Libraries Today

In the evolving, cybernetic and fast paced world we live in today, technology is much more prevelant than it ever was. Technology is the future and not be dismayed as something perverse. Therefore technology such as E books are useful tools especially for the future generation such as mine. Libraries however should be preserved and should stay relevant while adding new technological aspects and dynamics in today’s society.

 

History plays a vital part in the advancement and progress of human society. “If a free society is to survive, it must ensure the preservation of its records, and provide free information to all its citizens.” (Kranich). Mistakes are important landmarks because we learn what it takes to succeed through them. The preservation of records plays a large contribution in the survival of society, because those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it. Preservation also allows one to learn from great contributors and inspiring people such as Martin Luther King Jr., Stanley Kubrick, and Steve Jobs. These people were bold and each took risks because they had freedom of expression. Expressing one’s thoughts is something libraries offer. “It must allow unfetted dialogue and gurantee freedom of expression. (Kranich)

Books are simply a humaneness thoughts and expressions told through a human’s lenses in a creative manner. Books can be compared to music in my opinion. As books are an art form of expressing thoughts in a page. Music is an art form of expressing thoughts through sounds. Libraries are not responsible for music; however, many musicians study past musicians before them as literature to form a base in their creative field. Learning from the past is a quality my generation can improve on as well having more human interaction and relying less on technology. Libraries can evolve as well fitting a more modern setting.

 

Much like Siegler wrote in (Source E) I cannot remember the last time I went to a library. This is simply because times have changed because of a more accessible tool     which is the internet. Siegler says this in the second line of his article. The reason why children of my generation rely more on the internet and less on libraries is simply because they do not know how to find information as easily as they can in a library as they can through the internet, simply because they are used to information coming faster through the click of a button. Proof of this can be found through the average teenager and the average elderly person. Elderly people struggle with the internet because it isn’t the educational tool they are accustomed to using or we’re taught. An issue libraries can improve on is bridging the gab better between my generation and the older generation. Siegler explains (Source E) that libraries may thrive on becoming more learning cultural centers or a new improved learning center. Libraries having more adaptable usage of information will perhaps be a great tool for my generation.

 

Inevitably libraries will most likely succum to a bitter demise. Libraries offer valuable information to the youth. This information can be more effective if we taught my generation how to access it better or adapt more to modern cultural society. Libraries and books offer information that cannot be replaced and must be preserved while studying it for our future as a human society. Society however is embarking forward to a more fast paced and easily consumable technological state which must be accepted and adapted to.

The Art of Deciet in Art

“With a sad story and a disability you can win anything in Got Talent.” This quote is something my brother always said whenever  he would watch Britain or Americas Got Talent. As Chris Hedges says “the most essential skill is deceit.” This claim is tragically true as we live una society trying to please the masses and as well one that pushes a political agenda. Deceit and false narratives can make one’s story more believable, and pushing a political agenda isn’t often the main contributor in recieving praise in polyicak theater or art.

“The greatest truck the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.” This quote came from character Verbal Kint played by Kevin Spacey in the 1997 suspense film “The Usual Suspects.” Spacey played a disabled cripple who told a story of crime that occurred to an officer. He was trying to unmask the identity of a crime Lord during his story but at the end of the film, Verbal walked away with being the true master of crime and faking to be a cripple. One would never expect Verbal to be the mastermind behind it all. He was lame and appeared to be weak and sensitive. That is exactly why he got away with his story becaus deceit makes one’s story more believable.

Every year at the grammys it seems like the voters do not reward great music but rather reward music that will push a political agenda or will please the masses. The year 2013 is a great example of this. Macklemore and Kendrick Lamar were the top two contenders for rap album of the year. Macklemore released an album that was dry and not that dense and it’s less single was about homosexuality. Kendrick on the other hand provided an album that followed a story, and concept about his teenage years. Kendrick ma album was much better lyrically, and had more sense subject matter to uncover. Macklemores album won of course because of the lead single he realesed. True commercial success can not be attained without having a cliche political statement in the music industry.

My brother was watching a little girl singing an overplayed song on Got talent. It was average but she did not add anything new to it to make it her own. The girls mom died and the song she sang was moms favorite. She won over an inventive and original joke making comedian that did not have the most pleasing physical appeal. One may say that the fact the girl won over the comedian is strictly off of opinion. However the comedian did not even get two votes to move on while the girl got the golden buzzer. They did this to avoid AGT’s image from being tarnished and went the “safe way” rather than rewarding true talent.

