Mr. Hudson’s Neighborhood

For the second part of our 1984 related-article series, we will deal with the issue of technology being used to keep an eye on people. Now, I know that a lot of this surveillance is meant as a crime-deterrent, but what about all of those people who commit no crimes yet are still being watched. How much is too much? This article is pertaining to China, not the United States, but it is not unrealistic to believe it could happen here in the future. Read and discuss.

China Enacting a High-Tech Plan to Track People

tchrman

NOTE EVERYONE PLEASE READ: Seems like it’s time to make this same announcement again. Most of you are doing really well and getting the point of the song of the week post. Others of you are just writing about how much you hate the song because you don’t like that type of music. I am all about freedom of speech, and don’t care if you don’t like the song, but those of you who continue to post those types of responses are not doing what is required of the assignment. If your post doesn’t meet the criteria of the song of the week post (i.e. talking academically about music as a form of poetry by analyzing the lyrics or making some kind of comparison or connection with the lyrics) your post will be deleted and you will not receive credit. I had to delete a couple of last weeks posts for this reason. Again, I want you to enjoy this assignment but I also want you to learn something. It’s not about liking the particular song, singer, genre, etc. It’s about understanding poetry. Those of you being negative and whiny every week are learning nothing and, in turn, your fellow students are learning nothing from you. Enough ranting. On to this week’s post.

For the next few weeks while we are reading 1984, I will be picking the SotW. I have had a few more student suggestions, so I will hang on to those until we finish with the novel. Over the past few years of teaching the novel and doing the blog I’ve found several songs that tie in well with the novel. It just seems appropriate to incorporate them into our song of the week posts this year.These songs were not written specifically ABOUT the novel, and most of them don’t make direct allusions to the novel (although a couple will). They are just songs that seem to tie in well to the themes and situations in the novel. In addition to commenting on the meaning of the song, also talk about how you think it relates to the novel.

This week I had one song picked out, but found another song from the same album that relates just as well I think. I couldn’t decide which one to pick, so I decided to include both of them. You don’t have to write about both. Just pick the one you think is more closely related to the novel. Both are by a band called Nine Inch Nails and come from the album With Teeth. I don’t think you’ll have a problem seeing connections to the novel.

Listen:
04 The Hand That Feeds
06 Every Day Is Exactly The Same

“The Hand That Feeds”
Nine Inch Nails

You’re keeping in step
In the line
Got your chin held high and you feel just fine
Because you do
What you’re told
But inside your heart it is black and it’s hollow and it’s cold

Just how deep do you believe?
Will you bite the hand that feeds?
Will you chew until it bleeds?
Can you get up off your knees?
Are you brave enough to see?
Do you want to change it?

What if this whole crusade’s
A charade
And behind it all there’s a price to be paid
For the blood
On which we dine
Justified in the name of the holy and the divine

Just how deep do you believe?
Will you bite the hand that feeds?
Will you chew until it bleeds?
Can you get up off your knees?
Are you brave enough to see?
Do you want to change it?

So naive
I keep holding on to what I want to believe
I can see
But I keep holding on and on and on and on

Will you bite the hand that feeds you?
Will you stay down on your knees? [8X]

“Every Day is Exactly the Same”
Nine Inch Nails

I believe I can see the future
‘Cause I repeat the same routine
I think I used to have a purpose
And then again that might have been a dream
I think I used to have a voice
Now I never make a sound
I just do what I’ve been told
I really don’t want them to come around, oh no

Every day is exactly the same
Every day is exactly the same
There is no love here and there is no pain
Every day is exactly the same

I can feel their eyes are watching
In case I lose myself again
Sometimes I think I’m happy here
Sometimes – yeah – I still pretend
I can’t remember how this all got started
But I can tell you – exactly – how it will end

Every day is exactly the same
Every day is exactly the same
There is no love here and there is no pain
Every day is exactly the same

I’m writing on a little piece of paper
I’m hoping someday you might find
I’ll hide it behind something
They don’t look behind
I am still inside here
A little bit comes bleeding through
I wish this could have been any other way
I just don’t know what else I can do

Every day is exactly the same
Every day is exactly the same
There is no love here and there is no pain
Every day is exactly the same

And I’ve rehearsed my lines
And I know what’s coming next

While we are reading 1984, expect a lot of our blog posts to be related activities. In fact, I already have several songs of the week lined up that tie in nicely with the novel. In addition, I will try to include several posts about modern-day parallels to the society in the novel to show you just how easy to relate to and relevant the novel remains so many years after being published. For our first 1984-related topic, I’m providing you a link to an online article from the Washington Post that I found interesting.

