Make-up Post

Is it fair to recruit teens using travel and money as an incentive?

It is fair because using money as an incentive brings more teens to the military because they need money to be able to get into college. By giving them the incentive of money they will come and serve for the army so that they can earn money to go home and go to college. This incentive helps them to become prepared for college, since they are able to make money. Money as incentive not only helps them to get into college but it also helps them to get a job. Without a college education they would not be able to get a decent job.

Travel as an incentive is not fair because the teens would not be going to fight just to explore. Many people join the army so that they will be able to explore the world. These teens would be joining to see and not serve. While the travel incentive brings in more people to help the army, I feel like most of them would not be very serious about actually being in the army. Travel is not an incentive that can be avoided and this is why there is no way to limit how many people are doing it just to travel. This is why I think travel is not a fair incentive.

Brave New World Post 3

Why did Huxley have John kill himself?

How does the theme of the book relate to the title?

Why is it that both Orwell and Huxley had a negative view on the utopia?

"Communist Utopia" Thomas Hornung

1. The eyes are all watching you; they are making sure that you are doing what you are supposed to be doing. This shows communism because communism says that everyone has to be equal. The eyes are watching to make sure that no one tries to better than anyone else.
2. The artist views communism as being faulty because in the painting everything is falling apart. The paint is falling off of the walls. There is a lot of trash in the streets. Also, the sky is turning dark because the communism is becoming worse and worse.
3. The title is "Communist Utopia" because it shows the authors view of communism. The author believes that communists think that they are creating a utopia from communism. Really all they are doing is making their government fall into turmoil. The communism is shown by the eyes and the utopia is shown by the man because you can't see his face so that he is equal to everyone else.

"Don't You Want Me" The Human League

1. The subject matter of the song is a break-up of a couple of five years. The woman says, "The five years we have had have been such good times...But now I think it's time I live my life on my own." This shows that they are separating after five years.
2. The man says that he is the one that gave her a life. "But don't forget it's me who put you where you are now." She says that she is the one who made her success. "But even then I knew I'd find a much better place without you." The man acts as if he has done everything for her and she thinks that she already knew what she was doing before he came along.
3. I side with the girl because I feel like the guy is very controlling and is taking credit for all of her achievements. He says, "But don't forget it's me who put you where you are now and I can put you back down too." This shows that he is very controlling of her and thinks that he did everything for her. This is why I favor the girl.

Brave New World Second Post

1. Why is the book titled Brave New World?
    The book is titled Brave New World because it is based off of the way the John views the One State. When Bernard first tells John he will be going to the One State John quotes The Tempest and says, "O brave new world with such people in it." (148) John has always lived in the reservation and has only heard about the one state. He has   heard many good things about it. John is fascinated to go there because he has always thought of it as being something that is better than him because all he has known is the reservation. After he gets to the One State he begins to say this quote ironically because he is disappointed.

2. Why does Linda always stay as an outsider in the Reservation?
    Linda is was not the same culture when she first came to the Reservation and therefore never really conformed. When Linda first came to the Reservation she slept with all of the women's husbands and they did not like her. She never tried to redeem her reputation and this is why she never conformed to their culture. I also believe that when she was first born she was conditioned to think that their way of life was wrong. When she arrived she still believed that everything they did was wrong and she could not break the way she was conditioned do that she could be like them.

3. Why is John so against being in a relationship with Lenina?
    John really does like Lenina and is really attracted to her but they both have different views on a relationship. Because of their conflicting views John has a hard time whenever he is around Lenina. Lenina wants to have sex with John but not have a very strong relationship with him. John is completely against that because of what the cultures is at the Reservation and what he has read in Shakespeare. John is used to reading about relationships where the characters a deeply in love and have very strong feelings for each other. While John has both physical and emotional attractions to Lenina, Lenina only really has a  physical attraction to John. John does not want to submerge himself into something that would just be physical attraction.

