This is the response I got while speaking with one of my peers about the concept of and eReader versus a good old fashion paperback novel. The stimulus for this conversation was an interview that we attended with author Jonathan Safran Foer. Foer was openly vocal about his stance against modern technology and the power that it holds over today’s society.

When asked his favorite part of living in New York City, Foer unexpectedly declared that he loves riding the subway. While many New Yorkers dread the public transit system, Foer explained how he enjoyed the opportunity to indulge in a novel, and occasionally make eye contact with those around him. He then went on to criticize the modern subway patron who spends the entirety of his commute with his eyes glued to the screen of his cell phone. Foer then took the opportunity to warn those present to be wary of technology, and to explain how he will occasionally leave his own phone home in an effort to force interaction with his surroundings.

I have since then found myself contemplating why technology has such a hold on our lives. Why is it that something that has the power to connect us to so many resources also has the ability to disconnect us from the world directly around us. Why do we choose to spend hours browsing Facebook, yet cannot partake in conversations involving modern events?

I believe disconnecting oneself from technology allows one to have a greater appreciation for the various forms of art around herself. For Foer, art has no boundaries. A painting is congruent to a novel, which is in addition congruent to a film or sculpture. I am not certain what my concept of art is at this point, mainly because I have not exposed myself to much of the artistic world. However, I am certain that technology, in many ways, prevents us from embracing the various forms of art around us.What would happen if or phones and social networking sites were deactivated for a day? A week? Perhaps we would remember what it was like to read a good book while waiting for the train to arrive at our station. Perhaps we’d have a few more paper cuts.

The Theater Day orientation did not seem as interesting to me as I was expecting.  I did not feel we touched on anything about theater, though the interview with Safran Foer was an interesting experience.  I was a little misled in the beginning and very confused as to the purpose of the day.  The activities offered did appeal to my likes and I signed up for a couple, but again, I was looking for something more.

Foer’s interview was the most captivating part of the day.  He spoke with eloquence and sophistication, but I couldn’t help but detect a sense of condescension. He spoke of art in a very abstract way, but it didn’t resonate with me.  He read to us from the novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, in a very different way than when I had read it to myself before.  The words seemed to pop out more and create a very vivid image.  But when the interview began, my interest was lost.  The questions asked of him were not at all about the novel, which I had been more interested to hear about. Instead, he was sharing insight on his college life and his opinions on our society and how we deal with technology.

Foer made an interesting point when he referenced the subway. He said something along the lines of how many years ago, people riding the subway could look up and spark a conversation with someone, while now everyone was so absorbed in their technological contraption that they had no time to look up and even smile.  There truth in his words; whenever I ride the subway, it catches my attention that everyone, or a majority, has their head down and is looking at a screen. Foer’s words allowed me to look a little at my life and the choices I was making, which was at least a little enjoyable.

The name of the day was Theater Day, but I did not see a single reference to theater nor any discussion about it.  I did find enjoyment in the day, but I was greatly disappointed.

The final day of the Macaulay Honors College orientation was least memorable in my point of view. Before getting on the train that day I was excited to meet the author of a novel that contained a likeable character that reminded me of Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caulfield. I felt very proud to be a Macaulay student after the first two days of orientation and did not know what to expect for its finale.

After an enjoyable talk with Dean Ann Kirschner and spending some time with my future classmates it was finally time to meet Mr. Foer. From his picture on the back cover I expected a New York hipster and when I saw him he looked liked an artist with a sense of style in the way he stood. He began to read from his novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and I found it to be the most enjoyable part of the evening. The way he read his novel is different from the way I read it or different from the way anyone else would read it. He read it the way he wanted it to be read. That gave me a different experience and I experienced his art. That was the only part of the night that felt like an art performance. His appearance at the event was exciting but ultimately he expressed himself best when reading from his work.

When Associate Dean Tim Caron began to interview Jonathan Safran Foer the mystery of the author faded away. He seemed like a normal New Yorker that has a passion for writing about his city. That is his art and that was why we gave him importance. Tim Caron asked him questions about his life and his views on living in New York City and all of the culture that the city was famous for. Foer had his own opinions and would answer the questions in the way that was most comfortable for him. It added to characterizing the author in general but not necessarily his literature. The question and answer session did not add to the artistic goal of the evening especially in the way the questions were being answered. Art is an exploration and an expression of feelings through something tangible. Mr. Foer even said himself that he does not just think of these inspirations out of thin air. He takes his time to sit down and really thinks hard about creating his novel. He says that he only feels like he’s thinking when reading or writing. I took that to mean that he experienced life daily and that his thoughts came out when he was writing and that it’s hard work.

