French Revolution!

This is a powerful painting that provides a greater significance than people can imagine. In these times during the eighteenth century, painters held history at the tips of their paint brushes. They could create history themselves and convey it anyway they wanted. The idea of war implied in this painting is one of necessity and glory. This was a war that had to be fought for the welfare of the people. This painting depicts a war with a cause, a "just war," that was fought for life and freedom denied to a suffering population oppressed by a cruel monarchy. The persistence of those behind Lady Liberty being led into a massacre, a massacre with a cause. It is intense because these are not soldiers, but the poor and stepped upon fighting for their rights rather than glory or an immortalized name. The dramatic scene of a young child going to battle fearlessly, ready to die for a cause in the time even before the prime of his life. The personification of Lady Liberty tells the observer of the painting that she is the driving force, the direction and goal for the war. It tells me Delacroix is in favor of the Revolution and believes in the power of a woman and uses the idea of a woman to be the object of achievement. The woman must be protected and fought for, just as their rights. If you were to simply imagine Liberty as a man, it would not have the same effect.

How would I be remembered?

The problem with my facebook page is that a person would only learn mostly superficial things about me. They would know what my favorite movies and music was, but they would not really know what my personality is really like at heart. Some of my most meaningful and deepest parts of my personality are put on the setting that only allows me to see them. Actually, most of the stuff that truly is who I am, I hide because I’m paranoid of people thinking of me differently or getting to know more then I want them too. For example, by looking at my facebook my cousins would have never known that I know how to party, but at the same time some people don’t know that I have a serious sided. Those are usually the people I don’t hang out with. If someone based a eulogy based on my facebook page, it would be about how sarcastic and how much of a jerk I am, which is not the case at all. That is why if I died I hope someone would be able to find my “black book”, which is infamous among those who know me for containing my deepest thoughts, ideas, and plans. 
 

The problem is there is no one person that has been or knows about everything in my life. The problem with me is that I only reveal bits and pieces to every crowd I hang around. There are only a select few who know my personality, but even they don’t know every single detail about all the things I have done or aspire to do. I have never meant to be “shady”, but my uncle hit it on the head when he gave people an analogy about me. He said that I’m a buyer. I sit in the conversation and just watch and read others’ personalities. I don’t sell like everyone else, that is why I can read people and it would be impossible for anyone to write about MY life! Obviously, I don’t think it is at all possible to accurately write about someone else’s life unless they sat down and spoke with the person about their life directly.

In class writing prompt

“Cost” is a widely used word today especially applied to finance. However, on a more basic level, when I think of cost, it means that something is going to be traded or given away. Cost could be a person’s life, or perhaps resources and labor. Everything in this world costs something. Going to school doesn’t just cost me money, but also my time and patience that I will never get back, hence the use of “cost”. Cost does have a negative meaning and when I think of it, I think of something that I need or want being taken away.

The feeling I have now compared to the beginning of my freshman year is a little more comfortable. I feel much more at ease and confident in school, especially knowing that last semester the only thing that held me back was laziness. Now I feel motivated for school, but I still have to deal with home life. Emotionally, I do not feel as great or confident as I do here in school or specific classes for that matter. I am just worried that my dream will not be achieved and I am just too inferior to everyone else out there. Physically I am trying to be at my top prime in my life. The only things stopping me are busy schedule and unexpected tasks on some days. My financial health is getting better because I’m taking matters completely into my hands and doing what I have to do to make things work.

Lately, my relationship with my dad has been bothering me and distracting me from more important things like school and just my regular thinking. I only feel overwhelmed when I don’t know where to go to do my homework, or I know I have a big assignment and I don’t want to go home.

Back in high school, we were told that those years would be the time of our life. For most kids it really was the time of their lives and some wish they could relive their high school days. I on the other hand just want to forget those days, not because they were bad, but they were boring and I really didn’t like my high school. However, it isn’t college itself that makes this time for me the time of my life, but my time out of school and what I do when I’m out of my work/study mode. Lately, I have had my own revelation to just live! I used to be held back because I was too young or something, but now I get to do whatever I want. I only have one shot at this life, and I will take whatever opportunities arise.

Honestly, I could always study more. I don’t really think it is totally laziness, but just lack of motivation. Also, in some situations I just have other things come up when I need to study. Many of my friends know how busy I can get in the blink of an eye. I feel like I come to class unprepared about 45% of the time.

