...I would like to be a participant in the Arts and Humanities Focus Program for multiple reasons. The first being that I have longed to pursue my love for the arts. Since I was little I have always had a fascination with writing and music. I've been reading and even writing my own books since I was little and I now write poetry and continue to be an avid reader. Music has also been a passion of mine since as far back as I can remember. I'm hoping to start voice and guitar lessons soon and I would love to learn more about music in this program. In the Arts and Humanities Focus Program I would love to bring my passion for the arts and learning new things. I am a hard worker, and once I set my mind to a new project nothing can stop me from completing...
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...Whether rap should be considered poetry has been an ongoing debate in the literary world for years. People who believe that it should be considered poetry argue that rap has rhythm and rhyme and is filled with emotion, while people who argue against it say that rap is a bunch of meaningless mumbo jumbo, but before we jump into the question of whether rap is poetry, let us ask the question, what is poetry? A poem could be long or short, profound or silly, metaphorical or literal. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines poetry as “writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm”. Because poetry comes in many different styles and forms, I believe that rap should be considered poetry. The first reason why rap is poetry that it utilizes rhythm and rhyme. Both rhythm and rhyme are defining aspects of poetry. Rhythm in poetry is created by a metric pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables,...
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...beauty. The same type of argument comes into focus when one considers literature. Dictionary.com defines literature as “written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit,” but this brings into question how one is to judge whether a work has greater or enduring artistic value. This question is addressed in Plato’s Ion. In Ion, Plato addresses whether it is through experience and skill or through divine intervention that Ion judges the merit of works. Through an explication of the text, one can consider whether it is knowledge or preference that leads to determining value through literary criticism. The dialogue opens with Socrates speaking to Ion who is a rhapsodist, or a professional performer of epic poetry. The reader learns that Ion is a skilled rhapsodist as he has just won first place among competitors at the festival of Asclepius. It is upon this knowledge and skill that Ion bases his affinity for Homer. Ion makes the claim that Homer is a superior poet and because of this, Ion is better able to interpret his works as compared to his inability to interpret other poets’ works. When this claim is made, Socrates goes through a series of deductions in order to determine how Ion has come to realize the merit of Homer’s works. Unlike Ion, Socrates believes that Ion’s judgment is based on divine intervention as opposed to any real skill. In order to prove his argument, Socrates equates the rhapsodist to artists or sculptors and argues that...
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...of rap music. He writes with a finesse that is a lot similar to a modern day rapper. Growing up during the Harlem Renaissance really set the stage for Langston Hughes writing. He also lived in a time where he African Americans were proud of their roots. Being around all the arts made him more inclined to write the way he did, with a rhythm. From Langston Hughes attitudes towards women, to writing about the streets he grew up on and his struggles, it is very evident that Langston Hughes was a forerunner of rap. Langston Hughes was lucky his hit his peak during the Harlem Renaissance because that gave him the opportunity to perform and publish his work in Black magazines. Langston Hughes mirrors rappers because he wrote his poetry simplistically, so people with no education could read and understand it. Langston Hughes wasn’t just a writer he was also a performer, he would regularly perform in nightclubs to gain exposure. I’m sure that if Langston Hughes were alive today he would be performing spoken word poetry in New York night clubs, or writing lyrics for today’s rappers. Langston Hughes was so drawn to the nightlife that he dropped out of school to travel and perform his poetry, just like a lot of modern rappers chasing their dreams. In the 1923 poem, “Jazzonia”, Langston Hughes sets the poem, “In a Harlem nightclub” (1140) , and is describing the jazz players inside it. Three years later, in “Lenox avenue: midnight”, Hughes continues to write about his passion for jazz...
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...Growing up, my parents encouraged me to find books and genres I enjoyed and to read as often as possible. As a child, it seemed like a task, but with time came an appreciation for the power of a good book. In my writing, one could see that I have learned many skills from the authors that I admire most. I believe the best paper I have ever written was in my first semester writing class called “The Art of the Lyric”. In my opinion, my success in the class, and on the one paper in particular, can be attributed to my interest and love for poetry, which was the topic of the...
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...sustained in a military engagement. Sidney’s major writings probably belong to the period 1578–84, though none can be dated with certainty. Arcadia, a prose narrative interspersed with verse, combines chivalric romance, pastoral, comedy, and debate on ethics and politics. It survives in a complete earlier version and an unfinished expanded version. Astrophil and Stella, a cycle of 108 sonnets and 11 songs, is one of the first English adaptations of Petrarchan love poetry. By turns witty and tormented, it is a lightly disguised and no doubt fictionally embellished treatment of Sidney’s thwarted love for Penelope Devereux, sister of the Earl of Essex. The most likely date for the composition of the Defence is 1580–82. Like Sidney’s other writings, it circulated only in manuscript during his lifetime, and was published by two separate printers in 1595 under the titles Defence of Poesy and Apology for Poetry. It is one of several English defenses against moralistic or philosophical attacks on poetry, drama, and music. One of these attacks, Stephen Gosson’s School of Abuse (1579), was dedicated to Sidney and possibly prompted the writing of the Defence. The Defence has the structure of a classical oration, a literary form much utilized in Renaissance education and later adopted in Milton’s...
