Attached in a Word document is my final portfolio. Thanks for a great semester!

I revised it one more time. This time I added another 1:10 seconds to each informational slide and another 1 or so to the picture slides. I was playing around with way to revise it and get rid of the informational slides and in the middle of that my computer crashed so I ended up losing all the info slides. They are back on there, but some of the transitions are a little different as well now as a result of my computer. I think this is it, so enjoy!

I took most of the suggestions that people gave me and re-did the aesthetics of my video. I used Gimp to lighten a few images and then changed the font color, size, and type to make it more easily readable. I also extended the slides so that people could have a longer amount of time to read the info on there. Hopefully this will work better!

I enjoyed this story since I felt not only that it was more contemporary, but that it was a little easier for me to connect with since my mother's family were immigrants as well. I thought that the quote about the father not wanting to be part of American society was really kind of funny. First of all he owns a pancake shop. Pancakes themselves give the impression of Americana and that typical blissful idea of an American Sunday morning breakfast. I also think it's hard to go to any country and then claim you don't want to be part of the society. The mom, from what I could infer, seemed to have that same idea of not wanting to be part of the American society, at least when she first arrived in the US, calling her daughter's copycats , yet she too eventually strived to be part of all that is America with the right wall paper and shoes and most especially the country club. I just found it amusing, yet quite an honest portrayal at the same time.

I chose to make a short video about the Harlem Renaissance. The musicians, poets, and authors I have highlighted are only a select few of the many talented people who helped shaped the movement. But overall, I found that the Harlem Renaissance paved the path for musicians, artists, and authors of our modern day that we enjoy.

Sources:
Apollo Theatre. http://www.apollotheater.org/about_us.html
Bearden, Romare. Jazz. “The Harlem Renaissance”.http.//www.eyeconart.net/history/Harlem.html
Bessie Smith. bp1.blogger.com/.../s400/BessieSmith18951937.jpg
Black America: Early 20th Century Urban Migration and Civil Rights Initiatives. http://www.tahg.org/module_display.php?mod_id=89&review=yes
Ellington, Duke. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me. Carnegie Hall Recordings.
Harlem Motley Blues. http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/h/images/harlem_motley_blues_lg.jpg
Hughes, Langston. Harlem
MSN Encarta. The Harlem Renaissance. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761566483/harlem_renaissance.html
Watson, Steve. The Harlem Renaissance.www.library.csi.cuny.edu/.../zhurston.gif
Wikipedia. The Harlem Renaissance. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Renaissance

I've taken a lot of English classes in my four plus years of college. They all consist of reading the book, explicating it till you want to burn it forever, and then putting the work in a corner so that it collects dust until you have to write a paper on it. I was expecting the same sort of procedure for this English class, but was pleasantly surprised from the first day when I realized it was going to be nothing like that. While at first I was concerned if I could complete all the assignments for this class because of the need of knowledge of the computer and its programs, I'm becoming a little more assured that it can be done. I struggled a lot with the first collage. I wanted to chuck my computer out the window quite a few times and I ended up having to leave my desk and the project for a few hours so that I wouldn't resort to destroying my laptop. In the end though, I really liked the assignment. I was proud of myself not only for accomplishing it, but for actually creating a collage that I really loved.
As for the reading involved in the course I find it odd that I've read some major novels by the same authors for other English classes and it isn't until now that I am able to appreciate their short story work. I love short stories and so I can't be more happy to be able to read these pieces of work. I think that some 8 page stories have more to say than a whole novel...not all the time, but I've seen a few this semester that have definitely proven that thought to me.
For the rest of the semester I'd like to challenge myself to participate in discussions more often on the class website. I'm also trying to get my deadlines straight and apply myself. The first part of this semester, I've been struggling with outside personal events and put this class, as well as others, to the side somewhat. I've realized that it has hurt my performance in class and I have embarrassed myself with missing deadlines. I have never done that before and so for the rest of the semester I am going to try my absolute hardest to not fall behind again.
So following are my different projects that I have completed for the class so far. I have struggled with a few, was lost on some as well, but in the end I saw them as pieces of art, just like literature is.

