Author Archives: Alexis Calderon

Blog Post #8

African American history and culture is unique compared to other cultures. One of the more tragic elements of African American culture is what W.E.B. Du Bois refers to as “sorrow songs”. These sorrow songs are a very important piece to African American history and culture. In W.E.B. Du Bois’ text, The Souls of Black Folk, he introduces sorrow songs as calling them “weird old songs in which the soul of the black slave spoke to men. They came out of the South unknown to me… and yet at once I knew them as of me and of mine” In saying this, I interpret Du Bois to mean that these sorrow songs are as olden and interwoven into African American culture as a Mother Goose nursery rhyme might be as nostalgic to one of us today. Both whispered from mother to child, passed down from generation to generation. Another point Du Bois makes of the importance of sorrow songs to African American history is by saying that “it still remains as the singular spiritual heritage of a nation and the greatest gift of the Negro people.” meaning that these songs are the embodiment of past African American slaves’ spirituality and one of the best pieces of their culture that they could’ve shared with the world. Which brings me to another way in which the sorrow songs were a key part of African American culture and history, which is the creation of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. The Fisk Jubilee Singers were, as Du Bois states, a group of African American singers whom toured and shared their sorrow songs with the world. This brought global recognition and helped fund Fisk University, a historically black university.
In my opinion one of the most significant sorrow songs Du Bois mentions in The Souls of Black Folk is Nobody Knows the Trouble I See. Du Bois recounts the story as when a general was bringing the news of broken promise of land to the freed slaves, an elderly woman led the group of African Americans in this song and the scene was so touching and powerful that it caused the general to weep. I feel that the news the general brought had hurt the woman so deeply that she began to sing that sorrowful song and the reason it was so moving and more than just a musical performance is because there was actual emotion behind the song.

Blog Post 7

At the beginning of the “Power” episode, Damon Krukowski asserts, “the marginal-the rejected-the repressed-is whatever the powerful have decided is of no use at the moment.” He goes on to ask, “But might it [the marginal-the rejected-the repressed] not be a key to alternate approaches-to art, to society-to power itself?” (“Marginalized” is an adjective that describes a person, group, or concept that is treated as insignificant or peripheral.) What is he trying to get at with this question? How does music indicate the differences between the powerful and the marginalized?

I did not really understand the podcast this week. I interpret the question to mean that the niche record magazine gave a more personalized experience than larger powerful companies like Spotify. Almost similar to a small business versus big company power struggle. You may get cheaper prices or more selection at a big box retail store but you will get more tailored experience from a small local business.

Blog Post 6

In Damon Krukowski’s Ways of Hearing Episode 2 Love, he presents the argument that because sound has moved to a digital platform to keep up with today’s technology, the human voice has lost an element of their character as opposed to when speaking with an analog microphone. He states “…the sound of our voices on the phone has gotten worse with the switch to digital, but it’s not because the microphones in them have gotten worse.” He goes on to say, “The reason is that…cellphones don’t transmit the full range of sound picked up by their mics. Instead they digitally process that sound compressing it to remove whatever engineers have decided is unnecessary data.” I wholeheartedly agree with Krukowski’s observations on digital sound versus analog. When listening to modern music, many artists’ voices sound heavily processed or auto-tuned. Compare that to hearing an artist sing live or acoustic, you are able to hear much more character, emotion, and texture. Some singers are able to project the emotion they are feeling into their performance making it much more personable. When you are able to hear texture in a singer’s voice it greatly separates their performance from ordinary.
The New York Times article “How A.S.M.R. Became a Sensation” the writer explores how ASMR became a hit and how it connects many people. In my opinion, the most interesting point about sound in ASMR is the fact that ASMR triggers are usually intimate, such as whispering and talking in low calm voices. This intimacy is now being mass produced and shared with millions of people by Youtube ASMR channels. This strikes me as ironic because as a society we are now more withdrawn in person socially, yet people seek out forms of intimacy through the internet.

Blog Post 5

In Ways of Hearing Episode 2: Space, Damon Krukowski speaks about noise and his experience growing up in New York City. In Krukowski’s view, he describes the noise as “less of a roar and more like being hit with a massive wave of sounds and of people.” I believe that Krukoski is comparing the noise to waves of an ocean, as he further says that maneuvering through the crowded city streets was much like surfing. I agree with his sentiments having also grown up and live in New York City. Stepping out into the city from my apartment can often feel like being overtaken by a giant wave of noise. People, animals, sirens,and trains are the never ending sounds in my neighborhood. I agree that at times it can be overwhelming, which brings me to the next point that Krukowski brings up about earbuds and screens. He says “but here with all these headphones, it’s like we’re avoiding ear contact.” I find this to be true and often do this myself. When I put my headphones on, I do not feel obligated to interact with anyone. I can choose what sounds I hear or whom I socialize with. While I agree with Jeremiah Moss that “the public has been triumphed over by the private” I don’t necessarily see it as a bad thing.

