An Opportunity

Sanchez Monica
English 105, M-W
Professor: Amanda Reyes

Summary of piece #1

A pastel colored picture shows two immigrants looking through what appears to be the boarder that divides Mexico with the United States. The wall is very high and at the very top you can the sharp pointy spirals that make it impossible for anyone to climb it. In this picture you can see crosses attached to the wall going across the wall. If you look closely to the crosses you'll notice there's names written on each cross a long with the country the person lived in. Each cross represents someone who dies attempting to cross the boarder. The clouds look a bit dark as if the day was gloomy. There is a lot of dirt as if they're in a desert place. One of the guys is sitting on top of his belongings on him while the other one just has a sweater tied around his waist.

Analysis of piece #1

This painting is called two immigrants created by Christian Faltis. He is a professor and oil painter. Many people can relate to what's going on in this picture because loosing someone in attempt to coming to the United States is a common problem. It is very sad when you don't know what happened to your love one and last time you spoke to that person they told you they were coming to the United States but never made it. People die in attempting to cross the boarder daily. There is always risks in coming here as illegal immigrants.

Summary of piece #2

Young hard working children/adults working on a hot day. In this picture you can see three children dressed very poorly. They are carrying heavy buckets on their shoulder. Their face expressions show that the buckets are heavy. One kid looks tired, he is closing his eyes while carrying the bucket, the other kid is in the middle with  a hat on and the other kid looks red and tired. In the background you can see a lot of green plants and dirt on the ground. Second picture you can see hard working adults all wearing straw hats in a hot day. All the adults are sitting down with  their knees on what appears to be a vegetable field. There is buckets and big bags around the field where they are putting the stuff in, and you can see someone wearing a total different outfit then the rest so I'm guessing that's their boss.

Analysis of piece #2

Children in other countries start working at a very young age. They start helping out their parents really young due to their financial struggle. Illegal immigrants work so hard to provide for their families. They are willing to work long hours on hot days without complaints.

Summary of piece #3.

A picture taken of Central American people on board of La bestia (deadly train) shows exactly how packed the train gets of people trying to come to the United States. This train is very long. You can see adults, children, babies on board. There is hardly any space, people are literally hanging from one arm, others are standing. People are way at the top while others are way at the bottom. Their is a lot of trees around them. Aside of the people who are already on board you can see other people are still standing on the bottom waiting to catch a spot on the deadly train.

Analysis of piece #3

La bestia is a primary travel way that Central Americans prefer. Risking their lives they board this deadly train. A lot of people have died while on board or have been critically injured. Some examples are people falling asleep while on board they have slipped off and died, some others have been shot by gangs on board, others have lost their legs or arms. Its a big risk boarding this train. Pretty scary if you ask me.

Summary of piece #4

In this painting you can see an American flag in one half and Mexican flag on the other side. People on the side of the Mexican flag walking towards the American flag. There is one girl in the middle which you can see a shower above her head wetting her completely. People are walking in a straight line. The front guy is green, some people are bare footed, while others are wearing boots or sandals. It must be a hot day because most people are wearing shorts and you can see a guy wearing his muscle shirt while his t-shirt is folded on top of his shoulder.

Analysis of piece #4

This painting was painted by Juan Carlos Marcia's. This painting is displayed in the National museum. In this picture he is describing the code-switching of crossing the boarder from being Mexican, to what people consider a white washed Mexican American. This is a transition that every Chicano/Chicana can relate to.

death with dignity activist exhibition

Taylor Hosea

Amanda Reyes

English 105

26 November 2015

Summary of Piece 1

A black and white photo depicts a small frail body that is laying in a hospital bed.  The individual is bald and has a blank stare on their face.  The patient is abnormally thin and is propped up in their hospital bed.  There is a woman who is feeding the patient what looks like some type of food with a liquid consistency.  The woman who is feeding the patient has a look of concern and fear on her face but the patient shows no interest to the woman.  All around the patient’s bed are hospital machines; some include an IV and what looks like a heart monitor.  You can tell that the patient is propped up in their bed by the angle of the hospital bed they are laying on.  Although the patient is bald you can tell she is a woman by her long painted acrylic nails and her earrings.  The patient looks to the left but you cannot see what she is looking at.  The woman who is trying to feed her is in a white lab coat but it is unclear if she is a doctor or a loved one.  The patient is the main focus of this image because she is located in the center of the image; the woman feeding her is located off to the right of the image.  The people in this photo are either in some sort of hospital or a setting where there is hospital equipment present.

Analysis of Piece 1

This image of a lady laying in a hospital bed being spoon fed by another woman shows the ultimate suffering people with terminal illness have to endure.  The way the woman is positioned it is clear that she is so frail and weak that they had to prop her up in her own hospital bed so that she is able to sit up.  The blank stare that she wears on her face can either be a drug induced stare or it can also be that she is so indifferent to the suffering she is enduring because it has been going on for so long.  When I saw this image the first thing I thought of was the Holocaust because the people you see in the photos who have been starved for weeks resemble the patient in the photo.  The woman looks as though she has not eaten in weeks and looks very weak.  People with terminal illnesses do not have the choice to decide to not live like this they have to simply live their life like this daily.  Imagine what it would be like not being able to feed yourself because you or so weak or not being able to lift your own body up.  No human being deserves to live like the woman in the picture but each year people with terminal illnesses spend the last days of their lives suffering; if we made death with dignity laws less people would have to suffer and more people would be able to die a humane, dignified death.

Summary of Piece 2

This song is written by Sufjan Stevens and it is entitled “Death with Dignity”.  The song opens up with the line, “Spirit of my silence I can hear you” and then goes on to state that the person does not know where to begin.  The artist then in the next verse repeats again that he does not know where to begin and also speaks about a tired old mare.  The artist sings about how he or she has lost their strength, however, the listener is unsure if it is physical or mental because they do not give this away.  In the third verse which is the next verse the artist ponders on whether or not a person is a friend and goes on to say that you never know until the end, but the listener does not know what he means by the end because he does not come out and say it directly.  In the fourth verse the artist repeats a line twice, “What is that song you sing for the dead?”  The artist also repeats the line, “Well I got nothing to prove.”  The final verse the artist sings about a road ending and that their mother’s apparition passes them through the willows.  The song closes with “You’ll never see us again.”

