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A Work of Art: Art Review for Claudio al Mandrione, Painted by Julian Schnabel

2013
06.04

Recently, our class took a field trip to the Milwaukee Art Museum, where I saw the painting Claudio al Mandrione (Zona Rosa), which was painted by Julian Schnabel.  After research of the title, Zona Rosa represents a Communist enclave that exists in Rome. The fundamentals of Communism is clearly supported by the great amounts of red used in this painting. Combined with the broken plates and the expressions on the faces of the couple seen, I feel that there is a great amount of aggression taking place. I believe this aggression appears to be the opinion of Schnabel’s, where he shows disdain for the communist party. This idea is supported by the fact that Schnabel had grown up during the Cold War period, and it was commonplace to find just how much Communist ideals were rejected. Schnabel was also part of the Neo Expressionist movement where artists would show their opinions on very hot, debatable topics such as Communism, Feminism, and Racism.

Due to the symbolic Communist Red found in a good portion of the painting, it is safe to conclude that the artist feels that Communism causes much grief in people’s lives. The grief is clearly shown in the couple’s expression. On a red background, the seem very discontent with each other and where their lives are headed. This discontent is represented by the broken plates that make up their very existence. And finally the gold chain is meant to be representative of the dictator being able to spend so much on things that are detrimental to the people, for example the mass amounts of wealth to keep the people shackled and suppressed.

The debatable topic as portrayed in this piece is the ideals of communism. Schnabel argues that its ideals are damaging to the people under its authority. Due to the time period in which the artist experienced, Schnabel’s opinion implies that Communism should be eradicated due to its effects.

Students should learn from the painting that expression is important and should not be restricted to a single medium such as acrylic paints. That, in itself, is contradicting the ideals of expression. Expression needs to be made using every single object available. And Schnabel represents this ideal by using smashed plates as a medium in order to convey meaning and emotion. Students should be able to express themselves as freely as possible. In Schnabel’s case, using such a medium as plates was very untraditional. Yet so was Cubism, when Picasso came around. Schnabel even refers to himself as the closest thing to Picasso because he is willing to express himself as best as he knows how, and is able to do so freely as he offers his pieces to be scrutinized by the world’s eye. Students should have conversations about how they can express themselves in revolutionary ways the way Schnabel did, and how they can voice their opinions through art.

The painting implies that we have a background knowledge on what the most prominent aspects of this painting represent. In this case, the massive amounts of red stand for communism and we should know its history the role it has played throughout this history. With this knowledge in mind, Schabel inserts symbols that represent his opinions on the subject, such as the discontent couple, the broken plates, and the golden shackles.

Today’s society values individualism and creativity in expression. For example, whenever a musician releases a song and it sounds too much like the last, we regard the musician as being a hack. Yet when something comes out that we’ve never heard before, such as the new age sound from the artists of Zedd and Skrillex, which has created a completely new and creative genre, we rejoice. Claudio al Mandrione is able to check every box in the category of individualism and creativity as it uses a medium that no one has seen before, and because of it’s creative use of objects and symbols, it is appraised the world over.

Category Art Reviews, CyberJournal |

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I Remember…Home

2013
05.29

I remember the bright sunny days spent in the tickly, ever-moving green grass; the cool blue waters of the pool enveloping our bodies when dry land got too hot.

I remember the crunchy, salty taste of the cheesy chickadee crackers, left out in the sun to “bake”; while we stand impatiently, dripping wet, waiting to devour our self-created summer snack.

I remember the rough bark, scraping our hands as we climbed and explored new heights; the majestic view across the little green park, the place we considered ours.

I remember sliding through the thick muck that resides in the waters of the river; grabbing long sticks and more mud to compliment the newest made-up game.

I remember the hot glasses of cocoa in the wintry months; chocolate and marshmallows melting into the hot fluid, and having races to see who could finish theirs first.

I remember the crystal clear snow; picking it up, rolling it, and patting it down to make the tallest snowman in the town.

I remember those fun-filled days, and adventure filled nights, where my sister and I would scamper about with our neighbors, ruling the place that we will always call home.

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Critical Review of An Inconvenient Truth

2013
05.28

Recently in class, we watched An Inconvenient Truth, a documentary presenting the ever growing danger in the effects of global warming.  With former Vice President Al Gore as narrator, this documentary delves into both the scientific causes and effects of global warming and addresses and refutes the arguments commonly presented against the factuality of global warming.  Because Al Gore is a well-known public figure, it gives the reader assurance that the information being presented is true and it helps to establish Gore’s credibility as a narrator.

