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November, 2012

  1. Stephen Chbosky meets Stars (Week 10)

    November 29, 2012 by Francis Flores

    Hey, guys! I haven’t seen you in awhile so I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! I decided to use a passage from a book that I absolutely fell in love with. I used a poem in an earlier blog post that came from this book, so I figured, why not use a passage from the actual book?

    So, this week I will be looking at The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and “Your Ex-Lover is Dead” by Stars.

    The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky was published by MTV on February 1, 1999.

    “Your Ex-Lover is Dead” by Stars was released on their 2005 album “Set Yourself on Fire.”

    “I had an amazing feeling when I finally held the tape in my hand. I just thought to myself that in the palm of my hand, there was this one tape that had all these memories and feelings and great joy and sadness. Right there in the palm of my hand. And I thought about how many people have loved those songs, and how many people got through a lot of bad times because of those songs. And how many people enjoyed good times with those songs. And how much those songs really mean. I think it would be great to have written one of those songs, I bet if I wrote one of them, I would be very proud. I hope the people who wrote those songs are happy. I hope they feel it’s enough. I really do because they’ve made me happy. And I’m only one person.”

    Here is the song to go along with the passage:

    I don’t even know where to begin with this. I had the hardest time choosing a passage just because the whole book is just gold. This passage, I think, really defines Charlie’s character as a person. Since the beginning of the book, the only thing we know about Charlie is that he is the narrator; Charlie is just a pen name because he doesn’t want his identity to be revealed. There is a sense of overwhelmed compassion in this passage with the words “amazing,” “finally,” “memories,” “feelings,” and “great joy and sadness.” He is holding a cassette tape and he is absolutely overwhelmed with the knowledge that people before him have experienced strong emotions with this tape, and he even revels in it. He repeats “people,” “happy,” and “I hope,” in regards to how much he wishes that he could have been the cause for this happiness. It is revealed that this is all he really wants—he just wants to make people happy even if he might not be. He wants people to feel something since his life is so filled with confused adolescence. He chooses to deal with it in a way that would not be deemed normal; he wants others to be happy and he refuses to concern himself with his own happiness. In the last sentence of the passage, he refers to himself as “only one person,” and this is significant because he hopes that even if he is ONLY ONE person, he hopes that whoever wrote these songs are proud of themselves as he would be if he had written them.

    Oh goodness, this song is absolute perfection. As I tend to often do with these blog posts, I choose the book and the song first and then choose the passage. I really should stop doing that but I can’t help myself, this song was just way too good to pass up. Anyway, I thought this song went extremely well with this passage because I was able to feel what Charlie was feeling as he is narrating this passage. It isn’t very strong with the imagery, but I think that it is strong in terms of relating to emotion, which I think is equally important. The trombone and mellophone that are used emphasize the paradoxical emotions that Charlie feels. One is higher while the other one is lower, which correlates with the sense of overwhelming power and inferiority that Charlie feels. He mentions that he is ONLY one person, but he also mentions that he holds many emotions in the palm of his hand. The whole song is pretty fast paced, but when it slows down, it is his reflection on what he is feeling about this particular tape and how he thinks it affects the people around him, which ultimately affect him. The lush harmonies in this song accentuate his reflection because of how perfectly his paradoxical feelings mesh with each other. He feels this power and inferiority because of his sense of compassion for other people—he genuinely cares about their well-being much more than his own.

    I have to start off by saying that I completely recommend that you read this book. It is probably the best book I have ever read. It is the epitome of adolescent confusion and it is absolutely marvelous. The narrator, Charlie, is so lovable and Penn State even gets a nod in the book since it takes place in Pittsburgh. ANYWAY. This passage hit my deep and I just could not stop reading it, especially when I was listening to this song at the same time. Oh, and I love this song too. My brother introduced me to this song when it was rumored to be in the movie version of this book and I just could not stop listening to it. I think the instrumental is absolutely gorgeous. Well, anyway, thanks for reading this week and I hope you enjoyed!

    Category Passion | Tags: ,,,,,,, | No Comments

  2. TED Talk Evaluation

    November 29, 2012 by Francis Flores

    I was actually surprised at how long it was. I actually had to shorten it because I knew that it wouldn’t all fit into the allotted time for the TED talk, and it surprised me that it still went over the 5 minute mark. I had so much to say and I was actually really disappointed that I didn’t get to say all of it and I didn’t sound as confident as I felt. I was pretty confident about my topic because I had spent so much time on it, but I think a lot more practice would have benefitted me, so at least I know what I should be doing for next time. Going into this talk, I wasn’t too nervous because I was pretty used to the set-up: the bright lights in my eyes, an audience, and something I knew well. This time there was something that threw me off, though—I was alone. I think that I took my experience with performing way too seriously and didn’t take into account how different speaking and singing are, so next time, I definitely have to be sure that I am absolutely certain about what I want to say and how I want to say it. Professor Anne mentioned that I moved a lot, and I got this comment from my peers, but I just don’t have any clue on how to stand still. It helps me keep the rhythm of my speech going and it keeps me comfortable with what I am saying. I also noticed that I moved my hands and looked down a lot, and this made me look so nervous! I mean, I know I was nervous, but I’m not supposed to let everyone know that, so I definitely have to work on being more confident in myself and not just in the topic that I am trying to put across to the audience.