Playlist:
This was a fund assignment since I love music. There isn't a moment where I don't have music on. If I'm reading, studying, sitting at my computer, etc. I have to have my music. I've always felt life has a soundtrack. So I applied that to a book, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and I really liked the challenge and the opportunity. For the first playlist, I didn't include quotes from the story and I chose Britney Spears for one song. But upon my revision and submission of my second one, I used quotes from the book to better explain the situation I was describing and I got rid of Britney.
Original Playlist: http://www.teachmix.com/itsfiction/?q=node/26
Revised Playlist: http://www.teachmix.com/itsfiction/?q=node/146

Character Collage:
This was the first project that I have ever had in an English class where I wanted to scream, cry, and break my computer all at different points. I felt so incompetent with the GIMP program and saw my peers using it like it was the easiest thing in the world that it made me lose hope for ever completing the collage. Finally, one of my classmates expressed the same sense of feeling lost and together we figured out the computer and exchanged ideas and what we found. So with a big dose of patience and some confidence I came up with the Jekyll and Hyde Collage. My first attempt left me satisfied it was done. I got some very positive feedback and constructive criticism that I used to revise it and create my final character collage. I explained under each collage what my motivation was, what I changed, and why I did it that way.
Original Collage: http://www.teachmix.com/itsfiction/?q=node/78
Revised Collage: http://www.teachmix.com/itsfiction/?q=node/147

Poem Collage:
This one I completed without wanting to hurt anything or anyone. I really liked the poem, the finished product, and my interpretation of it. Again, I got some great feedback and made a minimal change. Both changes and motivations behind the collage are explained under each.
Original Collage: http://www.teachmix.com/itsfiction/?q=node/81
Revised Collage: http://www.teachmix.com/itsfiction/?q=node/148

Yellow Wallpaper:
I like this assignment. I thought it was a great way to get everyone involved in the story and for everyone to have an equal amount of participation and discussion. It also reminded me of a typical English class where you beat the story dead till you just can't.
http://www.teachmix.com/litwiki/index.php?title=John
http://www.teachmix.com/litwiki/index.php?title=There_comes_John%2C_and_....
http://www.teachmix.com/litwiki/index.php?title=Talk:I_sometimes_fancy_t....
http://www.teachmix.com/litwiki/index.php?title=I_would_say_a_haunted_ho...
http://www.teachmix.com/litwiki/index.php?title=Talk:And_what_can_one_do...
http://www.teachmix.com/litwiki/index.php?title=Weir_Mitchell
http://www.teachmix.com/litwiki/index.php?title=A_step_like_that_is_impr...
http://www.teachmix.com/litwiki/index.php?title=John

Blog:
This is one part that I need to work on. I haven't actually started many of my own conversations, but instead have commented on others work, ideas, etc.
http://www.teachmix.com/itsfiction/?q=node/82
http://www.teachmix.com/itsfiction/?q=node/9
http://www.teachmix.com/itsfiction/?q=node/52#comment-99

I put a little more detail into this playlist. They are subtle changes since I basically added a few quotes that would help to better explain why I choose the song for that particular part of the story. I also took some of my peer's advice and deleted the song by Britney Spears. Although I replaced it with another pop song, I think in the end it is a song that can be stomached much easier and which still helps explain the portion of the story that I was trying to get across at the time.

A Playlist for Frankenstein’s Creature from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

1. Born Losers by Matthew Good http://www.myspace.com/hospitalfacilities
I choose this song, mainly from first glance, because of the title. Frankenstein created his creature because he just wanted to know if he could. But to create this life, he severed body parts from several different deceased bodies. From the beginning he was a “loser”. Some lyrics in song include “When the lights come on this whole place gets ugly But when they're out, strangers fall in love.” You can take this to mean that Frankenstein was in the dark about the implications that creating a life would bring and he fell in love with the concept of playing “god”. He says at one point in the story, “so much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein-more, far more, will I achieve…” Frankenstein talks about himself in third person here as he relates how his chemistry professor spurred his desire to learn about the secret of life. After he creates life though, he freaks out and runs away. The music is filled with guitars and drums and only one voice. It starts off somewhat melancholy and then goes into a faster paced rhythm. It's comparable to Frankenstein in that he starts off pretty slowly. He just wanted to experiment. But as he gets hungry to create life, he goes faster without thinking about the consequences.

