Tuesday, September 20, 2011
What are you suggesting?
If we begin with a definition of connotations—found here or elsewhere—then the act of understanding them is one of decoding. For Friday morning and your first round of comments, please identify and record here one act of decoding you commit (prosecuted or otherwise) in a class other than TOK. Detail for us the explicit meaning of the text and all the implicit meanings you find, as well as how you use these meanings. Then, in the context of what we’ve heard, read, and thought about free will (follow this for a new reading before your second posting) and how we choose, do some writing for Tuesday morning in which you reflect on the decisions you make in the process of decoding these implications. To what extent are your understandings decisions that you control? Remember, too, that these second rounds of comments should reflect your considerations of each other’s ideas.
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One act of decoding was in Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour. I used this to better understand the story and what was happening towards the end. In the last sentence the “joy that kills” could have multiple meanings. One of my classmates brought up the idea that this quote could have the meaning of Mrs. Mallard being so happy that her husband was alive that she died, or the meaning that the readers would understand that she died because her husband was still alive. I completely agree with this. The quote could mean that the fact that her happiness was suddenly taken away when her husband came home killed her joy and her. She died of Heart disease over a course of time when she was with her husband and had to live for him. Others may think that she was overcome by happiness to see her husband safe and sound, and then died from shock.
ReplyDeleteLolaTOK, I remember this quote from earlier today, and I feel that this is a great example. Because of the context that this story is set in, I believe that the quote was a connotation for the sole purpose that people have different interpretations on what it could mean.
ReplyDeleteAnother class where I find to have many connotations that could be decoded is in my language class. Although I take Spanish, I am sure that many other people will agree with me, no matter what other language they take, when I say that different words/phrases/quotes can mean different things depending on the language that is being spoken. For example, if I write in Spanish, "I love you (te amo)", it is a much bigger deal than if one said "I love you", in English. In Spanish, this term is used much more literally than it is in English, and is said when one truly LOVES another. In English, it can mean that somebody loves another's personality, true love, or is used as a saying between love. In the English language, this saying is not limited between a close and personal relationship anymore. Although this is probably just because of how society in America defines it nowadays, I still feel that it is a strong example of how "texts" can be decoded solely on the basis of a different language.
Sara -- actually I'm going to build off of that first because it reminded me of something I ran into the other day. I was reading a French assignment and ran into the word "surpris" as in "he was 'surpris'" and, for the first time, realized that it comes from 'surprendre' which contains 'prendre' - to take. It was the first time I had realized this and I was really excited about having 'decoded' this and made a connection.
ReplyDeleteWhat I meant to write about originally was something we learned and talked about in IB Music the other day; it's sort of about decoding and connotations and it's the best I could come up with... namely, Greg was explaining to us the connection between music and other areas of study, specifically the art of rhetoric. Music, like rhetoric (debate, argument) has an exposition/introduction, two sides or sections, a development and a climax/finale. I found this useful to have discussed when we went to listen to our prescribed pieces and I was able to identify some of the things he mentioned and thereby decoding the format of the music. (Also the cross-subject idea was pretty TOK and I felt I should mention it.)
Over the summer, IB English was asked to read the book "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. When classes resumed we began to discuss and decode the overall message of this story. In order to truly understand the context of the book we needed to learn and identify the culture of Afghanistan. Everything from religion, to food, to political structure, and most importantly the Taliban, was important to become aware of. Hosseini's character Amir, struggles with this culture and the war created before his eyes. As a boy he had made a terrible mistake, and had to live with an overwhelming surge guilt. This guilt was not only caused by his own mistakes, but by the pressures and ideas of society. The only way he could truly live a life of peace, was to confront his haunting past, and seek redemption.
ReplyDeleteSo through meticulous research and discussion, the class was able to decode Hosseini's writing and depiction of the culture in Afghanistan.
