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Posted on February 20, 2015, in AP Language. Bookmark the permalink. 33 Comments.
Room 37 Online 
Rhetorical Précis:
John Gast’s 1872 painting Spirit of the Frontier depicts the era of American progress in the 19th century that ultimately changed the entire north American continent. He presents this claim by shining light on the expanding American society and by showing Columbia (representing America) who brings light, civilization, and technology (i.e.: telegraph and train) to the uncivilized west on the left side of the painting where it is dark. The artist’s purpose of this painting is to show people the good in American westward expansion in order to justify the purpose of America’s expansion and the immoral acts within it. The intended audience of this piece of art are all Americans at the time to encourage them to support westward expansion and people of the west who were impacted by expansion to let them know that it is a good cause.
Personal Commentary:
I think the painting is very nicely drawn. I am especially impressed with the author’s positioning of everything on the painting and the techniques he chose to use to convey his purpose. The contrast between the eastern society (right side) and the western society (left side) really stands out and gives the entire painting more depth. I’ve attempted to paint this painting for a project before and I’ve realized how hard it is to do and how time consuming it is, so I am really impressed with the artist’s work!
Opinion
Source:http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/opinion/sunday/the-bright-side-of-parkinsons.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=0
Rhetorical Précis: In the article “The Bright Side of Parkinson’s” written by Jon Palfreman, claims that by understanding Parkinson’s disease scientists can begin to understand other neurodegenerative disease and the human brain itself. Palfreman supports his claim by explaining the disease and it’s complexity, showing how other neurological disorders also have the issue of misfolded proteins, and by mentioning how an American biotech company, NeuroPhage will enlist Alzheimer patients to test their new product. The purpose of the author’s article is to show people who know someone with Parkinson’s or has it themselves to not see it completely negative but can see some positive in it in order to show patients that unlocking the mysteries of Parkinson’s can help millions. Palfreman creates positive tone with the audience, and he tries to change their views on how they see disease by trying to see the positive of it, the audience is anyone because everyone will meet somebody in their life who will have a disease like this.
Personal Commentary: I found this article very interesting and it gives me hope for future medical discoveries. I’m glad I learned that curing Parkinson’s may lead to the curing of several other neurological disorders. My grandma has Parkinson’s currently and even though they might not find a cure in her lifetime, they probably will soon discover it faster than ever since technology has been advancing and scientists/doctors have more resources than in the past and they’ve been working harder.
Maureen Dowd, a NY times journalist, in her Op-ed piece Sarah Palin as Punch Line on ‘Saturday Night Live’ Special Conveys an idea that Palin is now a pure celebrity. Dowd describes her recent activities and goes in depth about her role at the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. Dowd’s purpose is to revisit an old popular story about a one time vice presidential candidate, and show the public what she is doing now. Dowd uses enticing current pop culture combined with information on the anniversary of a 40 year old show to engage all audiences.
Commentary:
I remembered hearing and watching plenty of parodies and Palin related drama in media back in the 2008 days, but I was never to interested. SNL is a pretty funny show.
It was cool to learn that Palin has realized she isn’t cut out to lead a country and has decided to take on more of a celebrity role. It’s also very comical that Tina Fey and Palin were in the same building.
The Rhetorical Précis
(movie)(Mr.peabody & sherman) The time-travelling adventures of an advanced canine and his adopted son, as they endeavor to fix a time rift they created.
personal connection: this movie is one of the best movies i seen and its for children ,it shows the love of both father and son an how they both work together to safe the world from the mistakes they mad with the time machine they took back in to time.this a a great movie to show the compation and love of father and son or daughter . it shows how bad situation will become a good outcome for both son and father to work things out .
