Art Review

The artist that I have chosen to review is Claude Monet and his painting called Fishing Boats Leaving the Harbor, Le Havre.

I chose Claude Monet because he was a founder of French impressionist painting which I find beautiful and I wanted to see what kind of art pieces he created. As I look at this piece, my eyes wander from one end of the painting to the other. I am completely absorbed in Monet's use of color in this painting. The different shades of blue and green work so well together its almost unbelievable that one man could conjure up such a great mix that feeds the viewers eyes with awe. The people in the painting make it come alive because of  the way that they are positioned, some walking to a destination, others gazing as the boats and the water. The boats also make the painting come alive because they all seem like they have a mission that needs to be accomplished at the end of the day. Claude Monet is a true artist in my eyes because he took such a simple, everyday sight and turned it into a masterpiece which people can enjoy. This painting would definitely be my definition of art because of the colors, creativity, and emotion that it holds.

We Have the Right

Living in the United States, we are granted many rights that allow us to live out our lives the way we want to within certain boundaries of course. One of the many rights that we posses is the right to choose. We posses the freedom to choose where we want to go to school, what religion we want to practice, who we want to associate, and so on so forth. These decisions that we make impact our entire lives and we do not realize that there are a lot of nations that do not allow their inhabitants to make these decisions for themselves. We also have freedom of speech which allows us to be informed on what our government is doing, even though at times the information that the press has is not always complete. The ability to express our opinions without getting into too much trouble is one thing that we should appreciate because some societies do not let their inhabitants express any negative opinions about the state that they are living in because of fear of centrifugal forces. We also have the right to vote which a lot of people do not even want to participate in, but hey who can blame them...the government is not too popular among U.S. citizens these days. Living in a country with unlimited rights (sort of) can be a good thing and we should take advantage of those rights.

HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYY !!!

Happy Birthday Mr. McCarthy

I sincerely hope that you have an awesome birthday and that you spend it with your family and friends! Thanks for being a great teacher filled with insight on great books and movies that have entertained me and educated me this year. I am so glad I took philosophy this year. Well all I have to say now is:

This is a Polish version of Happy Birthday....it is called STO LAT :) enjoyyy.

Sto lat, sto lat,

Niech żyje, żyje nam.

Sto lat, sto lat,

Niech żyje, żyje nam,

Jeszcze raz, jeszcze raz, niech żyje, żyje nam,

Niech żyje nam!

Translation: 

A hundred years, a hundred years,

May he (she) live, live for us.

A hundred years, a hundred years,

May he live, live for us.

Once again, once again, may he live, live for us,

May he live for us!

X is Known

After beginning to read The Biography of Malcolm X, I honestly believe that he is one of the people that I will remember for the rest of my life. His story is so bold, honest, and brave. My respect for this man skyrocketed as I turned each and every one of the pages in his biography. Malcolm X went from being a good student to a drug addict, burglar, and hustler to being a firm believer in the Nation of Islam and its founder, Elijah Muhammad. After being addicted to cocaine and reefers, he ended up in jail where he discovered his true religion and his meaning in life.

His name may be mentioned in history books, but it is not as commonly mentioned or remembered as Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King Jr. I have a lot of respect for him because his story is not only a unique one, but it is one that should be as known as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks and even Harriet Tubman. He is a person of courage, determination, and faith…who in my opinion makes a great role model and person.

He should be known for the triumphs that he endured because they are truly inspirational and can convince people that no matter what they have gone through in life, they can always turn toward a more positive route and make something great out of themselves while making a positive change in the world. 

X Marks the Spot

When I think of X, I think of something that has been discovered. Does that mean that someone was searching for something? Or that one was lost in a journey and they finally found their destination? Well, in my opinion it can mean a lot of things.
I think of life as a journey where one discovers themselves and the world around them through trial and error, laughs and cries, as well as disappointment and happiness. Its not the destination in most cases, it is the journey. On the way to your destination, you will encounter numerous objects, situations, and people. Everyone's destination is different....it might be spiritual, tangible, career based, or love based. X marks the spot. When you are on your journey, you might stop before you reach your X because you have discovered yourself and realized you are happy exactly where you are.
As time goes by, our destination changes or we might constantly be adding new destinations to our journey. My ideal X is happiness with the people that mean the most to me in life, tangible objects not included. My X is a time and place in my life where I can look out into the world and say with confidence that I am proud of my accomplishments, learned from my failures and mistakes, and found people in my life that I want to share my life's moments with.

Music!

The song that I chose to review is called "Desert Rain" by Edward Maya. Edward Maya is a Romanian artist and he teamed up with Vika Jigulina to create this song which I love. Desert rain has a light, atmospheric feel to it and there is a repeated and echoed accordion line that weaves in and out of the mix which makes the song great. Vika Jugilina's voice is whispery which adds on to the hynpotic feel of the track. Her voice is amazing and has the ability to  put one into a trance while listening to the song. The entire feel of the song is that of a memory drifting in and out of the mind. The song is extremely catchy as well. The lyrics are simple but they have a powerful message and they create an image of dreams. The song  is very uplifting and something I would imagine would make anyone want to get up and dance. It’s a clean song with no curse words or demeaning language which allows one to focus on the beauty of the song. This song is definitely going to be on repeat on my iTunes playlist for a while.

I know this means something

Hmmmm. Well we are used to being told that everything has a meaning, a purpose. We sit behind our desks, pens in hand, jotting down notes about what we have been told are the best philosophers. But, isn't everyone a philosopher?  We all look for the meaning of our lives, we solve problems, and create our own identity and philosophy. Our lives are where we display our philosophy.  In my opinion, it is okay to learn about the greatest philosophers of all time because they created what is seen as a great awakening to the philosophical world, but i think that we give them way too much credit for their thoughts.  They might have been the "greatest thinkers of their time" but its because they were scholars and there weren't that many people that could read or write so their thoughts stood out the most. If we glance at today's society, there are a lot more people that are educated and literate so they can all write down their philosophies even though they won't be taught at schools across the world for years to come.