Bibliography

"10 Sure-Fire School Fundraisers." Scholastic.com. Scholastic, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/volunteering-fundraising/10-sure-fire-school-fundraisers>.

From the start, I knew that this would be a very good source for me when it came to it’s reliability and overall content. This is due to the fact that this was a Scholastic article directed towards teachers and administrators all over the nation. This source specifically focuses on fundraising within schools and provides 10 solid ideas for fundraisers that are both inexpensive and interesting. This source will help me by giving me a few fresh new ideas for fundraising that has not been done in SLA already. The only problem with this source is the fact that it’s really directed towards high school’s and is more appropriate for Elementary and Middle School. 

"100 Fundraising Ideas." 100 Fundraising Ideas. Juniata College, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://services.juniata.edu/osa/100FundraisingIdeas.html>.

This source was another one that focuses on fundraising, but it’s a better one than the previous one due to the fact that it shows me 100 sources and not only that, it is specifically directed towards the college environment. Although SLA isn’t a college, this does give me fundraising ideas that are geared much more to my age group rather than students who are younger. This source also is highly reliable due to the fact that it was put out by Juniata, for their specific campus and students. This means that I will be able to trust that these are ideas that have worked in the past and could potentially work for me. With that said though, not all of the ideas relate directly towards me due to the simple fact that it is Juniata specific and refers to things that have nothing to do with the high school environment. 

Dart, D. C. "How To Build A Custom Sized Stretched Canvas." Instructables.com. Autodesk, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Build-A-Custom-Sized-Stretched-Canvas/>.

At first glance I did not think that this would be a very reliable source due to the fact that it was basically a blog post, which meant that anyone could have created this post without any real knowledge of what they were doing. But after I really sat down and read the instructions and the description of the author, I knew that this would be a good place for me to get the basic background knowledge that I needed in order to figure out how to build a frame for a canvas like the one I will be using for my art piece. I will still need to look at other sources that discuss how to build a frame for a canvas but this will definitely be a good place to start. 

Eckman, Megan. "How to Use a Grid to Enlarge an Image While Drawing - Tuts+ Design & Illustration Tutorial." Design & Illustration Tuts+. Envato, 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-use-a-grid-to-enlarge-an-image-while-drawing--cms-20593>.

One big part of creating a large artistic piece is the process of going from a simple drawing on printer paper, to a full scale art piece. In order to do this accurately, I would need to use a grid method so that I know that all of the proportions are accurate and that it will look exactly like my original drawing. I also believe that this is a very good source to use when it comes to creating an art piece due to the fact that it has all the makings of a reliable piece and was done by an artist who knows what she’s talking about due to the fact that she teaches people how to be artists in her everyday life. 

"How To Finish Up Your Colored Pencil Project." Onlinepaintingstudiocom. N.p., 2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://onlinepaintingstudio.com/colored-pencil-paintingtutorials/colored-pencil-tutorial-series-finishing-up-your-project/>.

This source was very important for me because I have never made a piece of art that was going to be hung up for the public. Due to the fact that I will be hanging this up for everyone in SLA to see, I will need to ensure that my piece looks professional. A big part of that is what exactly I am supposed to do with my project once I am done. That’s where this source comes into play. This article gives me a detailed explanation of what it is that I should do with my piece once I am ready to finish it. From the protection, to the framing, to the varnish, this source covers it all and does so in an easy to understand way. I also know that this is a reliable source since it is ran and written by a very accomplished artist who has been doing work since before I was even born. 

Kyer, Libby. "Colored Pencil Painting." No Really, That's How I Do It. American Society of Botanical Artists, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <https://www.asba-art.org/article/no-really-thats-how-i-do-it-colored-pencil-painting>.

I know that I mentioned that my last source was very important but this is probably the most important source of all my sources. This is due to the fact that I will be working solely with colored pencils for this piece and it is very important that I am very aware of all the techniques that I can utilize while I work on this in order to create the best painting that I can. Also I know that this is probably my most reliable source when it comes to the artistic techniques due to the fact that this is the American Society of Botanical Artists’ website which lets me know that all of these techniques will have been very much tried and tested. 

McArdle, Thaneeya. "Best Surface for Colored Pencil and Acrylic Mixed Media Art." Best Surface for Colored Pencil and Acrylic Mixed Media Art. N.p., 2015. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://www.art-is-fun.com/best-surface-for-colored-pencil-and-acrylic-mixed-media-art.html>.

I’m not really sure exactly how reliable this source is due to the fact that it is basically a blog, but I believe that the information on the site is accurate since it lines up with everything else that I have been reading. This source focuses on the best surfaces (papers) to work on when one is using colored pencils. This is important for me because of the fact that I am not very well versed with colored pencil painting, which means that I have no clue of what kind of paper I should really be using for my piece. After reading this though, I now have a basic knowledge of the papers that should be used when colored pencil is the chosen medium. 

McNee, Lori. "Using Colored Pencils to Create Fine Art." The Art of and Fine Art Tips of Lori McNee. N.p., 3 Feb. 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://www.finearttips.com/2010/02/using-colored-pencil-to-create-fine-art/>.

This source is very good for me when it comes to it’s artistic techniques due to the fact that it allows me to really get a deeper grasp on exactly what I should be doing when I use colored pencils to create a large, professional piece of art. Since this source is written and ran by the same person, and this person happens to be a very successful artist, I know that I can look at this source as a very reliable one. This will come in handy throughout the entire process due to the fact that it will allow for me to have a place to go back to when I want to do something with colored pencils that I don’t fully know how to do. 

