FINAL IN-CLASS ESSAY

            During the 20^th and 21^st centuries America has been making a gradual decline towards purely suburban culture. In the article “The Public Realm and the Common Good” author Kunstler talks about how people once valued beautiful buildings and city streets that are public, and now we value the efficiency of which we can buy things. I agree with this because where once you could walk down a city street and have it be a beautiful and culturally fulfilling place, we now have strip malls and traffic jammed streets with little or no sidewalks. In looking at various New Yorker covers from the 20^th century into the 21^st century it is clear to see Americans’ discomfort and aversion towards this decline.

            The article “The Public Realm and the Common Good” written by James Howard Kunstler describes in detail how people have a “homesickness” for how life used to be. Kunstler talks about how the only reason people love Disney World, whether they realize this or not, is because it is built to resemble a time when cars weren’t the main use of the city street. By putting in lampposts, benches, and tall and ornate looking buildings, Disney World managed to create a world that is lost to America. The fall of Euro Disney, according to Kunstler, was caused by the fact that European streets and buildings still maintain their integrity and therefore people don’t need to pay money to experience it. Another interesting point brought up by Kunstler was the fact that buildings in America nowadays have a design-life, which means that “our houses, commercial, and civic buildings are constructed with the fully conscious certainty that they will disintegrate in a few decades”. This shows how our idea of quality craftsmanship has severely declined, because in earlier times buildings were built to last.

            In the July 22^nd 1974 cover of the New Yorker, what is being portrayed is an old city street reflected in the windows of a modern day building. The old architecture is also shown as melting away and distorted. This relates back to the article because Kunstler talked about how old buildings are being knocked down and replaced with meaningless places such as strip malls. By showing the old architecture as a distorted reflection in a modern building, the artist is making an allusion to the fact that the old way of living is being taken away to make way for a newer and less beautiful way of living. This cover shows an almost apocalyptic view of new architecture in the red orange and yellow color scheme and makes it seem like America is burning down what we used to value, and what can now only be found in Disney World.

            The New Yorker cover from June 11^th 2001 shows what appear to be a real estate agent and a couple standing on a balcony of a city building. The couple is looking out longingly at an area outside of the city which is a suburban area. This is the only area of the cover which is colored in while the city and its inhabitants are shown in black and white. What struck me about this cover is that the couple completely overlooks the beautiful architecture of the city and is completely fixated on the suburban complex in the distance. This relates to what Kunstler said in his article about how people are no longer referred to as citizens, and how we are now consumers. The people in this cover are the perfect example of consumers because unlike citizens they don’t want to live in the public realm or contribute to the common good, they simply want to fulfill their skewed version of the American dream.

            The final cover I am going to talk about is one from April 23^rd 2007. This cover is a picture of a city, and the only colorful part of the city is the masses of people and their umbrellas. This cover proves Kunstler’s point because it shows how the architecture, cars, and sidewalks all have this dulling sameness and lack of color or beauty. The pop of color shown in the people with the umbrellas, however, show how people themselves still hold on to the values of beauty and cultural fulfillment. If those values could get translated back to the way we build our cities and towns, there could be hope for bringing back the way we once lived. Even though Kunstler says that “Americans have a low regard for the public realm, and this is unfortunate because the public realm is the physical manifestation of the common good”, I believe that Americans still have somewhat of a regard for the public realm as shown in this cover, and that is why people turn to Disney World to get a glimpse of it.

            By looking at both Kunstler’s article and the various New Yorker covers, it is obvious that America has experienced a decline in our public realm. Where we could be building beautiful buildings that last, we create cheap cement structures that don’t even last our lifetime. By destroying what we once valued in an area we are making way for a new and skewed view of the American dream. The reason we turn to Disney world as a comfort is because Disney World holds the promise for what we wished we had in our society.

Paper #3 Draft

Michelle LaRosa

Paper #3

Dr. Devine

Between the 20^th and 21^st centuries there is a distinct difference in how new technologies are viewed by the public. In the 20^th century technology was seen as an innovative new way to add to the richness of culture, whereas in the 21^st century technology seemingly destroys culture. By looking at three New Yorker covers from a wide range of time periods, it is easy to see the shift in opinion. The ‘sense of place’ that was talked about in the article “Disconnected Urbanism” is also represented in these three covers. In the 1930’s technology added to a place, but in modern times technology replaces it with something ‘better’. This shows how the more technology advances the more we experience a loss of society.

