Shehab Naseer

Dr Carrie Hall

1101-391 Language and Identity

December 10, 2018

 

1-800-273-8255

“I don’t wanna be alive, i just wanna die today’ Words that can come out of a 14 year hs, a 18-21 gay college who simply can’t take the pressure of the society and ending their life is the only choice they think they have. There were many meaningful songs these past two years. 1-800 by logic is a track from his new album “Everybody” Where he talks suicide prevention and how his fans inspired him to make that song. While on tour logic went around with friends to hang out with fans and he played them his album. Bunch of his fans said that his music saved their lives. This songs music video also is very controversial as it also portrayed Gay men and a way to portray the LGBTQ community. Now, why do i still want to discuss something that has already been talked about a lot? The rate of calls have went up tremendously since he released the song as people started calling the hotline which is the title of the song. The same day it was recorded to be 5600 calls in the same day because his music was a way for people to realize that there’s help they want any. I personally never had the courage to call the hotline to speak about my issues because i have gotten used to keeping my shit to myself and not speak a lot.

The image above basically shows the power one person’s hand and voice can do. That is all what i want to be able to do which is to help one’s live get better. You should always treat others the way you wish to be treated. We always learn the most important lessons from our hardest experiences and sometimes our parents. I keep listening to this song because it reminds me of many purposes. It reminds me how some of girl back in high school called me fat in front of all my friends and how  embarrassed i felt of myself. Several things have led me to hating myself such as bad grades, weight and especially not being able to be the perfect son for my parents wanted. Not being able to fulfill their wishes with good grades and all that other shit. Music is one of those things kids my age look forward to for any type of help because not all parents understand things from their children’s perspective and i can’t blame my parents for certain things because i’ve grown up living the double life. It all came down to me saving myself from depression and i could not tell my parents why i felt the way i did because they simply didn’t  want to understand and thought i was overreacting and this no excuse to say i didn’t have good parents. My parents are the best people i would have grown up with and i always feel grateful for them and i try not to take them for granted. With being great parents i wish they were my friends. I wish they wanted to talk to me about my problems because in my house i never felt welcomed to talk about my thoughts(suicidal Or not), instead of saying to myself that i have my parents and i can go talk to them, i grew up telling myself that if i don’t save me no one will.

Why this? When there are millions of other songs that can have a much more better meaning than this. Because this song has moved millions of hearts that have struggled through depression and this song was a lope hole to all of those kids that couldn’t find that one voice, that one person that would be there for them to tell them that it will get better before they fucking kill themselves. In 2016 there were 44,965 suicides recorded. Thousands known and unknown people and reasons. Someone taking their life in this short life can really be a decision that they make when the whole world’s judgement and reactions was on their shoulders. Artist like logic and NF are people who talk about personal things and their music has been helpful to many people. What can drive someone to kill themselves? Are we that cruel that our words affect someone’s life that deeply that they don’t want that life anymore. Music is something that is supposed to help lifes get better and 1-800 has done exactly that. It has made me feel like i can talk to someone if i need to and i don’t have to give up like thousands of others.

 

Work Cited

 

The story behind Logic’s powerful suicide prevention anthem ‘1-800-273-8255’

Butler

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/08/28/the-story-behind-logics-powerful-suicide-prevention-anthem-1-800-273-8255/?utm_term=.e23def43e512

 

Logic Tweets National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Statistics Since His ‘1-800’ Release

Armstrong

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8039094/logic-1-800-273-8255-national-suicide-prevention-lifeline-statistics-tweet

Sonia Aktar

Dr. Carrie Hall

English 1101

December 10th, 2018

Informative

 

The Madonna Enthroned

During the thirteenth century in Florence, Italy many painters portrayed biblical scenes in surrealistic settings through a Byzantine style. (Cimabue, Giovanni Cenni Di Pepo Is Part Of New Catholic Encyclopedia Supplement 2011). This style often contained the use of Gold and architectural spaces, closely resonating with the early medieval time period. These characteristics are seen in Cimabue’s painting “Virgin and Child Enthroned, and Prophets”. Through this painting, Giotto is able to combine the styles of the gothic and Byzantine era, as a means to present a similar idolization of Mary but in a different limelight mirroring the late medieval gothic style. Cimabue and Giotto depiction of the Virgin and child resonate with one another; however, Giotto shows a deeper understanding of perspective and exudes a greater sense of idolization of holy figures different than that of Cimabue’s painting.  

