Thursday, March 30, 2017
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Post 13
I would describe the "American Dream" as the possibility and opportunity for success. People view the United States as the ideal place to build a life. No matter where one comes from, they can work hard and achieve a living in America. It is expected that one's cultural background will not significantly hinder one's capacity to be prosperous. However, I know that this is not the case for all immigrants. Sadly enough, in today's America, many are not given equal opportunities or receive the fair and equal treatment. Truth be told there are far better countries to achieve this so called dream filled with immense wealth, America just seemed to trademark it first.
I know what many people will say. They will say that wealth is not only tangible via possessions and money, but is more than that and also includes things and ideas of emotional significance. Wealth to me, are those possessions and money. These are the things I immediately think of when imagining wealth, but that is not to say that there is not value in relationships and other experiences of emotional significance.
Americans value wealth immensely, and particularly wealth of monetary value. Americans fear poverty, especially since we seem to connect it to not only a lack of money, but also lack of relatable experience and intelligence. It is common to believe that happiness does not come immediately with wealth, as we are all told this constantly. I, for one, am guilty of thinking the opposite of this. Wealth gives access to worldly experiences, which would most definitively feed my happiness. However, I understand the saying, wealth isn't everything and there are things much more important in life, but it can make life a little more enjoyable.
Overall, the "American Dream" is important to keep in mind and an important goal for America. America should be a place where anyone can come and build a wealth that they see fit, without being obstructed by their color, gender, or other defining factor other than their merit and ethic.
I know what many people will say. They will say that wealth is not only tangible via possessions and money, but is more than that and also includes things and ideas of emotional significance. Wealth to me, are those possessions and money. These are the things I immediately think of when imagining wealth, but that is not to say that there is not value in relationships and other experiences of emotional significance.
Americans value wealth immensely, and particularly wealth of monetary value. Americans fear poverty, especially since we seem to connect it to not only a lack of money, but also lack of relatable experience and intelligence. It is common to believe that happiness does not come immediately with wealth, as we are all told this constantly. I, for one, am guilty of thinking the opposite of this. Wealth gives access to worldly experiences, which would most definitively feed my happiness. However, I understand the saying, wealth isn't everything and there are things much more important in life, but it can make life a little more enjoyable.
Overall, the "American Dream" is important to keep in mind and an important goal for America. America should be a place where anyone can come and build a wealth that they see fit, without being obstructed by their color, gender, or other defining factor other than their merit and ethic.
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Post 12
Original: Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheuren Ungeziefer verwandelt.
#1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
Diction (connotation/denotation):
"uneasy"- less negative, filled with worry
"transformed" - connotative with a drastic change that is permanent
"bed" - personal, place of comfort
"gigantic" - extremely large, abnormally so
"insect" - more professional way to say bug
Syntax:
This is a generically short sentence. It has very standard punctuation with the sentence ending in a period. There are no commas or exclamation marks, thus making the sentence not have a lot of emotion.
Imagery/Details:
Setting is given through the use of "bed". There is not a lot of description besides noting that his dreams were uneasy and that he was a "gigantic" insect. One can imagine a large bug awkwardly placed in a bed, but cannot visualize a detailed scene.
Structure:
It first notes the character, then its action, and finally a description of the action. By beginning with "as," it feels like much more of story that will include narrative. There is less focus on the transformation into a bug, because it can be assumed that this is not the whole story, and that much more will occur.
Other Stylist/Figurative Elements:
The use of "Gregor Samsa" suggests an attempt at consistency with the novella's German heritage, as it is an original German name.
#2:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.
Diction (connotation/denotation):
"woke" - less active and less commonly used compared to awoke or woke up
"uneasy" - less negative, filled with worry
"changed" - less drastic, implies possibility of reversal
"giant" - less dramatic, more casual
"bug" - more simple and casual
Syntax:
The sentence is very short and thus appears more factual. There is also no punctuation, so the sentence is able to be said quickly, since there is no specific focus placed.
Imagery/Details:
The adjectives are not as powerful, and thus the details are not seen as a big deal compared to the fact that there was a change in his composition. This sentence lacks elaboration and is thus more difficult to imagine the scene from.
Structure:
This sentence is very to the point and matter of fact. It simply states that the character awoke from bad dreams to have changed into a bug.
Other Stylist/Figurative Elements:
By choosing to use "Gregory" instead of Gregor, Americanizes the text, making it more relatable to an English audience, instead of a German one.
#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.
