A Circle?

                In To Follow the Waves by Amal El – Mohtar I found interesting that it is a story of fate. Even though you dream of one that you really want, fate can deal you a different deck. I found it interesting that they used to dreams throughout the story. It seemed like Hessa created other people’s dreams instead of creating her and when she finally does she does not become happy.

                I also found it interesting those connections between the stone and the sea. One connection is on how the stone sings a song that a person must learn in order to create a masterpiece. As a person that is told this everyone places a piece next to their ears in order to attempt to hear the song. Which I find funny because it seems to complete and round circle within the story because of that fact the Hessa’s master was unhappy about her life and wish time can go back and become a young women. Hessa does it to attempt to learn about the crafting skills. But when Hessa becomes the masters and is taking on an apprentice, Hessa is also unhappy about her life and her apprentice does the same thing as what Hessa does in the beginning of her training.

                I feel like there is a circle in a life within this story and the characters may change except for the feeling and ideas never change.

Technology

While reading When Cyberfeminism meets Chinese Philosophy: Computer, Weaving and Women by Amy Kit-sze Chan, I feel like Chan is focusing on feminism and how “feminine” jobs changed the world. Chan goes on with facts that explain how a woman, in a time period where the women stayed home to take care of the family, came up with the idea of binary code from the weaving loop, which is considered women’s work. You never hear that in history books huh. I always find it funny when history books leave important facts out about modern history.

But it is also interesting, that Ada Lovelace could see a future technology in Charles Babbage’s machine, the Analytical Engine. In a time that not many women are in the field of Technology and especially in IT, it would be good to have a better update on Ada Lovelace in history classes to help encourage and create a positive reinforcement to help get women in that field.

I also thought the use of Tao and how it relates to the basic technology information. It seemed like the some of the views can be transfer over and have relate to technology. Such as the quote, “Tao gave birth to the One; the One gave birth to two; Two gave birth to Three; Form Three were births of Ten Thousand Beings” (220). It seems that it really interesting that a belief that was created hundreds of years ago relates to modern technology.

Deerskin

            After finishing Deerskin, I really liked the book but I thought that the "mental" chapters were seemed so long and spoken words often got lost in the description of the scene and reactions of people. Especially with Ossin in the scene, it seemed to that Lissar failed to realize the love that was growing with Ossin as the spend time together. It really happens when he showed her the paintings and if she had notice that he was expressing his feelings about her was more than any other princess. Because of the lack of her ability to heal completely from Lissar’s past, when Ossin is finally ready to express his feeling of her, Lissar runs instead of starting a new chapter.

            I think that her realization of her past and memories happens when she finds out that it is Ossin’s sister’s wedding and not Ossin’s. Upon doing so I think that she has a full circle of relief and mental healing with Lissar to help her move on with her life. Her angry that she express at her father’s attempt of other marriage and the pain that he place onto her, but the memories that she suppress came back with Ossin. Little does Lissar remembers, but she and Ossin are also identical in every way. They do not like their tittles and think very little of it, love of the simple things (dogs, getting dirty), they do not mind getting dirty and they both hate dressing up and being in the receiving room of the place. I think that the likeness that Ossin and Lissar have with each other is the reason why Lissar’s memories came back the strongest with him around. Not to remember the horrible times in her life, but the life that she had with as a child and with Ash around.

            In Deerskin the value of the Moonlady’s gifts to Lissar is what we first look at, but I like that Ossin’s gifts are what really help Lissar heal throughout the book. First gift of Ash, it helps her move on from her mother’s death and helps her keep her personal groundings and views. Ash is the reason why Lissar fights and lives throughout the story. The second gift of the six puppies, which helped her heal and grow into a person and a friend of many from Ossin to Lilac. Then her memories at first it seems like they are a curse but in reality they are a blessing because Lessar grows and realizes who she is and how she must move forward with the scars of the pass. His last gift of love even though Lissar feels like she does not deserved it, Ossin pushes through and tells her the truth and he loves her and does not care what has happen in her pass as long as she loves him.

            I believe this is what Lissar somewhat looks like when she goes off on exposing her father.

The Use of Description

“My LandLady, a voluble man, arranged my journey into the East. ‘If a person wants to visit Fastnesses he’s got to cross the Kargav…’ He was the superintendent of my island; I thought of him as my landlady, for he had fat buttocks that wagged as he walked, and a soft fat face, and a prying, spying, ignoble, kindly nature.” ~The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin page 47-48

                I find it funny that for a society that normally do not have a set sex type to be describe as men with feminine qualities. For me, the use of the combination of the words of my land lady, voluble (talkable) man just seems to be a contradiction in a description of a person. The facts of the word use of “him as my landlady” just seem so odd and funny at the same time. All the guys that I know would just freak out if they were being describe or talked about in that kind of manner.

                I often wonder the fact that Ali knew that his landlord/lady was trying to get information about him. I wonder what he did with the information such as tell it to the king or sell it for a profit. We do know that he sold tours to show off Ali’s room so you know that there is some sort of greed in this place.

                I also thought that the use of “the superintendent of my island” was a different and neat way to describe a landlord of a home/property. Most of the time people call them apartment.

                I kind think some of the characters kind looks like especially the “landlady.”

The Use of Description

“My LandLady, a voluble man, arranged my journey into the East. ‘If a person wants to visit Fastnesses he’s got to cross the Kargav…’ He was the superintendent of my island; I thought of him as my landlady, for he had fat buttocks that wagged as he walked, and a soft fat face, and a prying, spying, ignoble, kindly nature.” ~The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin page 47-48

                I find it funny that for a society that normally do not have a set sex type to be describe as men with feminine qualities. For me, the use of the combination of the words of my land lady, voluble (talkable) man just seems to be a contradiction in a description of a person. The facts of the word use of “him as my landlady” just seem so odd and funny at the same time. All the guys that I know would just freak out if they were being describe or talked about in that kind of manner.

                I often wonder the fact that Ali knew that his landlord/lady was trying to get information about him. I wonder what he did with the information such as tell it to the king or sell it for a profit. We do know that he sold tours to show off Ali’s room so you know that there is some sort of greed in this place.

                I also thought that the use of “the superintendent of my island” was a different and neat way to describe a landlord of a home/property. Most of the time people call them apartment.

               I kind think some of the characters kind looks like especially the “landlady.”