 In the article “Disconnected Urbanism”, Paul Goldberger makes it clear his disapproval of how technology has made places less special. He argues that technology has made it so “Even when you are in a place that retains its intensity, its specialness, and its ability to confer a defining context on your life, it doesn’t have the all-consuming effect these places used to.” Goldberger believes that a place should have a special effect on a person when they’re there, and that technology such as cell phones takes away from that. Another issue Goldberger addresses is the fact that technological advancements have caused a cultural loss. He thinks that walking down a street or being in a public place should be “all of us—different people who lead different lives—coming together in the urban mixing chamber.” Goldberger believes that by allowing technology to take such a prevalent role in our lives, we are sacrificing something much greater.

The New Yorker cover from July 4, 1925 disproves this article and argues quite a different view. This cover showed how technology could flow seamlessly into technology while still leaving the integrity of the place intact. Even though roller coasters and other new machines are shown as a major part of the place shown, you can still see people walking down the street with one another and it is very much still a public place. The 1988 cover also disproves the article because it shows how even with the presence of technology; people still immerse themselves into the place they are in. The image in this cover shows a person literally sinking in and becoming a part of the walls of New York City, while still clearly showing that he is using the subway. By making the subway a crucial part of the area and still having the person experience the place itself, this cover showed how technology could mesh with society without compromising its integrity. The New Yorker cover from October 20, 2003 supports Goldberger’s view that technology takes away a place’s unique quality by showing the difference between an actual well-known place and the picture that technology paints of it. This really showed how the ‘specialness’ of a place could be taken away by the grandeur of what technology could do.

While the 1930s and 1980s showed a lot of promise in regards to community and technology, the 2000s brought a lot of discontent and aversion towards it. The New Yorker covers from the 30s and 80s really showed how technology not only doesn’t hurt a culture, but it adds to the richness of experiencing it. The cover from the 2000s, however, shows how technology takes away from a place and the culture in it. Overall I think it is safe to say that all of the ill feelings towards technology, including those of Paul Goldberger and Disconnected Urbanism, generated fairly recently. Before the current times, technological advances were received in much better terms.

3 Cover choices

In the Disconnected Urbanism article, the author talks about how technology disrupts the sense of place we have when we are somewhere new. I think that the three New Yorker covers shown here show an interesting dynamic of how that mindset has evolved over the years. The first cover shown is from 1925 and is a very positive outlook on technology and community. Rather than disrupting a sense of place, the new technology of the amusement park is adding to the richness of the culture of the place itself. The way that the technology so effortlessly integrates with the community shows that the point of view of the artist is a polar opposite from that of the article. The second cover shown is also a positive outlook on technology because it also shows how technology becomes a part of the place itself. People immediately recognize this image as a subway station in New York City because it is an image that is signature to the place, therefore the technology of the subway itself is received in a positive way in regards to culture and community. The person himself in this picture is also becoming a part of the place by blending into the walls, which is exactly what the author of Disconnected Urbanism said should be happening. The final cover shown is where technology starts to be shown in a negative fashion. In this cover the technology is not becoming a part of the place, rather it is trying to change how people perceive it. The technology of special effects makes the actual place seem less grand in comparison, therefore when someone is in the actual place it loses its luster. This makes life seem more centered around the technological world than the real one. All in all, these three covers together illustrate people's changing view of technology, as well as how technology went from something that added to culture and a sense of place to something that takes away from it.

New Yorker covers 1925-2000s

This cover disproves the disconnected urbanism article because it shows how new technology adds to a community and its culture. Amusement parks and thrill rides were a new technology in the 20s when this cover was released, and is shown as something very exciting in this cover. Even with the presence of technology, this cover shows people walking down the street, and it portrays a rich culture.












This cover shows a new technology that was very prevalent in the 30s, which was the zeppelin. I think that having the zeppelin shown in a large city positively portrays technology, because even though the zeppelin takes up a lot of space on the cover, older things like biplanes and communities on the streets are still shown.













This cover shows less of a positive view on technology, and focuses more on a loss of self. The subway was a breakthrough in technology, and this cover shows a man blending into the walls of the subway station. This gives a sense that the person isn't a person anymore, but is becoming technology.














This cover is also a negative view of technology by saying that technology isn't just a piece of the city anymore, rather the city is becoming technologically dependent. By showing a building as a telephone the artist is clearly trying to say that phones are taking over city life.














This cover is even more negative than the previous because it is making fun of humans who use technology. By insinuating that even a monkey could use these things, the artist is making technology seem less significant. This portrays the humans who use it as losing their humanity.














This final cover makes the argument that technology changes everything now, even if it is unnecessary. It also shows how using technology to enhance things makes the real world seem less great.