The painting “Madonna and Child” by Cimabue was created in c. 1280 Galleria Degli Uffizi, Florence by the use of Tempura and gold on wood with dimensions of 12’ 7’ by 7’ 4’ to serve a purpose as a high center alter piece in the Saint Trinity church, similarly to the painting by Giotto, painted in c.1305 for the high altar in the church of Ognissanti with dimensions of 10’8 by 6’ 8 1/2 . (Stokstad Marilyn and Cothren Michael 287)

Cimabue’s painting depicts the Virgin Mary seated on a large throne, mirroring the architectural forms of the Byzantine era displayed through an ivory tone representing chastity, a symbol of purity, also depicted in Giotto’s painting by the two angels kneeling beside the throne offering vases contained with roses and lilies (Virgin and Child Enthroned, Surrounded by Angels and Saints Ognissanti Maestà). In her lap, rests Christ whom she is shown pointing to by her right hand as a means to direct the audience’s attention and acknowledge him as the way to salvation. Giotto, however, portrays Mary and Christ on a “pointed tabernacle”, referring to a place of worship, constructed with marble, rich in somber colors, representing the gothic style. In Cimabue’s painting, Christ exudes a sense of wisdom represented through the scroll of the law placed in his right hand and his adult facial features, similarly portrayed in Giotto’s painting. The clothes worn by Mary and Christ embody streaks of gold as a means to “reflect the light of heaven” (Khan Academy 2:03) whereas Giotto illustrates Mary in a less decorative drapery, hinting at a much darker tone balanced by the pastel pink clothing of Christ. Surrounding them are eight angels, four on each side in order to produce symmetry, a characteristic also present in Giotto’s painting through the equal division of angels and prophets on each side of the throne. This symmetrical alignment in the subjects of the painting is also seen by the tilted heads of the angels, congruent to their opposites, the prophets below Mary and Christ in Cimabue’s painting and in the architecture of the thrones in both paintings. Cimabue illuminates the angels through their distinct halos and vibrant wings, whereas Giotto presents the angels in a more human-like state by the hindrance of their wings. In Cimabue’s painting the prophets are seen from left to right as Jeremiah, Abraham, David and Isaiah (Virgin and Child Enthroned, and Prophets Santa Trinita Maestà), all of whom are holding “phylacteries with writings from the Holy Scriptures,” whereas Giotto intermingles them in the crowd of angels diminishing their importance.

           The way Cimabue presents his variation of the Virgin Enthroned differs from that of Giotto’s in that Cimabue strays away from a realistic perspective. In Cimabue’s painting there’s a certain disproportionation given to the Virgin Mary that allows the viewers to envision her elongation if she were to stand (Khan Academy 2:24), whereas in Giotto’s painting we’re presented a naturalistic figure of Mary’s prominent through her physically features such as the highlight of her breast, around her knees and around her head where the drapery falls. The throne that the Virgin Mary sits on also shows an understanding of a more Three-dimensional space through its representation of steps, whereas in Cimabue’s the perspective is altered by the four prophets that are depicted underneath Mary conveying an unrealistic view. In the article, it says, “An astonishing areas of the picture is given over to the architectonic throne in which, for the first time in Italian Art, the artist thoroughly examines perspective recession” (Stubblebine, H. James 97). In Giotto’s painting, the angels help exude this perspective through the masking of angels by the halos, allowing the audience to acquire a deeper understanding of foreground and middleground. There’s also a distinct attention to each angel whom, although are depicted in similar clothing, portray different beings, with different facial features, a characteristic hindered in Cimabue’s conveyance of angels, which present an idealistic view of the angels, who are all similarity alike. In Cimabue’s painting, the angel all seem to be stacked on top of one another seeming as if they’re floating, adhering to a more two-dimensional space seen also through the lack of physicality of Mary’s figure.

        With the induction to the prior, we can concur that although both paintings beautifully portray their version of the Mary Enthroned, Giotto di Bondone does so in a way that allows his viewers to perceive Mary as an idolized figure. He’s able to do this through various aspects such as focusing on the gaze of the angels and prophets, having a sense of light and shadow, and being able to portray a three-dimensional space onto a two-dimensional canvas, a characteristic not evident in Cimabue’s piece. Through this piece, Giotto di Bondone was able to establish a different style of painting during the proto-renaissance period that allowed a greater understanding of art that eventually progressed and flourished into the Renaissance Period.  

