Brave New World #3

1. In writing Brave New World, what were Aldous Huxley's feelings towards the One State? Was the book a warning or merely an outline for the future?

2. Does the name Bernard Marx have an connection to Karl Marx? If so why did Huxley chose to name his character after this man?

3. From a general standpoint, 1984 and Brave New World can be taken as a distopian warning. Keeping that in mind, what are some similarities that you can find in the civilization we live in today with the societies of Brave New World and 1984?

Second Brave New World Post

1) Why does John quote Shakespeare so often?
Unlike the people of the World State John has not existed in a society where strong emotions and conlifts have been negated and as a result he uses lines from Shakespeare's plays to express how he feels and process these emotions. When first given the book, John has a revalation about his additudes towards Pope. "But [the word's] magic was strong and went rumbling in his head, and somehow it was as though he had never really hated Pope before; never really hated him because he had never been able to say how much he hated him" (140). John is now able to understand what the feelings he has for Pope are and what they mean. This leads John to use quotes from Shakespeare as a mechanism to understand and decode his emotions.

2)Could the purpose of the World State and its citizens be to parallel the dependence of their citizens on civilization and our dependence on civilizations?
When Linda begins living with the Savages she is completely inept at caring for John and unable to adapt in the ways that her surroundings need her to. This is meant to be a parallel of us as American's and our dependence on what we know to be civlization and life. "When he tore his clothes, Linda did not know how to mend them. In the Other Place, she told him, people threw away clothes with holes in them and got new ones" (138). At the time when Huxley wrote Brave New World, it was becoming much more common for people to not mend clothes but rather to purchase new clothing, as is still the case. Linda is representative of us and our lack of self capability. This suggests that is we were to be removed from our form of "civilivation" and stability that we would just as inept as Linda in taking care of ourselves and others.

3) Why is the book titled "Brave New World"?
Aldous Huxley chose to title his book in reference to John's quoting of Shakespeare in an effort to emphasize the role of the people of the World State and satirically link Shakespeare and the society that has sought to abolish free thought.  "By some malice of his memory the Savage found himself repeating Miranda's words. 'Oh brave new world that has such people in it'" (166). For the second time in the story John has said this quote but under very different circumstances. In this case John is saying the people and their actions he is witnessing are disturbing so he is ironically using the quote. The irony of using a Shakespeare quote to title a book about a world that has made free thought nearly impossible is important as well. Just as John is using the contrast difference so is Huxley with the title.

Brave New World #1

-The Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre is very instrumental in creating social stability and conformity. They create different classes of embryos that eventually are grown into human beings that are designed to perform designated functions in society. The classes are referred to as Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon. The Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon embryos are subjected to a procedure known as the Bokanovsky's Process, which allows for 96 identical twins to be produced from a single embryo. "Bokanovsky's Process is one of the major instruments of social stability!" (Huxley 21). By creating social stability the World State has there upon created social uniformity. Equality in the simplest form of the word has not achieved because each of the different classes is regarded to be of varying importance. However, within each class everybody is the same, as exemplified with the identical twins.

- The World State has essentially made strong emotions impossible to be felt by the population. Previously the people had been “mad and wicked and miserable" but now the emotions that caused such conditions are no more and therefore social stability is further reinforced (Huxley 54). Individual’s no longer posses genuine rights but rather predestinated privileges. "'We also predestine and condition. We decant our babies as socialized human beings, as Alphas or Epsilons, as future sewage workers'" (27). We can see that each baby is given a specific life path, leaving room for very little personal rights that would include freedom of choice.

- The World State has created conformity in one way by creating vast amounts of identical twins that are designated to do identical jobs. The creation of social classes plays a larger role in the conformity of the people as well. Everybody of the same social class conforms to the social class's predestinations. The illusion of happiness has also been creating by taking away the ability to think freely through physiological conditioning and soma, a drug. People do not have to address and resolve inner conflicts that they face concerning the World State because they have been conditioned to be loyal subjects.

