need to make efforts or spend time in arranging screwed wires to be neat and clean.

      I’d like to conclude my essay with "equation of invention".

 

[People’s Want and Need + Technology ->

New Devices invented + Wires]

      Wires are often very useful and come in handy, but they are nothing more than a by-product of electronic devices that occurred in lack of technology. It’s time to eliminate unnecessary products that often disrupt the experiment from the equation as we have enough reactants to do so. The 21^st century is here, and world with wires will soon withdraw.

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