Tchaikovsky: Dubstep Style!

           Pyotr llyich Tchaikovsky is most known for his classical music and his ballets, but with doing research I have came acrossed something that isn't your typical classical music. Tchaikovsky's "Danses des cygnes," or "Dances of the Swans," is from one of his most famous ballets, Swan Lake. My mission here was to hunt down this piece in a dubstep version (a genre of electronic dance music.) To my surprise, it was a success! Honestly, I believe this piece is more enjoyable than his original composement. I think the beats and notes form just right to create a more stylish and up beat piece of music!

Video Games Can Be Art

The word art is defined by dictionary.com as the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful appealing, or of more than ordinary significance. In a nut shell, I believe what is being said is that art is whatever is beautiful to the one viewing it, or whatever is created by skill or expression. Roger Ebert who is an American film critic and screenwriter believes that video games however, can never ever be considered art. I would have to disagree with him 100%. I believe videogames could be beautiful to some people and I also believe they take skill to create and are created through expression.

Roger Ebert argues that video games could never be art because art is a creation of one artist. But then does he believe that art in the form of music truly isn’t art? Or that art in the form of language isn’t either? Does he believe that buildings and statues could never be art too? I find his point interesting because there are so many loop holes inside of it. Language for instance wasn’t created by just one person, why do you think we have so many of them today? Music also is rarely written and composed by the same person, but yet it’s art. Yes, many famous works of art have been created solo, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some out there that have been a dual effort.

The Statue of Liberty for example was an effort of many, although only one designed her, she was built by the city of France. The building of The Statue of Liberty took nine years to complete and is now one of the most well known symbols of the United States. Back to the definition of art, is it a symbol of expression and did it involve skill? Yes. There is no arguing the fact that something so famous and so strategically built, could not be art.

The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt is labeled as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Are any of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings? No. The great pyramid was man-made and took lots of skill, time, and effort to create. And yes Roger Ebert, it was built by more than one artist. The play Romeo and Juliet is also a type of art that once again cannot be performed with just one person. It takes the same skill and desire that creating a painting does.

Video games are produced with the help of more than one person, that’s what makes them so special. The creators of video games use knowledge and the right technique to create the exact outcome that they want, just like painters and sculptors create works of art by using certain techniques. Just because some of the most famous artists work by themselves, doesn’t mean that every artist has to to be considered one. There are many murals created that have been done with several people, is that also not art? The list could go on and on to why Roger Ebert’s point has to argument behind it, but that’s because more works of art are created with four hands instead of two.

The Art of Tattooing

The art of tattooing has been dated back as long ago as 2160 BC. It was discovered when a group of archeologists came across a body of a female mummy who had been covered in some sort of stain consisting of lines and dots. I believe tattooing is a form of art because it requires skill and creativity.  Not anyone can take a needle and poke around on someone to make an image so beautiful and meaningful.  Tattoos are like mobile art, you can take them anywhere you go, and they don’t just sit up on a wall to be admired. Paintings in an art gallery aren’t as sentimental as tattoos and they don’t raise the same type of questions. Tattoos represent people, places, and moments that are special to someone.  I believe tattoos are the most obvious and bold form of expression there is.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

                The story of Snow White is an old European folktale that is dated back to the Middle Ages. It is known to originate in Germany and is known by the name Schneewittchen which surprisingly enough translates to the words snow and white. There are many things that are different between the fun, loving Disney movie that we all adore and all the older century versions that have been kept secret from us. And the Brothers Grimm translation easily points them out.

                In the original Snow White and many versions like it, the evil stepmother tries to kill Snow White three different times, but in the Disney version of the film they make you believe there was only one incident where the evil stepmother tried to kill Snow White. In the original story the evil stepmother ties Snow White up and leaves her to die, luckily the dwarfs get to her fast enough to save her life. She strikes again by combing Snow Whites hair with a poisonous comb, but again the dwarfs save the day. The final time she knocks on the door Snow White falls for the trick and eats a poisonous apple and the dwarfs were too late. In the Disney version however they only show Snow White eating the poisonous apple, I took this difference as maybe they wanted to make kids believe that healthy food like fruits and vegetables are bad for you. Or perhaps they just wanted a less gruesome story for kids, but it’s no fun looking at it that way.

