Comments on: Postmodernism http://engl242.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/postmodernism/ blog for ENGL 242 Sat, 03 May 2008 21:02:59 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Everett Wall http://engl242.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/postmodernism/#comment-710 Everett Wall Sat, 03 May 2008 01:55:02 +0000 http://engl242.wordpress.com/?p=38#comment-710 I had several questions about the balloon itself as I read this story. Was the balloon a metaphorical insertion into the city life? I thought that possibly the balloon served as a representation of freedom and not being tied down to anything. A balloon, in certain instances, is free to go where it desires. As this balloon was controlled by man, I thought that the "driver" was in charge of his own freedom and destiny. Why was the balloon created with such boring color? The sky is described as drab as well. I would have expected a colorful and vibrant balloon juxtaposed with the unexciting sky. The city is this huge industrial,mechanized place inundated with large buildings and people running from one place to another. The balloon could have been a lot of things in this story. Was it the representation of an individual missing his girlfriend? It is possible.I feel that the balloon served its purpose by causing me to evaulate its purpose, function and possible representation within the story. I had several questions about the balloon itself as I read this story. Was the balloon a metaphorical insertion into the city life? I thought that possibly the balloon served as a representation of freedom and not being tied down to anything. A balloon, in certain instances, is free to go where it desires. As this balloon was controlled by man, I thought that the “driver” was in charge of his own freedom and destiny. Why was the balloon created with such boring color? The sky is described as drab as well. I would have expected a colorful and vibrant balloon juxtaposed with the unexciting sky. The city is this huge industrial,mechanized place inundated with large buildings and people running from one place to another. The balloon could have been a lot of things in this story. Was it the representation of an individual missing his girlfriend? It is possible.I feel that the balloon served its purpose by causing me to evaulate its purpose, function and possible representation within the story.

]]> By: Danielle Baker http://engl242.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/postmodernism/#comment-709 Danielle Baker Sat, 03 May 2008 01:53:02 +0000 http://engl242.wordpress.com/?p=38#comment-709 Just like Dr. Mary Klages describes postmodernism, “The Balloon” is hard to define. I do think that we are overanalyzing what the balloon could mean. If we really wanted we could have the balloon represent anything we want: Nuclear War, commercialism, the main characters feelings looming over him… the list goes on. This fact, I think, makes the story entertaining and captivating. With postmodernism writing, I believe that you can make the story relate to any situation you want. Just like Dr. Mary Klages describes postmodernism, “The Balloon” is hard to define. I do think that we are overanalyzing what the balloon could mean. If we really wanted we could have the balloon represent anything we want: Nuclear War, commercialism, the main characters feelings looming over him… the list goes on. This fact, I think, makes the story entertaining and captivating. With postmodernism writing, I believe that you can make the story relate to any situation you want.

]]> By: Wanda Plaatje http://engl242.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/postmodernism/#comment-705 Wanda Plaatje Fri, 02 May 2008 21:33:59 +0000 http://engl242.wordpress.com/?p=38#comment-705 “The Balloon.” Now, when I started reading it, I thought the lack of description in the beginning didn’t mean that it lacked plot. So while reading through it, I kept waiting for the punch line and purpose of the balloon. So near the end I was like “Okay … where’s the ending?” and I silently wondered to myself that if I’d shot down the balloon it might just be revealed to me. Yet, now that I understand postmodernism a little more accurately, I can honestly state that I did get the meaning of the story or more the question, “Isn’t life answerless?” “The Balloon.” Now, when I started reading it, I thought the lack of description in the beginning didn’t mean that it lacked plot. So while reading through it, I kept waiting for the punch line and purpose of the balloon. So near the end I was like “Okay … where’s the ending?” and I silently wondered to myself that if I’d shot down the balloon it might just be revealed to me. Yet, now that I understand postmodernism a little more accurately, I can honestly state that I did get the meaning of the story or more the question, “Isn’t life answerless?”

]]> By: Hannah Prentice http://engl242.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/postmodernism/#comment-687 Hannah Prentice Fri, 02 May 2008 20:00:40 +0000 http://engl242.wordpress.com/?p=38#comment-687 The Baloon was a great story. The fact that the author was able to point out the fact that no one would have been so intrigued by the balloon if it had some sort of a saying or slogan on it is so very true. If someone would put a huge balloon on top of Old Main with Obama, Clinton, or McCain written on it, nobody would bat an eye. However, if a large balloon with no writing on it was seen up there, people would throw a fit and demand to know what it was doing up there. In a society filled with so much attention paid to advertising its suprising that we don't have a huge balloon flying over campus right now. The Baloon was a great story. The fact that the author was able to point out the fact that no one would have been so intrigued by the balloon if it had some sort of a saying or slogan on it is so very true. If someone would put a huge balloon on top of Old Main with Obama, Clinton, or McCain written on it, nobody would bat an eye. However, if a large balloon with no writing on it was seen up there, people would throw a fit and demand to know what it was doing up there. In a society filled with so much attention paid to advertising its suprising that we don’t have a huge balloon flying over campus right now.

