Don't You Want Me Baby?

1) The subject of the song is the work relationship between two people. You can see this when the woman says, "The five years we have had have been such good times, I still love you" and "But don't forget it's me who put you where you are now and I can put you back too."  Also, you can see the man wants her back when he says, "Don't you want me? You know I don't believe you when you say that you don't need me."
2) The man says he made her the successful woman that she is by saying, "But don't forget it's me who put you where you are now". The woman says that she would've gotten to where she is now with or without him, and she states this when she says, "But even then I knew I'd find a much better place either with or without you".
3) I see the guy's side better because he's basically begging for her back even after the woman sort of used him. The girl got what she wanted from the man, got a good platform, and then took off running.

A negative effect of offering free education to working class youth is that you aren't fully giving them the truth about what comes after the education. Jessica Lynch states, "...even if it did mean going over there, but I never actually thought I'd get hurt or anything" (479). Lynch continues to talk about how she "...[wasn't] ready for an ambush attack" (479). The army lured her in with the thoughts that everything would go swimmingly, AND on top of that they would get a free education.
They also stated that she would get to travel around the world. This also is a complete twist of the truth. "It was completely not what [she expected]" and "[She was expecting] at least roads. But all that was really there was sand" (Gibbs and Stengel 479). You let the working class youth expect something extravagant or at least something more than what they were coming from. Instead, they're getting something much worse, and on top of that, they have to kill people they won't know and somehow will have to live with that on their conscience. Some people can't live with that, and the army doesn't inform you of any of this, much less prepare you for it.

This Land Is Your Land

I felt like this song was more anti-government and collectivist. It was talking about all of America as a whole and how the government isn't giving the people what they need and is limiting them. When he asks, "Is this land made for you and me?", he asks if the land that was created to support the people is really for the people, collectively, as a whole anymore? And on top of that, he's showing that the government is trying to put themselves before the rest of the people, creating a difference in the collectivist culture he wants.

Built to Spill "You Were Right"

-The writer of the song is going through a touch time in his life. I can come to this conclusion when the artist says, "You were wrong when you said that everything's gonna be alright." 
-The artist is kind of depressed. I can come to this conclusion because he is talking about how everything in his life is going wrong, and all the negative things that the person he is speaking to is "right" and everything positive he or she said was "wrong."
-I thought that this song was effective because every other line in the song is a line from another song, all put together to further the artist's own message. On top of that, the kind of music and dynamics added onto the lyrics also give the kind of slow, depressing feel to the song.

Love language

1) At the beginning, I assumed she just wasn't really interested because she didn't know him
2) Yes, because the hearing always assume that everyone around them is like them, and share their same culture. 
3) The fact that she can't understand him and he assumes she can 
4) Internal conflict- her embarrassment
5) By him not judging her and still loving her for who she was

Avett Brothers "Shame"

Subject- Misdeeds in a relationship
Tone- ashamed/ remorseful
Words-
1) lift- you tend to associate lift with a positive connotation, but here, you see it as almost a cry for help, putting it in a negative connote. 
2) boatloads- Also has a positive feel generally, but it also gives a hyperbole, and this is something people can more easily associate with as opposed to "a lot" or "so much" or something of the sort. 
3) overwhelmed- The obvious connotation here with the negative feeling of being overpowered and unable to control something fits with the overall feel of shame. 

1) Voice- the way something is phrased and connotated in a piece of literature. A major part if this comes from figurative language.
2) "Even the baby looks disgusted at how Kentucky is being portrayed- as a hick waste land."
Hick has a negative connotation, and Kentucky being "a hick wasteland" is a hyperbole because it is being exaggerated.
3) A reason you might talk around something is so you can lure someone in to doing something you want. You are trying to make them feel like they genuinely care about you as a person, AS WELL AS whatever they want you to do. It's quite the effective sales maneuver.
4) We use voice because it's something we can't change. However, not changing your voice and letting it shine through gives a kind of flavor to your piece. Something you're to avoid, though, is using personal pronouns because it makes your piece too personal.

Dubstep vs. Beatles: Eleanor Rigby

I personally liked the Dubstep better because I like the heavy bass, and from where I've heard this song played in so many ways, it's nice to hear an even more varied form. 
However, I think the original version would be more aesthetically pleasing because it's more upbeat and light. Plus the lyrics are actually there and you get the message that the band was trying to get across. 