Brave New World First Post

In Brave New World equality and conformity are made by embryo making and hatching center, the Central London Hatching and Conditioning Centre. The centre makes the embryos so that they are similar and they give them traits needed for their level in the caste. The lower class embryos go through the Bokanovsky process where they are pretty much cloned. "But a bokanovskified egg will bud, will proliferate, will divide. From ninety-six buds, and every bud will grow into a perfectly formed embryo, and every-embryo into a full-sized adult," (pg.20). This is how lower class embryos are made, they are cloned so that they all are just like one another. The higher classes do not go through this process because they need to be more unique and have different qualities so that they can contribute well to their job. The conditioning to be in a certain class, either Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, or Epsilon creates equality throughout all of the people because all of the people in each class are almost clones (except in higher classes) of each other which creates equality in the caste system. Huxley reduces conflict in religion by crossing off the tops of all of the crosses and making them Ts. This is based off of the Model T made by Henry Ford. This makes the people forget about religion and it fades away. The people do not have any individuals rights they are not allowed think alone, think about things by yourself is considered to be bad. The peoples' happiness is controlled because the people are made to be happy with their caste and they are conditioned to be happy about their life and the caste that they have been assigned to. This society is a dystopia because the peoples' rights are taken away, and their happiness is conditioned and they are not able to have true happiness.

Reading Response #3 1984

I do not think that Big Brother won because people, such as Winston and others rebelled against the government and Big Brother did not accomplish his original plans to control all of the people and their thoughts in the begining. At the end of the book I think Big Brother succeeds because he is able to control Winston's mind through the punishment he is given.

I think the only way to bring down the Party would be for all of the people to rebel. If there were a few stragglers who didn't rebel I think that the Party wouldn't be able to be overcome. To take over the party the whole population would have to participate.

I belive that by the end of the book Winston is truely brainwashed because he completely gives in to Big Brother. It says on page 245, "He loves Big Brother." We know that this is not true because of how much we have seen previously of Winston hating Big Brother. By the end they brainwash him and he completely forgets everyhting that he once believed in.

Love Language

The two cultures are a girls that is deaf and a guy who is not. The gorl does not know how to act around the guy because their cultures are different. One internal conflict is the girl vs. her thoughts; she wants to tell the guy that she likes him but then she doesn;t want him to think she is weird because she is deaf. One external conflict is girl vs. guy; their cultures are different. The girl has a hard time trying to show how she feels because she is deaf and the guy thinks she doesn't like him because she doesn't say anything to him. In the video they use the sticky notes to show the cultural conflict while in Sign Language the man and the woman are in two different jobs which is how they show the conflict.

"This Land is Your Land" Woody Guthrie

Is Guthrie's message individualist or collectivist?
-His message is individualist because he says that this land is made for you and me not us. If it were a collectivist statement he would have used the word us instead of you and me.

Is the message of this song pro-government or anti-government?
-It is anti-government because he thinks that they should have freedom to roam the land where ever they would like and the government should not put boundaries on where they are allowed to go.

American Friendships

The reason why many Americans don't have good friends is because they believe that after they talk to someone a few times or have gone out to dinner with them then they are friends. Americans are independent and want to do things by themselves without help from others. They also think that they can solve their problems without help. Because of the way Americans act they are perceived to not have true friendships.

Me vs. We

1. In a collectivist culture what personality traits are likely to be considered ideal? In an individualist culture?
-Individuals have a common trait of competitiveness. Collectivists have a common trait of being loyal.

2. In what type of culture might elders or people who have professional distinction receive more respect and less challenge from people lower on their culture's/group's hierarchy? Explain your answer.
-Status is defined very similarly in both cultures. In individualist societies they receive more respect because they are smarter and have more distinction than other people while in collectivist they receive more respect because people know they can make good attributions to their groups because of their knowledge.