Where I do most of my decoding is during IB Music and/or Big Band, learning all these different notes and symbols, it can almost be like a foreign language to me. Since I don’t practice reading notes as much as I should, it takes a lot of decoding to figure out the musical note or symbol shown on the sheet of music. And although some people can look at a sheet of music and think “oh that’s easy” but to me, it’s so much more. I’m discovering so much about music than I thought I did. Just like when I look up a meaning of a word in French that I don’t know it’s the same thing for music, I’m learning a whole new meaning of one simple note.
ReplyDeleteToday in History Class, we spoke about the causes of World War I. Usually, we learn that the main cause of the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. He was shot by a Serbian man, and Austria Hungary was not happy about the death of an heir to the throne, all due to a Serbian terrorist. But today, I was able to decode the actual idea of what a "cause" of war is. We may think of one big, unexpected event that started it all. For instance, bombing of Pearl Harbor brought the U.S into WW II, or 9/11 brought us into the war on terror.But through today's lesson, a "cause" of a war really means the boiling tensions over things completely separate from the given event in our textbooks. The European Nations did not fight WW I for some archduke, but rather for their previous tensions over land and power. The assassination was simply an excuse for Austria Hungary to start dropping bombs.
ReplyDeleteIn my math class, I found out that most questions are asking for decode, during claasses, we got to know how to work out problems and solve each of them. For example,
ReplyDeleteproof, |x+y|≦|x|+|y| for all x, y.
there are many ways to proof, and they all shows that the inequality is always true. To proof, I can put in numbers to test, but since I don't want to put in all the numbers in the entire world, i choose to square both sides, and totally not surprising, it is ALWAYS TRUE!
alyshamarie:) -- I like how you talk about music as a foreign language, it truly helps the reader understand how the symbols seem to you. I find it very interesting how you use decoding as a form of making music easier for yourself and truly understanding it as well.
ReplyDeleteFor me, Science as a whole has never been my strongest subject. An even harder form of science is Biology- it's quite a foreign topic to me. There is so much to learn and think about, and so much to keep in mind when you are trying to grasp the full meaning of everything you need to learn. Often the hardest thing for me in biology is the fact that you are learning about how living organisms function. Every living organism has similar and yet very different ways in which thy manage to survive and thrive in their environment. The difficult concept for me is the fact that there are often many forms of one major group, meaning that there is a lot to keep in mind. Words have connotations to them that one needs to fully learn and understand in order to comprehend even more concepts. This stresses the fact that HL Biology is an IB course, it encourages cumulative learning. An example in which i had to decode something is when we had our second day of Biology class and she gave us a "review" sheet. The words on the sheet had no meaning to me and seemed like things i had never learned before, even if i had. When i finally decided to apply myself, though, i noticed that the words were not foreign or complicated, I just had to decode their true meaning. Once i had done that, everything had a simpler look to it, and i had finally gotten an all around understanding of things that i should have "known."
Thanks :)
In my IB music class, we were discussing pieces of music as though the piece was a book. The orchestra begins the symphony with an introduction and from there, the piece or book if you will, builds. There is a conflict and resolution most recognizable in a piece of music as the bridge and then the piece comes to an end. Prior to hearing this concept, a song or piece was merely just a song or a piece to me. Of course when there are lyrics, there is a story but without them, it hasn’t always occurred to me that there is one. After learning this bit of information, one can see a pattern in music as in many books. There is almost a blueprint for how many pieces will end up whether it be a concertos with four movement or a song that lasts for four minutes. The likelihood that the two very different types of music share a similar pattern is great.
ReplyDeleteToday in IB dance we learned about breathing and how it influences our body movements. During this class, my instructor told me to take a breath. I decoded in this class because at first I was confused as to what she meant by "take a breath." To "take a breath" can mean either to breath in air and then breath out or to stop and relax. I released that she was telling me to stop and relax because I was insured and she did not want me pushing myself too hard.
ReplyDeleteKate-- I think that music in general requires a lot of decoding. One must decode music notes, signals, and their instrument. I liked that you saw the way music builds as a blueprint, once you recognize a pattern.
ReplyDeleteAmi-- simple phrases such as "take a breath" are very good examples of decoding. It can have various meanings and can be interpreted differently based on the way somebody is saying it.