Technology Articles

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/opinion/sunday/twitterology-a-new-science.html?_r=1&ref=socialnetworking

This article disproves the article we read in class because it talks about how things like twitter are opening up a whole new field of science. The article talks about how scientists and researchers use twitter to learn about cultures and language. It also makes the point that global moods can be more closely analyzed by what people post. This article definitely takes a more positive approach on technology by viewing it as a research tool, and a cultural melting pot.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/arts/artsspecial/social-networking-among-young-arts-professionals.html?ref=socialnetworking

This article also disproves the disconnected urbanism article by talking about how technology brings people together as a community, rather than secluding ourselves. As the senior marketing manager at the Guggenheim says, “We use Twitter to not only to connect with one another, but to share what we feel brings value to a larger online arts community,”. This is a much more positive outlook on technology and culture together. This article also talks about how art majors can explore a much wider world of art right at their fingertips, which is much more than art majors in the past have been able to have.

Disconnected Urbanism Response/Summary

In the article “Disconnected Urbanism”, Paul Goldberger states his disagreement with technology on the basis that it homogenizes the world and makes traveling less ‘special’. Goldberger talks about how when someone is talking on the phone they are no longer at the place they are in, and they are really transported to a virtual world. He argues that technology makes public places more private, and gives the places less meaning. Goldberger also talks about how in the olden days people would have to send letters overseas in order to communicate and now people get upset when they have to fax something rather than e-mail. With everyone talking on cell phones, Goldberger says, we are experiencing a loss of culture.

I think there were a few things that Goldberger failed to touch on in this article. First of all, he did not mention how technology helps us to experience all cultures whenever we want in the blink of an eye. In my opinion, technology has done what many thought was impossible: The ability to be in a new place, while still experiencing your favorite parts of other places. I do agree with the fact that technology can interrupt tranquil moments and be a nuisance at times, but when used discreetly it allows people to experience a plethora of different things at once which I believe to be quite stimulating to society. I think that Goldberger focused in on the negative impacts of technology on culture (which of course there are many) and didn’t talk about the positives at all. Transporting to a virtual world may disconnect people for a moment, but the virtual world has so much culture on its own. While I agree that technology can be overused, I believe that it has allowed humans to explore culture even more in depth rather than compromising it.

FINAL DRAFT Paper #2

Michelle LaRosa

Paper#2

Dr. Devine

            In looking at the October cover of the New Yorker made by Erik Drooker, as well as his other covers/artworks, it is clear that he is making a statement about climbing the social ladder and being above New York City itself. On top of that, he is clearly highlighting the chaos and confusion of the city. This cover, as well as his other works, really describes the New Yorker as a magazine because it pinpoints the elitist nature of the New Yorker reader. Even looking at the advertisements for fancy cars and expensive watches on the inside of the magazine show how the New Yorker is trying to make people feel like they are above everything, which Erik Drooker really captures in his artwork.

            The cover has an overall blue color scheme to it. The only color that sticks out other than blue is a yellow glow that seems to come from the depths of the city. The blue parts indicate the tranquility and peacefulness of being above the city as opposed to the hot yellow glow of the chaos down below. I think Drooker chose to make it nighttime to further dictate peace, and show how the streets are bright even at night. The couple standing on top of the building is blue as well, and they are holding hands. This portrays peacefulness, romance, and happiness. In this artwork Drooker builds a contrast between peace and chaos, and he doesn’t necessarily portray the chaos as ‘bad’, but more as something to escape from time to time. Drooker insinuates through his art that by reading the New Yorker the reader will be temporarily at peace and free from the chaos, confusion, and hubbub of everyday life.

One of Drooker’s pieces of art that really struck me was called “The Maze”. It is similar to the October cover in that it is an aerial view of the city. It depicts New York City as a maze of interlocking buildings, and it shows a bird breaking free from it. I thought that was a great comparison to the New Yorker cover because the cover shows a similar image of a couple standing atop a building overlooking the city. Although “The Maze” has more of a theme of freedom and the New Yorker cover has a romantic theme, they both have the thought of breaking free from chaos. Another similar artwork I found by Drooker was a September cover he has created. The image shows yet another aerial view of the city with thousands of similar looking businessmen on stilts walking above the city. This, yet again, is a statement about being elitist/climbing a social ladder. Drooker really puts an emphasis on being above the city, which insinuates that the New Yorker reader is someone who desires to set him or herself apart from the chaos.