3.Create a specific problem  a teacher may encounter when he/she moves from teaching in a collectivist culture to and individualist culture or vice versa. Explain the specific values/influences/obligations/desires caused by the clash. Propose a way for the conflict to be resolved.
-coll. to ind.- The teacher may be used to correcting the class as a whole because then they all will fix it (in a coll. society). When she comes to an individualist society and corrects the whole class no one applies it to themselves because she did not correct them individually and therefore they do not improve. This causes the children to not learn and some parents may get mad because their child isn't learning. The teacher could fix this by individually correcting the children.


4. What is an acquaintance? Does the word have a positive or negative connotation?
-An acquaintance is someone you know but aren't good friends with. I think it has a positive connotation because you know them but just aren't close this has is not bad in my opinion.

Reading Response Part 2

In your opinion, why is Winston having a difficult time buying into what Big Brother and the State are saying?
-Winston has trouble buying into what Big Brother is trying to say because Winston knows that what they are saying is completely untrue. Winston hates his job and the world around him which makes him question what they say and therefore he has a hard time buying what they are saying. He is able to figure out that everything they are saying is lies and he doesn't want to listen to lies.

Are his small acts of defiance a form of protest?
-I believe that they are a form of protest because he does not want to listen to them because he knows what they are saying is false. Not complying with all of someones orders is a form of protest. It may not be a protest but it is some form of a protest.

Compare/Contrast
- I think that Winston's "protest" would be just of a big deal as protests in today's society. Now we are allowed to express our opinion unlike in Winston's situation. Winston rebelling just a small amount is as big of a deal as a large protest today. Winston's "protest" is against the government like protests in today's society (Occupy Wall Street, Anti-War Protests, etc.) In the US when a protest is going on the govenrment listens to the people and tries to satify them while if Winston's "protest" were to be known of he would just be killed or vaporized; the government would not consider listening to his concerns about the government.

"2+2=5" Radiohead

What is the song talking about lyrically?
-The song is talking about how the dystopia is getting out of hand and the officials should be paying attention to all of the bad things that are going on.
How does the music mirror or help push the message?
-The music pushes the message because it repeats the main point, which is extremely important to the message, over and over again helping the audience to hear what they need to hear.
The title is an allusion to 1984. Explain this connection.
-In 1984 the govenment changes the past to make it the truth. 2+2=5 could be the truth if the government changed it and made it so. 2+2=5 symbolizes their dystopia.

First Reading Response Blog

How have they created utopia?
-They have created utopia by monitoring everyone closely. Everyone must work, wear the same clothes, etc. so that they all are equal.

How have they reduced conflict, specifically in regards to religion, relationships, and individual rights?
-There is no religion in the society. There is only Big Brother which is not considered holy but is the closest thing they have to religion. They also have no individual rights. They can't marry who they want, etc.

How have they created or forced happiness/conformity?
-The Party is able to control the people and tell them when to be happy and such. This creates an overall happiness in Oceania but the people happiness is really real.

Make a claim about this society as either a utopia or a dystopia based on the rest of your blog entry.
-Oceania is a dystopian society. The people are being controlled; they may be somewhat equal but it has gone too far. Also, their happiness is not real.

Utopia

What is a utopia?
-A utopia is an idealistic world where everything is perfect. Everyone is equal and there is only happiness; there is nothing negative that happens.

What is your ideal world?
-My ideal world is where there are no problems in my life. Where there are only exotic islands with pretty beaches and forests with pretty waterfalls. Where I don't have to go to school I am able to go to dance class all day and do what I love. This is my ideal world.

What type of music would be the soundtrack for your Utopia?
- The soundtrack for my Utopia would be Ingrid Michaelson, and Kate Nash.

Built to Spill "You Were Right"

1. inference-lyrics-explain
    He is talking about how his relationship is falling apart. He says you were right about everything that was  going wrong but you were wrong when you said everything's gonna be alright. His relationship seems as if it is falling apart.

