Here is my revised video. The changes come mainly at the end. I took out the cruise ship images because they really stuck out. I also added a couple of more images at the end that I feel better express what I think the song is trying to say. I interpreted the line in the song, "Relax, said the nightman, we are programmed to receive," to mean that it's natural as humans to desire money and material goods. I put in an image of several hands reaching for money to show that this is something we want. I also put in an image of a beach scene to represent the line, "you can checkout any time you want." I took this to mean that you can try to escape life and money and materialism by going on a peaceful vacation, but you can never truly escape these ideas. I added some ending credits as well that show my sources.

In terms of the audio, I tried to really fade out the ending in a smooth manner. I reworked the song in audacity. I also added the intro to Desperado during the credits.

I am pleased with the revisions.

Here is my video. I based it on a comparison of The Eagles' song, Hotel California, and elements of fiction. The song has a story that presents an underlying message, much like a literary work. The first half of the movie depicts the story told in the song. The second half discusses the message of materialism in our society. The desire for lavish, ostentatious objects can draw a person in and imprison them. The female in the story represents this notion of materialism -- she's "tiffany-twisted" and she has a mercedes benz, etc.

Sources:

Intro Eagles Video
Trees
Hotel California
Doorway
Desert Highway
Trees2
Shimmering Light
Cruising in Desert
Hallway
Candle
Hollywood
Rodeo Drive1
Rodeo Drive2
Plastic Surgery
Tiffany's
Lambo
Shopper
Benz
Dolce and Gabbana
Relax1
Relax2
Money
Materialism
Greed

Welcome to Michael Zachary's final portfolio. I have compiled all my work throughout the semester, and made revisions to several of my assignments based on the feedback from Dan and my classmates. My portfolio will strive to illustrate my growth by showing the transformations of my work from beginning to end.

This class has proven to be a comfort. Coming in as a computer science major, you can imagine that any English class is fairly intimidating to me. Using computers as our canvas has been amazing. I would be excited to take more English classes if they thought outside the box like this one. I had always seen the words 'computer' and 'literature' as antonyms. So, needless to say, this class has opened my eyes to other forms of literary elements that I did not know existed.

I would like to briefly outline the six major categories of work we have done throughout the semester. The first division is the play list assignment. I am pleased with my final product, and I feel confident that it reflects the hard work I put into it. Next are the wiki annotations. This project was challenging, forcing me to really delve into the inner workings of The Yellow Wallpaper. I learned a great deal about the story and asserting myself in a literary manner from this assignment. The third section is the collages of Neo and the poem, The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost. I believe that the Road Not Taken collage is my strongest image, although I am not disappointed with my work on the Neo collage. Both required time to mold. The next category deals with the blog postings. It includes the various comments I have made on the blog and other classmate's work. The fifth section is a video that I made comparing the music of The Eagles with fictional elements. I spent a good deal of time with this assignment selecting the images and integrating them into the movie, and I am pleased with the result. It was nice to express literary ideas outside of a research paper. The final section

I hope you enjoy my portfolio!

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Play List Assignment

Original Neo Play List
Revised Neo Play List

This was an interesting assignment, and one I thoroughly enjoyed. It was definitely an experience pilfering through all my music to find songs that relate to Neo from The Matrix. On my first draft, I ran into the problem of summarizing too much of the story as I worked my way through the playlist. I started revealing how certain songs represented particular plot elements of the film and not the state of Neo’s mind at that time. So, I have attempted to replace these summaries of the story with some deeper analysis of the character I am identifying. For example, take a look at “The Metal” section. In my draft, I just discussed how this song served to depict the machines and their power. Never one time did I mention how this song might represent Neo’s feelings towards them. In my revision, I focused more on how the music revealed Neo’s view of the machines, his intimidation, and his lack of confidence. I attempted to make some revisions to all eight of the song selections. On top of that, I have varied the structure of my play list to remove the possibility of it becoming monotonous. I also added lines to divide my song selections to make it easier to view. After the helpful feedback, I feel I was able to fulfill the requirements of this assignment a little more accurately. In order to accomplish this play list, I had to really step into the life of Neo, and I gained several perspectives that I did not catch from just watching the film.

