Brave New World Reading Entry #3

Two questions about BNW:
1. Why did Huxley have John hang himself at the end of the story?
2. What was Huxley trying to show by having John lash out on Lenina like he did when she came to see him at the lighthouse?

Question about 1984 & BNW:
1. If our society today was to become like one of these societies, which one would it become?

"Communist Utopia" by Thomas Hornung

1. In this painting, the multiple eyes indicate communism. It looks like the eyes are staring right at the man as he does a simple thing like walking down the street. It shows total control and how the people in a communist government have no privacy.
2. The artist's view of communism is that it is a negative thing and that people who live in communist governments don't have any privacy. He shows that it is a dismal and dreary thing by painting most things gray, other than the eyes that represent communism.
3. The title "Communist Utopia" means that this setting would be a utopia to people in charge of a communist government or that support it. The man has no privacy, which would be like a utopia to communist people.

Brave New World Reading Entry #2

Question #1: Will Helmholtz expose the people to what is really going on in the society?

At the end of this section, we learned that Helmholtz got in trouble for reading some rhymes that he wrote about solitude. The students that he read to had been warned against being alone through sleep-teaching and trying to put any ideas other than these in their minds is taking a very big risk. When describing how he felt, Helmholtz said, "As though I were beginning to be able to use that power I feel I've got inside me -- that extra, latent power. Something seems to be coming to me" (Huxley 187). To take such a big risk could only mean that there was some meaning behind it, which he confesses in these lines. He felt something inside of him that urged him to expose the students to some other ideas that what they have been taught all of their lives. I believe that if he did this once, there is nothing stopping him from doing it again, possibly in even stronger ways. I think that Helmholtz's actions foreshadow this even bigger exposure that will happen sometime soon in the story and will have great effects.

Question #2: Why does John refuse to be with Lenina?

When Bernard brings John back to the "Other Place" from the Reservation, Lenina makes it known that she is interested in John, but he denies her when she is expecting to be with him. Having come from a place where he was always the outcast to a whole different world in which he is the main interest of the majority of the population, one would expect him to embrace this. Why, then, when a beautiful woman like Lenina strongly pursues him, does he resist being with her? I believe that, even though he would like to, he cannot get past the great amount of cultural differences that lie between the two. Huxley writes, "The sensation on his lips! He lifted a hand to his mouth; the titillation ceased; let his hand fall back on the metal knob; it began again" (174). This happens when John and Lenina were at the feelies and it is obvious that John was giving into the pleasure that was previously unknown to him. After it was over, though, his attitude takes a complete change and he says that the film was horrible. I believe this demonstrates that even though he wanted to be with Lenina, like he wanted to enjoy the feelies, he could not look past the differences that they have and be with her, much like he could not enjoy the movie at the end because it was so unlike the culture that he was used to.

Question #3: Why does the Director react in the way he does to the return of Linda?

Since the Director took Linda along with him on his vacation to the Reservation where she had supposedly gotten lost and was left behind, one would think that he would be glad to finally see her again. By acting like he did not know who Linda was, I believe that his account of their trip to the Reservation was not true. Anyone who is reunited with someone they thought that they lost would show affection for them and be very emotional, which the Director clearly did not do. He was very shocked and not happy to see her there, which makes me believe that the reason Linda was left behind was not by accident and that there is a whole other story behind that trip. I don't know exactly what could have happened, but I definitely do not think that Linda got lost and fell into a gully.

Don't You Want Me

1. The subject is a man who wants a girl but she doesn't want him back. He is desperate and keeps asking her if she wants him.
2. The difference in the two sides is that the man says that the woman would not be as successful as she is if it wasn't for him. She says that she would have made it without him.
3. I side with the man bacause I feel sympathy for him. He desperately wants this woman.  They had a good relationship and he believes that she grew and became successful because of him. I think the woman is kind of harsh for leaving him after what has happened and how good the relationship was described as.

Brave New World Reading Entry #1

In Brave New World, I do not believe that they have created equality at all. Though there is equality within each caste, be it Alpha, Gamma, or Epsilon, there are huge differences between the rights and position in society of the five groups. Individuals are produced in whichever way the leaders of society and the Director wants them to be and they never have a choice about anything. They have reduced conflict by putting the idea in the mind of all the individuals that they should be happy in whatever caste that they are in shortly after birth and all the way up until they are adults. Individuals are told that Ford is the greatest being ever and that they should worship him like many people worship God today. I believe that this society is definitely a distopia because, even though conflict has been eliminated and the society runs very smoothly, people are unknowingly forced to belong to a certain caste and over half of the society is deprived of some very important rights. "... the Alphas and Betas remained until definitely bottled; while the Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons were brought out again, after only thirty-six hours, to undergo Bokanovsky's Process." This shows how, from before birth, the members of the different castes were treated very different and did not have a chance to be like any other caste member. A society that deprives individuals of opportunities to live a free life the way they want to is definitely a distopia.

