Week 5: Blindly Navigating the Confusion Known as XML

Early in the term, when the assignment was outlined and presented to the class, I was really enthusiastic! I was eagerly looking into options, reading into XML, and trying to find something very interesting. Well, I did find some interesting options, which were abandoned for what ultimately is a better selection. 

E. E. Cummings is one of America's most popular poets and writers. Generally, I'm not really into poetry. (I'm pretty unsophisticated, and generally do not understand poems that don't rhyme - - Dr Seuss has ruined me!) However, I was introduced to E. E. Cummings as a teenager and I was more drawn to the format of his words than what he was actually trying to say. His poems made pictures, wiggled and wobbled down the page, or appeared in such a haphazard fashion that encouraged me to  attempt to read it. 

Because of the funny way in which E. E. Cummings wrote, I thought maybe two or three of his poems would make an interesting option. I ran aground several times when trying to tackle some early encoding challenges and very hastily abandoned ship. 

the sky, p. 38

One of the harshest realizations came to me: I know nothing about nothing. I thought I understood the general function and abilities of XML having done the readings and attended class, but putting pen to paper didn't work out so well. When playing with XML and viewing it as HTML, I was disappointed. It didn't seem to translate! At one point, in my frustration, I called my brother. His job has something to do with computers, plus he builds websites, and fixes my laptop when it speaks to me in code. I explained my dilemma - I wanted this chunk of text slightly to the right, and sloping to make a swoop pattern.

There was silence on the other end while he tried not to laugh (as he does frequently, at my expense). 


Apparently...XML doesn't do anything! Nothing. Nada. Zip. 

n(o)w
                             
                            the, p. 43

After dumbing it down for me to an embarrassing level, he explained that XML makes the information transferable, shareable, and workable on different platforms. Technically, what it does do, you can't really see. When you see a webpage, you see the HTML layered with CSS coding, and a bunch of other abbreviations I can't remember (to be honest, I'm not even sure the HTML/CSS thing is correct).

Because of this was revealed to me, it didn't seem like such a feasible option. The way you read E. E. Cummings changes how you understand or feel about his poems. While I think it may have been an interesting opportunity to try and pull apart some of his poems, ultimately it would have been an option had I more experience in XML or if this project was to be completed in HTML. 

My partner and I settled on a really intriguing poem by Sylvia Plath that underwent revisions through a major change in her life: changing her poem from one feeling to another. I'm not disappointed in going in a different direction. Who knows? Maybe if I dissect this new poem, I'll actually come to understand what the changes and variations mean.