POS: Legend and Myth in Music

Read all of my directions before asking for assistance. Submit your work (as a comment) here.

PART ONE: Below you will find a list of some of the more noteworthy legends and myths of modern music history. For Part One of this assignment, you should research and summarize each incident in a well-developed paragraph. (6 paragraphs total).


Myth/Legend #1: Robert Johnson sells his soul to the devil


Myth/Legend #2: Ozzy Osbourne's taste for doves and bats


Myth/Legend #3: The mythology surrounding the Abbey Road cover


Myth/Legend #4: Bob Dylan goes electric


Myth/Legend #5: Research on your own and choose your favorite

Myth/Legend #6: The mythology presented in the Sgt. Pepper cover (click here). Identify and summarize the notariety of 3 individuals whom you recognize and 3 individuals of whom you are ignorant.

Make sure that your sources are legitimate. Remember- any information that you gain from any source is not yours. You must cite your sources using MLA format. Use the links on this blog to assist in your citations. Keep in mind that the 30 other students in your class will uncover much of the same information, so in order to separate yourself from the pack you must focus on authoritative sources, excellent writing, detail, and proper citations.


For MLA documentation assistance, click here.


PART TWO: Use 3 different Website Evaluation Guides (linked below) to validate 3 of the web pages cited in your work above. Complete and print these guides and turn them in.

Schrock's Evaluation


University of Maryland Evaluation


University of California at Berkeley Evaluation

Seniors: The Kite Runner Frontloading

Part A (quiz): Click here to visit the CIA's World Fact Book. Peruse the site and respond to the following questions (due as a comment to this post by midnight October 29).

1. What are the top eight agricultural products? What product is #1? 

2. What is the life expectancy rate? What is the infant mortality rate? What deeper issues are typically reflected in these statistics?

3. How many kilometers of coastline does Afghanistan possess? How might this number have contributed to the country's history?

4. Identify the transnational issues that Afghanistan faces. 

5. Construct a thesis statement that encapsulates the essence of the Afghan nation (both its assets and its challenges). 

Part B (quiz): Click her to visit The Boston Globe's "The Big Picture: Afghanistan". View each photograph (use your judgement for the objectionable pieces) and read the corresponding footnotes. Choose the most powerful image to prompt a piece of fiction. Write a descriptive passage that embodies the "show vs. tell" technique we have discussed in class (due as a comment to this post by midnight Halloween).

Part C (quiz): Article: "Hazaras: Afghanistan's Outsiders" (9 pages). Produce a thesis statement that encapsulates the author's message and illuminates the deeper meaning of the text (due as a comment to this post by midnight Halloween).

Part D (quiz): Click here to view the Frontline Program: "The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan". Take notes and prepare for a Discussion Facilitation regarding this topic.

Extra Credit: A quiz grade of 100 will be awarded for comprehensive notes for the Frontline Program: "The War Briefing". 

Shakespeare and Predestination

As we study William Shakespeare and read Romeo and Juliet in class, consider the following prompt: The concept of predestination is reflected in the work of Shakespeare. The lives of men and women are "mapped out in the stars", and attempts to transcend or disrupt this order, or chain of being, only lead to tragedy. Does belief in predestination exist in some form today? Do we subscribe to a similar or different philosophy? How does predestination relate to, or conflict with, the "American Dream"? How might you categorize the belief systems of our world today? Do you believe that your destiny is mapped out for you, or do you think that you control your own fate? (3-5 paragraphs; due via post and hard copy Thursday, 10-21).

POS: Reflections of Popular Culture in Music

"As the music is, so are the people of the country." Turkish Proverb

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 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?

Beowulf

Click here to link to a full-text online translation of Beowulf.

POS: Theme-Genre Brainstorming

Here is where you will participate in our online discussion by posting 3 potential theme-genre concepts and commenting on at least 10 peer theme-genre concepts. This homework assignment will be graded on September 18th. Make sure to direct your comments with names and to sign all of your comments with your first name and last initial. And- no, that is not my head in the picture.

