The Civil War Today

"Christmas trees have become popular during the 1850s and in the early 1860s since many families were beginning to decorate them. The illustrators of the weekly publications increased the popularity of the trees by illustrating decorated table-top trees in their drawings. Eventually, Christmas trees started appearing in military camps."



This article about how the American Civil War made Christmas what it is today interested me a lot because it did not seem very rational to me. The Christmas traditions have always been believed to come from Christ even if someone who was not religious celebrated Christmas. It interested me that This article argued that these popular celebrations came from the American Civil war. It made sense because he mostly argues about how it made Christmas what it is today in America, but he never says that it directly began this tradition.

The Constitution, The News & You

Jonah Goldberg's article on constitutional amendments and citizenship rights is interesting because his opinion on whether the government should be able to take away the citizenship of anybody who is born in the United States or not seems to change throughout the article. At the beginning he makes it seem like it is ridiculous to think that we have the right to change what has been written in the constitution for so many years and has worked for Americans for so many years and turn it into something else. In the middle of the article he states that it makes sense that "liberal devotees"argue that "The Founding Fathers never envisioned a world with jet planes, split atoms, stem-cell therapies, one-click porn, or MTV’s Jersey Shore." In the end he finalizes his article saying if citizens of the United States were to vote for the right to take away the citizenship of just anyone who is born in this country then maybe that is the way it should be. He mentioned that things have changed a lot since the constitution was written and people are not trying to change the constitution in a negative way that will reflect badly on the founding fathers. He mentioned that he "trusts the American people to change the Constitution when necessary (after lengthy debate) more than he trusts five out of nine unelected justices with lifetime tenure, hiding behind closed doors and away from TV cameras."

This article did not focus on the 14th amendment (citizenship rights) as much as I thought it would, but I thought it brought up some interesting points. He argued both sides of the topic which was whether or not the government should have the right to take away someones citizenship. This article was interesting to me because he seemed to have the same views as me in the beginning of the article, and though he never mentioned that he believed that the government should have the rights to take away my citizenship, he did mansion that he agreed with the decision that America made in the end, which would most likely be to take away my citizenship and get my family kicked out of this country if the economy does not improve over the next couple of years.

What Stands Out So Far?

1. The main thing that stood out to me in this project that I guess I should have seen coming since it was supposed to happen sooner or later, is that there is no teacher critique, unless we ask for it. In college, we are going to have to find out own ways to have our papers critiqued and I found it very beneficial to have our peers critique our work because it was like practice for our life after high school.

2. The thing that is working well in this class for me is the explanation. I really like how Randy elaborates on everything he has to say, and it is very easy for me to follow along with what he is saying when he give examples and asks for questions because we all know we have questions.

3. The thing I need to build on is time management, because I am taking honors courses in two classes, and my goal is to get exceeding grades and stand out to colleges and I know that by simply organizing my time and determining what is important at the moment and what is not will get me to where I want to be.

4. The main thing that I think I will try to do is to build a relationship with my teachers. I know I am going to be needed letters of recommendation soon, and if I can prove to them from the very start that I am mature and dedicated, they will help me in the long run and I will be able to get help with anything I need during a project or any type of school work I need help on.

5. My goal for the next few weeks is, first, to be able to learn to communicate with my computer partners and get help from them with the programs that I know I need help on. I also plan on finishing the book "The Scarlet Letter," because it really interested me and with outside help I will be able to write a better reflection on it with outside opinions.

American Icon

Lust, extravagance, gluttony, avarice, acedia, envy, are all upon the seven deadly sins and are some of the many things I plan on experimenting as soon as I am able to break free. The thought of getting completely forgotten by God Almighty has always terrified me, but the ungodly world around me and its entertainment will always be the forbidden fruit to me. I know I must not eat the forbidden fruit, but my unrighteous human ways will always keep me from what is right. As I grew up I was not allowed to do much. I never dressed the way I wanted. I never had my hair the way I wanted. I got older and never got to do the things I wanted. Like Madonna, I come from a very religious mother and I have an extremely limited amount of freedom. We were in the dark and wished that the light of freedom would come into our lives. Madonna was willing to take any job she could get, including nude modeling for artists, to leave the house in which she was trapped for so many years. I understand what it feels like to always be desperately trying to find something productive to do in order to get me out of this prison. Her wardrobe, like mine, consisted of a lot of very conservative clothing and she would have been neglected from her church if she would have had the freedom to dress as she chose. To think of a place where I could do as I choose, dress, act, and leave as I choose, would be to dream. The desire for such freedom is so incredibly strong that I feel that my dreams are far less limited and as long as I am not under anybody's control, the world will always be mine.