In all of Erik Drooker’s artworks and covers, he portrays the New Yorker reader as a normal average person who wishes to escape city life by means of art, culture, and feeling superior. The advertisements in this issue of the New Yorker are for items of luxury. For example, the back cover of the magazine is an advertisement for Breguet watches. The only boutiques advertised that carry these watches are on Madison Avenue and Beverly Hills, which are very expensive neighborhoods. This indicates that by having one of these watches, the reader will acquire status or class. This further proves the supposed elitist nature of the New Yorker reader. Another striking advertisement is one of a luxury car. One of the passages on this advertisement says ‘It’s not just luxury. It’s smarter than that.’ which signifies the New Yorker reader as even being above luxury itself. The tagline for this advertisement is ‘Nobody’s Fool’ which makes the reader feel intelligent by wanting a luxury car that is also fuel-efficient. The tagline grabs the reader by instantly making them feel like the car, as well as themselves, is a cut above the rest. All of these luxury advertisements, plus the statement made on the cover, are evidence that the New Yorker reader wants to feel elitist and superior while reading this magazine. Lastly, there is a political cartoon on the last page of the magazine that grabbed my attention. The cartoon shows a couple who have horse shaped lower bodies. The man is walking into their home out of the rain and says “Sorry I’m late. I had to give the boss a ride home.” This struck me as a funny allusion to the chaos of everyday life that most people deal with, such as sucking up to one’s boss. This depicts the chaos of city living, and allows the reader to reflect on it in a humorous fashion. By doing this, the New Yorker is not only acknowledging everyday life, but they are also making it seem beneath the reader in a sense.

By putting together the statement made by Drooker on the front cover with the advertisements and cartoons inside the magazine, this issue of the New Yorker clearly paints a picture of escaping from city life. Drooker doesn’t depict city life as wrong or bad, but more as something that people should take a break from. Not only this, but the New Yorker also makes the reader feel above it all and that they deserve status and luxury. This makes the New Yorker less of a magazine, and more of a world to pull the readers into that is less tumultuous than their actual lives.

First Draft, Paper #2

Michelle LaRosa

Paper#2

Dr. Devine

            In looking at the October cover of the New Yorker made by Erik Drooker, as well as his other covers/artworks, it is clear that he is making a statement about climbing the social ladder and being above New York City itself. On top of that, he is clearly highlighting the chaos and confusion of the city. This cover, as well as his other works, really describes the New Yorker as a magazine because it pinpoints the elitist nature of the New Yorker reader. Even looking at the advertisements for fancy cars and expensive watches on the inside of the magazine show how the New Yorker is trying to make people feel like they are above everything, which Erik Drooker really captures in his artwork.

            One of Drooker’s pieces of art that really struck me was called “The Maze”. It is similar to the October cover in that it is an aerial view of the city. It depicts New York City as a maze of interlocking buildings, and it shows a bird breaking free from it. I thought that was a great comparison to the New Yorker cover because the cover shows a similar image of a couple standing atop a building overlooking the city. Although “The Maze” has more of a theme of freedom and the New Yorker cover has a romantic theme, they both have the thought of breaking free from chaos. Another similar artwork I found by Drooker was a September cover he has created. The image shows yet another aerial view of the city with thousands of similar looking businessmen on stilts walking above the city. This, yet again, is a statement about being elitist/climbing a social ladder.

            One of the events going on around the time of this cover’s release was a controversy over the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy in place in the military. The romantic aspect of this cover made me think about these events. Even though the cover shows a man and woman holding hands, it could be a statement about love and being open about relationships. The couple on the cover are clearly out in the open and out in the public eye, yet still isolated from the rest of the city. This relates to the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy that meant a lot to a lot of people, because it really shows how isolated the people who are affected by this may feel.

            

Midterm Paper

The October 10, 2011 cover of the New Yorker shows a grim looking picture of a city. What this cover really represents is a struggling economy, and a leader who is making it worse. It is not just an image of a city, but of a country that is polluted by big corporations and businesses that don’t care about people. This cover reflects on our country’s current situation by portraying the gloomy picture of what our country is headed to. By looking at recent articles and events that are happening in the country, it is easy to see that this cover is an allegory for our country’s leadership, economy, and middle class society.

When I first looked at this cover I immediately noticed that it is an overlook of a city, and that it has dominantly blue color scheme. Blue color schemes generally give the impression of depression and sadness, which is what gives this cover a somber feel. I also noticed that the buildings in the city are cluttered and close together and that you cannot see the ground or any people walking around, just an eerie green glow. There is smog and smoke rising from nearly all of the buildings, and staircases and ramps connect many of the buildings. There is a large bull shaped structure resembling a sphinx, which sits atop the two tallest and most massive buildings. Also, if you look closely, you can see what resembles the New York Stock Exchange building sitting just below the large bull, and a structure that looks like the Washington monument. The fact that all of these monuments and places are raised up so high is odd, and must mean that they are supposed to be out of reach in a sense.

