Wednesday 09/05/12
SNAP this song. What is he talking about in this song? What if I told you the that desk is a symbol for God, how does that change your impression of the song? Look through the song lyrics and find three instances
S - A man and his feelings towards his desk.
N - A man who loves his desk. Perhaps lonely but content?
A - Any desk fanatics.
P - Not really to inform, but more like announcing and/or expressing his
feelings towards his desk.
Oh, Good Old Desk is a symbol for God . . . ?
My impression of the song changes from comedic to slightly awkward, having grown up in an atheist home. I can tolerate and accept this symbol, but at the same time I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel. In any case, knowing that symbol makes the song make a lot more sense.
Alright, Lyric-Support time.
Support One: "I've never seen it [the desk] tease." This is referring to the fact that God is benevolent
Support Two: "A giant of all times." God is (from what I've heard) a Brobdingnagian* figure who literally stands tall in front of everyone.
*Brobdingnagian is a word meaning extremely large. I searched through a web-comic just to find it for you. You're welcome.
Support Three: "We never say a word." This is probably controversial, but from what I understand God (at least now) doesn't directly converse with individuals (who are alive?)
Again, I wouldn't know, I apologize if I'm wrong about something.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Short Film: "Love Language"
Wednesday 09//19/12
What is the purpose of this film? How is the film effective or ineffective in achieving this purpose (be specific)? With what feeling are you left with and why?
The purpose of this shamelessly-adorable short film is to raise awareness of deaf people (in this film, specifically adolescents and young adults) and how they are just as human as people who can hear. (I hesitate to say this film extends to all physically conditioned people, seeing as this specifically is about deaf people. In theory, though, it could work).
The purpose was rather effective, because although there were some hints about the girl's hearing impediment (such as "not having a number), one would just assume she was listening to music. Even at the "big reveal," the message "you're still beautiful" really shows that the guy in the film sees this girl as an equal.
If you couldn't tell from my description of "Love Language," I thought that this film was cute and I was left with tender feelings. My mind just finds so many "aw" factors about the whole acceptance theme and unconditional love. This may be the human condition, I'm not sure. I haven't interacted with enough people to say for sure. I just know that thinking about the lives of those characters with their post-it note filled everything is cute to me.
The Beatles: "Blackbird"
Thursday 09/27/12
Pick out three words or phrases that might not be literal and figure out for what they are symbols. Think about things like how they would work in conjunction to establish one single effect and determine what that might be. Also remember when the song was written (1968), and what may have been going on at that time.
Symbols:
- Blackbird.
- Broken Wings.
- Darkness, Sunken Eyes.
At this time there was an issue arising, and it was called civil rights and the struggle for equality. Specifically, the fight was for African-American rights, hence why the bird of choice for this song is Blackbird. The bird could have been a dove, a duck, or even a fruit (well, okay, maybe not a fruit), but the author chose a blackbird to symbolize the people who were fighting for their freedom.
Speaking of freedom, I believe that is what the broken wings symbolize - sort of. More accurately, the broken wings are a symbol for the lack of freedom. Putting into a metaphor, freedom for the people of that time was very much like broken wings: they could still fly with some effort, but it was 'gonna hurt.
Finally, we have a sort of darkness motive, added to with "sunken eyes." Literally, this is taken into a sort of blindness. Figuratively, this same blindness is actually inequality. Light, in this case, is the ever-wanted equality, however the bird is now just "singing in the dead of night."
Friday, October 26, 2012
Botticelli: "Loss of Innocence"
Thursday 10/25/12
Define Innocence. How can you lose it if it's intangible? If we assume the title of this painting is also the theme of this work, discuss three specifics from the painting that supports the theme.
No one minds if I refer to a tarot card, correct? Good.
The card I'm thinking about is number zero, The Fool. It symbolizes a beginning, filled with naivety, a lack of knowledge and experience, and a lack of worry. I believe that this fits the definition of innocence.
So the way to "lose" this abstract thing is actually very simple. You gain knowledge. You grow. You learn. And as all of this happens, you begin to worry. You start planning for what will happen, and prepare for what is to come. You plan with the knowledge you've gained, and continue on with the journey of life. And you can't go back. You've lost the beginning, the naivety, the innocence.
(I'm sorry about that, I made it sound too dramatic, at least in my head it did.)
As for the picture itself, it does have a few symbols that carry the theme "loss of innocence." The first is the naked girl in the center of the picture (Venus, by the way), who symbolizes the aforementioned innocence. She's portrayed as a beautiful woman only slightly covering herself. She doesn't even seem to be aware of what's going on around her. This goes back to the definition mentioned beforehand, and is important seeing as innocence is the subject of the theme.
The next symbol is the woman carrying the cloth over to Venus captures the image of an "corrupted" person. She is the opposite of Venus, seeing as the woman is clothed and concerned about her [Venus] standing in the nude (this is evident in the cloth she is carrying - it's spread out, ready to cover over any sight).
The third is more for extra effect: the sea in the background. On a quick glance, the sea somewhat resembles snake scales. Snakes are often a symbol for sin, which is a direct antonym for innocence.
And that's how we became the corrupted bunch.
Define Innocence. How can you lose it if it's intangible? If we assume the title of this painting is also the theme of this work, discuss three specifics from the painting that supports the theme.
