Skip to content

Reflection

My Class Experience

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I added this class to my schedule for the fall semester. Entering the room for the first time was a little intimidating due to the amount of seniors and older students in general taking the class also. It was a pleasant surprise seeing the variety of projects that we would become immersed in over the semester. Image editing, audio recording, website creation, and the collaborative unit provided a nice balance that kept the class interesting. read more

Bresland's audio version of "Future Ex Buys Pajamas" was very different from the text version. Ignoring the minor content changes, the tone of voice was not the same as the one in my head. Bresland's tone was sort of eerie; it made the essay so suspenseful compared to the original. The ending of the audio essay seemed a little more conclusive as well, as the music trailed off, whereas in the text version, the essay just kind of ends abruptly. Overall, the audio version just feels more complete. It makes me wonder why audio essays/podcasts aren't more popular, but   from experience, I've found that it takes longer to listen to essays/books/etc than it does to read, which is probably a big factor.

I read Future Ex Buys Pajamas before I listened to Future Ex Buys Pajamas and I think think this sequence of delving into the work is rather important.  The first paragraph of the textual version leaves be believing that Bresland, if we are to believe that he is the narrator, is a highly ironic, cynical, but interesting man.  In these first few sentences, I don't perceive anything markedly strange about our narrator, other than that he likely screams "American" or "tourist" to his fellow airplane passengers.  In some sense, I empathize with his remarks about not understanding French, that everyone seems very French, and that he is in this unfamiliar part of the world.  His observation of lingerie shops does not strike me in any obscure way.  If you have ever walked into Victoria's Secret, you see this same sort of emotional response on the husband's/significant others of wives/femals who are dragging them around the mall or, those men who need a gift for that certain someone.  No, that first moment that makes me go "hmm" is when he begins to show signs of unworthiness and confusion that he is somehow a victim. read more

When I first read the print version of Future Ex Buys Pajamas, the tone of the article was very lightheaded in my head. The author, John Bresland, seems to have an almost self-deprecating style of writing that seemed humorous, as he talked about exploring Paris wide-eyed, like Bambi. read more

I read John Bresland's piece differently than he did aloud. His rendition reminded me of a noir protagonist going recalling the events of the day. The ominous music and effects supplemented the atmosphere and the aesthetically aged recording of his voice. Bresland makes the story seem like it was set at a time much earlier than what I interpreted as present day. I'm curious what a visual representation of this story would look like. read more

Immediately I was shocked by the tone of the audio recording. When I originally read it, I read it in a matter-of-fact tone, but the audio version is much more ominous thanks to the gravely, deep sound of the speakers voice combined with the repetitive beat and melancholy trumpet sounds. With this difference in tone, I also notice specific details more. The specific imagery, like chickens, burning leaves, erotic glances, and black stockings, are emphasized by the silences the speaker leaves and the accent sounds that either overlapped or followed the words. Near the end when he says the paragraphs about being a victim of his own manhood, the lack of background sound makes the paragraph seem incredibly long even though it is just a small portion of the work. I got such a different sense of this work through the audio than through reading it. And I must say, I enjoyed listening to it much more. I was more engaged and intrigued by the story as a whole and almost concerned with what would happen next. read more

css.php