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Sasha Sapp

1/12/12

English Q2BM

Final

 Slums

The sound of quick steps splashing through thick, mucky puddles caught the ears of grey silhouettes moaning agonizingly, at dusk. They jerked painfully towards the footsteps increasing in speed and with animalistic growls they tried to communicate with what they knew was a person from “the world”. The world of which they wish they could return; but their jagged movements and inability to stand thwarted these futile thoughts; their distorted faces and contaminated existence prevented them from returning.

            Though nonetheless, they stirred like the starving animals that they were perceived as by humans, for fragments of humanity was lost when the Third Flash hit.

            As the bodies in the once great city of Azeroth vacillated erratically, the footsteps stopped. Axus scanned the denaturalized landscape in search of one figure in particular. She furrowed her brows; squinting violet eyes at the general area where the young slum girl usually had lain. Where could she be? She thought perplexingly. She knew that the girl could barely move a few centimeters without howling in pain, so the idea of her trying shift somewhere else was out of the question. After looking around the general area of the wasteland, Axus reluctantly continued toward the warehouse while trying her hardest to ignore the shrieks and deathbed moans that penetrated her non-gas tight suit.  After all, the suit was designed to lockout contamination. Yet presently, Axus began to wonder if the suits should also be sound proof; she wondered if the tightness in her heart was a contamination of their wails.

 

            She reached the oxidized steel doors of the warehouse, and stood above a circular pod that dropped her below once it recognized her Vitanumber. Sliding down the shoot for about 3 seconds, she landed in the Abeochamber- the area that neutralized any toxins that settled on the outside of her suit. She released a great sigh as she removed her facemask and as the near suffocating body suit dropped to the floor and revealed her petite frame. Glancing momentarily at her reflection, she quickly threw on some loose slacks and a blouse. Suddenly, a low whistle caught her ear, and the sound grew closer and closer to her. She realized that it was Videi coming down the shoot- Yukan had damn near lived in the warehouse recently, so it couldn’t be him.

            Confirming her hunch, Videi landed gracefully with his knees slightly bent, and flashed a goofy grin at Axus.

            “Salve Axus,” he greeted in his usual cheery tone, “I- oh, you don’t look so well today, are you lacking supplements?” His deep blue eyes flashed with worry for a moment as he inquired her present state.

            “I thank you for the concern, but I’m quite alright Videi- greetings to you as well- it’s just that…” Axus habitually swept choppy brown locks away from her face and inhaled as she continued, “I can’t seem to find Elvira…I haven’t a clue of where she could have gone! Hell, she can’t turn on her rib-exposed belly without releasing the most horrifying shrill!” It hadn’t occurred to her that she was practically shouting at him, but her worry overcame her. Internally, Videi shrugged in annoyance. He didn’t know what the hell was the point about caring for a slum girl! She was bound by death! Her fate was sealed along with the crash of the Third Flash! As much as he loved her, he didn’t agree with her infatuation with that creature. But that mattered not, because she loved Yukan.

After dressing himself, and shooting her an even more worried look he replied, “I don’t know what to tell ya Ax, but honestly, we have more important things to tend to right now.” She would have been taken back by the seemingly heartless remark, but she knew Videi, and she knew that he was right.

“You’re absolutely right Videi,” she said weakly, “We must speak with Yukan! It’s been an entire month and he’s been down here doing God knows what!” After scanning their Vitanumbers, giant doors slid open, leading the researchers into the main branch of Likon. The dimly lit, dome-like lab consisted of thousands of machinery, constantly creating an unintentional mockery of the human heartbeats, with the buzzing and beeping of monitors. Videi sat at his computer and brought up a projection of the present state of the universe. He made a sharp intake of breath before relaying what he saw.

“Axus” he whispered as she cautiously turned in his direction. She could feel her face growing pale just at the possibilities of what he could say. Seconds later he finally spoke, “we’ve got less than 100 light years until the Fouth Flash.”

A hushed silence swept threw the room and Axus felt paralyzed in it. She wanted nothing more than to try to better the conditions on Earth, which is why she joined Likon a few years ago. Videi felt her strong distress in that second, and suddenly felt that same wave of sorrow crash over him- but for a more sinister reason. He wanted to comfort Axus, but for some reason, a different word choice crawled out from his mouth.

            “Axus, we are Likon. We are dozens of underground, slum dwelling researchers who share one common trait: we are hell bent on preventing this destruction yet again. We are here to try to ensure protection to the best of our abilities, and that’s all. No matter what it takes, we must protect our race. Take Yukan for example. Yeah the guy has lived here for a month, but he is head researcher. We better be happy that he does most of the work for us!” His chuckles were cut short by the low creak of a much older door opening slowly. A deep, baritone voice emerged from the darkness.

            “Glad that I can be of help to you Videe” started the deep voice, “Worry not Axus, hope is found yet again.” Axus stared in amazement at Yukan. His uncanny ability to function normally as a time like this was astounding. It was one of the many reasons that she loved him. The splashes of grey in his hair lit up when light was shone upon it only reinforced the obvious attraction that Axus had for him. She approached him warmly and tried to catch her professional mask before it slipped away.

            “Yukan! We’ve been worried sick about you! For an entire month, the lead researcher at Likon disappears! More importantly, whatever you have been doing, you haven’t bothered to even cue Videi and I in on it! We’re your partners, and we have been so for four years now! Yukan please! No Secrets!” her words seemed to have merely scrapped the exterior of Yukan. He had very deterministic ways. Nonetheless, he smiled while placing a calloused hand on her slender shoulder.

