Without photographers like Ernest C Withers we would never be able to truly understand this struggle which is why he is one of my favorite photographers even though I just found his works. He is my favorite because he made sure that we would never forget all the sacrifices that were made to get where we are now. 

a. The sign that is in focus isn’t a suggestion any more as the words “if you can” have been crossed. It now comes off as more of an order or requirement that should be met. In Front of the sign though is a man whose face is out of focus and it is hard to draw any emotions or feeling from him. The man seems to be homeless as he has a cloth around his back and a plastic bag is attached to his jacket. He is pictured clutching onto a coffee mug, but we don't know whether it is empty or full.

b.I believe that the sign represents the idea of the upper class forcing the idea of staying at home on the general public. The fact that the word “if you can” has been crossed out shows that here it is a requirement and there are seemingly no exceptions. The man in the picture however seems homeless and he symbolizes homeless people. In his hands he seems to be clutching a cup that could symbolize warmth and joy and possibly the hope that they have to clutch on to.

c. The sign of course is not moving, but the man seems to be moving towards us as the audience. This contributes to the idea that homeless people are trying to get our attention because they need our help or any help. Even though they are seeking help we still leave them out of focus because we seemingly don't care about them.

2. There are two main objects within this photo that both mean something in relation to each other. The sign shows how due to COVID restrictions people should stay inside to avoid contact with other people and spread the virus. Below this statement are the words “if you can,” these words are crossed out with a red line showing that there is no room for choice, you must stay inside. In front of this sign however is a person who is outside, he however seems homeless. As someone who is homeless he has nowhere to go he has been forced into this state of being without a home. It goes without saying that he has no choice but to stay outside. This shows that the people who made this sign didn’t have the homeless best interest in mind, no alternative was provided for them in order to keep them safe. While we were so focused on staying inside and quarantining we cast the homeless people out of our mind, they became out of focus and somewhat unimportant in our hopes to stop the spread and stay safe. Although they were still present we cast them out. Leaving him to hold on to their coffee mug, which symbolizes warmth. When homeless people were cast out due to COVID they were forced to hold onto what little warmth and hope they had. However this warmth cannot be seen by us, symbolizing that we as the viewer don't even know whether they have any hope or joy left, and we still choose to leave them out of focus and focus on the message “Stay Home.” #stopthespread.

3. The focus on the camera in this particular case is on the sign in the background.

a. The focus of the camera is on the sign in the back but the person in the front who is blurred out also grabs the attention of the viewer. This relation between the two objects shows that there is more attention given to the sign rather than the person. It shows that we as the audience are more focused on the sign than we are on the homeless person. We are so focused and obsessed with the idea of staying home to stop the spread that we stop giving attention to those who need help.

b. The amount of focus is not affected by whether the objects are moving as the signage still has the homeless person although he is moving towards the camera he seems to be going at a very slow pace. This person's movement would not affect the required shutter speed of the camera

4. The two subjects are placed right in the center of the image but neither block each     other. The sign in the back is a great deal larger than the man in the photo and this size and position difference really highlights the relationship between the two. Even though the man is closer to the camera we continue to focus on the sign. 

a. The photo is most likely taken in South Africa's as this is the topic which all of Sydelle's photos highlight in this specific gallery. The background is quite gloomy and gives off the emotion of sadness. This idea can be derived from the stormy dark clouds. It seems like it will rain soon, which would be a problem for the homeless person as he doesn’t have a home to go to. The area where he is in doesn't look like a built up city but rather a smaller one with bits and pieces. I say this because there only seems to be one large building while all the other ones are relatively small. Making both the building and the sign seem out of place. Behind the clouds there seems to be a mountain or hill. The clouds along with the building block this mountain which could comment on how we have let COVID not only stop us from noticing people, but from experiencing nature and life.

b. There is nothing explicit to suggest that it was staged but when we think about it Sydelle probably had to ask the man to use his face in the picture, and also to stand in that specific position. Since it involves people it was definitely staged. I feel like Sydelle is objective in this photo because she tries to portray the viewpoint that we need to focus more on people than on a silly message. This is her opinion and even though it is ethical a lot of people would not agree making it an opinion and not an agreed upon fact.

c. Juxtaposition was used here a lot in order to convey the message to the viewer. In order for us to understand why the message “Stay at Home.” was so dangerous we needed to show that there are some people who don't have a home, and have no choice but to stay outside. This large contrast adds more to the idea that there needs to be a change between that statement. 

d. When a viewer first sees this photo they immediately look at the large  “Stay at Home” sign written in bold black letters with a white background. When a viewer looks at the photo their attention is grabbed by that sign and they only see the man right in front once they've had more time to look at it. This relationship between the two shows how we feel towards the homeless. It shows that we subconsciously choose to focus more on that sign than on another person. In our mind we believe that sign means that we’ll be safe but it doesn’t show how our so-called “safety” will affect the people right in front of us.

e. Unlike a photograph of nature this photo doesn't really present a narrative of what is going to happen before or after the photo was taken. It isn’t like a picture of a gazelle and a lion where one can make the assumption that the lion will catch the gazelle. This photo however presents an ongoing event; it doesn’t show any hope of change. A couple of years down the line we probably won't worry about COVID and staying at home but the picture doesn’t give any signal or hint that we as a society will start to care and notice the homeless people around us. The narrative it pushes is that we continue to make decisions without considering how it will affect certain groups of people and if it's possible for us to possibly help those people. It pushes the narrative that we need to change and stop ignoring the people who need our help just to save ourselves for a little longer.

f. The negative space that is found in this photo is the sky. This negative space is very interesting as it offers a little more to the story behind the photo. The sky is grey which is a color that evokes a sad and gloomy emotion. It is also a sign of rain. Soon it will rain and this homeless man will have to stay outside in the wet rain because he has no home to go to. Due to COVID restrictions he would be even less likely to find a place to spend the night. Again we see how the actions of society to “protect the people” instead put many of those same people in an even worse condition. Without even going into detail about the rain and what that results in for the homeless man, the grey in the sky signals that. When a person first looks at the photo they see the grey and immediately feel as if something bad is about to happen. Something that will make one of the subjects in the photo sad the specific subject would receive this action would be the man. Even if it rains we will still push the message to stay inside because the rain can’t affect us when we stay inside.

g. The photo is landscape because the top length is longer than the length on either left or right side. Because the photo is in landscape it prompts the viewer to look from side to side rather than looking vertically which is something that you would see with portrait photos. It creates a flow for the viewer to see an object like the sign first and then look to the side and see the homeless man. The fact that it’s shot in landscape creates a flow for the viewer to look, almost like a river, except now the viewer is flowing through the photo from side to side, in order to make sense of the image. 

h. I feel like the large sign in the background is slightly off centered to the right which would lead the viewer to look at it immediately. The second subject in this photo would most likely fall into the bottom third. This is why he might be overlooked as the sign has been positioned in the place where we are most likely to look as the audience and the man is placed in the less likely places for us to look. This positioning further the idea of how our view of the homeless differs from how we look at those signs.

5. The light in this photo is natural light, and the photographer decided not to take it while it was bright and sunny but rather when it was cloudy, gloom and almost sad.

a. The photographer uses natural light in this photo, she does not attempt to make it a very bright or saturated photo but takes it for what it is. This specific natural lighting is essential for conveying the emotion to the viewer. Had it been taken at midday when the sun was out, it would feel like conflicting messages: one of the sad ways we treat the humans who need our help and another of happiness and joy.

b. I would say that this photo is more backlight than front light. Although it is more backlighting it is again because of the sky. There isn't a lot of backlight to make a silhouette of the man or the sign. This lighting is enough to make sure the viewer can see the image; it isn’t enough to create any new message beside that of sadness and gloom.

c. The contrast of this photo is not very significant as the whole picture is seemingly absent of any major saturation. There are however bits of contrast throughout these draw some interest eventually draw interest to the eye but they aren’t immediately eye-catching. The setting is quite gloomy so the bright red of the McDonalds creates contrast and draws interest to the viewer. The green and yellow of the trash bags on the homeless also create some contrast which in turn draws interest and allows us to make the connection that he is homeless.