                 The dwarfs also demanded that Snow White must work and cook for them in order to receive their protection. When first thinking about this is I saw it as just an innocent mean of pay, but the more I look at it and think about it, it seems like they were trying to take advantage of her. Maybe this taught a lesson to men and women in the older days that women must cook and clean while the men offer protection for the family. So perhaps some details of this story affected the way of life and wasn’t just a measly old folktale.

                In the original version of Snow White the dwarfs also make the evil stepmother dance for hours wearing a pair of heated iron shoes which eventually burn her to death, but in the Disney version the stepmother is killed less painfully and gruesome by the dwarfs. Also in the original story of Snow White, she is only 16 and in the Disney version she appears to be much older and more responsible which could change the way you look at the story.

                There have been many different interpretations of Snow White and one in particular that caught my eye was cannibalism. The stepmother sends a hunter to find Snow White in the forest and bring back her heart, liver, and lungs. The hunter realizes he cannot kill Snow White and instead he brings back the intestines of an animal. The stepmother then salts them down, cooks them, and then eats them. She eats the intestines because it is believed that one develops the powers of whatever one eats so then in return the stepmother would gain Snow White’s beauty.

                I interpret Snow White as that the older you get than the uglier you get on the inside and outside. You become mean and selfish just like the stepmother, but as a child you’re naïve and sweet just like Snow White. There are many different ways to take in the Story of Snow White, some more disturbing than others, but either way you look at it the story still ends with the same key point.

The Monomyth

          

The idea of the monomyth is a series of events or perhaps quests that happen throughout almost every movie or book that is written today. There are 17 stages to the monomyth and every one represents a key part of each story. The man who discovered this pattern is named Joseph Campbell. He has helped write many movies and books designed to fit these key points. I’ve noticed that one movie that fits almost all these points dead on is The Lion King. Such a simple movie, right? But no one would ever think that such a short, simple story designed for kids would follow the same basic pattern as the same horror films we watch on Halloween.

            The first stage I would like to introduce to you is The Call to Adventure (Stage 1). When first looking at this movie, I thought hands down that the call to adventure would be when Simba runs away and tries to start over new, but the more I think about it I see something else. I believe the call to adventure would be when Nala finds Simba and begs him to come back to the pack and defeat Scar.

            The second stage I would like to point out is The Refusal of the Call (Stage 2). Simba refuses Nala’s offer to return home and help the pride land, and he meets a very strange friend who convinces him otherwise. When Simba runs into Rafikki and he tells him about his Father and Simba sees him in the sky, Simba feels as though he isn’t worthy and that the death of his Father was all his fault. But when his Father tells him that he everyone needs Simba’s help, he’s on a brand new road of adventure! His transformation from feeling unworthy to feeling that he must now save his kingdom is what I believe to be the stage of Apotheosis (Stage 10). I see this as apotheosis because he’s realizing that he’s more than he ever thought he was and he sees that he is now worthy and is able to defeat something bigger than himself.

            Surprisingly I found a big part of the story that does not follow the basic pattern of the monomyth and that would be the stage of The Woman as a Temptress (Stage 8). Normally in most books and movies, the temptress would be someone or something that is trying to get the hero to hold back and not continue on with his journey, but as I was thinking about it, Nala is trying to force Simba to begin a journey, not stop him from continuing one. I thought this was strange because I don’t realize this happening in any other movies; it’s the complete opposite actually.

            Possibly one of the biggest and most important parts of all the stages would be The Ultimate Boon (Stage 11). The Ultimate Boon is when the hero is faced with the thing he’s been searching for on his entire journey and he must decide to either defeat it or to let it win. The Ultimate Boon in The Lion King would be when Simba finally has to face Scar and learn how to defeat him. He overcomes the demons within himself to not have to live with the guilt of killing his Uncle and lets him fend for himself with the hyenas.

            The final stage that is represented in The Lion King is The Freedom to Live (Stage 17). The Freedom to Live is when the hero finally defeats The Ultimate Boon and receives everything he’s been working so hard to achieve throughout his entire journey. With Simba The Freedom to Live would been when Simba finally receives Pride Rock and grows it back into what it once used to be and what he remembered as a little cub. It’s also when he receives his true love with Nala and that everything ends up being the way it was supposed to be all along.

           

           

           

The Great Pyotr llyich Tchaikovsky

         Pyotr llyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer who was around during the Romantic era. He is well known for many of his pieces such as The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. He pursued his musical career despite what his family wanted, and became to be one of the most well known and inspiring people known throughout musical history.

