Art Activity: "It's Beauty, It's Pain, It's America"

As we walked through the exibit last Thursday afternoon, I hoped I could find something that, in my eyes, truly defined America...and I found it. A work of art by Joseph Piccillo, created in 1982, was made on lithograph of a horse. But this was no ordinary horse--this horse was in pain, just as America is continuously. Whether it be the Civil War, World War I or II, the Veitnam War, or even the War in Iraq, America is constanly being beat down more and more. The expression on the horse's face depicts this sort of ongoing suffering, and the bent legs signify the fact that the horse is still running...never giving up. America is this way as well...no matter what happens, we keep on pushing through; we fight until the end.

Not only did the horse look sad, but it had an unusual amount of veins reaching to the surface of its belly. This could mean that it was pushing itself so hard it's veins came up just as a bodybuiler's does when he pushes himself to complete physical exertion. America, once again, does the same.

The tail of this horse, in addition, shows no movement--it's straight as a board. That is unusual for a horse, in fact, a horse's tail would never be that straight. I believe this demonstrates how stiff America has become with a variety of situations. We prove ourselves to be uptight at times, too focused to have fun and let loose, and even unwelcoming to others. All of these, and many more, could help describe this odd addition.

The black background of this piece I believe to have a few things it signifies. For one, the darkness (or sadness) that surrounds those who push themselves too hard. If not this, then possibly just the fact that we Americans have a hard time focusing on one thing at a time. By adding a black background, it forces us as observers to analyse just the horse, and leave the other factors (as in, why the horse is so exhausted and beat down) to our own imagination. However, if I could ask the artist one question about this piece of art, that would be it.


As powerful as this piece may be, it seems to leave a very large gap in it's depiction of America--the worldwide pandemic known as laziness. Millions of Americans have been perscribed with this awful disease in the last twenty or so years. That being said, it makes sense that he would leave that out because it was made over 20 years ago. If this piece were made more recently, I'm not quite sure it would be the same, because it has become more and more common for people to let themselves and everything around them go just out of pure laziness.

This piece brings numerous other pieces of literature to mind. For one, the presentation that Elise gave about Seabiscuit. She defined America through the spirit of Seabiscuit (or the lack there of). She showed just how beaten down the horse was, but with the right training, it could be great. I too beleive that this picture is trying to show that. Us as Americans are tired, worn out, and in dire need of a break at times. Also, this picture brings to mind Thomas Paine's essay "Common Sense". In that he describes his frustrations with Britain. I believe that if the horse in that picture could speak, it would say something along those lines, except about America.

Conclusively, this piece has undoubtedly had a great affect on the way I view America, and I know that many others can see what I see in this piece of art. It's beauty, it's pain, it's America.

Our Awesome Fieldtrip!

When Mr. Kunkle announced to the class that we were going to go on a fieldtrip, I have to admit I was pretty confused. A field trip?! For AP Comp? What could we possibly go do that would be relevant to that (and anyways, we're seniors in high school, we don't go on field trips anymore!) However, was pleasantly suprized to hear we were going to be sitting in on a class at UW-Madison, a school that I am considering attending for my undergraduate education. :) Not only that, but we were going to an art museam dedicated to defining america through pictures, paintings, and sculptures. It was a perfect idea! It turned out to be one of the most stimulating field trips I've ever been on. The class was very interesting, even though we hadn't read the book yet. Also, it calmed my nerves about college english courses, seeing as this one was very laid back. Once we got to the art museum I found the art to be beautiful and insightful. My favorite one was the horse that appreared to be in pain (but more on that later next week!) Overal, I really enjoyed it and I'm so glad I chose to go! Yay Mr. Kunkle! :)

I Hear The Struggling Singing

I hear the struggling singing, the ever-changing songs I hear;

The mother singing, trying to put her starving baby to sleep
The father singing, working hard for that house he just wants to keep
The daughter singing, down by her bed just about to pray
The son singing, hoping to be the man of the house one day

A doctor singing, as he tried to find a cure
A scientist singing, wishing he could be sure
A patient singing, trying to stay alive
A family singing, not wanting to take that dive