Pemberton, Lo. "Mounting and Framing Your Pencil Portrait." Web log post. How to Draw... N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://howtodraw.pencilportraitsbyloupemberton.co.uk/step-by-step-drawing-6-to-10/mounting-framing-pencil-portrait/>.

This is the source that I needed in order to confirm what I learned in one of my previous sources when it came to framing a piece. This source does an amazing job of breaking down every little detail about the type of frame I should use, how I should frame it, the size the frame should be; everything. This source does reiterate what I learned from my other source when it comes to framing my piece but it also goes more in depth than my other one did. I also know that this source is reliable due to the fact that it was written by a well versed artist and is on a very popular art blog by the name of “how to draw”. 

Truman, Vicki. "Surfaces for Colored Pencil Painting." Onlinepaintingstudiocom. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://onlinepaintingstudio.com/colored-pencil-paintingtutorials/surfaces-for-colored-pencil-painting/>.

This final source gives me some basic knowledge about exactly what surfaces I should use while using colored pencils. I knew that I needed to find another source that covered this topic because I wasn’t exactly sure how reliable my other source that covered this topic was. This is also the same website that I used for one of my other sources, so I already know that this is a site that I would consider reliable. This will really help me out in the beginning stages of my creation due to the fact that I will know exactly what paper I should be using in order to show off the positive qualities of the colored pencils that I will be using.

The walk to the dull, grey building was routine at this point. Surrounded by all the other stain glass skyscrapers, the building looked unimpressive and out of place. “One would think that the juxtaposition between the exuberant scenery and the rustic building would be cause for suspicion but no one ever seems to notice.” These were Claris’ thoughts as she approached the building, as she did every morning, at sharply 8am. Claris’ sharp 5 inch metal heals stomped into the ground as she continued thinking about the obviousness of this “secret” location and the uncanny lack of attention it seemed to draw. She eventually chalked it up to the ignorance and self centered nature of the wealthy that inhabit this part of the city and continued about her morning ritual.

After passing through the retinal scanner and full body search, Claris made her way to her office. But of course, not without the usual whistling and unsuccessful mating attempts by the front office clerk. She knew that she could always report him to human resources but she knew that that’d probably result in his mouth being seared shut, which admittedly was a bit harsh, but was the penalty for on-job sexual harassment in the 30th century. Plus, deep down she was flattered by the gestures since he wasn’t necessarily unattractive, although, there was an extreme unattraction to the man-parts hugged up in his size 28 tapered trousers.

With a seat in her office chair, Claris called her partner to find out her whereabouts, to let her know it’d be a late night and to find out her plans for the night.

“Hey Chels, it’s Claris.”

“Shit!”, “That’s my favorite shirt!.... Just so you know.... I was drinking my coffee.....now my shirt is enjoying it a lot more than I am.... thank you for that.”

“Ohh I’m so sorry! I thought I’d timed it so that I’d call you as soon as you were done.” explained Claris.

“Welp... you were unsuccessful. And why don’t you ever just call me like a normal human being?”

“See I would.... but physically telling my computer to call you is so much more work than me just thinking about you and ending up in your head.”

“Psh, I’m sure it would have been soooo much work! And you know how I feel about you being in my...”

“Anyways!”, interrupted Claris. “ I called to let you know that I’ll be home a little later today. My boss just gave me an urgent project and wants me to stick around late so that I can get it done tonight. I hope that isn’t too much of a hassle.”

“Again?!” exclaimed Chelsea. “If I wasn’t the amazing person I am, I would swear you’re out doing something behind my back.”

“Well, you know I’m not, which is all that matters. Well, I have to go so I’ll talk to you later tonight babe.”

“Ok, bye. But if you need to talk to me again can you at least ACTUALLY call me next time so that I don’t ruin another shirt or have a heart attack.”

“Ehhh... no promises.” responded Claris.

Part 2

We watched the waves together. It’s what we did every Sunday morning during the summer. We would go down to the pier and watch the waves. I enjoyed this moment more than any other. This was the only time when my mother and I were able to be completely alone, simply enjoying each other’s presence.

“.....Claris!”

I was only 5 at the time, but I distinctly remember the happiness I always felt within this moment. Then the flash happened. What happened during that flash, I to this day don’t understand. All I knows is when the flash died down and she regained vision, my mother was dead. Blood slowly running down the back of her head from her ear.

“.... CLARIS!”

Staring out the window of her 7th floor office, Claris noticed the lackluster nature of her view. She thought that considering she made upwards of 6 figures per year, she would at least have a decent view of the city from her office window. But, due to the CIA refusing to be anything less than inconspicuous, she instead had a plain view of the dark street, from a meager 7 stories.

“......CLARIS!!”

“Hmph, wait, what?!” said Claris. Turning to her assistant, Charles, who had apparently been standing there for an excessive amount of time, shouting his bosses name.

“Oh, hello Charles. What is it?”  

She could tell he had been trying to get her attention for longer than one would normally have to by the redness of his cheeks and the sweat forming above his brow.

“What is wrong with you?!” said Charles. “ I’ve been standing here screaming your name for the past 5 minutes without even the slightest response!”

“Calm down Charles. I’m fine. I was just thinking about my mom’s death is all.”

“Again? Why do you do that to yourself? Replaying it over and over again in your head. You were only 5, she died of a brain hemorrhage, it was nothing you could do. Simple as that.” He approached her cautiously, knowing better than to break her 1 rule; no physical contact under any circumstance.

“I know I was young, but I have a strong feeling her death wasn’t natural. I mean, she was perfectly healthy, no history of brain trauma in our family, it all just doesn’t add up. And the flash. None of it makes any sense.”

