Opression in its Image

Opression: being kept down through making an example of a social status, through physical and psychological abuse.

This car is exactly that. The Man has kept the owner of this car down, showing him his social status, by repetitively beating down the car. The vehicle is battered in such a way to only indicate the inability of the owner to fix the damage. There is no possible way, in the future, to repair this car to increase the owner's self-image and exemplify their knowledge in keeping items together and well-kempt. This car is opression.

Siddhartha

Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. Germany. Bantam Books: 1922.

Previously, I had been thoroughly entertained by Indian philosophies. I had indulged in the idealogy behind Hare Krishna, due to my idol George Harrison converting, yet I was completely ignorant to other Indian philosophy. This book entails the concepts behind the attempts to finding nirvana. This is an fictiomal novel, with the main character acting as a parallel to the original Siddhartha, more commonly known to the world as "Buddha." The book takes place in India, many centuries ago, where a young man who has everything, Siddhartha, goes on a search to find what can be even better than that conceptually.

During the last chapters, which I find to be the most important, the main character rediscovered the river he originally crossed. Siddhartha is entranced by the river and befriends the only other person as interested in the river as him. Throughout these chapters, you can see the main character evolve and mature, from the greedy business man he had become into the pleasant man enjoying a decent lifestyle.

Herman Hesse brilliantly contrasts Siddhartha's views with Siddhartha's son's. Siddhartha immediately believes that his son will follow in his footsteps, coming from a similiar background and similiar genes. The boy shows society's discontent with the unbelievable nature of those who achieve spiritual enlightenment, and signifies his lust to be free of his father's patient gaze. The main character and his son conflict, in such a way that it further propells Siddhartha to enlightenment.

Hesse finished this section with the achievement of nirvana. Siddhartha become enlightened and all is good in his existance. The simple, poetic lyricism of the language in this part of the book leads to a satisfying finish. The main character finds the meaning of life, while his friend witnesses it. I find this was the most enjoyable ending that Hesse could have come up with, due to the fact that it not only resolves the plot, but it doesn't end it with a cliched comment. Though Siddhartha found nirvana, it does not mean that it is only the good in the world.

Personally, I do not think that I would have followed any footsteps of Siddhartha. His constant struggle to find nirvana only has one path. I would not have been discontented with my actions when having pleasant relations to a dream woman, and whilst indulging in gambling. The main character prevents himself from finding success for the sole search of the perfect state of being, and I don't think I would have found that. I would definitely refrained from holding my son back, as he was only a nusiance and ungrateful for all that his father gave him.

I thought this novel was a soft barraging of ideas. It was increasingly entertaining as I read the book, and it helped me realize ideas behind eastern philosophy. It made me realize the importance of everything in life, and the fact that all people make all their own choices, and nothing is good nor bad. I would recommend this book to anybody who would like to be enlightened, whilst not being attacked by a text.

Creative Writing of a Picture

When his parents dropped him off at school, he was already glistening from the sweat he accumulated since the walk from the car. It was the first day that the school was incorperating swimming into the Physical Educaiton program. Charles wore his swimsuit to school, as to avoid having to change into one in the locker room. He had P.E. last period, so he just enjoyed his fashion statement the whole day.

Charles didn't realize that a man was spying on him during lunch. While on his way to the cafeteria for an extra milk carton, the stranger grabbed Charles by the arms and threw him into a big white van.

Charles didn't know where he was. He didn't know how long he had been travelling, and which methods of transportation he was on. He didn't feel like he was in danger, yet he didn't feel safe. The air was no longer hot, it was just humid. He felt around with his hands, consciously realizing that his hands were no longer bound. He lifted off the earmuffs and the blindfold to find himself in a lush green forest.

This was not just a forest that Charles had stumbled into. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He enjoyed watching the mice congregate in a tree trunk and to see the jaguars pass him up due to his lack of meat. Charles threw off his shirt, causing it to float in the water, and bathed his skin with the cool water, making his dark skin shine in the sun. He was homesick, yet felt at home. He didn't know if his family had realized that he had gone, or where he had gone, but he decided this would be a new life.