2. What You Know by T.I. http://www.myspace.com/trapmuzik
This song is once again first chosen by the title. After Frankenstein deserts his creature, both go on the run, the creature chasing his creator. When the creature finally catches up with Frankenstein, he gives him the history of his life. One of the points of his story was that Frankenstein would never know what it was like to not only be different and shunned by the world. At one point in the novel the creature says, “ I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on.” Although this quote was said to the explorer Walton, it sums up what the creature has felt he has been made. None of the other characters ever experience that same desperation of being such an outsider. In the song, the chorus says “What you know about that? What you know about that? Hey what you know about that? Hey I know all about that?” The songs mood and lyrics show a challenging and somewhat aggressive attitude. This would fit with the creature and his thought process that knows Frankenstein doesn't know about anything he has had to endure. The song is rap and filled with electronic keyboards and different male voices.

3. New Kid In Town by The Eagles

The creature is obviously the newest in town, not to mention the newest creation in the world. This notion of being new and of being the only one, adds to the stigma of what a “new kid in town” would go through and what he also had to deal with. “There’s talk on the street, it’s there to remind you, that it doesn’t really matter which side you’re on. You’re walking away and they’re talking behind you. They will never forget you…” The lyrics are saying that no matter if the creature is trying to be good, no one will care because he looks so terrifying. People will always talk about him and he will never be forgotten. The music is slow paced with a melancholy rhythm. It showcases the feelings described above such as feeling like an outsider and not belonging, like the creature experiences.

4. Misunderstood by Robbie Williams

In the creature’s story of his past, he explains to Frankenstein that after he fled he went to live in the woods. While there, he became a hideaway in a desolate part of the house/land of a family. When he tried to make contact with the family, he was mistaken for a monster that wanted to harm them. “I’ll be misunderstood by the beautiful and good in this city. None of this was planned.” The lyrics of the song detail the creature’s feelings of not being the beautiful one and never being understood and that it isn’t his choice…he never asked for it. The music is again pretty slow and melancholy. It is filled with drums and guitars and one male voice. It displays the emotion of sadness that the creature feels from not being understood by anyone, not even his creator.

5. I Need a Lover by John Mellencamp

The creature asks one thing of his creator when he meets up with him and promises to leave Frankenstein and his loved ones alone. He wants him to create a companion for him. He’s tired of being the only one like himself. He pleads with his maker, “ I am alone and miserable; man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species and have the same defects. This being you must create.” In the song, Mellencamp seems to voice the creature’s feelings saying, “Well I’ve been walking the streets in the evening Racin through the human jungle at night. I need a lover that won’t drive me crazy.” This piece's music is much more of a fast tempo then the previous songs. It does display some aggression in it. It has guitars, keyboard, and drums with one lead male voice accompanied with backup male singers. I think it's a good song because it describes the creatures intense need to be around someone or something...his intense need for a female companion whom he can teach and mold into what he wants.

6. Don’t Come Round Here No More by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

Frankenstein cannot pass up the opportunity to have the creature out of his life forever. “ Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous,” says the creature to Frankenstein. So he agrees to create a mate as long as he doesn’t come round him anymore. The song seems to reflect Frankenstein’s feelings as it says, “Your darken my door Whatever you’re looking for Hey, don’t come around her no more.” This is a pop rock song with electronic keyboard as well as a few guitars and brass instruments and possibly even a sitar at the beginning. It has a semi moderate paced tempo, which picks up considerably towards the end of the song. The lead voice is male, while the backup singers are female. It fits with desperation that Frankenstein feels at wanting to get rid of the creature since the songs mood is pleading and asking this person to leave the main character alone.