Charles sat down at the chair across from Claris’ desk.

“I know it’s hard. But it happens. Bad things happen to good, innocent, healthy people. You know first hand about that. Just let it go.”

“I can’t “just let it go” Charles. It’s not that easy….. What if it was me? What if I tried to read her mind or something and killed her. I mean, like you said, I was only 5. I had no control over my powers back then. And look at me now. Look at what I do for a living. I’m a murder.”

“Claris, I’ve known you for 4 years now, and if I don’t know anything else about you, I know that you’re no murderer. Anyone that dies by your hand now, simply deserves to die. They’re the bad guys. If not them, then it would be some innocent person. And I know you didn’t kill your mom with your powers. You can’t even kill anyone now with your powers and you know how to control them.”

“I guess you’re right.” She sighed. “I’m just stressing since it’s 2 days away from the 25th anniversary of her death. I always get like this around this time. Don’t worry about me.” Wiping away the tears that were beginning to form, “Anyway. What’s my schedule for today?”

“Ok then.” Charles stands, “You have a mission across town. Something about a man named Vlogdon. He’s been on the company's radar for a while and they think now’s the perfect time to take him out. All the info is in your phone.”

“What’s the password for today?”

“Chicken Strips….. What? I was hungry this morning.”

“Are you serious?.......Next time, let’s try to keep this professional Charles.”

“But…….” Seeing the look in her eyes, he decided against making the smart remark he had thought of. Then quickly after, realized that he had thought it, which meant that she probably already knew. He wondered if she heard it…

“Yes. I heard that. Now go. Do whatever it is I pay you to do.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Part 3

She opened the file attached to the message Charles had just sent to her phone. Scanning through the mission report, everything seemed the same. It was a usual, search and take out mission. The problem was, normally “take out” meant wiping the person’s memory or bringing them into headquarters to inevitably never be seen again. This time around it was different. There were clear and direct instructions typed into the message:

Exterminate Target

It’s not as if Claris had not killed anyone before. In fact for a period of time, she was instructed to kill every target she received. But eventually, the company decided to wipe the memories of the assigned targets in order to be more “humane”. This was the first termination assignment Claris had received in 2 years. It was clear to her that Vlogdon wasn’t any normal target. She examined the picture attached to his file. He was a stocky looking man, about 5” 8’, very broad shoulders, a balding head although his profile said he was only 30, and a beer belly. His skin looked thick, greasy and extremely pale. Claris was extremely unimpressed. He seemed like a random couch potato who lived with his mom in the basement, reading comic books all day while eating Cheetos. But she knew better than to underestimate any target that she received. If the CIA wanted him dead, and thought he was important enough to have Claris herself handle him then he had to be an extreme flight risk. Like Charles said, the report located Vlogdon on the outskirts of the city.

Claris left her office and found everything she needed for the mission laid out neatly on the table outside of her office.

“Oh yeah. That’s what I pay Charles for,” were her words to herself as she examined her tools. A PDW handgun (her gun of choice), a penetration proof vest, combat boots to replace her heels and her specially made gloves that allowed her to climb walls and regulate the temperature of her entire body.

After saying her goodbyes to Charles, Claris was on her way, being sure to not be interrupted by the office clerk and his sly remarks.

Part 4

I was 4 now. I vaguely remember what occurred that strange evening. My mother and father were arguing. About what, I was too young to know, but I could tell it was about me. They kept pointing at me throughout the argument. I hated when they argued. Partially because of the screaming, but mostly because when Mommy and Daddy argue, Mommy would hit Daddy. He would never do anything back though. I didn’t understand why he would never just hit her back. I mean, she deserved to get hit back. But he never would, until this instance.

After it happened, he kept saying how it wasn’t him. How it felt like he was possesed. He said he watched as his hand came across Mommy’s face but he couldn’t do anything about it. Of course she didn’t believe him. Mommy just screamed even more and went to her room, being sure to slam the door behind her for added effect. That night Daddy cried. I had never seen Daddy cry before. I didn’t think Daddies could cry, but why was he crying? Mommy got what she deserved right? Right?

Claris found herself in front of Vlogdon’s house without much trouble. All it took was a few blocks of searching and questioning. If he meant to remain hidden, he wasn’t doing a very good job at. She was surprised though; he didn’t live with his mother. He actually had an entire family. A pudgy wife, a pudgy son, about 15, and even a pudgy rottweiler to match. These were the hardest targets for Claris. The ones who seemed normal. The ones who had an entire family that would miss them. But it didn’t matter, business was business and orders were orders. Vlogdon had to die. But before that could happen, she couldn’t help but wonder why she was assigned to him in the first place. She decided to read his mind to find out, knowing that one could be really good at hiding who they were on the outside, but that no one could hide who they were from themselves.

“ Hmm…. I wonder if I should get some ice cream… I know I should watch my figure,” Vlogdon thought, “but what does it matter. Helen’s fat. She doesn’t even try to hide it anymore. At least I still suck in my little gut when I take my shirt off. She’s just fat and proud of it… Whatever…..I think I’m gonna get the ice cream. Hell, I deserve it.”

Claris grew impatient fairly quickly. It was her worst quality, but it was the one that saved Vlogdon’s life. Within her short time reading his mind, she found nothing of interest that would grant the death of this innocent looking man, so she decided to go against the missions details of killing him. Instead she planned to simply wipe his memory in hopes that whatever he was doing that caught the CIA’s attention in the first place, he would no longer do.

