Thursday, May 1, 2008

White Noise Day

Though I thought that WND was a very good experience, I felt like it relied too heavily on a student's ability to use and edit video. Having no prior experience in this field, I felt a bit at a disadvantage compared to others who could produce quality material (in the form of their movie) from their taping.

WNOISE

In the novel there are several instances of back-and-forth dialogue that are absurd in the lack of thought that each character puts into their own statements. I found this in the dialogue on page twenty-eight (What do you want to do?...whatever you want to do...I want to do whatever's best for you...what's best for me is to please you...etc). These dialogues definitely satirize the abruptness and lack of depth in social interactions, and I think they do so very affectively.

WN

"Society is set up in such a way that it's the poor and the uneducated who suffer the main impact of natural and man-made disasters" (115) is a quote that I found particularly interesting. It is a quote that, though no one would ever admit it, many people do actually believe in. I think this say-what-most-people-only-think satire is extremely effective and sharp.

Delillo sees the future

Just like we said in class that Delillo's writings on the overabundance of information in society- before the internet was even invented- were almost prophetic, I also think that he was way ahead of his time in terms of writing about pollution. His phrase about the "toxic cloud," "this was a death made in the laboratory" (127) is particularly prophetic, as global warming and other environmental problems have been directly caused by human's use of chemicals invented in labs.

White Noise

Though I did enjoy reading White Noise, some parts of it were frustrating to read. I was particularly frustrated during the sections of the book in which the subject matter was Babette's pill usage. Each time a character asked Babette if she was taking pills, the conversation somehow moved to a very different topic. These digressions were frustrating as a reader, as I just wanted to know whether or not she was taking pills.

my last post

I just thought I would comment on today's in-class writing assignment.  I agreed with Neitszche's statement about conflict arising from the juxtaposition of chaos and order in the plot and also the contrasting themes throughout the novel, particularly those regarding death.

wn

I really liked the book for all its intricacies.  I can't say that it was my favorite in terms of plot, but the endless contradictions and switching back and forth between chaos and order were very interesting.

typical family?

i was reading a discussion guide about white noise and one of the questions that was asked was do you think jack and babette's family is a "typical american family" and, if not, how are they unusual or unique. i thought that jack and babette have a very typical american family in the present day sense that everybody has problems and these days, it's almost unusual to NOT have some sort of merged family. so, in that sense, i think that jack belongs to a very typical family and i also think that that might contribute somewhat to his need to seem better than he is and not quite so average.
-Bonnie

plot+narration

another thing i thought was really intriguing was how the narration paralleled the plot of the novel in that both were somewhat random and erratic. when the plot was rambling (like in the beginning with the line of station wagons going on for miles)the narration did too, describing all the things that kids were taking out of the cars, etc. 
-Bonnie

how jack presents himself

i think one of the really interesting things about white noise was how jack tried to present himself and make himself worthy of such weighty subject matter as he teaches.  for example, he adds initials to seem more academic  and revels in the formal clothing that the professors wear at college on the hill. without frivolous clothing to enhance his image, jack just seems like a normal person rather than an important professor. i think this realization greatly influences how jack acts throughout the novel.
-Bonnie 

English Class

Hello,
I am in english class. Right now. We are about to write about White Noise, but I'm disappointed because this prompt is about White Noise, not my favorite topic, White Noise Day. However, White Noise Day got me so excited about the book in general that I am still mildly excited.
Thanks,
Charlie

What I learned from White Noise Day

School teaches students to prepare. But, under the spotlight, many students have not yet been taught how to improvise and think on their feet. This was revealed by students who were overwhelmed and unable to answer on the spot interviews. It was really interesting to find out.
Thanks,
Charlie
ps
from charlie

Welcome!

Glad to see so many of you here! I wonder if White Noise Day will ever work again, or if it will always lack spontaneity after this year.
I loved white noise day so much!!! Everyone was so interested in other people's quotes!! They all really took time to interpret the material in different ways and look into it really deeply. It was a great final project because it allowed us to get out of the class room and we were able to be interactive with others in the process. My quote was " May the days be aimless. Let the seasons drift. Do not advance he action according to a plan (98). I love this quote because it really encaptures how a lot of people see life and live life. I personally think it's important to live every day as it comes and not have to plan everything.

white noise day in general

although i wasn't here on the actual White Noise day, i definitely still felt how people felt about it- mainly, their hesitation to be on video. many people had already been asked for quotes several times and were therefore reluctant to give me an answer. once they did, however, most of the responses were thoughtful and insightful.
I liked the idea of white noise day as a senior project because of its more interactive nature, rather than just taking a test or writing a paper. i think white noise day should definitely be kept as the senior project.
-Bonnie

white noise day video results

"How much could one word matter?"

