"Communist Utopia"

-The communism is indicated by the eyeballs watching eberything and the gray, uniform color
-He thinks it's a flawed systerm that could never actually work (the badness is indicated by the dull, uniform grays)
-He's showing what communism is really like and how it isn't really a utopia at all

"Soma" by The Strokes

(1)The theme of "Soma" by the Strokes is when suffering and pain are averted, a person can't be an individual. (2)This is shown several times in the song. (3)"Soma is what they would take when hard times opened their eyes," shows how when people came across pain and suffering, they took soma-a drug that induces euphoria-to get rid of the bad feelings. (4)This causes them to lose their self and individuality, as shown in the repeated lines, "And I am Stop." (5)As soon as the speaker starts being themself, they are stopped by the soma. (6) The lines, "And these friends, they keep asking for more. Oh, yeah, oh but that's it," also show how all the people, even friends, care about is getting more and more of the soma.

1. Topic sentance-theme of the piece
2. Lead in to the support sentances
3. Quote for support with explanation
4. Continued explanation of first support quote, as well as introduction of another support quote
5. Explanation for support quote 2
6. Third support quote followed by an explanantion of it

Loss of Innocence

Innocence is being unaware of the darker sides of life and believing that everything and everyone is good.
Innocence can be lost when people learn the truth about life, that bad things happen and everything isn't always happy

-The background looks like snake scales, and snakes are symbolic in the Bible of gaining knowledge and losing innocence, as in the story of Adam and Eve
-The girl covering herself shows she's not innocent, because innocent little kids run around wuthout shame, as did Adam and Eve before the fall
-The woman to the side looks like she's coming to clothe the girl, because non-innocent people know they need clothing to hide their bodies

Bo Bartlett

-The man is cruel to animals-hunting is a cruel activity, and he shot a doe

-The man doesn't care about the environment-the trees are cut down, there's a dead deer, and the car is old (which usually means gas-guzzly)

-The kid is not as important as hunting, cars, or the woman (he's off to the side), which could be a reflection of the southern way-the kid is alone and off to the side

"Don't You Want Me"

Man-thinks the woman wouldn't have been successful without him

Woman-wants to be on her own, needs her space


People can have conflicting views based on what they percieved in a situation and their inherent biases. For example, when the boys I babysit want to play with lightsabers, I say no because one of them will end up getting hurt, but to them it's unfair because they like doing it and say no one will get hurt.

"Shame" by The Avett Brothers

The subject of the Avett Brothers' "Shame" is shame, and the tone of the piece is regretful. The phrase "I'd like to see these [untender and untrue] thing undo" illustrates how the speaker is regretful about his past actions. He clearly regrets what he's done when he says "boatloads of shame" because the connotation shows he recognizes what he's done is wrong and feels bad about it. "I've had time to look around and think and sink into another world that's filled with guilt and overwhelming;" this line states outright that the speaker has thought about his action and regrets them now.

"The Language of Love"

-Purpose: To show that the deaf are not different from those who can hear.

-Up until the end of the video, the audience doesn't know the girl is deaf; she seems just like the average person, which pushes the point that deaf people aren't really different. The fact that the boy says "You're still beautiful" also shows how deafness doesn't make a person different or less special

-I'm left with an ooey-gooey feeling of awww, because it was so cute and sweet  and I wish things like that actually happened in real life.

Digeo Rivera Painting

S- Mexican workers

N- Diego Rivera, understands the plight of the Mexican laborers

A- Middle and upper class people

P- To show how hard it is for Mexican workers and how dreary their work is, and to get people thinking about the topic


-The workers have no faces, which shows how they are seen as unimportant to their bosses and indeed most people

"My Good Old Desk"

S- The narrator's desk

N- Nilson

A- Rock fans, maybe people with desks

P- Things that never change are comforting -> You can take comfort in knowing that God is always there for you


-It seems less like a song written when he was high and more like a deep, meaningful song


-"To keep my hopes alive" God gives people hope for their lives and their future

-"I've never seen it tease" God is kind and loving, and would certainly never tease anyone

-"a giant of all times" God is infinitely huge and there at all times

"The Pinch of Poverty"

S- Poverty and the families that it affects

N- He probably cares about poverty, maybe he grew up in it or saw it every day

A- The wealthy people of the time period this was created in, probably 19th or 20th century

P- To convey that poverty, although it is a hard burden to bear, can have its sparks of happiness and hope


-The brightness of the baby's blanket and the girl's flowers contrasts with the overall darness of the piece, representing that light and goodness can be found even in the most dismal of situations. One could even go as far as to say that the children themselves represent the happiness and hope of an impoverished life, and that they might be able to lift themselves up out of poverty

-From what I could tell, the expression on the girl's face was one of hope, especially when compared to that of her mother and brother. It further serves to emphasize that she sees some hope in her life and future despite her circumstances.

Culture Journal

1. How do you define culture?

Culture is comprised of the various beliefs and traditions of a society that are passed down from generation to generation.


2. What makes up a person's culture?

Most of a person's life is their culture, everything from what they eat, what they wear, and what music they like to their religion, how they treat other people, and what they choose to do with their life.