In Madonna’s video “Like a Prayer,” she parades around burning crosses in lingerie with a crucifix around her neck. She ends the video with a sensual encounter on top of a priest. After this video was released, Pope John Paul II forbade Catholics from attending any of her concerts, or listening to her diabolical music. I am not saying that my tarnished feelings for Christianity are ever going to reach this extent, but I admire her uprightness on the subject. She was never ashamed of her beliefs, and she was able to come out and say what she really felt, which has always been something that I wish to do. In 1992 she published a soft-core pornographic book presenting her in many erotic posses. This book brought her much fame and fortune, even though it was frowned upon by her upbringings. She was brave and comfortable with herself, which is very admirable, not just by me, but by many girls my age. She did not display her body for men. She enjoyed her body.

Though she has always been seen as a woman who is very comfortable with herself, she admits that she always felt very different to what other people wanted her to be, and often portrayed contradicting characters in her music videos. I feel I can identify with this because the picture my mom has in mind for my future is completely different from picture I have in mind. Madonna has a contradicting lifestyle, but for me, it is easy to relate to someone who goes from being trapped and wanting to go wild and free, and have the sky as the limit when it comes to dreaming. One day, the light of freedom will be shining down on me.

Questions About Out Writting....

1. The best part of my artist statement would be the first paragraph because it brings the reader in by using shocking words that attract. In my case, the first word I used was "lust" which I knew would make anybody want to read what the paper was about. Even though I believe that it is really important to have a good introduction to attract the reader, if the rest of the paper is not good, then working hard on a good hook is pretty much useless, so what I tried doing to keep the rest of the artist statement interesting was to always mention something new and never repeat any old information.

2.The loop, though I have not yet perfected it, has been the most helpful. Using this writing tip makes me feel like I am actually writing something worth reading. I never really thought about how much better a piece of writing would be if it ended just as interestingly as it started.

3. The most challenging part of writing my artist statement has been the part where I have to make the beginning and the end equally attractive to the reader. Organizing my paper is the most challenging part for me. My ideas are usually splattered all over the paper without any flow and making it flow and transition from one paragraph to the other.

4. Making concerts not pancakes has been challenging for me because of my lack of organization in papers. I am pretty proud of my hook because I feel like that will almost attract anybody, but I am not too happy about my conclusion. It sounds too much like a conclusion and it does not leave the reader thinking about what they read.


Concluding Paragraph:
Recently, Madonna has been focusing much of her attention to the increase in spreading of AIDS in Malawi, and has been trying to spread awareness in that matter. She was moved by a woman who had been trying to spread awareness, and is now trying to do the same and spread the word about what is going on in another place. She did not let herself completely believe that the issue was hopeless and there was nothing she could do about it, and has helped raise millions for them. She has a contradicting lifestyle, but for me, it is easy to relate to someone who goes from being trapped and wanting to go wild and free, but then realize what is most important, which is the world I live in and the people with whom I share it.

How can I make this fit in to my main idea (Freedom)?
How can I make the ending leave the reader with this essay on their mind for a while?
What should I add or remove from this paragraph?
Should I even include this in my artist statement?

Icons Loops

1. Despite what Randy said in class, I think strong language and a good use of words is a very important part of the hook in the first paragraph. Although many people could argue that sex does not sell, they would be wrong, because it does indeed sell. The very first word on my paper is "Lust." I chose to write that first because not only would it intrigue the reader and of course make him want to read on, it also introduces the reader to a small part of my big idea, which is freedom. For the last paragraph I chose to talk about why I am inspired by Madonna in a way that is not simply about her extravagance. It brought something new to the paper and it changed the course a little, which I thought might have made it more interesting.

2. My first paragraph ties into my big idea because it mainly talks about how I see myself in Madonna because of our similar upbringings and the way we view life and how it has developed our wish to have freedom in what we do and say. The last paragraph mostly shows the reader a different perspective and proves that even though Madonna has not always been seen as a role model, she is a generous person who can be admired and has used her fame and money for something that will contribute to making our world a better place.

