He sat at the computer, completely still, lost in concentration, his thick black glasses hiding any glimpse of expression which may have passed across his face. His fingers seemed to be permanently rooted in the keyboard, limbs of an old wise tree, studying his surroundings, and taking in nature. His great trunk, and all of his branches sat still for what seemed to be an eternity as he remained completely consumed by his work. As I studied this great tree further, I observed his moss colored sweater which covered most of his trunk, and the brown leaves that sat upon his head, still as the branches they grew on.

I observed this man, longing for a movement, a twitch, a hair flip, anything, and it felt as though I would have to sit there, taking in his stillness for an eternity. Suddenly, a movement, a turn to the woman next to him and the beginnings of a conversation. As he spoke his hands quickly flung everywhere, fireworks exploding with excitement at his every word, I was in awe. It seemed uncharacteristic of such an old wise tree to be filled with such excitement and movement. However, after a few moments of conversation, he returned to his work, stone cold and still, completely serious once again. It was then that I realized I had chosen quite a peculiar subject, one of many dimmensions, but only two of which I had witnessed, I longed to sit there longer and observed this man, but suddenly he stood, collected his things, and left.

Although this man left before I could fully observed the spectrum of his behavior, I got a feeling for his personality. This man is a dedicated and wise student, swayed only by the companionship of his friends, but focused completely on work. He is reminiscent of an old tree, or nature, because of his nearly unbreakable concentration. A fascinating creature, I couldn't fully define him, but was intruiged at his dedication and concentration.

What a beautiful day to...stalk?

As I sat down in the Axxin Library on Monday, I found myself twitching with anxiousness, nervous about the assignment at hand. That day our teacher had given us the strange assignment of stalking some one throughout our classtime there. There were many things I was nervous about, what if the person realizes I'm watching them? What if people see me staring and writing and know what I'm up to? Stalking is illegal, afterall. However, as I began the assignment I realized, much to my dismay, that stalking wasn't very difficult at all, it's just a little creepy.
My first order of business was finding myself an attractive object of focus, one which I wouldn't mind staring at for an hour, and began my work. I studied his every move, every flip of the hair or hand gesture was noted, I became completely dedicated to my work. All was going well, until my subject left, and I was left with only a memory to complete my observations with.

After the completion of the assignment, I found it to be enjoyable and insightful, but it still resonated a feeling of creepiness in me. I couldn't help but feel wierd over the fact that I studied some one for nearly an hour and recorded their every move, unbeknownst to them. Despite the slight tang of guilt over my first stalking experience, it helped me to learn to better study my subjects before writing. To make my characters more complete and human like, by studying the everyday activities of an average human step by step, and while it was very informative, I doubt I'll be compelled to try stalking again.

Stitch Bitch Response

What was Shelley Jackson's intention in making this text so confusing and impossible to disect? Not only do I find myself lost in understanding who the Stitch Bitch is, but I was completely lost in her comparison of a hypertext to a human body. Writing is in no way reminiscent of human anatomy, it is, however similar to nature. Writing can flow over the page or screen, picking up speed much like a river. It may reveal hidden layers, similar to a rose or a flower which can be rid of excess petals. It may also sway a reader's opinion, like a breeze blowing through an empty forest. A comparison of writing to the dissected parts of the human anatomy, however, is not a satisfactory comparison in my opinion. Her intentions of this metaphor, to reiterate the fact that her hypertext can easily be dissected, merely brings morbid and gruesome images of a dissected human body at a crime scene to mind.

Questions for Shelley Jackson

1. What is the definition of a hypertext?

2. Does the stitch bitch have any relation to Shelley Jackson?

3. Who is the stitch bitch?

4. What is the point of this text?

5. Why does it appear as though she is speaking to a specific crowd in the beginning of the text?

6. Does Shelley Jackson really believe that digital writing is more valuable than a novel which you can hold in your hands?

"Litany" response

In the poem "Litany", I believe that Billy Collins is commenting on a love gone bad in a humorous and entertaining way. It is clear that he is not regarding a current love when he states "maybe even the pigeon on the general's head" comparing his object of attention to a bird which is defecating on a statue. It is neither flattering nor humorous to be compared to feces, and so it is apparent that Billy Collins is in no way seeking to flatter his subject of interest. This poet also uses his poem in order to show his audience the stupidity of the nonsensical language which is commonly present in poems of this nature. Shakespearean-like sonnets and other poems from that time period seek to flatter women by comparing them to nonsensical things in order to metaphorically describe their beauty. When Billy Collins shows these outrageous comparisons in a humorous light it becomes easy to see the absurdity of this concept. It is outrageous to think that girls actually fell for these half-witted compliments and less than genuine comparisons in their time.

In my opinion "Litany" is a very successful poem. It easily expresses its opinion on the poems which it is intended to mock with use of absurd comparisons and overly flowery language. He mimicks his object of mockery almost flawlessly, while adding an element of bitterness and humor. Billy Collins not only makes his audience laugh during the poem, but also shows us how poetry has evolved and reiterates the absurdity of the poetic language that was utilized by poets of the past.

"Litany" Questions

1. Is there any significance in the objects you chose to compare your love to?

2. Why did you bring yourself into the poem?

3. Are you trying to flatter your love or insult her?

4. Why did you choose more flattering comparisons for yourself than your love?

5. Could this poem be describing a love turned sour?

6. Is this poem a result of some bitterness that you have against those who are blissfully in love?

The end of literature as we know it?

6) Will novels eventually be considered to be something of the past?

I do not believe novels will ever be considered something of the past. While it is fully possible that a computer dependent society would abandon tangible things in favor of an internet based world, the experience of holding a book in your hand, and reading something that will not irreversibly damage your eyes is a much more personal, and realistic way of reading than staring at a glowing computer screen for hours on end, while following an entire story or novel. While I do admitt that I have completely fallen into the trend of living our lives through technology there are still some things that exist in the real world which I consider to be of value. The enjoyment of a hand held book happens to be one of them. I do not believe that humans will one day prefer scrolling down a web page to follow their favorite character's lives rather than turn the pages of a novel. There are many advantages to holding and reading a book such as the fact that you can stop partially through and go back to the exact page where you left off. On a website one would be stuck scrolling for an eternity, trying to find their last place. Also, authors sometimes lay out books a specific way, so it looks a certain way, and will be read accordingly. Websites would compltely mess up the way an author decides they would like their page to look, and this may take away from the intensity of the written lines. All in all there is nothing that could overrun the experience of holding this adventure in your hands as you read page to page. I do not believe the internet will ever cause the book to become extinct. There will always be people who appreciate and enjoy the real thing rather than an internet simulated version of something, and I happen to be one of those people.