Writers Vogue

Pedro Jimenez
Nikita Zaman
Kristen Santos


Raul Leal
Table of Contents
Pages Title
1

2

Contributors Page

Table of Contents
3
Editorial Page
7
Group Essay: Recreation of Our Perspectives
11
Long Form Essays: Breaking Social Barriers: Progression through a Remarkable
distraction, Love That Lives On : The Taj Mahal, My Family and My Goals, My Greatest
Influence

25
Theory of Art Essay: Understanding Terminology of Beauty, A New Way to See Forrest
Gump, Aztec Calendar, Take it Any Way You Want

42
Analysis of Work of Art: Exposing Beauty through Emotional Power, "Earth Memories",
The Virgin Mary, Head of Christ

51
Interviews: The Julian Casablancas Experience, The Taj Mahal and My Grandmother :
Interview,My Parents, Interview with the Most Influential Person in My Life

58


Ethnographies: The Ever Shifting Sound of Daily Life in The Plaza Mexico, Pub Sports Grill,
Club America Field, Starbucks Atmosphere






Editorial Page
Pedro Jimenez is a first time generation college student
majoring in Deaf Studies. He attends California State
University Northridge and enjoys being awkwardly friendly.
When I first began to write I had no reason to, since I just saw
it as an element to understand and progress in school. I
thought writing was a burden for me and I never saw writing
as something special. The reason why I did not enjoy writing
at first would be because I was always doing the same basic
type of writing procedures throughout my whole schooling
experience. I thought writing was only for school purposes,
but my perspective of writing changed when my tenth grade English CAHSEE teacher Ms.
Dodson made me realize something. She told me that writing was a conversation between
yourself and your audience without having to encounter one another physically. This inspired me
to realize that I could reach deep into someones thoughts and as well discover who I really am
as a writer. From that moment on I have been working on my writing skills by reading and
understanding perspectives from others. The unique aspect of being able to write your thoughts
is exceptional, since they manifest something untouchable. I see writing as a six sense that I
possess, where I can reach for the unattainable within someone with the use of words. I want my
writing to help someone unravel the mysteries of reality from their ideas as a writer, which can
shape a better understanding about themselves.
Writing to me is essential because I can figure out ideas to overcome any obstacle that come
across in my life. Being able to give meaning to whatever you are fixated on is what I love about
writing, since you can make the object unique through your own mentality. Also writing helps
me gain skills in my weak points by letting others criticize my work. Even though it might seem
as a big risk to let someone criticize my passion for writing, I learn to deal with many things that
I have no control over at times, so the benefits of letting someone evaluate my writing helps me
create guidance for myself. Also I have become really passionate towards writing, because
without it I would feel artless.
My writing style is difficult for me to pinpoint, since I really do not see myself as a talented
writer yet. I have been told I possess great quality writing skills, but honestly I really do not write
for that purpose. I write to progress through the difficulties that come my way; I see writing as a
second chance to create what one desires the most. I am a huge fan of just writing fictional
storylines that could had happened in my life spam. Being able to write through a perspective I
have never seen is what amazes me about my writing.
Although I do see these qualities within myself, I just find it too difficult to give myself enough
credit about my writing. This feeling of not giving myself credit for the amazing things I have
Pedro Jimenez.


accomplished does not only happen within my writing, but as well in my life style. I enjoy the
support from many who I have encountered within my life, but it is too difficult for me to
appreciate my success. Also the one thing I dislike about progressing is that at one point I have
to reflect upon what I have accomplished. To this day I still struggle to reflect on my attributes as
a writer.
When I begin any writing task, whether it be a long form essay, proposal, narrative, or any other
type of writing, I always prepare myself by identifying specific keywords within the prompt
itself. After I identify those key words, I just rephrase their guidelines and free write the ideas
that come to my mind. Eventually I end up liking a few ideas that I am able to create and I create
a draft from those ideas. Once I have finally finish my draft, I edit my writing as I begin my
second draft. Even though I spend countless hours rephrasing my work as a write, I enjoy the
fact that I will at least appreciate that I finished my paper.


Kristen Jannelle Santos is a freshman student attending the
California State University of Northridge. She is taking
undergraduate classes, and is aiming to become a nurse in the
future. In her free time, she likes to shop and spend time with
her family.

Writing. One of those things that every college student
faces in most of the classes they have to take. Although it
could be a pain in the butt, it is something that enhances
myself, and it expresses the thoughts that circulate in my head.
Every person is different. Therefore, each individual has their own way of expressing
themselves through writing. The way I write is very unorganized and not thorough with ideas.
Some people like to brainstorm and write down all of their ideas onto a sheet of paper, but I
scramble all my thoughts into one big blob of words and translate them all accordingly once I
have the main idea of what I am going to write about. Writing a draft rather than brainstorming
my ideas has always been easier for me. Words just come out of my head and onto my laptop
faster than it is to let all the ideas come out while brainstorming.
Throughout the many years that I have been writing, I have learned that my writing process has
not really changed. During high school, I always procrastinated on my essays and did it the very
last minute. Although I would start my papers the night before it was due, I still had enough
time to gather ideas and thoughts about what I was going to write about. Somehow
Kristen Jannelle.


procrastinating led me to have ideas on what I am going to write about faster than actually
getting the paper done in advance.
Writing is very important to me because it helps express myself in ways I would not be
able to express physically in real life. Also, writing helps me remember things I would like to
look back on in the future, memories that I can always look back on. It allows me to let all my
emotions out onto a sheet of paper or a document when trying to release my emotions in real life
is difficult to reveal.

Nikita Zaman
Nikita Zaman is a student at CSUN. She is pursing to be
a nurse in the future. She loves to dance and watch
foreign films.
I write because it is a feeling of release onto
paper not to a person. Writing gives me the opportunity
to let out my thoughts without having to let it out onto a
person who wouldnt be interested in what I was saying.
There are some things you can only write and not say.
To write is a privilege because many do not have the
opportunity to write. Writing is like art you paint it with
words, these words help you feel different emotions.
Even though most of the writing I do is class related it
really helps me gather my thoughts. Writing in class all my life has inspired me to start keeping a
journal to myself where I can really poor out my deep emotions. I have had different kind of
writing experiences. Such as formal and informal writing has helped me express myself in many
ways. It is important to me because it is necessary in my everyday life.
My writing style consists of the basic elements with a little twist. I like to categorize
everything Im writing into individual paragraphs. Before I get ready to write I like to get my
thoughts out. After getting my ideas out I gather them and fix them all together. I like to follow
guidelines when I write so I know I am writing on the right track. I like to engage in the topic
which I am supposed to write about. I have to fully understand a prompt to write on it. I like to
read my writing after pretend to be someone else to ensure I would understand it.
My writing process is sometimes unplanned. I dont like to do drafts because I feel like I get my
best writing done when it is a final draft. Even though I write it as a final draft I do check it at
least two times to ensure I dont have any mistakes. I know my writing has changed throughout
my school year. I thank my A.P English teacher junior and senior year because he really
introduced me to different forms of writing. One form of writing I really appreciate is poems.
Nikita Zaman


Poems are a way to reveal things that are really buried under you. It is a very creative way of
writing and form of expression. I like to write poems the most because it really forces me to
think. Every word in a poem had a meaning of why it was placed there. It is a story with only a
few words and I feel like the affect a poem can have on you is amazing.

I write because I want to be heard. Writing is the easiest way to
express yourself. Writing is the easiest way to communicate and
show feeling. I personally believe I am not a great writer compared
to other people but I believe when I write it reflects my own unique
style. Writing is like portal to be heard. I consider that writing is like
a story it has something to say if you were to explain your life it
would be a book that is telling a story about you writing is the
easiest way to remember and to be remembered. I believe that just
by having a pencil and paper and expressing your self is considered
writing you dont have to be a genius to write that is the amazing
thing about it. When you write there is no limit to what you can
write to me writing means learning the more you write the more you
learn.
The way I write is just writing what is in my head I dont worry
about grammar and just write what I feel and what I want other
people to know I feel that every time you write you show the other person that is reading it
knows a little bit about you. The way I write is the way I am. I might now be the best at
structuring important essays but when it comes to free writing I like expressing myself. When I
was growing up I was thought so many different styles of writing and every teacher has its
special way to write there really isnt a rule or a certain way to write everyone has its own way to
write and as I had different teachers I learned from all of them and I guess I took my own style a
mixture of all of them with a touch of me and I well I write to express myself and to be heard and
never be forgotten.
Raul Leal.




Recreation of Our Perspectives
Authors: Pedro Jimenez, Nikita Zaman, Raul Leal, Kristen
Santos

In Walter Benjamins essay
The Work in the Age of Mechanical
Reproduction, he introduces the
ideology of artistic forms such as
paintings losing their aura. Originality
of aura seems to be manipulated with
the invention of technology such as
film and cameras. Creating variations
of perspective manipulates the human
ideology of aesthetics by creating
false introspection between the object
and the eye of the beholder through
film and pictures. An actor is only
seen from the point of view of the
Courtesy of Weebly.com


camera. The actor himself is
manipulated by the camera being
his director. He also introduces that
all forms of art can be reproducible,
and that men can imitate any kind of
artifact. Even though credibility of
such authenticity is being changed,
Benjamin agrees that mechanical
reproduction of work of art, however,
represents something new, but fears
that the mass accelerated progression
of aesthetic slowly loses its
uniqueness. It loses its originality
because people do not process that it
was one a master piece. They are
fooled by the reproduction that
technology has created. He believed
that it would manipulate the future to
lose the true value of art. Human
perception through history explains
how so by capturing human
satisfaction through popularity of
technology from the lithograph to
photography. Mass reproduction of art
forms advanced swiftly throughout
the centuries, which replaced
authenticity of true aura with
mystification.

In Mark Posters essay The
Aesthetics of Distracting Media, he
introduces the idea that the
transformation of art through
technology is not an act of
manipulating perspective, but rather is
a progression for reinforcing
completeness of possibilities through
new opportunities. He introduces the
aesthetics of art by revealing his
perspective, undetermined art. His
ideology accepts the counterintuitive
awareness of reproduction, which
relies heavily on the work produced
by technology which manipulates
time; not an art form which was
formed by a determined mastermind
at a specific moment which
concentrates on communication for
essence of true introspection. Even
though Posters ideology seems
rational and is functionally
understandable, his published work
does not evaluate the criteria in which
experiences of collective work
enhances extraordinary differences
from one person to another. Instead he
attains the belief that progression of
technology impacts all of society at
once with great progressivism, and
uses this analysis to create a purpose
to make technology a necessary
component to understand human
understanding of aesthetic. Even
though Poster explains that art is not
a delimited object but an
undetermined space in which subject
and object, human and machine, body
and mind, space and time all receive
new cultural forms, he does not give


credibility of the aesthetic being
created by originality of aura from an
art form. The author points out the
problems he found in Benjamins
essay. He argues that art requires
technology that takes time. Mark
Poster does not think that the
reproduction of paintings makes the
original painting lose its aura, but he
sees the reproduction as a way of
building up. He argues that human
sense requires new aesthetic theory,
but the new art form does not initially
explain its objective to interact such
proposition to society.

In John Bergers video Ways of
Seeing, he provides how technology
tries to institutionalize aesthetics by
explaining how it is possible for
media to manipulate art meaning.
Berger explains and clarifies how the
distinction of the connection of art is
being limited for the viewer by media
intentionally for marketing purposes.
The viewer can be distracted by the
art that is in their house if there are
other things around it. The perception
of art through media produces human
popularity behavior that creates a
blissful connection, which intensifies
mystification as reality. It is true that
paintings are still and silent, but the
message obtained by such source can
transform creativity of art into power
that seeks domination over the
majority of society. Even though the
existence of power in art is
obtainable, describing true aesthetic
seems to be uncertain of its full
potential. In the video, Berger is
standing in front of a painting done by
Leonardo da Vinci.