Waiting until Vlogdon and his family were asleep, Claris climbed through his bedroom window in order to grab a hold of his head. “That’s the one downside,” she thought as she climbed into the bedroom. “ I actually have to touch him just to wipe his memory.” Once in his room, Claris grabbed his head in her 2 hands and began the process of wiping his memory.

In order to wipe one's memory, Claris has to first go through the person’s entire memory, from birth, to that particular second. Once done, she could clear out any and every memory that she desired. 30 seconds into going through his entire memory, Claris ran into a strange situation; his early memories were almost identical to that of Claris’. The day when she was 4, watching her parents argue, her mother’s death. Vlogdon was there for it all. He lived it right along with Claris. He was her brother.

Part 5

My brother Vlogdon and I were 7 and 4 at the time. We vaguely remember what happened that evening. Mother and father were arguing. We don’t remember why though. We were too young to really understand. We watched as they yelled at each other while pointing at us. Mommy hit Daddy. She always hit Daddy, and he never did anything. Until that night. We watched Daddy hit Mommy, but he didn’t want to. Vlogdon made him. Vlogdon made him hit Mommy back because she deserved it. She deserved it didn’t she? Just like she deserved to die.

We were watching the waves. It’s what we did every Sunday morning during the summer. We would go down to the pier and watch the waves. We enjoyed this moment more than any other. This was the only time we would be able to be completely alone with our mother. Simply enjoying each other’s presence. Vlogdon enjoyed it more than anyone. He had been waiting for this day for the past week. He planned it all out so perfectly. He mastered his powers. He knew exactly what to do to make it look natural. And he did. He killed her. He killed her and partially wiped my memory.

After going through all of Vlogdon’s memories, Claris knew what happened to her mother. She knew why her father killed himself that night too. She knew why she grew up without parents. It was Vlogdon. He caused it all. He killed their mother. He forced their father to kill himself. He wiped Claris’ memory in order to keep her innocent. He ran away to live alone and deal with what he had done. He put it all behind him. He made an entire new life. He did it all. All out of jealousy.

He hated when Claris was born. He felt like she would take over his mother’s attention and he did. She became the object of his mother’s attention. Everyone forgot about Vlogdon, except his father. He was still there for him. But he was weak. He let Vlogdon’s mother hit him repeatedly without hitting her back. Why didn’t he ever hit her back? Because he was a man? That wasn’t good enough. He needed to defend himself, and since he wouldn’t do it, Vlogdon would do it for him. But even after being hit back, Vlogdon’s mother continued to hit his father. So Vlogdon took care of her. But his father was weak. He couldn’t live without her. He didn’t want to live without her. So he killed himself.

Part 6

Claris didn’t know what to do with the information. Should she just wipe Vlogdon’s memory like she originally planned to? Should she carry out the original mission and exterminate the target? But he wasn’t just a target anymore. He was her brother. Her brother that killed their mother and forced their father to kill himself. It didn’t matter anymore. He was awake.

“So you found me. After all these years. You’ve found me,” said Vlogdon. “So I’m guessing you know who I am,” he continued, “Well, how ya been sis?”

“How could you? How could you kill our mother? How could you leave me to grow up with strangers? How could you wipe my memory? How could you allow me to believe that I possibly killed our mother? How could you allow me to believe I was the only one left in our family? How could you?!” Claris was sobbing now. For the first time in her life, she was vulnerable. She cleaned herself up immediately.

“I should kill you. But I won’t. That’d be too easy. I’ll let you live with what you’ve done, and knowing that I’m alive and remember everything should make you guilty enough. You’re pathetic.” Claris turns to exit the bedroom.

“So you don’t even want to know why I killed her?”

“ I already know why. You were jealous.” replied Claris.

“No, that’s just what I put into my memories just in case anyone like you ever came around and tried to snoop around in my head. The real reason is a lot more complicated than that…….Actually……. it’s pretty simple now that I think about it…. She was a target. Simple as that.” said Vlogdon.

“What? What are you talking about?” replied Claris.

“What I’m talking about is the CIA. I was a child spy. No one knew, not even mom. But one day, I get a target for a mission and it was mom. Of course I say I can’t do it and question why she would even be a target considering her innocent nature. They said she had to go. She apparently was a secret project created by the CIA. Through genetic manipulation, they attempted to take a normal women, and give her telepathic powers. She was a test subject. The problem was, it didn’t work. Nothing ever happened to her, so they just let her go. That is, until she had her first child, yours truly, and I came out with telepathic powers. Then she gave birth to another telepath. They couldn’t risk her having any more telepaths so they wanted her gone.” explained Vlogdon.

“But why?  Why wouldn’t they want more of us?”

“Because they don’t understand us,” explained Vlogdon, “They don’t feel safe around us. So they made sure that no more of us could be produced. And they made sure that they had complete control over us, which is why we work for them. But I left a few years back and they’ve been chasing me ever since I left.”

“Which explains why you’re my target…..But you didn’t have to do it. You could have saved her life.”

“No, I couldn’t. It was either her, or you, and I chose her.”  replied Vlogdon.

Without responding, Claris left the bedroom. She immediately went to the pier where her mother was murdered. There, she reflected on everything she had just learned from Vlogdon. It was in this moment that she made a vow to never use her powers again. She didn’t feel as though she deserved them if her mother gave them to her, and her mother was dead. But she would wait until she got her vengeance on the CIA. From that day on, she would do whatever it took to avenge the death of her mother.

Benchmark Journal #1 

"Now will I question Cassio of Bianca,

A huswife that by selling her desires

Buys herself bread and clothes. It is a creature

That dotes on Cassio, as ’tis the strumpet’s plague

To beguile many and be beguiled by one.