         Tchaikovsky's music is actually very easy to listen to for me because I've heard many of his songs before, especially songs from one of his most famous ballets, The Nutcracker. He uses a large variety of instruments in all of his pieces. In some songs I hear very soft and calm instruments like flutes and saxophones, but in other songs I hear more strong and powerful instruments like drums and surprisingly guitars. I find this interesting because most composers from the Romantic era dare think to put an electric guitar in a piece of such beautiful music.

          In Tchaikovsky's ballet The Sleeping Beauty, I imagine big carousels with colorful, bright horses and  people laughing and smiling as they spin around in circles, or perhaps people in a giant ballroom spinning around dancing and having a good time while still remaing proper. Then the piece starts to calm down into a soft melody that seems to repeat itself, but still keeps you intrigued. In this particular piece I only hear soft, calm instruments like flutes and violins. I find this interesting because in my opinion, thinking of listening to a piece with calm instruments would be boring, but it's actually the complete opposite in this piece. I think this piece tells the story of The Sleeping Beauty just as well as the movies do.

          Tchaikovsky's music has some similarities compared to 20th century music, but I wouln't say much. He uses guitar which a lot of music today has in it, and he keeps an upbeat, exciting tune which is what most people like to listen to today. Very few people I assume would want to listen to a boring, old song! So this is why I think that if people gave it a try, they'd actually find it very joyful and fun!

One Bad Rebound

          Hero: A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose. In my opinion this definition fits what a hero is perfectly. However, most people in the world today see a hero as someone who is well known or powerful, someone like celebrities or athletes who are looked up to and are a major interest in society. Young kids want to be just like them and grow up to be as respected and well known as they are, unfortunately for those young children, they will truly never know what actually makes up a hero.

            When told to write this essay, my mind went blank. I thought of no one who would meet the criteria of being brought down from their heroic podium. Who am I to judge what defines or makes up a hero? However, as I began to read and search for someone whose reputation I could roast, I didn’t have to look very far.

            On March 3, 2011 there was an article written about a former University of Michigan basketball legend in The Michigan Daily. http://www.michigandaily.com/content/former-michigan-basketball-player-rumeal-robinson-convicted-fraud He led U of M to the NCAA men’s basketball championship in 1989 and went on to play for various teams of the NBA. “He’s not just a short minute player,” said Chuck Daly, his former head coach. If you’re not an obsessive sports fan or a news reader junkie then most likely the last paragraph of information I just informed you about rang no bells. I am talking about the former well known NBA basketball legend, Rumeal Robinson.

            Rumeal Robinson was a hero to many. He was an extremely determined athlete. He grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts and attended school at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. He then went on to attend The University of Michigan where as a freshman he was ineligible to play due to his low entrance exam scores. Robinson made his way to the top by scoring in the final three seconds against Seton Hall at the NCAA in 1989. He was then drafted to the Atlanta Hawks, New Jersey Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, and the L.A. Lakers. Paul Silas, one of Robinson’s former assistant coaches said, “Robinson works hard and never whines.”

            On March 2, 2011 Robinson was convicted in federal court for borrowing more than $700,000 for a sham business, and then spending the money on cars, and condominiums. Robinson was found guilty of 11 counts, including bank bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and making a false statement to a financial institution. He is now facing six and a half years in prison for fraud.

            Many people especially children get the idea of a hero having to wear tight unattractive pants or to be someone who is known all over the world, but that’s not the case. I think Robinson should be lowered on his heroic podium because he never really did a great deed. He doesn’t have any of the traits that I believe make up a hero like honesty, morals, courage, respect, and passion. Dr. Roseanna Means on the other hand is a true hero who I believe deserves more recognition. She provides women with shelter, medical needs, and food. She doesn’t do it to be famous or get some type of award; she does it because she truly cares about the well being of other people. She puts in her time and money to make just a small difference in a community. She gives all she has into helping and saving people’s lives.

            The point I’m trying to make is that not every hero is someone who is on television. Most of the time, like Rumeal Robinson, the more fame and attention they receive, the less of a hero they actually become. Their kind deed they were once working so hard on and doing because they wanted to make a difference has turned into something they now do for fame. Heroes are honest people who have morals that they live up too; Rumeal Robinson has more than proven that his morals are set low and that honesty is the last thing on his mind.

 And I believe we need heroes, I believe we need certain people who we can measure our own shortcomings by. -Richard Attenborough