Analysis of Piece 2:

This song is written and recorded by Sufjan Stevens who can be classified as an Indie Folk artist.  Stevens was born in the U.S and was raised by his father and step mother; he saw his biological mother occasionally throughout his life but not often because they did not have a great relationship.  Stevens wrote this song in order to deal with the death of his mother and the guilt he felt due to the lack of relationship he had with her.  The tired old mare that Stevens refers to is symbolic of his mother; a mare is a female horse.  When he continuously repeats “I don’t know” he is inferring to the listener that he is unsure of how to deal with the loss of his mother; Stevens does not know what to feel.  When he talks about amethyst and flowers he does so because amethyst represents protection; the amethyst can either represent the lack of protection he felt from his mother or the protection he felt from her.  Since he did not have a good relationship with her I interpreted that the amethyst was symbolic of the lack of protection he felt from his mother due to the lack of her presence in his life.  The desert symbolizes his loneliness and seclusion because a desert is bare an empty which is how the death of his loved one has caused him to feel.  The searchlight on his window can be his endless search for the ability to come to terms with his mother’s death.  Stevens says that he forgives his mother and longs to be near her which can show the guilt he may feel for her suffering or for his absence in her time of need.  The reference to willows can represent emotion because willows are symbolic of deep emotion and intuition or dreaming which could be why he sees her apparition in the willows.  An apparition is a ghost of a loved one.  Ultimately this song is about a man’s struggle to cope with his mother’s death; he realizes that he must be at peace with her death in order to move on with his life.  The reason that this song can tie into the idea of death with dignity is because when someone is dying of a terminal illness it is not just the person dying who is suffering it is the people around them as well.  No one wants to see a family member suffering and often when someone is terminally ill they spend the final moment of their lives suffering the most.  If death with dignity was an option for people it would not only help the terminally ill patient but also help the family as well to suffer less pain emotionally.  Death with dignity would let the family members cope with the loss of their loved one without feeling guilt brought on by their family member’s suffering.

Summary of Piece 3:

This photo is a black and white photo where there if a quote on the left portion of the image and a man and a woman on the right portion.  The man and woman look fairly young and they have wedding clothes on.  The woman is in a white wedding dress and is holding a bouquet of flowers.  Her hair is long and healthy and she has a smile on her face; it looks as though she is mid-laugh.  The man is in a tuxedo and is staring at the woman and also has a very happy expression on his face as well.  The background looks like there are many trees behind them; the leaves are not falling they are intact on the trees and the trees look like they are possibly blossoming some sort of flower.  To the left of the bride and groom is a quote that reads, “To have control of my own mind…to go with dignity is less terrifying.  When I look at both options I have to die, I feel this is far more humane.”  The quote is in white bold writing so it is very clear what it reads, also, the quote takes up a little more surface area spatially then then image of the bride and groom. 

Analysis of Piece 3:

The woman in the picture is Brittany Maynard and her husband.  Brittany Maynard was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer at the age of 29 and was given a very short amount of time to live.  The reason I chose this photo is because when we think of terminal illness we often think of the elderly, however, terminal illness knows no age, race or sex.  Anyone who is living can have something like this happen to them no matter how young or old.  Maynard decided that she did not want her loved ones to see her suffer and that she did not want to endure more pain than she needed to endure.  She made the decision to move to Oregon with her family where she could die with dignity because Oregon is one of the few states where there is laws for this.  Maynard wanted the world to see death with dignity in a different perspective; she wanted people to feel positive about it and realize that this should be an option to all.  Often when interview Maynard would say that she was going to die either way but that she was just choosing to die a death where she was in control of the amount of pain she would endure.  Brittany Maynard, although, she is no longer living has made a large impact on the social issue of death with dignity and has helped influence many people in becoming more open to this idea.  Maynard’s final days were spent with the people she loved doing the activities she loved.  On November 1, 2014 Maynard ended her life in the most dignified way possible.

Summary of Piece 4:

This song is called “Streets of Philadelphia” and the artist is Bruce Springstein.  The first verse of the song says how he is bruised and battered and that he can no longer recognize himself in a window; he no longer can see himself and he is on the streets of Philadelphia.  The next verse sings that when he is walking that he can hear voices of friends that have vanished and gone.  He also says that he walks down the street until his legs cannot move anymore (his legs feel like stone).  At night he can hear the blood in his veins; he refers to his blood as black and whispering.  In the third verse he says that no angel will greet him and that it is just him and his friend.  The listener does not know who he is referring to as his friend.  He also says that his clothes no longer fit him.  In the final verse of the song he talks about how he is slowly fading away and that he will be left on the streets of Philadelphia alone.

Analysis of Piece 4:

This song was written in the late 1980’s early 1990’s when AIDS had just became a public scare.  I believe that Springstein is talking about the terminal illness of AIDS in this song but it can really be applied to any sort of terminal illness.  The first verse when he is saying that he does not recognize himself this can be true of many terminal illnesses because when you get that sick you often lose weight, your hair, your skin pigmentation and many other physical traits that make you who you are.  When someone is terminally ill they are often frail and thin which is what Springstein is referring to in the first verse when he says he does not recognize himself and that he is “wastin’ away”.  In the second verse when he sings about walking the streets alone this is symbolic of how a person who is dying feels very alone in the world and although they have people by their side feelings of loneliness can overcome them.  The third verse is about the person coming to terms with dying.  They are reflecting on their life and are scared of what happens after they die because they do not believe they are going to be greeted by an angel; they refer to some being as their friend and I believe they are referring to a grim reaper.  A grim reaper represents death; which the person in the song is meeting.  The last and final verse is about the person taking their last final breath and how they are trying to stay awake but they are slowly slipping away.  This song is very sad and really helps you to try to understand what a terminally ill person is going through.  I could not imagine not being able to recognize myself because I am so sick; it must be terrifying.  If death with dignity was at least an option so many people would not have to feel alone and helpless in their final days like the person in this song.  They would have the option of not having to not be able to recognize themselves in the mirror; they would be able to have their loved ones remember them as healthy and happy.  Although some may not agree with this idea we should at least be able to decide for ourselves when put in situations such as this.

