https://voyant-tools.org/?corpus=efa5c56cae99eeba7ed4772ad83227d3&view=Cirrus

What stuck out to me the most when I put my story into Voyant-tool was the words that were used the most. There were 3 words that I used 7 times which was grandparents, grandpa and time. This amazed me because I didn’t realize how often I used these words until it was put into Voyant-tool. These 3 words are significant to my story because this story was a time in my life that I shared with my grandparents that I will always remember. I didn’t realize the significance of these words during the other two parts of storytelling because these 3 words didn’t stick out to me until now.

Personally the hardest part of this project would have had to be choosing a story to tell out loud. We are constantly hearing stories, passing them down, and experiencing something new which later becomes a story. I originally told a story about my dog but it was hard for me to stick with it as I entered into part two of this project. Although I tell this story a lot, it was difficult to give insight on any written details, or keep one idea for the very fact I wasn’t there when the events took place. Most detail I did know was told to me afterwards with the gaps filled from the people that were there. My new story has also been told many times but it was a personal experience that I didn’t find as difficult to write down. It was actually nice to finally put this story on paper because it something I never really got to chew on, I tell it due to its unexpected, and strange qualities but while writing it I could finally fully understand the emotion behind it. When going into the final part, allowing the computer to visually display my work, I realized how bizarre this story actually is. I usually tell it in a humorous way because it’s all in the past but when looking at what the computer generated ironically there’s very little humor in it. This is something I would have never noticed if it wasn’t for computer functions like text mining.

For this week’s blog post, I opted to read “Comparative Textual Media” by Rita Raley. This reading really stuck out to me because it highlighted issues that really irk me in regards to technology and media. I never understood why, when texting, A texts B, but because it seems “difficult” to text out all the words so the message is shortened. Whenever I see that, my image of the communication process is lessened, or weakened, because I feel that the communication isn’t what it could be. I see that form of communication in technology a way of weakening our minds, and intelligence. It kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth when someone responds that way to me. I see our words and way of communicating, so much more crucial and vital,  now more than ever, with the future “Skynet” around the corner. How we speak, how we talk, how we learn, and read, we need to hold onto it, and the ways of the “old”, because technology wouldn’t existed without its’ foundation. We need to make sure not to lose ourselves to the future that is technology,  and it could start with how we text each other. That’s how I see it at least.

I chose to upload this photo because I found it extremely relatable to my story as well. While the story has great ending, and it is a light story, the setting is somewhat dark. My great- grandparents were both coming out of the war, having lost most, if not everything, and coming together with nothing. It was a dark, turning to light, quiet, not-so-sure-what-is-happening-next kind of time, and I think this picture represents that. It’s calm and peaceful, eerily quiet, coming into light.  This photograph represents the beginning go my great-grandparents story perfectly. For as we all know,  at the end of a dark tunnel, there is always a light.

“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light”- Albus Dumbledore.