First off, I had an alarm set for 9:00AM, but I usually don’t wake up early on days I don’t have classes. xD Tuesday’s my free day, and my roommate, Laura sleeps ’till at least noon everyday, so I don’t like to wake up early. lol
One’s view on art is constantly changing. New perspectives are introduced and viewpoints are challenged, constantly creating questions and uncertainties. By experiencing, witnessing, and viewing art, one can enhance his view on the world, but may also transform the lens through which he perceives. I experienced this transformation after attending Ry Rocklen’s presentation at the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas in Austin on September 16, 2010. From this presentation, my view on art was questioned and my overall appreciation of art was increased, expanded, and strengthened.
So, I just got back from Austin! I’d never really been before. I should be going to sleep really soon to wake up early tomorrow, but I wanted to write this first so that my blog has that hyped up feel that I’m feeling right now and probably won’t later on. xD I want to write about things right after I experience them to keep the essential feeling or whatever. lol Keepin’ it real.
There’s a lot of people out there who care about me…There’s my mom and dad, grandparents, brother, aunt, cousin, best friends, Internet friends, school friends, boyfriend, and even close family friends that aren’t even related to me. I’m pretty much surrounded by love. Read more
“Blackberry Picking” by Seamus Heaney
Through the innocent act of blackberry picking, Seamus Heaney tells of an experience that creates a deeper understanding. Throughout his poem, Blackberry Picking, Heaney manipulates language to not only convey a literal description, but also bring about philosophical thought. Hidden within allusions, similies, rhymes, and personification, his complex ideas emerge.
Opening the poem with strong imagery, Heaney describes a scene in late August. Using colors, he identifies and describes the ripening blackberries and uses a rhyme to compare the first one, “a glossy purple clot” (Line 3) to its later siblings, “red, green, hard as a knot.” (Line 4) This rhyming imagery also contains a simile that allows the reader to better understand his meanings. His use of simile continues when he uses second person to involve the reader in tasting the sweetness of the berry “like the thickened wine.” (Line 6) This involvement greatly enhances the reader’s comprehension and includes him in the poem, allowing him to experience the events himself. This creates a greater connection between the reader and the poem and makes Heaney’s imagery more lively.
When describing nature, Heaney then personifies summer, allowing it to bleed the sweet blackberry juice into the reader’s mouth demonstrating the importance of the berries and their strong ties with summer. Heaney even involves himself in the poem, introducing his own thoughts and ideas and sharing the experience with the reader. From his firsthand involvement, Heaney can create another simile expressing the top big dark blobs burning “like a plate of eyes.” (Line 15)
With a final allusion, Heaney ends his first stanza, ending the cheerful and innocent act of picking blackberries with an ironic connection. With “palms sticky as Bluebeard’s” Heaney alludes that his hands are covered in summer’s blood as the fairy tale character’s hands were covered with his wife’s blood. This pessimistic line foreshadows the following stanza.
Greeted with striking juice and fermented fruit, Heaney finds an unfortunate ending to his innocent act. Ending his poem with a rhyme, Heaney helps emphasize his poem’s deeper meaning. “The lovely canfuls smelt of rot. Each year I hoped they’d keep, knew they would not.” (Lines 23-24)
“Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley
Caught in a dystopian world, John the Savage struggles with two conflicting forces that illuminates the meaning of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World as a whole. Taken from his primal, native home and placed in an entirely different society, John battles with the desire to fit in and become uniform and his drive to remain true to his motives and ethics and not lose his unique spirit. Demonstrating the conflict that arises from a controlled society, John emphasizes the novel’s purpose and meaning. When faced with foreign opposition, one seeks acceptance, yet clings to the attributes that make him different.
Raised in a different society, John develops different ideals, ethics, and morals from the brave new world he later discovers. He takes pride in his character and does not wish to change who he has become.
I am always served at a table,
Usually of 2, but sometimes of 4.
I am always small with a pearly exterior.
What am I?
Highlight for the answer.
Answer: [ PingPong Ball ]
< What Am I? #4 | What Am I? #6 >
Creative, intuitive, intelligent, and inspiring, my paternal grandmother, Deborah Brooks has influenced my life greatly and continues to impact my thoughts and actions. Graduating from college with teacher certification for teaching fine arts in high school, and teaching elementary, Spanish-speaking, and special needs children, my grandmother has encouraged the determined and creative drive within me and has inspired me to pursue a degree in studio art with all-level teacher certification. Throughout my entire life, I have viewed my grandmother as an idol and have striven to better myself to reach my goals, so I, too, can someday have my own class of high school students, learning and growing with my help.
Art is a gift that I wish to bring alive in each person. Anyone can leave a mark on the world and everyone can add a splash of color to his life. With a little instruction, a stimulating challenge, and a driving purpose, paintbrushes can create worlds and pencils can bring paper to life. With a natural instinct to help and share my knowledge, I aim to unveil student’s eyes and help them find their own personal artistic voice. With the knowledge and experience gained from earning a college degree, I plan to become a high school art teacher to help the world discover the value of art. By attending a university, I will be able to sharpen my artistic talents, allow my passion to grow, and later empower others to improve themselves and add to life’s natural beauty.
You know, I’ve had a blog for about…four years now, I’d say, and I wrote on it frequenty the first year, not as much the second, not much at all the third, and I post occassionally now, but I really never actually blogged, like I’m doing now, I guess.
