What is the overall feel of this song?
I have to say "funky" but immediately afterwards I feel bad because I think I wrote that because it was written in 1974. So I have to say that I get a happy feel, since all I can really heard is the music, while the voices are kind of...warped.
What musical element put off that vibe?
The music is kind of loud, and it sort of fading in and out.The fast beat also makes me think of people dancing all over the place (and not very well, either.) So in other words, the fast , upbeat music and the overall effect gives me that feeling.
Identify the choices of the musician had to make to get this feel and why they work.
The music is loud but not too loud, and the music does not drag along. The singer's voice also ended up sounding like one of the instruments, making it blend and feel more calm. The overall fact that everything blended and sounded happy is what makes me feel the way I did about it.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
"Semeadores" by Diego Rivera
SOAPSTone the painting.
Subject: Something about workers and agriculture/planters.
Occasion: Early 20th century roundabouts
Audience: Anyone who does not have to work on a regular basis.
Purpose: To show workers hard at work, make them think that these people have to work hard for something.
Speaker: Diego Rivera is a Mexican painter known for his championing of the working class and for his interest in history and his political messages.
Tone: He looks to me to be showing workers in a good light, because of all the rather bright colors, though the dark sky does add some foreboding.
What is the meaning/theme/big idea the artist wanted you to think about? Support your answer with artistic choices.
I think it was trying to show how hard workers have to work, and to cast working for your earnings in a food light. The lighting itself is very bright, and all the curves make them look more nice looking and harmonious. It casts them in a very simple light, as if their lives are all very simple and down to earth, as you can tell by how the lines of the workers blend in with the lines of the ground behind them.
Subject: Something about workers and agriculture/planters.
Occasion: Early 20th century roundabouts
Audience: Anyone who does not have to work on a regular basis.
Purpose: To show workers hard at work, make them think that these people have to work hard for something.
Speaker: Diego Rivera is a Mexican painter known for his championing of the working class and for his interest in history and his political messages.
Tone: He looks to me to be showing workers in a good light, because of all the rather bright colors, though the dark sky does add some foreboding.
What is the meaning/theme/big idea the artist wanted you to think about? Support your answer with artistic choices.
I think it was trying to show how hard workers have to work, and to cast working for your earnings in a food light. The lighting itself is very bright, and all the curves make them look more nice looking and harmonious. It casts them in a very simple light, as if their lives are all very simple and down to earth, as you can tell by how the lines of the workers blend in with the lines of the ground behind them.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Creative Process
Summarize Wilco's approach to creating a song.
They get an idea for what they want it to be, then they deconstruct it to try to see if there is a better way to go about it, or make it more fun.
What is your creative process for writing? Explain in detail the steps you go through.
I think about things for long time before I ever write anything down. For nonfiction, I come up with my arguments or points and in what order I want to present it, all of this in my head. Then I start writing. For fiction (stories) I will outline the plot, then write down stuff about the characters. The character outlines actually go first, then the plot. I usually draw the character as well, so as to get an idea of what they look like.
They get an idea for what they want it to be, then they deconstruct it to try to see if there is a better way to go about it, or make it more fun.
What is your creative process for writing? Explain in detail the steps you go through.
I think about things for long time before I ever write anything down. For nonfiction, I come up with my arguments or points and in what order I want to present it, all of this in my head. Then I start writing. For fiction (stories) I will outline the plot, then write down stuff about the characters. The character outlines actually go first, then the plot. I usually draw the character as well, so as to get an idea of what they look like.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Nostalgia- nos·tal·gia- [n]
What is nostalgia?
The fond remembrance of you childhood, whether it be of something you'd think completely stupid now or not. It tends to make me think of people sitting around with dopey smiles on their faces as they remember something from their childhood.
What images come to mind when you hear this music?
Rock Around the Clock- I think of a stage full of various grades of elementary schoolers as they sing along with the song. Some may be swaying, while other stand still, because they think they are too cool for that. The grades and classes are tiered, too, as they are on bleacher-like things so as to to fit all of the students at the elementary school. Even though I am a 5th grader in this memory, I was near the front of the groups.
What images pop up in your head when you think of your childhood?
I picture the house I lived in in Tennessee, larger than my house no (at least it seems that way in my memory), along with my long driveway, which lead down into the road to my church, and the playground at my church and all the friends from there. That makes me jump to thought of my school's playground, so I think of my teacher at school, and my kindergarten talent show (maybe helped by the fact that we're talking about music) where I wanted to sing, "Drops of Jupiter" by Train. I didn't sing it, but now it always makes me think of the talent show (where I actually did an act with my girl scout troop.)