 

To support the context of his speech, Gore used his digital presentation containing cartoons, maps, and other animated images showing the effects of global warming.  This documentary mainly appealed to the reader’s emotion in the sense that while it offered logical points to consider, a majority of the documentary attempted to invoke a sense of urgency and fear into the viewer.  The fear was brought on by the seemingly inevitable doom our world would face, but soon diffused by the solutions Gore offered.  Oftentimes, background music would support the level of intensity that went along with what Gore was presenting.  This also helped to invoke emotion within the viewer.

I believe that this documentary was very effective in portraying the seriousness of a global problem that is in need of a resolution.  The documentary also supported this message by offering several things that any person could do to help with this problem.  I think that one of the main things that made the expression of this message so successful was the usage of animated maps and drawings.  For example, Gore presented an image that showed how much land would be taken by the sea if the sea level went up by 20 feet.  I thought that this in particular was very effective in supporting the message of this documentary.  Overall, the content of his speech and all the various forms of support that Gore provided made the portrayal of his message very effective in reaching out to the audience.

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The Feeling of Today

2013
05.21

Indecision

in·de·ci·sion [in-di-sizh-uhn]

Noun

The inability to make a decision quickly.

Synonyms

irresolution – hesitation – hesitancy – hesitance


Also known as the downfall to most.  Indecision has been plaguing people since the beginning of time and has only gotten worse.  In a world where snap decisions and judgements are necessary, we simply become more and more bogged down by indecisiveness.  When we are being indecisive, we are being hesitant.  And by being hesitant, often times we are letting our fear of failure get the best of us.  Or, we are simply afraid of committing to one choice.  As if choosing a free write topic is going to dictate the rest of my life.  We need to put indecisiveness back in the hole where it came from and stop being afraid to live.


Anxious

anx·ious [angk-shuhs, ang-]

Adjective

  1. Experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.

  2. (of a period of time or situation) Causing or characterized by worry or nervousness.

Synonyms

uneasy – worried – solicitous – concerned – restless


Imminent event reminds me of impending doom.  In anticipation for today’s regional track meet, my body is thoroughly consumed by anxiety.  I don’t believe that it is the uncertain outcome that makes me this way.  I really think that the feeling of the inevitable slowly sinking in is what does it.  Yet, for those who become anxious easily, what are we afraid of?  I don’t believe that it completely comes from the feeling of inevitability.  If something is inevitable, then why bother fearing it.  Is it the situation itself?  Although for me, I’ve run the races I will run tonight a million times.  So it can’t be that.  I really think that most anxiety stems from the same fear of failure that stems indecision.  That fear slowly creeps into our lives until it overwhelms the body, causing anxiety.  If we could lock out this fear, we would have nothing to look forward to but success.


Category CyberJournal, Free Write |

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Synthesis Essay Reflection

2013
05.20

In our group, we focused our synthesis essay on how the ability of a student to receive a high quality, focused education has been damaged because of the fact that pushing to excel at extracurricular activities has become the number one priority.  I believe that the best part of our essay is in our paragraph depicting what an ideal education is.  In this section, we referenced two well known writers: Ralph Waldo Emerson and Francine Prose.  We focused on Emerson’s claims in Education about genius and drill.  “His philosophy of the paradoxical genius versus drill highlights each student’s unique abilities which can only be nurtured and developed through individual teacher attention.”  This sentence specifically supported our description of what an ideal education looks like.  Additionally, we referenced Prose’s essay I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read to enforce the idea that an ideal education focuses on individualized attention from teachers.  With support from these two authors, I felt like we successfully portrayed an image of what we believed an ideal education was.

One of the things that writing this essay helped me to do was to further develop my skills as a writer.  At first, because of the fact that writing this essay was a group project, I figured it would be much less of a challenge than it actually was.  I realized that even though our group could decide on what position we were going to take on a topic, everyone had a different way of going about the same thing.  Combining three differing opinions was a difficult task, but I do think that we handled it well.  I believe that this obstacle in particular helped to better my writing because it helped me to successfully project my ideas so that others can understand them.  In my writing, sometimes I would assume that my audience would understand exactly what I was talking about, but through this project, I realized how easy it can be to misinterpret ideas and how to overcome these misinterpretations.  The main thing that I learned about myself as a writer was that I do well at forming my ideas over previously projected ideas.  For example, when someone else in my group had a good idea about what to write in our essay, I was successful at finding ways to incorporate my beliefs to further support their ideas.  Writing this essay in a group not only helped me to better my writing skills, but it also reinforced skills that will be necessary in my future; working and supporting others to achieve a common goal.