An abused girl singing, fighting away the pain
An evil man singing, only thinking of his own gain
An intrusive attourney singing, trying to get the lie
An understanding judge singing, seeing why the girl is shy

One soldier singing, scared of the enemy at night
One president singing, trying to keep up that fight
One family singing, missing their only son
One post man singing, knowing the love he shares is a ton

With emotion and tears, the Struggling sing

Thoreau is a God

Let me just throw this out there...Thoreau is a God. Civil Disobedience is honestly the most gutsy, intriguing, and straight to the point essays I've ever had the pleasure of reading. The way he goes against his state and basically tells people that if they don't like a law, they shouldn't abide by it is just AWESOME. He brings up a multitude of powerful points, such as: reform won't ever be effective, one needs to be an individual first and a citizen second, voting and petitioning with not change much, wash your hands clean of the government, the people who play along with the government are the ones making the big bucks, and finally that slavery was a moral event that should be eliminated. All of these statements are ones that I find origional and painfully true. If we're going to be honest, then let's be honest. Our government can be corrupt at times, in fact, most of the time it's just one big money scheme. Unfortunately, though, that's probably never going to change. The majority takes precident over the minority of people in general. That being said, the power is in the majority, and the majority is in the government because anybody who's affiliated with the government is making the money. Follow me? Basically what Thoreau is saying is forget it. Forget the corrupt government and give up trying to work for them--do what you want to do and be happy with doing just that.

Whether or not this would ever actually work is beyond me. If everybody just did what they wanted...well...that would be a complete disaster, but Thoreau is clearly God, so he's going to do what he wants no matter what.

Our Upcoming Research Project

As many of you are well aware, we have a pretty substantial project deadline heading our way--the research project. With rolling eyes, painful groans, and a stressed out teacher, this bomb was dropped last week;however, I have taken a new outlook on this supposed horrifying essay. As I begin to write my outline and rough draft, I have become more and more excited to put together this essay for a few reasons. First off, it's a great way to tie together all of the essays we've been reading thus far in second quarter. At times it seemed as though we were reading the same essays over and over because they all had that central connection to America. After starting this essay, though, it's clear that they all have a devine uniqueness to them. Also, I think this will give each and every one of us a real sense of accomplishment. At the completion of our essays, we will each have come up with an idea that nobody else in this world has ever thought of and researched. How phenomenal is that?! Overall, I'm getting more and more excited for this! It may also be because I love writing, not reading, and we haven't had many writing assignments this quarter (tear :( )

"Self Reliance"

In the words of Ralf Waldo Emerson, "If we cannot at once rise to the sanctities of obedience and faith, let us at least resist our temptations." What a memorable quote from one of the most intriguing essays I have read in this class so far. I completely agree--man should never hold himself to that of a god. One can never be as great as god, nor as noble; however, he can at least resist temptations. The evils that tempt a person daily and how one responds to those temptations are, in my belief, a direct indicator of that person's character. I believe Emerson to be saying the same. In self-reliance, Emerson shapes his essay around that idea that individuals are above all--societies, nations, religions, etc... A person must value himself over all others, and that we are all "devinely unique". Applying this theme to the quote I selected, I believe that this is an excellent example of his thesis. A person must respect themselves and not let others defeat them, especially by means of temptation. If a person can value themselves, understand that they are unique and strong, they can resist. Emerson does not want people to hold themselves to the level of god, and he does not ask that we are hard on ourselves if we fail to act in a godly way. This is exaclty why I really enjoyed this essay--it gives a person realistic means of setting goals.

