"Communist Utopia" By Thomas Hornung

One thing that indicates communism in this painting the gray monotonous surroundings. The first thing I noticed about this painting was the lack of colors, but I think that was the artist's goal. He wanted his artwork to reflect the lack of individuality in a communist influenced society. The eyeballs also indicate communism. Its a symbol of the reminder people are always watching.

The artist feels as if communism takes away a person's individuality. This can be seen by the wall that used to be brick but is now covered in a gray solid concrete. This concrete is trying to conceal the individualism of the bricks. Another indication of this is the man walking down the sidewalk. He's dressed blandly in a gray coat and you can't even see his face or his features.

The painting is named "Communist Utopia" because it's mocking the thought that communism could be a utopia.

"2 plus 2 equals 5" by Radio head

The subject of this song is simply conformity, but Radiohead takes a closer look at it, and discovers the difficulty in resisting conformity, especially in a confusing world so confusing that "2+2 equals 5" and "January has april showers".

The songwriters' tone is resistant but indecisive. He first claims to feel incredibly passionate about resisting conformity. "It's the devils way now." but then at the very end of the song all of the built up passion of this resistance falls to the questioning lyrics, "maybe not, maybe not".


The the theme is, the appeal of conformity is often hard to resist. This can be seen in the song lyrics, "No way out", meaning there's no way out of conformity.

Bottacelli's "Loss of Innocence"

Innocence is the idea of being pure and naive and not yet jaded or tainted

You can't loose innocence in a sense that it's an object you can't find anymore but you can do or say something that makes you experienced or knowing.

One artistic technique that the artist used was the choice to show two differing sides next to the girl who was the main focus of the painting. I interpreted these sides as innocence and loss of innocence.
Another technique I the Bottacelli used was having the main girl turned slightly to the "loss of innocence" side, perhaps foreshadowing her choice?
The third technique was the choice of position of surroundings the main girl. For example Bottacelli placed her standing in a giant clam in the ocean. This places emphasis and importance on the girl herself. It allows the audience to see that she is the main focus of the painting.

"Don't You Want Me"

A man and a woman are dating and the woman leaves when she gets an economically secure perhaps from the man's doing.

The man is astonished that someone he's been with for so long could leave him, especially when he was there for her when her life wasn't that great.The woman wants to be independent and with her new job she wants a fresh start. She also thinks that landing her big job as an actress was her ability not her boyfriends.

This polarization of opinions is possible because when two people are in a conflicting situation a person is bound to think of themselves, and only see things from their point of view. It's hard to see things from another side when a person knows their right.

A real life example of this is when I was babysitting. When it comes to kids everything has to be a constant compromise. It was past the kid's bedtime and he wanted to keep watching T.V. so I told him that if he brushes his teeth and changes into his p.j.s then I would pause the show and he could watch ten more minutes of it.

Avett Brothers' "Shame"

The tone of the song "Shame" is remorse. Remorse is reflected in the song by the Avett Brothers' word choice of guilt, untender, and untrue. All of these words have to do with the causation and aftermath of remorse. For someone to act untender may cause regret. The same goes for untrue. If one is untrue than they are remorseful of their lies. The aftermath of of remorse is often guilt. Regret cause one to recognize their actions were wrong, causing guilt.

Love Language

The purpose of the film is to raise awareness of the lives of death people and to show they aren't that different from the rest of us. The film is effective because it focuses on a topic that a lot of us can relate to, which is liking someone, reciprocity, love etc. The director's choice of setting is also effective.
Having the film take place in a ordinary setting such as a park, allows it be even more relatable. This also adds the element of surprise to the film, because with such an ordinary setting and topic it would be surprising that the main character is extraordinary.

The feeling I am left with is relief. After revealing the girl was blind, the guy still remained a steady interest in her. I was worried that it would change things between them.

SNAP "Good Old Desk"

S- a reliable desk
N- Nilsson the song writer
A- the people who listen to Nilsson's music
P- Its a representation of something comforting and familiar

Once I figured out the song was written about god it did change my understanding of the song. My impression shifted from the song being about an inanimate object, to something very real to some people. At first I just thought it was silly and meaningless but it turned out to be quite the opposite.

"it's got no place to go"
"a giant of all times"
"never heard it cry"

SNAP The Singer Solution to World Poverty

S- "The Singer Solution to World Poverty" is about a man convincing people on why it is morally correct to donate money to less fortunate, impoverished people.
N- The narrator obviously feels strongly about donations. He clearly states that not helping the less fortunate makes you as morally equal to someone committing manslaughter. He is biased towards the idea but showing only one side to the argument. Only people who donate can be deemed as a good person.
A- This piece is for people, probably of the upper class who have money to donate and think donations are not a necessary part of their life. He wants to persuade them to think otherwise.
P- It was written to have people think that NOT donating money makes you an awful person; equal to manslaughter. It was written for the best interest of impoverished kids but might have targeted a more defensive side to me than giving.

SNAP pinch of poverty

s- The painting has a impoverished family in it, in a dreary setting in England.
n- The narrators culture shows through the painting by having poverty be important enough to the artist that he or she chose to paint about it.
a- This painting is for people to get more of an insight or idea on what a life is like in poverty.
p- We should get out of this painting that poverty was in no way easy. For example the oldest girl is already having sell flowers as a source of income for her family. Poverty life in this painting is tough and sullen.


Artistic Techniques- Having an subject such as children, who are suppose to be cheerful and happy, really shows how much poverty has affected them. The children are worn out look somewhat hopeless. Another artistic technique is the use of color palette. The colors are mainly neutral like browns and greys. Which gives the painting a dreary affect.