Pollack VS. Kandinsky

1. I liked the Pollack piece better because of all the rapid movement and globs. There's absolutely nothing concrete, nor is there anything plainly visual,so it makes me wonder what the story is. Not only that, there's nothing SUPER bright about it. In the Kandinsky, there are too many bright colors, and it just isn't easy on the eyes to me. 
2. The Kandinsky is more visually pleasing. There is more color to attract the eye (even though it was a little too bright for my taste), and there are clear, "legible" shapes. There are also some visual focal points, and you have a few points to start at. Not only that, no matter how long you look at it, there are a couple more things to notice each time you look around it. 

Good Old Desk- Harry Nilsson

S- Writing desk, in reference to a dependable friend.
O- 1970's
A- People and fans of all ages
P- To give the purpose and usefulness of a "desk", whatever the desk may be symbolizing
S- Harry Nilsson
Tone- Enthusiastic

After learning that the desk was symbolic of God, three supporting "details" I found were:
"Keep my hopes alive"
"A giant of all times"
"Isn't picturesque"
"We never say a word"

Rockwell's "The Runaway"

Looking at the painting, "The Runaway" by Norman Rockwell, you notice a couple of things. You notice that, contrary to how America actually was at the time, there's a happy-go-lucky scene. The child is in no harm, no interrogation, and without threats. However, at the time, there was a cultural rebellion, and people were fighting against living in the culture of their parents. We're creating bombs, there was an extreme emphasis on race, and the Cold War in Russia becoming more and more of an issue. South Americans are forced to carry I.D cards and although segregation is illegal, it's still what several people prefer. Rockwell's "The Runaway" overlooks the fundamental rift that was rising in America- an emerging counter culture that was not concerned with how things were, but how they are.

Across the World- The Beatles

A) "Words are flying out like endless rain into a paper cup."
      "Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes."
      "Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns." 
There are no true symbols in these lyrics, just images. 


B) One symbol that I'm familiar with is the rainbow flag. It signifies the gay pride flag and the hardships in being gay. All of the colors have a different meaning:

• Red for life
• Orange for healing
• Yellow for the sun
• Green for calmness
• Blue for harmony
• Indigo/Violet/Purple for spirit

The flag itself represents its people, however, as a whole. 

Inspiration Information... Information.

When listening to this song, you kind of get an upbeat mood from this song. The steady beat at a moderately fast tempo helps put the mood into effect, as well as the staccato.  Instead of using a sadder kind of legato, you have a light staccato, creating an upbeat tempo. Instead of using a hard staccato, which would cause a more fierce sound, you have a light sound, giving off a happy rather than angry vibe. The lyrics also say a lot, literally. They include lines like "Let's just have fun" and "I got to be happy." Using these words, and the tone in which he uses them gives a calm, happy, laid back feeling. All in all, it's a well put together song.

SOAPSTone First Attempt

S: The hard labor of the citizens
O: Central America 1900's (Specifically Mexico)
A: The people of Mexico
P: To convince people to lean towards communism and show the hard labor of the people
S: Diego Rivera
Tone: Sympathetic

You can't see the laborer's face, only his hat. This shows us a sense of invisibility. The horizon is also black, and so there you can see that "they" (the people of Mexico) are in a "dark" place at the time. Also, the laborer blends in with the background, his lines matching that of the hills, so it says something about how you don't have an actual identity for the person; they blend in and aren't seen or really given credit for.

My creative writing process Varies. When I'm writing to express myself, I usually write freestyle poetry with no sort of brainstorm, just pencil to paper. However, I make this my first draft, and then edit and revise to make a better clearer version.
For an academic writing assignment, I make thought webs, throw it all into draft one, do peer revisions, and then do draft two.
However, during both I usually require peace and quiet with soft music in the background and I write best during rain and thunderstorms.

Nostalgic Music Blog

• Nostalgia is the want or desire to go back to a certain time, event, or period of time. In a sense, it's reminiscing. However, in doing so, you black out all of the bad things that happened during these times, and it only comes back to you as this perfect era that you lived through, and all you want is to go back to it (at the time).
• When I hear this music, I always think of my dad. Although he was born in '67, 60's and 70's music is his forte. I recognize a lot of the songs and I can picture us on the car ride up to his house in Frankfort, with the music up and the windows down, my dad singing along to every song.
• When I think about my childhood, I think about the times when my parents were together and we were living in London. I think about all the parks we went to, and I remember the sunshine glowing down on us, all the running, the giggling, the picking of "flowers" that were actually just weeds, and the silence. When we were together, no one else mattered. No one else was around. It was just me, my mom and my dad.
  Adding on to this, I never remember my brother being there. Jacob is just two years younger than me, but I never have him in any of my memories. Guess that's just me blocking out the bad ;) 

The Pinch of Poverty

Some major contributing factors to poverty are the environment that surrounds the society, affecting the supply and demand, the source of food, etc., the available amount of education, addiction, as well as several other factors.

