Andries van Dam

“Love, Love, Love that is the soul of genius” (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart). In Western music he is generally identified as one of the most significant and substantial composers. Ludwig Van Beethoven, Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were few of many innovative composers, but one who stood out from the few and was a prodigy as a young child was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Born on January 27 1756 to Leopold Mozart and Anna Maria, née Pertl in Salzburg, which is the…

There have been numerous poets that have graced the Earth with their talents, providing humans with some of the simplest words; however, those simple words could have a deeper meaning than that of the ocean. One of these poets, Langston B. Hughes, was born in Joplin, Missouri. As an African-American, he faced many hardships in furthering his learning. While studying in New York during the Harlem Renaissance, he was inspired to write poetry. He had many works of poetry, “Theme for English B”…

Andrew Jackson. Although started in 1820 the spoils system made no great headway until President Jackson’s Administration, in eight years removed more men from office than had been removed in the whole 40 years previous largely through the influence of Van Buren, then Secretary of State, who had been brought up under the spoils system in New York State (Brown pg. 196). Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States of America. President Jackson served as President from 1829 to…

a home is an important step in everyone’s life. Most people want a place they can call their own, to live in a space without relying on the dependency of others. Throughout his life, Van Gogh had lived in approximately thirty-seven different homes, some of which he only spent weeks in. Due to his financial status, Van Gogh would constantly have to rely on the hospitality of his family and friends, spending his time as nothing more than a border. However, in 1888 he was final able to find a home…

Gus Van Sant created his 9th film, Gerry, in 2002. It was caused audiences to split, from those striking the film down, claiming it was tedious and boring, while others called it an art piece. I can see both sides. I was tempted to skip past the lengthy scenes while watching, however, the further I got into the film, the more I realized its significance. Gerry is very long, but there’s reasons for it. Gus Van Sant used the landscape as more than the setting; it signified the character’s inner…

We interact and experience architecture every day. It is physically impossible not to and because of this, it is incredibly easy to take it for granted and to forget about all the thought and care that was taken to create such huge feats. Worcester’s Union Station is located directly off of highway 190 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Thousands of people pass by it on a daily basis without even realizing that it is something more than a “pretty train station”. Before we begin, let’s answer the…

The man was the former president, Van Buren, himself. Anna’s husband spotted them at their table from the bar and trailed by Sigel hurried to introduce himself, his wife and their guests to the former president. Van Buren bowed to the ladies and barely acknowledged the two men. Franz Sigel managed to approach him and inform him of his recent exploits in the Baden revolution. Van Buren only raised an eyebrow and turned to face the other men in a semi-circle…

for a second time around was a two-party system. The Distribution Act of 1836 and the Specie Circular, ended up causing a lot of damage to the nation’s economy. Martin Van Buren who was Andrew Jackson’s go to and Vice President, ended up taking over as president. As the Panic of 1837 ended up occurring within the nation, it was Van Buren who was faulted for the blame and not Andrew Jackson and his policies that he approved. Martin came up with the Independent Treasury Act of 1840, to assist with…

Washington Irving’s character Rip Van Winkle was a man looking to escape his troubles. When he escaped he slept for twenty years. During his sleep wars were won and lost, a new country was formed and people moved on from their memory of him. Rip Van Winkle’s town, townspeople, and house changed physically and politically while he stayed in the past during his sleep. His sleep demonstrates Irving’s idea of escapism. Irving writes how Rip Van Winkle wanted to escape due to his troubles. Before…

“Waldsonne” is taken from Johannes Schlaf’s volume of poetry helldunkel from 1899. It is the first poem of the two-poem cycle “Eine Liebe” (One Love). The other one, “Abendgang” (Walk in the Evening), describes how the speaker and a young girl stroll into the evening where golden violins play softly in the sky. It is followed by another cycle with the title “Eine andere Liebe” (Another Love), in which a different relationship is explored in three poems that describe how love has turned into…