He, when he hears of her, cannot refrain

From the excess of laughter. Here he comes.

                                                        Enter Casio

As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad.

And his unbookish jealousy must construe

Poor Cassio’s smiles, gestures, and light behavior

Quite in the wrong. —How do you now, lieutenant?"

During this section, Iago talks to the audience, as well as at one point to Cassio. These are 2 completely different audiences, and would need to talk differently and face totally different places in order to show exactly who it is that he's directing that part of the soliloquy. From "Now I will question Cassio", to "Poor Cassio’s smiles, gestures, and light behavior Quite in the wrong" he should be facing the audience, and talking in a way in which he does not want everyone else to hear, especially considering the fact that Cassio is walking over to him and he would not want him to hear. After the final part, he would turn his body towards the incoming Cassio, and talk to him directly, in a normal tone in order to not only be heard, but to make sure that everything seems completely normal and casual. 

Benchmark Journal #2 

Brabantio: 

An important scene in which he occurs in is the first act, scene 1, in which Iago and Roderigo "inform" Brabantio of Desdemona's departure, and eloping with Othello, aka the Moor. Another scene in which Brabantio is in is Act 1, Scene 2. In this scene Brabantio talks to, and accuses Othello of putting a spell on Desdemona. 

First Hand Observations: During Scene 1, Brabantio sees Iago, and Roderigo telling him how his daughter ran away with the Moor. At this time it seems as though Iago and Roderigo are "doing the right thing" for him, and his daughter. They seem to be doing him a favor. During Scene 2, Brabantio witnesses Othello defending himself, and at this point Brabantio believes Iago and Roderigo over anything, and is not willing to listen to Othello. Brabantio is getting 2 different stories, and believes that Othello actually put a spell on Desdemona in order to make her fall in love with him. 

Second Hand Observations: During Scene 1, Iago and Roderigo tell Brabantio that his daughter has ran away with a black man, known as the Moor. They are telling him that he has "lost his soul", and has been disrespected as well as dishonored by his daughter, who ran away to get married. During Scene 2, Othello tells Brabantio that he loves, and really cares for Desdemona, and yes that they are indeed married, but he only put the simple spell of dramatic love on Desdemona, which isn't actually a spell. 

Understanding Character's Motivation: The way that we could understand the character's motivations better when we concentrate only on their scenes is, focusing only on their scenes allows us to understand exactly what it is that they themselves were thinking, as well as the different things that would cause them to think this way. Normally we read the entire story, and think about everything that is going on, and often do not understand why they may do the things that they do, not thinking about the fact that they do not know all of the things that are going on around them, unlike we do. 

Benchmark Journal #3

Emilia: 

When Emilia was young she never had very many friends. She was an only child, of a somewhat poor family, with a maid mother, and a lumberjack father. Over her childhood she was pretty happy, and somewhat of a normal child, that is until the day that changed it all. When she was 13 years old she walked home alone one day, due to the strange occurrence of her mother not showing up at her school to pick her up. But Emilia had memorized her way from the school to her house so she walked home without much of a problem. Once she got home though she quickly realized why it was that her mother did not come and pick her up. When she got back she found her father standing over her mother's dead body, having murdered her. From this point on she no longer truly trusted any man that is until she met "honest Iago". He made her feel like things could be different, and that not all men were completely terrible. She reached a true peak of happiness when she met the fair, and beautiful, Desdemona. Immediately upon meeting her she was infatuated by her beauty, not aware of the fact that this infatuation came solely from Desdemona's resemblance to Emilia's mother. 

Benchmark Journal #4

It took a while to develop my character, and separating her from myself, especially considering I'm a guy, playing a girl. When it comes to my tone of voice when I go to play her, I understand that I do not need to try to actually sound like a girl, I just need to act as if I am traumatized after finding my mistress murdered by her husband. Their are a few different movements that I will do, such as moving my arms while talking, but this will simply be due to the fact that it's what I naturally do while talking, and it is also what I see a lot of other people doing; especially females; do while they are angry. 

When it came to expressing this anger and pure emotion with props, I personally am not taking the same approach to props as some other groups are. Especially not like the other groups with guys who are playing girls, who have decided to stuff their shirts. I personally plan on wearing a bandana, and an apron. This is due to the fact that my character, Emilia, is basically somewhat of a maid, so the apron is obvious, and the bandana is their to somewhat symbolize the strength she exudes throughout the play, especially during my scene when confronting Othello. With that said, there are a few things that I believe, will make my group’s presentation stand out from the others. The main thing being my energy once I begin to play my role. Another thing that will make my group standout is the simple fact that we have a female playing a male role, and a male playing a female. This is completely opposite and will make ours different than every other group, besides the one other group who is also set up like this. Something that we have agreed on as a group for our scene is the simple movement around the "stage", as well as the set up of our bodies for the most climatic part of our scene. 

