Upon my entry of the Engl.128 course at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I had absolutely no idea what was in store for the semester. If you were to ask me at he beginning of class what kind of activities we were going to be participating in, I would have been far away from the truth. My assumption would have guessed that our work would have been typical of most college coursework at the university. I probably would have said read a few books, write a few papers, take a few tests, then call it a day. Contrary to that belief, this course has challenged the robotic normalcy that I was accustomed to in school. In this technologically advanced age, computers are an essential item to acquiring information. As time progresses, our dependency on the computer increases as it is now a vital part of our school and work environments. I have witnessed this firsthand as I re-entered college after a 6 year absence. When I left, school laptops were optional; the internet was recreational; and Napster was free. In my first semester back, I didn’t have one single class in which I didn’t have to use a computer. I walked into my classes with a pen and paper and felt primitive. It was like I was Fred Flintstone chipping words into a large stone tablet. Don’t get me wrong, I’m far from computer illiterate, I just wasn’t use to using computers interactively in the classroom. It was my learning experience in my Engl.128 course that prepared me for what is in store. Participating in a series of classroom assignments, we incorporated literature with modern day technological advances. No longer do we have to partake in the strenuous days of all-nighters trying to write a paper about something that we’ll forget about a week later. In this course, we creatively used different computer applications to reinforce our comprehension of literature. These were such applications like Windows Movie Maker, Photoshop, and etc that helped facilitate the process of learning. It was an intriguing course using these different mediums to learn, share, and discuss our knowledge. Empowered with the knowledge of literature past and present, we were asked to engage in these activities to present our own interpretations through a web based classroom.

Playlist

On our first assignment we were asked to create a playlist. This playlist was to represent a favorite character, person, or idea from a wide variety of mediums. The playlist is suppose to embody the life of that specific person, character or idea. We were asked to utilize certain media tools like YouTube, and ITunes for visual and audio representation.When we were first asked to participate in this assignment, my initial reaction was to panic. I was very unsure of the person I wanted to feature in my playlist, not to mention the type of songs I should feature. This is a matter that I felt would take a great deal of consideration. Should I go from a comedic aspect, and use Michael Vick? I thought it would be ingenius to have songs that represented his emotions or maybe even from the dog's perspective. I dismissed that idea with the issue being so recent, it was still a touchy subject for most. I brainstormed various individuals and characters, who I thought were worthy of making a playlist. These were such great American influneces on our society like Spongebob Squarepants, Flava Flav, He-Man, and the list goes on. My final decision I found while having a discussion with a very disillusioned family member. I think we have all met the young teenager that is rebelling against everything that requires authority and discipline. The one that tries so hard to be different and to stand out from everyone else, but joins a gang where they all wear one exclusive color. It was the ignorance of the gang's influence on his young mind that I began informing this teen about black pride. I began telling him about the knowledge I had gained from college and my own readings about our African American heritage. One of the stories that stuck with him was about the Black Panthers, because of their influence on hip-hop. It was the artist and gangmember, The Game, he heard mention Huey Newton, and began inquiring about the Black Panther leader. I knew limited information about Newton myself, so I researched more about him. It was in my own search to find out more about Newton that I chose him for my playlist. I knew that after I chose a person that the songs would eventually follow.

Huey P. Newton

Collages

The second assignment we were asked to complete during the semester were two photo collages. The photo collage was a visual interpretation of a particular poem and literary work.The collage assignment was alot easier to put together being that I had no deep insightful meaning behind the two. I thought that the assignment was interesting because your putting a visible image behind your interpretation of a reading. You can take everything that the story brings to mind and create a canvas of your imagination. I felt like a new age Michelangelo or Picasso, gathering various images to incorporate in my assignment. The first collage was of Shakespeare's "Hamlet", inwhich I wanted to show the mindstate of the young prince. I gathered alot of pictures that represented different emotions or mindstates that symbolised Hamlet's affliction. Hamlet was a complex character with varoius emotions throughout the play. His emotional inconsistencies made it easy for me to gather numerous pictures that illustrated how he felt. My poem Collage was "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks. I really like the story behind the poem, so I tried to tell the story through the collage. I gathered pictures that were along the storyline inorder to grasp the poem's meaning.

