Purpose Project Blog Post #8

As of May 3rd, I feel like I have gotten a lot done. I have done all the research that I required into the process of physical construction and the design on the cane. This design work would include the dimensions of the cane, the metal I need to work with (aluminum) and it’s preferred grade, and the methods of attaching the parts (drilling).

https://www.metalsupermarkets.com/what-aluminum-grade-should-i-use/

https://www.metalsupermarkets.com/7-things-consider-choosing-aluminum-grade/

https://www.familyhandyman.com/tools/drills/tips-for-drilling-holes-in-metal/

 

This part of the project went quite smoothly. However, now that I only have physical construction left to do, I am encountering roadblocks. Firstly, I need to find a supplier who will sell the correct length, diameter, and thickness (if possible) of aluminum tube for a fair price. Secondly, I want to have practice with bending aluminum before I try it on my tubing. Thirdly, I need to find a supplier for the cane head and rubber for the handle.

 

All in all, while I am happy with my progress, I would not be able to stop where I am, and it will take a great deal more effort to finish the project.

TKAM Blog Post #2

Final Impressions

This book was very different from other books that I read, even in this genre. The Harper Lee was extraordinarily blunt with the use of racism and how it affected society as well as very refined in how he described the different characters reactions to racist situations and their impacts on them. An example of this would be Jem’s rationalization of the court case by saying there are many types of folks, but after he realized he was mistaken he shut out all memory of the trial and yelled at Scout when she brought it up. I also liked how Harper Lee made the book as accurate as possible,  shown when he made the verdict of the court case guilty and had Tom try to escape and die. It makes the idea the book conveys that much more impactful and adds weight to the story.

This book taught me that many, if not most people are very set in their ways. It would take a huge shift in their life to get people to change. This is shown by how hard Atticus pushed for the final stabbing to go to court, even though he thought it was his kid, but when he realized that it was Boo, someone who didn’t want attention, that stabbed Bob Ewell and saved his kids he made a huge moral shift and was willing to bend the rules this once. People are almost always willing to hide the truth if it would be for the greater good.

http://calcdosmockingbird.blogspot.com/2012/02/final-thoughts-on-to-kill-mockingbird.html

 

Scout

I feel like Scout was the best person to have as a character in this novel. You are able to see almost all of her thoughts and she is the main person we follow throughout the whole story. This allows for a unique glimpse at the impacts of observing racism on a daily basis as a child.

Some of the most important or standout quotes from Scout are “Jem was the one who was getting more like a girl, not I” and “Ladies in bunches always filled me with vague apprehension and a firm desire to be elsewhere, but this feeling was what Aunt Alexandra called being “spoiled.” The first quote shows how different she is from others of her gender and age. It is yet another example of how Scout has wisdom beyond her years and that the knowledge she has sets her apart. The second quote shows how she feels in social situations. She is very timid and doesn’t fit in with the normal behavior for high-society.

https://www.shmoop.com/to-kill-a-mockingbird/scout-jean-louise-finch-quotes-7.html

 

Literature Circles

During our literature circles and socratic seminar we dove into Scout’s character development and some potential metaphors dealing with Atticus being the sacrifice of the town so they can act normally, his straight shot reflecting his moral compass and it’s near immovable stance, and the reasons for why Tom Robinson tried to escape. I found the first and last of these to be the most intriguing because having Atticus as a sacrifice makes us wonder if all the good he is doing is actually benefitting the society in the long run, especially if the racism he opposes stops him from making progress. The second was important because it shows how little faith Tom had in the judicial system and how he was willing to take his own chances at life over it.

https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-was-judicial-system-like-south-1930s-184159

 

Connections To Other Texts

On A Certain Blindness: 

This text is related to TKAM because of Scout, Dill, and Jem’s behavior towards Boo Radley. In the beginning they thought of him as some terrible person who had gone insane and wanted to hurt people. Later in the story, it is actually Boo who saves Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell, proving them wrong. This initial belief shows how quick people are to judge others, even if they have very little information. This judgement without sufficient information was also the focal point of On A Certain Blindness.

Black Men and Public Space:

This text relates to the story because in TKAM a large part of the story is devoted to Boo and his father. They both were avoided and treated with extreme caution while in the town, as you can see from Scout’s encounters with Boo’s father. Their seclusion could well have been due to their social treatment and a desire to avoid it. This is similar to the Black Men and Public Space article which showed how people are more wary of black people in public spaces and how some choose to take certain precautions to avoid discrimination (whistling/humming classical tunes).