In this piece, you see everything BUT the flowers in a dark light, making you feel a darkness toward poverty, and feeling sad and gloomy.

I felt like in the piece, the artist is saying that poverty is dark and gloomy (in reference to the dark colors used in the painting) and because the flowers are the only things bright, and they are sort of being pushed towards you by the flower girl, you are seeing this as the girl pushing herself out of poverty, pushing her hope and faith so maybe she can escape her destiny as of right now. The realism of the picture also helps to give you a better, clearer, more realistic idea of what poverty is like, and the detail in the facial expressions elaborates on this even further. 

"Live Free and Starve" VS. "The Singer Solution to World Poverty"

I suppose first I should address "The Singer Solution to World Poverty." Singer provides some interesting ideas to giving up our luxuries and using our excess money to give to poverty in other countries, but the fact of the matter is that there is virtually NO ONE who is going to be willing to do this. Just asking my family about it, my sister became distraught when I told her that would include giving up her cell phone. Her eyes grew large and she exclaimed, "WELL WHAT IF I GET LEFT AT CROSS COUNTRY? HOW WILL MOM KNOW TO DRIVE ME HOME?" I chuckled and responded, "Kater, this means no car either.." She scoffed at me and said that not having either of these things would just not do. The average teenager and adult alike would never agree to a sacrifice THIS DEMANDING. However, I don't believe that this makes us unmoral. The mortality of it all is whether or not you donate, and if you're willing. Most teenagers you ask would, with a definite answer, say that they would donate if given the chance. I can give my definite yes to this question, but I can also give my definite no to giving up my luxuries. Giving up completely seems a little bit rash to me, probably because I, like most people, ENJOY my luxuries. That's why I own them. Cutting back on these luxuries, I believe, is a more appropriate solution.

Taking a look at the  second article, however, provides a kind of uneasy feeling for me. I hate the fact that there are so many children serving as indentured servants, but it's not America over where they live. It's a total different culture and environment. These children are provided with shelter, education, food, and wages to help pay for their contracts. I don't like the fact that they have unbelievable damage to their eyes and lungs just so they can complete these tasks, but as opposed to prostitution, violence, and theft, I think I prefer the indentures... However, Divakaruni brings an interesting idea to the table: What if you work hand in hand with the government to get these children the necessities that they need such as schools and food when they are released from they these indentures? Well there's only one million things wrong with this. Are the governments willing to agree with this? Will they agree and then not implement the institutions they originally agreed to? Will they not release the children period, and just say that they have? I mean, if you really think about it, what these kids are getting may be the best they're ever going to get. They may not be able to get anything more.
Looking at it from another stand point, it's not really the United States business. The US tends to but it's head into places that it tries to come in and teach the American way to countries that don't have the wealth, agriculture, or culture of America what so ever, and the people in these countries usually do not appreciate the United States being there and uprooting everything they know and usurping all that they believe in. But then again, if the United States doesn't butt in, the country that we're trying to correct isn't going to simply up and say, "Well, this is definitely not working so let's try something else!" or "Well, this probably isn't the right thing to do, but WHO CARES?" As seen in World War II with Hitler, if you don't stop a dictator, he or she isn't going to stop doing what he or she is doing. They're going to keep trucking on doing their thing until someone throws the red flag.
So, based on these ideas, I'm completely torn on this article too.
Both articles are extremely well written, and the examples provided give you a good idea of what you're really looking at when you peer into the controversial issues of what's happening in other regions of the world. The solutions, however, aren't so well crafted.

First Musical Blog 8/16

My opinion was mainly based on the musical facts that I chose. I love songs with a strong base, whether I can understand the lyrics or not, a good beat can keep me interested. This could be me having a personal bias, but I can't say I LOVED the song. The change in tempos, volume, instruments, and really, just style completely confused me to how you're supposed to feel during the song. These elements can give you a different kind of mood depending on the instruments and style, and because both these things change two times in the song, I was unsure of what the real point was. Plus, I actually had to look up the song lyrics in order to pull it all together, because of the mumbling that was creatively, but unfortunately, intertwined with the music. Still, I enjoyed that ongoing baseline and how it all flowed together.