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.