Styles of Appropriation

1. A white woman with blushing cheeks and green eyes stands center looking to her audience with a smirk. She’s out at a park with the sun shining on her big curly Afro-like hair. The curls of her hair have defined loops and has been teased to give a wilder look to it. It’s from page 136 saying “You can have an Afro *even if you have straight hair*” Below the title it gives instructions to go from bone straight hair to the intended Afro above. It explains by the end of the instructions to fluff up your hair with your fingers and “viola the Afro the straight-haired girl”.

The editor approved of a Caucasian woman to appear in her magazine to appropriate African American hair. The beauty of African American hair has to be shared as a new trend among those of non-African descent. She goes to explain to make extra slippery hair stiffer by adding a holding hair spray. The Caucasian woman gives a smirk in the photo appearing confident and without error. The curls in her hair still don’t resemble African American hair and have more of a Spanish wave to them and have been frizzed in attempt to replicate an Afro. (Cultural appropriation)

2. An African Indian child with fuchsia and white paint spread across her cheeks, chin and nose. She is off centered looking to her audience with a stern look. On her head is a head dress that is fuchsia with big feathers, beads and silk. The beads are embroider to make round patterns using diamonds and rubies. Her hair is bonded into to two pig tails draped over to the front of her shoulders with pink silk ribbons to keep them in place. Her garment is fuchsia with silk, beads and frills with a picture of a Native American chief and buffalo on her chest made from bead as well.

The child looks very stern and engulfed into the culture. Her attire has Native American roots yet have been altered with colors that are not traditionally Native American. The picture of a Native American and buffalo on her chest made out in beads gives story of why should could be dressed in feathers with pig tails. The paint on her cheeks and chin gives a feeling of celebratory war paint. The fuchsia paint mixed with white to give shadow effect to show the intentional smearing of the celebratory war paint. The gems and beads are to identify prestige or royalty of a divine figure. Her headdress is of a crown and he hair to provide emphasis on her beauty. (Cultural exchange/appreciation)

3. A Latino man explains his name change on his resume from Jose to Joe. He has tan skin and soft accent and wears clothing of typical American culture. A button up blue collar shirt, a blue thermal and a blue long sleeved striped shirt all with a backwards cap. He has a goatee that is neatly shaved. His voice is monotone. He is sitting down for most of the video. He types on his computer searching for job listings and makes edits to his resume.

An average American man of Latin descent has a common name, Jose’. He is an average American with no threatening tones and no threatening build. He dresses in American culture fabrics because he is American. He cannot survive in America by continuing forth with his birth name. He has to assimilate his name to be a competitor when job searching. He white washes his name from Jose’ to Joe. He immediately gets call backs and a new job. Jose had to appropriate the dominate culture or assimilate for his survival. (Assimilation/cultural dominance)

4. A white man sitting with his legs crossed. He has long deep brown hair with a long beard to his chest. His mustache is thick and brown with the ends curled and twisted. As he sits with his legs crossed he places the back of his hands on his knees with his fingers touching each other to the sky. He is in a bright gold like dress with beige pants and soft shoes. His dress like attire has embroidered designs in red. Around his neck are wooden beads and a varmala. He sits on top of a blood red pillow with golden embroider. He has blue sun rays glittering behind him

A white man is attempting to use satire on the Indian culture. His eyebrow is raised as if he is confident of his position. 

Final Blogger

Summary #1

The artist of this picture is Saint Hoax. The picture is part of a series he did using princes from Disney. Using his work, he shows the opposite of what Disney tries to depict as “Happily Ever After”, he calls it “Happily Never After”. This picture is part of his of his series “Prince Charmless”. The picture shows Prince Aladdin, at the bottom of the picture there is a caption stating “When did she stop treating you like a hero?”. In the picture we see Prince Aladdin is dressed in his prince outfit, his left eye is badly bruised and is almost completely shut. His right eye is bloodshot red and under the same eye he has a cut with some bruising. On the top of his nose he also has a bruise and he’s bleeding from the right side of his nostril. His lips also show some bruising and looks like it’s bleeding from the lower bottom.

Analysis #1

What we can get from this picture is that guys can also suffer from domestic violence. Domestic violence targets everyone from every sex, race, religion and background. This also shows that even though the man may treat his spouse/significant other with the upmost respect he may not get the same treatment in return. So this picture is a great example of what some males go through even when we think domestic violence only occurs with women. 

Summary #2

I found this picture of the singer Rihanna. I couldn’t find who was the artist of this picture. A little background that I do know about since it was in the news due to who it was. The first half of the image is the picture of her when she was physically assaulted by her then boyfriend Chris Brown. In the picture we have the picture of the singer behind a black backdrop. We have a photo in the middle showing the before and after with the caption “We found love in a hopeless place”. This title is actually a title for one of her hit songs. On the left hand sign we see that on top of her eyebrow she has a small bruise. Her eye is swollen shut with bruising all around it. Some of her cheek and under her nostril she also has some bruising. Then on her lip she has a small cut on her bottom lip. The right side of the picture shows her with face without any of the injuries.

Analysis #2

When I see this picture it reminds me that even famous people are just like us and that they go through the same struggles that we do. This picture shows us that even though she’s famous and knew the picture was going to be shown to the whole world she wanted her attacker to pay the consequences for attacking her and causing the damage she went through. A lot of victims of domestic violence stay quiet and don’t report their abusers because they’re too scared that either their attacker will walk away with a slap on the wrist or that their abuser will retaliate against them. No one should be afraid to report their abuser, reporting them might make them feel a little guilty at first but then they will feel liberated knowing they won’t have to go through that anymore. 

Summary #3

This picture was used by the Salvation Army to bring awareness to domestic violence. The picture first showed up on the South African website for the Salvation Army. They actually used the dress that caused so much controversy where people were guessing if it was either white and gold or purple and black. They choose to have the woman in the white and gold dress because people were having a hard time seeing black and purple the same way domestic violence is seen. In the picture we see a blonde woman laying down wearing a white and gold dress with no shoes on. Her hair appears a little disheveled and her face is expressionless. Her right eye is purple and blue. She also has a very deep cut on her top right lip. On her top leg she has two bruises one on her knee and another on top of her thigh. Her bottom leg also has a bruise on her knee. Also her toes look a dirty or bruised.

