Blog Post #13

In my opinion, when I think of the “American Dream” I seem to think of the right for the pursuit of happiness. I really like this right, which is guaranteed in our constitution, because it is just so awesome. It can mean so much and be something completely unique to every individual. When I think of the American Dream, I think of a blank canvas. I strongly believe that it is the opportunity for everyone to do what they wish to do. 

America is often called the land of opportunity, and often that opportunity is in regards to a chance to gain wealth. Wealth to me is more than just money. To me, wealth consists of knowledge, and emotion, and I guess also money. I think wealth is very interesting because it is something that is very personal. One’s perception of wealth can be completely different than another person’s perception of wealth.

In general, the attitude towards wealth and poverty is pretty defined in America. The American perception has a distinct line of income known as the poverty line that formally identifies the poor. Also, there are certain tax brackets that identify “the wealthy.” What is important to consider, is that the American perception is the perception of the American government, or America as a whole, not necessarily the people. I find this aspect very important because that is what causes a divide between my views on wealth and poverty and my peers views, as opposed to the American views. 

blog post #12

#1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.

• This sentence is very simple. The syntax flows and the diction is not very strong. The sentence is plain. 
• The imagery created is very simple. It doesn't seem neither positive or negative. 

#2:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.

• This translation is very similar to the first one, it is almost more streamlined for it takes out the details of being transformed in his bed. This sentence is very straightforward, with little description, but still conveys the same plot. 
• The imagery is not very descriptive.

#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.

• This translation entitles a more startled connotation. 
• It emphasizes the dream he had, and that it was troubling
• It emphasizes what he was turned into, an enormous bug. 
• This translation has a greater focus on the tenses of each verb, “had been transformed,” this more specific translation seems more literal.

#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.

• This translation creates a more cynical tone. This is created by the parallel of the two adjectives, agitated and monstrous. This both have strong negative connotations. 
• also he used vermin instead of bug, which is more powerful.
• The imagery is very vivid in this translation. The vermin is described as monstrous, and the horrific nature of the bug is emphasized by the segmented structure of the sentence. It doesn't flow, so it draws attention to every clause. 

Original: Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheuren Ungeziefer verwandelt.

The meaning of a text is unique to every text. It is impossible to rewrite a sentence with the exact same meaning because of so many factors including word choice, syntax, punctuation, and imagery. This is what makes translating so difficult. You can never get the exact translation, because of these factors. In my Latin class, we do a lot of work with translating texts from latin to english, and analyzing the texts and it is always interesting to see how much of the texts are lost in translation, because there is so much more to a text then just the words. 

One of my favorite latin poems is Catullus 85. This poem is only two lines but the structure is so precise that it only take Catullus two lines to get his meaning across. For example, I have analyzed the first three words of the poem, “Odi et amo” [I hate and I love] and the last word of the poem, “excucior” [I am crucified]. These terms are so unique because they start and end the poem, but also the, I am crucified, symbolizes the crossing of the two emotions of loving and hating. This is emphasized further, for “Odi et amo” and “excruciior” have the exact same metrical beat when scanned. These aspects of the poem are only present when the text is in latin, english just doesn't do it justice. What fascinates me about this poem is just how precise everything is in this poem. Once it is translated, it loses part of its meaning, this same concept is present in Kafka’s metamorphoses. 

Odi et amo. quare id faciam, fortasse requiris

nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior

I hate and I love. Why do I do this, perhaps you ask?

I do not know, but I feel it happen and I am crucified