3. My hope is that the reader will be able to identify with the paper in some sort of way. The way I see it is that I feel trapped and lost and I look up to someone like Madonna because of her courage, and what I want is for others to read my paper and get a new idea on what they think it means. It may mean something to me, but to someone else it might seem like the big idea to them is not freedom, but the identity search when it comes to religion.

American Icons & Resources

Part One:
Two things that I mentioned in my artist statement are Christianity and freedom of expression. These two things tie in very well with the main idea, which is freedom in general, but also tie in very well with each other. Christianity mainly represents the idea of an organized way of keeping people under control. That is one idea that I focus on and am against. The fact that I have been under other people's control my whole life is aggravating and makes me want to do something to take control. This is where the idea of freedom of expression comes in. Not having the freedom to do anything harmed me in the sense that I gave up trying to be happy. I did not care much for what happened to me, and I almost felt like I was going to simply give up on life. The freedom of expression that Madonna represents is very important to me because it is something that I admire.

Part Two: Resources
1. Madonna Biography #1
2. Madonna Biography #2
3. Documentary on Madonna
4. Interview with Madonna about issue in Malawi
5. Madonna's new documentary on Malawi AIDS issue

1. This biography article I found on the Internet about Madonna was helpful to me because it helped me understand her childhood better and I found other ways that I felt I connected to Madonna. Her family was exaggeratedly religious and had a strict set of rules. I knew she came from a religious background, but I did not know that it was to this extent.

2. This second article I found I mainly used to back up the information I had already received in the last article. Since I assumed there could be a couple of things in that article that were incorrect, I just wanted to have something to compare it to.

3. Though I had learned much about her childhood and lifestyle from the articles, in this documentary she spoke with her own words of what it was like to be Madonna, and what makes her what she is today. This helped me understand her better and connect what she is now to what she was growing up, and how it relates to my views of my future.

4. In this interview with Madonna, I was able to understand more about what made Madonna make the decisions she has currently been making. It helped me connect with her because even though people do not see Madonna the type of person who cares for others and tries to make a difference, it does not matter what they believe, because she is.

5. Though Madonna is not seen as the role model type of woman, in her current life she has been focusing a lot of her attention on a growing issue in Malawi with AIDS. There are many kids dying from AIDS and becoming orphans due to it, and this video proves that she is as caring as she is promiscuous.

American Icons

Ellen Degeneres represents someone who is trying to do good for the world. Many people judge her for the way she chooses to live her life, but she continues with her life trying to help people she doesn't even know. People who put other before themselves are golden and need to carry on that trait and teach that to others. That is what she does that on a day to day basis. She is very motivated by her fans and the people who write to her. Her compassion for them is what makes her act with such kindness. She is a very popular talk show hostess and millions of people from all over the United States watch her every day, appreciate and adore her loving gestures to those who are less fortunate than she is. She communicates to her audience in a way that makes them want to watch her and therefor listen to all of the very caring and important information that she has to pass on to people all over the world who understand what it is like to want love.

Madonna is not only an idol to many girls who grew up with her music, but she has become a legend due to all of her hard work, creativity and talent. Her music and fashion are two of her main motivations and her talent made her grow into the well-known artist she is today. She was known through all of the United States, and was quickly introduced to foreign countries. She was the idol of many young girls in the eighties and the girl everybody wanted to be. She began her own trend that became so popular the very styles she created has been coming in and out of our lives since the eighties. Her music is very cheerful and inspirational. She mainly focuses on boys, fashion, dancing, partying and other things of that nature, and her words were in my head as I grew up dancing and singing along to her popular music.


Cesar Chavez was like the Martin Luther King for the Mexican community of his time that was struggling with making enough money to pay for the food on their table. He was a very hard-working and brave man who anyone who is or was a son or daughter of an undocumented worker could look up to for the rights that he helped the Mexican community obtain. Cesar's main concern was for his father and everyone that he saw was working for an unfair pay. He was very selfless and never gave up, because he knew what was right, and he knew he had to do something, or no one else would. He changed the life of many undocumented workers of the United States by fighting until they were given more rights and a fair pay for the hard work that they did. Living in Logan my whole life has taught me a lot about my culture and why it is important to always be grateful for my parent's work and the work of those who helped me have a brighter future. He inspired me in many ways to help my community in any way that I can, and one of the main things that he has given me is the power to think of others before myself so that I can build a better tomorrow for those who aren't as fortunate as I am.