My overall impression of the Civil War exhibit was overwhelmed. Photography played a major role in this war and captured heartbreaking moments. I found the photos of this exhibit to be depressing yet useful. The realities of the war itself were depressing. There were 3D images of soldiers laying dead, as well as photos of battered slaves, and people of color who have suffered a great deal. The usage of photos in mini photo albums and lockets were useful within American culture as means of keeping families comforted and hopeful. The amount of photos and information of all aspects of this time in American history was what was most overwhelming about the exhibit. Though it was overwhelming I still was able to learn a lot of information I had not known prior to this museum trip.
This exhibition told the story of not only the soldiers during the war but also the hardships of people of color, and the greater awareness of the events happening from day to day during the war.
One of the three artifacts I found interesting were the portrait lockets that were set in brass and gold plated cases. During and after the war women would pin portraits of their family member who were involved in the war to lapels where the lockets hung on metal chains and or velvet ribbon.It was as if they were a fashion statement and a symbol of comfort and hope.
I found this second artifact disturbing and interesting at the same time. It was the photo of Gordon, a run away slave, taken in April of 1863. The photo is of the sever whipping scars on Gordon's back. Gordon was a slave who escaped bondage. This photo was widely duplicated and sold in print and secured its place as an monumental photo of dissemination of the ideologically abolitionist photos. This is one of the most famous photos of slaves in the Civil War era.
The third artifact I found interesting was the photo of rebel prisoners. A team of field operatives came across a trio of Confederate prisoners on seminary ridge two weeks after the battle of Gettysburg. This photo was a rare glimpse of captured Confederates, possibly spies, on their way to Union prison. I found it interesting that there were prisons for these spies instead of them simply being killed.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Extra Credit - Revision & Comments
Jairo Diaz - ENN 101
Jairo Diaz,
What exactly are Twitter "handles"?
It seems you have found a lot of new, valuable information on the borough you come from, from following @lobojost's Twitter. I would like to know more about the housing, education, economic justice and anti-systemic-racism organizing. Perhaps you can mention how @lobojost approaches these issues and whether or not he is simply shedding light on these issues or if he is taking action and bringing reform to the borough of the Bronx.
I am in agreement with you that although Twitter does expose people to issues they may not have been aware of, it is not a useful tool in having elaborate conversations on the issues being brought to attention. Again, it would be useful to know what these Twitter "handles" are and how they work to better understand how you are receiving and finding all of this information, aside from following @lobojost's Twitter.
Lastly, who is @lobojost?
Jairo Diaz,
What exactly are Twitter "handles"?
It seems you have found a lot of new, valuable information on the borough you come from, from following @lobojost's Twitter. I would like to know more about the housing, education, economic justice and anti-systemic-racism organizing. Perhaps you can mention how @lobojost approaches these issues and whether or not he is simply shedding light on these issues or if he is taking action and bringing reform to the borough of the Bronx.
I am in agreement with you that although Twitter does expose people to issues they may not have been aware of, it is not a useful tool in having elaborate conversations on the issues being brought to attention. Again, it would be useful to know what these Twitter "handles" are and how they work to better understand how you are receiving and finding all of this information, aside from following @lobojost's Twitter.
Lastly, who is @lobojost?
Blog #4 - Revision & Comments
Clara Leanor - ENN 101 blog post
Clara Leanor,
You are making two points: one is why Twitter is useful in general, the other is why Twitter will be useful during this semester of your course with Professor Cooper. Perhaps the title of this blog could have been "How Twitter is Useful in ENN 101 and in the World" to give clarity to those reading this blog assignment.
What exactly is "weird etiquette"?
I would also like to know what topics you are researching in your class so I can have more of a grasp on who Gregory Lobo Jost is. Or a brief description of Gregory Lobo Jost would be just s helpful.
Overall I do understand your worries of Twitter promoting oppression within society and I agree that Twitter is and has become a useful tool in spreading news to large groups of people. The last sentence is a bit unclear but it is also understood that Twitter will be a useful tool in your ENN 101 course.
Clara Leanor,
You are making two points: one is why Twitter is useful in general, the other is why Twitter will be useful during this semester of your course with Professor Cooper. Perhaps the title of this blog could have been "How Twitter is Useful in ENN 101 and in the World" to give clarity to those reading this blog assignment.
What exactly is "weird etiquette"?
I would also like to know what topics you are researching in your class so I can have more of a grasp on who Gregory Lobo Jost is. Or a brief description of Gregory Lobo Jost would be just s helpful.
Overall I do understand your worries of Twitter promoting oppression within society and I agree that Twitter is and has become a useful tool in spreading news to large groups of people. The last sentence is a bit unclear but it is also understood that Twitter will be a useful tool in your ENN 101 course.