When I asked my interview subjects this question for the White Noise day video, a lot of them had the same reaction: that it actually matters a lot. A word can be the difference between a yes and no, or it can turn a hurtful statement into a helpful one. Only one person said that one word doesn't make much of a difference because another word can always be used to combat it.
I thought it was interesting that almost everybody had the same basic answer but all of their examples and logic were different.
-Bonnie

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

White Noise Day

I had a great day on White Noise Day. My participants were very eager to participate in my project, and they all brought very interesting things to say. My quote, i felt, was very inspirational and crucial for all readers to understand. 
"there are only two places in the world. Where we live and our television sets..." that phrase alone is SO crucial! How corrupt and inhibited are we if we only have TWO places in our world... one of which is not even real.
i think its rather sick.

White Noise Day

I certainly agree that White Noise Day was the most fun and definitely the most interesting "culminating event", but after watching everyones interviews the day seemed to lose its purpose. The interviews were usually funny, there were definitely some very insightful responses, but the majority of interviews seemed to not go in the direction anyone intended.
This problem might also just be a part of what White Noise Day is all about. When you look at little pieces of White Noise, the individual quotes, everything seems ridiculous or out of place. Many of the interviews of people who have not read White Noise made that point more than obvious by having vastly different interpretations of the quotes from the discussions we had in class.
Overall I think White Noise Day is a hard concept to pull of and the purpose could easily be lost, but looking back on the discussion we had in my class, everything that I think may have hindered the purpose just went to support it.

-CJ

White Noise day

"“I got out of bed in the middle of the night and went to the small room at the end of the hall to watch Steffie and Wilder sleep. I remained at this task, motionless, for nearly an hour, feeling refreshed and expanded in unnameable ways”
I'd have to say this gave people a lot more trouble than i had anticipated, however that seemed to be a common problem. The input i was able to receive some of my interviewers was exceptional and even helped me to look more deeply into my quote and find its real meaning in clarity.

-Dwight

whit noise

i personally felt asthough this was a really cool culminating experience/project for us seniors b/c instead of sitting and taking a test or writing a paper we can show what we learned in a small write up and video which is alot less boring then sitting in class writing an essay

-ANdy

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen I had an excellent White Noise Day,
I found insight in the contrasting views of the independently thinking minds who received my random quotes from a multitude of levels of knowledge of the actual context. Some people didn't believe that such a satirical novel as Delillo's White Noise even existed. Others were familiar with its every line comma and colon, the majority of individuals fell somewhere in between these outlying few. I had fun,
thanks,
charlie

picture

I just now noticed the picture on the top of this blog, behind the WND title.  I think it's very fitting in its dreary, used, and regular nature.  Perhaps the earthiness of the photograph enables it to blend into the page without drawing any attention whatsoever.  I think it is extremely appropriate for the occasion.

responseless

Did anyone else not really get responses?  So many people ran up to me eager to participate in the White Noise Day festivities until they actually read my quote.  Then they scurried off, a little embarrassed, leaving me to fend for people actually willing to confront the awkwardness of talking about Hitler into a tape recorder.

Withdrawal

Yesterday was White Noise Day consequenting in the best English class of the year. White Noise Day was awesome for a variety of reasons, we didn't have to wear dress code (and now us seniors don't have to wear dress code for the rest of the year!!!) we got to walk around all day filming our peers in really awkward situations and it was much better than having to take a test. The brilliance of this day, is that there are no true assessments (i.e. tests, quizzes, finals) instead we get to write out own blog!

Kent L Lambie

Dont go in alone

Yesterday was White Noise Day, and although I got some thoughtful responses from the student body, I also encountered some hostility from this schools inhabitants, and I've got a few black eyes and a restraining order to show for it. A large majority of the students I interviewed were very awkward and didn't know what to do with themselves and were clearly looking for a means of escape by stalling more questions from me with feeble and shallow responses. But then again, how could you really respond to me announcing "Marvelous bone structure".

White Rap

So yesterday was White Noise day,
it was pretty chill I got to say.
Walking around out of dress code,
our minds were in a different mode.
Got so many glances at my chest,
thank god for this, instead of a test.
I got some people on my video,
But they were shy and pretty slow.
White Noise white noise, thats the stuff,
For satire students we're pretty tough.
I'm done with this blog and almost school,
Summer is soon and its gonna rule.