POS: 5-25 Classwork

Please complete the following:

1. Don't talk. The seniors are taking their exams.
2. Check edline to see what you are missing. If you are missing something, complete it.
3. Make sure that all of your work is posted to your blog. You will present your entire blog (as a portfoilio of your coursework) during the last week of school.
4. Finally- as a classwork grade for today, view the photos under The Big Picture.  There are many photos under each section- make sure to browse several sections. Choose 3 of your favorite photos to pair with the lyrics of 3 songs. List and explain the pairings as a blog comment here.

To Kill A Mockingbird: Scavenger Hunt

Complete the following tasks/answer the following questions. Use your critical thinking skills to determine the best routes and resources.


1. Truman Capote said "Everything she wrote about it is absolutely true". What is the "it"?


2. What does Lee think of the film adaptation of Mockingbird? Use a quote in your answer.


3. Finish Lee's statement: "Now, 75 years later in an abundant society where people have laptops, cell phones, iPods and minds like empty rooms, I still..."


4. Identify Lee's 3 favorite authors and name a title from each.


5. Lee is a recluse but for several years she has quietly attended the awards ceremony for a particular contest. Describe this contest.


6. How are the Scottsboro Trials relevant to the novel?


7. Though Lee always declines interviews, she does write each refusal individually. When asked why she did not simply send out a stock response to the media's pleas, she responded that such a letter would simply say...


8. Click here. Listen to the audio. Who was the statewide essay winner? Who potrayed Scout in a school play and developed a repoire with Lee?


9. List and quote 5 parallels between Harper Lee's real life and her novel.


10. Lee's character Dill is based upon Truman Capote. Capote returned the favor by basing what character (from what story) on Lee?

Art I: Exemplary Student Work

The work below is by Bryanna Dague and Danielle Puopolo. Great stuff, ladies.

POS: Poetry Contest

The NEED organization is requesting submissions for a "Thank a Teacher" poem to appear on its annual card.

Criteria:
-the subject is to thank teachers (in general) and how they impact your life
-it should be approximately 12 lines of text
-it need not rhyme
-it must include your name, my name and your phone number

POS: Plagiarism in Song

For blog-work this week, research and listen to some examples of musical plagiarism. Identify: 1) at least one example of a truly plagiarized song and 2) at least one example of a coincidental relationship between 2 songs. Discuss your findings here. Some notable instances include (listed as original/supposed plagiarism): Chiffon's "He's So Fine"/George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"; Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance"/The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California"; and, most recently, Joe Satriani's "If I Could Fly"/Coldplay's "Viva La Vida".

POS: Legend and Myth in Music

Read all of my directions before asking for assistance. This will be graded as a TEST over April Break. Submit your work (as a comment) here.




PART ONE: Below you will find a list of some of the more noteworthy legends and myths of modern music history. For Part One of this assignment, you should research and summarize each incident in a well-developed paragraph. (6 paragraphs total).


Myth/Legend #1: Robert Johnson sells his soul to the devil
Myth/Legend #2: Ozzy Osbourne's taste for doves and bats
Myth/Legend #3: The mythology surrounding the Abbey Road cover
Myth/Legend #4: Bob Dylan goes electric
Myth/Legend #5: Research on your own and choose your favorite


Myth/Legend #6: The mythology presented in the Sgt. Pepper cover (click here). Identify and summarize the notariety of 3 individuals whom you recognize and 3 individuals of whom you are ignorant.


Make sure that your sources are legitimate. Remember- any information that you gain from any source is not yours. You must cite your sources using MLA format. Use the links on this blog to assist in your citations. Keep in mind that the 30 other students in your class will uncover much of the same information, so in order to separate yourself from the pack you must focus on authoritative sources, excellent writing, detail, and proper citations.


For MLA documentation assistance, click here.


PART TWO: Use 3 different Website Evaluation Guides (linked below) to validate 3 of the web pages cited in your work above. Complete and print these guides and turn them in before April Break. Your test grade will be posted as a "0" until you do so.