Barder And The Flying Turban

Strong Legs pushing,
And magic afoot,
Golden fur flying,
Small kid trying,
To make this good.

Barder and the Flying Turban,
Souring through the clouds,
Able to the city aglow,
And hear chatter oh so loud,

Noiselss,
Choiceless,
Flight without a sound,
Majestic,
Perplexic,
Never Coming Back to the Ground

Thompson's Violin

Thomson’s Violin:

One day, you wake up in hospital. In the nearby bed lies a world famous violinist who is connected to you with various tubes and machines.

To your horror, you discover that you have been kidnapped by the Music Appreciation Society. Aware of the maestro’s impending death, they hooked you up to the violinist.

If you stay in the hospital bed, connected to the violinist, he will be totally cured in nine months. You are unlikely to suffer harm. No one else can save him. Do you have an obligation to stay connected?

One must think: what would they want others to do for them. If one stays connected to the violinist, then he is saving a life, no matter who it is. If that same person is in the similiar situation, one would want another to sacrifice 9 months to save them. Famous person or not, human life is very important, as social status does not dictate the value of a life.

Had this been a person I admired, I would be less hesitant to give up my nine months, yet I still would give up the time for other people.

Album of the Week: 6th Time Around

The album of the week for this week is:

Live/Dead by the Grateful Dead

Everytime I find an musical artist I enjoy, I slowly chip away at the discography. With each album, I notice the artist's change in style and their maturity, which seem to always take place between each disc. Sometimes though, I purposefully disregard something in the list (an unnessecary live album, the notoriously smashed studio album) and this album was one of them.

Throughout the constantly changing genre known as Rock'n'Roll, there are many things that have been defined in motion. The live performance and recording was the last to be developed and was first utilized as an instrument for Cream's Wheels of Fire LP. The band that arrived on the scene, morphing the idealogy of the live performance was the legendary Grateful Dead. The band was known for its long, winding jams filling up lengthy set-lists of songs with ethreal lyrics, derived from the mass quantities of drugs floating around at the time.

As I picked up this album, I was expecting something I couldn't relate to. I wasn't exactly someone who blew their own mind with a hit of LSD or someone who was part of that scene. I enjoyed the Grateful Dead's music, but I didn't know if this was for me. As I opened the shrink wrap, the album seemed to be warmer.

My ears were met with a fade in of a guitar doodling and a bass soloing, with such resonance as to make my car shake. The playing in "Dark Star" was not languid as it had been described, it was intellegent and leading to a point. A few minutes into the song, I am met with the conversing of instrumental phrases and ideas. The song is lengthy, yet every second counts.

That is the definition for this album: "lengthy, yet every second counts." Each song has long runtimes (the lowest being "St. Stephen" at a mere six minutes and forty-five sconds or the bonus track 45-single of "Dark Star" at 2:44 not originally on the actual album), originally on two LP's. None of the music is extraneous and all the playing is leading to a point, establishing an idea and slowly moving the boundries of what a rock band can play.

Singing had not always been a strong point of the Dead, but they utilize their unique style to make it enjoyable. On "St. Stephen", the harmonies are specific and encourage a sing-along value, while on "Dark Star" Jerry sings in a way to communicate the ethreal images in the lyrics. All of the music is enjoyable (even the 7:49 second track known as "Feedback" which is self-explanatory) and there is no reason that any person looking for a live album shouldn't purchase this.

Vocab Words Week Yi Shi San (13)

vehement - fierce: marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid; "fierce loyalty"

Some may say that a guard dog is vehement; blind and violent loyalty to whatever it's protecting.








averse - antipathetic: (usually followed by `to') strongly opposed


Some may be averse to a specific concept or symbol. The swatstika is considered an evil concept, symbolizing all that is evil, and people are generally more offensed to the symbol than the actual act.







alleged - declared but not proved

One of the most alleged cases in all of US history is the case of Lee Harvey Oswald. Is he actually guilty? We'll never know.

discreet - marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint

Many say that the most of all discreet people are monks. The ability to give up all of life's pleasures for a meaningful existance is the most discreet of all.

