pictographs.

Pic·to·graph
noun
A pictorial symbol for a word or phrase.

Pictographs are the earliest form of writing and date back to the caveman days. Although I have always been very interested in pictographs, or pictograms, my love for the symbolized form of writing was reawakened upon taking the class Books & Print. Not only have I been able to draw and decipher different pictographs in this course, I even tried my hand at creating pictographs of my own. I have to say that anyone who thinks this form of writing is dead, it very much is not. 

Much like the ideogram, which represents concepts and ideas, we can still find these ancient writing techniques around us today. Some examples include the little people on the signs of the bathroom, one is clearly wearing a skirt meaning "girl" and the other does not, meaning (naked) "boy." 

My favorite of all pictograph styles are those done by the Native Americans, although I am partial because they are my ancestors. One thing that I really love about the Native american symbolism is that it is mostly universal across all Native American tribes, with few variations. This portrays a sense of unity, even between those tribes in constant conflict, because they were willing to try to communicate with those outside of their tribe. Even though some were used as warnings, others were used to symbolize their desire to maintain peace and civility, as well as direct others towards resources, or lay paths to those who were separated. My favorite symbol is the broken arrow, which means "peace." This broken arrow was often used at entrances to show on-comers that they are not in danger in that particular area, or to show a resolved conflict between two tribes. I thought this symbol was so powerful because of its simplicity. The symbol for war is the upturned arrow, and to those who knew the symbol for war, would inevitably be able to know this peace symbol. It had so much meaning to me that I decided to use this symbol as what I wanted the world to see from me, so I went and got the broken arrow as a tattoo. For the same reasons as the ancient Native Americans intended, I would like other to know that I am coming from a place of piece, while also symbolizing an end of "war" I had with myself when I was younger (teenage angst, am i right?). That leads me to make the connection between ancient times and today, where one can get a tattoo in order to portray meaning for something else: an emotion, a religion, a loss. which ever it may be pictographs/grams and ideograms are still very much present and useful in modern day. 

Here are a few for your scribbling pleasure :)

moving forward.

It has recently come y my attention that I will inevitably have to graduate, and pursue a career and/or graduate study. Until this semester, I was going along blissfully enjoying my time in college and now I am faced with what I am going to do with my future. Sure it’s always been in the back of my mind, but I guess I hoped that time would move more slowly than the accelerated pace at which these past four and a half years has flown by.

In my senior seminar class, we are doing just this, preparing to graduate and lead successful lives after graduation. I thank the academic gods for this class, for I would be an utter mess of cluelessness. We are to set up a digital portfolio (high-tech right?) in order to display our work to future prospective schools and employers. Choosing writing samples that illustrate our strengths in the English field is one of the tasks I am trying to accomplish at the moment. I have many questions to ask myself:

How do I choose?

Do I use the ones with the best grade?

Or do I use the ones I had the most fun doing?

Do I use funny or serious pieces?

A combination of all of these?

UGH!

I am in need of direction. Furthermore, I am so attached to my favorite pieces that the thought of a great mass of people, some of whom I’ve never even met, will be reading and picking apart my work, and in essence myself.

In a world that has become almost completely technological, why is it so difficult for me to share myself in this way, as opposed to the sharing I do on social media?

I have thought a lot about this, there are many people I (begrudgingly) know that share every single thought they have on the Internet, as well as personal photos, platforms for movements and reformations. I support these people for putting themselves out there, but when is too much? The answer is to each their own.

Personally, I have never been one to express myself to others whom I do no know, but in being uncomfortable comes growth. Although I will never be the one to share pictures at the gym, or of my food, mostly because I have already eaten it before the thought of taking a picture ever crosses my mind. In sharing my written work online, I hope, will be liberating. I would like to take it back to a simpler form, representing myself, as I am, simple. Presenting my thoughts in this way with my digital portfolio, academic and educationally oriented, I can feel confident that others will see that I want to be professional, and hopefully earn me a J-O-B, or place in a prestigious graduate study program.

In this generation it is hard to find balance between what we do for pleasure and what we do for our futures. I hope my digital portfolio of my written work and experience will portray this balance, and show whomever that my love of writing and desire to teach others about literature is a balance of the both. 

Here is a piece of work I have chosen to include in my digital portfolio! It is an analysis of the epic poem Paradise Lost by John Milton, 1667.