The authentic painting is
displayed in the National Gallery. He
talks about how although the viewers
of the video can see the authentic
painting through the screen; we still
are not seeing the actual painting.
Also, he states that since these
paintings can be reproducible, the
paintings have lost some meaning
behind them. With the use of camera
movement on a painting, it can go
from a shot of the whole painting to a
face on the painting. Appreciating the
true meaning of are can be influenced
by your surroundings. If you are
watching a pumped up video then
switch to a painting you cannot grasp
what the painting is supposed to make
you feel. Paintings can very moving
when it is portrayed in complete
silence. They were meant to be
experienced in silence with gives a
dramatic feeling. Knowing about an
artists background can affect what


you see in an art piece. Music can
also change the meaning of an art
dramatically. Because of the
movement that is being done by the
camera, the meaning behind the
original painting has been lost.
Walter Benjamin states, The
presence of the original is the
prerequisite to the concept of
authenticity.

In Walter Benjamins essay,
pictures lose their aura because of
mass production. In the video of
Ways of Seeing by John Berger, it
is described that the image changes its
meaning by its surroundings. Both the
article and the video describe how an
image is not the same when it has
been mass produced, and instead,
changes its meaning. The difference
in the article and the video is that in
Johns Berger video, images that are
mass-produced are better known and
people are more familiar with it. Also,
in the video, John Berger states that
images that have been mass
reproduced can change its meaning
because of different situations such as
environment and other things while in
Walter Benjamins article he states
that when an image is mass
reproduced it loses it aura and its
complete meaning. Both of these
articles have very similarities but in a
way they counter say each other.



Benjamin, W. (19036). The Work of Art in the
Age of Mechanical Reproduction.
Retrieved Febuary 2005, from
www.marxists.org:
https://www.marxists.org/referenc
e/subject/philosophy/works/ge/b
enjamin.htm
Berger, J. (Director). (1972). Ways of Seeing
[Motion Picture].
Harper, S. (2010, June 5). Julian Casablancas
Interview. Retrieved June 5, 2010,
from http://www.clashmusic.com/:
http://www.clashmusic.com/featur
e/julian-casablancas-interview






Breaking Social Barriers:
Progression through a
Remarkable Distraction
By Pedro Jimenez

I was standing in the dim light
of a garage surrounded with strangers
that I have never seen in my entire
life. They were screaming as loud as
they possibly could that their
shrieking easily and intensively
vibrated throughout my body that
night. The sensation of everyones
voices scattering at an unbearably
quick motion was making my ears
ring. I was losing my concentration
and it was getting really difficult to
drink my beer as I stood and listened
to the constant sound of voices
rambling about gossip that I was not
interested in. I glanced around my
surrounding and I felt as if I was lost,
wondering where the hell was I. I told
myself, Keep it together Peter,
everythings going to be fine like
always. I was at the point where it
was getting difficult to concentrate on
basic movements such as walking
through crowds of limitless people,
and started to wonder if I was ever
going to enjoy the night with these
insanely outgoing strangers in this
vast shadowy backyard.

I slowly took swigs of my beer
that was starting to taste like warm
liquid vomit and then I decide to gulp
the entire can. I then realized that
there was a live performance of music
being played by a local indie
alternative rock band I really enjoy
listening to. I immediately got this
unbelievable rushing sensation of
excitement that rejuvenated my mind,
which made me go into a mosh pit of
widely uncontrollable people. The
strobe light was making it very
difficult to mosh since it was
flickering at the rate of my heartbeat,
but the moment was unbelievably
breathtaking. I never thought I would


be such a reckless teenager having a
great time with strangers, who enjoy
the same interest as I, and all it took
was one person to inspire me to know
what it feels to be alive and to take a
risk once in a while. I will never
regret the moment of recognizing
such a talented musician artist who is
known as Julian Casablancas.

From the time when I started middle
school, when I was such a serious and
focused student, I never really was
interested in going out of my comfort
zone and did not enjoy being around
an atmosphere of lively people who
enjoyed being reckless with their
friends. I would hate being forced to
go to a party, because I never enjoyed
being there at all. I would literally just
sit down on a plastic party chair and
stare at everyone with a lifeless
expression. Instead of going out to
parties and being sociable, I would
play many sports such as soccer and
play many classical video games such
as Super Smash Bros. I was the
typical student who always did his
assignments on time and never missed
a day of school, but my social life
changed in eighth grade once I was
exposed to a band known as The
Strokes. I used to say that I disliked
music until I discovered this band, but
as I progressed throughout my
juvenile years, I understood I just
disliked the genre of music I was
exposed to as a child.

Listening to The Strokes for the
first time made me judge my own
personality and also helped me
through many difficult obstacles that I
went through. I was able to shape a
new identity for myself ever since I
encountered their music. Eventually I
was able to create connections with
people who had a similar interest in
the music I listened to. At first, I
would mostly make friends who were
into heavy metal rock bands such as
Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath,
Metallica and etc. Being exposed to
such people who later on became my
friends was a new phase in my life
that I had never experience. They
helped me understand music by
showing me variations of music artist
and I eventually became interested in
playing instruments such as the
keyboard, guitar, bass and drums.
Even though it was easy for other
people to label me as a rocker since I
started dressing in all black and had
long straight black hair, I did not care
because music had eventually become
an extension of my life. I was able to
understand how one attachment had


created an endless journey of
experiences that eventually helped me
see through many perspectives and
not just mine.

When I would be going through
a phase of anger or depression, music
was always there for me. The only
problem I had with music when I
would go through such a phase would
be it would psychologically increase
the emotion I was in. Instead of
healing the pain I was in, music
would just make it worse by changing
my ideals. Even though something as
wonderful as music exists, it can
become a poison and in an instance
change your rational choices. I slowly
would make mindless decisions that
eventually caused not only problems
for me, but those around me who
admired my personality. Eventually I
endured too much psychological and
physical pain that I was able to escape
such miserable circumstances and
find meaningful ideals through the
pain I encountered.

The Strokes are a well known
Indie alternative rock band that
emerged from New York in 1998.
Indie music is difficult to explain
since it consists of many genres and
not just one. The misunderstanding
about Indie music is that many people
think its better than mainstream
music and vice versa. I believe neither
mainstream nor Indie music is better,
but are capable of breaking social
barriers between people. Indie music
just exposes quality artists that
eventually decide to become
mainstream music artist. What I love
about Indie music is that there are
many genres of music, and many
people can enjoy it because the
creator of the music is seen as an
artist and not an entertainer.
My favorite musician artist is
none other than the one and only
Julian Casablancas. Julian
Casablancas was born in New York
City. He is the lead vocalist of the
rock band The Strokes and he is also
known for his solo career during the
band's hiatus relationship. His father
is a Spanish American business mogul
known as John Casablancas, who is
the founder of Elite Model
Management. His mother is Jeanette
Christiansen, a Danish former model
and onetime Denmark in 1965. His
parents divorced and his mother later
married a painter known as Sam
Adoquei. Sam helped shape Julians
early musical taste by exposing him to


music such as The Doors, which was
different from the music that
influenced him as a child to listen to
music from the beginning. He married
Juliet in 2005, who was the assistant
manager of The Strokes at the time. In
2010 they had a son and named him
Cal Casablanacas. His father John
Casablancas recently died of cancer in
July 2013.

Julian Casablancas inspiration
to become a musician artist is difficult
to pinpoint. He has said that Sam
Cookes "A Change is Gonna Come"
is his favorite song of all time. Lou
Reed from the band known as The
Velvet Underground, who has
recently passed away, was a major
influence on his lyrics and singing
style. Once he gained inspiration from
talented musicians, he and his band
The Strokes recorded a demo and sent
it to the newly reformed Rough Trade
Records in the United Kingdom.
There it sparked interest, leading them
to make music that inspired many
fans. The EP sparked a bidding war
among record labels as the largest for
a rock and roll band in years. Shortly
after, The Strokes produced their first
debut album Is This It" and was
released in October 2001. Throughout
their progress of making music, Julian
Casablancas announced that, "Im
trying to capture the catchiness of
modern music but at the same time
the power and seriousness of classical
music and older music. In general, the
goal is to inspire. I guess that's what
art is supposed to do."

Even though I did not have
much interest in mainstream music
like the majority of teenagers, there
was nothing better than listening to
Julian Casablancas that kept me in a
trance, which made me feel livelier
than anything I experienced in the
world. He helped me understand the
uniqueness value of my life through
his music. I was capable of expressing
my interest to other people and
learned to break boundaries between
one another. The importance of being
able to change the influence of
someones perspective seemed
impossible to me at first, but Julian
Casablancas has influenced me to
believe that communications with
others is possible. Great musician
artists such as him have created paths
for people such as me to express
ideals and continue to shape an
identity to those who seek to
understand themselves and others.
They have created a newly diverse
community where everyone can live


for a while away from the real world
and experience satisfaction once in a
while.


Harper, S. (2010, June 5). Julian Casablancas
Interview. Retrieved June 5, 2010,
from http://www.clashmusic.com/:
http://www.clashmusic.com/featur
e/julian-casablancas-interview











Love That Lives On : The
Taj Mahal
By Nikita Zarman
This is a long form essay I wrote for
my English 114b class. This essay is
about a sculpture of the Taj Mahal
that is in my house. I was inspired to
do my essay on this topic because this
sculpture was given to my
grandmother by my grandfather as a
symbol of love.

Photos used under Creative Commons from nurpax, jscoke
The Taj Mahal located in Agra, India



There is a souvenir sitting in my
showcase symbolizing years of
intense love and is also known as one
of the seven wonders of the world. It
has been sitting there for four years
glorifying its value every single day.
There is not one speck of dust on this
souvenir because it is kept safe and
cleaned. This white smooth stoned
beauty is the souvenir of the Taj
Mahal that my grandfather bought for
my grandmother. It has all hand
carved details that is on the real Taj
Mahal. Even though this little Taj
Mahal in my house is the imitation of
the real one it has a deep meaning to
my grandmother and my mother.
The miniature Taj Mahal is made with
a copy of the actual stone the real Taj
Mahal was made out of. It smells like
its from an authentic place made by
hand. There are four pillars
surrounding the center. The texture is
very smooth and is almost milky in
color.
When my grandfather went to
India he picked this miniature Taj
Mahal for my grandmother because
he saw it as a symbol of love and he
loved my grandmother dearly. For my
grandmother it meant the world
because she felt like the queen whom
her king loved. She kept the Taj
Mahal safe and cleaned it every day
until one day her husband passed
away and then it became even more
meaningful to her. My grandfather
passed away one year after he brought
the Taj Mahal. It was ironic because
the Taj Mahal was built for grief and
he giving my grandmother the Taj
Mahal would make her grief about his
death. It was a huge memory of him
which was very important to her
because it made her feel closer to her
husband.
The souvenir now associated
with many emotions. It just didnt
mean happiness to my grandmother it
meant sadness and hurt feelings. I
remember when she told me
sometimes I feel like his death was
attached to this souvenir. She
thought he died because he bought the
Taj Mahal. Even though she knew he
died from a liver failure she believed
that it was the souvenirs fault. It was
as if she had lost the sense of reality
and common sense and believed in a
superstition. My mother told me
your grandmother was very ill and
only focused on this Taj Mahal. It
was a love hate relationship with this
ionic sculpture because it had brought
my grandmother love and pain.
My grandparents love story was
something else they literally fell in
love. When I heard their story I


couldnt believe it because it seemed
like the classical Bollywood movie.
They met at a very young age in their
University through a push from
another person. My grandmother was
walking to her classroom and my
grandfather was walking with his
friends when suddenly she was
pushed and fell on him. She was
frightened and so was he but when
they tried getting up they became
acquaintances.

My grandmother thought she would
never see him ever again but she was
wrong. The next day as she was
walking to class again my grandfather
was waiting for her to say sorry for
what had happened the day before.
They met and exchanged stories and
told each other their names. As days
progressed they talked to each other
more but secretly. Back in the day
when my grandmother went to school
she was the very few people that went
to a coed University. In Bangladesh
male and female students were often
segregated and put in different
schools.

