"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.