3. Is it intrinsic or extrinsic? Explain.

Culture is, by definition, extrinsic, as it's comprised of actions and beliefs that are learned and that are taught to new generations. As humans, few of our actions (aside from breathing, digestion, etc.) are innate; we must learn almost everything from the world around us, and the world around us and what we learn from it make us who we are.

"The Runaway"

Facts
-The boy is sitting with a police officer.
-The police officer is in uniform.
-The three people are in a diner.


Claims

-The police officer seems nice and friendly. O
-The yellow shirt symbolizes youthful innocence.
-The little boy is the runaway.

Pygmalion-Entry 1

It's kind of hard to understand the flower girl, but luckily I've been watching Doctor Who; he did a good job of representing her dialogue, though, and it's a lot easier to understand if you say it in your head (I imagine her sounding like Jackie Tyler). I kind of wish he'd have left her dialect in, but it would probably distract us too much trying to understand her. I don't really get how the 'ah-ah-ow-oo-o' is supposed to sound, though.
Liza's getting really annoying. If I was a poor girl and a gentleman offered to feed and clothe me and make me a lady, I'd be a lot more cooperative than she is. She keeps going back and forth and threatening to leave. I think this is to show how unlady-like Liza is so when she becomes a lady it will mean more to the reader and we'll be more surprised by it.
Okay, I was getting suspicious there when her dad was at the door, since she said she got kicked out of her home, so he wouldn't know where she was; I'm glas his explanation makes sense and isn't completely far-fetched. Wait, so Higgins wants to get rid of her now? Whaaat? This guy is really odd, he just changes his opinion so much all the time, not to mention his general rudeness. It might be to add tension (because you never know what he's going to do next), excitement, and humor, but there could be a bigger reason.

The Pearl-Entry 2

My summer gym teacher said today that if men listened to women, there wouldn't be any problems in the world-which is true :P. Juana's trying to talk some sense into Kino, and everything she says will probably come happen, she can tell the pearl isn't good. However, Kino doesn't seem to be listening to her; I think he's obsessed. This whole thing with him not listening to Juana is probably to show how truly obsessed Kino is, since even his wife can't talk him out of it.
"I am a man." Worst argument ever, though I suppose this was back when men were in charge of everything . Aw, poor Juana, that pearl really has driven Kino mad with greed and desire.
It would've been sadder when Coyotito died if I didn't know beforehand that it was going to happen; one of my friends spoiled it for me. I think it was smart that they threw the pearl away; even though it could've made them rich and happy, all it really did was destroy their lives and make thing worse than they already were. This isn't really my kind of book, but I like Steinbeck's writing style. I suppose we'll never know who attacked Kino or who the man with the trackers was; I actually don't think his attacker was the doctor. He wouldn't be the type to actually do the deed, though he might hire someone or get his servant to do it. I liked the symbolism with the music and how it continued seamlessly throughout the story with everything from the song of the family to the song of the enemy.

The Pearl-Entry 1

I heard this was a really depressing book, but it's not really that bad at all so far. The author probably made the beginning so simple and happy to trick us and lull us into a false sense of security; even if I hadn't known that this wasn't a happy book, I would've suspected something bad would happen anyway. Happy characters don't make for much conflict, plot or a very good book.
What's with Kino in this? It seems like he's just sitting there while his wife does all of the work. I suppose that would be typical of this time, since Juana's the woman and the work she's doing is "women's work."
Kino's wishes of what to do with the pearl don't seem too bad; sending Coyotito to school, for example, would be a good thing, but it's pretty clear what the author's trying to do here. He's showing how when people come into money, they at first think of doing good and noble things but greed soon sets in. You can already see it happening when he wants a rifle for no real reason other than having one.
I bet the doctor's going to try to steal the pearl, since he offered to keep it and saw Kino look at the spot where it was buried, though that's pretty obvious. I wonder what's with the stray puppy that keeps showing up; maybe it's a symbol for something, though what I don't know, or maybe I'm just reading too much into this. I thought Kino was going to kill it accidentally when he went outside; that would've been despressing.
Juana's a smart woman, probably the smartest and most genre-savvy character in the book; what she said about the pearl being evil and destroying them probably will come true.

Pygmalion-Entry 2

Wow, her father would really sell Liza? That shows how poor they are, and possibly where Liza got some of her personality from. Poor Liza, I feel a bit bad for her now to be honest. She has to take a lot from these people, all of them, really. Pickering's pretty nice to her, though. I kind of wish they would've shown Liza's lessons (they would have been amusing, I'm sure) but they probably would've gotten boring really quickly.
Clara and her mother seem to be so shallow, and not really the most intelligent people out there. I think that's what Shaw wants us to think; he's showing us what he thinks of the wealthy upper class of his time period.
So Freddy and Liza are a couple for real now? I'm not sure. Freddy seems kind of drunk, and Liza's definitely in need of some comfort, so I'm not positive they're serious or in love or anything.
It's quite funny and definitely ironic how Liza's dad, the one poor person who probably wouldn't want it, inherits a ton of money from a complete stranger.
I'm glad Liza finally got some backbone and stood up to Higgins (he had been such a jerk to her the whole time, whatever he might say about being a jerk to everyone, though that does have some merit) but I still never really saw where she and Freddy fell in love; it must've happened sometime off the page, or maybe I was blind and just didn't notice.