As you read the first two chapters of the novel, you’ve probably noticed that lack of privacy is a major issue raised by the novel. With all of our advanced technology and our general paranoia after 9-11, privacy seems to be becoming a major issue in our society today. There seems to be no limit to what people are able to find out about us and how this information can be used. One of the major reasons for this lack of privacy is our growing dependence on the Internet. Such a wonderful, life-changing tool, but also one of the most damaging inventions ever. We all know how visiting certain sites (such as illegal music download sites) can come back to haunt you legally. However, before reading this article, I never really thought about the impact the types of things we search for on the Internet can have and the false impressions people could get from innocent searches. Anyway, read the article for yourself and share your opinions on the issue.

Forgot What You Searched For? Google Didn’t!

P.S. While reading the novel, if you come across any modern-day examples (articles, etc.) of issues found in the novel, pass them along and I may use them on here.

tchrman

Well, I received several student suggestions for song of the week this week. I was put in the tough position of having to choose which one to use. I decided on this one because it had the best introduction and also, the style of music was different from what we’ve had so far. Take it away, jugarelbeisbol5!

The reason I chose this song for song of the week is because everyone has a song that really speaks to them or realtes to them. This song relates to me because it describes exactly the situation between a friend of mine and myself. This friend has always been there for me and we were really close. Well then we became more than friends and we had what you would call a “roller coaster” relationship. Well to shorten it up we broke up and we haven’ t really been as close since we went through our rough times. Since we broke up she has kinda used me as a convenient friend (like the song says). Whenever she got hurt, she made me feel as bad as she did…which i did not like. So we stopped hanging out, talking, and avoided each other all together. But nowadays, our friendship is starting to become something more again ( oh Lord!) haha. But who knows what the future holds…maybe we will be something more again…but for now, hope yall enjoy the song I picked for yall this week! ENJOY!!!

Listen here:
06 Pieces 1

“Pieces” Rascal Flatts

From the moment that we met
My world was turned around
Upside down
To some degree I still regret
My memory for keeping you around
Girl I thought that you were mine
But my broken hearts been shattered
One too many times

And I don’t want to see you anymore
I’m just not that strong
I love it when you’re here,
But I’m better when you’re gone
I’m certain that I’ve given and oh how you can take
There’s no use in you looking
There’s nothing left for you to break
Baby please release me
Let my heart rest in pieces

Someone let you down again
So you turn to me
Your convenient friend
Oh but I know what you’re doing
And what you hope to find
I’ve seen it a thousand times
Oh the fire we had before
Are now just bitter ashes
Left scattered on the floor

And I don’t want to see you anymore
I’m just not that strong
I love it when you’re here,
But I’m better when you’re gone
I’m certain that I’ve given and oh how you can take
There’s no use in you looking
There’s nothing left for you to break
Baby please release me
Let my heart rest in pieces

We talked yesterday in class about how “Lamb to the Slaughter” can be seen as a revenge fantasy and how the purpose of such a story is to offer the reader a feeling of catharsis. For your second topic this week, I thought it would be fun to hear some of your revenge stories. So, write about a time when you did something to get back at someone. If you have never done such a thing, write about a time when you WANTED to get revenge on someone for something they had done to you. Be sure to not use real names.

tchrman

I’m always looking for new types of posts on the blog. Last year, when we read “Lamb to the Slaughter” we had a blog post where we wrote parodies of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” using the plot of “Lamb to the Slaughter”. I’ve decided to take that one step further this year. We are going to have a creative writing contest using this same concept. Write a parody of a song or poem in which to tell the story of “Lamb to the Slaughter”. You could use Mary Had a Little Lamb or something else (Perhaps “The Lamb Not Bakin’” instead of “The Road Not Taken”). I know you guys are creative enough to do this. If I get at least 10 submissions, I will pick the best three (I may even get another teacher to help me judge so it will be fair.) If I get less than 10 I’ll only pick the top two. The winners will get a GREAT reward–on the upcoming Short Story Essay Test there are three questions. You will only have to do two! That’s only the winning three parodies. Contest ends Thursday night so that I can announce the winners in class on Friday so you know if you have to do two or three essay questions. Have fun and be creative!

