David's Travel Blog

Artifact 3 – Reflection

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1.

What were the main intellectual goals of the assignment? Please situate these goals in terms of the course theme and in terms of the communication strategies you were to learn or practice.

  • For this Artifact I had to create a minimum 500 words essay in which to combine the visual with the written form of communication. We were expected to combine the two forms of communication so that a seamless work would be completed by the end of a week. After that, we had to present our work in front of the class therefore combining the first two methods of communication with the non-verbal and oral communication as well.

2.

What is your argument or purpose? How did you make the argument or purpose visible and persuasive in your artifact?

  • In my artifact I talked about opportunities and how I learned to take advantage of them more often since I got here. I used the door symbol as a metaphor to suggest the decision of taking advantage of an opportunity.

3.

Who is the intended audience for your artifact; why is this an appropriate audience? How is your choice of audience reflected in your artifact?

  • The audience intended for this artifact is anyone willing to read my essay. I stated in my past reflections that I will make more of my work public in the future and so I’m keeping my word.

4.

What are the defining features of the genre or media that you are using in this project? How do you make use of these features?

  • The genre of this project is written text as prose and also visual art as .jpg files taken with my phone. 

5.

If you had more time for revision, what would you change and why?

  • If I had more time I would revise the quality of the photos, the number of photos uploaded on the page and I would also dive deeper into the metaphor I created throughout the essay to reach a universal meaning that maybe applies to the reader as well and not only to me.

Unlocking Life’s Meanings

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Before Oxford;

Throughout my life, doors have held a profound significance, transcending their physical form to become symbolic markers of my personal journey. Beyond their daily functionality as mere entryways, doors have assumed the role of gateways, introducing me to new experiences, marking transitions, and presenting opportunities.

The unforgettable image of my home’s door reminded me of the safety and comfort on the outside. The same door viewed from the other side would promise me an adventure every day. The main entrance in my school represented a portal to knowledge, while the numerous doors of friendships led to lasting connections.

As I transition to adulthood, doors reveal new layers of meaning. University doors marked my progress and ambitions, while the door of the place I was sleeping at night would constantly change…

In Oxford;

I’m not the type of person who simply wanders through a city solely for the sake of the experience. As I’ve emphasized in some of my previous posts, my particular excitement comes from the art of uncovering the subtle marvels and hidden gems that tend to go unnoticed by casual observers. Instead of gliding through the city’s surface attractions, I prefer to delve deeper, peeling back the layers of familiarity to reveal the extraordinary within the ordinary.

I only entered this place once, but this door is so important to me in a way I can’t even begin to describe it. This is where I went in my first week of Oxford classes, to buy a pair of goalkeeper gloves. This small shop in the covered market was the only place in all of Oxford where I was able to find what I was looking for. I was immediately able to tell that this shop was a family business. The owners clearly didn’t care much about aesthetics. The green marks on the lower end of the door were rigorously made by all the football and rugby players that wandered in the store throughout the years, I imagined.

A door that all of Mansfield’s students see, also a door that I’ve been using daily.
This door means only one thing for me: piano practice time!
Every day I go into the Porter’s lodge with the hope that one of the pianos is available and most of the time I come out of there with two keys A key that will unlock another special door and another one that will unlock the piano that I’m going to use for the next two hours or so.

If you would search the city for the most eye-pleasing statue or the building with the best architecture this door would surely go unnoticed. Fortunately, I’m the type of person that looks for the statue no one’s looking at.

(Sir Alister Hardy House)

After Oxford;

Reflecting on my personal experience, I’ve come to understand that doors are not merely physical structures but reflections of my choices. They represent the various chapters of my life’s story almost like periodical snapshots taken on a dusty Polaroid camera. They remind me that, with each turn of the handle, fresh possibilities and discoveries await on the other side.

Photo Essay – Draft#1

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  1. Take photo of doors and doorways in Oxford;
  2. Use AI or Drawing to create a possible interior of the houses;
  3. Create characters that might live in that houses;
  4. Write small stories about each door.