7. Apologize (featuring One Republic) by Timbaland
After thinking about the creature’s proposition, Frankenstein decides not to go through with making a mate. The creature gets angry and decides to make Frankenstein’s life hell. He kills his best friend and his new wife; an act he had warned Frankenstein he was capable of, but Frankenstein thought he could out run him. Because of the nature of the situation this song came to mind and some lyrics that help describe why include, “You tell me that you’re sorry…it’s too late to apologize.” For both the creature and Frankenstein, it is too late to apologize for first creating the creature and secondly for having to resort to murder to make a point. They are both sorry for what they have done, but know that the time for apologies is far gone. The song itself has a melancholy yet pop sound with electronic beats mixed with drums and piano. The singer’s voice emphasizes that melancholy attitude and the wish that things could be different. The song fits with this part of the story since both parties wish that they could take back what had been done, but both know its impossible and that no apology will ever make up for it.

8. Running Away by Bob Marley

After the creature has destroyed Frankenstein’s life, he vows to find him and kill him. Both are on the run again, but it seems that it’s not just from each other, but from their past and from themselves. Marley’s song details this with the lyrics, “Ya running and ya running, But ya can’t run away from yourself. Ya must have done somet’in wrong.” This is a reggae song with political and social influences for Marley. It's a moderate tempo with guitar, saxophones, trumpets, and drums. It also has a melancholy attitude, one that fits with the creatures attitude of still feeling lost and alone and Frankenstein's mood of anger and desperation after losing the people he cared the most for.

When I first read this short story and after I caught the last part of the movie, I was so confused and I had an utter dislike for it. But after delving into it more and exploring themes like credibility, feminism, oppression, depression, etc., it really started to perk my interest. Perkins writing in this story, especially in terms of the feminist issues, reminds me of Kate Chopin writing's in The Awakening. Both deal with issues of strong and imaginative females being oppressed by her husband in terms of expressing themselves. In the end, both female protagonists choose distasterous ways out of their husbands grips.

Considering that the only books I’ve had time to read lately are the ones that have been assigned to me through other English classes, I decided to take on of the most recent characters I’ve studied who also happens to be one of the most famous and, generally, misunderstood.

A Playlist for Frankenstein’s Creature from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

1. Born Losers by Matthew Good http://www.myspace.com/hospitalfacilities
I choose this song, mainly from first glance, because of the title. Frankenstein created his creature because he just wanted to know if he could. But to create this life, he severed body parts from several different deceased bodies. From the beginning he was a “loser”. Some lyrics in song include “When the lights come on this whole place gets ugly But when they're out, strangers fall in love.” You can take this to mean that Frankenstein was in the dark about the implications that creating a life would bring and he fell in love with the concept of playing “god”, but when he realizes what he’s done, he freaks out and runs away. The music is filled with guitars and drums and only one voice. It starts off somewhat melancholy and then goes into a faster paced rhythm. It's comparable to Frankenstein in that he starts off pretty slowly. He just wanted to experiment. But as he gets hungry to create life, he goes faster without thinking about the consequences.

2. What You Know by T.I. http://www.myspace.com/trapmuzik
This song is once again first chosen by the title. After Frankenstein deserts his creature, both go on the run, the creature chasing his creator. When the creature finally catches up with Frankenstein, he gives him the history of his life. One of the points of his story was that Frankenstein would never know what it was like to not only be different and shunned by the world. In the song, the chorus says “What you know about that? What you know about that? Hey what you know about that? Hey I know all about that?” The songs mood and lyrics show a challenging and somewhat aggressive attitude. This would fit with the creature and his thought process that knows Frankenstein doesn't know about anything he has had to endure. The song is rap and filled with electronic keyboards and different male voices.

3. New Kid In Town by The Eagles
The creature is obviously the newest in town, not to mention the newest creation in the world. This notion of being new and of being the only one, adds to the stigma of what a “new kid in town” would go through and what he also had to deal with. “There’s talk on the street, it’s there to remind you, that it doesn’t really matter which side you’re on. You’re walking away and they’re talking behind you. They will never forget you…” The lyrics are saying that no matter if the creature is trying to be good, no one will care because he looks so terrifying. People will always talk about him and he will never be forgotten. The music is slow paced with a melancholy rhythm. It showcases the feelings described above such as feeling like an outsider and not belonging, like the creature experiences.