BTW, this will NOT count as a regular post for the week. This is for extra credit.

I was really hoping some of you would step up and send me something for this week’s song of the week, but, alas, no one did. It would be especially nice if some of you who complain about not liking any of the songs would actually do something about it and try it yourself. I’m just sayin’. It would be great to have a student submission for next week if anyone has any ideas. Some of you have given me ideas, but I need you to actually follow through and write an introduction for it before I can use it. But for this week it looks like you are stuck with me and my pick again.

These last few weeks, I’ve been trying to pick songs that had a little more depth to them to make the discussion a little better. You did a great job with last week’s song. A few of you are still missing the point of the assignment. This is not meant to be purely entertainment. While I hope you do get enjoyment out of it, my main goal is to get you writing about music as poetry. By the time we actually get to the poetry unit in our book, you should be pros (PUN!). I am glad that some of you are being exposed to some different styles of music and are enjoying it. You are moving our of your comfort zone and being open minded. A handful of you remain stuck in your ways and unwilling to open your mind to anything new or different. To each his own. Prepare for a hard time when you get to college though if you are unwilling to be exposed to new styles and ideas. OK, end of this week’s soapbox. Anyway, I’ve picked another song this week that I think will generate some good discussion. This one is fairly new and many of you should know it.

This week’s song is “Funny the Way It Is” by Dave Matthews Band. It is from their newest album (I believe it came out in August). I’ve always enjoyed DMB. I’ve never been a hardcore, see them every time they come in concert, worship everything they do fan, but I’ve always liked them. I really enjoy the new album, however. This song was the first one released on the radio from that album. It’s a good song, and it should be pretty easy to discuss. Enjoy.

Listen here:
03 Funny The Way It Is 1

“Funny the Way It Is”
Dave Matthews Band

Lying in the park on a beautiful day
Sunshine in the grass, and the children play
Siren’s passing, fire engine red
Someone’s house is burning down on a day like this

The evening comes and we’re hanging out
On the front step and a car rolls by with the windows rolled down
And that war song is playing, “why can’t we be friends?”
Someone is screaming and crying in the apartment upstairs

Funny the way it is, if you think about it
Somebody’s going hungry and someone else is eating out
Funny the way it is, not right or wrong
Somebody’s heart is broken and it becomes your favorite song

The way your mouth feels in your lovers kiss
Like a pretty bird on a breeze or water to a fish
A bomb blast brings a building crashing to the floor
You hear the laughter while the children play war

Funny the way it is, if you think about it
One kid walks 10 miles to school, another’s dropping out
Funny the way it is, not right or wrong
On a soldier’s last breath his baby’s being born

Standing on a bridge, watch the water passing under me
It must’ve been much harder when there was no bridge just water
Now the world is small, remember how it used to be
With mountains and oceans and winters and rivers and stars

Watch the sky, the jet planes, so far out of my reach
Is there someone up there looking down on me?
Boy chase a bird, so close but every time
He’ll never catch her, but he can’t stop trying

Funny the way it is, if you think about it
One kid walks 10 miles to school, another’s dropping out
Funny the way it is, not right or wrong
On a soldier’s last breath his baby’s being born
Funny the way it is, not right or wrong
Somebody’s broken heart becomes your favorite song
Funny the way it is, if you think about it
A kid walks 10 miles to school, another’s dropping out

Standing on a bridge, watch the water passing under me
It must’ve been much harder when there was no bridge just water
Now the world is small, remember how it used to be
With mountains and oceans and winters and rivers and stars