Hamlet
We Real Cool

Annotations

The next assignment we participated in was the annotation of a few Emily Dickinson poems. If you have ever read Dickinson, then you know she was a poet that used alot of symbolism to illustrate her life. We were asked to use a webpage called Litwiki to create our own ideas about the symbolism she used in her poems. On this web site, we analyzed every possible word or phrase to gain a comprehensible meaning to what she was trying to portray. I found this assignment interesting because for once we were the critics. It was rather intriguing to see each of my classmates analysis of what the author is speaking about. There were no right or wrong answers, just our opinions in a site was organized like a internet round table discussion. Any question or insight that we had about a poem could be answered or debated by our peers.

Banish
Are you nobody too?
Somebody
Who Are you
House
And Immortality
Because I Could Not Stop For Death

Blog Postings

Throughout the duration of the semester, we were asked participate in a series of class readings. Instead of writing numerous reflection papers, we held online discussions through our blog postings. These postings were used to open a discussion about each of the readings in class. The blogs were similar to the annotation assignment because they allowed students to express their ideas. These ideas were contrived off the personal interpretations of member of the class. Each class member was given the opportunity to discuss their own opinions, as well as comment on the postings of our peers. This opened the classroom to various analysis of one particular reading. I enjoyed our blogs because I’m an introverted person. Usually in most classes, you are put on a soapbox to speak in front of several peers. The blogs decreased the pressure of having to speak in front of a classroom. I found it easier to speak my mind when I was able to think critically about the readings then post my answer. Any reservations I had about saying the wrong thing was thrown out the window as I was able to think more thoroughly about the material.

Readings
Hard Rock
Work and Identity
A Good Man Is Hard To Find
We Real Cool
Hardware

Podcast

Choice and Consequence

Video

Our final assignment for the semester was to create a video that symbolized a particular idea or movement. We used our knowledge of applications like Windows Movie Maker to create a movie clip to describe this idea. In order to express each of our ideas, we gathered various photo and audio clips that reinforced the theme of the movie. We embedded each item into our work to create a cohesive movie clip. I think this activity was probably the assignment that I enjoyed the most. It was an opportunity to use our own knowledge and incorporate that information into movie form. The activity was rather empowering, I felt like a poor man’s Ron Howard or Steven Spielberg. The end product was rewarding, being able to see a combination of ideas implemented effectively.

Harlem Renaissance

• Speech: http://www.tulane.edu/newwave/images/041607_morrison1.jpg
• Nobel: http://www.nyu.edu/nyutoday/archives/14/11/7Morrison.gif
• Powerful: http://newsdesk.si.edu/images_full/images/museums/reynolds/grand_opening...
• 1977: http://www.hotchkiss.k12.co.us/HHS/nobelnov/morrison.jpg
• Color: http://escritores.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/toni-morrison.jpg
• Loraine: http://pics2.city-data.com/city/maps/fr423.png
• Loraine2: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.clevelandmemory.org/Sp...
• Cover: http://www.bookcourt.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/bluest%20eye.jpg
• Eye: http://www.plowshares.org/06/image_lib/Bluesteye.jpg
• Girl: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2141/1752303000_e1653ab7d2.jpg
• Eye2: bp0.blogger.com/.../s400/TheBluestEye1400.jpg
• BQ1: http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2007/08/29/upton_wideweb__470x305,0.jp...
• BQ2: http://www.popbuzzuk.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/michelle-fryatt.JPG
• Family: http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/50810573.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=9A436...
• Bman: http://www.kaltofen.at/bilder/matura/growing8.jpg
• Eye3: http://www.firstscience.com/home/images/legacygallery/eye.jpg
• Magazine: http://www.lifebeautifulmagazine.com/Images/Covers/issue1Large.jpg
• Milkman: http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~bradytrilogy/memories/images/bibliography...
• Breastfeeding: http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/68/71/23117168.jpg
• Cover: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0452260116.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
• Guitar: http://www.reef-audio.com/webpics/reef_akustisk_guitar.jpg
• Airplane: http://www.icaen.uiowa.edu/~dip/examples/images/airplane.gif
• Flying: http://www.blackartdepot.com/gallery/blackangels/crops/angel7.jpg
• Scars: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9b/Slavetreatment.jpe
• Beloved: http://k-punk.abstractdynamics.org/archives/beloved.jpg
• Slave m&w: http://unquietmind.com/images3/slaves.jpg
• Movie1: http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0120603/beloved12.jpg
• Movie2: http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/images/issue/420/beloved_420.jpg
• Movie3: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/movies/images/beloved_art.jpg
• Quote1: http://www.notable-quotes.com/m/morrison_toni.html
• Quote2: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/quotes/a/toni_morrison.htm

