Bookends

Through the analysis of the lifetime of a plantation, Diamond Hill, Tiya Miles reveals the gaps in contemporary historical memory and describes a past that placed both Cherokees and African-American slaves in an intertwined world of suffering. Miles employs analysis that touches on the most central issues of the southern past: enslavement, freedom, sovereignty, colonialism, and patriarchy. All of this helps Miles answer the complex question: “What does this house stand for?” The answer Miles…

In Antonioni’s Blow-Up, symbols are a large part of the characterization of the main character Thomas, and play a huge role in the execution of the themes and overall plot. The film is rarely direct, having many scenes and interactions whose intended purpose is complicated and usually hard to decipher at first, leaving the watcher very confused after it’s completion. While many aspects of the film seems disjointed with no connection or meaning whatsoever, most of the meaning is symbolically…

The Buddy Guy concert at the Sun Center on Monday Aug. 11th was a present of a blues legend wrapped in a box of a great young blues artist with a surprise bow. Quinn Sullivan is an accomplished blues/soul artist. What is remarkable is that he is just 16. He appeared on Ellen DeGeneres in 2001 at 5 and his career has been steady progressing with the likes of Buddy Guy using him to warm-up his audience. Quinn took the stage and about half way through his first number, the crowd was just…

Our identity is more complex than just how we are represented by our physical appearance, as it’s shaped by our culture, experiences and values. When composers explore identity as a theme in their texts, they use different techniques to show how these factors come together to create each individual’s unique identity. Noonuccal's poem ‘We Are Going’ discusses the shared identity of indigenous people and their struggle to protect their cultural identity due to colonisation. Brierley’s novel ‘Lion’…

In the article, “This American Land,” the author, Mr. David Brooks, discusses how the American nation is in the situation where unity is lacking, but discrimination, dishonesty, and unhealthy politics are on the peak. At this point, what can bring the nation together? President Donald Trump has told an American story of selfishness and division. The nation should focus on a better story of unity and hope. According to Brooks, the land is valuable to Americans. In history, nature has helped mold…

deliver a well-crafted short, “9”. The opening and ending sequences both have a subtle, elegiac melody that establishes the dreary atmosphere of the film. Apart from this, there is very little music present throughout; as a result, this piece of music bookends the short. The sound in “9” is mostly practical and largely from objects, such as footsteps on the ground. The minimal use of sound in this film establishes the desolation of the current world. Two elements used in this short to ascertain…

that “feminism alienates people with dissenting opinions, and confuses everyone else.” That is, the definition of feminist today has become convoluted as people come to associate feminists with either victims or misandrists as they represent the bookends of the movement’s spectrum. As Emma Teitel says, “[N]obody ‘against feminism’ actually knows what feminism is.” The real definition of feminist is simple: a person who believes that men and women should be equal economically and socially. They…

The Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911 C.E.) was the last imperial Dynasty of China and the end of monarchy rule overall. Unlike other Chinese Dynasties, the Qing were Manchurian minatory from northeastern China; however, they did incorporate Han Chinese, the major ethnicity of China, into their administrations and “banner” system. The Qing took advantage of the weakened state of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 C.E.) and began their conquest from the north and did not stop until they gained control of the…

“As far as I can remember, I have always felt connected to Abraham Lincoln”, are the very words of the Edgar Award-winning author and New York Times bestseller. James L. Swanson is a famous historian and author of Manhunt and many other award-winning novels that teach us about the past. So what effect does James L. Swanson have on our present knowledge of history? Not only is James L. Swanson fascinated with presidents, but he has the same birthday as the 16th president of the United States of…

In both ‘Illuminations’ and ‘Book Ends’, Harrison presents his relationship with his family as distanced and fractured, which largely seems to be caused by his extensive education. Hailing from a working class background, Harrison's parents lack education and are described by him to be ‘inarticulate’ - a trait that has weakened their relationship through intellectual differences, and by extension, social differences as well. The relationship between Harrison and his father is particularly…