Analysis #3

This I believe is another great example of helping bring awareness to domestic violence. The Salvation Army used something that was really controversial due to people seeing the dress in two different colors and actually turned it into something that made a lot of sense. Victims of domestic violence always try to hide their injuries by using very heavy make-up or using clothing to hide their cuts and bruises. They try to hide their injuries because usually they don’t want to get judge or they don’t want people knowing what’s going on in their home. Plenty of domestic violence victims try to hide their injuries but we as a society should be able to see signs of domestic violence and should be able to help. So, I think by the Salvation Army using this picture with the dress was a very clever way to bring awareness for domestic violence victims.

cyber bullying exhibition

Luis Molina

Professor Amanda Reyes

English 105

Exhibition rough draft

Cyber bullying is a form of bullying that takes place on the internet, social media, or text and can often cause terrible consequences. Cyber bullying can cause kids and teens to lose their self-esteem, inflict self-harm, or even commit suicide. Thousands of kids and teens have become victims of cyber bullying for different reasons such as their physical appearance isn’t considered attractive by others, their race, their religion, their gender, or their sexual orientation. Cyber bullying has already claimed the lives of thousands of teens. I first became interested in the issue when I was in middle school and was bullied myself, I would later read many stories of teens who had taken their own lives because of both normal bullying and cyber bullying. I also watched many videos of teens who have been bullied tell their stories. I was very touched after reading these stories and watching these videos. As a person who was once bullied during his youth and an art enthusiast, I wanted to combine the two and create an exhibition that shows what it’s like to be bullied, how harsh the bullies can be, and how senseless this bullying is. I searched throughout the internet to look for art pieces that would best reflect my issue. A picture is worth a thousand words so these are the four I thought spoke the most about cyber bullying and some of these pieces were actually made by artists who were cyber bullied at one point in their lives.  

Piece #1

Summary: Lindsay Bottos was a student majoring in photography at Maryland Institute College of Art who is an avid Tumblr user since she posts most of her work on the site. The following photograph was used for her school project was later displayed in other galleries with more of her works. Since she posts many photos on Tumblr, she is open to being a target of online harassment. The piece is titled “Anonymous”; the piece is a photo of herself posing in front of greyish-blue background that she posted on Tumblr. She is a beautiful slim woman with pale skin and she is wearing a black and white striped gown, she has a nose ring piercing between her nostrils, and her short black hair is tied in a bun; the photo shows just her upper body from just underneath her breasts to the top of her hair. She took her original photo and placed a rude comment that she received over the photo. The comment is placed near the center but just slightly to the lower right corner of the photo. The comment was sent by a person with the username anonymous, the comment reads, “I can tell you photoshop your pictures to makes yourself look skinnier. Too bad I know what you look like IN REAL LIFE. Get your fat ass off tumblr and go run or something jesus.”       

Analysis: This piece is a response to cyber bullying because she is displaying how cruel and irrational other internet users can be. The commenter accused her of photoshopping her photo to make herself look skinny and called her a fat ass even though that is actually what she looks like in real life. Like many other cyber bullying victims she was harassed for her physical appearance. By displaying such a simple photo with the rude comment over it, she is showing how the comment contradicts the photo since it’s obvious that she is skinny and proves how ridiculous and nonsensical the comment is. Her photo shows how people will write a mean comment no matter what a person posts just to put another person down and cyber bullying can affect anyone. Lindsay is showing that there needs to be an end to this senseless/ridiculous harassment.

Piece #2

            Summary: This piece is titled “flying insults” and was drawn by Kristina Webb is a 20-year-old New Zealander who is also a Tumblr user and artist. She always posts her work on the site such as her photos, drawings, and paintings. In this piece, it’s a drawing of a crying teenage girl with long hair sitting in front of her lap top. The girl is drawn in a realistic black and white style while everything else is in color. Her laptop is covering her body so only her head and arm can be seen. Her head is resting in her head. The laptop is covered in stickers of the face book, twitter, youtube, and stop bullying logos. The back ground that she is sitting in front of is covered in many sticker with different insults and comments written on them. The insults and comments in the back ground read, “drama queen, failure, she’s so weird, vain, anorexic, fat, disgusting, nothing, big, crazy, emo, don’t associate with her, cow, no one understands, rumors, friendless, loser, uncool, I can’t take it anymore, nerd, social reject, loner, fool, I hate u, stupid, pig, go home, worthless, hopeless, fake, freak, ugly, weirdo, awkward, and geek. The insults and comments are all drawn and written in black, white, and red. The insults and comments are written in various fonts and styles.    

Analysis: This piece is showing all of the hurtful insults that can possibly be said to a victim of cyber bullying and how they can hurt the victim. The sticker that read “I can’t take this anymore” is what the girl is thinking, this sticker shows how a victim will just give up on life after believing that it’s hopeless and the harassment is too much to bare and starts contemplating suicide. This piece does a great job of showing the pain and sorrow a victim goes through while being cyber bullied. By placing the stickers of the face book, twitter, and youtube logos on the laptop it displays the types of sites where a young person can experience cyber bullying and who should moderate those websites. Kristina is trying to show how painful it is to be cyber bullied and that words do hurt just as much as physical bullying does.

Piece #3

Summary: This piece is titled “monster machine” and was drawn by Larry West who was inspired by his own experiences as a victim of cyber bullying. This piece is a black and white ink drawing depicting the computer as a monster and the victim as a puppet. The computer screen has a long beak with many sharp teeth, a long tongue, and large, wicked eyes. The computer’s body composes of a round, fat belly and a skinny abdomen; the neck is long and skinny which curves slightly. The monster’s arms are long and skinny with claws on the tips of the elbows, the knees, the toes, and the fingers. The computer’s hand is raised outward with strings attached from the fingers to a marionette puppet. The puppet has no face and looks like an artist’s wooden mannequin. The puppet has ball joints where a human’s points of movement would be such as the knees, the elbows, the shoulder, etc. The puppet’s arms are raised up in the air and the legs are positioned to look like the puppet’s walking. The corners of the drawing have black paint splattered on them. Below the puppet, are two computer Mice on the floor, one of them is right next to the puppet to the left and the other is to the right and in front of the computer monster.