6. Color and shades play a big role in this photo to convey the idea of gloom and   sadness. These emotions are the result of how we treat homeless people.

a. As mentioned previously there is some color contrast present but it is minimal and can only be found in very few spots in the photo.

b. The photo appears to have very little saturation, it is definitely not bright and vibrant like a child’s tv show. Instead the lack of saturation has been used as a tool to convey the recurring emotion of sadness. Just like with the bright sun, vibrance would confuse the audience and conflict any possible message.

c. The photographer has chosen color because in a Black and White photo some of that sadness can be lost. Making the photo in color allows for us to really observe and see all the little details that occur within the photo, all of them unique in their own way. Without the use of color some of the finer details like the McDonalds, the trash bags and the coffee mug would be lost on the viewer as they would seemingly blend and lose what makes them unique.

7. With all photographs there is usually a little bit of touching up, to help sell the photographer's idea, but in this photo all the editing done was probably minor. There is a chance that the image might’ve been cropped, or the brightness adjusted, but all of it is minor. The picture still has the majority of its original elements within it. There doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary that was edited into the photo.

8. The camera angle appears to be at worms eye view and a close up of the subject.

a. This photo is at a worm's eye view or  lower angle. It isn’t a close up but a medium shot for the homeless man and a long distance shot for the sign. This contributes that even though the homeless man is closer to us, the audience, we still look at the large sign. The fact that the sign is at a higher angle could also relate to how we view it with higher praise or more importance than the homeless man. The fact that we have really looked up to see it shows that we look up to the statement, when we really should be looking up and recognizing the hardships that homeless have to go through.

This photo links with the photo about homeless people and the way we view them. Once a person analyses the photo they begin to feel almost ashamed that they would deny a person in need of help. That they had been ignorant to their needs and situation just to help save themself for a little longer. This relates to the man as once you realize this you begin to turn your back on how you were before, the person who didn’t care enough. You cover your eyes and think about what you could have done to care more. These two photos directly relate to each other as one shows the terrible ways we treat others, and the second shows how we should feel about the way we treated them. 

The IB concept of identity was represented and expressed throughout this photo. This concept attempts to have the audience explore different perspectives in understanding the creator's views and identity. The photo explores the thought that I identify as a black man but that doesn't mean that my success should be limited by it .This photo explores the clashing perspectives of African Americans and their role in society. It shows how society has limited their perspectives to what African Americans can do based on a few people. These limited perspectives seem to ignore the other accomplishments of African Americans like that of the likes of Neil Degrasse Tyson, Madam CJ Walker, Chinua Achebe. These perspectives begin limiting what a young African American needs to do in order to feel recognized for their hard work and achievements. This concept is not only essential to this photo, but also how we see and interpret the world around us. Our perspective on something could possibly lead to it prospering or being caged.

The process to create this photo was a very difficult one. In order to create the effect of falling leaves, I needed to gather all the ones I could find from under the tree. Creating this photo on my own would have been near impossible so I enlisted the help of two people to drop the leaves on me and a third to take the picture. The first take of the photo had major problems. There was very minimal lighting and the leaves weren’t in focus because of the speed at which they were falling. This meant we needed to change the shutter speed and gather all the leaves again. Although a taxiing process, the final product communicated my idea of identity effectively to the audience. While retaking we realized that taking a portrait made a lot of sense rather than landscape. Portrait offers a lot more height than landscape, showing that we as African Americans have every right to reach for the stars because we're only moving up.The use of a lower angle was purposeful in showing how we all want to be that person for people to look up to. That's why the audience is looking up and recognising our hard work because we are someone for them to look up to. 

Kentridge writes that the TRC is like theatre because it is broadcasted to the nation through several forms of communication. People who attend the TRC meeting hang onto each word of confession and sit at the edge of their seats similar to that of a theatre. 

Because the TRC isn't a courtroom, no one is more superior than the other. It is just public officials coming together to listen and understand your stores and hopefully provide you with retribution for the deeds committed against you. 

The TRC would have those who commited large crimes against others be set free of any punishment. Those affected would have been almost cheated out of "justice" in order to have reconciliation with the perpetrator. When someone has commited a crime against a person the victim doesn't want to be friends with them but rather they are punished in a just manner. 

I think this distinction is important because it show the purpose of the play. It isn't supposed to be a play about what exactly happened, rather it's supposed to reflect on how it affected Africa, it's supposed to decipher and bring further understanding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commision.

I think when the lady says this she draws similarities from the meaning of the play to events occurring in Romania. At first the director thought it was local to south africa meaning that only south africa could relate. But the lady notices that Romania could also relate to the play which is why she thinks its local to her

He believes that the play is still accurate to the present day because there are still elements in the play that continue to affect South Africa. These elements could be the poverty, violence topics discussed in the play. The only way that he thinks the play could be seen as outdated is Ma Ubus role and how her role is crucial to today's society.

Using actors to act as witnesses to the crime would have possessed a large ethical dilemma to the actual witnesses. The play desires to keep everything realistic which also comes down to the stories the witnesses tell. Having an actor tell these stories would make it difficult for the audience as they would have to constantly remind themselves that this wasn't the real witness and drawing that line is crucial. Drawing this line is crucial to make sure that nothing is taken away from the person who actually experienced these events. With puppets the issue of drawing that line is resolved because it is absurd to think the puppet experienced these events. It also doesn't take away from the actual witness because it doesn't claim to, the puppet it just a medium between the story and the audience.

The reason they didn’t want to keep the witnesses in one aspect of Ubu’s life was to add more meaning to their confessions. Having them stand in front of him in confession was basic. An example of these puppets being used in different places is when the ast and crew attempted to have the puppet come from Ubu’s head. This made it seem as if he was merely dreaming about the witness and it then became Ubu’s retelling of the story.

As mentioned before they decided to use puppet in an ethical sense to acknowledge the real life witnesses who had gone through the confessions that were given. Besides the abstract reason there was a more literal reason. Having a puppet and a translator would have in theory helped with showing the image of one person speaking and the other translating.

In the play there is a constant battle between Ubu and the witnesses. If Ubu goes too far or the witnesses retreat too much then the witnesses come off as weak, helpless and pathetic. This would directly take away from the actual people who shared confessions. If the balance is maintained then it makes for great theatre as conversations and new questions are allowed to flourish.

The  manipulators are purposefully shown in several scenes as they are also acting. The facial expression and body language contributes to the hidden or maybe covered emotions of the puppet. 

The fact that Pa and Ma Ubu never see the puppets relates to Apartheid and how there was a great divide betweeen black and white people. It is a reflection on the history of South Africa worked intricately into the play.

Value Laden Language - In this essay I used words such as evil to describe Pa Ubu as a character, but as I read the essay again this makes the essay a little too informal and takes away from its validity. Rather than using the word evil I should have omitted the whole sentence and focused on how the quote reveals the extent of Pa Ubus actions within the play.

Contractions - This is something that I can easily change by being a little more mindful and removing any contractions. This essay has helped me realize that contractions are quite informal in essay writing.

Informal Language - In my essay and my writing in general I use common phrases to get my point across, however while reflecting I have come to realize that these phrases are informal and a straightforward explanation would be more effective than my use of phrases. 

Lack of Evidence - In this essay in particular there was one instance where I didn’t provide any kind of evidence for a reference that I had made to the play. I had done this because I thought that it was minor enough to where it didn’t need evidence. In the future I simply need to just take the time to just find quotes for any reference that I make in the essay.

and love me

the way that white people look at

and love 

Mandela.

Someone who is going to hold onto my 

memory 

the way that white people hold onto Mandela’s 

legacy.

A lover who will build Robben Island in my 

backyard 

and convince me that I have a garden 

and fresh air, a rainbow and freedom.

A TRC kind of lover.

You don’t know love 

until you have been loved like Mandela.

You don’t know betrayal

until you have been loved like Mandela.

You don’t know fuckery

until you have been loved like Mandela.

You don’t know msunery

until you have been loved like Mandela.

And this is one of the many residues of slavery:

being loved like Mandela.

Collective Amnesia (2017)

This statement could also be used to highlight the quality of always wanting the best for someone. Not wanting your lover to see the bad even if its reality

When they use the statement a TRC Lover I think they are referring to how the TRC was the political commision that forgave offenders. I think they are referring to this forgiveness when they are talking about the TRC.

Talks about all the injustices that Nelson Mandela went through just to be loved by the white people of South Africa

It shows that this love is in fact a result of racial injustices. When people saw all that he had been through as a South African they began to love him. Even though they were the same people who put him through hardships. The love for Nelson Mandela is based on the racial injustices that he was put through.

To be loved like Mandela is to be loved like a slave.