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Yellow Wallpaper Annotations

Gloss 1
Gloss 2
Gloss 3
Gloss 4
Gloss 5
Gloss 6
Gloss 7
Gloss 8

The Wiki project was just another in the arsenal of unique assignments presented in this course. I can’t really think of a day that goes by that I do not use Wikipedia for some reason. I personally have never contributed anything to the site, so making my glosses and presenting my viewpoints were a little nerve-racking at first. Once I got started, it did not take long before I gained some confidence.

I feel the assignment was structured well, requiring eight glosses and only a maximum of four could be initiated by each person. This forced you to examine several different sections throughout the story, helping you gain a much more complete picture. Not only that but we see some real discussions taking place instead of random thoughts scattered about. After this assignment, my understanding of the ideas expressed in The Yellow Wallpaper are incredibly more robust and thorough.

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Collages

Original Neo Collage
Revised Neo Collage
Final Neo Collage

Original Road Not Taken Collage
Revised Road Not Taken Collage
Final Road Not Taken Collage

I've always enjoyed concocting humorous images of my friends in photoshop, so this assignment was a relief compared to a paper. With that said, it was also a challenge. Selecting the actual images, and arranging them in a manner to make a statement was fairly tricky. Once again, I was forced to analyze Neo on a different level. I wanted my collage to depict the conflict in his mind that arose from the decision he had to make, and the two worlds that could have existed. I like the general idea of having them mirror each other. It creates a nice symmetry and reveals the face-off of the two possible choices. In the final version, I spent some time cleaning it up and improving the overall appearance of the image.

I favor the collage on The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost a little more. This collage also proved to be quite a task. I wanted to take a modern approach to the poem, so I chose the overused cliche of a highway to represent decisions throughout your lifetime. My main struggle with this image was symbolizing the fact that the road he chose was equally trodden. In my revision I added a faded car taking the exit and turning off the right side of the picture to show this. In the final revision, I changed the car to one that fits better in my opinion. I also added a line from the poem to tie it all together. I think these revisions made for a stronger image.

I always appreciate the opportunity to be creative, and this assignment definitely delivered in that department.

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Blog Postings

Posting 1
Posting 2
Posting 3
Posting 4
Posting 5
Posting 7
Posting 8
Posting 9
Posting 10
Posting 11
Posting 12
Posting 13
Posting 14
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Posting 15
Posting 16
Posting 17
Posting 18
Posting 19
Posting 20
Posting 21
Posting 22
Posting 23
Posting 24
Posting 25
Posting 26
Posting 27
Posting 28
Posting 29
Posting 30

I feel like I made an improvement in the second half of the semester at being more active on the class blog, and in a much more consistent manner. For the most part, I made three postings a week (minus a week or two) instead of ten the week the portfolio is due. This was a necessary part of the course in my opinion because I used the comments I received on my work to improve it. It's nice to have the feedback of others. I also worked on giving some constructive criticism. If no one offers any suggestions, your work remains pretty static.

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Video

Original Eagles Video
Final Eagles Video

This was one of my favorite assignments of the year. I thoroughly enjoyed creating my video comparing the music of The Eagles with fictional elements. I spent a long time searching for the right images to convey the right message, but I think it was worth it. My video reveals the story and the hidden message of the song, Hotel California, similar to a work of fiction. I also spent a lengthy amount of time using photoshop to alter some of the images. I think this served to add an effect and improve the overall quality of my movie. In my revisions, I fixed the ending. Over time, I began to question the way I summed it all up originally. It just didn't seem to fit in my opinion. In order to correct this, I really tried to analyze what the artists were trying to say in the end, and then select images that I felt were more appropriate. I think when it's all said and done that my revisions served to create a more complete project. This assignment was just another way of opening my eyes to various and dynamic forms of literature.

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Podcast Assignment

Podcast on Traditions

The podcast assignment was the final task we did. I believe this did a great job of tying all the elements of the course together. We were given the job of finding commonalities and themes that traversed several of the works we read, and deliver a podcast discussing what we discovered. This assignment could have very easily been a paper, and to be honest, I feel like I got more out of it by giving a podcast. Having to speak in front of the class forced me to really know the material. I couldn't come up with too much fluff, I had to have an idea of what I was talking about.

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Thanks for a great semester!

