A Study of Thematic Evolution

By Michael Dea

Capstone Mentor: Ms. Larissa Pahomov

 

Topic:

The goal of this capstone was to examine poetry and short stories over the course of four years to see how, if at all, the themes of the writing change over time.

 

            During the proposal stages of the capstone process, I looked at what I found interesting and what I enjoyed doing. As a result, I chose a capstone with a creative writing basis, given that I wrote as a hobby previously. Once the plans for what the end goal of the capstone were determined, the process of selecting what works would go into the end product was begun, supplementing some areas with works that were begun within the year. After this step’s completion, the selected works were analyzed for possible connections, the details of which can be seen in the process paper. Throughout this process, given that the works were written, they were reviewed by others for input on things such as themes, revisions (for newer works) etc.

https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/1S3R1ogie_LlpSEFakc_PxKKpc5trdufg1m9V1q2yeig/edit

By Henry Yam and Michael Dea

The aim of our advertising campaign was to promote the use of paper books as opposed to ebook readers such as the Kindle and Nook because we felt that they are superior to such devices. This idea comes from their being able to be lent to others without a major risk of losing an expensive device, their ability to go anywhere without financial risk, etc. The message we hope to convey through our four posters was to get people to use actual books rather than ebook readers such as the Kindle or Nook. The intended audience of our ad campaign is people ranging from early high school onward. This is believed to be an effective means by which to convey our message to our audience because it can be put into magazines or online. Furthermore, it is rather out of the ordinary for people of a younger age because they are not like the normal motion ads that are displayed online and almost everywhere.
If we were to do this project again, most likely we would change the kind of people we included in our ads. Instead of using historical figures, we would implement more contemporary people whom many more would recognize with relative ease. In addition to this, the implementation of quotes from such people about reading would most likely increase the effectiveness of the ad by showing a kind of "endorsement" of the product.

The Knights Templar have been depicted through popular culture as a secret society which practiced paganistic and satanic rituals, though they were supported by the Vatican and the Pope himself. In other modern portrayals, especially due to the popularity of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, the Templars are depicted as a group which sought the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, and other legendary relics. Some believe that the Templars still exist, protecting and hiding these secrets from those who would seek to defile them.

But what no one portrays is the events that actually occurred. The events in which the Templars played important roles and for which their are numerous accounts.

That is what this video aims to do: portray the Templars as they were, not as they are theorized to be.

The Writer

​I've always been fascinated by words,
The funny little characters dancing on the snow white backdrop,
Some so elegant and graceful,
While others are blockish and hurried.

They seem so simple, so easy to use and manipulate,
Creating something sprung from somewhere I've never seen or heard of,
And yet, there the product lies, orderly and clean to my eyes,
Ready to be shown to another.

I'm not sure where it's born from,
But the order I see has another effect on people,
Because where I see words in their proper order, simple and plain,
People say I've placed beauty and depth.

I look at what I've written and compare it to works I've read,
Things so beautiful and so very enchanting,
Words woven together to create new worlds,
Opening the doors to places never before dreamed of.

It is not that my own words are displeasing,
The order's right, and that does please me,
But they don't offer the same magic the others do
They don't open the same doors; they don't seem quite right.

Perhaps it is because I already know them,
I understand the magic they hold, I know the doors and the worlds beyond them,
So maybe it's not quite as enchanting for me
As it is for those who read it.

Who knows why it is so?
But what I write is not intended solely for me,
So if others like what I create, so be it,
I'll continue to write so long as there is a demand for it.

It may not always be easy to weave a new spell,
To forge something brand new and intriguing,
Only to fail to see the beauty others do,
But to see that smile spread across their face as their eyes trace the words upon the page,
Makes being a writer so much easier.

My center of study for my "Everything has a History" project was three anti-Nazi resistance groups that were actually created and operated by German civilians and military personnel. I decided to present this information through the medium of an iWeb, which you can download via the link below. 

Hope you enjoy!

