"Communist Utopia" by Thomas Hornung

What about this painting indicates Communism?
I think the artist was trying to use the red as one indicator, as red is associated with communism. Most of the colors in this painting are black, white or gray, the neutral colors, and there are patches of red within the painting. It is also very drab and drear, which I think is one way many people see what life under communism is like.

What if the artist's view of communism?
Not favorable at all. The artist sees communism as a drab world, where the only thing you have to do it to be watched. The scenery is depressing, while the only to colorful things are red and blue: the red (a symbol of communism_ is on the cracking wall that is falling apart, while there is blue in the iris of the floating eyes which are watching the single person walking down the street.

Explain the title.
The artist feels like this is the perfect world for sommunists: a dreary world where everyone is watched, constantly, and everything is non-colorful. This is, in effect, the idea that this is the world that communists would want.

"Don't You Want Me?" by The Human League

What is the subject matter?
It's about a breakup after a very long relationship, as can be told when the woman says "[she] think[s] it's time [she] lived on her own." The man believes she owes him a bunch, while the woman feels like she does not owe him anything.

What is the difference in the two sides of the story?
The man feels as though he helped the woman out, and that he is the only reason why she is no longer just a waitress at a cocktail bar. The woman says that the only thing he said that was true was that she was working as a cocktail waitress, but she managed o get where she is on her own, and how it is time for her to move on, even though she still loves him.

With who do you side with and why?
I side with the woman, because the man sounds like he is controlled and she just wants to get away from him for a while. I feel like he is too controlling, or that he sounds like he is taking credit for what the woman has managed to accomplish over time.

Why does this society appear to be more lenient with those who question its rule?
Through the use of hypnopaedia and conditioning, the people in this society are less likely to become affected by the radical thoughts of one person. When Bernard writes to Mustapha Mond about John, including a part in which he states that he "agree[s] with the Savage in finding civilized infantility too easy", Mond, World Controller for Western Europe and therefore a very powerful person in that part of the world, merely thinks that he should "give him a lesson" (165). Rather than take him away and completely reeducate him, Mond feels as though he should respond in this way because Bernard was lecturing him about the way the world he controlled worked. Another authority figure, the Arch-Community-Songster of Canterbury, merely warns him to change his ways.

Why is it that the protagonist in this story, who does not see eye to eye with this social system, is portrayed mostly as a grumpy and rude individual?
The very reason why Bernard does not agree with the system is because he has been an outsider since birth because of the birth defect which caused him to be the size of a Gamma. Bernard doesn't agree with the system mostly because he knows, as an outsider who cannot find happiness as such an outsider, and therefore cannot fit in with the pleasure seeking nature of this society. Because of these differences, he has grown to be grumpy, yelling at Deltas in the "sharp, rather arrogant and even offensive tone of one who does not feel too secure in his superiority." (76) Bernard has grown up having to fight for his position, which none of the others are shown to have any difficulties with.

Why does Helmholtz laugh at the idea of a girl having so many issues over what man she should have when he is shown to be much brighter than those around him?
While Helmholtz is shown to be much smarter than those around him, and more likely to question the rules of the society, the fact is that he is still trapped in by his conditioning. Bernard manages to get away with it in that he is very aware of his conditioning, since his job is that of the psychologist at the Hatchery. Conditioning of this society has taught those who live in it that "everyone belongs to everyone" no matter who it is. Therefore, the very concept of Romeo and Juliet, that a woman would have issues with what man to have, seems very very silly to him. Actually, Helmholtz believes that Shakespeare is a "marvelous propaganda technician" and doesn't even realize that the situation is to be taken seriously. He takes the entire idea to be a joke, as his conditioning does not allow him to realize the drama of the situation.

Brave New World: First Reading Response

The world of Brave New World is based around a strict conformity system with the Alphas, Betas, Gammas, etc, and each person is not only born into their caste, but conditioned to want to be whatever caste they are. They are made to want to be their caste, and to not want to talk to those of other castes. The system is color coded, as well, so that everyone of the same level wears the same color all the time, which is one way to make sure everyone is conforming. While the entire system is inherently not equal, it is evened out by the fact that none of them appear to want to be a different caste system.