Deceit paints an innocent picture of someone being abused in Verbal’s case and also a believable one. Narratives are truly rewarded in many different forms of art as they are rewarded more often. The most essential skill in commercial success is pushing an appeasing agenda and sympathetic narrative to the consumer. However the most essential skill in art is crafting a work or art that is timeless and does not force to push a sympathetic message. It howeve can have a sympathetic message but it should be more sincere and thought out.

A Journalist’s Job

Sincerity and intergrity is very important when deeming a person credible. A credible journalist should be one that states the truth and is not afraid of scrutiny. Clare Boothe Luce who is journalist, demonstrates authority, integrity and boldness, through grabbing the audiences attention with criticism and praising it through the truth.

 

When a boss writes one an email or performance review, it is professional to start with positivity as that is usually what they do and what Luce does. Luce starts by saying she is flattered by being in attendance of the audience. She shows that she has respect for them and thinks highly of them by saying this. Later on in the email however a boss gets to the criticism towards one. Luce does this as well as she immediately stated her issue with the Women’s National Press Club and journalists in general. This puts the audience in an engaged an din a state that isn’t cautious to be criticized.

Now that Luce has the audience right where she wants them the question is “Is her criticism affective and believable?” It is belivable because Luce states “You have asked me to tell you what is wrong with you.” Luce then claims that it has “great national significance.” The audience now is convinced that Luces claims will be just and unapologetically true. Luce then goes on to say “The delicate art of giving an audience hell.” This shows that Luce has prepared her criticisms meticulously as she calls them “art.” A journalist’s job is to provide interesting insight as well to entertain. Luce claims they are failing st their jobs by saying they are Boring their audience by “buttering up its virtues.” Any passionate journalist should be affected deeply by this as Luce says they are not doing their respected job for which they are passionate for.

To call out how they are doing their job incorrectly Luce defines journalism as the following. “It is the effort to achieve illuminating andor in print and to strip It away. As she claimed later the journalists were boring her audience by “buttering up its virtues.” By doing this they are not stripping illuminating information. Luce then goes on to describe the goal of journalism. “ It is to use the big word the pursuit of and the effort to state the truth.” Luce chose to say the goal later on to show that if they are not choosing to choose the illuminating aspects of a story and “butter it up” then there is no way they are telling the full truth, thus failing at their job.

The criticism’s are done now Luce moves on to the truth. She claims that as much as there is wrong there is right. Luce says that there is right to show that She is on the audience’s side and thus making the audience more persuasive to respond to her criticisms. Luce also showed the example of a true journalist for the audience to follow through herself. She spoke the absolute truth to the people “close at hand” as a true journalist should.

Luce showed the audience how to become better at their jobs I which she know they have a passion for as does herself. She didn’t this through focusing the audience eyes back to what journalism is about and reminding the audience of its true goals and roots. The truth is always the best direction for persuasion, sincerity and showing love. Criticism is also the best way for showing love and concern as well Luce accomplished showing love and concern through a concise well thought out statement of how to improve and not lose focus.

Safety and Freedom

The concept of freedom has played a large role over the course of American history, primarily concerning slaves and equal rights for slaves. Man, when speaking in a general sense does not like to be constrained or held back by someone, something or an environment. Human beings hate being constrained by an individual to the point where they do not feel a sense of freedom. Complete safety is not achievable in the cursed world in which we live in, therefore men do want safety as well as they do freedom, because freedom and safety are not fully attainable, and men want what they do not have. I disagree with the American essayist Mencken, in which the average man wants both freedom and safety.

An artist who grew up in Compton by the name of Kendrick Lamar released an album in 2015 titled “To pimp a Butterfly.” This title means to constrain a person’s inner talents due to to the environment around him. He explains this in a poem throughout the album in which a caterpillar which represents him, restrains the caterpillar’s inner talents in order to survive in the environment of Compton. The caterpillar’s inner talents is characterized in a butterfly which represents Kendrick’s true self and his talents. He goes on to talk on his fears growing up in Compton and all of the violence he underwent. He combined freedom and safety as things he felt he could not achieve but wanted to in Compton. He did not feel free because his environment was holding him back, and restraining his full potential, as we see described in the poem’s message. He did not feel safe due to his fears of dying young and “just being another kid from the streets.” Once he finally found fame through his talents and escaped the ghetto, he fell into a deep depression. Kendrick felt that he will feel safe once he escaped the ghetto, but he felt the opposite of this due to the poisonous music industry. This refers back to the point that freedom and safety are in the same lane and every human wants them. Freedom and safety are however not fully attainable as we see in Kendrick’s case, he wanted freedom and safety, but never found them as they cannot be fully attainable. Every human wants want they do not have.