Category CyberJournal, Synthesis Essay |

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Creating Your Own Censoring Standards

2013
04.08

Banned Books: A School Librarian’s Perspective – Sharon Coatney

One of the op- ed articles that I decided I wanted to read was Sharon Coatney’s article on censorship and banned books.  Coatney is a librarian and she begins her article with a flash back to when she first started a new librarian position.  “Books were literally in cages,” is her description of the library she had just walked into for the first time.  Coatney then goes on to highlight the problems with censorship and banned books and how her job is wrapped up in both of them.  At one point, “the mother of a Muslim child in our school asked that I not allow her son to check out any book about Christmas or other Christian holidays.  This lead her to conclude that censorship shouldn’t necessarily be something that is controlled by a higher power.  She believes that by “educating our students to make good choices,” we can finally be able reduce “inappropriate censorship of tomorrow.” (Coatney)

The appeal that Coatney utilizes the most would be ethos.  She is constantly reestablishing her credibility throughout the article.  The first instance comes from the title, “Banned Books: A School Librarian’s Perspective.”  This allows the reader to accept Coatney’s opinions on the belief that she is entitled to make judgments on censorship because of her job.  Another instance is when she describes the Muslim woman trying to get her to ban her son from checking out books on Christmas.  Because she supports her opinions with actual personal experiences, it helps to strengthen her argument and make her a reliable narrator for the reader.

Coatney also uses the appeal to emotion to benefit her argument.  When she says, “…the library was in a cage.  Literally,” it gives the reader this feeling of being trapped, limited, or even cornered by censorship.  Because censorship has been allowed to take over at this particular library, it seems like there is virtually no freedom when it comes to books there.   To me, that was a depressing thought, and I’m sure for many other book lovers, it was sad for them too.

Throughout her article, Coatney had a conversational tone.   The article was easy to relate to in many ways because of that tone, but also because of the simplistic diction that was presented.  The story itself flowed and was easy to follow.

Censorship exists in many places in society.  Some countries have extreme censorship laws in place.  While we are not as extreme as some of these countries, we still do censor things.    For example, in some schools the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is banned because of the controversial content inside.  We got to read it, and I actually thought that there were several ideas that I got out of the book that I found positive.  However, I don’t control what books get banned or not.  That was a point that Coatney addressed multiple times in her article.  She stated, “All of us ban.  Censorship abounds.”  We go through our lives doing these things constantly in all aspects of life.  What I found interesting to learn was Coatney’s opinion on what we could do instead of having ridiculous censorship exist.  She believes that by educating children to make their own decisions, based off of logic and decision making skills, so that we won’t need things to be censored.  If we can provide our own standard for what should be censored and what shouldn’t, there would be no need for things like the Banned Books list.  This is important to understand because censorship could come to the point where it could get out of control.  But we don’t ever have to get to that point if we can rely on ourselves to do our own censoring.

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The Connection Between Abuse and Autism

2013
04.06

Study: Women Abused as Kids More Likely to Have Children with Autism – Alexandra Sifferlin

The article written by Alexandra Sifferlin is about autism.  More specifically, it is about a study done on abused women and their likelihood to have an autistic child.  I thought that this article looked interesting because I know some of the basic causes of autism, but this was one that never crossed my mind.  The entire article is Sifferlin’s explanation of the study and the many interpretations that go with it.  The study found that women “who endured the most serious mistreatment [in youth] were 60% as likely to have an autistic child.” (Sifferlin)

Because the main point of Sifferlin’s article was to explain the study, the appeal she used the most was the appeal to logic.  There are facts scattered and woven in throughout the piece.  To relay the seriousness of the rising number of autism spectrum disorder rates, Sifferlin stated, “[statistics] found a significantly higher rate of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) – one in 50 compared to one in 88.” (Sifferlin)  This helps the reader to understand Sifferlin’s point that autism rates are a growing problem.

Another appeal that Sifferlin utilizes is the appeal to emotion.  When she states, “If childhood abuse turns out to be one of these reasons for the rise in autism cases, then efforts to prevent it take on new urgency, since such interventions can benefit more than just one victim,” it allows the reader to understand how serious this problem is.  It also relays that it’s not just the child we can save.  We can also save the mother of that child.  I noticed that this was the only spot where Sifferlin placed her opinion in the article.  I think that that is what helped to drive the emotion at this particular spot as well.

