The End is Near

Hmmm, my final thoughts about this class. This was a challenging class for me and I am glad that it is finally coming to an end. The workload was definitely intense and there was always something to do everyday of the week. I was stressed out most of this semester because I felt like I had no breaks or time for myself at all because there was always some assignment that needed to be done for this class. English is definitely not my favorite subject, if you can tell :).
If anything, I really liked the group aspect of this English class. I felt like I learned the most from my peers from the Peer draft reviews and the discussions we had among ourselves about the comics and the various things that we had to discuss. The groups were cool because I got to interact with you guys while I was sitting in front of my computer in the comfort of my own home. It was like making friends in a face to face class but not getting to see what you guys looked liked; which was cool because I did not have that opportunity to judge or stereotype anyone based on their looks. (Which I try not to do anyways). It was definitely awesome to read the same peoples papers throughout the semester and see how they grew as a writer and just see how they improved overall.
I cannot really remember all the topics that we covered during the course of the semester, but from what I do remember, I liked learning about different musicians and about the music industry in general from the “Music and Culture” book. I liked sharing my opinions and reading other opinions about different genres, illegal downloading, and about the medias influence on celebrities and how they make the general public believe most anything that they put out there.  It was cool to talk about different ideas in the reading discussion forum and I felt like those questions and topics opened my mind to all things revolving music.
 I do not mean to be so negative about this class but I feel like I have a life now that this class is over. I am super excited for this summer vacation and the freedom that goes along with it. I really enjoyed getting to know a little bit about the people that I had groups with and I enjoyed reading everyone’s blog each week to see their outlooks on certain topics and how they differed or were similar to my opinions.

Improved writing skills?

I really do not feel that my writing has improved significantly because of the assignments that we did in this class. I think that I understand MLA formatting a little more, but my writing skills have stayed pretty much the same. I did not get anything out of the “They Say, I Say” book, it confused me more than it helped me. I think that I learned more about music than writing in our, “Music and Culture” book. The questions that we answered just made me look at the individual essay (the content of the article) more closely than really focus on how they were written, I guess. The blogs were awful to write every week, and just made me more stressed out rather than more focused on improving my writing. It was really interesting reading everyone else's  blogs to see what their opinions were, but responding to them was not anything that I looked forward too. I feel that I was an okay writer before I took this class, I am confident in my grammar and spelling skills, and I don't think that has changed. I really was not a fan of writing essays or blogs or anything else, and I dreaded taking an English class for the first time after high school. With the right topic, writing can sometimes be fun and interesting, but having to forcefully write about topics that did not interest me did not help me improve.
I actually really enjoyed (as far as this class goes) the PDR's. I like helping others out so this was my opportunity to help out my fellow classmates (or at least try to). I actually learned from those the most because the constructive criticism from my peers helped me understand what was wrong with my paper and helped me see both the good and the bad in my essays. I've always liked playing “teacher” in my younger days, so the PDR's gave me that chance to “grade” papers and compare and contrast my essays to the ones that I peer edited.
I think that I am still an okay writer and I do not think that I have improved or gotten worse. All-in-all, if MLA was not taken into account, I think that I can write quality work   and am proud of some of the things that I have written in the course of this class. But overall I think that my writing skills have stayed the same, which is not a bad thing I guess.

Censorship

I really don't think that musicians should have to censor their music because they should have the freedom to create whatever they want. I also do not think that the artists should be so concerned with the whole loosing money over censorship situation because their music should be created for art and entertainment purposes. I know that everyone needs to make a living somehow but having one of their songs censored is not going to make or break their career.

I really think that parents need to be the ones who are censoring their children from music that they do not approve of. It is the parents job to be aware of what music is out there and what their kids are listening too. It is important for them to control the what their children are being exposed to and need to do the censoring themselves.