 

 

Works Cited

“Cimabue, Giovanni (Cenni Di Pepo).” New Catholic Encyclopedia Supplement 2011, edited by Robert L. Fastiggi, vol. 1, Gale, 2011, pp. 180-181. Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://link.galegroup.com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/CX1393000075/GVRL?u=cuny_ccny&sid=GVRL&xid=06514f86. Accessed 12 Nov. 2018.

“Khan Academy.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/late-gothic-italy/florence-late-gothic/v/cimabue-s-santa-trinita-madonna-giotto-s-ognissanti-madonna.

Stokstad, Marilyn, and Cothren, Michael Watt. Art: A Brief History. Sixth edition, Books Á La Carte ed., 2016.

Stubblebine, James H. “Byzantine Influence in Thirteenth-Century Italian Panel Painting.” Dumbarton Oaks Papers, vol. 20, 1966, pp. 85–101. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1291243.

“Virgin and Child Enthroned, and Prophets (Santa Trinita Maestà).” Pagina Principale, www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/virgin-and-child-enthroned-and-prophets-santa-trinita-maesta.

“Virgin and Child Enthroned, Surrounded by Angels and Saints (Ognissanti Maestà).” Pagina Principale, www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/virgin-and-child-enthroned-surrounded-by-angels-and-saints-ognissanti-maesta.

Lansey Cerisier

Pro. Dr. Hall

English 1101

12/10/18

 

 

Welcome to Graduation

Deep in a slumber I’m having such a great dream but it all stops. My eyes start to open but barley, I’m awaken to loud music. All I could hear is “Wake up Mr. West, Mr. West, Mr. Fresh Mr. by himself-he-so-impressed. Very confused from where all  the rucks is coming from I follow it. For it to come from my brothers room. From the beginning of this song we know who the famous artist is. Kanye West’s Graduation revolved around his earliest albums Late Registration and The College Dropout. “Good Morning” featured on his Graduation album described his personal thoughts and feelings towards a new path. Having the same feelings I played this song the day of my high school graduation and became legendary. Graduating from high school to begin college was the new path I was taking to adulthood. Worried and alone it was a new chapter beginning in my life. Transition isn’t always easy but things will work out.

 

    I guess this is my dissertation homie, this shit is basic

    Welcome to graduation

He finally accomplish becoming a rapper. Kanye actually being a college drop out to focus on his career became very famous due to his three album release. Through his lyrics and tone it draws people closer to his songs which mostly targets the black community but particularly the youth and the upcoming generations.

         From the streets of the league

         From an eight to a key

       But you graduate when you make it up outta the streets

      From the moments of pain
      Look how far we done came
     Haters sayin’ ya changed
    Now ya doin’ ya thang  

Growing up black in this world your skin tone is a threat. Looked upon as a “thug” and always in the streets hustling it feels like a trap. However making it to the league, music Industry, or becoming a dancer you become something and escape the lifestyle you had for a better one. The visuals of his album covers includes a bear that changed overtime to show his growth. Including in his Graduation video the bear represents Kanye. Throughout the video it showed other songs on the album such as ‘Stronger’, ‘Good Life’ and ‘Flashing Lights’. Certain parts of the video shows his struggle to get to his destination which is to be an icon in the rap industry. To receive a degree that illustrates dropout university and earning his rap degree after going through obstacles he faced.

Regular routines we face everyday as to waking up late, missing the train and finding any possible way to get where we have to be. Relating to all
these events I was late to my graduation. Connecting to Kanye journey obstacles as the train, the weather and people prevented him from accomplishing his goal in the video. However things work in mysterious way and a bad day you were just having become good. Kanye becoming the artist he is today his songs lyrically focused on real issues. Such as brutality, the government and change. Although that changed overtime with Kanye becoming Yeezus. The biggest controversy of today being the old Kanye and the new Kanye. The old Kanye rapped about change for people and people chasing after their dreams to become something. But referred to Yeezus as he calls himself isn’t himself anymore. He is seen to be ‘lost’ or needs to ‘get out’ related to one of the best movies. With many opinions on Kanye’s change hasn’t changed his fans that still listens to his music. They still may think the old Kanye is deep down somewhere in him and might make a come back. With his old albums we still have apart of the old Kanye that became what he hoped for. Particularly Graduation was a wake up call to himself and the world. Where he showed off his lyrical abilities and reminisce about his college days.

It being ten years since Graduation was released made a new era of hip hop and turned the rap industry. Kanye “Good Morning” is his goodbye to the chapter his closing to open a new one.

