Negative Space
Example: Positive space (in black) you see a vase, but negative space (in white) you can see the profile of two faces.
When I first enter Mr. Block’s class, I struggled
with language, identity, mask, boundaries, and relationship. Throughout the
year, I develop a deeper understanding. I used to view language as one specific
language such as slang, or dialect. I used to follow what everybody else thinks,
but now I realized that I have changed a lot compare to the beginning of the year.
I have my own point of views. I have my own identity and my own voice this year.
English class and History class had brought me out of my shell. Reading book
after book, and building connection with the book. It helps me create a better
understanding on why the author wrote this book. After going on trial as the Aztec
and the corporation, my point of view has shifted many times. It’s also wonderful
to start the class with a journal entry because I am getting a chance to hear
other people responded to the questions, especially challenging ones.
In the beginning of the year in English class, Mr. Block started with something small by practicing how to write a descriptive essay. He built us up from scratch and helps us work our way up. When I first started, I had many negative comments about how my scenes are not filled with enough details or how it doesn’t make senses. I will stare at the image, trying to find the right words or phrase to describe it. After having a class discuss on what to look for when writing a descriptive scene such as: the smell, the texture, the color, and the touch. Though enough practice, my skills improve. (Descriptive Essay)
Throughout the year, the language essay
opened me up the most. I was able to express myself through words. I also
learned so much by describing my experience on being Asian American. I discuss
a lot about how I adopt to my second language, English. Also my experience as
being Asian American while English is my second language. It was hard for me at
first because I don’t usually express my hardship. So for me, it was a little
personal, but it felt good when I express everything in words. “The struggles of language bring
out the negative image by doing negative things to fit in” (Language Autobiography.) I used to think
that in order to fit in, you must hide your identity and put on another mask. This
quarter help me reflective on how much I change throughout times, but the end
of this assignment, I realize that I had accept my identity.
What happens to power when control fades to nothing? Do not mistake one kindness for weakness or is happiness for ignorance. The true evil in the world is done under the cloak of good. Freedom is a state of mind. We are molded by the past, shaped by the present, to be admired in the future. Language is very powerful, it's the way we communicate in all aspects of life which means that language doesn't always have to do with speaking. Language is something much bigger, much stronger, much deeper than that.
"Language is people..." as said in my language video. It’s our badge of honor, it’s what sets us apart from everyone else. Also as said in the video, language is a living thing, "it changes, it adapts, it moves it grows, it our identity in the world." I realized that one's language is like his identical twin, it’s born, develops, and matures as you do. You can express language through writing. Monologues are a perfect example because it takes the writer true emotions and feelings and put them on paper. "You are but a vampire, sucking the life from society and those who rest upon." That's from a monologue I wrote. My goal was to use powerful words and comparisons that would give vivid detail along with deeper meanings. I put myself in the place of the character whose point of view I was writing from, which gave it that much stronger meaning.
Action is a way to express ourselves which also expresses our language. We have been learning that we are unique as a people therefore no language can be identical as no language can be identical. We recently did an assignment that required us to use a space to create a scene by using interpretive dancing. The required creativity and originality, both aspects of language. What me and my group did in our scene is perform under a bridge and use train spikes as a prop. We based the scene around the train spikes and made it about two individuals brought together by music. This was an example of our ideals coming together to form a large showing of language. Like language, the preparation was dynamic, the scene required constant adjusting and practice. In the end though, our collective language conveyed the message in the scene and it was successful.
During the course of year, we've also come to understand that discussion gives you the chance to see peoples insight and point of view. Everyones opinion is varied in some way, so when we are faced with a subject most responses will differ in meaning or understanding. Throughout the year we have been making journal entries about a given subject. We were then asked to voice our opinion based on what we wrote. In one of my entries we were given a list of non- violent strategies to revolt and make change. We had to write which strategies did we think were most effective. I didn't really think any of them were effective in a revolution because "these methods could be used to start a revolution, but a dictator will not be quick to give up his power..." Another discussion we had was about sports in America. We were asked why are sports such a big deal in our country. My thought was "sports are such a big deal in this country is because it's one of the main things that brings us together." Another entry we had was when we were discussing how the past and how it changes us in the present. We were asked to write about a point in time that changed who we are or defined us in a strong way. What I wrote was "when my dad started talking to me about the truth about the world." Before this assignment I used to think that the past doesn’t matter, what happening here and now is what is most important. After this discussion I came to realize that what happens in the past defines and creates what happens now. That was my defining moment in my life.
That is some of the things I have learned and experienced in my English and History class over this year. These lessons I will take with me for the rest of my life and has defined me as a person.
The Lucky One
(Sitting in a chair twidling his thumb.) You are scum. You (Pause) are scum. A sick, vile virus among the population of humanity. You think your riches or your big fancy house makes you special, makes you unique? You are nothing more than a mosquito, sucking the blood out of society and those who depend on what it gives. You and everyone similar to you are meer insects to people who’ve had to crawl and struggle their entire lives to get by. People without chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, or fancy butlers serving them five star meals. Those are people with real riches. I can sit in this chair all day and lecture you on this. The sad part about it is people don’t care as much for human riches as much as they care for small green slips of paper with dead white leaders on them. And for those who do have it use it to hide from the real world like cowards while they watch us struggle through life from their high placed pedestals.