Symbol http://bbemusic.com/images/large/the_beat_generation.jpg
CD Cover http://www.instromania.net/PHO/comp/W/comp%20-%20Welcome%20To%20The%20Be...
The Wailers http://www.instromania.net/ART/ART_W/WAILERS%20The.php
Berkeley http://www.abc.net.au/ola/citizen/imgs/prog8/freespeech.jpg
Music and Dancing http://www.beatmuseum.org/flix/images/beatgen2.gif
Fehrencghetti http://www.bardwire.tripod.com/coney.jpg
Brooklyn http://realitystudio.org/images/biography/hal-chase.jack-kerouac.allen-g...
Ginsberg young http://www.samuseum.org/files/exhibition/photo20.jpg
Kerouac reading http://www.wordsareimportant.com/photos/jkreading.JPG
On The Road Poster http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/BOOK/BD003~On-The-Road-by-J...
Ginsberg speaking http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Books/Pix/pictures/2007/01/26/gin...
Ginsberg USA hat http://archives.waiting-forthe-sun.net/Graphics/InfluencesGraphics/ginsb...
Howl http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0872860175.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
Hippies http://www.thefarm.
City Lights Book Store http://www.fb10.uni-bremen.de/anglistik/kerkhoff/beatgeneration/CityLigh...
Acid Test www.lycaeum.org
Poster http://www.emptymirrorbooks.com/images/poets/kesey/acidtestposter.jpg
Naked Lunch http://www.emptymirrorbooks.com/images/poets/kesey/acidtestposter.jpg
Group Photo http://www.fb10.uni-bremen.de/anglistik/kerkhoff/beatgeneration/BeatPh2....
Conference 1994 NYU http://mcusiman.tripod.com/btconf.jpg
Beatles http://www.kauaicountryinn.com/Media-1/beatles.jpg
Various images http://www.beatmuseum.org/

Beatles – All I Need is Love
Bob Dylan – All I Really Want to Do
Allen Ginsberg – “Howl”
Bob Dylan – Times Are a Changing
Grateful Dead – Let the Good Times Roll
Grateful Dead - Cocaine

The more I read “The Death March” the more disturbed I was by some of the gruesome acts that occurred. The title did hint at what was to come, but it did not fully prepare me. Furthermore, even though the whole ceremony was important, it seems like there was more sadness about the whole situation than happiness for what was being done. There was a good amount of suspense in the story that kept me on the edge as I read more. However, it seemed like everything turned out for the worse, at least for the time being. What I got out of the story is the importance of tradition within cultures. There would be no reasoning to perform such a painful, emotionally and physically, ceremony. One aspect of how the story was told that I enjoyed was how Chavez incorporated Spanish every now and then it gave the story more authenticity. I don’t know if the story is true or not, but if so, it is something that is very unique to a specific culture that I would definitely like to learn more about.

I found Gary Snyder’s poetry very unique in the way of how simple, yet elegant it was. I like his themes of the working man’s life and the outdoors because it evokes many images in the reader’s head. His uses all five senses in his very specific descriptions in “Getting in the Wood,” which was my favorite one out of the four. I was surprised when I reached the end of the poem because it seemed like it would go on forever because the words flowed so well together. I think Snyder is attempting to show how much is out there is the natural world, as well as compliment the people who still work manual labor. Nature is a fantastic part of this world that I think people are forgetting more about it as work and the city life seems to be taking priority in their lives.

In this poem I found that Bishop was trying to say that loss is going to happen; it is an expectation that one must accept. The important thing to gain from knowing this is that a person needs to learn how to master the art of losing in order not to be hurt so much by it. Loss is always going to hurt, but by mastering the art of losing one can prevent disaster. It is alright to feel sad, but anything less than total misery is an accomplishment. Also, I noticed how the things listed that she has lost increased with magnitude. I think she is trying to convey that no matter how great the loss, it is possible to endure it and eventually overcome the misery.

As the semester comes to an end and I continue to struggle with my final exams, this course offers, as it has throughout the semester, a creative outlet and a modern take on a course that could easily have been a tired rehash of American Literature. Beginning with the play list and culminating with our video project, this class allowed me to use numerous mediums to discuss and develop my own view of literature. The fact that all work was posted online and the website provided an interactive public forum of sorts only further engaged me and stimulated the communal learning environment. The course itself pulled me in and I found myself being more and more involved with each project, as opposed to the typical dwindling effort one might expect throughout the semester. In fact, this course has truly been the only class on my schedule that I have actually enjoyed and will miss participating in. The environment of mutual respect and understanding helped me enjoy attending class and gave the class an appeal which I wish I would see in more classes.

