We're Friends With Mexico!

The last unit of my Equality class was called HerStory. This unit focused on possible equality with gender, class, and race. We read articles, watched short videos, and had discussions about feminism, inequality with race and class. For the last action project,we were assigned to predict the future of equality by creating a time capsule 100 years into the future. I decided to focus my project on the issue between the United States and Mexico. Right now, the relationship isn't all that great. Donald Trump is our president, so that explains a lot. In the beginning, it was difficult to pick which civil rights event I would pick. I sat and thought about which event was the most important, but there's no such thing. Every civil rights event is important. But I did choose the topic I know most about, and that's about the relationship between Trump and Mexicans. I hope you enjoy reading below!
 

Remembering 9/11

This is the second Humanities course of my senior year. This course is called Equality, and we discuss issues about inequality. The first unit is named History and during it we discussed the historical background of gender, race, and class. For the action project we were assigned to recount a historical event with some research and a voice. It was really cool to look back at certain events, but it was also hard to choose because they're all super interesting. I eventually chose researching 9/11. I hope you enjoy reading below!

Listen to Dr. Seuss!

In the 2nd unit of the Journalism class, which is called Sound, the class studied the idea of how radio can let you hear the world. It was fun being able to listen to old radio reports, as well as new ones. The Fe's were also super interesting in this class. We were actually able to go to the media department at Columbia college For the action project, the class was assigned to create a podcast about a voice that we think made a influence in the 20th century. I had many people in mind, but at the end I chose Dr. Seuss. As a child, I remembered all his most of his books in my messy bookshelf. Even now, I still admire his work. I have a very special connection with one of his books, so I was very excited to put this together. I also really enjoyed interviewing people who also have a special connection with his work. I already knew some things about him, but as I was doing research I learned a lot more about him. Many things go unnoticed about him, and I think more people should be educated on the world's best children's author. He's a super cool guy! I hope you enjoy my podcast below.

WHEN	WHO/HOW	WHAT
0:00-0:34 0:34-0:46 0:48-1:12 1:13:1:39 1:40:2:10 2:11-2:18 2:18-2:35 2:35-2:52 2:53:311 3:11-3:25	[RD]     [Dr. Seuss] Music fades in   [Kid Voice]        [RD] Music Fades in again.  [Kid voice] [RD and kid] [RD and MF] [RD] [Adult speaker]   [RD] THE END	Hi, I’m RD from GCE Lab school. Today I’m going to talk about a voice that made a huge difference in people’s lives. His name is Dr.Seuss. He’s the best selling children's author of all time and revolutionized the way kids learned how to read with one simple concept, he made it fun. Many may think that his books just consist of silly rhymes and pictures, but there is so much more than that. His stories focus on obstacles and situations that we come upon as we go through life. They also hold many lessons that we can apply in our lives. I, Ted Geisel, and perhaps better known to the juvenile reading public as Dr. Seuss. My current best-seller, The Cat In The Hat, has sold so far, over a quarter of a million copies. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right. Feet in the morning, feet at night. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right. Wet foot, dry foot, high foot, low foot.Front feet, back feet, red feet, black feet. Left foot, righty foot. Reading is a huge part of everyone’s life, especially when you’re in first grade first learning how. I remember 6 year old me sitting in the classroom library looking for a cool book to read, and I’ll admit I was judging a book by its cover. My eyes finally came across The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss. For some reason the weird creature on the cover caught my attention, and when I opened it, so did the little amount of text. Feet, feet, feet, how many feet you meet.Slow feet, quick feet, trick feet, sick feet.Up feet, down feet.Here comes clown feet.Small feet, big feet.Here comes pig feet.His feet, her feet, fuzzy fur feet. So, what did this book teach you?It taught me that people are really different and that even our feet are different but that's okay. I’m going to talk to one of my friends who’s also into Dr. Seuss books. So what’s your connection with Dr. Seuss? The first book I ever read when I was little was The Cat In The Hat. This book was the first one I was actually able to read all the way through with no help. Because of that, this book will always hold a special place in my heart. Many think that Dr. Seuss’s work is just for children, but it’s not. Like I said before, his books hold hidden meanings and teach lessons. One example is his book, Who are you Sue Snue? I’m going to talk to an adult who has a connection with this book. In this book, Dr. Seuss covers a topic that many young people and adults go through. That topic is about finding yourself. The book focuses on a young girl who is pushed to find who she is and what she’s going to do with her life. I for sure have been gone through this, and I think I still am honestly. So, If you ever need advice, need a good laugh, or just want to take a trip down memory lane, make sure to pick up a Dr. Seuss book. Thanks for listening!