Benchmark Post-Performance Journal

            The entire Gold stream production of Othello is finally over, and I personally am proud of the entire class, especially the lonely group of Nia and I. Our scene; in which Emilia discovers Desdemona murdered, and Othello having killed her; is one of the most dramatic, and important scenes in the play. There are many lines, that come from Othello, as well as Emilia, that are of importance to the play, but the one that stands out the most to me is; “ If he say so, may his pernicious soul rot half a grain a day! He lies to the heart: she was too fond of her most filthy bargain.” This line is said by Emilia and has more importance than it actually seems. At this point in the play, Emilia has just realized that Iago is responsible for the entire murdering of Desdemona as well as his overall sociopathic ways throughout this time frame. At this point she knows that her own husband had used her, and she cannot take it. This is also the point in which Othello knows for sure that Desdemona did not actually cheat on him, and his only reaction is to pull out his sword on a woman, and threaten to kill her as well. This simple line has much deeper meaning than the text would imply. During my performance, I personally portrayed this in an angry manner as well as with disgust. This line, as well as my group’s entire scene, went exactly as we planned overall. Although there were very few mistakes that we came across, we pushed through, and gave an overall amazing performance, and I am very proud of us. The only thing that I could say I would have done differently is simply trying harder to memorize our lines, simply so that our papers would not have been in the way, and we would have been able to express ourselves better. This entire process allowed for me to truly dive into the play, and understand things in it, that I may not have understood the first time reading it. Like some of the things that were said in the Shakespearean language, I did not completely understand the line; “Cassio did top her; ask thy husband else. O, I were damn’d beneath all depth in hell, but that I did proceed upon just grounds to this extremity. Thy husband knew it all.” Said by Othello during our scene, but after rehearsing it, and listening, and paying attention to the context around that line, I was able to understand what was being said throughout that line, and how it related to everything else in the scene. In this quote Othello is saying, that Iago knew everything that was going on, and it was his Iago’s fault that everything happened with Desdemona, and that he did it because he believed he was justified. This overall experience was amazing for me, and I was happy to be able to be a part of this entire process. 

Kenyatta Bundy Jr

Chameleon Language  

“Yo wassup?’ I say to one of my friends as he walks over to me.

“Wassup OG Yatta, you chillin?” He replies in his normal jargon.

“Chill don’t call me “OG Yatta” though.” I say in an intimidating tone.

“Ard my bad bro.” He replies quickly.

“You chillin yo, but I’m bout to dip off with my girl.”

“Oh true, where yall goin’?’ he asks

“Don’t worry bout it young. Sike naw we just bout to go get something it eat real quick.”

“Oh you right. How are yall? I don’t never see yall together no more yo.”

“Yea I know, cause we hardly ever get a chance to chill together anymore. My mom be

drawlin as usual, so I never leave the house to see her or whatever, and since we don’t got the same lunch or nuffin, we hardly ever chill. Shit be drawlin forreal!” I reply somewhat angrily.

“Yo chill YMCMB Yatta. You snappin forreal.” He says quickly.

“I know yo, it’s just annoyin forreal. And chill with the YMCMB Yatta shit for I get ya girl on you.” I reply.

“ Ard chill she ain’t bout that life though. She not about to mix me though.”

“I mean I guess, let me see you say that to her though. Watch you fold yo.” I say jokingly.

“Naa I ain’t bout to fold though.” He says.

“Watch yo she gonna treat you just like Aateeyah used to.  She gonna have you on the floor cryin n shit.” I joke.

“Ard that’s dead like gingerbread.” He says.

I reply with a simple, “Fuck outta here Jaaz you not tough yo. You really boutta fold like that fat bull in that World Star video.”

He chuckles as we walk away.

If you're not from Philadelphia, or a teenager between the ages of 13 and 19 you probably have no clue what is being said by the people in this scene. Well those people are my friend Jaaz and I. That person is the most natural side of me, and the side you would see if you were with me in my everyday life. But it's not just me. As time has passed, I have begun to adapt my speech based on the people I am most often around, and these people happen to be my closest schoolmates and friends. This as defined by James Baldwin would be me keeping up with my heritage and not "disowning" my African roots. But this is not how I speak in every single situation. Like the chameleon, I am able to adapt to a few different surroundings. Although I only fluently speak one language, I often like to look at myself as multilingual in the fact that I am able to speak with different dialects than just my original.

By James Baldwin’s' example, I believe I would be somewhere in between and I am okay with that. The ability to change my dialect with my surroundings in order to fit in and be comfortable should not be going "against my origin". If African Americans did what he thought was right with language, I believe we would be even more suppressed and discriminated against than we already are. It is this ability that allows us to succeed in society, and slowly begin to level the playing fields with race. Ignorance gives you no power now a days and not being able to speak to different people in different ways would be purely ignorant. The way that I speak is a reflection of not only where I come from, but also the intelligence that I also master.

“Hello Kenyatta, I am Mr. Johnson and I will be the person in charge of interviewing you today. How are you doing this morning?”
“I’m great, thank you. I would just like to start by saying that this is an honor to even be considered to be a member of this prestige academic society.” I reply politely.

“ It’s our honor. Okay now let’s get right into this so this can be as quick and painless as possible. So the first question for today is simply; what do you plan on pursuing as a career, and how do you believe you attending the Temple University Medical Summer Enrichment program will help you achieve these goals?” he asked.

“Well Mr. Johnson, from as long as I can remember I have had the desire to be a doctor, it was just the matter of what type of doctor I wanted to be that was the question. When I hit the age of 14 I knew that I wanted to either be a doctor that associated with the heart, or the brain. It wasn’t until I hit 16 and my grandfather passed away from a heart attack that I decided that I wanted to become a cardiovascular surgeon, or heart surgeon. So I believe that attending this summer program would not only give me some type of insight into what it is that I decided that I want to do with my life, but also would give me an opportunity to meet new people with the same interests as me as well as being able to make many associates that could potentially help me if needed in the long run. I’m sorry I began rambling, but yes I believe that wraps it up in a nutshell.” I reply.

“No it is no problem. I love meeting people with a true interest in the medical field, especially people who are as seemingly as passionate as you seem to be. Ok now for the next question...” He continues.