The fond remembrance of you childhood, whether it be of something you'd think completely stupid now or not. It tends to make me think of people sitting around with dopey smiles on their faces as they remember something from their childhood.
What images come to mind when you hear this music?
Rock Around the Clock- I think of a stage full of various grades of elementary schoolers as they sing along with the song. Some may be swaying, while other stand still, because they think they are too cool for that. The grades and classes are tiered, too, as they are on bleacher-like things so as to to fit all of the students at the elementary school. Even though I am a 5th grader in this memory, I was near the front of the groups.
What images pop up in your head when you think of your childhood?
I picture the house I lived in in Tennessee, larger than my house no (at least it seems that way in my memory), along with my long driveway, which lead down into the road to my church, and the playground at my church and all the friends from there. That makes me jump to thought of my school's playground, so I think of my teacher at school, and my kindergarten talent show (maybe helped by the fact that we're talking about music) where I wanted to sing, "Drops of Jupiter" by Train. I didn't sing it, but now it always makes me think of the talent show (where I actually did an act with my girl scout troop.)
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
"The Pinch of Poverty"
What are some major contributing factors to poverty?
Some people are born into it, low pay, competitive economy, lack of jobs, employer bias...
How does this artist portray poverty?
The portrayal is negative, as you can see from the neutral colors that make most of the picture look black and white but for the main subjects of the picture, which uses brighter colors. This might initially make people think it's being portrayed positively, but it you look at their faces, they all look sad and worn out. The color in their faces and clothing almost make the sadness more poignant in comparison to the rest of the picture.
What is the artist's message about poverty?
It is hard to pull yourself out of poverty, but children have more hope to get out of it. The artist also tries to get across how it is not the children's fault because their poverty was inherited.
Identify and explain 2 elements of art that enhance the message.
The contrast of the color of the flowers with the rest of the picture show more hope for the kids, especially the little girl. The placement of the family also shows this, as the girl is separated from the rest of the family, while the other children are sitting with the mother, leaning against her (could also represent them leaning into poverty) and they are looking off to the side, while the girl is stepping forward with the flowers she is trying to to sell.
Some people are born into it, low pay, competitive economy, lack of jobs, employer bias...
How does this artist portray poverty?
The portrayal is negative, as you can see from the neutral colors that make most of the picture look black and white but for the main subjects of the picture, which uses brighter colors. This might initially make people think it's being portrayed positively, but it you look at their faces, they all look sad and worn out. The color in their faces and clothing almost make the sadness more poignant in comparison to the rest of the picture.
What is the artist's message about poverty?
It is hard to pull yourself out of poverty, but children have more hope to get out of it. The artist also tries to get across how it is not the children's fault because their poverty was inherited.
Identify and explain 2 elements of art that enhance the message.
The contrast of the color of the flowers with the rest of the picture show more hope for the kids, especially the little girl. The placement of the family also shows this, as the girl is separated from the rest of the family, while the other children are sitting with the mother, leaning against her (could also represent them leaning into poverty) and they are looking off to the side, while the girl is stepping forward with the flowers she is trying to to sell.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Live Free and Starve, The Singer Solution to Poverty
I could understand and even agree with points from either side, easily. The only bias I could think of for these arguments is that I read "Live Free and Starve" first, and therefore went into the second article agreeing with the first. My real problem is that I can never tell what I should think. I have a hard time basing things off of what I think, and find myself thinking while I'm reading the articles, "Which one would my parents agree with?"
The first article, "Live Free and Starve," was written by Chitra Divakaruni, a woman who was raised in India, and immigrated to America when she was eighteen. She begins the article by talking about a bill, one that would make it so that the United States could no longer import goods from factories that had used forced or indentured child labor. Her friends think it's a triumphant advancement in human rights. Problem is, Divakaruni knows what it's like for those children living in indentured service, and also knows what it's like to live in another country, one not bogged down by American standards. Divakaruni makes the point that, "It is easy for those of 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 [American] society," pointing out that it's hard for us to know exactly what is going on in other countries, and why what is normal for us is not normal for other countries. Those who live in other countries need those jobs to provide for their families; if they don't have those jobs, then sure, they are free. But at the same time, they also have no means of getting food to feed themselves, even in their leisure.
