Sense and Sensibility

            I am choosing to do the post about Sense and Sensibility.

The author and director of this film did a really good job in casting the roles for the two sisters. The two sisters in this play are complete opposites. There is one sister, Elinor, that is very strict and doesn’t really talk about or show any of her emotions. She is very elegant, and precise about everything she does. She never does anything she isn’t supposed to do, and sticks to all the rules. In controversy, her sister, Marianne, is very free and open to everything. She is the kind of person that follows her heart no matter what she is feeling. She is an open book; she shows whatever she is feeling. It is very apparent that these two girls are complete opposites.

            These two girls could be compared to two different time periods, the Enlightenment (Age of Reason) and the Romantic age. Elinor would represent the Enlightenment age. She represents this age because of the way she acts. Elinor thinks about everything before she does it, and is very logical about everything. The Enlightenment age was all about discipline, restraint, and rationality. These three words describe Elinor perfectly. Elinor is has a lot of control; she doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to. She doesn’t follow what she wants to do; she follows what she should do. For example, when she falls in love with Edward, and then she finds out that he is marrying someone else, she doesn’t even show any sadness. She, of course, is feeling sadness inside, but she keeps it to herself for other’s sake. This shows a lot of self-control, and discipline.

            Elinor’s sister, Marianne, is the opposite. Marianne would represent the Romantic age. Marianne is very spontaneous, odd, and follows her heart no matter what. One of the phrases that describe the Romantic age is, emphasis on self. This is exactly how Marianne is. She does not think of anyone else when she makes decisions, and she if very selfish. For example, when Willoughby leaves her, she goes out into the rain and catches a very bad illness. She is not thinking about whom this would affect, she is just thinking about herself, and the sorrow she is feeling. Marianne is a perfect example of what the Romantic time period would be like.

            I think the author and director show that Elinor’s way of living is better. I think the director and author showed this through Elinor ending up with her true love. Marianne had to settle for Colonel Brandon. Marianne was originally in love with John Willoughby, but he left her for a girl with more money. Marianne was completely enveloped in her relationship with John Willoughby, and while she was in this relationship she didn’t care about anyone or anything. Elinor stayed in love with Edward the entire time, and in the end, they ended up getting married. I think the author and director were saying that if you are loyal, caring, and unselfish then you will most always end up with what you want. The author and director showed that Elinor’s life style was the most desired, and right way to live.

            I really liked this film! I recognized a lot of the actors and actresses, and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I wouldn’t say that Elinor or Marianne’s way of living is right. I think there is a balance that can be obtained. A person doesn’t have to be completely controlled, but he/she doesn’t have to be completely out of control either. I think most people would say that they have a balance between the two. I know that I know some people that are like Marianne, and completely out of control. But I also know some people like Elinor, that have total self-control, and quite frankly, aren’t very fun. I don’t know if I am either way. I think that I have a balance. I think there are times to be like Elinor, but there are also times to be like Marianne. There is a time and place for everything. I liked how I could relate these characters to time periods that we are learning about, it made the film more interesting, and I could think about it more in depth.

            

Baroque Blog Post

  

I chose to write about OPTION 2: Is our society more Baroque or more Renaissance? Be specific in your answer. Justify it using the way we talked about both Baroque and Renaissance in class and using specific examples from contemporary society.

            I think our society has more to a baroque style to it. The people in our society are always trying to make everything bigger and better. We don’t need things to be bigger or better, but everyone still strives for it. Just like in the baroque time period, people today do things in excess just because they can. I feel like most people today aren’t content with what they have, and they just keep wanting more and more. Like in the baroque painting when they tried to fit as much as they could into one area, people do the same today. They try to fit as much into their lives as they can, which creates chaos, just like the baroque photos.

            I think one example of baroque style that is shown through our society is the city Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. These building have between 57-92 stories, and the tallest reaches up to 400 meters (1,310 ft). These towers were intended to “create a dramatic new landmark for Dubai.” And although these building contain offices, apartments, hotel rooms, and other services, the main reason these were built was for show. These buildings are a great example of how global society strives for more. These building did not need to be built, but the guy that built them did it just because he could. Another Baroque technique these buildings show is curves. Baroque paintings used a lot of curves to add variation. These building use curves for the same thing. Not many other buildings have been built like this, and that makes these building look different from other. The reason these building were built in curves was so they could look more unique. They were also built this way to add a dramatic effect, just like the baroque paintings did.

           Our society strives for bigger, better, more chaotic lives, just like baroque artists wanted in their paintings. These effects can be good, but can also be bad at times. If everyone is striving for “more” all the time, then nobody will ever be content with what they have. It can also be good because it is good to strive to be better, to push the limits. Our society is definitely more like Baroque than Renaissance.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1239480/Burj-Dubai-Tower-opens-claim-worlds-tallest-building-title.html

Renaissance Blog Post

I chose to evaluate Leonardo Da Vinci’s, The Last Supper.