    Category Work(s) in Progress | Tags: ,,,,, | 1 Comment

  3. Public Controversy and Copyrights

    November 29, 2012 by Francis Flores

    a)      We can determine whether or not an issue is public if it meets certain criteria; it has to affect people either directly or indirectly. This is also where the boundary for a controversial issue lies. A controversial also affects the public on a larger scale, but it also crosses the lines of sensitive subjects such as religion and politics. If an issue is “public,” this means that it has been discussed amongst many people and has spread whether it is through the media or through just the grapevine of people. One thing about today’s society is the emphasis that we place on all sorts of media, and this makes it easier for information to spread, whether we want it to or not. An issue is “controversial” when it crosses boundaries that not everyone is comfortable with. It usually occurs when there are two differing groups of extremists arguing for their own set of beliefs and values. One issue that embodies both of these things would probably be anything concerning gay rights. I know I sound like a broken record because I bring this up so often, but this “issue” (which, by the way, shouldn’t be considered an issue at all) crosses the line in regards to politics and religion. There should obviously be a separation between the two, but if the public thinks that this “issue” directly affects them and their children, they will argue against it, or for it, depending on what they believe in. This “issue” also brings up a discussion on what is and isn’t civic, which obviously differs between the two sets of ideas.

    b)      One question that I had about copyright issues concerning the History of a Public Controversy Project is: how do we know if it has a license and how we would we gain permission to use a certain idea?

    Category Rhetoric and Civic Life | Tags: ,,,,,, | 3 Comments

  4. Jimmy Santiago Baca meets Ed Sheeran (Week 9)

    November 9, 2012 by Francis Flores

    Hey, there! I am in an extremely good mood, so I thought I would shift the tones of the passages I have been doing and change to something that just feels better. I came across the poem that I will be using in my AP English class last year, and I fell in love with it. I didn’t really think about it again until yesterday, when I was Skyping with my boyfriend and he brought it up. I knew I had to use it, and I also had a general idea of what song I wanted to use.

    So this week, I will be looking at “I Am Offering This Poem” by Jimmy Santiago Baca and “Firefly” by Ed Sheeran.

    “I Am Offering This Poem” was written by Jimmy Santiago Baca in 1990 and was included in his book Immigrants in Our Own Land and Selected Early Poems.

    “Firefly” was written by Ed Sheeran and was released in February 2010 and included on his “Loose Change” album.

    “I am offering this poem to you,

    since I have nothing else to give.

    Keep it like a warm coat

    when winter comes to cover you,

    or like a pair of thick socks

    the cold cannot bite through,

     

    I love you,

     

    I have nothing else to give you,

    so it is a pot full of yellow corn

    to warm your belly in winter,

    it is a scarf for your head, to wear

    over your hair, to tie up around your face,

     

    I love you,

     

    Keep it, treasure this as you would

    if you were lost, needing direction,

    in the wilderness life becomes when mature;

    and in the corner of your drawer,

    tucked away like a cabin or hogan

    in dense trees, come knocking,

    and I will answer, give you directions,

    and let you warm yourself by this fire,

    rest by this fire, and make you feel safe

     

    I love you,

     

    It’s all I have to give,

    and all anyone needs to live,

    and to go on living inside,

    when the world outside

    no longer cares if you live or die;

    remember,

     

    I love you.”

    Here is the song, as usual:

    This poem. Where do I even begin with this poem? It has a general tone of nostalgia and longing throughout the entire poem. There is in immense feeling of longing, especially with the repetition of “I love you.” The imagery in the first stanza is gorgeous and it introduces a love that the speaker will emphasize throughout the poem, a type of love in which he wants to make the one he loves happy and give them anything he thinks they deserve. When he says “I love you” for the first time, it establishes the first hints of longing. The second stanza, he elaborates more on wanting to protect the one he loves: he wants to keep his love warm in winter (the harshest of seasons), which hints to the audience that he wants to be a necessity. He obviously cares for this person, but it goes beyond that. So, when he says “I love you” the second time, there’s more urgency behind it. In the third stanza, he uses phrases such as “keep it” and “tucked away” to describe the love he is giving her. He wants this person to feel this love not for a temporary amount of time, as they would with temporary satisfaction from the warmth he is offering, but he wants them to feel it forever. He wants this feeling to be treasured because he adores this person so much. By the time he repeats “I love you” for the third time, this feeling is even more intense and leads into the final stanza. In this stanza, he portrays to his loved one that no matter what anyone else thinks of this person, he will always love them and this establishes a sense of faithfulness. This is genuine love, not just infatuation, which is what he has been trying to say throughout the entire poem. The repetition of “I love you” emphasizes his feelings and the emotion increases with each time he says it, almost as if he never wants his loved one to forget how much he really does love them.