My grandmother knew they were
falling in love but she also knew that
she had to follow traditions and get an
arranged marriage. In Bangladesh it
was very common to get arranged
marriage, if an individual marries
without the consent of elders it is
frowned upon. My grandmother was
devastated when she found out that
she was set to get married soon. She
told my grandfather they have to be
apart since they couldn't be together
forever. The day came when she had
to meet her future husband and it was
surprising because the arranged
marriage they picked was my
grandfather. My grandmother never
told her parents that she already knew
him neither did he. So they received a
love marriage that was seen as an
arranged marriage and my
grandmother couldnt have asked for
something better.

The way this miniature Taj
Mahal got to my house was it traveled
with us for 23 hours in our luggage
when we were coming back to
Americana from visiting Bangladesh.
We went to Bangladesh four years
ago and ever since then it has been in
my house. My mother asked my
grandmother permission to bring this
token of love with her so that she can
have a piece of her father in her
house. My mothers other sisters


wanted it too but my grandmother
knew my mother was my
grandfathers favorite daughter and
therefore gave it to her. This is the
way I can remember my grandpa as a
lover that loved my grandmother a lot
and it warms up my heart.
Even though this is a little
souvenir in my showcase it has a
value that nothing else can have.
Whenever I take a look at this Taj
Mahal it teaches me the value of life
and death. Small things can help a
person remember many memories. It
makes me understand that we should
cherish everyone in our lives because
they may not be alive the next day.
Love lives on in many forms in this
case it lives through this Taj Mahal.
My grandmother passed it on to her
daughter and in the future I will pass
it on to my daughter as a symbol of
love. That love does exist in the
world and can be expressed in many
ways. I know this will forever remain
as a staple piece in my home and it
gives a touch of history and comfort
for me.
Works Cited
The Taj Mahal . History.com.A&E
Television Networks ,n.d.Web.14
May .2014y
2014<http://www.history.com/top
ics/taj-mahal>.
My Family and My Goal
By Raul Leal

My gloves and Cleats.
The reason why I decided to
interview my parents was
because they have been through
so much they are the ones that
raised me and thank to them I
had the chance to do so many
things because of them and had
the chance to attend college
because of them.
A sport can change the lines of
millions of people. A ball can change
your life. A soccer ball is a very
precious object to me for the reason
that my life has been surrounded by it.


I have a huge passion for soccer; my
family is hugs fans of soccer. Ive had
the opportunity to play with a
professional team in Mexico.
I grew up around a soccer ball due to
my father always taking me and my
brothers to the park to just kick
around the ball. At the age eleven i
joined a team in a local soccer league.
I was not good at all when I first
began to play in my league and
consider myself as the worst player in
the league. In the league they started
me off as a forward and later on they
change my position as goalie. When I
started as a goalie I was not bad at all
for a starter and really liked the
position. I stayed playing that position
for several years, and when I turned
fifteen years old I became an
academic player after playing with a
Mexican club called Morelia I had the
opportunity to play in Tijuana. The
years flew by as I was playing part of
a professional soccer club. As I got
better I had the chance to join the club
I always dream to play for America I
was able to play with the club due to
all the hard work and commitment
and my family support.
Soccer was brought into my life
owing it to my parents effort they
would take part of their time so much
they would take me to my practices
every day. In a way if it was not for
my parents I would not have had the
chance to play it or even is part of a
professional soccer team. Due to all
the support and confident they gave
me I would not have pushed myself to
keep moving forward and putting to
mind that practices makes perfect.
My parents were born in different
parts of Mexico my dad is from
Guadalajara and my mom is from
Durango they come from a family that
loves soccer. My dad went for the
rival team which was Club America
instead for Chivas which was a club
that was from where my dad was
born.
I grew up my whole life watching
Club America and to me they were
the best team no matter if they won or
lost. In a way that made me push
myself to become and get where I
wanted even though I didnt get what
I really wanted was to become pro. I
had the chance to become
professional soccer player but due to
an injury that suddenly changed my
future with the club I didnt reach my
goal in life but I learned other
important things in life there.
Club America is one of the most
popular and high prestige team in
Mexico. They have won many


tournaments and are constantly
fighting for the league title against
Chivas. Club America has been in the
final for two tournaments straight and
won one of those two finals against
Cruz Azul and lost the other finale
four months ago against Club Leon.
America was founded on the 12th of
October of 1916. The club is one of
two clubs owned by a media company
called Televisa. The clubs soccer
stadium is the largest stadium in
Mexico and Latin America, and the
second largest football-specific
stadium in the world. The club has
eleven national titles. The clubs name
was originated by any regular team
the team was looking for a name for
the team so one of the players by the
name of Pedro Cheto Quintanilla
said America because the team was
formed on Columbus Day. There logo
consisted of a map of America and the
C for Club and an A for America
on each side.
The team colors were decided by
the team the colors were brought by
one of the players called Rafael Garza
Gutierrez brought some blue shorts
and a yellow shirt and the team
decided that they would be the colors.
In order for Club America to become
part of the Mexican League which
consisted of five teams in order of
America to become part they had to
play three games and win all of them.
But they only won two and tied the
last one but despite that they were
accepted to the league they shorty
changed their name due to bad results
but then decided to change their name
back to America.
Club America was the first Mexican
team to play out of Mexico. The
founder of the club was Rafael Garza
Gutierrez. The rivalry team
Guadalajara was born and the rivalry
became most noticeable during the
1945-1946 season which America lost
6-4 and 4-2.The team was then bought
by a soft drink company and then was
sold to a its current owner .
A soccer ball is a simple object that
can change the world, a person. A
soccer ball changed my life my
parents helped me get where I wanted
to be if it wasnt for them I wouldnt
have been where I am if not for them I
probably wouldnt be writing this
essay I did have a chance to become a
part of great club but things didnt
work out my parents and friends
pushed me so that I could work my
hardest in a way I realize that thanks
to my parents hard work , sacrifices
that they did so that I could have a
chance to become a great part of
something big. Even though my


parents didnt have the same chances
as me they tried their best to provide
not only me but my two younger
brothers my father always told me
that If you did nothing then you
shouldnt expect anything to change
this in my head made me push myself
not only to try my best in soccer put
get to where I wanted to be college. If
it wasnt for them I wouldnt have
been writing this essay or would have
gone to college.
They were both born in Mxico with
families that came from low budgets
they didnt have the opportunities that
I have had or that my brother will my
parts opened the doors for me so I
could have the chances it was really
only up to me if I would take
advantage of what I had in front of me
despite not having reached my goal to
become a professional soccer player I
had many opportunities and great
experiences even though I am young I
can happily say that my life has been
awesome despite the challenges that
Ive had in front of me and I am really
happy in a way that actually had that
chances to do what I did. Its true what
the saying says If you dont take the
risk you will never know what you
missed out of course there are a lot of
things that Ive wished I should have
done different but its a way of life
how things happen to me a simple ball
can change someones life as an event
can too. The most important things in
your life are your parents despite if
you have a good or bad relationship
with them they are the ones that can
only really teach you things about life
of course you have to experience
them sometimes to get the true feeling
of what they are telling you, but I
believe that they should always be
your number one thing because to me
they are soccer is something I love
with a passion but my parents helped
me get that opportunity to enjoy it
even though right now club America
isnt doing so good in the current
tournament I am still proud to say that
is my favorite team not only because I
grew up watching them but also
because they gave me the chance to
be part of their team might of not
been first team player but proudly I
can say I was the U-18.Anyone can
have something that means a lot to
them and to me it would be soccer
and my parents.







My Greatest Influence
Written by: Kristen Santos


My father knew that he wanted to do
great things in his life, so he tried
really hard in everything he did. He
graduated from high school, and went
to college at a local school nearby his
home in the Philippines. He went to
study zoology, and realized that
zoology was not for him. He did not
know what he wanted to do with his
future. He spent time thinking it over,
and he eventually ended up dropping
out of college. He later met my mom
after he moved to the United States.
He had been working multiple jobs at
a time during his first few years in
California. Although being a college
drop out, he knew that he wanted to
make a name for himself and he
wanted to be very successful.
After my parents got married,
they immediately had their first child,
which was my brother, in 1993.
During this time, my father was
working for a title company. He
worked in a title company up until the
time we moved to Valencia,
California. After working a couple
years in the title company, he realized
that this was not what he wanted to do
for the rest of his life. He was getting
too bored with this job and wanted
something that he would enjoy doing
every day.
My father would always tell me
to always reach for the stars, and if
that doesnt get you anywhere, then I
dont know what will. He
encourages me day by day to make
the right and best decisions for
myself, and this was also his motto in
his life. Because he always aimed to
be the best he can be, he eventually
found what he loved to do the most.
My dad loved to drive all over
the place and never got tired of doing
that. Because of that, he applied to
multiple limousine companies to be a
driver. He was hired into one that
was located in Manhattan Beach, and
he stayed in that company until he
found another limousine company
that was located in San Francisco and
it paid more and had more customers.
Logo of my dads limousine company


Although it was far away from home,
my father had to make sacrifices in
order to provide for his family. In this
new company that he started working
with, he was out everyday and night.
In the limousine company, he is paid
by hour depending on what kind of
service it is. Whether it is driving a
town car, or an SUV like a Suburban
or an Escalade. On top of that, the
customer can decide if they want to
give a tip to the driver. Sometimes, a
driver alone can make over $100 just
on tips. My father got paid very well
at this company, but it started to get
tough for him being so far away from
his family, so he quit that job and
started heading down to another
limousine company. In this company,
Limousine Connection, that was
located in North Hollywood, he had a
lot of customers as well, and got paid
a decent amount, but not as great as
the one in San Francisco. He spent a
couple years in Limousine Connection
until he finally realized that this is
what he enjoyed doing.
My father later realized that
after working in the limousine
business for a couple years, this is
what he really wanted to do. He
ended his job at the limousine
company that was located in North
Hollywood, and decided to start his
own limousine business.
The idea of limousines comes from
the concept of a chauffeured vehicle
and this idea has been around since
the early 1700s. The whole idea of
limousines originates back in
Limogoes, located in France. It was a
wealthy and rich province that used
horses and carriages as a luxury mode
of transportation. In this, the driver
and the passengers were completely
separated and this is where the
limousines began. It was not until
1902, where the very first limousine
was ever created. The demand for
more space in a limo was so high that
a company called Armbruster, located
in Fort Smith, Arkansas created the
first stretch limousine in 1928.
Limousines started to gain their
popularity in the 1920s. They started
to gain even more attention in the
1930s, and celebrities and high profile
corporate businessmen mainly used
them. Limousines are known to be
the most elegant and luxurious mode
of transportation. The word
limousine comes from the region of
Limousine in France, and it is defined
as the cloak and hood that the
shepherds used to wear in this region.
This is because the entire interior of a
limousine looks just like the cloak and


hood of a shepherd. Today, there are
multiple kinds of limousines in every
limousine business.
Like any other businessman who is
just starting their own company, my
father was having a difficult time
managing things. It was not until a
couple months later that he started to
get the hang of how to operate his
own business. Because he was
familiar with the limousine business,
he knew the right people to hire, and
what exactly he needed to keep the
business running. In the beginning,
my dad started out with two town
cars. This was enough to start, but as
the business grew, he needed more
cars. My father did everything to
make his business successful. He
advertised, he went to other local
limousine companies and asked for
their help, and he also did some of the
driving as a chauffeur. My fathers
company is called Green Leaf Luxury
Transportation.
My father started out not knowing
what he wanted to do with his life, to
being a college drop out, to being
employed in multiple companies, to
owning his business and being
successful in it. My dad is the most
influential person in my life because
even though it took him a while to
realize what he wanted to do with his
life, he still pursued a career in other
things and never gave up. It led him
to be the successful man he is today,
and it encourages me to try my
hardest and to never give up even if I
am having trouble with deciding on
what I want to do with my future.

