Blog 10 - Reflection

As far as my own writing has gone throughout the semester, I think that it has actually decreased, not due to the fact that I wasn’t learning anything, but the fact that the paper topics seemed to get further away from what I was comfortable with. The music genre paper went really well because music is what I love, being a music major and all. The movie analysis paper wasn’t as good, but it still hit home with me. Star Wars is like my favorite movie, story wise and how Lucas put it all together like a puzzle. It is easy for me to appreciate his work in the movie industry and to all the creative artists that were a part of it. However this last paper could really hurt me, because I do not really like discussing the news. I had no idea what to write on. I don’t actually think hard about what the news networks are teeling us.

Anyways, I do think my writing has improved in this class and I really enjoyed it, for the most part. Keeping these blogs really helped me get to know my classmates because it is easier to talk about yourself in writing than it is verbally. I hope I get a decent grade in this class, because I know that I got a little bit lazy in the closing of this semester. It has been great Mrs. Welter and all of you in the class. Have a good summer.

Blog 9 - Responding to McGowan's claim

I think McGowan’s claim that the “media machine has become a propaganda organ of the state,” is very factual and true. Although I think the sentence in the syllabus is different than what he was actually saying in the text. To me, after reading this, it seems that the media is a complete joke. And that the Free Press is not actually “Free”, but rather pre-ordained views on issues that have little relevance to us as concerned citizens of the U.S. McGowan hits right on the nose. There are so many different things that we do not even get to hear about, because it is the news station that chooses which stories are to be considered “newsworthy” as to promote their company and beat their competitors for the better story. If this is the case, then the news media or any medium cannot be trusted, to a certain extent. We as Americans are being brainwashed to think certain ways because television is such an important part of our lives (as sad as that may be). It is a deadly disease and authoritarian way of getting Americans to think a certain way. Are we really free? Everything and everyone is trying to bombard us with pre-planned thinking to get us to believe them. The saddest part of it all is that we are blinded to this illness. It is a cancerous cell that has gone undetected and slowly but effectively destroying our country. We might ask why there is so much violence going on. Could it be the fact that everyone is just confused by conflicting messages by political propaganda, promoting a certain partisan viewpoint? Anyways, I think it is a scary thought having corporate owned news stations, who are not giving us the whole story to a particular case or an entire important story not being aired at all.

Blog 8: The News

For me, to get the my news, I check a lot of sources. I don't have a particular favorite source, but use all of them to see what is accurate or credible. I watch Fox2 News, which takes more of a neutral bias, because it gives conservative stories equal time as the liberals, which most news stations seem primarily liberal. I also watch NBC, ABC, and CBN, which I think is pretty cool, because its news from a Christian standpoint, which gives news that the mainstream media chooses not to let the world know, such as civilians in Iraq thanking our troops for being there. Mainstream news continuously wants to give us a mindset that things are not going well over there and that it is Bush's fault. I also check CNN and the internet as well. I use all of these sources for a well balanced news standpoint. I get a little of each side's view and make a decision on what is accurate and what is just bias.

By doing this, it is funny many times to hear the left side say that Fox2 news is conservative. I on the other hand think it gives equal time. In mainstream broadcasting which is primarily liberal, giving time to conservatives as well means that (to liberals) the station is taking a more conservative side. That is what I think they are doing. It has become mainstream or “normal” as you would, to hear left-side bias in the news that hearing conservative views is out of the ordinary.

Presentations

As far as presentations go thus far, I have really enjoyed pretty much all of them. Everyone has done a great job. I’ve noticed that things ran a lot better today on Thursday perhaps from learning from the presentations on Tuesday. I know that I did for my presentation.

First off I’d like to give honorable mention to Chris Abbas for signing up to go first. That must have took a lot of courage. I really enjoyed his analysis on “Remember the Titans” and how good an actor Denzel Washington was in portraying coach Boone. “Remember the Titans” is one of my favorite movies. I liked how Le Meisha used her personal experiences as support for her presentation. Herman’s presentation about “Rush Hour” I really enjoyed too. It is nice to have someone explain that “unwritten rule” of the use of the N-word. Rush Hour is another favorite of mine as well. Nice job volunteering and being prepared when it wasn’t your day to present!

Today’s presentations were great. I had never seen any of the movies that were presented today, however it seemed that everyone who went knew their topics. I thought Meghan really knew what she was talking about in her analysis of “Bamboozled”. She was quite knowledgeable of the director as well. Jillian’s “Shopgirl” was really good as well. I like how most of her slides were pictures instead of text, which really gave her a lot of room to talk freely about the movie and explain it better. Even though I had never seen “40 Year Old Virgin”, I learned a lot about it from Sami and found it quite humorous.

Presentations have really gone smoothly and I look forward to the rest of them on Tuesday. Great job everyone, and for looking professional too!!