I feel as though I have learned a lot in this class that I would not be able to obtain from the average English Course. First off, our use of technology has benefited me greatly in my understanding of the many uses this powerful medium contains. Between the blog I maintained and the projects I created with computer programs, I was introduced to many modern tools that I had not yet discovered. Although this technology often seemed set on halting my progress, by being forced to struggle with it and expand my technological boundaries I was able to grasp many new programs and increase my computer literacy, something that is very important in a constantly evolving world. I also feel as though I have learned an immense amount through a newfound ability to interpret literature by unfamiliar means. What I mean by this is, whereas before I had only looked at literature through the scope of writing formulaic papers, the projects we did allowed me to do similar interpretation but also forced me to use more creative vehicles in order to demonstrate my point. This not only made me think about what I was trying to convey with each project and how I, personally, defined literature, but it also promoted a more creative thought process in the search for literary representation and analysis.

Overall, I think this course provided a refreshing glimpse into the possibilities that one might find when they incorporate technology into teaching more traditional subjects. As I put together my final portfolio, I have realized that my only real regret is the fact that I never took the time to enjoy the projects created by my classmates. In the case of many of these, I had not yet taken the time to enjoy their work, and I’m glad I’ve gotten to do so while working on this portfolio. It’s interesting to see the differences in my interpretations of certain pieces of literature as compared to that of my peers. While I am not sure what my peers may think of my work, I did enjoy posting my work, for better or worse. While I have an outgoing personality, for some reason I have always been shy about sharing my work with others. While posting my projects online did make doing this easier, I was happy none the less that as the semester continued I began to let go of the stage fright that many of us experience. The ability of this class to alleviate fear of “making mistakes” and promote creativity and open mindedness made it a one of kind class. I enjoyed my experience thoroughly and hope everyone enjoys my work.

A few Blog Posts and Comments
While I enjoyed the ability to post my thoughts on particular stories and works, I feel as though Blogging was the one area of the class of which I did not take full advantage. While I often added entries and commented on my peers’ entries or works in the beginning of the semester, as the class went on I become so engrossed with my own projects that I often forgot this aspect of the class. I feel as though all of my posts and comments were well thought out and added to the discussions but I just didn’t do it often enough. Beyond this, I think my favorite part of the blogging process was seeing what other people had to say about certain stories and replying to them with my own interpretation. This often helped us all flesh out the stories and poems we read and provided a friendly, yet serious, medium through which we could share ideas. It was nice to get the opinions of others and view issues from a peer’s perspective. This is a very effective tool and one I wish other teachers would adopt. If I get enough time in the near future I’d like to create my own sports blog. Hopefully I can take what I learned through this class and apply it to one of my personal interests. Only time will tell.

A Death in Texas
A Good Man is Hard to Find
Hills like White Elephants comment
Rites of Passage interpretation
Lord of The Flies collage comment
Comment on Vietnam Video
Sleep comment- social commentary
MLK Comment

Pablo Escobar (Original)
Pablo Escobar (Final)

Odysseus (Original)
Odysseus (Second)
London (Original)
London (Final)
Holden Caulfield

This World is not conclusion- Plucks at a Twig of Evidence
The World is Not Conclusion- Crucifixion
The Tint I Cannot take- is Best- Guinea
The Tint I Cannot take- is Best- Cannot take
He Fumbles at Your Soul-Thunderbolt
A Light Exists in Spring- It almost speaks to you
Stuck was I, Yet not by Lightning- Venture
Stuck was I, Yet not by Lightning- Who mine Enemy?
The Tint I Cannot take- is Best- Cleopatra’s Company
The Tint I Cannot take- is Best- Graspless
I Started Early- Took my Dog- Dandelions
I Started Early- Took My Dog
I heard a fly buzz when I died- Blue
I’m Nobody! Who are You?
I’m Nobody! Who are You?- Dreary
I heard a fly buzz when I died- Fly
A Light Exists in Spring-Loss
My Life had stood- a Loaded Gun