There are essentially no individuals in this society, pretty much the perfect collectivist society in itself. While in words, there is no such thing as religion, there definitely is, even though they may not want to refer to it as a religion. They worship Ford as a god, and even have meetings reminiscent of going to church in which they "become one" in waiting for the great coming. This, however, helps them become more united, as this "church" is state enforced, and anyone who shows difference would likely get into more trouble than they'd want. The entire act of becoming one helps to reinforce that idea. Another way in which this society rids itself of conflict is by making "everyone belong to everyone else." This means that, essentially, everyone is polygamous and will have relations with pretty much anything of the opposite gender, and are looked down upon as dirty if they do not "date" or "belong" to multiple people at once. Feelings are looked upon as dirty as well ("When the individual feels, the community reels" (103)) as that could cause conflict, and instead commitment and feelings for another are discouraged.

Personally, I feel like this is a dystopia, though I can see how the majority within the book can be happy (hypnopaeda tells them they are, at least.) The fact that everyone is made, at birth, to fit a certain job, and conditioning people so that they fit into a certain role all their life in not looked upon as bad. Babies are electrocuted in a conditioning system to make sure that they will not like books or flowers. And, important for me at least, is the fact that feelings are discouraged, and signs of distress equals someone pushing soma into your face. This makes me feel as though this is a dystopia, a place where one cannot feel for someone or be in a loving relationship with someone else. When things get tough in this society, the tough take soma and have fun in happy rainbow land.

Emic and Etic Perspectives

What are the benefits of each perspective? Is one perspective better than the other? Explain.
The best way is to look at it through both perspectives. That way you see it through multiple points of view. If you look at it specifically from one point of view, then you won't be able to have the learning of both points of view. If you look at it from their point of view, you learn what their culture is like, while if you look at it from the outside you can figure out why it is like that.

Write a brief explanation for why each of these rules exist.
1. There is no way to be completely objective, and the best way is to acknowledge your bias. That was, someone will know when you are being biased and will be able to analyze why you are biased in that way.
2. If you attempt to study them from the point of view you would be coming from, then you will never be able to figure out why the people act the way they do from their perspective.
3. That way they will know what you are expecting and looking for, and they will help you out rather than not knowing.

"Rain on the Scarecrow" by John Mellencamp

What is the song about? Summarize.
The singer's character is talking about how his family lost his farm because they didn't grow enough crops to pay the loans.

What are some conflicts this song might address? 
Farmer vs Society- The singer's family cannot pay the loan, which is something society asks of him.

Make a claim about Mellencamp's use of imagery/symbolism.
Mellencamp's imagery about his grandmother represents his cultural background.

Make a claim about Mellencamp's word choice.
Mellencamp uses words with negative connotations to convey his sense of loss at losing the farm.

If this represents Mellencamp's opinion, who does he seem to favor?
Mellencamp favors the farmer, because it's from his point of view and portrays the society as bad for taking his farm away.

Reading Response

1. The west views the east as a center of the bad traits they wish to not acknowledge for themselves, like cruelty, sensuality, decadence, etc. At the same time, the east is also seen as exotic, mystical and seductive.

2. The west sees the east as one stereotype, as a whole, instead of as individuals. This is how individuals can be viewed homogeneously.

3. Their emotions and reactions are always determined by racial stereotypes and by instinctive emotions (lust, terror, fury, etc) which in effect almost turns them into an interesting breed of monkey.

4. This view of the east means that the west had no problem taking their lang and ruling them. If they are animals, then why should one worry about taking their rights away? Creating a common enemy gives them something to agree about in the case that nobody can agree with something else. In other words, it unites them.

5. This view may not be common in the popular culture when thinking about modern day, but if people think about what went of back in time, at the time this view persisted, then, even now,
 we might think of them as backwards.

-Juxtaposition shows the differences between things, or similarities, by showing them near or around each other.

Final 1984 Reading

Big Brother has won. There's not really much to doubt with that one; the ending is that Winston loves him. If anything, that is winning more than anything. Winston, who, throughout the book, might have had differing opinions about the state based on what had been going on around him at the time, had always hated Big Brother. Even during the Two Minutes Hate at the beginning of the book, Winston doesn't like Big Brother, even as he is yelling for the downfall of the state's enemies. He thinks during the Two Minutes Hate, "And yet the rage that one  felt was an abstract, undirected emotion...thus, at one moment Winton's hatred was not turned against Goldstein at all , but, on the contrary, against Big Brother..." (16). Even while he was swept away by the people around him, he could still bring himself to hate Big Brother. Yet, at the end of the book, he hears the new bulletin and is practically filled with warm fuzzy feelings for Big Brother and the entire system. That, to me, constitutes winning.

