StudyingAmerica

Our American Journey Day 3 (Tuesday 31 January)

Read:

Mark Twain Packet: Roughing It (9, 10, 11, 22, 23)

Write:

Art Analysis: Pick a work of art by an artist discussed by Robert Hughes (either from the video or from the art collections on our art resources page) and compose a detailed paragraph discussing what one work of art says about one American cultural tension / paradox / or contradiction that you choose from the handout discussed in class on Thursday. Your work should be typed, printed out, and brought to class. You will not receive credit for your work if you do not bring it to class with you.

View

Parts 2 and 3 of Robert Hughes American Experience
"The Wilderness and the West"

 

"The Wilderness and the West" Part 2

 

"The Wilderness and the West" Part 3

Remember to take notes on terms/concepts, major artists, and major works of art.

Our American Journey: Day 2 (Thursday 26 January)

Read:

The Course Syllabus

American Tensions Handout:

View

Robert Hughes American Experience, Episode 3, Part 1

 

Take active notes--recording key terms concepts, names of artists, and major works!

Write:

My American Story:

When did your family first come to America? Who came and why? What is your own history in America--where have you lived and why? And what do you consider important American values and beliefs for you right now? Please type out your answer and bring a copy to class.

My American Folder:

Please decorate your folder to reflect your ideas about America. You my use words, images, drawings, art, music, archticture, photography--whatever will sum up for you what America is and what America means. Be creative! Bring the folder back to class with you on Thursday.

Final Research Guide: Colonial African American Poetry and Literature(Revised)

Final Research Guide: Colonial African American Poetry and Literature

 

Topic Definition:

           

            Colonial African American poetry and literature was written by men and women who were slaves during the civil war and they wrote about how they were treated by their slave owners and these people sang songs about being free and having equal rights for their race. Their slave narratives included: tales of religious redemption, inspire the abolitionist struggle, and of progress.

 

Key Artists/ Figures:

 

Phillis Wheatley

 

William Wells Brown

 

Lucy Terry

 

David Walker

 

Henry Highland Garnet

 

 

 

Mira Costa Library:

 

General Comment:

 

            Mira Costa’s Library has great resources on Colonial African American Poetry and literature which includes biography books about African American poets that lived during this time and there were also books that have poems that were written by these poets. I really appreciated the help from the research librarian who helped me find the right books for my research project on the school website and she showed me where it was located in the library. Also, the library’s database was very helpful for me to find websites that had more information about Colonial African American poets and their poetry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most Useful Resources:

 

Cima, Gibson. “Black and unmarked: Phillis Wheatley, Mercy Otis Warren, and the limits of strategic anonymity.” Theatre Journal 52.4 (Dec. 2000): 465-495. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. <http://www.proquest.com>

 

This author of the scholarly journal, Gibson Cima, talked about the 18^th century African American female poet named Phillis Wheatley and a white female poet named Mercy Otis Warren who both were performance critics and they have both negotiated through identity categories which include blackness and whiteness. Cima also talked about their poems and how they demanded natural rights to reshape concepts of American womanhood, intelligence, and virtue. This makes the text a secondary source because Cima is talking about their poems. This text is for scholarly use because it is college level writing and it has higher level vocabulary.

 

Gates, Henry Louis, and Nellie Y. Mckay, eds. The Norton Anthology: African American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1997. Print.

 

            This anthology has text on Colonial African American poetry and literature which talked about various poets personal experiences as a slave that included being sold at a slave sale and being abused by their slave owners, this makes it a primary source. This text is popular use because it has simple vocabulary and so it is easy to understand what the poets are talking about.

 

 

Hill, Laban. Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2010. Print.

 

            This book has many great poems of an African American man named Dave whose job was making pottery when he was a slave. This text is secondary because the author of the book, Laban Hill, had talked about David’s personal experiences. He talked about objects that had a greater meaning like a pot where somebody can put flowers in for decoration, but for Dave, he described it as a large pot that he can store food that he can eat for the following months. This makes the book for popular use because it is easy to understand what they are talking about and it has simple vocabulary. Kids and adults can read this book.

 

Randy, Dudley. The Black Poets. New York: Bantam, 1970. Print.

            This text has many great poems that were written by African American poets during the Colonial era. These poems have personal experiences from the poets of what they went through, how they were treated by their slave owners, and how they got through these horrible situations; this makes it a primary source. This text also has a brief bibliography of poems which makes this book scholarly. Some other poems were slave songs about being free and equality for all races, so this book can also be for popular use because it is easy to read and understand what they are talking about. Overall, this book has poems that I can use to show examples of black poetry.

 

California State University of San Marcos:

 

General comment:

 

            I was not able to go to CSUSM library, but I went on their library catalog website. They had a few resources that related to my topic, but it was still very helpful for my research guide.

 

Long, Richard. Afro American writing: an anthology of prose and poetry. University Park : Pennsylvania State University Press, 1985. Print.

 

This book has one of my key artists, Henry Highland Garnet, and many other Colonial African American poets. This text is primary because it has the original poems from the poets. This text is scholarly because it has bibliographical references.

 

Shields, David. American Poetry: The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. New York: Penguin Putnam, 2007. Print.

 

This book has poems that include one of my key artists, Lucy Terry, and many other Colonial African American writers. This book is a primary source because it has the original poems from the poets and it is scholarly because it has a bibliography.

 

Shields, John. The collected works of Phillis Wheatley. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print.

 

            This book has a collection of the original poems from the Colonial African American poet whose name is Phillis Wheatley and this makes it a primary source. This text is popular because it has simple vocabulary and it is also scholarly because it has bibliographical references.

 

 

University of California San Diego:

 

General comment:

 

            I was not able to go to the UCSD library, but I went onto their library catalog website. I was able to find three resources that related to my topic and it was very helpful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bullins, Ed. I am Lucy Terry. Cambridge, 2005. Print.

 

            This book talked about Colonial African American writer, Lucy Terry, the author talked about her life so this makes it a secondary source. This text is scholarly because it has bibliographical references at the end of the book.

 

 

Farrison, William. William Wells Brown: author and reformer. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1969. Print.

 

            This book talked about Colonial African American writer, William Wells Brown, and the author talked about his life as a slave and when Brown started to publish his writings; this makes it a secondary source because someone else is talking about Brown’s life. This is a scholarly text because it has bibliographical references at the end of the book.

 

Hutchinson, Earl. Let your motto be resistance; the life and thought of Henry Highland Garnet. Boston: Beacon Press, 1972. Print.

 

            This book talked about the life of Colonial African American Writer, Henry Highland Garnet and it is a secondary source because the author of the book is talking about his life. This text is scholarly because it has bibliographical references at the end of the book.

 

 

Web:

 

General comment:

 

            The web is very helpful and has information about Colonial African American poetry and literature, but there are some websites that do not always have the correct information like Wikipedia.

 

Most Useful Resources:

 

 

“Lucy Terry Prince”. Africans in America. PBS. Web. 23 Sept. 2011. <http: www.PBS.org>

 

            This website has a biography of the Colonial African American poet named Lucy Terry Prince which makes it a secondary source and it talked about her early life and how she became a poet. This reading is popular use because the vocabulary is not complex and it is not hard to understand. This biography gave good information that I can use for my research project.

 

Kirkpatrick, Mary. “Narrative of William Wells Brown.” Documenting the American South. 13 Dec. 2011. Web. 14 Dec.2011. http://www.docsouth.unc.edu/neh/brown47/summary.html

 

            This website has a biography of the Colonial African American writer whose name is William Wells Brown and it is a secondary source because another person talked about his life. The writer of the biography, Mary Kirkpatrick talked about when Mr. Brown started to write about his life and how he had published his works, this makes it a scholarly source. This resource is also popular use because it has simple vocabulary that is easy to read.

 

 

“Garnet’s, Call to Rebellion Speech”. Africans in America. PBS. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. <http:www.PBS.org>

 

            This website talked about the Colonial African American writer whose name is Henry Highland Garnet who gave a speech that is titled “Call to Rebellion” where he encouraged slaves to retaliate against their white slave owners. It is a primary source because the text is coming directly from Garnet. This text is popular because it has simple vocabulary that is easy to understand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

America Alive: Singing In the Rain

The Temecula Duck Pond is a haven for families and children to escape from their urban surroundings. Here, you can find a statue of a bicycle that transports your typical thoughts. “Singing in the Rain” is a bronze mother and her two children with umbrellas for faces. With these umbrellas, they could forge through the rain, and continue on their lovely journey. This statue was a gift from Temecula’s sister city in Leidschendam-Voorburg, Netherlands after 9/11.  The statue stands as a lasting tribute to the strength and courage of those who refuse to be broken by brutality and terrorism. This is interesting because it pulls with the ideas of individualism and community. The statue personifies the spirit of our nation that continues in the face of hardship, even “sing”. Grouped with other veteran statues you feel an overwhelming sense of pride and respect for our fallen heroes. However, it also shows our love and support from our sister countries, showing that we could use a communal helping hand.  The context behind this statue can be related back to the Generale Historie by John Smith. We were trying to stand alone as a nation, but we had the cooperation of our neighbor to see us through trials. Although the Native American’s gestures were our sole reason for survival, Leidschendam-Voorburg gave us the support we needed in a trying time. Next time I visit the community pond, I’ll think of the communal support that made our nation possible.

America Alive: Colt 45 and two zigzags aren't all you need

 

At the Tilted Kilt we sponsor concerts that we think we attract a large venue, which in turn will bring in a larger profit. Last week we hosted our biggest concert yet, Afroman. If anyone knows Afroman, he lives by his own spiritual value set. He preaches his religious practices of women, weed, and alcohol. With lyrics as profound as “So I'm walkin down the street with some chicken and a forty.  I'm yellin at these hoochies and I'm lookin for a party. Drink it fast, make it last, till you know it ain't no mo'. Run outta dope, slap the hoe, get the do' and go back to that liquor sto'” it’s a wonder the show was sold out. People waited not so patiently in sagging pants and ripped t shirts for hours awaiting their gin soaked messiah.  Finally, He emerged, lit blunt in hand, and began to preach his lifestyle. I powered through the vaginal metaphors, and racial slurs to find the message, “I have an easy going lifestyle, and do not need society’s rules and worldly pleasures.” After the concert was over, he got back on stage and shouted this contradiction “Yo man, a dollar for an autograph!” Although I don’t agree with his spiritual values, he seemed to be quite straight forward with what side of the spectrum he fell on. Turns out that the only thing he really valued, was money. It didn’t matter how loud or clever he sounded the tension of consumerism over spiritual values prevailed. Afroman’s how the fro stole Christmas, was indeed in the spirit of the Grinch.

 

Christa's America Alive Portfolio

The America Alive project has opened my eyes to a world I

didn’t really know existed. I was born and raised in beautiful

California, where the ocean crashes on its shore, and the Red

Wood’s spring from the ground to the sky and the desert stretches from one of its boarders to

another. Yet in all my twenty-eight years I have never seen it as I do now. The tensions that

exist between these amazing scenic lands are many, this land was created that way and

continues to be just as faithful to it today.

            This project took me from the most north of Los Angeles to the most south of San

Diego.  It brought a part of our history and our current life to a new light. As it was back when

Fredrick Douglass was writing, to the writing I am doing now, the struggle over faith, gender,

race and equality have been a basis on which we live our daily lives. Abortion is a sin, or pro-

choice, woman’s place is in the home, Christianity is the only true religion fog today’s world just

as much as they did back then. So truly we have evolved and yet have so much evolving left to

do. We will grow and move forward as a civilization and together we will fall three feet behind.

This is what I believe to be, “Human Nature”. No one is above it or without it. We just are.  

1.   Mission San Luis Rey

  The visit I made to the Mission was my favorite. I have lived here for over a year now and have drove by the Mission a millions times and I finally had a reason to stop and go see it. I hadn’t been to a Mission since I was a little kid, so I was very excited. I also have a weird fascination with old cemeteries and head stones, so I found it exciting to be able to go check that out too. I was blown away at how much I learned about its history.

I added a photo and links to this post. I also rewrote almost the entire post because I feel I now have a better understanding of what it was that you wanted from us. Not so much on the Mission’s history as much on the tensions that exist and existed.

 

2.   Saugus Café

  This journey was fun because for me it involved visiting family, and when family lives in another town they tend to know a little bit about the town they lived in. This took out the thinking and deliberating on a place to visit for me and allowed me to be toured around Saugus Ca.

I took out some details I have originally put in it and added and reconstructed others. I also added links and a picture to this post.

 

3.   Oceanside Farmers Market

     I love the Farmers Market’s and have been a happy shopper of theirs for many years. I thought it would be awesome to use it as one of my America Alive posts. I really opened my eyes to tensions that I never would have noticed had I not taken this class.

 

           I put some additional details in this post about vendors and goods. I also inserted some links and a picture.

 

4.   Harley- Davidson Store

 

I found this to be a fun post. I never would of viewed this store like I did after being a student in this class. The tensions between women as a sexual object verses domestic rolls are abundant. There was a day when I was like any other shopper going blindly on my way to the next purchase but now it seems so clear to me the way we market things as Americans.

 

I didn’t change anything about the writing in this particular post. I did add a photo and links.

 

 

 

America Alive- San Diego Harley-Davidson at Seaport Village

The Harley- Davidson store in San Diego at Seaport shows women as an “object of desire” so I chose to use the tension “object of desire vs. domestic roles” in our American culture.  My examples will lean mostly on “object of desire” with one example of domestic roles with woman.

            While the store supplies mostly product, shirts, pants sweatshirts and other apparel mostly aimed at men it also has items to sell for woman. I noticed much of the product aimed at men that were not clothing had some sort of a women figure on it. The cups being sold had many picture of women on them. Each photo should a women exposing most of her breast, and also revealing much of her legs. The calendars that were being sold either had motorcycles in them or woman and motorcycles in them. Again each woman is half naked and exposing herself as a sexual object. There was clothing for woman to wear too, but most of this was skimpy tank tops, vests or shorts; all also quite revealing. I did notice a couple of shirts that they were selling for pregnant woman, and those to me brought out the domestic roles that woman to fill in today’s society. While some products are just labeled with the name “Harley-Davidson” and the emblem the selling point is obvious that it is the name or the sexy women and the name that the consumer is buying.

            We have noticed in our reading and in the plays that women started in very domestic and gender roles but as time progressed in America, the blouses tended to scoop more exposing more breast, prostitution became more prevalent and sexy appeal began to sell more; we left behind our more traditional life styles and domestic ways and turned to our sinful ways of lust and sex to sell product in America.