Book Report: Catch-22

Heller, Joseph. Catch-22. New York. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks: 1955.

Due to the common reccomendations, and the high expectations of this book, I decided to finally read it. This book is a comedic-fiction novel taking place during World War II on the island of Pianosa, which is near the coast of Italy.

The main plot of this book revolvs around the main character, Yossarian, a young pilot in the military who's only goal in the war is to go home. Naturally, the notion of his desires seem to be selfish and generic, but the book unfolds to show that the military, and everything else in life, is bound to a paradoxical logic that holds reality together like a skeleton does to a body. Constantly, Heller uses great contradictory view points by characters and counter-intuitive logic to show that life, although unfair, must be lived. Unlike many books of this nature, this novel controlls the flow of the story by using contradicting tones of serious travesties and laughable idealogies.

Milo is possibly the best character, and the greatest metaphoric person in this book. Yossarian meets Milo when he becomes the leader of an idea known as the syndacite, in which "everybody owns a share." The boy is ingenious: he utilizes his smarts to control the flow of food items and is able to make a profit, even when he sells items for two cents less then he bought it. Heller spends much of the book explaining the reasoning behind Milo's actions. Some things he does are just explainable nonetheless, including Milo's major feat of making a deal on side of the war with the Americans to know where the Germans are going to be, and making a deal on the other side of the war with the Germans about the American's knowing their strategy. His actions are rash and insane, such as bombing his own squadron, yet his presence is completely neccessary for the book. Milo, though, is not a real person. Milo represents all that is the corperation aspect of war: a power hungry struggle to utilize conflict to make a profit, that seems potentially harmless and is, in the ensuing results, one of the most harmful things in battle. Another parrallel aspect of Milo and the corperation is the lack of change Milo experiences. He is constantly coaxed out of fighting and is unaffected by the conflict around him.

I thought that this was one of the greatest books I've ever read. A slow start nonwithstanding, the book was a page turner. I felt attracted to the woman Yossarian was attracted to, humiliated for his defeats and equally saddened by Snowden's state at the end of the book. I thought that Heller's lack of chronological order was essential in the power of this book. The book was geared toward the inhumanity of war and its atrociouties. The book addresses taboo subjects that yank at the heart's strings and works for the recognition of how horrible war actually is.

Firstly, I will never join the army because of this book, but it is imperative that I realize what one goes through in the army. I would highly reccommend this book to anyone who wants to read a good book with a clear message. The book had enough leeway for interpretation, but is not so open as to fall apart conceptually. This book constantly reminded me of the conflict in Iraq. Is there a Yossarian in Iraq? Is Milo prompting terrorists to attack us?

I understand the main character's angst. He lusts to go home for the same reason that I yearn that our troops can come back. War is a traumatizing experience that should be experienced by others, and I felt everything Yossarian did was justified. I think that this book ended exactly how it should have ended and contained one of the most satisfying endings I've read in a book.

I have not previously read a book by Joseph Heller, but the book was similiar in form and substance to Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughter House V. The two books are great, but Catch-22 gets the upper hand due to more comedic moments and agreeable contradictions. I hope to read more of Heller's work, as I've heard that there are books of his that have even more humor in it. The only thing I haven't elaborated on is that this book is vulgar like no other. From swearing to characters reaching up nurses' dresses to constant sexual interaction, this book delivers vulgarity in the way its meant to be delivered.

Album of the Week: Number Phive

The album of the week this week is:



(Come on Feel The) Illinoise by Sufjan Stevens


While I was hurriedly chatting away with friends on AOL Instant Messanger® one , my sister's chat box popped up saying "listen to this!" I rolled my eyes as I saw the file she was trying to send. As much as my sister tried, all the songs she sent me didn't help me enjoy a modern artists. I grudgingly agreed to listening to it, and started to hear the violin harmonies on a song called "Jacksonville."