Self-Segregation: Why It’s so Hard For White People to Understand Ferguson:

This text relates to the story because back in that time most people were surrounded by people sharing the same ideals with them (according to the author the reason why white people couldn’t understand ferguson), including racism. This would have made people more set in discriminatory ways, prolonging and amplifying the racism and inequality present in the American South.

 

Purpose Project Blog #7-Feedback Synthesis

What Feedback Was I Given?

This week I presented my purpose project to two people and had one outside observer who agreed with the feedback given to me by one of the people I presented to. I was told that I needed to develop my intro and motivation for the project. They said that it was bland and that though they knew it was for my grandmother it didn’t allow for them to relate with me, the presenter. Another piece of advice that I was given was to elaborate more on how I was going to go about the physical construction of the cane.

How Will This Affect My Project?

Now that I have this feedback, I am going to focus far more on the physical construction and motivation for my project. To get more in depth with the physical construction aspect of my project I will do research on how to thread aluminum at home and see which machines I will need. If I find that I cannot do this threading procedure then I will see if any suppliers for aluminum will be able to sell pre-threaded tubes.

Where Am I?

Frankly, I believe that I am starting to fall behind. I am going to have to work hard to get ahead again. I will do research on the physical construction of the cane, try to find a supplier, and update my 3D model accordingly.

TKAM Blog Post #1

First Impressions

I really enjoyed the first twelve chapters of the book and I am looking forward to reading more. The way the book was written from Scout’s perspective looking back on her past makes for a much different experience as a reader and is unlike anything else I have read. I suppose that is why this story is read by so many people and taught in schools today. The story also has a very clear cut message it tries to address, namely racism. It makes us think about what we are doing to other people in a system influenced by racism because it forces many characters to justify their actions to Scout. Needless to say, most of these answers are along the lines of “that’s just the way it is.”

Scout

Scouts character is very naive but smart at the same time. She doesn’t know much about things like racism or how to navigate a potentially dangerous or risky conversation, as you can see from her careless request to Aunt Alexandra to stay at Calpurnia’s house for a time She makes quite a few blunders and is quick to temper, but she starts to develop into a more knowledgeable and reasonable person as time goes by. This is seen when instead of Scout lashing out at Mrs. Dubose, it was instead Jem who broke first.

 

Important Quote

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One doesn’t love breathing.” -Scout

This quote is made after Scout’s teacher is telling her that she should stop having her father teach her how to read. It makes  Scout think that she will forget how to read until the third grade where it was taught as part of the Dewey Decimal system. This terrifies her because, although she had never previously treasured her ability to read and write, she uses it everyday as a necessary part of everyday life. Losing it would create great change for Scout, and people are often affected negatively by change, so the fact that it is threatened is enough to make her protect it no matter what. This leads to her deals with her father to make sure he would keep teaching her in return for her good behavior concerning the upcoming court case.

Literature Circle

During our literature circles and Socratic seminar many things were discussed. We looked at Atticus’ hesitance to use a gun, the reasoning behind filling the tree with cement, and a possible metaphor/ foreshadowing for the court case. I wish to focus on what I talked about in the lit. circle, the metaphor for the trial. This is after the quote “To kill a Mockingbird is a sin,” as they do only good things for us. I thought that the book might be hinting at the Tom Robinson’s innocence by comparing him to a Mockingbird. This would also lead to a slight bit of foreshadowing, since the quote also talked about killing the Mockingbird. One way that the Mockingbird, Tom, could be killed is if the trial finds him guilty and he is sentenced to death. While this is only my theory, it would also fit in with the theme of racism since even the most innocent of people can be killed because of the word of a white person.

 

Predictions and Questions

• Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson will lose the court trial
• Boo Radley will make an appearance and become a major player later on
• Scout will visit Calpurnia’s home against Aunt Alexandra’s orders
• Will Calpurnia’s church play an important role in the near future?
• Will Tom be found guilty, and if so what will the sentence be?
• Will Boo Radley be sane if and when he finally leave the house?

Purpose Project Blog Post #7

This week I was able to get my required work done. I didn’t procrastinate like I had last week and I now have a 3D model of the cane I am to use. I created this model using google sketch-up and not the software on the 3D printer because the printer’s software is only able to draw things in a four inch cubed space. This would’ve made the process much harder as I would’ve had to scale down and scale back up when I start building the cane.

Next week I am going to see if I can get my hands on the materials I need to build the cane (namely aluminum and and required tools but it might change to wood If I cant find any) or if I can find a supplier which will sell the materials. I will also be working on my preliminary presentation for the purpose project, a slideshow now needed for Friday the twenty-ninth.

Purpose Project Blog Post #6

This week I did not accomplish anything in regards to my project. I had wanted to use the software on my 3D printer to model how I would go about connecting the parts and finding the correct dimensions for the different parts of the cane.