            This painting has a lot of straight lines in it. The table is flat, and not exactly in the middle, but seems to be about 2/3 of the page down. The paintings on the side are perfectly lined up on the wall. The ceiling also has straight lines on it, almost like a checker board. Although some of the people are standing, and some sitting, they still seem to be in a straight line. Even the ones standing are only centimeters taller than the people sitting. The windows in the back are also straight. The only curves, or arches are the one in the front, and the one in the back. And these two arches are exactly matched up with each other. It is very evident that Da Vinci wanted this painting to have a lot of alignment. There are a lot of colors in this painting, but only a few dominant ones. The main colors that really stand out are, red, blue, and white. I think this is because the main things in the paining the tablecloth, and Christ, are red, white, and blue. There are other colors, but these are the main ones. Da Vinci uses depth a lot in this painting. The painting hung up on the wall get smaller and smaller as they go down. The background of the windows is very small. The ceiling also adds a lot of depth to the painting. Another thing that Leonardo uses is, chiaroscuro, in which the contrast between light and shadow shows how people and things look to us in the real world. This makes the painting look very real.

            This painting is a strong representation of the Renaissance time period. The most dominant feature of this painting, portraying this time, is the way it blends math and science with creativity. Da Vinci aligned almost everything in this painting, which I’m sure took some mathematical calculations, but he also adds a lot of creativity to the painting. The most creative aspect of this painting is how Da Vinci uses the people in the painting to skew the viewer to the main part of the painting. The people in this painting are looking and pointing directly at Christ. This helps the reader know what the focus is of the painting, and understand what is going on.

            This painting is amazing, and is an icon to painters around the world today. It set the stage for new paintings, and helped bring a lot of new concepts to the painting world. Da Vinci’s new creation of chiaroscuro changed the way people painted. And without this painting, chiaroscuro might not even be present in the world today.

Extra Credit Blog Post

            This was probably one of the weirdest stories I have ever read, but I still liked it! I feel like there was a lot of symbolism behind the story, and a good lesson to learn. At the beginning of the story the narrator is not very happy about the blind man visiting. I’m not sure why this is, but I think it might be because of jealousy. The narrator says it is because he doesn’t know any blind men, so he doesn’t know how to interact with them. But I think he is jealous of the relationship that him and his wife have.

            When the old man arrives, the narrator seems extremely stand offish; he doesn’t really interact with the blind man. I got the impression that the narrator thought that he was better than the blind man. But as the story went on, the narrator started to interact with the blind man. He was hesitant at first, but once he started talking, things got easier. It could have been the odd fact that they were high, but it also could be because the narrator decided to be the better man. I think the turning point in the story was when the narrator started describing the cathedral on the television to the blind man. I think when the narrator realized that him and the blind man did the same things, had somewhat of the same interests, and could actually have a conversation, that he could start talking to him.

            The interesting thing about this story is what brought these two men together; cathedrals. The narrator started explaining what a cathedral looked like, and he decided that describing it was too hard. So the blind man suggests he draws it. Then the narrator and the blind man start drawing this cathedral together. At the end of the story the old man asks if he sees how cool their drawing is, and without opening his eyes, the narrator says yes. I think this story teaches everyone a lesson. The lesson I got out of it, is don’t judge someone just based on external facts. Just because this man was blind, the narrator thought that they would never be able to relate. Another lesson is even if you just have one thing in common, that one thing can bring you together. These men found a connection through a cathedral. This story was very interesting, but I enjoyed reading it!

Greece Post

           I chose question number 3: What one work of art from ancient Greece most resonates with you? Why? What do you like about it? What purpose do you think it serves? Discuss it, its connection to the world view of Greece, its connection to your world view, and its connection to our world today. 

            One work of art that I found extremely interesting was the Acropolis. I like what it meant, and what it represented. The Greeks built this to show their strength, and to show how they are better than everybody else. I like how they named it Acropolis because it translates into “highest point.” They built this building on the highest point in their city to show how important it is. I also like how much planning went into building this building. They didn’t put the posts straight up because they wanted it to look more “human.” They used a lot of math to build this building, but they also used entasis-“eyeing it.” I think this made the building look better.

            I think the world tries to do the same thing today that the Greeks did back then. The Greeks built this building to show that they were better than everyone else. Just like today, everyone tries to outdo everybody. It seems as if everything is a competition. Not just with building the strongest, highest building, but with everything. School, work, money, popularity; everyone wants to do better than someone else. Just like the when the Greeks built this building; they already knew they had defeated the Athenians, so why did they have to build this building? It was out of spite. They were so full of pride that they built this building to show how great they were. They couldn’t just be content with knowing they won, but they had to show it. I think it is an amazing building, but I think it was built for the wrong reasons.