Diction: He

Imagery: Hung himself slipped on soap

Similar to the last poem, enjambment is also used. The play is riddled with enjambment, the only punctuation that can be seen is at the end of the poem with a period. I believe the reason the poem did this is similar to the last poem, to keep the flow. U think the fact that the poem was allowed to continue without any interruptions adds more to the meaning. With no periods it shows that there is no interrupting between ideas, similar to how there was no second guessing when the police officers made their verdict. The lack of periods helps to show how people were forced to conform to what was said rather than draw their own conclusion.

The word “he” is a word that is constantly repeated at the beginning of every line. The use of this word is symbolic because it creates distance between the audience and the victim. By using the word he rather than the victim's actual name, there is separation created. This separation is reflective on how the police would treat the victims. To them they were faceless beings whose death didn’t mean much.

Throughout the poem the use of imagery is used to help emphasize how the idea to show the gruesome crimes that were commited. They try to paint the picture of a person falling from a floor. The whole poem is just the use of imagery in order to show how absurd the stories that were being created were. How the police and higher order could get away with anything they wanted. When the narrator says “He hung from a piece of soap while washing.” We are given an absurd and unrealistic image. Which helps further prove the point of the play.

Diction : Loved

Imagery : and convince me that I have a garden 

and fresh air, a rainbow and freedom.

The poem 1994: A love Poem uses technique of enjambment throughout its stanzas. This enjambment exclusively means the lack of use of periods in the stanzas. Although there is a lack of periods, when they are used it’s to signify a complete idea. The poem is structured like an essay in that there periods are used after every sentence. This use of enjambment keeps a consistent flow of ideas, if there were to be periods after every line then the poem would become disjointed and hard to read.

This poem additionally uses repetition of the word “Loved.”  This is the use of diction in the play. The reason the word “Loved” has been repeated so many times is because that is the central meaning of the play. To emphasize the word love, is to emphasize the idea of what it means in the context of Nelson Mandela. To be loved like Nelson Mandela is to be loved like a slave. The reason this word is repeated is to show the difference why love in this context isn’t what a person desires.

Imagery is another element of the poem that adds great meaning to the play. An example of this is when the narrator says, “... and convince me that I have a garden 

and fresh air, a rainbow and freedom.” This use of imagery helps to create an image for the reader. The fresh air immediately stimulates your nose to think of taking a fresh breath in an open field. The rainbow and garden stimulate your visual senses to begin picturing the ideal place of peace. These thoughts were purposefully put there to echo the juxtaposition between Robben Island. By creating such a beautiful image and then contrasting it with a terrible place the poet has shown the irony in the poem. Which further highlights that being loved the same way Mandela was loved, it be loved like a slave. 

Sybil being Dorian's first love interest played a large role in revealing his character to the reader and affecting his soul. When Dorian first met Sybil he fell in love with her this shows the more passionate and naive side of Dorian as he wanted to marry her within a few days. However when she decided that she didn’t want to act any more we were shown a more brutal and demanding side of Dorian. This anger would eventually lead to her death which would have the ultimate effect on Dorian and his soul. Once Sybil killed herself the portrait of Dorian began to change. This change meant that his soul had been tainted, this would ultimately make him paranoid as he would lock the painting up and slowly become obsessed with how it was becoming more and more horrific as he pursued all kinds of pleasure. Sybil and her death probably had the biggest effect on Dorian as she brought about his rise and started his downfall into insanity and then death.

The book, The Picture of Dorian Gray contains several symbols in it, these symbols come together to add a second level of meaning to the book, one that comments on morality in relation to art. The symbols come in several different forms, sometimes they are actions and other times they are objects. However there are two very significant symbols that can be found in the book, the killing of Basil and the yellow book. The latter is a book that Lord Henry gives to Dorian. It is a book that highlights various pleasurable experiences that the protagonist experiences. This book symbolizes the danger that one can be vulnerable to when they are heavily influenced by art. As Dorian Gray loses himself to temptation when he reads the yellow book. Basil’s death was another significant symbol as it symbolized the death of morality and true beauty. Basil was always seen as a moral character and he symbolizes true beauty within the text as he sees more in Dorian than his face. The audience alo knows that he is mora as he is the opposite of Lord Henry who seeks to corrupt Dorian's soul and constantly look for new and pleasurable experiences. These two symbols are very important in the book as they are the two symbols that show the degradation of Dorian's soul as it surrenders itself to temptation.

The first time that Dorian saw the picture he was obsessed with it to the point where he threw a tantrum when he realized that he will not always stay that beautiful. Then when Sybil dies and the painting changes he begins to despise the painting and hides it from the public. But soon when he falls to the temptations of the Yellow book he begins to become fascinated with the painting to the point where he sits in the attic and watches it become more and more vile. 

In the picture of Dorian Gray women are represented in a degrading manner. This is mainly done by Lord Henry. He most noticeably says “ My dear boy, no woman is a genius. Women are a decorative sex. They never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly. Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals." This shows how Lord Henry demeans women and shows that he thinks they are less than while men are more enlightened. 

The animations were used to show the oppressive nature of Ubu. The spiral part on Pa Ubu shows how the oppression is recurring or repeating itself

The eye shows that someone is watching it in a horror setting. It does this to show how scary and terrifying it was to watch the TRC.

The camera or the outside people are constantly viewing white oppression because that is what white people wanted them to be seen as. The saviour and they would bash black people into the shadows.

Pa Ubu talks in plural to show that he is representing more than one person

Ma Ubu is so ignorant to what Pa Ubu does she just focuses on the idea of him having an affair.

When Pa Ubu is put in a tough situation he repeats the words “Question dismissed Next.” This shows that the state when asked a tough question dismisses because of their “higher power.”

The dogs are a metaphor for the military. It shows that dogs are usually loyal like the military but they can sometimes create travesties.

Each head symbolizes different parts of the military. The foot soldier, the general and the politician.

Pa Ubu is beginning to get scared because the world was looking at the atrocities that were going on during this time. It shows that the world is watching.

Pa Ubu is seen drinking poison which shows his deterioration and the fear of losing his high position in the community.

Pa Ubu is seen praying to a higher entity in hopes that he will be saved. 

Pa Ubu thinks that all his killings were part of his job. He feels no empathy.

Pa Ubu believes that he would burn down the world before giving up his country.

Pa Ubu helps himself to the objects being sold without asking for any permission. These object are dishwashing liquid, and rat poison. It shows that the objects that he is helping himself to are killing him.

Ma Ubu: Well, at last! And then you can bury the bones. 

Pa Ubu: (Startled, looks up at Ma Ubu) What?

Ma Ubu: I said you can dig over that patch at the back and clear out the stones.”

This dialogue shows how Pa Ubu is worried of being caught, as he begins to hear things that confirm his suspicions. This idea of him being caught stays with him and motivates his future actions to go to the TRC. This worried state of Pa Ubu isn't only demonstrated by the way he speaks to Ma Ubu, but also by the way he looks at her in the scene. This can be viewed with the stage directions when it says “Pa Ubu looks up at Ma UBu as if he doesn’t recognize her. She however ignores him, takes some snuff, sneezes.”  This stage direction shows how paranoid Pa Ubu has become. It shows that the way he sees Ma Ubu is changed, he is scared that Ma might know too much about him. This deliberate use of language and stage direction have helped paint the picture of Pa Ubus paranoia and deteriorating mind state.

I consider this photo to be art because it is a form of expression that allows the viewer to imagine and come to their own conclusion albeit a similar one to others, on what they perceive it to be. This photo is art because of the way it is able to illustrate how fragile life is. How in some cases we are left with no hope and instead have to let fate decide. This photograph is art because it allows for the audience to understand a certain topic better and think about it in a way that stimulates the senses.

Relate the different emotions to how they feel. Talk about although in some cases they were scared and frightened it was still a pleasurable experience because of the adrenaline rush that they experience. How this rush makes a person feel invincible and great. Also relate the calm and serene sounds because they felt a different type of pressure, one that was calm and relaxed. 

Pick and extract that shows these two types of experiences in the book. One that is an exciting pleasure and one that a calm and almost isolated type of pleasure.

Birds: Birds are used in the movie to reveal more about the character of Norman Bates more than anyone. In the parlor scene where he is talking to Crane he begins talking about birds and how he knows a lot about stuffing them but little about them when they are alive. This statement is indicative of how he doesn’t know how to function in an ordinary or typical society and why he is so secluded from civilizations. In the same parlor scene Hitchcock uses several shots to show the birds in the background of Norman Bates. Them towering over him shows how his mother still towers over him. It shows that his mother is watching in the conversation with Crane. The fact that she is depicted as a predatory bird shows that she is likely going to attack, which she inevitably does when she kills Crane.