Song Analysis Blog - "Everlasting" by SonicFlood

When the average person thinks of Christian music, they may be cautious to hear it because of a mindset that it is religious humming and meditation language put to music. It would be if it was religion, but Christianity is a lifestyle. So therefore, that is not true. Modern Christian music spreads across all genres of music. From Rock to Hip-Hop, Jazz to Gospel, Punk to Metal, and many others, Christian music appeals to all listeners, bringing the message of God to all tastes and preferences. SonicFlood, a modern Christian rock-group, released a song in 2005 in their album, This Generation, called “Everlasting.” Rather than focusing on the negative things and thoughts of this world, this music reflects on the positive and is encouraging in everyday living. Although you may not hear this song in church, this style of music has become what we call Contemporary Christian music.

“Everlasting,” by SonicFlood, has a main theme that though the world around us may fall, God is everlasting and will still be there. This can be assumed by the lyrics in the first verse:
“The sky will fall, the ground will give. Through it all You will be faithful.” (SonicFlood) there is emphasis on the word “You”. It is capitalized to refer to the almighty God that they speak of in this song. Another example of the theme appears in the second verse. It quotes, “When beauty fades and slips away, for all my days You will be faithful.”

The most encouraging part of the song is the chorus and the bridge of the song. If you do not know what a bridge is in music, it is a small portion of the song where the music changes and confirms the message of the song by bridging the verses and chorus together smoothly, in a climatic way. It usually takes place before the final repeating of the chorus in the song. It also may change keys for that brief moment. For, example, in this song, the bridge begins, “When all around us is falling into waste…,” as stated in the lyrics posted below. The chorus tells listeners that God, “will always be the sam, [his] love will never change,” encouraging listeners that when we go through troubles and trials, God is still there.

The reason this song fits into Contemporary Christian music is in the instrumentation and overall sound of the music. The most important clue is the distortion electric guitars, bass, drums, and keys. Of course in this song it is a bit slower paced and mellow, but it fits into the Rock genre nicely. The youth of America and around the world can find preference in this style of music. It is a great song that appeals to Christians and non-Christians alike and is a very beautiful declaration of “I’m no gonna let this world bring me down,” which allows one to be free and happy. That is what makes “Everlasting” so special. It makes for a nice song to play in your car while driving to or from school or work. Many songs like this also play on 103.5 WMUZ, so it is definitely part of the culture.



Everlasting
V.1
The sky will fall
The ground will give
Through it all You will
be faithful
Friends may leave
They come and go
This I know
You will be faithful
You will be faithful

Chorus
You will always be the same
Your love will never change
You are the everlasting
i will put my trust in you
Forever to be true
You are the everlasting
You are the everlasting

V.2
When beauty fades
And slips away
For all my days You will
be faithful
When I breathe
My final breath
I find my rest in Your
faithfulness

Bridge:
When all around us
is falling into waste
When the earth is dying
You cannot be erased
And I don't have to be afraid

You're the Alpha and Omega
You're forever, everlasting



Works Cited
SonicFlood. "Everlasting." This Generation. Perf. Dan
Muckala and Jess Cates. CD. InoRecords, 2005.

Blog #4 - Radio Station

I chose Detroit’s WMUZ 103.5 fm (“The Light”) as the station I listen to the most. It is a Christian broadcasting station and it plays uplifting and encouraging songs. I like this music because no matter what, whether I had a bad day or not, it relaxes me and brings me back to another level of joy in my life. It helps me realize that my problems are so minor compared to some of the things that go on in this world and that I should be grateful to all of the things I do have, like my family, friends, church, and God. The target audiences for the station are new and old Christians, young and old. It has messages for all ages. The morning hosts even call eight year olds to wish them a happy birthday, and ask for their input on a favorite song of theirs, as well as up to 80 year olds. It is a strong family oriented radio station. Therefore, in general, the target audience are families.

The ads on WMUZ promote Christian businesses and Doctors, ranging from auto dealerships to eye doctors, chiropractors, marriage counselors, and the like, all of which give WMUZ listeners discounts for being part of the audience. The station brings weather forecasts, world news – politics and controversial issues all from a Christian perspective. One of the debaters brings authors and scientists on the show, non-Christian or Christian, and have talks about certain topics. Overall, it is my favorite radio station, and it has a Christian slant to it. It really has been an encouraging radio station for me this year, being my first year in college.

Analysis Blog #1 - Popular Science

In 1872 an American monthly magazine named Popular Science was introduced into American Society. With its appeal to the general public, it gave its readers heads up on modern scientific concepts and breakthroughs within all areas of science. Technology for purposes of medical, automotive, luxuries, and little gizmos and gadgets were always discussed in the magazines articles. The catch phrase or subtitle for Popular Science is “The Future Now”, and it gives its readers ideas of what they can expect to see sometime in the future. Scientists’ ideas and inventions are discussed and explained on the level assumption that the readers have no scientific background and therefore the content is as watered down as possible to make it readable. Since then, in present day, Popular Science has not changed. After all these years, the magazine has printed the same results time and time again.

The front cover of the magazine always displays the main title in red color on a black lined background – mainly to catch the average person’s eye. The title is then followed by “The Future Now” in a small circle; also displayed in red. Then it briefly shows the main four articles talked about in that particular issue. For example, in the May of 2006 issue of Popular Science, the main photograph displays, “Laser Warfare: Scientists Race to Develop the Military’s First Real Ray Gun”, and there is a picture of a futuristic military aircraft with lasers shooting out of its main guns. This is the main attraction and appeal of the magazine. It obviously is enough to catch the average person’s eye and interests, however it seems to have a low demographic appeal.