"History of Limousines Origin &
Chronology of Limousine Popularity."
History of Limousines Origin &
Chronology of Limousine Popularity. Ed.
Limoland. Toronto Limo, 18 Nov. 2012.
Web. 12 May 2014.




Understanding
Terminology of Beauty

Even though art is a pathway to
understand the relationship between
oneself and another, reproduction of
mystification, which is a false
perception created by media in
todays world, intends to create
boundaries and sustain them within
limits for profiting purposes only.
Modern technology has learned to
manipulate the principles of aesthetics
by repeating the false identity of aura
through digital technology. Having
the outstanding creativity to branch
art into a massive byproduct reshapes
quality of aura. This procedure then
creates a lack of interest to obtain and
understand the explanation we seek
within creating beauty through any
form of art. When such behavior is
exposed to create an oppressive state
of mind we lose the benefit of having
to overthink and lead to curiosity.
When our curiosity demands to
unravel the true aspects that create
uniqueness within ourselves, we then
can picture a sense of beauty, but only
through true authentic aura. This
sense of thinking is difficult to unlock
since we are always secretly being
manipulated to believe what
mainstream media embeds, which are
spectacles of false aura.
Since it is acceptable to be aware that
we progress from time to time,
mainstream media has progressively
created illusions of false suggestions
of aesthetic without us knowing it, but
majority of the population seeks this
image as a desire to diminish
insecurity. This is what I call false
suggestion of aesthetic, since it does
create the apprehension of someones
unique appearances to be seen
inessential. Even though mystification
is considerably replacing authenticity
by hiding true expressive behavior to
arise from authentic aura, the purpose
of mystification is to persuade the
action of interest shown by media to
create a sense of pride. Media does
this so by the use of film which
Courtesy of Weebly.com


enhances a strong vivid image that
disseminates insecurity, but only for a
short period of time. Media creates a
reflected image that has become
separable and transportable. And
where is it transported? Before the
public. Since media has now realized
how many people feel ostracized from
images they display on film, they help
the rejects by embracing their
insecurities. They do so by screening
how one can live with their
insecurities, but through the process
of Americanization.
Aura manifested by media can
become destructive when understood
to its full potential. The aura created
by media is not just a feeling one
experiences, but it is an experience
where as if an inanimate emotion
hidden within the soul of an
individual awakens and brainwashes
all their senses. For instance, when
watching your favorite television
show whether it is Game of Thrones,
How I Met Your Mother, or any other
popular television show, the viewer is
very interested in the appearance of
beauty displayed. Media has created a
false sense of beauty by creating the
idea that we only seek beauty through
the form of appearance. We use this
form to conclude what beauty should
be and we disregard every other way
of beauty being manifested. This
image might seem harmless since
majority of the people do enjoy the
appearances, but this creates
ostracization between someone who
does not enjoy the display, which
questions their own unique
differences. This awareness then
creates undesirable disturbing
emotions which attract a modest of
negative energy to reflect upon or
overwhelming feeling of joy that
creates an unexplainably state of
liberation for those amused of its
presence. The infidelity that
mainstream media consumerism
creates does indeed demoralize aura
of beauty, but this immoral truth
creates appreciation towards human
aspiration which develops an ideology
of liberation to an extent.
Even though aura is lost within
modern reproduction of art, it still
influentially creates an influx of
unimaginable possibilities that can
restore aura or create aura. Even
though credibility of such authenticity
is being changed, mechanical
reproduction of work of art, however,
represents something new, but the
mass accelerated progression of
aesthetic slowly loses its uniqueness.
Creativity seems to be limited now
that logical reasoning is supported by


advanced technology, which makes it
nearly impossible to say it
dehumanizes human quality. Since
technology has become second nature
to the modern world of today, change
in aura is reasonable since
reproduction of art devalues
authenticity. Being able to find any
kind of art reproduction has
excessively become easy to obtain,
which slowly but intensively will
devalue art creativeness. This also
means that we are constantly
reminded of the destruction the
artificial aura can do, but we are too
distracted and fascinated to see the
destruction being created.
Even though media uses film to
manipulate the senses, it all depends if
they want to create awareness or
destruction to gain market profits.
Seeking to understand aura should be
carefully approached, since it can
create a burden to those who are
inspired by imitation of beauty. Their
inspiration is not dehumanizing, but
the idea that one can mingle its
meaning to create something new is
the risk which is expose to the
individual. Since media can interpret
the principles of aesthetics by
manipulating the beauty of aura as
only a visible object or appearance of
something attractive, they create a
reasonable explanation to make it
creditable to accept its validity.
Instead of only relying on distractions
to create pride from media,
communication of authentic aura can
create an opportunity to reflect on
oneself admirations through the
struggles the aura reminds the
beholder. Your able to communicate
with aura by the perspective of
fantasy were everything seems subtle.
Eventually the experience can pacify
morality of self-determination. If
awareness of true authenticity of aura
would be taught to individuals, then
insecurities could be seen as unique
assets which can improve
introspection.
Although we are all victims of false
perception of aesthetics at one point,
there is still the possibility to
encounter uniqueness of aura within a
representation of someone elses
perspective. The aura created by the
intensive creativity of such talented
individual is fascinating, which
reawakens the quality of how
imagination can still create a feeling
of lust into reality. They create
individual pathways for everyone
through a single form of artwork. This
possibility is spectacular since we can
all interpret different perspectives and
this can be share to an extent. The


great thing art does is that it combines
human chemistry for understanding.
The understanding of who we really
are for example.
Exploration brings and creates ideas
within our minds by consolidating our
aspect of thinking and behavior. The
auras intention is to idealistically
define what we desire for and what
are our motives to intentionally seek
answers. The perspective from
authentic aura shows us how
unpredictable situation can become,
making us identify ideas on how the
decision we make can affect our lives.
The opportunity of making such
vague choices in life can permanently
cause pain and sorrow, but being able
to overcome the conflict builds
character and confidence that will
help one prepare for better
circumstances for their future. Aura
can be reawakened when approaching
a different form of beauty, so
authenticity of aura does not
necessarily disappear.
Since mystification can conceal any
kind of aura through mechanical
reproduction now, human perception
is hidden. The production of
reproducing works of art only interest
markets to gain profits. For instance
the replication of the face of Che
Guevera has become a countercultural
symbol of what he once represented.
Media has hidden the truthfulness by
making him an iconic image for
profiting purposes only, which in this
case hides dark aura which was once
manifested. Medias perspective of
aura only shows what can create
market profits by masking aura with
mystification. They prevent you to see
the other side of you that never speaks
for itself.
What media does not introduce to
their consumers is that true art
exposes everything you are afraid to
make reality; there is nothing it
cannot see since it is a reflection of
yourself. The feeling of safety
becomes fiction once expose to true
authenticity of aura. Your perspective
of meaning should be skeptical even
if it attracts aura from spectacles of
strangers. It is impossible to tell
someone that aura is a good or bad
thing, but it is okay to tell one to be
skeptical of its existence. Aura is light
that shines bright or shines when
surrounded with darkness, so
eventually you deal with its presence.






Although media does create a false
vivid image of what beauty should
mean, it does not necessarily indicate
a reason to lose hope in reaching
ambition of your introspection. Even
though we are being manipulated by
medias false spectacle of beauty,
what true authentic aura can unravel
and show an individual is that
memories and thoughts age, just as
people do, but certain thoughts can
never age, and certain memories can
never fade. The significance of aura is
then seen to reveal aspiration through
a reflective process. Aura is genuinely
remarkable in a sense were
imagination is considered a possibility
to be a desire and permanently be
reality to a persons life. Being able to
freely make decisions impacts the
solution of what will be reveal for
you. You can encounter a point where
the clarity of the writing abruptly
changes and confuses the senses.
Even so, risks the chance to create
beauty to your liking and lose
yourself in aura for moments that
seem overwhelming, but understand
your identity is one string attach too
many others. True authentic aura
opens a pathway to see everything all
at once, but do you dare wish want to
see such picture?

Benjamin, W. (19036). The Work of Art in the
Age of Mechanical Reproduction.
Retrieved Febuary 2005, from
www.marxists.org:
https://www.marxists.org/referenc
e/subject/philosophy/works/ge/b
enjamin.htm
Berger, J. (Director). (1972). Ways of Seeing
[Motion Picture].
Harper, S. (2010, June 5). Julian Casablancas
Interview. Retrieved June 5, 2010,
from http://www.clashmusic.com/:
http://www.clashmusic.com/featur
e/julian-casablancas-interview















A New Way to See
Forrest Gump
By Nikita Zaman

Photos used under Creative Commons from Misterio y
Sociedad de Aventuras Literarias, Irwin-Scott
An image of reproduction of Forrest Gump
The film Forrest Gump
really relates to Benjamins theory to
reproduction and to Bergers theory to
how your placement affects how you
experience an art. Forrest Gump is a
very well known film for its touching
story line and cinematography. The
film has a star studded cast of Tom
Hanks being (Forrest Gump). The
movie is about a witty boy named
Forrest Gump who is eventually going
to grow up during various historical
time periods. The time periods are
from 1944 to 1981. The movie has a
great depiction where Gump is a part
of the Vietnam War and he goes
through times of the Water Gate
Scandal and the Hippie Movement.
This movie has attained various
academy awards and over $667
million dollars worldwide during its
theoretical run. This movie is so
iconic that it has been reproduced in
various ways to bring pieces of the
film to everyone. As Walter
Benjamin had said in his most famous
philosophical essay Work of Art in
the Age of Mechanical
Reproduction, that reproduction will
destroy the true aura of an art in this
case a film. Even though
reproduction does distract from the
original art it does great things to
make an art more noticeable. Also in
John Bergers film Ways of Seeing he
says that the place you are in affects
your view on the art you are
witnessing. Therefore I believe
reproduction brings more attention to
an art because it can be easily
accessible and seeing an art with
different places can have an effect on
an art.
Benjamin had said in his essay
Work of Art in the Age of
Mechanical Reproduction, that
reproduction is a bad thing because


the aura or (authenticity) gets flawed.
This happens to be because now
everyone can get the art through
pictures and the internet. He says that
it destroys why the art was made and
the thought that was put into this art.
However the movie Forrest Gump has
became more famous because of
reproduction. The movies quotes
and dialogues has been made into
memes which eagers a person to
watch the movie. Iconic phrases such
as life is like a box of chocolates,
you never know what you are going to
get, are incorporated into
inspirational pictures to calm a broken
person that has lost hope. An Iconic
restaurant was made from the movie
called Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
that has branched out to different
locations. In the movie Gump meets
Bubba in the army and his dream was
to open up a shrimp restaurant where
they made different kind of shrimps
and call it Bubba Gump Shrimp
Company. Many wearable items has
Forrest Gump pictures and quotes on
them found in various stores. There
was even a scene in the film its self
where there was reproduction of
words when Gump says Shit
Happens and after that they started
making labels that said Shit
Happens.
John Bergers theory in his
film Ways of Seeing was that the
place that you are located at and the
background sounds you here all affect
which kind of affect you get from the
art. I do in fact believe it is true from
my personal experience watching the
film. It changes its significance
because it teaches the audience
different historical events which give
the film a different feel. Watching the
film in a loud place will not help you
understand the emotional concept
behind it. Being in a silenced place
will help you feel emotional and give
the film a different take then being in
a loud place which degrades the film.
This being said being in a place of
solitude really helps you connect with
the film and its message.
The first time I saw the film Forrest
Gump was in my A.P Government
class with my fellow classmates and
teacher. It was the end of the year
and we were very excited to watch a
film instead of taking an exam. The
room was dark and quiet and
everyone was really focused towards
the film being projected on a large
white screen. Even the classmates
that I knew had watched the film were
also focusing. I remember I was not
sure how the film was going to be like
because I have only heard of the


movie. I remember I was emotionally
attached to the film because I sat in
the front of the class and really felt
like I was sinking in the film. I
noticed that being in a classroom
setting and watching the film by
myself was different.
I personally watched the film four
times in different places and different
times of the day. The second time I
watched it was at my house with my
family, one time at a friends house
and the last time was alone at night
with all the lights off. Being at my
house and watching the film wasnt
the same because I held back my
emotions and I had to explain to them
the historical context and emotional
backgrounds. The third time around
while I was at my friends house the
movie seemed to be different because
my friends would talk and give out
spoilers. The environment was noisy
and I found myself to lose track of the
film. Finally the last time I watched it
was when I was alone in my room and
I noticed that I analyzed the film
better than the first time that I
watched the film in class. I remember
looking up all the historical context
the film had to offer because I was
curious about what had happened in
those events specifically so it gave me
more knowledge. Being alone gives
you a chance to reflect all the
emotional qualities this film had
whereas being with more people
would impact your emotional
reaction. This experience I had links
to what Benjamin said.
As for the background noise as
Berger says it is there in that way to
manipulate the audience. The sounds
in the background are there to
enhance the audience and make them
react in a certain way. For example
when I was watching the film I caught
myself tearing up at the sad scenes
more because there was sad music
playing in the background. This
would change if there was no music
or some upbeat kind of music.
Because the sad scene was paired up
with the sad music it gave the general
audience notion of it is time to be sad
now. When Gump was in the army
most of the scenes had sounds of gun
shots and trumpet sounds which made
the scenes more realistic. If there
were only gun shots the scene would
have a repetitive feel which was
cancelled out with the music. The
sounds do distract from an art because
Berger suggests that art should be
witnessed in silence, however if this
was the case for Forrest Gump it
would change the whole making of
the film.