America Alive -Oceanside Farmers Market

The Oceanside Farmers Market allows for local farmers, growers and vendors to come together to sale there produce and other goods. I come here frequently and have never really thought of the concept/tension that came to mind this day. The Oceanside Farmers Market as does every other farmer markets largest tension is big corporate business vs. local economic gain and growth. I will discuss what I noticed this particular day and the effects of this tension on current American Culture.

            The people that have come here today have arrived early so to set up their tent and goods to be ready to begin to make money on this fine Thursday morning. The market is open from 9 am – 1 pm, which leaves a small four hour window for money to be made. The first person I come across is a vendor selling fruit; she has oranges and nectarines with a basket full of samples that we can try.  I can’t pass up her invitation so Micha and I split one, we then buy 6 to take home with us and hand her $2.00. This money we gave her she will turn around and spend in hers and our local community, bettering our local economy. The next stand 3 feet away is selling hummus, they also have this sample of bread for you to try the hummus with; once again I must sample. This Hummus is made locally in San Marcos, I have never seen its brand before in the store, but it tastes great and I want one to take home. Micha hands over $10.00 for the 3 containers we purchased and we put it in our bag and head on our way. As we near the end of the market there stands a sweet little puppy. This puppy has been brought here by our local animal shelter North County Humane Society. I being an animal lover stop and ask about this sweet little dog. Apparently this “sweet puppy” was found wondering down Mission Ave. in Oceanside a couple of weeks ago and after passing a few tests the humane society will bring a couple of their dogs down to the farmers market to try and find new home for these animals. As I walked away I thought to myself, what a great idea to bring some dogs here to maybe get them to new homes. What I noticed thou is that I spent $12.00 on goods and whoever adopts a dog will spend $100.00 and all of this money is supporting our local economy and its businesses. I have found myself stopping by the “Big Chain Grocery Stores” such as Ralphs or Albertsons because it’s easier and quicker; every time I do that though I am taking money away from my local community and its growth.

            I can’t imagine the economic damage that occurred as the big corporate chains started popping up in American and running our local Mom and Pop stores out of business. I think the tension between big corporate business vs. local economic gain and growth will always exist. Our culture today demands that we go fast, make things convenient and time efficient, unfortunately our big corporate businesses offer that, where the Famers market is available to you on Thursdays between 9 am – 1 pm.

AmericaAlive - Saugus Cafe

    Saugus Café was built in 1886 in Saugus California. While this restaurant is over 125 years old the tensions that existed back then show in the photos hanging on the walls today. The tension that is so apparently striking to me is “gender roles vs. authority”. I will be telling you about some photos that hung in the Saugus Café and what I took to be a very large difference between genders at that time.

As I sat down at the table I was going to be eating at I was quickly began to notice all of the old photos that hung all over the restaurant and to my surprise they were of the café itself or other photos representing the American culture of that time. The photo hanging right next to me show three women, one cooking, and the other two cleaning and it was taken in 1886 in the Saugus Café. In the back of the photo you see five men sitting at a counter. The café was built next to Saugus Train Station and this railroad track was the first connecting California to the rest of the nation. Since of its location you can’t help but feel as if those men are from the train and represent some sort of authority, especially over the woman serving them. Another photo across from my table also shows a photo of women cleaning, yet around her feet are 2 children playing. A very gender role for a woman to be cleaning and caring for the children as the man is off providing for his family. As I walked to the bathroom I noticed a photo of four people standing in front of the café the day it opened. There stood four people, a man who looked as if he was an officer or rail road officer dress nicely in uniform next to another man in a nice suit, along his side was a women dressed with an apron on and hair back as if preparing for the day and a young boy. Each of the men represents authority while the woman is fulfilling her gender role.

Sitting there and enjoying my food, which was amazing in case you are in the area, it is obvious that times have changed some from the days of strict gender roles and authority in American Culture. The restaurant now has men and woman doing the serving of customers, the back of the kitchen is more populated with men than women. While I do believe and know that this tension exists today it has just changed a lot in the Saugus Café restaurant that is tucked away just north of Los Angeles in Saugus California.

 

 

 

America Alive - Mission San Lius Rey

Mission San Luis Rey is located is the beautiful city of Oceanside in North San Diego County.  The land sprawls across about 2 acres of land, which still holds many buildings and significance that represent its past. Mission San Luis Rey holds many tensions, the one that stood out  me is “Culture vs. Religion and economic growth”. I’ll explain the changes that took place and why, which I gathered through the tour and photos of Mission San Luis Rey.

This land once inhabited by the “Payomkawichum” meaning “people of the west”, until the Spaniards learned of the land and decided to take it from them. The Spaniards decided these Indians need a new name, so they soon became Luisenos. The Padres also converted the Luisenos to Christians and made them leave their old way of prayer and God to follow there’s. Both of these examples are the Spaniards way of ignoring the Culture and Religion of the Indians. The Spaniards also demanded that the Indian’s become “Good Citizens of Spain”, which I interpret as a way for the Indians to work for Spain and bring them “Economic Growth”. The Luisenos soon became slaves to Spain, to the padres and the church. They worked in the fields growing food, tending to live stock and maintaining the land that once belonged to them. The work these Indians did brought “economic growth” to Spain and the church.  I was able to learn all of this with the $5.00 walk tour that is available at the Mission. The photos that hang in the museum also depict the change the Spaniards brought and there goal of “economic growth and religion”. The photos begin looking as small happy communities that has flowed together in perfect peace and harmony. They photos soon change to what we as Americans would refer to as a slave plantation back before the Civil War.

As culture, religion and economic growth were a battle that existed back in the Missions early days it also continues on today. The Mission still meets for church services on Sunday and next the church the gift store sales items that represent its history and current faith.

My visit to the Mission also brings to mind the reading we did on Indian Princess and how the white man took the land from the Indians; and how the movies Avatar and Pocahontas also depict the same story line. The only difference between the Mission and these other stories is that it was the Spaniards instead of the white man that over powered these Indians.

America Alive Portfolio

    The America Alive Posts were probably the most enjoyable learning experiences I have had. It was different from anything else I have ever had to do for a class in that you became part of the assignment. When I went out to write my posts I didn’t feel like I needed to stress over what was going to come to my mind or what I was going to write about. I simply observed the things around me and allowed myself to interact with history today. Even at the locations dating back to the 1800’s, I still could feel myself being drawn in. I wanted to make that clear in all of my posts as well, that I did actually go to these places and see these things. Placing yourself into your own culture and actually looking around at it can bring on a whole new perspective of how life is and how it used to be. It amazes me how much things can change over the years and even just things that you I have seen change in the 20 years I’ve been alive. America and the society that occupies it is full of unfound tensions, secrets, and meanings that are literally at our finger tips to find.

Post #1 Mission San Luis Rey

For the first post I wasn’t very clear on what I was looking for, I knew I had to find some sort of tension that was present at the location but that was all I knew. When I chose to do the Mission I’ll admit I was taking the easy way out by only traveling five minutes down the road, yet there was still loads of information. I walked around the property looking for specific things that I could write about and make into a post, it wasn’t coming very easy for me though. I took notes and gathered some pamphlets with more information on them, but still didn’t have a clear thought of what to do. It wasn’t till we had our next class session that it dawned on me what I needed to write about. With that I got a very simple post with good piece of information. To make it better I recently went through and added more of my own personal detailing of what my eyes saw. The picture that I added, I believe, displays the tension that I’m presenting pretty well too. I tried to make it as clear as possible what the tension was that I found and how it was still working today.

Post #2 Point Loma Lighthouse

Visiting the Point Loma lighthouse was probably my favorite post from the four. I really was able to take in the feeling of being isolated in that lighthouse. There was so much information in there but it was still so simple. This time the observation was different though, I wasn’t trying and trying to find out what to write about I was living in that moment. To improve my post I added a lot more detail of what I saw and my thoughts on how it must have been live in that lighthouse alone with no other interaction except that of your family that you live with everyday. I also included a few pictures of the information boards that were on display at the lighthouse.

Post #3 Oceanside Pier

For the third post I was able to go somewhere close to home and a place that I’ve been on several occasions. The Oceanside pier is a family place where kids can run up and down the planks, men can take their date for an evening stroll, and people can fish for food to take home to feed their family. The pier for me has all of those meanings so when I went there I tried to not see it for just simply the pier, but to see all of those things I just mentioned. To change my post slightly from the original I made it clear with details on the tension today and a picture of the pier.

Post #4 Reuben H. Fleet Science Center

For my last post I went somewhere that I hadn’t been in years. I had memories to guide me a little but was greatly surprised at the differences when I got there. I realized how much things can change in your memory to be more amusing then what is actually at hand. There was so much information here about the science in the world and the technologies that are advancing daily. I mostly wrote about the changes that I noticed from the last time I had visited this exhibit. Something I changed in this post was the flow of the story. I made sure that the topic sentence connected with the details I provided and the tension was made clear, with that I added a photo of the inside of the center.

America Alive Portfolio - Mariah

 

 

This project inspired many different ideas in American culture. I enjoyed this project the most because it allowed us to use the tools we are given in class and apply them to our life! Each post brought toegther different thoughts, thoughts that i wouldnt have ever done on my own. I am now analyzing things more extensivley, which arguably is a gift that could help me with my every day life. I can now look at something simple and think of a hundred different ways it could "emphasize a tension." Thanks to this project it helped me to see both sides of the spectrum, to understand what its like on the other side of the fence, maybe the grass is actually greener there. Troughout each post I tried to apply ideas that would broaden my knowledge and create a challenge. Overall, i enjoyed the experience of the America Alive Project. America really is so alive!

 Post 1: What brings the Honkeytonk to Country

This is my best post and I enjoyed writing about it. Country music is where my heart lies, so I’m ecstatic to have used this experience to connect to a tension. I really enjoyed visiting the Branding Iron once again and being able to not only enjoy the music, but also appreciate the Country music for everything it is. Country should be appreciated and it was really brought to life in my post. I enjoyed separating the true country folks from the girls at the concert. It was a really fun post!

I made some minor changes to this post, I was already really excited the first time I wrote it, so my energy levels were high and that was shown in the creativity of my post. I made also some changes that improved by post by adding more links and uploading a video that really brought my post to life.

Post 2: Jefferson's Monticello?!

Thomas Jefferson’s house! There is so much to say about this post. I liked this post particularly because of the heavy history content it contains. There are so many beautiful things to appreciate there. I enjoyed having the opportunity to partake in the knowledge of history of the life of Thomas Jefferson. However, this post wasn’t easy to analyze, I used all my energy and mind to create to connect the tension to my post. This post inspired me to be more analytical which enabled me to be able to find details to connect simple ideas to a broad tension. I liked the connection that was made with the architecture of the building and the beautiful images I used helped visualize my idea. I also liked the links I used in my post to broaden readers knowledge.

I improved this post by adding more details about the architecture and connecting that to my tension. I added in the most important details and excluded the ones that weren’t contributing to my topic. I also added in the picture of the Monticello at sunset, showing the readers how truly beautiful it is.

Post 3: A Look back into History

Growing up in Temecula, I particularly enjoyed this post because it was interesting to learn about the history of the jail that I always wondered about. I found the connection of the tension really interesting. The idea that the imprisoned suffered too, even though were supposed to not feel remorse for them, I found sympathy for those who suffered who didn’t deserve the harsh punishment. I liked this post because it allows the connection to further your thoughts on the idea that just because one person is guilty doesn’t condemn the rest to the same fate.

I made some major changes to the details and interpretations and the improved the vocabulary of the wording. I fixed some grammatical errors and added more describing words to help visualize the tension. However, I only provided one picture on this post because there aren’t many pictures that could be taken of such a small place.

Post 4: The struggle in the plantation

I placed this post last because I found it to be the hardest. However, in this post, I had to think more extensively than my others (I don’t know how that could be possible). I found it harder to try to connect the very little details I had to my tension. I did like learning about the field of the plantation and how the crops were harvested, it was a good learning experience. It was interesting to learn about a plantation first hand, the struggles of not only the slaves but also the slave owners. I liked the connection to strive for economic growth and how it was connected to the tools they used on the field.

Improved: This post to me took a lot of thinking, analyzing every detail to it. I added in more interpretation of how the plantation tools that emphasized my tension. My first post I chose the tension of technology and nature. In the second one, I felt like the details that I gave, inspired the tension of democratic idealism and economic growth to be more conducive.

 

Post#4 Reuben H. Fleet Science Center

For the final America Alive post I took a trip down to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. I had come here a few times before at a much younger age and everything seemed so extraordinary. As I walked in with my four-year-old niece and nephew I was greatly surprised at how my memories wronged me. The things that intrigued me so much as a child didn't seem so fascinating anymore. There were weird things on the wall that you had to stare at for awhile and see the moving shapes, and a spiraling magnetic coloring pad, which was just like an Etch A Sketch. As you went on the exhibits started to get more advanced but nothing greatly caught my eye. Although the whole center was filled with scientific contraptions it was apparent that the use of technology in the worlds future would immensely help environmental progress. In particular, one exhibit showcased four clear PVC pipes in which coins and dollars were being dropped. Each pipe represented a different type of energy source such as wind, water, sun, and a few more. People would place their money in which they thought was going to be the next up and coming resourceful energy provider. Surprisingly the solar energy pipe was almost full and all the rest had minimal amount of money inside. After walking through the entire exhibit it became clear that technological advances are creating our future, not only are we looking for new and improved ways to create energy, but also there is an apparent desire for knowing what’s coming next.

America Alive Post 4- Country Concert

  Sunday night I went to a Hunter Hayes concert at the Branding Iron in San Bernardino. The Branding Iron is the heart of country music and many great artists have performed there, making it legendary. When I was there, lost in the crowd, I felt the tension of unique individualism in Hunters inspiring lyrics and couldn’t help but stereotype the young crowd. It was fun to look at all the young girls in their shiny new cowboy boots that they spent a hundred dollars on the night before and wonder how long it took them to match there straw cowboy hats to their idea of what a cowgirl should personify. The old, wooden bar stools are worn on the bottom from country enthusiasts scraping their boots along the finish of the wood. The smell of spilled beer seeped from the cracks in the cedar flooring. This is the only country bar I have ever been in and it makes me wonder if every “country bar” personifies the ideal that if you have a worn down bar with a guy in the corner singing “yee-haw” then you are a good example of what it means to be country. Hunter is new to the music industry but his love for country music is recognized through his vibrant attitude. Hayes is quite the lady killer; every girl there  was dying for his affection.  As we know,  a concert is full of good energy and up beat vibes.  Since Hayes is new to the industry, he is forced to fight the typical country stereotypes. He uses his unique individualism to carve out his own creative style among country music fans. Even though his ten gallon hat and polished belt buckle are missing, Hunter is pure country all the way.  When he sang his most famous hit, “Storm Warning,” the crowd went wild in excitement to hear him serenade their hearts. Storm Warning is about his desire to love his “Beautiful Mess.” This song conveys the tension of his unique desires to express his passion for love conveyed through his voice while also fighting the people that may stereotype him due his career. While the bar and its devoted fans, real country or not, takes away from the individualistic idea that everyone strives for, Hunter has helped add diversity among country music fans – his lyrics and voice create his individualism and his fans make him country, rejecting any stereotype that would now exsist.