One way that I think the State could possibly be brought down was touched upon in the book: through the Proles. The problem with this, is that it is a very slight chance. They aren't educated, and they have no reason to believe that things were ever better for them; they have no records to look at, and no way to realize that they are being oppressed. Because the Party feels they are important, they aren't monitored near as much as the rest of them, and there are so many of them that they could swamp the government, could they possibly manage to band together. Yet, they have no way of getting information around or trying to get together a rebellion. Another way this could be accomplished is if the tide of war turns, and one of the countries conquers another or a part of another. This would cause a whole indoctrination, which could not possibly be as effective as the doctrine forced on the rest of the population. Not only that, but it is stated in the book that the Party would never take over a part of another country for this very reason. Overall, the Party runs a pretty tight ship.

As for what happens to Winston, there's not really much to guess at. He managed to get pulled back into the people even thoroughly than before. He will probably live out the rest of his days like the zombie he is in the last portion of the books. The State has no reason to kill him now, not when he's a seemingly productive member of society, at least enough to keep up appearances. He managed to get himself to fall for the whole two plus two equals five method they wanted; he wanted to believe that everything was okay. So everything was okay. Winston would live out the rest of his life without much thought, just as the Party wants for him to.

Love Language

1. The girl can't hear him over her music.
At first I thought she could not speak English.

2. No, it is not a cultural conflict. While some people might thing so, I don't think that being deaf would make her a different culture. Though, if you think about it, it would kind of separate them. Overall, it's just a regular conflict.

3. The boy wants to talk to the girl, but the girl can't/won't.

4. The girl has an internal conflict in that she wants to talk to the boy, yet she cannot because she is deaf.

5. The boy and girl talked to each other  through the post-it notes, which crossed the boundary she had because of her inability to hear what he was saying to her. That they boy got what he wanted and the girl gets to talk to him through writing.

"This Land is Your Land" by Woodie Guthrie

Is Guthrie's message individualist or collectivist? Explain.
This is an individualist message, as it focuses very much on the "you" and "me" part, and how the singer can do anything that he wants. It never mentions the group, only the him and the other person. It is "this land is made for you and me" not "this land was made for us."

Do you find this song to be pro-gov't or anti-gov't? Explain.
I don't think it's very obvious in the first few stanzas, but I think that it's anti-gov't. The last lines show that he feels that maybe there is something better, that he can make something better. I think that he is going against extreme governments in that he is the best leader for himself, not the government.

"The Egg" by Sherwood Anderson

1. His father was a very simple man at first, and he did not really want for anything. He was a farmhand before he married his wife, who was a very ambitious teacher who had him undergo various changed so that he wanted more in the world, wanted to get further in the world.

2. The narrator hates chickens and eggs. Maybe not hates; he thinks of them as the source of displeasure in his life. The whole chicken and egg thing goes back to the fact that they symbolize how the family could not manage to get anywhere in life like his parents wanted. They put so much effort in the chicks only for them to die.

3. The grotesques are used to try to entice his customers to come into the store, so that they could see the gross little failures.

4. The egg brought about his failure; every time he tried to talk to the customer, her talked about eggs. This egg symbolized how difficult it was for him to actually succeed.

Collectivism vs Individualism

In a collectivist culture, what personality traits are likely to be considered ideal? What about an individualist culture?

For individualistic cultures, ambition. drive and individuality would be considered good traits. Collectivist cultures would value, loyalty, hard work, and other such attributes. 

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.

This would be in an individualistic culture, as those are the cultures that value the person over the group. Individualist communities are all about the status of individuals rather than the group.

Create a specific problem a teacher may encounter when he/she moves from teaching in a collectivist culture to an individualist culture or vice versa. Explain the specific values/influences/obligations/desires caused by the clash. 

A teacher moving from a collectivist country to an individualistic country might not be able to handle the competitiveness of students or the ambition of a singer person rather than a group. Vice versa, the teacher might have issues handling the group mind set over the individuality of the person.

What is an acquaintance? Does the word have a positive or negative connotation? Explain. 

An acquaintance is someone you know well enough and like to talk to, but someone you would not call a friend or be able to say a lot about their personal life. This typically would have a neutral connotation though it may become negative if one person considers someone an acquaintance but they confider the other as a friend.

