Author Archives: Karlline Delacruz

Blog Post #7

 

The way we access music and books has drastically changed over the years. We are now able to listen to music at a larger scale through many different musical apps such as spotify,pandora,apple music etc. With apps like amazon we are also able to download and purchase many books online. These types of corporations have made it a lot more convenient for us to purchase music and books. However what they lack the most is the joyful and unique experience we get from going into a record store or even a bookstore. That humanistic contact cannot be replaced with digital technologies. In my opinion Purchasing online is sort of an empty experience in the sense that sometimes you may want an expert’s opinion on what type of books may interest your desires a bit more or what new records should you be trying out instead of going by the popularity bias used by the apps. The marginal-the-rejected-the-repressed is the way Damon describes what is becoming of record and book stores. In this era  digital streaming is becoming a lot more popular among many people. Yes these apps are convenient but appreciating the accommodations of record and book stores is an experience you can only receive by purchasing in person and digital streaming does not provide this. 

Blog post #8 “The souls of black folk” The sorrow songs by W.E.B BuBois

According to Du Bois, what is the significance of what he calls the “sorrow songs” to African-American history and culture?  

The Monumental importance of the “Sorrow songs” according to Du Bois is that these songs were the form that slaves expressed their deepest despairs and misfortunes. They sang because it also thrilled their spirits, singing carelessly brought  them so much joy within. Although this was the music of unhappy people. This was also the great gift that fulfilled the sorrow in their hearts. The most beautiful expression of their experiences were the “sorrow songs” that Africans passed down from generation to generation. They sang with their heart and souls making this a beautiful spiritual heritage a landmark in African American history.   

Which of the songs featured in this chapter is the most significant, in your opinion, and why? 

In my opinion the song that was most significant would be the song “My lord what a morning”  This song is very spiritual and you can noticeably hear and feel the sorrow in the voice of the singer. Keeping their faith in the lord gave them a sense of hope. Having hope is the most significant thing you can do and hope is what keeps you going. Not having their freedom is what caused them so much pain and sadness. So to me this song truly expresses that feeling and desire to have better circumstances and just be freed. 

 

Blog post #6

What do you think about the ideas Krukowski lays out in this episode? Does he adequately describe the intimacies afforded by sound and the tradeoff digital sound presents? In your answer, please incorporate at least one quotation from the episode.  

Digital sounds and analog sounds differ from each other because the way we process the quality of both sounds can be experienced in different ways. As Krukowski explains analog sounds are heard as they are originally generated,this gives us a true representation of sound. As opposed to digital sounds that have no proximity so we don’t experience the full range of the sounds. However digital sounds are vital to our everyday life because it helps keep people connected enabling us to be able to communicate more than ever no matter the distance. Different sounds also help us generate different memories. Krukowski says  “Melody is a part of the way we learn language”  I do agree  because before we even learn how to speak we learn to process different moods through sounds and music can be a great way to express love and happiness. Music is an essential part of life and its dynamic can transcend different cultures.I believe music is also a universal language because no matter what part of the world you live in music brings people closer together creating a social closeness.  

The New York Times article “How A.S.M.R. Became a Sensation” presents something like the opposite situation by providing an example of how digital tools are being used to circulate the intimate experience certain everyday and passing sounds induce. What do you see as the most interesting or important point about sound in this short history of A.S.M.R.?

The most interesting thing about A.S.M.R to me is how it can trigger the sensations by literally tingling your brain and causing that euphoric feeling. I’ve always liked A.S.M.R although I didn’t know what to call it like many others.Growing up I liked the sound of keyboards and the clicks at the end made me feel that tingly feeling on my spine. The sound of water soothes me and helps me meditate.Calming Sounds in different patterns help stimulate the nerves in your body and release oxytocin to your brain. I believe A.S.M.R is important and it can help reduce things like stress, depression and anxiety. This is something many people can benefit from.I know that most can agree how soothing euphoric and meditating the experience can be.  

Blog post #5 “Ways of hearing” By Damon Krukkowsi

 I can agree with the points that were made on the podcast “Ways of hearing” because it is almost like we are all in our private bubbles walking to and coming from our destinations. No one seems to look up and acknowledge what’s happening around them. Krukkowsi says ” Are you really here in this crowd with me? On this sidewalk , Moving together like we are all in the same wave.” Barely anyone says Good Morning or Good anything anymore. People barely want to be looked at or spoken to because they are warped in their phones. Everyone wears their earbuds and walks around like zombies. It’s like we’re all in different zones but standing in the same space. We are a vanishing City as they say on the podcast. In my own experience I can’t really tune out as much because I am a Mom of 2 active boys so when we are out and about I’m most definitely attentive to every noise and every movement around me. I also live in a noisy neighborhood and I would actually appreciate a lot less noise around me. This may also be one of the reasons people move around the city in private bubbles. Sometimes you may wanna get away from it all and putting on those earbuds is a form of escape. 

Blog post #4 Seeing through Race, Martin A

The Civil Rights movements held in Selma,Alabama are a landmark event in the African American history. Although voting  rights were given to Black communities many years prior to the civil rights movement they were being taken away by white politicians and discriminatory practices created to inhibit and discourage the blacks of their rights. Many Black Americans took the streets of Alabama to peacefully protest for their rights and equality. Marches led by John Lewis and Hosea Williams proved to be tragic and violent. The white media felt determined to discriminate against the blacks, The newspapers articles by white reporters depicted what they felt was the upper hand in the Marches and the power they possessed against Blacks. As Berger says this also illustrates something different in their case, It also goes to show how cruel and vicious the treatment of Black Americans was. Many Blacks made huge sacrifices in order for their voices to be heard.These Documentations of photos and magazines by white media actually gives us a glimpse of how they were viciously taunted and mistreated by whites. These depictions still resonate with many  people today. Instead of turning against the black community they aid them in their protest for equality. This type of inhumane treatment is not acceptable by many and sought out to be unlawful in the supposed land of the free. What many see is a contradiction in the constitution and come in favor in the defense of the African American communities. When seeing the way Blacks were and are handled by whites many actually sympathize and feel the need to help they know this is wrong. The whites tried to Make the Blacks look weak and dismantled but in reality they are now seen as heroes of freedom and Civil rights movements. 

