1. Definition
2. Compare/Contrast
3. Narration
4. Example
5. Process Analysis
6. Cause/Effect
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Courage
1. Courage means doing something even if you are afraid. It is a selfless act brought on by the need to help or protect others, and it cannot be motivated by self glorification or pride.
2. It is important that courage is not confused with foolishness. Doing something stupid even though one may be afraid or nervous to do so, is not courageous. Sometimes this distinction is obvious. For example, I would be afraid to attempt to jump the grand canyon on a motorcycle, but it would not be courageous to overcome that fear and attempt such a feat. I would be putting myself at risk for nothing but pride. But sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between courage and foolishness. Consider the classic horror movie where the woman hears a thump in the basement. She is extremely frightened but goes down to investigate anyways, armed with nothing but a flashlight. Is that courage or stupidity? This is a finer line. Many times the answer lies in context. If she had 3 children, was living in a house in the middle of nowhere, and her husband was gone for the weekend, and in order to protect her children she went downstairs to apprehend a possible intruder, then yes. That would be courageous (although a gun would be better than a flashlight). On the other hand, if she lived in an suburban neighborhood, and it would be safer to grab the kids, go to the neighbor's house, and call the police, then her actions would have been foolish.
3. I hear a scream from the other side of the house. I run down the hallway and find my 4 year old sister the floor of her room crying. She is curled up, paralyzed in fear. I look around to find the source of her fear, and there on the wall is a spider the size of my fist. My heart beats fast as the knot grows in my stomach. Fear creeps down my spine and my hair stands on end. I can't kill that spider! It's huge and probably venomous. Can it jump? But then I look down at my sister and see the fear in her eyes. I have to kill it. I pull off my shoe and take a deep breath. My hand is shaking, and I do my best to stabilize it. I walk closer and pull back my arm. WHACK!
2. It is important that courage is not confused with foolishness. Doing something stupid even though one may be afraid or nervous to do so, is not courageous. Sometimes this distinction is obvious. For example, I would be afraid to attempt to jump the grand canyon on a motorcycle, but it would not be courageous to overcome that fear and attempt such a feat. I would be putting myself at risk for nothing but pride. But sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between courage and foolishness. Consider the classic horror movie where the woman hears a thump in the basement. She is extremely frightened but goes down to investigate anyways, armed with nothing but a flashlight. Is that courage or stupidity? This is a finer line. Many times the answer lies in context. If she had 3 children, was living in a house in the middle of nowhere, and her husband was gone for the weekend, and in order to protect her children she went downstairs to apprehend a possible intruder, then yes. That would be courageous (although a gun would be better than a flashlight). On the other hand, if she lived in an suburban neighborhood, and it would be safer to grab the kids, go to the neighbor's house, and call the police, then her actions would have been foolish.
3. I hear a scream from the other side of the house. I run down the hallway and find my 4 year old sister the floor of her room crying. She is curled up, paralyzed in fear. I look around to find the source of her fear, and there on the wall is a spider the size of my fist. My heart beats fast as the knot grows in my stomach. Fear creeps down my spine and my hair stands on end. I can't kill that spider! It's huge and probably venomous. Can it jump? But then I look down at my sister and see the fear in her eyes. I have to kill it. I pull off my shoe and take a deep breath. My hand is shaking, and I do my best to stabilize it. I walk closer and pull back my arm. WHACK!
4. Harry Potter was courageous. He did not seek glory or fame. Actually, he would have preferred to be a nobody, but that was not his choice. The prophecy (made about Harry and Voldemort) stated that neither can live while the other survives, so Voldemort made it his mission to kill Harry. As a result Harry was constantly surrounded by fear and danger, but he faced them to protect his friends and the entire world. And at the end, Harry decided to face Voldemort himself not because he wasn't scared, but because if he didn't, all of his friends would die, and that was much worse than facing Voldemort.
5. Courage begins with a crisis or a need, and is followed by a response. In response to this need or crisis, an individual or even a group overcomes (but not necessarily forgets) their fears in order to help, protect, or save another individual or group. This fear can be something as simple as a fear of public speaking or something as serious as a fear of death.
6. People are courageous because something else more important than their fears or an even greater fear motivates them to act. They hope that doing this will help them to avoid a worse outcome than the fear itself.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Henna Dark Mark!
