Fantasy Activity

Every one hundred or so years a reader dies. A reader is a human who has a unique set of magical abilities and intuitions that are used to interpret and understand every situation or object they come into contact with. Since the beginning of time, only one reader has lived at once. Towards the end of his/her legacy the reader chooses an appropriate student to replace him/her as the next reader. The reader contains extra-ordinary powers of the mind. He/she who obtains the abilities from the previous reader can:

1. Calculate odds of the future from information they've been given. The reader calculates these odds to a very precise and accurate degree, allowing them to read the future, without actually physically seeing it. (clairvoyance)

2. Perform psychometry (the ability to perceive and understand the history of an object upon touching it).

3. Read thoughts
4. Track people in their mind and create maps of different environments. (Psychic Radar)
5. Block others from using their mind powers (telepathy, telekenisis, etc.)
6. Read environments (weather, how it will be effected, natural disasters, etc.)
7. Read and speak all languages of other species

On earth there are thousands of dangerous species, whose power and size are far above those of humans. The most intelligent of these species are Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, and giants. Each species has their own magical abilities, except for humans who's only magical member is the reader. The creatures have begun to take advantage of humans for their lack of magic, and nobody is certain of the reader's identity. Many believe him to be a myth conjured to provide people with hope. The reader does not reveal himself because his/her abilities don't match the physical strength of other species. However, it is still the reader's responsibility to protect the human race from the threatening creatures by inventing new technology, and helping them to progress through advancing their intelligence. Other creatures become jealous and opposed to the humans' intelligence and technologies that destroy the environments they live in, resulting in many conflicts.

The reader faces the challenge of establishing an all peaceful and energy efficient earth. He attempts to invent a system of synergy between the species, one that fulfills all needs and is opposed by none. To do this, the reader must completely devote himself to the task, but also expose himself to enough experiences that will help in his formulation of a plan; this means interacting with other species and gaining wisdom through their culture. The reader must research previous reader's plans, this could take an extended period of time. During these years the reader does age, but much slower than other humans; this means that although his life is extended, he only gets so many attempts in making the world better before he has to admit that he is not the solution. If a reader admits this, he must find a candidate for the next to hold the power, or the powers will become extinct when he/she dies.

Character Name: Lectiovate (derived from the latin words lectio and vate, meaning reading and poet)

What if? (Sci-Fi Scenario)

What if at the end of everyday you were given the choice to live the next day, or go back and live a day you've already lived? What if in the future a technology offered the option to experience the past, not through a time machine, but a function of memory?

There are two catches. First, if you decide to live a day in the past, you must live it exactly how it was, you cannot interfere with your past self, only spectate both your past self's thoughts and emotions first hand. Second, if you decide to live a day in the past, your present self will be controlled by an autopilot program and you will never be able to re-live this present day again. 

It's pretty far into the future. In a world where this memory technology exists, there have been many other "convenient" advancements. The cities are run by autopilots. Transportation consists of small, personal train cars, and sleek sports cars, both run by a self operated program system. Business and apartment buildings have grown to a point where they extend past the clouds. The air is thick, but new technological advancements now look towards environmentally friendly approaches because they cannot avoid it any longer. Furniture is white and in modern, geometric shapes, matching walls and roads and cars of the same colour and style. There are fewer and fewer jobs, and automated robots are beginning to take over most things; this means societies are beginning to run into issues with money and credit systems. Human agriculture has become extinct, being replaced by underground farms in which autopilots are used to grow food and crops in synthesized conditions. The average person lives their life in constant entertainment, other than attending school when they are young, until about an age of 120 years.

The protagonist is among the elderly people in society who are perplexed by the rise of robotics. However, ironically most seniors (despite being against the use of robots and technology) are entirely engaged in the automated program used for re-living memories. My character's children become increasingly distressed about the constant autopilot their father is on, and the protagonist becomes increasingly depressed when living in reality. Finally my character must face the truth and come to terms with the present; this requires him to spiritually come to terms with his death and find the beauty in the new revolution.

Poetry Unit Reflection

The thing I like most about poetry, was also something that made this unit the most enjoyable for me so far. It's the freedom. Poetry allows writers to adopt their own style and portray what they want without worrying about if it is the most effective way to go about it. I feel as though all parts of poetry are indicative of the writer's personality: the message, the diction, the line spacing, how it flows, the tone it's told in, everything. I also think that because poems are so personal, they cause this form of literature to be one of the most creative and diverse.