2. analytical statement- musical content- explain
    The music represents his angryness and depressiveness. The music was very loud and there were lots of drums. It sounded as if it was angry. Then it would quiet down and it was just the voices and this sounded depressed.

3. evaluative statement- overall effectiveness- explain
    It was effective in showing that he was depressed of his relationship. The song was loud and angry and showed his emotions. It was very effective.

"Reading Critically"

When critically reading an essay you first make inferences based on the title, your knowledge of the author, when it was published, and where it was published. This helps you to have an idea of the style and content of the essay before you begin reading. During the first reading just listen to what the author is trying to say. While you are reading make annotations on the essay. You then want to summarize what you have read and start thinking critically. Analyze, make inferences, synthesize, evaluate, and discover the meaning next when reading an essay. Think about the visual images in your head when you read it, think about how the author's writing strategy exceeded, and analyze the language. After doing all of these things you will have read an essay critically.

"Young Life" Bo Bartlett

Make three claims about this painting. Support each claim with a fact about the painting.
- CL The boy's parents like bright colors.
   FT- The boy is wearing a red shirt.
- CL- The boy is not the man and woman's child.
   FT- The boy is positioned in the foreground away from the man and woman.
- CL- The boy is trying to be like the father.
   FT- The boy is holding a stick; trying to be of power like his father holding the gun.

The Avett Brothers "Shame"

Identify the subject and tone.
- Subject- relationship mistakes
  Tone- Sad but optimistic
Choose three words whose connotation pushes the tone and explain how.
- falling-it shows something falling out or falling down and has a sad connotation
- holding- it has a positive connotation because it shows trying to hold on to something and not let it go
- sinking- it has a negative sad connotation because things are sinking out of people's reach

American Tongues

What is voice in literature?
-Voice is the personality of the speaker.

Being mindful of word choice, tone, and sentence structure, write an example of something you would commonly say or write. Explain how and why this sounds like you.
-I commonly say stuff like, "You're so stupid, or dumb." It is my way of being sarcastic. I only say it to people I know well or else that would be really mean.

According to people in the documentary, people in Kentucky talk around a subject. Identify a topic you would talk around and explain why you would handle the topic in that manner.
- Something I would talk around is if I had gotten a bad grade and I had to tell my parents. I wouldn't want them to know because they would be disappointing in me so I would talk around the subject.

Why is voice important in nonfiction? What are some things we normally avoid in a academic essay?
-I there is no voice in nonfiction then it is just very boring. Therefore, you need voice in it to spice it up and make the readers want to read it. We normally avoid talking around the subject in academic essays.

What are some ways we can develop our own voice?
- We can use sentence structure to develop voice, also we can use vocabulary to develop voice.

SOAPSTone

Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out

By Dave Barry

Subject-

The subject of Dave Barry’s “Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out” is the differences in men and women. Men and women’s differences are illustrated by the author’s use of explanation throughout the article about the main differences in men and women. He mentions that women are sensitive about filth. Women always notice dirt around the and always have to make sure that it gets cleaned up. Men, on the other hand pay no notice to dirt; men are sensitive about sports. If a sports game is on they have to watch it so that they don’t miss a good game. The author explains how these differences are true through one gender and not the other.

Occasion-

“Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out” was written during the 1980’s and/or 1990’s. The essay’s time of creation is displayed in the introductory paragraph that gives some facts about Dave Barry. The paragraphs states that most of his works were published in the 1980’s and 1990’s. This means that this article was probably published in that time period as well. The probable place for the essay’s creation is Miami, Florida. The introductory paragraph states that he lived in Miami and worked for their newspaper. If he lived in Miami this article was probably written there.

The time and place of the essay’s creation influence the essay in the things that he chose to use as stories to provide support for his argument. The author uses baseball to show men's sensitivity for sports and in the 80's baseball was very popular, but it is not as popular now.