            “Of couse my dear Axus, no more secrets,”

            Her same weak smile appeared on her face at the moment. She felt…strange. It was like the pit of her stomach was boiling and the heat traveled to her heart. Something was off. She shoved it off for the moment as the 3 proceeded through the lab casually, even laughing lightly at minor jokes being tossed around. Like their jokes about the near crumbling ozone layer they helped repair by recapturing the lost nitrogen and oxygen molecules. Or even their pretentious attitudes towards the past usage of coal for energy. She noted how passionate the two men became when it came to this subject. They bashed and badmouthed the ancestors for not being more innovative, and remarked that solar energy should have been the first energy alternative when humans could even process this idea. According to Yukan, he would’ve changed the entire world if he had been born during that time period.

  Though, with all the lighthearted small talk being thrown around the room that same feeling welled inside of her once more. As if a parasite had been eating away at her innards…that’s how she felt; as if slowly and steadily, they gnawed at her major organs making her feel hollow.

            She knew what it was; she knew why this hollow feeling was surfacing in her. Throwing suspicious glances at her partners, Axus slowly paced around them as she finally spoke.

            “Something…something is wrong,” Videi and Yukan immediately snapped their heads upwards and gaped at her intensely. Habitually, she swept her shabby bangs away from her face. Inhaling sharply, she continued, “Videi, you just said that we were less then 100 light years away from the Fourth Flash and now…you’re so calm. Yukan, you’ve been hiding away from for one month, one month! We return, and you act as if nothing has happened or even changed. And moments ago, you just mysteriously said ‘hope is found yet again’. What exactly do you mean Yukan? I just have a terrible feeling that something is horribly wrong!” Once more, she found herself near shouting. Yukan and Videi exchanged confirming looks at one another, signaling that it was time. This did not go unseen buy Axus, who was now looking with bewilderment at the two men before her. Yukan approached Axus sternly, sighing as he did so. He knew…he knew from the start that Yukan would be against him completely. But you love me don’t you? I can see it in your eye’s Axus; you will not oppose me. 

            “Axus…come with me. It is true; I promised that there would be no more secrets between us. Come now, you want to see what I have been up to for the past month? I will show you,” He grabbed her hand and led her to the outmost test room located in the lesser used part of lab- Test Area C. The cylindrical pod scanned their Vitanumbers allowing them entrance. Upon entering, simultaneously a dozen lights bright lights flashed, one immediately following the other, guiding their eyes to a massive hourglass-like machine with what appeared to be an entity hovering inside of it. Walking in closer to the machine, Yukan began to speak.

            “Axus, you know this machine before you. It is one of most powerful devices on Earth- Model Dergon 90Y1- or better known as the Energy Harnesser,” they finally reached the base of the machine, when Axus could now see tubes transferring the black aura to a much smaller Energy Harnesser adjacent to it. She gasped realizing what was in the smaller harnesser. It was the power of the Flash. Yukan observed her gaze and continued on.

            “As you know Axus, the Third Flash, much like the Second, and the Infamous First, are accumulations of the photon particles being released from the sun. But as we’ve witnesses first hand, these photon particles have wiped out vast civilizations across the face of the earth, and the surrounding areas experienced the backlash of the rays- resulting in their terrible deformities, and the denaturalization of the terrain. I’ve studied the behavior of the photon particles. And to cut to the chase- they can be counter acted-” He paused when he heard sharp gasp.

            “It’s true? You’ve found a way to counter act the particles? How,- oh! It must be this energy that you are harnessing! What is it?!” She waited anxiously for an answer- though she felt as like she answer you would receive, would be one that she would oppose to her grave.

            “Much to your dismay Axus,” he caught Videi’s eyes once more, and went on, “the energy that I have discovered that will counter the power of the photon rays…is the power of human energy.”

            Axus’ eyes widen to the point where she felt it was possible for them to pop out of the sockets. She didn’t understand...How could he harness human energy? It was wrong!

            “Yukan! How could you! Humans! Why! We are here to protect our race! Not to take innocent lives! I don’t undestand!” she cried furiously. Yukan’s eyes flared red for a second- he had lost.

            “Axus, my dear. This is the only way. There must be sacrifices to be made if you want to prevent the Fourth Flash. More importantly, the specimen that I used was just a creature of the slums. Not a person, so worry not- although, I’m aware that for foolish reasons, you still oppose me”

            Axus stopped breathing in that moment. Her heart ached, and her stomach felt as though it was disintegrating inside of her. The taste of hatred swelled in her mouth.

She was bemused by the words that Yukan spoke. Then she lost control. Thorwoing her arms in the air like she was mad, she began,

            “Have you too turned you back on humanity, Yukan! Yes they may be deformed, but they are still humans! How dare you dehumanize them! -“ Yukan interjected before she continued.

            “Don’t act as if you are the savior of the slum people, Axus. Don’t let conceit get the best of you. You cannot save them. They are doomed for death. The young creature whose energy I am harvesting will save us all, I just need at least of all of the bodies from the slums, and then we can completely counteract the Fourth Flash! Don’t you see!” he paced swiftly as he spoke, “THIS WILL SAVE HUMANTIY!” He stopped once again, and saw her sobbing, “Poor Axus, you have too much love to give. You give it to these slum people, when indeed; their sacrifice will save us. In fact, you have no reason to love them any longer. The one that you loved has made the greatest sacrifice of all.”

            Just when she thought she couldn’t sob harder, she did so. She realized that the black floating entity that was being harnessed was Elvira. She fell to floor. She wondered, when had the world become so cruel? Yet to her dismay, you knew that she could not save the people of the slums. She knew that even if they could prevent the Fourth Flash, they would still suffer. But…even so, treating them like animals to be proceeding was the most morally unjust thing that she could contemplate. Yet, she saw for herself; the power countered photon rays. This is what I joined Likon for, is it not? I wanted to save the world, and now I can, she thought sickeningly.

            The two men just stared in pity at the woman before them. When you finally stood up, she waked over to the machine and hugged it tightly.

