Monthly Archives: April 2019

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to attend an event at the Art.A.Thon called the JourneyDance. The JourneyDance was an opportunity for everyone to move and dance freely to express yourself. The moment I entered, I was introduced with the instructor Jannet Rossbach. She explained how this dance event was an opportunity to express oneself to ease away from tension and to connect with your inner thoughts. At first, I thought this was an event to learn how to dance but rather it was a way to do whatever you like to express yourself. In addition, at the beginning I was hesitant to even attend this event as I wouldn’t consider myself as the greatest dancer. Even though, I found this quite interesting and knew it would be an outgoing or enjoyable experience. Before arriving, I had brought a couple of friends with me for this event. When my friends and I arrived we followed the instructors moves and actions while doing our own thing. One of my friends actually got really into the session and did a break down of his own freestyle. My friend is quite a good dancer and it made it even more interesting when he showed his moves. Besides Johnathon (the best dancer in the group), my other friends and I tried following the simpler steps and followed my professor. Overall the experience was great, as it was an activity to do while on my break between classes.

For the Art-A-Thon I went to a jazz piano lesson for beginners taught by Professor Anne Swartz and was possibly the best morning I have had so far at Baruch. Professor Anne Swartz was so nice and very good at teaching the piano that I am considering taking piano classes in the future. I use to play the clarinet in middle school, so I was a little bit familiar with instruments, but since then I have completely forgotten how to play.

I arrived at 9am and waited until it was my turn to play the piano. I learned pretty quickly to read the music sheet and how to play the beginners part of the Jazz music sheet. Since I learned the beginners part quickly, professor Swartz taught me how to play with both hands instead of one. After being taught, I went into one of the private piano rooms to practice for a while. It was very exciting when I started to get a hold of the music, however, I kept messing up my left-hand part. Eventually, I finished practicing and I went back to play for professor Swartz along with another student and to my surprise, I had actually learned the entire thing. Playing alongside professor Swartz and another student felt very natural and made the whole experience a lot better. We were all in sync and hearing the outcome of all our hard work created an everlasting memory inside my head. When we left I asked if I could keep the music sheet so I could practice at home. That night I did go home and plugged in my electronic piano and kept practicing. I forgot how enjoyable playing an instrument can be. Since then, every other day I plug in my computer and play a few different types of music from soundtracks of my favorite movies or TV shows.

I am a very creative person and I like all types of art. That is why when I heard the extra credit involved Art, I was very excited. I am minoring in art and therefore I think I will take some piano classes.

It was a week ago when I had the pleasure to attend a music event called “Soundtrack of your life” with Professor Abby Anderton in NVC room 4-190. It was basically about music’s connection to your life and how you can relate to songs or music. I chose this event because I have great affection for music and also I could relate to the stuff we discussed during the session as I am taking a music course too this semester. Prof. Anderton began by talking about ‘Leitmotif’ which means a musical theme that can replace the idea of a person, place, or thing. I learned a new term in music- ‘Timbre’ which is the tone quality of a sound. Also, we talked about the difference between major and minor notes characterizing major as a happy and upbeat note, whereas, minor as a sad, low-beat note. Furthermore, while working on our Leitmotif’s on a piano, we learned how to add/remove a ‘flat’ (lower the note by 1/2) or ‘sharp’ (raise the note by 1/2). The event was also useful to me in a way that it cleared some of my own doubts regarding music such as the difference between a melody and a harmony which are the main tune and two or more tones at a time respectively. The hour long session enhanced my thinking about music and made me aware of several musical factors such as the ones I have stated above. Moreover, we played many different types of instruments throughout the session such as strings, percussion etc. Moving towards the end of our session, we listened to some songs by Bessie Blues who was the most popular female American artist in 20’s and 30’s and how her era had a huge influence on blues singers and music overall. I listen to music most of the time during my day, everyday, which I think is the reason why I was inclined to attend this event. Overall, this event, more or less, added a lot to my knowledge about music and expanded the horizons of my mind regarding the same. I am glad that I had the chance to participate in it and that too for extra credit!

Recently I had the opportunity to attend the field center for entrepreneurship. Personally, I was really interested in going to this event because of my interest in the field of entrepreneurship but nevertheless less I had a great time. As I walked In, I didn’t know what to expect exactly, so a young woman brought me over to her station to explain a little about the event.The young women informed me that different students and colleague had come up with games and different technical devices to share with visitors , so they can have a sense of what this event is all about. From her station, she showed me her creation of a little code box, She further explains that when you download an app you can use your camera on your device to hover over the code box. You can see different planets and facts about the planet. I thought that was really interesting. She also let me hold the iPad to let m see how a 360 VR video would work. she went on youtube and let me see different 360 VR videos.A 360 VR video when you watch a video and with your device can control the movement in the first person view. it was my first time knowing this, i was really excited and impressed by this. On the next station called “ HTC VIVE virtual Reality “, a young man explained to me how he created a game where you can play in virtual reality based on the environment. I had a fun time enjoying this station because I personally love playing video games and playing it virtually was really fun . I don’t often have games based on this format so it was a really good experience. In this game, the goal is to kill as many targets as possible, I had to wear a mask that let me control my movements and I had to use two of my finger to shoot the targets. At first, I had a little difficulty getting the gist of the game but soon after I got the hang of it as I was excelling. I would say this experience has been an eye opener for me I had a great time.