 

One may say however that a person not in Kendrick’s situation, that was raised in a great and perhaps free and safe environment, does not want freedom or safety because they already have it. No matter how free a person may feel or how much of something they posses, they will always want more due to a human’s prideful nature. My cousin who is a bodybuilder and gives me advice, he said “once you start lifting weights you will never want to stop.” I have found this to be true not only in my personal experiences but in other’s as well. I have seen students whose parents have it all. They go to a good school, have an abundance of friends, and a high status as well. No matter how much freedom they are granted they want more and they get into detrimental trouble because of wanting more.

 

The average man wants to be free, due to our prideful nature, but what about safety? As seen with Kendrick Lamar all he wanted was safety, as that what his fears were based on. He once said his biggest fear when he was 17 years old was “to die because these colors are standing out.” This can carry on two meanings. One being he can die from gang rivalries and violence and the other being an African-American in a terrible environment. As a non-white male in this country safety is very important. Even though I have not experienced racism to the degree of pure hatred and violence, I have experienced it through prejudgment and ridicule. Even though I am a citizen of America, I do not know how much that matters because of racism’s current relevancy. I want to feel safe and free from that fact, because safety and freedom go hand in hand.

Under Pressure Poem

Under Pressure

What’s expected of me?

To pursue my dreams or to be what they want me to be

I hope they dig me before they bury me, 

 Recognize me for chasing my dreams,

most people don’t know what that means, 

why can’t I choose my own path,

every time I say it I just get a laugh, 

Lately I’ve been last like desert, 

life’s just been a blur,

I’m not reading I’m just flipping the pages, I wanna be free like the Emancipation, 

I’ve always pictured my life in stages,But the light’s getting dimmer through the ages.

808s And Heartbreak Album Review

There perhaps may not be a more controversial figure or person in music than Kanye West. He is a Chicago native who started out as a producer but then became a producer rapper for Jay Z’s music label. In his past he was a very inspiring individual, but now he’s just an egotistical brat. Now he always makes headlines for the  controverial stuff he says through interviews and tweets as well. A side from his personality, Kanye West is truly a musical genius. Mainly from how he constructs his songs, and the manner in which he uses the human voice which he claims is the best intrument. A perfect example of this is the song “Runaway”. On the end of that track he distorted his voice to mimic an electric guitar solo.  His 4th studio album, 808s and Heartbreak is a perfect example of his creative genius and we will be diving into Kanye’s emotions in this project and how it transformed hip-hop and music forever.

 

At first the reception of the album was not great because it was a far different release from his previous works. Some people view this as a failed attempt of being unique and felt he would convey his emotions more through just purely rapping. Kanye seemed very genuine in my opinion and the auto-tune and raw drums just matched perfectly with his vocals to convey the emotion he was trying to put on display. Another thing that  captured the somberness of this album was sometimes he would just let the dreary instrumental play after a verse. This just made the vibe of the project become more genuine and real. On his debut album “The College Dropout”, he used more soulful, uplifting beats with him rapping over sped up and chopped samples produced by himself. On 808s he relied on singing with auto-tune with more synth sounds and dull drums. The auto-tune was another example of how creative Kanye is, as he really made the sound popular. 808s was a very personal album to Kanye West, and the reason for this can found in the title. Kanye’s mother had recently passed and his fiance also left him in the same time period. He felt like the only thing he had left was music and 808 drums. He decided to sing and have more emotional lyrics this time for this project to properly display what he was feeling. On the song “It’s Amazing” Kanye raps about his life on stage and himself in the public eye, as he just figuratively “looks around” so to speak on this track and says It’s Amazing. “Love Lockdown” is one of my favorite tracks as he uses loud dull 808 drums and you can’t help but to nod your head to it. The hook on this track is “keep your love lockdown and you lose” In this line Kanye is trying to explain how certain people will not date other people because of height, race, weight etc. He says if one keeps ones love lockdown, it is ones loss. “Heartless” is the epitimy of Kanye’s emotions. On this track he asks his fiance how a woman can be so cold and heartless, again told through auto-tune,  synth/techno sounds and, with an infectious hook.