            “I’m so sorry Elriva,” she muttered, “I won’t allow your death to go in vain.”

 

            Looking upon the slums the three researchers gazed over the land, as it was now pitch black. Axus stared blankly and realized that she would physically and mentally be walking into the darkness. Yet, it was for the sake of the world right? She kept that thought in mind as the three researchers began cultivating the "creatures" of the slums in the night. 

 

 

 

           

           

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me llamo Whitney y soy de oeste Filadelfia. Mi comunidad es pequeño pero tiene mucho cambos. En 1856, Oeste Filadelfia tiene un festival que celebraba la 100 aniversario del firmada del declaración de independencia . Oeste Filadelfia tendrían el primer zoológico en los Estados Unidos. En Mayo, 1985 la policía de Filadelfia arrojaría una bomba a una casa a 6200 Osage Calle y asesinado cinco gente de la organización de MOVE. Universidad de Penn, y Drexel Universidad dan mucho estudiantes y otro gente a Oeste Filadelfia. En 2010, la populación de Oeste Filadelfia era 250,433 gente. Mucho gente de el populación están morenos y rubios. Oeste Filadelfia tiene sentimiento diferente que otro partes de Filadelfia. La índice de crimen es mas alto pero los ciudadanos no permitan eso efecto ellos. Oeste Filadelfia esta separa en cuatro partes para la policía. El titilo de mi mural es “Oeste.”

 

En mi mural, Yo tengo las palabras “ Oeste Filadelfia.” Los palabras es en dos formas. Por ejemplo, “Oeste” esta en los piezas de Scabble. “Filadelfia” esta escribe en graffiti. Los dos maneras relacionan con la época actual. Una vez durante el año, Colegio de Oeste Filadelfia tiene un competición de Scrabble. Graffiti es una grande problema en Oeste Filadelfia pero no significa graffiti es feo o no arte. Yo tengo los códigos de arias para Oeste Filadelfia. Mi mural tiene la forma de Oeste Filadelfia y la populación también. Un grande parte de me mural es la sección que dice “MOVE” con un bomba que representa la letra “O”. Por último, yo tengo un tren porque SEPTA es more importante a las vidas de Oeste Filadelfia y los otros partes de Filadelfia. La tema de “Oeste” es capturar los partes importante de las vidas de Oeste Filadelfia. Solamente tengo dos mensajes, darse cuenta de las partes de historia de su comunidad y darse cuenta de donde su vivas.

 

En mi opinión, el sentido de arte publico es representar historia, traducir los sentimientos, y exponer emoción. Mi mural representa mi opinión de el sentido de arte publico. Yo represento historia, yo traduzco mi sentimientos de Oeste Filadelfia, y yo expongo emoción con los colores. Mi mural es arte porque cuando la gente expongamos emoción y mostramos un situación o ellos con papel, pintura, un voz, o palabras, esta arte. En mi opinión, mi mural tiene muchos partes linda. Pero un otro vez,  necesitó mas partes a describir que es adentro Oeste Filadelfia. Me gusta me mural.  

Should There Be Hope?

 

I feel like I’ve been with her before. Vividly I can picture her in my mind, yet she still seems so foreign. This plan cannot fail; I don’t know how much longer I can go without assuring my motherin’s existence.

“Elisa! Elisa!” my fatherin screamed over the intercom breaking my thoughts.

“ Yes fatherin?” I replied

“Antonion is here for you…”

Before he completed his sentence I was in front of the door unlocking it. I hadn’t seen Antonion all weekend and craved his presence. I dragged him up to my room before I said anything. When we reached the room he was flustered.

“ Um…Harty Elisa…” he greeted me in-between breaths.

“ Sorry I’m just very anxious, I haven’t seen you all weekend.”

“Yeah I know, I missed you. But what is this plan that you want to inform me of?”

At that moment Antonion gave me his full and undivided attention. I explained how I couldn’t go any longer without my motherin and how much I yearned to have one moment with her. I poured my heart out to him and he took the time to listen. For this I am greatful.

“ So are you going to go with me?”

“Anything to support you.”

The plan is to leave early in the morning without my fatherin catching us. Then we will head North to Nerm where my aunt lives. I haven’t spoken to let alone seen her since childhood but hopefully she will be able to tell me a little about my motherin, enough for me to start a search for her.

The anxiety stressed my mind enough to keep me up for half of the night. Eventually I trekked downstairs to find something calming to drink. With my back turned to entrance I heard footsteps. Slowly I turned around to find my fatherin standing in the doorway.

“How are you down here but I heard movement in your room?” he questioned me.

 

“Well um..” I stammered.

 

“ I know you and Antonion are planning something so it would be best if you told me now then waiting for me to find out myself which requires me to go through your belongings. Sit.”

 

“I guess I have no choice to be honest…You know fatherin as I get older I begin to wonder about my motherin. I mean I can’t go through life without knowing she is out there somewhere and she cares about me.”

 

My father gave a loud sigh, “ I’ve been preparing myself for this conversation. The story is extremely complicated.”

 

“ I’m willing to listen…” I urged him on.

 

“ Your motherin made a great sacrifice for her family. Your greatmotherin died a few months after your motherin was born. Because your motherin was so young the line of rule was past to another family. To get the line of rule back to her family, your motherin made a big decision.”

 

“Fatherin please get to the point. Where is she?”

 

“ Elisa you are her.” He mumbled.

 

“ For a second I thought you said I am her.” I chuckled a little knowing that isn’t possible what he said.

 

“ Elisa that is what I said”

 

“Wait how is that possible? How can we be the same person?”

 

“Elisa when you made a big sacrifice for your family. I know you don’t understand that right now but in the future it will become clear. I’m here as a support to show you what you have to do in order to get your families rights back.”