Emic/Etic Perspectives

1. There are many benefits of both the Emic and Etic perspectives. With the Emic perspective, the anthropologist submerges himself in the culture that he is trying to learn about. This can allow him to fully understand first hand what the culture is about by directly experiencing the culture. With the Etic perspective, an anthropologist can look at the structure of the culture to understand it on a scientific basis. I believe that the Emic perspective is better because I don't think that there is any better way to learn about something than to experience it first hand.
2. The rule about realizing your bias is important so that those beliefs and view can be taken into account when you are analyzing another culture. It is important to have an informant so that you are not a complete stranger and you can at least understand a little about what is going on without making huge assumptions. Finally, you need to let the subjects know what you are doing so that they feel comfortable with you there. If they don't know what you are doing, they may be fearful and act differently.

Rain on the Scarecrow

1. This song is about rain on a scarecrow. There is also blood on a plow. The person obviously lives on a farm because he has a scarecrow and a plow.
2. Some conflicts that the song would address are that the scarecrow would get all wet and soggy and the plow would get dirty because of the blood.
3. Mellencamp uses symbols of rain and blood to represent the hard times in his life.
4. Mellencamp chooses words like "blood" and "rain" because he is sad and he wants to die.
5. Mellencamp seems to favor dry scarecrows. He represents the dry scarecrows sympathetically. He seems to be on the side of the scarecrow.

SOAPSTone: Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out

Subject: The subject of Dave Barry’s Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out is that men and women are completely different from each other. The differences between men and women are illustrated by the stories that he tells about cleaning the bathroom and watching the World Series. In both of these stories, Barry singles out one specific way that males and females differ and explains that difference with a very descriptive and understandable example. In his first story, he focuses on the difference of cleanliness and in the second, he focuses on the subject of sports.

Occasion: Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out was written during the mid to late 1900s. The essay’s time of creation is conveyed when he tells the second story about going to his friend Maddy’s house for an evening. The main point of this story is that he really wanted to be watching a World Series game on the television or listening to it on the radio. For him to be able to do this, a lot of technology would have had to be around at that time, which is how I came to the conclusion that the essay was written in the mid to late 1900s. The probable place of the essay’s creation is somewhere in the United States. As I said before, in the second story he tells, he wants to watch a World Series game. This indicates to me that it was probably written in America, which is where the World Series takes place.

The time and place of the essay’s creation influence the essay by helping the reader understand what men and women were like around that time and in America. Barry writes, “…we could actually feel the World Series television and radio broadcast rays zinging through the air…” This helps us understand what men were like at that time, like how highly they valued sports.

Audience: Dave Barry’s specific audience for Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out is adult men and women. The author’s target audience is identified in the entirety of the essay because its main focus is to show the differences between men and women. Adults would be able to identify and relate more to this essay than anyone else would, which is why they are the target audience.

The author’s general audience for the essay is anyone living in America who is a teenager or older and has a sense of humor. The author’s general audience is expressed by the humor he uses in his essay. Barry says, “…I always get letters from women who say they are the heavyweight racquetball champion of some place like Iowa…they could crush my skull like a ripe grape…” Anyone who has a decent sense of humor can easily appreciate the jokes that Barry uses throughout his piece, which is why they are the general audience.

Purpose: Dave Barry’s purpose in Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out is to show that men and women have many differences that will always exist. The ever-present differences between men and women is shown when he says, “The primary difference between men and women is that women can see extremely small quantities of dirt.” Barry is directly stating a difference between males and females here, right off the bat, in the first line of the essay. The purpose is further revealed by his continuous contrasting of men and women throughout the essay with different stories. These stories provide relatable examples of how men and women are different which helps convey his purpose.

Speaker: Dave Barry, whom the New York Times has called “the funniest man in America”, believes that men and women are completely different groups of people with opposing characteristics and values. This value is illustrated when Barry is describing the situation that often occurs in his home where his wife wants him to clean the bathroom. He and his wife have completely different views on what clean is, which shows that he thinks men and women are very different and do not have very similar personalities.

Dave Barry, who worked as a journalist for five years, also believes that, despite the differences between men and women, positive interaction between the two groups is enjoyable and positive. When Barry is talking about his friend Maddy inviting him, his wife, and others over for an evening, he says that would be fine, if only there wasn’t a World Series game on television. This shows how, had there not been a game on, he would have been happy to spend a nice evening with both sexes.

Dave Barry’s use of allusion is evident when he talks about Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart. The author’s use of this allusion to Poe’s work gives an example from another work of literature that much of his audience has most likely read to help readers better understand the point he is trying to get across, which is how much he wants to watch the World Series.

