Brave New World #1

In multiple ways was conformity and equality in multiple ways.The first most obvious way that the society in Brave New World creates this feel is by producing children using the Bostonovsky technique, where batches of children are m ade from a single egg. Each of these bathes are created to fit in with their caste, they are made to be what society wants them to be. Through the use of Hypnopedia, children are trained to love and appreciate what they were made to be, so they could be happy. This government makes sure that everyone is happy through not only Hypnopedia but also through the supply of Soma, a drug that creates a feeling of happiness and takes people's mind off of problems or whatever else could be wrong. People are kept busy.The society is based on pleasure. I think that the society presented in Brave New World is a dystopia because of the rigid caste system and also, there is no freedom to choose or be who you want to be.

1984 Reading Blog #3

By the end of 1984, it is clear that Winston has finally accepted Big Brother as his leader and ruler. At first, both Winston and Julia resist the Party and refuse to give up what they know as well as their feelings about the Party and Big Brother. After months of torture and interrogation, they give it up and become loyal. This loyalty is demonstrated when Winston admits his love for Big Brother at the end of the novel saying that "he loved Big Brother." The Party's control over the lives of the people of Oceania is too great and strong for any kind of mass rebellion to take place and take down the Party. They have the power. This is evident in how they were able to suppress thoughts of rebellion in both Julia and Winston. Winston learns to accept the Party's rule and love Big Brother. Winston learns to live. And although I thought at first he died, I now think that his thoughts of rebellion were the only ones that died.

1984 Reading Blog #2

In 1984, Winston expresses his hatred of the Party and of Big Brother.In the novel, Winston works at the Ministry of Truth where he alters historical records to enhance public approval of the Party. he Because he works at the Ministry of Truth, he recognizes that the government is just using false words so that the citizens will believe and follow Big Brother. Once he realizes this, he begins to wonder whether he would be happier without the Party's oppression. Winston expresses his thoughts of rebellion in his journal and to his girlfriend Julia, but never openly announces his ideas in fear that he would be arrested or killed by the Thought Police. Despite this, this is still protesting against the Party and Big Brother. Winston's rebellious thoughts are similar to current protests we discussed in class like Occupy Wall Street because both are fighting government pressure. In 1984, Winston rebels against the Party for freedom from its absolute control and regulation of the lives of its subjects. In a similar way, Occupy Wall Street is a current ongoing series of citizens protesting oppression of the common person by the wealthy. Both of these rebellious acts are in response to oppression by a powerful faction of some kind. They are different in that they are rebelling different kind of oppressions in the society.

1984 Reading Blog #1

In George Orwell's novel 1984, the fictitious nation of Oceania is controlled by "the Party" led by Big Brother who can see everything as well as knows everything.The Party establishes equality and conformity through the control and suppression of ideas and thoughts: books are banned and the citizens weren't allowed to believe any other way than what they were told to. The Party chose what of the past they wanted to reveal to the citizens.The Party also controls society through intimidation and threat of government espionage. The Party constantly monitors the actions of citizens through telescreens and the Thought Police, they are always being watched. Anyone who rebels in words, thoughts, or actions are taken away.They are taught to love Big Brother and the Party. The society created by Orwell's Oceania is clearly a dystopia. A dystopia is any society characterized by misery and often oppression of the people through government force. In 1984, the Party controls everything in the life of its citizen through fear. The Party forces its citizens to love Big Brother and accept government control of their lives by restricting various personal liberties, such as books and even thought.

Sign Language

Some of the assumptions I made during the video are that she didn't understand him. Whether it was because she didn't know his language or her music was too loud. There wasn't communication.
This is a cultural conflict because to cultures are coming together and clashing: the deaf community and the hearing community.
An external conflict is that the guy couldn't talk to her or couldn't get her to talk to him.
An example of internal conflict is that the girl has to decide how to tell him she's dead.
The conflict was resolved through passing notes.

"This Land Is Your Land" by Woodie Guthrie

I think this song is more collectivist than individualistic. I think it is questioning the individualistic culture of America. It is anti-government because it's a protest. He asks "is this land for you and me?" as he questions the idea that America is for everyone as they had been taught to believe.

Aristotle

I think that only one that is ignorant would just accept everything because that's not what one should do. It isn't right to just bypass every idea as though it's nothing. One should be able to question ideas.

Me vs. We

The traits that would be considered ideal in a collectivist culture are: understanding and cooperative. In an individualistic culture, leadership qualities would be valued like independence.
It is less likely to be challenged if you are from the oldest family in a community or the PhD with the most published books if you were in a collectivist society. There is a different idea of respect in the two cultures. Status is defined differently in the two cultures. This is because different aspects of respect in the society, both of themselves and others.
A specific conflict that might happen is that in collectivist cultures students call their teachers by their first name. A teacher might come in conflict with oneself coming into an individualistic culture, were teachers are shown respect by a different title.
An acquaintance is someone You have just met. The word has a more neutral connotation.

