Monday, March 23, 2009

HTML v. XML v. paper

Alternative Assignment - Due Wednesday: Read HTML version & look at other versions via Blackboard. Is this the same poem? What difference will digitizing make to our understanding of poems?

In the case of the poem, "The Child and Flowers" by Mrs. Hemans, I believe all three versions are the same. Although the poems look different, the words are the same therefore they must be the same. At least in that sense. On the other hand, I do think the reader will interpret the poems differently depending on what form of the poem they are reading. The HTML version was familiar to me and although the poem was difficult for me to fully comprehend, it was not impossible to understand. The XML version was much more difficult for me to get used to. I have never seen a poem translated into this medium. In this case, the reader can adapt to the text and begin reading it in the way they would with any other type of text. I have a hard time believing this version could benefit the reader and their interpretations of the text itself. When reading the poem, there was too much time spent navigated through all of the letters and less time spent interpreting its meaning.

The third example was that of the actual bound version of the text. Of all three examples, this was the one I felt could have the greatest affect on the reader's interpretation. Being able to hold the book and see the words in front of me encourages my mind to wonder. Sometimes the pages look different and there seems to be more substance for some magical reason... Also, when there is a physical book, there is a history that goes with it which makes it more interesting and possible for the reader to have a completely different experience with it.

Overall, I have learned that digitizing can help with the understanding of poems. This is especially true when tools such as TagCrowd are used to examine the texts. As far as reading through pieces of literature, it is most helpful to me to read the physical copy of the text. I am sure as time goes on, this will no longer be the norm as generations begin to adapt more and more to online reading.

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