 

“808s and Heartbreak” is a timeless classic, and another one in Kanye’s vast discography. This album really sparked other rappers to be more emotional in their lyrics, as well increased the use auto-tune more. Without this album we may not have gotten artists such as Travis Scott who relies heavily on auto-tune, sonic sound and ambience much like Kanye did on this record. Travis has even admitted it himself who is a platinum recording artist. Drake, The Weeknd, and Kid Cudi are among others who have come out and said how much Kanye has inspired them, and how 808s and Heartbreak made them have more emotional lyricsin their music. In conclusion 808s and Heartbreak is definitely worth a listen and has something for everyone to relate to as well as offer. It is simply a man’s greatest pains, passions, emotions and ambitions poured into a body of work.

The Way Life Goes

As my owner walked out the door, I felt a sense of despair immediately enter my soul. Usually he takes me out for walks but ever since he’s had Cooper around I feel like my body exists but my mind is dead. The only reason he bought another dog was just to wait out my time to depart from this as vapor evaporates from air. I guess that’s just the way life goes, if you don’t truly love something it will show without you wanting it to. Who would want a dog like me. You don’t really appreciate things until they are gone, that’s what I’ve always said. My previous owner wasn’t anything like him, it let me eat an abundance of food even though it wasn’t rich, but not necessarily the best kind. It would also let me sleep whenever I wanted whether it be on an alley, or in a stranger’s yard.It also let me go out and travel the world wherever I wanted. When my current owner found me he took me up and drove me to his home where I laid down on a nice warm carpet, I felt loved until it happened. I heard yelling one day and heard a loud bang. I couldn’t really make out what it was, but I assumed it was life changing for whoever was involved. The next month there was nothing but silence until one morning when a car left and I heard sobbing from Jim. It wasn’t to long ago when I found out I was sick. Jim stopped feeding me and caring for me,. After that I wasn’t his main priority any more. I decided to leave as soon as he got his new companion because I didn’t feel needed. I just walked out expecting not to be missed.

 

Persuasive speech

Too much of one thing is never good, but at the same time if you don’t have enough qualities of another that can’t be good either. The key is to have a balance of the two so you can have a better view of things. You should have self control when it comes to drinking alcohol and hanging out with your friends and knowing when to stop. I will be talking about the legal drinking age in America and why it should stay the same.

The legal age for drinking in America is 21 years old. This should stay the same because if they increase the age people are gonna be more eager to drink and tend to make less rational decisions. Just because you’re older doesn’t necessarily mean that wiser, because what makes you wise is hearing instruction it doesn’t come with age. I think 21 years old isn’t a terrible age because if they don’t wait until they are older to drink then they won’t be as pressured by their friends to drink. Prohibiting young people to drink doesn’t make them stop drinking.

There is nothing wrong with just having a glass of wine for dinner as Jesus drank wine with his disciples in the Bible. Whats a sin is abusing and going over the limit causing you to make poor decisions. If the age was 18 and you made a bad habit of drinking too much and becoming an alcoholic, then it’s going to be tougher for you in the future to let that habit go. I’m not saying that it won’t happen when you’re 21 but if you’re 21 and have friends that are alcoholics then you would have more experience and seen that more which will most likely make you make better decisions when it comes to drinking. Also younger people may have better access to alcohol.

In conclusion it is okay to drink a beer or two without going over the limit. We also shouldn’t be pressured and influenced by people to do something you wouldn’t want to do. The drinking age should stay the same because honestly changing it by a year or two won’t change the fact that people won’t get drunk. And that’s because some people want fit in with others, some people hang around bad influences and because we are sinful creatures.