Music Album- Abbey Road – The Beatles
Rhetorical Precis:
The album Abbey Road by The Beatles, a world famous band from the U.K., includes songs with very different meanings such as “ Come Together” which suggests that each member of The Beatles should unite together during a weak period of time, “ Octopus’s Garden” which expresses their desire to live under the sea, and “Something” which describes a boy who wants to promise to love a girl forever, but he cannot predict the future. The Beatles develop the meaning of each song in the album by using repetition to reinforce a central idea, changing the tone and using instruments to convey different emotions. The purpose of this album was to share the experiences of each member on The Beatles and convey common themes such as love in the songs “ Her Majesty”, “I Want You” and “Oh! Darling”. This album is suitable for a general audience because this album does not focus on one central theme; for example the song “ Here Comes the Sun” is about embracing the warmth and pleasure from the sun.
Commentary:
Before doing this cultural literacy project, I didn’t know much about who The Beatles were or what kind of music they produced. I know that they are a famous band, but I didn’t know the details like they are from the U.K. I can see why they are so popular now. Their songs include a variety of different music genres like pop, rock, and blues. Each song in this album was different and had a unique tone. I like how they are innovative and sing about a variety of different things in this album. For example, they have some serious songs and also silly songs like “Octopus’s Garden”. This allow them to reach a wide variety of audience and help increase their popularity. I’m definitely going to check out their other albums and songs.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWcWLOexe2w&list=PLE862D2F131DEF8A8
– Guan Li
worng data on last entry . sorry
(The Rhetorical Précis)
(Cheating, violence in the cards at Gold Rush’s gambling dens) The gambling dens of Gold Rush San Francisco brought together heavily armed men, lots of alcohol, high-stakes games of chance and the occasional cheater. Not surprisingly, violence sometimes flared.
(personal connection): there was alot of of gambling in the past and alot of drinking in the past because of the wealth they would bring from the mining of the gold they would cultivate from the sf mountains and sometimes in the flats.but now that most of the united states population has a job and has a good salary every one has the power to do what not man could do back in the day .
(source )http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Cheating-violence-in-the-cards-at-Gold-Rush-s-6092625.php
Précis:
Aldous Huxley, in his dystopian novel Brave New World, asserts that if we, as a society, rely on science to create a perfect world and focus too much on consumerism, a dystopian society is bound to become reality. Huxley starts off by explaining the futuristic setting with its genetically designed, drug-dependant citizens and as the novel goes on, the reader sees the corruption and nullity in the so-called utopian society. The author explains the downfall of the “perfect” society to warn people of the dangers of forced-consumerism, reproductive technology, psychological manipulation, and classical conditioning. Huxley connects to the reader by explaining the benefits of the Brave New World society in terms that everyone can understand, such as the need for consumerism to create an unfailing economy and the peacefulness acquired through the caste system, and then flips it all to reveal the corruption and reality of the utopian society.
Commentary:
I really enjoyed the idea of the book, but not so much Huxley’s writing. I wasn’t a fan of Huxley’s exposition because I found that he laid on the facts and scientific terms a little to thick in the first half of the book. I found the idea of genetically changing fetuses to fit a pre-determined class level extremely interest (but bad) and sleep-learning to seem so effective. This novel brought up a lot of debates in which I could easily be a double-advocate for. It’s clear that the society functions fairly well and everyone is fed, sheltered, and for the most part, happy. But the argument is whether or not they are really happy or content (especially the lower classes). I think it’s more like ignorance or indifference. And the thing is, the Gammas, the Deltas, and the Epsilons don’t have a say in anything; they’re trained to like their lives even though they’re doing what is essentially, the dirty work. Then, there are the upper class people who should really be the happiest of them all. Helmholtz Watson (my favorite character and in my opinion, easily the most likable) and Bernard Marx (my least favorite character for many reasons) are both Alpha-Pluses, the top of the top, but neither are really happy with their lives. I could write pages and pages about this book and the many, many controversies involved.
Category:
Art
Sources:
Myself- I took a trip to Alcatraz Island to view the Ai WeiWei Art Exhibits called @Large: Ai WeiWei on Alcatraz. I took pictures as well.
Rhetorical Precis:
In his art exhibit, @Large, Chinese artist and activist Ai WeiWei raises questions about the freedom of expression and human rights in a famous setting, Alcatraz Island, once America’s most feared penitentiary, and in his piece called Blossom, WeiWei focuses depicting comfort to the ill in the hospital but also criticizes the Chinese government. He supports his view on government infringement upon civil rights like freedom of expression by his use of brittle ceramic flowers to allude to the Hundred Flowers Campaign of 1956. His purpose is to bring awareness of violation of basic rights by the government. He also establishes a relationship with his audience by allowing them to question their rights, which everyone has.
