Friday, December 5, 2008

It was a majestic day and the sun was ablaze

When we set sail for the far off water. It was

Early in the morning and you could feel the

Icy air brush against your skin as the boat moved

Through the water. The water was calm and there

Was no wind. The journey to the spot was very

Quick. Afterwards we arrived to the destination.

After a while we began to notice an intoxicating

Smell that lingered in the air. After a tame twenty

Minutes or so the rod bent almost all the way over

And the passionate fight began. The waters became

Tumultuous as the boat struggled against the fish.

Soon many onlookers gathered and watched the

Battle take place. Suddenly the silhoutte could be seen

Emerging from the gloomy water. When the monster

Emerged we were mesmerized. We had just caught

Our first goliath grouper.  

Monday, November 24, 2008

Music Essay

The Who is considered by many to be one of the most popular and influential bands of the “rock era”. The Who became popular during the 1960s in both the U.K. and the U.S. Their songs were commonly seen on the Billboard top 100 and other musical charts. Even though the band was extremely popular, it had humble beginnings. The band originated in the U.K. during the 1960s, where they were first referred to as The Detours. The band originally consisted of five members including Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry. In 1964 the band changed their name to The Who after loosing some of their original members. At an early performance at a tavern in Britain, Pete Townshend accidentally broke of part of his guitar. After seeing the audience’s reaction, Townshend then proceeded to smash his whole guitar into pieces. He then picked up another guitar and continued the song. This created the trend of destroying instruments at the end of the performance.

            A band called The Kinks influenced the band’s early songs. Their first hit was named “I Can’t Explain”. This song became very popular in the U.S. and later became a top 10 hit in the U.K. Other popular songs soon followed their early success. Soon the lead songwriter Pete Townshend came up with the idea of creating a type of “progressive epic” told by their songs. Townshend’s aim was to connect all of the band’s songs in order to tell a larger story. Their first album “My Generation” was an immense success in both the U.S. and the U.K. This album was followed by a conceptual album named “ A Quick One”, which included the storytelling technique that Townshend had hinted at in his early songs. Many people, including the Rolling Stones magazine, would later refer to this album as a mini opera. Soon after this the band followed with an album named “The Who Sell Out”. Later in 1967, Townshend sat down for an interview with Rolling Stones Magazine. In the interview he revealed that he was working on the world’s first rock opera named “Tommy”.

            In the early days the band was influenced by The Kink’s work. Later on as the band became more defined, Townshend became influenced by Meher Baba. Meher Baba was a man in India who was considered by many to be an Indian “Avatar”.  In the rock opera “Tommy” the main character was considered to be a type of avatar for the writer Pete Townshend. The band eventually influenced many other bands during the era. Their most memorable mark on rock society was the beginning of the trend of destroying instruments after every performance.

            The band began to decline in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1978 the band lost one of its most prominent members, Keith Moon. Moon passed away during his sleep after an overdose of medication that was used to combat his alcoholism. During the early 1980s the band was still producing popular songs, but in many ways the band was running out of energy. After one last tour the band retired and became a studio only band. The members then went their own separate ways.

            For the most part the band’s songs had an optimistic outlook. Their songs, especially their rock operas, often told the story of characters who were trying to find their way in life. Take for example the song “Baba O’Riley” which describes the harsh circumstances facing teenagers at that time: “Teenage wasteland

It's only teenage wasteland

Teenage wasteland

Oh, oh

Teenage wasteland

They're all wasted!

Throughout all of their work The Who was characterized by innovation and creativity that was not matched by any other band. 

Thursday, November 20, 2008


Through the use of hypnopaedia my video
attempts to show the viewer that cholos are
cool. The video repeats words and images to 
try to brainwash the viewer into believing that
cholos are cool. There is also a short video at the end 
to further emphasize the fact that cholos are cool. 
Hopefully after watching this video the viewer will begin to imitate 
cholo behavior. 

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Dramatic Monologue

kingsmen1.jpg


Jack

As I look back over the journey i have just completed,
I realize that he was absolutely right.
It could have all been different.
We should have been more careful,
We should have realized that people have limitations.
It is partly my fault, I should have not participated
In his blackmail and evil schemes.
I began to realize that the Boss was not
Perfect. He was turning into the politicians
That he sought to destroy early in his career.
I have realized that those who have come before
Me have gone through the same things as I have.
I should have heeded their advice when the time 
Was right but I thought I was above all that,
I thought that it didn't apply to me. 
I have learned the lesson that no one is perfect
And I learned it the hard way.
People can put on disguises, but eventually
Their real selves shine through.
The theories that I thought I was pioneering had 
Already been formulated long before my existence.
I shouldn't have gotten involved in this long journey.
I thought I would rise through the ranks and become
Successful, but instead I became a crook and lost
Many of my good friends. 
What's the point of becoming successful if 
You have no good friends left to share it with.
The journey has had its ups and downs.
I have realized who I am and who my ancestors were.
I have learned who my real father was and I realized
It came as a surprise but I felt that I had always known it. 
I am glad that this journey has finally come to an end 
I will erase the painful memories from my memory,
But there is one thing I cannot erase, the final words of my boss
It could have all been different.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Allusion Paragraph