Blog #3
"The Lynching of Jube Benson" by Paul Laurence Dunbar is the story of a man named Jube Benson who is lynched after being accused of a crime he did not commit. Jube Benson was accused of raping seventeen year old Annie, the daughter of the man he worked for. When Annie was found, battered and helpless, she was asked who had beat and raped her. Her last words before her dying breath were "That Black---". Under the assumption that Jube fled from the scene, the crowd of worried neighbors automatically pinned him to this crime. In actuality Jube had simply gone out to see his lady Lucy. The infuriated crowd went off in search of Jube and found him while as he was making his way back to his boss's house. The group lynched Jube even after he pleaded his innocence with them. Right as Jube died, hanging, the man who commited the crime was found hiding in the barn. He was a white man named - "the worst white ruffian in the town". He was described by Annie as "The Black---" because he had blackened his face with dirt to imitate the complexion of a "Negro". Jube was lynched simply because of the color of his skin and Annie's vague description of her abusers complexion. Jube though innocent lost his life due to racism and false accusation.
"The Lynching of Jube Benson" by Paul Laurence Dunbar is comparable to his novel "Sport of the Gods". In "Sport of the Gods" Berry Hamilton, an emancipated black man is wrongly accused of stealing a large money from the Oakley residence in which he works as a butler. The money is actually misplaced by Francis Oakley, who was careless with the money and the key to the safe in which the large sum was in. Berry Hamilton was found guilty of theft and is sentenced to ten years of hard labor. Berry, similar to Jube, is falsely accused due to racism. He has ten years of his life taken from him for a crime he did not commit.
There are many differences in these stories simply because of the length of each story. "The lynching of Jube Benson" is intense because of the crime and murder that occurs in such a short story. "Sport of the Gods" is a longer in length being that it is a novel, but it is still an intense story based on the hardships and realities faced when dealing with race related crimes such as the imprisonment of Berry Hamilton, who is not guilty of theft.
I would have guessed that these stories were written by the same author because of their similarity in themes. The main themes are racism, false accusations, and crime.
"The Lynching of Jube Benson" by Paul Laurence Dunbar is comparable to his novel "Sport of the Gods". In "Sport of the Gods" Berry Hamilton, an emancipated black man is wrongly accused of stealing a large money from the Oakley residence in which he works as a butler. The money is actually misplaced by Francis Oakley, who was careless with the money and the key to the safe in which the large sum was in. Berry Hamilton was found guilty of theft and is sentenced to ten years of hard labor. Berry, similar to Jube, is falsely accused due to racism. He has ten years of his life taken from him for a crime he did not commit.
There are many differences in these stories simply because of the length of each story. "The lynching of Jube Benson" is intense because of the crime and murder that occurs in such a short story. "Sport of the Gods" is a longer in length being that it is a novel, but it is still an intense story based on the hardships and realities faced when dealing with race related crimes such as the imprisonment of Berry Hamilton, who is not guilty of theft.
I would have guessed that these stories were written by the same author because of their similarity in themes. The main themes are racism, false accusations, and crime.
Extra Credit Blog
Those students who were not able to attend the "You Can Do Anything With an English Major" even, missed out on a great panel of speakers who have obtained successful careers with their degrees in English literature studies.I was surprised to see the diversity in careers.
One woman's career was to read over essays students have entered for scholarships. She would then decide who deserves a scholarship and how much money is granted to each student receiving a scholarship. One of the men among the speakers seemed quite young in age, perhaps in his mid twenties. I was shocked to know he was a professor here at LaGuardia Community College. He attended community college and went on to study at Duke, where he finished his English Degree. His success came quickly due to his hard work and focus. His speech was motivational and encouraged me to keep pushing forward and also urged me to become more involved in school events. The speaker that intrigued me most was the young man who spoke about his career as a lawyer. It was interesting to know that he had started out as an English major and with his degree he went on to study law, something he seemed extremely passionate about. What was most intriguing was when he mentioned his favorite book "Lolita" and how he found music in the literature of the novel. I, myself, find books more enjoyable when the author plays with words and uses prose to create a subtle musical feel to their writing. This young lawyer also shared that he is a musician. For some reason I viewed lawyers as very structural and ordinary, however my view changed once I saw that this man shared a passion for English and was able to achieve all he has achieved with the start of being an English major.
I'm glad I attended this event. I was hoping to have won the raffle of a Barnes & Noble gift card!