Commentary:
Ai WeiWei is simply amazing. His activism had made him the number one Chinese enemy. They took away his passport to prevent travel. His friends actually assembled his art on the island for him. In Blossom, he fills up the sink, toilets, and bathtubs with thousands of small, handcrafted ceramic flowers. This is in the hospital of the prison. Flowers can represent positive well being and comfort to the hill, for it takes place in a hospital. People also may send flowers to prisoners to inhibit happiness. However, he created irony by alluding to the Hundred Flowers Campaign. This was a brief period of tolerance by the Chinese government that quickly ended when it was unhappy for dissent. The use of brittle ceramic shows the breaking down of tolerance for expression of freedom.
Category : Opinion
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/A-Bay-Area-football-coach-is-punished-for-6044185.php
The article “A Bay Area Football Coach is Punished for Considered Player Safety,” argues that Junipero Serra High School’s football coach Patrick Walsh and his team should not be punished for forfeiting a game due to the coach’s concern for injuries of players on both sides of the team, but others want their team to be ineligible because Serra defied an agreement to play in the rounds towards championship. This argument is supported by the school officials backing the decision to forfeit and also the concern for the health of the players is justified because it leads to brain diseases and concussions. The purpose of this article is to show support for Serra’s football team that they made the decision to forfeit the game because it could lead to long term injuries; putting health first instead of risking more injuries toward championship is more important in the long run. The intended audience is health activists, schools, parents, and athletes because they are the ones involved in the sport and also know the risks of playing football.
I think it was a smart decision to forfeit the game because the coach knew both teams were still recovering from injuries. If they played with injuries it is possible for them to permanently getting brain damage. Football is the main sport that leads to most injuries. The health and well being of players is not worthy of a championship because athletes are still young and they are still growing. The reason why the other teams want to punish the Serra football team is because they just want to eliminate them out of the picture so they have less of a challenge towards championship showing that they’re selfish and capitalize on an opportunity.
Rhetorical Precis:
Ray Bradbury, in his book Fahrenheit 451, implies that technology will lead to a world that chaotic and lifeless. Bradbury does this by creating a grim futuristic United States setting in his book. In this world, books have bad connotations of fallacies, negative feelings, and uninterest. This forced civilians to turn toward the new and more engaging technology and become mindless and unproductive. With this new power, the media, government, and other high ranked officials take over and control everyone’s lives and justifies it by stating that doing this protects their happiness. The purpose of this book was to warn people of the new technology that was emerging during the time this book was written. The intended audience was everyone who could be affected by technology. This means the adults that could buy it and the children that would upon experiencing it change the near future.
Commentary:
I enjoyed the concept of this book more than actually reading it because it was very slow and confusing to read (like most other classics there are). I did not enjoy the characters as much which was a big disappointment but I loved to see more of the insight of how technology is bad and will ruin the human race. I thought it was crazy how relative it was to the world today because like in the book we are so immersed in our tv’s or smartphones and we do not stop to experience life sometimes because we are happier on our phones. The concept of that and how real that was brought me back to the celebrity talking about why he would not get his daughter a phone on the CONAN show. The brutality of the firemen coming to burn down houses and books (and sometimes people) also reminded me of present and past lynching from authority figures. The concepts, ideals, and implications are what made me like this book.
On November 5, 2015 New York Times current events journalist Patrick Honner writes “Exponential Outbreaks: The Mathematics of Epidemics” describing the causes of epidemics and the effects through mathematics. Honner demonstrates mathematical logic and reason of the effects of epidemics by analyzing the most recent outbreak of Ebola. Honner’s purpose is to inform people, and most specifically children, of the dangers of disease epidemics and the importance of being caution and sanitary. The audience the author focuses on is people and youth all over the world.