I only entered this place once, but this door is so important to me in a way I can’t even begin to describe it. This is where I went in my first week of Oxford classes, to buy a pair of goalkeeper gloves. This small shop in the covered market was the only place in all Oxford where I was able to find what I was looking for. I was immediately able to tell that this shop was a professional one. The owners clearly didn’t care about aesthetics like displaying the most eye-pleasing accessories. The green marks on the bottom of the door were religiously made by all the football and rugby players that wondered in the store throughout the years, I imagined. Even though the store should’ve been opened, the door was locked which made me think this was a family-run bussines and they were short on staff.

A door that all of Mansfield students see, also a door that I’ve been using daily.

This door means only one thing for me: piano practice time!

Everyday I go into the porter’s lodge with the hope that one of the pianos is available and most of the times I come out of there with two keys A key that will unlock another special door and another one that will unlock the piano that I’m going to use for the next two hours or so.

It’s kinda hilarious to see how the porters (who are British) try to pronounce my unpronounceable name, I’m not gonna lie.

Reading Response: Photo Essay

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The essay I enjoyed the most is “Sun in My Eyes”. I believe that the way the author combines photos taken throughout 18 months and well considered written ideas, creates an article that stands out.

One of the photos that stayed in my mind is a photo of a car captured by nature which can symbolize nature trying to take back the planet from the technologized humans. Just like another photo presents an old cell phone that appears to be nailed to a tree.

It’s clear to me that the message the author is trying to send is about nature taking back everything.

The most inspiring photo in the article has to be the photo of the deer skeleton covered in moss. You can feel the silence, the calmness of the animal, now just an object, that once was a restless organism of millions of cells working together just for the animal to live a couple of decades and then return to mother nature.

Artifact 2 – Reflection

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1.      What were the main intellectual goals of the assignment? Please situate these goals in terms of the course theme and in terms of the communication strategies you were to learn or practice.

  • The main intellectual goals of the assignment were to assign time for a specific activity, hobby or passion and to focus on improving our skills in that subject.

2.      What is your argument or purpose? How did you make the argument or purpose visible and persuasive in your artifact?

  • My purpose was to show the readers my passion for music even though I can appear as an all STEM student. 

3.      Who is the intended audience for your artifact; why is this an appropriate audience? How is your choice of audience reflected in your artifact?

  • The audience for my artifact is the ENGL 1101 class and professor.

4.      What are the defining features of the genre or media that you are using in this project? How do you make use of these features?

  • For my artifact 2 I mainly used written text in the form of prose as well as images and self recorded audio files.

5.      If you had more time for revision, what would you change and why?

  • Probably just play more piano and add another audio file.

Secret Class – Draft #1

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“ It hardly seems appropriate to include an album of Chopin (1810 – 1849) in a series of ‘Easier Piano Pieces’, since none of his works can be considered easy to play, either technically or interpretatively; but no collection of music for the piano would be complete without some sort of introduction to one of the greatest composers for this instrument.”

Alan Jones – London 1985

Music has become such a big part of my life that I didn’t wait for this assignment to start my “secret class” the first day I got here. I registered on the piano list and, since then, I’ve maintained an impressive streak of consistent practice. Truth be told, my “secret sessions” aren’t at all that secretive. The thing I love most other than practicing music is thinking about music. Whether I’m studying a score in my room, listening to upcoming practice material, exploring the works of new composers, or just engaging in musical discussions with my friends, not a single day passes without my mind escaping through music.

Normally, people that hear me play the piano are surprised that I’ve been only playing for a year. What might surprise you is that I don’t necessarily practice piano every day solely because I want to improve my skills. The progress is merely a side effect of my passion for conveying my thoughts and emotions through music. That’s why the typical question – “ how long have you been playing for?” – doesn’t mean anything to me.

