Idalma...made this bc my teacher made me -

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Personnel Reflection

Taking this class for a whole year was a great experience that i really enjoyed. This class was a great opportunity to become a great writer. I learned all the basic and more on how to become a better writer. Professor Sean made us think outside the box and made it a friendly atmosphere. He was one of the coolest teachers I have had and I learned a lot from this class. I got to know my fellow classmates better since I had them longer than a semester. The assignment given helped be become a better writer and it also helped me learn that there was more than Facebook on the internet. This class was very helpful and I am glad I ended up taking this class.

Final Analysis of Project Web

Project web was a great and very different experience for me. Project web was divided into three categories. The first category was project space and we did an essay on a game that we were forced to play and then talk about it. It was very enjoyable because we were able to see the game in a different perspective that i never thought possible. The second category was Comic strips, this was also a different experience because we had to follow a comic strip weekly. I had never even read a comic strip before this and i realized i really enjoyed it. The third category was personnel blog, we were able to write or post anything that we wanted to and I found it very fun. I saw it more like a personnel journal. This was an amazing experience and one of the best homework assignments ever.

Project Text Revision

Idalma Bahena

Professor Sean Pessin

English 114 B

26 March 2012

All Women Continue to Fight

In today’s world, people search for equal rights and opportunities but they still face problems of discrimination. In the article by Mark R. Schneider he describes discrimination as the “denial of opportunity or equal rights for a specific group of people that may be differentiated by things such as their religion, color of skin, or gender.” In the book Dune and Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert women are not treated equally. In the first book of Dune by Frank Herbert he shows how women are not able to do as they please but instead must behave how society wants them to act. But the women in this novel are not women who can be put down easily. They are fierce women who fight and stand up for what they believe, even if society has certain attitudes towards a women’s role. This problem does not only exist in the novel of “Dune” and “Dune Messiah” but it also exist in modern day society. Frank Herbert portrays how women in the Dune series challenge gender discrimination issues that women today continue to face.

Even if the novel is considered science fiction, Frank Herbert does a very accurate interpretation on how modern women react to inequality in today’s world. Throughout the rest of the novel there are other examples on how women are not treated equally. All the women in the book of “Dune” play a significant role and in some points in the novel they are not treated with equality so they go against society. Inequality against women has been a problem that can be seen at all ages and stages of development for a women in any part of the world. Many years ago inequality towards women was more noticeable. Society discriminated women by not giving them a voice. Women were force to stay quite and agree to everything their spouse told them was “right,” if they did speak their mind they would get beaten.

Women were also seen as men’s property. Women were only considered good for cooking, cleaning, and sex. But this problem is slowly changing because women are challenging the role of a “typical women.” Now a days women are the ones going out to work and are sharing the house hold duties with the men. They are no longer letting men step all over and being treated as less. The women of today are changing the typical roles. But even though women are fighting towards equality it doesn't mean that inequality doesn’t exist. Women who are going out there and getting jobs are getting paid less than males. Back in the day, females were also not allowed to work and if they did work and had the same employment as a man they would get paid less just for being the opposite sex. In the magazine “Time” the author writes that “women earned less than men in all 20 industries and 25 occupation groups” which was a survey that was done by the Census Bureau in 2007. This is an example of how discrimination towards women is still a problem that exist in todays world. Discrimination against women has lowered but not completely disappeared. Even though Frank Herbert doesn’t go into drastic examples on how women are discriminated, he does show smaller examples on how women in his novel fight for what they believe is fair.

Throughout the rest of the novel there are other examples on how women are not treated equally and how they speak out. In the first chapter of the novel “Dune” one of the most important women of the novel is introduced and her name is Jessica, Paul’s mother. In the first chapters of the novel “Dune” it is easy to notice that there are certain roles that a women should play in their society. Their society is not any different from todays society because in Western societies they believed that “people should engage in a multitude of social activities and develop multiple social roles”(Nordenmark). In the beginning of this story Reverend Mother comes to Jessica’s house to give Paul who is only 15 years old at the time, a test with her gom jabbar. In the book of “Dune” the word gom jabbar means “that specific poison needle tipped with meta-cyanide used by a Bene Gesserit Proctors in the death-alternative test of human awareness”(Herbert 519). This test is very painful that he describes his experience by saying:

Pain throbbed up his arm. Sweat stood out on his forehead. Every fiber cried out to withdraw the hand from that burning pit...The burning! The burning! He thought he could feel skin curling black on agonized hand, the flesh crisping and dropping away until only charred bones remained (Herbert 9).