Blog post #3 John Berger “Ways of Seeing”, Episode 4

According to Berger, how do “publicity”–what we would call advertising–images influence consumers and why is this significant? According to Berger, publicity influences us to purchase more items in order to feel richer and more glamorous. In fact we are depleting our earnings on things we don’t necessarily need. 

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.” Why are these differences important? What do they reveal to us about the production of images for publicity?  These differences are Important because they can help us realize reality from fantasy. In a way these advertisements are a misconception of our reality. We see glamorous models, High end products and beautiful backgrounds and we want to fit into that description.  We spend more money  in order to fill a void and we also want to feel enviable. Reality is we are losing our sense of self.  Burger explains that  these oil paintings were a depiction of what was already the reality of the Owners. They were wealthy and already part of a higher class society. Publicity is the art of capitalism and The oil paintings demonstrated in the film were the quality of life of the wealthy owners.  

Choose one of the “dreams” he offers or think of your own. How does this dream offered by advertising use imagery to manipulate consumers? The dream of a far away place to me was like a representation of reality and fantasy. We imagine a world of castles and chivalry. As we wander in Romantic scenery and extravagant places that we see displayed on advertisements. We want to belong so we feed into this fantasy and spend  more and more. This makes us feel exuberant as we suddenly fit ourselves into the advertisements. We see another  world where our reality is not so pleasurable. We are Nomads in this dream as we are trying to find our place in a world that is deceitful and violent. This dream is not what we desire so advertising and publicity helps us escape this reality we believe the more we have the more glamorous and desirable we will become. 

 

Ways of seeing, By: John Berger Blog post #2

Ways of seeing, “episode 2” by John Berger to me was very interesting to watch and gave me insight that I personally didn’t have prior. Given the fact that this episode was created and published in 1972  It is still very relatable today. In these Renaissance oil paintings from centuries ago the women are seen as sexual objects and this may be true but also these paintings In my opinion represent the beauty of the women, the delicacy of being a woman. It’s almost in a way praising the woman. John Berger states that these paintings of the women are only to please a man’s Sexual gratification. Though I concede that my own view is that it is also pleasurable for the women and they too find satisfaction in being doted upon. They seem to like captivating the attention of their audience. Specifically the male audience. The reason this is my belief is  because In today’s world women have more control over how they want to be portrayed and many women project their nudity and sexuallity willingly. They feel gratification in how many likes and comments of men are seemingly Obsessing upon them. It gives them a sense of self worth. The fallacy in this is that it is only momentarily and women do feel the need for stability and connections more deeply than men who mostly just seek sexual fantasies. In other words Men and Women feed their own egos and pleasures in different ways. A young lady who was featured in the episode said a comment on how both sexes are narcissists and this is too my belief. Which is why I say both males and females feed their egos in different ways. “To be nude is to be without clothes” “Being naked is to be oneself” When John Berger went on to say this I found this to be very profound and very Insightful. Given that the women are naked as you see them and not as who they truly may be.  Another commentary made by one of the ladies that caught my attention was, When she explained that these paintings were “unrealistic” to her and “unrelatable” due to the exaggeration in their robust and enormous figures. In Today’s World  that is not the case a lot of women are following these trends of altering their image and enhancing their breasts and Buttocks to appear much more enlarged. I was stricken the most when another lady in the film stated that men have more sense of self as opposed to women. Although some may argue that but from my perspective I find this to be in some cases very true. In today’s Culture many more women go under the knife because they feel insecure in themselves. They use things like photoshop and filters In order to captivate the attention of the male audience. It seems that not much has changed as most women are still seeking the attention and dominance of the male spectator. All the while the She is continuously feeding her ego feeling praised by the men.

Blog post #1

The advantages of using the model “Entering the conversation” according to Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein is that it gives writers the ability to agree or disagree on a topic in a more proficient way. In order to be a well expressed writer these templates are very useful and help the writer express their thoughts and views in a argumentative way, so that they can be understood from different perspectives. This model is equipped with many different ways you can enhance your writing skills while incorporating your own opinions and arguments. This template is a great way to help  writers organize their thoughts and articulate the way that they can express themselves.

 

I agree that the way we look at art can most definitely help us be more analytical.  Art can help stimulate your brain and take you on a imaginative journey while creating your own perspective and meaning of the art. To look at art you have to be critical and observant. The same way you analyze most situations you come across in real life. An artist will convey the meaning of their art to you and you can formulate your own opinions but always keep in mind that their way of expressing themselves can be different from your thoughts of the art.

 

 

Introduction

Hello , My name is Karlline Delacruz

     I am a freshman here at LaGuardia CC and I am very excited to embark on this new educational journey with everyone here at CUNY. I’m also a mother of two boys ages ten and seven we are from Brooklyn. This year will be very challenging since all three of us are going to be learning virtually. As we all face these difficult times of uncertainty one thing that I believe is in the certainty of education and opportunity to grow. I do hope that the circumstances change and allow us to be in a class room setting together as I believe that this is more beneficial to students. I’m not tech savvy but I am up for the challenge. I hope you and your lovely family are staying safe and in harmony.