 

 

Post#3 Oceanside Pier

       It was very cold and wet the day I went to the pier. Not really an ideal day to enjoy the walk to the end but in that I started to realize the tensions that were jumping out of the water. A strong sense of masculinity with every fisherman trying to catch some fish for his family.  The thing I noticed right off the bat was a middle aged man with a poncho on, to protect him from the whether conditions, tugging lightly on a fishing pole in what looked like a rhythmic pattern. Behind him sat a younger boy in a folding chair, bundled up in a blanket, covering himself with a umbrella while drawing on a scrap of paper. It was clear to me after watching for awhile that the fathers masculinity was the driving force for him to be out on the pier on a cold rainy day. There were other men out on the pier that day, but none of them with their kids right next to them. This man was clearly taking care of his family, he was choosing to be the masculine figure that day despite the weather that could have held him back. For all them men on the pier that day were showing their masculine commitment to their families.

Post#2 Technology at a Lighthouse

    The empty road leading to the lighthouse was filled with people in the parking lot ready to go explore the national monument at the end of Point Loma. I couldn’t help but feel the sense of isolation that the keepers must have felt not being able to leave the lighthouse. With water surrounding you and a one way in/ one way out access, the loneliness was over powering. I ventured into the living quarters of the keepers realizing with every step how compact the lighthouse actually was. In the living room there was a seashell picture fram on the wall made by the wife and children ith their loads of spear time that they had. Other crafts on display in the dinning room drew my attention to a deck of cards, placed on the dinning table, in what looked like a game of solitaire. As I made my way up the spiral staircase about halfway up I was greeted by two quaint bedrooms with little to no decorations or appeal. These rooms lacked luster or any type of personality which I found odd with all of the free time that the Keppers and their families had, you would think they would want to spruce it up with their own style. Finally, looking at the lens of the lighthouse that was litdaily for many years it finally dawned on me. For such a large and beautiful piece of technology, the families and keepers that lived there didn’t have much to technology to occupy most of their time. The advances in technology that the sailors and the lighthouses had were far less than that of the daily household needs so they resorted to art to keep them occupied balancing out the two lifestyles.

America Alive Post 3 - Old Town Temecula

    Old Town Temecula is a historical place and much closer to home then my other posts were. As I placed my hand on the cold, cement blocks that used to house the imprisoned, I felt a sense of sympathy for the condemned and the irony I would soon experience due to the history. While touring the site I felt the history being reborn into the minds of each person that visited the jail. When I was looking into the jail cell I noticed that the authorities of The City of Temecula thought of putting stuffed “inmates” in the cell to inspire your imagination of how it was to see real inmates in the jail. When they were caught in a violation of the law, they would be placed into this jail cell until they can be transported to another jail. Even one night would feel like hell, the men or women would lie on a dusty, dirt floor with tiny pebbles poking them into every muscle of their body as they shivered through the night. Gusts of wind would blow through the jail’s  barred door reminding the prisoner every few seconds that human skin is no shield for winter nights. Maybe they were imprisoned in the summer? – With no windows and only one door, a cement square might become a hot box throughout those hot summer nights. Many tourists don’t know what the use of the building was before it was a jail. From the best knowledge of historians, they have evidence that proves that this was not only a jail to hold drunken people in to sober them up, but once was also a wine cellar; this emphasizes the tension of irony –  and the sympathetic feeling I felt for the inmates that were treated unfairly in these harsh conditions. Throughout history of time, the idea of sentimentalism and irony will continue to be displayed in the Old Town Temecula jail.

Post#1 Mission San Luis Rey

    The drive leading up to Mission San Luis Ray is quite extraordinary. You are greeted by the grand bell tower, a delicate fountain and years worth of history. The beautiful church holds a story about religion and economic opportunity, where Indians were brought to be baptized within the Catholic church while providing labor for the Spanish. Several hundred years ago there were over 3,000 Indians at this mission, most of them unwillingly brought there. The Spanish came through and insisted on spreading Christianity through the Indian tribe. The Indians were forced to be baptized and brought to the Mission so that the Spanish could make money off of the Indians labor. In a sense this relates closely to “The Indian Princess” in that the settlers are trying to force upon the natives something that will change their lifestyles forever with different economic opportunities for both parties. The Mission has an even stronger influence of religion, with the church and the statues placed through out the facility it became evident to me that the labor of the Indians wasn't what they were looking for. The Spanish clearly wanted to take over their lives with religion because in the end it that was more bodies on their side.

America Alive Post 2 -

    The tobacco plantation of Jefferson’s Monticello exemplifies the tension of democratic idealism or “rule of the people”—and the economic growth that Jefferson desired to improve his plantation. It is a large plantation, later found out it is over 5,000 acres, filled with beautiful shrubbery and mountainous views. The plantation was not only home of Thomas Jefferson himself but also to many slaves and slave owners. The tour began bright and early, at 9 am. During the tour I noticed different tools that were used to harvest crops and maintain them. Jefferson had an abiding interest in improving the technology of farming. The two tools that I thought were the most interesting was threshing machine and the moldboard plow. The mold board plow is a new invention that was used to  plow through the soil for sowing seed or planting it. Jefferson enhanced the wooden part of the plow that lifts up and turns over the sod cut by the iron share and coulter. He wished to make that lifting and turning action as efficient as possible, so that the plow could be pulled through the soil with the least disbursement of force. The plantation harvested cotton, tobacco, hemp, hops, and other crops, however primarily harvested tobacco. The industry flourished with the new inventions Thomas Jefferson created. Connecting it back to today, technology in farming has flourished since the 1800’s. The extreme difference in the lack of equality of the plantations of then and the technology of the farms of today rejects the democratic idealism (equality) of the slaves and emphasizes the economic growth in the inventions of new technology. Also, it can be arguably harder to maintain because we don’t have the help of slaves like Jefferson did.

America Alive Post 1 - Jefferson's Monticello

 

    

 

    Built in Charlottesville Virginia in 1808, Jefferson’s Monticello embodies the tension between his unique individualism and his desires and how it brought life in community. During my visit to the Monticello it was very vibrant and full of life. Touring the site, there were many memorable moments from their beautiful gardens to the amazing architecture. The Monticello is a masterpiece of the biography of Thomas Jefferson. Touring the inside of Thomas Jefferson’s house, where he lived and worked, was beyond amazing. The deep coloration of the building, the contrast of the red bricks in which it was built with and the white pillars accents its beauty. This was no place built overnight, the architecture was very well studied and it helped bring together the ideas Jefferson had. My favorite part of the tour was his library. Interestingly, his library, study, and bed seemed to be connected in the same room, isolated from the rest of the house. The Monticello’s architecture is remarkable. Perhaps the most radical feature was the octagonal dome that was indicative to his creative desires. The white, round pillars and pediments helped inspire the architecture. The architecture embodies the unique individualism Jefferson had in 1808. The Monticello was encouraged by classic Roman ideas. Altered throughout most of Jefferson's life, the brick house embodies the ideals of the American Enlightenment, as well as the moral, and scientific motives of its designer. The Monticello brings everyone visiting together in community to appreciate history. Connecting the individualistic ideas of Jefferson, he desired in the idea of a “New American Way of Life.” It wouldn’t be such a desirable place today, if it wasn’t for the unique individualism of Jefferson’s creative desires and the harmony of community that is essential for the maintenance and peace of the Monticello.

America Alive Portfolio

By Glenda Henriquez 

The American Alive project was one of the most intriguing and exciting assignments I have ever done. Visiting places that I often drove by every day and challenging me to see beyond the bricks and paint was stimulating. To examine historical land marks and uncover tensions layer by layer gave me a better understanding of American culture and the tensions that form our society. I was able to visit each site and gather the information that would support the tensions I saw which translated to a reliable set of information. After these activities I was able to recognize tensions like family as a source of movement, the need for economic opportunity and Christian ideals at multiple other locations. Above all I learned that the tensions in American culture are not always favoring one tension over the other, tensions are often assimilated within society so well they go unseen. My cultural analysis has developed over the course and my writing has improved in terms of word choice and organization of ideas. While going back to edit my first post I noticed that my comprehension of cultural tensions has grown and now I am able to make more significant assertions based on the details and examples I chose. While actively participating in spiritualistic events or simply consuming environmentally friendly which claim to more beneficial than economically s food I realized that people, myself included, are blind sighted by the economic and industrial driving forces that sponsor these events. Realizing that there are greater costs behind every place that we visit day to day are morally stimulating.  

Post #1 Mission San Luis Rey 

This post is my favorite because the tensions between spirituality and economic opportunity are the most prominent. I thought it was very interesting to see the newer genrations utilizing the Mission in the same way that earlier generations did. Through the use of religion, the city has been able to make a bussiness from the church, the cemetery and the lavanderia. 

    I had a lot of difficulty writing this post because I was not sure what I should include, so I spent a lot of time trying to organize the patter of datails so that they flow in a manner that my tensions were supported. I also had a lot of grammatical errors that needed to be fixed and I did add a few more hyperlinks. 

Post #2 Got Ghost?

This post was the most interesting because it brings forth the tension in our culture between faith and reason. We all have seen the hunted houses on TV and we all have seen the individual who is certain the house is hunted and then you have the character who believes that there is some logical and scientifical explanation, however when put in the same situation both of these characters and their ideals are questioned. This post was the funnest to write because the tour of the house and the analzation process were new to me. 

    This was definently my longest post and I felt I had unnecessary details. I focused my time in cutting down on this post because it was too long and it moved away from the point I was trying to make. I added filters to my pictures to make it look more hunted, however when the filters are gone the house is an average American home. 

Post #3 The Yellow 

I would say this was the most enjoyable post. although this post was a little harder to make because it did show a repetition of tensions from a previous post. I did enjoy visiting the Deli because otherwise I would have not stopped by anytime soon. The ambience of the place was relaxing and it did not feel like an assignment at all. I honestly felt like I was a food critique when I wrote down all my details. 

    This post needed more details and hyperlinks, I reread this post about five times and I was able to change something everytime. At one point I even deleted a couple of details that were honestly unnecessary and a little cliche. 

Post #4 The Avo Playhouse 

This post was like reliving my childhood so I enjoyed every minute of it. I used to visit the Avo every year when I was seven and I loved walking in and analyzing a place that I was so fond of. It felt like a behind the scenes experiment and it was very stimulating. It was my least favorite as far as the writing was concerned because the tensions were not as obvious and it did take a little more research. 

    This post needed a lot of work because I had details that were distracting and I felt the guiding question was not as claerly answered as my previous post so I did a lot of rewriting and I added multiple hyperlinks to this post because I did not have any before I began my revision. 

 

Point Loma Lighthouse

    The old Point Loma Lighthouse is located on the summit of Point Loma, a narrow finger of land at the southwest corner of San Diego in the Cabrillo National Monument area. Post modernism and technology today is like night and day, one minute you cannot see a thing, the next, everything is so clear. The light was first lit on November 15, 1855. It stayed lit and kept watch over the San Diego bay for 36 years until it was extinguished March 23, 1891. The light was extinguished because of the dense fog and low lying clouds that often darkened the night sky with which was once thought to be a reliable beacon that stood 422 feet above sea level. This is a contraindication to, modern technology today and why the lighthouse keeper back then thought it was in a great spot in 1855. You can tell why “in picture number 1, compared to picture number 2” why the lighthouse was taken out of commission. This old lighthouse is definitely a reminder of the old days when things were simple, and life had a much slower pace to it. Back when you could just look at the highest peak on the coast and say “Yup, that there looks like a hell-of-a-spot for it”! But, it was determined by earlier land surveyors from the United States Coast Survey that the summit was too high and a new lighthouse went into service March 23, 1891. It was at a less significant height than the original lighthouse. The same Fresnel Lens was used in the new lighthouse as the old one. It goes to show you that common sense, “even as simple as picking a location”, can be the best technology around.

Veterans Museum and Memorial Center

America Alive #4: Veterans Museum and Memorial Center

 

The Veterans Museum and Memorial Center is located in the old chapel of the Naval Hospital on Inspiration Point in Balboa Park. This museum has a vast artifact collecton, memorabilia and documents dedicated to veterans of ALL conflicts from WW1 through the Vietnam War. Patriotism has been a big part of American culture since the early nineteenth century. America is known as “one nation under God” and the majority of Americans including myself believe that if it takes an act of war and the sacrifice of a few brave men to keep America safe, then so be it. There are a few types of Christian based ideologies who aren’t so patriotic and against patriots who believe in the latin term, “Sic Vis Pacem Parabellum”, meaning, (If you want peace, prepare for war). Patriotism and liberal religious beliefs will forever be a conflict amongst the two when talking about war.

This exhibit was made for the veterans of all the American wars from the beginning of the twentieth century displaying war artifacts and documents as a reminder to those who fought and have gone before them, in my opinion, as an effort to never forget. People over the centuries who have fought in wars, especially for the US, have had a profound radical of patriotism even though they do not like war. Even veterans do not enjoy the sound of war.  It is an unexplainable feeling, a, “you had to be there to understand”, kind of feeling. But, we love it in a sense because of the people standing right next to us who have lost their lives; we will never forget the sacrifice and courage it took to walk into war for whatever reason being that they are there for; whether they were drafted and manned up, or volunteered their service for a true patriotic act or the chance to have school paid for in four years. When a patriot sees the exhibit, they remember their friends and the good people they met along the path of their military career and that gives us peace. Veterans will never get tragic moments out there lives but remembering helps remind us that it was not without a cause. I myself have been humbled over my four combat tours over seas. I see the ignorance in some liberal religious beliefs such as Pastor Fred Phelps when he picketed a military funeral in 2003. Its amazing what people will say when they are hundreds of miles away from the nearest Navy, Marine, Army, or Air Force unit. One of his followers had a sign that read, “Thank God for 9/11”. How does anyone really comprehend a saying like that? I would think that even a die-hard hippie against war would say that was ignorant. Unless they were there, or defended something worth dying for, they will never understand. Pastor Phelps criticized his case against him by the supreme court by saying the constitution was not upholding his “god given right to free speech” by this act of harassment against him. I would bet my left nut he would have something bad to say about the Germans in WWII but if we had not intervened, we’d all be speaking german. But he is right about one thing, free speech. Its up to you or anyone else who reads this to figure out how that is possible. We sure as hell did not get this far as a nation and world power with hugs and kisses.

