MP4

For MP4, I chose to film on my front porch. normally after a long day of class, I like to sit out there and take a second to think. It gives me a chance to unwind and reflect on my week. On a normal day, I hear the sounds of cars going by and depending on the weather, I can also hear wind blowing or precipitation. On this particular day, I could hear the pitter patter of rain and the splashing of water as cars drove through large puddles. When I first sat down on the porch, the rain was really relaxing to me. I felt like I could've sat down and fallen asleep. The splashing of water was soothing and it felt nice to sit down for a little bit and throw worry out the window. By the end of my visit to this place, i felt refreshed and renewed. I was ready to tackle the rest of my week and look forward to the weekend. The emotions I wanted my final piece to express was a bit of suspense and thrill toward the beginning and then a calming feeling by the end. I wasn't totally sure what I wanted to do with this piece so I kind of learned as I went. Overall, there were several happy accidents throughout where I added a sound effect or instrument and it seemed to fit well. This experience was satisfying because I learned how to work with both iMovie and Garage Band. Also, I really enjoyed the freedom to make what I wanted, which made my possibilities endless. I also really liked my final product and the pictures that went along with it. Overall, I was very satisfied with this experience and I hope to work with these programs more in the future.

Carver Response

For the response, I will discuss my thoughts on the short story Cathedral by Robert Carver. The story follows the life of the Narrator, who is never named, and his wife, who is also never named. It tells of the narrator's wife and her experiences with a blind man, Robert whom she met in Seattle. After Robert's wife dies of cancer, Robert goes to visit the Narrator and his wife. The Narrator is pretty uneasy about the visitor, but after meeting him and learning of his gentle and humble manner, the Narrator is content with their visitor. Towards the end of the story, Robert asks the Narrator to draw a cathedral after being unable to describe a cathedral in words. Overall, the Narrator and his wife are very humbled by their visitor and their lives are put in perspective.

Overall, i really enjoyed this short story. I gained an emotional connection to Robert as I read into his life and the experiences he has been through. It was very warming to think of the adversity he had overcome along with the life-long friendship he had built with the Narrator's wife. His experiences and determination through adversity helped me to reference times in my life where I was put in a bad situation and had to look at the bright side. This is by far my favorite piece of writing that we have read in this class. I really liked Carver's writing style and now want to look into other things he has wrote. This story was very touching and I liked the way the titles wrapped into the story towards the end and built a better understanding of how sometimes, it is better to feel something rather than physically see it. Robert had built an understanding of his environment while never actually seeing it in person. To me, this was amazing and I loved the story because of it.

Wallace Response

The article focuses on the commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace to the Kenyon College graduating class of 2005. For starters, I really liked the way Wallace delivered his speech. I could almost imagine a man standing at a podium in front of thousands of people delivering a speech like this. He had a very fluid transition throughout where he would switch between a story and his expectations that went along with his speech. I especially enjoyed his stories, most notably the one about the two men arguing religion. I found it very interesting how he opened the speech with the "What the hell is water" quote and ended it stating "this is water", resembling a metaphor of coming full circle in terms of what these graduates had done in their time at the university. As a current college student, it really struck a chord with me in terms of its relation to me and my life. Overall, there wasn't much to dislike about this speech, besides the fact that it was rather lengthy. I only hope that when I graduate from Ohio State, we have a commencement speech and interesting and well-written as this one.

Micro Project 3

I believe that the collage I created reflects my identity in many ways. Living off-campus and walking to class during the winter season has been much more challenging that I first imagined. The name of the game is warmth and many days, the weather beats me when it comes to losing feeling in my fingers and ears. After a while, I became acclimated to the native climate of Columbus and now know what to expect on a daily basis. All of the objects found in the collage are everyday objects that became very important to me in my journey to class. While the hat and gloves kept me warm, the altoids are a great way to wake up a little bit in the morning and keep the focus off how cold it is around me. Finally, the keys reflect my desire to return to my warm house and curl up in a blanket. I've become a bit of a weather warrior these past couple months and it has shown me to be a driven person on those chilly mornings. One thing it doesn't tell you about me is my desire to meet new people and interact socially. While I come off a bit secluded and focused in my mission to get to class on time, I really do enjoy interacting with friends and classmates. As soon as I am inside and warmed up, I don't hesitate to spark up a conversation with someone. Overall, I really like my final product and believe it reflects my winter term at Ohio State.