The Great Gatsby Closing Statement :)

I must say...this book has really done a complete 180 since the first chapter! I found it to pick up pase tremendously, and not only that, but the content got far more deep. Without further analysis, many might disagree with that statement--the majority of the book is about big parties, ditsy rich women, and mocho-racist men. However, this book has proven to be so much more than that. At the surface, it is just that-- but I believe that's the point! this book demonstrates exactly how shallow many people could be in the 1920's. The dialogue has so much more meaning that what they are actually saying; the colors (although redundant) represent things such as hope, money, and greed; and the characters have changed a great deal since the first chapter. Although each person has their own personality (Nick-kind, Daisy-shallow, Tom-big-headed, and Gatsby-confident) they have changed. This book has grown on me like no other book I have ever read, and I cannot wait to read the last chapter tonight! :) After the climax (in my opinion) where Gatsby confronts Tom about Daisy and his love, the book has been jaw-dropping and basically...AWESOME! :) Loveeee it :)

Comment Please! Hehe

Chapter One: The Great Gatsby

I can honestly say that I had my doubts as I muddled my way through the first three pages of The Great Gatsby. All I could think was, "Whattttt is he talking about?! Crap this is going to be hard!" However, I managed to stay peristent and continue on with the book, slowly but surely. To my suprize, the book really quicken pace, and by page ten...I was loving it! The way that Fitsgerald brings across his voice is breathtaking. There were similies, metaphors, and phenomenal descriptions that were impeccably genius. My favorite quote was his description of something that none of us think twice about--air. He writes, "...so much fine health to be pulled out of the young breath-giving air." I also found the family dynamic of the family of Daisy, Tom, and their child to be simply odd. The father Tom, rich, pompus, and complely racist said this remark at dinner that I couldn't believe, "It's up to us...the dominatn race, to watch out or these other races will have control over things." How ridiculous is that? I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the whole idea of racism because it's just so ethically obsurd. I can understand it's the 1920's, and back then I'm sure a comment like that would seem like the norm, but I just had a hard time reading that part. The entire family is so caught up in their wealth that they really don't have any genuine qualities to themselves at all. It's like they're constantly putting on a show for others, never showing who the truly are as people. At the conclusion of this first chapter, when Nick returned home, I found his description of his neighbor (Mr. Gatsby) to be very thoughtful and different. Mr. Gatsby was looking up at the stars when Nick came rolling up to his home, and Fitsgerald said this on Gatsby, "...come out to determine what share was his of our local heavens." What an interesting way to describe someone's innocent stargazing. I absolutley LOVE it. :) I cannot wait to read more!

Common Sense--The First Decent Essay So Far!

Not to bash this quarter by any means...but I feel like I'm in history class! I love to read and write, but finding out that this quarter is based entirely off of America's history was a real downer for me. It's a very effective way to get the class to open their eyes to the misconceptions that our founding fathers have left for us about our world and what really happened back then...but the essays we were reading to back this up put me to sleep every time! However, when we read Common Sense, I couldn't put it down! I read it twice because for some odd reason I found what he had to say so inspiring, thoughful, and radical. He had me hooked from the first paragraph when he started comparing society and government, and how government is a "necessary evil". Talk about a paradox! Everything he was saying made so much sense to me, though! He spoke in a voice I could actually comprehend, he laid out his ideas in a clear, coherant manner, and really let his emotions and passion for the topic come out. The other very intruiguing part of this essay was that, back then, he had to write it anonymously so that he wouldn't get into loads of trouble with the government. Can you imagine a world like that today? No free speech...what a concept. Overall, I couldn't get enough of this essay. It was short, precise, thought provoking, and easy to comprehend. Kunkle, if you're reading, more of these would be AWESOME! :)

Obama's Speech

As AP Composition came back in full force, I found it extremely nice and relaxing to be able to spend 45 minutes last week watching Obama's State of the Union address. There's just something about the way he speaks and the way he presents himself that's breathtaking. I am fully aware that Obama probably doesn't write his own speeches (like he would have the time anyways), but the general ideas I know he did come up with. There were plenty of things that I loved about his speech, especially the points he made having to do with different policies. However, some of the things he put in his speech i didn't care for. He seemed to use far too much pathos throughout, to the point where it was just overkill. I also feel that his repetition was a bit annoying, but that may in part have to do with the fact that he was speaking to an audience, which constantly wouldn't let him finish because they were constantly applauding him. Overall, though, I really enjoyed being able to relax and analyse his speech that I found extremely moving.