    Hustlers that’s if you’re still living, get on down

        Every time that we hear them

        Good Morning!

It’s a celebration of life and making it to the unpromised tomorrow. That we live everyday with no regrets and take every risk that comes our way. Kanye expressing these thoughts throughout his music makes what people call great music. Music with a message and meaning or to have people think way more on what they believe. His earliest albums changed music and made Kanye move to a new level musically and culturally.

Work Cited

• Genius, Kanye West, Graduation lyrics and track

https://genius.com/amp/albums/Kanye-west/Graduationlist

• Stanley, Sean. Revisiting Graduation When Kanye Set His Sights On Stadium

http://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/37355/1/kanye-west-graduation-retrospective

 

Anima Anowar

ENG 1101

12/10/2018

Analysis Essay: Examining Lyrics

        On this bright early morning, I was rushing for my dear life. Summer is about to end, and classes are about to start. I remember this day so clearly, it was the morning of my first day of freshman year in college. I don’t think I even got sleep that night, because of how nervous I was. I also tried going to sleep early, but as soon as I opened my eyes, next thing you know I’m out the door. That was one of the fastest night, I’ve ever experienced. I was so nervous, nervous to even go take the subway. All my life, I’ve always walked to school, or my older brother would drive me wherever I had to go. Taking public transportation scared me, because of the fear of being lost. I remember the night before, to save the map and instructions to go from house to college. I got on the train, and sat all the way in the back. Where I know now are for the disabled. From my seat, I was still able to see where the train stopped at each stopped, and that’s all I really needed to get me going. I pulled out my headphones from my bag, and just hoped that some music would help me get through this train ride, without just staring into nothing. I put my headphones in, went to my downloaded playlist and put it on shuffle. The first song that happened to play was by Nicki Minaj, called “All Things Go.” Onika Tanya Maraj, known professionally as Nicki Minaj, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actress, and model. I’ve heard the song “All Things Go” a couple of times before, but during this train ride it moved me. The lyrics spoke to me in a way no other song has. The song itself shows how a artist is just like any other person, and deal with real life issues. And that everyone has a backstory, no matter how successful you get. In this song she touches base on her abortion (she’s never really spoke about it, but she did through this song), family, and her past relationship.

        Nicki Minaj starts off by saying: [Verse 1] Yo, I had to reinvent, I put V in vent I put the heat in vents, man I been competin’ since. She repeats the word vent because she’s trying to convey how long she’s been hustling for, by “over exaggerating” since the invention of vents. Goes on by saying, I look beyond what people sayin’, and I see intent. Then I just sit back and decipher, what they really meant. Nicki says she looks into what people are saying to determine whether or not they’re really using her or trying to manipulate her. Then, like she said she sits back and tries to decode whether their intentions are genuine. Continues on by saying life is a movie, but there will never be a sequel. Similarly in movies, in real life we all have plot twists and have to deal with problems. Cherish these days, man do they go quick. Just yesterday, I swear it was ‘o-six. Ten years ago, that’s when you proposed. I looked down, “Yes, I suppose.” Don’t take the time you have for granted and to cherish those moments, because you won’t be able to go back in time. Nicki recalls when her ex boyfriend, proposed to her back in 2006 when she wasn’t as successful. She remembers this day like it was not too long ago. She says Yes, I suppose because during that time she wasn’t feeling confident with her decision to get married at the time. Follows up with the [hook], all things go (4x). I feel one minute, yeah, we got it then it’s gone. While we keep waiting for a moment to live for. So can’t nobody ever tell me that I’m wrong. Nicki is saying that nothing in this world lasts forever, she’s trying to take in everything one day at a time. In order to achieve all her goals and aspirations, and to live a happy life she has to pull through the tough situations she’s dealing with.

       In [Verse 2] she starts off by saying, I lost my little cousin to a senseless act of violence. His sister said, he wanted to stay with me, but I didn’t invite him. Why didn’t he ask, or am I just buggin’? Cause since I got fame, they don’t act the same. Even though they know, that I love ’em. In 2011, Nicholas Telemaque (Nicki’s cousin) was shot and killed in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. Relatives thought the shooting must’ve been incidental. And that Nicholas was mistaken for someone else and killed for no reason. (Sulla-Heffinger, Anthony. “Rap Star Nicki Minaj’s Cousin Shot Dead in Brooklyn.” New York Post, New York Post, 5 July 2011, nypost.com/2011/07/05/rap-star-nicki-minajs-cousin-shot-dead-in-brooklyn/.) In this line, she goes on to say that she thought it was clear that she all loved her cousins equally. She’s asking herself why didn’t her cousin ask to stay with her. Nicki feels like she wasn’t clear enough to them. Going forward, Nicki wants to let them know that they are family, and it’s never a bad time to bother her.