Tone: Dave Barry exhibits a humorous and playful attitude about the differences between men and women in Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out. These attitudes are expressed by the use of words and phrases like “crush my skull like a ripe grape”, “I think about this bar where I used to hang out”, and “moving very quickly for a big man holding a baby”. These tone words express the humor and playfulness of the piece because they are jokes and exaggerations that are evident parts of his humor. The tone serves the purpose of the essay, which is to tell the differences between men and women, because the differences are a fact of life and many people have come to associate them with humor, which is what Barry did in this piece.

Reading Response

1. The narrator's tone in number 1 is eerie and suspenseful. Words that created this tone are "gloomy", "figures", "dark", "wild", "apparition", "treading", "bizarre", "mysterious", and "sorrowful".
The narrator's tone in number 2 is strong and confident. Words: "muscle", "vitality", and "energy".
The tone in number 3 is sympathetic. Words: "toiling", "slow", "rags", "waggled", "meager", and "panted".
2. The tone in muber 4 is frightened and amazed. At the beginning, he is frightened but by the end he is amazed. The narrator mentions the "white man" to show how different the two groups of people are and how he views them.

1984 Reading Journal #3

I believe that Big Brother has won. At the end of the book, Winston is in support of Big Brother, which is what the Party wanted all along. The only chance there was for Big Brother to lose was if Winston lived his whole life with his thoughts against Big Brother or acted upon them. Through torture, Winston was brainwashed into believing that Big Brother should be trusted and his thoughts against the Party were gone. I believe that the One State could be brought down if a member of the Party began having feelings similar to Winston's against Big Brother. That person could use their power to influence other's opinions little by little. Soon, many people would have these same ideas and the Party would not be able to control them. At then end of the book, I believe that Winston was brainwashed. Orwell wrote, "He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother." Throughout the entirety of the story aside from the very end, Winston had negative views of Big Brother. For him to think that loving Big Brother is a personal victory, I believe that something must have been wrong with his mind.

Love Language

1. Assumptions:
      1. The girl is deaf.
      2. The boy likes the girl.
      3. The will get married.
2. This is a cultural conflict because the girl is deaf and the boy is not. They have lived completely different lives and having a relationship would be very difficult.
3. The two people can not speak to each other, which means their relationship would be difficult.
4. The boy would have to decide if he wants to try to have a relationship with the deaf girl.
5. The conflict was resolved because he still likes her, even after he finds out that she is deaf.

"This Land is Your Land" by Woodie Guthrie

1. Guthrie's message is collectivist. The song talks about the land, which is America, being everyone's land. The song repeats "This land was made for you and me". This means that the land should be shared and that everyone should live together in it as one body and not as individual and separate people. Collectivists share the same views of sharing and togetherness, which is why Woodie's Guthrie's message is collectivist.
2. I find this song to be anti-government. The song says, "Nobody living can ever stop me, As I go walking that freedom highway." From this I can assume that he is talking about anything that could hold him down and possibly take away his freedom, which government could. He wants nothing to stop him from living free with everyone in this land, which is why I think the song is anti-government.

"The Egg" questions

1. The narrator's father was a cheerful and kindly man before he was married. After they married, he became very ambitious and he had a passion for getting up in the world. He also became more and more discouraged with who he was.
2. The narrator feels bad and pities chickens. He views them as helpless and abused creatures. He uses words like "hideously", "naked", and "diseases" to describe the chickens.
3. The narrator claims to have had trouble being happy for many reasons. He talks about how, as a child, his mother and father struggled to make a chicken farm, so they decided to move to Ohio and make a restaurant. We are to suppose that he does not want to be optimistic.
4. The role that the father's collection of "grotesques" plays in the story is to be a symbol of his family problems. All of the chickens that he collects have some sort of mutation or defect, which shows a connection to his life with his family growing up. He had a bad childhood and his family struggled to be successful, which is how it is connected to his collection of "grotesques".

American Friendships

There are many reasons why Americans would be perceived as not having growing friendships by people outside of the country. One reason is that Americans highly value individuality and independence. We like to do things on our own so that we can feel accomplished and proud of ourselves. Also, unlike people in other countries, we don't like to reach out to our friends for help. Doing this in other places around the world is a sign that you are friends and that you want them to help you, but in America, we don't want to bother our friends and make them do work.

1984 Reading Journal #2

In my opinion, Winston is having a difficult time buying in to what Big Brother and the State are selling because he has memories of his family. Big Brother and the State are trying to force people to believe that things occurred in history that did not, which Winston has a hard time believing due to the memories of his family. He vaguely recalls things in the past and he remembers enough to know that what Big Brother and the State are selling is not right. I think that his small acts of defiance are somewhat a form of protest, but Winston is not protesting intentionally. I think that he is doing the things that he does for personal satisfaction and to know that he is not conforming to what everyone else is, but by doing it in private, I don't think that he is protesting. When people protest, they want to spread a message to get their point across, which Winston is not doing. Winston's protests are very different from current protests like the Occupy Wall Street protests. Today, we have the right to speak our minds and say what we want to say, so protesting is a common thing. In 1984, simple things such as making negative comments about the Party would get someone "vaporized". Because of this, Winston does not openly protest the Party, so it is very different from current protests.

