Journal 7: American Authors

"Theme for English B"

I first read this poem over this last summer in my American Authors since 1875 class. This poem made me smile, it was exactly how I felt when I write my papers. Sometimes it seems hard to convey to a teacher exactly what they are looking for when they ask us to write a paper for them. Everyone comes from different backgrounds, therefore the papers will all be different. The author of this paper is saying how difficult it will be for the teacher to understand what he is writing if they can relate, or know what he is speaking of. This can happen when there is a cultural divide between the audience, and the author. There is gaps between cultures, and sometimes it is hard to know what an author is speaking of unless they understand that culture completely, or come from the same culture. 

This is my page for English B:

I was told by my teacher today to write a page tonight. It will just flow onto the paper, she said. There is no guidelines for this paper. Well if there is no guidelines, then what should I write. There is no way my teacher could possibly understand all of what I write. We come from two different backgrounds. The teacher may have a lot in common, though because of the fact she is American, and I am American. We have that much in common. However, I don't see how or why she would want to possible know everything that I will speak of. We are different, and I think that is fine with me. For there are things that make me an individual, and things that make her 

an individual. This is what makes us Americans, and unique. 

I was born in Winston-Salem, and went to school in Durham. Now I go to college near Harlem, but I am the only colored student in my class. There is so much you as a teacher could not understand, and let alone our culturally differences, we are also of different ages. I am a young age of 22 years old, and I live in Harlem. 

The place, and path to home is different then yours. I live in Harlem. However, as much as we are different, we have a lot in common. I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love the same as anyone. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life. I want a Christmas present, a pipe, or music Bessie, bop, or Bach. Oh wait, this instructor, might not be quite so different then you. We have a lot that makes us different, but I can find some common characteristics, but we do come from different backgrounds. 

The images help to enhance this post, by creating a tone. They set the background of the narrative to reference. The Bach with the shades, helps to infer that bach is cool, and made for "cool" music. I thought this would help to show how the author likes to listen to Bop, and Bach with just using one picture. The map of Harlem helps to show a reference point for the audience to understand where Harlem is located, and the reference points for the city/town.

Journal 9: Stained glass

Stained glass windows are a traditional, historical text that is used to represent and convey biblical or artistic storylines. They are designed to tell a story whether it is fiction or non-fiction. The designers spend hours, days, and years to create a composition that can stand the test of time. The long-lasting text of stained glass windows can be created to have different interpretations depending on the context in which they are viewed. Stained glass windows also represent a text due to the tone, and layout of a window. A placement of any component in the window can affect the audience’s personal meaning of the window. Stained glass has been created and made for centuries, and the historical context in which they were created has gradually been a major factor for the meaning of the windows. The techniques including the shading of the colors on the stained glass, and the way that the light shines through the window at any particular time in the day or even at night can all be a major factor in which an audience can change the meaning to the composition of the stained glass windows.
The historical context in which an audience views stained glass windows is a major factor in the interpretation of the text. The Tiffany Chapel now found in Morse Musuem in Winter Park Florida has been relocated five times over the course of the years since it was originally built for the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The Tiffany Chapel, therefore due to the relocations has changed the meaning of it’s stained glass windows over the course of the years. The Chapel was originally built as a display for people to visit and enjoy, and to see improvements upon stained glass window making.
· “The various windows used in the chapel are marked examples of Tiffany glasswork, all the latest improvements and discoveries, both in glass, leads, and methods of construction. They are built upon what is called the mosaic system. In one window alone, there are more then 10,000 separate pieces of glass. No paints or enamels have been used in these windows except in the flesh of various figures.” ("The Tiffany Chapel" 4)
The original meaning from the chapel then changed as it was removed from the world’s exposition to the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company in New York for two years. The stained glass and rest of the chapel, however, was then placed in The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York. The Chapel was placed in the basement crypt, and likely did not get much sunlight, but was used as a chapel for services. The stained glass windows were then placed in a setting that allowed them to be viewed for audiences as a religious context. The worlds exposition had originally been used to make the windows appear for decoration, and for pleasure. As Tiffany is quoted, “A temple of art, not a place of worship.” ("The Tiffany Chapel" 8)Therefore, if the meaning of Tiffany’s words were applied to the new location of the Chapel in the Cathedral, then they were not supposed to be used for religious purposes. The chapel was eventually relocated to Tiffany’s house, and put on display in it’s own building near his house. In due course though, there was a fire after Tiffany’s death, and the chapel was distributed to new homes until the McKeans’ family rebuilt the chapel in Winter Park Florida at the Morse Museum. Due to the many moves however, the Tiffany chapel has changed meanings, and context over the course of the years since it has been built. The stained glass has changed texts over the years due to the location in which it was placed, such as a display of art, or a religious text.
Tone of the stained glass windows can be changed due to small factors such as the lighting during which the window is viewed, the exposure to weathering, texture of the glass, and the unique variations of colors. Shading is created to create a tone in the composition of stained glass. The colors of stained glass are created by using metallic oxides in the mixture of raw materials that make up the glass.
· “In terms of colour and form it is eccentric. Colour is abnormally bright since the light comes through the material instead of being reflected from the surface; tone is usually dictated by bounding leads or area joints of some kind. The whole thing is imprisoned within glazing bars that form an inexorable grid and are structurally necessary.” (Piper 8)
· “Among them are texture, the glow of rich colour, drama of tone and rectilinear or symmetrical arrangement of design. As to texture, it is an acquired characteristic, and a very important one; because its present condition was no part of it’s designer’s intention. A close examination of any fragment of early glass shows that a great deal of its present day effect is accidental, the result of a number of small accidents that build up to a total falsification of the original. There is always pitting of the glass which can be seen best outside; minute depressions- and sometimes bigger ones- have been made in the surface and have filled with dirt, so that the characteristic shading is produced, giving each piece a quality of details, making them seem more sensitive, often again more dramatic and full of bravura.” (Piper 14)
Stained glass is used for audiences to view artwork that has meaning, and is used for churches to tell biblical stories.
· “To the Church it was an invaluable teaching aid permanently communicating the essential elements of the Faith and its founders. Stories and personalities of the Bible could be shown to all in a form comprehensible to the majority who could not read or understand Latin.” (Cowen 4)