Audience-

Dave Barry’s specific audience for “Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out” is men and women that are in a relationship. The author’s target audience is exhibited by the use of examples that he uses about him and his wife. He uses examples such as when he cleans the house or the dinner they went to so that he can target men and women in relationships. His real life stories about his marriage target people that have a partner and influence men and women in relationships.

The author’s general audience for the essay is men and women of America. The author’s general audience is shown by the author’s emphasis on male and female differences in America. His emphasis on these differences in America targets all Americans because it shows how men and women are different.  It doesn’t show differences in a specific group of men and women just men and women as a whole.

Purpose-

Dave Barry’s purpose in “Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out” is to show that men and women are different in the things that they are sensitive about. The contrast between men and women’s sensitivities is revealed by the author saying, “The primary differences between men and women are that women can see extremely small quantities of dirt.” The author mentioning this shows the reader that there are differences in men and women and their sensitivities. This shows that women are very sensitive to dirt while men are not. The purpose is further revealed by the quote, “The opposite side of the dirt coin, of course, is sports. This is an area where men tend to feel very sensitive and women tend to be very callous.” This illustrates how women do not have the sensitivities as men. Men are sensitive about sports and not filth.

Speaker-

Dave Barry, born in Armark, New York, believes that women are sensitive about filth. This value is illustrated by his emphasis on women’s sensitivity about dirt in the article. He says, “The primary difference between men and women is that women can see extremely small quantities of dirt.” This shows how he talks about women being aware of dirt at all times. The author’s value supports the purpose because the author truly believes it therefore he can convince his readers more.

Dave Barry, Haverford College graduate, believes that men are sensitive about sports. This value is illustrated by his emphasis on men’s sensitivity in sports. He says, “This is an area where men tend to feel very sensitive.” This shows how he believes that men really are sensitive about sports and they always have to watch them. The author’s value supports the purpose because the author truly believes it therefore he can convince his readers more.

Dave Barry’s use of imagery is evident in the stories that he tells because the reader can imagine them. The author’s use of imagery helps to get across his point that men and women are different because it makes it more clear for the reader. His piece is also more effective because of it.

Tone-

Dave Barry exhibits a comical and judicious attitude about the differences between men and women in “Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out”. These attitudes are expressed by the author’s humorous tone when telling stories of his past that relate to the differences between men and women. Also the author judges all men and women when he is explaining his argument. He acts as if all men are one way and all women are another way when they are not at all. The author’s humorousness shows that he is very comical and the way he judges everyone shows that he is judicious. This tone helps the author to show how the differences of men and women are important but they can also be funny; for example, his use of the stories about his life.  Also he helps to show that all men and women have differences but women are the same and men are the same by having a judicious tone.

"Eleanor Rigby": The Beatles vs. Pain vs. Dubstep

Which of these do you like better?
-I liked The Beatles version better because it was easier to hear the lyrics. I did not like how the Dubstep was a remix and I did not like how the Pain version was overtaken by the background music. I like being able to hear the lyrics and knowing what they are trying to say.

Which of these is more aesthetically pleasing?
- I believe The Beatles version is more aesthetically pleasing because it didn't change as much. It was pretty much the same throughout. The other two versions had too much going on at one time. I believe it is more pleasing to just listen to one thing not a bunch  of things happening at one time.

Kandinsky vs. Pollack

Which of these fo you like better?
- I like the Pollack better because it is the same throughout. There is not too much going on in it like the Kandinsky. I also like how the colors are very relaxing because they are all neutral.

Which of these is more pleasing to look at?
-I think the Kandinsky is more pleasing to look at because there is always something new you see when you are looking at it. Every time you look at it you notice something you hadn't before. Also, the colors are very bright and they stand out which makes it more pleasing to look at.

Short Film

-The single effect that I got out of the film was that you shouldn't live life not aware of your surroundings.

-Things that showed this single effect were-
 1. "I'm here to point out the less obvious."
 2. The music was very soft and sweet.
 3. "People don't look beyond the neon"

- I would change the fact that the camera was in his face the entire time. I thought the camera was too close to the people in the film. I don't think that this would change the single effect.