An ideology is a idea that represents our subconscious or collective beliefs without purely expressing them. For instance, the shark that is the antagonist beast of the 1975 Steven Spielberg psychological thriller Jaws, is an ideology because it provokes a deep and unsettling fear because its ability to represent the range of collective fears of both the town and the audience of the film. Its brief physical appearances reveal the animal as a biological fact – a literal animal, which is prone to defeat. But the tension structured prior to those appearances, and the lasting fear of the ocean commonly spoken about by those that watch the film, demonstrate that the shark provokes a sustained irrational response. This is not because the shark itself may strike at any time, but that the shark may expose a subconscious or repressed idea that the viewer fears to encounter. Consider that every time the shark attacks, it draws its victims under. The scenes of attack, such as its assault on the boat that goes out to hunt it, are less dramatic than the moments of rising tension prior, and the fear of the attack rests in that the shark may bring the person down below to the subconscious zone where those ideas that the shark represents may have to be encountered.

Like the shark in Jaws, Samsa’s absurd transformation represents the reflection of the subconscious and uncertain fears of both his family and the readers. Yet, differently than Jaws, we experience this fear from the perspective of Samsa. There are very few recognitions of Samsa’s body, and never a complete depiction. However the reaction to Samsa is always an external or reflected reaction. Samsa intends to proceed to work, and finds the event of his metamorphosis a trifle that will pass, like a brief cold. The reaction by his family and the workmen that comes to gather him are incomprehensible to him. In the way that the shark as the embodiment of fear is never fully identified with the body of the shark that attacks, Samsa is never fully identified with the body he has transformed into. Further, neither Samsa nor the shark have an identifiable point of origin. Yet the shark remains an external enemy we wish to defeat and send back where it came from, Samsa’s lack of origin forces us to identify with this lack of beginning. For this reason, Samsa forces us not to confront our ideology but to embody it, identify with it (especially the fear of seeing how others would react if we were completely honest or completely exposed), and live without our repressions. We also confront the fear that to live without our ideology, or to expose ourselves, would be horrifying to others and prevent us from life. 

Kafka orchestrates an experience of trauma in the reader by forcing them to unwittingly become the origin of their fear. This is an inventive element of Kafka’s writing. I would broadly describe the style Kafkaesque as an unmitigated feeling of anxiety, stemming from a situation of absurdity, that is not only unresolved but frustratingly, the protagonist avoids resolving it all together.

In the short story titled “Metamorphosis”,written by well known author Franz Kafka in 1912 and published in 1915, the themes of  isolation and alienation are prevalent throughout the story which follows a man by the name of Gregor Samsa, who is plagued with the burden of paying off his family debt. The text gives major insights on the relationship  between Gregor and his family and how demanding his duties as both a traveling salesman and only son was.

Not only was Gregor overworked and under appreciated by his superiors at work but also by his family who showed him great negligence upon discovering his new transformation into a giant cockroach who is unable to communicate with them. In fact, it is this same negligence and lack of affection that in the end lead to Gregor’s demise.

As unfortunate as the series of events in the text was,there were a few things in the story that mirrored some struggles of my own as a young woman who works hard not necessarily to pay off my family’s debts but to make them proud and pave the way for my younger sibling. Much like Gregor many of my days are spent traveling back and forth on trains and buses over long distances in an attempt to get to work or school. It is overwhelming to say the least and in many instances leaves a hint of depression at the end of the day. Even more so demanding is my working environment.

In the text Gregor describes his co-workers as harrem women,which marked a period in the 16th and 17th century known to some as “the reign of women”. During this time women played a major role in political affairs as well as they served as wives and concubines to their captors. Much of the people from that time would picture harrem women as numerous women sitting around in a room waiting to exact sexual favors to their men,not necessarily completing any tasks. And much like Samsa’s fellow employees are mine. Much of the responsibilities at work are given to me and God forbids one day I decide to “take a break” I would be penalized the most. So this aspect of his work life really resonated with me. And one can always understand how being treated unfairly can eventually affect a persons psyche,bring great pain and suffering which might have pushed our protagonist into deeper exile,both from his parents and life itself. But what really allowed me to develop a great appreciation for Gregor’s character was his strong will and determination,something I too pride myself with. The sheer will he exudes in this story is much like my own and greatly inspired me to keep working hard regardless of the trials I may face.

–Do you think that Gregor is more powerful BEFORE or AFTER his metamorphosis?  Explain your response.

