Where have all the classics gone?!

Entering into the holiday season, it's a wonderful time full of candy canes and presents. But what makes the holiday season for every boy and girl? It's the songs and movies that emulate the season. However, we've moved past Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer and replaced it with Lady Gaga's "Christmas Tree." They're taking the joy of christmas and turning it into sex...yay our generation!

If you haven't heard Lady Gaga's Christmas Tree, you can find the lyrics here:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/christmas-tree-lyrics-lady-gaga.html

And as far has Christmas films go, they aren't even Christmas films anymore! They're all about romance. If you search "Modern Christmas Films" on Google the first link that comes up is "Top 5 Christmas Romances." http://hubpages.com/hub/Top-5-Modern-Christmas-Romance-Movies. This seems absurd. Has Christmas become just romance and sex? (I don't think so)  But it seems as though culture is destroying it...

So I ask you, how do you feel about this?

I declare My Independence from a Malicious Cult of Skinny People

In the course of human events, we must all gain weight. However, through expectations of evil choreographers and the American Ballet Company, we should all have 1% body fat and a uniform look—long legs, small feet, curved feet, long neck, perfect buns (hair style that is), and many more perfected features. In order to break forth through the gates of justice, toward an enlightened future of food, a healthy self-image, a sense of one’s self at all, and enter into a world where good dancers come from a strong heart, knowledge of logistics, and a unique style, we must first receive a decent amount of respect for ourselves, our abilities, and our genetics.

As people, we are all created differently, by a Creator, who granted us with different genetics that compose our bodies in different ways; among these are wide hips, large feet, and broad shoulders. To secure that these so called obstructions are eliminated, an academy for the dancer must be created, in which principles will be formed on the basis that Swan Lake, or any other dance, may be performed with equal strength and talent by a body type not so perfect. The history of dance is a history of anorexia synonymous with beauty, creating an establishment of obnoxiousness. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to dancers across the world:

 Dance has created a world of insecure dancers.

Dance has created an unhealthy addiction to slimness.

Dance is no longer just a hobby.

Dance has created a large portion of girls to become anorexic.

For depriving us, in many cases, of food.

In every state of this absurdity, We have petitioned for a prestigious academy that accepts. We believe that we can be average, big, or any size and be talented. We believe that we are talented. We believe that we have a passion that overcomes any physical drawback that you may believe is true. We must, therefore, live with our broad shoulders and our tiny necks, and dance on.

Americae Nova Tabula

http://www.libs.uga.edu/darchive/hargrett/maps/1665b5.jpg

Holy wow! This is an incredibly descriptive map. The fact that it is covered in texts and pictures shows that it's a map drawn later (like in 1665..). The pictures that surround the map are also very interesting. There are illustrations of towns and also the natives. Many drawings of ships are also drawn in the seas where I assume the ships were. There's also some really interesting text at the top of the map, which I have no idea what it means.

The map narrates a story especially starting with the ships. The ships show where the colonists entered from and where they sought out for. The actions of the natives in the drawings bordering the map show how the map drawer perceived them. They also show the context in which the map drawer saw them in, which leads to the drawings of the towns on top of the map. Babb insisted that "maps are material artifacts that represent cultural perceptions during particular periods of history," and Americae Nova Tabula is a perfect example of that. While being a directional guide, it's illustrations also showcase the lives of natives and the towns they lived in. These drawings act as artifacts to look back on. Babb also discusses the parts of maps that look like "a modern comic strip." The Americae Nova Tabula certainly as the modern comic strip going on.  The entire border works as "a series of pictures that relate Smith's North American escapades."

http://www.libs.uga.edu/darchive/hargrett/maps/1640h6.jpg

My biggest observation for this map is the animals. Animals are everywhere. Also, the illustrations in the top left and bottom left are where the eye is immediately drawn to when looking at his map, so I'm curious what the significance of that is. It's also interesting that the lines are very definite on the right side of America, but they are rather ambiguous on the left side. The map is a clear illustration that "the land is an area upon which a European presence is becoming situated." This is made clear through the animals and the ships. What's insane is that the great lakes are missing. There's also no dividing line between Canada and North America. Also, California is completely cut off.