I noticed that although many of us have chosen different topics to focus on with decoding, no matter which class we chose, it always requires us to firstly process in our minds what needs to be decoded. Of course, everything needs to go through your mind and is decoded in a way, but the first step is having the brain recognize that there can be more than one meaning. Back to Ami's post, she said that at first she was confused about what the teacher meant when she said "take a breath", but then soon after realized that the teacher said that with the intentions of telling her to relax. Ami did not go look up online what the phrase meant or ask the teacher, she simply needed time to process the other various meanings that the phrase might mean. The second step in decoding after recognizing that something needs to get decoded would be allowing your actions to follow what is being decoded. This is where the idea of free-will and choices come in. After you make a choice on what to do, sometimes, there comes regret or the feeling of making the "wrong" choice. You may ask yourself, 'why did I make that decision?' Sometimes, decisions can be influenced by your outer surroundings. Tv, media, social networks, peers, parents, and teachers can influence your opinions, ideas, and choices, so sometimes when you make a choice, it was not up entirely to you because there was somebody there first that planted that little seed in your mind, that then turns into a brighter idea, that turns into a choice.
Today in History we were discussing if Germany should take total blame for causing World War One as the Treaty of Versailles states it. I realized that the treaty of Versailles was written by the victors, and so naturally they would blame everything on Germany... I also decoded that it can be connected to how life works in general, the victors always get the last word, and are able to punish the losers how ever they want.
ReplyDeleteWhile I’m trying to decode something I try to think of and relate it to something I know, or that is familiar so I can make a comparison. In the moment I feel like I understand the decision that I make unless it’s the wrong choice and I don’t understand why, but then again as the reading said, your brain makes the decision for you before you realize it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you LolaTOK, I also always feel like I fully understand all the decisions that I make. It is really amazing how the brain functions!
ReplyDeleteAs for me, when I’m decoding something I first think about the question, I read and re-read it, and even sometimes memorize it for a little while, in order to get a good grasp of it. I feel like when I say the question to myself multiple times, I get a better understanding of it, and therefore this enables me to fully answer the question that was asked to me… This is the method I use to decode stuff.
I always have a very good understanding to all the decisions I make, no matter how small or how big the decision in question is. If it is choosing between milk or juice at the dining hall or a more important decision such as procrastinate or if I should actually do homework, but after this readings… I don’t think I do anymore! I have just learned that my brain does all the decision making for me, even before I know it, this completely contradicts of how I thought I managed my decision making. So that would me, my brain has already decided that I would procrastinate and do my work later on…. Interesting.
In math, there are so many ways to solve a problem, and when i first learn a technique, I practice them for many times until I fully understand it. After several times, when i see a problem, if I got multiple ways to solve it, i choose the easiest, fastest way to do it since it is more efficient and simple. For other subject such as English or history which doesn't have a correct answer, it takes me more time to think and analize the question and then give the answer. most of the time, the decision i made is based on my emotion, i didn't think too much, but sometimes when i have to make a important choice, i will think a lot about the consequences, pros,cons and how.If the thing requires me to think for a while, i usually take longer time then other people.
ReplyDeleteI think the question of whether decoding things - memory recall, putting two and two together, the act of figuring things out - has to do with making decisions is an interesting one. There are decisions involved in, for example, interpreting an English reading, like Mary's and Tillula's examples. An interesting idea to try and explore which would involve both topics might be to discover when the brain becomes aware of an awareness, that is to say, in the process of decoding, does the brain make the connection before the person is conscious of it? (I would think so, having read the neuroscience article.) The implications of this might be more interesting than controversial, and maybe not even related, but it would be cool to try to explore.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the question "To what extent are your understandings decisions that you control?", I must say that I'm not entirely sure, after hearing of these experiments. I do want to remark on the comment mentioned in the article by Fried, in which he basically said that although he is aware of the questionable amount of freedom in will, he will not be able to apply this to his own thinking, because he lives in a world where free will is the assumption upon which all thought and law is based. Before it is known and commonly accepted that this is the case - that free will is not, in fact, free - and the world begins to operate differently because of it, this will be difficult to keep in mind on a daily basis.
