SMELL Essay

Snickers has a unique ability to capture the viewer's attention in many of their commercials, and this one is no exception. The sender of the commercial is obviously the snickers company. In this commercial snickers is trying to market their product towards the younger crowd. The commercial creates a completely unrealistic scenario where a man stumbles across Patrick Ewing, a former NBA all-star, on a basketball court in an alleyway. The message of the commercial is simple, the commercial is encouraging people to eat snickers, because if you do something like this may happen to you. The only emotion that the commercial may evoke in the viewer is happiness. The commercial is meant to be humorous and this is what makes the commercial memorable. The viewer is drawn in not only by seeing Patrick Ewing but when the backboard explodes unexpectedly. Loud noises and explosions typically attract attention. There is very little talking in the commercial, but there is a lot of action which viewers today are attracted too. The commercial is memorable because of both its humor and its action, which is normally not expected. This situation is completely irrational because it is highly improbable that this situation would occur in real life. Not only is it ridiculous that Patrick Ewing is lurking in some back alleyway, but it is also surprising when Ewing actually knows the name of the man he runs into. The basic message of the commercial is, if you buy this product then ridiculous and funny things will happen to you, and who wouldn't want that. One final way this commercial sets itself apart is in the end where the senders use diction to rearrange Ewing's name into Patrick Chewing. It is not easy to forget a commercial like this, and that is why I still remember it months after I saw it. 

Song Explication

Kenny Rogers

"The Gambler"

On a warm summers evenin on a train bound for nowhere,
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
So we took turns a starin out the window at the darkness
til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.

He said, son, Ive made a life out of readin peoples faces,
And knowin what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
So if you dont mind my sayin, I can see youre out of aces.
For a taste of your whiskey Ill give you some advice.

So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
Said, if youre gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.

You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when youre sittin at the table.
Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.

Now evry gambler knows that the secret to survivin
Is knowin what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
cause evry hands a winner and evry hands a loser,
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.

So when hed finished speakin, he turned back towards the window,
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.

You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when youre sittin at the table.
Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.

You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count you r money when youre sittin at the table.
Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.

Kenny Roger's song "The Gambler" teaches a simple yet important life lesson. Kenny Rogers compares the game of poker to the "game" of life in which you have to play your cards right in order to become successful. Your success in life depends on your outlook on life and many people give up when things become too difficult. Roger urges people to hold out even when things are tough because sooner or later you may stumble upon an "ace" that may turn your life around. Life is full of uncertainty just like the game of poker but if you understand the rules of the game and play your cards right you can make it to the top.

The setting of the song is set on a train going nowhere during the middle of the night. This represents a low point in the man's life when it seems he has lost his direction. The night represents the little hope for the future and for an improvement in the man's situation. The man soon meets a stranger who seems to be in the same situation. The man is unable to sleep because he is unsure of his future and is not at peace. Soon the gambler tells the man that he can read peoples faces and tell where they are in life. The Gambler knows that the man is out of aces and has nowhere to go. The Gambler then agrees to offer the man some advice. In this stanza the gambler is characterized as the old wise man who people come to for advice and the man who has seen it all. The writer of the song uses setting to portray a lack of hope and uncertainty about the future.

The next stanza describes the gambler as he prepares to give his advice to the other man. It describes how the gambler lights a cigarette and looses all expression. The words "and the night got deathly quiet" reveal the seriousness of the situation. The tone of the stanza is melancholy and dark representing the man's current position in life. The scene can be imagined easily and the author makes good use of imagery to help the listener imagine the scene. After the pause the gambler finally gives his advice. The gambler uses poker terms to describe certain situations in life. He says that you have to know when to hold out and wait for things to get better. You have to know when to give up or walk away from something. You have to know when to run from dangerous situations. He advises the man to never count his money at the table. In other words don't show off in front of people because no one respects that. The truly wealthy people are the ones who you could never tell are wealthy. Show offs are often just borrowing money or have little money to begin with.