Collectivists vs. Individualists

1. In a collectivist culture, some personality traits that are considered ideal are loyalty, family, and unity. For individualists, they are individuality, confidence, and hardworking.
2. This is a collectivist society because they are valuing family and if one person is different, they want them to be the same.
2. Conflict: If a collectivist teacher went to teach in an individualist school, they might want the students to do a lot of group work, which the students would not like and a conflict would be created. This would be an external conflict. The clash of values would be individualist and collectivist.
3. An acquaintance is someone you know a little, or you have met, but you don't know them very well. This has a positive connotation.

2+2=5 by Radiohead

1. Lyrically, the song is talking about someone not paying attention to what is happening in their lives, like in 1984. The people were not really paying attention to what the Party was doing, and soon their society was very different. By "2+2=5" they are showing that even that 2+2 really doesn't equal 5, someone would believe that if they weren't paying attention. This applies to 1984 as well.
2. The music is very strong and forceful when it repeats the words "paying attention". The message of the song is to get across the fact that they need to pay attention, which is conveyed through this loud, demanding music.
3. "2+2=5" is an allusion to 1984 because, like I said before, the people in 1984 were not paying attention to the Party and the things that they were doing. The party could make them believe whatever they wanted, even if it wasn't true. They could make them believe that 2+2=5, even though it doesn't.

Islam, Globalization, and Gender

1. The conflict is about the head scarf. This conflict is external.
2. Globalization can create conflict because it is not spread throughout and one-sided. Globalization can happen in a way that everyone does not like, which can cause people to argue and have conflict.
3. The benefit that she talks about is that there are role models of what it really means to be a woman.
4. Source 1: Qur'an
    Source 2: Constitution

1984 Reading Journal #1

In the book 1984, the people that are in charge of the government, who, in reality, are in charge of everyone living in this "utopia", have done many major things to create a society in which everyone does what they want them to do. Led by Big Brother, the Party monitors everything that everyone does, whether it's having a simple conversation or eating lunch, through the monitors and the Thought Police. The people have been taught that the Party is right, always has been right, and always will be right. If someone disagreed with this, they would easily get rid of them in the middle of the night by some means, and they would never be seen again. This is how they created "equality". The equal people were the ones that obeyed the laws and regulations that they were given, and whoever broke these were the "unequal" people and, as I said before, they were dealt with. To be more specific, in the story, everyone was supposed to call each other "comrade" instead of "friend" or something of that sort, so that everyone is treated equally. To reduce conflict dealing with religion, relationships, and individual rights, the Party has erased anything in the past that they do not want their people to know, and even altered it to make it seem like the Party is better than it really is. They use methods like doublethink to confuse the people and make them think exactly what they want them to think, even if it isn't true. The Party has created "hapiness" of the people by making everything seem perfect. The government has special workers, like Winston, who work for a living on altering the media so that everything that Big Brother does or says seems correct. If the people think they are living in a perfect society, they will be happy and not question it. Through these methods and the things that the Party does to get into the minds of the people and make them believe whatever they want them to believe, I think that the society in 1984 is definitely a distopia.

Utopia

1. A utopia is an imaginary world where everything is perfect. A utopia is someone's dream world that they create in which life is exactly how they want it to be. Ex. The Giver.
2. In my ideal world, everyone would be nice to each other and get along. The weather would always be like it is in fall. Everyone would worship God together and share their faith. It would be a very peaceful and relaxing world where everyone would be perfect.
3. The soundtrack of my utopia would consist of a lot of peaceful, relaxing music. There would be a lot of music like Mumford and Sons and Christian music.

Chuck Baird

1. Claim: The artist values the human body and the things we can use to express ourselves.
2. Culture: African American.
3: Claim about culture: The artist is proud of the African American culture and likes to express that.

You Were Right

1. Inferential claim: The writer of the song is depressed. I can infer this through the negative lyrics, such as "You were wrong when you said everything's gonna be alright." Lines like this make me assume that he is a negative person, and possibly depressed.
2. Analytical statement: The guitar part in the song ruins the song. I say this because the music that the guitar is making seems to be unorganized and random, which takes away from the song for me.
3. Evaluative statement: The song has a negative effect on listeners. I say this because the lyrics were negative and created a sullen mood and the music was unorganized and did not seem to fit the song.

Young Life

3 Claims:
   1. The artist wanted to show the bond between couples and parents.
   2. The artist wanted to show the pride that men had in the painting.
   3. The little boy in independent.
3 Supports:
   1. The woman is shown standing very close and hugging the man in the picture.
   2. The man is shown standing in front of his kill, the deer, and holding his gun in front of him like he is very proud and showing off what he did.
   3. The artist drew the boy standing away from the older couple with his own kind of weapon, even though it is just a stick.