"Good Old Desk" Harry Nilsson

SOAPSTone-

Subject- his desk- literally
Occasion- 1972
Audience- other people who own desks
Purpose- to show how useful desks can be
Speaker- the artist
Tone- happy. appreciative, affectionate

What is he talking about?
-He is talking about how God is always there for him no matter what.

Three things that show he is talking about God-
-"its waiting there for me to keep my hopes alive"
-"Such a comfort to know its dependable and slow, but its always there"
-"Its the friend Iv'e got, a giant of all times"

"Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell

SOAPSTone

Subject

The subject of George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” is that imperialism causes social pressure. Pressure to please people that are socially below you is illustrated with the story of Orwell shooting the elephant. Orwell shoots the animal because he feels socially pressured by the Burmese. He thought that he ha to please them and do as they wished because of the fact that he had a higher social class. He was British and Britain were imperialists to Burma, therefore he thought as the higher person he ha to do what was expected of him.

Occasion

“Shooting an Elephant” was written in 1936. The essay’s time of creation is displayed through the text when it is stated that Burma was a state that was under the British’s imperial rule. Britain was an imperialist of Burma during the late 1930’s. The probable place of the essay’s creation is in Moulmein, Burma. Orwell says in the beginning of the essay that, “In Moulmein, in Lower Burma..” stating that this is where the essay was probably created.

The time and place of the essay’s creation influence the essay in which the author is sure to make his point clear so that he can change others’ opinions on imperialism. The time period is when imperialism was happening in Burma he writes the article in this time period to try and change opinions about imperialism because he feels it is wrong. Because of his experience with shooting the elephant he realizes what morally wrong things imperialism caused him to do because of the pressure that he felt others putting on him.

Audience

George Orwell’s specific audience for “Shooting an Elephant” is British rulers. The author’s target audience is exhibited by Orwell’s strong views against imperialism. He focuses on British rulers who are the main controllers of the imperial rule on Burma.  Orwell is trying to change the rulers opinions on imperialism.

The author’s general audience for the essay is imperialists. The author’s general audience is shown by his emphasis on how imperialism is wrong. The author focuses throughout the article on how imperialism is evil and causes people to do things they regret. He is trying to target imperialists and change their views on imperialism.

Purpose

Orwell’s purpose in “Shooting an Elephant” is to persuade that imperialism is terrible because it puts people under pressure to do things that they will regret.  Pressure to do regretful things because of imperialism is illustrated by the author’s emphasis on the story about the elephant. The author ended up regretting killing an elephant because it was morally wrong. However in the moment he was pressured to it because of the imperial rule that Britain had on Burma. He says, “The people expected it of me and I had got to do it…” The author felt the pressure to kill the elephant because it is what the people expected of him because it was British. Without the imperial rule he would not have been expected to do such a thing and the pressure would not have been put on him.

Speaker

George Orwell, author of many classic novels, believes that imperialism is terrible. This value is illustrated by the quote in the article, “For at that time I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing and the sooner I chucked up my job and got out of it the better.” The author puts emphasis on the fact that he hates his job because of the imperialistic role he is under. As a police officer he expected to take care of the Burmese people and this is why he is put under so much social pressure by imperialism.

George Orwell’s, use of imagery is evident in when he explains the situation that he was ut under before he killed the elephant. He describes the people around him as “An immense crowd of…faces all happy and excited over this bit of fun, all certain that the elephant was gong to be shot.” These people put the pressure on him to kill the elephant because they thought it was his job as a British imperialist.