No one minds if I refer to a tarot card, correct? Good.
The card I'm thinking about is number zero, The Fool. It symbolizes a beginning, filled with naivety, a lack of knowledge and experience, and a lack of worry. I believe that this fits the definition of innocence.
So the way to "lose" this abstract thing is actually very simple. You gain knowledge. You grow. You learn. And as all of this happens, you begin to worry. You start planning for what will happen, and prepare for what is to come. You plan with the knowledge you've gained, and continue on with the journey of life. And you can't go back. You've lost the beginning, the naivety, the innocence.
(I'm sorry about that, I made it sound too dramatic, at least in my head it did.)
As for the picture itself, it does have a few symbols that carry the theme "loss of innocence." The first is the naked girl in the center of the picture (Venus, by the way), who symbolizes the aforementioned innocence. She's portrayed as a beautiful woman only slightly covering herself. She doesn't even seem to be aware of what's going on around her. This goes back to the definition mentioned beforehand, and is important seeing as innocence is the subject of the theme.
The next symbol is the woman carrying the cloth over to Venus captures the image of an "corrupted" person. She is the opposite of Venus, seeing as the woman is clothed and concerned about her [Venus] standing in the nude (this is evident in the cloth she is carrying - it's spread out, ready to cover over any sight).
The third is more for extra effect: the sea in the background. On a quick glance, the sea somewhat resembles snake scales. Snakes are often a symbol for sin, which is a direct antonym for innocence.
And that's how we became the corrupted bunch.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Human League: "Don't You Want Me"
Monday 10/22/12
"Don't You Want Me" by the Human League; what is going on in this song (describe the narrative)? Explain the two separate interpretations of the same situation. How is it possible that two people can have such different takes on the same situation? Give an example from you own life as evidence.
Ohhhhh~-- okay enough of that, let's get onto what's going on here.
The narrative is as follows: The man (probably a manager of sorts) spots a waitress (at a cocktail bar). They start to date, and in some form or another the woman becomes famous. These events happen within the span of five years, and come the end of the five years the couple is breaking up. The song given tells this story and the thoughts of the couple themselves.
The first interpretation is of the man: He's upset about the break-up, and wants to walk away with some pride. Therefore, he claims that he is responsible for the woman's fame (and can "put [her] back down too").
The second is from the woman, who really finds herself not caring too much about the break-up (in the very least she admits she had fun and "still loves [him].") However, in her perspective she was going to be famous whenever she had met him or not.
In my personal opinion, I believe this "contradicting of perspectives" is produced from the human nature (or, more accurately, the "post-break up" nature) of wanting to gain more than the other person. As I've mentioned about, the man wants the pride of being able to say that this wonderfully famous woman was essentially his creation, seeing as he does actually know the break up is serious. At the same time, the woman wants to prove the man wrong and say that she got to this point independently (in all truth, what woman doesn't?). It's the concept of winning that is favorable to this former couple, and that is the striving force behind the contrasting perspectives.
Very similar to how my classmates and I would play volleyball. It's not uncommon to argue about whenever the ball was in or out. The issue arises since either team would benefit point wise depending on the verdict.
"Don't You Want Me" by the Human League; what is going on in this song (describe the narrative)? Explain the two separate interpretations of the same situation. How is it possible that two people can have such different takes on the same situation? Give an example from you own life as evidence.
Ohhhhh~-- okay enough of that, let's get onto what's going on here.
The narrative is as follows: The man (probably a manager of sorts) spots a waitress (at a cocktail bar). They start to date, and in some form or another the woman becomes famous. These events happen within the span of five years, and come the end of the five years the couple is breaking up. The song given tells this story and the thoughts of the couple themselves.
The first interpretation is of the man: He's upset about the break-up, and wants to walk away with some pride. Therefore, he claims that he is responsible for the woman's fame (and can "put [her] back down too").
The second is from the woman, who really finds herself not caring too much about the break-up (in the very least she admits she had fun and "still loves [him].") However, in her perspective she was going to be famous whenever she had met him or not.
In my personal opinion, I believe this "contradicting of perspectives" is produced from the human nature (or, more accurately, the "post-break up" nature) of wanting to gain more than the other person. As I've mentioned about, the man wants the pride of being able to say that this wonderfully famous woman was essentially his creation, seeing as he does actually know the break up is serious. At the same time, the woman wants to prove the man wrong and say that she got to this point independently (in all truth, what woman doesn't?). It's the concept of winning that is favorable to this former couple, and that is the striving force behind the contrasting perspectives.
Very similar to how my classmates and I would play volleyball. It's not uncommon to argue about whenever the ball was in or out. The issue arises since either team would benefit point wise depending on the verdict.
Bo Bartlett: "Young Life"
Tuesday 10/02/12
Art Selection: "Young Life" by Bo Bartlett: Make three claims about this painting. Support each claim with one fact about the painting. One claim should be about the culture of the artist.
Claim 1: The painter is probably southern influenced.
Fact to support: The man in the painting is holding a hunting rifle. (Hunting is
often seen as a southern label).
Claim 2: The deer's placement is important and symbolizes the preservation
of the couple's culture.
Fact to support: The deer is placed over the couple (like an arc).
Claim 3: The couple is a happy couple.
Fact to support: Body placement (close to each other, arm around each other,
woman resting her head on man, etc.)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)