Singer's argument, cleverly titled "The Singer Solution to World Poverty," talks about ethics, and how easy it is for Americans to push things off. When faced with a hypothetical question in which a man has to choose between saving a child and saving his car, Singer talks about how many people would say it is wrong that the man chose the car over the child. He goes on to say that, while it is easy for us to write this man off for choosing such a thing in this hypothetical situation, everyday we turn down the opportunity to donate to places such as UNICEF, which is, in Singer's opinion, just as bad. With Singer's argument, this opinion pops up several times as he talks to us about how bad it is that everyday, wealthy American citizens buy things they don't need instead of sending money off to help a dying kid somewhere in the world. I find the article itself full of opinions, and though there are some facts that back him up, he comes back around with opinions again and again. Singer says that, "we seem to lack a sound basis for drawing a clear moral line between Bob's situation and that of any reader of this article with $200 to spare who does not donate it to an overseas aid agency. These readers seem to be acting at least as badly as Bob was acting when he chose to let the runaway train hurtle toward the unsuspecting child," to which he uses as a sort of conclusion to a part of his article, expecting it to be taken as fact, when it is really his thoughts on the matter.
Like I said at the beginning, I agree with parts of both articles. I agree that it's hard to make decisions concerning people in nations that you've never been to, and who you don't know the situation of, but I also think that we shouldn't just sit here and let that continue to be that way. I also think that it is a good idea to donate to organizations such as UNICEF, but I don't think that not donating to them is the same as choosing to let a child die instead of having your car destroyed. I don't think that buying things that you don't need is a sign that you are a horrible human being, because you decided to go out to eat instead of sending money to an aid organization. But then again, that's just my opinion.
The first article, "Live Free and Starve," was written by Chitra Divakaruni, a woman who was raised in India, and immigrated to America when she was eighteen. She begins the article by talking about a bill, one that would make it so that the United States could no longer import goods from factories that had used forced or indentured child labor. Her friends think it's a triumphant advancement in human rights. Problem is, Divakaruni knows what it's like for those children living in indentured service, and also knows what it's like to live in another country, one not bogged down by American standards. Divakaruni makes the point that, "It is easy for those of 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 [American] society," pointing out that it's hard for us to know exactly what is going on in other countries, and why what is normal for us is not normal for other countries. Those who live in other countries need those jobs to provide for their families; if they don't have those jobs, then sure, they are free. But at the same time, they also have no means of getting food to feed themselves, even in their leisure.
Singer's argument, cleverly titled "The Singer Solution to World Poverty," talks about ethics, and how easy it is for Americans to push things off. When faced with a hypothetical question in which a man has to choose between saving a child and saving his car, Singer talks about how many people would say it is wrong that the man chose the car over the child. He goes on to say that, while it is easy for us to write this man off for choosing such a thing in this hypothetical situation, everyday we turn down the opportunity to donate to places such as UNICEF, which is, in Singer's opinion, just as bad. With Singer's argument, this opinion pops up several times as he talks to us about how bad it is that everyday, wealthy American citizens buy things they don't need instead of sending money off to help a dying kid somewhere in the world. I find the article itself full of opinions, and though there are some facts that back him up, he comes back around with opinions again and again. Singer says that, "we seem to lack a sound basis for drawing a clear moral line between Bob's situation and that of any reader of this article with $200 to spare who does not donate it to an overseas aid agency. These readers seem to be acting at least as badly as Bob was acting when he chose to let the runaway train hurtle toward the unsuspecting child," to which he uses as a sort of conclusion to a part of his article, expecting it to be taken as fact, when it is really his thoughts on the matter.
Like I said at the beginning, I agree with parts of both articles. I agree that it's hard to make decisions concerning people in nations that you've never been to, and who you don't know the situation of, but I also think that we shouldn't just sit here and let that continue to be that way. I also think that it is a good idea to donate to organizations such as UNICEF, but I don't think that not donating to them is the same as choosing to let a child die instead of having your car destroyed. I don't think that buying things that you don't need is a sign that you are a horrible human being, because you decided to go out to eat instead of sending money to an aid organization. But then again, that's just my opinion.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Round and Round, Like a Merry Go-Round
I really wish I could actually understand what the singer(s) are saying in this song. I have a hard time understanding what the song is actually about when all I can hear is the music. Usually, I don't dislike a song only because I can't understand the lyrics. On the contrary, there are several songs I like only because of the music, and I listen to many songs in other languages. One bias I have might be the music, which in this one sounds very...old. Old isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I find that I tend to dislike songs that sound older, though not always songs that sound heavily synthetic, as this song does. When I first listened to this song, I actually placed it as being from the 80s or 90s, though it's not hard to see how I wasn't right; I'm not really an expert on that kind of thing. Really, more so that anything, I disliked this song because of a combination of things-the old-ish sounding music, and because I have no idea what the lyrics are when first listening to it.
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