1984 Section 2 Reading

I think that a major contributor to how he feels about the state of Oceania is greatly affected by Julia. His relationship with her is very powerful in a world where strong emotions are taboo, which makes him feel like there must be more out there, somewhere, or more accurately, that there was something better before, in the past. He wishes for what it used to be, however, there is still a part of him that is affected by the doctrine of the Party, and therefore he expresses himself through small acts of disobedience to the government. His small acts of defiance (the diary, his relationship with Julia, etc) are his way of defying the Party, just as Julia's sleeping around are. I do feel, though, that Winston's defiance is more deep than Julia's, and that his is more like what we wish to see. Julia grew up in the doctrine of the Party; to her, it's unbreakable. Winston, however, grew up in a time before then, and can therefore remember bits and pieces of what used to be.

By trying to compare Winston's rebellion with a rebellion of today, such as anti-war demonstrations and the Tea Party, you are comparing little things, like writing in a diary, with that of marches in the capital with signs and speeches. That said, the signs and speeches are merely a thing to try to convince others, to show your support to a cause you feel is just. With Winston, the poor man can't manage that. He has to make do with what he can; writing in a diary, keeping a scrap of paper for a second longer than he should have, or having relations with another Party member. However, when you get right down to it, both Winston and the anti-war movements are protesting for the same reason: for what they believe is right. And in both cases, as well as other examples that were given, they are protesting the government for one reason or another. The governments of today may see the movements differently, depending on the group. I feel like the government would look at some of the movements of today as though they were annoying little flies bearing banners with their message and parading around their work area. The government of 1984, however, sees defiance as the horrible, unthinkable. Actually, there may possibly be a Newspeak word for that. What, with the very idea of thoughtcrime, people are made so that to even think about something other than what the government wants is to be a criminal. The government of today may listen to what you have to say, if it is worth hearing; the government of 1984 would just erase you without a further thought. As for the masses, it really just depends on whether they agree with you or not, at least in the case of our society. If they do, you are a hero; if not, a loony or an idiot, depending on what you are protesting. However, in 1984, those who protest are to be feared and hated by all, no matter what. This, more or less, seems to be obeyed by the general public.

"2+2=5" by Radiohead

What is this song talking about lyrically?
It's talking about how the singer just allows things to happen and doesn't think to do anything about it until it is too late. The repeated lines stress the fact that the person has not been "paying attention" to what has been going on until it gets to the part where he wants attention (people to pay attention to him.)

How does the music mirror or help push the message?
The music is wavering throughout the entire time, showing how the person is not paying attention to what is going on. This gives off a confused or wavering imprssion like he doesn't know what to do now that the world has gotten to where it is. The music also sounds vaguely depressed or distressed, which gives the emotion of not being happy with the way things are.

The title is an allusion to 1984...explain the connection.
The government in 1984 controls everything, including the truth and what the past actually was and the main character even says that eventually the government would be able to say that 2+2=5 and no one would be able to say otherwise.

Identify the conflict. Is this an internal or external conflict?
She feels as though globalization is only running one way, and that those in other cultures respect western culture but it does not flow the other way. This is an external conflict.

How/why does globalization create conflict? In the speaker's opinion globalization has flown in only one direction. What does she mean by this?
She means that while other nations respect the opinion of the west, the west does not respect other people's opinions and culture. Globalization cause conflict by having other people more and more so exposed to culture that are greatly different from them.

Although the speaker feels globalization has been one-sided, she noted that there has been one benefit related to the process. What benefit does she mention?
She feels that the idea of influencing for the good of others is a good idea. This means that those in the west can use their influence for the good other communities and vice versa.

The speaker says Muslims and Westerners live by/are obligated to two different sources of truth. What 1 sources does she mention?
The Qur'an and the Constitution

1984 Section 1 Reading

The thing that pops out to me first is the elimination of the right to choose. Winston never comes out and says, "Oh, no, we don't get to choose how we feel," but it's there. Every time Winston is in a room that contains a telescreen, he carefully monitors his facial expressions, and even seems to do it subconsciously. This shows that the right to choose what your facial expression is is gone, completely. The people, especially the younger kids, aren't really allowed to choose whether they want to be a part of the various propaganda groups such as the Spies, they are just thrust into them quickly before they are even able to think for themselves. Another really noticeable inability to choose that I noticed was that the telescreen cannot be turned off. It can be turned down, but it's always on, spewing propaganda 24-7. That way, people can't choose whether or not they have to listen to the news or the patriotic songs or whatever other thing the Party decide to play at that time.