Honner does a great job of explaining his point clearly. I am not a very… mathematical person but this article was easy to comprehend. The graph included is also very helpful. It inrigues me that some of the points Honner made in this article are very logical and ideas that many of us already understand, but hearing them with math involved allows me to realize the reason for such concepts.
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/05/exponential-outbreaks-the-mathematics-of-epidemics/
http://www.moma.org/m/arts/79766
In the painting, Les Desmoiselles d’Avignon, Pablo Picasso shows the different perspectives of the beauty of women. Picasso uses different faces and colors to illustrate the various forms of beauty in the world. The middle of the painting features two women of white origin who seem to look the most normal to society’s standards. On both sides of the two women in the middle, there are other women who have quite abstract facial characteristics and body types/colors. These “odd” women represent the different kinds of beauty that seem unfamiliar and thus strange to the European society during that time period. Picasso’s purpose in illustrating these different women is to show that there are different kinds of beauty, however not all may be accepted by society at a given time as they may be unfamiliar with it. He establishes a close relationship with his audience members by discussing a topic that is very personal and well known in that beauty is skin deep and highly held of importance in many cultures and societies.
This painting caught my eye instantly due to its unique style and my love for abstract art. At a glance, the painting just seems like an average abstract painting, however with further analysis one will notice the different faces and colors used in the painting to show the different kinds of beauty that are accepted in one environment but may not be in another or compared to someone else. The message of this painting is very dear to my heart in that beauty is something that the media manipulates and corrupts the minds of the youth of America and the world in showing a unrealistic standards of beauty. But in reality, everyone is beautiful. This painting shows how there are different perspectives of beauty but all should be accepted.
Directed by Victor Fleming, The Wizard of Oz tells the story of Dorothy being swept from dreary small town America in a tornado to a magical land. Her life literally shifts from black and white to color as she is introduced to this new world. Determined to return home, she travels across this land in search of a wizard who will send her home. Along the way she is assisted by a good witch in her search, befriends a number of characters, and is tormented by an evil witch. Her new friends are also in search of the wizard and together they hope the wizard will grant them courage, a heart, a brain, and a chance to return home. When they finally meet the wizard, they discover he is a fraud. Even though the wizard is a fraud, Dorothy is able to return home with the click or her shoes. I think the purpose of the film was to appeal to all audiences. People of all ages can enjoy the film.
I first watched this film when I was really young with my family. I remember liking it but never gave it much thought after. Re-watching it, I have found a new love for it. I like the simple themes that the movie introduces and the fact that all ages can enjoy it. I also think it’s cool that a movie made in 1939 has such good picture quality.
Précis
In the Ai Wei Wei art exhibit it shows facial shots of know convicts in lego form and on the side they would have these podiums that would have a binder that has each of the convicts name and what they were booked for. The way the artist came to this art piece is not by his own hands but with a hand full of his representatives to come to Alcatraz to put together this piece. The purpose if this piece was to so some of the convicts that could have been in this jail if it had been open till this day. The intended audience for this art piece is anyone who would be interested in Alcatraz or criminal justice.
Personal Commentary
This art piece by Ai Wei Wei is really eye opening to see that there is a lot of global criminals there is that are a big danger to the world. To put a face to the names such as Edward Snowden is really a good experience. The whole exhibit is really a good one with a lot of symbolism to it such as the Chinese looking dragon and how it’s large wings symbol for freedom.
Precis: Agatha Christie, in her book -”And Then There Were None”- claims the description of a person getting revenge on the people they hate by killing one by one on an island that they are stuck on. Christie supports her claim by stranding himself on the island with the others and killing them but the others don’t realize that the killer is one of them.The author’s purpose is to entertain the readers and hopefully scare them in her story of revenge and murder. The intended audience would be for mystery readers and kids.
Commentary: At the beginning of the year, Mr. Nichols told us we had to read 100 pages a week so I asked Tiffany to lend me some of her mystery books because I’m a huge fan of reading mystery so that I could read them. And after reading that 1 book, I asked her for more from Agatha Christie since her books are so well known for their mysteries.