Mirrors: In the movie mirrors are used to show self reflection on a person conscious. It is mostly used to reveal the descent of the Crane. We see mirrors first used with Crane in a car dealership, however we see that she never looks at the mirror, this is used to show how she is unable to reflect and lock on to her actions. It shows that she is almost in denial of how bad things are and might get so she refuses to reflect on it. The second time we see a mirror is in Norman’s bedroom. This time it isn’t Crane but her sister Lila who does look at the mirror and gets scared. These actions show us that when Lila reflects on what has happened at the motel and house she is scared because of the amount of horrors.

Windshield Wiper: When Marion gets to the motel it is raining heavily. The camera then focuses specifically on her windshield wipers. Her windshield wipers are seen moving back and forth in a violent motion. This erratic motion of the windshield wipers is meant to foreshadow the death of Marion. As when she is killed she is stabbed in a violent and erratic way. 

When reading the Picture of Dorian Gray I also began thinking of another book Into the Wild. I began thinking of this book because I dislike it a lot for the same reason I dislike the Picture of Dorian Gray. Both of these books use such complex language that isn’t necessary in the majority of situations and make it quite a needlessly difficult read. However I put Into the Wild below the Picture of Dorian Gray as not only did it needlessly overcomplicate itself with its language, but the series in which the event occurred within the book helped make the reader even more confused. In the book the audience would continually jump around events from the death of the main character to his childhood, to his family and friends opinions on him to his job before his death. This arrangement of events was most likely intended to be a little more unique, similar to the manner in which the main characters acted in. Instead it succeeded in taking away from the interesting plot of the story and making the book chaotic.

They are trying to show how so many authors view and illustrate Africa in their books. They show how Africa is depicted in a very stereotypical way when it is far from it. The essay really shows the massive holes within modern day African books. It cements this idea as it subtly proves how silly the genre has become when it says things like, “Animals, on the other hand, must be treated as well rounded, complex characters. They speak (or grunt while tossing their manes proudly) and have names, ambitions and desires." and “Always take the side of the elephant. Big cats have public-school accents.” These two statements really show the holes in the present genre as animals are being treated with human characteristics, and some has certain guideline to follow so they appear superior

Binyavanga Wainana is a Kenyan author who is known for being very stubborn in an attempt to stay true to himself and his culture. My perspective of the text hasn’t changed at all. Although reading a little about the author did make me like him a little more, it did not influence my opinion on the writing. Although, I did feel a little better about the credibility or the paper. Knowing that he is African and has probably experienced some of these stereotypical ideas allows for me to relate to him.

The primary layer can be seen as informative to a reader. In the third paragraph he says “In your text, treat Africa as if it were one country.” and it begins listing other instructions which at first really make one think he is being serious. Throughout the writing the author takes a very sarcastic tone as they poke fun at how the African book genre is portrayed in modern day literature. As a result the writing becomes very funny and exciting. The sarcastic tone can only be found on a somewhat secondary layer, and can be hard to really grasp especially if you've never been to Africa and believe all the stereotypes. At the end he really gives away how sarcastic he is when he says, “Always end your book with Nelson Mandela saying something about rainbows or renaissances. Because you care.” He really shows how sarcastic he is when he ends the paper by saying this really poking fun at what people think of Africa.

A way of expressing politics or other issues in a sarcastic, humorous, and exaggerated way. A common form of satire is a political cartoon which usually exaggerates details and uses symbolism to portray a strong message.

From personal experience Africa is perceived exactly how the author Binyavanga Wainana has written in this article. While in America I have been asked questions like, “Do you eat worms,” “Do you have a lion as a pet,” “Do you take a rhino to school.” These questions are strictly based on the stereotypes of Africa, and are absurd, and ignorant. That’s why I found the article so funny, because it resonated with me on a deeper level.

The chaotic noise of the plane kept me awake, the engine emitted a noise louder than a million bee hives. We weren’t too far up in the sky; it was clear, not a cloud in sight. The sun was at its highest point, the rays of heat penetrating through the plane, to create a hot and humid environment. My plastic chair was covered in sweat and slowly became sticky, and lying with my head on my knees seemed like the only viable option. Down below in the far distance were a small group of people going about their daily activity. “Where are we?” I yelled at the pilot. “We are above the capital, Nairobi,” he replied above the large buzz of the plane's deteriorating engine. Mud huts were decorated all around the landscape, making for an almost movie scene of what Africa is. The roofs consisted of dried tree leaves and branches, while the base was made of mud probably mixed with the feces of a cow. The base was clearly cracking apart and needed some repair. The ground was absent of grass, except for the occasional tufts that we littered around the dry dusted landscape. I began counting the grass to distract me from the hot weather, when people began to emerge from their hut. Their skin was smooth and dark and looked like chocolate, it shone in the light of the sun. They seemed to be the women of the tribe, they had a tribal cloth coming down from their shoulder to their waist. Their faces were decorated with the most colorful of beads and white paint. Their ribs were displayed through the gaps in their cloth, clearly their diet of worms and insects was not satisfying their health needs. The children quickly followed after their mothers, they were so energetic and playful as they danced and played various games. Their clothes were absent, and their hair beaded with knots and riddled with particles of dirt. Some played with the dirt and various worms and insects,  while others were entangled in wrestling lion cubs. The chaos of this city continued on till the hunters arrived. Their faces were obscured by the large wooden masks they wore. The masks were of various colors with large lips and wide eyes and a slender face. They were carrying a large animal between them. It had hair like a golden sunset with a hint of brown, its head was dragging across the ground, making a small divot showing where they had come from. They brought the animal to the center of the city ,or rather village, where the women began preparing it with various herbs and spices. As they were busy at work with the animal, all the people of the village began to gather around as they watched the animal be prepared. The atmosphere was calm as the children stared in awe of the preparation and the men began talking in their native language.  When the animal was prepared they all stood up and began chanting and making various noises with their mouth. Their hands were waving above their head and their legs kicking out to the side of them. It was a synchronized freny, no one got in the way of the other as they all danced and chanted. Their dance began to slow down , after about ten minutes, as fatigue settled in and only one person remained, dancing and chanting strong and exuberant. This person was allowed to eat the animal first, they sunk their fingers into the animal's hide and blood began to pour out slowly glazing their fingertips in the crimson liquid. The meat was still raw with blood dripping down onto the burning fire. Then everyone began the same tearing bit by bit until nothing of the animal was left except a few bits of its golden fur and a few bones. I began to ponder on why they ate the animal raw, I began to doubt what I saw. Maybe that wasn’t a wild animal, maybe that wasn’t a primitive village I just saw, maybe I wanted to see that primitive village because I needed it to be primitive. I began to shrug off this idea because I knew that those Nairobian people needed help which I could provide. I was the only one who could see and understand all the wonderful and magical things that they could do. I knew that “I, Christopher Fredrick III of The Royal High England Commision,” would help these people. A smile began to appear on my face as I watched the sun set in the orange sky past the horizon. I knew I was doing the right thing and that Barack Obama would always be in debt to me for the great deed I was about to do for his people. 

Overall Message - the overall message of the speech is a direct message to the imperialist. He talks about how imperialism is spreading propaganda of Upper Volta when in reality Upper Volta is doing well and prospering. The Imperialist would rather spread fake news rather than news or embellish news rather than display Upper Volta prospering. He also talks about how those who are corrupt and have stolen from Upper Volta are going to feel the repercussions of their actions, he emphasized that the people would retaliate against those who are corrupt.

Most Effective Features

The most effective features of this speech are the way in which Tomas Sankara promises that repercussions will be brought against the enemies of the people. By doing this he appeals to a person's natural desire for justice in a place where there is injustice. Another effective feature is the way in which he promises that Upper Volta will overcome their enemies and prosper as a nation. By doing this he gives hope to the people, after telling them that they have various enemies. Lastly, another effective feature is the call and response technique that he uses. When he calls out and asks for a response he wants to show that the people feel unanimous that Upper Volta is thriving and all outside information has been falsified.

A Signifiant Snippet

“As I’ve already told you, it will move on to a violent phase. It is imperialism that has organized troop landings in certain countries that we know. It is imperialism that has armed those who are killing our brothers in South Africa. It is imperialism that assassinated the Lumumbas, the Cabrals, and the Kwame Nkrumahs. 