In Benjamins article he states
that the artistic performance of a
stage actor is definitely presented to
the public by the actor in person; that
of the screen actor, however, is
presented by a camera, with a twofold
consequence. With Benjamins
article he talks about how the camera
makes the actor and how he can be
portrayed how the camera portrays
him. It is very true as you see how
the camera zooms into the actors face
in this case it was Tom Hanks who
was portrayed as Forrest Gump a
witty boy turned into an easily
gullible adult. The camera always
came in contact with him from every
angle. For example he was seen alone
sitting on a bench in the beginning of
the film holding a box of chocolates.
The camera framed his emotions to
how he was supposed to come out.
Tom Hank is portrayed by the camera
and the directors vision but he has a
way of not making that seem on
screen. The actor and the camera have
the most important relationship when
making a film.
I believe reproduction has changed
the way we see Forrest Gump but it is
for a greater good. Some people may
not have seen the film but they are
familiar with it because of all of the
phrases that are associated with the
film. This curiosity promotes people
to see the film and finally understand
what they have seen as of reproduced
items. As Benjamin says in his theory
that reproduction can harm the
original art but in this case it advances
production and fame. Reproduction
allows a person to witness something
close to them easily without having to
travel or miss an opportunity to see an
art. As for Bergers theory
background noises and the location
where I watched the film did affect
my perspectives and emotions.
Works Cited
Benjamin, W. (19036). The Work of Art in the
Age of Mechanical Reproduction.
Retrieved Febuary 2005, from
www.marxists.org:
https://www.marxists.org/referenc
e/subject/philosophy/works/ge/b
enjamin.htm
Berger, J. (Director). (1972). Ways of Seeing
[Motion Picture].








The Aztec Calendar
By Raul Leal

Picture of Aztec Calendar.

A piece of art has many meanings
behind itself. A sculpture has a story
or a message behind it. It is made
from an idea or based on one.
Benjamin idea that an image loses its
aura because of mass production is
now seen in almost every piece of art
or sculpture. The work that I am
referring to is the work from
Benjamin in the article Work of Art
in the Age of Mechanical
Reproduction that stated that aura
will never be the same as when you
first see the object in its original
place. The Aztec calendar is one of
the most important sculpture pieces of
art. The Aura of the Aztec has been
altered because of mass reproduction.
The Aztec calendar when it was
created it was something so important
to an entire civilization it had a
purpose. The Aztec sculpture known
as the Aztec calendar lost its original
meaning as the passed and the
meaning changed because people
started seeing as just an image that
would appear in varies places.
The Aztec calendar was said to be
created around 1479. The Aztec
calendar was naturally dedicated to
the sun god. The carving is reported
to be three feet thick and to be almost
twelve feet across, the sculpture itself
weights almost twenty five tons. The
material that the sculpture was carved
from solidified lava this material was
common to the Aztec because they
were surrounded by Volcanos. The
sculpture was created for various
reasons according researcher. The
most commonly known to people
would be is to keep count of the days
and keep track of time this was also
dedicated to the sun god as a sacred
sculpture to the Aztec it had two parts
to it one that represented the 365 days
that are in one year and it also had a
rituals cycle that consisted of 260
days when the two cycles where put
together they would form 52 years.
The Aztec considerably it an
agricultural calendar since they based


it on the sun so the Aztec sculpture
pretty much consisted of two
calendars are from the xiucpohawli
and the tonlpohvalli. The one that we
are more familiar with would be the
calendar from the xiuhpohavli
because that is our current system.
The Mayas also adopted the calendar
of the Aztecs many scientists believed
that the calendar was so advanced for
its time that they questioned how they
actually got the information to create
the actual calendar. The calendar was
so sophisticated that it would actually
tell you the dates that there would be
a full moon and a solar eclipse people
were so fascinated by this because
they were advanced for their time.
Even though the Mayan and Aztec are
the same the big difference is the
writing used the Mayan calendar was
easier to decipher and it made it easier
to ready the calendar is information
from many other calendars and other
things that make up the actual
calendar. The center of the stone has
the face that represents Tonatiuh the
sun god.
It is said that when the two calendars
would align that it would bring
disaster to the world. The Aztec
believed that a festival was needed to
prevent any disaster from happening
they would call this festival the New
Fire Festival many say that the actual
stone itself was a sacrificial alters.
There are many stories but no one
really knows. In 2012 the Aztec
calendar had finished its cycle and
many people believed that that would
be the end of the world but as you can
see it really was not. This meant that
it was only a new beginning and a
new era people miss translated the
message and they jumped into
conclusions. Many people believed
these accusations because the fact the
Aztec calendar. The calendar itself is
also the same as the Mayan calendar
they both use the same calendar so
ultimately they did similar rituals
when an era would end there were
many ritual sacrifices because they
believed that would make the Sun god
happy.
Walter Benjamin way to see art and
how an object changes it Aura has so
much truth behind it because a
painting, sculpture or a simple object
changes because of the simple fact
that the location has changed. The
way you first intimate an object also
had to do what your knowledge is.
The paints or object make the Aura
change because it comes mass
productions yes the object might
become more popular and well known
but the meaning of that object


changes because the setting are
different then when the object was
first made. This occurred with the
Aztec calendar when the image was
mass produced and you see it in so
many places the object itself lost its
aura because of the mass
reproduction. This was made easy
because of the invention of the
camera now a days you see the image
of the Aztec calendar in books, t-
shirts, and may after things started to
become more of a hit. The sculpture
meaning was lost now people view as
a piece of art without really knowing
the meaning behind the object and
how it was so important to an entire
civilization. An entire meaning of an
object can be altered because of this
fact. Benjamin says that a duplicate is
not as special as the original. As he
also stated that you couldnt
reduplicated aura. As well as you
could not relive that first experience
and make it the same.
The aura of a painting or object will
change because it is never the same as
to when you first see the image the
best experience you will have is when
you view the image in person instead
of seeing it in a photograph or any
other place instead of the original
setting and time of the creation. The
location of the object tells a whole
story by its own for example if the
picture was taken during was and in
the actual war the aura will be
completely different then when you
see it in a photograph will be different
you will never have the same feeling
that the actual person that took that
image did. The aura of an object is so
unique and cannot be redone it is
pretty much a one-time thing. The
aura of in image changed but
sometimes it is not a bad thing
because the more an image or object
is seen it can be better understood by
many but a lot of times that isnt the
case when an object is mass
reproduced or photographed it loses
its aura because that photograph will
be in a completely different setting as
to where the original object was in.
The image of the calendar was
adopted by cultures such as the
modern Mexicans/Chicano to
represent them. The image has also
been used as a symbol of art. Objects
change meaning after time because
they are analyzed in depth but the
aura will never be the same because a
lot of things change, yes in my
opinion an objects aura changes no
matter what in a way the only person
that has that true feeling is the creator
it is something so unique.


Like the Aztec calendar many other
important images and objects have
lost their meaning and the aura is not
the same. As Benjamin stated in his
article an aura can never be replicated
as an original image is not the same as
a replica. The Aztec calendar has
changed in time because it has been
adopted by many people and used in
different ways but the meaning behind
it has changed and it doesnt
represent what it represented in its
time the aura isnt the same it is now
seen as a piece of art because of time.
This not only happens to objects and
painting this can also be applied to
many other things as life events and in
history because its not the same
experiencing it then when someone
tells you about the event. In
conclusion aura is the most unique
thing in an image or an object it
cannot be replicated.






Take it Any Way You
Want
Written by: Kristen Santos

Sometimes everyone just needs to
take some time off in the middle of
his or her day and tune the rest of the
world out. And with the help of
technology recently, this has become
a lot simpler to do. Thanks to the
inventions of portable music devices,
people everywhere can now just stick
their earphones in, blast their music,
and ignore everyone and everything
around them. And isnt it crazy to
think everyone creates their own
special meaning of a song when they
listen to it? If we were to choose just
one song in the world right now and
Music Video Set of Stay Together For the Kids


ask everyone in the world what that
song meant to them, there would be
no two exact same answers. In other
words, because everyone is so unique
in their own way, and because no two
people have lived perfectly similar
lives, and because all of us have
experienced pain, heartbreak, death,
love, depression, anxiety, joy, fear,
etc. in different manners, no two
people can interpret a song the same
exact way.
The particular song I have
chosen is called Stay Together for
the Kids by Blink-182. Its a song
they released in 2002 and, just
judging by the title, one can presume
it is about divorce. The lead singer of
the band, Tom DeLonge, wrote it in
his car when he was 16 after his
parents told him they were divorcing.
The lyrics describe the pain and
abandonment he felt after. He states
if this is what he wants, and its what
she wants, then whys there so much
pain? 20 years now lost, its not
right. Many, because it is very
straightforwardly about divorce, can
relate to this song itself, but everyone
that listens to this song has a different
story and most likely translates it in a
completely different manner. Also,
different modes of reproduction of the
song affects its meaning. Listening to
this song in the car after your parents
just announced that theyre going to
get divorced in comparison to seeing
and hearing this song be performed by
the band itself can erupt new layers of
meaning.

In John Bergers video Ways to
Seeing, he explains that how we react
to everything we see around us
depends on a number of factors.
Environment, for example, is key to
how one may experience a particular
situation. For example, as for Stay
Together for the Kids, if one were to
listen to this song in their car, after
learning their parents are divorcing, it
would hit home a lot more. Imagine a
16-year-old kid driving around late at
night. In an attempt to keep their mind
off the separation, theyd focus on
nothing but driving. But in that
moment, when this particular song
starts playing on the radio, the lyrics
start drilling into their head, like never
before. And suddenly Stay Together
for the Kids became more than just
another Blink-182 song. Given the
circumstances and the perspective
from which this song was being
listened to, it became much more than
that because they are able to relate to
and understand this song in the
context of your own life (John


Berger). Thats what John Berger
explains in his video. The
environment and the given situation
change everything. When one is able
to actually apply a certain song into
their own life experiences, it becomes
so much more significant. For
example, when one is able to relate
Bible passages into the context of
their own present life, their faith in
God becomes stronger. In other
words, their faith in God becomes
much more significant. Songs play the
same role in our lives as well.