I mean, actually, I guess I kind of have a few times, like the My Thoughts kind of deals.
Maybe, I should just keep up with that.
I just had the sudden urge to blog, just to write about my day or how I feel or something. I’ve only really done that when I was really depressed in the past or when something was bothering me. I don’t know, though…There is something a little, un-nerving about writing about my secret thoughts and feelings, or listing my whereabouts and daily schedule, or even just…I don’t know…Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. Most likely not, actually. But this was fun.
Maybe I’ll just put up little cute posts like this every now and then.
Well, anyway, just wanted to write something. I’ve been working extremely hard lately; I stayed up so late last night I only got like 3 hours of sleep and I’ve been kind of energized all day.
Hey, I think today was a good day.
Well, anyway, I’ve been stressed, and this was kind of a release.
“Bride and Prejudice”
Filled with pride and driven with the false assumptions that the world should be “cleansed,” becoming one unified culture lacking difference and unfamiliarity, imperialists tend to impose their ideas upon others. Often believing their own cultures to be superior, Englishmen have become known for imperialism, and Americans are now infamous for spreading their ways across the globe. With fears of imperialism rising in India, history and media continue to spread messages of concern. From the acts of Gandhi, to the movie, Bride and Prejudice, based off of Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, imperialism remains the enemy.
True to their culture, Indians become defensive against imperialism, each in his own individual way. Famous for his nonviolent rebellions and ways of life, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi became and Indian leader, defying imposed ideas and spreading his knowledge, wisdom, and peaceful ways. “In the end, you will walk out. Because 100,000 Englishmen simply cannot control 350 million Indians, if those Indians refuse to cooperate,” he remarked. Sharing these ideas, Lalita Bakshi from the film, Bride and Prejudice, rejected Mr. Darcy, the American businessman. Upset with the American businesses encroaching on India and converting the country from its true Indian roots into an American paradise, Lalita shares her opinions with Mr. Darcy and refuses him from sheer prejudice. Both feeling helplessly attacked, Gandhi and Lalita retaliate against their foreign enemies and eventually succeed.
Upset with the careless ignorance of the Englishmen and the Americans, Indians try to cry out. Against imperialism and frustrated with the changes imposed upon them, Indians create groups and rebel, or create movies and share their opinions. By taking a familiar English book and twisting it to show our faults, the message against imperialism was clearly delivered. With a firm belief and true loyalty to their country, Indians support Lalita’s message about standards, “Don’t force them on others.”
Well, I applied to Texas State University on November 23, 2009, trying to meet the scholarship deadline of December 15, but came across a whole lot of problems. :\ I don’t really want to go through it all, but Texas State was asking for things that my school was refusing to give me…Anyways, after many e-mails, phone calls, and application checking…the golden envelope finally arrived right before the new year.
I’ve been accepted to Texas State University in San Marcos! I will hopefully be attending this upcoming fall and will be majoring in Studio Art with All-Level Teacher Certification. Now, I just need to scrounge up all the money I can, a very difficult task…
“Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad
Like the heart that beats in a human’s body, or the very Earth we walk on, the African wilderness has great layers, depths, and volumes. Clearly demonstrating this in his novel Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad uses the names of the company’s stations throughout the congo to describe the levels of the wilderness and relate to the development of the story. Outer, Central, and Inner describe the surrounding areas of the heart of darkness, along with the heart itself. As the main character, Marlow, ventures from station to station, the story progresses along with his surroundings.
First arriving in Africa, Marlow arrives at the Outer station, a place on the outskirts of the true African wilderness. Still demonstrating the suffering the Natives have been forced to experience, and still showing the imperialism occurring, the madness that lies within the Inner Station is hinted at. Natives and manufactured goods arrive and depart, and chaos quietly stirs. The station, itself, is not nearly as muddled as further into the jungles, but was not comfortable enough for Marlow to wish to stay long.
Leaving the station with a caravan of 60 men, Marlow was relieved, yet he only found himself entering deeper into the darkness. Coming upon the Central Station, he was met with a run-down building with a neglected gap as a gate. It was obvious that a flabby devil was running the show as the manager, himself, was unable to manage. Living in a clay hut, he was surrounded with ghetto and poverty. In this contradiction, Marlow found himself growing nearer to the heart of Africa, the heart of darkness.
Finally following the river to the Inner Station, Marlow and his crew are met with a Native ambush. People are killed and blood is spewed as chaos and confusion spreads over the steamer. The fight drawing to an end, Marlow realizes where they have arrived, and enters the station. Mystery and confusion shrouds the place and hides its dark secret. Like the inner core of the Earth or the inner workings of a corrupted heart, the station is dark, resting in the heart of darkness. Surrounded by layers of turmoil and improper imperialism, it has become the center of a great evil.
As the novel progresses, Joseph Conrad uses the names of the stations to describe Marlow’s surroundings and journey through the darkness of the congo. As he draws nearer to the heart of darkness and nearer to the Inner Station, Marlow finds himself more and more surrounded by corruption and despair. Slowly progressing from each station to the next, the troubles developing as he continues, the story follows along with him. From the Outer Station to the Central Station to the Inner Station, the heart of darkness is revealed and exposed in stages.
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