-The society of the World State is to be considered a dystopia. The people are not given freedom but rather have had any freedom stripped from them. The government has created an idea of happiness in addition to systematically planning every aspect of life down to profession. This society is meant to serve as an example of a dystopia that has taken the human aspect out of being human and experiencing life.

SOAPSTone 2

SOAPSTone Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out

Subject

                The subject of Dave Barry’s Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out is the difference in men and women concerning their sensitivity to certain subjects. The disconnect between the two sexes is illustrated through Barry’s amusing anecdotes about his cleaning his son’s bathroom and his wife not recognizing the importance of a World Series game. With the bathroom anecdote the audience is able to compare Barry’s idea of dirt and how that applies to cleaning with his wife’s idea. The second anecdote is used to express the contrasting way men and women view the importance of sports. Barry examines a subject that men are much more aware of and women typically treat more flippantly.

Occasion

Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out was written during 1988. The essay’s time of creation is displayed by the introductory blurb at the beginning of the article that explicitly states the year it was published. Without this information the exact year or even decade the essay was written in would be difficult to difficult to distinguish. The audience would have been able to assume that the piece was written with the last 20 or 30 years based upon the language, technology mentioned, and the interactions between men and women.

                The time and place of the essay’s creation influence the essay in regard to how Barry writes about men and women. In the essay Barry tell the story of how his wife asked him to clean the bathroom and how their views of clean differed. From this bit of information we are able to see that men doing “women’s” was no longer an extremely taboo subject to discuss. Because of this shift in public values per say, Barry is liberated to talk freely about the fundamental differences that exist among men and women.

Audience

                Dave Barry’s specific audience for Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out was middle aged men. The author’s target audience is exhibited by taking a sympathetic tone towards the men in the story. Barry does not attack women, but he focuses more on men and portrays the difference of the sexes as having a negative impact on men in particular.

                Dave Barry’s general audience for the essay was individuals who can relate to having different outlook than those of the opposite sex. The author’s general audience is communicated with the fairness that each sex is treated with. Barry does not chastise either sex; instead, he merely points out distinctions between their behaviors. In doing so he creates a piece that is able to be read by both men and women and no one sex feels as if they have been pushed up against a wall.

Purpose

                Dave Barry’s purpose in Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out is to illustrate that men and women approach situations in life differently but harmony is attainable. The possibility for peaceful cohabitation is manifested by: “Soon all four of us [four male friends] were in there, watching the Annual Fall Classic, while the women prattled away about human relationships or something.” This quote from the text illustrates the harmony that is possible despite the stark contrasts between men and women. The harmony that developed was separate but that was a result of the realization that satisfaction came in different forms for both parties.

Speaker

                Dave Barry, possibly the funniest man in America, believes that a difference exists between men and women which influences the way they view life. The value is illustrated by the way Barry describes the reactions of men and women to different situations and stimuli. According the Barry, men are less perceptive to dirt while women are less interested in the world of sports. Both qualities are exemplified through the personal anecdotes.

                Dave Barry’s use of irony is evident in: “[The men of Pompeii] never even noticed the ash until it had for the most part covered the children.” Barry’s writing is somewhat representative of the peace that can be obtained between men and women. Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out deals with the touchy topic of gender differences but it does so in a manner that is both humorous and light hearted. Barry used his humor to show that harmony can exist between conflicting ideas in addition to making the attack of a serious subject seem less serious.

Tone

                David Barry shows a light-hearted and interested attitude about men and women’s different sensitivity levels toward certain subjects in Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out. These attitudes are expressed through the use of phrases that are unnecessary but add humor, such as: “Hey! the men [of Pompeii] said (in Latin).” These phrases are used to add a light hearted air to the essay. The language of the men is unimportant but the addition of it is comical. Barry’s tone is useful to the topic of the essay because it allows Barry to discuss gender difference without offending anyone.

Final 1984 Blog

As Winston sits at the cafe and contemplates his current position we are shown that Big Brother has indeed succeeded; Winston loves Big Brother. The rebellion that existed inside of Winston is gone and now he is free to buy into the propaganda of Big Brother. I feel this is the victory of Big Brother because Winston is now under their control which is what the purpose of the institution is.