Diction (connotation/denotation):
"troubled" - more negative
"transformed" - drastic, permanent change
"enormous" - extremely large, overwhelmingly so
"bug" - casual
Syntax:
Though this sentence has slight more length than others, it still lacks sufficient punctuation. I see places where I feel a natural pause, yet there is no comma. This makes it so there is no focus placed on any specific part. It makes the story seem very extensive.
Imagery/Details:
It can be implied through the details that Gregor's dreams are very negative and consistently so, though this was contrasted to waking up to an even worse reality due to his transformation.
Structure:
This structure focuses on cause and effect. This is done by beginning with "when" which prepares the reader for the action, which is "he found he had been transformed." The important event here is the transformation, which makes it more dramatic.
Other Stylist/Figurative Elements:
The use of "Gregor Samsa" suggests an attempt at consistency with the novella's German heritage, as it is an original German name.
#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.
Diction (connotation/denotation):
"upon wakening" - very formal
"agitated" - violent and dramatic, indicates not much sleep was achieved due to the dreams
"transformed" - drastic, permanent change
"monstrous vermin" - elevated diction that is connotative with evil and repulsiveness
Syntax:
This sentenced is much more elongated than others. It utilizes many commas. This serves to isolate certain details to make them appear not as important as the main idea of the transformation.
Imagery/Details:
Much more detailed visualization of the scene, but also much more negative. One imagines Gregor thrashing around in his sleep due to the description of the dream and once transformed, as a violent disgusting and undesirable animal, not necessarily an insect.
Structure:
This sentence is set in the past tense and begins with an introductory clause. The transformation seems to interrupt the action of waking up.
Other Stylist/Figurative Elements:
The use of "Gregor Samsa" suggests an attempt at consistency with the novella's German heritage, as it is an original German name.
How does the word choice, syntax, punctuation, and imagery shift in each affect meaning? Is one more effective than another? Why? What does this exercise bring up about the difficulty of reading translated texts? How do different translations effect the tone of the sentence?
In summary, the differences in diction, syntax, punctuation, imagery, and structure in each of the translations greatly affect its meaning and how it can be perceived by a reader. Although the subject of the sentence initially described in the original never changed, simple alterations when translated to an alternative language, transformed the sentence into one that seemed to be an entirely new phrase. The words chosen may have different connotations, and according to someone's personal knowledge and experience, can paint a whole separate image. Emphasis is determined through syntax and punctuation and where emphasis is placed, will greatly influence how the reader interprets it.
For example, the first translation lacks sufficient punctuation, and thus forms a narrative that reflects a story. Since the narrative flows quickly with no eye-catching word choice, the reader will most likely not interpret Gregor's transformation as significant, thus being effective in a story-like narrative that has to build before it makes any climactic statements. This contrasts from the fourth translation which employs pauses, and thus has the effect of informing the reader of what parts of the sentence should be stressed, and which are only small details. the fact that awoke "from agitated dreams" "in his bed," are both enclosed by commas, and thus are not seen as important as the fact that Gregor Samsa transformed into a bug. This last translation, which utilizes the most punctuation, is the most effective because by emphasizing key aspects of the event and sentence, it clearly illustrates the absurdity that the author intended. With the descriptive vocabulary, the reader is given the ability to interpret the content and thus visualize the scenario.
#1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
Diction (connotation/denotation):
"uneasy"- less negative, filled with worry
"transformed" - connotative with a drastic change that is permanent
"bed" - personal, place of comfort
"gigantic" - extremely large, abnormally so
"insect" - more professional way to say bug
Syntax:
This is a generically short sentence. It has very standard punctuation with the sentence ending in a period. There are no commas or exclamation marks, thus making the sentence not have a lot of emotion.
Imagery/Details:
Setting is given through the use of "bed". There is not a lot of description besides noting that his dreams were uneasy and that he was a "gigantic" insect. One can imagine a large bug awkwardly placed in a bed, but cannot visualize a detailed scene.
Structure:
It first notes the character, then its action, and finally a description of the action. By beginning with "as," it feels like much more of story that will include narrative. There is less focus on the transformation into a bug, because it can be assumed that this is not the whole story, and that much more will occur.
Other Stylist/Figurative Elements:
The use of "Gregor Samsa" suggests an attempt at consistency with the novella's German heritage, as it is an original German name.
#2:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.
Diction (connotation/denotation):
"woke" - less active and less commonly used compared to awoke or woke up
"uneasy" - less negative, filled with worry
"changed" - less drastic, implies possibility of reversal
"giant" - less dramatic, more casual
"bug" - more simple and casual
Syntax:
The sentence is very short and thus appears more factual. There is also no punctuation, so the sentence is able to be said quickly, since there is no specific focus placed.