Entry 6: 2/ 22/ 15
The Rhetorical Précis:
Mexican Whiteboy, a story by Matt De La Pena that takes place in the streets by LA & tells the story of a boy name Danny who could pitch a ball going 90mph. It begins with him going to go visit his cousin Sofia, who introduces Danny to her friends. At first he isn’t accepted by her friends because he doesn’t make a good first impression by getting into a fight with the only black kid in the neighborhood whose name is Uno. His passion for baseball is what connected him with the rest of the guys because he could hit a home run when ever he liked and also could throw faster than the speed of sound. The story has a lot of twists and turns, goes from Uno and Danny hustling boys of their money to Danny wanting to talk to a girl who doesn’t speak English and that is all Danny could speak.
Personal Commentary:
This book didn’t make me tear up like another book by the same author but it open up my eyes to see that some people don’t have their dads & I have him but I dislike him with passion. Danny thought his dad was deported to Mexico & that is why his parents not together but in fact his father was in jail because he hit Danny’s mom. Of course he deserves to be in jail for being a female abuser but it is not fair that Danny doesn’t have the right to know. Danny writes letter to his dad on a daily, always telling him about his day but what he did was lie about how awesome his life has been & not told the truth about how he has been stressing.
Opinion
Rhetorical Precis
The Editorial Board’s article “Campus Life and Guns” asserts that sexual assault rates will decrease if college students are armed with guns. The argument is developed by stating that a few states are working on allowing adults to carry guns at schools and how Florida has already legalized carrying arms on the twelve state university campuses. The purpose is to show that some people believe that arms will help reduce crime rates. The audience of the article is everyone since everyone has a different opinion about weapons, especially on school campuses.
Personal Commentary
I don’t really agree with this article because I’ve always been opposed to guns. I feel like it’s not necessary to have a weapon to feel safe, but if it makes someone feel that way, then it’s their choice. To me, it seems like having a weapon makes the world even more violent and it could easily be used against someone.
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles
Rhetorical Précis: The Beatles, in their album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, claim that they are no longer a group of boys making music but artists willing to make a unique statement. The album cover itself sends a message, claiming that the Beatles will not conform to other’s norms, and the album combines distinctive melodies and lyrics to back up its cover’s message. Their purpose is to redefine themselves in order to continue to grow as a group. The Beatles set an optimistic, happy tone that appeals to the audiences of the 60’s.
Personal Commentary: Though I’ve heard some of these songs before separately, hearing them all as one album gave me a different impression of them. It was also interesting reading the review on Rolling Stone. They seemed to have voted this as the #1 album of all time because of its huge impact on music. This album began a new era of music and of American culture. The Beatles use of new techniques and styles in their music paved the way for others after them.
Source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/the-beatles-sgt-peppers-lonely-hearts-club-band-20120531
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney#Legacy
Rhetorical Precis:
Walt Disney was the founder of Disney. He played a prominent figure in the animation industry, creating phenomenal characters like Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. Disney started at a short lived company called “IWerks-Disney Commercial Artists. Later he ventured into Kansas City Film Ad Company to make money. From there he became interested in animation, creating the dream of becoming an animator. The whole point of Disney character’s were the joy and happiness it brought. After the death of Walt Disney, Roy Disney took full control over the Disney project, and proceeded to fulfill Walt Disney’s dream. Disney, the entertainment itself, was meant for all ages but directed mainly to youths. It’s created, innovative ideas brought joy and happiness to kids who watched the animation, often times entertaining adults too!
Personal Commentary:
I grew up going to Disneyland nearly every year and watching disney cartoons on a daily basis. Doing this article, I’ve learned how and why Walt Disney decided to pursue his career choice and why he was so successful. This was a good precis for me to do because it brought back childhood memories and clarified the questions i grew up with wondering about who the creator was and why they did this cartoon.
Rhetorical Précis
Album, Blue Hawaii by Elvis Presley is his fourteenth album and is a spectacular combination of soothing love songs with a Hawaiian touch to it like Can’t help falling in love. Elvis is mostly known for been the king of rock but most songs in this albums are more focused in Hawaiian genre. Blue Hawaii contains many love songs among many are Almost always true, No more and more. This certain album was added to one of Elvis’ 1961 film Blue Hawaii which follows Elvis as “Chad”, he falls in love with a girl and neglects everything for this goal. The intended audience at this time was teenagers as a new more rebellious genre arose.