The One State rules with such an iron fist that a form of revolt that would result in the downfall of Big Brother is highly unlikely. The fail safes that are in place to ensure such activities do not occur (the telescreens, the thought police, even children) are shown as being very effective in controlling the actions of people via fear. As a result the possibility of rising up in a unified number that would be strong enough to make a difference is highly doubtful. However, suspending logic for a moment, Big Brother could possibly be overthrown by the proles if they chose to unify. Winston even points this out while he is walking amongst their society. Big Brother does not dissect and manipulate every facet of prole life which leaves the door open for rebellious union amongst proles who so wished. They then could potentially riot and spread the idea of doubt among Party members which could snowball into widespread suspicion leading to a possible upheaval of Big Brother. Now, unsuspending logical thought processes, the likely hood of Big Brother being overthrown is slim to none.

Judging from the end of the novel Winston Smith sits at the cafe for a few more hours mulling over his love for Big Brother. When it is time for him to return home and obey curfew he will do so and the next morning return to work as normal. I interpret this from the quote, "I love Big Brother." Winston has finally succumbed to the authority of Big Brother and love the One Party like the countless other Party members. As a result of this he will engage in the behaviors that are seen as appropriate by Big Brother: obeying rules, working diligently, ect.

October 19, 2011

1.       The conflict is external and involves a differing of opinions concerning modesty and women.

2.       Different points of view among different types of individuals naturally result in opposing opinions. Often times these opposing views become the central point of conflicts. She is implying that Western ideals are dominant in the world and as a result ideals that are not parallel are often disregarded as being subordinate.

3.       As a result of globalization many people have visible role modles that at one time were not as prevalent. Women in many regions of the world are exposed to strong, independent such as Sandra Day o’ Connor.

4.       The constitution is the source of truth in Western society/ America. For Muslim society the Qur’an is the dominant source of truth.

2+2=5

1.       The world cannot be boiled town into a list of rights and privileges. Life is too complex, if someone tries to make all of life equal bad things happen. I draw this interpretation from the line “Are you such a dreamer/ to put the world into rights?”

2.       The tempo of the music up until the bridge was slow, nearly dreamlike, programmatic which coincided with the message of the lyrics. I also noted that there seemed to be a shift at the end of the song right before “maybe not”.

3.       The song seems to describe a world where personal liberty is not important and common sense things about life are not so common sense anymore. To me this is extremely similar to the society that Orwell has created in 1984. 

Aristotle October 25, 2011

1.       I feel that Aristotle meant it takes a smart, intelligent mind to argue for an idea without believing it themselves. I agree with this because from personal experience I have found that it is easy to argue for something if I agree with but not so easy when the conviction is removed. Being able to evaluate an idea from multiple stand points also helps to strengthen one’s opinion or argument.

Me vs. We October 24, 2011

1.       Individualistic cultures would consider independence and personal power to be paramount while collectivist cultures value loyalty and selflessness.

2.        I would guess that individualistic cultures would value status more than collectivist cultures. Age would be highly valued in a collectivist culture because it stands to represent experience which in turn reflects knowledge. In an individualistic culture having a Ph. D would serve to elevate your status because it represents knowledge in most individualistic cultures. Both cultures value status, however status is interpreted differently in each culture.

3.       If she were to move from a collectivist culture to an individualistic culture she may encounter issues where her bosses may expect her to speak her mind or give her opinion but she may keep her head down because it is what she is used to. As a result her bosses may assume she is incompetent and not well suited for the job.

4.       An acquaintance is someone you know but not on an intimate level. For me, the word personally has a negative connotation. I typically use the word to describe someone I know but don’t really care for.