 

“ So you are not my real fatherin? ” I replied utterly confused

 

“ No I’m not.”

            En mi barrio, la mayoría de la gente son Puertorriqueños. Vivo en el norte de Filadelfia y el mural que e creado es maravilloso por muchas razones. Los propósitos de este mural serán que mi comunidad se beneficiara del mural, tendremos una comunidad mas unida y también muchas de las  personas podrán parar o pasar por ese mural y poder sonreír. Tendremos menos grafiti en nuestra region de la ciudad.

            En la comunidad en que quiero pintar el mural tiene mucha influenza. Quiero pintar el mural esta ubicado en un Puente que pasa por la calle 2 y Clearfield. El Puente es usado para caminar y para carros pasando por la calle.

Debajo de esa forma de arte publico había un tren que pasaba pero ahorra hay gente sin hogar que abusan de las drogas. Pienso que mucha gente no saben lo que esta pasando abajo del tren pero los que lo saben lo ocultan. Me contaron que hasta los policías saben que están de abajo del Puente pero no hacen nada para ayudar a los hombres que viven en ese lugar y después terminan abusando de las mujeres que pasaban por el Puente de noche.

            Ahorra mas que nunca el barrio a donde vivo necesita una imagen para que la comunidad se alegre. En mi comunidad, mucha gente vive como una familia y se consideran familia por que se an conocido por mucho tiempo. En el barrio adonde vivo, hay mucho grafiti. No creo que es una forma de arte publico si no vandalismo. El barrio perdió algunos miembros que apreciaban eternamente. Mi mural tiene flores que representa la felicidad de cada persona que vive en el barrio. Este mural va a traer mucha felicidad. Mi mural tiene mucho sentido por que cuando lo ves, vas a ver que tiene dos caminos. El camino largo y el corto.

El camino largo va a traer muchas flores para la gente y también va a enseñar como mi barrio tiene muchas cosas que la gente no reconoce. Flores blancas para las almas inocentes que están el cielo. Flores de diferentes colores para ofrecerle a nuestra madre divina de la providencia María. Le ofrecemos las flores para ayudarnos a estar sanos y también nos ayuda estar mas seca de dios para que nos proteja siempre. Cuando el barrio vea este mural van a inmediatamente ver que somos una comunidad no que tenemos que estar separados si no unidos. El segundo camino es muchas flores rotas. Ese camino representa alas cosas que no debemos de hacer. Un camino corto pero malo. Si lo comparas con el camino largo, vas a ver que el camino corto no te va a traer felicidad sino al contrario te va a traer muchos problemas en la vida. En lugar de marcas feas, debemos de tener un mural que le guste a todo el barrio.

Por eso es que debe de haber un mural en mi comunidad. El mural tiene mucho proposito, le va a traer felicidad y tranquilidad a la comunidad y tambien nos va a enseñar una leccíon importante.

​Preguntas:

 ¿Cuál es su nombre?

·      Mi nombre es Rosalinda Maddox

¿Cuántos años tienes?

·      Yo tengo dieciséis años.

¿Dónde fuiste a la universidad?

·      Yo fue Universidad de Delaware y Universidad de filadelfia.

¿Cuál es su grado?

·      Tengo un doctorado en bioquímica y una maestría en cosmetología.

¿Dónde trabajó antes?

·      Yo trabaje como voluntario en la Universidad de Temple. Tambien, yo trabaje en el laboratorio.

¿Por qué tu quiere traer para la compañía?

·      Porque yo soy inteligente y muy creativa.

¿Cúal es sus especialidades?

·      Me especializo en la ciencia y la química. También me especializado en productos para el cabello.

¿Por qué son importantes?

·      Yo so importante, por que soy bueno en comunicación y socialización.

 

Peer-editor	Fecha	Comentarios / Recomendaciones
1. Pepita	1/12/12	I like how you pronounce your words. I can understand everything your saying , and it makes sense to me. I would say just try to look more confident because what your saying could be correct to.
2. Margaíita	1/11/12	Your video was very very good, and your spanish sounds very fluent! Maybe during the parts where you see the questions appear you could have a little music or something just so it stands out more' or someone actually saying it as the words appear.  Also make sure your video is a little louder.
3. Lupe	1/12/12	Did very well, I think the way you described your answers are good. Job well done J
4. Jesús	1/12/12	I liked your presentation. Just work on the sound of your voice. Other than that, it was good
5. Anita	1/11/12	It was a good project and you pronounced your words really good. I think that it’s a great start to the final copy.

 

 

 

 

 

Hola mi nombre es Ryan. Yo vivo en Nicetown, Philadelphia. Mi mural ubicado en Butler y Smedley st. La mayoría de personas en mi barrio son africanas americanas. Mi barrio tiene algunos personas de razas diferentes pero es un pequeño número de personas. En el pasado, Nicetown tenía muchos campesinos y herreros de Europeos. Además, Nicetown tenía muchas fábricas de acero. Las fábricas eran muy útil de la comunidad sin embargo las fábricas no pueden funcionar en el presente. Ahora, personas blancas no viven en Nicetown. Así lo veo, en el presente yo no pienso que mi barrio tiene una sensación muy positivo desde mi punto de vista. Muchas personas en mi barrio no son cariñosos con sus barrio. Yo creo que eso, porque yo veo basura todos los días en los calles o las acercas a veces. El titulo de mi mural es “El paz y la violencia en armonía.” Yo creo que mi mural simboliza los dos temas muy profundos de Nicetown, en mi opinión. Los temas están religión y la violencia en Nicetown. En mi barrio yo veo y escucha sobre de mucha violencia de pistolas y drogas en barrio pero por el otro lado, mi barrio tiene muchas iglesias también. Como lo veo yo es el religión es un cosa muy importante de personas en mi barrio. Además, yo veo que es muy interesante que religión puede existir con mucha violencia. Mi pieza demuestra como los temas puede existir con juntos. El cruz en mi pieza represente el religión de Cristianismo porque es religión muy popular en mi barrio. El cruz simboliza felicidad, y unión con el gente, entonces la violencia simboliza el odio y los delitos de drogas o pistolas. En el interior de el cruz, hay fotos de armas y drogas a apoyar el tema de violencia. Como yo lo entiendo es mi barrio es muy similar a el mundo. El mundo tiene los símbolos de paz (U.N., UNICEF) por otro lado, el mundo tiene símbolos de violencia también (las guerras). El propósito de mi mural es a demostrar que los dos temas de paz y violencia existen todos partes. Yo quiero mi arte ser el opuesto de el vandalismo y el graffiti en my barrio. Yo pienso que el papel de arte público es a demostrar las influencias en su barrio. Otro propósito es para personas que estar en contra de el gobierno. Una muralista de Banksy de Inglaterra, es un muralista muy controvertida y sus obras represente las cosas polémicas en el gobierno de Inglaterra. El arte público puedo ayudar los problemas en su barrio también. Si un barrio fuera terrible, encargarían un mural a ayudar el barrio ser una comunidad que juntos. 