    Am I the only one that absolutely adores Ed Sheeran’s music? I hope not because he managed to melt my heart with this song. The songs starts with almost tentative guitar strumming, which I think goes along with the timidity that the speaker might have been feeling when stating “I am offering this poem to you,/since I have nothing else to give.” It then picks up gradually and stays at this tempo for this rest of the song, which correlate with the confidence that the speaker gathers throughout the poem. When the harmonies come in behind Ed Sheeran and gradually change from actual words to “ooh’s,” this emphasizes the speaker’s newfound confidence to want to care for this person even when he has nothing to offer. The “ooh’s” that come in after, are the speaker’s next “I love you” because it’s kind of a winding down of what he professed to his love in the stanza right before. The true intensity, though, comes with the next set of harmonies that are sung over the “ooh’s,” and this represents the climax of both the song and the poem. It is the moment in which the speaker is overwhelmed with the love that he so wants his loved one to keep forever. It then slows down gradually and Sheeran and the music wrap up at the same time, and this directly goes along with the speaker’s last stanza and his final “I love you” because it is so finalizing and needs nothing more than those three words (in both the song and the poem) to be emphasized.

    This poem and this song were just beautiful. I know it’s kind of different than what I usually do, meaning it’s not as depressing this time, yay! Oh, but I absolutely love Ed Sheeran…and this poem! Doesn’t it just make you feel so warm and fuzzy inside? Am I the only one? Ah, well. Nothing I can do about that. Anyway, i hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!

    Category Passion | Tags: ,,,,,,, | 2 Comments

  5. Civic Life in Everyday Life

    November 9, 2012 by Francis Flores

    Civic life can be defined as a set of values that people establish for themselves in order to be the sort of citizen that society wants them to be. These values lead to civic actions that shape our society.

    One example would be this past election. For the idea of democracy to work, the citizens must actually participate in the elections that determine who will be leading this country. I, unfortunately, am not yet 18 years old so I could not vote; however, I did see multiple posts on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook about this election. Everyone, and I mean everyone that was actually able to vote, was posting about the importance of voting and encouraging everyone to go out and vote.

    I think voting is so important because it establishes a need to support the idea of democracy. We are lucky to live in a country that is democratic, so I think it is a civic responsibility to go out and vote to show that we do have a voice in the outcomes of these elections. We have the privilege of deciding for ourselves what we think is best for us and I think we should take advantage of that by any means.

    Category Rhetoric and Civic Life | Tags: ,,,, | 2 Comments

  6. J.K. Rowling meets U2 (Week 8)

    November 1, 2012 by Francis Flores

    Hello there! First off, I wanted to thank Anne for featuring me in her blog of the week for Week 7; that made my day completely! Anyway, it becomes harder and harder to find any book passages online, but I’ve been having Harry Potter withdrawals (am I the only one that gets that?) so I decided  to use a passage from a Harry Potter book.

    So, this week I decided to analyze a passage from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling and “MLK” by U2.

    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was written by J.K. Rowling and published on July 21, 2007.

    “MLK” by U2 was released on their “The Unforgettable Fire” album in 1984.

    “But they were not living, thought Harry: They were gone. The empty words could not disguise the fact that his parents’ moldering remains lay beneath snow and stone, indifferent, unknowing. And tears came before he could stop them, boiling hot then instantly freezing on his face, and what was the point in wiping them off or pretending? He let them fall, his lips pressed hard together, looking down at the thick snow hiding from his eyes the place where the last of Lily and James lay, bones now, surely, or dust, not knowing or caring that their living son stood so near, his heart still beating, alive because of their sacrifice and close to wishing, at this moment, that he was sleeping under the snow with them.”