 

Hard Work Beats Talent When Talent Fails To Work Hard

 

Guillermo Dominguez

8/31/17

10th Grade English  Honors

I was in practice and coach told us to line up in a line and run at full sprint around the field to the finish line. I ran as fast as I could and ended crossing the finish line, with my coach saying good job. He told me and the team to not limit yourself and be hungrier than your opponent. “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard”- Kevin Durant. This is pretty much the quote I live by. If you have a God given talent but don’t use it to the fullest of your ability and just expect to be successful in that area without putting in the work, you’re gonna fail. Whenever I feel like quitting in life, and when I feel like I wasn’t meant for something, I always remember this quote. This also says to not take any shortcuts or just half doing things because greatness isn’t a gift its earned. With hardwork and determination anything is possible. There are so many famous people with incredibly riveting stories that all start out being doubted and prove everyone wrong by working harder than anyone. Whenever someone says wow he is so good he was probably born like that or hes so talented I’ll never do that. The thing they ignore is they worked harder than anyone to perfect their craft and the people who say things like that are the same people who aren’t willing to work to earn the things they want. With hard work, dedication, determination and God anything is possible. I could remember during that day in practice saying to myself that I won’t let anyone pass me during the race.T he last 300 meters of a race, the 12th round of a boxing match, the 4th quarter, that’s when true champions are made visible. Talent doesn’t matter anymore in the final seconds. You can have all the talent in the world and be nonchalant and show no effort or will. In the last seconds whether it be a race, boxing match, or a game the will to win will always overshadow talent with no will. We need to ask God to help us to always give 100 percent on anything we do in life. It’s our job to always do our best to reflect the glory of Jesus Christ. We all have times in life where we’re not in the mood or too discouraged, but we must always keep our heads up. Since it is our job to do our best in everything we do in life we should not place limits on ourselves and our goals.We should work hard to pursue our goals, because limits like fear is often an illusion. Don’t just settle for average in life because you’ll never know your true potential. If you just settle for mediocre or average in life and make no effort improving at all your disobeying God because your not using your talents to the full capacity of your abilities. This has really changed my life in a special way because there was a time where I just settled for average and did not believe that accomplishing my dream was possible, but then I realized that if I worked hard I could be a better person. The only way to accomplish your goal in life is too not be afraid to fail. When you fail, fail harder, because I’d rather fail trying my best and than fail by quitting. Failing and messing up drastically is the only thing that improve you. There is no limit with hard work, dedication, determination and God on your side. If you fail then pick yourself back up and keep going.

Hard Work Beats Talent When Talent Fails To Work Hard

 

Guillermo Dominguez

8/31/17

10th Grade English  Honors

I was in practice and coach told us to line up in a line and run at full sprint around the field to the finish line. I ran as fast as I could and ended crossing the finish line, with my coach saying good job. He told me and the team to not limit yourself and be hungrier than your opponent. “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard”- Kevin Durant. This is pretty much the quote I live by. If you have a God given talent but don’t use it to the fullest of your ability and just expect to be successful in that area without putting in the work, you’re gonna fail. Whenever I feel like quitting in life, and when I feel like I wasn’t meant for something, I always remember this quote. This also says to not take any shortcuts or just half doing things because greatness isnt a gift its earned. With hardwork and determination anythings possible. There are so many famous people with incredibly riveting stories that all start out being doubted and prove everyone wrong by working harder than anyone. Whenever someone says wow is he so good he was probably born like that or hes so talented I’ll never do that. The thing they ignore is they worked harder than anyone to perfect their craft and the people who say things like are the same people who aren’t willing to work to earn the things they want. With hard work, dedication, determination and God anything is possible. I could remember during that day in practice saying to myself that I won’t let anyone pass me during the race.The last 300 meters of a race, the 12th round of a boxing match, the 4th quarter, that’s when true champions are made and visible. Talent doesnt matter anymore in the final seconds. You can have all the Talent in the world and be nonchalant and show no effort or will. In the last seconds whether it be a race, boxing match. Or a game the will to win will always overshadow talent with no will. We need to ask God to help us to always give 100 percent on anything we do in life. Its our job to always do our best to reflect the glory of Jesus Christ. We all have times in life where we’re not in the mood or too discouraged, but we must always keep our heads up. Since it is our job to do our best in everything we do in life we should not place limits on ourselves and our goals.We should work hard to pursue our goals, because limits like fear is often an illusion. Don’t just settle for average in life because you’ll never know your true potential. If you just settle for mediocre or average in life and make no effort improving at all your disobeying God because your not using your talents to the full capacity of your abilities. This has really changed my life in a special way because there was a time where I just settled for average and did not believe that accomplishing my dream was possible, but then I realized that if I worked hard I could be a better person. The only way to accomplish your goal in life is too not be afraid to fail. When you fail, fail harder, because I’d rather fail trying my best and than fail by quitting. Failing and messing up drastically is the only you’ll improve. There is no limit with hard work, dedication, determination and God on your side. If you fail then pick yourself back up and keep going.