Schrock's Evaluation
University of Maryland Evaluation
University of California at Berkeley Evaluation

G Block Blog Quest

1. Visit FreeRice.com. Earn 500 grains via "English Vocabulary" and 500 grains via "English Grammar". Show Mr. Kefor your results.

2. Click here to complete an "I Am" Poem. Copy and paste the results as a comment here.

3. Click here. Check out today's best photography. Create and post 2 sentences inspired by 2 different photographs that display your use of a complex sentence type.

4. Click here. Take the test. Have fun.

POS: Tone in Song

Compare and contrast the tone of Boston's "Rock and Roll Band" with the tone of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar". How do the artists' attitudes towards both subject matter and audience correspond and differ? Cite lyrics from the song to support your analysis.

Food For Thought

I was searching for a particular quote I recalled from Pablo Picasso and was struck by the number of great statements he made. Here are a few of the more memorable ones:

Action is the foundational key to all success.


All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.


Art is a lie that makes us realize truth.


Bad artists copy. Good artists steal.


Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.


Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.


Everything is a miracle. It is a miracle that one does not dissolve in one's bath like a lump of sugar.


He can who thinks he can, and he can't who thinks he can't. This is an inexorable, indisputable law.


I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.


I don't believe in accidents. There are only encounters in history. There are no accidents.


Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.


Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.


Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.


Painting is a blind man's profession. He paints not what he sees, but what he feels, what he tells himself about what he has seen.


Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.


The people who make art their business are mostly impostors.


To finish a work? To finish a picture? What nonsense! To finish it means to be through with it, to kill it, to rid it of its soul, to give it its final blow the coup de gras for the painter as well as for the picture.


We don't grow older, we grow riper.


Who sees the human face correctly: the photographer, the mirror, or the painter?


You have to have an idea of what you are going to do, but it should be a vague idea.


If only we could pull out our brain and use only our eyes.


It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.


My mother said to me, "If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope." Instead, I was a painter, and became Picasso.

Freshmen: Personal Reflections

Due 3-11-10 as a comment posted here:

In class, we created a pie chart illustrating the values we place on activities, relationships, academics, etc. We then created charts representing the amount of time we devote to each category. Reflect on these charts and consider the following: Theoretically, if life were perfect, our charts would appear identical. In other words, our priorities would correspond to the amount of time we devote to them. In reality, this is rarely the case. Consider the disparity between your charts and discuss your observations. What changes could you make in order to manage your time in a fashion that is productive for you?

POS: Literature Quiz

1. Describe Levitin's argument linking a love of music to evoulutionary theory. What claim does he make? How does he support this claim? Cite excerpts to support your response.

2. Describe Oliver Sack's anecdote regarding Tony Cicoria. What does his story suggest about music and the brain? Cite excerpts to support your response.

3. Accoring to Sacks, is the iconic profile of the "blind musician" substantiated or unsubstantiated ? Explain.

4. How has Radiohead's rogue release of In Rainbows changed the music industry? What might this represent to producers and consumers of music?

POS: Reflections of Popular Culture in Music

"As the music is, so are the people of the country."
-Turkish Proverb

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 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?

Freshmen: Co-oper-write Research

Google Search Cheat Sheet

The MLA Machine

MLA Information


You must complete a hard copy of one of the website evaluations below for EVERY piece of online information you use:
Schrock's Evaluation
University of Maryland Evaluation
University of California at Berkeley Evaluation

Lost Generation Film

Click here.

Here is where you will participate in our online discussion by posing 3 potential theme-genre concepts and commenting on at least 10 peer theme-genre concepts. This homework assignment will be graded over February vacation. Make sure to direct your comments with names and to sign all of your comments with your first name and last initial. And- no, that is not my head in the photograph.

Click here.

