@dondeescarmen-blog - Tumblr Blog

Posts

Sleep

It is well overdue

The slumber that I seek

With no tomorrow

I sleep

With no desires

I sleep

With no worries

I sleep

Yet our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows

But only empties today if its strengths

So I must recover, but the process is slow

I only hope you should learn, it was never your fault, as an innocent civilian

Modern Tragedy

The biggest “tragedy” about modern tragedy is the eradication of real tragedy by human interpretation. In the dramatic arts of tragedy, you follow the pathway of Prosperity -> Adversity, because it is the inevitable unavoidable downfall of one that demonstrates such a tragic fate. Uncontrolled mutability throughout the pathway incites tragedy in its simplest form. There are many modern “tragedies” that can and could of been prevented and foreseen. But when humans subconsciously apply tragedy to every day life as a reactive instinct, they lose sight of who and what can be held accountable. People see alternatives as intimidation and feel the need to compulsively choose between them, yet in real tragedies, seen alternatives only temporary camouflage the ending result. Often the alternatives have little to no effect on the end of it.

Against Interpretation

If you were to simplify the concept of interpretation (let’s say, the action of explaining the meaning of something), you’d have an excuse to make many nonsensical statements of fictitious bullshit. Like “opinions”, interpretations draw a delicate grey line on what is right and wrong VS what is bad and good. The problem with today is that interpretation isn't just for specifics, it's reactionary. It's applied to almost every thought provoking concept as a defense mechanism. Because in a politically correct society, if your wrong, you aren’t really wrong, you just interpret differently and the person saying your wrong is the wrong one. Except we forget they have interpretations too when using it as an excuse to shield our mistakes and shout “"tragedy!”. A black triangle is a black triangle, but than someone tells you it represents the illuminati and you are now apart of a cult. The power of interpretation lies in the interpreter who “"without erasing or rewriting the text, is altering it”. The key to fixing interpretation is to first understand the root of the art, the experience and what it is, not what it means or whatever theorycrafting you are prepared to do.

The Ballot or the Bullet & Beyond Vietnam

In the second phase of MLK and Malcom X, i think the biggest concept to acknowledge is the presence and recognition of the world powers that previous speeches seemed to lack. The Vietnam war (partnered with the ongoing Cold War) not only brought visual horrors but also sparked multiple outlets exhibiting the importance of civil and basic human rights across all platforms. Throughout the Ballot or the Bullet, Malcom X repeatedly pairs the Negro crisis with their "Asian brothers" and their "Latin-American brothers" (in what seems to be an attempt) to indicate the necessity to fight government abuse and violations (relatively the dixiecrats). In a less resentful value, MLK also acknowledges the existence of the American involvement in Vietnam and the land beyond it. In voicing his disapproval, he expresses that it is no longer solely a Black and White issue, but a far more transparent difficulty that demonstrates the maturity of America.

A Change is Gonna Come

I like to see the distinctive differences between Sam Cooke and Otis Redding not as polar opposites but instead a timeline of historical transition. Two powerful soul singers who died tragic early deaths but left behind musical legacies that drifted off into the future of soul and r&b music. I heard not just vocal and instrumental artistry (from the backing vocals to the violin) but also a story-line. While the lyrics are quite similar, the tune and mood is what helps move you between the two songs. Sam Cooke demonstrates despair yet passion in asserting the significance and necessity of civil rights and injustice through a strong dominant powerful tone. Redding continued with his own personification in the remake, which contained other instruments but also the unique warmth in his voice. The melody and tempo was not only deeper but also slower and its confidence shined through the joyful trumpet and piano blend.

@cynosure101 @professorclaman

Cortex Envy

Upon reading the essay again, i was hooked immediately for the same reasons. From the very beginning, Cortex Envy was and still is a concept that i feel. While i don’t think as strongly as Mark Alexander, it is something that has plagued my mind casually. I have always felt an un-explainable envy for world knowledge and intelligence. I have read about countless irrelevant topics to my life (from Russian Tzar’s to the stealing of Ivory Tusks from China) to further convince myself that each new access of knowledge makes me more intelligent than those around me. I got a 2070 on my SAT’s. I was accepted to majority of the SUNY’s, 2 elite privates, and my preferred choice of Albany College of Pharmacy. Yet beyond that was my doubt and confidence in my mental health, physical health and financial incapability. I went with my gut feeling that i would be unable to afford attendance. I was almost always on my own and it was very difficult to decide. Why did i not take out a large loan? Did i feel college was business scheme? It was very hard to swallow and sometimes made me question whether i was truly intelligent or not. I remember questioning the IQ scale on it’s lack of mention on Asians and its ability to dare classify and group African American’s and Native Americans as lesser intelligence (and lower physical attractiveness) without accounting for other factors (environment, ideals, viewpoint). More significantly, my faith in the IQ test and it’s dark history makes me question the inaccuracies in testing. Can you really measure true intelligence? It is fit memorization, or is it the ability to, quote on quote “ draw lines of connection between far-flung scraps of information and insight, constellating new meanings out of thin air; to discover the intertextual wormholes connecting parallel universes of knowledge and experience; to map the labyrinth of subtextual tunnels secretly connecting all stories and histories”? Why Lewis Terman believed that intelligence was “inborn and unalterable is a concept I would never understand and i think if he were alive today, he’d see in a better light.

