Reading in SW4

        It started with flipping through, scanning for stories in Seeing & Writing 4 a book by Donald and Christine McQuade. I stumbled upon a story called “Omayra Sanchez” by Isabel Allende. Isabel Allende is one of Latin America's foremost female writers. Born in Chile, she left her native country after her uncle President Salvador Allende was assassinated. Ten years later after her work was published in the United States, she had gained her success. 

As I was reading “Omayra Sanchez” there was a visual next to it so I connected the story was about the child in the picture. After I did research, I was shocked how it connected. On 1985, after the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia, Omayra Sánchez this 13 year old girl was found trapped among the debris of her house. Only her face sticking out of the mud. She could not be lifted without having her legs amputated, but there was no surgery team available and there was no water pump to clear the area around her. She waited bravely sending love messages to her mom and talking about going back to school. On the third day she passed away without having been able to accomplish the simple task of saving one brave little girl. Allende reminisces and expresses her feelings about Omayra. The author Allende says “for a year I have been at her bedside and of ten the memory of Omayra comes to me, she has never quite left me really. She will always be with me, she reminds me of how fragile life is.” It just goes to show how deep of an impact this poor girl has as well as the pain she experienced.

This story truly touched me. The pain and suffering this young girl went through. The whole three days all she did was talk about how much she loved her mom and going back to school. If I was to much myself in her shoes, mentally I don’t think I could of handled it. The courage Omayra had is unlike anything I heard of. When you read stories like this it helps you greater appreciate life and to throw the petty things out the window. The little things that upset you or that you have to do against your will should be forgotten about. There’s always someone out there going through much worse and they’re just appreciating that they’re living. Isabella Allende did a phenomenal job describing the story. She informs us about Omayra but at the same time writes about her as if she was a adjective, giving her such honor. For an example Allende writes “She never dies, this girl. She never dies. She’s born every instant.” In the line I interoperate it as “her meaning will forever live on and when we think of honor and courage she’s born.” Imagine being trapped, all alone, agonizing pain in your legs, knowing your possibly not going to make it, could you honestly handle it while keeping a positive mind set? Omayra Sanchez’s story and life should forever carry on.

Omayra Sánchez August 28, 1972 - November 16, 1985

LOL .. Bumper Stickers

       Bumper stickers never manage to get old. They range from comical, informative, advertising, or at times provocative. Everyones seen a bumper sticker they raise their eyebrow to or squint their eyes to read. Wether it’s controversial or grueling to see. Then there’s those that make you laugh plenty. Well it was a sunny but cold morning, awaken by the sun rays through my blinds my day begun. After going through the morning routine I proceeded swiftly outside to check the mail trying to elude the freezing temperature. On my way inside I spotted my neighbor’s sons’ bumper sticker on the left of his license plate. Being friendly in addition to knowing him I asked him “what does that say?” half grinning and he said “take a closer look” smiling. As I got closer, while reading it a burst of laughter came out. It was a thin cheap cut paper on his blue 2002 Ford Taurus SE. The mockery bumper sticker read “Obama ’08” on the top separated by a line which under it reading “so popular, they ran out of the real bumper sticker.”

The fact that it was on a sheet of paper printed in black marker made it that comical. It was basically a spoof of an Obama supporter bumper plate. Because it was on paper it, it gave me two ideas. It was positioned there by him to be funny or either anti-Obama. Being so popular when he won elections as president, Obama’s popularity with the world has decreased ever since. In the US, Obama's "favorable rating" has plunged from about 70 percent at the time of his election to about 44 percent today, according to Pollster.com's aggregate of major US polls. But the standing of the president who was once the world's darling has slipped globally as well. Also the true intention of the bumper sticker is to exhibit the disconnect with the president while being sarcastic. One can argue that idea. On the other hand, someone can view this and presume that he is that popular that they ran out of real bumper stickers. Bumper stickers are a popular way of promoting and showing your support, wether it’s political or just one of your interests.  

I liked the work, it was brilliant as well as causing the view to think about the meaning behind it. A top-notch bumper sticker is one that is going to capture my eye, make me laugh, and what to talk about. How I viewed it was a sarcastic remark, the person showing no interest in Obama. Sarcasm is the funniest form of comedy. The mockery behind the bumper sticker was pure genius. Bumper stickers never manage to get old. The fact that it was on a piece of paper and the handwriting was of a normal person, you can imply that it’s a average opinion of millions of Americans. I woke up expecting to see nothing interest outside, just a random boring day but it actually started with laughter. Best way to start a day.