POS: Final Blog Quest

A. View the clips below and respond in a brief paragraph.

CBS News: Musical Savants

CBS News: Musical Savants 2

CBS News: Musical Savants 3


B. 6 Degrees of Wikipedia:

1. Neil Young - crustacea
2. Taylor Swift - Cheeze Whiz
3. Lil' Wayne - United States Secretary of State
4. Bob Dylan - Buffalo Wings


C. Any leftover time should be devoted to Quizlet review for the Final Exam.

Electric Newt Squad: Stephen Wiltshire

Click here to visit Stephen Wiltshire's website. Mr. Wiltshire is an artistic savant who is capable of reproducing incredibly detailed landscapes from memory.

1. On the left, click on "My Videos". Watch at least four of the videos and offer a commentary for each.

2. Visit his "Gallery" and browse through his work. Identify his most impressive drawing and his most impressive painting; offer explanation for each.

Lord of the Flies: English I

Open Response Essay: Lord of the Flies is set during the mid 2oth century. If a group of young men were put in the same situation today, how might they fare? Does our modern culture better equip us for such scenarios, or would we be at a disadvantage? Explain.

This essay is due on Friday, January 22.

POS: The Last Waltz

You will complete a final song analysis, along with a corresponding song rating system form, for submission as a part of your final exam. Your analysis must also be posted to your blog. The catch? The song you select must be from your theme-genre and score at least 120 points (remember the 50 point baseline).

G Block: 1-8-10

1. Click here to view the freshman college planning guide. Read the suggestions and identify which steps you need to take before the year is over. Respond here.

2. Click here to complete the time management tool. How do you spend your time? Use the results to figure out where you might have some extra time. Consider how you might improve your schedule. Respond here.

3. Vocabulary 1-6 Quizlet.

POS: Wheel of Fortune

1. You will spin the Wheel of Fortune. You will be assigned to, and provided with an album containing a significant amount of poetic content, courtesy of Mr. Kefor. You're welcome.

2. We will have the C.O.W.s. Use the web to research the background information of the band/artist and album. Provide a paragraph, in your own language, which discusses the context of the album. Cite your sources.

3. Find the lyrics to one song from the album. Post them here and offer initial observations on any apparent poetic devices.

4. Paragraph Response: What is, in your opinion, the best album of all time? Why? What themes are addressed? What makes the album timeless?

Post your responses to tasks/questions 2-3 as a comment here. Due at 9:10.

Enjoy Your Snow Day

Lifelong Learners

As part of the Friends of Rachel journal assignment, I will be posting some of my thoughts here.

When people meet for the first time, they tend to exchange the most predictable of pleasantries. Inevitably, the go-to question becomes "So, what do you do?". It's a strange thing, to ask someone what they do. We do a lot. We're conditioned to come up with the appropriate response. "I'm a teacher", I'll reply, and, like a trained monkey, I'll counter with "How about you?" We tend to define ourselves with labels. One of the most important decisions a student can make is to transcend labels, categories, restrictions and limitations. Be a lifelong learner. Open yourself up to whatever excites you and makes you a more complex person.

I'll give you an example. I built a deck on the back of my house. I have no experience with construction but I was willing to learn. My father in-law guided me through the process; it was refreshing to be a student again. Besides the occasional minor injury or setback, I finished it. Now, I plan on building Declan and Mackennah a custom treehouse with all the bells and whistles. I can now apply the knowledge I gained from the deck to a variety of projects.


I draw almost every day. Art is also a fine example of a perpetual path of study. It's tailor made for the lifelong learner. Artists are rarely satisfied with their work. When other people look at my paintings, they often point out the things they like. When I look at my own paintings, my eyes are drawn immediately to the flaws. Every approach, every stroke, every hue, every decision accumulates over time and the artist progresses. The creative search is never-ending, which is at once disheartening and invigorating. Michelangelo Buonoratti said “If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem wonderful at all.” I think talent is a rare phenomenon; we use the word “talent” too liberally.