Personal Commentary
I never really heard any songs other than the common ones and to learn more about him by music. I had a different expectation for the album but it was really different from what I imagined.
Album: Blue Hawaii
-Ulysses Gonzalez Pd.4
Rhetorical Precis:
David Brooks, New York Times columnist, in his article “Support Our Students” argues that the money for president Obama’s tuition plan should be used for purposes that help students actually finish college instead of getting in. Brooks first talks about what the Obama plan will actually accomplish, which is to get people into community college for free, but Brooks then argues that most to about all are able to get in for no cost anyway due to other student grants and aid programs and the $60 billion can be used to actually get students through school successfully. Brooks is saying that once students are in school they cannot finish it because of expenses like books, living arrangements, transportation and a lot of the time child care, and spending the money on these things will increase graduation rates and decrease the rising dropout rates. It seems as if Brooks is trying to grab the attention of the government and the people that are for this Obama plan in hopes to raise awareness and maybe change their mind.
Personal Commentary:
When I first heard of Obama’s tuition plan I thought it was an amazing idea and still do because giving more people the chance to go to school is great. But after reading Brooks article I think i might agree with him more, although I should probably see if it is really as easy to get into community college as he claims it is. But if he is right, then it does make more sense to help get the ones that are already in school out successfully than do spend money to get more people in just for them to dropout.
MGMT, in their album Oracular Spectacular, implies that there are multiple childhood activities available to play in their playground, their backyard. MGMT supports this with their songs “Time to pretend”, “Weekend Wars”, “The Youth” and “Kids” from explaining the innocence is a potent force to the activities you can do as a child in your own backyard. Their purpose for this album is to express their loss of childhood memories in order to conclude they would like the experience it again. The intended audience for this album would be new generations and old generations.
I never thought I would enjoy MGMT. I was surprised about the lyrics and the background music. This album was actually enjoyable. I am able to listen to this as if it was on the radio. It was very soothing an a bit exciting at the same time.
Rhetorical Precises
Historical event: The Invention of Radio by Mary Bellis
http://inventors.about.com/od/rstartinventions/a/radio.htm
The Radio was developed by predecessors: telegraph and the telephone. All three closely related. In 1860, Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxell found radio waves and 1886 German physicist showed different electric currents could be put in the form of radio waves kind of like heat and light. At first, the radio was used similarly as the telegraph with spark gap machines for ships to communicate. Wireless signals proved most effective and started services around the globe to improve communication via long distance. And in the 1900s, Lee DeForest invented the space telegraphy triode amplifier and Audion to detect radio frequencies. Therefore making use of radio stations and todays usual AM radio.
Personal statement:
It’s cool how a communicative device made its way to becoming a form of entertainment before televisions were popular. Still is popular today, with so many more uses towards music than before. I think the radio still is a huge influence on media, although less renown.
Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2015/02/marco_rubio_s_foreign_policy_experience_the_florida_senator_can_t_rely_on.html
Rhetoric Precis: John Dickerson, Slate’s political opinionist, in his newest article, Freshman Foreign Policy, claims that the best for the job of presidency having a skill unique to oneself. Dickerson supports his ideas by giving examples to what skills government officials have had. His purpose is to convince his audience that having a certain unique skill has the potential to make somebody in a higher position. His intended audience in this article is the very curious internet surfers and the average voter.
Personal Commentary: Before reading the article, my thoughts were more on the idea of college freshmen imports. After reading this, it became clear that it was the idea of newcomers growing into power. The idea that newer is always better has stuck with many people over the years. When something that is better appears, favoritism already starts to shift from the previous to what is now better. This is true with even technology and is present throughout history.