One woman's career was to read over essays students have entered for scholarships. She would then decide who deserves a scholarship and how much money is granted to each student receiving a scholarship. One of the men among the speakers seemed quite young in age, perhaps in his mid twenties. I was shocked to know he was a professor here at LaGuardia Community College. He attended community college and went on to study at Duke, where he finished his English Degree. His success came quickly due to his hard work and focus. His speech was motivational and encouraged me to keep pushing forward and also urged me to become more involved in school events. The speaker that intrigued me most was the young man who spoke about his career as a lawyer. It was interesting to know that he had started out as an English major and with his degree he went on to study law, something he seemed extremely passionate about. What was most intriguing was when he mentioned his favorite book "Lolita" and how he found music in the literature of the novel. I, myself, find books more enjoyable when the author plays with words and uses prose to create a subtle musical feel to their writing. This young lawyer also shared that he is a musician. For some reason I viewed lawyers as very structural and ordinary, however my view changed once I saw that this man shared a passion for English and was able to achieve all he has achieved with the start of being an English major.
I'm glad I attended this event. I was hoping to have won the raffle of a Barnes & Noble gift card!
Friday, March 15, 2013
Blog #2
The removal of slavery legally freed people of color however it failed to morally free the white man.
Tannenbaum raises a valid point in a few short words. I find this to be so significant because it explains the morals of white people in the South throughout history as people of color came closer and closer to freedom. It explains the hate crimes, Jim Crow laws and segregation that went on for decades after slaves had been legally freed.
Because slavery had been practiced for so many years in the South and because the beliefs of why people of color were less than human were scientifically and religiously proven, white people were accustom to treating people of color as if they were animals. The freeing of slaves was not enough to convince those who have practiced the abusive ways of slavery, that people of color were equal.
This point Tannenbaum made speaks for the events that have shaped society throughout American history.
Another interesting point I had found was that slavery in Brazil granted slaves more human rights where as Anglo-English slavery gave absolutely no rights to slaves. A slave in Brazil was able to buy their freedom and once they were freed they were able to function as normal civilians in society. Slaves under Anglo-English slavery were hardly ever granted freedom and most of the time escaping was the only way out. Also, even after emancipation, people of color were still denied equality. They were still enslaved to the white men because white men were still morally enslaved as mentioned earlier.
Another interesting point I had found was that slavery in Brazil granted slaves more human rights where as Anglo-English slavery gave absolutely no rights to slaves. A slave in Brazil was able to buy their freedom and once they were freed they were able to function as normal civilians in society. Slaves under Anglo-English slavery were hardly ever granted freedom and most of the time escaping was the only way out. Also, even after emancipation, people of color were still denied equality. They were still enslaved to the white men because white men were still morally enslaved as mentioned earlier.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Blog Assignment #8: Final Workshop Reflection
As this course is coming to an end I am realizing how much I
have grown as a creative writer. This class has came with more than a few
challenges with each assignment. By overcoming each challenge and using every
writing technique required for each piece I received grades no less
then an A-. Though there were many challenges the feeling
of accomplishment after receiving each paper was great. I
feel I can fully take on whatever writing challenge comes my way with hard
work. In a way I am thankful for the challenges of this course. They have made
me more conscious of my writing and of how the reader
will perceive my writing. I have also learned new techniques of
writing papers just a few pages in length. I've learned how to incorporate
dialogue, strong details with a bit of emotional distance and how to create a
sense of place into my writing. These are key components to great writing that
I will take with me on my journey in the creative writing field.
The reading I enjoyed most was Frank McCourt’s excerpt from
Angela’s Ashes. I find this piece so amazing because it is from the author’s point
of view as a young child yet his memory and sense of character and place was so
ripe. This piece taught me how important setting is in a memoir. This piece also
showed me how I don’t have to write a memoir from a ‘looking back on life’
perspective.
“You never forget your first hallucination. Those that
indulge in a little acid here and there know this is true and possibly those
who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Nevertheless, hallucinations are no
joke. Your mind takes you into a different world where everything is so tactile
and intense. Inanimate objects take strange form, familiar people become
unfamiliar in every sense except appearance, and noises of all kinds cloud your
ears. Strangely enough every hallucination I have experienced was tactile to
its fullest capacity, which means all five of my senses were being manipulated
by my mind.
To avoid any confusion I’ll clear up a few things. First
off, I swear, I’m not crazy. Second off, I’ve hallucinated hundreds of times
and sometimes I get a kick out of it. And lastly, I am not a fan of acid or
LSD. Moving on.”
This is my favorite piece I've written throughout this course. This is an excerpt from my experimental piece titled "I Swear, I'm not Crazy". I had the most fun with this piece because I had more freedom than the rest and I was able to show a more loosened and fun side of me. My other pieces seemed to have a more serious tone and the 'description of a place' piece was a made up romance. In this piece I share a sleep disorder that I struggle with and make is a somewhat fun topic and intriguing topic. I found it enjoyable to kind of trick the reader into thinking I do some weird heavy drug pretty often.
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