The beautifully harmonized violin bowing is met with a sudden stop to start the song, met with a lush piano riff. The piano riff is soon juxtaposed against warm guitars, solid drums and peciliur banjo arrangment, that strangely fits in. The whole song is powerfully moved with the vocals that procede it, and the song starts to have a snowball chaotic approach to it, that somehow sounds organized. Instruments are layered, until it approaches a big band-dense sound which suddenly drops out at the climax of the song. This is definitely the best song on the album, but there are so many other highlights.

All of the music on this album is intellegently put together. Musical instruments are harmonized and sound completely neccesary, have pure sounds, amazing counter-points in melody and rhythm, along with compelling and touching lyrics. Sufjan touches subjects that range from playful images to the humanized emotions due to a friend's chronic illness.

The best part of this album is its quirkiness and ability to personify ideas with musical phrasings equivalent to the subject matter. This album has been part of his project to compose a concept album based on the cultural and musical aspects of all fifty states. His composition on the subject of superman shows the agressive side of the character with the angrier sounding instruments, with plenty of distortion, as well as the sensitive side personifyed by the sudden drop into a soft, vocal harmony filled verse.

Although the album seems to be quite long, with 22 track, many of the tracks are short, few second clips which seem to be as important as all the other tracks. "One Last 'Woohoo'" is a great buffer between the acoustic, country-tinged song "Decatur" and the electric, synthesized textured song "Chicago." None of the material here ever appears to be filler, in any form.

Previously, I had yet to fall in love with an artist that had released an album after the year 2000. The lush textures and beautiful melodies will continue to play in my stereo, play after play. This is a must buy album.

Current Event

11/26/07

Afghan suicide attack kills two

A suicide car bomb targeting a foreign military convoy in the Afghan capital Kabul has killed two civilians.
The attack took place outside a defence ministry building close to the British, Canadian and Pakistani embassies.

Officials said the vehicle used in the attack was badly damaged and the bomber was killed. Several people have been wounded in the blast.

More than 3,000 people have been killed this year as Afghan and foreign forces battle Taleban fighters in Afghanistan.

The bomber damaged three armoured vehicles, but none of the troops was injured, Associated Press quoted coalition spokesman Lt-Col David Johnson as saying.

The attack took place in Wazir Akbar Khan suburb, which is close to the city centre where many diplomatic missions, politicians and several of the international aid agencies operating in Afghanistan are based.

There has been an increase in suicide bomb attacks in Kabul this year.

Two of the worst suicide attacks in the city have targeted army buses - in all, 65 people were killed.

Seriously? This is an almost rediculous ideal. Suicide bombing do nothing but inconvenience. These humans are brainwashed into destroying themselves for a cause which is nothing more than attempting to dismantle structured society. There is no deemable solution to these actions, as they would constantly be used to change any upkept concept or law.

On the morbid side of things, this affects the world more. There is more lookout for the nasty tactics of terrorists, and more people are being wounded and killed, just for being in the cross-fire. This is really human nature at its worst. The problem is such: how can we get people to stop?

We cannot tell them that it is wrong. Not only has it been tried, but it is not any way to convince a radical. We cannot prevent them from doing it, as there are too many, with too many ideas on how to kill themselves in different ways and varying tactics on getting around security. We cannot let them win and we cannot help them lose. It is in fact a Catch-22, one which will likely be worsened with time.

Album of the Week # Fore

The album of the week this week is: Odessey And Oracle by the Zombies

Before high school, I was scarcely interested in music. As my interest in music grew, I decided to set a goal for myself. I assembled a list of "must have" albums from different books about the best albums ever and the Rolling Stones list of 500 greatest albums ever. Up till the past week, I had completed the list barring three entries:Never Mind the Bollucks, Here's the Sex Pistols by the Sex Pistols, London Calling by the Clash and Odessey and Oracle by the Zombies.

On the topic of forgotten artists, there are few that shine clearly with musical relevance today. The Zombies is the most prevalent of these lost acts. This album starts off with the harmonies and musical textures of a musically talented band. Their sole remembered material is limited to the song "Time of the Season."

The album starts off with the twangy notes of a piano, leading into the luscious pop sounds of "Care of Cell 44." It sets the mood for the album: catchy and introspective. The second track continues the jazz-like feel of Rod Argent's piano clusters. The whole album is filled with full-bodied harmonies and melody lines that continually play in the listeners head.

The album has the potential to sound dated, but still exuberates a fresh feel. The band used experimental techniques when applying instruments such as the mellotron's flute sounds, which are tastefully used and do not sound unrealistic. The avante-garde practices on this album are due to the Zombies' lack of budget when it came to studio musicians. Throughout the band's history, the Zombies were never graced with chart success. Their only previous chart success was their single "She's Not There," which was the sole reason they were signed to Decca.

Some of the lyrics contain a melancholy feel ("The summer is here at last/The sky is overcast/And no one brings a rose for Emily"), which would make sense due to their lack of success, but are still not depressing. The mood exerts a weary and tired hope, similar to the faith that Job had after his many troubles. This LP is in part of the long run of albums I have recently purchased that would is perfectly suited for a rainy day.

The remastered, remixed album is loaded with bonus tracks. The remastered album came with the original stereo mix of the album, a mono mix of the album, and three alternate versions of tracks on the album, while the sound is clear and clean.

Though this isn't the best album I own, it is definitely something I will constantly listen to.

Album of the Week: 3rd Edition

The album of the week this week is:



Speaking in Tongues - The Talking Heads

Fortunately, I spent time this week cleaning up. As I was looking for my dusted old copies of Sim Tower and the Sims Hot Date (in order to pass time, of course!), I stumbled upon a nice little stack of CD's in my parent's computer room. It was the last of the CD piles I had checked out (that were scattered around numerous parts of the house) and I found an album with an interesting cover, such as you see above.

I had always liked the earlier Talking Heads I owned. Their debut, '77 was sublime and their More Songs About Buildings and Food had several classics.

A background on the Talking Heads is such: David Byrne, an intellectual songwriting genious, gathered together a few of his fellow students at the Rhode Island School of Design and created a band that was the first of many to be labeled as "New Wave." The band showed an eccentric side with Byrne's edgy, out-of-range-singing style and agressive instrumental playing.

When first popping the CD on my long drive to baseball practice, I heard the faint noises of an acoustic guitar. I was oddly surprised, as it was the polar opposite of the Talking Heads' style. My worries were negated when I heard Byrne's solid "eeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEHHHH..." into the opening song "Burning Down the House," a classic among fans of the band.

Throughout the course of the album, I was bobbing my head to the agressive beats, solid playing, and angry singing. There was no sense in trying to make sense of the lyrics on this album, such that I went with the flow and ended up participating in the nonsense banter of each song. Skillfully, the band avoides self-indulgent concepts or hard to access melodies in such listenable music.

Highlights included "Girlfriend is Better" and "Swamp". These overlooked songs were immediately catchy. In the former I was shouting with Byrne about my girlfriend who was better than this, and listening to David quickly yelping, "Is it!?" after each line in the chorus. The song started out with an infectious beat and Byrne asking who took the money. In the latter song I was screaming at the top of my lungs "HI! HI HI HI HI HIIIIIIII!" and looking to my right to see a transfixed (and shocked) gaze from the driver on my right. "Burning Down the House" is so catchy, it's no wonder that it was the Head's first Top 10 hit.

All the members on this album contribute amazing, layered synthesizer textures, solid guitar tracks, and choral backround vocals. The guitars are twangy, the drums solid, the bass plucky, the voices excited and energetic and the songwriting superb. The feel of the music is assured, and surprisingly sophisticated, and completely singable (if you're willing to go hoarse for the rest of the day).

The album made for great driving music, keeping me awake and energetic, and made for a great reason why every driver on the road can gawk at me.

Vocab 11

Metamorphosis - transfiguration: a striking change in appearance or character or circumstances.

One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a giant cockroach.