            From what you just read you would most likely believe that this person is a totally different person, from a totally different place, and in no way the same person as in the original scene but you would be incorrect. As said before, it is very much possible for a person to speak one dialect around a group of people, and a totally different one around others.  This was just one example of this, and can be demonstrated in a number of other ways. But I hope this was able to give you a new understanding of some people, and you will think differently when you see a group of loud, and seemingly rude group of people and begin to think about how uneducated they must be, because looks can be fooling.

            Today is it. Today is the day that I leave this house forever, and never have to be near my mother, or annoying siblings again. Given this may not have been the best way to go, but it’s still better than being in that terrible house right? Why is that even a question? After today I know for a fact that it’s for the best that I am no longer in this house at all. No longer will the person that is supposed to love me most blatantly disrespect me. She deserves to be without me; she deserves to have to struggle to make sure that everything goes fine in the house. Fuck it; honestly she doesn’t even deserve to live! But that will come in time. Until that glorious day, I am happy to just be removed from the situation; whether I am in a cop car or not. Why am I in a cop car you ask? The kid who everyone expects to be perfect? The kid that everyone looks up to, and expects to have the best of the best grades, and the best of the best attitudes? Your cousin? What is he doing in the back of a cop car? He’s never even been to the principles office without leaving with the sound of metal bouncing on his neck from the newest award, so why is he leaving his house with the only sound of medal clanging coming from the handcuffs on his wrists? This makes no sense to you I know. But once you think about it, believe me it will. Sure I was happy, during school, and whenever I was around you. Sure I got all my work done, and made sure that all of my class work was completed. Sure I was able to get the valedictorian award 2 years ago in 8^th grade without even having to really try, but what about the things everyone doesn’t see? What about the things that cannot be seen with the naked eye? The things that can only be seen if you get to know this person. Most often these things that cannot be seen are the things that are hurting us the most, and these things sometimes push you to do things you wouldn’t normally do. Especially when they build up inside you, and get released all at once like an irrupting volcano. I should be used to it. It should not bother me that much at this point right? I mean I have been dealing with it all my life. The constant verbal abuse stemming from a sick and bitter mother with nothing better to do than bring you down along with her.

 “Nigga shut the fuck up!” The first 2 strikes came fast and unexpected. As what seemed like half my brain tried to register the pain that I had in my face, the other half was already reacting with a sense of overwhelming anger, and pure hatred. In an instant my brain had chosen whether or not it would go into fight or flight mode, and unluckily for my mother, it had chosen fight. As the pain continued to engulf my face, before I could realize, another strike hit my face. The third strike. Strike three took me to a place I had never been before. The anger that burned inside me; the adrenaline that rushed through my veins; these two things brought me to do something that I never believed I would do; hit her back. My one solid strike to her face had more force behind it than the 3 strikes she had landed on me combined. This resulted in more surprise on the faces of my older sister, and little brother who had been sitting on the bunk bed next to us watching the entire thing. From the moment it happened I knew what would come next, but deep down inside I knew I didn’t care, because I would finally leave the abuse that I had struggled living through for the past 16 years. Not another year, not another month, not another week, day, hour, minute, or second, would I deal with it all. So as I sit here in the back of this cop car and you wonder why I am here? You should be wondering, why am I not here earlier? And the answer would be, because of the three strikes. 

            The, “Post for Change”! If you have followed along in my first and second posts, you should know that I have been discussing a topic that is very dear to my heart, and that I feel very passionately about; the murder rate in Philadelphia. This is an increasingly ongoing problem, and I have been working on my own way to try and change this, more of on a smaller scale though. My entire blog has been leading up to this, where I explain to you how I have figured out how to create my own personal post for change.

            Throughout the past 3 or so weeks, I have been researching, and talking to as many people as I can to try and learn as much as I can about the violence in Philadelphia, as well as one of the main ways that violence can be reduced. After evaluating everything, I have realized that one of the most effective ways to reduce violence is to enforce an effective neighborhood watch. This has been shown to reduce the amount of door-to-door violence, which would result in a significantly lower murder rate in Philadelphia. Even though this is the most effective way, due to my lack of resources, as well as age, I did not think it would be very realistic for me to attempt to set up neighborhood watches in Philadelphia. So I decided to make more awareness about the Philadelphia murder rate. I believe that awareness may result in people having a reality check, and understanding everything that has and continues to happen in Philadelphia.

            In order to create this awareness, I have created a piece of original content that I have also posted onto my Tumblr, Facebook, as well as my Twitter in order to increase the amount of people that are informed of this problem. My original content piece consists of a video of a montage of photos that shows you the sadness that comes with violence, especially murder. This video also has a piece of background music that not only is also a piece of original content, but also fits perfectly with the video. The talented Ronald Harper; who is doing a blog of his own if you would like to check it out; has composed this rap, and is performed by me.

Here is my final bibliography link!

            In case you’re just visiting my blog for the first time, I will reiterate what this entire blog is focused around, the current, and rising murder rate in Philadelphia. As said in my previous post, this is a serious epidemic for any Philadelphia citizen, and everyone should be aware of the danger that people everywhere are faced with from most of the useless violence that surrounds them.

Now since my last blog entry I have done some more research in my local area about one of the major safety precautions that each block, in each neighborhood, in each part of the city should have; a neighborhood watch. Through my research, and investigation I have found out that my personal area does have a neighborhood watch. But honestly, what is the point of having a neighborhood watch, if they will not do much to keep the neighborhood safe. For example, after talking with my teacher Ms. Dunn, and her telling me that not only does her area have a neighborhood watch, but also they are almost always on duty, and they are well known in the area, I realized that I didn’t even know if my area had a neighborhood watch. That in itself obviously shows a lack of work being done when most people in the neighborhood doesn’t even know their neighborhood watch exists. Even when going to my mother, she didn’t know that we had a neighborhood watch. I had to go about 4 doors down from my house before one person even said that we do.