The evening with Jonathan Safran Foer was unique in that I never experienced it before. It ultimately was not as much of an artistic performance by itself as reading the novel gave a more full experience. Although I don’t think it to be so memorable it did give the other students and me an opportunity to experience art through a novel and a follow up by meeting the author as well.

What one person views as garbage, another can view as art. Art is subjective and means different things, to different people. I remember walking along an alleyway one day with my father, as he pointed out the graffiti on the wall. My initial reaction was something of disgust, but my dad, who had a different view of artwork than me, remarked on the ingenious of the lines and colors.

This memory ran through my mind as I heard Jonathan Safran Foer speak on the last day of orientation. His view of art was, as expected, unique and individual. He believed that different forms of art are just means through which artists express messages or values. It does not matter so much the form of art, as long as it conveys what it should to the viewer. In this way, Jonathan Safran Foer’s view on artwork blurs the boundaries of what is differentiated styles of art. He believes that art is anything a person has intended to make as art. This could explain why he incorporated so many images into his novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

Personally, I don’t see art in the same light as Jonathan Safran Foer. If art is just anything intended to be artwork, then what makes my scribble on the back of my math notebook any different that Pablo Picasso’s La Guernica? I doubt very much have my artwork has the same effect as his. To me, art is something powerful that is separate from other types of art. For example, a meaningful book is not the same as a inspiring song. Although their messages may be similar, a book and a song will not convey the same idea in the same way. They are two totally separate mediums and although the end result may provoke the same feelings, the way in which these emotions are brought upon do define different styles of art.

Overall, I really did enjoy the experience of listening to of one of the most inspiring writers to me. Although I did not share his views exactly, I was able to listen to him and see his perspective. I admired Jonathan Safran Foer’s creativity and individuality, as well as his sarcastic sense of humor. He reminded me to appreciate the little things in the world around me that I often take for granted, or am just oblivious to. He inspired me to try new things out, and to feel comfortable not knowing where I want to be in the future. He may not have been so helpful when it came to advice about how to survive college, but when it came to advice about living life and knowing who you are, he seemed to know what he was talking about.

Theater Day, day three of the Macaulay orientation, was interesting for me.  In a way, I can say that I had mixed feelings. While I enjoyed the experience of “meeting an author”, and hearing what he had to say, I think I enjoyed the idea of it, more than I enjoyed it itself.

Maybe it was because I came in with expectations, and I felt that they were not met.  I came in thinking I’d hear a lot from the author, and that the Q&A segment with him would give me a lot of insight about his life, his experiences, his thoughts and feelings. While I did enjoy what he had to say about enjoying NYC for everything it has to offer, and his idea of disconnecting from technology to better to help that, I had the feeling of wanting more.  When he turned to the next part of his “speech” (I don’t think that’s quite the word to describe it) of reading an excerpt from his novel I remember thinking “that’s it?”.  A few seconds later I alleviated that feeling by reminding myself that at at the Q&A “conversation” with him, I’d get to hear more.  Unfortunately, I did not feel like  I did.  I don’t mean to critique, but I did not feel that the questions Foer was asked were relevant, or interesting to me as the audience.  What’s more,  I felt like he was being asked the same one question many times, with a small nuance in between each question.  I turned to my friend sitting next to me multiple times during this session and he agreed with me. “He isn’t asking good questions”, he said.

The other point I want to address is the excerpt reading.  While nkornbluth really enjoyed it, I was not moved.  I’ve never really been moved by authors’ excerpt readings.  I don’t see much of a point to them?  If I read the book myself, why do I need it read to me? Some would say that it’s different when the author reads it out loud because you hear the tone of the book.  I can see this applying to an author reading his picture book, or an action book author reading with the “special effects” the book is supposed to have.  However, with such a novel as Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I don’t see the necessity in this.  When I read it, I did not read it with tone; it wasn’t an action novel. Foer himself, if I recall correctly, did not read it with a different tone either.

If we consider Foer’s reading as the “performance” part of the night, I would not consider it a performance.  A performance to me is acting, singing, dancing, something beyond the scope of regular human speech or conversation.  By this definition, neither did the “Q&A conversation session” count to me as a performance, or art really.  Performance, to me, is a branch of art.  Therefore, if the night did not count to me as a performance, it did not count as art either.

To me, art is a form of expression beyond regular human speech, interaction, and behavior.  For me to consider a conversation as “art”, it would have to be extremely enhanced.  Otherwise, we could consider almost anything art in this world, and I just don’t see the point in that.  Why not reserve art as something special, something more than just regular.  Would it touch us and influence us so much if it was “regular”?

