dear future english student,

one of the many things people think of when it comes to english is writing a lot of papers about books and analyzing things that make no sense. however, remember that english 110 is the most basic (i think) english class there is. sure they may be some writing involved but its usually spread out throughout the quarter that it really doesn't feel like that much. there isn't really real homework to be done, maybe you have to write a blog entry where no matter what you put you can't be wrong.

one thing that has helped me is when writing the ARP or any other type of paper, it helps to take your time when writing. don't rush the ideas out of your head just so you can be done quicker. write a few sentences, then sit on them a little bit and write a few more. This helps me make sure that im not putting down thoughts that really don't do much for my paper. it may not work for everyone but i find it helpful

that last thing i would say is just write about what you like. the arp paper provides some freedom in what you want to talk about so make sure you pick something that you find interesting. its never fun writing about something you have no interest in so think a little about what interests you and choose wisely.

thats all the advice i can really think of. this class isn't that bad.


sincerely,
me

Block O

As some of you may know i am in the marching band here at ohio state. So i have a front row seat to all the home games and experience first the travesty that is the student section here at ohio state. What is going on block O?
I'll start by saying that the student section this school year has absolutely sucked. I have yet to see a game during the school year that has had a loud intimidating crowd, it hasn't been here. Maybe I'm spoiled by the insanity that was the USC game, where the stadium felt as if it would collapse from all the noise, but then again, when half of block O north doesn't even show up for the second game in a row, i have a right to be ticked off. It doesn't make sense, the student sections of the stadium should always be filled to maximum capacity with fans that are cheering loud for our team and making a hostile environment for whoever were playing. Instead the old, young, and middle aged people sitting in the nosebleed sections and in all the crappy seats are the ones making all the noise.
With one more home game left against the number four ranked team in the nation and a possible rose bowl berth for us all i hope is that maybe the student sections shows up once this season. It would be nice to get loud again, and if you're not gonna be loud at least show up to the game, nothing looks worse than a half empty student section.

The song "Lateralus" by Tool, is a progressive metal song that appeared on the album of the same name released in 2000. When looked at closer, it is interesting because the song creates something that few other songs have ever done. It creates a meaning that is much deeper than the just one listen can show.

The song is based upon the fibonacci number sequence, which is a sequence in which the next number is the sum of the two previous numbers. So for example, 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13. When plotted graphically the fibonacci number sequence creates a spiral that goes on into infinity. So what does all this have to do with this song.......everything actually. "Lateralus" is based upon this both musically and thematically.

I'll start with the music analysis. The song's chorus is divided into three phrases whose time signatures are 9/8, 8/8, and 7/8. This means that the number of beats in each phrase is 9, 8, 7. While this may not seem important, 987 is the seventeenth number in the fibonacci number sequence. Additionally, vocalist Maynard James Keenan first starts singing at 1:37, or 97 seconds into the song, which is exactly 1.618 of a minute. 1.618 is the golden ratio also known as (Phi), which is closely associated to the fibonacci number sequence.

During the verse that follows Keenan's sings in short phrases where the syllabels of each phrase make up the first few numbers of the fibonacci sequence in ascending and descending sequence. The verse goes as: "black - then - white are - all i see - in my infancy - red and yellow then came to be - reaching out to me - lets me see - there is - so - much- more and - beckons me - to look through to these - infinite possibilities - as below so above and beyond i imagine - drawn outside the lines of reason - push the envelope - watch it bend." It's a lot but when you take the number of syllables in each phrase the sequence goes: 1-1-2-3-5-8-5-3-2-1-1-2-3-5-8-13-8-5-3. The sequence goes up to eight and thirteen and then descends again. Its not an ecact fibonacci sequence but hey, it's pretty cool.

Now for the thematic elements. As mentioned earlier the fibonacci sequence creates a never-ending spiral when plotted graphically. Later in the song, Keenan starts to make references to this spiral. "Swing on the spiral," "ride the spiral." This spiral he is talking about is important because it is what the whole point of the song is based around. "And following our will and wind we may just go where no one's been, we'll ride the spiral to the endProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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nd may just go where no one's been." This is the theme of the song in a nutshell. To live your life like the fibonacci number sequence, constantly expanding your horizons, spiraling outward and reaching for the unknown, trying to reach to end of the "spiral." A lyric earlier in the song says, "push the envelope, watch it bend," this is saying push the boundaries and limits that are presented to you in life, watch and see how far you can bend them to further your path along the "spiral."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS7CZIJVxFY

Writer's Blog #1

When it comes to life, nothing is more important to me than music. Music has fused itself into my world that whenever I think back to days long gone, or reflect upon great memories, music more often than not pops up in my head to remind me of those good and bad times. There are artists and songs that define moments in my life, and to this day when I hear that certain song or artist, I get taken back that time in high school, or that family vacation. For example, my sophomore year of high school I listened to a lot of Pink Floyd. I probably listened to more than a healthy dose of Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. Listening to those albums today transports me back to my sophomore year, and all of the events that happened during that time, and helps to remind who I used to be and how I became the person I am today. To me music provides an outlet for me to express myself and to reflect on things in the world and in my life.