Paragraph:
In the painting "Young Life", the artist is intending to show that the  young boy is an independent individual. Bo Bartlett uses the placement of the boy and the use of other objects to show this independence. The young  boy is standing a small distance away from the attached couple, which makes him look on his own and not relying on anyone but himself. Also, the boy is shown holding a big stick in his hand. This shows that even though he does not have a real gun, he has something that he can use to protect himself when he is alone. Independence means that one has to protect and take care of oneself without relying on others, which is what the boy is shown doing in this painting.

Shame

1. I think the subject of the song is shame. The tone of the song is begging and regretful.
2. One word that pushes the tone is "undo". He uses undo to show how he regrets doing something and that he wants a chance to to do it over. Another word is "please". He uses please to show how he is asking and possibly begging for what he wants, which is for the shame to be lifted off of him. The third word that pushes the tone is "helping". He uses the word helping to show how he is begging for someone to help him lift the shame off of himself.

Reading Critically

In Reading Critically, the author thoroughly explains a reading process that, if used correctly, can help the reader fully understand and get the most out of what they are reading. The author defines critical reading as reading that looks beneath the surface of a work, whether written or visual, seeking to understand the creator's intentions, the strategies for achieving them, and their worthiness. To help readers do this, the author outlines the basic things that the reader must do before, during, and after reading. Before reading any of the content of a piece of writing, one must identify the preliminaries, which are the title, the author, where the work was published, and when the work was published. By doing this, the reader gains background knowledge that will help them better understand the content of the piece. Next, the reader must do a basic first reading in which he or she gets the general feel for the piece without diligently combing through every detail in the writing. This allows a reader to glimpse an essay in its entirety so that later he or she can go back and process those little details. As the reader reads the piece, it is essential for him or her to mark up the piece of writing. Whether it's writing questions in the margins or underlining important words and phrases, this can help to point out things in the writing that need to be more carefully processed or better understood. It is always good to write a summary of the writing, be it a detailed explanation of the most important parts or a short description of the main concept of the piece. Doing these things will help a reader to think critically and better understand the author's meaning for writing the piece. A reader should analyze, make inferences about, synthesize, and evaluate a writing piece to grasp the full concept or message that the author was trying to convey. By doing these things, according to Reading Critically, a reader would be going past the written words and understanding why the author wrote a certain piece.

American Tongues

1. In my opinion, voice in literature is when the writer's personality is portrayed throughout their writing. If someone has a strong voice in their writing, the reader should be able to identify it and recognize it in other works.
2. A person creates his voice when writing by using words that he would use in his everyday life that can convey his personality. If he is a nice, warm person, he would be considerate in his writing and show those traits through the language he uses. I think creating voice is more unintentional. I think that a writer will naturally incorporate his personality in his writing even is he does not mean to.
3. According to the speaker, many people talk around a subject because it is the way that they have always done it and it is how they were taught to speak. We can tell how much confidence a writer has by the way he approaches a topic. If he is straightforward and jumps into the topic, that shows that he is confident with what he has to say.
4. Voice is important in writing because it can show the reader who the writer is without directly telling them in the writing. Readers can draw out information and clues about the personality of the writer and how they are as a person.

Eleanor Rigby- PAIN vs. Beatles

1. I like the second song better. The main reason is because I have heard this original song before today and liked it. Also, the first song had a strong metal-sounding guitar, which I did not like. The original version is much softer and lighter, which makes it sound better to me.
2.The second song is also more pleasing to listen to. When listening to a song, I want it to be soft in my ears and not very intense. The first song was very strong and loud, which is not aesthetically pleasing to me. The softness and happy mood that the original song creates make it more pleasing.

Kardinsky vs. Pollack

1. Personally, I like the Kandinsky painting better than the Pollack. Kandinsky uses very bright colors that make the painting have a happy and positive feel. He uses geometric shapes and patterns to create a modern feel that is pleasing to the eye. There is a lot of open space in his painting and the space is not crowded.
2. The Kandinsky painting is more pleasing to the eye. This painting has very bright colors that create a happy mood, which is pleasing to the eye. The colors in the Pollack painting are very neutral and dark, creating a boring, sullen feel. The Pollack is also very crowded and does not have a lot of space, which makes it less pleasing to the eye. The Kandinsky has a lot of open space, making it more pleasing.

Sign Language

1. The single effect of the short film is finding beauty in simple things.
2. a.) He loves his job, even though he just holds up signs in the street.
    b.) "So much beauty, so much opportunity right under our noses."
    c.) Editing- When he is talking about the beauty of things, the camera shows the girl who he wants to talk to.
3. If the sign holders had directly spoken to him instead of showing the text on the signs, the single effect would be affected. The simplicity of the job is all of the workers out on the street, holding signs, and not saying a word to one another. He is able to see the beauty in his job from this simplicity. If the workers had spoken to him, this simplicity would be taken away from and the effect would be lessened.