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...eternal artistry; timeless Introduction Life is limited, yet it is possible to find the eternal life. Is it contradictory? How can life be limited as well as eternal at the same time? Could it be true that life has no ending? Actually, as we all know, no matter who you are, rich or poor, beautiful or ugly, smart or mediocre, eventually you will die. However, there is one thing will never die, which is not belong to this dusty world.—that is the eternal artistry. It is true that the art will never die. Only in the combination of the art, our soul can reach the home of eternity. Throughout the ages, numerous people search and search in the long journey of life and through different aspects to prove it—music, painting, architecture, writing... and more importantly, poetry. In Byzantium, the symbol of art and eternity, our souls divorce from flesh and be attached to arts crafts. On a Grecian Urn, we...
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...is a mesmerizing poem, the beginning of which was first set down by Poe during his days at West Point College. (Allen 233) The poem itself is a direct contrast to Poe's usual poetry, which usually deal with death and dark thoughts or other melancholy, Gothic ideas. Poe's idea of the death of beautiful woman being the most poetical of all topics is here, nowhere to be found. This proves that Poe, when so inclined, could indeed write about something other than opium induced nightmares and paranoid grieving men who are frightened to death by sarcastic, talkative, ravens. Besides "Israfel", Poe's other poetry, "To Helen", as well as "Annabel Lee" and others, are virtually unrecognizable to the everyday reader as being works by Edgar Allan Poe. His name is usually associated with his tales of horror and the macabre. His one poem, "The Raven", a work which deals with a mans steady decline into madness, is probably his most recognizable piece of poetry. A situation, which I feel is unfortunate, considering that the aforementioned are in most cases the equal to "The Raven." Scholars have bestowed upon Edgar Allan Poe, the mantle of "horror writer" a crown which does him a great injustice considering the great variety of works that he wrote and the passion which drove him during his writing. It is this passion that is evident in "Israfel." The Poem itself draws heavily on Arabian and Oriental literature, subjects which fascinated Poe.(Allen 249) Supernatural elements, which are strong...
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...unfold. However, we soon discover that Prospero has changed in the 12 years that he has been exiled on the island. He realises that he is as much to blame for his exile as his treacherous brother Antonio to whom he relegated his ducal responsibilities in order to pursue his selfish interests: ‘And to my state grew stranger, being transported/And rapt in secret studies.’ Just as Miranda discovers her true identity, her history and her future husband, Prospero has discovered his error and will return to Milan a wiser, more forgiving and less self-indulgent ruler: ‘I’ll break my staff, / Bury it certain fathoms in the earth, / And deeper than did ever plummet sound/ I’ll drown my book.’ Through the dramatic device of the masque and Ariel (music) he comes to see that even on the island his powers are...
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..."In spite of difference of soil and climate, of language and manners, of laws and customs, in spite of things silently gone out of mind and things violently destroyed, the Poet binds together by passion and knowledge the vast empire of human society, as it is spread over the whole earth, and over all time. The objects of the Poet's thoughts are every where; though the eyes and senses of man are, it is true, his favorite guides, yet he will follow wheresoever he can find an atmosphere of sensation in which to move his wings. Poetry is the first and last of all knowledge--it is as immortal as the heart of man" (William Wordsworth, 1798). Romanticism poets developed independence, love for the native universe, vision, physical and passionate energy. Romanticism artists set themselves in resistance to the request and discernment of traditional and neoclassical masterful statutes to embrace liberty and transformation in their craft and politics. The Romantic period produced a significant number of the stereotypes of writers and poetry that exist right up 'til the present time that is the poet as an exceptionally tortured and despairing visionary. Romantic artist ideals never particular ceased to exist in poetry, but were impressively understood into the principals of numerous different developments. Remnants of romanticism existed on in the French symbolism and surrealism and in the works of outstanding poets. The history of ballet goes back about 600 years and it has been an...
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...| Poetry & The Harlem Renaissance | Hum 112: Professor Jocelyn Thornton | | Tara Umstead | 8/24/2014 | | The dictionary defines Renaissance as A rebirth or revival. The Harlem Renaissance was started in the mid 1920’s. It was a time of renewal and revival for African Americans. The Harlem Renaissance ushered slavery from the minds of African Americans alike. Their spirit was renewed culturally through art, music, and poetry. Hundreds of thousands of African Americans migrated North during World War I, because of the shortage of laborers. This migration brought a very diverse mix of cultures from all around. Harlem was full of life 24hrs a day. Jazz clubs and dancing even alcohol was secretly being served. The city was filled with African Americans looking to release all the troubles from the many years of slavery. The nightlife was also enjoyed immensely by upper class white people. New forms of music were born during the Harlem Renaissance. Blues was introduced and the love of Jazz was heightened. Life and living greatly inspired the literature works of this time. As Black Americans, started rebuilding their lives, they still portrayed a sense of self consciousness, self-doubt and didn’t value themselves as true Americans. Before the Harlem Renaissance W. E. B. Du Bois, wrote The Souls of Black Folk. This literary work of art explained the double-consciousness of African Americans. Double-consciousness is the sense of always looking at one’s...