    Here’s the song:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8lP7ZXe5t4

    This passage gives off a melancholic and somber tone, within the whole passage. With words such as “not living,” “gone,” “empty,” indifferent,” “unknowing,” “tears,” “the last of Lily and James lay,” “their sacrifice,” and “sleeping under the snow” further emphasize these tones. The passage starts off with a harsh sense of realization that Harry’s parents were actually dead and they have been for some time now. This was the first time that Harry allowed himself to break down and this is made clear with the question he asks himself—he doesn’t feel the need to wipe his tears away because in that moment he doesn’t have to be strong for anyone, not even himself. As the passage continues on, Harry comes full circle with his newfound realization and finds that in his vulnerability he wants nothing more than to be with his parents even if they are in the ground. The scene is set with the bitter cold of the snow as well, which lends a contrast to his boiling hot tears—this contrast allows him to feel his tears even more so than he would before. When he speaks of his parents being indifferent and unknowing, this gives the impression that he feels out of touch with them, meaning that he feels like he, in his current actions and being, has forgotten the meaning behind their sacrifice; his desire to be with them under the snow is because of this distance and vulnerability that he is experiencing.

    This song is haunting and melancholic and correlates with the tone of the passage. There are not many instruments that play besides an electronic keyboard with special effects and the vocals and even then, it sets the image of Harry alone in the snow crying over his parents. Bono croons softly throughout the whole song and drags out words such as “thundercloud,” “rain,” and “sleep,” which further establish the tone of the song. He eventually increases in volume towards the middle of the song which allows the image of Harry crying to become more vivid. The louder the singer sings, the more Harry feels, so that by the end of the song, he is as vulnerable as ever and distraught at the distance between him and his late parents. I don’t know if it’s just me, but when I hear the pain in the singer’s voice, I can just see this beautiful and haunting image of Harry kneeling in the snow, crying, and trying his best not to break down completely. The empty words “they were not living” upset Harry because it almost seemed as if these words were spoken without the emotion that he should speak them or think them with.

    So, I am a huge Potterhead and I felt compelled to do at least one passage from the last book just because I loved it so much. This passage, as nerdy and geeky as it sounds, made me so emotional and I nearly felt his pain. It’s not uncommon when you’re viewed as strongly as he is to not want to feel vulnerable whether or not people are around. The fact that he allowed himself to cry illustrates how hurt and lonely he has been left as a result of his parents’ deaths. I was reading the passage and going through my iTunes when this song came up. I sat here and listened to the song at least 4 times while reading and re-reading this passage and I saw this vivid image in my head and wanted to cry. It wasn’t shown in the movie but I was able to see it as visibly as if it had been.

    Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!

    Category Passion | Tags: ,,,,, | 3 Comments

  7. Paradigm TED Talk: Ratings System in the Movie Industry

    November 1, 2012 by Francis Flores

    The most interesting thing about my topic, I think, is how much the ratings system has flourished. The ratings system didn’t always exist, though; it’s only been around since the late 1960s. So what brought about this change so late in the game? Well, in my TED talk, I think would want to elaborate on how the idea of censorship played a huge part on the livelihood of the movie industry and even the effects it has had in recent years. I would also want to include some movies that proved to be controversial enough to influence this change and I intend to establish to establish the pivotal point in this change.

    One thing I could do to incorporate visuals into my presentation would be to include the actual seal of approval that used to be necessary to release certain movies. As it progresses, I could also show pictures of those who revolutionized this idea of censorship and a ratings system, such as Hayes and Valenti. I think that this would further emphasize the effects that these two really had on this system that changed the way Hollywood would make and show movies forever.

    Category Work(s) in Progress | Tags: ,,,,,, | 1 Comment

  8. Exploring the TED Talk Genre

    November 1, 2012 by Francis Flores

    So, I was looking around TED.com for quite some time, not really sure what to watch (this website is so overwhelming) and I even came across a couple that I downloaded but wasn’t sure how to approach them. Well, I came across one TED talk that I especially liked and it’s entitled Ruby Wax: What’s so funny about mental illness?  The title caught my attention first, and the fact that it was relatively short made it bearable.

    I think that TED talks should:

    1. Make a solid point
    2. Interact with the audience
    3. Entertain!
    4. Have visuals that compliment the topic/speaker

    With this TED talk in particular:

    1. I was a bit confused with what exactly it was that she was trying to say. Once she delved into her speech a little bit more, it became clearer and she did manage to make her point; it just took longer than it probably should have.
    2. She was extremely interactive and she made the audience laugh a lot. She was extremely conversational, which ties in with the confidence aspect: she was able to “dumb down” her topic enough for the audience to understand clearly.
    3. She was making jokes and conversing with the audience which made it extremely entertaining.
    4. She made her own visuals which lent to the personal aspect of her speech, and these visuals made her audience laugh (since they were pretty bad). Not only were they personal to her and entertaining to the audience, but they pertained to her topic and complemented it quite nicely.

    Category Rhetoric and Civic Life | Tags: ,,,, | 2 Comments

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