Final

 Empathic Civilization

Despite peoples differences when humans come together as one the possibilities are endless. Jeremy Rifkin traced the human race back to stone age and discussed that human beings are programed to care about each other. Rifkin talks about an experiment that was done on chimpanzees which helped people discover that; "we are apparently wired with mirror neurons to experiences another plight as if it we were experiencing it ourselves"(Rifkin). The mirror neurons in a brain send out emotions to help one experience another feelings. When someone turns 2 years old they being to understand how precious life is. "empathy is grounded in the acknowledgement of death and the celebration of life"(Rifkin). Humans know how hard life can be just to survive and that tends to bring people together. If the human race could look past their difference's that didn't even categorize people many centuries ago; race, religion, etc., anything could be done. Jeremy Rifkin asks the question; "if we have gone from empathy in blood ties to empathy in religious association ties to empathy based on national identification is it really a big stretch to imagine empathy to a single race in a single biosphere"(Rifkin)? Throughout time people have grouped themselves based on various things. If the human race could group themselves simply on just being human the strength we would all have together is unimaginable.


Visual Literacy

People are always going to judge, but being yourself and putting yourself out there will bring the ultimate happiness. Miley Cyrus tries to be herself no matter what people are going to say. She says that because she is free from her old record label she feels like she can be whoever she wants to be. "I have this freedom to be whoever  I want because I am starting as a new artist"(Cyrus).  She likes being different and being who she is. She embraces her unique spirit. "every time I do anything I want to remember this is what separates me from everybody else"(Cyrus). She doesn't want to blend in with the crowd. People can learn from her that embracing who they are is important and ultimately going to make you happiest. "you're always going to make people talk, you might as well make people talk for two weeks rather then two seconds"(Cyrus). She is saying that people are always going to judge they might as well judge you on who you really are. You might as well not try to please people. It is important for humans to be who they are and embrace each other.


Seven Pounds

Sometimes horrible experience lead to beautiful things. Ben is suffering from depression after he kills seven people in a car accident. Even though he plans to take his own life he wants to give seven people a better life in one way or another. He wants to make sure the people he gives to are well deserving of what he gives them. "I want to apologize for being so rude to you...I want to give you a gift"(Ben). This was when he was testing to see if Ezra was worthy of giving him his eyes. He decides to give Ezra the gift of being able to see after Ezra has been blind his whole life. Ben makes sure that he has everything in line with his attorney so after he has killed himself his organs will be given to the people of his choosing. "Its time...I love you"(Ben). This was the last words he said to his attorney/his best friend. He then killed him self and gave his eyes to Ezra and his heart to Emily, a girl he fell in love with and wants to help her survive. He did a beautiful thing giving different people gifts to change their lives drastically. "You must be Emily"(Ben). This was the ending scene and a very beautiful scene as well. Ezra, who has never been able to see before, meets Emily, who is now living because Ben gave her his heart. With Ben's eyes Ezra sees the scar on Emily's chest and they cry together because of the lives they both now have because of one amazing human being. Its amazing when someone can take their experience, bad or good, to help others. Even though Ben had deep depression and didn't want to live anymore he gave seven people the gift of a better life.


Smoke Signals

In order to have inner peace one has to learn how to forgive. Forgiving can be one of the hardest things to learn how to do. People are naturally going to have problems with one another and not be able to accept their difference, thats just how it is. After Thomas and Victor get home from Victor's dads house Thomas talks about the concept of forgiveness; "how do we forgive our fathers maybe in a dream"(Thomas)? It is hard to learn how to forgive people and it is hard to let go of the past, but to move on in life Victor needed to let go of the past he had with his father. It is also hard to know what to forgive for;"shall we forgive them for pushing or leaning, for shutting doors or speaking through walls, or never speaking or never being silent"(Thomas). Victor has always been angry at his dad because he left him and his mom. He didn't know the full reasoning behind why his dad couldn't stay in town, he didn't know that he had his own battles he was dealing with. After learning more about his dad Victor gets home and throws his fathers ashes in a river symbolizing his forgiveness and letting go of the past. "do we forgive them in our age or theirs or in their deaths saying it to them or not saying it"(Thomas). There is no right time to technically forgive, but it is important to let go of the past. Victor is able to let go of the bad memories and morn his fathers death with a different perspective after he has moved on. Without forgiving people you are doing yourself a disservice and causing yourself unnecessary pain. Letting go is the ultimate way of peace.