Imagery/Details:
The adjectives are not as powerful, and thus the details are not seen as a big deal compared to the fact that there was a change in his composition. This sentence lacks elaboration and is thus more difficult to imagine the scene from.
Structure:
This sentence is very to the point and matter of fact. It simply states that the character awoke from bad dreams to have changed into a bug.
Other Stylist/Figurative Elements:
By choosing to use "Gregory" instead of Gregor, Americanizes the text, making it more relatable to an English audience, instead of a German one.
#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.
Diction (connotation/denotation):
"troubled" - more negative
"transformed" - drastic, permanent change
"enormous" - extremely large, overwhelmingly so
"bug" - casual
Syntax:
Though this sentence has slight more length than others, it still lacks sufficient punctuation. I see places where I feel a natural pause, yet there is no comma. This makes it so there is no focus placed on any specific part. It makes the story seem very extensive.
Imagery/Details:
It can be implied through the details that Gregor's dreams are very negative and consistently so, though this was contrasted to waking up to an even worse reality due to his transformation.
Structure:
This structure focuses on cause and effect. This is done by beginning with "when" which prepares the reader for the action, which is "he found he had been transformed." The important event here is the transformation, which makes it more dramatic.
Other Stylist/Figurative Elements:
The use of "Gregor Samsa" suggests an attempt at consistency with the novella's German heritage, as it is an original German name.
#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.
Diction (connotation/denotation):
"upon wakening" - very formal
"agitated" - violent and dramatic, indicates not much sleep was achieved due to the dreams
"transformed" - drastic, permanent change
"monstrous vermin" - elevated diction that is connotative with evil and repulsiveness
Syntax:
This sentenced is much more elongated than others. It utilizes many commas. This serves to isolate certain details to make them appear not as important as the main idea of the transformation.
Imagery/Details:
Much more detailed visualization of the scene, but also much more negative. One imagines Gregor thrashing around in his sleep due to the description of the dream and once transformed, as a violent disgusting and undesirable animal, not necessarily an insect.
Structure:
This sentence is set in the past tense and begins with an introductory clause. The transformation seems to interrupt the action of waking up.
Other Stylist/Figurative Elements:
The use of "Gregor Samsa" suggests an attempt at consistency with the novella's German heritage, as it is an original German name.
How does the word choice, syntax, punctuation, and imagery shift in each affect meaning? Is one more effective than another? Why? What does this exercise bring up about the difficulty of reading translated texts? How do different translations effect the tone of the sentence?
In summary, the differences in diction, syntax, punctuation, imagery, and structure in each of the translations greatly affect its meaning and how it can be perceived by a reader. Although the subject of the sentence initially described in the original never changed, simple alterations when translated to an alternative language, transformed the sentence into one that seemed to be an entirely new phrase. The words chosen may have different connotations, and according to someone's personal knowledge and experience, can paint a whole separate image. Emphasis is determined through syntax and punctuation and where emphasis is placed, will greatly influence how the reader interprets it.
For example, the first translation lacks sufficient punctuation, and thus forms a narrative that reflects a story. Since the narrative flows quickly with no eye-catching word choice, the reader will most likely not interpret Gregor's transformation as significant, thus being effective in a story-like narrative that has to build before it makes any climactic statements. This contrasts from the fourth translation which employs pauses, and thus has the effect of informing the reader of what parts of the sentence should be stressed, and which are only small details. the fact that awoke "from agitated dreams" "in his bed," are both enclosed by commas, and thus are not seen as important as the fact that Gregor Samsa transformed into a bug. This last translation, which utilizes the most punctuation, is the most effective because by emphasizing key aspects of the event and sentence, it clearly illustrates the absurdity that the author intended. With the descriptive vocabulary, the reader is given the ability to interpret the content and thus visualize the scenario.
As shown through this exercise, situations can easily be described in unique ways. However, in regards to translations, this is negative. A reader's understanding of a text can change with simple alterations to words, punctuation, and structure. Translations are difficult to achieve, as when transferring a work to a different language, the intended tone and visual is hard to decipher. Due to the various connotations of words, a tone can either become more serious or casual, depending on the diction used. Specific translations can truly change the intended meaning and impact of the entire story. This suggests a similar difficulty in the reading of translated texts. A reader cannot be sure that the tone created within the translation is the same one the author intended. How can a reader make sure that the original text has not been altered in a way that significantly change the meaning and feeling surrounding the story. Through this exercise, I have realize the struggle existing in writing translations as it relates to tone. This not only directly relates to translations of Metamorphosis, but also The Stranger.
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