Tone

George Orwell exhibits a pleasant but firm attitude about imperialism in “Shooting an Elephant”. These attitudes are expressed with his pleasurable approach to the article. He wrote the article very pleasantly and was not stern when saying imperialism was wrong. He took a firm approach when saying that imperialism was wrong. He was not criticizing saying that people are stupid for being imperialistic, he was just firm in saying it needs to be changed. This tone showed that imperialism caused pressure on people to do things that they regret; because the tone was pleasant it made people believe it more but it was also firm saying that people needed to realize what was wrong.  He says that he thinks imperialism is evil because of the pressure he is under but also because he feels bad for the Burmans. Here he is pleasant saying he is sorry for them but also firm saying that imperialism is evil. His tone is very helpful in showing his purpose.

Rockwell's "The Runaway"

Norman Rockwell's "The Runaway" shows a boy, a policeman, and a waiter all having a good time in a diner in the 50s. The painting is set during World War II with all of the problems going on in America at this time the painting completely overlooks them. The little boy has run away and been picked up by the policeman. The boy is completely oblivious to all of the big problems in the world and is just trying to have a good time. The three people are all trying to run away from either their small problems or larger problems symbolizing America in this time period. Rockwell's "The Runaway" overlooks the fundamental rift that was rising in America throughout the 1950s, an emerging counter culture that was not concerned with how things were in America but rather how they are.

"Across the Universe" The Beatles"

Identify 3 images in this song.
-The images I saw were "Images of broken light dancing before me like a million eyes" also, "...endless rain into a paper cup" and, " limitless undying love that circles me like a million suns."

Are any of these images symbols?
- I believe that undying love circling like a million suns symbolizes the love that is all around the artist. The artist is saying that he is in love or just has alot of love in his life. He says that "nothings gonna change [his] world" saying that nothing can change the love in his life.

Explain one symbol that you know to be a symbol. What makes it more than a image?
One symbol I know to be a symbol is the cross. It stands for my religion and beliefs. It is more than just an image for me because it symbolizes me as a person. The cross symbolizes my religions which had made me who I am today.

"Inspiration Information" by Shuggie Otis

What is the overall feel of the song?
- The song is very smooth and relaxed but at the same time very exciting and upbeat.

What musical elements put off this vibe?
- The guitar kept the song very relaxed and the drums kept it upbeat and happy. The vocalists' voices were also very smooth and happy.

Identify the choices the musician had to make to get this feel and why it worked.
- The musicians had to choose to make all of the aspects of the song do something different so that they would put off many different vibes at one times. For example, singers were smooth, drums were upbeat, guitar was relaxed etc.

"Semeadores" by Diego Rivera

S- labor
O- hard times in Hispanic lives
A- working class Hispanics
P- to show Hispanics that others are going through the same hard times
S- other working class Hispanics
Tone- sympathetic

The meaning of the painting is that working class Hispanics had very difficult lives. The lines in the painting are very smooth showing that all working class Hispanics are going through the same thing, not one has it any better. The colors are all neutral also showing they all are going through the same thing.

Writing

-Summarize Wilco's approach to creating a song.
He and his band get together and make the basic part of the song (the melody and such) then, they completely destroy the song and make it better than it was before.

-What is your creative process for writing?
First, I sit down and think, once and idea comes into my head I begin to pre-write. I think of my main points and decide how many paragraphs I want to have on each point. I then write an outline of the points I will put in each paragraph. After this I start writing based on my pre-write.

Nostalgia

-What is nostalgia?
Nostalgia is the feeling of wanting to go back to the past.

-What images come to mind when you hear this music?
In the first song I think of swing dancing. I picture people swing dancing together in a large room. I see a band in the background playing music. For the second song I picture the movie The Notebook during the scene when they are dancing in the street to Billie Holiday. I couldn't really picture much more than a band playing music for the third song.

-What images pop into your head when you think of your childhood? What smells, sounds, and feelings are associated with these images?
I picture swings, playing outside, t-ball, my grandma, and dance recitals. Sour cream salad makes me think of my grandma because every time I would go to her house we would always make it together because it was my favorite food. The smell of cut grass makes me think of coming home from school, dropping my backpack on the ground and swinging until it got dark.