                This exhibit is a wonderful site to visit of American past. The patriotism is overwhelming when you look at how wars were fought back in the early days and the “lack” of equipment used when fighting a war. Its makes younger patriots admire the older ones! Certain beliefs about how things should be taken care of opposed to war will be forever in certain liberal faiths and beliefs. No one can argue that because we live in a free country. From what I learned in the military is that, “you need to look at everybody here as if they’re trying to kill you, but you can’t treat them that way. Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.”-Major General J. Mattis

 

memento mori

 

 

Memento Mori is Latin for, “Remember Your Mortality”. This is an art exhibit in the museum of art in downtown Oceanside, Ca. This exhibit displays thirty-three pieces of artwork from twenty-seven different artists portraying their unique individualism in what “death” means to them and how they as individuals perceive it. Hundreds of thousands of people would describe death in their own unique ways, but less than half would agree with their own religious views and skepticism. There are hundreds of beliefs in the world and everyone thinks their own way of viewing the dead is the right way, making all others skeptical. There are a few art pieces I would like to concentrate on and the differences that death is perceived through the artists eyes. Forest 2 is a peaceful looking painting where a deceased person lies under a covering of beautiful foliage. The artist perceives this person as a pilgrim or refugee traveling through an unformed landscape that is in a state of flux; not city or country, but always in between. I look at this painting and see a peaceful end to life; “we came as dust, we leave as dust”. The Muslims would be skepical because they think they are marters, sent directly from Allah.

 

Another painting, The Othanatos VII-Legend is a completely different undertaking of what it means to die. This artist David Gough explains this painting , “the fossilized remains of man, prostate in a barren landscape. The ultimate incapsulation of religious conviction, a penitent empty existence in servitude of death, for a promise unseen”.  This is the artists view on the  journey of death, you die, pray for redemption, and that will lead to your final resting place. This is the artists view on the  journey of death, you die, pray for redemption, and that will lead to your final resting place. I am all for this idea but im sure the Hindus would be skeptical about praying for what they would call forgiveness in order to get into the gates of heaven because they must live a life without sin and have a pure soul so there shouldn’t be any reason to pray after you pass away.

 

Everyone has their own unique way to define the feeling and visualization of death. Although different religions as a whole would disagree with most peoples ideology of death. Most Americans are involved in a Christian based religion and would more promptly agree with the Forest 2 painting, or the “II Viaggio Sacro” painting,

 

than the painting by David Lozeau painting called “The Sin of the Calf”. This painting shows the holy dead people among us. At least that’s how I see it. Skeptics might say that these people have just died and are waiting to stand in front of God.

 

 

He he says represent his views of religious doctrine that controls our lives, yet cannot be confirmed or disproven until the moment we die. His views are in more of the “Atheist” type of beliefs where he will not make a decision about what he believes untill after he dies, if he is able to make that decision at all. Christians believe that you will stand in front of God the day you die, but an atheist will believe it when he sees it.What do you think about death?

                                                                                                     

 

America Alive Portfolio

America Alive Portfolio

 

This assignment was to say the least an eye opener for me. Coming from the east coast of the United States, I was grateful for an opportunity which would force me to get out and explore my new surroundings. Visiting these places broadened my understanding of the culture in Southern California, which I had previously not had an understanding of. Many times in my life I have passed by historical sites and honestly never did take the time to understand the meaning behind their significance. Getting out there and “getting my hands dirty” so to speak, made me aware of the weight and great impacts these places have had on our culture. It helped me connect the issues and cultural tensions of today with those of the past, and proved to me that the past really does repeat itself. I now believe that it is important for everyone at least one time in their lives to get out their and explore the cultural stamps in our surroundings. It would make ignorant people wake up and realize how much these cultural tensions affected people of the past and hopefully this would make for a brighter future.

 

America Alive Post # 1: Old Mission at San Luis Rey

 

I found this post interesting because of the cultural tension that was involved. Since I was raised as a Catholic, I am not new to the fact that often times religious organizations ask for money in order to keep their church up and running. However, I thought that Old Mission’s fee of 5 dollars to see all of the grounds was a little extreme. Having a gift shop is one thing but charging money just to see this historical site is crazy! The grounds were very beautiful though, and the architecture of the buildings made me feel as if I had gone back in time. Overall I’m glad I had the opportunity to walk around and explore.

 

I did some corrections throughout on my cultural tension and corrected some grammar and punctuation. I also changed my topic sentence to include more about what my whole America Alive was about in order to easily lead into the ideas of my post.

 

America Alive Post # 2: Point Loma Light House

 

What I found out from the research I did about this light house was especially interesting to me. I was not previously aware that most of the ships that these light houses were assisting were coming to America in search of Gold. Thinking back, I guess it should have been obvious, but once I had learned the facts it shocked me. While Im aware of how greedy and money absorbed our country is now, I had not realized that our country was just as greedy over one hundred years ago. Overall, I loved visiting the light house, the atmosphere of the area was so calming and all together beautiful.

 

Throughout this post I corrected some grammar errors and other minor mistakes. I once again edited the first sentence of the post to include what the rest of my ideas would be about. Then I fixed my concluding paragraph to focus more on the cultural tension and to embody all of my thoughts.

 

America Alive Post # 3:  Oceanside Pier

 

This was my favorite post to write about because when I first moved out here I always found myself at the beach in Oceanside. It was interesting for me to find out about the history of the Pier and how the locals viewed it and the different opinions they had. Going here for me was just another excuse to go to the beach, and I had a lot of fun doing it. I really appreciated the fact that we had the freedom to choose to write about something we wanted to write about or even something we loved to visit. 

 

I did not really edit too much in this post. I took a great deal of time writing this and I believe that I hit all of the points which were necessary.

 

America Alive Post # 4: 

 

I also really enjoyed writing this post too because of the meaning behind the celebration and because this festival is often associated with Halloween, which is my favorite holiday. I love the fact that Mexican culture celebrates the dead and they honor them one time a year. In America we are accustomed to dreary funerals and sad memorial services, I think its amazing that Mexican people try to find the light in darkness and honor those loved ones who have passed on from this world.

 

In this post I edited my first paragraph in order to connect my cultural tension to the details of my paper. In the body of the paragraph I corrected some grammar errors and fixed some commas. Towards the end of the paper I also tried to better connect my cultural tension to my details and tried to bring the cultural tensions full circle and relate them to todays society. 

 

 

Barbara's America Alive Portfolio

The America Alive project helped unveil many cultural tensions present in both antebellum America as well as modern day America. Visiting sites such as the San Luis Rey Mission as well as Riley's Apple Farm I was able to see tensions that existed long ago that Americans still battle today. Before completing this project I payed little attention to the historical tensions and even hypocrisy that took place at many of the places I often just drove passed, but understanding more about these prevalent historical tensions it has become much easier to pick them out wherever I go. This project, more than anything, encouraged me to leave the comfort of my house to go explore my new home of Southern California, an area I naively thought would have almost no antebellum history because I was so used to being surrounded by Civil War memorials and battlefields where I previously lived in Washington, DC. More than anything, I am thankful that Professor Sullivan provided me with a reason to get off the couch and explore my new surroundings, I have learned so much because of this assignment.

San Luis Rey Mission

For my first America Alive adventure I chose to visit the San Luis Rey Mission. It was there that I was able to see not only the tensions that I discuss in my post, but actually many others as well. This was my favorite place that I visited because I learned more there than anywhere else. This is also when my naive belief regarding California antebellum history was humbled. I spent a great deal of time in the museum as well as touring the ruins surrounding the main Mission building and church. After discovering the Mission I ended up taking my father to Sunday mass at the Mission Church when flew in to visit me. The best part of it all was that I was able to tie the tension of enthusiasm vs. anxiety regarding cultural hybridity between the Spanish and the Native Luisano Indians with the same tension while reading "The Indian Princess" in class. Exploring this tension in two contexts allowed me to better understand the tension and see how it is a historical tension that is still so prevalent today.

I changed a lot when I edited this post. I removed unnecessary sentences regarding other tensions that I did not need to elaborate on. I also added links, changed the picture layout, and answered the guiding question regarding the tension I chose to explore. I fixed grammatical errors, and removed a lot of Mission history that I had included originally that Professor Sullivan said was too much. I also tied together the tension between the Spaniards and Luisano Indians with the tensions in "The Indian Princess" better than I had originally stated. I hope you enjoy this post as much as I enjoyed exploring the Mission.

San Luis Rey Mission Post

Riley's Apple Farm

My second America Alive trip was to Riley's Apple Farm located in Yucaipa, CA. I enjoyed the family atmosphere of this farm, and on a personal note it was a great way to get my children out of the house and allow them to run around and pick apples. This farm was beautiful, well preserved, and had many antique farm displays that gave me a sense that I could be in a different era. It took me a while to figure out a tension at this farm but I was finally able to see how this farm chose to refrain from modern day farming practices and instead preferred to maintain an older more communal and family oriented sense of farming. I am thankful that farmers today choose to stay local and are community oriented in a time where technology is so prevalent and readily available. Places like these provide Americans with the ability to visit a place where time seems to have stopped, and life could have been a little slower.

While editing this post I removed a few unnecessary details as well as included more supporting details for the tension I unveiled. I also added links, changed the picture layout, and removed some details about the farm and refocused on other details that supported the tension.

Riley's Apple Farm Post

Oceanside Sunset Market

My third America Alive adventure was to the Oceanside Sunset Market, where I was a bit skeptical that I would be able to find any type of cultural tension. I was quickly humbled when I walked passed an Organic Produce tent which was the only one at the whole market. This made me wonder why this farmer had chosen to grow organic produce rather than take the easy route and use hormones and pesticides to increase the production of his produce. He was nice enough to answer a few questions for me and gave me permission to take pictures of not only his stand, but also himself as well. After speaking with him it was clear that the tension I had unveiled was the tension of technology for progress vs. a negative environmental impact. This farmer explained the reasons why he chose to grow organic, not just for his own health, but also for the health and safety of the environment.

I did not change much in this post, I was actually very happy with how I originally wrote it. By this time Professor Sullivan had destroyed our two first posts and told us how he wanted them written so I had a better idea about how to structure this one. I did add links and changed the format and layout of the picture that I provided. I also corrected a few spelling and grammar errors and elaborated more on both sides of the tension.

Sunset Market Post

Oceanside Harbor and Marina

My fourth and final America Alive adventure was to the Oceanside Harbor and Marina where finding a tension was more difficult than anywhere I had visited before. Eventually all of the "For Sale" signs on the boats in the Marina caught my attention and I began to think about the economy and the recession and how so many of these boats were still being purchased and sold. I began to think about things Americans value, like our homes, cars, education for ourselves and our children and then how consumerism and the need to have luxury items takes money away from the things we value most, like for ourselves and children. The tension between consumerism and values came to mind when looking at all of these luxury boats, because no matter how much the owners valued their homes or wanted to invest in their education, they still for some reason needed to have luxury boats that looked like they had almost never left the Marina.

While editing this post I fixed gramatical and spelling errors and elaborated more on the tension I was discussing. I also added links and added a better formatted picture showing the very boat I was talking about. I also elaborated on the details about shops and resturaunts that surround the harbor as well as providing links for those places.

Oceanside Harbor and Marina Post

I learned a lot about historical tensions in America through this project. I will be honest and say that I will do my best to avoid thinking about these things in my future because if I continue to do so, I think I may miss the beauty and change in some areas. I am thankful that I had the motivation to explore my new home here in southern California, and was able to learn so much about the history and culture of the area.

Finals Week Reminders

1. Finals Week Schedule:
Class does not meet on Tuesday during finals week. We meet only for our exam on Thursay at 10:30.

2. Portfolio Grading:
I will not begin grading America Alive portfolios until tomorrow night, so you may continue updating them if you wish until Wednesday at 5 PM.

3. Rewrites
I will accept rewrites of both the research guide and the arts and culture essay during the exam on Thursday. If you need a few days beyond that to submit a rewrite, let me know individually and we can work out a later deadline. Here is the rewrite form: Download Asrewrite

4. Final Exam
I distributed the final exam instructions, a take home essay prompt and a sample arts and culture essay in class on the last day of class. If you were absent or lost these, please email me an I can send you copies. The exam begins at 10:30 on Thursday. You need only bring some pens, a copy of your take home essay, and any rewrites you still wish to submit.

Thanks,

 

Jim

Looking Towards the American Culture (American Alive Portfolio)

Looking towards the American Culture

            In all of my observations of the America Culture, I experienced a large array of tensions in the many places I visited. These posts of American Alive helped me realize the broader perspective within the places I been too, and the importance of its role for American people. America, as I see it, is a place of continuous growth. From the birth of the nation and the Declaration of Independence, America transformed from a nation that was succumbed to tyranny into an ideal country of democratic idealism. Within the wars America fought for their way of life for democracy, I have seen it become an idealization of increasing recognition and the individual freedoms that they strived for. For instance, the moving wall that gives tribute to the fallen soldiers of the Vietnam War became an icon of remembrance and all those who sacrificed for the greater good. It’s both a feeling of remorse and a feeling of gratitude to those who served America. The American people I observed in these places are a source of family empowerment and beliefs. Every time I visit a place that gives tribute, I can’t help but be aware of the grievance of sorrow between family members and the affection they share to one another. On the other hand, every time I visit a place that is a family event, I can see the patterns of mobility and empowerment within these family members. America as whole shares these values of family, beliefs and traditions. This American Culture Project helped me analyze these places, and its crucial role to the American people.

 

1. Mission San Luis Rey Museum Exhibit

            This post was very interesting to me, because the museum I visited gave me glimpse of how this Catholic Church was established. I was astonished of the transformation of the Natives becoming to Catholics by the Spaniards. Even though this is common knowledge for most Catholics that attend to this church, I could see the tension of faith and reason in the church. Though most Native Americans would get angry over this forced assimilation, the Native Americans I met in the church believed in a good reason for this event in the ancestor’s event. The power of faith seems to overwhelm the hearts and mind for Catholics that it becomes the way of life. While some see it as a horrible thing in history, nations that intervene in occupations and forced assimilation happened everywhere in human history.

            1. I made some corrections in my grammar as well as answering the tension I was using. However, I continued to omit the names of the Native Americans I personally met out of respect and security of their families. I merely focused on history as well as my observation for this blog.

