Pattern Recognition Brainstorm

Marketing

            From the beginning of the novel, we learn about Cayce’s fear of market symbols and logos. Cayce is prone to commercial logos, and only wears plain things, not caring about the name brand. This stood out to me because her job as a “coolhunter” forces her to see the popularity trends in these big name corporations and analyze them for future market purposes. So why would Cayce want to do a job that puts herself in the face of her deepest phobia? Or maybe this is why Cayce is so good at her job—she is able to see past the name brands that people are so attracted to and see something for what it’s truly worth. Although ashamed, I can personally say that I have bought products purely because of the name brand. Many people care about their appearance to others, and having popular apparel, or whatever it may be, seems like the “cool” thing to have. So maybe Gibson is trying to convey through Cayce that people are caring too much about name brands.

Internet and the Prospects of Online Social Networks

            Gibson puts an emphasis on the growing dependence on Internet through Cayce’s passion for her blog. We learn that “The forum has become one of the most consistent places in her life”(4) which shows how much she is reliant on it for stability. At the time this book was written, there was no facebook, which to me is exactly the behavior that this book targets. Gibson saw into the future of a day where people spend hours communicating and “social networking” through the Internet, interacting with others across the country and even the world, which is what facebook allows. I know people that can’t spend a day without going on facebook, and even when you’re with them they’ll go on facebook through their cell phones. To me, Gibson is showing his prediction or fear of the growing technology and popularity of the Internet. Part of Cayce’s life is her blog on F:F:F and many people today would say facebook takes up a good portion of their lives too. But what happened to personal contact? Whether it be face-to-face or telephone conversations, is this new age in technology a positive or is it negatively affecting the way we interact with people everyday?

"A Rose for Emily" from Tobe's perspective

            As “A Rose for Emily” is originally written, we perceive Emily and Tobe as outsiders and the abnormal people in the town. We know little about them, and only what others view them as. If William Faulkner's short story, were written through Tobe, in a first person singular point of view, the whole tone of the story would change.

One major change that would occur is the way Emily is viewed by the reader. Because Tobe is the only person that knows Emily personally, and sees her on a day-to-day basis, he would give us insight to the way she thinks and the type of person she really is. Right now we see her as a deranged person who murdered someone and never goes out, but maybe if we saw it through Tobe’s eyes we would see all the pain and heartache she went through to get her to that point. We may also feel more sympathetic towards her because we would know everything she went through that the townspeople never saw.

There would also be a discrete change in the setting of the story. Although he is only mentioned briefly throughout the story, Tobe is seen as “the Negro man,” and looked down upon because of his race and status as a servant. People underestimate him, because of this status, and never treated him properly. If we were to see the story through Tobe’s perspective we would get a clear idea about the racial conditions during this time and the way he felt towards the white townspeople. Instead of seeing the condescending way they felt about him, we would probably see the disgusted way he felt about them.

Finally, we would be able to see in the mind of Tobe. We would see his feelings for Emily, which were hidden before. Right now we are clueless as to their relationship, not knowing whether it was a romantic relationship or a hateful one. Knowing this would clarify why he stood by Emily for so many years and possibly why she decided to kill Homer. We could also see how Tobe felt about Homer and how he felt about what Emily did to him. From Tobe’s perspective, we could see how Emily progressed to be the way she was and how his life got pulled into catering to her needs.

This story has so many unanswered questions and seeing it through different points of view would help to answer many of those questions. 

All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace

One of the issues that arises when you read something is people can have differing interpretations of what an author is trying to convey. This is especially true in Richard Brautigan’s poem, "All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace".

The author has an anti-technological tone where in the first stanza, Brautigan immediately pleas for the need for man and machine to co-exist together “(and the sooner the better!)”(1-2). His use of the term "cybernetic meadow"(3) gives an image of nature and machines living as one. Brautigan completes the first stanza longing for a return to the days of "pure water touching clear sky"(7-8). In the second stanza Brautigan goes on to plead, "(right now, please!)”(10) for the urgent harmony of nature and electronics. Brautigan uses the image of "deer strolling peacefully past computers as if they were flowers with spinning blossoms"(11-14) to convey the irony of being far from peaceful. In the end, Brautigan now demands, “(it has be!)”(16) that society discontinue it's dependence on machines "free of our labors"(18) and return back to a harmonious time where man and nature can co-exist "watched over by machines of loving grace"(22-23).

The way the poem is written it can also can be open to interpretation as having a pro technological stance. In the first stanza, Brautigan writes about "programming harmony like pure water touching clear sky"(6-8). This conveys the image of man and machine being able to make things perfect. In the second stanza, Brautigan sees the possibility for "(right now please)”(10) of machines and nature doing unbelievable things "computers as if they were flowers with spinning blossoms"(14-16). In the end, Brautigan demands "(it has to be!)”(16) that people accept technology and not be afraid of it "all watched over by machines of loving grace"(22-23).

My interpretation of Brautigan's poem is of an anti-technology stance. Brautigan begins every stanza with urgent pleas to look at the symbiosis of machines and nature. Brautigan's use of opposing images "cybernetic forest"(11) and "cybernetic meadow"(3), gives the feeling of two completely opposing ideas and how could they work? The tone of the poem implies sarcastically that if we as a society continue to let machines do our work "we are free of our labors"(20) that we will soon be taken over by machines "watched over by machines of loving grace"(22-23).