Harry Nilsson's "Good Old Desk"

S- A good friend (Correction- God)
O- 1972 or '73
A- People listening to his music (Correction- Non-believers, God himself)
P- Tell about his good friend (Correction- Thank God for always being there)
S- Harry Nilsson
T- Positive, Happy, Cheerful

I think Harry Nilsson is not literally talking about a desk. I think he is talking about a good, loyal friend who he can trust. He says that his desk is always there and is stable, like a good friend would be.

Three instances of the symbol of God-
1. "Such a comfort to know it's got no place to go. It's always there."
2. "It's a friend i've got, a giant of all times."
3. "Such c comfort to know, it's dependable and slow. But it's always there."

Shooting an Elephant SOAPSTone

Subject: The subject of George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant is that if there is a great enough influence, one can be driven to do something that he or she does not want to do. Someone being persuaded to go against what they think is right is illustrated by George Orwell, the narrator of the story, feeling forced to shoot and kill the elephant because of the large crowd that was watching him. He clearly did not intend to shoot the elephant, but if he did not, he was worried that the audience would be disappointed and laugh at him. This shows how the crowd had a very strong influence on him that caused him to go against what he wanted to do and to shoot the elephant. At the end of the story, Orwell writes, “I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool.” This further exemplifies how he solely shot the elephant because of the influence of the crowd and the want to please them even though it was not something that he wanted to do.

Occasion: Shooting an Elephant was written during the time when Britain had control of Burma. The essay’s time of creation is conveyed when Orwell says, “Theoretically – and secretly, of course – I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British.” This tells the readers that this was written in the time when the British were oppressing the Burmese, which means that they were in control of the country. The probable place of the essay’s creation is Moulmein, Burma. “In Moulmein, in lower Burma, I was hated by large numbers of people – the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me,” writes Orwell in the first line of the piece. This clearly shows where the events that he describes in the story take place.

The time and place of the essay’s creation influence the essay by causing George Orwell to be abnormal in Burma at the time. Orwell says in the story, “Here was I, the white man with his gun, standing in front of the unarmed native crowd – seemingly the leading actor of the piece; but in reality I was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of those yellow faces behind.” This shows how he was obviously different from the native people of Burma because of the fact that he is a white European and the Burmese are “yellow” Asians. Orwell was there at that time because of the British’s control of Burma, which is why the time period is important to the story.

Audience: George Orwell’s specific audience for Shooting an Elephant is teens who are exposed to influence on a regular basis. The author’s target audience is revealed by the realistic story portrayed by Orwell. He tells a true story of how he was influenced by others, which most teens in any society are as well. This story is mainly to this group because they are the ones who can most directly relate to the message and moral of the story.

The author’s general audience for the essay is all people who are old enough to make decisions. The author’s general audience is shown by him having to make an important decision with a crowd of onlookers influencing him. Anyone who can make a decision can also be influenced by another on how to make the decision, which is what happened to Orwell in the story.

Purpose: George Orwell’s purpose in Shooting an Elephant is to convey the idea that one can be influenced to do something that he or she does not want to do by telling personal story from his life that exemplifies this. Orwell wants the audience to stand up for what they think is right and to not let anyone or anything else influence them, no matter how strongly they try. Not succumbing to persuasion and influence from others is illustrated when Orwell says, “It seemed dreadful to see the great beast Lying there, powerless to move and yet powerless to die, and not even to be able to finish him.” This shows that his decision to shoot the elephant left him feeling dreadful and sad about it because he did not want to do it in the first place. Also, this is shown when Orwell writes, “The older men said I was right, the younger men said it was a damn shame to shoot an elephant for killing a coolie, because an elephant was worth more than any damn Coringhee coolie.” This shows that even though some people agreed with his decision, some people were unhappy with the choice he was forced to make.

Speaker: George Orwell, an English author and journalist, believes that people should stand up for what they think is right. This value is illustrated by the fact that, in the story, Orwell did not stand up for what he thought was right and shot and killed the elephant. Orwell describes the dreadfulness and horror that came from having to watch the elephant die, which would not have happened if he stood up for what he thought was right and did not shoot the elephant.

George Orwell, thought to be the twentieth century’s best chronicler of English culture, also believes that reputation is very important to a person. This is shown when he says, “I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool.” He did not want to look like a fool in front of all of the people and to gain a bad reputation for not killing the elephant, so he chose to shoot it.

George Orwell’s use of a literary device is evident when he says, “The thick blood welled out of him like red velvet, but still he did not die.” Here, he compares the elephant’s blood to red velvet by using a simile. Orwell used this simile to show the harshness and seriousness of what he did, which was shoot the elephant. The blood represents the elephant’s death and how real the moment was.

George Orwell’s use of another literary device is evident when he says, “I looked at the sea of yellow faces above the garish clothes-faces all happy and excited over this bit of fun, all certain that the elephant was going to be shot.” Here, Orwell uses a metaphor to compare the crowd of Burmese people to a vast sea. He uses this to show just how big the crowd of over two thousand people seemed to him, and how much pressure that added to his decision.