After the chorus the gambler imparts some more advice on the man. He says that the secret to survival is knowing what cards to keep. He says that every hands a winner and every hands a loser". This shows that every situation in life has the potential to end in a positive or negative aspect it just depends on your attitude towards the situation. He also says that the best thing you can hope for is to die in your sleep. Ironically after he finishes that line the gambler fades off to sleep. His cigarette goes out representing the dying embers of life. The gambler died in his sleep which is the best thing you could have asked for. After that it says that "somewhere in that darkness the gambler broke even" showing that even though there seemed to be little hope the gambler was at peace. Many people are not at peace when they die and this is why the gambler broke even. After this the man's outlook on life immediately begins to improve because he gained some valuable advice.

The man gained an ace from listening to the gambler's advice. Even though the advice is very simply it is relevant to everyone. The message of the song is timeless and would still be relevant years into the future. The song shows man's potential for good or bad depending on his outlook. You can have bad cards and still win at the game of poker if you know how to play right. Some of the most successful people in life have been born into bad situations and come out on top. That is what the gambler's message is all about. 

Sestina

This is the moment he has been waiting for.

As he slowly walks onto the court

He thinks how far he as had to travel

To make this a reality.

The crowd cheers and then he waves,

The fun part is over, time for the work.

New strings on the racquet are a good perk.

He concentrates while looking at the floor,

He thinks about all the energy he gave,

But he still loves the sport.

He has to get into the right mentality, 

He can't afford to let his game unravel.

Before the first serve he looks down at the gravel

He looks at his opponent who has a smirk,

He knows that he can't loose his vitality.

In the first set he's already down by four,

He needs some support,

It feels like he is digging his own grave.

His face is grave

He wishes that he was at home playing scrabble.

Slowing down the pace is his last resort.

The ball hits the net again and he goes berserk.

Soon his hand starts to get sore.

He can't leave the court, he is a slave.

It's time to be brave.

Shadows begin to lurk

Across the clay floor

At which he marvels.

He does everything to try and save

The match. He is getting fed up with the sport.

For a while it looks like he might not fall short,

His opponent looses his temper and misbehaves.

He is starting to act like a jerk.

A victory is what he craves.

Soon he cannot hear the crowd babble

And everything he starts to ignore.

He just realized that he wrote the poem 

wrong but has too much homework

so will fix it later.

Fem/Mas Poem

One day a man got an idea when he looked at his ferrari black

Car. He put on his callvin klien jeans got in the car and 

Backed it out of the driveway. On the horizon he could see 

The tangerine  joy of the sunset. The sky was a rich red velvet

Color. When he got on the street he accelerated to five miles per hour.

Then he did something crazy.

Hoping to become a one man show and impress his friends,

He put the car on cruise control. He took hold of the aqua chrome 

Handle and opened the door. The smell of diesel fuel entered the car.

Slowly he lifted himself out of the seat and prepared to put his feet on

The moving ground. This part was essential. All he could hear was 

His heartbeat, then in an instant he jumped out and tried to run alongside 

The car. Before he knew it he was on the ground,

Watching his car riding off into the rising luminous moon.

The recovery process was long and arduous. One day he decided

To try again. Against the blue sky he and his friends set out. 

Once he got onto a good street he set the car in motion. He

Pressed on the sandalwood paneling and opened the door.

Raising the stakes he set the cruise control to seven miles

Per hour. In contradiction with his friends' wishes he 

Began to exit the car.

He let a taxi pass by and then he jumped out. He hit 

The ground running. For a moment he stumbled and

Caught a glance of his coolwater blue sneakers. He

Regained his balance and ran alongside the car. He could see

The pink diamond lights on his dashboard. With growing confidence 

He jumped on the hood of the car. He had mastered the 

Essence of ghost riding.

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.  

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. 

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. 

Dramatic Monologue

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.

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.” 

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. 

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.