Why did I try to steal from you? What would you care or understand? I’m going to prison regardless. Hmmp well if you must know I’m no criminal. A thief, but not a criminal. No, they are not the same thing! A criminal is someone who purposely breaks the law because they are too lazy to get a job and make something of themselves. Now there are two types of thieves. People who steal because they want to or people who steal because the have to. I steal because I have to. The funny thing is it wasn’t always that way.
It was about a year after that pipeline was made. I lived in a rural area not too far from the pipeline and my family business was around that area to. I worked as a tourguide, take people through the forest, let them experience nature, stuff like that. It was called Natures buddies. Of course you’ve never heard of it, probably not good enough. You’d be that one person who had no one to come with. (Pause) Oh yeah, you married? (Pause) You have any kids? Yeah (mumbling) I bet even your parents be too ashamed to come with you. Anyway! I made a good salary, settled down, got married. Hmmp, I remember when I first met her. She came in for a tour one time with her friends, we talked for a little bit after the tour and we just connected ever since. I knew she was the one from that first hour we talked, but I guess you wouldn’t know about that would you. Soon after she gave me something to live for... two kids. They were my pride and joy and I really felt that it was just gonna get better from there. Thats when... it happened. (Pause) The pipeline burst. You probably heard about it. (Pause) Yeah but the only thing was they were sugar coating it. The the pipeline spewed thousands of gallons of oil a minute and ravaged the wilderness and everything else around it for miles, including our business.
I was out of work. Soon after I lost my home. In the blink of an eye I had no job, no home, and my emergency money was running dry. I felt like a boy in a book I read called House of the Scorpion when he was locked in that room because they found out he was a clone. I tried for months to get a job but no everyday job wants to hire someone who tread through the woods talking about trees and animals. Hmmp, you’d think people be more grateful for the tour’s we gave. I tried everything, I learned that those fundraising things they have on commercials are all bullshit. Just a bunch of people who steal from the public and barley give any of the money they raise toward people who need it. They’d much rather take almost all of that money for their own self purposes. Another thing I realized was that those who had plenty of money to give to a corner full of the homeless are the one’s who most likely would give us the finger and drive off.
My money was running dangerously short. My families ribs slowly began showing more definition everyday. I knew I had to do something. Then it hit me, Robin Hood stole from the rich to help the needy. As bad as it was I had two option, either steal food until I can find a real job, or watch my family wither away. That’s why I’m here now. This isn’t what I wanted, this is the life I was forced into. I know you have to call the cops, just please whatever you do keep my family out of it. They deserve better than me anyway. (Pause) What?! Your giving me this? But... but... this is ten thousand dollars, your just giving me this? (Crying) Thank you, from the bottom of my heart thank you. Ever since that incident I’ve thought I of myself as unlucky, but now I see I have a loving family and now I can support them. Thank you.
1) What is orientalism?
the belief of rumors, unintentional racism, ignorance western mentality of anyone who doesn’t follow the western ways are alien.
2) how do we avoid prentalist?
you can be open-minded, question yourself and educate yourself about these things. Think positive and try to look at the different unique side of things.1. your cut out?, 2. in your still life drawing?
I used the colors and shapes
Why does it help an artist to see in negative space?
It allows you to see two sides of the artwork
Does seeing in negative space enhance drawings, why or why not?
Not all the time because I find it hard to wrap my mind aroundWRITE UP A MADE UP STORY ABOUT FALL ENGLISH JOURNAL # 8
From the roots of a tree to the branches of it, you can see the changing colors of the season. Almost time to wear coats but not precisely. ITs like knocking the wind out of you. The warmth of summer so quickly replaced by the warmth of sweaters scarves and pumpkin coffee. Fall is beautiful.
For the last art project of the school year this was a lot of fun. I enjoyed carving and printing, and I did not cut off a finger. This type of project wasn’t new to me because I printed during summer camp but didn’t focus on negative space or matting art. My element was Barium. Some interesting facts about Barium is that Sir Humphry Davy discovered Barium in 1808. It’s Atomic number is 56 Barium is found in salts that are used to make fireworks green. Barium is also used in metals to make them heavy sometimes used in silverware and X-rays. My print is called Barium Man. It suits the print because the carnie is holding up an anvil that is made by Barium. I had other sketches for Barium but this sketch was perfect At SLA we embrace using the five core values and during this project the values were useful in many areas.
Inquiry: The first question was which sketch shows the uses to Barium? A good question that I asked myself was would this be easy to carve without cutting my self?
Research: To make my sketch I had to learn more about my element. I researched more about Barium to get an accurate design to see what it looks like. Based off of printing from before, your sketch should be easy to carve. Another thing is to know about negative space. If you know where your negative space is your print will turn out better than expected.