Monday, April 28, 2008

white noise

Reflections:
I found it very difficult to respond to some of the quotes, I feel bad for the people whom I asked since it is even harder when the quotes are taken out of context.
Also, someone asked me today why we were not walking around school with white noise machines and unfortunately I did not really think about this until later, but looking back I think we should have disconnected the TVs in the locker lounge so they would make white noise all day

Quote Selection

"Better him than Me" was the quote i finally settled upon. I decided to be mature and pick this quote instead of choosing a quote that would probably be deemed inappropriate by the administration but hilarious by my friends. I chose this quote because i thought it would receive a variety of responses, but that was not the case. To me, the quote brings up personal feelings because i known i have said these exact words but am not proud to admit to it. The responses that i received were not nearly what i anticipated they would be, but i will focus on that next time!!!


Kent L. Lambie

My White noise experience

I think this project was very funny as well as interesting because we all (students) got to take quotes out of the book and ask other students and faculty members what there interpretations or opignions of the quotes were. Although some reactions were doused with confusion and bliss some interpritations gave new meaning and perspective to the quote I used. This outer perspective of people who did not read the book gave me a more out of context but meaningfull analysis of the words. I felt asthough those students who did read the book were less likly to be as open to interpritation of the quote but equally ready to share their ideas.


-Andy C

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Beware of Your Own Home

"It's the things right around you in your own house that'll get you sooner or later. It's the electrical and magnetic fields." (175)

That's definitely my quote. That took forever. It's really hard to commit. But I got one.

Partly aided, I think, by the movie "Baby Mama" today. One of the characters is really good at "reading energies" and I don't think I totally believe in that stuff but I definitely do somewhat. I mean, I don't have a microwave, and I think it is weird when your cell phone hurts your ear. I think the threats in your house are the biggest ones -- your family, your bathtub, your own personality. Not to mention all the magnetic fields. So that's my quote.

What's yours?

Happy White Noise Eve!

Happy White Noise Eve! We have our noisemakers and in a few minutes we are leaving for Times Square. I'm sure people will be coming from everywhere to celebrate White Noise Day. I wonder if they will all wear white T-shirts the way we are. Will they wear their quotes around their necks on a chain, or on a scarf in their hair? I wonder how they celebrate White Noise Day in New Zealand. You know when they show the movies from all over the world for New Year's Eve? It's so different all over.

If you haven't been able to post on this blog, you can add your quote in a comment -- that would be great. See you tomorrow, and as always, WNF (white noise forever).

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Enter Quote Here

For Mr. Cunningham's students. I know some of you may really be eager to have your quote selected. So if you are having trouble creating a post, joining the blog, please just add a comment to this post, and select your quote. Make sure you sign your name.

Thanks!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

It puts the date when you post it

Apparently, you don't need to date entries to a blog -- it puts the date when you post it. This is just the kind of automatic engagement with time I think Delillo would appreciate. I don't need to say what time it is -- the time knows. What is my purpose, anyway? If I am not needed as even a recorder of the time, what am I here for?

Perhaps I am here to observe. Perhaps that is what WND is all about -- observation. Listening. Listening to that which is ordinarily ignored. Listening to the white noise.

Eh, I don't know. I doubt it. Maybe WND is here to remind us that every day is WND, just like, when little kids say, "Why is there Mother's Day and Father's Day but no Children's Day?" the adults are trained to say, "Every day is Children's Day."

When I was a little girl there was a television show called "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" and it had a day called "Do As You Please Day." I wanted one.

Maybe WND is Do As You Please Day.

I doubt it.

Either/Or?

Here is a confusing, but interesting, look into the wonder that is Babette: 

"Either I'm taking something and I don't remember or I'm not taking something and I don't remember.  My life is either/or.  Either I chew regular gum or I chew sugarless gum.  Either I chew gum or I smoke.  Either I smoke or I gain weight.  Either I gain weight or I run up the stadium steps."

"Sounds like a boring life"
"I hope it lasts forever," she said. (53)

I like this idea. Someone's life being either/or. I don't particular even care about what she is choosing either/or between.  I am amused by the notion of life being an "either/or"

Others' thoughts?

Either I teach or I starve!

and Heinrich for President.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

white noise day is coming--beware

I'm going to look for my white noise machine and my white clothes because White Noise Day is coming and I really, really need to be ready. It's the first White Noise Day that I know of, and it really feels like setting out on new territory. Will there be water? Should I pack more than I can carry? Will the natives be friendly? I am restless and ready to go. I've got my pocket translation dictionary...do you?