“One more time” I say to myself for the 47th time. The darkness outside provides me with a vague estimate of the time I’ve been sitting here. Strangely, if I resist from checking my phone for the time, it’s as if the passage of time loses its reality, and I don’t have a concrete reason to abandon my work. Sometimes I start over even though I didn’t make any mistakes. It’s just not how I want it to be. My height doesn’t quite suit this piano. My knees don’t fit comfortably beneath it and I find myself contorting into unnatural positions to press the sustain pedal at the right moment. After 47 tries, and who knows how many hours later, the pain from my back extends to my neck. Undoubtedly, the chapel’s piano is definitely of better quality but that didn’t ever stop me from practicing. There are times when I will spend days on two or three bars, 10 to 12 notes. Other times, I will learn half of a song in hours. Sometimes I would find myself playing some old song and I would quickly remember that I have something to practice. Other times I would walk in circles in the small practice room, just to clear my mind. 

It is said that you can only reach the “grace” state of mind by doing the thing you like the most in the present. Not the thing you think you like most. Not the thing you wish you liked most.

Last night I got the chance to play the Steinway piano in the Chapel. Because it was a Saturday, no one was there. The tall walls of the Chapel kept all the unnecessary noise away from my ears. There was only one light on, the one right above the piano. When I started playing, the sound was almost surreal. It was like I was suddenly playing another instrument. It was somehow smoother and, at the same time, brighter than any piano I’ve ever played. It felt like my soul, my heart and my ears have been hungry all this time…

I wanted to stay in that moment forever.

Chopin, Nocturne Op. 9 : No.2 in E-Flat Major
Chopin, Nocturne Op. 48: No.1 in C Minor
Beethoven, Bagatelle No.25 in A Minor (“Fur Elise”)

Artifact #1 Reflection

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  • What were the main intellectual goals of the assignment? Please situate
    these goals in terms of the course theme and in terms of the communication
    strategies you were to learn or practice.
    • The main intellectual goals of the assignment for me were to achieve a strong writing skill and to use the digital part of the communication during this process. I can say that my writing skills developed far greater than expected during this assignment and it didn’t feel like a necessity to write in my blog (as homework). Writing came naturally and I added some things that weren’t even specified in the syllabus just because I felt they completed my website.
  • What is your argument or purpose? How did you make the argument or
    purpose visible and persuasive in your artifact?
    • I used a variety of communication means: from traditional writing to visual and audio and video files to complete my story.
  • Who is the intended audience for your artifact; why is this an appropriate
    audience? How is your choice of audience reflected in your artifact?
    • At first I thought I would only allow my professor and my peers to view the artifact, but I remembered what I said my goal was for this class as a whole: to get a better public speaking and writing ability in english. Therefore, I won’t put a password on this Artifact nor on the next ones to come. 
  • What are the defining features of the genre or media that you are using in
    this project? How do you make use of these features?
    • I used mostly prose but also some poetry and music. I don’t know if visual arts is a genre but if it is, I used that too.
  • If you had more time for revision, what would you change and why?
    • I would only change the text part of the artifact (maybe making it more profound and defining the chapters clearer) and not the video or audio files because I believe I spent most time on taking photos and recording audio just to make sure the final result is convincing enough to make the reader experience the same emotions I did in those moments.

Instructions – Final Draft

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1

I entered the Ashmolean Museum, ready to see some art, but for the first hour I only saw statues and jewelry. How museums teach patience by carefully placing their superficial and spectacular art at the entrance and the real artworks on the top floor. That’s why I never follow the paths that museums suggest you to follow. I like wandering around, almost like an archaeologist, to discover a  forgotten artist’s painting by chance and make it the most important piece in the museum.

2

For a man to live forever he has to be ready to die every day of his life.

– The Enraged Musician by William Hogarth 1741

3

Most marble statues proudly posed along the infinite halls of granite with their perfect anatomy or sometimes missing their nose or a limb. But I’m never interested in the big statues that welcome you inside the museum or the ones that are so popular you can see them on the post card they sell at the gift shop. I was interested in the small statuettes that often weren’t even displayed in the sculpture area but rather around some paintings or other artefacts.

[A.I. Generated content]

4

I wonder how many people know the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing that thing. – Richard Feynman

5

There were three paintings in a forgotten corner of the museum. One that people didn’t even notice, I’m sure. Paintings of a non-painter. Paintings of a poet. Just because you are in the area of the beautiful arts doesn’t mean you have the right to jump from one to another. But oh, this man could paint. Paintings of a man known for his literary nonsense.