There's also a section, starting on page 55, which talks about Winston's dealings three years prior to the story, with a prostitute. He spends the next couple pages musing over how it's illegal to deal with prostitutes, but that it was only punishable with five years of hard labor, and therefore not that horrible of an offence. He then goes on to say that "the unforgivable crime was promiscuity between Party members." The next paragraph is spent speaking about how all of the women of the Party are part of an organization called the Junior Anti-Sex League, and that the Party has more or less managed to make sex and relationships such as marriage only necessary in order to make babies. At the point in time when this book takes place, relationships seem more or less taboo, at least between Party members, which of course is one of the points that utopias tend to get rid of to end conflict.

There's also a couple of mentions of religion, but mostly that it's something that the Party never completely got rid of from the Proles. When Winston speaks of it, religion itself carries the tone of something that is just employed to make people happy, and therefore religion does not seem to play too heavy a part in the lives of the Party members. What is really noticeable to me is that the people don't really seem to be happy. They are brainwashed to think that they are happy, but they don't give me the impression of people who are actually happy or who actually seem to be happy, and mostly just make me think of zombies. This is of course talking about the Party members, as the Proles don't get dealt with near as much, and are only instilled with enough patriotism to keep them useful.

Utopia

What is a utopia?
Simply put, a utopia is a perfect world. Not so simply put, it's a world where there is no pain or suffering, and the system can't be improved upon at all.

What is your ideal world? Explain.
In my ideal world, nobody would want for anything, as that would get rid of poverty. World peace, no sickness...that would probably be my utopia. But I don't think that I would want for there to be no conflict; I think that as long as that conflict was resolved peacefully, it would fit into my ideal world. Yeah, pretty much just everything seems peaceful with the world.That would be my utopia, even though I know that would never happen.

What type of music would be the soundtrack for your utopia?
I honestly don't know. Everyone likes different music, so there is no way I could choose music that would make everyone happy. Alternately, it could also by some polka/rap/country/pop/dubstep mashup, because that way everyone would agree that it sucks, because there's no way for everyone to agree that something is wonderful.

You Were Right-Built to Spill

Make an inference (claim) about the lyrical content of the song and explain it.
The switch partway through the song to him saying "You were wrong" was put in the middle so as to emphasize it. This is because the rest of the song way what "you were right" and then in the middle of the song you find him singing "you were wrong."

Write one analytic statement about the musical content of the song and explain it.
The music is supposed to sound all over the place to show how the singer is feeling confused. He does not know what to feel about the fact that this other person was write about so much.

Make one evaluative statement about the song's overall effectiveness and support it.
The song manages to get across how confused he feels about what the other had said, as the music combines with the lyrics to show just how confused he is.

"Young Life" by Bo Bartlett

Give 3 claims with a supporting fact for each.

1. The artist is trying to show that he feels that the younger generation is too violent.
-The painting, titled "Young Life" shows a picture of a teenager holding a gun, and nobody in the picture appears bothered by that.

2. The little boy is holding a stick and standing to the side to show that he wished to grow up to be like the older teen in the picture.
-The little boy is standing to the side, holding a stick a manner that could be similar to the teen's, showing that he wants to be like him.

3. The truck and kids are situated in the middle of no where to show that the artist feel like violence gets you no where.
-The surroundings appear to be empty and the kids are not moving or trying to go anywhere.

Write a paragraph based on one of those claims.
The setting of the picture is in the middle of no where to show that the artist believes that violence gets you no where in life. This is shown by the fact that they are all situated in one place, and nobody is in a moving position. The truck behind them is also situated in one place and is not going anywhere. They are also surrounded by dead tree stumps, which shows that there isn't anywhere to go from here, just like the trees stumps that were once something good, that could have made something.

Shame- The Avett Brothers

ID Subject and Tone
The singer regrets something that he did and wants for the other person to forgive him. The tone is very apologetic and regretful as the singer is very resigned about what he is apologizing about and just wants to be forgiven.

Choose 3 words that push the tone and explain how they do that.
Overwhelming-it shows how what he is feeling he is feeling apologetic about is making him very regretful
Helping-this shows how he really wants to be forgiven
Sink-this shows how he is regretful about how the woman feels about him.