I do not think that artists are economically hurt by censorship because artists that are that well known will have enough money already to not even flinch when their music gets censored. Obviously music needs to be censored when it is played on the radio and the music needs to be awarer of its worldwide audience.  

Research Paper

This research paper is coming along well for me and I really like my topic. I am having some difficulties, though. I am writing on ‘Deadheads’- which are the ultimate fans of the band Grateful Dead. I am researching the Deadheads and finding out whether they resembled a cult or not. Prior to this research paper I was very uninformed about The Grateful Dead and I have very much enjoyed getting to know their music better and come to a better understanding of the Deadheads themselves. My thesis is: The many fans of the band, The Grateful Dead, were dedicated, loyal, and also very much resembled cult.
I am having a hard time wording my thesis properly. Right now it does not sound professional and I think it could be organized and said more clearly. It is hard to find the right words to say without confusing my audience while properly forecasting the body of my paper. Also, looking online and through the books I am using as my research material offer more information on the band themselves, rather than the Deadheads. I have three books which include personal stories from fans of the Grateful Dead but it is hard to categorize them in a cult or not without any outside research. I can find plenty of research on Deadheads themselves, but I cannot find a lot of research on the critics of the Deadheads and of the Grateful Dead. Originally I was going to write (and have started) writing on how the Deadheads resemble a cult, but now I am thinking of changing it because it is all how you look at the situation and how you actually define a cult. I need to research more into what a cult really is and then go on from there.
I am very much a procrastinator so that is going to hurt me in the long run. I have started on my paper, but it being due in a little more than a week scares me. I know that I should be working on it every day but the procrastinator in me stops me from doing that : ). I plan on continuing to write every day next week, therefore I will not have to wait until the last minute and scramble up a 6 page paper that will not turn out well. I am really not a fan of writing essays in the first place, so I am hoping that since I actually like my topic that finishing my paper will be easier than I expect.

Internet Piracy

     Internet piracy is illegally copying or distributing unauthorized software. Using the internet to download music is a form of internet piracy and can be unlawful and hurt musicians or the music industry. But there are two sides to the story: 1) if you download music, and “sample” a song or two, it could encourage you to go out and buy the whole CD or album-therefore helping the music industry. And 2) the music industry is directly affected financially by the illegally downloading of music.
     The first side of the argument I tend to agree more with. People can hear or sample music that they heard of from their peers or families, and it will make them want to go and purchase that type of music. Downloading music can be compared to the radio-you hear things you like it encourages you to learn more about that artist or song-and in the future you purchase CD’s of theirs. Music sales have actually increased as internet downloading has increased. Also, illegal downloading can increase exposure for lesser-known artists.
It is not a victim-less crime.
     People download music all the time without paying for it and use it for their own benefits without thinking of who is losing in the situation. The downloading of music hurts the music industry because it does not give them the money that they should be given. Downloading music leads to the diminishing sales of CD’s. When you download music, you lose its originality. When you use the copied versions of music, you indirectly are encouraging internet piracy. As you download music, you do not go for the purchase of the original copies of music, which may result in an indirect violation of copyright.
      So there are pros and cons to each side of the argument. Internet piracy is illegal and worthy of punishment, but should there be lesser rules and guidelines since it can cause many benefits? If you just wanted to sample a few songs online, I think that should be allowed and will encourage listeners to purchase the more music and help the music industry. The music industry does lose money from people not purchasing their songs when they should be, but they gain so much more from people who want to hear more because they sampled songs online.

