Final Day in Class :-(

So today we finished class, and I must say that although I am excited for school to be out for the summer, I am sad that our journey through oral traditions has ended. I think that this class has been quite intriquing, and intellectual stimulating. I think that the presentations have been fantastic, and that I understand the great change that writing has had on the world. I am happy to understand that our President is not an illeterate, but just in the secondary orality class, although that makes me sad that he was still elected, at least he is totally not without some literate knowledge. If you click on Bushism you will be taken to the site, today's quote is, "It's in our country's interests to find those who would do harm to us and get them out of harm's way."—Washington, D.C., April 28, 2005
So this last class entry will go over what we did in class, the last few presentations, and then what is expected on the final. Dr. Sexson did say that we should be familiar with our classmates ejournals as this is an important part of the class.
Steph gave her presentation on the Grimm Brothers and how they were influenced by culture, and the social implications this had on the fairy tales.
Jennifer gave her presentation on mueseums, and how our talk about the muses influencing museums interested her. How the muesuems are becoming much more tactile, or hands on. ORality is infiltration muesuems, and how it would be if we would honor the sites with poems or odes, she talked about a few technologies that are being used, hand held computers, eye glasses that gives you more information on the subject you are looking at, and these head phones that give you an immersive sound scape. Very interesting.
Kelly talked about memory and combined research with personal experience. How her grandma had alzheimers and how this affected memory, no short term memory, but the ability to tell elaborately detailed stories of her older memories. Finally coming to the conclusion that memory cannot be confined to a particular theory, much to vast.
Hanna talked about how oral story tellers must also be actors, that they share 2 mindframes with actors. 1.) Feel audience, comes through with practice and also as a natural gift. 2.) the ability to see yourself from the outside. Ong defined acting -secondary orality-different from oral narrative because text is written. Victor Turner was someone that Dr. Sexson suggested that we read, guide to acting, antropologist on indigineous socities.
Wes talked about psychology of trickster figure-much more in oral than literate study. He then read to us a traditional trickster story that as Dr. Sexson pointed out, was not really an oral performance, because he would have needed to memorize and use the techniques that Hanna pointed out.
Zac spoke of the way in which the Rainer Beer can has a picture of the Chichaw mountian range from Alabama, not Mt. Rainer. The idea that iconography was around way before writing, pictograms, etc. and that Icons also have individual stories. Talked about how this story also involves the walkabout memory technique we had spoke about earlier in the semester. Zac also weaved in his 50 memory items through the story which we were unaware of, so he gave a great performance of the oral culture, a talk that accomplished his goals and was entertaining.
Sam spoke of a poem by Shel Silverstien and the idea that some literacy is striving for orality. Like in Silverstien's books that are targeted for a younder audience which is more oral, there is much repetition, and there are images to go along with the stories. Playwrights also have to hear dialogue to write, and unfortunately because we are so engrained in the literate society, we much use literate to reconstruct the oral. All oral attempts are doomed to failure because we are pre-programmed in the literate culture.

Final
Ong Chapter 7 & Yates Chapter 9 plus Individual and Group Presentations

Dr. Sexson left us with these last thoughts regarding the state of education, as Dustin pointed out, teachers not so necessary with the Internet, but as an educator you must provide doing things that are innumberable, or things that you cannot get from information alone. Always think about how what you are doing could be memorable in 20 years, Dr. Sexson thinks that for some of his students this class will fulfill that requirement, and would like us to email him in 20 years. He also suggested that we read "Lessons of the Masters" by Steiner. That true teaching is by example, we are the midwife for pregnant spirit awakening the forgotten. That writing induces a neglect of memory. And finally that we should rent Faherenhiet 451.