En la comunidad, son muchos formas de arte. Hay cuadros, sculpturas, fuentes bonitos, y hasta grafiti representan el arte público de la comunidad. Soy una artista yo misma, y veo que mi comunidad necesita otros murales. Entonces, yo, Nia Hammond, voy a ayudar con la creación de más murales. El título de mi mural es “En la Vida Real,” y está ubicado en West Philadelphia, más explícitamente en Fairmount Park. Yo decidé a ponerlo al lado de una tienda que fue en venta para un tiempo largo. Eso es porque siempre es interesante a ver algo  nuevo, especialmente un mural nuevo en un pared que es usualmente desnudo, como lo veo.

            Viviendo en Fairmount Park es un buen encanto. Está literalmente mi patio trasero. Mi barrio es por lo general tranquilo y son desvalidos en las grietas. También la comunidad  es diversa en todas formas. Hay muchos parques públicos y lugares para ver el cielo abierto, distinto de la cuidad parte de Filadelfia. Además, Fairmount Park es concido a tener mucho del arte público.

            “En la Vida Real” tiene una imagen. Tiene césped, y un cielo de la  noche, cuando todo es tranquila, como en mi barrio. Hay una estrella pelea y algo está indicando, simbolizando nuestras capacidades a soñar y tener deseos en la vida. Todos de los elementos en mi mural son importantes porque hacen visiones más grandes, y eso es el mural en general. El mural no es abstracto, entonces, mis colores no son asombrosos. Yo simplemente usé colores naturales. Sin embargo, yo aseguré que los colores del cielo de la noche les caen bien con el césped esmeralda. Las temas que yo uso giran alrededor de los valores de la gente sobre cumpliendo sus sueños. Yo quiero la gente que ve mi mural a saber que tiene que vives cuando/mientras estás joven, y tiene que ir a tus sueños. Cuando pienso sobre mi mural, pienso sobre sueños, jóvenes vivido con felicidad, jugado, el divertido, y solo estando con el feliz.

            Para mi, el papel del arte público es para traer un poco de la alegría a las personas durante el día. También los murales se transforman un pared normal en una obra bonita de arte. Unas ciudades son conocidas porque son muchos murales, todas son significativas para razones diferentes. Pienso que el arte público es para entretener la gente y atraer turistas que van a una comunidad. Mi mural es entre los otros murales porque es llamativo, creativo, y fácil. Mi mural es arte, pero es el arte digital. Creo que todo que nosotros tenemos es arte. Hay arte en las ciencias, en la historía,  y en la clase de inglés. Arte puede ser en formas, como el vandalismo y también algo que es en un museo. Entonces, mi mural debe de ser arte. Finalmente, como yo lo entiendo, mi mural es bonito y inspirado. Demuestra el acto de haciendo el ejercicio de su libre.  Además, murales y el arte pueden ir para un tiempo largo, y crean la inspiración para todo del mundo.

Sean Force

Q2 Benchmark

1-12-12

Cunfuzzling Language

“Well Tim, do you know the answer?” 

It was math class in our sixth grade year.  

“Uuuuhhhh…” Tim said in utter confusion.  “I’m cunfuzzlled” he bursts out in one of those oh-so comical moments that Tim was famous for at our old school.  

“What?” the teacher responded at this time, as she was also now confuzzled.

At this time that was the first time that I had heard this word ever used or mentioned.  Being that I was in sixth grade and this was the first time that I had ever heard the word used I naturally assumed that he had just made up the word.  At the time, I also just assumed the definition to be basically and even higher tier of confusion and bewilderment than he knew how to express with any current words that he knew of.  

“What are you doing?” My mom said one day when I was sitting on the couch playing a game on the computer.

“Sturf” I replied not really feeling like saying stuff would work there as a general enough word to fit this situation.

“Ok,” she said and walked away.

I wasn’t really all that sure of when exactly I started to say that word.  I just remember that one day I had started to use it in place of stuff where I though it was necessary to describe the things I had or that I was doing when asked.  I wasn’t really sure of where or why I had picked it up but regardless I did it’s done and now I use that word.

“Alright, orange stream today we’re going to take a walk down to the river for an activity”

It was last spring shortly before spring break.

“Hey, where are we going,” Fred said as the whole stream started to get up and walk outside while he just sat there.

“Derp, we’re going to the river the teacher just told us that” I said.

As opposed to the previous word that I didn’t know where I got it from I do know that I got this word from school and my friends.  I had heard them using it and then after I really understood that they were saying and using another word entirely to describe what they thought to be indescribable with any other words that they currently had at their disposal did I start using it.  Derp isn’t necessarily the nicest word to use but it’s not really a bad one it’s just a more over-arching version of saying or calling someone stupid.