Allusion Paragraph

 

            In the novel All The King’s Men, Robert Penn Warren utilizes allusion to help explain the relationship between Jack Burden and Cass Mastern. In Greek mythology the God of the sun, Apollo, gave Cassandra the power to foretell the future. Eventually Apollo placed a Curse on Cassandra so no one would believe the things she foretold.  Cass Mastern could be considered a type of Cassandra for Jack. When Jack was conducting his scholarly research he read through the journal of Cass Mastern. After studying the journal Jack later realizes that Cass himself came up with the spider web theory long before Jack came up with the theory. Jack reads about events that happened in Cass’s life that were similar to happenings in his own life. At first he does not realize this, but Cass’s life can be considered to foreshadow some of the events in Jack’s life. Warren also utilizes allusion to make another connection between characters.  Warren alludes to Telemachus and how he was left responsible to care for his mother until his father returned from battle. When his father does finally return Telemachus does not recognize him, but later he realizes that he is his father.  This can be applied to Jack’s relationship with Judge Irwin. Even though Jack had always considered the judge to be a father figure, Jack does not learn the truth about the judge until it is too late, “  ‘ Your father’ she said ‘you killed your father’. At the moment the finding out simply numbed me, when a heavy caliber slug hits you, you may spin around but you don’t feel a thing, not at first anyways.” 

Thursday, October 2, 2008

AKM Poem

Against the brass-and-blood colored summer sunset of Arkansas
The black Cadillac made its humming sound through the night.
Under the flood of words and the snapping eyes
The water was very still and suddenly dark.
The blood began to climb up in Hugh Miller's face
Defecated in delicate little lime-white pinches.
Above the swollen palpitating tangle of light
On the bright arsenical-green turf.
With the firelight splashing and undulating over them
She clicked the pavement with authority.
I laid back and closed my eyes and took the sway of the car
We were beyond the sound of Adam's music now. 


Monday, September 22, 2008

LDJIN Mini Research Paper

One of the most important themes in O’ neill’s play Long Day’s Journey Into Night would be conflict as a whole. During the course of the play conflict takes place between many key characters but most importantly, characters experience conflicts against themselves. The Tyrone family is full of characters that are insecure about themselves and are always having internal conflicts that affect not only their moods but also their relationship with other characters. These conflicts prove that these characters are unable to let go of the past and move on. O’ neill shows that one’s past can control one’s present. This is especially true when applied to Mary and other characters within the book. None of the characters are willing to move on and embrace the future and that is why they will remain in a state of conflict until they can move on.

            Edmund has the second largest internal conflict in the play, only second to Mary’s. Edmund’s conflict is not so much about the past but wishing that there was no past. Edmund is very sick and does not really care too much for his current situation in life. One could describe his situation as almost miserable. Edmund’s conflict is about escaping the present or dreaming about what he could have been. Edmund states directly that he would have enjoyed being a seagull much more than being a human being. He has a hard time accepting reality and what is happening to him. This is why he enjoys taking walks through the fog even though he knows that it might intensify his illness. He enjoys being in the fog because it makes him feel like nothing matters and no one in the world, or the world itself, can touch him. Edmund’s conflict is about whether he wants to exist or not whether it be an animal or a human. Edmund is also unhappy because it seems that he has no real potential and he will never do anything with his life. This feeling is certainly not helped by the semi-neglect he receives from his parents. Edmund struggles to find purpose for his life as a whole.

            Mary by far has the largest internal conflict out of any other character in the work. The quote that one character’s past can control the present especially applies to her. Time after time Mary refuses to embrace the present; instead she desperately tries to relive the past by using morphine. Mary has almost completely given up on the current situation. Instead of trying to leave morphine behind or work through her current difficulties she gives up hope. Mary wishes to relive the past before she married James, when she still had opportunity and potential. She believes that she can do this with morphine but in reality every time she uses it she just looses touch with reality more and more. Ultimately Mary lets morphine control her life and her internal conflict affects the rest of the family as a whole. When the Tyrones realize that Mary is more dependent on the drug than ever they begin to loose what little hope they had before.

            Unless the Tyrones are unable to overcome their longing for the past they will loose all hope and become helpless. They still have time to turn their lives around but the more they stay in this almost constant state of conflict, the harder it becomes. People have to learn to move on because the past is the past. It is all right to reflect on the past once in a while but you have to move forward or else you will get nowhere in life. The Tyrones have yet to realize this and it has already had detrimental effects on their lives. Perhaps they will figure this out and move on but if they continue on their current path they will become a lost cause. This is why this play should be an important lesson to all who read it.