But I’m telling and I’m promising you—because I have confidence in you and you'd have confidence in the CSP because we are part of the people—when imperialism comes here, we will bury it. We will bury imperialism here. Ouagadougou will be the bolibana of imperialism here, that is, the end of its road. Through very sophisticated methods imperialism has tried to sow division within the CSP itself. It has created anxiety and hysteria among the Voltaic people themselves. But we are not afraid.”

This is the most significant snippet within the speech because it answers the question of “Who are the people’s enemies.” It tells the audience that the enemy is imperialism and even gives proof as to why it is the enemy. It odes this with reference to the killing of people in South Africa, assassinations and its attempt to plants seeds of doubt and fear in side the people of Upper Volta. 

Purpose/intention of speech 

The purpose of this speech is to inform the people of what is the main problem of Upper Volta and more importantly who is causing it. Thomas Sankara wants to make it known that it is the imperialists who are the enemies of the people as the plant seeds of doubt and fear in the people of Upper Volta through such forms as the media, by only portraying one side of a story rather than showing the triumphs of the people of Upper Volta. He also mkes this speech in order to instill fear in the corrupt people in Upper Volta , the ones who have been stealing from the country giving a clear aring the people of Upper Volta will some for them no matter how much or little they stole.

3 Most Significant parts

“Honest citizens, even if you own 1,000 houses, have no fear! Dishonest citizens, however even if you only own half a square an entree-oucher without sanitation, start trembling the CSP is coming! We did not come this far only to stop after such a promising start. We are not here to sell out, we are not here to betray the people.”

This is a significant part because it classifies who the enemies of the people are and the repercussions that will be brought upon them as a result of their corrupt acts.

“A foreign journalist in a faraway country, sitting in his swivel chair in his air-conditioned office dared to report the CSP’s informational tours are a failure. Are they failures ? You are here, answer me. 

[“Shouts of No!”]

I would like imperialism to be here soit can hear you say no. Repeat, are they failures?

[“Shouts of No!”]

This part is significant because it once agains answers the question of who the enemies of the people are. Not only are the enemies of the people corrupt but they are also the imperialists who spread false truths of Upper Volta either out of ignorance or in hopes of making Voltaic people doubt their country.

“Imperialism will be buried in Upper Volta! Its lackeys will be buried in Upper Volta! 

Long live Upper Volta!

Long live Democracy!

Long live liberty!

Thank you, and see you very soon!”

This is probably the most significant part of the speech as it tells the people that they will defeat the enemies and Upper Volta will prosper. It sums up that the people will be able to overcome all the things that have been imposed on them by the enemies. This is the most significant part because it gives hope to the people and promises for a better and brighter future for them.

3 Tweets about the speech

Imperialists, corrupt politicians and people who have stolen. Beware the people of Upper Volta are coming for you and put an end to the fear that you attempt to instill in our country. 

#Liberty#StandWithUpperVolta

Upper Volta will prosper and we will overcome all the challenges that have been imposed. We must come together as a people to stand for democracy, stand for liberty, stand for Upper Volta. #StandTogether.

Upper Volta is not communist, the media has lied, the media has planted seeds of deceit, we are not communist. This is not to say that communist is bad but rather that we will do whatever we can in the best interest of our brothers and sisters and the people of Upper Volta. 

#PeopleOfUpperVolta#StandWithDemocracyStandWithUpperVolta

Metaphor -The comparison of two different things in a non literal sense that appeals to the audience's emotion by creating a fictional scene.

Anaphora - The repetition of a word or phrase as the beginning of every new sentence. 

Hyperbole - These are overezagerrations that aren’t supposed to be taken in a literal sense. 

Rhetorical Questions - A questions that is asked and not intended to have a response from the person wh0 it was asked to

Call And Response - When a person asks a large group of audience a question in order to receive a desired response.

Ethos - Attempts to give credibility to the speaker

Pathos - Appeals to the emotions 

Logos - Appeals to logic and critical thinking of the audience

Malcom X’s passion is what made him an effective speaker, he appealed to people by providing a plan of action on what had needed to be done. In his speeches he often attacked a common enemy and stated that they would feel the repercussions of their actions. This appealed to his audience as they wanted to see people be brought to justice for their action against African Americans, and not be let off without any kind of justice. 

This speech of Malcolm X refers to how African Americans have been taught to bring back to hate being who they are. This can be seen in forms such as the paper bag test where African Americans would compare the color of a paper bag to their skin in hopes of being lighter than it. The answer to the question posed by the speech is white people and how they taught and made people believe that they should hate being themselves, whether it be the color of their skin or the texture of their hair.

This speech by Malcolm X refers to the importance of voting in America and how African Americans need to unite together and use the power of voting to fight against oppression. In his speech he refers to the United Nations and how these small countries are able to come together and regulate what developed countries are able to do. When he refers to the bullet he is talking about fighting for racial equality he is referring to either liberty or death. This is one of Malcom X’s most famous speeches and is one of his most tasking and aggressive. And the reason I say this is because in the introduction when he is talking about the ballot or the bullet he says that anyone who might disagree with this phrase. “ The ballot or the bullet. If you're afraid to use an expression like that, you should get on out of the country; you should get back in the cotton patch; you should get back in the alley.” Here he attacks every African American who might disagree with the phrase saying that they should go back to the times of slaery, because hatred for this phrase is love for the white man and all that he has done against African Americans. He even goes on to say that if African Americans don’t unite and vote in the best interest of themselves they will keep voting in white men who do nothing for them.

In this speech talk about the lengths that the African American movement is willing to go to in order for African Americans to be acknowledged as humans and receive all the same rights as white people in American society. By saying “By Any Means Necessary,” Malcom X  appeals to people as it shows how he and more importantly the African American movement will not stop at anything in order to reach racial equality.

In this speech Malcolm X is responding to recent police brutality acts against balk people. In his speech he talks about how a policeman can brutally attack an african american and then take the african american to court for assault. This is the basis of his argument when he says that American Democracy is hypocrisy. With this speech we see the common characteristic of Malcom X’s speeches as he is very passionate as he highlights some of the major problems in society being very blatant on what the problem is and not attempting to beat around the bush.

Last week I picked my son up from school and what I saw was absolutely devastating. The state of the school was decrepit, the desks were worn down and broken, glass windows shattered. The book covers were torn and limited. In my son's classroom who is 5 years old there were children from the age of five to thirteen all being taught by the same teacher in the same classroom at the same time. Looking in this crowd I realize that some of you probably let our children go to this same school type that I am referring to if not the same one.You or rather we do it in hopes that they may receive a good education. But what does this education mean to us as black people? It means that they’ll be off these streets. It means that they can help combat these injustices that we face as black people. It means that they will be able to bring something new to the movement and fight for equality.

But how. How can they, when they are being taught in such awful conditions. How can they when they are being limited by nature. How can they learn when the white man has made it so difficult for them at such a young age.

More importantly we need to ask why. Why have we just stood here idle as it happened. Why did we let this happen to our own flesh and blood? Why did we let this happen to our own people? Why did we let this happen to our own children? We watch as those that we love are being hurt by a system that has been set up against them since day one. We are just watching as our children's human right to education is ripped from their hands. 

The white man will not even let our children learn about his precious constitution, or his declaration of independence because he realizes that these two things advocate for equality in a nation built on inequality.

 They know that if our children were to become knowledgeable and understand that equality is the goal then their precious system that advocates for inequality would crumble. 

They are scared of our children, they are scared because they represent what is to come, this is why they are trying so desperately to inhibit their learning they are scared. However their fear of them getting a quality education and pursuing equality, is greater than our fear of our children never learning. of the injustices that affect them. We need to be scared of our children thinking that what is happening to us at this moment is normal. 

We need to be scared of what will happen if they never learn about equality, if they never learn to pursue their God given right. Because if the white man succeeds in inhibiting our children’s knowledge the movement will surely die with no meaning. 

Do you want this movement and fight to die with no meaning … I said do you want this movement to die with no meaning or significance whatsoever? Do you want people in the future  to look over this moment because it was of no significance or  importance. Then stop standing around as the independent minds of our children are crushed under the foot of an unjust education system. We can no longer stand idle as if time is waiting for us. We must move mountains, create storms, put out fires, in order to make sure that our children get the proper education that they need. 

Get your children out of these schools, teach them about their history, teach them about our goal of equality, protest in the streets for better education. By all means do something for this movement, do something for this fight so that it may continue on in the future. And if not do something for your children.