Quotidian-occurring or returning every day; daily

One may say that school is a quotidian idea. Students are constantly subject to the lack of choice known as school. Many are marked for 13 years and are forced to complete their track, whether they need to or not.








Reparation- compensation (given or received) for an insult or injury

Compensation is communly used in the phrase, 'An act without compensation.' We, as the United States, have done many things throughout history that is so horrid and disfiguring that there is no redeemable compensation.

Album of the Week: Part Deux

The album of this week is:



Rock of Ages by the Band

As I spent the week pondering what album of mine to review, I couldn't decide until the last day of the week. Throughout my new collection of cds from the past week (a grand total of 9 cds and 10 hours of music), I specifically chose Rock of Ages to help answer the question of what a live album should be.

Throughout the history of the genre known as Rock and Roll, many bands have wondered what the purpose of a live album should be, from the introduction of the first live recordings on the famous rock album by Cream, Wheels of Fire. Many bands promoted the idea that live outings, and therefore live albums, should be similiar to the structure of live Jazz. Bands such as the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers band used a Jazz-like approach by taking songs of normally three to four minutes and extending them; they took the frame of songs, using the vocals and melody line, and then extended them into spacy, instrumental jams of up to 40 minutes.

The Band, on the other hand, took a different approach. They were never for hour renditions of their classics, but rather for a revamping of material. The live record was still a new concept when this album was cut, during the days leading up to 1972, and the Band wanted to try something that no other band had really attempted.

The Band's guitarist, and de facto leader, Robbie Robertson introduces what the Band is about to do with the following words: "We're gonna try somethin tonight that we've never done before...We'd like to bring out the best horn men in New York..." all arranged by famous New Orleans arranger Allen Toussaint. Toussaint had worked with the Band before on their catchy single, Life is a Carnival. This time around, Toussaint arranged horn parts for most of the Band's material, making this the first time a band had used an alterior music source constantly on stage.

The ensuing live album does not replace the studio cuts by an means, but instead adds new variations to them. Unlike many other live albums, which either pale in comparison to the studio work or replaces such, this album gave me a new collection of songs entirely.

The album starts with a funky workout of Marvin Gaye's R&B classic (Baby) Don't (You) Do It, which the Band perform to the greatest of their ability, such that electricity practically comes out of the speakers. Throughout the rest of the disk, the Band exhibits their uncanny ability to add energy to songs (King Harvest, Caledonia Mission, Across the Great Divide, The Weight, Rag Mama Rag, Life is A Carnival), their ability to revamp unreleased material (Get Up Jake), add interesting horn parts (The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Chest Fever) and instrumental mastery (The Genetic Method).

The Genetic Method, in itself, could have its own review. Although I am biased, as Garth Hudson is my favorite keyboardist, anyone can hear his genious and mastery of (at the time) new instruments. He weaves strange organ parts, classical organ, synthesizer diddlies and famous pieces into a beautiful solo instrumental. At one part of the song, due to the date of the recording (12/31), Hudson weaves in Auld Lang Syne, to the delight of the audience, and then continues on. The album is worth the purchase for this track itself.

The album closes with a nice little Rock and Roll standard, and brings energy to the listener. Luckily, the album was remastered a few years ago, and the original 2 LP album was put on 1 disc, and Capitol added a second bonus disc. The bonus disc had some amazing pieces, from the introspective Rocking Chair (in which the way Manuel sings "I just wanna get my feet back on the ground" is worth the ticket price), to the R&B standard, Loving You (Is Sweeter Than Ever), to four songs with Bob Dylan, the best by Dylan at the time.

This album is worth every penny, from the horn charts that are so expertly arranged, to the sublime playing by the Band, and should be in every Rock fan's collection.

Vocab #9

Plagiarize
In this representation, one sees the familiar face of Vanilla Ice. The height of his popularity is a plagiarism, that he even denies presently. In his song, "Ice Ice Baby," he takes the familiar motif of the Queen song "Another One Bites the Dust" and excuses his possession over his lick by claiming it had an extra beat in it. What fame does to the mind is one of humorous proportions.



