T is for...

T is for trailer!!!

Just in case you were hungry for another representation of my thesis idea.... No worries. Here is a wonderful video, made just for you.

If that piqued your interest at all, feel free to read over my MiniPaper and share your thoughts!! I'd really appreciate it.

Confession is Spelled P-O-W-E-R: MiniPaper

Even after many years of technological advancement, the nature of confession survives with almost perfect authenticity; technology has touched, but not transformed the polar ends of sinful openness. Like in The Scarlet Letter, there is still public scandal, and there are still secret acts. Rather, modern media has amplified that area in between, where individuals may choose either to reveal or conceal their minor flaws and transgressions. Programs like Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, YouTube, Blogger, etc. indicate an evolving view of personal disclosure, summarized by the word “more.” Thus, the lesser errors and imperfections of human existence now claim a larger online acknowledgement than ever before.

As online openness grows, so do the indulgent confessions, (if you're wondering just what that means, check out Sixbillionsecrets or some of the public journal entries on my-diary). As those become more common, it only follows that people would adapt to the trend and use that influence for purposes other than penitence. The cyber-society created by modern media gathers a world of imperfect people and holds them just close enough that one average sin, when advertised properly, wields social influence. Essentially, confession serves as an instrument of social power; it works internal changes on the sinner, alters an individual’s social conditions and has potential to change widely held perceptions of morality and social structure.

Former English teacher? MiniPaper? I think yes!

I know we've all had one. You know, that teacher that changed your life forever, and whose memory retains that lingering sentimental/academic halo even after all these years. Allow me to introduce you to mine: Mr. Nagro, my Shakespeare, sophomore honors, and AP English teacher.

Due to his challenging course and no-nonsense teaching style, Mr. Nagro is considered by some to be the most feared teacher at Timpanogos High. You see, Mr. Nagro loves to play devil's advocate; as students, if we ever evaluated a text on too shallow a level, or took a certain moral belief for granted, he was quick to pick at our previously unshaken assumptions about literature, life, English, etc. Imagine our surprise, we little sophomores, at meeting this man so unlike the complacent pedagogues of years past. Many students bowed down to him in the classroom, then breathed in an air of complaint once they reached the outer doors, but that always bothered me. Teacher says something with which you disagree? Tell him! Argue with him! (Ok, well maybe not argue. Make your point respectfully and intelligently, then wait to hear his side. He is probably smarter than you anyway, but still share your opinion when you feel the need.) It was my tendency to do so that forged a friendship between the two of us. He is a great man, one that helped bring my intellect into the realm of intelligent and active expression. So why not talk with him about my thesis topic?

My Social Life! Well, kinda.

Deep breath. Social proof... Here is the breakdown of my outreach efforts and results, be they as insignificant as they are. Here goes!

One of my gold-mine finds was the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society. What an awesome collection of scholars!! I emailed all that I could find information for, and read everything they'd written on The Scarlet Letter. They offered a fascinating array of thematic foci, and I found some great support for my topic in their work. I contacted David Greven, Ellen Weinauer, Samuel Chase Coale, Jason Courtemanche, Robert Milder, and Magnus Ullen (who I think has a super cool name.)  "Gold mine" remains a relative term, however... Their texts have been the only interaction I've really had with them so far. I will say, though, that trying to make connections between my topic of confession/concealment and the interests of each of these professors was a really good exercise.

As I briefly described in a previous blog post, I also had a more successful, if perhaps slightly more trivial dialogue through Facebook with a Texan boy-band named The Scarlet Letter. They explained to me their reasons for donning that name, and changed my perception of rock bands. Classic literature in the modern age! Whoo! Also on Facebook, I contacted one of my good English major friends and talked through my ideas with her. She helped validate my ideas in their beginning stages and gave me some good direction with where to go in the future. I also got to hear her boy update, which was equally necessary. Thanks Jayne!

Here come the random contacts. After looking through SlideShare for a while, I finally found a presentation that didn't scream "high school project." The analysis and overall consideration of the many, many elements within the novel were great, so I did some more stalking (anyone else ever feel that way when searching for social proof? "Ooh! Good source. Maria Teresa Ciaffaroni? Hm... lets see if I can find her email address, Facebook account, or fan club.") and sent her an email. No response from her either. An earlier attempt stemmed from a book review I found of Marilyn McEntyre's novel, "Reading Like a Serpent." She was super cool- her website showcased her books, poetry, devotionals, etc. and even had a page through which to contact her. Though that seemed really convenient at first, it turned out to be one of those unfortunate "I'm not sure if it actually sent this... maybe if I press Submit five more times then it will work!" moments. So who knows if that even went through.