Carol represents this idea of a radical person trying to bring an institution down. She represents the new movement of down with the old stigmas in different institutions in this case education. We can see this with he sexual assault case as this could b an attempt to bring down John and thus part of the old ideologies 

I think John represents the corrupt side of the education system as he has seemingly given up on education as soon as the offer of tenure comes up. As soon as he is given the option for tenure and financial security he seemingly doesn't care as much about his students and is more reckless with his actions.

He also represents this idea that just because something is academic or scientific, it doesn't mean that it is accurately correct. As the motives could be for a corrupt reason that takes away from the validity

What do the object the chair and the telephone represent

The telephone somewhat humaizes the character of John as it attempts to bring his personal life into the play and his struggles

I think the lack of stage directions makes this play very open ended to interpretations from the audience. This makes a question about everything about the characters and their setting. I think the fact that it is so open ended to interpretation also shows that the meaning of the play could change, and maybe it's not just restricted to a professor and a student. It could mean that this play can and should be applied to different common scenarios that we may see around with similar dynamics, not only between a professor and a student.

What is the impact of the use of punctuation

Page 7 John becomes more sympathetic and stops trying to get Carol away. This is marked as he says “ I tell you why: you're an incredibly bright girl.” 

Page 12 Carol begins to take power when she says “No. No. There are people out there.” She begins to get frustrated and John seemingly takes the blow.

Page 16 They both seemingly come to a middle ground and Carol begins to seemingly sympathize with John when, he tells her that people used to think he was stupid.

Page 21 The dynamic seemingly changes once again when John tells Carol that he likes her.  At this point he begins to share the problems that he has with her. This power dynamic reaches its peak as he tells Carol that her grade is an A for the whole semester.

Power Struggles:

In the beginning of the play Caro comes to John in almost a meek manner as she requires his assistance and help in order to pass this class. However he comes into the play as a very flamboyant cocky man who attempts to assert his education to give himself a sense of superiority. 

Carol could be doing this in order to somewhat manipulate him as the more she degrades herself and makes it implicit that she feels bad John begins to drop the facade and become more empathetic towards her and her situation.

During this time John tells Carol that he is not her father implying that she doesn’t have to do everything he tells her to do. 

Carol blatantly accuses John of calling her stupid however he did nothing f the sort hinting at this being a possible attempt at manipulation.

There comes a power shift when John reveals to Carol that he would be taught to think he was stupid, he reveals this part of himself when Carol begins to fall further dwon the rabbit hole. Him revealing this part of him however reveals that him and Carol share some similarities after all. At this moment he seems to care about his students and worry if one of them is struggling in any manner, next time he gets a call he prioritizes Carol.

John's character is one that only wants to see success in students in hopes that it will in turn boost and bring success to him. John can be seen in two light one, a person who wants to help and be genuine, in the second a person who is still condescending and making attempts to be controversial in attempts to seem different.

John presents the idea that the education system is prejudiced, this being one of his own theories in need of validations. When he presents the idea to Carol she is taken aback and instead is angry as she and other people like her spend so much effort trying to get into the system of higher education just for someone like John to disregard their effort by not validating that system.

Carol has filed a harassment claim against John and now the power has shifted between the two characters as now John must go on the defensive. Carol now decides to use that power in order to reveal the hypocritical nature of John and how he seeks to assert his education and position on his students.

Carol accusses John of telling pornagraphic jokes between rich and poor, ramblings keeping her in his office because he likes her and his overall persona of being that of a sexist, elitist.

John recognizes that Carol has the power in this situation and seeks to appeal to her through desperation. However in the act we see Carol begins to show the same self doubt as in the first act indicating a possibility for another shift of power.

John attempts to manipulate Carol by telling her that he is a human with faults like anyones else. She however continues to crticize him and accuse his words to be equivalent to that of rape. She also discounts his story of trying to helps students who have been made feel stupid like him, sighing that he has lost sight of his mission.

John finds out the Carol is accusing him of attempted rape and criminal rape. She then attempts to police the way he talks to his wife in order to soothe her which sends him into a violent rage where begins to beat Carol.

John : Is meant to depict an innocent man with major flaws nonetheless in seek of professional success. His views and thoughts can be seen as controversial and offensive by many however he is an innocent man who is pushed to his emotional limits.

Carol : Is meant to depict a radical feminist who seeks to bring down the career of an innocent man from the beginning from of the play just because of his ideas and views on certain topics. She pushes him to his limits and manipulates him in order to bring about the downfall of his career.

This play was written in order to paint the complex situation that has occurred in modern society between men and feminists and how in some cases people are brought down because their ideas are controversial and not agreed upon. This is demonstrated as from the beginning of the play Carol uses simple and naive language as well as asks questions on simple concepts in order to seem less knowledgeable and vulnerable. This was a technique used in order to somewhat subdue John in order to become more comfortable and act in a certain way. However in the second part of the play her word choice becomes more distinct and precise as she weaponizes it in order to make acquisitions against John. 

This play also shows the idea of how people's careers are persecuted and brought down because their ideas are controversial and slightly offensive. In this manner we see Carol use some of the things that John has said in order to accuse him of being sexist. 

David Mamet also wanted display how a person actions can be taken out of proportion if that is their intention, when John puts his hand on Carols shoulder in order to comfort her she uses this in order to accuse him of sexual harrasment. 

For this reason this play demonstrates societies willingness to show sympathy towards anyone who claims to be a victim in hopes of staying politically correct. This play has taken a very controversial take on feminism and society and for that reason the writer and the play are seen as controversial.

John attempts to try and change or remodel the education system in order for it to fall away from its prejudiced ways. He does this with personal motivation as in his childhood he was taught to think he as stupid. He criticizes the education system and the school openly inforon of Carol who is a person who has worked very hard to receive that education. John can make these remarks because he has this elitist mentality where he is the system or somewhat above it as he views that his fate is independent of the school.

Whem John is accused of sexual harrasment however and his tenure is rejected he then realizes that he is very much at the mercy of the university and that he is dependent on the education system.

John can be seen from the start to be a large hypocrite as he begins somewhere in the first act to criticize the school system, he does this even though he is a part of this system, following its order. He criticizes the very system that he relies on. He can also be seen as a manipulator as in the second act he asks Carol to come to his class in order to discuss the allegations, apologize and hopefully manipulate her into not pressing charges. He manipulates him by mentioning how he wants to be a good teacher different from the ones that he had as a child and how losing his house will have large effects on his children and wife. 

Carol however is seen to have possibly been manipulating John from the start as she tries to appear meek and naive in order for him to reveal more of himself and thus be able to bring him down. THis can be seen as she asks for definitions of simple words but then by the end of the play she is using the same if not more complex words in order to talk John and berate him. 

She also is seen as a hypocrite as she mentions in the beginning the disdain hate that she has for people who sit in John’s class and pretend that they understand what he's saying even though they didn't. She then joins a group of these same people rather than John who was attempting to offer some form of help in order to form an allegation against him.

Robert Mugabe becomes president. Mugabe and Nkomo merged together after the ethnic cleansing. Mugabe changed the constitution and removed the position prime minister

Mugabe's Rule - Ethnic Cleansing

Zapu and Zanu. Mugabe finds a way to legally prosecute leaders of the opposing party. However this wasn’t successful but the leaders were still kept in jail. 20,000 of the Matabele people were killed in this cleansing.

Second Chimurenga

Rhoadesian bush war led to the fall of white oppression who were the minority of the population. This resulted in the independence of Zimbabwe.

Land Reform in Zimbabwe

Land reform in Zimbabwe was established in order to equally distribute the land between black Zimbabweans and white Zimbabweans of Europeans descent, who for the most part lived enjoyed higher political and economic status

Naming Traditions 

Zimbabweans usually have two names with no middle name. The first of the two names is usually a traditional English name which could be reflective of some kind of feeling, like joy or hope. The surname however will be of Zimbabwean roots according to the family. This began in 1980. 

Difference connotations between Refugee and Immigrant

Refugees are seen and treated with more of a caring attitude because they are seen as feeling a war torn attitude and as a result are treated with sympathy. However immigrants who are also sometimes leaving due to violent conditions, failing economy or overall bad conditions are treated with a lot of animosity because they are thought to be stealing jobs.