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...dependence on limited resources and unsustainable practices are taking their toll on us and our planet. It is clear what humanity needs at this time is a plan of action to work together to live in peace and thrive on the planet. There are many theories of how to accomplish this, and we already have the technology. What is lacking is the passion, the belief that together we can make a change for the better. It is at this crucial time the band, Empire of the Sun, has burst onto the global music scene to spread a bombastic message of love and empowerment for humanity. The systems of corrupt control that have entrenched themselves into our global economy, land management practices, and education have sprung up from those people hosting a delusion that they are separate from their fellow man and from the fate of the planet. The effective war tactic of “divide and conquer” has migrated into the fragmented psyche of humanity. We have forgotten that united we stand and divided we fall. The music of Empire of the Sun, and the creative process of the musicians stands as a microcosm of the positive power that results from co-creation. Just as the transcendental music of Empire of the Sun cannot be created by one person, humanity must join together to actualize harmonious living for all. The lead singer of Empire of the Sun is Luke Steele, and his partner is Nick Littlemore. These musicians collaborated extensively in Australia in their respective bands, until the creative...
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...Image of memory and nostalgia: An Analysis of D. H. Lawrence’s poem “Piano” D. H. Lawrence’s melancholic poem Piano shows a man who is experiencing nostalgia as he listens to a woman singing which reminds him of his childhood. Striking as the poem is, the crucial elements of poetry are well woven into the text as the speaker narrates about the present moment and his past memory. How did the poet achieve such a natural combination within the text? This paper would discuss about the elements of poetry embedded in the poem as the narrative unfolds. From the opening line of “Piano” we see from the perspective of the speaker, who waxes nostalgic as he listens to a woman singing to him in the evening. The first-person point of view gives us the indication that the speaker is undergoing strong emotional feelings over the song. The “boom of the tingling strings,”(3) an aural image, echoes the suddenness with which the memory hits the speaker, and, as readers, we are left in the same place as the speaker. The speaker takes a bittersweet tone, which is also strongly nostalgic through out the poem. The man in the poem has traveled the road of life and has reached his adulthood, a phase of life, which is associated with freedom of, will and power. But he still contemplates giving all that up; his heart “weeps to belong” and his “manhood is cast down a flood of remembrance” as the “glamor of childish days” overcomes him emotionally.(9-11) He breaks the unspoken rule that men aren’t supposed...
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...Billy Collins And All That Jazz: An Essay by J.Doria You can’t read Billy Collins’ poems without considering their background music, which, like his comic and physically impaired mice, perforates his words and timbre of his poetry, a distant accompaniment, a soundtrack to his verses. The central focus here will be Many Faces of Jazz from Picnic, Lightning with reference to some other works fromQuestions of Angels, The Apple that Astonished Paris and The Art of Drowning. Billy Collins has said that he likes to be alone with his reader, creating a very personal and intimate link between ourselves and the poet. Reading is a singular act and Collins makes full advantage of this. Not only does he seduce the reader by his profoundly simple yet enchanting verse, he shares his love of music as well, almost gifting us with a mixed tape ranging from classical to jazz to the blues to a track on the radio. In this poem, The Many Faces of Jazz, Collins reflects on our complicated relationship with this genre of music which he clearly loves “and, most essential, the whole/head furiously,/ yet almost imperceptibly nodding/ in total and absolute agreement.” The poem takes you into a smoky, hazy jazz bar perhaps by invitation where we watch an audience. Jazz can be a musical estrangement of sorts. It jars. Tempos can be jagged and ragged. It refuses to soar with Beethovian swells, climaxing gloriously and unforgivingly. We feel we should ‘understand’ it but don’t. One almost feels uneducated...
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...Out of the dust by Karen Hesse Out of the dust by Karen Hesse is a poetry/historical fiction novel published in the year 1997. This book won a series of awards such as the Newberry Medal and the Scott O’Dell Award. I liked this book because the book kept me wanting to read it. Billie Jo Kelby, a fourteen year old girl living in Cimarron county Oklahoma is a long legged redhead girl who resembles her dad. Because her dad expected a boy, Billie Jo and her dad’s relationship has been strained. Ma taught Billie Jo how to play the piano when she was young. Since then, it had become a passion for her. Things are now about to change since Ma discovered she was about to have a baby. Just when things are opening up for Billie Jo’s music career, a tragedy occurs in the kitchen while making breakfast. Her mother mistakes a pail of kerosene for water and pours it on the stove releasing flames. Ma immediately runs out of the kitchen and outside. Not knowing that ma would come back, Billie Jo hurls the flaming pail of kerosene outside at the moment Ma returns, catching her on fire. Billie Jo attempts to smoother out the flames, burning her hands in the process. Several days later, Ma dies giving birth to a boy who Pa names Franklin. I find this book very intriguing and emotional. I would recommend this book to people who love poetry and want to learn about the history during the great...
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