While I was originally not very excited when Dan explained the project to us, I really enjoyed interpreting the meaning of our songs and thought we did a good job relating them to literature and also each other. It was nice to get to know Taylor and work with her. We had little trouble talking about our songs and actually got to the point at which it actually felt like we were just having a conversation. I think the best part of the assignment was the fact that we had almost limitless possibilities for what to discuss and where to go with our podcast. This atmosphere contributed to the notion of a discussion and not an assignment. I had fun hosting our “show” and thought we really fulfilled the intentions of the assignment. Go ahead and listen for yourself
Podcast on music as a form of literature

The video project was far and away my favorite assignment. While the work was sometimes tedious and frustrating, I think the end result of my video is a pretty cool look at literature in the 1960’s. My basic premise was to take four historically significant novels from the 1960’s and loosely tell their story while also showing the aspect of American culture each referred to or had an influence on. For the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test I got photos of the van featured in the book and other miscellaneous snapshots from the hippie era which “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test” came to represent. The second novel, “Catch-22”, was actually about World War II, but the notions of disillusionment and the evils of war were both extremely relevant during the Vietnam War. “The Feminine Mystique” was one of the most influential moments in the feminist movement; as such I attempted to demonstrate the change from past social norms to a new age of equality. The final book, “Silent Spring”, was about the harmful effects of DDT and other chemicals, so I showed the signs of imminent danger and then flashed to the new environmentalist movement “Silent Spring” sparked. I attempted to line up all the music as well as possible and also use music which demonstrated the mood of each book or novel. My favorite section is that of “Silent Spring”. While I was working on it I my iTunes just happened to turn to Aerodynamic by Daft Punk. As soon as I heard it I realized it would fit in perfectly. I used each bell ring to represent a new danger to the environment and when the movement turned to a rapid pace I began rapidly showing photos of the environmentalist movement. I really enjoyed the project in all aspects. I was able to examine four significant novels while also using my own personality to create a film that depicted one of the most important decades, both for literature and our society as a whole, in America’s history.
Literature of the 1960’s

This video brings together four groundbreaking novels of the sixties and offers social commentary relating to each book through the use of still images.



< br>

Acid Test Cover
http://www.tomwolfe.com/KoolAid.html
Man in Nam
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/in_pictures_the...
Hanging out
http://showcase.netins.net/web/rradars/gang.jpg
Heli Hovering
http://showcase.netins.net/web/rradars/vietnam.html
Women Working on Computer
http://www.kpcnews.net/special-sections/reflections1/reflections24a.gif
Two Women on Computer
http://www.picsearch.com/info.cgi?q=women%20in%20the%20workforce&id=_ISS...
Four Women Working
http://www.bentley.edu/wli/images/WOMEN%2520CONFERENCE%2520II.JPG

Peace Symbol
www.blogforpeace.org/2006/04/03/
Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
Furthur
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Furthur_02.jpg
Inside Furthur
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/76/Furthur_Inside.jpeg
People on bus
http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/hippies.jpg
Acid Test Poster
http://www.key-z.com/Acid-test-signboard-big-web.jpg
Hippies Dancing
http://library.thinkquest.org/C007481/hippies.gif
Haight and Ashbury
http://www.bbcamerica.com/media/216/gene_anthony--_hippies_on_the_corner...
Hippies on a field
http://www.bbcamerica.com/media/216/gene_anthony--_hippies_on_the_corner...
Allman Brothers
http://bp3.blogger.com/_M2cobFMPcGo/RwkbvUGLnRI/AAAAAAAAHV8/iz8Ymr9zhxA/...
Grateful Dead
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v410/Tolbi/grateful_dead.jpg
Stoner
http://www.letlifein.com/letlife/DesktopModules/Articles/MakeThumbnail.a...
On the Bus
http://www.clothmonkey.com/images/further240.jpg
Three sitting
http://www.inge.net/galleries/haight/pix/H25_show.jpg
Acid test Diploma
http://www.pranksterweb.org/graddiplo.jpg
Are you on Drugs?
http://bp3.blogger.com/_M2cobFMPcGo/RwkbvUGLnRI/AAAAAAAAHV8/iz8Ymr9zhxA/...
Hippies Hugging
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w195/Dreadloxy/my%2520space%2520stuff...