Yes, I usually feel bored in my business and economics classes, but most of the time my writing and public speaking class force me to be involved and keep me interested. I do not feel like the university is necessarily at fault, but I feel like it falls more on the subject matter and professor themselves. However, if someone has an outgoing professor like I did for math last semester, you really can’t get bored. He always cracked jokes and made the material interesting. This is why I went to his workshop rather than the lecture hall which was terribly boring.   Usually, it is the classes that don’t interest the student that turn them off. For example, a teaching major is going to be completely bored of a stupid business class they don’t want to take. Of course, it is for me in some situations a lack of sleep since that is when I get most of my hanging out and fun done in the prime of the night.

           I prefer group discussions because they keep everyone in the class engaged, and it is a better way for everyone in the class to get to know each other. I feel that each one has its own objective, for example, lectures are for much larger classes or subjects with no substance where it is impossible to involve the whole class. In my opinion, you involve more senses into the learning process by having a group discussion, which allows a wider range of ability to retain information and learn.

Letter to Myself

Dear Tough Guy,

You may think that you are some hot stuff because you walk around with a scar on your arm that has a story to go with it. You will immediately regret it as soon as it is done. Although some of your friends will think you are stronger or tougher than they did before, it does not matter. You my friend are very stupid. However, here are some tips to help you take your mind off doing it so your arm will be scar free for the rest of your life.

First, these are tips based solely on prevention of this stupid act. The first thing that needs to get hit into your mind is the fact that you do not have to do this. There is no obligation for anyone in the world to burn their arm because someone says it is the only way to prove that you are not a “bad word”. The best thing to do is ignore what they are saying even though you know you can take the pain. You must be forewarned that the pain is not going to be the problem. The real problem is going to be that ugly scar that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

You have always been an independent thinker and leader. Why give into something that you know you already are. Put the lighter down, and tell those who doubt you that if they still think you are a weak person, then fight about it. You have to be smart and block out those who want to bring you down to their level. They are not worth hurting yourself, even though you know you can take the pain. In the end, it is all about your brothers and how they perceive you. They look up to you and look at everything that happens around you. When they see you hurt, it scares them because they think of you as untouchable, and then they think that they have to depend on themselves the way you do! Be smart and keep their trust by being a good example and not hurting yourself because of what your so called “friends” say.

Lastly, put yourself around people who will encourage you to make the right decisions, and do not tell you to do stupid things. You must place yourself with people that enlighten you and make you a better person just by being around them. In the end, it will all pay off and you will not have to try and explain to your parents why your arm is like that.

Sincerely, Dylan J. Kizy

Pop Culture Assignment

The artifact that I have chosen is the show The Sopranos. This show would be considered an artifact of popular culture; also it was extremely popular for its time. The Sopranos was a show that would be categorized as a television artifact. This artifact was very well known by almost everyone I know, and I am sure throughout the country. It was on television for several years, and the last season had a notorious ending in 2006.

Everyone loves a mob movie! There really are few reasons why this show became popular in our culture. That reason is simply that everyone roots for the mob, and there have not been any legitimate mob movies or things that people could watch and root for. Most of the best mob movies were in the seventies and nineties. They were a huge hit in our society because of how entertaining they are.

This show was most popular with the younger and older male population. It appealed to the young guys who wanted to see a modern perspective of what the organized crime of today looked like. The older audience had a natural appeal to the show because of how much history and how great of a reputation organized crime had in their time. In general, the entire concept and plot of the show appealed to men through the action, guns, and women. The show did not exactly target a specific race or class. It can be thought that it targeted those who were somewhat wealthy while it was still going on television. The reason this conclusion can be drawn is because the show was aired on HBO, and I did not even have this channel.

Throughout the history of drama and entertainment, the Oscar has always been taken home by the movies that depict the gangsters. The film that shows the lifestyle of hardcore murderers and heartless businessmen that have it all always brings in an audience. This specific television show brought all of the drama of the lifestyle of a modern gangster. It was a movie that viewers could follow over years and years as the life and story developed. The audience was able to see the cast members grow and deal with the tragedies that ensued during airing of the show. Everyone knows in a mob movie or show the main character is the “bad guy”, but the audience still ends up rooting for him. He is the bad guy that the audience wants to win, but still does questionable things that make the audience want to turn on him. This show makes Tony Soprano seem like a guy no one would want to mess with, but at the same time the audience can’t help but feel bad for him and the hardships he faces in his life. Also, it was humorous to watch, being invited into this world where these Italians say funny expressions they only understand. It made the viewer feel like they were a part of this exclusive culture or language, the viewer felt accepted into a crew virtually. The Sopranos was a hit to the audience almost immediately. Everyone liked the show and thought that it had a great story. For me, the show pretty much spread through word of mouth. After people started talking about the show all the time, the memorabilia began to show up everywhere and on commercials.