To say that theater day was a performance is a huge over statement. Jonathan Safran Foer isn’t an actor, so although he was on stage, he was not putting on a show for us Macaulay kids. Foer’s actions and style of speaking was directly related to the style in which he wrote the book. It seemed Foer was talking in run on sentences and unrelated thoughts. This style of writing was perfect though for the narrator of the book. Because I don’t consider Foer’s appearance as a performance, it makes sense that I don’t consider it art. To me, art is countless hours of devotion. So yes, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close can be considered a work of art, but not Foer’s Q and A session.

The unique and interesting thing about languages is that it consists of meaningful words that can be interpreted in almost any way. Thus as a distinctive individual, my brain was incapable of categorizing the meeting with Jonathan Safran Foer as a “theater day performance”. Unfortunately, the only image that words like theater and performance managed to paint in my head was that of instruments, dance, songs, plays and all other sorts of film-like experiences. I stood corrected however, as the Free Online Dictionary reminded me that a performer is indeed one who “portray[s] a role or demonstrate[s] a skill before an audience”.  I had interpreted theater and performance differently all along, and grew up going to the theater to watch movies and going to events to watch musical performances. Little did I know, a meeting with an intellectual author and a conversation about his book too was a theatrical performance. Having re-set the buttons of my brain’s dictionary, I figured Jonathan Safran Foer was one talented performer. His very skill to construct a powerful story like that of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was itself a masterpiece, let alone the awakening conversation that took place on theater day.

To answer the question at its simplest, I enjoyed the performance very much. I didn’t find myself bored and drowsy amidst endless talks concerning solely Safran’s novel. A genuine conversation took place that not only gave advice but helped awaken me as well.  Jonathan Safran Foer wasn’t from some third-world country who fell in love with New York City because his own country lacked resources that he deeply appreciated here. He was simply from another state who still found himself fascinated by the arts that the city that to offer. Foer’s answers to much of the questions did not fail to mention the astounding arts and cultures that thrive in New York City.  Not that I was unaware of the opportunities that New York has to offer, but I definitely came to better realize that New York is indeed exceptional. I can stand in New York alone and taste the world around me. I can involve myself in multicultural experiences that a cowboy in Texas might never experience. I should love the subways because they get me everywhere I want to go even when I don’t have a car. I should absorb more out of the city life and breathe in the valuable atmosphere, for a life lost in the cyber world completely, isn’t a life worth living. It is only shameful to see that an outsider has come to knock on my brains to awaken it and make it appreciate the city that has raised me. Not only did Jonathan Safran Foer hold unique and sometimes odd viewpoints, Foer had the ability to express them publicly. Being ridiculed by the crowd wasn’t a fear he guarded himself by. I must stress however, that it was not necessarily the opinions themselves that came to impress me, but the very bold ability to express; a skill that we all should soon wrap ourselves around. Foer advised students to explore and take classes out of their comfort zone too. He stood as an example of his own advice as he shifted from a Pre-Med path to that of writing. Thus, Jonathan Safran Foer was a brilliant performer. Not only did he demonstrate his skills to the audience, he enabled the audience to apply those skills as well.

The human brain is the most potent possession, and when such a valuable item makes an effort to work, the result is indeed mesmerizing. When human creativity and imagination merge together, art is born. Art is simply your brain splattered all over. For every different brain, the splatter comes in different colors and ideas, thus making it unique to every individual. If I scribble in bright colors all over a paper, that’s my art. To me it represents jubilance and joy. If you put together words and write a song or a novel, that’s your art – it’s your brain’s creativity splattered all over. It represents a story, an emotion, a message, and perhaps anything you want it to represent. Art can be found in every style or form. This applies to the everyday activities as well. One can walk artistically like a model cat walks down the aisle. One can talk artistically like a clever detective who can force out every secret of yours unconsciously. At its very simplest, art is your brain expressing itself. According to Jonathan Safran Foer, art is anything that an artist intends to be art. That’s because the artist can see the picture, feel the emotion, and understand the message behind his work. Hence, the performance on theater day was art. The author was performing as he read his novel, and this performance was the very art that he was crafting as he stood. His words enabled the audience to visualize an image of the story. His interview represented his art, as he spoke in his own unique artistic way and expressed himself.  The interview was indeed a form of art; it conveyed a message, a picture, and a feeling to the audience.

