Infernal Memory

I'll begin with a flurry of topics covered in our first week:

-Loci are locations that are used as an aid for memorization. One may find an "Unfrequented Church" and break that down into many loci (such as the entrance, a particular bench or window, etc.) We have been asked to find said church, though in our cases we will mostly be examining our rooms (What are on the walls? The floor? What colors are dominant?). My room is a fairly nonspecific space. I have three plants by the window, various knickknacks (an african tribal mask, an unfinished Pinewood Derby car, a Future World button from Disney World), my name written in Egyptian hieroglyphics on papyrus, a poster from a video game I liked (Portal), my computer and printer, my bed, my bright multicolored quilt, and so on.

-The first rule of the Memory Teacher is to ask, "What do you remember?" Like in "The Tempest" you find out what they already know and work from there.

-We talked about the origins of names (Beautiful Eyes). My full name is George Parker Mann. My first name comes from my maternal grandfather, my middle name was my maternal grandmother's maiden name. All of my brothers as well as myself go by our middle names because those were the names our parents liked for us, our first names are all more traditional (Charles, George, Jeffrey, Steven) so as to have the option of something more professional sounding when we reached adulthood. It didn't quite work out like that as none of us are very used to using our first names. I am in film and am trying to decide what form of my name I'd like to be credited under (Parker Mann, G. P. Mann, George Parker Mann). My mother had wanted to call me Parker for a long time, but my cousin was born shortly before I was and was given that name as well. At birth I was named George Tyler Mann but within a month my mom gave in to her original choice and had it legally changed. The actual meaning of George is a farmer. Parker comes from park keeper. Mann seems to have multiple meanings. The German origin is the most likely given my genealogy, and it basically means gentleman or master and is interchangeable with something like "mister." The English has it meaning a fierce or strong man. My favorite, however, is the Welsh, which has it meaning freckled, which I am very much.

-We've been asked to memorize the nine muses. I am learning them with flash cards.

-The muses are the daughters of Mnemosyne (goddess of memory) and Zeus (king of the gods).

*Calliope is the chief muse and muse of epic or heroic poetry. She inspired Homer to write the Iliad and the Odyssey. There is also a musical instrument named after her.

*Clio is the muse of history

*Erato is the muse of erotic poetry and love.

*Euterpe is called "Giver of Delight" and is the muse of music. Later on her role was specified to lyric poetry.

*Melpomene is the muse of tragedy.

*Polyhymnia (or Polymnia) is best known as the muse of sacred poetry, hymns, and eloquence. She also presides over pantomime. Agriculture, meditation, and geometry are also attributed to her.

*Terpsichore is the muse of dance and the dramatic chorus. She has been said to be the mother of the sirens.

*Thalia is the muse of comedy.

*Urania is the muse of astronomy and astrology.

-Image has been noted as our key to memory, which makes me curious as to what suggestions one would have for a blind person.

-A phrase I liked on day one was "Dialectical Community." It was used in reference to a meme (a unit or element of cultural ideas, symbols, practices, etc.) The meme in question was "What can I get for yah?" which has become common place in eateries across the nation.

-Memory is our focus because for the bulk of human existence most people lacked the ability to write. Writing itself began around 4000 BC. Everything before that is considered prehistory. Even after that point it was mostly used for keeping track of trade, by the leaders of civilizations, and by the upper class. It would be a long time until writing and reading were widespread. Thus people relied on their memories because, "Speech is Ephemeral," it fades away once it has occurred.

-A line of dialogue was recalled in class that would have been ephemeral had it not been repeated and written down by all of us. "Have you emptied the cooler by the window yet?" Even now I don't know if what I wrote down is the exact quote, but that doesn't matter, the idea of it, the connection it creates matters. The information is trivial, it is not important but the art of memory is.

-A concept I am interested in is the subconscious and unintentional way that ideas and stories evolve through communication. The way in which a normal sentence becomes nonsensical in the telephone game as well as the way in which a true event can become myth fascinates me.

-Always ask: What do I know that I didn't know before and what difference does it make?

-There are 3000 spoken languages but only 78 with literature.

-Always remember the nasty habit of old people. (they die)

-From now on, I will try to post on this site in the form of small passages rather than huge, unending volumes.