I believe that the city portrayed in this cover represents our country as a whole. By sneaking in the Washington monument, the artist clearly made this cover less about just New York City and more about the entire country. The bull structure in this picture that resembles a sphinx really stuck out to me because the sphinx represents Egypt and the Middle East, which is a large epicenter for fossil fuels. This directly relates to our country’s current fuel crisis and the struggles we have with the Middle East in general. Apart from that, the bull could also represent President Obama in regards to our country’s current economic standpoint. Bulls are historically symbolic of power, strength, determination, and perseverance, which is what led me to this connection. As stated in a Seattle Times article, “Republicans blame Obama for the slump, saying he has issued a blizzard of regulations and promised future tax increases that have hurt business and consumer confidence.” This connects with the article because it is clear that Obama’s popularity has gone down as a result of some of his decisions, which is why he is being portrayed in this image as the leader of a crumbling and corrupt nation. The New York Stock Exchange building also struck me because of the recent protests on Wall Street. The protesters claimed that the recession was not over, and to quote the editorial from UFPPC, “On one level, the protesters, most of them young, are giving voice to a generation of lost opportunity.” By not putting any people in the image and only showing building, the image is saying that people don’t make a difference upon big businesses. This is also shown by how the Stock Exchange building is raised up high so people cannot reach it. The cover argues that the people who are not upper class are not given opportunities, and the smog being given off by the buildings symbolizes big businesses polluting society, and how the people are powerless to stop it.

All in all, it is safe to say that Erik Drooker was drawing on the recent protests on Wall Street as well as our current economic status. The high rise buildings and structures showed how the American people are not able to affect, or even reach our biggest issues on their own. It is also clear that this image has undertones of unrest about our country’s leadership. By showing a large powerful leader above a struggling nation, this cover is making a statement about Obama’s popularity, and how many are discontent with the way he runs things.

New Yorker Reader

The reader of this particular New Yorker is someone who wishes to escape from the normal chaos/confusion of the city, and be above all of it. This is shown in Drooker's covers as well as other artworks of his by portraying people or animals above the city and looking down on it. A few articles and advertisements in the magazine also emphasize this by talking about being free from political struggles. This is shown in the multitude of Chevron advertisements that pop up throughout the magazine, which talk about helping people with AIDS, and being "better" than other oil companies. This gives the reader a sense of being above, or "better" than something. There was also an advertisement for Cadillac, which emphasized luxury quite a bit. This escapes from the norm because most New Yorkers take the subway or taxi, so owning a cadillac which is an expensive car would be a form of escape.

Comparison of Same-Artist Covers

While researching other New Yorker covers made by the artist Eric Drooker, I found one from September 12th 1994 that has a similar theme as the one I was assigned. The image shows thousands of people walking on stilts above New York City. All of the people are men wearing hats, suits, and carrying breifcases. It is similar to the October 25th 2010 cover because they both portray people above the city, and looking down on it in a sense. I think what Drooker displayed with both of these covers was people trying to climb to the top of NYC. The September issue shows it more in climbing the business ladder, and the October issue focuses more on breaking out of the clutter and confusion and rising above it.

The next thing I found wasn't a New Yorker cover he's done, but it is a piece of art he's done. His painting "The Maze" had a very similar theme as the two covers. It is a painting of New York city, but the buildings are interlocked to look like a maze, and a bird is flying above it. This is right in keeping with the theme of being above the city in some way. The bird must represent freedom, and the bird is free from the confusion of the city. Although the maze stretches on past the horizon and seems to not end, so the bird isn't necessarily free after all. This theme of entrappment is shown in the two covers as well because he shows the buildings in the background that are almost like a barrier.

My New Yorker Cover

New Yorker Cover Comparison

I think that the "beauty pageant"cover and the "twilight" cover are similar because they both describe what New York City is all about. The "beauty pageant" cover shows how New York represents differences, beauty, and a modern world apart from other states. The "twilight" cover represents the city in terms of romantic qualities, nightlife, and the city's many different sides. Beauty is represented in two different ways in these covers. In one it is shown with a beauty mark, and in the other is is shown by a romantic couple. While the "beauty pageant" cover is easier to analyze, the "twilight" cover takes longer to process. In essence, both of these covers describe New York itself and its best qualities.