Analysis: With this piece, the artist was trying to show monstrous bullies are by depicting the computer as an actual monster. According to Larry West, “In the early days of the modern-day internet, no one knew how to react to it. In the end, it was said they were just words on the computer by anonymous folks who were just mean, and their words meant nothing. But the hurt, the pain, and all the negative feelings were real and hurt even more than the physical scars of some attacks. This piece is how it felt when I was the victim myself. The person doing it is unknown. They're a heartless beast, fat with their own arrogance, weak themselves but controlling others with their dirty broken hands. The mice represent others ready to pounce.”  So basically, he’s saying that bullies in general are evil, heartless people and words do in fact hurt. He is using his first hand experiences as a victim and visually explain how it felt and what he thought during that time.

Piece #4

Summary: This piece is titled “under the skin” was also drawn by Kristina Webb who, as a reminder, is a 20-year-old artist from New Zealand who posts most of her work on Tumblr. In this piece, a beautiful naked woman’s upper body is shown. The piece is a realistic black and white pencil drawing. Her arms are crossed to cover her breasts. There are many various insults written all over the woman’s body including her arms neck and face. The insults written are written in black, these insults include pig, ugly, stupid, fake, fat, loser, loner, etc. Her hair is tied in a long ponytail and her mouth is covered with a strip of tape with the phrase “stop bullying” written on it. She sits in front of a white background and is staring right at the viewer. The only thing she is wearing are a few bracelets.

Analysis: In her piece, Kristina is making a statement that these insults and comments stick with the victims and hurts them very deeply. The woman being naked represents how the victims are vulnerable due to how on the internet, anyone can be harassed. The tape over the woman’s is supposed to symbolize how a victim of cyber bullying wants to speak out but is often silenced by others who say cyber bullying isn’t a real problem or tell them to get over it. The stop bullying message written on the tape represents the message that victims are trying to shout out but the tape won’t allow it. Kristina is trying to send a message that victims are silent and can’t speak out so we have to speak out for them, and these hurtful words will be stuck to victims for a long time should this harassment continue.    

Final Blogger Entry Drug Abuse Exhibition

Jose Melena 

 

 

 

Drug Abuse Exhibition

 

Picture #1

 

Summary:

This is a drawing on a rock of a young African boy who resembles the famous American comedian, Chris Rock, as a teenager. The boy is inhaling a drug substance through a smoking pipe. It appears to be crack cocaine. His faced expression shows discomfort and pain. The boy has his eyes closed, the side of the mouth shows anguish. He has a flat top style haircut. He is wearing a white collared shirt with an American flag printed on. The artist behind this street art is street artist Jamie Scanlon also known as JPS he is from the United Kingdom. Jaime (JPS) was inspired by the famous street artist Banksy after visiting one of his well-known museum exhibitions. Jaime (JPS) gave up alcohol and drugs for street art. On his street art work “Chris Rock Smoking Rock on a Rock”, he illustrates drug abuse on young teenagers.

 

Analysis:

I think the street artist JPS is illustrating how young kids start to do drugs in an early age. Kids get influence by the celebrities who show the drugs in the music or the videos they create. I consider that the artist somewhat shows his side of the story also, because he became addicted to drugs in an early age. The flag printed on the shirt resembles the fact that many Americans become more and more addicted to drugs early in there teenagers years through the influence of movies, music, celebrities and social media. The face on the boy’s shows him not wanting to consume the drug rather shows how teenagers later in life regret the decision of using drugs.

Picture #2

 

Summarize:

This street art is done by famous street artist Banksy. The art shows a police officer more precisely a United Kingdom officer. The officer is wearing a uniform with a radio communicator. He has a hat with checkered squares on it. The officer face resembles suspicion and alerting. He has one eye looking while the other eye is covered. The officer is on the ground holding some type of cigarette or rolled up paper. There’s some type of line on the ground that the officer is investigating. Also there’s a number on the police officer uniform that looks like the number 3.

 

Analysis:

The street art done by Banksy appears to be an officer investigating some type of substance. Instead of investigating it appears that the officer is snorting some type of drug that resembles cocaine. I think that Banksy shows how corrupted the police can be and what would be the outcome of their corruption. The officer in the art shows him looking nervous as if someone has caught him doing something that he is not supposed to be doing.

 

Picture #3

Summary:

In this image there’s a gold statute of a man on his knees. The statue is gold with a black box around it. In front of the box there’s a message that says Hollywood’s Best Party. The gold statue is on his knee’s holding a rolled up paper on one hand while the other hand is resting on the floor. The gold statue is naked with no clothes or any type of private parts. The floor on which the statue is kneeing down is red like red carpet. Also there’s two types of powder lines on the floor with a credit card on the floor. The credit card that’s on the floor is silver. This street art is done by Los Angeles street artist Plastic Jesus.

 

Analysis:

From my point of view, the gold statue resembles that of an Academy award Oscar statue. I think the message behind the art is describing on how Hollywood celebrities have become so dependent on drugs. Also it shows Hollywood’s hidden problem of drug addiction that affects hundreds of people in the showbiz industry. The drug addiction of celebrities is largely ignored until the death of a high profile or A list celebrity. Such well-known celebrities who have become drug addicts are celebrities like Lindsey Lohan, Drew Barrymore, Misha Barton, Mary-Kate Olsen, and Charlie Sheen etc... Celebrities that have passed away because of their drug addiction include people like the late Heath Ledger, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Brittany Murphy, River Phoenix and the list goes on a on. I think Plastic Jesus is showing throughout his art the hidden world of celebrities in the showbiz industry.

Picture#4

 

Summarize:

There’s an image of a gold man statue. The statue has no face expressions. . The statue is naked with no private parts also there are no clothes on the statue. The statue can been seen from head to feet. The statue is standing on a stand with a description below the statues feet that reads Hollywood’s Best Kept Secret. In the left arm of the statue there’s a strap that is close-fitting to his upper arm. The left arm of the statue has a closed fist. In the right hand the statue is holding a syringe pointing it at the lower part of the left arm. The street art is done by Los Angeles street artist Plastic Jesus.