With this realization that my own block doesn’t have an active neighborhood watch, but doesn’t have that much violence, it led me to guess that some of the areas in Philadelphia that are much more violent most likely do not have any kind of neighborhood watch, and I think that could make a major difference if these areas were to get one. I personally believe that a certain area is not bad, it is those few people in that area that are bad, that cause an entire area to be stereotyped as a “bad” neighborhood. With a neighborhood watch, these areas would have more of a grip on those people that give that area a bad name, and in turn could eventually change the reputation of that area.

I truly believe that Philadelphia is not a completely violent city. Even though it has had an increasingly high murder rate, Philadelphia as a whole population is not to blame. It is that of the individuals who cause the violence’s fault. These individuals are the ones who give Philadelphia this reputation, and the number of these individuals could be lowered if neighborhood watch existed in EVERY neighborhood.

Although I have learned a lot, there are a few things I am still left wondering about when it comes to the Philadelphia violence. I am still wondering where exactly in Philadelphia are they’re the most homicides. I am also wondering what exactly the Mayor has been trying to do to stop, or try and drop the homicide rate in Philadelphia.

My bibliography available here.

            Our wonderful teacher, Mrs. Dunn, has given this project to us. This project is all about worrying less about yourself, and more about different issues that are going on in the world, or in this country, or even in your own neighborhoods. So with that I am going to jump right into the issue at hand. Now my issue is on somewhat of a bigger scale than just my own neighborhood, this issue includes all of Philadelphia, and that issue is, the continuously growing homicide rate in Philadelphia, and that among teens towards each other.

            This is an increasingly troubling topic, and very interesting and alarming to me. Not only do I know people who have died due to useless teen violence, but also I have seen how these deaths can impact the family members of those diseased. For these reasons, teenage homicides, as well as all homicides in Philadelphia have a great personal, and interesting touch on me, and it should you as well.

            The Philadelphia homicide rate was the highest in 2010 throughout the entire country, with a 19.6% homicide rate. This is nothing compared to the fact that so far there has been 122 homicides in Philadelphia alone. Considering it is only May, this is a staggering total. You also see that since it is only about half way through the year, if this rate stays the same, we will have over 250 homicides by the end of the year. That is 250 people who died due to the selfishness of others, and who obviously died before their times. If that weren’t enough, here are more staggering statistics about the homicides in Philly over the past few years:

·      In 2011 there was a total of 324 homicides in Philadelphia with a 20.7% homicide rate, which was more than any other large city.

·      Philadelphia has had 1,654 homicides over the past 5 years, with 2007, being the worst year, with 391 homicides that year alone.

·      During 2006 and 2007, Philadelphia was the only city with a population of over 1,000,000 to be on the 10 most murderous cities list.

            So from this you can see that the homicide rate in Philadelphia is a serious issue. Although I am not yet an expert on this topic, I would like to try and become one by learning more about Philadelphia and its unbelievable murder rate. Some things that I still question and would like to learn are; where in Philadelphia is there the most murders? What nationality of people is doing the most murdering? What age group does the most murdering and how can we change this so that it doesn’t happen more often?

Here are all of my sources at this link.

A. Negative space is the space between an object, and not the actual object. When dealing with negative space, you always draw the actual space around the object but not the object itself.

B. The way I found negative space in my stool drawing, was I just looked around the stool, and drew all of the empty space surrounding it. The way I saw negative space in my cut out was, I looked at how the cut out had the 2 different colors, and saw how the cut out showed the space that was actually between the cut out.

C. The reason it helps an artist to see in negative space, is it allows them to see every single detail not only in the thing they want to draw, but also around it, causing you to be able to see every single detail.

D.I believe seeing in negative space does enhance a drawing. With seeing in negative space, you see things in a different perspective and are able to see every single detail of a drawing.

Querido Elwis Valero,

            Saludos desde Kenyatta Bundy Jr. Yo soy Africano Americano, de Philadelphia. Hoy es hace sol. Yo tengo quince años, y mi cumpleaños es cuatro de noviembre. ¿Y, tu? ¿De donde eres? ¿Qué tiempo hace hoy? ¿Cuántos años tienes? ¿Cuándo tu cumpleaños?

            Me gusta la pizza, la comida Italiana, y la comida China. Me gusta también, el chocolate, y la fruta. Además me gusta fútbol americano y la natación. Además me gusta la música rap, la música rock. Y la música pop. Me gusta también ir de compras, bailar, y dibujar. Sin embargo, me no gusta la comida Frances, y la comida Italiano. No me gusta ni el tenis, tampoco el voleibol. También odio la música clásico y el jazz. ¿Qué te gusta? ¿Qué te gusta hacer

            Yo soy mas o menos alto, tengo el palo corto, y tengo el palo rizado. Yo soy mas o menos delgado y deportista. Yo soy cómico, muy creativo y increíblemente talentoso. Yo soy inteligente porque me encanta estudiar. Yo soy súper sociable y un poquito extraño.  ¿Y, tu? ¿Cómo eres?

            Bueno, me voy porque tengo que ayudar en casa y estudiar.  Responde cuando puedas. ¡Chao!

Con cariño,

Kenyatta Bundy Jr de Philadelphia Pensilvania