The Distant (#4)

Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is so hard to reach that many give up and settle for darkness. In the distance, the goal almost seems unattainable. It shines so brightly, giving the smallest glimpse of hope for those in a dull that is blanketed by the night sky. In such an exquisite environment, many dream of leaving the simple suburb's in hope for a bright future within the soaring skyscrapers. Bridges that connects the slow pace of sleeping children to the uproar of cheering crowds and hasty businessmen. When you are able to embrace the brightness, you are able to embrace the beauty. This is the beauty of the light. This is New York.

5 Questions

1. What do you think is the difference between satisfaction and happiness in America?

2. How do many common American ideals, normality’s and principles effect people’s actions and mindsets?

3. Are certain people in disadvantage based on their status (ethnic background, age, gender, religion, sexuality) in reaching success?

4. Have your goals in life changed as you’ve grown up? What lead to these changes?

5. How does your definition of success in America vary from that of older generations?

Defining perspective is actually quite difficult because perspective or “point of view” varies from person to person. I always use the word situational because I feel that perspective is heavily impacted by people’s decisions, thoughts and environments, even if it’s by the tiniest margin. If you go to dictionary.com, thesaurus.com or any internet libraries, the general definition of “perspective” falls along the lines of: “the way you view an idea/something/someone”. However, my personal definition of perspective, as explained earlier, cannot be simplified because i feel every single piece of perspective is situational and unique. I also noticed that people’s perspectives correlates with their opinions and ideals. I think one of my strongest capabilities as a person is that i am open-minded and it turn open to understanding different perspectives. This aids me is all aspects of real life and allows to see from different POV’s.

Dead Poets Society

Re-watching the movie, I was honestly still irritated at the obvious sexism and absurd standards of 1989. Yet somehow, the ending still made me feel very passionate. The aspect that truly captivated me was not a single character but instead the interactions between multiple characters throughout the movie. To me, the most intriguing character interaction still remains between Neil Perry and his father "Mr.Perry". Together, they were able to demonstrate one of the biggest problems plaguing American society since it's birth: The Identity of the American dream. In the movie, the implied idea of success was "the 75% of the graduates who end up in Ivy Leagues". In submitting his son to the preparatory school, Mr.Perry had HIS idea of the American dream glued to his son. ( Ivy League -> Medical School -> Success ). However, Neil’s POV of the American dream was his passion for acting. To him, life wasn't worth living for because his identity and his dreams weren't his but instead his fathers. Distraught, he committed suicide and left everyone shocked. The interactions between Cameron (the irritable huge mouth) and the crew under the pressure of punishment also demonstrates the aspect of greed and self preservation. Everyone is for themselves, and when they realize Keating cannot be saved (since the board has taken it to blame him), even after different emotional outbursts and fights, they abandon the ship to save themselves. Some students show appreciation in the final scene but in the end, they did let him get fired.

Mayflower Compact

The Mayflower Compact is pretty straightforward when you are able to note the repetition in certain words. It is essentially a handwritten form of documentation that states the actions and intentions of the English Pilgrims landing in America. This includes establishing a simple governmental framework that contains laws, ordinances, constitutions and loyalty to the colony. The Mayflower Compact repeatedly justifies it’s reasoning and it’s existence under the notion of God, the King and the Christian Faith.

Affirmative Action

Affirmative action is currently a very problematic concept that needs to be adjusted accordingly. I suppose the original goal was to assist minorities and women in a fair education & employment process (and protection from discrimination) but somehow along the way it fell on it's head and became a source of reverse racism and stereotypical self conscious nitpicking. Maybe it might have worked in the 1900's but now it feels like forced method of keeping racial balance as not to offend others. This includes targeted employment and admitting under-qualified people because there are "too little of your kind so it seems offensive" while shoving out other's with the highest capabilities and achievements because there are "too many of your kind so it seems like we are favoring you".

An interesting Princeton data concept: Admission Advantages via SAT points:

Whites: 0 (control group) Blacks: +230 Hispanics: +185 Asians: –50 Recruited athletes: +200 Legacies (children of alumni): +160

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs