Unit III

Response to Robert Bringhurst's " Why There Are Pages and Why We Must Turn Them"

This article really threw me for a loop. The title made me think that this article was about how a well written book could take one away into the depths of the flow. I found the article to be very ironic when the author say’s “a good book may through you across the room.” (21) Conversely “a bad one may make you want to throw it across the room and never pick it up again.” (21). That is exactly what I wanted to do with this article. It took the author four pages to say what he was trying to convey. I felt it could have been expressed in three or four paragraphs. It reminded me of our unit one reading assignment where it tells us to keep it quick, simple and, to the point.

The article has two implications, one being that a good book will keep your attention. It must be  well written so that you cannot put the book down. It must keep you so entrenched that you want to finish it and not use a book marker. The other is about books becoming extinct, while the author does mention that electronic media is taking over for the books. There is only the implication that computers and electronic books will be the new media. The meat and potatoes of the article was about typesetting and theme fonts. They have little to do with why I read a book. As with all trades, you have to keep up or adjust to the times or you will be left behind and out of a job.

There is some very interesting history of the type setter. The origins and time frames of the different fonts and styles are nice to know. It is the writer not the printer who keeps the pages turning. If a story is slow or does not flow well, then that is what losses the attention of a reader. The reader does not care if it written in Times New Roman or Cree. He also does not care if it is a news paper, hardback, or, Kindle, as long as he can read and understand what the author is saying. That is what keeps the pages turning.

Works Cited:

Bringhurst, Robert, and Heriot Bay. "Why There Are Pages and Why They Must Turn." World Literature Today, 2008. Master File Premier. EBSCO. U of Oklahoma Lib. 16 Feb. 2011.

unit 2

Blogging Assignment Two

     This blogging assignment hit home with me. I recently had a similar experience on this subject with my daughter. She was threatened with suspension for posts that were on her MySpace account. I had the same thoughts rush through my head as I read this article. What about my daughter’s First Amendment rights. What power did the school have over my daughter in her private life? Keep in mind that I consider myself a responsible parent. I monitor my daughter’s internet usage and I made an appointment to discuss this with her principal. I needed to know why he felt he could impose punishment on my daughter for her actions outside of school property. At the end of my meeting with the principal had a better understanding of his point of view. The school’s stance was simple. They were looking out for the safety of all students. It appears most of society seems to think the school is responsible for raising children.

            This brings to light the second part of the article that talks about the safety of the children. The school might be held liable if no action or investigation is taken. How would the parent of the daughter who complained about the MySpace page feel if nothing is done and the quote from the page is a real threat? Would they sue the school board? Is their daughter in any danger? These are all valid points but where does the schools authority end and parenting begin?

            Society is always too quick to point the finger at someone else. We, as a society, need to start taking responsibility for our own actions. I was told by a very wise old crusty Master Chief “that when you point a finger at someone else there are always three fingers pointing back at you.” While I feel that some monitoring is necessary, it should be limited to threats or bullying. I understand that the children feel that their rights are violated and in some cases they are. Plus, some of the students feet that it is their personal journal and the school has no right to read it. Then they should use what we call a diary. It should be kept locked up and private if you do not want everyone to read it. Anything that is posted on the internet is vulnerable to being hacked. If you put it out on the internet, expect it to be read by those you intended and anyone else who wants to access it.

            In case you were wondering what happened with my daughter. Nothing, it was a quote from Harry Potter and the reference was obscured by some of the graphics. At least the principal and the parents were able to work it out as adults. All sides were heard before action was taken.