In “How to tame a WIld Tongue” by Gloria Anzldúa the author while talking about how one of the languages that she uses came to be states, “Chicano Spanish sprang out of the Chicanos’ need to identify ourselves as a distinct people. We needed a language with which we could communicate with ourselves, a secret language. For some of us, language is a homeland closer than the Southwest”.  The Chicanos developed their own language that they thought could describe what they needed to be described when they couldn’t use the language that they knew to describe what they needed to describe anymore.

Several years ago, when I was in the third grade, I read a book called, Frindle. It was a really funny book about a boy who finds a pen.  He decided to call it a frindle just to see what would happen.  As the school year progressed, his friends go along with it, but his teacher is not so excited.  Soon, the whole school is calling a pen a “frindle”.  The media catches wind of it and then a company begins selling frindles, and apparel with the word frindle on it. By the end of the story, the boy, a man now, receives a copy of a new dictionary with the word frindle in it.  This story really got me thinking about how people just will make up the words to describe what needs to be described.

Long ago someone decided a couch would be called a couch and a book, a book.  Why was that?  Making up new words to describe the situation we’re in or the surroundings that we have is something that we all do.  People needed to communicate with each other with more than just pictures.  Soon these new words were accepted by others, used by society, and became the norm.  The words became part of our daily usage.  Our ever changing culture with recently developed ideas and inventions, add new words to our language constantly.  If human nature follows its current path, there will be much more confuzzling language to come.

I had trouble uploading but here is a link to my video.

​http://dl.dropbox.com/u/23590101/Spanish%20BM2.mov

            The Way You Speak is Your Stamp of Who You Are!!

 

Where can I start? I had so many people say that I talk with an country accent, I’ve been made fun of because I can’t pronounce words right, and I have been corrected to not talk like I’m in the streets. I had to deal with being told how to pronounce words right, and how to say a proper sentence. I used to get so mad when people corrected me. I used to curse them out, stab them, hit them, and even choke them. I used to do anything to get them out of my face. I would do it because they made me feel bad about myself. They hurt me, so in return I had to hurt them. The way you speak can tell people where you grew up and who you grew up with.

            I remember when I was in the sixth grade and two girls that were in my class made fun of the way I pronounced street. We were in the classroom in our reading groups, we all had to read a paragraph out loud. As I was reading they began to laugh, I was confused because they were the only ones laughing.

“What’s so funny? Y’all the only ones laufin!” I said.

“Can you reread that sentence?” one of the girls asked.

“…he kicked my ball across the street.” They laughed again. I didn’t know why until they said that I pronounced street wrong. The way I pronounced it sounded like

“he kicked my ball across the shkreet.” To me it sounded like I pronouncing it like “street” but I wasn’t. It made me so furious, I started cursing them out really loud.

“How you gon’ try and judge me when you look like a silverback monkey? Get yo ‘hairy a** away from me. And you get the f**k away from me wit yo no neck havin’ a**. Go ahead wit yo’self, you dikes.” They were judging me because I say some words with a country accent. I’m not from the country or anything, but my family and I go to South Carolina every summer, so the way they speak clings to my tongue. Like when I say “dog”, I don’t say dog but I say,

“Dhog.” to me it sounds as if I’m saying “dog” but to others it sounds like “dhog”. At home my family doesn’t notice it because they speak just like me. And another thing, I don’t get how they their judging me when they speak nearly the same language as me. They didn’t speak “upper English”, but they spoke slang with “good English”.

            At the time, it seem that I only had a hard time pronouncing str and scr words, and that I sometimes sound country. I never thought that the language that I spoke and speak would be considered as “ghetto English”. Speaking “ghetto English” can tell the person you’re talking to a lot about you. It can tell where you live, who you live with, what type of school you went too, and even your education level. I never paid any attention to the way I talked because everybody around me talked just like me. I thought I was speaking English, but other people knew I was speaking “ghetto English”. The way I talked didn’t begin to bother me until I came to SLA. It was then when I realized that I wasn’t speaking “normal English”.

            In “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Glona Anzaldoa, there’s a girl who tells how at home and with her friends she can speak a normal language. A language that they all grew up speaking, but when she’s in school, she must speak another language. “My home tongues are the languages, I speak with my sister, brothers, with friends. From school, he media and job situations, I’ve picked up standard and working class English.” I feel the same way as she does, when I’m at home I don’t have to watch my tongue. I can pronounce things the way I want to pronounce them without being corrected.

            Now that I go to SLA I have been getting correct almost everyday on how to say a sentence right.

“ You doing anythin’ Friday?”

“You mean, ‘Are you doing anything this Friday?’” she corrects me.

“You wanna com’ downtown wit me?”

“Do you want to come with me downtown?” she corrects me again. I used to hate when people corrected me. I used to snap and curse people out when they corrected me. However I don’t do that now, I take what they say and practice my pronunciation. Instead of snapping on them, I practice because I know a lot of people judge you on the way you talk.  I stopped snapping because it was only getting me in trouble and I didn’t want to keep getting suspended because it was only making me look bad. I practice everyday and I’m starting to learn how to speak “normal English” even when I’m with my friends from home. I used to code switch but that takes too much work, I rather speak one language and try to change the way they speak. I know it may not sound right, but I know that if they want a good job they must be able to code switch or speak “good English”.

            The way you speak is a stamp to tell people where you come from, unless you train yourself to speak better then you can fool people. However if you cannot code switch or change the way you speak, you’re labeled so people know everything about you. I’m learning how to change my language so that people would know everything about me. Some people even think that it tells people your education level, I don’t think so because I’m a smart person with a GPA of 3.73. Even though I have a good GPA, the way I talk doesn’t seem like it.  

