WEEK 1: 29th July, 2019- By Meenal Ma’am
What is design? Maybe something that has an appealing look and is usable at the same time. Understanding design is the first step in creating it. Further, how is ‘reflection’ different from ‘reaction’? Reflection is basically reflecting yourself and reaction on the other hand is how we act in a particular situation.
Haikus, Limericks, Seven word story and 280 word Tweet, were the types of writing covered in the seminar. The session was engaging and captivating because of the presence of music in the background, which definitely enhanced the entire environment when the actual assignment was being done. Observing the minute details was important in the process.
These are some of the explanations of the pictures shown in class, written by me.
WEEK 2: 10th Aug, 2019 : Meenal Ma’am
How can we distinguish letters from emails?
Letters, being handwritten, are comparatively more personalized than emails. They have a sense of engagement in them. Emails on the other hand, are more formal.
Now, Tweets are short but effective. They reach to a wider audience and become a platform for greater reflections.
The main idea is to use the same media in an alternative way so that the thoughts can be conveyed in a better manner.
Here are three pictures which have cherished memories.
- The first time I visited an amusement park, everything around me looked so exciting and fun. Although the thought about some rides did make me nervous, but the experience was something I would cherish forever.
- Birthdays are those special days in a year for which we make lot of plans in advance. But, when it’s a complete surprise celebration, it brings about lots of happiness, excitement and adrenaline rush. Taking everything that was happening around me, I really felt exulted and surrendered to the moment .
- The most de-stressing moment is when you spend time with an adorable company. Dogs make us feel happy and we are likely to become more content. I feel that whenever we are with a dog, it tries to make us feel better in every way possible.
WEEK 3: 12th Aug, 2019: Meenal Ma’am
Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a story about a man, Gregor Samsa who transforms into a vermin one day, when he wakes up from his sleep. A lot of symbolism has been used in this story.
Gregor dislikes his job as a travelling salesman but continues doing it because of his obligations towards his family.
Gregor being transformed into a bug highlights the use of metaphor. A bug signifies loneliness and vulnerability which in turn shows Gregor’s characteristics.
The reason why he might be continuing his job would be that he probably feels responsible towards his family and this also highlights his submissive nature. The way all the other characters respond to his transformation, show their relationship with Gregor.
This lecture included the discussion about the book and how metaphor can be used to convey many things at a time.
WEEK 4:19th Aug,2019: Meenal Ma’am
In this lecture, we were supposed to analyse the metaphors that we came up with in the previous lecture. We were required to break the metaphors into five parts, namely: Behaviour, Event, Thoughts, Beliefs and Values. The example of an ‘iceberg’ helped us to understand the process.
We had to pick one metaphor out of the ten, and think about the reasons why we came up with the metaphor. We had to think about a pattern for how many times did it actually happen and what belief did it lead to. It finally contributes to the core of this which is ‘values’.
WEEK 5:26th Aug, 2019: Meenal Ma’am
As the story, Metamorphosis advances, we see that different characters start adapting to Gregor’s condition. His sister, Grete, helps him by leaving food for him to eat and his parents also remain supportive of him. Later in the story, we see that Grete somehow tries to get rid of him. Gregor on the other hand, gets accustomed to his life as a bug but at the same time he still worries about his family’s condition which shows that his mind is unchanged.
This story helps us to understand ourselves in a much better way.
The transformation of Gregor into a vermin shows many of his characteristics at once. At the end, Gregor is gone and the family is shown to be looking forward to better things.
The Idealist 