While listening to the song plays a
large role in understanding its
meaning, the music video actually
helps as well. The video has
subliminal messages that it hopes to
carry out to its viewers. It starts out
with a quote stating, 50% of all
American households are destroyed
by divorce. Then while the music
begins playing, you see a clearly
already damaged home, boarded up,
vandalized, abandoned. Inside are the
band, and many punk rock-ish
teenagers surrounding them. The fact
that the house is in bad condition is to
show that, although the divorce hasnt
even happened yet, its already
broken. Then a wrecking ball comes
flying in during the chorus, which
starts to destroy the house. This is the
most important. The wrecking ball
stands for divorce, and its knocking
down the house because they (the
parents) are breaking the whole house
apart by doing this, which is also
affecting the people inside (the kids).
Then the kids in the home, when the
wrecking ball is coming through, are
jumping around, kicking and pushing
the walls. At this point, its showing
that the kids are so mad at everything
that theyre trying to knock the house
down too because they feel like its
their fault that this is happening.
Watching the video has a
greater effect than just listening to the
song. It showcases the subliminal
messages of the already powerful
lyrics. If one were to watch this video
before listening to the song itself, it
would only create a different layer of
meaning than if one were to just
download the song and listen to it.
Being able to watch a video of the
lead singer, who actually wrote this
entire song himself, and really hear it
and see the pain in his eyes and face is
what makes this video that much
more significant. The fact that one can
watch this and be able to say he went
through what Im going through right
now. If he can make it, so can I.
Also, the wrecking ball that comes


crashing through the home is such a
strong message being sent in this
video. The band members want their
fans to know that they themselves
know what its like to feel like your
world is crashing down. They
understand what it feels like when
your home is breaking apart and you
cant do anything about it but watch.
Watching the video, although its
mostly of a house being torn apart by
a wrecking ball, actually gives a sense
of comfort in the end, and thats
something that one cannot actually
receive from listening to just the song.

On the other hand, if one were to go
see Blink-182 in actual live concert,
the experience would be so much
more different: a lot more intense, as
well as a lot more inspirational, given
the fact that its live. The focus at that
moment would not only be on the
music and lyrics, but also on the band
members themselves, their
performance, the adrenaline, the
emotions, etc. When one finally gets
to see and hear this emotional song
get performed by the actual band,
after listening and having cried to it
over a million times in solace, its a
feeling one cannot obtain from
listening through earphones or
watching the video on a computer
screen. Its unexplainable. The
stimulating environment, at this point,
plays such a large role in creating an
emotional effect on every individual
watching them.

Ultimately, the various modes of
reproduction of Stay Together for the
Kidslistening to it in the car,
watching the music video, or
attending a live concert and actually
seeing them performall produce
different reactions. The emotions and
mindsets in all the circumstances
vary. And while it may be the same
song, by the same band, the manner in
which it is being displayed is what
sets it apart from everything else. The
influence it has on the individual and
the emotions they get all depend on
whom they are and what they are
going through at that moment in time.
It is all very circumstantial because
we all so beautifully unique, like
snowflakes in the winter. What we
have experienced in our entire lives,
no one else can completely and
perfectly relate. Thats why its
important to know we are more
significant than we think.
Benjamin, W. (19036). The Work of Art in the
Age of Mechanical Reproduction.


Retrieved Febuary 2005, from
www.marxists.org:
https://www.marxists.org/referenc
e/subject/philosophy/works/ge/b
enjamin.htm
Berger, J. (Director). (1972). Ways of Seeing
[Motion Picture].
Harper, S. (2010, June 5). Julian Casablancas
Interview. Retrieved June 5, 2010,
from http://www.clashmusic.com/:
http://www.clashmusic.com/featur
e/julian-casablancas-interview


Exposing Beauty Through
Emotional Power
By Pedro Jimenez

Picture taken by Pedro Jimenez.

I wandered around Los Angeles for
hours looking for some kind of art
which can create a sense of liveliness
to my day. I walked from the fashion
District to Pershing Square; as well to
the Art District. Even though I was
feeling lost while walking around
several blocks over and over again, I
was not really sure what I was going
to run into, but I found it really
strange that I decided to find this
random sculpture by the Museum of
Contemporary Art. I did run into other
art pieces but for some reason I let the
anonymous signal lights guide my
way. They had led me to this random
abstract modern art sculpture known
as Chas Stainless Steel, Mark
Thompsons Airplane Parts, About
1000 Pounds of Stainless Steel Wire
made by Nancy Rubins. For some
strange reason I was fascinated by the
appearance of the sculpture because it
looked abstract. I found it ironic how
something like a modern sculpture
could represent an abstract scene, but
that was the thrill of approaching it.
I approached this strange sculpture of
airplane parts respectably by shutting
off my music and trying to learn its
story. Well I could not find any label
of what it represents at first, but I then
instantly realized I had to create my
own original story. I was surprised
because I rarely see sculptures that
make me create a meaning for them.
Realizing why it was so effectively


abstract I let my feelings and
imagination create meaning. Even
though I do have a difficult time
translating art into my perspective, I
still tried my best to get an
understanding of its representation.
I have this weird phobia when
approaching art. The reason is
because I really do not like reflecting
on myself and that is one principle art
can do, especially if the aura of the art
piece can easily create a connection
between itself and the beholder. Even
though I dislike reflection through art
work, I enjoy how it exposes
everything you forget or are afraid to
remind yourself about. I slowly
observed the sculpture from different
angles and distances. I did not feel the
urge to run away at first because it did
not pose a threat to me from a
distance, but as I slowly get closer I
feel this chill wave of air strangling
my lungs. As I step closer I became
really anxious and a rush of negativity
hit me all at once.
I found myself in an awkward
surrounding since I was all alone. I
glanced at the artwork while the sun
slowly grows tired of shining and I
realized it seemed as if it was alone as
well. Everything around it seemed
marvelous accept the sculpture itself.
I almost felt bad that this sculpture
seemed to be out of place. Even
though I started feeling guilt for the
sculpture, it made me realize how we
were not so different. The memories I
conjured up while standing all alone
with it in view were the moments
when I would wander around in the
streets alone when I was at my lowest
point. As I stood there, I had lost the
feeling of satisfaction towards
everything at one point; almost as if I
was lifeless. Eventually I had this
repulsive feeling that made my insides
become twisted by my emotions. I
looked at where it was place. I
realized that even though it is made
out of junk of airplane scraps, it was
able to create a spectacular
representation that not everything
needs to be created with beauty. I
realized if I was able to create this
meaning after being there for about
twenty minutes, I wondered what else
I could discover.
When I tried to understand the aura of
this massive sculpture, I was unaware
of how to approach it. First of all I
was astonished that this sculpture
would be place here, it is almost as if
it was just place here because there
was no place to put it. I slowly
realized a possibility why this spot
was selected for this art work. The
nonsymmetrical art worked was


meant as a reminder about how
anything can be valuable and how it
did not necessarily need to be
glamorous. Eventually all the
negativity I was feeling earlier
disappeared once I realized its hidden
beauty. I decided to take a closer look
and walk right under it. Everything
changed once I decided to be under
the suspend scrap parts. I randomly
smiled at how this awkward sculpture
defied gravity. I was able to explore
the inside details of the sculpture and
I saw the authenticity. Even though it
is made out of random scraps of
scattered airplane parts, the creativity
can be genuinely acknowledged once
you enter a perspective of hypnosis
that feels wonderful to reminisce in.








"Earth Memories"
By Nikita Zarman

High School Mural at Belmont High.

One day I went to Belmont
High School to give a test for the
ACT exam. Which was about a year
ago before I started college and I
remember seeing a huge mural
painted across the high school. I
didn't get to see what was painted on,
clearly because I was in a rush but I
remember seeing a lot of teal colors. I
wanted to revisit this site to see what
the mural symbolized this spring
break. It is a mural name Earth
Memories and the artist is Eva
Cockcroft. The mural portrays the
evolution timeline from the formation
of planets, early mammals, and the


people of today. The mural took up a
whole street which was interesting to
look at because it makes you think for
a while how everything began and
how advanced we are now. From the
time where only dinosaurs existed to
now where there is pollution
everywhere. It makes you think if the
world has changed in a positive way
or not.
The mural was in the Belmont
area painted right on the high school
on a steep hill. It was a bit sunny and
the air felt polluted while cars were
passing by this long street. There
weren't many people passing by the
area while I was there but after school
there must be a lot of people walking
to get home. The colors of the mural
were very vibrant and there were a lot
of earthy colors matching to the
theme of the mural. As John Berger
said in his Ways of Seeing film art is
better understood in silence.
Unfortunately there was no silence in
the streets, I could hear cars honking
from miles away, cars zooming in
front of me which was distracting.
The environment was just like a busy
city where time never seemed to stop.
Looking at the mural you can
see that it was carefully thought out
and each detail tells a story. Each of
the earth layers are connected and
made into a specific time in history.
There is a section on the mural where
there are Aztecs which was a very
significant piece to history. There is
also a step by step demonstration on
how early men were formed. There
were extinct mammals, cavemen
hunting and chiseling their way into
the world. The modern people are
shown walking in a crowd all
together; it felt like they were all the
finish product of different times in the
mural. The people in the mural were
diverse from all cultures to ages. One
thing I found very interesting as I took
a look from afar was how the
volcanoes were letting out steam from
one side transformed and became
manufacturing towers giving out
pollution. They were both doing
something to harm the environment
one from its lava harming animals
other polluting the air harming
humans. Each detail gave you a
course of history and biology
together.
The aura of this mural was
original as it was painted on the wall
and is still there. The mural looks
different from different angles upon
where you are standing. If you go
really close to the painting you can
see specific details like the dust on the
wall to the small cracks that have


formed over time. As you look away
from the wall from a farther distance
those small details disappear and you
see no flaws. However above the
mural I saw there was a type of
graffiti spray painted on. This
distracted me from the mural for a bit
because I felt as if the beauty was
getting lost.
Whoever is witnessing this
mural will have flashbacks to their
middle school years when learning
about evolution and history about
Aztecs and extinct animals starting
with the Big Bang Theory. Also
stopping here will make you realize
that there was a long past that we
derived from and our advancement in
the present. It makes you wonder
about nature and how pure it used to
be and how it is now. Its a mural that
would make sense to everyone that
has learned about how this world was
formed and still kept in shape. In the
film Ways of Seeing John Berger says
that the environment can change the
meaning of an art. In this case the
mural was placed in a correct place
where the environment helps you
understand the meaning of the mural.
It helps you look at the past and
present all at once.

The Virgin Mary
By Raul Leal

Picture taken by Raul Leal.
An image can have so many
meanings depending on so many
things. The simple environment
around the image can change the
meaning of it .The picture that I
picked was a painting that was on a
wall of a local flower shop. It is an
image that pops out on you when I


was there it is a regular street and
theres barber shop next to it and
other small shops that image is
important because it is a religious
image it is an image of the virgin
Mary an important god in my religion.
When I was there where the image is
located it is next to a really busy main
street many cars and people walk by
that image there are other images
around that image but they all have
graffiti on them and the only image
that doesnt have anything on it is the
painting of the virgin Mary the image
makes you feel like if youre at
church or somewhere peaceful and it
is a very pleasant place to be. There is
many other images around my
neighborhood that have the Virgin
Mary and to me they all have
important meaning. The painting also
shows another important figure in the
catholic religion by the name of Juan
Diego he is paying attribute to the
Virgin Mary by bowing down and
bring flowers to her there are many
stories behind this image. This image
itself is very popular in the Catholic
regions. The Work of Art in the Age
of Mechanical Reproduction by
Walter Benjamin states that the image
changes its meaning that every image
has an Aura. An Aura is a special
meaning that an image has because of
its origin. The paintings aura changes
this is because of photography there is
a huge difference between seeing an
image on a picture or actually seeing
the image or painting in person the
surrounding of the object or image
itself defines the image if you were to
see a photograph of that same image
the meaning of that picture would be
completely different. The
surroundings of the painting, well
there wasnt much around there is
usually many people around on
Tuesdays when the street is closed so
that a market can sell fruits and other
things. The reason why I picked that
image was because it has always
caught my attention every time I
would pass around. The image dates
back to the year 1531 it is said that
Juan Diego saw the Virgin Mary on
the hill of Tepeyac near what is now
considered Mexico City. The Virgin
Mary is also known as Our Lady of
Guadalupe. It is know that the
appearance of The Virgin Mary
occurred 10 years after the Spanish
conquest of the Aztec empire. Many
Latinos call her Our Lady of
Guadalupe because of her skin color.
It is a combination between the native
and Spaniards. This image has so
many meanings to it but it is
significant to the catholic religion
because it is the first appearance of
the Virgin Mary. When the image is


viewed from a photo graph in a way it
has almost the same meaning because
it is a religious image but when your
there where the painting is actually
there it makes you feel different
because of the surrounding it is true
what it is stated in Benjamins article
that cameras make the images lose
their Aura the more it is mass
produced it loses its true definition
and what the image really means this
might apply to all of the images,
sculptures, and on and on. A religious
image might not be affected in total
by the aura because a religious image
is always going to have the same
meaning behind it because of its
origin despite this in a way it counter
argues itself because if you were to go
to where the origin of the paintings
they might have a completely
different meaning to you






Head of Christ
Written by: Kristen Santos

I was walking past different kinds of
paintings in the museum, one painting
in particular stood out the most. The
painting, called Head of Christ,
looked just like another picture of
Jesus, but the closer I got to the
painting, the more I saw the details
within the frames. The work of art I
chose to visit for this post is the
Head of Christ painting located in
the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
Correggio painted this painting
around the year 1530.
Taken at the Getty Museum in
Los Angeles, CA.