Collaboration: When it came time for printing we all collaborated as a whole to put out paints and take turns using the different rollers because there was more paint than rollers. Another way we collaborated as a whole was the clean up. We all came together to clean up the room when we were done so we wouldn’t be late to our next class.
Presentation: For my presentation I matted the best print out of all the prints I made. I also decided to show the world my creations by blogging about them. It’s a good way to show off something you are proud off.
Reflection: Over all this was a fun project, if I could do it over I would try a new design that would have thicker lines and less detail. The more detail in the print the harder it was to carve. With a design that has thicker lines and less design it is easier to see the print and it looks a lot neater than mines was.
“All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone, everything is in relation to everything else.” - Buddha
After all that I have learned from Buddhism some of their principles that align most with my values are that (referring to the quote) everything is in relation to everything else. I feel like this is saying that everything has some value, some worth, and is there to be here for a reason and that is my personal belief. In the beginning it talks about how everything both appears and disappears for a certain amount of time. Everything has its place in the world and their own amount of time that is sent in the world, which is also what I believe in.
Quotes:
“ There’s silence in our hearts because there’s inexpressive grief and lack of information so the only thing that we don is stream naturally toward a church a mace of spiritual growth”
“I think religion helps us to deal with what we don't understand, with what overwhelms us, with what makes life hard. It helps us gain an another”
“Alongside the prayers, there were angry calls for vengeance”
“Its very very important that we ourselves not become tragically victimized by this in a way that would turn us into any kind of vengeance mob.”
During this school year we learned a lot about other countries through the Holocaust and Colonialism. I am writing about Countries not always knowing what is best for other countries. The pieces of work that we did in class that have to do with this topic are the Torture and Obedience worksheet, the Night Themes and Insights worksheet, and the Graphic Novel Quote Responses on the Holocaust book we chose to read. I learned about this topic from reading the books, “Night” by Elie Wiesel and “Maus” by Art Spiegelman. Both of those books are about the Holocaust through Jewish peoples’ eyes. On the “Maus” Quote Sheet, we had to write quotes that we thought were interesting, what we thought about the quote, what the quote says about the book, and what the quote says about the world. On the “Night” Themes Worksheet, we had to write three quotes from the book about faith, relationships, hope, and control. We also had to write two statements and a deep question for each of those categories. These helped me learn about countries not knowing what’s best for each other because we live in a free country and we complain if our phone is going to slow, if there's traffic, or if something costs more than we want it to, but these people were fighting for their lives every day and we will never know what their experience was like. The Nazi’s were trying to control the Jewish people and wanted to kill them because they weren’t the “perfect” race. The last worksheet that helped me learn about this topic is the Torture and Obedience Worksheet. This helped me learn about the topic because it was a worksheet on a video that had to do with people shocking others if they answered a question wrong, but the people weren’t really getting shocked, and the video related to the book, “Night.” It related to “Night” because the Nazis tortured the Jewish people by putting them in gas chambers and keeping them in the concentration camps with barely any food or water. They also killed the Jews by putting them in a in a crematorium. We wait in line for the newest phones, newest sneakers, or even concert tickets, and the Jews waited in line for food and their death. Another piece of work that we did in History was a Colonialism Project. This helped me understand because after the Native Americans were colonized their whole world changed, and they didn’t want that to happen because they didn't know what the change would bring to their already formed culture but the Spaniards thought that colonization was best for the Natives even though the Spanish told them how to live their lives. An example of this in today's world is the budget cuts from the Philadelphia School District. They are taking away our rights to a better education from our electives, our sports programs, and even our counselors that help us with our college choices.
My thoughts about countries not always knowing what is best for one another changed throughout this year because I used to think that learning about other countries and the Holocaust was boring, but now that I learned about it in a different way I found out a lot more about the ways countries try to control other countries. Another way it changed my thinking was because it was in the perspective of people that were a part of the Holocaust rather than someone else’s perspective. I used to not like learning about History but the way that I learned it this year really changed my perspective on how I look at the world and it taught me that I shouldn’t take the things I have for granted.
Some Other Work That has to do with this Topic:
English Journal Observations about LotFUp for Trial:
Multinational Corporations.
Us Consumers
Factory Workers
Poor Country Elite
The System of Profit
A Mike Daisy Article
Foxconn makes over 15 percent of all the electronics of the world. ( last year they made over 52 percent of them)
the foxconn in shenzhen has 430,00 workers (each cafeteria only 10,00 people. Only 25 rooms and they’re always full.)
There's always guards at the factories carrying guns
There was a photographer taking pictures not at foxconn but near the premises and he was held for two days and beaten.
there was a epidemic suicide at foxconn. a month after month of suicide. now theres suicide nets so people can’t jump off the roof.
Some factory workers are very young. Youn as the age of 12 or younger.
There are inspections on the factories. They inspect under age workers but the factory always change the workers on the day of those inspections.