Childhood Intersects with Social / Political Issues + Significance

The idea of poverty is explored in this book with the NGO truck coming in every month. The children see a great day because it is the day that they receive toys from the NGO people. However this is just seen as a day when an organization tries to help people in need by giving them very few items. The adults receive beans and sugar which they will have to stretch for maybe days just to survive on. This shows the idea of poverty and how people are kept in this constant cycle of poverty and the organizations who believe they are positively  affecting their lies are actually doing very little. However the children don't perceive it as this but a day to receive toys and presents.

Abortion is another topic that is expereince by the children. At one point in the book Sbho, Forgiveness and Darling decide to get rid of Chipo’s baby. Before they try to do this however they give themselves “Doctors Names,” like on a TV Show. They do this to make themselves feel confident in what they’re doing and that they have some kind of experience even though they do not. It's this idea that if they change their names and give themselves new identities they'll be able to deal with the adult situation. The children don’t completely understand what they’re going to but instead they just think that this will let Chipo come back to playing with them and their lives will all be better. 

When the children encounter the lady hanging from a tree all they think about is that she is dead however they do not comprehend that this was someone who has committed suicide because the have AIDS. They just stand there staring and eventually decide to turn the situation around and get the lady’s shoe in order to buy themselves fresh bread. This really shows how children interact with these situations as Bastard even throws a rock at the body with no care in the world.

John is a man of education with a college degree and who is even a teacher at a college who aims for tenure in order to have financial security and be able to achieve the dream of living a stable and healthy life. However Frank Gallagher is a very reckless man who doesn’t have an education and his lifestyle is financed by schemes of all kinds that take advantage of other people and the law. On one end we see William H Macy play this somewhat wealthy man who conforms to the norm of society chasing the “American Dream,” and on the other hand he plays a man who will do anything to not have to do any kind of work and live just above the poverty line and fuel his alcohol addiction. 

Their differences however isn’t what makes these two characters interesting and instead it’s their similarities that they have in spite of them, more specifically the role that their specific character traits play.

This similarity being their shared lack of ability to be genuine, and consider the fault in their actions. This is seen in Oleanna as John, rather than apologizing for his own mistakes, tries to shroud his apologies to make it seem like he is apologizing for the way Carol reacted to his actions. We also see at one point that he opens up about his childhood in order to make a connection with Carol, however this could just be a ploy for him to lure and manipulate her into thinking that he is vulnerable. Not only that but we see in the end of the play when he loses it and beats Carol and unveils the anger and frustration within him. This is similar to Frank Galagher as he too creates fictitious relationships with people for financial gain and manipulates those who are vulnerable in the process. He also never seemingly acknowledges the toll that his drinking has taken on his family, even though it can be prominently seen throughout the show as he leaves and comes back drunk and never provides any parental support for his children.

However when considering the outburst that John has at the end of the play we can connect another similarity. John can also be seen as a rational and innocent man that was pushed to the limits by Carol to no fault of his own, and that his actions in the beginning were misread but still controversial nonetheless, this eventually leading to the outburst with Carol, This can also be seen with Frank Gallagher as he had abusive parents, and was introduced to alcohol as a way to escape at a young age. This led to his addiction and further was the reason for his erratic lifestyle and mistreatment of his children.

It’s very interesting to see the same actor play these two contrasting characters at the surface level but when you break them down their similarities and traits are very similar.

Context both historical and cultural is important to consider for all text for a variety of reasons but it is important when considering Sankara’s speeches because it gives reason as to why he was so passionate and harsh about the way he viewed the imperialists. 

One must consider that Burkina Faso had recently gained its independence from the French and were still dealing with the effects of the colonialists power, as they still had some control over the country. Through their control they tried to instill fear and corruption in the country in hopes to place the country in turmoil as Sankara mentions in his speech “Who are the people's enemies.” Even when the imperialists had relinquished control of Burkina Faso they still attempted to bring it to its knees in their best interest. This is why Thomas Sankara’s speeches were so passionate and harsh because he saw the damage that they were causing, coming into their country and inciting chaos. Not only is this context important for the production of the speech but the reception as people too at this time recognized the corruption and violence incited by the imperialists and began to side with Sankara. His speeches laid out clearly that the problem was the imperialists and that the solution was to get rid of the corruption and violence that had been incited by them and take control of Burkina Faso.

A play like Olenna presents an open playing field for the audience to derive their own meaning and symbols from it based on their own values and morals. A play like Ubu and the Truth Commission instead provides a mystery for the audience to decipher symbols placed in order to derive the intended meaning of the play. Ubu and the Truth Commission isn’t open ended in the way that it allows one to take their own interpretation. There are antagonists Pa Ubu and Brutus, protagonists the puppets who feel the wrath of Ubu and symbols along this journey to make the audience question and understand the complex relationship between the two. In that way the story becomes very clever as these symbols make the ply complex but still derive a set meaning.

For that reason I appreciate the story telling in Ubu and The Truth Commision but I can appreciate Oleanna giving the opportunity for the audience to derive their own story and meaning  from the play.

When Darling, Kristina, and Marina go on a joyride they have a huge fight revolving around their different identities. It first starts with Darling singing a song she used to sing in Paradise, Kristina immediately tells her to stop saying that she wasn’t singing in english and that she doesn’t want to hear that “tribal stuff.” This leads to an argument where Darling begins to get excited and speaks fast, but she then makes a mental note that she can't speak fast or she’ll start talking like herself and lose her American accent. This shows Darling struggle as she attempts to adapt to this new culture and try to forget or hide her African heritage. Kristina even mentions this when she tell Darling that shes trying to sound like “stupid white folk.” This shows that even Kristina sees that Darling is losing part of her heritage as she attempts to adapt this new American identity.

When Darling goes to the wedding a white woman approaches and asks her whether she is African and whether she cant tell her something in her native language, which the woman finds beautiful. The woman then attempts to have a conversation with darling about what is going on in Africa. This can be seen as a reminder for Darling that her home is in bad state at the moment and her being able to speak her own language again is a reminder of her home and where she comes from. This conversation could act as a reminder of who Darling is. It can also be seen that Darling’s identity, language and culture are all linked together. Meaning that other people will identify her by her cultural identity, which can be further emphasized by the language she speaks. This relationship shows that Darling will always be seen as an African from Zimbabwe no matter where she goes, no matter how hard she attempts to adopt America’s culture.

When Aunt Fostalina attempts to order something online we see she struggles with how to pronounce the word so that the operator can understand. It is here we are enlightened on the struggles that it takes to adopt a new accent. It is also further exemplified as Darling makes a long list of all the words she has memorized and tv shows she watches and practically analyzes in order to get that American accent. The reason behind all this effort is because Darling adopting a  new accent isn't just changing the way she pronounces words but it is reforming her culture and practically her way of life and identity. This shows us the struggles that one goes through if they don’t adapt and change their identity to fit in with Aunt Fostalina, but also the hard work and effort needed to change their identity with Darling. 

The first threnody deals with the idea of not being welcomed in your own country, or dealing with your country falling aparts as people's homes are bulldozed, children can't go to school and people struggle just to get by, even taking aid from NGOs. This gives motive to why people try to leave their home as it seems like their hme doesn't want them. The second threnody is shorts and deals with people accepting that they need to leave the place where they used to call home in hopes for having a better future. They need to abandon their family and culture in order to hopefully have a better life. The third threnody is a very long and detailed one that details all the sadness that these people face moving to America in hopes of a better future. Simply put it shows how people become prisoners in this country and they do so willingly because they know that if they go back home it's much worse. They grow up in this prison growing further apart from their family in Africa, not even attending their funerals when they die because they are stuck in America. They lose their culture and identity because if they were to celebrate it they draw too much attention to themselves. They painfully watch as their children become American and forget everything about their culture, knowing that when they die their culture wont live on but die with them. It's a very sad threnody and it shows the pain that these people had to go through, deciding between staying in their home country and living in horrible and unstable conditions or moving to America where they lose their culture in order to have a better life. 

In this picture we decided to show the power dynamic between John and CArol at the beginning of the play where John is the teacher and Carol is just another student. In this picture we have placed John standing over Carol as literally talks down to her. This photo shows how John came into the scene and immediately tried to impose his prowess as a teacher in order to intimidate Carol. 

Second Picture: 

This picture again shows the power dynamic when John is in control. In this case he is on the phone and has his back turned to Carol. This shows how he isn’t giving her his time as he turns around and get sidetracked by his own personal affairs. We have also depicted Carol as being frustrated which infers that this power dynamic where John is in control is frustrating.