Press Pause Play

There will always be critics and someone who doesn't like you but now with endless possibilities if someone is doing what they love that is all that matters. Some people look at the new democratized culture with negativity and that what is now accepted as music or art is trash because anyone has the resources to create anything now. In an interview with Seth Gordin he explains that that isn't true; "we are broadening the definition of art"(Gordin). The new access people have to electronics and different forms of art is making it capable for anyone to be able to express themselves. "...what makes it art is that it is a gift..its new...it makes a change and that kind of art we are now seeing in so many different places and that means just about anyone has the opportunity, if they want to, to make art without the permission from a guy in a fancy suit"(Gordin). Seth is saying that you can't put rules or boundaries on art. When something new is created wether that be a song, or a sculpture, it is art to somebody. He talks about the artist Shepard Fairey who broke the law to show off his art. "look at Shepard Fairey, Shepard is the most famous fine artist of the century...he did it by getting arrested and putting his art on the walls of the city giving it away and getting arrested doing so"(Gordin). Of corse people are going to hate on what you are putting out but the haters will always be there and what's important is that you do what you want to do and be who you are. Being yourself is the most beautiful think you can do.

Music Videos/Images

Kanye West- Only One

 The story behind this video is that Kanye West feels like this song is what his mom, who had passed away, talking to him. The diegesis of this video is that he is wishing his mom was there to see his daughter grow up. The focus of this film is on him and his daughter, North. The costumes that they are wearing are coats black pants and rain boots. The scene is in the rain/fog and the mood is somewhat gloomy. This video was filmed and edited on an iphone. There is natural low-key lighting they are getting from being outside, with a lot of deep space. The mis-en-scene is grey and gloomy and really raw showing up-close shots of him and his daughter. The offscreen space is the bare trees and the fog that goes on for miles.

Miley Cyrus - 23 

The costume Miley is wearing throughout the film is a Chicago Bulls uniform transformed into a two piece costume. In the beginning of the video there is up close shots of her face when she's singing. The diegesis of this film is a party feel and breaking the rules and doing what you want to do with your friends. The beginning of this video is a shot of the principal in his office and a basketball bouncing by his door. The story behind this video is it was one of the first videos she made after she changed her image from what people wanted her to look like to what she wanted to be.  The mis-en-scene of this video is mostly red and black colors some most of the video is low-key lighting. The deep space behind her is dark for the most part.

6-7 sentences 15 vocab terms for each video

3-4 sentences for each picture.



                                                                Spencer Hastings - Pretty Little Liars




The Mis-en-scene of this picture is very grey and gloomy. The lighting is showing half of her face and the other half is in the shadow representing her going to the dark side. The diegesis of this shot is that Spencer is feeling very hopeless and alone.


                                                     Finding Carter - Carter and Crash




The focus of this shot is on Carters face and her eyes. The diegesis is intense and its showing the feelings they have for each other. The lighting is bright and lighting up the room.

    American Horror Story - Clown Scene

 This shot focuses on his face and his eyes, he has an evil look in his eyes. The diegesis of this shot is that he just killed somebody, having previous knowledge that the man in the clown costume is the person killing people in their town.  The dark lighting behind him promotes evil and the evil inside him.

Criags list Joe and Empathetic Culture

As time progresses civilizations changes. In Jeremy Rifkin's TED talk he explores Empathic Civilization and the vast differences between centuries.  He begins talking about empathy as a general term at first. Empathy is the ability to share and understand the feelings of another.  Jeremy Rifkin says that "empathic development increases selfhood increases empathic development"(The Empathic Civilization). When someone begins to age and mature they have a better grasp on what life is and they are able to feel empathy towards others people knowing how fragile life is. According to Jeremy Rifkin that is the beginning of an "exstitensial trip"(The Empathic Civilization). He asks the question that if people can feel empathy is it possible for everyone feel empathy for each other and come together as a species and help the planet.  

In the documentary Craigslist Joe this question about empathy is explored. Joe Garner a 35 year old man travels the United States from L.A. to New York and back in 30 days. He is trying to live off solely off of the empathy he gets from strangers over Craigslist. He came to find that many people were happy to help him and he was overwhelmed with their kindness. "The generosity of people, and the stories they shared, and the connection I've made, in one month! Was so deep and just meeting everyone and telling them my story and the journey...it was truly inspiring on humanity to know that we can take care of each other"(Craigslist Joe).  Joe was happy seeing that human beings will take care of one another. 

Communications post 2

Smoke Signals

In the movie Smoke Signals it shows Victor's journey of him finding himself. Victor is shown as an angry person searching for answers. Victor doesn't like talking about his dad and see's his dad as a bad person. " Thomas you didn't even know my father. Did you know my father was the one who set your parents house on fire? Did you know my father beat my mother? Did you know my father beat me too?"(Smoke Signals).  Thomas is almost constantly asking Victor about his father and it drives Victor crazy. Victor has bad memories of his father and he feels like Thomas didn't know who his father really was. Victor has put up a wall because of the pain his father has caused him. "You gotta look mean or people wont respect you"(Smoke Signals). Victor likes to scare people away and he likes people be afraid to approach him.