Tone: George Orwell exhibits a serious and regretful attitude about individuals being influenced by others to do things that they do not want to do in Shooting an Elephant. These attitudes are expressed when Orwell uses words and phrases like “mysterious, terrible change”, “desperate” and “solely to avoid looking like a fool”. “Mysterious, terrible change” and “desperate” are very serious, grim words that create that same kind of tone in the story. “Solely to avoid looking like a fool” is a phrase that shows how Orwell regrets shooting the elephant and the only reason he did it was to not look stupid in front of the crowd of people. The author’s tone serves the purpose of the essay because being influenced to do things one does not want to do is a very serious thing that many people come to regret.
 

Rockwell's "The Runaway"

In Rockwell's "The Runaway", a scene is shown of a little boy, some sort of officer, and a diner worker all engaging in a conversation. Although it would definitely be possible to see this scene happening in the 1950s and on, one would most likely see some variation in the subjects. The three figures seen in this painting are clearly white males that play completely different roles in their society. In the 1950s, if an artist wanted to show the rift that was emerging in society, he would most likely include diversity in what kind of people he portrays. The artist clearly overlooks this fundamental rift that was rising in America throughout the 1950s- an emerging counter-culture that was not concerned with how things were in America but rather how things are.

Across the Universe

1. a.) "...shines around me like a million suns." This is an image of literally 1,000,000 suns around a person and a lot of brightness.
    b.) "Words are flying out like endless rain into a paper cup." This is an image of rain falling into a paper cup.
    c.) "Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes." This is an image of light moving or dancing, kind of like a reflection or fragments of light.
2. The image of a cup filling up with rain is a symbol of someone being overwhelmed with information or emotions and not being able to contain or remember everything. Things start getting lost from our brains like water overflows out of a cup as it gets too full.
3. One symbol that I know to be a symbol is a dove symbolizing peace. Doves are graceful, calm birds that do not cause much trouble to people around them. They are very peaceful creatures, which makes them a symbol for peace. Doves are more than just birds and their character and behavior symbolizes peace.

Inspiration Information

1. The overall feel of this song is very happy and upbeat. The song is pleasing to the ears and is very easy and enjoyable to listen to.
2. The guitar sounds throughout the song create a nice rhythm for the song that is upbeat and positive.
3. There were many choices that the musician had to make to create this happy, positive feel. One very important decision is what tempo the song needs. He chose a tempo that is not slow but not too fast, kind of a groovy, easy-listening tempo. He also had to decide what instruments to use to create the musical part of the song. He chose to create a clear beat with drums and symbols to keep the tempo up. He also chose a guitar to create the main melody that is relaxed and easy to listen to while being pleasing to the ears.

"Semadores" by Diego Rivera

S- Slavery and hard labor.
O- Mexican Revolution
A- Working class, People who enslaved others.
P- Tell a story of the workers.
S- Diego Rivera
T- Serious, Negative

I think the big idea the artist wants viewers to think about is hard work and labor that comes with slavery. The person on the right is shown doing some kind of yard or garden work. He looks like he is struggling but trying his best to do the task. Another theme that he is trying to portray is that slaves had to be there for each other and help each other out. The man on the right is standing and watching very close to the other worker, which shows that he is there for support and is looking to see if the other worker needs help. The theme of sadness and negativity that came with this labor is shown by the faces of the people. They are both looking down and you cannot see their faces, almost like they are hidden.

Creative Writing Process

1. To create a song, Wilco first puts the song together like a rough draft. Then, the band deconstructs the song and looks for places where they can improve the song. They pick at and revise the song until it is exactly the way that they want it.
2&3. For my creative process for writing, I first take a detailed look at what I have been asked to write or what my goal is for writing. When I know exactly what I need or want to write, I then begin to brainstorm ideas. I write these ideas down and group things together to create a base of what my writing will be about. When these ideas and topics start coming to me, I begin to write. I create a thesis to organize my writing and to create guidelines for the paper. As I write, I often keep coming up with ideas and my thoughts come together so I can put them in paragraph form. I add details and create a strong body of the piece until I am ready to conclude the piece. I then sum up what I was writing and the paper is finished.

American Grafitti Soundtrack

1. Nostalgia is the sentimental feeling you get when remembering old memories and things that have happened in the past.
2. When I heard the first song, I automatically thought of listening to "Rock Around the Clock" when I was about six or seven in the car on a family fun CD. I see people jumping around, dancing, and being very happy. For the second song, I get an image in my head of someone singing the song in front of a crowd that is swaying back and forth. I get an image of the movie 16 Candles because of the repetition of the phrase in the chorus.
3. When I think of my childhood, many images pop into my head. I see my family and I going to my Grandma's house on holidays and spending summer days painting and doing other activities with my Grandparents. I think of playing outside in my neighborhood with the other kids until very late at night. I see my sister, Zach, Garrett, Allison, Shelby, Megan, and I playing Mario Party on Game Cube and getting into arguments about who gets to play. I see Central Christian Child Care Center, my preschool, where I met and played with my first best friends. I see my family going on camping trips and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows by the fire. I see my mom baking and smell the cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, and Christmas candy. All of this images create happy and joyous feelings.

