This response is in response to the essay "Notation and the Art of Reading" by Karl Young. In the essay Young gives four examples of kinesthetic, which he defines as “the link between sight, sound, and speech.”
The first example is from the Aztec culture. Young describes the books used by the Aztecs, though one could infer by his description that they were more like scrolls. These books were inscribed with pictographs and symbols that did not have an implicit meaning, but rather served as means in which the Aztec readers could recall stories (which were in the form of song) from their memory. In other words, these books were not used to tell stories, but rather as a means to pass them on. Young explains that children would be told these stories while being showed the books. The images would then serve as a reminder as they learned to memorize the stories they were told. This is how the Aztec books were kinesthetic. The stories were sung, aiding to the speech and sound aspect, and at the same time the books showed images that related to the story, which satisfies the sight requirement.
The next example is from Chinese culture. In this section Young describes calligraphy and the poetry of it. Unfortunately Young fails to mention which form of the Chinese language he is talking about, but it is best to assume that he means Mandarin. Young speaks of how poetry was to be deciphered, read, read aloud, thought about, and then honored though artistry, song, or poetry (if the reader was moved by it). One thing Young glosses over is just how complex Kanji is, such as the fact there are multiple write a single word and the fact that these multiple ways are made up of simpler words that give the larger word a different feel. This adds to the way the poem is to be written and deciphered. Again this form is kinesthetic as the words are spoken to be fully appreciated and can sometimes gift the reader with their meaning.
The third example that is given is the writing of the late 16th and early 17th century, most notably the writings of Shakespeare and Donne. In this example Young talks about how written word was not yet formalized and writers would often write the same word multiple ways in order to show how it was supposed to be spoken. At the same time words were often used to be puns, or rather represent other things as well as themselves. At times the true meanings of the poems were not revealed until they were spoken, much like the Chinese poems, thus making them kinesthetic.
EDIT: 08/28/08
Looking back I realize I fundamentally missed the definition of kinesthetic.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
History if Web Use
I've been using computers as long as I can remember, largely because there was always at least two computers in my house. A new(ish) one for my father and his work and a older one for me and my sister to use. I have used every single OS by both Microsoft and Apple.
My family has varying degrees of techno-know how My dad suffered the delusion of technosavyness but in reality he just knew how most of it worked, being as he was a scientist. My sister could write C++ and HTML and practically lived on the web for a few years. Oddly, my mother was, and to a degree still is, technophobic. The last computer she used before me and my sister got her to use a computer with XP on it was one of those huge computers that used punch cards. I am a mix between my father, my mother, and my sister. I know how the hardware of computers work and I know a bit about coding, but I have a slight fear of computers and a small dislike of the internet.
Anyways, I mostly use the internet for gaming and researching for writing. I also use if for shopping for those hard to find things.
My personal feeling towards the Web is a Love/Hate Relationship. There are certain aspects of it that I like and others that make me want to destroy it.
My family has varying degrees of techno-know how My dad suffered the delusion of technosavyness but in reality he just knew how most of it worked, being as he was a scientist. My sister could write C++ and HTML and practically lived on the web for a few years. Oddly, my mother was, and to a degree still is, technophobic. The last computer she used before me and my sister got her to use a computer with XP on it was one of those huge computers that used punch cards. I am a mix between my father, my mother, and my sister. I know how the hardware of computers work and I know a bit about coding, but I have a slight fear of computers and a small dislike of the internet.
Anyways, I mostly use the internet for gaming and researching for writing. I also use if for shopping for those hard to find things.
My personal feeling towards the Web is a Love/Hate Relationship. There are certain aspects of it that I like and others that make me want to destroy it.
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