"2+2=5" by Radiohead

1. In its lyrics, this song talks about being trapped and not being able to escape this perfect world and its specific set of rules. He's trapped in a utopia where rules and more rules trying to make everything okay as so they're trying to set a world for everyone to live in. He doesn't feel that it should be this way because he doesn't want to be a part of it. He describes a world where nothing makes sense anymore because they're trying to rewrite the past telling lies. Towards the end, he is questioning what this is supposed to be. 
2. The music helps this because it's fast and it keeps going. There is a lot of repetition. I think the repetition helps the listener realize that he's trapped, the music helps build on that tension and make the listener feel what the artist does and to see what's happening. The loud drums contributed to this as well as the fast tempo the music holds throughout the song. 
3. The title is an allusion to 1984. In the book, Orwell uses "2+2=5" to realize that false statement. 

Short Film

- Single effect: His job is a good one, he feels fortunate and so he is sad to be leaving. The theme is to appreciate the little things so look for them in all the situations. 
-Details: The music when he expects a send off and doesn't get one.
His facial expression previous to this. 
Unsteady camera work, different points of view
"I'm here to point out the least obvious"
The setting

Kandisky vs. Pollack

I like the Pollack better because everything is dark and everything is muddled up. It makes you think what the artist was feeling. It has darker colors that blend in with one another. To me, it makes me think of confusion in feelings. It looks like just splots but there's more behind it. The Kandisky painting in more pleasing to look at. This is because it is more organized in that it's not just blobs. Also it has brighter, friendlier colors. It's easier to understand. 

Built to Spill "You Were Right"

- The writer of the song is going through a difficult time in his life. I can conclude this because the singer says "we're still running against the wind." 
- The singer is angry and confused about what he is going through. I can conclude this because of the way that the electric guitar is being played loudly as though he's taking out his anger on the guitar during the bridge of the song. Also, the guitar doesn't have a constant loudness, it keeps growing louder then diminishing throughout different parts of the song. 
- The overall song is really effective because it all works together to make that single effect that he is angry and confused. The music helps build on that and looking  at the lyrics does too. 

Reading Response

There are many different aspects that one must examine when reading critically. The first that the author makes clear is that critically does not necessarily mean looking at something negatively and building on that. You can also critically analyze a really good piece of writing. Another thing that this book makes clear is that when reading a piece critically, there are different things that might help to later further develop thoughts. This includes reading with a  pencil in hand, summarizing, and marking in the margins. However, when it comes to reading critically there are specific aspects of the piece one must examine: the meaning/purpose of the piece., how the piece was written, the language presented in the piece, and also to whom it was written for. One must look at the title of the piece and examine what one knows about the author first as well. These same aspects must be kept in mine when looking a visual image critically although they may be applied differently. 

"Young Life" by Bo Barlett

Three claims that I made about this painting: 
- The boy isn't the man's first priority.
                                     I concluded this because the boy is placed farther away from the man.  
                                     The boy is distanced from those who appear to be his parents.  
- The man is proud to be a hunter. 
                                    I concluded this because the man is holding a large gun in his hand, and he's    
                                    holding it out as if showing it off. 
- Nature is a big part of who he is.
                                      I concluded this because the man is dressed in dark, nature-like, earth 
                                      colors like brown and white.


The boy isn't the man's first priority in his life. This is evident through different factors in the painting. One of the most prominent contributions to this idea is that the boy is distanced away from what appear to be his parents. The distance represents that divide between the boy and the man. In the painting, another observation one might make is that that the woman is positioned closer to the man that the boy is. This is also true for the gun that he holds in his hand and the deer that is placed directly behind where his head is. It is through these observations that one might come to the conclusion that the boy isn't the man's first priority. 

The Avett Brothers "Shame"

The subject of this song seems to be some sort of break up that occurred because of a mistake that he made that hurt his relationship with this girl. 
The tone of this song I would say is regretful. The singer seems to regret that mistake that he made. 
Throughout the song, the writer of this song uses specific words that contribute to the tone of the song. One of these instances occurs when he uses the word "boatloads" as he sings "boatloads of shame." If he were to have used the word "lots of shame" it wouldn't have had the same effect because "boatloads" explains more clearly what the singer was trying to get across. Another instance is when he uses the word "overwhelming" in the line where he says "That's filled with guilt and overwhelming shame." The word "overwhelming" has a more powerful meaning than again, if he were to have used the words "lots of." The word overwhelming more clearly pictures that toll of emotion and how greatly ashamed he is about what happened. At another point throughout the song, he sings "and sink into another world." Had he used a word like "fallen" instead of "sink", it wouldn't have been nearly as effective. The word "sink" has a negative connotation as compared to "fallen" and therefore helps contribute to how he is feeling. 

