What makes a man, a man? In the First Part Last, the author, Angela Johnson, gives examples on what it takes to be a man. There are also plenty of symbols that helps you make connections from the beginning of the story to the end of the story. First off, the basketball symbolizes and represents childhood. When Bobby’s friends wanted to play basketball with him, he went and forgot Feather behind.…
Many terms come to mind when thinking about the independent (“indie”) film industry. Low-budget, inexperienced actors, non-commercialized, and shallow plotline. However, there are several major stylistic aspects of independently produced films that define the genre in comparison to films that are produced by large production companies. When producing an independent film, the director is not inhibited by the limitations the larger companies have. Without these limitations, the directors can usually get away with more grotesque images. This means that they can break some of the normal rules of filming in order to amplify certain features shown. This aspect is one of the pillars that plays a large part of what independent films result in;…
In 1979, The Knack performed one of their hit singles “My Sharona” in front of a packed house. This song represented the alternative/pop rock genre, and was considered a major hit in the late 1970s. As a child, I remember hearing the song on the radio and I enjoyed the catchy and memorable tune. Although I did not quite understand the lyrics at the time, my dad listened to it often when he worked in the garage. This essay will first describe a variety of important musical characteristics that are displayed within the performance. Next, it will discuss how this song was a launchpad for a future song that became just as popular a few years later. Lastly, before providing my own personal critique, I will discuss how the song assisted The Knack with getting back together nearly 20…
Born Beyoncé Giselle Knowles on September 4th 1981, in Houston, Texas, she began singing with the original members of the popular R&B group Destiny's Child comprised of LaToya Luckett, Kelly Rowland and LaTavia Roberson in their teens. The girls went through various incarnations, singing a mix of gospel, rhythm and blues, and hip hop, before they officially became Destiny's Child in 1995. Knowles' father, Mathew, served as manager of the group. After performing in the Houston area, the group appeared on Star Search, the popular television talent competition. Although they did not win the competition, a contract with Columbia Records soon followed. Their first release, 'Destiny's Child' (1997), was a tremendous success in Europe. Upon the album's release, the group kicked off a tour of sold-out shows there. Their second effort, 'The Writing's on the Wall' (1999), brought them wider acclaim back home. The album generated three top-ten hits on the Billboard R&B singles chart.…
Senior year is like listening to a broken radio that repeats the same phrase over and over again. As an incoming freshman in college, we are still unable to throw this broken radio out. We've been forced to listen to the phrase "How are you going be successful in college?" I believe that everyone has a different definition of being successful in college. For me, being successful in college is keeping up with my grades and living my life to the fullest.…
Nowadays, there are some people that have a lot to say, but prefer to stay in silence for several different reasons. Audre Lorde , in her essay ‘ The transformation of silence into Language and Action’, tell her history of how she has come believe over and over again that what is most important to her “must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood”(“The Transformation of Silence” 1977). This statement relates with me in a particular way. First of all, I have to say that I am an international student at Howard University; when I decided to come to the United States, I knew that everything was going to change in my life, especially my social life. One of my big problems…
In the poem “Momma” by Chrystal Meeker, the narrator shows the reader what the true meaning of being a mother is. It shows that it is not about what a mom can give to their child or what they buy for them, but what they will give up for their children. In this poem, a mother looks back on her own childhood and realizes what her mother was willing to sacrifice for her children. The poem expresses a mother struggling to raise her children amongst difficulties and the true meaning of motherhood.…
Demi Lovato is a teen star that starred on Disney channel. She is also an actress and singer that went through a period of hurting herself. She opened up about her bulimia and cutting. "I was compulsively overeating when I was eight years old," she said. "So, I guess, for the past 10 years I've had a really unhealthy relationship with food (Johnston).” At age 11, Lovato began cutting herself -- intentionally self-mutilating her wrists as a way of coping with emotions (Johnston). In “Skyscraper”, personification, simile and imagery are used by Demi Lovato to express her struggles and how she overcomes them.…
Becoming such an over-night success brought many openings, offers, and other opportunities of fortune for Whitney Houston that created more responsibilities and stress that she never expected. After given the opportunity to sing in the 1991 Super Bowl, she starred in her own movie, The Bodyguard. She also had to maintain her music performances, as well as she was soon to be married to Bobby Brown, all posed a great deal of stress in a small amount of time (McNeil). Not only was she buried in responsibilities but she was also trying to keep her mother, Cissy Houston, and mentor, Clive Davis, happy, which didn’t seem to be possible.…
In the novel Queen of the Night by J. A. Jance presents a fascinately mystery story. It starts with the Queen of the Night flower blossoming in the Arizona every summer. It's a sacred event commemorated throughout the Tohono O'odham Nation. However this summer the couple Jack and Abby Tennant had a shocking surprise that interrupted their special viewing of the Queen of the Night flower. The surprise had been Abbey’s son, which would have been a welcoming accounts if the night hadn’t ended with the Tennant’s and another couple’s death, due to Abbey’s son Jonathan. Although Jonathan forgot to check the car of the other couple he killed living Delphina’s daughter, Angie alone without a family. Brian Fellows works on this case trying to discover…
The brief preface to the novel “Mystery is a form of power.” presents the reader with an overall theme before the first page is even read. Although with a different meaning, Hogan uses power throughout the entire novel and in each facet of the narrative. The novel begins with a demonstration of the vast power that, in both its beauty and its destruction, nature demands. Power was transferred between nature and the Taiga people. A stern refusal of power by Omishto presents itself continually throughout the whole story as she recognizes, cultivates, and obtains her true soul and being.…
The article, “Cissy Houston on Whitney: ‘She was raised well, she knew better’ than to use drugs” is about Whitney Houston’s mother talking about Whitney’s childhood. Whitney’s mother is still mourning for her loss, but tough minded about her drug addictions. She believes that good parents do not always have good children and vice versa. Whitney’s mother says it is the person’s responsibility, when they reach a certain age, to choose to be a bad or good person. Cissy discussed how she raised Whitney in a good home and gave her the tools to choose not to do drugs. Cissy thinks that being called “Whitey” early in the music business and her marriage to Bobby Brown may have led to her drug abuse.(1)…
Its saying “her hands are twisted like crumpled roots" by the work she does for white people, symbolizing how hurt her hands actually are and how they will never be what they once were.…
If I were making a soundtrack to my life, I would pick the song“Listen to Mama’s Words” by Jay Zhou, “ Father” by Chopstick Brother, “One Likes Summer the Other Likes Autumn” by Weiqi Fan, the music “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s and “Nocturne” by Chopin.…
“Don’t Hurt Yourself” was the type of song that could leave any true Beyoncé fan a bit shocked. Usually she is not so blatantly vulgar and instead keeps a cleaner image, but that all went south with this particular music video. In the “Anger” portion of Lemonade, Beyoncé allows herself to be genuinely angry in such an unapologetic way. For once, a black woman has let herself feel all of her rage from the lens of a black woman herself, instead of through the eyes of an onlooker who does not live the same experience. In the “Intuition” portion of of Lemonade before the song “Hold Up”, the poetic lines describe how, “In the tradition of men in my blood, you come home at 3 a.m. and lie to me. What are you hiding? The past and the future merge to meet us here. What luck. What a f*cking curse.” This prompted the discussion of the way that black love exists and functions for me. Due to the horrors of the past, the way we experience our love has been damaged and altered to such a point that we as black women feel as though we have to accept any type of treatment from the one we truly love. It has become such a deep…