WORKS CITED
Cowen, Painton. A Guide to Stained Glass in Britain. London: Michael Joseph, 1985.
Piper, John M.. Stained Glass Art or Anti-Art. London: Reinhold Book Corporation, 1968.
"The Tiffany Chapel at the Morse Museum ."2006.

Journal 6: E-portfolio

My portfolio is a unique reflection of myself. My portfolio consists of facts about me, and pictures that fairly represent me. The papers I wrote as well are thorough reflections, by offering insights to entertainment or things that influence, and inspire me. These things are all part of who I am, and my beliefs. I want to present to my readers, and audience that I am an overall nice individual that has a lot of unique interests. I want to present ideas, and beliefs that a lot of people might find common, but have lost track of the simple things in life. I want to remind people of the simple things such as when they were children, and what was a major influence either subconsciously such as "The Lion King". Another issue that I try to illuminate in my papers is magazines and the effect they sometimes have on people. I am able to incorporate the Dove evolution project video to show that people exaggerate the truth of how people can look in magazines and ads. Having my portfolio online creates a new way to present my argument. Webpages offer a way to incorporate the ad into the paper, or visual support to enhance my paper and improve my argument. This video enhances my argument to the audience and allows them an easy access to understand what I am discussing in the paper.

I think that my portfolio for now is not organized well. I most likely have to many pictures, and I have too many different fonts on my webpage. I am reorganizing all of the website so that it is easier to read, and follow the papers, and the welcome page. I am including less fonts, but changing the typography to include bold, italic, and underlined fonts. This changes, and helps to create an emphasis on the parts of the papers, I would like to emphasize, but makes it more organized for the reader, and audience to follow.  Moreover, I am not sure if we were allowed to use the headings idea theme, for our papers, but I might include that in my final portfolio. In the McGraw Hill handbook, they state another good idea is to block off or block together thoughts, and ideas that are similar in context, and support. I am going to find a way to do this in my papers on my portfolio to make it easier for my audience to read. Having all of these options to present my paper online allows me to make more of a unique personal paper, that allows the audience to have a better insight to my thesis, and tone of my papers. The websites, also allow for photos to be placed long the narratives helping to make an impact on the audiences perspective.

Journal 8: Computers

"I had been in the game itself only a matter of minutes but I already knew that the people who played this game played it seriously. They were willing to dedicate hours and hours of their real lives to enhancing their virtual lives." (Hall 404) This is a statement made by Hall pertaining to the Second Life video game. Hall makes a valid point when it comes to technology. People can become obsessed when it comes to technology. As he states that people will sit in front of the computer or video games for hours, or writing their blogs, or finding the latest music, or researching for homework, or even reading news. The internet has become the worldwide place to access an infinite amount of information. A person does not need to leave their computer to watch a TV. show, work on homework, read the news, or play games. I agree with the two authors, because as technology has developed so has the form in which text, and literature is presented. Such as the bible, which was first hand-written, then printed in a book, and now many verses can be found electronically. The most culturally worldwide accepted method to obtain literature, and or text that is newly or historically written is the internet. The internet can sometimes be more successful in conveying a text than any other method. WebPages provide a more "sensual" approach to text. A person can upload songs to their webpage or blog allowing the sense of hearing to interact with the sense of sight. This can engage the reader to take a more active role in visualizing a narrative or factual storyline. A person is forced to associate a sound with a particular statement putting certain emphasize on the storyline.

