Art I: Virtual Scavenger Hunt

1. How many windows are in Andrew Wyeth's "Master Bedroom"? What medium does Wyeth use?
2. Identify the figure depicted in a boat in Michelangelo's "Last Judgement".
3. What pachyderm is distorted in the background of Salvador Dali's "One Second Before Awakening from a Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate"?
4. What time is it in Vincent van Gogh's "Night Cafe"?
5. Monet and Manet are both Impressionists and have similarities beyond their names. Compare and contrast these two artists.
6.. Who is Camille Claudel? Examine her "L'Age Mur" and identify the 3 figures depicted.
7. Identify the works stolen during the infamous Gardner Museum heist. Identify and describe your favorite piece.
8. Summarize the "legend" behind the man with the top hat in Eugene Delacroix's most famous painting.
9. What is David Mach's "Gorilla" made of?
10. Describe your favorite Ron Mueck sculpture.
11. Paul Rahilly is one of my former professors. a) What breed of dog is depicted in his "Girl in a Paper Dress"? b) In which of his paintings does one find a chili pepper? c) a brioche?

POS: Backmasking and Reverse Speech in Music

Backward messaging in music (commonly known as backmasking) has been a controversy ever since the late 1960s, when messages were found backwards on some Beatles' albums, hinting that Paul McCartney had died. Some of these subliminal messages have been identified as purposeful while some are apparently inadvertent. Some believe that many of these backward messages were in fact examples of "Reverse Speech" in music. Speech reversals occur naturally in all forms of speech, sung or spoken. Explore some of the links and sites regarding this subject and offer your opinion on at least 10 specific examples. Do you buy into the theory of Reverse Speech or is it all a bunch of hogwash?


THE THEORY OF REVERSE SPEECH AND SPEECH COMPLEMENTARITY.

(1) Human speech has two distinctive yet complementary functions and modes. The Overt mode is spoken forwards and is primarily under conscious control. The Covert mode is spoken backward and is not under conscious control. The backward mode of speech occurs simultaneously with the forward mode and is a reversal of the forward speech sounds.

(2) These two modes of speech, forward and backward, are dependent upon each other and form an integral part of human communication. One mode cannot be fully understood without the other mode. In the dynamics of interpersonal communication, both modes of speech combined communicate the total psyche of the person, conscious as well as unconscious.

(3) Covert speech develops before overt speech. Children speak backwards before they do forwards. Then, as forward speech commences, the two modes of speech gradually combine into one, forming an overall bi-level communication process.


List of Backmasked/Reverse Speech Songs

Jeff Milner's Site

Reverse Speech Site

Click here to here a well known sample of backmasking from Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven". This audio file will play both forward (original context) and backward (backmasking revealed).

ENS Brainstorm

Electric Newt Squad: Post your suggestions for activities here. How can we best use our time this year?

G Block: Shakespeare and the Degradation of Language

Most teachers and students agree that Shakespeare is challenging to read. Some are even surprised to learn that he falls into the category of Modern English (as opposed to Old or Middle). If his language is rich, layered and thoughtful, what is our language like? Have we moved forward as speakers of English, or are we destroying- even "dumbing-down"- a once gloriously imaginative tongue?


Respond in a well developed, proofread paragraph. Support your response with specific facts and examples.

Freshmen: Shakespeare Excerpts

Refer to your notes and select the most meaningful passage from the play thus far. Quote the passage with proper formatting and respond to the following questions in a complete paragraph.


Click here for a full manuscript of the play.


How might you paraphrase the excerpt? What plot implications does the excerpt suggest? How does the excerpt characterize the speaker(s)? How does the excerpt serve as an example of Shakespeare's craft as a writer?

Due Friday.

POS: Reflections of Culture in Popular Music

Type your response to the following prompt as a Word document and be sure to proofread and edit before you paste and post. You will be assessed using the English Department's Short Essay Response Rubric.

Check either Billboard or Rolling Stone for the current list of America's top 50 songs. Choose at least 3 songs; avoid any songs you are very familiar with. Listen/study the lyrics to the selected songs. Consider the subject matter, content and point of view of today's top songs and identify lines which contain poetic merit. What do these songs, as a whole, say about our modern American culture? In particular, what do these songs say about your generation as the greatest consumers of music media? How are gender roles represented in popular music? How is success measured?