1984 Blog Post #2

I believe Winston has latched onto the ideas and vague memories that he has from a time when Big Brother was not in control. As a result of this he is unable to fully accept what the Party establishes as truth and normalcy. Winston also has a strong drive to be free and do as he pleases, which we see manifested in his relationship with Julia. He described his trist with the prole prostitute with great disgust and at the same time longed for a trully intimate incounter with another human being. The opportunity arose to fornicate, if you will, with Julia and he jumped at the chance despite the strict regulations that had been established by Big Brother. His drive to experience free and uninhibited sex left him with a complete disregard for said restrictions.

From the standpoint of Winston everything he thinks, does, or feels that is in oppostion to the Party and Big Brother is an act of defiance. His questioning of the Party and what they have reduced the human experience down to is an act of defiance in and of itself. The Party leaches its power from the citizens of Oceania as a direct result of the people's ignorance and inabilty to think for themselves, to not question any order or law that is said to be fair and valid. Inevitably, the last thing Big Brother wants is for people to think deeply or to understand the main intentions of the Party (ex:Syme). Winston seems to thrive off of the rebellion but at the same time views it as being extremely negative in terms of his personal safety. As he understands this he appears not to care because the oppostite, falling in line and saluting Big Brother full heartedly, is even worse.

In the world in which we live there are innumberable examples of protests that are aimed at governmental control and personal liberty. Due to the expanisve amount of freedom that we as Americans are given, the rebellions take different forms, but they are no less different than those of Winston in 1984. Take the Tea Party for example. It is composed of people who are disgruntled at the government's treatment of monetary funds and what they interepret to be their personal liberties. As a result, they have organized into a cohesive group that protests and questions what they believe is wrong with American governemnt. This is extremely similar to Winston protesting Big Brother by thinking for himself and abandoning regulations such as not have sex outside of marriage, if ever. Due to the Party's high level of power Winston and likeminded people are unable to unify into a societal force that openly challenges Big Brother's principals. Instead, Winston rebels in the only ways he knows how. Fundamentally, Winston's small acts of rebellion are synoymous with large protests like the Tea Party.

First 1984 Reading Journal

How have they created equality or conformity?
- The government, Big Brother, controls everything and closely monitors all activities of citizens.
 How have they reduced conflict, specifically in regards to religion, relationships, and individual rights?
- All people are required to agree with Big Brother so whatever Big Brother says goes. Indiviual rights are not much of a concern. If an individual thinks thoughts against Big Brother they are promptly disposed of.
-On the outside looking in, the society of 1984 is a dystopia. The people have very little personal freedom and are always under the watchful of Big Brother. Some people, like the main character, have similar ideas about the oppression of Big Brother, but many of the individuals in the story are oblivious and simply go along. This begs the question of whether or not the classification of 1984 society as a dystopia is because it truly is or because we know the greatness of freedom and liberty.

Utopia October 11, 2011

- A utopia is a perfect world, a paradise.
- My ideal world would be a place where food, fresh water, and love abound. The difficulty of life is incurable and neccisary for human growth. I appreciate the hurdles of this world and feel they "build character" for lack of a better term. I do howerver wish that all people were able to access food, water, and love because those are the three things that I feel are needed to live.
- My utopia would have an everchanging soundtrack to fit the setting or events of the world. All the music would be instrumental so that each person can draw their own feelings and inspiration from the music.

"You Were Right" Sept 30, 2010

·      1. The song is about two individuals who had a falling out. I think this because the song ends with “You were right/ This is the end" which I believe is in reference to their relationship.

·         2. The tempo and dynamics at the end of the song help to get across the writer's tenderness and emotion toward the subject matter. At the close of the song the tempo slows and the dynamics become softer.

·         3. The song was effective in portraying the emotions and writer's intent. The strong drums express the writer's feeling of anger and the lessening of dynamics at the end are very expressive of how the artist felt.

"Young Life" Bo Barlett

1. The young boy feels isolated from his brother.

• The boy is standing away from the man and the man's girlfriend

2. The boy is the childhood representation of man.

• The boy is holding a stick similarly to the man and his gun and his clothes look similar to the man's clothing, just not as worn.

3. The boy's stick represents his future while the stumps are the man and woman's limited futures.

• The stick extends past the boy's head but the stumps stop abruptly.