The paintings were increasingly smaller and somehow the horizon line was connected through the paintings, passing behind the wall and reaching the next one. I knew it was ultimately just oil on canvas, but I also knew that even though the paintings were done years apart, probably not even meant to be on the same wall, he saw the same sky… Jerusalem, Lombardy, Thermopylae: The same sky. Earth’s sky. I was able to feel that he didn’t want to paint an image of the sky. He painted the sky. The painting was probably one of the simplest ones in the building. The details were precise and nothing was extraordinary. Except the message. The message was peace…

“Jerusalem”, “The Plains of Lombardy from Monte Generoso” & “Thermopylae” by Edward Lear (oil on canvas)

6

How sad I was seeing the guns presented as some sort of ancient artifacts. Together French, and German, and Italian, American, and British weapons. In their time pointed to one another, these guns got to spend their eternity next to each other.

7

Too much history in one place can discourage one to learn about it.

8

Food entry:

To be completed in Italy.

9

I prepared myself for this for as long as I can remember. I prepared you. Everyone was concerned about me and neglected you. But I was more concerned about you. Attention and affection were never important for me, probably because I had plenty of each. I somehow omitted the possibility that you won’t be the same as I am. Perhaps you like how sunlight feels on your arms or the salty smell of the sea. Maybe you call your parents because you miss them and not because they miss you. I know you don’t like instructions so I’m going to tell you a story.
A while ago, I was a fish. I was unhappy with my water tank. Blamed the water filtration system for my blurred reflection in the tank’s glass. I trained my whole life to be able to make the jump. The water looked so much clearer away from home. But when I switched tanks, you, my reflection, were the same. Maybe this tank wasn’t good for me either… Maybe I’m just not a saltwater fish…

Just keep that in mind next time you find yourself dreaming of a different tank.

10

A man dreams of finding an activity to keep his mind healthy throughout his life. Usually that activity has nothing to do with his job. Even if you’re passioned about your work, your Nirvana could be a guilty pleasure or a hobby and not something so serious as a job.

I’ve only been close to Nirvana a couple of times in my life. It used to happen while I played tennis but now it doesn’t happen anymore even though I am as passionate about it as I was before. It is said that you can only reach the “grace” state of mind by doing the thing you like the most in the present. Not the thing you think you like most. Not the thing you wish you liked most.

Last night I got the chance to play the Steinway piano in the Chapel. Because it was a Saturday, no one was there. The tall walls of the Chapel kept all the unnecessary noise away from my ears. There was only one light on, the one right above the piano. When I started playing, the sound almost surreal. It was like I was suddenly playing another instrument. It was somehow smoother and, at the same time, brighter than any piano I’ve ever played. It felt like my soul, my heart and my ears have been hungry all this time…

I wanted to stay in that moment forever.

Chopin, Nocturne Op. 9 : No.2 in E-Flat Major
Chopin, Nocturne Op. 48: No.1 in C Minor
Beethoven, Bagatelle No.25 in A Minor (“Fur Elise”)

**

dor
(click me!)

A word that describes how I feel. The beauty of a Latin language is that words have such a powerful meaning that context isn’t necessary.

Draft#3 – Instructions

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1

I entered the Ashmolean Museum, ready to see some art, but for the first hour I only saw statues and jewelry. How museums teach patience by carefully placing their superficial and spectacular art at the entrance and the real artworks on the top floor. That’s why I never follow the paths that museums suggest you to follow. I like wandering around, almost like an archaeologist, to discover a  forgotten artist’s painting by chance and make it the most important piece in the museum.

2

For a man to live forever he has to be ready to die every day of his life.

– The Enraged Musician by William Hogarth 1741

3

Most marble statues proudly posed along the infinite halls of granite with their perfect anatomy or sometimes missing their nose or a limb. But I’m never interested in the big statues that welcome you inside the museum or the ones that are so popular you can see them on the post card they sell at the gift shop. I was interested in the small statuettes that often weren’t even displayed in the sculpture area but rather around some paintings or other artefacts.