        Final [Verse 3] she says let me make this clear I’m not difficult, I’m just ’bout my business. I’m not into fake industry parties, and fake agendas. Rock with people for how they make me feel not what they give me. Nicki does not come to industry parties to waste time. If it’s not regarding business or doesn’t help her improve her craft which is music, then don’t invite her. Next line, even the ones that hurt me the most, I still show forgiveness. Even though people in the past hurt Nicki, she wants to let them know that she’ll forgive but won’t ever forget. I love my mother more than life itself, and that’s a fact. I’d give it all, if somehow, I could just rekindle that. She never understands, why I’m so overprotective. The more I work, the more I feel like, somehow they’re neglected. Nicki always has held a strong stand about how important family is. She’s had a tough childhood growing up in Queens, New York. Her father was a drug addict, and was in serious trouble before with the feds. He even set her family’s home on fire, by attempting to kill her mother. Ever since then, that drove her to be successful, and that was the only way to change both their lives. (Editors, Biography.com. “Nicki Minaj.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 10 Sept. 2018, www.biography.com/people/nicki-minaj-579.) Nicki hasn’t been seen with her mother in public too much, because she is trying to protect her from being in headlines. But the more time Nicki puts into her music, the more family time she loses. My child with Aaron, would’ve been sixteen, any minute. So in some ways I feel like ‘Caiah, is the both of them. It’s like he’s ‘Caiah’s little angel, looking over him.When Nicki was 16 years old, she reveals that she had a abortion and let’s out the name of dead child’s father, who was Aron. Caiah is short for Micaiah Maraj, Nicki’s youngest brother. By the time this song came out, Micaiah turned 16. Nicki feels like Micaiah is the both of them, and that her dead child is living through him. Nicki finishes off the song with the last line gee, we did it, let’s leave this imprint. Just finished writing, this is the Pinkprint. Gee we did it means, she’s finally finished the first song, the song “All Things Go” is the first track on the album The Pinkprint. She literally meant by imprint, because her album cover is her actual thumbprint in pink. Nicki believes that, the album The Pinkprint will last in the music industry for years. The Pinkprint went double platinum, and in 2016, she won the Best Female Hip Hop Artist award at the BET Awards for the seventh consecutive time. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 58th Grammy Awards in 2016.

        This song “All Things Go” has to be one of my favorite tracks by Nicki Minaj. Some people think most of her other tracks that she puts out, really have no meaning or that it’s all related to drugs, money, and sex. This track really shows how much of a great songwriter she is, and how she came literally from nothing. Dealing with family issues as a young girl, to being nominated for the Grammys is a big win! She touched base on real life issues: relationship and family problems, violence that still goes on today, and more. Nicki Minaj’s story is an example, of not matter how tough you have it, you can always push through it. Which pushes me to work hard everyday, because it will all be worth it one day.

Editors, Biography.com. “Nicki Minaj.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 10 Sept. 2018, https://www.biography.com/people/nicki-minaj-579574

Sulla-Heffinger, Anthony. “Rap Star Nicki Minaj’s Cousin Shot Dead in Brooklyn.” New York Post, New York Post, 5 July 2011, nypost.com/2011/07/05/rap-star-nicki-minajs-cousin-shot-dead-in-brooklyn/.

 

Bryan Ramirez-Silvestre 

Professor : Carrie 

English 1101

Final Draft 

                                               How Black Skin head got stuck in my head ?

     I would assume everyone has a favorite artist or song in their mind. The artist or song you have will remind you or reflect something meaningful. In other occasions it is because of the beat, lyrics, or music video. The song or artist might also inspire or shape the way you feel. For instance, at the moment everyone might be listening to Tekashi 69, Cardi B, Travis Scott, Drake, Migos, etc. Even among these artist I believe that you would have a favorite or popular songs they have. You might think that these artist aren’t the best and that is okay because everyone likes different types of music. There are many different types of Genre such as, Hip Hop, Rock, Rap, Reggae, Pop, Dubstep, etc. 