Third Picture 

This picture shows Carol shouting at John as she makes the claim that she sexully assaulted him. This shows a shift in power dynamics where Carol now has the power in the scene. We had John sit in this photo to link it back to the first photo when Carol was seated and being talked down too.

By doing this not only do they offer different stories based on different smaller themes, they provide different perspectives and narratives on the same issue. This can even be seen with the structure of each episode as they first introduce a theme or questions and then provide different perspectives, which end up furthering the audience’s understanding of how complex life is. 

Tied to human nature and nothing above that

Not being inspired from any other deities, entities

Linked to idea of humans as focal point, human thought, idea, navigation, and input created the world

Our ideas are transformed, although it is narcissistic to assume that all ideas are based off human input

Human take from environment and inhuman items as humanity is prioritised

Evlution past modern social boundaries 

Contrary to humanism, humans are not the only beings on the planet.There are others, entities that exist beyond ourselves.

Challenges importance of human as a category

Challenges how we can be limited and confined to a group of humans and non-entities. 

Relation to nature, environment, social

How we are post humanist:

Rediscover animalistic

Understand relationship between us and nature

We are confined in structures and systems that are not progressive for us to move into a post humanist era

Race, gender, sexuality, class, 

Particular priority depending on identity of individual or where they are

Where individuals belong

How race, gende, sexuality, class define a person

Advantage one and disadvantage rest

Various forms of inequality often operate together and exacerbate. 

Women cannot separate inequalities because of intersectional inequalities or factors. Women can be affected no only through gender, sexuality, and racial aspects, but through social (wage, job, class)

Many things make up women’s identity 

Need to look at experiences of a woman in whole identity

Equity considering all aspects of identity regardless of gender

Practice of engaging with a large number of group cancelling as a way of expressing disapproval, with social pressure

How does society put certain restrictions on those attempting to be creative and ambitious? 

Anaphora: Calvin uses the repetition of the word “he,” this helps to define the character who is being ambitious and different, defining all their qualities. Specifically what entails to have this ambitious

Body Language:  This protagonist, being ambitious, is portrayed by the snowman's inclined body language and hand over their eyes to show that they are looking at something or forward to something. This use of body language helps to show this protagonist wanting to pursue and find something better. 

Composition: The use of description is used throughout the comic. Calvin describes the snowman as a “representation of the spirit of the new year”. Descriptions are set in the concrete, in the reality or the solidity of an object as a representation of a person, place or thing in time. In the comic, there are a total of eight snowmen. The first snowman indicates the excitement of a new year and new beginnings, while the other seven represent the sort of realism that comes with the ambitions of having a great year with no challenges to face.  

Body Language : The last panel shows all these snowmen or collective society in different positions. Some of them with their mouths agape, pointing and clutching their stomachs, this indicative of them laughing and more specifically laughing at the snowman who is being ambitious. Others are lying on the ground with their eyes closed this shows not only them being sleepy but a disinterest in what is occuring. Which shows a juxtaposition to what the individual snowman is doing further showing society placing restrictions by not actively encouraging these ambitions. Others are seen frowning with their mouths agape to show people arguing with each other. These different body language in the snowmen shows how society puts restrictions on people as their body language juxtaposes that of the protagonist showing a lack of encouragement for this snowman.

Size and position of Panels : Firstly the frames are very zoomed in onto the characters of Calvin and Hobbes and the snowman. However in the last panel it immediately zooms out to show the larger picture of how the protagonist is perceived. This lack of information in the first frames highlights how initially even the protagonist may be oblivious to the people criticizing them behind as they are focused. However when this larger setting is shown it is revealed how this protagonist is perceived and how there are certain restrictions placed on his creativity and ambitions.

This leads me to further discuss a section of my HL essay which was utilizing the word existentialism, initially my question was around the idea of the futility of life. Exploring existentialism instead allowed for a further analysis into certain philosophical ideas deepening my analysis. It also helped aim my question better as the futility of life came off as an informal register. 

The poem is used to reference Beyonce's miscarriage in 

Taken back to fort Maycomb 

Shows the stage once again with black women sitting around it and the poem references daughters which could be symbolic of the people Beyonce has influenced, as a mega-celebrity

The hole in the wall as the camera walks through symbolizes birth and being born into this oppressive space

A hole in the ceiling is used to symbolize the second girl sprouting from her mouth. 

Beyonce stands on the stage singing with her hands behind her back to show that she is displaying everything and that she is standing proud. However, her hands being behind her back shows that she is still hiding something as she needs to grow

Ballet is used on the stage to show black cultural expression as the woman is doing ballet across the stage and not saying anything. This ballet is done where Kendrick Lamar’s verse would be in which he refers to police oppression and how black people are perceived as threats. The ballet contrasts this to show the peaceful and beautiful nature of black culture and how it's misinterpreted. 

Black women are shown at a table to show once again this peaceful and communal community to contrast the perceived idea that black women are spiteful towards one another, and can also contrast how the black community is seen as one in constant turmoil.

In the last few shots of the video, there are a lot of black women placed to show the various faces of the black community, it also shows all the people Jay Z has affected with his cheating and how his actions being an influencer have a greater effect than he realized.

The video does not include Kendrick’s verse, just to keep the theme strictly about having women throughout the album.

This song becomes an anthem for black people and general as it empowers them, its general message is of being free of oppression whether it be from the police or the cheating scandal of Jay Z.

I break chains all by myself

Won't let my freedom rot in hell

Presents the idea that Beyonce is strong enough to push through this all by herself

I'ma wade, I'ma wave through the waters

Tell the tide, "Don't move"

I'ma riot, I'ma riot through your borders

Call me bulletproof

This extract details the idea of black oppression and being able to riot, showing anger and strong feelings toward this oppression

This also links to the song wade in the water which is a song about slaves as Harriet Tubman would have them walk through the water so that the dogs the slave owners would set on the escaped slaves wouldn’t smell their scent. 

This once again links to slavery but shows how strong Beyonce is wading through the water to reach the goal of freedom

I'm telling these tears, go and fall away, fall away

May the last one burn into flames

No more crying and feeling sad for what happened and instead moving and finding freedom from what happened to her

Use of Jay-Z’s mother at the end of the song. 

“I had my ups and downs, but always found the inner strength to cool myself off. I was served lemons, but I made lemonade.”

Sample of the song “Let Me Try” by a Puerto Rican psychedelic-rock band from the 1960s 

This story details a mother with depression because she can’t be with the man he loves and her husband who is inferred to be having an affair because of her depression. At the center of it all is their child who watches as a series of all these events happened before them, fighting, shouting lack of love and attention. However this child never seemingly focuses on the bad things happening around them. They realize and acknowledge that things aren’t the way they should but they never dwell on it. Instead, the majority of their attention is taken to a remote control car that they want for christmas. When they don't get the present they seemingly don't mind they’re just happy that Santa Claus is sleeping at their house. This shows how sometimes when children experience certain events they are unable to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. Instead they look at it with some optimism, which further shows the innocence of children and how they almost bend events to suit this optimistic child lens of the world.

What I found interesting about the text is the interaction between the writer and reader when there is a translation needed for this interaction. The book was originally written in Spanish but was later translated to English, with this translation some things were lost and added. We see that the text in Spanish has certain elements that make sense in its own cultural context but not in the context of English speaking countries. Which is very intriguing as the text changes in order to adapt to different areas and cultures around the world. When considering this change it made me wonder how these translations affect the meaning of the text and whether after a certain amount of translations, such as spanish, to english, to swahili to kikuyu is the text really the same. As the text goes through so many different cultures does it still maintain that same meaning that the author meant to display for the reader.

Something I really liked about this text was their ending. The author would build the story up to something and then in my opinion the last sentence would be so powerful because it would tie the story together in a very nice way. This is done in Headlight where at the end for a brief moment the story seems to build up to the men coming back for the women, however in that last line it shows us that the men aren't coming for the women, they're coming for their own. While reading this story I said wow because of how interesting I found this final sentence and how it not only ties the story together but makes us question the meaning behind it by giving us a ittle more information about the characters. This is also done in Santa Claus Sleeps at out House where the last line we see the child narrator focus on the fact that Santa Claus is in their house and none of the other chaos. This very last line shows us how innocent this child is as they believe that Santa Claus sleeping at their house will make everything better in their life. Even though the whole story leads the reader to believe that even by the next morning things will be very messy. These last sentences are so clever and are my favorite part of each story as they really make you think about what you’re reading.