[A.I. Generated content]

4

I wonder how many people know the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing that thing. – Richard Feynman

5

I prepared myself for this for as long as I can remember. I prepared you. Everyone was concerned about me and neglected you. But I was more concerned about you. Attention and affection were never important for me, probably because I had plenty of each. I somehow omitted the possibility that you won’t be the same as I am. Perhaps you like how sunlight feels on your arms or the salty smell of the sea. Maybe you call your parents because you miss them and not because they miss you. I know you don’t like instructions so I’m going to tell you a story.

A while ago, I was a fish. I was unhappy with my water tank. Blamed the water filtration system for my blurred reflection in the tank’s glass. I trained my whole life to be able to make the jump. The water looked so much clearer away from home. But when I switched tanks, you, my reflection, were the same. Maybe this tank wasn’t good for me either… Maybe I’m just not a saltwater fish…

Just keep that in mind next time you find yourself dreaming of a different tank.

6

There were three paintings in a forgotten corner of the museum. One that people didn’t even notice, I’m sure. Paintings of a non-painter. Paintings of a poet. Just because you are in the area of the beautiful arts doesn’t mean you have the right to jump from one to another. But oh, this man could paint. Paintings of a man known for his literary nonsense.

The paintings were increasingly smaller and somehow the horizon line was connected through the paintings, passing behind the wall and reaching the next one. I knew it was ultimately just oil on canvas, but I also knew that even though the paintings were done years apart, probably not even meant to be on the same wall, he saw the same sky… Jerusalem, Lombardy, Thermopylae: The same sky. Earth’s sky. I was able to feel that he didn’t want to paint an image of the sky. He painted the sky. The painting was probably one of the simplest ones in the building. The details were precise and nothing was extraordinary. Except the message. The message was peace…

“Jerusalem”, “The Plains of Lombardy from Monte Generoso” & “Thermopylae” by Edward Lear (oil on canvas)

7

How sad I was seeing the guns presented as some sort of ancient artifacts. Together French, and German, and Italian, American, and British weapons. In their time pointed to one another, these guns got to spend their eternity next to each other.

8

Too much history in one place can discourage one to learn about it.

9

A man dreams of finding an activity to keep his mind healthy throughout his life. Usually that activity has nothing to do with his job. Even if you’re passioned about your work, your Nirvana could be a guilty pleasure or a hobby and not something so serious as a job.

I’ve only been close to Nirvana a couple of times in my life. It used to happen while I played tennis but now it doesn’t happen anymore even though I am as passionate about it as I was before. It is said that you can only reach the “grace” state of mind by doing the thing you like the most in the present. Not the thing you think you like most. Not the thing you wish you liked most.

Last night I got the chance to play the Steinway piano in the Chapel. Because it was a Saturday, no one was there. The tall walls of the Chapel kept all the unnecessary noise away from my ears. There was only one light on, the one right above the piano. When I started playing, the sound almost surreal. It was like I was suddenly playing another instrument. It was somehow smoother and, at the same time, brighter than any piano I’ve ever played. It felt like my soul, my heart and my ears have been hungry all this time…

So, the most delicious thing I’ve eaten in Oxford doesn’t even come close to the music I’ve been waiting my whole life to hear.

Chopin, Nocturne Op. 9 : No.2 in E-Flat Major
Chopin, Nocturne Op. 48: No.1 in C Minor
Beethoven, Bagatelle No.25 in A Minor (“Fur Elise”)

Reading Response: Lopate

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Writing a personal essay is like painting a self portrait. You won’t be satisfied with the outcome unless it represents exactly you. It doesn’t mean that the portrait will look exactly like you, but it would rather be a combination of who you are and who you think you are. It will never look complete unless you completely understand yourself.

In his essay, Phillip Lopate states that “The student essayist is torn between two contrasting extremes: A. ‘I am so weird that I could never tell on the page what is really, secretly going on in my mind.’ / B. ‘I am so boring, nothing ever happens to me out of the ordinary, so who would want to read about me?’ “

I used to be torn between these two extremes. I used to think that I don’t have anything to write about; that I’m going to need a life-changing experience in order to write a convincing essay. I also used to believe that no one could understand what I’m going through and no words would ever explain my emotions and beliefs on a level deeper than a superficial one.