]]> By: Tim Harden http://engl242.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/postmodernism/#comment-673 Tim Harden Fri, 02 May 2008 18:12:10 +0000 http://engl242.wordpress.com/?p=38#comment-673 After going through actual philosophical texts, stories that toe the line towards them don't seam so bad. The level of confusion you deal with is all a matter of how much you can take in, and how far you're willing to deal with thigns beyond the norm of what you're used to. Beyond the baloon, the ideas for such text are present in post-modernism, as you see styles and ideas evolving, particularly present in Maus. The evolution from comic strips to graphic novels follows the realization of potential, as it begins to strike authors that the form is capable of a degree of expression difficult in words or pictures alone. Ideas are more than simple words, after all, and oftentimes it is far easier to express complex and subtle ideas and feelings in art form. But words add structure to our thinking, and as such structure to the art of the graphic novel as well. The result is a powerful new story-telling tool, one which holds capability to sway people without their realizing just what triggered it, and to reveal expressions and feelings that would be lost in the time it took to convey them via words. After going through actual philosophical texts, stories that toe the line towards them don’t seam so bad. The level of confusion you deal with is all a matter of how much you can take in, and how far you’re willing to deal with thigns beyond the norm of what you’re used to. Beyond the baloon, the ideas for such text are present in post-modernism, as you see styles and ideas evolving, particularly present in Maus. The evolution from comic strips to graphic novels follows the realization of potential, as it begins to strike authors that the form is capable of a degree of expression difficult in words or pictures alone. Ideas are more than simple words, after all, and oftentimes it is far easier to express complex and subtle ideas and feelings in art form. But words add structure to our thinking, and as such structure to the art of the graphic novel as well. The result is a powerful new story-telling tool, one which holds capability to sway people without their realizing just what triggered it, and to reveal expressions and feelings that would be lost in the time it took to convey them via words.

]]> By: Josh Tribble http://engl242.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/postmodernism/#comment-667 Josh Tribble Fri, 02 May 2008 17:52:34 +0000 http://engl242.wordpress.com/?p=38#comment-667 After reading "The Balloon" i found my strangely entertained, it seems as if the adults in the story try to over analyze the concept or the purpose of the balloon, just as some of us are doing here. The adults in the story eventually became baffled by the balloon to a point where the authorities were called into action, while the children in the story play on the balloon and merely enjoy the presence of the balloon and not analyzing the meaning at all just coexisting with it. I also think come over analyize the story, just as Barthelme writes in the last portion of the story; there are so many ways to interpret such a vague ocurrence that we may as well not interpret the balloon itself. I merely found the story to be absurd in its premise and it seems a bit ambiguous to me, all the while I think the story is comical and entertaining nontheless. After reading “The Balloon” i found my strangely entertained, it seems as if the adults in the story try to over analyze the concept or the purpose of the balloon, just as some of us are doing here. The adults in the story eventually became baffled by the balloon to a point where the authorities were called into action, while the children in the story play on the balloon and merely enjoy the presence of the balloon and not analyzing the meaning at all just coexisting with it. I also think come over analyize the story, just as Barthelme writes in the last portion of the story; there are so many ways to interpret such a vague ocurrence that we may as well not interpret the balloon itself. I merely found the story to be absurd in its premise and it seems a bit ambiguous to me, all the while I think the story is comical and entertaining nontheless.

]]> By: Emily Rieck http://engl242.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/postmodernism/#comment-658 Emily Rieck Fri, 02 May 2008 17:05:32 +0000 http://engl242.wordpress.com/?p=38#comment-658 I agree with statements above that maybe the balloon is being over-anaylyzed. If it were to be something that is so complex and hard to grasp on to, or difficult to understand then why would it be just a balloon? I would personally think that if the story were to reflect some huge deeper meaning the author would use something a little more complex or intricate that an everyday balloon. Maybe it is just supposed to stand for awareness instead of one thought or idea that is too hard to grasp. Or a very basic concept that people should spend more time noticing. As with "Cathedral" both stories have a basic plot that somewhat ends in a debatable arguement to either view the world with an open mind, or a closed mind. I agree with statements above that maybe the balloon is being over-anaylyzed. If it were to be something that is so complex and hard to grasp on to, or difficult to understand then why would it be just a balloon? I would personally think that if the story were to reflect some huge deeper meaning the author would use something a little more complex or intricate that an everyday balloon. Maybe it is just supposed to stand for awareness instead of one thought or idea that is too hard to grasp. Or a very basic concept that people should spend more time noticing. As with “Cathedral” both stories have a basic plot that somewhat ends in a debatable arguement to either view the world with an open mind, or a closed mind.

