Chapter 2 and More Press Pause Play

     Our society thrives off the internet and most the people in this country would feel naked without it now. The internet involves a source of communication and information for everybody and most peoples jobs and lives rely on being able to use the internet for communication and information. "The mass media, media technology, and our culture all interact with one another"(Culture and Communication 22). Our society and the internet go hand in hand now and ely on each other to continue our efficient society. The beginnings of mass communication began in the 15th century with the movable type. Being able to type instead of everything handwritten was a huge breakthrough at the time and allowed writing to be spread out more efficiently and quickly. Prior to the movable type this handwriting and books were limited to the elite, "Because of this, reading material was scarce and limited to those in the elite culture- the clergy and the nobility"(Beginnings of Mass Communication 22). Now the middle classes and the normal folk could now access writing and this was monumental in mass communication at the time. Later on what became a real game changer in mass communication was the ability to print. The first things to be mass printed were pictures and more accurately Albrecht Durer, one of the most successful renaissance artist. His portraits were limited until they began to be printed. This allowed everybody to enjoy the portraits and things only advanced from there. Later on in our constantly growing industrial society one of the most influential inventions in mass communication was the metropolitan newspaper. "Although newspapers had existed since the late 17th and early 18th centuries, they had been read by the educated elite, not the general public"(Culture and Communication 26). Like earlier these forms of communication and information were limited to the wealthy elite but once they evolve to the majority of the people they change the whole world of mass communication. Technology and communication only improves and advances and that builds our society.

Albrecht Durer's, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse 

The New York Sun, the first paper in the United States

        

          The film Press Pause Play gives the viewer a deeper understanding of numerous forms of art and what they have become today. Press Pause Play gives the sides of both the positives and the negatives of the art world and whether or not things are improving or getting worse. "This changes everything. The industry is dead. There has never been a better time to be an artist"(Seth Godin, Press Pause Play). Some experts believe the time period we are in now is better than ever because art can go ay direction and people are understanding and acceptable now to new forms of art. People have changed and so has art in general. "50 years ago, people didn't make things. People would go to photography exhibitions. They would go to record fairs. They would watch movies. Now everyone is a photographer. Everyone is a musician. Anyone can make film(Moby, Press Pause Play). Now every form of art there is most people can create it and enjoy all themselves, they dont need someone else to do it for them anymore. The film just reassures the viewer that art is now more accesible than ever now and it's never going to slow down and will only continue to evolve.

Moby, an extremely influential figure in the film

An idea that art will continue to evolve and it will be never ending

Intro to Edentity

   Knowing your identity and figuring out who you are can be a major struggle for some people and it can take them several years. How you want to be viewed by others and how you define yourself is your identity. Within the last ten years the idea of edentity has surfaced and that's because of the advancements of technology and how it's affect the planet and the people on it. Our edentity is composed of, "an electric identity composed of the digital traces left behind as we participate in virtual worlds". Our edentites have already been created whether you realize it or not when you interact with technology. Things like sending an email, or watching Netflix involve your edentity and people won't even think twice. People can see everything though, "yet those actions leave digital footprints that can be mined for data by various companies and corporate entities". Pretty much everything on the internet is trackable and it's overlooked by everyone who used the internet and doesn't think about the affects of their edentity. Something else that could be one of the most interesting things about our edentites is what happens with death? The internet and the social world has no set lifespan, "Even after our deaths, our online identities may still be visible in our social networking profiles that remain online". Our generation is going to have to experience this never ending edentity that stays with everyone. It's sounds a little freaky to some but to others it can be a great way to remember somebody who's gone. At this moment in time social networking seems never ending which means your edentity will be never ending. It's interesting to think about and will be even more interesting to see what happens in the future. 

The idea of an Edentity

Social media is never ending and edentities will carry on

      

          Another important aspect of this idea is through film and music. Our world is changing and it has been changing rapidly for years now. Technology never sleeps which means our world and the changes occurring in it cant either. Our universe is unique, like Neil De Grasse tyson said, "The most astounding fact is the knowledge that the atoms that comprise life on earth, the atoms that make up the human body are crucibles that cooked light elements into heavy elements in their core under extreme temperatures and pressures". Basically everything on this planet can be traced back to the human body and the human race. Everything that's happened in the past and the existence of this planet is within us and can be traced back to us. This includes technology and internet and the more recent discoveries made by human beings. Technology and science are never going to slow down which is why literature, film, music, poetry, etc. is never going to settle down and will be constantly changing. The technology advancements are good but we can't get carried away, Jason Silva said, "The scientist and engineers who are building the future need the poets to make sense of it". This is a really cool quote because it applies to everyone. People enjoy the technology and always having new and unique "toys" but we need normal people and people like Silva to help us understand why and help keep a source of balance and equilibrium. 