​ 

No human experiences anything identical to another. We may search the ends of the earth attempting to make my experience your own. It is as if to make you see what I see through my eyes is some unwritten obligation of the human way. Nevertheless, it is impossible. We are too individual as a people. Progression of ones’ self no matter how we try to deny it, is at the forefront of human focus in life. And this so called life is nothing but a collection of decisions made in an allotted time by people who choose to live.

Life day #25185 Events:

• Completed daily morning routine
• Wake
• Fulfill standard hygienic requirements
• Eat breakfast of 1 multi-vitamin tablet, oatmeal topped with rehydrated assorted fruits, and 2 liters of water, and 1 protein supplement.
• Left home and traveled to the university
• Conducted three lectures and lessons on Time Travel 101, Future Time, and Human Time
• Left lecture hall for the Rhoneart’s Sciences Auditorium and accepted the Stielgermier’s Award for Advancement of the Human Race Award
• Returned home and consumed an evening meal and medications intravenously 
• Journal until overcome by sleep

This schedule is my fathers life and he follows it too the letter. When a new event is introduced to the entire schedule it is documented for future research purposes. My father was was a man that lived through his work. As a child I begged for his attention, cried even. I remember at my most desperate moments, I would hold my breath and threaten suicide. Even when I was on the verge of death, his work was his priority.  It was my hope that uniting them change that. I am still hoping. 

Skhi-Lee walked into the doors of her mentor’s office expecting the worse. She was late and knowing his obsession with time, he was bound to scold her. 

“Time, Ms. Smith,” he said as he briefly peered above the pages hiding his face, “ May occur different to you than it does for me. In order for this relationship to work, you must learn to operate on my time. One o’clock means one o’clock. I operate on the time that humans have universally agreed upon. Normal time. One-fifteen is not one o’clock. Your time with me has passed. You are dismissed.”

“Mr. Smith, I”

“ You mean Dr. Smith,” he corrected, “Again, if you are expecting this relationship to be beneficial, things must be done in order.”

“Dr. Smith, my mother is extremely ill and I was on the phone with her doctor in Sacramento. Her kidneys are failing and they are looking at me as a donor. I apologize for being late for our first meeting but you must understand. She is the only...”

“Quite frankly Ms. Smith, Aarina’s health is no longer my concern.”

  “How did you know her...”

“You are dismissed Ms. Smith,” he said sternly

As she walked out of his office she could not help but think that he did not like her. The semester had not even officially started and her mentor and professor already did not like her. Great start to the school year, don’t you think?

“Time, class as you will learn is relative to the human who is experiencing time,” Professor Smith said at the lecture hall podium. “You all  are here because you have demonstrated an accelerated understanding of physics and shown promise,” he continued, “ on your applications that you are the best the world could offer. In this class you will be experimenting with my discovery of high speed time travel. Unfortunately, because I have simply proved its existence, it now becomes time to prove its applications for the human race.”

A student rose his hand. “So basically what you are saying is that we are igors for your scientific endeavors. And hear I was thinking that is would be an honor to learn from Father Time.”

“Your insubordination will not be tolerated in this class!” he said as he slammed the podium with a fist. “If igors are what you would like to consider yourselves, then so be it. I have no time for human emotions. Time is science. Humans have carelessly muddied the waters between science and emotion.”

Skhi-Lee attempted to sneak to her seat.

“A prime example of this is your fellow igor, Skhi-Lee. She again is late to an event where she is to be engaged with me because her mother’s time on Earth is coming to an end. Look at her class. She is in tears. Take Ms. Smith as an example, if you are late or insubordinate in any way you will be dismissed and this opportunity to work alongside the award winning Jarold Smith,” he briefly paused to scan the room of students. “ Ms. Smith this is your last opportunity. If you are late again you will be dismissed from my company.”

As a girl Skhi-Lee was the happiest of people. She was funny to. When ever someone was down or she saw the need for a smile, she would be right there with one of the jokes she found on a popsicle stick. My daughter was the light was the light of my life. 

“One day when I get real big and go to college, I am going to invent a money tree and I will wrap it up and give it to you for Christmas Mommy,” she’d say. “But, only you and me would know I invented it. So, then only us would have money forever and ever.” Money was the least of our problems. When I got sick the light drained from her eyes. She became remote from all things joyous. I wished there was something I could do, but my illness had made me weak and all I could do was try to stay alive. The only thing she seemed to find purpose and remnants of happiness was in her work. She and I used to do mini science experiments. The last one we worked on awarded her the Young Physicists of America award and a full ride Umkington University. UU was all she talked about. I was her dream school and now we didn’t have to worry about student loans and scholarship hunting. She was set. 

In the following weeks of class Skhi-Lee was on time and on point. She lived right under Professor Smith’s wing and for that, other students seemed to resent her. They would often go out to eat.

“Well that was exhausting, come on everyone. How’s Thai sound tonight?” one of the students said.

“I love Thai,” Skhi-Lee said. 

The other students turned to her and sighed. She understood. Her only friend was her work and I was no longer there to cheer her up. My baby was on her own. Life can be a scary place when you have no one. It can change a person, force them to do things that contradict who they are.

“Today we will be transporting small invertebrates with timers,” Prof. Smith announced.

Students immediately went to their assigned stations. Skhi-Lee worked alone.

“You will need to make sure that both the timer at your station and the one being transported transported are started at the same time,” he continued, “You will do this nine time and record all data. I will need all quantitative and qualitative data for my records. I will return in one hour, twelve minutes, and twenty-four seconds. Begin.”

