The Great Gatsby Blog #2

The character of Jay Gatsby is developed to be different from what I thought he would be. He is associated with Meyer Wolfsheim. While Wolfsheim isn't a major charcter, he is the shady business partner of Gatsby, and his purpose is to reveal more about Gatsby. Wolfsheim puts him in a negative light.
The stories of Jay's and Daisy's past make our impression of him a little more clear in the negative part, as we see the whole purpose of all of his plans and parties revolving around her. While it seems sweet on the surface, we can almost see his true intentions underneath.
The inconsistent stories of Gatsby make us have a bad impression of him, as the story of his past seems to change. We look down upon him for this.
Over these three chapters, my overall impression of Gatsby has gone down. I like him less now because his past is now catching up with him and shoeing his true colors, like his intentions with Daisy and shady business ventures.

Jelly Roll Morton "Black Bottom Stomp"

-The song is kind of upbeat, so people would want to get up, have fun, and dance & enjoy themselves.
-The mood is light, skippy, and playful. It is like this with the horns and the soft, almost nonexistent beat.
-The activity that goes along with this song is dancing.

The Great Gatsby Blog #1

Based on the first three chapters of the book, I would classify different characters as different types of people. I would classify Nick as a hero, because he is nice to everyone and is polite. Whenever he is mistaken, he is also apologetic, as seen when he didn't know when he was talking to Gatsby himself; "'I'm Gatsby,' he said suddenly. 'What!' I exclaimed. 'Oh, I beg your pardon.'"( Fitzgerald, 48). Another person I would consider to be a hero would be Gatsby, as he is a nice, somewhat charitable person, as can be seen when he helps out a woman with her torn dress. "...Lucille said, 'When I was here last I tore my gown on a chair, and [Gatsby] asked me my name and my address-inside of a week I got a package from Crorier's with a new evening gown in it,'"(Fitzgerald, 43).
As for the villain, I would say Tom Buchanan and Jordan Baker would fit this role. I would tag Tom as a villain because he seems maniacally and violent, like when he hit Mrs. Wilson. "'Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!' shouted Mrs. Wilson. 'I'll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai-'. Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand."(Fitzgerald, 37). I would tag Jordan Baker as a villain because she seems like she has the ability to be really mean and crazy toward people, as manipulates things to get them her way. "[Jordan Baker] was incurably dishonest. She wasn't able to endure being at a disadvantage and, given this unwillingness, I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young in order to keep that cool, insolent smile turned to the world and yet satisfy the demands of her hard, jaunty body."(Fitzgerald, 58).
As the antihero, I would put Daisy into this role. she seems like she is nice, but her intentions may put her in the way of the hero's goal(s). Her ignorance, like when she knows about Tom's "other woman", will most likely lead her to bad ways without even knowing.

Bua

Bua had many style themes going throughout his paintings. One theme was the heavy dimensions-there extreme curves and distorted proportions. The paintings also looked like as though they were through a "fish eye lens". Dark colors are also used (reds, blues, browns, and blacks) in the paintings, giving them a kind of dark sense.

Compare/Contrast Paragraph

Kroll's and Mencken's articles both touch on the topic of the death penalty. Kroll's article is more filled with appeal, and Mencken's article is more filled with support for a main topic. However, the Kroll article is more persuasive because of its appeals and fallacies. Mencken's article, while full of logical support, has a confusing, somewhat "red herring" ending that makes me want to stop reading for lack of understanding. It doesn't have that emotion and sense that Kroll inserts into his article. So, the appeals in a persuasive piece matter more than the support for the article.

"Sixteen Military Wives" by the Decemberists

1. This song is about how America isn't fair. It kills troops and breaks down people, like the "celebrity minds". The anchormen talk about these things on the things like he doesn't care at all, like it an everyday thing.
2. The theme of the song is that America does what it wants to whenever it wants to. It doesn't realize the real heroes, like the soldiers. This is because we don't really care about the news, because we are not emotionally attached.

"Race for the Prize" by the Flaming Lips (1999)

The theme of this song is the pursuit of a good life (happiness) and its dangers. One example that can support this is in the first stanza where they sing "Locked in a heated battle for the cure that is their prize". It doesn't say what the cure is for, but I take it as a cure to making life good. The theme is also supported in the chorus, where they sing "Theirs is to win if it kills them; Their just humans with wives and children". This shows that they aren't machines; they have feelings, and the one they are going for is their "cure", although they ignore those.