Reading Critically: The Summary

The key things to look at before you begin reading an essay are the title, background information about the author, where the work was originally published (to find the audience) and when it was first published.  While reading, it is helpful to keep a pencil handy so as to be able to annotate the piece. After reading, it often helps to summarize the contents of the essay, so that you can see its shorter form, its barest elements. After all of that is done you need to analyze the essay, which is a multi-step process in which you first analyze it by separating it into its parts, then make inferences about the work based on what you already know, synthesizing it all, or putting it all back together, and for some works the last step may be evaluation, in which you make a judgement on the quality of the work. To help you with this, you can pay attention to the writing strategies used by the writer, as well as the language or tone that the essay has, which tells a lot about who they are aiming the work at, as well as affected how effective the piece is as a whole.

"Battling Clean-Up and Striking Out" SOAPSTone

Subject

The subject of Dave Barry's “Battling Clean-Up and Striking Out” is that of gender differences. The topic of what makes men and women tick is illustrated by his very first sentence, in which he says that “the primary difference between men and women is that women can see extremely small quantities of dirt.” This immediately steps into the topic by illustrating one of the differences he sees between the two genders, namely that women can see dirt at the molecular level.

Occasion

“Battling Clean-Up and Striking Out” was written during the 1980s.The essay's time of creation is conveyed by the level of technology shown in the piece, as many of the issues that men and women had could have been solved through technology that we have today, such as how Maddy's husband gets away from the gathering to watch the World Series by using their baby as an excuse, whereas now he could have just watched it on his phone or some other thing like that. The probable place of the essay's creation is Miami, as it says that that Dave Barry lives in Miami in the blurb about the author at the beginning of the piece.

The time and place of the essay's creation influence the essay by causing problems that would not happen or not have as much impact in today's world. This is shown through the before example of how the husband makes an escape rather than just being able to watch the game on his phone or some other thing like that.

Audience

Dave Barry's specific audience for “Battle Clean-Up and Striking Out” is that of married men. The author's target audience is exhibited by the joking way is refers to woman’s ability to “see” every single speck of dirt in the area, as that is the type of humor that a married man would find funny, such as the historical story of Pompeii with a special “Dave Barry twist” added so as to make it funny to the readers. Through the story, you can tell that he wants to get to people who actually understand what subject he's trying to make light of.

The author's general audience for the essay could be married men and women. The author's general audience if shown by his added details about the need to watch sports that men have. While this part is seen by him as more serious, you can also tell by the way he writes that while he is more favorable towards sports than cleaning, you can also see that he is trying to make jokes about both. While men would laugh at the part about how much women can see dirt, women can also read the part about men and sports as quite funny as well, especially because of how serious Dave Barry seems to be about it.

Purpose

Dave Barry's purpose in “Battling Clean-Up and Striking Out” is the entertain readers with a topic that would otherwise be hard to talk about. He tries to makes light of a subject that, if taken in a serious way, could make some people angry or mad, while they just laugh and agree since it is written humorously. This attempt to make a serious topic funny is illustrated by his wording on the topic, such as when he talks about getting “the Standard Male Cleaning Implements, namely a spray bottle of Windex and a wad of paper towels.” In this quote, he not only sarcastically says that he thinks all men think that you can clean everything with Windex and paper towels, he also uses something that everyone would know was wrong, such as just spraying Windex on everything.

Speaker

Dave Barry, a popular humor columnist, believes that a subject can be talked about as long as one approaches it with humor, or at least in the right way, just as he approaches that topic of gender differences with a humorous tone, as otherwise he would have had his readers up in arms. When he says “...a hormonal secretion takes place in women that enables them to see dirt that men cannot see, dirt at the level of molecules, whereas men don't generally notice it until it forms clumps large enough to support agriculture.” This statement is obviously supposed to be funny, as it makes fun of both genders, but if it had been meant in a serious way, then fewer people would have found this essay to be good, and more so they would have just found it insulting.

Dave Barry's use of sarcasm is evident in his use of specific words, such as in the line, “...over to her house for an evening of stimulating conversation and jovial companionship...” where his vocabulary suddenly expands and he starts to use words that are much bigger than he had been using for the rest of the essay. This use of sarcasm manages to get across the humor that he means to go with the essay, which helps him out as it makes his essay readable and so that people don't get mad at him for not taking the subject the right way.

Tone

Dave Barry exhibits a light and sarcastic attitude about the differences between men and women in “Battling Clean-Up and Striking Out.” These attitudes are expressed by the words “stimulating,” and “jovial,” as stated in the last paragraph. They get across the light and sarcastic tone of the essay. This tone helps make sure people know that he does not actually think what he is saying, or at least he does not think it seriously. This makes sure that the readers know that he wants to entertain them with what could be a very touchy topic.