The Appeal of Reality Television

       Many people these days are obsessed with reality television-and there are reality shows about everything you can think of. Wives-housewives, basketball wives, sister wives, (and many more)-singers, dancers, bachelors and bachelorettes.  Reality TV appeals to many people because people are interested in the lives of others, people love to gossip, people love to see happy endings and sad endings,  seeing people being challenged and pushed to their limit. There are many different reasons that we are attracted to reality TV. I am interested in reality TV programs such as Survivor, The Bachelor & Bachelorette, and American Idol.
Survivor is the ultimate of wit and skill. I watch the show Survivor because I like to see the survivors participate in physical challenges and see them interact socially with each other. I like to watch relationships grow throughout the season, and see who the “jury” believes to deserve the 1 million dollar prize.  Survivor is currently airing their 22nd season. I believe millions of viewers tune into Survivor each week because it is a reality show that actually focuses on skill rather than shows like Jersey Shore, which revolves around a group of people who live in a house together and party all the time (I absolutely do not get the attraction of that show). The survivors have to play the perfect social, physical, and mental game to make it to the end of the show and have a chance at the million dollar prize. Survivor fans are interested in watching the sneakiness of the game, and also the loyalty aspect of the game.
I also enjoy the reality television show, American Idol. American Idol singing competition whose goal is to find THE American Idol, the last one standing. American Idol attracts many people because America gets to participate in the show, and they get to vote for their favorites, and ultimately decide the winner. I like watching American Idol because I enjoy judging the talents of young singers and watching their potential continue growing throughout the season. You get to experience the contestants lives change throughout the show, and also you get to experience them growing as performers and singers. American Idol is appeals to a wide range of people because there are contestants of all ages, and talent of all varieties. American Idols can give aspiring singers hope and challenge them to continue to live their dreams. The winner of the show is granted a record deal, and their dream of becoming a superstar is fulfilled.
The Bachelor and The Bachelorette is a show that tries to set up the Bachelor or Bachelorette with their soul mate. It is show that is based on love and trying to find your perfect match. This show attracted me because I like seeing happy endings and witnessing others being in love. I do think that this show is highly destined to not fulfill its goal. Only like 3 of the Bachelor or Bachelorettes (out of 18) that are still together. I think that I just watch this show for entertainment purposes and to see if the couples can break the chain, and still be together in the end. I think that these shows appeal to many because of the drama that goes along with the show, and the hope for a happy ending.

Reality based lyrics

I think that it is really important for lyrics to be reality based. For people to like or respect musicians, their music has to be about problems, issues, or about life in general, that can be relatable to their audience. Music is a great form of therapy and people can turn to music for comfort or for a feeling of togetherness. Lyrics that are reality based help us not feel alone. We can turn to music when we need to hear words that we can relate to or when we need to be brought back to reality.

               Eminem gets credit for “keeping it real.” His songs are about real life situations and hardships that he went through as a young child. His lyrics talk about things that are sometimes hard to hear. From his song “mockingbird,” Eminem writes, 

               “I remember back when you and daddy had no money

               Mommy wrapped the Christmas presents up

               And stuck 'em under the tree and said some of 'em were from me

               Cuz daddy couldn't buy 'em

               I'll never forget that Christmas I sat up the whole night crying

               Cuz daddy felt like a bum, see daddy had a job

               But his job was to keep the food on the table for you and mom”

This song is written for his daughter-and it tells of his care for her despite all of life’s issues. These lyrics are definitely important because they are reality based. People can relate to his lyrics when they grew up in a poor family and/or struggling with family problems. People turn to music when they need an outlet; an outlet for fun, sadness, or a new reality.  Eminem’s songs can be that outlet for some people because his real life experiences are relatable and can take us to a place of comfort, in knowing that you are not alone in the hardships in life.

               Non-reality based lyrics can be fun to listen to, but they are not as important as songs that are really relatable. I think that most songs we listen to contribute some meaning to our lives. When you can’t express yourself, you can turn to music to say the words that you cannot.

               For me, I think that country music is the perfect example when it comes to reality based lyrics. Country singer Brad Paisley sings a song called, “This is country music,” which I think describes what country music is all about. In the song, he says, “This is real; this is your life in a song-Yeah this is country music.” You can find a song about pretty much any life situation in the country music genre. Having “your life in a song” is a really important way to express yourself when you cannot think of the right words to say.