Scene from a Movie

          The Blind Side is based on the true story of Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy who take in a homeless teenage African-American named Michael Oher. Michael has no idea who his father is and his mother is a drug addict. Michael has had little formal education as well as few skills to help him learn. When he expresses an interest in football, Leigh Anne goes all out to help him. The movie starts as Leigh Anne Tuohy notices a poorly dressed Michael walking on the road shivering in the cold. When she learns he has no where to the spend the night she offers him a place to sleep. The next morning, she finds Michael attempting to leaving as like he was a robber. She asks him to spend the holiday with her family. Slowly, Michael becomes part of the Tuohy family. The scene that caught my attention in addition to a problem in College sports today is receiving benefits furthermore under the table offers to attend a school which is illegal. Michael needed a B to graduate as well as to enroll into college. He received a D in one class so Leigh Anne his foster mother went into the class and questioned the professor saying “all the teachers are on board I don’t know what your problem is.” By this it seemed  as or gave speculations that Michael was being given grades that he hadn’t proper received. Wether or not he was doing something illegal there was no proof but the Tuohys found themselves in trouble with the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) investigators. Michael was brought in for questioning. They asked him if he was aware of new coaching positions at Ole Miss, (the college the Tuohys all loved) if he was persuaded, and if he knew the Tuohys make generous loans to the school because they’re boasters. All of these questions the NCAA asked him are examples of illegal acts in College sports. Michael was unaware as well as not educated properly so he ran out. Today college recruiting has a big dark spotlight on it because of recruiting problems. This movie brought out a interesting true story as well as educating people of activities along with the pressure that big sports star face. In every movie, there is always one scene or moment that you remember the movie by or sticks out. This was it for me. If I were the Tuohys of course I’d want my son to attend my alma mater but you have to let him make his own decisions. As a parent you have to educate, help but not barge in. Michael later on went back more educated and proved himself innocent on his own through perseverance. Overall, found this to be one of the best movies of 2009. It was full of drama, ups & downs, laughter, and many emotions that an audience would want to watch. Michael Oher became an All-American at Ole Miss and now is one of the best offensive lineman in the NFL, being drafted in the first round.

Piece of A R T

       Salvador Dali is a prominent spanish surrealist painter best known for the striking and bizarre images. Dali once said “Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad.” In your lifetime anywhere as well as everywhere you’ll run into art. Some may be well drawn, on the other hand some drawings may look like a five year old produced it. There are many unique in addition to eye catching piece of art on the campus of UMass Dartmouth, but this certain one caught my eye. It’s a hand drawn framed painting in Unity Hall. Not just anything painting however, this artwork had passionate meanings to it. It included the acclaimed famous figures of Martin Luther King JR, Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela. The drawing is enclosed by a huge black frame. The interior is composed of black, red, and green stripes along the borders of the drawing. The artist might have possibly done this to captivate whoever the viewer is. It has a lot of tone added to the picture making it stand out and look realistic. The shading they used brought out the details to the drawing. For example in their cheek structure, face overall, and clothes it makes the artwork more realistic. The fact that the artist drew this in black and white make it that much better. Adds a classic elegant appearance. This drawing would capture the eyes of so many people because of the struggles these men have been through and overcame. Most importantly because of who the men are. Martin Luther King JR overcame the battle of inequality and racism to deliver one of the most influential speeches “I Have a Dream” which ended discriminations uniting blacks with whites today. Malcolm X wanted blacks to use violence against whites because of the violence he took from them. He’s regarded as a highly contentious individual who spoke up for African Americans human rights. Nelson Mandela helped the black government by sacrificing himself and being put in prison for over 27 years, he emerged to become the country's first black president and to play a leading role in the drive for peace in other causes of conflict. I found this to be one of the finer black and white drawings i’ve seen if not the best. It exemplifies a piece with an abundance of meaning and attitude. It gives off the meaning of great men who sacrificed countless times for our equality in addition to what they believe in. For that they are being honored as well as praised. I despise drawing, but if I was able to and had to draw something It would be something memorable furthermore of importance. Like the red, green, and black interior on the drawing, I would also create something more of an image to lure the view in. A great piece of artwork requires a great deal of time, effort, image previously in your mind, and a location where everyone can view it. That is just some of the many thoughts that jogs through a extraordinary drawers mind..

Response

Hi,

Hip-Hop doesn't move me much, but for some reason I like Kanye West. He seems like a real artist (and a real pain in the ass!)

Your blog gets my interest. And you do well with the overall tone and mood of his work. You could do much more to analyze the sounds of the different instrumements and even what the vocals sound like.

GRADE: 17/20

Analyzing A Piece of Music

Jason Spinola

Pathways

Piece of Music Essay

September 29, 2010

                                       Welcome to Heartbreak

                                        Kayne West (ft. KiD CuDi)

   

           Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Janet Jackson. West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, and his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008. These four albums have received numerous awards, including a cumulative twelve Grammys, and critical acclaim. Mr. West who is known as a musical genius now runs is own record label called “GOOD Music.” 

      When I was thinking of a piece of music, I choose one of my favorite genres (rap/hip-hip) and I brainstormed artists that are deep into their craft. Kayne stoke out and his song Welcome to Heartbreak was a deep, real song. The tone he uses to tell the story leaves the impression he sounds vulnerable and lost in the world. Throughout the album you can hear the sadness and the outcry of Mr. West pouring his heart out.

          Welcome to Heartbreak is about how people can talk about their wife, kids, and a happy family while Mr. West can only talk about cars, woman, and his house. He’s basically saying the greatest things things in life aren’t objects, it’s the people around us. I think many people can relate, but those more blessed can especially because they tend to be more materialistic and conceited. On the other hand those who are regular working class citizens need to appreciate family and be content with that. There are many people in this world that wish they just had a home or family to turn to. This song came of 808’s & Heartbreak, an album Kanye dedicated to his mother Donda West who died due to complications from cosmetic surgery a year before the album. Months later, he broke his engagement with his fiance leaving him lonely and at the center of media criticism.

         Although it was an unpopular for a rap artist to make a pop album Mr. West did it and achieved more success by it. Me personally, I thought it was a phenomenal album. I could connect with a lot of the songs because they were about real life and situations. The piece of music was different and meaningful so it stood out many different races, and music fans. The album makes prominent use of the voice audio processor technology of auto-tone.