Thomas Anderson, the main character of The Matrix, is trying to find himself in a world in which he’s living two lives. He has a normal life working a typical cubicle job, and an alternate life as an underground hacker under the alias Neo. His character does not seem to fit in, and he does not seem completely content with his life. He begins to experience mysterious events, gets curious, and investigates them. He encounters Morpheus, who explains to Neo what the Matrix is, and offers a chance to exit it and enter the actual world. After some debate, Neo decides to exit the Matrix. Neo's character slowly gains confidence, eventually realizes his potential as the "One, " and begins to kick some robot butt.

1) Crawling -- Linkin Park

Lyrics

"There’s something inside me that pulls beneath the surface
Consuming, confusing
This lack of self control I fear is never ending
Controlling I can’t seem
To find myself again
My walls are closing in
Without a sense of confidence
I’m convinced that it’s too much pressure to take
I’ve felt this way before
So insecure"

This song represents Neo's curiosity and introspection earlier in the film. He does not appear truly happy with his life, and he's experiencing weird events. He's confused and senses that there is something going on outside his world that he is not aware of. At first he denies these occurrences, but they slowly consume him. The heavy metal of this song creates an underground feel, a scene that Neo is familiar with. It is also a song that is more popular with the younger generation, which Neo belongs to. The strong guitars serve to symbolize the clash and confusion going on inside his head at this point in the film.

---

2) Echo -- Incubus

Lyrics

"There’s something about the look in your eyes
Something I noticed when the light was just right
It reminded me twice that I was alive
And it reminded me that you’re so worth the fight

My biggest fear will be the rescue of me
Strange how it turns out that way . . .yeah

Could you show me dear, something I've not seen?
Something infinitely interesting
Could you show me dear, something I've not seen?
Something infinitely interesting."

Neo meets Trinity, the female protagonist, and is intrigued by her mystery and looks. He develops strong feelings for her, and she influences his decision to exit the Matrix. The mood of this song is very mellow and mysterious, and the volume level is fairly soft, revealing a gentler side of Neo. The smoothness of the guitars and the slides they make represent the balance inside his head that Trinity provides. She equalizes all the chaos and confusion, and makes his decision simple.

---

3) Earth To Bella pt.1 -- Incubus

"Earth to Bella
The world can be an unfriendly place
So hold your head up
And do your best to save some face
It's not so hard
Just undo yourself and see a second sun ascend"
Lyrics

The soft introduction of the song and beginning of the first verse represent Neo’s introspection about his life. Does he want to chase Trinity into a new life and embrace free will, or does he want to forget it all and return to the life he is familiar with? At 1:23 into the song, there is a repetitive and gradual crescendo in the drums and the singer’s pitch slowly rises to depict Neo’s last second uncertainty about leaving the Matrix. The music creates an adrenaline rush with a mixture of doubt and anticipation.

---

4) Somewhere I Belong -- Incubus

"I want to heal, I want to feel
What I thought was never real
I want to let go of the pain I've held so long
(Erase all the pain till it's gone)
I want to heal, I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real.
I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong"
Lyrics

The soft introduction of the song and beginning of the first verse represent more of Neo’s introspection about his life. The heavy guitars earlier in the song symbolize this battle that is raging inside his head and he feels the pressure of making a decision. Trinity had made Neo feel like he belonged somewhere, and his adventurous side took over when he decided to exit the Matrix and pursue her and a new life -- he had accepted free will. This is represented by the increase in volume and the raised intensity of the guitars. With this decision came excitement and uncertainty, which is portrayed by the raised level in the singer’s voice.

---

5) The Metal -- Tenacious D

This song is representative of Neo’s view of the machines that have taken over and his lack of inner confidence. He has not yet discovered the potential that lies beneath the surface, and he doubts he is the one. The intense guitar from the start of the song displays how powerful Neo believes the machines are, and how intimidated he is by them. The sharp, slashing riffs also serve to depict the conflict inside his head about finding this hidden person.

"You can't kill the metal
The metal will live on

Punk rock tried to kill the metal
But they failed as they were smited to the ground

No one can destroy the metal
The metal will strike you down with a vicious blow
We are the vanquished foes of the metal"
Lyrics

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6) Through the Fire and Flames -- Dragonforce

In Neo’s mind, he is beginning to gain confidence and has accepted the fight against the computers. This song is epic and portrays a heroic battle. The ridiculous speed of the guitar and drums capture the intensity, rush, and anticipation that Neo experiences before he re-enters the Matrix to combat the agents. The mind-blowing guitar solos symbolize the power that Neo possesses, as well as his growing confidence as he gets closer to revealing his true self.