Despite the title, it is not a particularly popular text as far as its audience size goes. It is a monthly paid subscription and is can commonly be found in Doctor’s offices and waiting rooms, so it is not likely to be seen in your average grocery market. With that said, the appeal is often geared toward middle-aged men and woman of about 30-47 years of age and future enthusiasts. It has more of a logos appeal. Of course there is always fun in fantasying over what the future would be like, such as robotic butlers and space colonies, but that does not account for common day reading literature for today’s society. As stated before, it is generated for an audience with no background in science, making the articles readable to this group of people. The younger generation can appreciate this magazine and find articles to be “cool” and “enlightening”, but many young teens and children have not even acknowledged its existence. More “popular” magazines include Cosmos, Teen, People, and Time magazine. What these offer are current topics and gossips of everyday life, which makes for a more paramount daily reading experience these days.

In conclusion, Popular Science is a decent magazine, which appeals to the average person, but has a small actual reading audience. Its cover is appealing to the eyes and curiosities. The articles inside contain hypotheses for technologies of the future. In my own experience, I am one of those future enthusiasts, and enjoy reading this magazine. I am a Technology major, so its appeal is greater to me than other magazines. Check out an issue yourself if you are feeling curious. The web address is www.popsci.com.

Blog #3 - Past Experiences with Writing

I think that I have explained most of my past experiences in my other two blogs, but I would be glad to refresh your memory. It was in high school where I began writing major papers, and English and literature were never favorite subjects of mine. I used to dread the MEAP writing portions, but as always I had gotten through it all. To be honest, I do not like beginning new papers. For some reason, I can never organize my thoughts to brainstorm. I remember in Composition class in 11th grade, when we had to brainstorm for our papers, the class would be over and I still had a blank piece of paper in front of me. I guess seeing a blank piece of paper and all its possibilities was so frightening to me that I couldn’t get past brainstorming until like 10 hours later of just thinking about it. Although, once my papers were finished, my teachers were most of the time impressed. I can be a good writer, but it scares me to begin something new.
In high school, all papers were to follow the five-paragraph format of an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. I can see now how pointless that was. It did not prepare students for Research Paper class, where you had to forget about that format and write a ten-page research paper. So in conclusion, my past experiences with writing were not too good until the final draft was turned in--a lot of the times, my rough draft was my final. But I am hoping to forget about that and move on. I hope to do a good job in this class because I have never done movie, song, or television analysis papers before. It sounds like fun though.

Blog #2 - What Do I Expect to Get out of Class

Looking over the types of papers we will be composing, I expect to learn and understand how to analyze pop culture texts such as music, movies, and the media. I have never actually written media analysis papers, so I am excited to learn how to properly cite, using MLA format, media sources. I have done research papers in the past, but sources used were always books, journals, newspapers, and interviews. I would always stay clear of picking media as a source because it was a cloudy area for me; citing these was not taught much, therefore I was always confused on how to do it. That is one thing I would like to learn in this class. Another thing would be the details on how to write the analysis papers. I too, am used to the five-paragraph format, and it is an annoying mindset to break. I hope to break this during the time spent in this class. I want to learn the concepts and common practices that create great papers in this category of writing.
I hope to further my writing skills by taking this course and aspire to become more proficient at it. I do hope to get good grades on my papers because English, if you remember, has never been a good subject for me. It is difficult and frustrating for me and I do not care for it. Maybe as this class progresses that will change, but as of right now, I will always be hesitant to begin a new paper. It just scares me flat out.
Well, I think that about explains all that I hope to get out of this class, and I look forward to reading your posts as well to see if someone is feeling the same as I am.

Self-Introduction

My name is Christopher Saputo. I graduated high school last year in 2006 from East Detroit High School in Eastpointe, Michigan and am attending Wayne State University to major in Music Technology and to earn my bachelors degree in Music. In addition, I play the alto saxophone and am currently in the University Concert Band. My current hobbies consist of playing the sax and piano, writing music, computers and technology, editing video, mixing audio, electrical work, and video games.
I have lived in the metro Detroit area all of my life and have always loved this city. On that note, I am glad to say at least that I am proud of the accomplishments the Detroit Tigers have made this past season and hope they continue to be a great team.
My family consists of my father and mother, three siblings (one brother and two sisters), two brother-in-laws, and my only grandfather. I cherish family and my Christian faith. These two values are very important to my character as a person. Once you have gotten to know me, I think that you would find that I am a caring person who values life to the fullest.
I think it would be fair of me to say that English or writing class has not always been my favorite subject, but I learn to do what is necessary to get the work done. All of my previous engagements with English have been required either by High School or the University. I do have a little apprehension towards not writing good papers, which I think is normal. I am a good writer, but like I have said, it’s not one of my favorite things to do. I look forward to exploring what this class has to offer me.