What this map narrates is that there are still many unknowns with this land. That at this point they haven't discovered that much and there are still "unknown elements." But as Babb says there is "a growing sense of European entitlement to the Americas." The lines are becoming more evident and so is the detail in the map.

Essentially different? (Blog Activity #1)

I've never felt like I've understood Vietnam. Since we've been exploring texts about it in AP Comp, I've found that the agenda wasn't clear enough to understand. My first true experience in learning about the Vietnam was viewing Good Morning Vietnam. But now looking back on it, what I had taken away from that film was that Robin Williams was in it...and the soldiers identified with music and it was a powerful attribute to the war. However, this is something more so reaffirmed by our class project, rather than The Things They Carried. I remember that the movie focused a lot on what was happening outside of the war itself, and the effects the war had on people.

The Things They Carried digressed from that side of the war and truly focused on how the soldiers felt, the places they traveled, and the effects the war had on them. Honestly, I felt that this was a much more entrancing way to approach the Vietnam War. The lives of the soldiers that were drafted or even that volunteered were drastically changed by this horrific war, and Tim O’Brien beautifully illustrated that—certainly more than I had ever been shown or had read before.

Apocalypse Now was my second true “learning” experience about the Vietnam War. But I’m not sure how true it really was. I watched the extended edition, which was a little too extended for my taste, so some parts might’ve been…fast forwarded…and I was very distracted. However, the overall feel of the film was very similar to the feeling I inhabited when reading The Things They Carried. In Apocalypse Now a group of men are on a journey on a boat. The dynamics of the characters are so intense and real, just like the characters in The Things They Carried.

The Things They Carried was powerful in a way that I hadn’t quite experienced before. O’Brien’s words were so stunning that I fell into a trance, and I can’t say that I was completely focused on the happenings of the war, but more so how he actually described them. However, I don’t remember understanding any happenings in the war in the films I had seen, but O’Brien portrayed events that helped create a full perspective of the Vietnam War. At this point in time, The Things They Carried, is my primary source of knowledge on the Vietnam War, and it helped me feel the war in a way that any other film or text hadn’t.

There Is A Life After High School

I chose this piece because it really spoke to me as a highschool student with my every day struggles and insecurities. I also think it's certainly worthwhile to post it because we can all relate. It's great to look forward to the future and hear an opinion that's a positive one. I hope you all read this and take something out of it :)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-talk-rubin-gets-better-1019-20101018-27,0,2900641.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+chicagotribune%2Fopinion+%28Chicago+Tribune+news+-+Opinion%29

Boarding Schools vs Cochlear Implants

The similarities are extremely evident between the issues of boarding schools and cochlear implants. In both cases, the pride of each culture is very prominent.

"They [The Boarding schools] still are a critical factor in why some American Indian parents find it difficult to communicate with public school system administrators and teachers – and even more difficult to trust them."

That was a quote from the Brainwashing and Boarding schools website, and in Sound and Fury the parents also found it frustrating and difficult speaking to people that were fully in support of having kids only learn speaking not sign. (Speaking school vs sign school seems to be a similar debate to the public school vs boarding school debate.) The Indian Boarding School website also declares that teachers should "have an awareness of past events" in order to teach their Indian students, and I think that deaf parents would really like it if their child was in a speaking school that also focused on having an awareness of their deaf culture.

The attempt by Pratt to "kill the Indian, not the man" seems much harsher than the pressure to get a cochlear implant. The students were taken away from their families and friends, so they felt a much stronger separation from their culture, whereas especially in Heather's case, if she were to get the cochlear implant she would still be surrounded by her deaf parents and a part of deaf culture. "To disobey meant swift and harsh punishment" in the boarding schools. This is obviously much more harsh than the pressure to get a cochlear implant. But the main difference is that not being Indian was actually forced upon the students attending the boarding schools, but getting a cochlear implant is an option and it is certainly not forced upon deaf children (unless they have eager grandparents).

(Fear of) Man in power.