A Pinch of Poverty

1. Some of the major contributing factors to poverty are your ancestral history (being born into poverty), lack of jobs, the economy, your lifestyle, and luck (or lack thereof).
2. This artist portrays poverty in a negative light. For the most part, the mother and children are dressed in very dark clothing that looks old and worn down. He uses the lonely, rainy setting to create a sullen mood that portrays poverty in a negative way. The people look sad and gloomy, which adds to this negative light.
3. The artist's message about poverty is that it is a sad, negative thing that can happen to anyone, even children. He is trying to show the viewers how bad poverty can really be.
4. a.) Color- The artist uses dark, sullen colors to show how sad poverty is.
    b.) The placement of the subjects show how the poor and poor families have to stay close together and rely on each other to get through the hard times.

Live Free and Starve vs. The Singer Solution to World Poverty

In "Live Free and Starve" and "The Singer Solution to World Poverty", Chitra Divakaruni and Peter Singer both show a desire to try to help children living in poverty in third world countries. It may surprise you to hear that the authors' opinions on how this should be done are complete opposites. On one hand, Singer strongly believes that people living in wealthy countries need to be giving more to these children, while on the other, Divakaruni believes that we need to stop trying to free these children from the bonds that they are in.
Even though I do not fully agree with either one of these arguments, there are certain aspects of each that I can reason with and find to be true to what I believe. As I mentioned before, in Divakaruni's article, she argues her idea that bills and other efforts to free children from labor in third world countries are actually hurting these children. She says, "If the children themselves were asked whether they would rather work under such harsh conditions or enjoy a leisure that comes without the benefit of food or clothing or shelter, I wonder what their response will be." I do not completely agree with this, since I think we need to do as much as we can to help these children, but I see where she is coming from. Divakaruni attempts to get inside the minds of these children and to imagine what they feel, which I think is rational and honorable. Peter Singer uses a completely different approach. His main strategy in his article is to make the readers feel guilty about not donating to organizations that help children living in poverty. "If we don't [donate], then we should at least know that we are failing to live a morally decent life..," says Singer in his article. Although I agree with him in the fact that people who have more that what they need should be giving more than they do to these organizations, I do not think the approach that he takes is very affective. To me, Singer comes off as rude and belittling, trying to make it sound like it is our personal fault that many of these children die each day.
Being an individual who comes from a strong Christian family and has grown up with the mindset that we are responsible for helping those in need, I most definitely had a strong bias when reading these articles. Obviously, I would agree with almost anything that has intentions of giving to the poor and needy because I feel that God is calling us to do so. After reading the two contrasting articles, I was surprised to find that I was agreeing more with Divakaruni's piece that urged readers not to try to help these children than Singer's, who argued that people need to give more and try to help them. I mainly believe that the reason for this is the approach that the two authors used in persuading the readers to agree with their point. I was very strongly persuaded by the story Divakaruni tells about the boy, Nimai, who worked in her house when she was a little girl. By having the personal experience of knowing what could happen to a child who is released from labor and no longer has food, water, or clothing, she connected with me, and I am sure many other readers, on a deeper level. As for Singer, as I have mentioned the whole way through this blog post, I believe that his use of guilt and harsh criticisms to sway the readers would not work for many people. I have many similar beliefs that Singer has and I can tell that he has a heart for these children, but I was too busy reacting to how blunt he was being to be persuaded by his argument.

"Round and Round"

I found the song "Round and Round", although not a type of song that I would typically like, to be very interesting and somewhat enjoyable. As I listened to the song, I paid attention to the musical elements and the upbeat tempo more so than to the vocals, which is something that I have always done. The facts that I wrote down in my journal were that the mood of the song changed a little ways through when the tempo changed and that there was a bass guitar that had a strong presence in the background. Since I only listened to the song one time through, my opinion had to be formed on these facts that I was able to gather. Because the facts that I chose are things that make the song interesting to me, the opinion that I formed was positive. I definitely had a strong bias about music as I was listening to the song. I grew up listening to any modern music that the youth was listening to, and even though my parents are very big fans of classic rock, I was not often exposed to that kind of music. Pop music generally has a fast beat with a strong bass, so this is what I tend to find in music that I enjoy. If this song did not have the strong bass and upbeat tempo, my bias would cause for me to gather a different, probably negative opinion about the song. Before this activity, I had not thought about my musical bias. Now I can see why I pass over or do not give music that doesn't seem like something I would like and just how strong it can really be.