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.