]]> By: Kristin Olson http://engl242.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/postmodernism/#comment-655 Kristin Olson Fri, 02 May 2008 15:42:34 +0000 http://engl242.wordpress.com/?p=38#comment-655 Raymond Carver’s short story, “Cathedral,” is a classic example of postmodern literature. The main theme that classifies this work as postmodern is the irony of the story. In the story, there is a comparison made between the narrator and the blind visitor, Robert. The narrator seems to take his life for granted- mainly since he resists new experiences and defines “truth” as that which comes from TV and/or movies. In contrast, despite Robert’s blindness, he is always learning something new and experiencing as much as he can out of life. The irony here is that the narrator seems to actually be more “blind” in comparison to Robert. Towards the end of the story, Robert asks the narrator to describe a cathedral. The narrator finds this rather difficult to describe in words, so Robert asks the narrator to draw a cathedral while he holds the narrator’s hand. By closing his eyes, the narrator is able to see the world differently, through a blind man’s perspective. With this, the narrator reaches an emotional epiphany (another theme of postmodernism), thanks to his connection he establishes with Robert. Before this experience, I am certain that the narrator never dreamed of seeing the world in such an unconventional way. Hence, another theme of this story shows the reader how difficult it can be for an individual, like the narrator, to transcend the postmodern world. Raymond Carver’s short story, “Cathedral,” is a classic example of postmodern literature. The main theme that classifies this work as postmodern is the irony of the story. In the story, there is a comparison made between the narrator and the blind visitor, Robert. The narrator seems to take his life for granted- mainly since he resists new experiences and defines “truth” as that which comes from TV and/or movies. In contrast, despite Robert’s blindness, he is always learning something new and experiencing as much as he can out of life. The irony here is that the narrator seems to actually be more “blind” in comparison to Robert.

Towards the end of the story, Robert asks the narrator to describe a cathedral. The narrator finds this rather difficult to describe in words, so Robert asks the narrator to draw a cathedral while he holds the narrator’s hand. By closing his eyes, the narrator is able to see the world differently, through a blind man’s perspective. With this, the narrator reaches an emotional epiphany (another theme of postmodernism), thanks to his connection he establishes with Robert. Before this experience, I am certain that the narrator never dreamed of seeing the world in such an unconventional way. Hence, another theme of this story shows the reader how difficult it can be for an individual, like the narrator, to transcend the postmodern world.

]]> By: Kevin G. Myrmoe http://engl242.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/postmodernism/#comment-646 Kevin G. Myrmoe Fri, 02 May 2008 05:41:40 +0000 http://engl242.wordpress.com/?p=38#comment-646 "The Baloon" was a story that did not catch my attention at all. I often found myself questioning what I was reading. Because of that, it is not a traditional story. When I read a traditional story, I believe that I should not have to analyze what I am reading. Because I have to analyze it, I find it difficult to like. "The Baloon" does represent postmodernism in the fact that it is clearly different from modernism style of writing. After taking a sociology class that dealt with issues such as modernism and postmodernism, I was able to relate to these different stories that we have read in class. It is easy to tell that postmodernism came directly from modernism, however it is easy to tell the differences between the two. I enjoy modernism more than postmodernism, but they are both important aspects of writing to study. “The Baloon” was a story that did not catch my attention at all. I often found myself questioning what I was reading. Because of that, it is not a traditional story. When I read a traditional story, I believe that I should not have to analyze what I am reading. Because I have to analyze it, I find it difficult to like. “The Baloon” does represent postmodernism in the fact that it is clearly different from modernism style of writing. After taking a sociology class that dealt with issues such as modernism and postmodernism, I was able to relate to these different stories that we have read in class. It is easy to tell that postmodernism came directly from modernism, however it is easy to tell the differences between the two. I enjoy modernism more than postmodernism, but they are both important aspects of writing to study.

]]> By: Liz Hunhoff http://engl242.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/postmodernism/#comment-632 Liz Hunhoff Fri, 02 May 2008 04:19:29 +0000 http://engl242.wordpress.com/?p=38#comment-632 "The Balloon" is probably the most out there story I have read in a long time. The way the story flows seems almost as if the narrator has some type of personality disorder because he switches so frequently from idea to idea. It is a story that is set apart from others, and is definitely one that can be easily remembered. I also thought that the story had a "doom" sort of tone. It wasn't happy and it seemed like something was being hidden the entire time. I think that post modernism is a very interesting genre and would like to read more works from around this time period. “The Balloon” is probably the most out there story I have read in a long time. The way the story flows seems almost as if the narrator has some type of personality disorder because he switches so frequently from idea to idea. It is a story that is set apart from others, and is definitely one that can be easily remembered. I also thought that the story had a “doom” sort of tone. It wasn’t happy and it seemed like something was being hidden the entire time. I think that post modernism is a very interesting genre and would like to read more works from around this time period.

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