Thomas has a different way of seeing the world around him. He see's the beauty in everything and he looks deeper into things then the average person does. Thomas comes up to Victor and is apologetic for the loss of his father and Victor asks him how he found out and Thomas says; "I heard it on the wind. I heard it from the birds. I felt it in the sunlight. And your mom was just in here crying"(Smoke Signals). Thomas says that he could feel the loss of Victors dad in nature. Thomas feels everything really deeply. "You know there are some children who aren''t really children at all, they're just pillars of flame that burn everything they touch. And there are some children who are just pillars of ash, that fall apart when you touch them...Victor and me, we are children of flame and ash"(Smoke Signals). Thomas is saying that birth is a painful experience for the mother and child and he's relating it to fire. When he says that they are "children of ash and flame"it's because they literally were babies when Victors dad set Thomas' parents house on fire. 

Ceremony 163-186

Tayo is continuing on his journey and working through the healing process. He is making progress and is using nature to appreciate the beauty of life. "He breathed deeply, and each breath had a distinct smell of snow from the north. of ponderosa pin on the rimrock above; finally he smelled horses from the direction of the corral. and he smiled. Being alive was all right then; he had not breathed like that for a long time"(Silko 167). Tayo smiles because he feels alive and he is recognizing that. He is finding beauty in nature with the animals and the fresh air and it is healing him. There is a recurring theme that keeps showing up and that is sunrises. The book starts with a sunrise and ends with one.  "Sunrise! We come at sunrise to great you. We call you at sunrise. Father of the clouds you are beautiful at sunrise. Sunrise(Silko 169)! The sunrise is a symbol of new beginnings and Tayo is starting to see that he can have fresh starts. After he meet with Betonie he is enlightened with all the ways nature can heal him. "He had been so intent on finding the cattle that he had forgotten all the events of the past days and past years. Hunting the cattle was good for that. Old Betonie was right. It was a cure for that, and maybe for other things too"(Silko178). Tayo is looking for cattle and it has taken his mind off of all the things that has happened to him in the past. Its curing his PTS and he feels like it can cure other things as well.

Tayo is beginning to look at the bigger picture and he has less hate towards people because of that. All these people can fight over who 'owns' the land but in the end no one truly does. "All but a small part of the mountain had been taken. The reservation foundry included only a canyon above Encinal and a few miles of timber on the plateau. The rest of the land was taken by the National Forest and by the state which later sold it to white ranchers who came from Texas in the 1900's"(Silko 172). The land and Earth as a whole are so much bigger then the humans on it and they will never really own anything. Land is ageless and the humans fighting over it will die and pass it down but the land will always remain. Tayo is looking at things from the present now rather then living in the past. "He knew then the old-timers could only speak of yesterday and tomorrow in terms of the present moment; the only certainty; and this present sense of being was qualified with bare hints of yesterday or tomorrow..."(Silko 179). Tayo is now dealing with his pain in the present moment instead of having flashbacks and feeling like he's stuck in the past. He has learned that he can still live life today with the events of the past.

Ceremony 140-163

Tayo is beginning to depict the healing process and is starting to have a different outlook on the world in general. As he is spending more time with Betonie he is trying to find healing through ceremony. "He was thinking about the ceremony the medicine man had performed over him, testing it against the old feeling, the sick hallow in his belly formed by the memories of Rocky and Josiah, and all the years of Auntie's eyes and her teeth set hard on edge. He could feel the ceremony like the rawhide thongs of the medicine pouch, staining to hold back the voices, the dreams, faces in the jungle in the L.A. depot, the smoky silence of solid white walls"(Silko 141). Tayo is looking back at things in his past that have hurt him in one way or another. Wether it is missing them or the pain they had caused him. He says he can feel the ceremony when he thinks about these things and its helping block out the pain. He says that the voices and dreams are being held back. Tayo tells Betonie that he wants to thank him for the ceremony he just did on him and Betonie tells him that this ceremony has been going on for longer then he knows."Old Betonie shook his head 'This has been going on for a long long time now. It's up to you. Don't let them stop you. Don't let them finish off this world' "(Silko 141).  Betonie is telling Tayo that he has been healing for some time now and to not let the corruption in the world stop his healing process. Tayo can see the world however he chooses to and Betonie is trying to teach him to see the beauty in it. 

As Tayo is traveling he sees and experiences the stereotypes of Indians. Tayo stops at a gas station and the man who owns the store gave off the impression that Tayo was up to no good. "He looked at Tayo suspiciously as if he thought Tayo might be drunk, or in there to steal something. In his anger Tsyo imagined movie image of himself turning the pockets of his jeans inside out, unbuttoning his shirt to prove he had stolen nothing"(Silko 143). Tayo walks in this station and the man looks at him as just another drunk indian. He assumes Tayo is there to steal something just because he is Native American. Instead of Tayo getting angry he laughs at the ignorance of this man. " He had never seen a white person so clearly before. He had to turn away. All those things old Betonie said had told him were swirling inside his head, doing strange things; he wanted to laugh. He wanted to laugh at the station man who did not even know that his existence of all white people had been conceived by witchery"(Silko143). Betonie taught Tayo that witchery is what corrupted society and had made people think that not everyone is equal when everyone is just human. This shows how much Tayo is growing and it shows that he is healing.