This weekend I got a henna tattoo (I think that is the correct terminology). Henna is a plant that produces a chemical that stains the skin by bonding to the protein. Here is the Wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henna. On Saturday, my friend's sister bought some henna at Michael's. Luckily for us, the henna solution was only good for 24 hours after it was mixed, so she offered to give us all tattoos. She is really good at drawing, and she is a huge Harry Potter fan, so when I asked for a dark mark, it took all 5 min to draw! So for the next two weeks (until the henna wears off) I am officially a death eater! (Photo to the right. Its upside down because I took the photo myself). Also, you should read my blog on soundtracks because I spent too long on it for it to only get 1 view!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Mass Media (Glee)
I think that mass media, especially television, both reflects and changes social values. A television show cannot succeed if it reflects view that are not popular with the public, therefore, television is influenced by the viewers. But television can also affect the viewers opinions, either positively or negatively. A television show may take one or two controversial topics, and present their view on it. They will usually do so in a quiet way so that those viewers who do not agree with it will continue to watch.
One television show that makes this really obvious is Glee. Many of the issues that come up in the show are influenced by the viewers and big issues in our culture today. Last weeks episode brought up a lot of high school issues such as drinking, sex, and getting into a bar with a fake ID. They wouldn't have even brought up these issues if they weren't prevalent in today's society. But Glee also influences the audience by asserting their own opinions. The main topic of last week's episode was sex. By the end of the episode, I don't think anyone on the show was a virgin anymore. Glee supported these decisions because non of the characters received any consequences for their actions.
Another issue the show addressed was underage drinking. The first instance of it wasn't even brought to the attention of the viewers. When Rachel and Finn were eating together at Finn's house, they casually had some wine with dinner. They didn't mention it, they just did it as if it was normal. I had to stop, rewind, and watch it again. How many people caught that? I didn't think so. The second time the characters drank was when Kurt and Blaine went to a bar. Blaine had a few beers and by the end, he was drunk. Glee influenced the audience again by not giving any serious consequences for the characters actions. Although Kurt and Blaine did get into a fight while Blaine was drunk, nobody got caught, and in the end everyone was happy again.
The last issue the show addressed was fake ID's. Kurt and Blaine were pressured into getting fake ID's and going to a bar. Glee supported this decision by not mentioning any of the consequences of getting caught with a fake ID. This is influencing the audience by subconciously convincing them that fake IDs are normal and that people can get away with having them. Did you know that getting caught with a fake ID is a misdemeanor? You can be sent to jail, have your license suspended, and be forced to pay a fine.
If you haven't noticed yet, I don't exactly agree with the message Glee supported in its episode last week. The audience of this show includes many high school and even middle school students. I don't think it should be promoting sex, drinking, and getting fake IDs with such a young audience. I realize that just watching this episode isn't going to make kids start drinking, but I don't think that it is a good message to send. But my opinion doesn't matter. Glee has such a wide audience that it can get away with saying what it wants because in a week, nobody is going to remember any anger they felt towards the show. Glee probably won't mention it very much in next weeks episode, and they will go on as if nothing happened. That is the power of mass media.
ALSO: Please read my last blog post!!!!!!! I spent 4 hours on it, but it didn't show up until yesterday on Mrs. Cardona's webpage!!!! Its all about soundtrack music, so if you feel the need to procrastinate, and love listening to music on youtube click here!!!!!!!!http://golb-eh.blogspot.com/2011/11/dont-click-on-this-i-know-you-want-to.html
(In response to x2 pg. 119)
One television show that makes this really obvious is Glee. Many of the issues that come up in the show are influenced by the viewers and big issues in our culture today. Last weeks episode brought up a lot of high school issues such as drinking, sex, and getting into a bar with a fake ID. They wouldn't have even brought up these issues if they weren't prevalent in today's society. But Glee also influences the audience by asserting their own opinions. The main topic of last week's episode was sex. By the end of the episode, I don't think anyone on the show was a virgin anymore. Glee supported these decisions because non of the characters received any consequences for their actions.
Another issue the show addressed was underage drinking. The first instance of it wasn't even brought to the attention of the viewers. When Rachel and Finn were eating together at Finn's house, they casually had some wine with dinner. They didn't mention it, they just did it as if it was normal. I had to stop, rewind, and watch it again. How many people caught that? I didn't think so. The second time the characters drank was when Kurt and Blaine went to a bar. Blaine had a few beers and by the end, he was drunk. Glee influenced the audience again by not giving any serious consequences for the characters actions. Although Kurt and Blaine did get into a fight while Blaine was drunk, nobody got caught, and in the end everyone was happy again.
The last issue the show addressed was fake ID's. Kurt and Blaine were pressured into getting fake ID's and going to a bar. Glee supported this decision by not mentioning any of the consequences of getting caught with a fake ID. This is influencing the audience by subconciously convincing them that fake IDs are normal and that people can get away with having them. Did you know that getting caught with a fake ID is a misdemeanor? You can be sent to jail, have your license suspended, and be forced to pay a fine.