New Yorker Cover "Twilight"

Notice and Focus:
-Repetition of yellow windows and similar structures on rooftops.
-Yellow towards the bottom and blue towards the top.
-There is a couple holding hands on a rooftop.
-The city is bright even though it's nighttime.
-Romantic theme?

The artist Eric Drooker was not only an artist, but also a novelist and a poet. This says something about the cover because the artwork most likely has a story behind it. I think that by making the bottom part of the cover yellow and fire-like, he is portraying that even though it is nighttime, the city is still alive and bright. The artwork shows a couple looking down onto the city yet secluded from it, which shows the two sides of the city.

New Yorker Cover Analysis Part 2

I found it interesting that in the book they look into the historical context of the time period the cover was published. I touched on this briefly in my analysis, but I didn't think to delve deeper into it. I also thought that it was interesting how they noticed that the three states they used other than New York ended in the letter 'a', which I had not noticed. This further illustrates the similarities between the three states, and differences from New York. The book categorizes the cover as a "dumb blonde joke" by showing how the darker woman with a beauty mark is set apart from the rest. I also touched on this, but in a different way in my analysis. The most interesting part to me was when the book talked about New York as a point for immigrants, and the cover could be focusing on ethnicity. This struck me because it is a very plausible interpretation that I had not explored. Comparing New York to the more southern/west coast states, New York is definitely more diverse due to immigration. This is an interesting way of looking at it, and also very different from my analysis.

New Yorker Cover Analysis

On the New Yorker cover shown, it depicts 4 women with sashes that have the names of states on them. The states are Georgia, Florida, New York, and California. The font color of the title "New Yorker" is the same color as the sashes on the women, and the writings in the corner. Other than the title the sashes, and the miscellaneous writing, there is no other color in the picture, the rest is black and white. The women with the states Georgia, Florida, and California all have long wavy blonde hair, and have large fake smiles. Their eyes are also big and doll-like with long eyelashes, and they are wearing one-piece bathing suits. The women wearing the New York sash is very different from the rest. She has dark hair that is put up in a bun, and she is not smiling. She looks more exotic than the rest with smaller, narrower eyes with dark makeup and a mole on her right cheek. She is also different because she is wearing a two-piece bathing suit.

I think the reason that the title, price, date, and sashes are the only pieces of the cover that are in color is because the maker wanted those pieces to pop. Obviously the title should pop, but the fact that the sashes pop too makes me think that that must be of vital importance to the integrity of the cover. I thought it was interesting that New York was the only state they used that wasn't a warmer climate state. The women other than the New York woman are depicted as typical traditional southern pageant girls with their modest bathing suits, blonde hair, and fake looking smiles. I think the point they were trying to make with this is that New York is a place that is less fake, more fashion forward, and more modern than others. This makes sense as a theme because this issue is from the year 2000 when a big focus was put on being modern.

Grammar Comics

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe

Mini Paper Intro/Draft

Michelle LaRosa                                                                                                         9/21/11

Paper 1                                                                                                                        Dr. Devine

After capturing all of my photos, it became clear to me that they were all pictures of items that I own: my jewelry box, my desk, my ITunes card, my poster… etc. I seemed to gravitate toward things that were safe and familiar to me. I think the fact that I didn’t go out and take pictures of things I didn’t own gives this collection a theme of vulnerability. What I mean by this is, taking a risk and taking a photo that was more out of the box would have made me feel vulnerable, therefore I stuck to the familiar. On the other hand, none of the photos had any darkness to them, and they were all portrayed in fairly bright lighting. This gives the collection an undertone of happiness and lightheartedness. Both of these themes represent me because I tend to feel vulnerable when expressing my own ideas, such as pictures, but at the same time I also try and keep life as lighthearted as possible.

The photo I chose to focus on is filled with objects, and is generally very cluttered. When I first look at the photo, all I see is the confusion and I am not sure what to focus on. The color scheme in the picture tends to be mostly shades of blue and red. The object in the foreground that I would consider to be the main focal point is a Tim Hortons coffee cup. The reason it stands out is because it is the largest object in the photo, and it is also closer to the camera than all of the other objects. There are warnings all over the coffee cup that say ”Hot!” “Caution!” and “Careful!”.  The other objects in the foreground are a computer, a pair of headphones, some dry erase markers, the bottom of a lamp, a tissue box, and a pair of scissors. These items stand out less than the coffee cup, but still seem to be points of focus in the picture. In the background of the photo you can see shark printed sheets, a plaid comforter, and a horizontal metal bar. Although these aspects are more difficult to spot, they are of vital importance to the integrity of the photo.