What Is The Meaning Of Life?

In the first humanities class of my senior year, Journalism, we are learning how to analyze,observe, and report through media. Those forms of media include, image, sound, and text. In the first unit of this course, which is called Image, the class studied photojournalism and saw how it can help us see the world. For the first action project, the class was assigned to interview a person, and ask them what the meaning of life is. Along with the interview, we were also asked to take a picture of our interviewee. Throughout the course, we learned that pictures have the power to capture so many important things. I have always been interested with photojournalism, so it was really nice having a unit focusing on just that. I was really excited to conduct my interview because the person who I interviewed is full of wisdom. I hope you enjoy reading below!

When you ask someone what the meaning of life is they,without a doubt, have to ponder about it. I know I do, and to be honest, I still don’t have an answer for it. I decided to interview someone who did have an answer though. I conducted my interview on Wednesday night. A cold night filled with rain, so when I saw her smile, it warmed me up. Suzy, who’s been a close family friend for 3 years now, was sitting in my dining room joyfully waiting for the questions I was going to ask. She’s older, and she’s always giving me so much good advice, so I really wanted to hear her story on this question. She constantly feeds me words of wisdom, so I was excited to hear what she had next.

Once I entered my dining room, she was sitting there with her usual smile, a smile that always makes me go in for a hug. Once I explained what kind of questions I was going to be asking, her facial expression automatically let me assume that she too, needed some time to think about it. I sat there, wondering what she was wondering about. Finally, I asked the question. What is the meaning of life?

She was very fast in answering because I already had given her time to think about it. “Life is a gift.” I thought her response was really interesting. She went on to talk about how she sees God as the owner of life, and because of that, she consults him with everything she wants to do with her life. “That’s what I feel about life”.

Has life always meant the same for you? That was my follow up question. She brought up her childhood this time. “Well since a child, life has been of importance to me.” I wanted to hear more about that, so I asked her to elaborate. She talked about how her mother was the one who inculcated her to go the right way. “ I could see the wisdom going in the right path that could lead me to not get in trouble with the law or with family and friends, so I always kept up with the way she taught me to do things, and to be good to other people.”

Next was my favorite question. Is there a story that explains your meaning of life? She was silent for a moment, and again, I was curious. This question also took her back to her childhood. She explained how many years ago, her mother met a woman who showed her how she could get a true meaning of life. The woman also gave some advice to her mother about family, because there were some problems going on within theirs. Suzy told me that this woman shared her meaning of life with them, and it appealed to them so much that they decided to follow it. “It stayed with us until now, which is has been 60 years.”

I thought it was crazy that she stuck with some advice that was given to her 60 years ago. I think about all the times I’ve been given advice, and how I sometimes shrug it off. I give her credit for sticking with it. That’s one thing that I learned that day. You never know if one piece of advice can change your life.

I also wanted to know if there was a certain object, book, person, picture, or anything of value to her, that represents her meaning of life. “Well, I would say I have a favorite book, and that book is the Bible”. Suzy talked to me about how it has divine principles, and how the Bible has guided her throughout her life. “It’s not an object, or a person, but the principles in this book by God.”

I already knew Suzy was a religious person before this interview, but after this, I saw that it was basically her whole life. She values it so much, that she doesn’t even see her life as her own, but Gods. She’s aware that many people have different opinions, and she respects that. That’s one of her many qualities that I admire.