 

Analysis:

I believe the message behind this street art can be related to the drug addiction Hollywood celebrities and the showbiz industry have. Many Hollywood celebrities suffer from drug addictions related problems. Where the drug addiction is kept a secret by the celebrities and the industry. I think many celebrities are dependent on drugs because of all of the work and stress from their jobs but also from all of the influence of drugs in music videos and movies. Also I think many of celebrities become addicted to drugs because of all the parties they attend and all of the travel that they have to deal with. Drugs become some type of relaxing ion or a calming feeling that celebrities depend on. Furthermore continuing their drug addictions.



Final Draft

#1

Pretend you’re lying on the floor on your stomach and you’re looking forward. To the left you see the back of a pair of legs standing in a room wearing high heels. The right leg has a thick cuff on her ankle with a chain that is connected to the leg of the bed.  The bed is to her right side, and it’s messy. On the same ankle where the cuff is, her blood is dripping down to her heels, to the floor. Her heels are pointing towards a doorway in front of them. There’s a black figure shaped like a man. The man is leaning in to look inside with a white paper in his right hand.

The high heels are worn by a female; you can’t tell if it’s a young lady or an older woman because all you can see are her ankles. The point of not showing the face or body of the woman is that that can be any female, no matter the age. She’s bleeding from the cuff showing signs of struggle to get out of it. She is chained to the bed because that is where she is forced to stay. The bed is messy and unmade because the man by the door isn’t her first customer. The man by the door is holding a piece of paper, a piece of paper that can be money to buy her service ,or paper that shows a room number to get what he paid for. Realistically, a woman wouldn’t be chained to the bed This painting expresses how a woman who is forced into prostitution feels like when she can’t escape her current lifestyle.

#2

Imagine the “Allstate” insurance company’s logo. Now, imagine the right hand is a woman’s hand; she has her nails done, extra-long. As you look up to her wrists you see a chain wrapped around her arm twice. Now, the left hand is hairy and masculine and it’s grasping the woman’s hand from her forearm. His hand is vein-y and larger than the woman’s, and on his wrist are hand cuffs and they’re connected to the woman’s chains.

Whenever we see prostitutes, often times they are all glamoured up to attract customers. Their pimps spend money on them to look more than pretty, sexy. They have their nails done, fancy jewelry, tight sexy clothes, and high heels. When we see prostitutes like that, it makes us think that they chose that life, that that’s what they want to be. However, they’re fancy jewelry and manicures make us blind to the point that we don’t think about the person who’s in charge of them, the traffickers. Traffickers, often trick woman to work for them and then threaten them if they ever try to leave. That’s why the masculine hand is grabbing the woman’s arm in such force, that’s why the woman is chained to the man, because, in this kind of system, she’s his property. However, the man is wearing a handcuff because prostitution is illegal, but in some cases the trafficker who gets put behind bars still manages to be in control of his property.

#3

There are 5 pairs of heels lined up behind one another, left to right. Each pair of heels is worn by a pair of feminine legs. On each of their left legs, closest to the audience, are thick cuffs around their ankle. Connected to the cuffs are chains, each chain is connected to the cuff behind it and so on.

When criminals are caught and sentenced to prison they’re chained up from their hands and legs, which are connected to a chain on their waist. The chains from the legs are connected to the prisoner behind them until the last man in line. They do this to prevent anyone from escaping; if they do try they will have to take everyone the prisoner is chained to with them. Now, having this idea in your head, what does this picture mean? When girls or women are “caught”, or kidnapped, they turn into prisoners or slaves of their trafficker. The heels are what prostitutes wear, or have to wear to do what they’re forced to.  They’re chained to each other because if one goes, they will all want to go, and escape to freedom, that is why they are threatened or seduced with money, the traffickers don’t want their prisoners to escape.

#4

A large brick wall is the background. Towards the middle there’s a shadow of a lady striking a sassy pose with her right hand on her hip, right leg bended out, and she leans her weight on her other leg. She has a purse hanging from her left hand. Her shadow shows she has her hair down, and is wearing a mini skirt. As it gets to her ankles, the shadow moves off from the wall into the sidewalk. The shadow will eventually lead to a person. However, the person is wearing a jacket, with jeans, and sneakers, and she’s not striking a sassy pose, she’s just standing.

Shadows follow you around during the day because it is your reflection from the sunlight. The shadow from the picture follows the lady around because it’s her past. Even though she escaped from her old life, she will always be followed by the memories she has from it. There will be times where there won’t be a shadow, where she will forget about her past for just a while, but the shadow will always come back, the memories will always come back, and they will come back until there is no one to make a shadow of. 

 

Delcid, Heaven

English 105

11/25/15

                 GET UP STAND UP, STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS  

                                           #1 SUMMARY/ DESCRIPTION

Bob Marley was a Jamaican Guitarist who achieved international fame and acclaim. He is considered the most influential musicians of all time and credited with popularizing reggae music around the world, as well as serving as a symbol of Jamaican culture and identity.


                                      BOB MARLEY'S CONNOTATION


    1. WHERE DID BOB MARLEY LIVE?

    Nesta Robert Marley was born on the farm of his maternal grandmother in nine mile.

    2. WHERE IS BOB MARLEY'S HOUSE LOCATED?

    Kingston,Jamaica, dedicated to the reggae museum.

    3. WHAT KIND OF INSTRUMENTS DID BOB MARLEY PLAY?

    Bob Marley started playing guitar thereby creating bedrock.

    4. HOW MANY KIDS DO BOB MARLEY HAVE?

     Bob Marley married Rita Marley in Kingston, Jamaica. Bob Marley has a number of kids, three with his wife Rita, and two adopted children from Rita's previous relationships, and several others with different women.



              #2 ANALYSIS OF PIECE 
  

• #1 THE MEANINGS OF BOB MARLEYS SONGS.....CONNOTATION

      [ quote]  Most people think great god will come from the sky
                         Take away everything and make everybody feel high
                     But if you know what life is worth
                     You would look for yours on earth
                         And now you see the light
                        You stand up for your right, YEAH!