2.  San Luis Rey Church

            For this post, I wanted to observe the faith and reason firsthand on a Sunday mass. Since I’m a Catholic, I already knew of the traditions when entering the church. I did holy trinity and sat down at the end to see the American people’s behavior in church. Of course, I seen some kids fooling around during church. I was also astonished on some adults playing with their cell phones. This made me question whether mass is time of prayer or inconvenience for some people.

            I made some corrections on my answering my tension and the purpose of “faith and reason” in in the Catholic Church. I had to make some corrections on analyzing the tensions rather than retelling the details I observed inside the church

 3. Oceanside Pier

            This post was interesting, because the pier is one of the places I most often visit. For this post, I analyzed a tension of family as source of mobility and empowerment. When I was visiting this place, I discovered many families enjoying quality time with each other. This is a place that I look forward in visiting again!

            As for this post, I answered the guiding question of my tension and I didn’t have any problems in my corrections.

4. Oceanside Sun Market

            This post was interesting, because it was my first time going to the sun market. I focused on the tension of family as source of mobility and empowerment. Overall, my visit to this place was outstanding nonetheless.

            In addition, I omitted some details that prolonged my revision of the American Alive post. The details went off track from my guiding tension I’m answering and the purpose of family source and empowerment.

1. http://www.studyingamerica.com/2011/12/america-alive-post-1-mission-san-luis-rey-museum.html

2. http://www.studyingamerica.com/2011/10/america-alive-post-2.html

3. http://www.studyingamerica.com/2011/11/america-alive-post-3.html

4. http://www.studyingamerica.com/2011/11/american-post-4-.html

 

 

Research Guide: Civil War Poetry

Civil War Poetry

Topic Definition:

 We know the history, the famous soldiers and the battles fought. But “poetry is the mirror of the native spirit, not of events” (Williams xxii). Poets weren’t always the upper-class and learning what we can about the poets and what they expressed in their poems will give us a whole different insight on the Civil War. It can teach us about the concern within the culture for ideologies and tensions come out in poetry. “This was the major war of American history, and the shock waves of its fratricidal passage can still be felt in our history and in our imaginative literature” (Goldensohn 57).

Key Figures:

            Walt Whitman
            John Greenleaf Whittier
            Emily Dickinson
            William Cullen Bryant
            James Russell Lowell

Mira Costa Library

General Comment:

The databases on the Mira Costa library offer an amazing threshold as one is trying to look into and find Civil War poetry. They also have texts in the library that offer primary texts inside, however there is not a lot of explanation from a secondary source perspective. Having access to J-Stor, ProQuest and Daily Life Through History led me to great resources about the poets themselves in the Civil War time period.

Most useful resources

Fahs, Alice. "The sentimental soldier in popular Civil War literature, 1861-65." Civil War History 46.2 (2000): 107-131. ProQuest. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.

This article spoke of how historical the poems during the Civil War were, as they were widespread, published in newspapers and shared between the North and the South during this time. It was a scholarly article, as it was under “scholarly texts” and had many footnotes. It was a mostly secondary source, with the exception of the few primary sources when poems from the Civil War were quoted.

Foner, Eric. "The Civil War and the Story of American Freedom." Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies 27.1 (2001): 8-25. JStor. Web. 3 Oct. 2011.

Though this article covers many different types of art, there is some focus on poetry as telling the history of the Civil War. It mixed the poetry with sculptures and prose literature in order to show a rounded history. Though the document itself was secondary, it provided many examples of poems and prose as well as pictures of the art and sculptures from the time period, which is are primary sources. It was scholarly, as it was found under the scholarly article section and provided many footnotes for reference.

Goldensohn, Lorrie, ed. American War Poetry. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006. Print.

This text offers the poetry written during and about each war, including a large section on The Civil War. Most of the work is primary texts, poetry written during the time of the war. But the secondary work includes poetry from after the war that is about it as well as an introduction to each war. The poetry is helpfully listed in date of the poet’s birth date, as stated in the preface. There is also a section of quick biographies about the poets in the appendix of this text. Due to the many pages of the bibliography, the text is relatively scholarly, although there are very few footnotes.

Williams, Oscar, ed. A Little Treasury of American Poetry. Rvsd. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1952. Print.

A text filled with poetry throughout American history, it was thankfully broken up into sections of each time period. The introduction has a short introduction and context for each of these time periods. Then in each section, the poems are organized by the poet’s year of birth so that it was quick to find the section of poets from the Civil War. Most of the text is a primary source as it is almost entirely poems but the introduction is a secondary source. There are also photographs/pictures of many of the poets in the appendix. I do not think I would call it very scholarly though it could be used for scholarly work because it is more of a reference for the poems than anything else.

 

Cal State University: San Marcos Library

General Comment:

As far as texts go, CSUSM had much more to offer about Civil War poetry. I was able to search through many options as far as different poets or subjects on the Civil War poetry. However the databases I found most helpful were Literature Criticism Online and Twaynes Authors Online, though it was not as helpful for this particular subject as the Mira Costa library. They did also have JStor, which is a great database but is also offered at Mira Costa. So while the online databases were not as helpful, there was much more to offer text-wise.

Most useful resources

Erkkila, Betsy. Whitman the Political Poet. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Print.

The text argues Whitman as a political poet as well, which was an uncommon belief when published. Being as it has a bibliography and index, it is considered scholarly; however, it is noted as being easier to understand than most scholarly books and may be used for popular use. The book itself is a secondary source but any poetry by Whitman that is quoted is a primary source.

Garner, Stanton B. The Civil War World of Herman Melville. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1993. Print.

The title of this text says it all. This text is about Melville’s connection to the Civil War, both through his poems and art and through what is known about his life. Garner argues that Melville was very tied into the war and followed it very closely, something that it not a universal belief. The text is full of primary sources, such as Melville’s writings and art that he made in his life time. However it is narrated and things are connected through Garner’s voice, a secondary source.  This is definitely a scholarly work, as there are pages upon pages of references and the index, as well as the amount of research that is put into it.

McLean, Albert F. "The Divided Voice." William Cullen Bryant, Updated ed. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1989. 106-131. Twayne's United States Authors Series 59. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 3 Oct. 2011.

In this twenty-six paged topic overview, McLean makes an argument on how well-rounded and talented Bryant was, both as a poet but also with his scientific, theological and political writings. It had some of Bryant’s writings, which are primary sources but the bulk of the article is a secondary source. Though lacking a bibliography or index on the site, it is written in scholarly language, making it very unlikely, though possible, for popular use.

Olney, James. The Language(s) of Poetry: Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Gerard Manley Hopkins. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1993. Print.

This text is a scholarly criticism on the poetry of Whitman, Dickinson and Hopkins, which is useful for the comments on Whitman and Dickinson. It speaks much of the structure of the poetry but also informs the reader about the life influences of the poets and how that played a part in their poetry, often quoting it. Because of this, it includes both primary (the actual poetry) and secondary (Olney’s writing). With the bibliographical reference pages and the index, this work is considered scholarly.

 

University of California: San Diego Library

General Comment:

For the UCSD library, I was not able to go through the databases, but the collection of texts was amazing. There are so many options and so much to find. With such a large library, it is overwhelming and one can get lost inside it. Thankfully the resources librarians love to help find exactly what people need for their projects, which was a saving grace. The texts ranged from general to specific in what they offered, as well as having much written within the last ten years on the subject of the poetry, which is something that was difficult to find elsewhere.

Most useful resources

Genoways, Ted. Walt Whitman and the Civil War : America's poet during the lost years of 1860-1862 . Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Print.

This text offered lots of background information on the biography of Walt Whitman during the Civil War years. It dwells on the years that people believed Whitman was silent and indifferent about the early Civil War and gives texts that argue it is not true. The work is scholarly, as is it well researched and has a large reference section. Most of the text is secondary, written in the voice of Genoways, but he does use a lot of primary sources from Whitman’s works.

Killingsworth, M. Jimmie. The Cambridge introduction to Walt Whitman. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Print.

This text gives a type of biography going through poems and the life of Walt Whitman. Some of the chapters divide up the time of his life and uses “Civil War” before and after, which is helpful so a reader looking for Civil War poetry can jump past anything pre-Civil War. Given the many pages of bibliographical references and indexes, this work is considered scholarly. Like most books that outline the poetry, most of the book is a secondary source with the exception being any time a work of Whitman is quoted, in which case it is primary.

McClatchy, J.D, ed. Poets of the Civil War. New York: Library of America, 2005. Print.

This smaller text is a collection of poems of the Civil War poets. There is an introduction, which helps, but there is not any background for individual poems or poets. However there is such a wide variety that it makes it worth looking through. Though there are few footnotes, there is also a section of sources. This would make it lean more towards scholarly, though the book is more used as a reference, collection of primary sources, than anything else. The introduction at the start of the book is secondary and that is all.

Spengemann, William C. Three American poets : Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Herman Melville. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2010. Print.

Spengemann’s text looks at Whitman, Dickinson and Melville from a poetic standpoint and compares the three with what their poems spoke on and the struggles it had as well as the differences in each of their own poetic language. What would be very helpful about this resource is it looking at Melville from a poet standpoint, as he is most often looked at from a fiction writer standpoint which can be useful but has its drawbacks. Overall, the work quotes the poetry of all three poets, which is using primary sources but above all speaks as a secondary source. The book looks like a popular source by the cover as it is casual, but does have a biographical index and references which makes it more scholarly. It is also scholarly with the language it uses and the subject it addresses.

 

Web Online

General Comment:

Most websites do not offer any historical information regarding the poetry of the Civil War. Though there are many websites that have the poems themselves, with the authors’ name, there were a very low amount that actually offered any background information about the poets, situations or even when many of them were written

Most useful resources

"Herman Melville." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 2011. Web. 10 Dec. 2011.

This website is a popular resource in which anyone can access a biography and a list of most popular works for a ton of different poets. Since I used a poem done by Melville, it was important to have background information on who he was and what he did. The website even offers a paragraph on Melville during the Civil War in particular. Overall, it was more of a popular reference than a scholarly but it does have some scholarly aspects, such as the language used. Also, it was all a secondary source.

McKenzie, Michelle. "Augusta Cooper Bristol of Croydon, NH ." Family Findings. N.p., 20 Sept. 2006. Web. 2 Dec. 2011.

Augusta Cooper Bristol was extremely difficult to find any information on, as I learned when I chose one of her poems to include in my essay. However this website gives a quick biography from the book New Hampshire Women, as referenced on the page. It is not a lot of information but it does explain who Bristol is, where she came from and what she did with her life. The website was more on the popular side of the spectrum, as it seems to be a family genealogy website, but the book the quoted biography came from seems to be scholarly. It was all a secondary source as it was written after her life, although the sketch of Bristol on the website is most likely a primary source.

"To Light Us to Freedom and Glory Again': The Role of Civil War Poetry." Library of Congress Poetry Resources. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2011.

This website, which was a .gov, had more credibility than most of the resources I had found yet. It explained different types of poems during the Civil War (ie a “Call to Arms”) and gave examples of each kind. Through this, it was a secondary sources that gave links to the actual poems, which are primary. The website did have “popular” features as there were no footnotes or bibliography references on the actual page, but the writing, layout and ease of the website gave it a scholarly feel. Also, there was a link to a bibliography for the poems themselves. Along with being from the Library of Congress, I would consider this source more scholarly than anything else, especially for a google result webpage.

"Walt Whitman." Spartacus Educational . Spartacus Educational , n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2011.

While the biography on Whitman was not much information, there were bullet points that specified certain parts of Whitman’s life and many of them had to do with the influence of the Civil War, which was helpful to read. This would definitely be considered a popular source because there are absolutely no footnotes or references and although the text reads like something educational, we have no idea where they got their information. Also, it was all a secondary source.

Welch, Robert C. "A Fight in the Fields: The Impact of the Civil War on Midwestern Agriculture." Agricultural History. Iowa State University, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. 

I was able to use this as background information for my paper, though it does not speak of poetry it does talk about some of the struggles in the Civil War and would help me see what the poems I chose really meant. It gave me context of the Civil War struggles and what was going on behind the poetry I used. It was scholarly more than popular, as there was a list of references at the bottom of the page and it was part of a timeline for American agricultural that is used by Iowa State University. The writing on the page was all secondary source information; however, there were photos and drawings on the page but there was no information about them and I could not make them larger so those could be primary or secondary.

Megan Schweitzer's America Alive Portfolio

Throughout the course of American Studies I have learned a lot about tensions that used to exist in America pre-Civil War and still exist today. The assignment that has helped me grasp the idea of tensions the most was the America Alive projects. In the beginning of the course, it was hard for me to see how America could have conflicts within the country, but through visiting different sites in San Diego, I could envision the true tensions that used to exist throughout history. For example, when attending the Marine Corps ball, I noticed right away the tension of masculinity when I saw my husband solute an officer in his unit. Going across many different parts of Southern California I learned about all the different perspectives and cultures of the diverse people who call themselves Americans. From tastes of the past to the cultures of today to the Spanish mission’s holding festivals celebrating modern materialization, my own perspective changed. Even though all of us may seem so different, every single one of us shares many things in common. It just takes going out into the world to see how we all the things we have common; it’s more then we think.

1. Mission San Luis Rey

    This place was made many generations before I saw the light that illuminates the Earth. Made by the Spanish Conquistadors in the eighteenth century, it was used as a hub for the conquest of the land, the people, and most of all the gold. Many people indigenous to the area converted to Christianity. The generations of people who spent their lives, who dedicated their lives, born, raised, learned, and died here is evident in those hallow walls for all to see. From the catacombs to the centuries old pieces in the church, the transcending feeling that you are walking the same path that thousands have before you is pervasive in the mind. Every stone in the walls, every pew, every inch has its own story to tell. Their stories, however, cover many more times than my own story has to say. I enjoyed visiting this site because it truly helped me envision religious tensions when we were discussing the John Smith unit in class. While I was at the Mission, I enjoyed connecting back to information of what I learned in class about how the Indians believed their religion to be and how it compares to the religion of the Spanish Christians. Upon revising this post, I added a better topic sentence and gave a clear insight as to how the Mission tries to balance the tension between religion and economic opportunity instead of favoring one or the other. Overall, I had a wonderful time.

2. Dia de los Muertos    

    The Day of the Dead. During this festival I saw the  traditions of the old clash with the values of the new. Taking place on the grounds of the oldest mission in Southern California, many different people from different backgrounds came together to celebrate Mexican culture. The contrast from conventional values of family and orthodox religion were infused with the customization of cars, art, and clothing. It was a time to reflect on those who have already passed on to pave the way for us. From riding ponies to dedicating a section of the sidewalk for someone you mourn, this festival had everything to offer. One could even purchase “Baltimore Snowballs.” Traditional masks were sold along with painting and drawings that went along with the theme. It was a festival to remember. This was by far the most enjoyable America Alive visit. Seeing the rich Mexican culture being celebrated before my eyes was amazing! I had never been to a day of the dead celebration before, so I ended up learning a lot. While revising my post, I added in the fact that this celebration balanced the tensions between consumerism and spiritual values.