When first looking at the main focal point, the coffee cup, it has an obvious meaning of needing caffeine to get through the day. But looking closer, the warnings on the cup could represent over cautiousness.  I have always had a problem with stress and anxiety, as most do, and so I am generally over cautious about a lot of things in life. These warnings represent that part of me well because of the blatant stressful tone that it brings to the picture. As for the shark printed sheets, they bring a subtle quirky undertone to the photo. The metal bar locks away that part of the picture and cuts it away from the rest of the picture. This also represented my personality because I have a subtle quirkiness that I tend not to show to most people, therefore it is somewhat locked away. The overall brightness of the photo also struck me. There is not a direct light source per say, but rather the entire photo is represented in a bright light. I think this is a really good illustration of how I am overall lighthearted. Even though there is an element of stress and clutter in this picture, it never loses its bright and cheery feel which is what I wanted to focus on. Rather than portraying it in a dark and dreary theme, I chose to take the picture in a bright setting with a generally cheerful color palette. I think this says something about my thoughts when I took the picture, and how I wanted my happier side to show through.

In essence, this photo has a theme overall happiness and lightheartedness, with undertones of stress, quirkiness, and clutter. This is a complete self representation, because that is exactly how I think my personality works. In a more general sense, this picture also showed all of my favorite pastimes such as music, coffee, writing, etc.  As a whole, I think all of the pictures I took represented how I like to stick to things that are familiar and close to me, and the collection shows my vulnerability. All of the aspects in the photo I chose are a non-literal self portrait of myself.

Photo Analysis part 2

Out of all of the pictures I chose, the one that stood out to me the most was the first one. The main themes that stood out to me in this picture were adulthood, freedom, and happiness. It was the easiest for me to evaluate this picture because of the loud colors and the drawings on it. The second most grasping picture for me was the one with the coffee cup. This picture had a lot going on in it and I was able to pick it apart a lot. The clutter in it had the theme of business and getting through hardships, and there were subtle undertones of quirkiness in the shark printed sheets. I think that this picture was the best representation of a self portrait overall because it showed my personality, and what I do on a day to day basis. The picture of the street lined with trees was difficult to analyze because there weren't many things in it that jumped out at me. Other than the old fashioned buildings and crosswalks, I didn't have much to say about it. The calendar picture was fun to interpret, but it related to me in too much of a straight forward way. The pride and prejudice picture was also to straight forward, because it represents my favorite movie. The most difficult picture to interpret was the one with the flowers and beading. It didn't say much about me as a person, although it did have some themes portrayed in it. By having all of the flowers moving toward the light, it had a theme of reaching toward things that help you grow. Other than that, there weren't many things to pick apart in that photo. Overall I would say that the photo with the Tim Hortons coffee cup was the one that spoke to me the most.

Carl Sandburg's Poetry

In my experience reading the poetry of Carl Sandburg, it seems that he tends to repeat certain words or phrases for emphasis. He does this in the first section of his poem "In a Breath"by repeating the word "sun" to emphasize the feeling of heat. He also repeats the words "large" and "cool" in the same poem to emphasize the switch from heat to water. By repeating the words he puts a clear image into the reader's head and makes it stick.
Carl Sandburg also repeats words for emphasis in his poem "Bath". He uses the word "rose" twice in the poem, but with different meanings, to clearly show the change of theme. He also repeats the word "singing" a few times to make it known that music is an important aspect of the poem. This repetition emphasizes the most important aspects of the poetry.
Another thing that Carl Sandburg does in his poetry is that he changes between themes quickly and dramatically. In "In a Breath" he switches between hot and cold. He starts off with summer heat, switches to an ocean, and then goes back to the first theme. Not only this, but he switches from playfulness to aggression without any warning. This gives the reader the idea that so many things can be happening in one moment.
Carl Sandburg does the same thing in the poem "Bath". He does this by switching themes from death to life. He uses binaries like "grinning skull and cross-bones" and "broke down and rebuilt" to make contradictory statements and further hint at the change of theme. He puts the idea of creation versus destruction in our heads by using binaries and word repetition, which subtly hint at his ideas.

Pictures and Analysis

The focal point of this photo is the number 18. I think the number 18 represent the age, and that it represents adulthood. The photo has bright neon colors, whic is a loud and bold choice. A choice was made to only depict the top half of the person, and the hand is cut off from view which could indicate vulnerability. The person is dancing to their music, which represents freedom and being carefree. The person has a smiling face drawn on and is yelling "Yay!" which indicates happiness. In the background you can see a reflection of light which indicates that the surface of the object is shiny. The reflection looks like blinds from a window.