"On a cold winter morning, in the time before the light
In flames of death's eternal reign we ride towards the fight
And the darkness is falling down and the times are tough all right
The sound of evil laughter falls around the world tonight

So far away we wait for the day
For the lights are so wasted and gone
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days
Through the fire and the flames we carry on"
Lyrics

---

7) Valley of the Damned -- Dragonforce

Lyrics

"On a cold dark winter night, hidden by the stormy light
A battle rages for the right, for what will become
In the valley of the damned, a warrior with sword in hand
Travels fast across the land, for freedom he rides"

The quick tempo, heavy guitars, and hyperspeed drums represent a more defined and assertive Neo as his group battles the agents in an attempt to free others from the Matrix. The lengthy solo from 3:27–5:18 symbolizes that Neo does in fact believe he has the ability to be the “One,” and he is no longer intimidated by the machines.

---

8) Attack -- 30 Seconds to Mars

Lyrics

"I won't suffer,
be broken,
get tired,
or wasted,
surrender to nothing,
or give up.
What I started and stopped it from end to beginning.
A new day is coming,
and I am finally free.

Run away, run away,
I'll attack."

Neo is resurrected from the dead, has the realization that he can manipulate the Matrix, and destroys the agents. The song begins with an upbeat tempo, but it is restrained and controlled. Here Neo awakes from the dead and is realizing his true potential. As he is doing so, there is a crescendo in the volume to the breakthrough where the drums and guitar go crazy. At this point, the song cannot be contained anymore, and neither can Neo’s power. Right before this climax, the music cuts off for a couple of seconds, leaving the lead singer screaming his part. This creates a greater contrast and intensifies this pinnacle in the song. At this point, Neo has all the confidence he lacked earlier in the film and has assumed the form of the “One.”

Watching the movie interpretation of A&P really convinced me that Lengel is a sheep, and he is represented no differently than any of the other sheep in the story. It was clear that the sheep symbolized the society that conformed to all the standards and refused to assert themselves. Lengel was just being herded by a shepherd -- the top dogs -- as was the rest of society. They knew the rules and were afraid to break them.

Thomas Anderson, the main character of The Matrix, is trying to find himself in a world in which he’s living two lives. He has a normal life working a typical cubicle job, and an alternate life as an underground hacker under the alias Neo. His character does not seem to fit in, and he does not seem completely content with his life. He begins to experience mysterious events, gets curious, and investigates them. He encounters Morpheus, who explains to Neo what the Matrix is, and offers a chance to exit it and enter the actual world. After some debate, Neo decides to exit the Matrix. Neo's character slowly gains confidence, eventually realizes his potential as the "One, " and begins to kick some robot butt.

1) Crawling -- Linkin Park
Lyrics

"There’s something inside me that pulls beneath the surface
Consuming, confusing
This lack of self control I fear is never ending
Controlling I can’t seem
To find myself again
My walls are closing in
Without a sense of confidence
I’m convinced that it’s too much pressure to take
I’ve felt this way before
So insecure"

This song represents Neo's curiosity and introspection earlier in the film. He does not appear truly happy with his life, and he's experiencing weird events. He's confused and senses that there is something going on outside his world that he is not aware of. At first he denies these occurrences, but they slowly consume him. The heavy metal of this song creates an underground feel, and Neo is familiar with that scene. It is also a song that is more popular with the younger generation, which Neo belongs to. The strong guitars serve to symbolize the clash and confusion going on inside his head at this point in the film.



2) Echo -- Incubus
Lyrics

"There’s something about the look in your eyes
Something I noticed when the light was just right
It reminded me twice that I was alive
And it reminded me that you’re so worth the fight

My biggest fear will be the rescue of me
Strange how it turns out that way . . .yeah

Could you show me dear, something I've not seen?
Something infinitely interesting
Could you show me dear, something I've not seen?
Something infinitely interesting."

Neo meets Trinity, the female protagonist, and is intrigued by her mystery and looks. He develops strong feelings for her, and she influences his decision to exit the Matrix. The mood of this song is very mellow and mysterious. The volume level is fairly soft, revealing a gentler side of Neo.