A Person's Voice

What is voice in literature? What writing devices are used to create it?
Voice is the specific way a person writes, whether by certain writing devices or through word choice. All of it goes together to form a person's voice.

Write a sentence or sentences about a topic of your choice. Then explain how that example reflects your own voice, What writing devices did you use?
"Nic Smith Vantas-Egbert is quite the odd child, as both of his parents are themselves odd and he reflects that. No, many paragraphs would have to be used to truly describe the way Nic is odd." This reflects my writing because I tend to be very self aware when I'm writing, mentioning specific writing devices, and I also try to make those reading it laugh.

According to the documentary, people in eastern Kentucky talk around a subject. Identify a topic you would talk around, and explain why you would handle the topic in that manner.
If I were asking for something I most likely talk around the subject. For most things, I really do not see myself as trying to talk around something, as I tend to bluntly say whatever I'm thinking.

Why is voice important in nonfiction? What are some things we normally avoid in academic essays?
People usually try to avoid first person pronouns, though "we" isn't that bad, it's "I" that people avoid, and they also try to be concise with their writing and not beat around the bush.

What are some ways we can develop our own voices?
The best way is to just keep writing. The you writing, the more your voice will develop.

Dubstep vs Beatles- Eleanor Rigby

Which version do you like better? Why? 
I prefer the original myself, but I probably have a disposition towards that one that I have heard already. Also, I am not a huge fan of dubstep, and much prefer the original dubstep, and much prefer the orchestral sounds of the original as opposed to the "WUB WUB WUB" sound that the dubstep version had. I also don't like the repetition of it, and it is easier to the lyrics in the original, and the lyrics are very important to the song.

Which of these is more pleasing to listen to? Why?
I think that the orchestra makes the original one sound more pleasing. It is smoother to listen to the original as opposed to the repetition of the same sound that the dubstep has. The lyrics are also more obvious in the original, which if how it is supposed to sound.

Kandinsky vs Pollack

Which of these do you like better? Why?
I personally like the Kandinsky better, because it looks like he tried more. It looks like he had something in mind, in stead of just flinging paint at the canvas without much in mind but the colors.I like that the Kandinsky obviously had more planning too. I also really like the way it is painted and the shapes he used (I really like the angular look it has.)

Which of these is more pleasing to look at? Why?
Again, I think that the Kandinsky is more pleasing to the eye. It used color that wasn't usually associated with poo, in which the Kandinsky used bright colors (green, blue, red) and makes it look like it was actually supposed to look the way it looks. The problem here, I think, is that what people think, their opinion, will affect how they think something is pleasing. The word "pleasing" is an opinionated word, and the only way to say something is pleasing is for a person to think it is pleasing.

Sign Language - A short film

What single effect did you get from this short film?
Throughout it I got a very ironically optimistic effect. The main character seems very optimistic, but everything around him remains dreary and dull. It's not until the end that the optimistic part really hits you and makes you think that it had been truly optimistic all along.

Give 3 specific things that led you to that single effect.
"That's Harry, he's a joker...He must be thinking about something right now" The person he points to is leaning depressingly against his sign.
"There's so much community, so much life." As he says this, everyone is passing by without talking or looking at each other.
"Thought the guys might give me a send off or something." He says this, then looks around only to find nobody doing anything. Then, slowly, it turns out that he was right, and they did have a send off for him.

If you could change one aspect, what would it be and how would it affect the single affect?
I think that it would really hurt the single effect if there had been fewer people passing by in the background. The hustle and bustle is a good counterpoint for the dialogue and plot, as it shows off the irony and optimism that the main character has.

Harry Nilson, "Good Old Desk"

SOAPSTone this song.
Subject-He's talking about a desk he uses a lot
Occasion-60s-70s America
Audience-The typical American listener
Purpose-To inform people of how much he loves his desk (and what it stands for)
Tone-It's very happy and calm, nothing very upsetting in this song

What is he talking about?
At first I thought he would be talking about an old normal friend, but once I learned he was talking about God, I realize that he could still be talking about an old friend (if he sees God in that way, which it sounds like he does.) These quotes show how he is actually talking about God, instead of a desk:
"Such a comfort to know it's go no place to go"
"It's the one thing I've got, a huge success"
"Such a comfort to know, it's dependable and slow"

"Shooting An Elephant" by George Orwell

Subject: The subject of George Orwell's “Shooting An Elephant” is the “evil” of British imperialism. The subject of the evil of British imperialism is illustrated by how the narrator felt that he must kill the elephant, even though that did not agree with his personal opinions, just because the Burmese wanted him to. This demonstrates, in turn, that when a ruling power turns into tyrants, they at the same time turn into puppets, because the narrator felt the need to shoot the elephant just because that was what the Burmese onlookers expected him to do.