• The promise that was stated in " so jah seh'  is still there, but we have to want it for ourselves. "The preaching and talking is done we've got to live up"

   

• #2 RESPONSE/COMMENTARY TO SOCIAL ISSUE  
•         This song is about taking action to avoid oppression. Marley wrote with Peter Tosh, and the song was influenced by their upbringing in Jamaica, where they had to fight for respect, and acceptance for their Rastafarian religion. The song was based on "Slippin into darkness" by the band war. A lot of orthodox believers are particularly find of Bob Marley song " Get up stand up for your rights" a song so Christian, and therefore so shockingly anti-religious, that attempts have been made by some to portray it as satanic when the very opposite is true!

 
                                 Get Up Stand Up, Stand Up For Your Rights!
    
                        The word "Right" means not only political and economic rights. "Rights" translates the word "Zedek' , common to Hebrew, Amharic, and Ge'ez. It denotes perfect conformity with the love, "They sold Marcus Garvey for rights"

                                                  Stand up for rights
 
                              Stand up for rights is a good example for people dealing with structural violence and people that's dealing with 4 types of bullying, cyber, emotional, teen, and physical bullying. Standing up for your rights starts with knowing that you have the same rights as everyone else. It also means responding to situations where those rights are being compromised. I have good examples of what people should do to stand up and speak for themselves.
  

                            EXAMPLES ON HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT YOUR RIGHT

1.    Refuse to do things that you are not comfortable of doing.
2. When you are not being respected, demand that others treat you with respect.
3. When others are pursuing you or otherwise giving you unwanted attention tell them that you don not want their company.
4. Know that you can call upon others to help you defend your rights.

  
                                            Exhibition Text Options                  
                      Bob Marley's Installation

• Bob Marley has his own accessories and his own headphones and online its called" The house of Bob Marley/ Find your soumd.com" They have created bags, watches, earphones, sale audio systems, sale accessories, and blogs all for Bob Marley.

      




 

 

 

Disney Domestic Abuse Exhibition

Garcia, Vanessa

Disney Domestic Abuse Exhibition

Picture 1 

In this picture there is a disney princess named Ariel. She is centered in the middle of a crop picture that shows only up to her mid chest. The background is a dark black purplish then going towards the center it turns to a purple bluish color. There is also two different statements at the bottom of the picture, they are both in a white font. The first one says “WHEN DID HE STOP TREATING YOU LIKE A PRINCESS?” this text is a bold, large, and uppercase font. The second text that is located right under the first text reads “ it’s never too late to put an end to it”. This text is also in a white font , but it isnt upper case or bold and large.

 
 Ariel is in the center of the picture looking straight at the audience. Her hair is a dull red color and it seems to be tangled. She has all her hair on her right shoulder and she isn't wearing a crown. She has blue eyes and they are also glossy looking as well. Her left eye is purple and swollen, it is also opened half way. On her right eyebrow she has a bruised, she also has a bruise on her left upper shoulder, on the side of her right cheek, and also on her upper lip on the left side. Ariel’s lips are red as to be wearing lipstick, she is showing her teeth. She is bleeding from her bottom lip on the right side. There is also a small cut on her right upper cheek right on her cheekbone and she is bleeding from the left side of her nose.

 
By seeing this imagine, it makes me think of what exactly he is trying to get across. I feel as if he wants us to look at the greater picture that anyone can be a victim. No matter how one puts out to be or how perfect their life seems to be, we don't really know what happens behind the closed doors of their homes. With this imagine it causes some sort of discomfort for me. I am so used to seeing disney movies and seeing the princess not have a serious problem as domestic abuse. This image shows the truth, it shows that even in “happy ever after” comes a point that isn't that happy after all.

Picture 2

In this picture Prince Eric is seen. He is center in the picture and is crop to mid chest only. The background of this image is a dark purple color then going towards the center it becomes a lighter purple. There is two different statements located at the bottom of the image. The first statement is “ WHEN DID SHE STOP TREATING YOU LIKE A HERO?” This statement is in a black color font, also its in upper case letters and a large font. The second statement reads “ Don’t be ashamed to ask for help.” this statement is located underneath the first statement. This text is in a smaller font also in black and in lower case letter.

 
Prince Eric has black short hair and is wearing a white v-neck shirt. His left eye is swollen and black purplish, and is open mid way. He has light blue eyes and his right eye is glossy. On his left cheek he has a cut on his cheek bone with a bruise as well. He also has a bruise on his right cheek on the side. His nose is bleeding from the right side and also his bottom lip is bleeding on the right side. His lips are formed as if in a frown and he his only showing his top teeth and a bit of his tongue. His neck is showing and he happens to have a bruise starting from the left side of his neck going towards the left top shoulder.  

 
With this picture I believe that Hoax is trying to make a point by using disney royal. He uses something different from the previous picture, he uses a man. Saint Hoax uses a man that is a prince in the disney world. I believe that he uses a man to show that they too can be victims of domestic abuse. By showing this it causes some sort of change in the thought of men. They are being seen and heard of the abused they have encountered.

Picture 3

This picture shows a disney princess named Jasmine. The background of the picture is a dark bluish color on the outside and moving towards the middle it becomes a light blue color. It is a crop photo that only shows up to her mid chest line. There is two different text on the bottom of the picture. The first text is in white large font it is bold and in all caps, it says “WHEN DID HE STOP TREATING YOU LIKE A PRINCESS?” The second text is right below the first and it's in a white smaller font and is in lower case caps, this text reads “ it’s never too late to put an end to it.” The princess is center in the middle with her eyes focused on us.

 
Jazmine has long black hair that she has 2 blue rubber bands grabbing the hair in two different parts. Her hair is all pulled to her right side and lays on her right shoulder. On top of her head she has a blue royal headband and a hair string is out from the rest of her hair and is hanging on her forehead. She has big yellow triangle earrings. She has brown eyes and her left eye is black purple. Her left eye is swollen and is only open mid way that we could see her eye a little bit. On her left cheek she has a small cut on her cheekbone, also on the same cheek more towards the side she has a bruised. Her right cheek also has a bruised and also her right side of her nose is bleeding. She has red lips, her top lip is bruised on the left side. She also is bleeding from her bottom lip on the right side. On her left shoulder, she is bruised on the top part.