Flute:

After further research into how it is that a flute functions and creates sound, I found that my initial opinion, the one concerning the length of the pipe and the concentration of the air molecules. I initially believed that the concentration of air molecules altered the frequency of the sound waves. This, in turn, creates a deeper or higher pitch when it comes to musical notes or other sounds. The less energy that the molecules transferring the wave have, the lower the pitch, because the frequency is lower. When I put my plans into action, I am hoping to create my flute out of either PVC pipe or copper pipe, depending upon the materials that I can gain access to. I'm planning on placing the holes used to create notes about 15.24cm from one end, then about 2.5cm apart afterward. The hope is that such a design would allow me to play it just like a regular flute. The only real remaining question that I have is whether or not I'll be able to get aid in learning how to play it.

The Flute:

The flute is an instrument that interests me because woodwind instruments seem fairly easy to manipulate to me. In addition to this, there is a lot you can test as far as sound waves are concerned. They act as a sort of large tuning fork, and therefore testing for them can be done with a fair amount of efficiency. When playing the flute, the player essentially alters the length of the pipe by covering or opening the holes that are spaced over the length of it. This, in turn, changes the note that one plays. So depending on what combination of holes are covered and are not, when the player blows into the primary hole on one end or the other, he or she can play a note, creating different kinds of music. Now the reason for this, presumably, is because altering the length of the pipe alters the concentration of the air molecules. This, in turn, alters the amount of vibration that they are allowed, and the consequence of this is an alteration in the frequency of the sound wave that is released. 

Link to prezi:
http://prezi.com/b-p_zyot4bzz/world-war-ii/

Citations:
Primary sources:

"World War II in Europe Timeline: June 28, 1919 - Signing of Treaty of Versailles." The History Place. Web. 09 May 2011. <http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/versailles.htm>.

"World War II in Europe Timeline: London During the Blitz." The History Place. Web. 09 May 2011. <http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/london-blitz.htm>.

"World War II in Europe Timeline: British Children Endure an Attack." The History Place. Web. 09 May 2011. <http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/children-shelter.htm>.

Secondary sources:

"World War II." Digital History. Web. 05 May 2011. <http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/ww2/index.cfm>.

"The Treaty of Versailles." History Learning Site. Web. 05 May 2011. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/treaty_of_versailles.htm>.

"World War II in Europe Timeline." The History Place. Web. 05 May 2011. <http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/ww2time.htm>.

During our brainstorming, we both displayed a high interest in military actions by the United States, some of which are the centers of conspiracy theories due to the lack of information regarding them being released. After realizing the connection, we proposed to study covert operations, commonly known as “black operations” or “black ops” for short, initiated by the United States during war and peace times. Our research was broken up between the two of us. However, once we both gathered our secondary and primary sources, we collaborated on the compilation of the pertinent information that could be found in the sources we were going to use. Once we completed this and wrote up our articles, we had to determine a method of presenting what we learned. After we determined what we were going to create, we first compiled all our articles into a single dossier, housed within the proper Weebly formatting for a website. After this time, we began to add pictures, hyperlinks and other forms of media to our website to help decorate it. We compiled these, for easy access, in a library of photographs.

Our project relates to the NHD theme because it is applicable in both debates and diplomacy. Our project’s topic has two sides one can argue. This, in and of itself, is the very basis of debate. Since it is not a one-way argument, with one person 100% right and the other 100% wrong, it fits into the category of “debatable,” and therefore is applicable to that category of the NHD topic. A definition of “diplomacy” is the “subtly skillful handling of a situation,” according to the wordnetweb.princton.edu site. Therefore, according to this definition, “Black Operations” is a topic that fits nicely into this category. Covert operations classified as “Black Ops” tend to be high-risk and need to be handled with a massive amount of care. Without the care that is used, there could be catastrophic results. Due to this match in definitions, the topic of “Black Ops” is applicable to the NHD topic category of “democracy.” 

A brief timeline about the creation and the operation of the Tennessee Valley Authority, or TVA, created by Michael D. and Uyen N.

We hope you enjoy!

​Here's our site all about the history of Black Operations in the United States. Hope you enjoy!

By Michael Dea and Henry Yam