RHETORICAL PRECIS:
Matt De La Pena, an acclaimed novelist beautifully writes a drama novel named, “ We Were Here,” with just the right amount of slang, proper diction, and intensity in the book, in this book Matt mainly shows the struggles that the main character, Miguel, has to endure in order to truly find out whether he can live on or not with the burden that he murdered his own brother. The way De La Pena shows this is by writing the book in first person of Miguel, describing all the hardships he proceeded following the death of Miguel’s brother, in depth of detail to bring the book itself to life, the pain, the tears, the sorrow and anger. De la Penas Purpose in this book was not only to show whether Miguel had the guts or not to live, but also to show that with hard moments in life, comes beauty, and happiness, showing how Miguel still had blessed moments with his new best friends, Rondell and Mong. This novel was mainly captivated for young men and boys of color growing up living through chaotic moments in life, to show these young kids that through the midst of sorrow, anger and when all hope seems lost, there is still some beauty lying within those moments.
PERSONAL COMMENTARY:
My boy Eric lended me this book, almost 400 pages long, being the longest book I have ever read, but upon reading it I fell in love with it entirely. I was able to connect to the book and what was going on in so many ways it was crazy to me. One of my, if not my favorite book that I have ever read. If anyone ever gets the chance to read this they will absolutely feel a certain hollowness after finishing it, and a fill of happiness at the same time, a feeling of hollowness because you want to know more, want to know what else occurred after the end. but also a form of happiness because the ending is indeed beautiful and touching to the heart.
Edvard Munch, the artist who created the work of art “The Scream”, made this piece to show the pain within his heart during the time he painted this painting. He developed this idea by writing a poem called “The Scream of Nature” which he wrote about his experience in 1895 when the volcanic explosion of Krakatoa turned most the western hemisphere red and orange which is depicted in this painting. This picture was not only about the pain at the time but also about losing oneself and not seeing the world clearly. That is another explanation on why the picture is distorted. The intended audience would be those who are living in the western hemisphere at the time because they can relate to seeing the red and orange skies at the time.
I saw this painting while watching an episode of “Courage the Cowardly Dog Show”. It was scary looking so I felt it was interesting. After looking at it for some time I started to feel depressed. The facial expression it makes is something that does not sit right in my stomach. The distorted view of the world and the agonizing expression the figure makes is a little uncomfortable to look at. Even though it looks like a 3rd grader drew it, its still one of the most valuable works of art today. Honestly I hate to look at this “drawing”
In the article, Will Chinatown remain Chinatown?, author Mike Walker explains how Chinatown is slowly being turned into a more modernized version. The older generations who migrated here a long time ago might be having to face the obstruct changes of old Chinatown. It is not yet set in stone, but the possibilities of this well known Chinatown changing, is leaning towards the most likely side. Walker explains that the older people who have been living in Chinatown for ages will have the hardest time with the likely changes. This is because they could practically stay in Chinatown without leaving for anything. Everything they needed would be there; grocery stores, clothing stores, markets and much more. So there was and is no need to leave this little town amongst the big city of San Francisco. According to Mike Walker, no one is really sure if Chinatown will remain a thriving town for the Chinese.
Personal Commentary:
I believe that it is quite a possibility that Chinatown will not remain the same. The rent in the big city has been rising, which might not allow certain people to stay in Chinatown. Which could result in other ethnic families moving into the condos of Chinatown. This can result in different cultural stores which will change Chinatown into a multicultural area.
-Zaire Alford
Rhetorical Precis:
Category: Opinion
Damon Darlin, A New York Times venture that provides coverage of politics, policy and everyday life, in his article “America Needs It’s Own Emoji’s”, he argues that ”They should be embracing new vocabulary as the English language embraced words that can’t be translated, like the German schadenfreude or the French flâneur”. Darlin tells a humorous story full of excuses to tell people in certain predicament, only using an emoji. He compares and contrasts the different insights of the use of Japanese emojis in Japan, and the use of Japanese emojis in the U.S and how different lifestyles in different places, can lead to different meanings in different minds.Hi purpose is to create funny scenarios yet bring to the spotlight that American emojis can be a big help for telling excuses (or even telling the truth), when communicating with others. His intended audience is to to huge emoji fans that can relate to what he is saying.