If you haven't noticed yet, I don't exactly agree with the message Glee supported in its episode last week. The audience of this show includes many high school and even middle school students. I don't think it should be promoting sex, drinking, and getting fake IDs with such a young audience. I realize that just watching this episode isn't going to make kids start drinking, but I don't think that it is a good message to send. But my opinion doesn't matter. Glee has such a wide audience that it can get away with saying what it wants because in a week, nobody is going to remember any anger they felt towards the show. Glee probably won't mention it very much in next weeks episode, and they will go on as if nothing happened. That is the power of mass media.
ALSO: Please read my last blog post!!!!!!! I spent 4 hours on it, but it didn't show up until yesterday on Mrs. Cardona's webpage!!!! Its all about soundtrack music, so if you feel the need to procrastinate, and love listening to music on youtube click here!!!!!!!!http://golb-eh.blogspot.com/2011/11/dont-click-on-this-i-know-you-want-to.html
(In response to x2 pg. 119)
Saturday, November 5, 2011
DONT CLICK ON THIS!!!! (I know you want to...)
HA! I got you! today I'm going to be talking about soundtrack music! So PLEASE, read on, I spent 3 hours picking out music for you to listen to!
Soundtrack music is one of the greatest genres of music. Unlike regular pop music, it has no words! This is probably the best part about it. I love listening to it while I do my homework because it isn't distracting. I also really like it because it is like reliving the movie that it was composed for.
My favorites are....
Ready for some samples? Here are a few of the best songs from these composers.
The Ring goes south: This is a really good song because it incorporates many of the themes throughout the movie. I suggest listening to the whole thing if you have time.
Concerning Hobbit: This is a beautiful song. It is the main theme that occurs in the shire, or during a key hobbit moment in the movie.
Riders of Rohan: The main theme that I wanted to show here doesn't come until 2:33 so you may want to skip to there if you are just skimming these songs
Buckbeak's Flight: This is a great song because it really gets across the emotion or feel of flying. When you listen to it, its as if you are flying on buckbeak's back.
Professor Umbridge: This is my favorite song from the order of the Phoenix because it is perfect song to describe Umbridge. You can see her horrible little smile, and hear her evil giggle as this song plays.
Wizard Weezes: This song is totally different form
the rest of the album. It is jazzy and fun.
I Never Woke up in Handcuffs Before: For those people in orchestra, this is a really interesting song, because the violin technique is very scratchy and in any other setting, it would sound terrible. If anyone in orchestra attempted this, Mr. Gitch would probably throw them out. I like how this tone, is turned into something enjoyable in this song.
Duel of the Fates: In overall EPIC rating, This song wins.
Sorry this list is so long. I tried to format it differently, but Blogger is impossible to work with, so I just gave up and only put one video per row.
So.... Are you totally hooked on soundtrack music now? If your not, listen again, because you obviously weren't listening right the first time. If you have a favorite soundtrack that I missed, comment so I can add it to the list.
Soundtrack music is one of the greatest genres of music. Unlike regular pop music, it has no words! This is probably the best part about it. I love listening to it while I do my homework because it isn't distracting. I also really like it because it is like reliving the movie that it was composed for.
My favorites are....
- Lord of the Rings
- Harry Potter
- Doctor Who
- Sherlock Holmes
- Star Trek
- Gladiator
You may have never thought about the background music in a movie, but once you start to pay attention to it, you will be surprised by what you find. Stop and try to think of a movie theme song. Got it? Okay, google that movie, find the composer, and see what other movies they have composed for. You will probably be surprised by all of the other movies that they have composed for. John Williams list is probably the most impressive because he has created most of the iconic themes for classic movies over the past 20 years. Here is a list of some of my favorite composers and their works.
- John Williams has created many of the movie theme songs that we know today such as Indiana Jones, Star wars, Harry Potter (1-3), ET, Jurassic Park, Superman, Jaws, Home alone, Saving Private Ryan, and many more (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williams).
- Hans Zimmer has also composed for many movies including Pirates of the Caribbean, Gladiator, Sherlock Holmes, the Dark Knight, Inception, the lion king, the road to El Dorado, the rock, and Rain Man (more here http://www.filmtracks.com/composers/zimmer.shtml).
- Michael Giacchino has composed the music for LOST, The Incredibles, UP, Star Trek (2009), and Ratatouille. He has also written music for video games such as medal of honor and call of duty. (more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Giacchino)
- And we cannot forget Howard Shore who composed the music for the Lord of The Rings films (which are probably the best soundtracks of all time!), silence of the lambs, and Eclipse (more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Shore) He will also be composing the music for the new Hobbit movie!!!!!!!