He's in the hallways. He grades your papers. He reads your DBQs. He decides whether or not you fit the lead. He's bald, and he's intimidating. With all of this power, you'd expect he'd use it to scare you, but he doesn't, and that's scary in itself. When you walk in for your audition, you're greeted with a friendly smile and an encouraging nod. You continue on with ease, this is until you realize that-- oh wait, he's not simply a jolly man with wisdom beyond his years, he controls my fate. As far as you know, he looks at every move you make; he takes note of every word you say; he even notices the faintest rude remark or action you may make. Okay, he probably doesn't, but he might, and he could use that against you.
He's your teacher too? Don't fail. Don't spell something wrong. Don't you dare fall asleep in class. Don't you critique his opinions, or interrupt. Always smile. If he asks you to read aloud in class, make sure you project and if there's multiple characters, use different voices. Always play up your character in a likeable way. Be present every day. Don't be late. Raise your hand to say smart things. Turn your papers in on time. Don't even think about getting below a B+ on a test.

You see him walking down the hallway? Smile. Make sure you're with people who make good choices. Be surrounded by kids who have previously gotten leads or whom he's shown respect to. Date a lead from previous shows. Start acting. Recite Hamlet. Memorize Hamlet. Be hamlet.

Actually...be yourself. Just don't be afraid of Mr. Brehm.

Romeo and Juliet: A tale for all times and different genres?!

The famous story of Romeo and Juliet is one that we all seem to know. It's the tragic love story between two who were betrayed to love one another. Since it's release in the..well according to Wikipedia....it is "unknown.", but it's been revamped a number of times. The three most popular being the following:

Original: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_and_Juliet#Shakespeare.27s_day

Baz Luhrman: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_%2B_Juliet

Taylor Swift's Love Story: http://www.metrolyrics.com/love-story-lyrics-taylor-swift.html

The original Romeo and Juliet play is, of course, fantastic because it is the story of the star crossed lovers as Shakespeare had intended. While this version is one that will be remembered forever, it may not be the most captivating-- especially to most audiences. I am personally drawn to Baz Luhrman's version of the story. He makes Romeo and Juliet come alive in a modern day setting with bright colors, guns, and more importantly-- Leonardo DiCaprio. The film still keeps Shakespeare's exact script, and hardly messes with the story besides changing swords to guns. While I prefer Luhrman's version over the original play, they both are about 855 steps above the alternative, and that would be Taylor Swift's popular song, "Love Story." It doesn't capture the passion, nor the story that Romeo and Juliet is meant to be told. Therefore, you should all rush out to the nearest movie store, or going with this new technology, go add it to your instant que on Netflix (it's on there), and rent Baz Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet. It will grab you in a way that Shakespeare's original text couldn't, and definitely make you throw Swift's CD away.

Writing is like Awkward Teenage Relationships

"Uhhh...um...will you...maybe...if you want...to...um...be my girlfriend?" This nervous banter sounds quite familiar. Not only because it's how every relationship seems to begin, but also how the writing process does. It starts with a few out of control emotions, some plans, and one specific idea with loads of promise. Well maybe only some relationships are like writing; I'd say high school relationships.

Once the relationship moves on past its awkward get up, the great stuff starts happening--movies, dinners, meeting the parents. There's conflict, passion, and too many ups and downs to count. These moments are like the body paragraphs in writing. They keep you fixated, but also touch on a wide array of topics or...bases.

Every story has a climax, and every relationship does too. It's the part in the relationship when you know it's going to end. Whether the guy cheated, or the girl said the wrong thing, it's that unique moment, just like in a story, when you know it's all downhill from there. At the climax, you know it's time to wrap things up.

The downfall action comes next. In the story this is the time for everything to start resolving for its ending-- the same for a relationship. It's that awkward few weeks or so that you know will lead to the inevitable high school break up. In writing this downfall action, you sometimes don't know how much is too much, similar to in a relationship where you don't know how long to wait after her birthday before it's okay to just end things. But just like in writing, you have to end it when it feels right, because just like you can't fight the end of a story, you can't fight the end of a high school relationship.