3. Marine Corps Birthday    

    Celebrating the Marine Corps Birthday Ball with 1^st Radio Battalion was an experience indeed. The wide contrast of characters that make up this small unit is quite a thing to behold. The scenic backdrop of the San Diego harbor at night was a spectacle.  People who grew up all over the country and even some parts of the world came together to drink, be merry, and have a good time. It seemed that every single person had a different accent; some you could barely understand.  No matter how jovial things became, the undertone of the jobs and work that lay ahead was always present. Laughter carried off into the night and into the streets of the gas lamp district well into the next day. As if it was an unofficial motto of the Marines, live today well for tomorrow will come soon enough. Upon revising this post, I added more details to describe that this event emphasized more on the tension of aggressive and competitive masculinity versus Christian Idealism.

4. Cosmopolitan Hotel in Old Town, San Diego

    It was a huge enjoyment visiting Old Town, San Diego. From learning new information at different museums to eating at an authentic Spanish restaurant, I had a great day. There was a wide variety of age exploring Old Town, from elderly to newborn. It was really exciting experiencing different cultures of the world. There was even an Indian flute band playing their music for the simple enjoyment for other people. There seemed to be no worries in Old Town, San Diego for this is a very carefree environment. My favorite place I visited in Old Town was the Cosmopolitan Hotel because it showed how travelers lived the extravagent lifestyle. This Hotel was gorgeous and would be a great place to have a celebratory dinner. Upon changing this post, I added how the hotel showed materialism over spiritualism.

America Alive Portfolio!!

The America Alive was an interesting project to do this semster because I was able to visit different places that to me I only thought of or had seen before and didnt put so much interest into them. As I focused on cultural tension of religious idealism on the Mission San Luis Rey,materialism and spirituality on The Whaley's House,consumerism and economic opportunity/growth on the Oceanside Sunset Market, and individualism and community for the Vista's Avocado Mural. As I began writing my posts I felt confident and thougt this was pretty easy, but as I learned more and more about our history theseplaces seemed to have a greater meaning than just look cool. I learned to in order to have a better paper; the more details we described the more realistic the paper will seem.

1) The Mission San Luis Rey

I really enjoyed revisiting the mission because it had been a while. To me I could really understand some of places like the Lavanderia, since in mexico it is well known. The tension between religion and social interaction is a great one to discuss and easy to express because the church has become the main point for this misssion to keep standing, and also allows the vistors to get a sense of how life was back then.

Since this was our first post, I was unsure of how it was actually suppose to be done. from the notes I received, I improved my post by adding links and stating my tension clear and where I stood. I also spent time organizing the details to show the tension.

2) The Whaley's House

I was so excited to visit this place because I have always been interested in "Ghostly" stories and this was my chance. This post showed the tension between materialism and spirituality. I was surprised to see the objects in the house like the china and personal paintings which showed their materialistic view on society. But the history that brought me and many others to this house was the ghost stories and appearances.

I improved this post by adding links and more deatils to state my tension. Rewrote the sentence to state clearly where i stood on the spectrum. Then added more details to help me explain the tension.

3) Oceanside Sunset Market

I enjoyed going here because it is very interacting and cannot get bored. I liked that tension between consumerism and economic growth were a great combination to explain what this market is all about. There really isnt one that is more thanthe other. Both help each other succeed. We see a variety of businesses liek food vendors and people selling their creations. This is a great palce to visit if you are looking for things you wont find somewhere else. What i liekd were the scented roses they were selling.

For this post I added links and fixed grammer errors. But also felt like the details were there and just had to connect htem to the tension. I stated my connection between the tension and the market.

4)The Vista Mural

Towards this last post, I really felt close to it because i had seen it almost every day. I remember walking by and putting so much thought to it until now. The tension that stood out for me was individualism and community, that to me are very important. This mural is very close to my house that i could picture how people lived back then and the things people were involved in.

I improved the details to relate to the tension. I made it clear where i stood about this tension of the mural. Then I wrote what the mural said about the tension and answering the guiding question at the end. Made it more clear to the reader ot understand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

America Alive Portfolio

The America Alive posts that I have done throughout this Fall Semester was very interesting and fun for me because I had the opportunity to visit different places in Oceanside and San Diego that I do not usually go to. I have discovered many different tensions when I visited these places, like the San Luis Mission where there is the tension of religious idealism, racial superiority, and economic opportunity. The Oceanside Pier has the cultural theme of family as a source of mobility and empowerment. America was not always a great place because it had the history of slavery and abuse of African Americans and other minorities, but Americans have gotten through this era and have continued on with their lives. I learned some tensions or cultural themes helped America progress and other tensions tried to destroy the development of America, but Americans worked together throughout the years to solve these problems so we can live a better life.

 

1.)    America Alive Post # 1: San Luis Rey Mission

 

I liked this post because I got to learn a lot of interesting information about the San Luis Rey Mission where I regularly attend Sunday mass. I liked going on the museum tour and looking at artifacts from the mission’s early years; some of the artifacts were the old tools, weapons, and pots that the Indians used back then at the mission. This was interesting to me because these items have survived all these years and some of them had small cracks, but they were still in good condition.

 

I revised this post by taking out the historic facts about the mission. I put my topic sentence for my tension at the beginning of the paragraph. I talked more about the details of the place that related to my tension and I made some grammar corrections in my writing. I also added a photo of the mission and I added three website links in my post.

 

2.)    America Alive Post # 2: Mormon Battalion Memorial Museum

 

I liked this post because it was very interesting to learn about the Mormon Battalion army and it was fun to have interactive workshops that included searching for gold. I also found it very cool to see authentic journals that were written by the Mormon soldiers.

 

I revised this post by taking out some details that did not relate to my tension and I also made some grammar corrections. I also wrote my topic sentence for my tension at the beginning of the paragraph, added a photo of the museum, and I added web site link in my post.

 

 

3.)    America Alive Post # 3: Oceanside Pier

 

 

This post was my favorite because it was fun taking a trip to downtown Oceanside to visit the pier and to see the nice view of the ocean. I also liked this post because I got to see some people surf and it was nice too see people who took pictures with their family and friends, I could tell that they were having a great time at the pier.

 

I revised this post by describing my tension at the beginning of my paragraph. I took out details that did not relate to my cultural theme or tension and I added details that related to it. I also made some grammar corrections in my writing, added a photo of the pier, and a web link.

 

 

4.)    America Alive Post # 4: Prince of Peace Abbey Church

 

I liked this post because it was a new experience for me to attend Sunday mass at    another church besides San Luis Rey. I also liked this post because the church was located on a hill where it is quiet and peaceful and it is far away from the noisy highway going toward the Oceanside beach.

 

I revised this post by describing my tension at the beginning of the paragraph. I also removed details that did not relate to my tension and I made some grammar corrections. I also added two web links.   

America Alive Portfolio

I’m feeling kinda scrappy today. Heh. Anyway, I could lie and say that I enjoyed the whole America Alive shtick but I won’t; it just wasn’t my cup of tea but perhaps that’s because I simply do not enjoy the whole ‘exploring of tensions’ aspect. Ultimately, I can’t even say that I learned anything that won’t be forgotten 24 hours after the semester’s exam. The particular brand of writing that was required in this class stressed me out slightly as it simply does not work with my train of thought and after writing paper after paper on the same subject (ala ‘tensions’) it’s not hard to see why certain people ( i.e. myself and probably only myself) would grow fatigued and bored. Perhaps I simply didn’t ‘get it’…actually, yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s it because everyone else in the class seemed pretty chill about all of this- I don’t know nor am I going to spend time worrying about it. I’m good at that- being cheerfully apathetic that is- had I been speaking aloud as opposed to typing out this monologue there would be (and is) a bemused smirk on my face… I’d like to think my yellow crooked dog teeth that jut out of gingivitis infected gums are a charming facet of my character but the world as a whole probably doesn’t agree with this notion. Onward, fair citizens of American Studies, to the future (aka the next paragraph)!

So, like, a summary and random quips on how I changed my initial posts…right?

1) Whaley House Museum of Old Town

-Dead people, dusty houses, and a reenactment of the Amityville Horror that never actually happened, oh my! This place was tight, fo shizzle (what?). Tension wise I was grasping at anything that sounded good (or at least passable) and went with individualism vs. social conformity based on the fact that everyone from umpteen years ago looked the same in their photos. Seeing as no matter how hard I thought about it, I just couldn’t find a truly significant tension to explore other than one that ‘hangs loosely on the clothes line’ (d-did I just make up my own cliché? Can I even do that?).Who knows, bro, who knows? Corrections made were spelling related.

2) The Invisible Place down by the Invisible River in the boonies of  Invisible, CA

-This blog post is interesting for it is, get this, invisible! It’s not that I didn’t get around to actually doing it or anything…it’s just hiding. Shhhh. If we’re quiet maybe it’ll it appear. Check it out, I got some oats- I hear wild blog posts love oats.

3) San Diego Space and Air Museum

-This was actually the not-so-infamous ‘invisible’ post but due to a problem regarding dates and whatnot I had to putt it into the third hole on the oh-so-lush n’ green America Alive course (why did I allude to the sport of golf just now?).  I dunno why I went to an airplane museum seeing as I kind of hate aerial history (my cousin was/is a plane buff and would never shut up about all the different kinds of war machines) but yeah. Tension wise I went for technology and irony and once again I’m rather ‘up in the air’ (har har har) concerning how well that tension works. Spelling and grammar changes were made and that’s pretty much it.

4) Oceanside Museum of Art

-Oi, this post was pretty much me just ranting about the current state of the art world and how the TV show of ‘Squirrel Boy’ is one of many thorns I sleep on (a bed made of jet black roses would be cool- their stems could intertwine with each other to make the frame… and am I the only person who thinks Beast from the Disney film should have done an episode of Cribs? His castle was off the hook, man). The tension explored involved something about aesthetic expression and art as serving political/cultural purposes and the third round of spelling corrections occurred because I’m not smart enough to do any real thinking for a true revision. Whoops.

America Alive Portfolio

The main thing I've learned by exploring America around me is that many of the cultural tensions that existed hundreds of years ago still exist today. While they may seem less obvious and may pertain to different people, the reason behind cultural divide is still the same. Someone once told me that we study history to learn from our mistakes, and only those who take interest in learning these lessons have the courage and ability to make change. I found this to be true while going over this project and my observances. Whether I am examining the oppression that existed in San Diego because of cultural differences in 1847; or intolerance of people who we perceive to be different from ourselves today, these tensions are very much the same in America. The question that comes to my mind as a result of this portfolio, what is the problem America? Has no one taken interest in learning from our mistakes? I found the answer to my questions by relating my observances to my life and my opinions. Problems do not exist only in America, they exist wherever humans exist. In some countries these problems are worse than in ours today, in some they are arguably less persistent. We are all human, we are all different, and no one is perfect. Some do take interest in learning from our mistakes and facing problems that still exist in our society while others may not. Inconsistencies of values, morals, goals etc. will never cease to plague society.

1. The First San Diego Courthouse

I enjoyed doing this post because Old Town is always fun to visit but I had not been in a long time and never realized that the first San Diego courthouse still existed there. I am also glad I did this post first because it gave me insight on cultural tensions in america in the mid nineteenth century which ended up being an important topic throughout the course.

This post definitely needed some tweaking, being my first one I felt I did not make enough observations and did not pay attention to enough detail as I did more and more with the latter posts. To make it better I was later able to tie the central tension of cultural oppression to another tension that we learned about in the course that existed at this same time, oppression based on race. I also added some photos to make my post more interesting.

2. Cabrillo National Monumnet

Physically this site was not as useful as the others for details and observations. However the history of this site was really interesting. I enjoyed this because it gave me a lot of knowledge about early tensions in America, right at the start of our society.

I felt that I originally included a lot of detail in this post that did not relate to the tension I was explaining. As Jim pointed out, unnecessary detail does not highlight your main point. So to fix this post I eliminated some detail that was included to give the reader more background information and instead added helpful links about the monument and the Kumeyaay indians.

3. Polk Street, San Francisco

I definitely had the most fun doing this post, simply because I was on vacation passing through San Francisco, one of my favorite cities. Although this was not quite my favorite post, it was a close second. I was excited to be able to recognize cultural tension in a place I am so familiar with but never stopped to think about what tensions may be present.

While I included details in my post that related to the tension, I decided to make it better by relating the tension to my personal experience. You'll find in my post that I thought about how the tension existed in my life. It was great to be able to relate to one of the posts.

4. The Yellow Deli

This was probably my favorite post and site. By this time having had practice with the project I knew what details to look for that related to and explained my tension. I also found this site the most interesting because it is so close to home but such a different culture exists there that I never knew about or imagined.

To make this post better, I couldn't resist adding a little more detail than in the other posts because the deli is so beautiful and different. And I think that the physical differences of the deli actually coincide with the different culture that exists there. To understand, you have to go, because the moment you arrive you know you are in a special place.

America Alive Portfolio

    I felt that our America Alive projects were the most enlightening skills we learned in this class by giving the chance to explore the past and physically see what brought us to where were at today. Being taught how to interpret cultural tensions relating today, to the past, and actually understanding them. After visiting San Luis Rey Mission, Old Point Loma Lighthouse, the “Momento Mori” art exhibit in the Oceanside Art Museum, and the Veterans and Memorial exhibit in the old naval hospital, I have experienced America’s journey through time, and how the pasts cultural tensions have brought us to this day in the twenty first century.

San Luis Rey Mission

    This was my favorite post. My visit to San Luis Rey was so much fun and educational. I really liked the showcase displays that were set up as if you were actually standing there in the room at that time in history, it was exciting and you will get this sort of eerie type feeling just looking at the life style and the way they use to live, and the chapel; words could not describe the detail put into the construction and artwork laydent throughout the church.

    I went through this post and only changed a few grammatical errors and made sure it made sense to the reader because i tend to have run-on sentences but I did not mess with the structure or the way I talked about my tentions. I was very proud of this post and like it just the way it is written. 

Memento Mori

    This was definately the most interesting assignment I worked on. I thought it was fascinating to view the perspectives on how death was viewed through an artist's eyes with very little description about the painting besides the name of it. I saw some amazing points of view that were just down right overwhelming, some that make you really think, "I wonder if death is really like this", and some interesting concepts that I was very skeptical about as a lot of people with a Christian background would.