I think that the use of technology has helped in this class to influence what I think, because I have been able to access other websites. This helps me to think in a more open manner, because I have to be able to adjust to reading my textbooks, or homework online in college. This class has helped me, by forcing me to read more articles, and examples of literature online. Moreover, I have been able to become a more technologically advanced individual. I have learned how to create my own text and manipulate it so that when a reader reads my piece they will have a better feel for the mood and tone I am trying to portray in my literature/ composition. The computers have influenced my writing by allowing me to see another form in which to present the text or composition. I only believe that computers have hindered my writing because the writing is more informal then formal. Therefore, there is less emphasis on grammatically correct sentences and more on the statements and presentation of the text. However, this can be made into a benefit, because I have learned how to better arrange my paper to flow more easily, and alternative ways to create a text that can be made to be universally read to people at any point in time or place.

Journal 5: Basic Design

The four basic principles of design are alignment, proximity, repetition, and contrast. The article states that the best way to align a web page is to make sure everything is all in the same direction. If some of the text is centered the entire page should be centered. If some of it is aligned to the left then the whole page should be aligned to the left. Alignment is what makes the page organized and appear professional. Proximity is the relationships between items.

Journal 4: Pride and Prejudice vs. Audiences

The audience of the two essays are comparably different. The essay written by Trask has a more aggressive tone throughout the piece. The author is trying to convey a message to the generic public, that may not relate to everyone. Trask tries to show how tourism has caused problems for the people of Hawaii and why people should not go there to vacation. Her audience is the tourists who are considering coming to Hawaii. She says, "As the pimp for the cultural  prostitution business, the state of Hawaii pours millions into the tourist industry, even to the extent of funding a private booster club- the Hawaii Vistors' Bureau- to the tune of $30 million a year." The readers of these pieces are not necessarily specialists, but probably have some previous background knowledge pertaining to Hawaii and the advertisement. The audience of Knier's essay has to have some knowledge of the electronics being described in the essay, and knowledge of Best Buy. Moreover, the audience needs to have background knowledge on the locations in Florida that are mentioned. "Around 2003, I got a job delivering overpriced pizza all hours of the night in Winter Park, spitting distance from Orlando proper." The audience for this essay would be someone who is interested in electronics, or can relate to things such as living with not a lot of money. The tone of this story is sarcastic, there is a lot of making fun of the jobs that the author has to do to get his dream electronics.

The movies portray two different versions of the same story. The Bride and Prejudice is more of a comedy, and the characters are presented as more stuck-up, and comical. The outfits, and scenery is completely different then the second video. The first video is set up it appears in India. The fonts don't flow the same in the first video as the second video. The fonts in the second video are more serious, and cursive like. The audience for the first movie would be people who has a sense of humor, and are looking for a laugh. The second movie trailer asks for an audience that wants to see a love story/romance. The audience would have to be more serious then the first movie. The dress for the second movie trailer is from an earlier century, and the setting is more formal then the upbeat colorful costumes, and background for the first movie. The colors for the second movie are more neutral colored, not very harsh, and there is a lot of scenes set outside, and in a mansion.

Journal 3: Graphic Novel

In Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel, Maus the visuals interact with the text, and help to create a story line that illuminates the mood. Moreover, the author’s tone with the simple shading of characters, or background is more comprehensible through these techniques. Without the images the storyline would be much more difficult to follow along with, and the mood would be harder to interpret. The purpose of these images are meant to interact with the dialougue and present a reference to the reader to clarify some misconception about the author’s presentation to the story line. Spiegelman sets the tone through the text, by starting from a more present setting to reflecting back upon the events of the past. Moreover, through the visuals he sets up the tone with the shading of the characters, and background. The layers of meaning that is portrayed here through the text, and the visuals is of a terrible time, in which there was a lot of confusion and uncertainty. The shading gives the visual observer a sense of mystery, and uncertainty, whereas the narrative even makes the reader unsure when at the end of the comic it states, “To go, it was no good, but, not to go- it was also no good.” No specifying any lead as to where the plot of the storyline might end up.
The characters that are shaded are the ones that are either unsignificant in the current storyline, or are more part of the narrative then a main character. The introduction to the storyline was told by a character that is shaded, showing that he is more of part of the background to the main story. Spiegelman’s use of the comic strip form helps to make it easier to follow, and gives more visual refrences then a normal story with visuals does. The form of the graphic/ comic strip is also an enhancement to the author’s purpose to allowing the reader to fully comprehend what the author wants the reader to visualize as he tells the story. The people who are talking in the present are the ones who are shaded at the beginning of the story, and the one’s who are talking as the story unfolds are the characters who are not shaded.