I finally ended the interview, and asked if I could get a picture of her. Of course she quickly went to fix her short hair and adjusted her glasses, something I found to be so cute.

RD. Suzy. 2016

I think it’s a very simple picture, but I love it. I wanted to make sure she was smiling because that’s what she’s always doing. I decided to snap this picture right after the interview in the exact same place where I conducted it. I wanted it to seem as natural as possible because what’s the point of taking a picture of someone if it’s not capturing their true selves.

I'm watching you.

For this Elective term, I’ve decided to take a class called If These Walls Could Talk. This course lets us explore the history of art, more specifically murals, and we even get the opportunity to create our own artwork. For the first unit of this course we looked at the murals from different time periods including Prehistory, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greek and the Renaissance. For the first Action Project, we were assigned to sketch a mural idea that addresses the needs of a neighborhood. I chose to learn more about Pilsen.There are already so many magical murals in Pilsen and I wanted to create a mural to be a part of the magic. My mural focuses on the need of safety in the Pilsen community. I had a hard time coming up with a drawing that was going to reflect my ideas, so it took me awhile to just sketch everything out. Even though it took me awhile, I’m still proud at how it came out. Thanks to this project and unit, I now have a better understanding as to why murals are made. I hope you enjoy my sketch and artist statement below!

RD

11/15

I'm watching you "11x14"

Pencil on paper

Pilsen is a very artsy community with a predominantly Latino population. It is considered an up- and-coming neighborhood in Chicago, which can disguise the fact that the neighborhood is still considered dangerous. During the 1980s, Pilsen was considered one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the United States, and although that is no longer the case, crime still lingers around. For that reason, I believe that Pilsen must focus on the safety of their residents, especially because for the many families that call the neighborhood their home.

RD, I'm watching you. 2016

To represent the need for safety in my image, I drew a pair of eyes that belong to a police officer to watch over the neighborhood. In the police officer’s eyes, the viewer can see what the eyes are watching over. I used the fisheye perspective to show the viewer what the officer is looking at when watching over the community. Perspective was used a lot by Italian painters during the Renaissance to give a more realistic view on their artwork. In the left eye there is a gangbanger destroying the Welcome to Pilsen sign. He’s scratching out the word, Pilsen, and writing Chiraq over it, a term used to describe the war zone that’s going on in Chicago. In the right eye there’s something very different going on. I drew a young child with his or her family and they are thanking the the officer for protecting them. I drew small, basic figures for this one, and I overlapped them to show some sort of movement, just like they did in the pre-historic cave paintings.

I used bright colors in the right eye to show the happiness that many families have in Pilsen, and I used darker colors in the left eye to show off the darker incidents that are going on. As a way to bring tribute to the country and to the large Mexican population, the background has the colors of the Mexican flag. My wish is that my mural be placed on a tall building where everyone can see it. I want my mural to open the eyes of the citizens of Chicago. I want them to see what is actually going on in our city. A beautiful neighborhood should not have to deal with ugly behavior. My hope would also be for the people committing these crimes to look at my mural and think about the young, innocent lives that they may affect if they continue to carry out these on doing their senseless acts. I want the residents of Pilsen to feel secure, because that one pair of eyes represents the many other police officers that are doing their job well, and the ones making sure that they are all safe.

Am I the animal here, or is it you?

In the first Humanities class of my junior year, Rhetoric, our class discussed how to use our own voices to bring people together, divide opinions,and transcend conflict. In the third and final unit of this class, which is called Unite, we studied how rhetoric can be used to inspire and mobilize people. In order to understand this, the class looked at many different forms of artwork that expressed a message about an important issue. For the action project, the class was asked to study a specific social issue that is going on right now and try to bring awareness to that issue by creating some form of art that speaks to it. I decided to look into animal abuse, and I brought awareness to that issue by writing a poem. I already had a challenge when the project was introduced because I didn’t know what issue to study, but after doing some research, I finally chose animal abuse. It was hard for me to do research on this topic because I didn’t like reading the horrible statistics, but I’m also glad that I can use my words to bring attention to it. Thanks to this project and unit, I now know what it artistically takes to inspire a group of people in order to make a change on a specific issue. I hope you enjoy my artist's statement and poem below!

