We live in a city where there is noise and crowd most of the time. However, there are also times and places which offer us a relaxing sound of nature. Most people refer to nature as silent but it also offers an spontaneous sound of the air blowing through the trees or a beautiful concert of the birds which are around us. I am a fan of what nature has to give us. I enjoy the simplicity of the rain falling on the ground and see how the flowers, trees and birds take advantage of that. As other people use headphones to relax or distract themselves from the outside world, I do the opposite as them to obtain the same benefits. I feel is stressful sometimes to wear headphones all the time. Is more acceptable to use headphones or earbuds on the train not to listen to the noise of the train and people around us but it is also more relaxing to me to walk or sit somewhere like at the park and look at what is around me.

Episode 1

1. What is Krukowski’s main point about how we experience time in the “real” world versus are experiences with “digital” time? Why are these differences significant?

Real world time is the time we live, our present is our time. Attach to the clock which indicated the time as our everyday current time. Digital time is variable and flexible. On a digital studio, time is used to re-do, re-shape sounds, rhythms, etc. “time is experience, not counted like a clock” meaning that what we hear influences on time even thought we still see twelve hours on the clock. Digital time is how a song, instrument or voices speeds up or slow down on performance or a recording.

2. What does Krukowski mean when he says that listening has a lot to do with how we navigate space?

I think that what we listen influences the way we see our surrounding and/or people around us. For example, if we are in the subway with our headphones on listening to our favorite song, we may not notice all the dirt, mice and trash that could be around us. However, this is not 100% true. But if we go in the subway, without music and all we hear is the noise of the train approaching and people around you will look more closely at your surroundings, you will be more tend to notice what is going on around you.

Episode 2

1. In the interview at the beginning of the episode, Jeremiah Moss argues that developers in Astor Place are “privatizing public space in a very stealth way.” What does he mean by this? What does Moss say about the distinction between public and private space, and why is it important?

“privatizing public space in a very stealth way.” To my understanding he means that public spaces are being legally stolen. Moss refers to the example of a public spaces which was privatize by installing tables and umbrellas for people to seat and prohibit activities such as skate boarding. It was converted in a private space, even thought everyone is still allowed to enter the plaza, there are security guards to make sure rules are being follow.

2. What is the significance of Emily Thompson’s idea that the development of concert halls arose from desires to “control interior spaces”? How is this desire, according to Krukowski, related to earbuds and headphones?

Control interior spaces which controls what we hear. Interior spaces where you can only hear whatever is in there, no sound from outside. It can be compared to the use of earbuds and headphones because you totally disconnect from the outside world. You do not hear people around you yell at you maybe because you are walking too slow or because you are on their way. As the silent in Radio city without performance, earbuds can give you the silent you need. You do not hear noise around you but only what you want to hear.

3. In your own opinion, what are the key ideas from this episode about the relationship between sound and space? What strikes you as interesting about the ways that sound influences our experience of space

I think that people always want their space, whether they are in a private or public space people are using headphones or earbuds most of the time. People like to disconnect from the exterior world and just be themselves for a moment. I found it interesting how sound can influence on us. Lets say if we go in the park just to relax and hear the sound of nature but there is a person with a speaker and a loud music then the experience you were looking for has been interrupted by that particular person.

1. According to Berger, advertisement persuade consumers they can transform themselves by buying something more. These models represent glamour and “the state of being envied” to make people acquired their products. These publicity images are different from the reality of their product but they show people what they want to see in order to sell their products.
2. Oil painting shows an image as it is, it shows the real feeling of the artist, real possessions and mood in which this painting was made. However, publicity photograph sells something way different than the reality. Publicity as its definition, wants to get the attention from consumes in order to sell. It provides visual attraction to get the consumers attention.
3. The concept of “the dream” makes us envy other for their possessions and also their money. Publicity make it look as if money magically appears to make us consume their products and look “glamorous”. The more a person consume the more enviable will be, the more power will posses. The use of this advertisement images manipulates consumers. An image of a women selling a face cream with a radiant skin will make other women consume their product because they envy her flawless skin.

• Is the purpose of the essay to educate, announce, entertain, or persuade?

EDUCATE the audience whom you are writing for by providing detailed examples of the topic in discussion.

• Who might be interested in the topic of the essay?

It can be interesting to students who might be looking for information to complete class assignment, also professor who can provide it as an assignment.