Catch-22
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Catch22_cover.jpg
Pilots
http://kotv.com/special/Jim-Giles/photos/08.jpg
Copters Flying in
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/in_pictures_the...
Vietnam War Plane Crash
http://www.patriotduty.com/images/stories/easygallery/resized/14/1178848...
Children Running
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/in_pictures_the...
Gun to Head
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/in_pictures_the...
War is hell
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/in_pictures_the...
Peace Signs
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/in_pictures_the...
End the War Now
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Nov05/Vietnam_protest.jpg
Woman Protesting
http://www.joseflebovicgallery.com/Catalogue/Archive/Cat-110-2004/Large/...
Walk With Us
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/haventohome/timeline/images/_cards/1970_075_...
Dead
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/special/exhibits/redstick/protest.jpg
Anti Vietnam
http://www.teara.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/69D2AEF4-9B4E-4BC9-A227-B278C0CFCC...
Two Helicopters
http://www.facts.com/art/facts-vietnam.jpg
Flower in Barrel
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/haventohome/timeline/images/_cards/1970_075_...
Remembering Vietnam
http://www.glynn.k12.ga.us/BHS/academics/junior/yonkers/barienp11672/MEM...
Feminine Mystique
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mystique.jpg
Man Holding Chin
http://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0408/be8d8c28f7c06968e0fb.jpeg
Three men talking
http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/Bulletins/227/gifs/three_directors.jp...
Man with Shovel
http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=509295664&size=l
Good Wife's guide
http://www.healthy-bride.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/1955pg1.jpg
Women With Children
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~legends/DIEPOLDER-Ada-Kate-Carter-women-m...
Housework
http://www.paulvaneijden.nl/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/housework.jp...
Women Working
http://www.cwluherstory.com/CWLUGallery/images/working.gif
Woman with hands on chin
http://www.insuranceclaimsconsult.com/work%2520comp%2520woman%255B1%255D...
Women At the Board
http://www.pmi.org/Resources/PublishingImages/Standards/WorkingSessions....
We Can Do it
http://www.umkc.edu/lib/spec-col/ww2/WarNews/images/rosie.jpg
Scientist
http://www.stephens.edu/admission/images/Fea.JPG
All Americans
http://www.nscaa.com/site_img/jcd3women.gif
Silent Spring
DDT is good for me+ vehicle spraying DDT
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~allch001/1815/pestcide/sim/ddt-long-isl-1945.jpg
Workers spraying DDT
http://www.whale.to/vaccines/images/DDT-spraying-workers515x336.gif
DDT
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/11/magazine/11DDT.html
Earth with hands under
http://media.independent.com/img/photos/2007/06/21/earth.jpg
Earth Day
http://www.downtoearth.org/articles/inside/eday.jpg
Planting flowers
http://www.pollutionissues.com/images/paz_01_img0119.jpg
Little things
http://lh3.google.com/_gG00ucwtXQI/Rlcs17q3tVI/AAAAAAAABaI/r0fk41PIHMg/s800/Finland%2BDay%2BFourteen%2B(25%2BMay%2B2007)%2B032.JPG
Soil in hands
http://www.uoguelph.ca/research/news/articles/2006/December/environment_...
Planting
http://westseattleblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/planting.jpg
Recycling symbol
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Recycling_symbo...
Tree Planting 2005
http://dendrobium.bhpbilliton.com/images/TreePlantingDay2005.jpg
Masked Man
http://www.library.pitt.edu/libraries/archives/eafmask.jpg
Second Masked man+ smokestack+ hate smog
https://www.aqmd.gov/news1/images/protest.gif
Students Cleaning up
https://www.aqmd.gov/news1/images/protest.gif
Ban Chemicals
http://cimperman.com/BanChemicalWeapons.jpg
Smoke Two Joints by Sublime
Sugar Magnolia by Grateful Dead
Speak to Me, Breathe by Pink Floyd
It's a Man's World by James Brown
American Girl by Tom Petty
Aerodynamic by Daft Punk

The following play list examines Pablo Escobar’s meteoric rise from the poverty of Medellin to his reign as the leader of the largest drug cartel in the world. Escobar provided hope for those around him and a target for those abroad. A well noted philanthropist yet brutal drug lord, Escobar sought to change the world by any means necessary. While he was eventually gunned down by a special police unit in 1993, his life continues to reflect, for better or worse, what we call the “American Dream”.

The Message- Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

The Message tells the story of Grandmaster Flash’s life growing up in an American ghetto. Pablo Escobar, like Grandmaster Flash, grew up in a poverty stricken area and sought refuge within the neighborhood gangs. A petty thief in his younger years, by the time of his adolescence Escobar had already begun stealing tombstones from graveyards and selling them to Panamanian smugglers. While most see such an act as immoral and despicable, The Message helps provide a glimpse into the conditions which lead to people, such as Escobar, going to such great lengths to improve their lives. The lyrics and beat provide a somber feeling yet still seem to provide a sense of pride and hope in the "thugs, pimps, [and] pushers" that feed off of the ghetto.