Luckily Paul passes the test and Reverend Mother tells him that he might be the Kwisatz Haderach which is “a male Bene Gesserit whose organic mental powers would bridge space and time” (Herbert 522). After passing the test Reverend Mother decides to talk to Jessica and instead scolds her by saying “damn that Jessica, if only she’d borne us a girl as she was ordered to do!” (Herbert 6). This is the first example on how women are not treated equally. Jessica is seen as property and not as a women. By bearing a son instead of a girl, Jessica basically challenges Reverend Mother orders because her insubordination complicates and changes the future as whole.

In the book of “Dune” Jessica is only useful for bearing a child and taking a motherly role. In todays society women are still more “often occupied than fathers, with the world of family”(Gilbert). Jessica is not in full control of her life, instead she is ordered by others. She is forced to do as others order her to do so. Frank Herbert uses Jessica to show how in some parts of the world women are used to bear children whenever they are told to do so. But Jessica portrays women who stand up for their beliefs and defy society. Instead of bearing a girl like she is told to do so, she has a boy and goes against the orders she was given. Discrimination continues to exist and in some parts of the world women have no control over their lives.

When women go against specific orders that were given to them, there are consequences that follow afterwards. In the world of today women are standing up and fighting for their rights, but in many countries that are not as open minded as others the consequences to their actions is violence against women. In present day domestic violence against women is considered to be a very controversial problem and it is a very important problem that people should be aware of. Many women are being beaten for standing up for what they believe in. Jeanette Krebs writes about how there is still violence against women:

Day in and day out women on the big and not so big screen are raped, maimed and murdered for our viewing pleasure. You could fill a domestic violence shelter and a morgue from “Law and Order” dramas alone. We do live in a violent society and it is particularly violent for one gender. A woman is sexually assaulted every few minutes in our country. A woman is battered even more frequently.The cases of violence against women are staggering. Just to name a few, in York County, Kirsten Maurer Taylor died after her husband electrocuted her in 2008 by attaching cables to her body. In April, Emily Rachel Silverstein was strangled and stabbed in the neck by her 22-year-old ex-boyfriend in Gettysburg. The two dated for more than a year, according to reports, but the victim ended the relationship one week before she was killed (Krebs).

This is an example of what is happening to women in current times. Many women are being beaten and in worst case scenarios they are being murdered. In Emily Rachel Silverstein situation she broke up with her boyfriend because she didn’t want to be in a relationship with him any longer. Her reason for not wanting to be with him was because she didn't love him any more and felt like she was being used for his own personnel pleasure. She decided to confront him by speaking her mind and ending her relationship with him. She spoke out and said what she believed, which ended up in violence and to her death. This is a real life situation that has happened in to todays society which confirms that violence towards women still exist. Frank Herbert uses Reverend Mother to show that violence still occurs towards women when they decide to go against what they believe is right. Reverend Mother tells Jessica that doing what she wants instead of listening to the orders she was given is wrong and that her actions will have serious consequences. Reverend Mother frightens Jessica by saying “ we shall see when you’re a fugitive with a price on you head and every man’s hand turned against you to seek your life and the life of your son”(Herbert 23). In these first chapters Frank Hebert is trying to tell his audience that violence still occurs in todays world if women decide to go against as what is seen right.

Frank Herbert also uses Jessica to show how women are still seen as property. After Jessica stands up for what she believes, she remembers that she has to obey the orders that she is given and says “ I am a Bene Gesserit: I exist only to serve,”(Herbert 23). This is another example on how Frank Herbert acknowledges that in some parts of the world women are only seen as property instead of human beings. In many parts of the world women are only here to serve and please their husband. They have to be fully dedicated to them and only exist to serve them.

Women are also not treated equally when it come to the work place, women are discriminated. Women are seen more as housewives , who are meant to be at home cleaning the house. Frank Herbert shows how women still have a traditional role of organizing and taking care of the house. He uses Jessica once again to show how society discriminates women and give them a typical role of a housewife. When Paul and Jessica move in to Arrakean, she is given the job to decorate the house and unpack. Even though Jessica and Leto treat each other with love and respect, in this chapter Frank Herbert uses Jessica and Duke Leto to portray how in some relationships women do not have a word. When Jessica is unpacking Duncan Leto comes inside and Jessica ask if she could hang a painting of his father in a particular room. Duncan says “no”, but Jessica tries to insist by saying “My lord.” Duncan reacts by cutting her off and not listening to her and says “ the answer remains no” (Herbert 50). Jessica not wanting to fight or go against his order perhaps because she is afraid sighs and agrees with him by saying “ Yes, my lord” (Herbert 50). This is another example of inequality against women, in many parts of the country many women do not have a voice. They are not allowed to do as they please without getting in trouble. They are afraid of the consequences that can happen if they decide to speak their mind.