Time travel had become common knowledge to the students, it was the speed at which an  object could travel that would set one students findings apart from another.  Skhi-Lee was the only student who was seeming to show progress. The rate at which her invertebrates were traveling doubled every other trail and her invertebrates were demonstrating less abnormalities. The worked diligently for one hour, eleven minutes, and  twelve seconds. At that time Skhi-Lee’s phone rang. It was the hospital calling about me. The nurse told her to come immediately. They needed to talk about other donor options. Immediately, she broke into tears and darted to the door. By this time, one hour, twelve minutes, and twenty-four seconds had passed and Prof. Smith was walking in. He grabbed her by the arm.

“Where do you think you are going Ms. Smith?”

“The hospital called. I have to go. It’s an emergency.”

“Our time is not finished here. You will stay,” he replied.

“ All you talk about is time!” she nearly shouted. “  Time this and time that. Sir, my mother is very low on time and I am all she has left. Her time is my time and because of that, today my time is finished here.” She walked around him and out the door.

“Your time with me is finished Ms. Smith.”

At the hospital the nurse explained that Skhi-Lee was not match and could not donate her kidney. Without a donor, I had only three days left to live. Time was not on our side. 

“Are you sure that there is no other family?” the nurse asked.

“No,” I replied “The last of my family abandoned me a long time ago.”

“Mom , they died.They didn’t abandon you. It was just their time.
My medications got the best of me. “No Skhi! Yo don’t understand. He turned his back on us. His work was his life not his wife and daughter.” By now i was sitting straight up, my eyes blood shot red. “ He is alive and doesn’t even care that I am on the verge of death!”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

“That man is horrible. Every time I hear you on the phone nearly in tears because of him. it brings back the nightmare that was my childhood. I can’t bare it.”

“Who are you talking about. Nurse can you come in here please.”

I was panting like a dog, gasping for air. “Your professor...”

“ Step back ma’am. we are going to have to sedate her. Don’t want her to go into shock,” the nurse said.

“... is your grandfather,” I whispered as I slipped into a medically induced sleep.”

Through her tears, Skhi-Lee some how found her way back to campus. For a day and a half she did nothing but cry. Her body was heavy with the weight of what now lay before her.  Should she ask the callous man that turned his back on his family for science for a kidney to save his daughter’s life, or live not knowing his response, without a mother.

Covered in tears, but dressed as if she were about to be interviewed, she dragged herself to Prof. Smith’s office.

“I can’t believe that in all this time, you knew and still you punished me,” she started.

“I am not sure why you are here Ms. Smith. I dismissed you all of two days ago. Why are you in my company?” He never removed his eyes from the documents before him.

“My mother lies on her death bed and the only one who can save her is you, her father.”

“My daughter has run her course and her time is coming to an end. That is something that I can not avoid. Something I will not avoid.”

“You can not possibly be that heartless she is your daughter! I am begging you.”

“I chose a life, Ms. Smith, that was detached from emotion. That means that I have no family. Those ties were slashed at my discovery of high speed time travel, at my success as a professor, at my superiority in the scientific community. I have no family. You have no grandfather. And my daughter has no father.”

Within an hour of that conversation I was dead. My funeral was brief, Skhi-Lee my only attendee other then the minister. Her life went to a dark place after that. Prof. Smith let her back on is team of igors and she began to excel even beyond her master. But, the dark of my death clouded her mind. She blamed  my father for my death and dreamed in revenge.

He claimed to have removed all human emotion from his life. To him sadness, regret, and true loneliness were irrelevant human creations. To make him feel this things would cripple him. But, how do you make a man with no heart feel? You attack the one thing that he does love. His work. With the research that she was already breaking into, Skhi was already ahead of Prof. Smith’s research. High Speed time travel would soon be a thing of the past.

 

http://dw4.convertfiles.com/files/0029773001326459115/spanish%20bm%202.vob
- This is a clickable link that will download an FLV video of my benchmark :D

Me llamo Alejandro Johnson. También me llamo "Paz" en la cultura de grafiti. Otro de mis nombres está “Stryk”. Soy de Filadelfia y vivo en la sur de la ciudad. Mi obra de arto se llama "El Nuevo Día con la Paz".  En mi comunidad, hay mas que todos de la gente gustan. Está un parque un calle atrás de me casa y también muchos tiendas pequeñas. Mi barrio no tiene la violencia ahora pero en el pasada o, sobre 2007 a 2009, hay mas violencia y asesinatos. El sur de Filadelfia tiene una historia muy rica. La cultura es muy diversa. No es una rica mezcla de las culturas italiana, hispanos y afroamericanos. Solía haber una gran cantidad de asesinatos. Durante un verano, en realidad testigos de un tiroteo. Fue realmente aterrador. Pero ahora mi barrio es mucho más seguro.

 

Mi mural se muestra mis pensamientos a la paz y mi ciudad. Uso mas colores pero uso mas de azul y rojo. Pienso que los colores vibrantes está importante a muestra las imágenes. Uso un robot para decir “Amor, la paz, y la felicidad.” El robot está feliz y uso imágenes para decir la frase. Decidí usar un sol rojo en el fondo para dar la sensación de un Nuevo día. Además, yo incorporó un pájaro para representar a la libertad y la libertad de la paz. Yo uso la palabra “amor”. También yo incluyó un signo de paz entre la z y la a.

           

Para mi, el arte publico está fundamente en la cultura de los barrios. Así lo veo, un barrio sin grafiti está un barrio sin vida. El grafiti está una parte de los barrios y una parte de la corazón de los ciudades. Aunque el grafiti es un crimen, no es justo para criminalizar este. Por lo tanto, es un desperdicio de los recursos y dinero también. Todos los niños disfrutan mucho jugando al aire libre en el sur de Filadelfia. Cuando pueden salir a la calle un arte asombroso ver públicas o graffiti, que se lo agradezco mucho. Creo que es una de las razones por las que el público es tan importante. Entonces, este es desde mi punto de vista y otros personas piensan el opuesto.