     I enjoy Rap music. Rap has rhythm, rhymes speech which is rapping to a beat. Rap was originated in African American communities in New York City. In the late 1980s people saw rap as lyrics that were often glamorized violence and drug dealing. Throughout the years that has evolved or changed. Rap is also seen everywhere now. Such as TV Commercials, TV shows, dance clubs, movies, etc. 

    The top 5 artist I enjoy are Kanye West, Drake, XXXTentacion, Gucci Mane, and Lil Pump. My top favorite artist is Kanye West. He is an American rapper, song writter, producer, and fashion designer. He is the creator of Yeezy’s. Yeezy’s are really popular now. His music is always changing and I like it so much. Kanye’s music just gets me dancing all the time. I could be anywhere and once I hear the beat drop I catch myself tapping. moving, and humming. I enjoy cleaning my room and listening to kanye. My favorite albums are The Life of Pablo, Ye, Yeezus, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. My favorite song is Black SkinHead on the Yeezus album. The album was released in 2013. 

    Black SkinHead is available on Itunes, Spotify, Youtube, etc. The video on YouTube has 336K likes. In the music video it shows kanye as some type of black puppet. It also shows animals as aggressive beasts for example their a scene that a Gorilla is growl. The beats are amazing like life flashing before your eyes. This song is very motivational, like if you you’re at the gym and hear this you will get the rhythm and work hard. Or if you’re working on homework this song will give you energy.

    This song reflects many things in history. Kanye makes a connection with his music and shares it with the whole world. I feel like his lyrics reflect movies that we have seen or heard about. He also includes how he feels and his opinion in the song. My favorite part of this song is “ Four in the morning, and I’m zoning

       They say I’m possessed, it’s an omen 

       I keep it 300, like the Romans

       300 bitches, where’s the Trojans? 

        Baby we living in the moment 

       I’ve been a menace for the longest

       But I ain’t finished, I’m devoted 

        And you know it, and you know it

       So follow me up cause this shit’s about to go (down)

        I’m doing 500, I’m outta control (now)

        But there’s nowhere to go (now)

        And there’s no way to slow (down)

        If I knew what I knew in the past 

        I would’ve been blacked out on your ass”. This is because it reflects when a person is in the zone, when someone is not tired and just keeps going. The following line refers to the movie 300. Following lines reflect his relationship. I can relate to a relationship where it is only the beginning and there more in store. The following lines go back to speeding. Where one cannot control themselves and act the way they want. I can imagine myself flying or driving so fast.

    There are many people that listen to his music and would pay so much money for his concerts. They even pre order his albums at some point. Kanye West has world tours for his concert so he can spread his music and make a mark. He want’s to make a legacy for him self or his children like North West. Or encourage new people to come out and start singing to open their eyes to their full potential. In his concert there are a lot of people singing along and bash onto each other. In addition, there are a lot of little stands to buy merchandise that only sold their no where else because it’s rare. If it is sold on websites or other places is reselling and more money then you would regularly sell. The seat you get to pick but as well what’s the budget you can afford. 

      He recently gaved money to California wild fires, which shows he’s a warm hearted person. Kanye’s Yeezy and Adidas donated $200,000 to California Community Foundation Wildfire Relief Fund. Also donated $200,000 to the California fire foundation.  

   

     

https://pagesix.com/2018/11/21/kanye-west-donates-500k-to-california-fire-relief/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanye_West

https://www.songfacts.com/lyrics/kanye-west/black-skinhead

Erik Yan

Dr. Carrie Hall

 

Horrors of Space

Space is dreadful. The box art for Dead Space portrays that perfectly. The floating debris, from what I assume is the ship your character is set in, shows the hopelessness and lifelessness of space. The floating hand also foreshadows the unfortunate events that have occured on the USG Ishimura. You play as an Engineer named Isaac Clarke, who is accompanied with crew members answering a distress call coming from the USG Ishimura. Isaac Clarke also is in search for his girlfriend, Nicole Brennan, who works as a senior medical officer.

The cover leaves a grim image of what I encountered while I was playing that game. The image of the hand in space reminds me that it is the only “normal” thing in the whole universe of Dead Space. I say the hand is “normal” because everything in the ship is everything but normal. You are fighting monsters called, Necromorphs, which you find out are people that get reanimated by this alien object called the marker. The necromorphs are past the point of having none human features that it is a nightmare for whoever playing Dead Space with a weak stomach for horror and gore. The cover also reminds me of the silence you’ll be hearing inside the ship of the Ishimura. Besides silence, you also hear the unnatural screams of the necromorphs echoing from the silent corridors and hallways of the Ishimura.