Another example on how women are not treated equally or with respect is when Duke Leto tells Jessica to “be thankful that I never married you, my dear. Then it’d be your duty to join me at table for every meal”(Herbert 50). Even though Duke Leto loves her and he knows that Jessica is the love of his life he is not willing to marry her. This makes it seem like just Jessica is just considered a lover. Duke Leto have a very good relation but they are not married. He is not giving her her rightful spot as his wife because it would effect is image as Duke. Even though Jessica is not married to Duke Leto she still plays the role of the wife and does everything a wife should do. Duke Leto has not married her for several reason that would effect him. He has not decided to marry her because if he did it would affect his career. Duke Leto loves her but he is in a way using her for his own personal pleasure like using her for support or to decorate the house. This shows how Jessica is technically his property. He can marry someone else and still have her. She would just been seen as the other women. This once again shows how women are seen as men property. Even if Duke Leto and Jessica are not married she is still forced to play the role of a typical wife. She is not able to go against Duke Leto’s orders, she is not allowed to speak her mind, or disobey him. She does speak her mind though when she believes that it is necessary. There are many current relationships that are like theirs. Women should not be forced to agree with a man says, instead they should fight for what they believe is right.

The world will always face problems of discrimination against women. Discrimination against women is a very sensitive topic that society faces today. Discrimination against women exist in every part of the world. Discrimination exist in the workplace, at home and in relationships. Frank Herbert shows discrimination in his novel by using the women in his novel to portray modern women of todays society. He uses Jessica to show that women should always speak their mind and do what they believe is right. He also uses Jessica to show how women continue to gain more power in todays world. Jessica is a fighter and in the end she will always do what she believes is right. Modern day women are also fighters and continue to fight for their believes.

Work Cited

Fitzpatrick, Laura. "Equal Pay and the Gender Gap: Men Still Outearn Women - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://www.time.com/time/nation/art

Gilbert, Lucia, Gary Hanson, and Beverly Davis. "Perceptions of Parental Role Responsibilities: Differences Between Mothers and Fathers." Family Relations, 31.2 (1982): 261-269.

Krebs, Jeanette. " Violence against women leaves too many sad stories | PennLive.com." Central PA Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - PennLive.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. <http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/ind

Nordenmark, Mikael. "Multiple Social Roles and Well-Being: A Longitudinal Test of the Role Stress Theory and the Role Expansion Theory." Acta Sociologica, 47.2 (2004): 115-1

Schneider, Mark R."Perceived Gender" Discrimination? ." FrontPage Magazine . N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://archive.frontpagemag.com/ readArticle.aspx? ARTID=13081>.

Project Space revision

The game that I decided to pick for project text is called Yoo Ninja. This game was designed for cellular devices which means that Yoo Ninja can be played anywhere you take your phone to. Yoo Ninja may seem simple and easy but at times it may become intricate or complicated. The creators of Yoo Ninja say “the simple gameplay makes for a very interesting and intelligent platform.” Yoo Ninja is a very fast paced and addicting game. This game is a great time killer for when your bored in class. Yoo Ninja is simple game that the instructions to the game are literally three sentences long. The game consist of tapping your finger on your phone screen to determine whether the ninja goes up or down. Then if you get stopped by one of the obstacles of the game, darts pop out behind the ninja following him until he outruns the darts or gets killed by them. Then the third rule of the game is to not fly out of the screen, which can become very difficult because in some parts of the game you are going so fast that sometimes you don't have time to jump.

Yoo Ninja is a fast paced gravity game; the whole point of the game is to jump up and down avoiding the obstacles that stand in your way. Yoo ninja seems like a never ending game but in reality it does have an ending. The game has a theme which basically to run around four different parts of the world avoiding the obstacles that get in your way. The first part of the world is the Jungle and there are 8 levels to complete in this world in order to get to the next world which is the Village. When you are playing the first level of the game you are stuck in a jungle like world for eight levels. The background is mainly green it also has trees and mountains to represent a jungle world. The blocks where the ninja runs are covered with grass to show that it is very tropical. When the game transitions into the Village world the background also changes and you are able to acknowledge the difference between the two worlds. The Village world has houses in the background and there is no more blocks with grass on them anymore. In order to get into the next world you have to complete 7 levels to move onto the Marine world. Once you reach the Marine world the background becomes blue with a octopus, a ship and wave like figures in the background. The blocks that the ninja runs on become barrels and some are old decay barrels.You need to complete 7 levels of the Marine world to move on the Castle world. Once you are in the Castle world there are 12 levels to pass in order to finish the game. The background changes to a huge castle like theme. This is the section where you get feel like it is never ending. Here is a video to show you guys an example of how Yoo Ninja works:

Yoo ninja defeats gravity because you are able to stay up and continually run upside down. The purpose of this game is to complete the levels and get through the different barriers. The only way to keep advancing in the game is to keep on running. By playing Yoo Ninja you enter a fantastic world without the control by the gravity. For every level the pattern of obstacles change and it basically challenges your reflexes. The only enemy in this game are the blocks that are there to help you to continue to get to the next level. Every time you stop because you accidentally got stopped by one of the barriers darts pop out. The darts are a symbol of danger and death. It is a symbol for danger because you know that if one of the darts touch you die. It is a symbol of death because darts kill and if you die you have to go all the way back to where the game as last saved. Anther symbolic figure in the game is the pink vertical line that shines. The pink line symbolizes salvation. When you reach the pink line the player knows that they have made it to the next level and that if they were to die they would go back to the last pink line they passed. Space is used throughout the whole game because every single detail on the screen is essential to whether or not you continue to move onto the next level.

The best part about this game is that you can switch your ninjas out. It is so random that you can do this because it doest really make a difference on how you play. It is basically just to change his outfit for fun. In oder for you to change your ninjas clothing you have to pause the game and then click on ninja. After you click on ninja you slide your finger and it shows 3 different types of costumes. The first costume is a Panda Ninja. The second outfit for the ninja is a Spider Ninja, which basically looks like the super hero Spiderman. The last outfit is a Tiger Ninja. I have no idea why they have costumes for the ninja if it doesn’t help in anyway. The outfits were probably put in the game to take up space and create a more friendly environment for the players.

This game was created for all audience, since it is so simple anyone can play it and anywhere. For example I was at the carwash with my brother waiting for my car. I was in the third world which is the Marine world. I couldn’t pass a level and kept getting send back to the beginning. My 6 year old brother was watching me lose for about 5 minutes, I decided to take a break. My brother ask me if I could play and I said yes so I gave him my phone and before I realized it I heard the music of when you pass the pink vertical line which means you moved on to the next level play. I was shocked that it was his first time playing and he had passed one of the hardest levels for me.

This game is very easy to just pick up and play even for just a minute or even an hour. I realized that the space where the game was being played had a lot to do whether or not you passed levels or not. When I would play Yoo Ninja while walking I realized that at some point I would forget about the space around me and just stop walking and just concentrate in my game. I decided to see if my friend would also stop walking while playing harder parts of the game and she did. She had forgotten about the space around her and she was only concentrating in passing the level.

The music in the game makes the game become more intense and your also ore into the game. The music in the game changes space for you because it makes you feel like your part of the game or that you are even in the game. My friend played this game with the music all the way up and was really into the game. She even pulled the phone closer to her face. Although the music is pretty catch it does not change through out the whole game. The music is the same from the beginning to the end. Also the music is important to when you are laying because the faster your ninja is going the faster the music goes as well. When you pass to the next level the music does a certain melody that tells you that you have passed, it then returns to the same music from the beginning.

Another example on how space is used while playing the game is when we were all eating at a restaurant with our friends and my friend started playing Yoo Ninja on my phone. She was playing the game while eating. The space around her didn’t effect how she was playing. She just kept tapping the screen and at one point she stopped talking to us because she was to into the game. She blocked all the people around her and was not paying attention to what anyone was saying. She wouldn't even reply when we called her name out. The space inside the game was more powerful than the space outside the game. She was once more interested in the space outside the game but in one point probably when the level got more difficult the space inside the game became more powerful to capture her undivided attention.

Space inside a game can change what you are doing and how you behave outside the game. In some situations the space in the game was more powerful than the space outside the game. The space inside the game would captivate the players attention more and in some point forget about the space outside the game which is the real world. The music added to the game would also change space for some players because in certain situations the player would feel like they are inside the game. So their space of the game would change to a more “realistic” space and forget about the real world. Also the space where you decide to play the game can have an impact on how well you play in the game. Space is essential to play any game.

Project text