On the last day of the Macaulay Orientation, we were given the honor of meeting Jonathan Safran Foer, the author of a New York Times bestseller, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Since I have never met such a successful author before, I was very excited for Arts Day. Unfortunately, the evening failed to meet my expectations. I was looking forward to hearing more about Foer’s book, rather than details about his life as a writer and how he adapted to living in New York City. I felt that I didn’t learn as much as I thought I would during the brief hour and a half we were sitting in the auditorium with Foer. However, I still enjoyed the eloquence of Foer’s speech and admired how strongly he held his opinions and beliefs. I also found it interesting when he mentioned that he did not plan on being an author when he started college. That made me more comfortable, knowing I am able to change my mind during college about which career path I want to take.

During one part of the night, Foer read us an excerpt from his novel. I know this gesture was a great privilege for us. Not everyone gets the opportunity to experience such a superb story through the voice of its author. However, I was quite disappointed with the way Foer read the passage. His voice was rather monotonous and low. I found myself straining to hear what he was saying from time to time. I also got the feeling that he did not really enjoy reading to the audience as much as I had expected. The interview between Tim Caron and Foer frequently strayed from the main topic, which was about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Mr. Caron attempted to encourage Foer to tell the audience how his novel is related to the arts. Foer would reply with general responses, instead of mentioning specific examples from his book. Thinking back to that night, I find myself remembering more about Foer’s opinions on technology and cultural events in New York than discussions about his story and its relations to the arts of New York. Although the interview was interesting, I felt that it was emphasized on the wrong topic. Overall, I did not enjoy Arts Day at orientation very much. I felt that it could have been more organized and the author could have made more insightful comments about his novel, which was what most of us were anticipating.

In my opinion, art is anything that allows people to express themselves. It could be presented in any form, whether it is a painting, song, dance or even the way someone speaks. Art should be able to allow people to appreciate its aesthetic beauty and teach them about the essential aspects of living. The performance given by Jonathan Safran Foer during Arts Day should be considered art. The author was expressing himself to hundreds of people, even though some found his personality pretty apathetic. I am pretty sure Foer influenced a significant part of the audience that night. I appreciate that I was given the chance to experience Arts Day with my peers.

Upon hearing that the third day of Macaulay Honors College orientation, Arts Day, would be an evening with Jonathan Safran Foer, I was excited. I never had the chance to meet with an author, especially one whose book I really enjoyed. I had high expectations but I was disappointed with the way Arts Day turned out. I found it pointless. I was expecting Foer to talk more about his novel rather than about New York City. I wanted him to discuss his characters, their relationships, the plot, the different literary techniques, etc. Though, I did enjoy what he had to say about New York especially about missing the subways and no one actually going to the cultural events. I felt pride in being a New Yorker. I realized I should appreciate living in such a lively city and be grateful for the opportunities that I have to experience culture, but that was not the point of the theater day performance. The point of Arts Day was to expose the class of 2015 to different mediums of art so we could learn to appreciate it; that did not happen for me.

When Foer began his reading, I was eager to listen. The story of the Sixth Borough was my favorite part of the novel. As I read and listened to the passage, I could not stop myself from visualizing the story. I was drawn in but I wish that he had read it with a little more passion and feeling. While he was reading, I felt disconnected. There was no attempt on his part to engage his audience. He seemed as if he were apathetic about reading. After the reading, there was the interview. The interview seemed superficial. The interviewer, Tim Caron, was trying to get Foer to talk about his book in a way that relates to the arts, in an attempt to bring together the third day of orientation and Foer’s novel. His questions were directed towards Foer’s opinion about the arts rather than his novel. Tim Caron kept trying to direct the conversation toward the arts and what constitutes it. Foer had strong opinions and he insisted on them, which obviously threw Tim Caron off-guard a little. I will commend Foer for being honest throughout the evening. He said that he does not enjoy the process of writing but rather what books do for him. I found that to be interesting because it was unexpected. Overall, I did not enjoy Arts Day. It felt as if there was too much of an effort involved in connecting Arts Day and Foer’s novel.

Art, in my eyes, is anything that conveys a message, sparks an emotion, initiates intellect, or just brings back memories. It is necessary for the artwork, a sculpture, painting, novel, film, photo, etc., to connect with the audience. For something to qualify as art, it should have a deeper meaning than what’s on the surface. Art is subjective; the same piece of artwork will have a different impact on everybody who sees it. It’s a way for the artist to convey a message and to express their ideas and beliefs. I do qualify the performance as art because I did learn something. Foer did convey some messages. The one that stuck with me was to appreciate the city you live in for all that it has to offer. I did feel proud of being a New Yorker; his talk sparked an emotion within me by the end of the evening. However, I did not feel curious; my intellect was not challenged. I’m glad that Macaulay Honors College provided us with the opportunity of meeting with Jonathan Safran Foer and reading his novel. I did not take anything major away from the evening but there are certain aspects of the night that I will remember.