    First of all im surprised at how little if not mentioned at all any cultural tentions. I had not put any tentions at all in the intro or throughout the paper. I went back and added tentions about religious belief and religious skepticism. I made sure to talk about it and relate both sides for each painting.

Veterans Museum and Memorial Center

    This was really interesting to see from a veterans perspective. I loved seeing the different exhibits of the past wars: the clothing, machinery to get a job done, the weapons. All I could think of was giving props to those who went before me. The gear and weapons technology is so basic that its hard to imagine going into war with such little technology. I would highly recommend everyone see this exhibit in the old Naval Hospital. It is a good chance to see technological advances in war and in general throughout the last century and a half!

    I had to fix a couple of big things. The first was my tensions, I only had one side of the tension which was patriotism but I added liberal religious beliefs. I didnt have to put much about the new tension because I had a few examples relating to the liberal religious beliefs I just failed to mention it in the introduction. I had a lot of grammatical errors in the post which i went through and fixed and made sentences grammatically understandable. I believe I was half hammered when I wrote this because I really enjoy giving my opinion on these types of topics and really got into it and did some research on the liberal movements like that pastor and {code pink} and I also took out a few inappropriate sayings and words on my own personal beliefs about the liberal religious movements, you know, keep it professional.

Point Loma Lighthouse

    The Point Loma Lighthouse was my least favorite trip but interesting to see what the technology looked like back then. The lighthouse felt, cozy... Since I enjoy older stuff it was interesting to see. It would have been cooler if the lighthouse had been in a better spot and still active to this day, but still an enjoyable trip.

    I was not very clear on explaining the second part of my tension in this post. I went back and added the postmodernism portion of the tension and added a few more details about it compared to todays technology. I finally understand "both sides of the tension" now! There were a few sentences that did not make any sense so I made them more comprehendable.

    

 

America Alive Portfolio

Usually whenever I think about History classes I usually think about remembering dates and events that happened in the past, but with the assignment that was given to me this semester I have started to believe that History doesn't just focus on the past; History is constantly being made day to day in our society. The America Alive assignments that I have been given, honestly, I wasn't looking forward to them, but when I gained new ideas from class I was intrigued to see just how far the tensions from our past actually stand out in society today.

America Alive: San Luis Rey Mission

I was especially proud of this post because I have always loved visiting the Mission when I was younger and I never really had the time to go see it once I grew older. This assignment actually gave me a reason to go and admire the museum again. Once I walked in the door a sense of nostalgia came over me and I had some new experiences while I visited as well

The main element of this blog that I fixed was the cultural tension placement in the actuall blog and also where I believed the mission was on the spectrum within the tension. Other than fixing some grammatical issues, I didn't really see any need to change anything else.

America Alive: Colorado House

This was my very first America Alive assignment and I was still trying to get my bearing as to what the assignment was actually supposed to be. Im glad I was actually able to revise this post since I noticed a few errors in the formatting. Besides that I liked how the post actually came out and this one got me ready to visit other locations.

With this assignment the biggest thing for me to fix was clarity. I had to actually state what the tension was and where on the tension it layed. A few grammatical errors were taken care of as well.

America Alive: Oceanside Museum of Art

This post was bittersweet for me. The piece of art that I wrote about was a great piece to use for my blog, but I didn't have much time to actually observe all of the museum. In the end, I liked how this post came out and Im sure there will be others who agree with me.

I got this post on my first shot, but had to add some links to the painting so the audience knew what I was talking about.

America Alive: Pizza Port Carlsbad

This post was probably the most fun for me. I always go to this pub and love going there, but I never would have guessed that it would contain such a deep tension with the families of today. With this post, I was in the restaraunt just having some pizza when all of a sudden it dawned on me, the very establishment potrays the tension with family.

I only had to add a couple of links for the couple of references to Pizza Port, but I got this post exactly how I wanted it on my first try.

America Alive

An american tension that is still present in todays society is notions of racial difference and/or superiority and ideals of racial equality. This past weekend I visited a local favorite museum of San Diegans, The Old Town. I decided to focus on the Colorado house which had many interesting aspects of the design. When I look at the Colorado house as a whole it more is focused on the racial equality side of the tension. When I took a look at the building the first thing that I noticed is the color of the building. It’s a light cream color and has a white trim on the windows and the door is white as well. The color really made me feel as if it was only meant for Caucasians. This relates very well to the race tension that occurred before the revolutionary war. But the building had numerous contradictions, the windows and the two side doors were a dark almost mahogany color which would give the impression that darker colored races would have been welcome as well, but I guarantee that that wasn’t the case in that era. The last thing that truly stuck out to me was the wagon that was inside the building. The wagon was a bright red color which would encourage red skin customers to use Wells Fargo.

America Alive Portfolio

Doing the America Alive project and being in this class have made me see so much more aware about things that I would have never looked at before.  I have always been an analytical person and looked for meaning in things around me, just from a neutral point of view. Now more than ever, whenever I go somewhere, especially somewhere with a history or read a book or article I  look at things in terms of historical context, what tensions were going on in america, and if it is still going on today. Through studying america I have realized how America has not changed too much, and behind most of america's actions as a nation have been because of money. I look at everything with a new perspective, and I think that is a great thing.

 

Post 1: San Luis Rey

For this post I went down to the San Luis Rey Mission. It was fun, and I got to see a lot of history and learn a lot about Southern California. The tension I noticed most here what Democratic versus Christian ideals because of many different things, such as dorm room like housing for single women.

    What I fixed about this post was adding some details to what I saw, as well as focusing on one tension, rather than a few others. I also connected it to a text that we read in the class.

Post 2: Old Town 

For this post I decided to go town to Old Town. This was a pretty fun trip and I got to see another part of San Diego's Rich history. I saw the theme of racial superiority not be at all intact in the area, in fact it was the opposite. In the post i talk of a couple different things I learned that show how old town San Diego was a place that did not think that anyone was racially superior.

    I fixed this post by taking out some un needed details. I also explained my perspective more on the tension and where I thought it lied. Overall I did not change this post much, just refined it.

 

Post 3: Oceanside Pier

in this post I went down to the beach and saw the pier. I learned a lot about the history of the area and how the pier has gone through so much over the years, as well as the people. In this post I look at the cultural tension between Individualism and Society, and It is my favorite post I think I had because I really had to think about what tension was present at such beautiful place.

    I fixed this post by taking a side on where I thought the pier is in its cultural tension. I also took out some details and added some others, and fixed up my writing a bit.

Post 4: Hillcrest

In this post I went down to Hillcrest, San Diego. While I was there I found the cultural tension between heterosexuality and homosexuality to be pretty prevelant there, leaning more towards homosexuality. When I was there I learned about how Hillcrest thrives econmically and is a place where anyone can be accepted, and a place where other cities could take not from. It was a huge eye opener for me to see how well the city operates both economically and communally.

For this post I went back and changed some diction that I used, as well as saying where I stood on the tension and where I think the city stands. I also had multiple tensions at first, then focused on just one.

 

 

America Alive Post #4: Hillcrest

    I decided to go down to Hillcrest for my last post. I found the tension between homosexuality and heterosexuality is very prevalent in the area. I learned from a little research that the social, economic, housing and location characteristics of Hillcrest from the late 1960s through the 1970s provided a major stimulus towards the development of a gay-oriented neighborhood. These factors brought about a strong sense of community among the gays and lesbians of San Diego and gave them a tangible place to call home. This sense of community has become apparent in many ways. Gay publications such as the San Diego Son were started to help the community learn about gay-oriented events and opportunities. The Imperial Court, Dignity of San Diego, the Metropolitan Community Church and The Gay Center were all established in the early 1970s to help make this sense of community. Since then, the Gay Parade, San Diego Pride, the Gay Men's Choir, Lesbian and Gay History Month and the Gay and Lesbian Times have helped to establish the sense of community. Also, the Lesbian and Gay Historical Society of San Diego has become the very essence of this community. This organization keeps an archive of journals, books, and other gay-centered materials to document and preserve a sense of San Diego's gay history and develop its future. Today, Hillcrest stands as a community to be shared by all people, old and young, any race, singles, families and couples, gay or straight. It is a community based on safety, diversity, and community. The gay community has revitalized this area in central San Diego and I personally think it is great to see the gay and lesbian community of San Diego has emerged. However, not everyone feels the same sense of community and togetherness and there have been persecution’s by hate-mongers, local law enforcement, and religious opposition, but the gay and lesbian community has rallied and united, and the pride is stronger than ever. I think that is good for all of San Diego to have such a community has been able to overcome this cultural tension because it shows how people can live in harmony with one another, and how the gay community that was so looked down upon years ago, has found a place they can be proud of and have made SD a better place.

Rebecca's Portfolio

America Alive!

Through the work and research for the America Alive project I feel as if my thinking has evolved quite a bit, considering before I started this class I never would have tried to link anything I saw or thought back to a time before I was born. This semester has helped me to broaden my horizon, something not easily done, at least according to those who know me. I went places I never thought I’d want to go, and not only learned something but enjoyed it as well. In addition to going places I’d never go I paid attention to things I never felt were an important part of life. I mean I had always come away from places having learned new things, but I never thought to find a tension or relate them back to anything I have ever learned in a classroom.

            America Alive has also helped develop my writing ability in the sense that I’m not as afraid of what I write. I don’t mean to say I fear my writing, but before when assigned to write even just a small paragraph I over thought how it should be interpreted and the tone of what I was saying. While writing my posts I just wrote what I saw and how I felt about what I saw, not caring how it came across. That not caring part seemed to help a lot because even though I knew America Alive post were going to be graded, eventually, it felt more for me so if it didn’t make sense at first to anyone but me I was fine with that. So I didn’t over think it which is where my writing usually starts to not make sense.

1. Old Town, San Deigo

This was my favorite post because it involved a lot of looking and deciphering. Though in actuality I don’t normally like deciphering what I see, it was surprisingly fun trying to know what I was going to come across next and how it would apply to the tension I chose. Another reason I liked this post the most was because when I went to Old Town I didn’t go with people who had no idea what I was doing, but I went with someone else in the class. This gave us the option of bouncing ideas of each other which made this post that much more fun because I didn’t have to run everything through my head without a response.

I revised this post by adding a little more of the course into what I wrote and a little less of the unnecessary details of unrelated topics. While I took some stuff out I also added a little more of the relevant details. It’s a little longer but it makes a little more sense.

2. Nicolas Valley Elementary School

Writing this particular post was also very interesting to me. I mean everyone goes to elementary school, so why would a simple visit to drop off or pick up kids catch my attention. I found it interesting that how young growing up is starting. I mean I remember being that age and all I wanted to do was be around one of my siblings or even my parents, while also hanging out with my friends. The fact that I could do all and still find time to get everything else done was amazing. But when I visit the school it’s amazing how similar yet different the attitudes are, even in my own family.

I revised this post by connecting the kids of the elementary school to specific discussions, or texts, we’ve talked about in class. I also deleted useless details that didn’t apply to my specific tension in hopes of making a little more sense. 

3. Temecula Valley Museum

Going to the museum was an interesting time, and I liked it because of how informational such a small area could teach so much. The way the exhibit was set up so we could go in a zig zag and not miss the important times in Temecula's history. If it weren't for this assignment I never would have thought about how important the history of that particular part of the world. To be honest I didn't even think it was a part of the world at that point in time. 

I revised this post with making it a little clearer and adding some interesting links.

4. Church: Spirituality vs. Materialism

Writing this post really caused me to open my eyes to something I have spent my life blindly believing. Don't get me wrong I still believe in my religion, but I was shocked by how different it can be as the years go on. This assignment really had me thinking about how integrated materialism is with almost everything, even in a church. It got me thinking and I really liked how it got me to reevaluate some things.

I changed this post by making it more clear and percise. I also narrowed it down to just one specific part of the day to a broad generalization of how the Church works.

Church: Spirituality vs Materialism

So I know it’s a weird choice but I chose to actually pay attention when it comes to tensions between Spirituality and Materialism, though it may not be that surprising, in the church that I go to. I belong to the Church of Latter Day Saints, aka the Mormons, and since I belong to a section, or ward, that is just people over 18 who are unmarried, things are done just a little differently than a ward meant for families. Something I really caught on to was the looks people give when they pass someone not wearing something, I won’t say designer, but along those lines. During the first meeting of a three hour block of classes everyone is combined sitting, listening to different spiritual talks, and partaking of the Sacrament. The Sacrament consists of partaking of bread and water representing Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, and during this little time seemed to be the only time when how people dressed didn’t matter, because it was spiritual. The rest of this first hour, however, if someone walks in and looks as if they just walked out of a magazine it’s amazing how many awestruck stares are directed towards them. Similar to "Fashion” where the mother is all about the fashion in France and nothing in her house can be anything but the French style, in the church there shouldn’t be anything but the best. On the other hand if someone walks in not quite as fashionable, well off might be a better way of saying it, it sometimes feels as if a cool breeze came through. Spirituality is important to me and my religion, but even in a church materialism can cloud people’s minds. I hate to admit that I never noticed it before but even though it’s full of spirituality, it’s also has some materialistic values. 

 

America Live Portfolio

    Throughout my journey across the land, I realized the wonders and history that each landmark contains.  This America Live project changed my view and how I look at the world. Now, I do not just enjoy a trip, I analyze the area and look into the history of the land and how it becomes important. History and events from the past helps shape the future into what it is today. My trip to the art museum in Oceanside has changed my perspective on life the most; it made me realize that simple messages in life can reflect our actions and even artwork. When I went to Yorba LInda to see the Nixon library, I noted the history of Nixon and the tensions his actions created for America at the time. This perspective of thinking has not only changed my view of the world but also my writing. I now write with deep thought and critical thinking. I greatly enjoyed this assignment because I had the opportunity to see the world through the looking glass. I had the chance to not only view the outside world and the cultural history it holds but also the chance to experience the feelings of the past. 

America Live Post #1: San Luis Rey Mission: Spanish vs. Native Americans

This post was my first post. At first, I did not quite understand the purpose of visiting this site and finding a tension. However, I looked back and rewrote my post. I went into further detail about the tension and how it affected the people then and how it shaped the site today. I decided to put the tension at the end because it was the easiest way to rewrite my blog post.

America Live Post #2: El Campo Santo Catholic Cemetery: Beyond the Stone

This post was the most adventurous one because me and friend drove all the way to Old Town and walked the streets. We cam across the cemetery and I immediately felt an uneasy feeling. I walked around the cemetery and not only did I felt uneasy but also pain and sorrow for the dead souls. I added more links to this post and I added a few more details that supported my tension so that it draws a clearer picture of which tensions I am discussing. I also took out unnecessary details that did not support my tensions.