Head of Christ is hung up inside a
dark brown, 11 inches by nine inches
frame. From a distance, the painting
looks like it is blurred out by the way
it was painted. As you move closer to
the painting, you get to see the true
work from the artist. The painting is
of Jesus Christ wearing some type of
band around his head made up of
sticks intertwining with each other,
and you can see just a small amount
of his clothing, with a white
background. It is said that the reason
why this painting was painted the way
it was, was because of Jesus Christs
crucifixion. It is also said that the
reason behind Jesus Christs facial
expression is because of the
discomfort he was in and Saint
Veronica had come to comfort him.
Saint Veronica had come to help him
and wiped his face on her veil.
Because Saint Veronica had done
that, the white background represents
Saint Veronicas veil.

Looking at this painting, you are able
to see the structure that the artist put
into it. From the defined cheekbones,
to the line of the nose to the hollow of
the neck, this painting is filled with
detail. To make the painting stand out
more, the artist added shadows to
attract the viewer to look at the parts
of light in this painting.

The artist of the Head of Christ was
Correggio. Correggio, also known as
Antonio Allegri, was born in 1489 in
Correggio, Italy. He was named after
the name of his town. Correggio was
known by his way of manipulating
light and creating luminous
atmospheric effects in his religious
paintings. Most of his most
successful paintings were done during
the Italian Renaissance. At around
the age of 29, he painted inside the
dome cathedrals and these creations
served as a model for future dome
creations. Correggio died in 1534.

I have seen many different kinds of
pictures of Jesus Christ, but this one
gave me a different feeling compared
to the other ones I have seen. This
painting gave me chills every time I
looked at it. After I visited the
museum, I looked up the picture
online, and the reaction I got from
looking at it online was not the same
as looking at it in person. The
experience and feeling I got when
looking at it in person made me feel
as if I was there to experience how the


artist painted it, and it felt very
significant. Looking at it from a
screen made it feel like just like any
ordinary picture I have seen on the
Internet.
Allegri, Antonio. The Head of Christ.
1530. The Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
The J. Paul Getty Museum. Web. 12 May
2014.




The Julian Casablancas
Experience

Julian Casablancas is known as the
lead singer of the Indie alternative
rock band known as The Strokes and
also known for being a solo artist. The
band was formed in New York City in
1998, but during the next couple of
years, the members have embarked on
a variety of side projects. Julian
Casablancas is currently preparing to
release new songs with his new band
during April. Also he has informed
the public that The Strokes will be
returning in June and will perform at
the Governors Ball Festival

in New York City. The following is a
narrative of the history of the decision
of becoming a solo artist and the
status of his band The Strokes.
I put my life into The Strokes. I was
trying to pull back as much as
possible to make other people bring
songs to the band. If someone wrote a
song they would be more likely to just
put it on their own solo record than
Courtesy of Weebly.com


ever try to even bring it to the band. I
mean I have written all The Strokes
guitar solos and a lot of the stuff back
in the days.
I was pretty involved on all levels, but
for the future Strokes Im trying really
hard to pull away from maintaining
all the credibility. But anyway, this is
all stuff in the past that we have
worked out.
These are not issues anymore, Im just
taking you back three or four years
ago. We started working on songs and
people did not seem that into it at
first, and then I found out that people
were doing solo records. I decided to
tell the guys that it was not time to
collaborate just yet, so I told them,
Why dont you guys do what you got
to do?

At first I was not sure about going
into the solo career, but when I was
doing my solo record, I was like,
Okay, theres zero compromise. I
then realized that I could do whatever
I wanted to do and enjoyed doing that
a lot. I think if anything it made me
realize that I like being a solo artist
and collaborating with The Strokes.
The main thing I learned from my
experience was that whatever album I
ever want to make in the future, I
definitely want to work with live
musicians in a room to hear stuff. I try
to keep it simple. If I think its
amazing Im not going to mess with it
too much. If I listen to it honestly and
I try to put on my hardest critic hat
and it does not like blow me away, I
try ways to make the music sound
better. I think if youre happy with the
music thats the main thing and the
creative thing you do with it is more
of a fun way to communicate with
fans. Like everything in music that I
do, I can relate to when I was a kid or
when I was a music fan.

Benjamin, W. (19036). The Work of Art in the
Age of Mechanical Reproduction.
Retrieved Febuary 2005, from
www.marxists.org:
https://www.marxists.org/referenc
e/subject/philosophy/works/ge/b
enjamin.htm
Berger, J. (Director). (1972). Ways of Seeing
[Motion Picture].
Harper, S. (2010, June 5). Julian Casablancas
Interview. Retrieved June 5, 2010,
from http://www.clashmusic.com/:
http://www.clashmusic.com/featur
e/julian-casablancas-interview



The Taj Mahal and My
Grandmother : Interview
By Nikita Zaman

Photos used under Creative Commons from nurpax, jscoke
The Taj Mahal located in Agra, India
This is a post of an interview I had
with my grandmother about the Taj
Mahal sculpture. I used this interview
to guide me to do my long form essay.

About two days ago I called my
grandmother all the way across the
country in Bangladesh to ask her
questions about her beloved Taj
Mahal gift. This gift was given to her
by my grandfather who had loved her
dearly and it is a special part of her
life. It is a mini replica of the original
Taj Mahal which is one of the Seven
Wonders of the World. I chose to
interview her because she is still alive
and has the deepest memory of the
Taj Mahal. I asked her all the
questions in Bengali but will translate
it in English.
What does the Taj Mahal mean to
you?
The Taj Mahal means a part of your
grandfather still alive. After he
passed away that was a symbol that
would remind me of our love and all
the happy years we spent together.
Where did my grandfather get the Taj
Mahal from?
He got it from India in Agra where
the real Taj Mahal is.
Why did he get the small version of
the Tah Mahal for you ?
He got the Small version of the Taj
Mahal for me because he couldnt get
the real thing for me. Even though it
was not the real thing he thought it
was. When he was giving it to me he
said here you go Rani Saheba
which means the Queen I bring my
love to you that Shah Jahan brought to
his love. Your grandfather was a
history major and that was one of his
favorite stories from history.
How many years ago did he give you
this Taj Mahal?
He gave me the Taj Mahal one year


before he died so It was very precious
to me.
When my grandfather died how you
did feel and how did the Taj Mahal
make you feel?When your
grandfather died my world had
stopped. I worried about what would
happen to me and my children he was
the only support I had. I was worried
for my youngest daughter who wasnt
married yet because back in the day it
was hard for girls without a father to
get married. I wondered how I would
live without him. The Taj Mahal
helped me but it made me really sad.
Even night I would write letters to
your grandfather why he left me and I
would write them in front of the Taj
Mahal. This Taj mahal holds a lot of
happy memories and one of the
hardest and sad moments of my life.
Why did you decide to give this
precious symbol of your husband to
your daughter?
I decided to give it to your mother
because she wanted to take a piece of
her father with her back to America
because she didnt have any memories
of him expect of pictures.
How do you feel about the fact that
you may never see the Taj Mahal
again?
I dont feel bad because I know it is in
a safe place with you guys and I know
you are taking good care of it. It
holds a special place in my heart but it
also gives me pain. IIt isnt parting
away from me but it makes my life a
little easier.
Did you ever want to take it back
from my mother?
No I never wanted to take it away
from your mother because I was
happy to give it to her.
Do you still think about the Taj
Mahal?
Yes I do but since its not in front of
me I sometimes dont remember but
its not a bad thing because it is the
sad moments that I forget.
What is the miniature Taj Mahal
made of?
It was made of Sheth stone it is a
smooth white stone.








My Parents
By Raul Leal

Courtesy of Weebly.com

The reason why I decided to interview
my parents was because they have
been through so much they are the
ones that raised me and thank to them
I had the chance to do so many things
because of them and had the chance
to attend college because of them.
I had a great chance to be part of a
great soccer team thanks to parents
they provided me with everything
they could possibly give me. My
father is hard working man that tries
his best to maintain us and my mother
is a stay home mother that takes care
of us they have both worked hard to
provide not just me but my brothers
with what they can. My fathers name
is Raul Leal and my mothers name
Maria Rojas they are both originally
from Mexico even though they were
born in different parts of Mexico.
They met here is Los Angeles after
dating for a year I was born and they
got married soon after that. I am
fortunate to have them as parents
because if it wasnt for them I
wouldnt have had the chance to not
only play soccer but a chance to be
part of my dream team Club America.
I have always wondered about my
parents child hood so I have asked
them a couple of questions for my
interview.
The first couple of questions will be
for my Father. What was your child
hood like did you have struggles as a
child? My child hood was like any
normal kids life I grew up as the
second oldest child my family was big
the only struggle that I really had as a
child was that my family didnt have
much money to support us my father
was a farmer and at the time he was


the only one working. Did you finish
school if you didnt what grade did
you finish up to? I went all the way up
to 9th grade in high school and it
wasnt because I couldnt finish it I
had the chance to finish my parents
encouraged me all the time to keep
going but I didnt like going to school
so I had made a decision to leave
school and help my father with the
expenses. Did you like the job that
you got when you left high school?
Well I loved it I loved being in the
field and being around my dad he
taught me everything there was to
know about the field I loved working
at the fields and it was better than
being in school something I didnt
like. Do you regret leaving school? I
dont, why well because at the time I
helped out my family a lot and it also
opened the way for me to migrate to
the United States. Do you think it
would have been different if you
would of stayed in school do you
think you would of stayed in Mexico
if you were in school?
I really believe that I would have still
been in Mexico if I would have stayed
in Mexico I would of most likely
finished career. Lastly do you regret
your past did you wish for a different
future? I dont regret anything I am
proud of what I have done I know that
I am giving it my best and I wouldnt
of changed anything about my life
now I have a great family and thats
all that is important. Now to ask my
mother a couple of questions how
would you describe yourself? Well
you know how I am, I am a very
outgoing person and I am straight
forward with you and if I dont like
something I tell you. Was your family
untied when you were young? Yes my
family was really untied even though
we had some differences between
each other but as a family we always
had each others back. What was it
like to watch me practice every day?
Well you know Im not a big fanatic
of soccer but as long as it made you
happy and you werent doing
something else that was bad for you I
didnt mind it at all This is for both of
my parents Did I in a way disappoint
you because I didnt accomplish what
I wanted in soccer? My mothers
response, you didnt at all because
you give it your best and it is
something you like to do not
everything in life comes at you easy
My Fathers response, Not at all I
mean no matter how much money in
time we spent as long you were happy
that was all that mattered to us and we
wouldnt of changed for any reason.