The back of the cover show two unsightly creatures that Isaac is combating. This gives the sense that he is fighting other worldly creatures. The most amazing thing about what’s happening in the pictures are that Isaac Clarke is not even trained in combat but he is forced to adapt so that he does not die from the onslaught of necromorphs. The back of the cover also has a small little description that reads “STRATEGICALLY DISMEMBER the Necromorph enemies limbs by bloody limbs”. This leaves a dread feeling to the person picking up the game and reading the back because what type of monster exists where shooting its vital organs does not put the monster down. The game tells and teaches you that you have to remove their limbs which is a strangely new concept to a horror survival game. It truly does not feel right at all when you are being told to kill monsters in a “non traditional” way. By “non traditional” I mean like you would shoot for the head or shoot for the body, but not with necromorphs. They will keep coming after you even if you shoot off their heads and can take multiple hits on the body. This gives the player a sense of dread because it will still try to kill you even if you remove it’s head.

In one of the pictures in the cover, Isaac is fighting a Brute. The brute is a large necromorph that is larger than your normal necromorph and has armor. It is comparable to a gorilla when maneuvering. Imagine going up against an armored creature comparable to a monkey that is trying to rip you to pieces? The picture also shows a little bit of the environment you will be in, which is the USG Ishimura. It is open but also narrow. As GB Burford puts it “Right off the bat, Dead Space creates these places you’re in that are often huge. The sense of scale in the game is breathtaking, yet it’s used to make the player feel claustrophobic. Players feel dwarfed in comparison to the vast spaces and gigantic monsters within. Couple that with limited resources, and players feel particularly small and powerless”. This is a perfect sum up of how the USG Ishimura is, it is narrow and you have barely any breathing room when crossing through hallways but when encountering boss battles; The environment is super spacious. Having the corridors of the ship be so narrow makes me worried because if I get attacked by multiple necromorphs, it would be really hard to try to maneuver away. I would either have to completely turn around and let them attack me while my back is to them or fight them head on. You feel trapped in the tight corridors but you also feel calm and collected before the boss enters into the large open area you are in.

The back of the cover also talks about zero gravity, which are certain areas in the game that do not have gravity at all. This was also an interesting point of the game because not a lot of games had that at that time. I was excited when I saw gameplay in the zero-g environment. It seemed like Isaac was really clunky and was not as maneuverable. This was a little nerve racking because enemies still appear during the zero-g sections of the game, they are a little more maneuverable than you are. Plus when you are outside and just in space, it unnerving. “Space is a frightening place, even without the monsters; a soundless, airless void where nothing can survive. Even in the most well-fortified spaceship, you’re still moments away from death.” (Fahey). The Ishimura was a well fortified ship but as you play as Isaac, you find out how there are no survivors on that ship at all. Certain parts of the ship there are blood splatters, but majority of the ship is just eerily empty. I feel tense when going to the next chapters because I don’t know what I will be facing.

Dead Space should be a game you should try because it has a ton of tense moments that will keep you on your toes and ready for whatever comes next. I don’t think it is that scary because you have something to defend yourself, but even if you don’t find it scary, it does make you on edge about what will jump out at you at any time. This is a game worth the time if you are interested in space and horror. You may also find out why there is a hand on the cover of the game and how terrifying space really is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work Cited

• Burford, and GB Burford. “How The Dead Space Saga Lost Its Way.” Kotaku, Kotaku.com, 30 Sept. 2014, kotaku.com/how-the-dead-space-saga-lost-its-way-1640762555.
• Fahey, Mike. “Dead Space Review: True Stories Of Space Horror.” Kotaku, Kotaku.com, 30 Sept. 2014, kotaku.com/5068557/dead-space-review-true-stories-of-space-horror.

                                                               Inspirational Images

Imagine a World without pictures or artwork. Instead it will be written or inside of our memories soon to be forgotten, slowly fading away and people that have seen a certain event will only be able to describe that event in words. Soon that generation will die out which will be forever forgotten after some time in History. All with no trace of visual art or picture form. Imagine living in that world, without cameras or art. We wouldn’t be able to to see what George Washington looked like or not being able to see your family members from 100 years ago, It would just be in word form to describe someone or something. All pictures/artwork  regardless what they are represent something. The representation could be different for each person. All can have a meaning to life or something. Just look at it and analyze key details to it to become a symbol or a reminder, whatever it means to you.