The Pinch of Poverty

-What are the major contributing factors to poverty?
Money is the main contributing factor to poverty today. If one does not have any money then they are unable to buy food, water, clothes, etc. I think money is the main factor of poverty but work is also another factor that also contributes with poverty and money. Without a job people have no money to provide for themselves and their family.

-How does this artist portray poverty?
This artists portrays poverty in a negative light, the people in the painting look very sad and the colors are very gloomy.

-What is this artist's message about poverty?
The artist's message is that poverty may be very sad but you can always find hope. Even if the people in the painting may be in very dark times they will always be able to find hope somewhere.

-Identify and explain 2 elements of art that enhance the message?
The colors are very dark and gloomy except for the flowers in the little girls hands. The colors in flowers show that there will always be hope you may just have to find it. The flowers show that there is hope as in the author's message. The placement of the people also shows the message. The mom, baby and little boy are all huddled up and look as if they have given up. The daughter is a little away from them and looks hopeful that she will get money to help to support her family.

Poverty- 2 Articles

In the article "Live Free and Starve" Divakaruni discusses how the United States interfering with third world countries child labor may be making the child's life worse even though it was a good intention. The United States may have been starving the children when they prevented imports from countries with child labor. Divakaruni talks about a boy that came to work for her family when she was little because his family did not have enough money to support him. She says, "The uncle explained to my mother that Nimai's parents were too poor to feed their several children, and while his brother were already working in the fields and earning their keep, Nimai was too frail to do so." If her family had not allowed Nimai to work for her family then he may have died because his family could not support him. Although this is not a desirable life it may have been better than starving. Divakaruni says, it is wrong for America to take other countries situations into their own hands when they do not know much about it at all. She says, "It is easy for us in America to make the error of evaluating situations in the rest of the world as though they were happening in this country and propose solutions that make excellent sense- in the context of our society." She believes that the United States should let other countries handle their own problems and we should not try to jump in.

Singer however has a totally different opinion on a similar subject. He discusses in "The Singer Solution to World Poverty" that Americans should be giving money and trying as hard as they can to help other countries in poverty. He criticizes Americans for spending all their money on unnecessary things and not helping save lives in other countries. He uses an example from a book about a man that lets a kid get killed by a train instead of letting the train hit his expensive car. He says, "The child is killed . For many years to come, Bob enjoys his Bugatti..." He emphasizes Americans spending saving on useless things and not bothering to save lives. "Whatever you're spending on luxuries, not necessities, should be given away." Singer wants to persuade readers to send all of their money in to help people in poverty.

Both authors are trying to help the poor but in two different ways. They have two completely different opinions. I agree more with Singers opinion but, I don't believe that we should cut off all of our extra luxuries, that is too much to ask. Also not all people have money to contribute. By sending money into an organization you are interfering with their country but not directly. I believe that it is a good idea to help the poor by sending in a few dollars. I do believe that I have a bias toward this opinion because I have heard of charities and I see commercials about the poor and helping them. I however have never heard of the opinion to not help them at all and to let the countries deal with it themselves.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti "Round and Round"

The song "Round and Round" was part of a different style of music than I am used to listening to. I do not usually listen to this type of music and therefore I had a bias. The song had harmonies and changed beats. These facts influenced my opinion because I do not normally like a lot of harmony but, in this song I liked how the harmonies were not really pointed out. I liked how you had to really listen to hear them because the background music was much louder than the singers in some parts. Also, if  the song had stayed smooth the whole time I would not have really liked it because it was boring and not interesting. However, the song changed from soft to loud and slow to fast during many parts which made it more interesting. These both influenced my opinion of the song because without the two things the song would have been very dull to me and because I do not usually listen to this type of music I would not have liked it, but because of these facts I grew to like the song as it progressed. I do believe that I have a bias because I don't usually listen to this type of music therefore in the beginning I was thinking that I was not going to like the song. However, as the song advanced I began to like it.