• Who would be impacted by the essay or the information within it?

Students who are searching for reading/writing education.

• What does the reader know about this topic?

Reader must analyze the topic, find the writer’s main point to fully understand the essay and the writer’s main idea

• What does the reader need to know in order to understand the essay’s points?

Reader needs to understand that there are different ways of thinking and examples that can be provided to support the essay’s points in discussion.

• What kind of hook is necessary to engage the readers and their interest?

Provide quality material, public must read a fact and evidence that supports it.

• What level of language is required? Words that are too subject-specific may make the

writing difficult to grasp for readers unfamiliar with the topic.

Simple/detailed language try to summary facts in your own words.

• What is an appropriate tone for the topic? A humorous tone that is suitable for an autobiographical, narrative essay may not work for a more serious, persuasive essay.

The tone used by the writer depends on the topic, an optimist tone is a good fit for an educational essay.

Write a draft of your opening paragraph based on Chapter 3.2 Opening Paragraphs from English Composition: Connect, Collaborate, Communicate

Our country has been impacted with a movement called “BLACK LIVES MATTER” a manifestation which was started after George Floyd was killed in May of this year by a Minneapolis Officer. African American people protested all over the country for weeks until they got justice for their beloved national. What is not different or less important is the disappearance and murder of Vanessa Guillen. A twenty-year-old U.S. Army Soldier with Mexican descendant who was missing since April and killed the same month at the armory room where she worked by one of her U.S. Army partners with a hammer. Her death body was recently found on the previous mentioned location, and I do not see a movement call “HISPANICS LIVES MATTER” or neither seen this on the news or at least not as much as Floyd’s case. In both cases a life was lost, and the same value must be given to them.

1 – Berger uses the example of Kenneth Clark book to explain the difference between “being naked” and “nude” in which Clark says that the nude is a form of art but being naked is simply being without clothes. Berger has different thoughts about it, he explains that “to be Naked is to be oneself and to be nude is to be seen naked by others and yet not recognized for oneself”. This means that a naked person is the one that is peacefully by it self with no public but a nude is the painting of a ‘naked’ person or people who are being seen by other. As John Berger says, I also believe that “nudes” are created from artists for their own pleasure.

2 – According to Berger, Western work of art represent the different roles of a man and women in the society. Women are shown languid, to feed an appetite, not to have any of their own. Females are expressing their desire to satisfy a man needs. Berger uses the example of “The judgement of Paris” painting in which the artist paints a man handing an apple to the women he think is more beautiful. As in nowadays society, beauty represents competition. We are seen by man as fishes in the river, they want to catch the best looking one. Man are seen as more dominant than woman. Most women won’t approach a man even if they are interested on them. Instead we will look submissive and sometimes weaker than man just to call their attention. In conclusion, I think that this pictures represent the reality of man and women roles in today society with the exemption of a few women who in some cases are more dominant than man.

3 – “The mirror became a symbol of women vanity” Berger says. As in the painting, “Susanna and the elders” looks at her self in the mirror to see how she is being seen in the eyes of a man. In the following painting, a women is naked holding a mirror and looking at her self. The mirror is being used as an excuse to blame the women whom has been painted totally naked for the artist pleasure but condemning the women by calling the paint “Vanity”. He related this to “The judgement of Paris” which is transform into a beauty contest. The idea remains the same. Man looking at women and judging them. In today’s society, women are being seen and judged by man. It is as a competition, where beauty and perfection wins. Woman try to look perfect to the eyes of man and not be judged by the society. Make up, plastic surgery, provocative clothes are some of the options that women use nowadays to persuade man.

With the creation of the camera we are able to see things that we do not have in front of us. It gives us the possibility to see art work which could be miles away from us. But not everything is good about the usage of the camera. People are able to reproduce images and add or change things in a painting which is the case of the “meme”. American Gothic by Grant Wood was vandalize by whoever created this meme. As Berger described in the video, it is true that the real meaning is in the eye of the beholder. To me this painting looks as a support for farmers, maybe I am wrong. Also, thanks to the camera and the creation of this meme the painting became popular but what if Wood would not agree with what others have done to his work? Art is already losing it’s meaning by being reproduced by others. This people are creating a business using other people’s job. As I said before, art is a way to express our feeling and I consider that it is disrespectful to create a meme out of such a valuable painting which has been created to be admired and analyzed at a silent and still wall of a museum.