 
By seeing this picture i believe Hoax uses Jasmine due to her being Indian and this somewhat relates to the point he is trying to make about his own country. This also helps to show that different type of woman such as racist can be victims of domestic violence. Also having the emotion in her face somewhat gets to us inside and we ourselves feel the hurt shes feelings.  

Picture 4

The last picture is Aladdin which is also a disney prince. The photo is crop to mid chest line and the background is a black and purple towards the middle. Aladdin is center in the photo and he is looking straight at us. In the bottom of the photo there are two different texts. The first text is in a black large font with the uppercase caps, this text reads “ WHEN DID SHE STOP TREATING YOU LIKE A HERO?”. The second text is right below the first one, it is also in a black font but it's smaller and in lowercase caps. This text reads “ Don’t be ashamed to ask for help”

 
Aladdin is wearing is white and yellow royal outfit with a white hat. He has black hair and a bit of his hair is hanging out of his hat on his forehead. His left eye is black purplish and is also swollen, his eye is mid open. He has black eyes. His right eyeball is red as if he has been crying. He has a bruised on his left eyebrow and also on the top side of his nose. His right side of his nose is bleeding . He has a bruised on the left cheek and also on the left side of his neck. The right cheek has a cut on his cheekbone also in that same spot it is bruised. His lips are together and he is bleeding from the bottom lip in the center.

 
Hoax last picture is about a man. He used a disney man as well that he's from India. Hoax uses a man to show that they too can be victims of domestic abuse.This lets us know that cases of men that have been abused are finally coming out and we need to help and let the men know they aren't alone when going through his. Also that is isn't uncommon how many men believe it is.  They are being seen and heard of the abused they have encountered.

final draft Drug Addiction exhibit

Piece #1

We have a cartoon of a skeleton sitting in a desert surrounded by bottles and syringes holding a sign. The skeleton is in a seated position centered in the middle of the frame . The Arm bones are rested on the arched legs. A syringe is held in the left hand, while the right hand holds a sign. Written on this torn cardboard sign is "HELP!" There is a noticeable void where the brain from the skull should be. Laying in the sand next to skeleton lays six more syringes, two empty vodka bottles and a half buried glass. The sand makes up most of background done in a very dark yellow it is the same color as the sun at top of frame. Sun is surrounded by blue skies with two scattered clouds.

“Skeleton in the Desert”  A cartoon by Alexi Talumonov; A Cardstock.com publication. -May 2011 - turn this info into actual sentences and use it to introduce your piece. What else do you know about this artist and why he did a piece like this?

I see the clouds in the sky as storm clouds yet they give no protection from the scorching sun. I think the contrast of the HELP sign and syringe show the gripping hold addiction can have on an addict. Addiction is such that you can be in the midst of getting high and still be wanting help (wonderfully written insight). (I also can see that maybe-get rid of this intro clause and jump into your analysis. don't doubt your interpretation because it is yours! can't be wrong) the color of the sand matching the color of the sun is a reflection of how addiction leads to being burnt. “Might as well be walking on the sun”. Sadly many addicts do not hold signs or ever say ‘help’. They tend to die or become institutionalized for drug related crimes. I think mentioning something about it being a skeleton is important.

Piece #2

This image is a parody cartoon of E.T.  We see him standing holding a broken beer bottle in his left hand while giving the middle finger with his right hand. E.T. has wild blood shot eyes that are  narrowed in an angry way. The body of E.T. is covered in sores including one on left side of head and neck, left forearm, right shoulder and elbow. His right finger is not just glowing but a flame. A tattered white tank top is worn and place of pants area has been intentionally blurred. On the ground by his feet appears to be a some type of candy. E.T. is centered on a white t-shirt Overhead reads m.E.T.h. This is a image I found on www.etsy.com- same here, try and find a bit more on the artist or you can acknowledge you aren't sure of who the artist is.   

E.T. is a well loved icon from childhood with a peaceful and loving demeanor. In this rendering we see a crazed eyed sore ridden E.T. Using his ‘healing glowing’ finger to flip someone the bird. We also see he no longer picks up the recess pieces he has them scattered around him.  The accidental beer can has turned into a purposefully broken bottle. Possibly to be used as a weapon. In this satirical cartoon on a beloved icon, I think it shows how addicts were once loving innocent beings and still are but are consumed with the addiction.- YESSSS keep going with this final thought. ... Also, you want to mention the specific drug that this cartoon is drawing attention to. Based on your description and the "m.E.T.h" text, it seems that these specific physical conditions are a consequence of addiction- is this type of addiction? Is the middle finger, an angry gesture as you describe it, another consequence of this drug-  feeling angry or not caring about....    I think here are some other places to draw out more info  

Piece # 3 

“Prison Song” is a song by the rock band System of a Down. First released as an airplay only single, Prison Song is found on band's second studio album Toxicity, released on September 4.2001. The lyrics of this piece were co-written by band mates Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian with Malakian writing the music. In the year of Toxicity’s release, album hit the # 1 spot on Billboard 200.

System of a Down SOAD for short, is a four member ‘Nu-Metal/ hard rock’ band. SOAD consists of Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan. Formed out of Glendale California around 1994, all members are Armenian-Americans. Prison song was written about America's ‘War on Drugs.’

- this is a good musician description- to the point and informative

This songs lyrics express that the prisons of America are filled by minor drug offenders. Prisons that the prisoners themseleves most likely bulit.IT goes on to illustrate that …..”all our tax paying…… go to fight the new non-rich ( prisoners/parolees). Expressing that research shows that treatment not increased sentences is the way to battle the war on drug addiction.

Here is a good outline to help you summarize and analyze your song

Summary

1. musician- you got this part already and you provided good information
2. song- okay, here you can break down some key items to help us understand the song based on the lyrics alone. Here you in a sense want to TRANSLATE the lyrics into complete sentences.
1. Verses (how many are there? translate each verse into a summary like sentence or short paragraph)
2. Hook- what is the hook saying?
3. Bridge- is there a bridge part or any other piece that you can translate?

Analysis

Here you can tell us how the verses and hook mean ...... (include your interpretation here)