You grow in the ghetto, living second rate

And your eyes will sing a song of deep hate

The places you play and where you stay

Looks like one great big alley way

You’ll admire all the number book takers

Thugs, pimps, pushers and the big money makers

Casey Jones- Grateful Dead

With the discovery of cocaine and the drug trafficking business in his early twenties, Escobar encountered the most important decision of his life. Although Escobar had managed a meager existence through petty crimes, he soon gravitated towards the successful drug lords he saw around him. As with the fictional character Casey Jones, Escobar began to let the drug take over his life. Even though he knew it may lead him to “trouble ahead”, he decided to take that risk as he assessed the similar “trouble behind”. Also, as with lyrics and mood of the song, Escobar jumped right in with little hesitation and great anticipation of the ride ahead.

Driving that train, high on cocaine

Casey Jones you'd better watch your speed

Trouble ahead, trouble behind

And you know that notion just crossed my mind

Grindin’- The Clipse


As with most small time drug dealers, Escobar began moving weight as a way to support himself and later his family. The lyric below discusses about a young drug dealer’s entry into the cocaine business. Much like the character in the song, Escobar was enticed by dreams of “hideaway(s) by the lake” and the other perks of the wealthy citizens of Colombia. The song's beat and meter produce a sense of "grindin" through the constant yet rhythmic pounding similar to that of a street hustler banging on the streets. Also, the song mentions taking out “whoever gets in the way”, something for which Escobar would become extremely infamous.

My grind's 'bout family, never been about fame

From days I wasn't "Abel/able", there was always "Cain/caine"

Four and a half will get you in the game

Anything less is just a goddamn shame

Guess the weight, my watch got blue chips in the face

with two tips whoever gets in the way

Not to mention the hideaway that rests by the lake

Consider my water meaning the icing on the cake

Pusherman- Curtis Mayfield


Escobar continued to push his way to the top. With increased power and respect, he began to view his business as a “solid life of crime” that dealt with “ghetto demands”. Fueled by fear and “[insecurity] from the past”, Escobar expanded his empire to an unbelievable size. Like Mayfield, Escobar used his charisma and drive to work his way up. The song provides a laid back sound, one that serves perfectly to correspond to Escobar's comfort at being on top and underlying hubris. As with any high, however, the question of “how long can a good thing last?” was always lurking.

solid life, of crime

a man of odd circumstance

a victim of ghetto demands

feed me money for [style]

and i'll let you trip for a while

insecure from the past

how long can a good thing last?

Black Republicans- Nas ft. Jay Z


As Escobar’s power and wealth grew, he began to use his influence in other arenas. Unable to “turn [his] back on the hood” or “clean up (his) act for good”, Escobar began pumping large amounts of his dirty money into the local communities. Though many knew of his illegal dealings, few objected to his philanthropic efforts, including the erection of numerous schools, hospitals, and soccer stadiums. Also, in an attempt to gain further power in Colombia, Escobar ran a political campaign and was elected to the national senate. As with this song, a person who many see as unwholesome envisions the change he would make if placed in a position of political power. The song is very dark and has a grim sound. It offers a sense of the brooding nature of those who rise from nothing to positions of power.

I feel like a black militant takin' over the government

Can't turn my back on the hood, too much love for them

Can't clean my act up for good, too much thug in 'em

Probably end up back in the hood, I'm like f**k it then

Pool Shark- Sublime


As Escobar’s power continued to increase, the wealth and drug trade became an addiction for him. Similar to a heroin addict who’s “got the needle”, Escobar began to let things spiral out of control. Even as one of Forbes ten richest men in the world, Escobar refused to let up his ruthless tactics for economic gain. Though this attitude is what led to him to prominence, it also would lead to him “[losing] the war”. While not as dark as many of the other songs, the lyrics and mood seem to blend together to display the frantic nature of an addict looking for one more high, even if that high may be his last.


Now I've got the needle,

And I can shake,

but I can't breath.

Take it away, I want more and more.

One day I'm gonna lose the war.