personal Commentary:
At first when he said America needs more emojis, I was like “We have emojis! Why is he talking about needing more emojis!”. But then as i read through I can see why japanese have more dominant relatable emojis that the America, and agreeing with Darlin and the excuses topic, the have the easiest ways to come up with them, even with one simple emoji that they can get away with. america does need those too but more diverse ones speaking world-wise.I am a HUGE emoji fan, I can hardly text or post without them 🙂
Book2: Beloved
Toni Morrison, American novelist, editor, and professor, exposes the dark side of love and loss. In the book you see that beloved is a ghost living in the house and later made flesh when she is later discovered on her mother’s, Sethe, front yard. You also read about the flashbacks Paul D has about his past. Sethe even tried to kill her children all for love. The purpose of this novel was to portray love in a bad light because not all love is good. The audience for the story are adults with families.
My Commentary:
I felt really uncomfortable reading this book. It was really dark and and depressing. I hear there was a movie adaptation so after i read this book i saw the movie. It was creepy as the book. I think this is a good book overall. If you can get past the ghost baby, death, rape, and attempted suicides then you can see the depth within the words and the amount of creativity and power of the book.
Rhetorical Precis – Movie
Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins’ American romantic musical film West Side Story (1961), influenced by Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, illustrates rivalry within a city that can cause tragedy on both ends. The two enemies; the Jets, a group of American boys, and the Sharks, a group of Puerto Rican boys, are both introduced roaming the neighborhood, eventually engaging in a fight. To see who can have dominance over the neighborhood, they decide to have a rumble at a dance. This is where Tony, a member of the Jets, falls in love at first sight with Maria, who is the sister of the Shark’s leader Bernardo.The rumble between the two groups lead to the death their leaders, Tony being responsible for killing Bernardo. Furious, a Sharks member seeks revenge and shoots Tony when he and Maria were escaping to be together. The movies includes musical and dancing numbers in order to retell the story of Romeo and Juliet in a modern light. The dancing and lyrics gives the audience more insight to a character’s emotions.
Personal Commentary
The part that impressed me the most was the introduction of the Sharks and Jets. There were barely any lines, just dance moves were enough to explain the characteristics and rivalry between the groups. Personally this went too slow for me and even though I do not have many interest in movies like this, I was very excited on how everything was going to be like in a musical form.
Rhetorical Precis;
Zachary M. Seward is the author telling the historical story of “The First Mobile Phone Call” which was made 40 years ago. On April 3, 1973 there was an employee named Martin Cooper who worked with Motorola. He placed a phone call to the headquarters of Bell Labs in New Jersey. The article doesn’t say much but saying how DynaTAC will not reach consumers yet. There was a picture to show you the development of the phones an how DynaTAC is there.
Personal Commentary; I personally think that it is interesting how technology works. That one man got to be the first out of all people to call out on a cell phone. I have a cell phone and I like that i can use it anywhere and talk to people everywhere.
Rhetorical Precis
Billy Wilder, director and writer suggests in his motion picture “The Apartment” that power is nothing in comparison to true love. Wilder asserts this point by having C.C.Baxter rise to power in his job by secretly allowing his supervisors use his apartment to conceal their affairs from their wives, when Baxter inadvertently falls in love with his bosses mistress, Fran Kubelik, Baxter quits his career due to the pain it causes him to see his boss happy with Fran causing Fran to realize that Baxter also has feeling for her, she immediately to leave Baxter’s boss to be with Baxter. Wilder’s purpose for creating this film was to show his audience the dark side to the American life and how something beautiful can rise from such absurd actions caused from others in order to show how complex life can be. Wilder toys with his audience, anyone with a mature mindset, to emphasize the immorality of the america man in power.
Personal Commentary
Great movie was like an emotional rollercoaster, my feeling would constantly change making the characters all the more believable. Glad I chose this movie, it was one of the only black-and-white movies on Netflix that wasn’t about cowboys. Nothing against cowboys just wasn’t in the mood for fake accents. The black-and-white aspect of the movie surprisingly didn’t take away from the movie, I would at times have to remind myself it wasn’t in color.