Interview with the Most
Influential Person in My
Life
Written by: Kristen Santos

Some teenagers dont know what they
want to become when they get older.
I did not know what I wanted to
become when I entered college, and I
felt that it was a waste of my time and
my parents money to be going to
school when I did not know what I
was going to school for. My father
helped me along the way and told me
that I should always be positive and
keep myself motivated for my future.

My dad did not know what I was
doing when I first asked him if he
could be a part of my interview. The
look on his face was confusing yet
hopeful that what I was doing was
something to benefit myself. I started
off and asked him how he felt about
me interviewing him. He answered,
Scared because I dont know what
kind of questions you are going to ask
me. I asked my father a couple of
questions about himself and his
teenage years. What did you study
during the time you were in college?
I asked. Zoology, but I quickly
changed my major to architecture
once I realized it was not the right
major for me, he answered. In
between questions, we would pause
and talk about anything else besides
what we were actually talking about
in the interview. I asked him, What
led you to the jobs you had before you
started your own company? My dad
said, Well, really it was all about
which job paid well enough to keep
you guys (my family and I) on track.
I did not think about what the job
required me to do, but how well it
would provide for my family.
Although he did not enjoy the jobs he
had before entering the Limousine
service, my father was motivated to
work somewhere he did not like
because of my family. Because of us,
he sacrificed himself to give us what
we needed. Do you regret dropping
out of college and not getting the
degree youve always wanted? I
asked. No because if it werent for
dropping out, I would not have been
able to start my own company with
limousines, he said. How did you
finally realize that driving limousines
was what you wanted to do for the
rest of your life as an occupation?
After being with different limousine
companies, I became very familiar
with streets and places around the


cities I would take customers and
driving to these places were very
interesting to me. I would go to
places that Ive never been before and
I would be able to drive customers to
events like the Grammys, and the
Academy Awards and I would be able
to see celebrities and it is something
that I enjoy doing and I see myself
doing this for a very long time. My
father answered. My dad spoke like
he was being aired on television.
Coming down to the last question, I
asked him, Are you happy with how
your life turned out so far, and are
there any last words of advice you
have for me? He answered, Yes, I
am very pleased with the way things
worked out. My advice for you is to
be patient and positive. Change your
major as many times as you want until
you find the perfect one for you.
Always reach for the stars.
Santos, Michael C. "Interview With the
Most Influential Person in My Life."
Personal interview. 1 Mar. 2014.


The Ever Shifting Sound
of Daily Life in The Plaza
Mexico
By Pedro Jimenez

The Plaza Mexico. Courtesy of
experiencela.com

I am sitting on a chair made out of
bronze by the balcony and I feel so
relaxed at this moment. The cool
breeze blows swiftly across my face
and the music echoing in this area is
so tranquil. I recognize the song that
is being played. It is La Bamba by
Richie Valens and it is coming from a
stage that was set in the plaza square.
As I examine the stage, I instantly
here a shriek of a young boy
screaming with excitement. I glance
around and find him bungee jumping.
I did not even notice there was a


bungee jump set up right next to the
stage. I envy the little boy because it
was only meant for young children.
Anyways, I decide to close my eyes
and just listen to my surroundings. I
hear the constant motion of footsteps
moving back and forth in a
syncopation movement. Some are
louder than others, but only because
some pass by me and others walk off
in the distance. I start to feel paranoid
because it never stops for a second,
the movement of people walking. I
decide to open my eyes once more
and to my surprise the balcony is
infested with many people. Majority
of the people here are Latinos and are
just with family having a good time
together. I decide to get up and look
down at the balcony for a while. All I
see is the constant movement of
people and it seems endless. They
sound like flowing water through a
river. Across from me I see people
eating some tacos under the protection
of a blue umbrella from the sunlight.
Those tacos look like they are
satisfying them, because every bite
seems to make their eyes lit with
gleaming smiles. After a while, I
decide to look at the palm trees in
front of me. They are moving in a
unison movement under the command
of the wind. It seems as if the wind is
following the rhythm of the music
being played in the plaza square.
Suddenly, I see a plane fly over my
head. Even though the plane is a
thousand miles up in the air, it passed
so quickly that it shifted an aroma of
tacos my way. The smell melts my
brain as I devour its scent with my
lungs. All of a sudden, I hear a sudden
BANG! Everyone suddenly looks
around frighten. My first reaction is
that it is a ferocious gunshot, but it is
only a young boy popping fireworks
nearby. This brings me to ease and
return to examine my surroundings. I
never noticed how nicely shaped the
trees are here in the plaza. They shine
bright green and its as if I can see the
production of photosynthesis
accruing. After a while, the sun starts
to drop over the horizon and it
becomes chilly outside. Everyone
starts to rush out of the cold and into
their cars. I am still standing here in
this chill wave of air as I see many
cars leave the parking lot into the
main street outside. Suddenly I feel all
alone up here, but out of the nowhere
I hear this little boy screaming Hey
constantly. His cry makes me feel
awkward, like if its a sign that I
should leave, but I decide to stay a bit
longer. At this moment I take a deep
breath and listen to my surroundings.
I realize that everything is starting to
repeat itself once more. I questioned


why we never notice our daily
routines. They happen constantly and
how is it that we do not notice them
being played over and over again. At
this point I had enough of thinking
about life in general and decide to go
home.














Pub Sports Grill
By Nikita Zaman

The Pub Sports Grill at CSUN.

I am currently at the Pub Sports
Grill in CSUN it is around 11:30 in
the afternoon on Thursday. Its a
cold day but the heat and steam
from the cooking from the kitchen
is making this place feel cozy and
comfortable. Im sitting on a table
with two benches on each side.
The room is filled with chit chat
and just murmuring sounds.
Each of these benches are
cushioned which makes me feel
like I can sit here for hours. There
are students in line to grab a quick
lunch before they head to class.


There are also some students
hanging out watching the sports
channel that is displayed on a big
projector screen. There are boys
looking at the game seriously and
there are some that are not
surprised. You can see some of
the people are on different sides of
the game.
There is a girl sitting at the table
across me with her lunch which
appears to be like salad. She is on
her phone and shes taking
pictures of the book she has on her
table. Suddenly another girl
approaches her with her lunch
and sits down. They start chit
chatting. On the other side of me
there are about three rows of
tables that arent benches they are
high bar tables. Those tables
directly face the projector with
dim lights all above the tables.
Underneath the projector there is a
stage that is there for
performances.

There are bells ringing letting the
customers know that their food is
ready. The smell of burgers, fries,
and chicken tenders fill this whole
place making me feel hungry. I
quickly go and order chicken
tenders and fries. Everything here
is served really fast and they have
a variety of sauces everywhere
where people are helping
themselves to. They keep on
getting up to get more and then
come back finish their food and
leave. Across the whole room at
the end of this place a man is
sitting all by himself. He is
constantly looking at his silver
watch making it seem like he is
waiting for someone. All this time
he hasnt grabbed my attention
but I realize that he has been here
for a while. He has food in front
of him but it hasnt been touched.
He waits for another ten minutes
then grabs his belongings and
food and walks away still looking
at his watch. As soon as he gets
up a couple grab the seats and
start eating. They are both
enjoying their food and laughing.
Two tables next to them there is
another couple who seem to be
doing the same thing but the girls
pants is what makes her stand out
they are a bright red color. The
couple starts to quiet down


because they realized they were
getting too loud. As the time
passes by more people leave and
new people come they are all
different. The groups of friends
that come in are all from different
ethnicities mingling together.
Coming to this place makes me
feel the college vibe. Its a place
you can come to and relax and
have fun with your friends.












Club America Field
By Raul Leal

Picture taken by my family.

I am nervous my hands are shaking
as I am wrapping the tape around my
ankles I look around thinking in my
head what the end results will be.
There are three team mates next to me
getting ready for an event that will
stay with them forever as they put
their cleats they whisper I hear them
say we better win I look at them as we
sit in the bench getting ready to play
against the best team we had ever
faced the wind was blowing the air
got me nervous the view we had made
us feel like we were the actual players
from that club we only had that
chance as we continued to get ready
we could see men in the distance


wearing gray uniforms as they got
closer we saw them wearing some
kind of gear in their back but as soon
as they started spraying the field i
figured out what they had in their
back they had equipment to paint the
soccer field I had never seen a field so
beautiful so green the grass was cut to
perfection I could see the water drops
still on the grass as it had been
recently watered thousands of the
clubs star players signs and pictures
were around the soccer field there
were like latterly more than thirty
trees around the field they were all
painted from the trunk white. We only
had a couple of seats where we could
sit to get ready as I looked to my left
my other team mates were sitting in
the floor they got their uniforms wet
because of the wet field latterly ten
minutes passed by and as I finished
getting ready we were called up my
the head coach and he told us to start
warming up the field as I stepped on it
felt so good and it felt so fresh to be
on it all I would see was the clubs
logo thousands of kids trying out for
the club right next to the field was
another field where the first team
played where they worked day after
day to see results after each game and
right in front of the field was a
beautiful white building that consisted
of not only an indoor soccer field but
it also had a second floor that had a
beautiful gym next to that there was
construction going on thousands of
bricks where laying down waiting to
be built into a building that would be
the dorms that would keep that
players that came from far to try out
the field in my opinion was the best
field out there to me it was like
playing in their stadium the home
team had a luxurious bench with
leather seats and great comfort as time
passed the game came and we tied the
field was amazing to play in even
though that was a couple of years ago
its in my head like as if it was
yesterday that field was the best to
play soccer It was an amazing place
that will never be forgotten that was
the ethnography that I have chosen it
was the soccer field of Club America.











Starbucks Atmosphere
Written by: Kristen Santos

Its 3 oclock in the afternoon and I
find myself in one of the most
common coffee shops in the United
States. Starbucks. As I walk towards
the doors, I see people walking out
with cups that have the green logo of
the woman with long hair, and a straw
sticking out of the top in their hands.
The workers greet me Welcome to
Starbucks as soon as I step inside. I
chose to do my ethnography on
Starbucks because it is the place I am
at the most.

I make my way to an open table near
an outlet to plug my laptop in. I sit
down directly across the counter
where the cashiers are. As I start up
my laptop, I quickly notice Starbucks
specialty, which is their macchiato
with three different kinds of flavors.
It is pinned up on their menu in huge
letters written in chalk, and a picture
of the actual drink itself. All along
the wall is the rest of the menu, which
is organized by the kinds of drinks
they have. Behind their menu are
packets of coffee stacked in little
boxes. Being a regular customer in
this Starbucks, I should have noticed
the coffee packets behind the boards,
but I have not noticed them until now.

When I first got here, there were only
a few people sitting on the tables.
Now that it is past 3 oclock, and kids
and adults are getting out of school
and work, Starbucks is getting busier
and busier. A girl wearing a skirt
walks in, while holding her
boyfriends hand that is following
right behind her. Behind them, walks
in an old man with a tucked-in shirt,
Drawing of a Starbucks cup by
C3darCoell


carrying a bag on his shoulder. They
order and move along to the next line
where they have to pick up their
drinks. To my left, a boy in a green
shirt and a girl wearing a red shirt,
most likely siblings, sit across each
other and both on their phones while
they sip on their drinks. Their heads
are angled down and their eyes are
fixed on their phones. Not a single
word is spoken from the both of them.
And behind them, is an old man
talking on his phone loudly, while his
eyes move rapidly across the screen
of his laptop. Looking back at the
front of the store, the baristas are hard
at work. Three of them are working
on drinks, two at the cash registers
taking customers orders, and one
towards the back taking orders from
their drive-thru.

Each time I look up and away from
my laptop, a different person walks
past me to exit the store. Whats so
great about this place is that there are
a wide variety of people, and most of
them are very kind. Although this
place can be loud from the mixing of
drinks behind the counter to the
conversations of individuals, it is very
peaceful for me and it helps me focus
on the things I need to get done.


Works Cited
Co3llner, C3dar. Starbucks Cup. 12 March
2013. DeviantArt. Web. 12 May 2014.