Jason Silva

Neil DeGrasse Tyson and the Most Astounding Fact

Smoke Signals

   Smoke Signals just like Dances With Wolves really gives the viewer an idea of what most people think when they think of Native Americans. They both can be very stereotypical and you see this all the time with movies and cinema regarding Native Americans. With help from movies and cinema the Native American has been portrayed to be a fierce and fearless warrior and in most cases is meant to be the "bad guy". With all the stereotypes there are some facts and honest parts of Smoke Signals as well. Throughout history Native Americans and their land as well as the aspect of being American citizens has always been a tricky conflict. From the film Smoke Signals, "You know how Indians feel about signing papers". Deciding who's land is who's is still a a significant issue today and most likely always will be. The film is also represented with the colors red, white, and blue a ton and that has some significance. The colors blue especially show the conflict of becoming an American citizen. The colors of the American flag also represent freedom and that's something Native Americans never felt like they've had much of. The combination of cinema and the stereotypes it brings for Native Americans only brings that opportunity of freedom and a different opinion down. Thomas builds-the-fire said, "You know there are some children who aren't really children at all, they're just pillars of flame that burn everything they touch. and there are some children who are just pillars of ash, that fall apart when you touch them... Victor and me, we are children of flame and ash". These kids experienced the fire when they were young but there is a deeper meaning here. They feel like because of the past and what has happened to them in there lives that they can't amount to anything or they are set up for failure. It seems most things regarding Native Americans has them failing which is something extremely difficult to grow up in.

The American flag and freedom

One of the many examples of how Native Americans have been inaccurately portrayed

       Another huge aspect of Smoke Signals and Native American culture in general is storytelling. Every story has the ability to heal and sometimes that's what makes them so important and special. Smoke Signals and Ceremony both portray characters with troubled pasts and storytelling allows them to overcome the past and heal. Thomas build-a-fire said, "Hey Victor! I remember the time your father took me to Denny's, and I had the grand slam breakfast. Two eggs, two pancakes, a glass of milk, and of course my favorite, the bacon. Some days, it's a good day to die. And some days, it's a good day to have breakfast". Even though this quote from Smoke Signals isn't a traditional Native American story or anything like that but it can get to you and that's what storytelling is all about. Even a small story like this can bring back old memories good or bad and have a significant impact on anyone. Something else very evident in Smoke Signals is racism and how the Couer D'Alene are treated. Victor said, "You gotta look mean or people wont respect you. White people will run all over you if you don't look mean. You gotta look like a warrior! You gotta look like you just came back from killing a buffalo". Cinema and society in general has discriminated Native Americans to the point that things like this have become acceptable.

An idea of what everyone expects of an Indian

Storytelling being so important in the Native American culture

Ceremony Conclusion

   The Ending of Ceremony is all about Tayo's realization of what his life has become and looking back and realizing the reasons for every setback or mishap in his life. Tayo discovers what western medicine and the western lifestyle ended up doing to his life. At the time Tayo believed western medicine was helping him and allowing him recover from things like PTS and his childhood but it was only disguising it. Tayo is constantly throughout the book being pulled back into his old lifestyle but at the end of the book it seems as if he will do anything to escape that lifestyle and complete his own ceremony. You begin to realize just like Betonie has explained to Tayo that in order to cure new illnesses, new ceremonies were needed to overcome these illnesses. In order to cure these illnesses for Tayo he needs to heal and T'sheh is able to begin that process for Tayo. T'sheh brought new hope for Tayo, Silko said, "But his room was the same, the creaking bedsprings and frame pushed into the southeast corner below the small window. The terror of the dreaming he had done on this bed was gone, uprooted from his belly ; and the woman had filled the hollow spaces with new dreams". the healing process is in full affect from this point on because of the help Tayo receives from T'sheh. Tayo's not just healing with himself but with every aspect of his life. He's healing with the earth and becoming content with life. Another important part of Tayo's healing is the changing of seasons. Silko said, "Only the sky had changed, washed clear of the dust and haze which had swirled off the red clay flats that summer before. He could smell wild flowers growing in the weeds and grass besides the road, and he heard the big bumblebees and the smaller bees sucking the blossoms". With the beginning of Tayo's change and healing the season change is extremely important.

Tayo and the healing process

The changing of seasons

        Another extremely important part of the ending of the book and understanding of Tayo is witchery and its use in Laguna Pueblo tradition. Throughout the entire book witchery is expressed through poem or saying and it affects Tayo greatly. Whenever you think of witchery you think of evil and that's exactly what witchery is with the addition of manipulating people like Tayo throughout the entire book into loss. Tayo ultimately loses everything and in the end of the book he figures out how to get himself back. an example of witchery near the end of the book is when Tayo sees Leroy and Harley and thinks he's going to be getting a ride but in fact they were just trying to give him up to Tayo. These men were his friends but the witchery had consumed them too and Tayo had to overcome that. Silko said, "He looked down at them. If he had not known about their witchery, they might have fooled him." This is a perfect example of how Tayo has changed. He can sense and realize the witchery now and it becomes extremely beneficial for him and his ceremony. There is a poem at the end of the book that says, "Every evil which entangled him was cut to pieces". All the witchery and evil that was with Tayo for his entire life was being lifted and it seems as if his ceremony was becoming complete. 

Tayo finally overcoming his past life and being content

Tayo is betrayed by Harley and Leroy who were his friends but they were taken over by the witchery