Alexis Calderon Blog Post #4

According to Martin A. Berger, white owned newspaper and magazine owners during the times of the civil rights movement often selected photographs that catered to their white readers’ base even though the heart of the movement was supposed to be about fighting for African-Americans’ civil rights. He goes on to state that the photographs selected often showed Whites still in the position of power, as opposed to showing Black led political action. If Berger is right about White run media indulging the White audience, as I think they are, then we need to reassess the popular assumption of what it is to be a White or Non POC ally.
Many of the same issues African-Americans faced in the past are being brought to light in the present, still ongoing, due to the recent murder of George Floyd. We see a majority of images in the media that are shockingly similar to those of the 50’s and 60’s. Black Americans facing brutality and racism at the hands of White police officers and White Americans. Those images and videos seem to get more views and become much more popular to images and videos of peaceful Black led marches and other political actions. What has also grown from this movement are more White people standing up for Black Americans rights. While this is a positive event, I believe more can be done to be a more efficient ally for Black Americans. After reading Martin A. Berger’s introduction Seeing through Race, it opened my viewpoint to something I previously did not realize. It is not enough to show images of violence and hate towards Black Americans, but we must instead show them portrayed as having ownership of their rights. No longer should we unconsciously show them in a light of being in an unequal position of power. We must be more discerning on what type of media we intake and continue to support and uplift our Black citizens so we can truly make a difference for them in their fight for equal rights.

Alexis Calderon Blog Post #3

In John Berger’s Ways of Seeing Episode 4, he observes that advertising images are all around us and affect us in ways we might not even realize. He states “We change ourselves by buying more.” In other words, Berger is saying that advertisement images are promising consumers that if we buy their products, we will become members of elite society. This is significant because, Berger asserts, it persuades us and makes us covet objects and lifestyles that we don’t have.

When you state that “As he compares oil painting to publicity (advertising) photography, Berger argues that oil painting “showed what the owner was already enjoying among his possessions and way of life;” “it enhanced his view of himself as he already was.” Whereas publicity pictures, “appeal to a way of life that we aspire to or think we aspire to.”” it allows us to compare why these differences are important. They are important because even though oil paintings and advertising photography are similar in the way that it shows a glamorized version of reality, in the past aristocrats were born into riches, whereas the poor or working class did not usually have access to these works and did not have a chance to rise above their status and obtain them. Whereas now, we are in a democratic society, in theory anyone can rise above their class to reach a higher status. This in turn proves adverts to be more persuading and able to make us envious, by suggesting that we can change our status just by purchasing their products.
According to John Berger “The things in which publicity sells are in themselves neutral, just objects and so they have to be made glamorous by being inserted into context which are exotic enough to be arresting but not close enough to us to offer a threat.” The essence of Berger’s argument is that production of images for publicity is highly thought out and planned, so that the images can affect us deep within our core, subliminally, to the point where it manipulates us without us knowing.

In one of John Berger’s dreams, Later Tonight, he frames it as being a dream in which you are sexually desirable. He states “Everyone is surrounded by what brings pleasure, but it is you who will bring the greatest pleasure of all.” In making this comment, Berger is saying that even though the women in the adverts are having a good time and surrounded by alcohol and other pleasurable things, they are only looking to you to give them pleasure. This is corroborated by the images used by the advertisements that Berger selected. He shows many images of women looking at the male or male viewer with a sultry gaze, even though she is usually surrounded by a party.

blog post #1

1.According to Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, writers should use the model of “entering the conversation” in their writing. What are the advantages of this model?

When using the They Say/I Say format in writing, some of the advantages are strengthening the writer’s critical thinking skills, bringing them up to college level. It prevents flat writing and answers the “so what?” and “who cares?” questions. You can also use this tool to expand your writing and even help with creativity. It also helps you smoothly and clearly enter your opinion into a discussion or debate.

2.The smarthistory videos on the schedule this week discuss how learning to look at artwork help us analyze other situations. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

i agree that learning how to look at artwork can help us analyze other situations because it forces us to look at the detail of the artwork. We are then able to notice many different things about the artwork, such as what is in the artwork and what is lacking. It also helps us interpret what the artist is trying to show us, by looking at the point of view and the subjects of the artwork. All these things can help us in real life situations by helping us be more detailed oriented people.

All About Alexis

    Hello All! My name is Alexis, I’m a 30 year old (90’s baby!) mother of a 6 year old boy. Born and raised in Astoria, Queens (I’m still surprised at how much it’s changed over the last 20 years). I’ve had a lot of career changes over the past 10 years, I’ve worked everything from retail, cosmetology, education, to even being a clown’s assistant. I’ve finally decided to return to what I set out to do 11 years ago and finish my college degree for Nursing, God willing , that I get into the program! My mother’s side (whom is from the Philippines) are very happy for me.

     I’m usually hanging out at home (especially now) playing video games with my son, watching Netflix or listening to the Hamilton soundtrack for the 999,999 time. We go to our local Farmer’s Market every Saturday and I love trying new recipes with fresh produce. If I have any free time this semester, I also would like to learn how to make digital art!

I hope that everyone has a productive and safe semester!