Occasion: “Shooting An Elephant” was first published in 1936, and at the time of its publish, Britain had been ruling Burma for about one hundred years, as a part of it India up until a year after this essay was published, when it became a self-governing nation of its own. It is shown in the essay that he is living in Burma as a police officer for the government that he hated, while being spat upon himself by the natives who saw him as a sign of the government they detested.

The time and place of the essay's creation influence the entire theme of the essay-British imperialism, in a country not as well known as the more common India. Today, the British are not known for their imperialism in anything but the history books-this essay would be out of place today. But as of the time of the writing, Burma was a part of the British empire, and the Burmese very much so disliked Europeans that even as a police officer, the narrator was treated to “insults hooted after [him] when [he] was at a safe distance.”

Audience: Orwell's audience for this piece is that of a political British citizen, one who actually takes the time to have an opinion about the empire one way or another. This target audience is demonstrated by the simple fact that he talks of the British Empire as an “us” and the Burmese as a “them.” This at least explains the fact that it is aimed at Brits, but it is further narrowed down to those who care about politics by the statement, "when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys."

Purpose: The purpose of “Shooting An Elephant” is persuasion; more importantly, it's a call to end imperialism. This is illustrated through the heavy political message that comes in throughout the piece, as well through his many statements which try to persuade the reader that imperialism, and indeed, any totalitarian regime, is not the way to go, politically. One of his strongest bits of wisdom was the line, “when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys." The connotations of the words in this line lead it heavily negative, with words like “tyrant” and “destroys.” The call to action is an undercurrent throughout the piece, which is his way of trying to tell his readers that they need to end imperialism in all its forms, everywhere they can.

Speaker: George Orwell is very well known for his books entitled Animal Farm and 1984. He was born in India, yet he spent most of his life in England, where he grew up. While he is said to not have had such strong political opinions until when he moved to Burma to be a police officer, once he did, he became famous for his essays and novels, depicting the evils of totalitarianism. Himself a democratic socialist, he was well known for his novels, and has even managed to be the source of the term “Orwellian,” now a byword for any authoritarian or manipulative social phenomenon opposed to a free society.

Tone: His overall tone is very serious and professional. While it does not seem as serious at first, the further into the essay, the more serious the tone becomes, talking about the death of the elephant and the tyranny of a totalitarian government. This is demonstrated through his somber tone throughout the description of the dead man, lying in the mud and mutilated from the elephant attack. This tone is very fitting for the subject and the purpose of the essay, as it manages to pull together the seriousness of the subject, while also using the professional tone to make the reader think that he knows what he is talking about.

Rockwell's "The Runaway"

In Rockwell's "The Runaway," Rockwell shows a portrait of a happy society, with a picture of little kid looking up adoringly at the police officer, a figure of authority. This picture focuses on a police officer peacefully talking to a kid, one who does not look to be in any fort of distress. Here, Rockwell ignores how life in America is-not peaceful, not calm, but distressed in the backdrop of the Cold War and the Red Scare. Rockwell instead focuses on how America used to be-if it used to be seven year old runaways calmly talking to a police officer in a diner, that is, rather than trying to that the boy home, or for the boy to show dislike of authority. Rockwell's "The Runaway" overlooks the fundamental rift that was rising in America throughout the 1950's-an emerging counterculture that was concerned not with how things were in America but rather how they are.

"Across the Universe" by The Beatles

Identify three images in this song.
"Images of broken light/which dance before me like a million eyes"
"Sounds of laughter shades of life/are ringing through my open ears"
"Thought meander like a restless wind inside a letter box"

Are any of there images symbols in context?
I don't think so...

Explain one symbol that you know to be a symbol. What makes it more than an image?
A rose is a very common symbol, specifically a red rose. A red rose commonly represents love, while other colors of roses mean various things, depending on the color. Red roses, however, is a very common symbol regarding love, associated with dates, and a boyfriend/girlfriend, or a wife/husband. Red roses symbolize romantic love.

"Inspiration Information" by Shuggie Otis

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.

"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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.