During our discussion of “The Pedestrian”, I told you a little about a book called Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman. It is a fascinating look at how television has come to shape the way we live our lives and the damage that it is doing. The scary thing about it is how relevant it remains today even though it was written in the 80s. We discussed this concept quite a bit yesterday, but as an extension of that discussion, I’ve included a few quotes from the book (and from a couple of his other books) that relate to television and technology in general. Read over these quotes. Pick at least one of them and discuss it. (Possible topics: What do you think he means? Do you agree or disagree with his idea? Give an example of how this can be found to be true in society? Relate the idea to something you have seen or read (ex: “The Pedestrian). I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

tchrman

“Everything in our background has prepared us to know and resist a prison when the gates begin to close around us . . . But what if there are no cries of anguish to be heard? Who is prepared to take arms against a sea of amusements? To whom do we complain, and when, and in what tone of voice, when serious discourse dissolves into giggles? What is the antidote to a culture’s being drained by laughter?”
— Neil Postman (Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business)

“Our culture’s adjustment to the epistemology of television is by now all but complete; we have so thoroughly accepted its definitions of truth, knowledge and reality that irrelevance seems to us to be filled with import, and incoherence seems eminently sane. And if some of our institutions seem not to fit the template of the times, why it is they and not the template, that seem to us disordered and strange.”
— Neil Postman (Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business)

“”Our politics, religion, news, athletics, education and commerce have been transformed into congenial adjuncts of show business, largely without protest or even much popular notice. The result is that we are a people on the verge of amusing ourselves to death.”"
— Neil Postman

“[M]ost of our daily news is inert, consisting of information that gives us something to talk about but cannot lead to any meaningful action. (68).”
— Neil Postman (Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business)

“Television is our culture’s principal mode of knowing about itself. Therefore — and this is the critical point — how television stages the world becomes the model for how the world is properly to be staged. It is not merely that on the television screen entertainment is the metaphor for all discourse. It is that off the screen the same metaphor prevails. (92)”
— Neil Postman (Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business)

“Technology always has unforeseen consequences, and it is not always clear, at the beginning, who or what will win, and who or what will lose…”
— Neil Postman

“[It] is not that television is entertaining but that it has made entertainment itself the natural format for the representation of all experience. […] The problem is not that television presents us with entertaining subject matter but that all subject matter is presented as entertaining. (87)”
— Neil Postman (Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business)

NOTE: THIS POST IS JUST FOR FUN…IT WILL NOT COUNT AS ONE OF YOUR POSTS FOR THE WEEK. I REPEAT, IT IS JUST FOR FUN. YOU ARE WELCOME TO COMMENT, BUT THE ONLY CREDIT YOU WILL GET IS THE PERSONAL SATISFACTION OF GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY.

Several of you have made comparisons between our song of the week and the Flobots. I had never heard the Flobots before these comparisons, so I looked them up and really liked what I heard. I can see some similarities to Cake in the song “Handlebars”, but after listening to some other songs I decided the comparison is very minimal. Also, most Cake songs do not sound like “The Distance”. John McCrea (the lead singer) actually sings on most of the songs instead of rap (if that’s what you call it). If you like the particular sound of “The Distance” some similar Cake songs are “Short Skirt Long Jacket”, “Rock and Roll Lifestyle”, and “Comfort Eagle”.

Anyway, I really liked “Handlebars” when I heard it, so I decided to post it here just for fun. You are welcome to comment. I think the song could generate some good discussion. However, since it is not our official song of the week it will not count as one of your posts.

Enjoy.

Listen here:
06 Handlebars 1

Handlebars
Flobots

I can ride my bike with no handlebars
No handlebars
No handlebars
I can ride my bike with no handlebars
No handlebars
No handlebars

Look at me Look at me
Hands in the air like its good to be
Alive and I’m a famous rapper
Even when the paths are all crookedy
I can show you how to dosey doe
I can show you how to scratch a record
I can take apart the remote control
And i can almost put it back together
I can tie a knot in a cherry stem
I can tell you about Leif Ericson
I know all the words to De Colores
And I’m proud to be an American
Me and my friends saw a platypus
Me and my friends made a comic book
And guess how long it took
I can do anything that I want ‘Cause

Look

I can keep rhythm with no metronome
No metronome
No metronome
I can see you face on the telephone
On the telephone
On the telephone

Look at me look at me
Just called to say that its good to be
Alive in such a small world
I’m all curled up with a book to read
I can make money open up a thrift store
I can make a living off a magazine
I can design an engine
64 miles to the gallon on gasoline
I can make new antibiotics
I can make computer survive aquatic
Conditions I know how to run the business
And i can make you wanna buy a product
Movers shakers and producers
Me and my friends understand the future
I see the strings that control the systems
I can do anything with no assistance ‘Cause