Although I had originally planned to do this with an engineering notebook and paper, I decided that it would be less legible and might interfere with my ability to accurately model the cane. Do to this I am no longer going to use a paper version, but rather keep it all electronic.  Currently I am thinking that the most effective way to connect the three different parts of the cane would be to thread the parts and screw them together. This is because it is the least likely to give out and is able to come apart if needed.

Another idea I have for the connecting is to make small holes in the parts that can overlap, allowing me to screw them together with a nut and bolt.While all of this is subject to change and I will try my best to improve on it, I believe that this is what I will use.

https://www.fictiv.com/hwg/design/threaded-locking-methods-for-secure-connections

Purpose Project Blog Post #5

During this week I got done my sketches for the cane. I wrote a list of materials that I would need to build it and I wrote out how I thought I could combine the different parts of the cane (the handle, shaft, and bottom). Currently I am thinking about threading it so it screws together but I would have to find a way to do this with the materials and tools I have access to. Am idea I had was to 3D print a connector but then I would have the issue of the connector potentially coming off or breaking, making the purpose of the cane backfire and potentially hurt my grandmother.

Next week I am planning to find a way to connect the three parts of the cane and potentially see if I can 3D print the connector I will use to do so. I will also use the chart I got and ask my grandmother what her height is to determine what the proper height of the cane should be. I will also need to determine the ratio for how large the handle, bottom and shaft should be to each other.

Purpose Project Blog Post #4

This week I have obtained the last two of my required annotated sources.

https://www.verywellhealth.com/which-hand-should-i-hold-a-cane-in-2549334

https://www.fashionablecanes.com/blog/rheumatoid-arthritis-walking-canes/

The first source address the issue of the best way to use a cane. It says that you should use the cane on the opposite side of your body from your bad leg. This is because the bad leg and cane would move at once, creating a more stable walk. The second source also addresses the best type of handle for arthritis. While I had sources relating to the best type of handle I had not looked at it with arthritis in mind. One of the most highly recommended handles was a fritz handle

I also talked to my grandmother over the phone and got some important information. She said that I should be careful with the weight and grip of the cane, since she has very bad arthritis and a bad grip or heavy weight would make the cane very difficult and ineffective to use for her and people with similar conditions.

I also told her about some new ideas I had for the cane and we narrowed them down a bit. Currently I am looking at just including keys in the cane to prevent it from being lost at home or at another area you’re leaving, adding medicine to it to make it unnecessary to get up and search it out when you remember, or adding a beeper to the cane that you could trigger in order to find it.

Next week I am going to do more research to address the questions of how to correct the weight, how to add a compartment without sacrificing too much of the cane’s integrity, and I am going to gather more information from cane users.

Purpose Project Blog Post #3

This week I had done a bit of research. I went and completed my first two annotated sources. The two sources I did were both electronic, meaning that I needed to include a critical annotation to confirm the validity of the source. So far, I am very happy with the two sources I have chosen.

https://avacaremedical.com/walking-canes-guide

https://walkingcaneguide.com/best-walking-canes/

I have also informed my mother of the empathy chart and she gave me other ideas for the cane. For instance, instead of having a cane that could transport medicine, I could replace that with a cane that could carry the keys to the car. This was what my mother recommended to me because once my grandmother got into the car, drove to her destination and started getting out when she realized she didn’t have her cane. Since she was already there she got out carefully and started to walk, only to have her knee give out and she broke her wrist. This would hopefully prevent this from happening in the future.

This next week I am going to talk to my grandparents to get their input as well as finish collecting my annotated sources. All I need to do is make sure one of my final two sources is a periodical (a newspaper or book).

 

Purpose Project Blog Post #2

This week I followed your feedback and asked my family about the idea of creating a cane for my grandmother. They all thought that it was a good idea and they said I should pursue it. As for research, I looked up how high a cane is supposed to be in comparison to someone’s height.

Luckily, it is an even half with about an inch margin of error. Knowing this I will be able to find the correct height of the cane. I also found that the 3D printer’s software was very intuitive and reminded me of CAD. It has many similar tools, and because of my previous use with the program last year during my engineering class I am hoping to pick it up quite quickly. My father and I also went out in order to find the plastic used in the printer. Right now we are thinking about using a black color.

One complication that I have found is that the 3D printer is only able to print parts a few inches long. This could become a big problem and I would have to find ways around it to make lager parts (things like the handle if I am unable to obtain them elsewhere). Currently I am thinking about printing multiple smaller pieces that are able to lock together like a jigsaw.