It is important to remember that almost every man-made item in our lives began as a conceptual drawing at the hands of an artist. Your shirt began as a design, so did your car. The logo of your favorite sports team is the work of an artist. Art, particularly drawing and painting, can elicit what psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (quite a name, eh?) labels as “flow”, or: the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing, characterized by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. Athletes sometimes refer to the flow state as “the zone”. It doesn’t necessarily happen every day, but when I am immersed in a painting or drawing, all of my senses are channeled toward the activity; I have no awareness of the passage of time. Sometimes, after working on a drawing or painting for hours and driving home, I have to stop my car and focus or I might float off into the forest. Studies have revealed that people who consistently experience flow are happier. Assembly line workers even develop subconscious systems of flow through which they turn mundane tasks into mental games or rhythms.

To quote Michelangelo again, “A man paints with his brains and not with his hands.” Artists do not have magical hands. They see “better” than non-artists. When I look at someone’s face, I notice how the light source hits the planes of the head. I notice that most often the contrast begins to pronounce itself at the point at which the frontal plate meets the parietal and temporal bones. This is important to the artist because exaggerating the form shadow which results from this physicality is essential to the depiction of the human head in space. When I drive to and from work, I enjoy the views from the highway. I scan the woods and sky and find endless sources of beauty- the misty, cracked, ochre earth of winter; the fleeting electric reds of the sunrise; the walls of spindly trees lined up like giant frozen hairs on the scalp of the earth. Without my interest in painting, I don’t think I would appreciate the world around me as consistently or vigorously. I thank art for making my daily commute, which could consume up to 7,000 hours of my life, more enjoyable.

Figure out which activities put you in the flow state, and surround your life with these activities.

Quizlet: English I Vocabulary 1-5

Lesson 4 Quiz

Review: Lessons 1-5

POS: Plagiarism in Song

For blog-work this week, research and listen to some examples of musical plagiarism. Identify: 1) at least one example of a truly plagiarized song and 2) at least one example of a coincidental relationship between 2 songs. Discuss your findings here. Some notable instances include (listed as original/supposed plagiarism): Chiffon's "He's So Fine"/George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"; Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance"/The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California"; and, most recently, Joe Satriani's "If I Could Fly"/Coldplay's "Viva La Vida".

POS: Metallica and Allusions to Literature

Visit the link below to read about the novel Johnny Got His Gun and its influence on Metallica's song "One".

Wikipedia: Johnny Got His Gun

Open a web page with the lyrics to "One".

Then, view the music video for the song here:

"One" Video

Develop a paragraph response (as a comment here) by Friday. Examine the parallels between the novel and the song.

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?

POS: Songwriter Biographies

You will be assigned the name of a notable songwriter. On your blog, you must now complete a biographical presentation of your given artist(s) including, but not limited to, the following: a list of 10 relevant, interesting facts regarding the artist(s), a timeline, 5 high quality images, a link to relevant video footage, a formal analysis of one song which exemplifies the artist's use of poetic devices, and a short essay examining the artist's contributions to the practice of song-writing. This assignment is intended to acquiant you with some of the capabilities of your blog. I will check and assess your final products on Sunday, September 27th; they should appear on your blogs.

Shakespeare and Predestination

As we study William Shakespeare and read Romeo and Juliet in class, consider the following prompt:

The concept of predestination is reflected in the work of Shakespeare. The lives of men and women are "mapped out in the stars", and attempts to transcend or disrupt this order, or chain of being, only lead to tragedy. Does belief in predestination exist in some form today? Do we subscribe to a similar or different philosophy? How does predestination relate to, or conflict with, the "American Dream"? How might you categorize the belief systems of our world today? Do you believe that your destiny is mapped out for you, or do you think that you control your own fate? (3-5 paragraphs; due via post and hard copy 9-19).

POS: Theme-Genre Brainstorming

Here is where you will participate in our online discussion by posing 3 potential theme-genre concepts and commenting on at least 10 peer theme-genre concepts. This homework assignment will be graded on September 20th. Make sure to direct your comments with names and to sign all of your comments with your first name and last initial. And- no, that is not my head in the photograph.