The main focal point of this photo is the Tim Hortons coffee cup. There is also a light blue tissue box, a pair of headphones and a computer, a pair of scissors, and Expo markers. If you look closely into the background you can see something printed with sharks on it, and a horizontal metal bar. There doesn't seem to be a direct light source coming in other than just a general brightness about the photo.

This is a black and white photo of a city street. The street is lined with old fashioned looking buildings, trees, and lamp posts.You can see 3 crosswalks on the street which indicates that the area has a high population of pedestrians. That means that the area must either be commercial, or residential. The fact that the photo is black and white must mean that either it is a very old picture, or the feelings attributed to this picture are sad.

This picture looks like an advertisement for a movie. The focus of the picture is put on the title of the movie, "Pride and Prejudice", and the review that says "The Best Film of the Year!". The photo depicts a person walking from an orange sky where the sun is behind a tree, to a blue sky where the sun is not shown. This could be a depiction of time passing, or just change in general. The top half of the photo is not shown, which means that the part that is shown is of more importance.

This picture shows two rows of silk flowers, and a lot of intricate beading. The light source is coming from the right half of the picture, and the flowers all seem to be moving toward it. This means the the light source could be representing the sun. The beading is all moving in all directions and patterns. The flowers are only in the middle diamond shape of the picture, which could represent isolation.



This picture is showing a calendar of the month September. There are green explosions drawn on either side of the word September which indicates that it is an exciting month. The days are X'ed off up until the 10th which shows that the photo was taken on September 10th. The X's give a sense of counting down to an event. On the 16th it says "Going Home" which seems to show that that is the event being counted down to. The photo highlights only the X'ed off days and the "Going Home" day while the rest of the days are excluded from focus.

Carl Sandberg Poem Analysis

In a Breath

Notice and Focus:
-Ocean theme
-repeat "sun"
-dramatic words like "flashing" and "drum"
-repeat "large", "cool", "sun-fire", and "flimsy"
-goes from playhouse to knife

So What:
In the poem the scene drastically changes from heat to water, which gives a sense of two different worlds. It also goes from a playhouse theme to a hunting theme, which are very different. The poet sets the scene at first by emphasizing the word "sun" by repeating it, and when he continues on he repeats words like "large" and "cool". The poet also emphasizes the women's "flimsy clothes" to contrast with the knife and the shark's "mouthful of teeth".The title of the poem, in a breath, is repeated in the poem. This shows how in a breath, so many different events and stories can be happening.

Bath

Notice and Focus:
-binary, "grinning skull and cross-bones"
-use "roses" twice, both in a different way
-uses the word "singing" to keep with music theme
-binary, "broke down and rebuilt"
-uses the word "hit" instead of touched to make it more dramatic
-fake vs. life
-repeats "something or other"

So What:
The theme changes quickly in the middle of this poem. It starts off depicting the world as something fake and cruel, using the "grinning skull and cross-bones". This makes it shown to be devoid of life, and putting on a front of fake happiness. The poet uses objects like dust and ashes to to show something that once had life, and lost it. This is also depicted in the shriveled "rose flesh of life".

Brooklyn heights, 4:00 A.M. Poem

Notice and Focus:
A lot of contrasting ideas, child/ adult
Undertones of how our idea of fun changes as we age
Marlboro Light filter repeats
Idea of "playing" repeats
blonde repeats


So what?:
In this poem, the idea of putting your childhood in the past is a recurring theme. The hopscotch court represents childhood, and putting out the cigarette on it is a symbol for letting go. There is a lot of contrasting ideas like the Coors Light versus the jumprope. The blonde hair represents innocence, and the blonde child finding the filter is somewhat of a loss of innocence.


Text Analysis:
In the text analysis they saw pretty much the same binaries that I saw. The text explores the multiple meanings of "far" which I had missed. The text also explored all of the different violent actions that are used in the poem, that give the poem more of an edge. The repetition of the word forty was also acknowledge, and was said that it alluded to being middle aged. The text had some thought provoking analysis.

Your Space Ad

In the "Your Space" ad, the type of car being shown is a Honda Pilot. The sentence that states that this vehicle can hold eight passengers is bolded, which makes that information seem important. I noticed that the shadow underneath the vehicle does not stretch in any diraction, so the light source must be coming from directly above the vehicle. The vehicle looks very small against the large white background, and there is also nothing else in the background. The lettering that says "YourSpace." is large and bold, and it is the first thing that pops out when you look at the ad. All in all, the ad is very simple and to the point.