My most consistent activity has been on Google+. Though I initially only searched for The Scarlet Letter,  I eventually broadened my search terms and found a whole new world of media enthusiasts. I came across some existing conversations about topics similar to mine, even related to the digital age. I made comments, sent some messages, and then these conversations led me to some Google+ celebrities, like Esteban Contreras and Gideon Rosenblatt. I've posted comments on their conversations most relevant to me, and even messaged them with questions. This has yielded me some very nice +1's, and some additional exposure to the current technological issues involved with personal information, etc.

Though the idea of social proof left me extremely skeptical and nervous at first, I've experienced a "mighty change of heart". I never could have guessed just how excited that list of Hawthornian board members would make me- just think of all the things they could say to me if they had the chance! The idea is thrilling. Even though I don't seem to have had much success, I realize that if I'd picked up (or begun to develop, rather) this skill earlier, I could've had even more exciting experiences with all those untapped enthusiasts and scholars out there. In my social proofing future, I think I'll try to aim at the more unsung, underscheduled, scholars who have both valuable opinions and a bit more time with which to respond. I keep picking on all those bigtime professors and trendy technological gurus. Busy, busy people... Anyhow, here is to social proof :) Maybe we can be friends!

I'm Erica Oldroyd, and I approve this message...

To all of those in my English 295 class, and those to whom I advertised my mistaken assumption that people who use The Scarlet Letter as their band name or song title have probably never read the book, I have something to say: I was wrong. Because I have been epic failing at finding social proof, this impending bibliography (in which we list scholars who are interested in our study topics, and demonstrate how we've interacted with them and benefited from their superior intellectual experiences) is causing some stress. Which, as my grandma always says, is a great motivator. The point is, as my social warmup, I found one of the couple bands associated with The Scarlet Letter and posted on their Facebook wall. (Academic, I know.) And this is what I got in response!

Turns out that this Texan boy-band (and when I say boy-band, I mean that in the most punk-rocker hardcore way possible) started jamming during their junior year as they were studying the Scarlet Letter, and WALA! We have a band. So this is my official retraction of that very hasty judgment on behalf of the rock bands of the world. I apologize.

Thanks for restoring my faith in rock, (or Post-Hardcore, as they prefer to say) and in high school junior boys. I owe you one.

Guest Post!

Just so that you are all aware- I know some wonderful people. Don't believe me? Meet two of my brilliant classmates and their two favorite novels. And my thesis topic!! All in one blog post!! They've so kindly agreed to guest feature for a day, providing extra insight on my chosen topic of confession vs. concealment. Though I look at the topic through the lens of The Scarlet Letter, Makenna Phillips and Sam Jenkins see it a bit differently. Here is what they have to say.

Makenna Phillips- Anne of Green Gables (See her blog here)

"Today in class, Erica and I were talking about her topic of confessions and how it related to the Scarlet Letter. Then, I realized that it also related to my own novel of Anne of Green Gables. In this story, Anne wants to go to a picnic in order to make her neighbors acquaintance and hopefully meet her new "bosom friend" and kindred spirit. Unfortunately, right before the picnic, Marilla finds that her amethyst brooch is missing, and is quick to blame Anne for its disappearance. Infuriated, Marilla tells Anne that she is not to go to the picnic until she confesses her crime. Anne was desperate to get to the picnic, and she had to think of some way, any way to make Marilla let her go. So she comes up with a plan. She finally goes up to Marilla and tells her this charming story:

 "I took the amethyst brooch," said Anne, as if repeating a lesson she had learned. "I took it just as you said. I didn't mean to take it when I went in. But it did look so beautiful, Marilla, when I pinned it on my breast that I was overcome by an irresistible temptation. I imagined how perfectly thrilling it would be to take it Idlewild and play I was the Lady Cordelia Fitzgerald. It would be so much easier to imagine I was the Lady Cordelia if I had a real amethyst brooch on. Diana and I made necklaces of roseberries but what are roseberries compared to amethyst? So I took the brooch. I thought I could put it back before you came home. I went all the way around by the road to lengthen out the time. When I was going over the bridge across the Lake of Shining Waters I took the brooch off to have another look at it. Oh, how it did shine in the sunlight! And then, when I was leaning over the bridge, it just slipped through my fingers-- so--and went down--down--down, all purply-sparkling, and sank forevermore beneath the Lake of Shining Waters. And that is the best I can do at confessing, Marilla."