Through having to write a spoken word poem I also realized that presenting a poem often enables the poet to have a deeper impact. You're able to convey more messages through pauses, amplifying your voice, and showing your emotions to the audience. The spoken word was definitely the most interesting part for me. The poem I chose to analyze (Beethoven-Shane Koyczan) was incredible, and I've watched it countless times since doing the assignment. Having a local spoken word performer come in and show us some of her work and give us tips on the form was also fascinating. I admittedly find spoken word to be a little overbearing sometimes. However, I gave it more of a chance in this unit and found there is a lot I can relate to. In fact, often times I find spoken word poets in particular can choose exactly the right diction to convey an idea in a way that many people can relate to and be profoundly impacted by. Another reason I enjoy poetry is that I realized it can be used practically. When someone is hit with an idea, they often don't have enough time to write volumes about it. Poetry can work as a sort of descriptive and accurate jot note if the person has a minute or two to think about the message he/she is trying to send out. Overall, I think poetry is an appreciable and impressive form of literature, and wish to practice more and more to further my understanding and style.

"The poet's voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail"- William Faulkner 

Song Lyric Poem

How much sweat splashed on the sand to harden the land

While slabs of stone moved by hordes of hands, deified man

by command

Shaping a structure, acclaiming the sun

An upward pointing pyramid

A light ray, Beating down on them.

Lost Techniques, profound mystique still tower over peoples' minds

leaving them speculating, missing systems of design, and they must

examine physics, hieroglyphics and the ancient sands of time

How much sweat splashed on the sand to harden the land

while slabs of stone moved by hordes of hands, deified man,

By command of a god who saw potential in the sand

who created history, and watched, while being fanned.

A slanted structure acclaiming the sun

an upward pointing pyramid

A light ray beating down on them.

Lost Techniques, profound mystique still tower over peoples' minds

leaving them speculating, searching the ancient sands of time.

Wonder welcomes eyes to wander, climbing each brick stupefied

adjusting spectacles to view the spectacle

gathered to guess at its birth, skeptical

Embracing a portrayal of

human history, capability

climbing stone steps, reaching the peak of posterity

below lying a tomb

of a mummified man, who saw something in the sand

a light ray of the sun

forever encasing him.

And deep within the ancient sands of time

is an answer to a puzzle with all its pieces

for riddles can always be solved with reason.

Still, wonder adds an extra weight

and exposing an illusionist will always ruin him.

And retaining its mystery until the end, it will never be in ruin.

Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza

Original Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/tool/lateralus.html

Beethoven- Shane Koyczan (Spoken Word Analysis)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppwowTJg0mI

I would first like to credit Shane Koyczan for this phenomenal piece of writing I was moved by. There are several aspects to the presentation of this poem that help it to have a profound impact on the viewer. Koyczan has parts throughout the poem where he describes something very dramatically and in a fast pace, this creates imagery while also showing passion about the topic. However, what is most grasping is the way Koyczan ends these intense descriptions by slowing everything down and whispering or saying a few words very softly. A clear example of the speaker using this method to impact the audience is when he says moving at the speed of sound, the words "moving at the speed" being very fast paced, while the word "sound" being whispered and drawn out for effect. Also, the poet cleverly uses other sounds throughout the poem to create imagery, such as when he says snaps his fingers at the very beginning of the performance when referencing Beethoven's abusive father. These snaps represent the abuse from his father and the sound helps the viewer to form a clear image. Finally Koyczan uses repetition of Beethoven's name to remind the readers of who he is talking about , and the lines "not good enough" each time getting louder and louder, to show the intensity of Beethoven's Father's expectations. Near the ending Koyczan even sings part of Beethoven's Ode To Joy as an ode to the beauty of his music.

 The writing of the poem is also extremely well done. Several lines are clever, insightful and original such as "The man got down on his knees for no one, but amputated the legs of his piano so he could feel the vibrations through the floor. The man got down on his knees for music." The poem also begins and ends with the same word, "listen". Koyczan uses the word at the beginning, addressing the audience to listen, then ends the spoken word with the sentence "to know the man all we ever had to do was...listen." Because the poem is about the genius of Beethoven's compositions, the word "listen" is very appropriate and provokes the audience to find the beauty in the poem as well as Beethoven's legacy.