Sherpa claims

1. Sherpas often push their limits. Krakauer said regardless of conditions, it is very important for the sherpas to guide their group in order for a sense of income
2. Sherpas take pride in their job. Krakauer said it's the highest paying job in their villages
3. Sherpas are athletic. Krakauer said that because the sherpas already live at high altitude they are somewhat acclimated.

How do you define culture?

Culture is the doings and traditions of a society that make up an individual. A personal culture is the combinations of cultures in which an individual grew up in. For example, one's personal culture may be made up of Puerto Rican heritage and traditions and New York City, Bronx doings. Culture is extrinsic. It's not something that someone will be born knowing. For example the behavior one is actually born with may be acceptable in one culture, but in another is must be learned to do the opposite.

Fact vs. Claim

Fact
1. The boy is wearing a yellow shirt
2. The man sitting next to the boy is a police man
3. The painting takes place in the 1950's

Claim
1. The little boy is scared
2. The little boy's yellow shirt represent innocence
3. The man behind the counter is aging

The Pearl 50-100

In the second half of the book the pearl's identity is definitely not what it seemed. When first discovered the pearl promised hope and prosperity but it's "secret song" proved it was anything but that. The pearl made Kino into a different person. It made him compromise the safety of his family as well as his well-established morals. "The pearl's song" was perhaps the most evil of all the songs not because of what it made Kino did, but because it wasn't expected. It was the element of surprise that was the root of it's evilness. It took advantage of Kino and his family when they were vulnerable and susceptible of the pearl's false hope and prosperity.

One thing that did frustrate me was the recurrence of bad things happening to a humble, good family. In the story the family just can't seem to catch a break. No matter what happens, or where they go, it seems their utter bad luck follows them. First they must try to escape poverty but that in return back fires on them and results in escaping town and the death of their first and only child. Their bad luck did not begin with pearl but it did make them aware of what they were missing out on.

The pearl 1-50

In the first half of The Pearl we see and introduction to different types of songs. Throughout this half three main songs occur:"the family song", "the song of evil", and "the pearl's song. Each of the songs  are provoked by very different feelings. For example, "the family song" is often sung by Juana which allows Kino to contemplate in the comfort of his family. 'The family song" is reliable and familiar. "The song of evil" is first associated with the scorpion, which causes Coyotito great physical pain. Later, when doctor refuses to see Coyotito, Kino is described as furious and hearing "his enemy beat" in his ears. I first recognized the "enemy beat" as something similar to the "the song of evil". Each one deriving from something causing mental or physical pain, overpowering the pride and safety of "the family song".

"The pearl's song" is first described as sweet and melodious but with a "secret inner song", as if the pearl isn't really what meets the eye. The underlining meaning of the pearl still remains undiscovered, but its an intriguing beginning to revealing of the "inner song" hiding beneath the pearl's beauty.

pygmalion 100-130

 Mr. Doolittle inheriting the great sum of money was a bit far fetched. It was a good example of how people are treated differently because of social rank. Like how all of these long lost relatives appear out of now where to ask for money, but it was an event that was hard for me to believe.

I found what Eliza's says at the end of the book to be very interesting. "The difference between and lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated." This can be assumed with almost anything. Kings do not always act like royalty. They can be rude, selfish, greedy, and quite unfit to rule, but it is how the king's subjects view and treat the king that gives him power. For example, giving a King respect and responsibility gives a king power. Giving a king insults and criticism allows his subjects to object to his power. This was proven in Pygmalion because Eliza sometimes did have a bad temper throughout the book, but when she was just a flower girl, she was often criticized and blamed. When she assumed the appearance of a duchess her temper remained the same, but was treated differently because of her social rank. She was treated differently by everyone except Pickering.

pygmalion pg. 50-100

In this section of the book a whole new side is revealed of Higgins. A step into his personal life shows his very less-than-perfect self. Up until this point Higgins has struck me as a put together man who is prestigious in his work and social life. It isn't until I saw Higgins interact with his mother, when I began to think differently. His mother isn't proud of her son, but really she is embarrassed of him and thinks of him as a little bit less than a burden. Mrs. Higgins has good reason to though. Higgins often says things that are socially unacceptable and misplaced. Perhaps this has been going on the entire book, but I've failed to take notice in Higgins' faults because of his higher place in society.

One thing that I have noticed about Liza is that she has a very poor temper. She is easily set off and overreacts. An example of this would be when Liza confronts Higgins about not caring about her, as well as only being used as an instrument in a bet. Liza overreacts by throwing Higgins' slippers at him and raising her voice and spouting insults. Being used is an appropriate reason enough to become upset but it's not like Liza didn't know this was going on.

Pygmalion pg 1-50

In the first 50 pages of Pygmalion, we already see the incredible importance placed on language, pronunciation, and grammar to evaluate a person's class and potential prosperity. Liza's poverty and lack of education is reflected in the way she communicates with a person. Higgins, and expert in all things language, can almost immediately detect a persons origin just by the way they talk. Because Higgins is a prosperous character, there is an added importance to what this character does. His rank in society proves the significance of understanding a language in this particular setting.

I find Liza to be quite an interesting character. She has obviously been pushed around all her life and become a slave to her utter poverty, but when faced with unfairness she often becomes an emotional mess of crying and whimpering, like she had never encountered such a thing. For example, when Higgins and Pickering are discussing how successful Liza might be in a program Higgins is providing for her, she hollers and whimpers like some sort of animal. My assumption would be she acts this way because of her ignorance towards actual manners, and disliking being talked down to, she reacts in a way that will portray her disapproving instead of actually talking about it.

Another thing I find particular about Liza is her unwillingness to except an opportunity such as the one Higgins gives her. I guess in this case she's too overwhelmed with pride to see how much Higgins could improve her life. If I were in a situation similar to Liza's I would snatch up any opportunity given to me, especially knowing I couldn't go anywhere but up.