"Shame" Avett Brothers 9/26/11

Subject: the shame the speaker feels for his misdeeds

Tone: melancholy

Words: Boatloads- The massive of amount of shame he feels
             Posing- He was faking his feelings and feels shame for it
             Sinking- negative connotation that creates a sense of loss

Reading Critically 9/28/11

When reading an essay critically the author suggests that the reader follow certain steps.
The Title- The reader should identify the title and establish what the title says about the piece as a whole.
The Author- It would be beneficial to the reader to who the author is in an attempt to understand any bias the author may write under or how they will write.
Medium of Publication- Knowing where a work was published is helpful in knowing who the content of the essay is directed towards. Understanding who is the intended audiance gives the reader a window into what the article is about.
Time of Publication- The content of an essay is better understood when the reader knows the time period the work was written in. The legitimacy and bias of an article can be intepreted when the reader has knowledge about the overall climate the work was published in.
First Reading- The first time an essay is read it is advised that the reader have a pencil on hand to circle words that are unclear. A topical analysis is best for the first read; the reader should begin to examine the essay on a more in depth level after having an understanding of what the work is about.

"Eleanor Rigby" Dubstep vs. Beatles

1. I like the Beatles version best. the sound was very naturall. I really like classical music and the string influence appealed to that part of my musical taste. I felt like my sould was able to move along with the music.
2. I think the Beatles version is more pleasing to listen to. based on the idea of mastery, the Beatles have one up on the dubstep version. The sound of the Beatle's song flows much better with the feeling of the song and the lyrics than the dubstep.

Sign Language 9/9/11

1. Take notice of the things that normally be missed.
2. 1)He says his friend is planning a hijinx, but doesn't connect it with his retiring.
    2)The signs: people seem to ignore them but they often contain useful information.
    3) The music is playing in the background but it blends in until He realizes his friends did plan       something for him; at which time the music becomes audible.
3. The setting. If the weather was better, observing the smaller joys in life would not seem as difficult, or even necessary.

Shooting an Elephant

Shooting an Elephant SOAPSTone

Josh Day

9/7/11

4^th Hour English

Subject

The subject of George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant is the author’s account of killing an elephant while working as an English police officer in Burma circa 1920 and how this is an example of the coexistence of good and evil in a being or institution. The existing conflict between what is good and evil is present in the elephant as well as the British rule over Burma (1920s) and is illustrated through an ongoing metaphor of imperialism representing the elephant. Orwell starts out by discussing imperialism and how he sides with the Indians but because of his profession must remain an active worker of English imperialism. This idea is paralleled with his views towards the elephant. He understands that the elephant has caused extensive harm to the Burmese citizens but at the same time it had settled down when Orwell reaches it, causing him to question whether or not killing the creature is still necessary.

Occasion

The time of George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant is circa 1920s. The 1920s is illustrated by the evident lack in technology that forces people to use elephants as workers. Various other references to things such as huts give the impression that advances in things such as living have yet to infiltrate Burma.

The place of George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant is Burma. Burma is illustrated by the direct telling that the essay is taking place in Burma and referring the people as Burmese.  

Audience

George Orwell’s specific audience for Shooting an Elephant is people who support imperialist societies and forms of government. The author’s target audience is exhibited by his focusing on imperialism in the beginning of the essay and then his metaphor with the elephant.

The author’s general audience for the essay is the English population that is at all familiar with imperialism. The author’s general audience is expressed by his overall view of imperialism accompanied with personal experiences.

Purpose

George Orwell’s purpose in Shooting an Elephant is to persuade people to realize that imperialism degrades society and is bad. The evils of imperialism are illustrated by Orwell killing the elephant so as to keep him from looking like a fool, and because he was in a position of power he was free to do so. The purpose is further revealed by the graphic detail in which the death of the elephant was described, making Orwell appear to be the monster.

Speaker

George Orwell, established novelist, believes imperialism is bad. This value is illustrated by the degradation of Orwell’s own conscience as he was faced with the pressure of appearing foolish or killing what had become a harmless animal. He did not want to look like a fool in front of his lesser thans that his imperialist job gave him place over. Orwell included his ideas about imperialism because it helped to strengthen his argument that was already influenced by his beliefs.

Tone

George Orwell exhibits a sympathetic and remorseful attitude about the killing of the elephant and imperialism in Shooting an Elephant. These attitudes are expressed with phrases such as “I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors” and “It seemed dreadful to see the great beast Lying there, powerless to move and yet powerless to die, and not even to be able to finish him.” We can see that he has sympathy towards the Burmese because of their oppression and feels remorseful about killing the elephant as he goes into great detail about its death and how unbearable it was to be witness to. This established tone serves to further Orwell's feelings about imperialism. The imperialistic pressures he felt resulted in his brutal killing of the elephant.

Norman Rockwell's "The Runaway"

The 1950s were a time of great change for America. The economy was booming, the government was strong, and life was good. Slowly though, the social climate began to evolve as the youth of the nation began to distance themselves for the values and ideals of past generations. At first glance this shift is not blatantly evident with idealistic portrayals of 1950s life in popular culture such as Leave It to Beaver and The Andy Griffith Show exhibiting youth marching right alongside their parents and grandparents. This gap of generations is apparent with other mediums of culture, such as painting of everyday life; most notably those of Norman Rockwell. [insert thesis *that I forgot to write down*]

"Across the Universe" the Beatle

1)

• words fly like rain
• broken light dancing
• shining love.

2) I am confident that the images in the sogn are symbols, but due to my lack of understand about the song and my inadequate interpretation skills I do not know that they are symbols for. The song writer included them in the song for a reason, but I am no sure what they are to represent.

3) The American flag is a symbol that I encounter on a daily basis which I know to be a symbol. the flag symbolizes America's strenght and liberty. The strong colors themselves stand to remind us of America's history as a small group of colonies (red) and the transformation in a nation of 50 states connected in freedom (stars in blue).

"Inspirational Information" by Shuggie Otis (1974)

1. The song feels mellow and free flowing. Occasioanally there is a meleanocholy feeling that appears but then quickly decipates and a feeling of utter happiness is left in its place.
2. The background bass was steady and slow which blended well with the vocal. This helped to create the free flowing feeling. There was not any harsh contrast between the instruments, they all worked together in harmony. I feel like this helped to create the happy feeling of the song.
3. Because none of the sounds clashed they were effective in creating a happy feeling. The melancholy feeling slipped in occasionally as the sounds were soft and slow while the vocals complimented them.

"Semeadores" by Diego Rivera

Subject- Two workers plowing an empty field.
Occasion- A revolution in Latin America where communism was becoming popular.
Audiance- The people of Latin America.
Purpose- To persuad people toward the cause of the communist movement.
Speaker- Diego Rivera was a Mexican supporter of the Communist movement.
Tone- Rivera seems sympathetic toward the workers.

I feel that Rivera was trying to get the viewers of his painting to feel sympathy for the workers. They were faceless, could be anyody, which would not distract the viewer from connecting with them.

8/22 Song Process

*sorry for the title, I forgot to write down the correct one in class.

They begin to make the music in the way they think it should sound and then go back to dissect the music and make alterations.

I look at the instructions I have been given and decide exactly what I need to do. Then I build off the initial idea to formulate a thesis. Once I have a thesis I start to brainstorm the topics for my following paragraphs. I attempt to create a bare bones draft of my piece of which I revise as I type it. The majority of my first drafts are handwritten with numerous alterations and then I type it.

Nostalgia

Nostalgia is the feeling of longing for the past in a way that tends to be romantisized. The emotions are often brought upon by an encounter with something that is in some way linked to the person's past.

I envision a group of "young people" dancing in a diner Grease style. The guys have slicked hair and are wearing blue jeans and white t-shirt. The girls have on pink poocle skirts, white shirts with a collar, and black patten leather shoes.
The second song: The first thought that popped into my head was Marilyn Monroe seranading JFK at his birthday dinner.

I get a very nostalgic when I watch tv shows that I once watched as a yound kid. Immediately I think of the house I lived in and the Saturdays when I would be glued to the television for a good 2 hours watching cartoons. The holiday's tend to make me very nostalgic. I have always attibuted my love for the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, to the magic and love in the air. Sometimes I will smell a strong cinnamon candle because my grandmother's house smelled like that one year and the memory stuck.

The Pinch of Poverty

The poor do not have the ability to make enough money to afford necessities. Sometimes that is because the market is controlled the "haves" who's least common interest are the "have-nots". Other possibilities are that there are not enough jobs or ways to make a living for every family. Poverty tends to be a cyclical cycle that one is born into and can be very hard to get out of.

The portrayal of poverty is definitely negative. The faces of all the subjects are sullen. The color of these sullen faces is pale; a sickly pale. The surrounding scene is grey and appears to be raining. Nothing seems to be alive. All hope has gone from the world. Except, the little girl's face appears to have a glimmer of hope. I saw this in her eyes and lips that seemed to almost be in a slight smile.

Hope is the defining part of any bad situation. The girl is holding a basket of bright yellow flowers. Her face, while not happy, seems to hold more hope than the others. She is set aside from the rest of her family. Because of her placement she is not against the backdrop of iron bars like her mother and siblings. Her hope has set her free. The flowers she is selling are a bright yellow which I feel symbolizes the hope that they hold. Through the selling of these flowers the girl will have money that could lessen the poverty pains.

The first aspect is her placement in the painting. The second is the bright yellow color of the flowers.

Poverty

"Live Free and Starve" by Chitra Divakaruni suggested that disallowing factories to hire children would be a worse fate for the kids than the current state of their lives. The author brought up points that pulled at the heart strings but failed to provide substantial evidence for her argument. After reading the article I was still not convinced that instituting a law of sorts that protected child rights would have a great negative impact. I was left pondering the possibility of such a law and if it were real would monopoly that factories have take a blow? Would they not be forced to hire adults or raise the individual wages? The work must be done, someone has to do it, and I have a feeling there would not be a shortage of able workers who are not children but rather the care takers of kids. I do agree with a point that she brings up, even if it is to be used as a straw man. "A Bill like the one we've just passed is of no use unless it goes hand in hand with programs that will offer a new life to these newly released children." I sincerely agree with the author, things of that nature need to be addressed by the UN. Peter Singer wrote an article on the topic on poverty titled "The Solution to World Poverty" that addresses the issue of poverty from a slightly different angle. He makes the argument that every working adult in the modern world has the potential to help bring an end to world poverty. "For a household bringing in $50,000 a year, donations to help the world's poor should be as close as possible to $20,000." The large figure comes after subtracting approximately $30,000 for necessities; the rest goes to charity. With the argument given by Singer, anybody who does not give this extremely is consciously committing murder. In the way he described the situation of giving and morality I found myself agreeing with his argument. On the other hand, I do not think every human with the opportunity has the obligation to attempt saving the world. Towards the end of his article he states that we must not try denying we do not have the ability to end poverty for many but rather to realize it and accept it as truth. I agree with this, the capability to donate $20,000 is available but we don’t do it and often have no problem with that. We should not try and make excuses.

With the second article I realized mid-way through that I was becoming very agitated with the author and his article. I agreed with the majority of what he was saying but was still irritated. Quickly, I understood why. The style of writing Singer used reminded me of a classmate who has the tendency to irritate me. After realizing this I tried to not let it completely color the way I was interpreting the article or Singer's points that he laid out.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti "Round & Round"

The musical facts that I picked out were focused on things such as tempo and the bass line in the background. I noticed these specific details of the song before paying  attention to the barely audible lyrics and vocalistic aspects. As a result of this, my opinion was formed around the elements like tempo and background beat rather than things like the lyrics; which I could care less about. When approaching music I try to limit my bias and the effect it has on my opinion. Typically the only type of music I hate is country, so the bias did not influence the way I felt about the song.