Artist’s Statement:
I’m RD and I’ve been an animal lover my entire life, so it was both easy and hard to write a poem about animal cruelty- easy because I have a natural admiration for animals, hard because I had to read all the horrible statistics about animal abuse. I really don’t understand what goes on in the minds of people who think that hurting an innocent, helpless animal is alright. These animals are coming into our life and all they are expecting from us is care and love.The HSUS led a study that estimated that nearly 1 million animals a year are abused or even killed as a result of problems going on in a household. If you know you won’t be able to care for an animal, please don’t let one into your home.

I also want to bring attention to the clothing that you put on your body. If you’re a person who wears fur, I just have one question: why? “More than 50% of fur in the US comes from China, where millions of dogs and cats are often bled to death and skinned alive for their fur” (Do Something.org). Do you really want to wear or support a brand that tortures animals just to look good or get big bucks? As you’re paying for these jackets, hats and other fur products, you’re handing money to the killers of the 50 million innocent animals who are violently murdered (Born Free USA). Animals love us no matter what, why can’t we do that too?

To raise more awareness on this issue, I decided to create an art piece from an animal's point of view. I really want to bring attention to the thoughts and emotions that these animals have, about which people often forget. I sat down and thought of all the different feelings that a person who is abused might experience.The only advantage that humans have is that we can talk and try to speak up, but animals cannot do that, which breaks my heart even more. There are many ads out there showing the cute animals that are victims of animal abuse, but we really do not bring attention to their thoughts and emotions, which is why I wrote a poem to do exactly that. If I had a choice as to where I would want my poem to be showcased, I would definitely print out tons of copies and stick them around animal shelters, pet stores and veterinarian offices to remind people about the importance of taking in an animal in their home, and how crucial it is to treat them right. I would also want my poem to start a new wave of anti-animal cruelty ads, where real, young people would speak up for animals, who sadly cannot do that themselves.

I included a great deal of pathos in my poem as I described the emotions and thoughts of these animals. I can also say that I added ethos because I have been around animals my entire life, so I know how much deep love animals actually have and how much deep love they also deserve. I would also say that my whole poem carries strong logos because it’s logical to not hurt an animal. Animals have feelings just like us, but some people still do not understand that. I hope you enjoy my poem below!

I want you to hold me in your arms, not put me in harm

I want you to care, but all you do is put me in a scare

I want you to stroke my neck, but instead you twist it

I want you to pet my fur, but instead you wear it

It looks better on me anyway

It kills me to see you raise up by the fall of my feathers

You brought me in and I was expecting love

But all I got was a million shoves

Now all I see from you is a boxing glove

Am I the animal here, or is it you?

Works cited:

"11 Facts About Animal Cruelty." 11 Facts About Animal Cruelty. Yahoo, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

"The Fur Industry." PETA. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015

"Get The Facts:." Ten Fast Facts about Fur. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian.

In the third and final unit of the Forbidden Books class, which is called Diversity, the class learned about the different ways authors permit diversity in their writings, but also having the side of intolerance somewhere in there. The class also looked into the meaning of diversity, and seeing how society can be scared of that idea.  For the final actual project the class was assigned to write a "book report" on our chosen book, which were all on the list of banned books. We all had to pick a topic that we were going to be supporting in our essays. I decided to choose The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian because since it's written in a form of a diary, I know it's going to be interesting. I also decided to choose the topic of looking how the main character in this book transforms and makes peace with diversity. It was interesting really looking into the main character along with looking at the many setbacks he had while trying to make peace with diversity, all while being surrounded with people that don't accept the idea. I had a hard time when I first started, but with some deep digging in my book, I was able to come up with an idea that I had about the character and his transformation. Thanks to this unit and project, I had a better understanding on why so many people were scared of being open to different settings, situations and even more diverse things.

MF. Photography. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian cover (2015)