–How is Gregor’s family transformed in the wake of his metamorphosis?

–At the end of the second section of the story, Gregor’s father pelts him with apples.  What do you think this episode is about?

–Gregor emerges from his room one last time when he hears his sister playing her violin for the lodgers.  What is the significance of this? What meaning does music hold for Gregor here?

–Ultimately, what do you think Gregor’s metamorphosis means?  What does it mean to be transformed into a giant bug?

–Explain your understanding of Gregor’s death.  How/why does he ultimately die?

For the Art-A-Thon, I decided to attend an event in music. When I saw there was an event to teach blues on the piano, I got really excited. I’ve always been into music, and I taught myself how to play guitar. I have always wanted to learn to play piano, but It’s harder to self teach it and I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity… especially because I’ve been wanting to learn blues and jazz on guitar.

When I arrived at 9am to the piano rooms, I was very nervous. Professor Anne Swartz was teaching students one on one how to play a basic melody. The melody wasn’t the hard part for me, but it was the fact that she was teaching sheet music and I’ve never learned to read sheet music. However, when it became my turn she made it simple for me. She actually simplified the sheet so that it looked like tabs, and I got excited because I learned to read tabs from playing guitar.

After she taught me, she sent me to one of the piano rooms to practice the melody so that I could return and play along with her. Practicing in the room was very nice for me, because music was a large part of my life up until college. Ever since I started college, I just feel completely detached and I feel like I don’t have the time or talent for it. I felt reconnected for the first time in a while, and before I knew it the event was almost over.

When I returned to the grand piano room, I was able to actually play a trio with Professor Swartz and another student. It was so nice to just let go, play, and just feel the music from the strings of the piano. Professor Swartz was also the most kindhearted person ever, I was able to tell she was extremely passionate about music and bringing it to others lives. I was lucky enough to even hear her play a more advanced blues song, and I was awestruck. Hearing her play gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes. I am very grateful for the experience, and she encouraged me to take a few music classes too. She reminded me of the love I have for music.

Text to real world connection

This short novel is written during the New Culture movement in China. In short, New Culture movement is all about new value against traditional value. In literature field, leaders of the movement want to give up using Confucianism in their work and use vernacular instead.While as for the political filed, they want to build a “ new China” , unlike republic of  china, “new China” needs to be more democratic and stronger.

The main character, wei-fu , used to be a fighter in Chinese revolution, has changed a lot. In the past, wei-fu and author went together to the Tutelary God’s Temple to pull off the images’ beards, how all day long we used to discuss methods of revolutionizing China until we even came to blows.  However, now, he has surrendered to the life and also, the traditional value . He has to go back to teach Confucianism he used to hate in the school.

While describing this character, though Lu doesn’t make any comment on the transformation of his old friend, I would like to believe that Lu is extremely  disappointed at him when he knows wei-fu gives up the value he used to believe in, since himself is one leader of new culture movement.

Through producing the implied criticism , Lu shows that revolution is not easy at all, especially with so much and heavy traditional value  stop you from fighting  , but Lu himself  will stick to what he believe in and never give up.

By making the statement clearly, this article moves a lot of Chinese. Furthermore, this article impact the real world deeply by  encouraging most of his readers to devote themselves in to upcoming revolution which aims to break the corrupt government and society.

I attended the Assimilation and Written Native American Language with Professor Joshua Whitehead. Professor Whitehead was well informed and is a member of the Choctaw Nation which resides in Oklahoma City. He has been practicing Typography for twenty years and is a professor here at Baruch College. His great, great, great grandfather was a part of the Trail of Tears, so he is passionate about what he does. I’ve never encountered an individual with roots this close to Native Americans, so it was a great learning experience. Professor Whitehead did a quick summary of the forced migration and how the tribes were lied to, manipulated and stolen from. More then 30 different tribes ended up being placed in Oklahoma which created a diverse amount of languages being spoken in the one geographical area. This caused many problems when trying to decipher languages that were being written because a lot of the tribes began to over lap one another’s languages. The creation of the font, “Noto Sans” was a breakthrough as it was the first font which included all Native American Tribal languages which solved the problem of trying to decipher different languages within one another. This was developed by Google and took under a decade to develop. Professor Whitehead is currently in works with “The American Indian Cultural Center and Museum” In Oklahoma City, where they are going under a huge renovation. The museum got in contact with professor Whitehead and asked him if he could help them re-brand and rename the museum. Professor Whitehead drew up three different concepts and explained the meanings behind each one. The museum and mayor of Oklahoma ended up approving one of his concepts that was surrounded by the meaning of human value. They also approved the name change of the museum which will now be named, “First Americans Museum”. Professor Whitehead concluded with some Q&A’s where we went in depth about his personal beliefs about the history of Native Americans, where we are in present time and how the future looking holds. He said his work is still in the beginning stages even after twenty years which just proves how devoted he is and what more he has to contribute to his tribe.