LolaTOK- Your comment about how "your brain makes the decision for you before you realize it" completely relates to my experience in my IB Music class.
ReplyDeleteThe other day we had a worksheet which was about writing the notes in, and at first I needed to use my little “cheat sheet” but after a few times of seeing the same notes over and over again, it just came naturally. It was as if I had seen the note before (because I had), and I just wrote down the correct letter that represented the note. To me, these notes now seem to not be more of a decoding because they come very easily, but something that comes to me without second guessing myself. Therefore, I think that most of my decoding comes without thought and I cannot control it.
LolaTOK- I completely agree, when I am in the process of decoding something I like to think about previous experiences and how they relate to the topic. Usually, if it is something of common knowledge I find it easy to just relate it to something i went to or somewhere i have been. Recalling a past conversation or time can always help in the decoding of certain questions asked in class or even outside of class.
ReplyDeleteWhen i decode something, for me to truly understand it i must grasp the overall topic and what it describes. So, when i decide to decode something i must make a clear decision on what i need to find out, how i want to figure it out, and what i need to do to fully grasp the subject. Once i have made the decision on how to find it out, i have to research or recall a personal experience and apply it to my every day life. A decision making process is used in order to decode all the time. If you were to decode something, you would not be able to come up with a definition or understanding right away, there would need to be a process to actually figuring it out. And that is where choices come into the picture. It is a sort of partnership, really and it is that partnership that allows a person to fully comprehend a topic or subject.
To Emilie: I like what you said about how the victors always get the final say. It also made me think about how it isn't just the victors who get the final say (which in some situations its fair anyway since they won), but it also made me think that the bigger side always gets the final say. Whether its bigger size, age, or responsibility, they seem to always get the final say even when they are wrong.
ReplyDeleteTo a certain extent, we have control over understandings that we choose. The things that we see with our eyes, we can make our own decisions on. However, the things that the heart/soul decide are not in our control.There are much greater things in store for us that we may not see with our eyes, but that doesn't mean they are destined to happen.
When one makes decisions, especially when decoding, they would most likely make that decision from informations that are already known to them. In my previous comment, I mentioned that my instructor told me to "take a breath," most people know the different meanings of "taking a breath" and would not need research the numerous meanings. NahFeeSah2, brings up a great point on the causes of war. She explains from informations that she already knows as why wars are caused by various events that built up tension over time that history textbooks do not include.
ReplyDeleteAlyshamarie:)- I had to do a very similar thing for the music homework. I had to use my pneumonic to remember the letters for treble clef. (Even George Bush Drives Fast) As I go closer to finishing the worksheets and the reading, I no longer had to use my device and I was able to easily name the note.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the question: “To what extent are your understandings decisions that you control?” I was surprised that the length was seven second. Seven seconds seems like a very long time to me. I knew that making a decision wouldn’t be an immediate thing but I never thought seven seconds. The first thing that popped into my mind upon reading this was indecision and mind changing. If someone were to change their mind directly after making the primary decision, (something I do somewhat frequently) then had their mind been planning on the secondary option all along?
When I am trying to decode something I am most certainly making decisions. I'd like to think that as we are learning something, our brain is going through process of elimination. (Brain)"hmm ok let's see, so I can't solve this equation without plugging in the number 2. I also can't substitute for x." The more we learn about something like math (like TO's examples), we are making decisions on whether or not to follow the directions correctly. Which leads to the question, "To what extent are your understandings decisions that you control"? Free will is indeed a powerful thing. I have the power to do a problem correctly, or not do my math homework at all. But there is something that drives me as well as others to the point where we know we have to do something. So we are choosing to do this TOK homework right now. We don't have to, but we do it because we want to pass this class. I agree with NahFeeSah2 when she says that what the heart and soul decide is out of our control. We all are doing this assignment because we are all kind and respectful people. Therefore we will be led to make the right decisions.
ReplyDelete