I can lead a nation with a microphone
With a microphone
With a microphone
And I can split the atoms of a molecule
Of a molecule
Of a molecule

Look at me Look at me
Driving and I won’t stop
And it feels so good to be alive and on top
My reach is global
My tower secure
My cause is noble
My power is pure
I can handout a million vaccinations
Or let em all die from exasperations
Have ‘em all healed from their lacerations
Or have em all killed by assassinations
I can make anybody go to prison
Just because I don’t like ‘em
I can do anything with no permission
I have it all under my command because

I can guide a missile by satellite
By satellite
By satellite
And I can hit a target through a telescope
Through a telescope
Through a telescope

And I can end the planet in a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust

I can ride my bike with no handlebars
No handlebars
No handlebars
I can ride my bike with no handlebars
No handlebars
No handlebars

Well, I was hoping to get a student-volunteered post for this week since those have been so popular, but, alas, none of you stepped up. If you would like to do the song of the week post for next week, shoot me an e-mail with the name of the song, the lyrics, and the reason you would like to do this song. If I choose it, be prepared to write the introduction to it and get it to me by Sunday night. Since no one volunteered, you’re stuck with my pick this week.

I decided to dig deep into the Hudson library of music for this week’s pick. I chose a band and song that was one of my favorites when I was around your age–Cake’s “The Distance”. The band is still around and working on a new CD, but it still makes me feel old that this song was popular so long ago.

I’ve always been a big fan of Cake (the band and the food!), and I’ve seen them in concert a couple of times. This was the very first song I heard by them, and it comes from their second album Fashion Nugget. When I was in college, a friend got me hooked on their first album (which remains my overall favorite), and I have remained a fan ever since. What I like so much about them is their unique sound. Much of this uniqueness comes from their use of distorted guitar sounds. In addition, they frequently use several instruments not commonly used in alternative music–the Moog, the trumpet (which is an instrument I hold near to my heart because I am a trumpeter–although not a very good one anymore), and–my personal favorite–the VIBRASLAP! (If you don’t know what a Vibraslap is, click here)

Another thing I admire about them is that they are very conservation-conscious. One thing they’ve done is made their studio where they record their albums completely solar-energy operated. Some of you expressed last week that knowing a little about the band helped you with understanding the song, so if you would like to read more about Cake, here’s a link you can use.
Cake Bio

So, hope you enjoy the song. It should be easy to discuss. It’s a great example of metaphor. If you would like to hear more, I can point you in the right direction.

tchrman

Listen:
02 The Distance

“The Distance”
Cake
Reluctantly crouched at the starting line,
Engines pumping and thumping in time.
The green light flashes, the flags go up.
Churning and burning, they yearn for the cup.
They deftly maneuver and muscle for rank,
Fuel burning fast on an empty tank.
Reckless and wild, they pour through the turns.
Their prowess is potent and secretly stearn.
As they speed through the finish, the flags go down.
The fans get up and they get out of town.
The arena is empty except for one man,
Still driving and striving as fast as he can.
The sun has gone down and the moon has come up,
And long ago somebody left with the cup.
But hes driving and striving and hugging the turns.
And thinking of someone for whom he still burns.

Hes going the distance.
Hes going for speed.
Shes all alone
In her time of need.
Because hes racing and pacing and plotting the course,
Hes fighting and biting and riding on his horse,
Hes going the distance.

No trophy, no flowers, no flashbulbs, no wine,
Hes haunted by something he cannot define.
Bowel-shaking earthquakes of doubt and remorse,
Assail him, impale him with monster-truck force.
In his mind, hes still driving,still making the grade.
Shes hoping in time that her memories will fade.
Cause hes racing and pacing and plotting the course,
Hes fighting and biting and riding on his horse.
The sun has gone down and the moon has come up,
And long ago somebody left with the cup.
But hes striving and driving and hugging the turns.
And thinking of someone for whom he still burns.

Cause hes going the distance.
Hes going for speed.
Shes all alone
In her time of need.
Because hes racing and pacing and plotting the course,
Hes fighting and biting and riding on his horse.
Hes racing and pacing and plotting the course,
Hes fighting and biting and riding on his horse.
Hes going the distance.
Hes going for speed.
Hes going the distance.