3) Earth To Bella pt.1 -- Incubus
Lyrics

"Earth to Bella
The world can be an unfriendly place
So hold your head up
And do your best to save some face
It's not so hard
Just undo yourself and see a second sun ascend"

Morpheus presents Neo with the chance to exit the Matrix. He also reveals that he believes Neo is the “One.” In the beginning of this song, it is warm, inviting, and simple with only an acoustic guitar as the instrumentation. Here, Morpheus is explaining what is really going on and what his options are in a passive manner. Occasionally, an electric guitar and drums enter the song, representing the confusion and indecisiveness of Neo.



4) Somewhere I Belong -- Incubus
Lyrics

"I want to heal, I want to feel
What I thought was never real
I want to let go of the pain I've held so long
(Erase all the pain till it's gone)
I want to heal, I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real.
I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong"

Neo chooses to take the red pill and exit the Matrix because he can’t find his place in the Matrix. The soft introduction of the song and beginning of the first verse represent Neo’s introspection. The verse brings an increase in volume and some heavier guitars symbolizing Neo’s realization and decision to take a chance and leave the Matrix. With this decision came excitement and uncertainty, which is portrayed by the raised intensity in the singer’s voice.



5) The Metal -- Tenacious D
Lyrics

"You can't kill the metal
The metal will live on

Punk rock tried to kill the metal
But they failed as they were smited to the ground

No one can destroy the metal
The metal will strike you down with a vicious blow
We are the vanquished foes of the metal"

This song represents the computers that have taken over, and the futile attempts of the humans to destroy them. The intense guitar from the start of the song states the fact that the machines are in charge and powerful. The mood of this song is dark and intimidating. The section from 1:04 to 1:20 has a robotic sound to it, further depicted the machines.



6) Through the Fire and Flames -- Dragonforce
Lyrics

"On a cold winter morning, in the time before the light
In flames of death's eternal reign we ride towards the fight
And the darkness is falling down and the times are tough all right
The sound of evil laughter falls around the world tonight

So far away we wait for the day
For the lights are so wasted and gone
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days
Through the fire and the flames we carry on"

Neo has accepted the fight against the computers, and enters the Matrix to combat the agents. This song is epic and portrays a heroic battle. The ridiculous speed of the guitar and drums capture the intensity, rush, and anticipation of Neo before he re-enters the Matrix. The mind-blowing guitar solos symbolize the power that Neo possesses.



7) Valley of the Damned -- Dragonforce
Lyrics

"On a cold dark winter night, hidden by the stormy light
A battle rages for the right, for what will become
In the valley of the damned, a warrior with sword in hand
Travels fast across the land, for freedom he rides"

The quick tempo, heavy guitar, and hyperspeed drums represent Neo and his group battling the agents in an attempt to free others from the Matrix.



8) Attack -- 30 Seconds to Mars
Lyrics

"I won't suffer,
be broken,
get tired,
or wasted,
surrender to nothing,
or give up.
What I started and stopped it from end to beginning.
A new day is coming,
and I am finally free.
Run away, run away,
I'll attack."

Neo is resurrected from the dead, has the realization that he can manipulate the Matrix, and destroys the agents. The song begins with an upbeat tempo, but it is restrained and controlled. Here Neo awakes from the dead, and as he is realizing his true potential. As he is doing so, there is a crescendo in the volume to the breakthrough where the drums and guitar go crazy. At this point, the song cannot be contained anymore, and neither can Neo’s power. Right before this climax, the music cuts off for a couple of seconds, leaving the lead singer screaming his part. This creates a greater contrast and intensifies this pinnacle in the song. At this point, Neo has all the confidence he lacked earlier in the film.

I'm a sucker for a well-put-together UNC basketball montage. I feel this particular one is an example of something literary. Nothing sends chills down my spine like watching Jackie throw down on State in slow motion or seeing Roy hug McCants like a son. This is the case for any die hard UNC fan, but what if you're a duke fan? ..Trust me, emotions will be stirred.

Although somewhat shallow, this montage can be analyzed in an intellectual manner. One picture at 2:26 stands out to me. We see Marvin Williams soaring above four Illinois players who are watching in futility as he flushes the ball. This image portrays the message of this video.. the dominance and superiority of UNC basketball. The song in the background, "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane, further supports this point.

And of course, since the video is found on youtube, it is available to the public.

2005 UNC Basketball Montage