Scarlet Sources

Tweethis. Aw yeah.

"The online world lends itself to the human tendencies of confession and concealment of sin, yet does so ineffectually, as one cannot truly gain the freedoms of confession by incriminating oneself online, nor can human flaw really be kept from the ever-reaching arms of the internet."

What is a thesis without some research, though? Here are some helpful sources that I've found throughout my online research:

• McEntyre, Marilyn Chandler. Reading like a Serpent: What the Scarlet a Is about. Eugene, Or.: Wipf and Stock, 2012. Web. This scholarly monograph outlines a possible Christian lens with which to read The Scarlet Letter, addressing specific doctrinal topics like faith, forgiveness, and... (drumroll please) confession! I contacted Dr. McEntyre (who has a website, blog, etc.) with questions about how she might connect the idea to the digital age. We'll see if she responds! I found a review of the book using Google blogs.
• Rasgussis, Michael. Family Discourse and Fiction in The Scarlet Letter. ELH 49.4. Pg 863-88. 1982. Though that citation belongs to the original publication in a journal, this scholarly addition to my novel, contained in a chapter called "The Critical Background", discusses how Hester, Arthur, and Roger refuse to verbalize the truth about the origin of the A, therefore denying Pearl of personal identity and family connections. Essentially, it describes an effect of concealment.
• Bercovitch, Sacvan. Hawthorne's A-Morality of Compromise. 1988. Another citation fail... this scholarly addition in my edition of the novel focuses on the implications of The Scarlet Letter, and Hester's decision to take it back up even after her return to Puritan society. It basically analyzes the efficacy of the A as a punishment, and can therfore tie to my argument that online confession/concealment serves as an inefectual form of relief.

I Confess!!

I've recently been toying with ideas about how media and technology affect traditional morality. And I've discovered something. IT IS A SPIRAL THAT NEVER ENDS!! The image below essentially expresses the state of my brain for the last two days.

 Not good. So if you're reading this and all you can think is "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas (or the realm of logical thought) anymore!" then just click your heels three times and think of home. Sorry for the confusion. Or, you can stick around as I search for the yellow brick road to coherence. Bring it on.

How is media and morality a spiral, you might ask? I think my initial problem comes down to a tendency to analyze everything at once. You can't cram all million and a half aspects of morality into one blog post, Erica! Stop trying! But lets face it. Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, is swimming with sin. Like most good novels, it presents the issue panoramically, with each of the characters responding to and interacting with sin in different ways. If any text is going to set my head spinning about morality, this is it. When it comes to media, I don't think I need to tell anyone just how much is out there. We've all seen it. User-generated content (that is my primary focus when I say media) also encompasses a wide moral spectrum, ranging from innocent to offensive to who knows what! (Cat videos, anyone?) The point is- ties between media and morality are endless. Here is my highlight of the day:

Confession vs. Concealment

Not to oversimplify things, but I would suggest that every transgression eventually falls into one of those two categories. And in no small coincidence, this analytic lens applies fabulously to both The Scarlet Letter and to modern uses of technology. As we are all human, and all prone to make mistakes, it makes sense that this tendency to confess or conceal would manifest itself online. But how?

Out to Sea... Aub and Me

Ohhh the beauties of a warm summer weekend... Thats right, folks, this Saturday marked the first family bonfire of the season. Yesss!! Now in my family, this entails hot dogs, baked beans, rootbeer, peanut butter smores, you get the picture. Delicious. There was also a long and angry phone call to my soon-to-be-sixteen cousin Rachel, who forewent a trip to Utah in favor of a smashing co-ed birthday party. Psssh. Later, there was singing and ukulele accompaniment. Somewhere in between all of that bliss, however, my cousin Aubrey and I (see the picture below) took a walk down the the old field and parked ourselves on top of the old truck. (Get it? Parked?) That is where our philosophical discussion began.