Journal 2: "You and I defying Gravity..."

This is a picture of the broadway musical “Wicked”, based off of the book, Wicked. I read this novel when I was in high school, as a fun read. This musical and book, is a story based off of the movie and book, Wizard of Oz, trying to almost retell the story of this movie, but from the wicked witch’s point of view. The musical tells of a love story between the scarecrow, and the wicked witch. The constant quest for the shiny red shoes that Dorothy wears, and the reason that the witch is after them is explained in this novel and award-winning musical. The musical however, I think gives this story a better representation of the plot and main ideas. The story leaves more to the imagination for the reader, but it also leaves a more negative image upon the story line. The differences among the novel, and the musical are vast. The musical changes the influences the audience by forcing the reader to apply a specific person to the character, and overall presentation of a character. From the tone of the characters voice, to the song that accompanies the scene; the audience is forced to have insight pertaining to the characters attitude. However, it is more difficult to have a more complex, and overlapping plot in a musical then in a novel. The novel brings an interweaving storyline, where the characters are forced to come into contact more, allowing the reader to comprehend the deeper meaning of how each individual character acts towards one another, and their opinion of the other character helping the reader to form an opinion as well. Moreover, the novel can have a much longer plot, and tell of a story that is composed of a lot more action.
With all of the songs that have been recorded for the musical of Wicked it is impossible not to sing along. The songs that accompany this musical influence the audience to have a more positive outlook on the plot. The songs are almost Disney worthy, and appear to be cheerful sing alongs. The book however, presents the wicked witch as a innocent, lost, confused, outcast, constantly tortured for her unusal skin tone. The novel allows for such extensive plots such as the wicked witch giving birth to a son in the book, but the musical never even touches on the subject. The musical tries hide most of the intense details to appeal to a wider majority of audiences. This is an example of how the book seems to be more powerful then the visual presentation.

Journal 1: "...I grabbed a pen, and a note napkin, and I wrote down our song"

This image represents me because it is a small sample of my life, and a very small sample of what I dream of, and my work ethics. Taylor Swift is a country singer who inspired me to build up enough confidence to sing in front of an audience. When I first heard about Taylor Swift I heard about all the hard work and dedication she puts into her performance, and her daily life. And just recently I was fortunate enough to see her perform live. The passion she puts into her performance is very noticeable, and she loves everything she does for a living. I have been involved in chorus for nine years, but throughout my chorus career, I always acquired stage fright when it came to the performance night. Every year my high school choir puts on a type of talent show that only allows the choir to audition. The concert is always sold out, and is put on in front of the entire student body. This past year I finally decided to audition, and I put in multiple hours of rehearsal. When I found her song, “Our Song,” I knew it was perfect for me. My performance of this Taylor Swift song is reflective of every individual’s life. I had struggles, and I was forced to overcome my fearto perform this song. My two best friends were in the act with me, and the week of the show one of them fractured their foot. She did not know if she could perform with us until the night of the show. My friend with the fractured foot was also overcoming her stage fright, and both of us were singing for the first time in front of a large audience. Like my life, I wish to put in the hard work and dedication to overcome obstacles, and become someone who succeeds like Taylor Swift.

I found this image on the search engine Google. I searched for pictures of Taylor Swift, and this one was one that captured my attention immediately, because it had the words to the song that I sang. Moreover, the posture, and presentation of her in her setting in school was very representational of my life experience. I really like this image because it is very causal, the school setting does not make it seem like you have to know a whole lot about photography to understand why the photographer choose the setting. Magazines for example, illustrate unique designer clothing, but accent it with a specific unique background setting. I dislike this picture because it doesn’t seem to be natural. Taylor Swift does not seem to be involved in her setting. The setting itself is natural, but she does not appear herself like she is in a natural setting. The tone presents to the viewer a perception of innocence, and a place that her audience can relate to. The viewer can recognize, and relate to her falling in love, and wanting to write a song about it in high school. The image does require the viewer to have some previous knowledge. The viewer would have to know who Taylor Swift is, as a well-known country singer, and possibly how her music career began.