This artifact has been a trend since the greatest depiction of the mob life from the Godfather Trilogy. That gave the world incite to what the world was all about, and how these people operated. When people saw that this topic was a trending and entertaining theme others followed and the audience loved it. However, this show offered something that most of all the other movies could not. It gave the viewer the opportunity to see the modern perspective on what happened to the mob after the Godfather.

The issues that this artifact raises are the idea of organized crime being okay and murder being fine as long as there is a code. People usually look down on the mobsters, and they think that they are complete thugs. There are those who understand the drama and entertainment behind the show, however, others cannot stand the fact that kids and young adults implore the life of easy money and the hard life.

This artifact falls under the low class of popular culture. The depiction of murder and theft gives the idea of lower culture. The men’s actions of the show convey to others that they are scum, but for some reason entertaining. Higher class culture would not accept extortion and murder as a legitimate form of making money. One factor however that could qualify it as a high class artifact is the fact that it was only shown on HBO. This is one fact that cannot be overlooked because usually the wealthier have exclusive channels like that.

The only possible gain society may have gotten from The Sopranos would be perspective from the life of a thug, but even deeper, they also learned that no matter what walk of life a person comes from, they still have to survive like everyone else. The show just conveyed how Tony Soprano took care of the obstacles and troubles in his life his way, and in some cases they could have been applied to the viewer’s life. For example, in Tony’s life his mother really gave him no credit for anything that he did. He went through his entire life on the show dealing with this, and he tried to learn how to get over it.

Education Needs a Digital Upgrade

1.   1.  In the elementary level, I feel that our teachers spent way too much time worrying about teaching cursive. We were told by each teacher in elementary school that we needed cursive because we would be forced to write in cursive once we reached the middle school level. This turned out not to be true at all, in fact, we were told just to write with what we were comfortable with. Whenever there was a major paper to write we had to type it. I think they should have focused on the moving technology and had us use the internet to keep up with class and enrich what we studied. If I were to send an email to my teachers, I would tell them that they should force their students to use the internet for sources and research. They should also teach them how to use and determine what credible sources are online.

2.     2. In the business field, any technology that can speed up communication and the ability to conference between others will be crucial to success. The ability to communicate with partners and others in business is key to know what exactly is going on. Also, in some cases, it allows business to get done without having to fly out and deal with annoying conference calls, when instead; you can sit in the boardroom and stream a meeting live as if everyone were in the same place. Lastly, I am learning how to figure things out for myself here at Oakland by using the internet to find information that I may not be able to find in my books. I do think that Oakland is teaching and preparing us for this technological age that the world is approaching. I am sure as I continue to pursue my major at Oakland I will learn more about adapting to the technological advances that continue to be created.

3.     3.Yes, I feel a lot more relaxed and free when writing in a blog or email. When I am writing on a blog, I feel that there is not pressure on my shoulders. Writing a blog is supposed to allow the writer to feel like they should be free to express whatever is on his or her mind. I feel like my blog is a place where I do not have to stress myself out over citing sources correctly, or being graded on a paper that has to have a specific response. I have an audience that is interested in learning about me as a writer rather than what facts I have to provide in an assigned paper.

4.     4.If I were a teacher of a math class, I would teach the students how to use technology to do projects and assignments. I would use new ways to teach students math through the use of hands on technology. For example, the use of tablets that are synced to the same network of the class would allow me to look at the students’ work in class. I could use this type of technology to play games and correct students even easier. This would be ideal to use to make a teaching environment much more enriched and effective.

5.     5.The tone of this piece seems to be very stern and a little sarcastic toward the educational system of today. I completely agree with the tone of this thesis. In today’s world, education is what gives people the opportunity to succeed and be what they want to be. If education is below par, and children don’t have as good as a chance to be what they want to be, then this just is not fair to any child. The question then becomes, what job allows you to work as dumb as you are, and that is not the American dream.