Summer Reading

Although I worked this summer, I managed to sneak in some reading. Here are some highlights:

The Forever War by Dexter Filkins: A firsthand account from a New York Times reporter embedded with Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq. Eye-opening. A firefight of a read. (A)

The White Tiger by Avarind Adiga: "Slumdog" depiction of modern India. Tragic and funny. (A-)

Shakespeare in His World by Bill Bryson: a concise and anecdotal profile. (A-)

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: Classic yet unique American epic delivered by a quirky Greek-American narrator with an interesting gender classification. It won the Pulitzer. Long (655) but worthwhile. (A-)

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck: I'm a fan of Steinbeck and enjoyed the motley patchwork of characters in this novella. I was able to visit California this summer and see the areas which served as the settings for some of his work, namely my favorite, Of Mice and Men. (B+)

When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris: Quirky collection of essays. Funny and irreverent, but I found myself asking "why didn't I write this book?" (C+)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson: A bestseller which tiptoes on the edge of cheesy detective fiction without ever crossing the line. The dynamic characters in the story kept me coming back for more. I'm reading his second, "The Girl Who Played with Fire".

Art I: Introduction to Drawing

-remember that drawing is more about seeing than…drawing
-observe approximately 75% of the time; draw approximately 25% of the time
-orient yourself to your drawing and your subject as both artist and viewer; use a viewfinder when drawing from observation
-take joy in the use of materials; get “in the zone”
-remember that drawing is the creation of an illusion: the illusion of form and space; drawing is the visual language we use to describe what we see

Elements and Principles of Design
shape: the two-dimensional structure of a given object
form: the three-dimensional structure of a given object
value: the degree of light and dark of an area
form shadow: a shadow on a given object which helps to reveal its form
shadow edge: the edge where a shadow meets a lighter value
reflected light: indirect light reflected from surface to surface
cast shadow: a shadow resulting from an object interfering with the light source
highlight: the area of lightest value on a given object
light source: the direct source and direction of light (determines most value relationships)
background: the area and space furthest from the viewer
foreground: the area and space closest to the viewer
contrast: the difference(s) between darks and lights in an image

Final "Basic Forms" studies must include but are not limited to a total of 10 drawings:
-a segmented and continuous value scale (cw)
-5 drawings of imagined spheres; differing light sources (2 in pencil; 2 in crayon; one on toned (Mi Tientes) paper with high/low value colored pencil) (quiz)
-Drawings of an imagined cone, cube, and cylinder (medium is student's choice) (quiz)
-2 observational drawings of simple objects with one definitive light source (medium is student's choice) (quiz)
-Response to Mr. Kefor's blog post regarding basic drawing techniques (hw)

1. THE BLOCK-IN. The block-in is all about observation, shape and measurement. Through your viewfinder, look for linear relationships between objects. Grip your instrument loosely and draw with the arm. Do not over-commit to any of the marks you make. Using very soft, gentle strokes, begin to “map out” the framework of your subject. Do not be satisfied with any lines that appear inadequate or incorrect. Pay special attention to contours and negative space. Block-in shapes first, then shadows. Group shadows as simply as possible; ask yourself: is this a light or a shadow? and group the shapes accordingly. Try squinting in order to "blur" the values and make them more manageable. Any mistakes made during the block-in phase will be amplified by the time the drawing is complete. Step away from your drawing periodically; viewing it from a distance is extremely helpful.
2. BUILDING VALUE. Building value is all about identifying the range of values you observe in the subject. Group your values based on a scale of one to ten. Beginning with your “darkest dark”, begin to build a range of value on your paper. Choose a direction or type of mark and stick with it (avoid any mark that requires a back and forth motion). Areas of shade should be built through repetition, not force. Unnecessary force will scar the paper prematurely, leaving the drawing sloppy and unrefined. Step away from your drawing periodically.
3. EDGING. Making a hard edge is easy; making a soft edge requires more patience. Edges convince the eye that it is viewing something real; edges turn shapes to forms and create space (the most advanced element of drawing). Step away from your drawing periodically.

Edges are sharpest when:
-objects are close to the viewer
-high-contrast values intersect

Edges are softest when:
-objects are farther from viewer
-low-contrast values intersect