"The Runaway" Introduction

"The Runaway" is a painting of an ideal situation from the 1950's by Norman Rockwell. It illustrates a young boy, who one might interpret as the runaway, sitting next to a police officer at lunch. Over the counter, a worker converses with them. The colors of the painting set a light, happy mood. As one might imagine, this is not what one might actually see if one were able to travel back to the late 1950's when this painting was made, this was a time of troubles. The Korean War and Cold War were in effect, and everything was a mess in America. Rockwell does not illustrate this in "The Runaway" and these key elements of this time period are erased from the painting leaving only those ideal moments that one can only hope for. Rockwell's "The Runaway" overlooks the fundamental rift that was rising in America throughout the 1950's- an emerging counter culture that was not concerned with how things were in America but rather how they truly are. 

"Across the Universe" Beatles

Three images that I found in this song were: 

• "Words are flying out like endless rain in a paper cup"
• "Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box"
• "Limitless, undying love... shines around me like a million suns"

In context, the third image mentioned could be a symbol. The "million suns" mentioned could be a symbol for a love that he can't let go or forget. 

The cross is a symbol for Christianity, this is a symbol I've known my whole life. 

"Inspiration Information" by Shaggie Otis (1973)

I felt that the song expressed a carefree, relax, and smooth feeling throughout the song. The musical elements that made this evident to me is the upbeat rhythm set by the electric guitar. There weren't any heavy drums to dominate the song, but it was mostly the guitar giving it a good rhythm and beat to the song. It set a funky mood, smooth and relaxed. The lyrics weren't as pronounced, the guitar played over most of the lyrics. The artist wanted to make the music the main part of the song by doing this, which gave it that carefree feel. Had the artist chosen to change these music elements by perhaps placing louder drums or bass into the song or making the lyrics more pronounced and the main focus of the song, it would change the feel of this song. 

"Semeadores" by Diego Rivera

 Subject- Mexican labor in agriculture

Occasion- 1950's or 1960's

Audience- Hispanic community, particularly Mexicans

Purpose- To inform the audience of all the work that they do and how even though they do it,                  they go unnoticed. 

Speaker- Diego Rivera

Tone- Sympathetic to those who work in agriculture and go unnoticed.

Creative Writing Process

Wilco's approach to creating a song is that they get an idea and break it down to the basic elements of the song (music, lyrics) and then they build on those elements to improve them. This way they are able to see all the possibilities available for the song. They can then reconstruct the song altogether and review it once more so they can add and remove parts of the song to make a new song. 
My creative process for writing is not very extensive. I first go through the few main ideas that I want to focus on. From there, I create a thesis. After this I build on the few main ideas, brainstorming details for each subtopic. I then go to write my first draft, which is usually very long and detailed. I then go back through what I have written and take out where I have messed up and added unneeded details. I also go back checking for grammar and spelling; particularly too many commas. After this I go back and make sure that my piece is where I want it to be by reading through it out loud. I reread my piece and make sure that my final draft is okay. 

Nostalgia Response

The feeling of nostalgia describes the feeling in one's stomach and heart when one thinks about the past. This feeling is especially evident because when one is reminded of good memories. These might be memories from a long time ago or from more recently. However, this is a feeling of longing for something. One misses the past. It is yearning for those good times that once were.
When I listened to the second song, my mind immediately went to what I imagine my older cousin's quinceñiera was like. I have only seen this event through videos and pictures. However, this song reminded me of everything I've hear about it. Especially the speech that her dad wrote for her about her growing up and the father-daughter dance. This image was mostly evoked towards the end of the song. I could see her dressed in her blue dress and   her younger sister holding her hand as a presentation of pictures of her appeared on a screen. The song that was playing was a song that my parents, my sisters, and I had chosen out for the special occasion.
When I first think of my childhood, I think of family. Although I moved around too much, there was always family. When I smell red beans and rice cooking in the kitchen, I'm taken back to the reunions we would have at my grandfather's. It was an open kitchen and there was a pool. We would all go there when it was hot. When I taste burned red beans, I think of the time that my dad and uncle were making lunch at my grandfather's. They got distracted and the beans exploded all over the the floor and stove. Needless to say, they didn't have fun cleaning up.

"The Pinch of Poverty"

The major factors of poverty, in my opinion, are drugs and alcohol as well as other forms of substance abuse.. Substance abuse is the reason for many of the homeless today. This is because these substances make their consumers unable to make correct decision and properly think things through. Another major factor is that sometimes families are larger than the guardians can actually provide for. This is a really big issue because these families are less likely to have suffice amount of food and income in order to properly maintain themselves. Those of lower social class are also more likely to suffer the effects of poverty. This is because it is usually harder for them to get a job because they are less educated. Since they are not educated, they don't know proper work ethics that will help them get a job. Therefore, they are not provided with a high enough income suffice to help them maintain themselves. 