4. Misunderstood by Robbie Williams
In the creature’s story of his past, he explains to Frankenstein that after he fled he went to live in the woods. While there, he became a hideaway in a desolate part of the house/land of a family. When he tried to make contact with the family, he was mistaken for a monster that wanted to harm them. “I’ll be misunderstood by the beautiful and good in this city. None of this was planned.” The lyrics of the song detail the creature’s feelings of not being the beautiful one and never being understood and that it isn’t his choice…he never asked for it. The music is again pretty slow and melancholy. It is filled with drums and guitars and one male voice. It displays the emotion of sadness that the creature feels from not being understood by anyone, not even his creator.

5. I Need a Lover by John Mellencamp
The creature asks one thing of his creator when he meets up with him and promises to leave Frankenstein and his loved ones alone. He wants him to create a companion for him. He’s tired of being the only one like himself. In the song, Mellencamp seems to voice the creature’s feelings saying, “Well I’ve been walking the streets in the evening Racin through the human jungle at night. I need a lover that won’t drive me crazy.” This piece's music is much more of a fast tempo then the previous songs. It does display some aggression in it. It has guitars, keyboard, and drums with one lead male voice accompanied with backup male singers. I think it's a good song because it describes the creatures intense need to be around someone or something...his intense need for a female companion whom he can teach and mold into what he wants.

6. Don’t Come Round Here No More by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Frankenstein cannot pass up the opportunity to have the creature out of his life forever. So he agrees to create a mate as long as he doesn’t come round him anymore. The song seems to reflect Frankenstein’s feelings as it says, “Your darken my door Whatever you’re looking for Hey, don’t come around her no more.” This is a pop rock song with electronic keyboard as well as a few guitars and brass instruments and possibly even a sitar at the beginning. It has a semi moderate paced tempo, which picks up considerably towards the end of the song. The lead voice is male, while the backup singers are female. It fits with desperation that Frankenstein feels at wanting to get rid of the creature since the songs mood is pleading and asking this person to leave the main character alone.

7. Oops I Did It Again by Britney Spears
After thinking about the creature’s proposition, Frankenstein decides not to go through with making a mate. The creature gets angry and decides to make Frankenstein’s life hell. He kills his best friend and his new wife. He had warned Frankenstein he did this. Because of the nature of the situation this song came to mind and some lyrics that help describe why include, “Oops I did it again. I played with your heart.” This is a definite pop song with a playful tone, but also condescending. It has electronic instrumentation with a few guitars as well. The lead voice is female. It fits with this point in the story though because killing Frankenstein's friends and family has become a revenge and doesn't really phase the creature anymore. He doesn't it because he's angry, but doesn't care about who he hurts in the process.

8. Running Away by Bob Marley
After the creature has destroyed Frankenstein’s life, he vows to find him and kill him. Both are on the run again, but it seems that it’s not just from each other, but from their past and from themselves. Marley’s song details this with the lyrics, “Ya running and ya running, But ya can’t run away from yourself. Ya must have done somet’in wrong.” This is a reggae song with political and social influences for Marley. It's a moderate tempo with guitar, saxophones, trumpets, and drums. It also has a melancholy attitude, one that fits with the creatures attitude of still feeling lost and alone and Frankenstein's mood of anger and desperation after losing the people he cared the most for.

I'm coming into this posting thing more blindly, I feel, then the rest of you since I wasn't in class on Thursday night and since it's my first time doing any sort of blogging, I too am asking you to bear with me, especially since I'm not 100% sure I'm doing this correctly.

With that said, reading through some of your posts, I gathered that literary was defined last week to mean much more than words on paper. And it seems that literary, for this class, means something emotionally or intellectually stimulating. With that in mind I searched and came up with PostSecret. Not only does it blend art and media with words, but has a strong emotional pull for participants and onlookers of the project . It is not only a website, but also several published books of post cards that have been anonymously sent in and collected to become books full of secrets from people around the world. The link is from youtube, but was on PostSecret.com a few months ago. http://youtube.com/watch?v=B6rTkp1dek4
Hopefully this is close to what we were suppose to do and if not, I apologize in advance. =)