Ok, so it didn't really begin philosophically... but once we got high school graduation and boys out of the way, our conversation somehow turned to the ethics of our generation. The political atmosphere seems so saturated with "Whatever is right for you" and "Who am I to judge?" If you can't picture exactly what I mean by that, check out the comments under this blog post by Erik Folgate. I left one also, expressing my belief in the unchanging moral code that Folgate references, and also recognizing his significant interest in social media. I'm not sure if the comment is up yet, it said it was "waiting for moderation", but I'll be interested to see if he has any opinions on how the media affects our moral ideals.
Anyway, these philosophies of moral relativity may sound harmless, but when applied to the character of our country, they hold grave implications. What happens when a justice system simply refuses to judge? Some things are right; others are wrong, and I trust the law of our nation to mark that line, no matter if one or another individual complains against it. There seems to be less and less sympathy for this point of view, however, as my generation grows more and more libertarianist/morally passive than ever.

Shame on You: Episode 2

In a recent blog post, I asked my peers to share their opinions on how we, in our current society of social media and digital consumption, express social disapproval. Here is a quick summary of the responses I got, plus some extra thoughts on the side.

1. Ridicule. Just think of the possibilities here- this could include anything from snide comments on blog posts (not to give you any ideas...), derogatory status updates, or disgruntled tweets. If you've got a problem, why not just say so? Technology and social media give us plenty of different options. Making fun makes a point, and can be used to draw attention to offensive behaviors, institutions, or individuals.
2. Content Creation. This was a brilliant insight that I had not previously considered. Just think of all the SNL and parody-type videos you've seen. Imagine the endless supply of BYU memes or "Dear blank, Please blank" letters. Though usually lighthearted, sarcastic, and just plain silly, they often bring out themes that unsettle the public. This could also include more businesslike content, such as political cartoons, blog posts, or online newspaper articles. If words alone will not suffice, individuals can express dissatisfaction with the help of images, videos, and a whole host of digital content.
3. Unfriend/Ignore. We've all done it at one point or another. For me, it was that old high school acquaintance that suddenly developed a very colorful vocabulary in his Facebook statuses. And that girl that got a little too happy with her camera on the beach in Mexico, and the club, and everywhere else that gives an excuse to wear short shorts and low tops... Yech. Whatever your reasoning, social media allows us to delete friendships at the click of a button. If you're not feeling quite that extreme, you can use it to filter desirable and undesirable social interactions. Creeper keeps trying to chat with you online? Easy- just

Learning Cloud-comes

Well, I couldn't help but jump on the bandwagon and try one of these word cloud things. Perhaps you're wondering exactly what words I chose to vaporate? None other than my dear learning outcomes from English 295! To get all metaphorical, I'm going to say that with sufficient personal effort, these learning outcomes can help me to leave my handprint on both the digital and literary world. It is a lot more work than I expected it to be, but I'm working on it! (Truthfully, this has morphed into an almost death match between me and those things. I WILL win this!) I know that I'd be better off writing a lengthier, more academic post about my novel, but that will come tomorrow, and I just had to claim my little show-and-tell (mostly show) moment with the word cloud. So there it is! High fives all around.

Scarlet Letter Song!

Alrighty everyone! Here goes- my first real creative attempt to mash some modern media. This is a nice little mix of songs held together by one overarching detail: each is titled Scarlet Letter (or a slight variation of that). There is one notable exception, but I think you will pick up on it. They vary widely in genre and style, and each take different creative liberties with the symbol in lyrics and theme. I was going to write out the lyrics for you, but instead spent an hour trying to untangle the formatting mess that initially kept me from uploading the song. Apologies. The following is a list of the songs, in chronological order:

Scarlet Letters- I Anthem

The Scarlet Letter- Jag Panzer

The Scarlet Letter- John Barry

Scarlet Letter- Adestria ft. Scott Barnes

Love Story- Taylor Swift

The Scarlet Letter- Katrina Lenk, from the rock opera shAme

Scarlet Letter- Core Effect

Scarlet Letters- I Anthem

Listening to all these different songs and observing their interpretations of this well-known symbol, I really gained some insight on modern perceptions of the Scarlet Letter. One, particularly the I Anthem song, was fairly close to the text in themes of judgment, sin, weakness, redemption, etc. Core Effect also referenced those general themes, adding isolation and romantic separation to the mix. Others, like Jag Panzer, have exploded the Hester figure into some sort of demonic feminine archetype. Huh. Then the Adestria song... to be honest, I barely understand what the heck they're even saying. I just put it in because of the title. Taylor, on the other hand, uses the letter quite lightly, almost naively, suggesting an oversimplification of the scarlet A. As for Lenk and the "rock opera", I'm not a huge fan of it. The others at least use the symbol without pretense of actually representing the text, but this song comes from an opera dedicated to The Scarlet Letter, and it felt neither culturally authentic or textually accurate. I suppose it has its own thematic merit. Anyhow, the combination provided me with some great cultural insights into how our society today views the concept of "scarlet letter."