Because this article was a hard news article, it was very factual and blunt; I found it simple and very easy to understand.  Her diction is straightforward and simplistic and without emotion until near the end.  This made it easy to comprehend the parts of the study she found most important for her audience.  Sifferlin also had some form of evidence for every claim she discussed from the study.  This helped to establish her credibility because of how direct and factual the piece came off as.

This topic is relevant in today’s society because the rising autism rates are something our entire country is experiencing.  In addition to that, domestic violence is everywhere.  If we could help to prevent attacks on young children, specifically women, perhaps the rates would begin to climb back down.   Since autism is becoming more common in today’s world, it’s important to understand what can cause it, besides abuse, so that we can try to prevent it.  If we put in effort to prevent autism, we will be able to better the lives of many individuals.

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Stuck in the Wave of Suicide

2013
04.06

2 Afghan Sisters, Swept Up in a Suicide Wave – Azam Ahmed

This article centered around the suicide of two young Afghan sisters.  The author, Azam Ahmed, spent much of the article on an explanation of their deaths and the reasoning behind them.  The younger sister, Nabila, had fallen in love with a man outside of their family’s ties.  Her older sister, Fareba, tried to intervene to protect their family’s honor.  When Nabila became upset, she “tried to eat just enough poison to scare her family but not kill herself” (Ahmed) However, her plan did not work and in response Fareba too ate rat poison.  The most touching part of the article is when Ahmed addresses what is called a suicide wave, a heightening problem in the Middle East.

In the beginning of the article, Ahmed states the end result of a quarrel between the two sisters.  He then backtracks to the beginning of the conflict, and slowly works his way back to the end, filling in the details as he goes.  I thought that this was an effective way to present the information because the end of the story serves as a hook for the reader.  It draws the reader in and causes them to think more about what Ahmed is actually saying.  Also, in this hard news article Ahmed used simplistic diction so that the article suits a broad audience.

The appeal Ahmed used the most was the appeal to logic.  Throughout the article, there are many facts that support the problem in the progression of the suicide wave.  For example, a doctor speaking to Ahmed about suicide rates reports, “There are probably 200 cases in here of attempted suicide.” (Ahmed/Khaled) These blunt statements throughout the article support Ahmed’s claim that the suicide rate continues to climb.  It also invokes a feeling of sadness and despair in the reader because of the seriousness of these statements.  Because they are reported so bluntly, it hits the reader and makes them comprehend exactly what Ahmed is trying to get across.

Another rhetorical strategy Ahmed used in his article was ethos.  When he reports evidence that supports his argument, he used a source that readers could easily identify to establish his credibility.  “…head of investigations for the police, Col. Salahudin Sultan says…”  Because cops are recognizable characters, it’s easier for the reader to accept the following fact as a true statement.  Together, this helps to establish Ahmed’s credibility.

The topic of the suicide wave in Middle Eastern countries is relevant in today’s society because it is a problem that has continued to get worse as time progresses.  Before reading this article, I had no clue that this problem even existed.  The article certainly had an unforgettable effect on me.  From it, I learned why this wave of suicide has become such a prominent issue.  The parents in Afghan families are deeply set in their traditions and ways of living.  However, for the younger children, especially those living in Afghanistan, they feel like they should be able to branch away from those deeply rooted customs.  Because of their location, the influence of western cultures is strong.  Inside these teenagers, they experience inner turmoil of what their lives are compared to what they could be.  This inner turmoil has caused the suicide rate in these places to sky rocket.  “…the city’s main hospital says it has been overwhelmed, with three or four such patients coming in every day, up from about one or two a month a decade ago.” (Ahmed)  Because these rates continue to climb, it is important that people are aware of this progressing issue.  It’s a problem that will be with us for a long time, and we need to work to find a solution so that we may save the lives of many young people.

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One Time Occurrence? Or Everyday Life?

2013
04.06

Don’t Overlook Domestic Violence – Meghan Rhoad

This article by Meghan Rhoad is an op-ed article on the Domestic Violence Act.  Rhoad explains why she believes the House should pass the new Violence against Women Act.  She believes that “it is outrageous that Congress failed to renew Violence against Women Act in its last session.” (Rhoad)  Her reasoning for that is the fact that “one in four women in the U.S. has been a victim of severe physical violence…” (Rhoad)  Since the article is solely based on her opinion, Rhoad displays many different pieces of evidence to support her argument of renewing this act.