- Also, I was quite impressed with John Powell's score for How to Train your Dragon. I have not listened to much of his music, although after reading his wiki page, I found out that he also composed the music for Shrek and the Bourne trilogy (more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Powell). Most of his other movies are sequels, but it seems as if he may be making his way into some more impressive movies.
The Ring goes south: This is a really good song because it incorporates many of the themes throughout the movie. I suggest listening to the whole thing if you have time.
Concerning Hobbit: This is a beautiful song. It is the main theme that occurs in the shire, or during a key hobbit moment in the movie.
Riders of Rohan: The main theme that I wanted to show here doesn't come until 2:33 so you may want to skip to there if you are just skimming these songs
The end of all things: EPIC!
Minas Morgul: This is the isengard theme. You here this whenever there is a scene with the orcs or sauroman.
Hedwig's theme: This is the classic harry potter theme
Fawkes the Pheonix: This is a beautiful song. Fawkes is supposed to have a beautiful, and mesmorizng song that it cries. John Williams really got it down.
Fawkes the Pheonix: This is a beautiful song. Fawkes is supposed to have a beautiful, and mesmorizng song that it cries. John Williams really got it down.
The Spiders: This songs plays when Harry and Ron go into the woos and meet Aragog. Does it sound like spiders crawling around? Again, another fantastic song by John Williams
Buckbeak's Flight: This is a great song because it really gets across the emotion or feel of flying. When you listen to it, its as if you are flying on buckbeak's back.
Professor Umbridge: This is my favorite song from the order of the Phoenix because it is perfect song to describe Umbridge. You can see her horrible little smile, and hear her evil giggle as this song plays.
Dumbledores Army: The best part of this song is at 1:08.
The Ministry of Magic: This songs really portrays the wonder and magic, of the ministry of magic building.
Wizard Weezes: This song is totally different form
the rest of the album. It is jazzy and fun.
The Story Begins This is an intense piece that sets up the rest of the film. It starts out very epic and dark but it adds a bit of spunk after about 30 seconds. It slowly turns darker but it ends on a happy note. It sets up all of the twists and turns that occur throughout the movie.
Snape to Malfoy Manor: I like this song because it has a darker feel to it, but there are portions that are on the off beat. When I listen to it, I image flying through the manor, with the angles changing, and people walking about.
Test Drive: This song is FANTASTIC. When I listen to it, there is nothing else that I would rather be doing than flying. Especially at :42. This song grips the listener and takes them along on the adventure.
I Never Woke up in Handcuffs Before: For those people in orchestra, this is a really interesting song, because the violin technique is very scratchy and in any other setting, it would sound terrible. If anyone in orchestra attempted this, Mr. Gitch would probably throw them out. I like how this tone, is turned into something enjoyable in this song.
Enterprising Young Men: Did you catch the pun? "Enterprise"ing? The Enterprise is the name of the ship from Star Trek. I really like this song because it takes into account the adventure and grandiose of space travel
I am the Doctor: This is probably my favorite song from any of the doctor who soundtracks. It is very exciting and full of adventure. At around :30, you can hear a ticking underneath the main theme which is appropriate because this show is about traveling through time.
This is Gallifrey: Its a sad song but inspiring at the same time. Notice the ticking in the background again? It s reoccurring theme throughout many of the songs.
A Dazzling End: This title of this song is very fitting. It is a song of ending, but it is very Dazzling.
Fish Custard: This is a good song but the scene that accompanies it is even better!
The scene where Fish Custard is played. WATCH IT!
I am the Doctor: This is probably my favorite song from any of the doctor who soundtracks. It is very exciting and full of adventure. At around :30, you can hear a ticking underneath the main theme which is appropriate because this show is about traveling through time.
This is Gallifrey: Its a sad song but inspiring at the same time. Notice the ticking in the background again? It s reoccurring theme throughout many of the songs.
A Dazzling End: This title of this song is very fitting. It is a song of ending, but it is very Dazzling.
Fish Custard: This is a good song but the scene that accompanies it is even better!
The scene where Fish Custard is played. WATCH IT!
With love, From Vincent: This is just a really pretty song. It is a nice change from all of the exciting music.
Words Win Wars: How appropriate for AP composition! This is very similar to I am the Doctor but it is a bit more intense.
Duel of the Fates: In overall EPIC rating, This song wins.
Sorry this list is so long. I tried to format it differently, but Blogger is impossible to work with, so I just gave up and only put one video per row.
So.... Are you totally hooked on soundtrack music now? If your not, listen again, because you obviously weren't listening right the first time. If you have a favorite soundtrack that I missed, comment so I can add it to the list.
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