Easy A

Easy A... Hm. Just to clarify, we're not talking the plus or minus kind. We're talking scarlet, skanky, and sinful A. And this is what I chose to focus on this term. (Self evaluation time, perhaps?) As I surf the web, Google+, and YouTube under the umbrella of "The Scarlet Letter," I come to realize the the moral reality of what this novel actually talks about. I picked a book about adultery? How am I going to find modern content related to my novel that isn't totally inappropriate? Or a better question: How have I never had this moral dilemma with actual novel of The Scarlet Letter before now?

True, the novel begins after the act took place, following Hester through the aftermath of that initial sin. This seems, however, to come down to the fundamental differences between text and technology. The novel fills me full of words- ones that would justify, soften, explain her inner heart. And I feel it. I understand. She has her pain and her righteous punishment, and I cling to those wisps of wisdom that only emerge from the troubled soul.

Scrolling down a YouTube or Google image search, however, I'm embarrassed by the sensual content so readily available. Not blatantly inappropriate or pornographic, but provacative nonetheless. Can I argue or complain, though? No. That is adultery, that is the reality. So here is my counterintuitive thought of the day: Maybe our new media, as amoral as it seems, serves as a spotlight with which to illuminate the truths of transgression. No more hiding between the pages or behind the silent traditions of social propriety. Our abundant media lends itself to a greater knowledge and understanding of the nature of sin, making it feel more applicable and aversive than the fancy words ever did. Crazy, huh?

Shame On You

"In their great mercy and tenderness of heart, they have doomed Mistress Prynne to stand only a space of three hours on the platform of the pillory, and then and thereafter, for the remainder of her natural life, to wear a mark of shame upon her bosom." -The Scarlet Letter

First of all, never begin a sentence about civil discipline with the words "In their great mercy and tenderness of heart." Ugh, it just sounds wrong. Second of all, flickr and Google Image searches for "Scarlet Letter", "A", or even "embroidery" were very disappointing. I had to crop the above photo from a picture of an old book cover, and it doesn't even have the cool golden stitches described in the text.  (I'm not even sure if cropping and reusing that was legal or not. If not, I may be submitting my future posts from the penitentiary.) On to my real point, though. Behold the quote above. That is the punishment given to Hester Prynne for adultery. In a Puritan society where both "the Scripture and the statute-book" prescribe death, she seems to have gotten off easy. Right?

Here is the thing- Hester is doomed to wear that mark of shame FOREVER. Those puffy magistrates wouldn't have condemned her to it if they hadn't felt some sense of the real and agonizing punishment it would be. This is the power of shame, and of isolation (because that is what the symbol guarantees her, essentially.) This is perhaps the strongest example of social disapproval I've encountered in literature, and it makes me wonder about life outside the pages. Hester's punishment stems from the decree of a magisterial board of judges, and I think it is very fair to say that few of us will ever pass before one of those. What does remain the same, however, is the power of popular opinion. Its destructive influence (as well, I suppose, as its constructive power) lives on. My questions, then, is this: How does our modern society show its social disapproval?? We no longer impress scarlet A's over the hearts of offenders, but social media, internet resources, etc. must have some effect on how we define our modern mark of shame. Help me to nail this down?

Rainbows, and Gods End?

"Little clusters of children were here and there along the street. God only knew what they were seeing." - Vernor Vinge, from Rainbows End

Hm. God. I may be wrong, but this is one of the first references I have heard to Him throughout this whole book. Is that incidental? Where is that religious presence to which the American identity is so closely tied? He seems nowhere to be found. When pondering why, I couldn't think of anything but the most obvious answer: the people have not made room for Him. In my reading of Rainbows End, I've seen endless google searching, but not much soul searching. Plenty of <sm/> but no communication with the divine. These futurists can (essentially) create their own worlds, yet they walk through them without ever thinking of the Being that created the original. Why? Has technology become so all-consuming that people simply don't care? Have they become so distracted that they just don't feel Him anymore? Or has modern technology endowed them with such power that they can live without Him, acting as their own Gods and Goddesses?

I don't happen to believe that is possible, that replacement of God with technology. In fact, I know it not to be. What I can believe is that with sufficient resources, a bit of power-hunger, and some ego, society could easily fall into that pattern of thinking. What think ye, O expansive world of Google+?