The appeal that Rhoad uses most frequently is the appeal to logic.  While Rhoad does use emotion to state her opinion, those opinions are consistently backed up by facts.  After stating that she feels that the House should “redeem” itself by passing a new act, she justifies her claim by stating, “Nearly one in five [women] have been raped.” (Rhoad)  By supporting her strongly opinionated statements with solid facts, it makes the reader empathize with Rhoad’s view.  It also allows the reader to better visualize and possibly agree with her side of the argument.

Another appeal that Rhoad uses is the appeal to emotion.  That appeal comes out when Rhoad uses words like “outrageous” and “unfounded” to describe decisions the House made.  Both words are very powerful and invoke a feeling of contempt within the reader.  Rhoad’s diction throughout the entire piece matches the emotional feel the reader gets from these two words alone.  Her diction is emotion driven, and sometimes comes off as harsh.   This works to her advantage to better drive her point to the audience.

This topic is relevant in today’s society because it would affect our everyday lives as American citizens.  Because laws and acts are so relevant in our lives, it is only practical of us to be educated in the guidelines we are expected to follow.  The Violence against Women Act was an unknown aspect of our government to me until I read this article.  I learned that this act “supports victim services like rape crisis centers, temporary housing for domestic violence survivors…” and several other services.  (Rhoad)  After I read this, I began to agree with Rhoad’s point.  Services like the ones listed before are an important part in the recovery from a traumatic event involving domestic violence.  I feel like if they weren’t offered, our country would be very different.  No matter which way the House will vote, it will still affect our lives every day in a positive, or a negative way.

 

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Being Blind to the Violence

2013
04.05

Endless War – Simon Robinson/Batticaloa
Recently, I read the article Endless War, by Simon Robinson/ Batticaloa.   In his hard news article, Robinson explains the conflict creating an undeclared civil war in Sri Lanka.  On one side of the battlefield is the Sri Lankan government.  On the other is the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.  These two groups have been in constant conflict for over three decades.  In addition to describing the war-torn country and the conflict that makes it this way, Robinson also explains the effect this war has on the people.  The Sri Lankan civilians are never really safe; even some of the camp sites set up for the people displaced from their homes have become instant battlegrounds.  Robinson uses these pieces of information to show how Sri Lanka is stuck in this war simply because “the reason for war is war.” (Robinson)

Robinson begins his article with an anecdote.  The anecdote is about a 9 year old girl named Sinnathambi and how her life has been drastically affected by the war.  He describes her as a girl with “long black hair… and a smile that explodes across her face” (Robinson) She is very intelligent and is a eager learner.  Then, Robinson enters the dark part of this otherwise happy picture.  Sinnathambi only has one arm.  This makes the reader feel sympathy for the girl and her family for what they had to go through and repulses the idea of this war in their minds.

Another way that Robinson supports the repulsion of the war in his audience’s mind is by adding many blunt facts throughout the article.  For example, when Robinson is explaining the effects of constant battling, he states “…a total of half a million Sri Lankans are now displaced in their own country.” (Robinson) Because he uses this appeal the most, it makes the reader understand the severity of the situation for innocent civilians in Sri Lanka.

Robinson was very straightforward in his presentation of facts throughout his article.  Usually after stating a gut-wrenching fact, he would add in a person’s response to this fact.  I believe that this helped Robinson to realistically portray the violence, as horrendous as it is.  However, he also included emotional statements in many different sections of the article.  For example, “Even the normally peaceful agitate for war.” (Robinson)  Through his diction, it makes an emotional confliction for the reader.

I believe that this topic of innocent people being forced to live amongst war and violence is very relevant in today’s society.  It doesn’t just happen in Sri Lanka.  Violence exists everywhere and it’s important that people are educated on it.  Before reading this article, I didn’t know much about the horrors of the war in Sri Lanka.  Everything that I knew came from a pen pal I had who lives in Sri Lanka.  In one of her letters, she explained to me the differences between the two groups at war with each other.  Other than a few insignificant facts, I knew very little.  This article helped me to open my eyes to the terror that exists within a war torn country.   This article made me realize how often people are blinded by the real nightmares that exist in our world.  So many things slip right on by us; often we never know what is happening to the people living in other countries.  I’ve been so fortunate in my life that I’ve never had to spend days, weeks, months, or even years in complete and total fear.  This article helped me to realize that we need to be more aware about the acts of violence that continuously plague our world.

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