 

 

Like they say about pictures.. “A picture is worth a thousand words” and this picture above could be an example of a picture that is worth a thousand words and so on. On the image shown above all you see is a man on top a flight of stairs juggling plates. But on the steps there are a lot of bunch plates that has been broken. Well what does this picture mean?

 

Well to mean this picture means that no matter how many times you fail ,you will succeed at reaching your goal if you try a lot of times and learn from your mistakes and grow from the mistakes that you made and then you will reach goal you wanted to achieve in the first place.

This picture has changed me in many ways. At first when I use to fail at something I usually just give up and go on with the next challenge but now I approach it differently. Now I always try to bounce back from failing at something and I try to approach my goal differently with different tactics instead of using the same tactic that lead me to fail at something. For example when I failed a test I was very frustrated (This was a few years back in middle school) and I saw this image with the explanation of it and it gave me motivation to do something about the failing grade I had in my test, I decided to study an hour a day a week before another test instead of cramming the day before and I ended up passing the test.

 

But also this artwork could mean something else but in similar circumstance. Basically it’s like saying that  There is no elevator to success and that you HAVE take the stairs. To define this, it’s basically saying that success doesn’t come easy and you have to learn the hard and difficult way up to reach your success in life(Like how its harder to reach the 10th floor taking the stairs than taking the elevator which is far easier.) A life example would be one of my family members who came to United States at the age of 16 barely knowing english and trying to get by in life. He went through going back a grade and going forward to the original grade after learning english. Then he ends up taking a lot of remedial classes and graduating 2 years late even though he got high grades and now he works for a company specializing in networking and communications.

 

.

Also this artwork above shows a guy burning wood to make a fire and stay warm. But he prevented himself from getting away from the isolated area. What this artwork mean to is that you must not waste your opportunities that will lead you to your success or freedom. An example of this would be when you have someone from a job that needs your skills in the workforce and they will pay you a lot but you end up rejecting the offer and working a low level job that won’t  support you or anyone else financially. A real life example from my experience would be my Aunt who decided not to come to the U.S because she was dentist in her home country and she was recommended by someone to come to the U.S and take some courses to re do her major but she kindly refused, she would have made a lot more money if she accepted the offer but it was her choice, If I was given this offer I would accept it because the wage gap between 1st world and 3rd world countries is huge and it would help benefit me in the future. But some other example would be my brother , who was offered an apprenticeship in construction and gladly accepted now he’s done his 4 year apprenticeship and now works in construction building,repairing apartments etc..

 

Overall I want you to know that all pictures or artwork have a meaning to everyone and everybody might have a different perspective to that picture or artwork(It could be good or bad).

But this picture/artwork I have showed displays a powerful message to every person that has seen it and some might disagree with one another but in the end it is what the picture/artwork means to YOU and nobody should be able to change your perspective unless there is a good reason to do so.

Hi Everybody! Your papers are due on Monday, Dec 10. Remember– start with the action!

Also remember that on Wednesday, Dec 12, I’ll be handing out the reading for the final and the final is on Monday, Dec 17.

The assignment is posted approx one million times below– please read it!! Also, please post it online AND bring a paper copy to class. Please include a copy of your artwork (song, video, painting) etc… in the online version if possible, so that I can see or hear the art you’re talking about. We will be doing some stuff with the hard copy in class on Monday, so you do need a paper copy.

Below is a “cheat sheet” for in-text citation. Please take a look!

IN-TEXT CITATION

IN-TEXT CITATION

Hi everyone! Here are some important dates:

Dec 10: “Writing About Art” paper due at beginning of class. You will post it online, but you will also bring a copy of the paper to class.

DEC 12: I WILL HAND OUT THE READING FOR THE FINAL. THIS IS YOUR ONLY DAY TO GET THIS READING. I DON’T HAVE IT YET– AND HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT EVEN IS!

DEC 17: FINAL EXAM Please remember, this exam is REQUIRED.  The final is 10% of your grade, BUT if you fail the final, you fail the class. That said, quite honestly, I really don’t feel anybody in this class is in danger of failing the final UNLESS YOU DO NOT SHOW UP.

THERE IS NO MAKEUP FINAL UNLESS YOU HAVE A VERIFIABLE DOCTOR’S NOTE, COURT ORDER, ETC… No word-of-mouth excuses will do in this case. I’m sorry, but this is school policy.

DEC 19: Optional revisions due. If you want to revise one any of your papers for a better grade, you are welcome to do so. Also, please feel free to come see me to talk about revisions if you like.