The "Pinch of Poverty" by Thomas Kennington portrays the concept of poverty. The way it does this is through the colors and color tones used by the artist. There is little to no bright colors, and the painting is full of dark colors (black, gray, brown). This kind of color scheme gives the viewer a gloomy feeling. However, there is a yellow color represented in the flowers that the girl is holding in her basket. This, I feel, has an impression of hope to the viewer as though poverty didn't have to be forever, that that gleam of hope truly existed. The message I think that the artist was trying to get through to the viewer is that although poverty may be hard, it doesn't mean that that's all that will be for one, that there is hope for those in poverty. This is also evident in expressions on the faces of the subjects. The mother and the son have a gloomy expression on their faces, while the young girl is looking ahead, holding her flowers with a sense of pride. She's standing aside from her mother and brother, as they seem depressed with a lost look in their faces, and the artist contrasts her hope to that of her family's. 

On Poverty

Chitra Divakaruni and Peter Singer addressed the same issue: poverty. In their articles, however, they each voiced very different opinions. Both Divakaruni, the author of "Live Free and Starve"and Singer, author of "The Singer Solution to World Poverty", believe that poverty in Third World countries is unfair and definitely bad. Divakaruni writes her article in response to the House passing a bill prohibiting the import of goods from factories that used indentured or forced child labor in order to make the goods. The passing of this bill would "lead to the unemployment of almost a million children."So then where would these children go? Many of these children would go back onto the streets, begging for food and money as well as stealing for food regardless of the grave consequences, fighting for their lives. On the other hand, children who are forced to work or sold by their parents are paid by these factories. Being paid, these children are able to attain food in order to survive, rather than stealing. These children, condemned to child labor, are put to work in "dark, ill-ventilated rooms" but isn't that better than laying on the street begging, waiting for the next opportunity to steal your next bite of food? This is the point that Divakaruni brings up in her essay. In her perspective, she believes that bills working to prevent child labor in Third World countries are not benefiting "unless it goes hand in hand with programs that will offer a new life to these newly released children." In summary, Divakaruni argues that in attempting to help these people out of poverty, we could actually be harming these people rather than helping them; therefore, the United States should not interfere with this unless it is willing to take responsibility for what it may lead to. Singer voices a very different opinion in his article. This is evident starting towards the end of his introductory example about Dora and the nine-year-old boy. Singer believes that every single person in the United States should do everything possible in order to help these people who are suffering from poverty. He argues that “the average family in the United States spends almost one third of its income on things that are [not necessary] to them.” This money could be used to help those who really need it, those living in poverty in Third World countries. Throughout his article, Singer presents the reader with several articles with the purpose being to persuade them to help these people in every way possible. He uses his example of Dora and the nine-year-old boy to get the reader thinking. Dora had a chance to help this boy, just as we have a chance to help many children. He continues with this theme as he moves into his next reference: a paraphrased version of Peter Unger’s example about Bob and his Bugatti. In this example, the protagonist is also faced with the problem of making a decision: help a child or save his own Bulgatti from an incoming runaway train. These examples both have the purpose to persuade.

These are two very extreme opinions. I feel that it is unreasonable for one author (Divakaruni) to ask that Americans not support or try to do anything at all in order to help these people, but it is also unreasonable for Singer to ask that EVERYONE help the cause. Of course, there should be some help provided to them in appropriate manners. I come from a Third World country, and I am sad to say that I have seen poverty with eyes. It is a scary sight. These people will do anything for money and for food, everything to survive. Jobs are essential to them, even if not worth much to others. If they do have jobs, even children, these should not be taken away from them. It is what they have in order to survive. However, the situation should not be left alone. A lot of people are too weak or don’t know how to properly work or maintain a job. Help should be provided to these people in appropriate manners. 

Round & Round

I found this song to be interesting. It has a nice beat, making it sound mellow and relaxing. There were also different parts of the song that expressed more happy rhythms than in others. In the song "Round & Round" of Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti, there is a lot of keyboard and drums. I have played piano/keyboard for nearly eight years of my life, I really like the sound of it and find that it's a lot of fun playing. There was bias when I went to listen to the song and heard the keys of a keyboard playing. It was one of the first things I noticed. The drums in this song keep a really good beat throughout the song. This beat is not constant, the tempo changes as the song progresses. I really liked this about the song. I think that this has something to do with the fact that when growing up, I was introduced to a lot of songs that had drums in them. It was the kind of music I grew up with in Colombia.