Hate Me Now


After years of ruthless tactics, even the citizens of Medellin wanted nothing to do with Pablo Escobar. Following a serious of bombings that were clearly orchestrated by Escobar, a search bloc was formed to find and arrest Escobar. Though the search bloc used advanced technology and had numerous leads, they were never quite able to catch up with Escobar. As with this song's lyrics, Escobar seems to know "there's no turning back now" yet seems to thrive off the sense of imminent danger. The beat is very powerful and seems to engulf the listener, only further adding to this sense of the chase. It provides a romanticized view of the criminal lifestyle and demonstrates the iconic status criminals such as Escobar often achieve.


It's been a long time, been a long time comin

Looks like the death of me now

But you know, there's no turning back now

This is what makes me - this is what I am

Somebody’s Gotta Die- Notorious B.I.G.


When the pressure from the government and the threat of extradition became too intense, Escobar surrendered to authorities. Escobar did so, however, under the condition that he could remain in a prison he built himself, cleverly named La Catedral. After numerous murders were reported on the property, the Search Bloc moved in. It was clear that, as with "Somebody’s Gotta Die", there was no peaceful way to resolve the situation. The song does not provide a sense of fear but more that of readiness for a conclusion. The darkness and bluntness of the song reflect the real life scenario that was about to play out for Escobar. Escobar “let the gunshots blow” when he was confronted by authorities and died from a shot to the head, ending a life punctuated by remarkable highs and lows.


Somebody's gotta die

If I got, you gotta go

Somebody's gotta die

Let the gunshots blow

Somebody's gotta die

Nobody gotta know

Here is the movie that I made of Iron and Wine's version of "Such Great Heights." I could not manage to get the Windows MovieMaker program to work properly; every time that I made an edit in the movie, I had to start the video over again at the beginning or else the soundtrack would be hopelessly un-synced from the images on the screen. This meant that for every little cut that I made I had to play the movie over from the beginning in order to see if I had even edited correctly, and if I was a second or two off in my editing I had to readjust and then click the button that starts the video over from the beginning before I could re-observe and (hopefully) move on to the next edit. After many, many hours of working on this and getting my very tech-savvy friends to help me (to no avail) I just ended up doing the best I could with how the program was working and calling it a day.

Overall I really enjoyed this project. I did a lot of my own images in Photoshop since the photos that I found online weren't exactly how I saw the video in my head. This song has a very surreal feel to it, and that's what I tried to achieve in many of the images that I included in the video.

Sources of the pictures that I used are as follows:
Eyes: http://www.peterjacksonphoto.com/eyeballphotos/
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Eye_iris.jpg
http://www.brucemalone.com/stock/stock_pics/brown-eye.jpg
http://www.inkycircus.com/jargon/images/2007/04/25/eye.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/samirkharusi/eye.jpg
http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/21/35/23273521.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Blue_eye.jpg/80...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Menschliches_Au...
http://www.benhammersley.com/images/eyes.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/148/432301063_af6b827524.jpg
puzzle piece: http://speechtherapy4kids.com/images/puzzle_piece-index.jpg
http://imagebase.davidniblack.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_... open hand
http://www.stanford.edu/~abramzon/Anya's%20art/ man and woman drawing
http://www.cet.edu/images/services/CTR/CTRservicesMain.jpg
http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/52/60/22976052.jpg touching face
http://www.palletmastersworkshop.com/images/missingyou.jpg rocking chair
http://www.turnswitch.com/images/IMS_1005.jpg radio dial
http://image64.webshots.com/164/5/77/82/478657782ZhrCyh_fs.jpg hot air balloon
http://www.robertcampbellphotography.com/Images/Clouds/Clouds4.jpg clouds
http://www.headington.org.uk/oxon/broad/pics/east/indian_institute/stair... staircase
http://www.reefed.edu.au/__data/assets/image/0011/17021/clouds.jpg clouds2
http://static1.bareka.com/photos/medium/168032/buci-seine-looking.jpg distorted buildings
http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00039/ed_imgsnf0806fx1_540_39... cassette
http://www.telephonesuk.co.uk/images/kingfisher.jpg answering machine
http://lloydi.com/travel-writing/turkey/ballooning/images/rising-up-high... shrillest high
http://www.smartstart-toys.co.uk/images/Compass.JPG compass
http://www.mysciencebox.org/files/images/Soil%20profile%20Talbott.jpg dirt
http://justinsomnia.org/images/looking-straight-up-the-eiffel-tower-just... looking down at camera
http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/PTGPOD/813366~Flying-Man-wi... flying man
http://www.danheller.com/images/Europe/CzechRepublic/Prague/People/crowd... people looking up
http://www.chromasia.com/images/grounded_b.jpg beach