Reciprocate
The human hug is a notion that the population takes for granted. The concept is that one throws one's arms around the other, and the other accepts. It is a great example of a reciprocated motion. One could easily throw it off or back away, as it is a very personal motion, but nonetheless is a great stride in the personal connection between people.



Empathy
Even when one feels the comforting of another, the only real consolation is a sense of empathy. People constantly push away help that has not experienced what one has gone through. This picture is a true representation of two people, both affected by the same event, yet one takes the role of consoler, and one consolee.

The Establishment of a Thought Process Through Extrapolation

When one sees an extreme difference in society in a text, one can never imagine the time period and ideals expressed when the piece was written. Mark Twain in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn tries to eliminate such a problem. Mark Twain utilizes Huckleberry Finn as a primary narrator to express his views on those ignorant of the racial and social standings around them. Twain's point of view at the time was very negative toward racial and social issues, and his tone is expressed through the narration and plot direction, while Huck represents the neutral perspective of the time.

Throughout the book, Huck describes concepts in a nonchalant way that does not conincide with Twain's obviously vulgar material. Such when Huck is witnessing the duke dressing up Jim as a sick arab. He describes it with uncaring and without surprise, as it is an everyday event. "Then the duke took and wrote out a sign on a shingle so- Sick Arab - but harmless when not out of his head" (Pg. 159) and Huck blandly shows the prejiduces not only to African slaves, but of any nationality that is not caucasion American.

Additionally, words that are normally used as durragotary, or in an angry fashion, are simply listed by the main character. Twain obviously chose specific words in the book to express the racial standings in society, but also to show how ignorance can fuel the words. Throughout the book, Huck addresses Jim as a "nigger" and consciously talks about how dumb they are, yet he considers Jim a father figure throughout the book.

Therefore, the narration and plot direction in the book express Twain's negative outlook on the society he lived in. When the author lands on a touchy racial topic, he broadens it to an extent that is almost unbearable in this day and age. He continually brings up stereotypes and how untrue they are. The book labels stereotypes of African slaves, such as being highly hostile "(saying that) if I hollered, he'd cut my livers out" (Pg. 214). Contrarily, Huck describes Jim as the character with the most caring for him, and the least hostile aggression towards anything, including the race that enslaved him.

Thus, Huck Finn is the character in the book that is meant to represent the blank slate. He supports the story with his blind ignorance, but Mark Twain utilizes him as an ignorant main voice, that shows the negative consequences of issues at the time. Once one sees the social commentary, one can argue that Twain was against all his society stood for. Twain definitly helps the reader imagine the ideals of the book and the time period it was written.

Album of the Week

Every week I will do a review for an album I have recently recieved, either recent or classic, and will do my best to analyze it.

This week's album is:



Nick Drake's Pink Moon

As I slipped into the cold rain on a beautifully rainy Saturday morning, I casually walked to Starbucks. I ordered a nice, hot drink and found myself a nice place to sit and watch the pitter patter of the rain on the street. I realized that I had delayed my purchase of some album that my friend suggested to me, but remembered that he said it was perfect for rainy days. I lazily made my way to my car and found the nearest cd store and immediately found a nice brand new copy of the cd. Something felt right about the purchase.

I ripped open the cd shrink wrap (triumphantly, no doubt. don't you love that feeling of tearing off the plastic?), and found an intimidating picture of the man known as Nick Drake, glaring at the owner of the cd. I popped the cd into the cd player to hear a nicely strummed guitar leading into a lulling whispery voice, remnant to me of a more emotionally disfigured Jack Johnson. The singer singing to me about a Pink Moon coming to get me, which at first seems scary, assured me with his voice that it would be alright.

The album keeps its dreary, but pleasant, tone throughout the whole album. Drake sings to the listener about moons, mornings, love, the process of aging and mostly unsurity and weakness. The lyrics, as Allmusic put, are definitely not upbringing ("you can say the sun is shining if you really want to", "I am the parasite of this town"),but also are definitely not depressing. They express a tone that is beautiful and longing, almost emotionally scarred by the tragedy that the singer went through.

Nick Drake, musically, has interesting chord tunings, useful picking styles, peculiar rhythem movements and chord patterns. His voice falls over the chords with an ageless easyness. He constantly lulles the listener into a state of awareness, and self-realization. He sings with a kind of vulnerability that no other artist could emulate.

The lack of additional instruments gives Drake's voice and ethreal quality. With just an acoustic guitar, the singer-songwriter gets his message across clearly. He puts his voice on record, in such a way, that its a gorgeous, heart-wrenching listen. The album made me feel a little saddened that this was the man's last effort, only to overdose on anti-depressants.

As each song flowed into the next, I took a long sip of my warm drink, only to think that this was the perfect album for the day.

Vocabulary

A representation of three of this week's vocabulary words:

tempo - the rate of some repeating event. I feel that all of our lives is put to the tempo of a minute, day, hour, year or moment. We all confine ourselves to a set parameter of a continious schedule or routine. If we look at our lives, we can all see that life is just a metronome clicking back and forth.










unanimous - consentaneous: in complete agreement We all need to find a unanimous ground for anything and everything: borders, business agreements, and any decision.











flourish - thrive One and all should know what needs to flourish and grow. Man naturally doesn't realize the beauty around itself, and such things are prevented from their growth.

Late as Always

Our teacher assigned us a writing prompt in which we needed to create a story around the items and facial expressions of those going through the turnstile in the New York subway, as photographed by Bill Smith. The link to his project, where my photo is from is here


Bill had been becoming increasingly senile. Not only does he lack the work ethic and energy that he had when I hired him, but he makes excuses for his actions.

Today Bill stumbles into work three hours late. Panting and gasping for air, he starts telling me his reasons for being so late. "Steve...Steve... I was late because..."
"I don't want to hear any more excuses Bill! I've had enough
with your horse crap."
"But Steve," he pleaded, "this time is serious!" Hearing his pleas, I agreed to listen to his story.

Bill had woken up early (I was already skeptical of the story at this point). He got his paper outside when he noticed that his house was starting to sink. At the very moment he started inspecting the house it started to rain. He quickly ran inside for his umbrella and noticed that he needed to hurry up to get to work. He quickly grabbed a piece of toast and stuck the paper in his pocket, for reading on the subway. On his way to the subway, he remembered that he had put his laundry in the cleaners, as such, he needed to obtain it because the laundromat charges extra if the clothes are left there.

He reversed directions and made his way through the crowd, only to find that the laundromat was closed. He noticed a small child playing in the street, and asked him what he was doing. He saw that the kid was playing with something with a blinking red light. Bill thought that the kid was cute and went to go tell him to get out of the street. As he was walking over, he suddenly realized what was blinking. He did a complete 180 degree turn, and started running in the other direction. As he heard a large bang behind him, he was thrown to the ground. He then went back to find the police interrogating him, asking him why he was there and what his affliation with the kid was. Bill nervously answered the question while he got on the subway.

The subway was an adventure in itself. When Bill got on the subway, so did the same kid that he saw before. Bill was so confused and scared that he ran away, only to find the kid following him. He ran away hurriedly. Quickly, he realized the kid wanted something with him, so he turned around to the kid holding his dry cleaning. "What the..." Bill started, but the kid interrupted with "you're welcome," only to turn around and walk away. His brow covered in sweat, Bill sat on the train and let it take him to work. He needed to switch from the B train to the F train, so he needed to get off at the next stop. As he got off the subway, he noticed that the bus he usually takes just left, and he had to wait for the next bus to come in fifteen minutes. After he got off the bus, he noticed that he caught every red light on the way to work, only to run into the same kid. As he got to the front doors of the office, he asked the kid, "Who are you?" The kid simply smiles, and replied, "You'll never know."

I simply shrugged Bill's story off, "next time you're late, Bill, just call and tell us." As I sat down at the couch in the worker's lounge and watched the news story about the terrorist attack near B street, I murmered to myself, "I wish I were paid every time I heard one of his stories."