America Live Post #3: Oceanside Museum of Art: Realism and Modernism/Postmodernism

This post was my favorite because it was my first time I went to an art museum. I learned that even art has a tension and a story to tell; this is the site that I learned the most. In my opinion, I feel this is my best post because my tension was clear and I used details that support my tension. However, I did tweak the sentences a little and added a couple of links to sites.

America Live Post #4: Yorba Linda: Nixion Library

 The reason why i would go all the way to Yorba Linda was because it was for extra credit for one of my other classes. Once I was there, I decided to not only use it for that class but also for my America Live. I rewrote my last paragraph so that my tension is clear. I also added links to websites I used to help me understand the history behind Nixon and the watergate scandal.

Research Guide Final: Revolutionary Weapons (Revised)

Topic Definition: 
Revolutionary weapons are tools of warfare that colonists use for protection and security. In the American colonial life, these weapons were primarily used for hunting as well as protection from Native American hostilities. The primary weapon of the time was the musket and the sidearm, the flintlock. These tools were a necessity in the time of the American Revolution for their uses in warfare.

Key figures/artists: 

3rd Pennsylvania Regiment, 1777

British Royal Army

Marques de Lafayette

George Washington

Mira Costa Library

 General Comment: 

Mira Costa library offered a variety of sources for my topic, specifically the American Revolution. The databases in the library gave me help for my topic, such as U.S History in context. However, I found some of the articles in this section satisfactory than the other school I go to, Cal State San Marcos. Even though some of the articles are satisfactory on popular spectrum, I found a little use of information for my topic, Revolutionary weapons. Overall, I the U.S History in context am a good database source in the Mira Costa library. I feel the sources here are both secondary and primary sources, because there are many letters written by actual people of the Revolutionary War and some authors who quote weapons used in the war. In addition, this would be considered as a scholarly source, because it has very credible information.

Sources

History and World Affairs. Web. 14 September 2011.

 An excellent source for topics that deal with history and purpose. This database gives excellent articles and sections that relate to this history and context of a specific topic. I feel this source can help me in writing my research as well as contributing as useful sources for my research paper. This source is a secondary source in which the author talked about the uses of muskets. Overall, this database gave me credible information about history of my topic.

  “Muskets and Musketry.” Encyclopedia of the American Revolution: Library of Military History. 2006.

I feel this source is good in writing in my college research paper because it provides good information of weaponry. For instance, in the “Development and Discipline” section, “The first rank of musketeers, with bayonets fixed, would kneel before firing and might remain in that position without reloading, partly because it was difficult to reload a muzzle-loading musket while on one knee and partly to offer with their bayonets protection for their colleagues against a charge by cavalry or infantry.” This type of information would help me in my essay by the infantry tactics that soldiers use with their muskets. This source contributes to my research as well as being a secondary source.  I feel this source is a secondary source, because it’s an encyclopedia with using information from various sources. This meets the academic level for my research paper that I can clearly explain the information. Lastly, on I feel sources such as this in the Miracosta library would be most likely secondary sources in terms of the authors who used information from various of sources.

“The Revolutionary War.” Dictionary of American History. 2003. 

                This source is good in writing in my college research essay, because it has information of the Revolutionary War itself. For example, in one of the first chapters, “The war was not restricted to colonials and British. The French joined with the Americans against their British enemies.” This information would be helpful to me, because I would include Marquis de Lafayette in my arts and cultures essay of “The Art of the Weaponry.” This would give me a better understanding how the French assisted the Colonial Army and their tactics against the British. I feel this source will contribute to my research, because it has adequate information for my topic in weaponry. I feel this source would be scholarly, because it is from a certified author who used maps and history to talk about the Revolutionary War. Lastly, I feel that I understand and know that this source and many others in the library, can be evaluated in a secondary source of its lack of actual letters from minor figures in the Revolutionary War. Even though there are some instances from George Washington, I need actual information of the creator behind the musket.

Boot, Max. War made new : technology, warfare, and the course of history, 1500 to today. New York : Gotham Books, 2006. Print.

                I feel this source is good in writing in my college research essay, because it has factual evidence of the weapons that were in U.S history. Even though I’m focusing on muskets, the book has information of the transition from sword to gun. For example, in chapter 6, the author explains that in the time of the 16^th century, the sabers on British officers were only used for regulations and cosmetics of their military (Boot). I feel this source would contribute to my essay, because of all the cool information it has. This is a scholarly source in the spectrum which has primary sources of real accounts of actual officers. This book will help greatly in my research paper.

 Chernow, Ron. “Washington : a life.”  New York : Penguin Press, 2010. Print.

            I feel this source is good in writing in my college research essay, because it has information about the military career of George Washington. Washington’s relation to my topic of weaponry is important, because it is under his leadership that militiamen were able to understand the tactics of war. For example, in chapter 10, the author talks about Washington’s relationship with Lafayette and his plea for his help to train Washington’s army (Chernow). I feel this source would contribute to my essay, because of the background information of leadership and weaponry used in the American Revolution. This is a scholarly source in the spectrum which has primary sources of real accounts of Washington and his life.

 CSU San Marcos:

Lyle Noceda

General Comment:

                CSU San Marcos library offered me excellent sources of my topic in Revolutionary weapons. There were many scholarly articles as well as secondary texts in the library. These collections were good and proved useful to me when I was researching the details of weaponry. I feel the sources here are both secondary and primary sources, because there are many letters written by actual people of the Revolutionary War and some authors who quote weapons used in the war. In addition, this would be considered as a scholarly source, because it has very credible information.

Most Useful Resources

Savas, Theodore P., and David J. Dameron. A Guide to the Battles of the American Revolution. New York: Savas Beatie, 2006. Print.

I feel this source is good in writing in my college research essay because it has good information about the type of battles fought in the American Revolution. This book was a great help for topic, because it has chapters that give information about the weaponry used in the American Revolution. For example, in the fourth chapter, the authors talked about the tactics of the Colonial Army against the British. This information would be helpful to me, because it gives me a background of the muskets that were used by the Colonial Army. I feel this source can contribute to my research paper, because of the useful information it has on weapons on the battlefield. . I feel this source would be scholarly, because it is from a certified author who used battles to talk about the Revolutionary War. Lastly, I feel that I understand and know that this source and many others in the library can be evaluated in a secondary source of its lack of actual letters from minor figures.

 Berg, Gerald M. “Comparative Studies in Society and History.” The Sacred Musket. Tactics, Technology, and Power in Eighteenth-Century Madagascar 27.2 (1985): 261-279. Print.

This article was most useful because it gave me a very good insight of the musket and its uses in the European colonies. This text offers me an academic view of the different part of the musket and the line of sights when shooting the musket in battle. The tactics and strategies were very ingenious which gave me and perspective of how weapons were used in the time. I feel this source can help me in my research paper as well as contributing to the research of my paper. This also meets the requirements of academic research and being a secondary source about weaponry in the American Revolution. This source can contribute to my research, because it has credible information. In addition, the web does provide information about a submarine which I never knew about it. I feel like this source is a scholarly source, because it has information of the weapon themselves and their connection with warriors. In addition, I feel like this is a primary source, because it has good sources of muskets.

Freedman, Russell. Lafayette and the American Revolution. New York : Holiday House, 2010. Print.

I feel this source is good in writing in my college research essay because it has good information about Lafayette and his discipline towards Washington’s army. For example, in chapter 4, the author explains that Lafayette trains the soldiers to learn the functionality of the musket and becoming an extension of themselves (Freedman). I feel this source would contribute to my essay, because of the different tactics that Lafayette taught to the army. This is a scholarly source in the spectrum which has primary sources of real accounts of Lafayette and his knowledge of weapons.

Gravois, Michael. “American Revolution.” New York: Scholastic Teaching Resources, 2003. Print.

            I feel this source is good in writing in my college research essay because it has good information about the American Revolution. For example, in chapter 6, the author explains that weapons were the deterrent in protecting the American Revolution ideals (Gravois). I feel this source would contribute to my essay, because of the different battles in the American. This is a scholarly source in the spectrum which has primary sources of real accounts of figures in the American Revolution and militia brigades.

UCSD Library

General Comment:

UCSD was very helpful, because it provided me many scholarly sources, such as books. Most of the sources I found related to my topic are books. There were also a wide variety of collections in the library that were also useful to any topic in history or biographies. I feel the sources here are both scendary and primary sources, because there are many letters written by actual people of the Revolutionary War and some authors who quote weapons used in the war. In addition, this would be considered as a scholarly source, because it has very credible information.

Useful Sources

Moore, Warren. “Weapons of the American Revolution”. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1968, 1967. Print. 

This was a very excellent source for my topic! I was able to find all the information I need for my topic which are American Revolutionary weapons. I found a variety of information, 
including tactics with weaponry. For example, I learned how the colonists would use a formation where one squad will fire upon the enemy while the secondary squad reloads their muskets. I feel this source can help me in my research paper as well as contributing to the research of my paper. This also meets the requirements of academic research and being a secondary source about weaponry in the American Revolution.

Neumann, George C. “The history of weapons of the American Revolution”. New York: Harper& Row, 1967. Print.

This was also an excellent source, because there were drawings provided in the chapters about the functions of the weapon. This was very interesting, because reliability of a weapon is a very important in the battlefield. For example, the muskets would jam because many colonial militia men would not clean their weapon thoroughly before engaging in battle. Given the time and period, the musket needed to be inspected by the soldiers every 2 hours. Many of the Revolutionary battles had different weather conditions and inspection of the musket is very important. I feel this scholarly source can help me in my research paper as well as contributing to the research of my paper. This also meets the requirements of academic research and being a secondary source about weaponry in the American Revolution. However, there are no actual dialogue from military officers to comment each weapon discussed in the chapters of the book.

Wilkinson, Frederick. “Flintlock guns and rifles; an illustrated reference guide.”  Harrisburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books,1971. Print.

            I feel this source is good in writing in my college research essay because it has information about flintlocks and rifles with detailed illustrations like the other book I looked into. For example, in chapter 4, the author explains that flintlocks were powerful in its day that it was sometimes used for duels in America (Wilkinson). I feel this source would contribute to my essay, because of the different functions of the weapon. This is a scholarly source in the spectrum which has primary sources of the function of the weapons and it’s uses on the battlefield.

Leach, Douglass Edward. “Flintlock and tomahawk; New England in King Philip's War.” New York, Norton 1966, 1958. Print.

            I feel this source is good in writing in my college research essay because it has information of the techniques and conjunctions of using gun and tool at the same time. For example, in chapter 7, the author talks about how Colonial soldiers who fought for the British during the French War would use their flintlocks for long range combat and Indian axes for close quarters combat. I feel this source would contribute to my essay, because of the different techniques implemented in the battlefield. This is a scholarly source in the spectrum which has primary sources of the techniques of the weapons and it’s uses on the battlefield.

 Web

General Comment:

The Web was somewhat helpful, because some sites are credible and not credible at the same time. However, the sources presented here can fit in my research paper, because it interesting dacts about weapons used at the time of the Revolutionary War. I feel the web would be helpful in writing my essay for my topic, because the information of weaponry is quite similar like the books I checked in libraries. The information that can be contributed to my research is the illustrations of the weapons shown in the web. I feel the sources here are secondary sources, because it has various web sites of weapons. In addition, this would be considered as a popular source, because anybody can aquire this information other than a real library.

 Sources

“Weapons of the Revolution.” Angelfire.com. n.p., n.d. Web.

               I feel this source is good in writing in my college research essay, because it had good information of the weapons. For instance, “the Charleville was a French musket was more toward the end of the American Revolution when the French started to ship arms to help the Americans in the revolution. This musket is firing characteristics are the same as most muskets, short range and inaccurate.”  This source seems quite useful for writing my college essay, because it has a variety of weapons along with information about it. This source can contribute to my research by emphasizing what the weapons looked like back in the Revolutionary War. I feel like this source is a secondary source, because it  has enough information of the weapon themselves. In addition, I feel like this is a secondary source, because it has various sources from different web sites.

“Weapons of the Revolutionary War.” Revolutionarywarantiques.com. n.p., n.d. Web.

               I feel this source is good in writing in my college research essay, because it had good information for weapons in the Revolutionary War. For example, the swords and sabres are used mostly by officers; Revolutionary War swords were often ornamental in nature and decorated with precious materials. This source seems very useful, because it has information about swords other than the weapons. This source can contribute to my research, because it has credible information. In addition, the web does provide information about a submarine which I never knew about it. I feel like this source is a popular source, because it doesn’t have enough information of the weapon themselves. In addition, I feel like this is a secondary source, because it has various sources from different web sites.

“Tactics and Weapons of the Revolutionary War.” Doublegv.com. n.p., n.d. Web.

               I feel this source is good in writing in my college research essay, because it had good information for each weapon.  For instance, “The British musket, (the Brown Bess), was 75 caliber and they used a 69 caliber ball. The French musket (the Charleyville), supplied to the Americans, was 69 caliber and fired a 65 caliber ball ( “Tactics and Weapons of the Revolutionary War”). This source is quite useful, because it has credible information about muskets and cannons. This source can contribute to my research, because it has information about the functionality of the musket.  I feel like I understand this source is a popular source, because it’s web page from the internet. In addition, I could find sources like this in the internet, but it will be secondary sources.

“Artillery.” Americanrevolution.org n.p., n.d. Web.

               I feel this source is good in writing in my college research essay, because the artillery used in the American Revolution was important with conjunction of the muskets. For example, artillerymen were considered elite troops and sighting was simplicity itself. This type of information would help me greatly, because of the types of weapons used in the battlefield. This source can contribute to my research, because it has background on the artillery of the weapons rather than handheld firearms. This is important to my research, because it cites other tools of weapons that were used in the Revolutionary War. I feel like I understand and know that this source is scholarly, because the author used various sources. I can find other sources like this, but it will be most likely secondary sources, because it is from the internet. This web page meets on a good academic level of research, because it provides sufficient information. This is indeed a secondary source, so I couldn’t get actual documented people who used the weapons at the time.

 

 

 

 

Research Guide: California Mission Architecture *REVISED*

Richard Whalen

12/7/2011

 

California Mission Architecture

 

Topic Description:

            From the years 1769 to 1823 twenty-one Spanish missions where built in an attempt to colonize Atla California and to bring Christianity into the local Natives lives.  Today these structures are some of the oldest buildings left standing in California.  Historians and others use these structures and their architecture for clues and evidence of what life was like during the time period.  The missions’ locations and the way in which they were built can be examined to find trends and ideas of early American culture.  Even the materials used in the building process display the resources and techniques that were available during the period.

“California Missions.” Encyclopedia Britannnica. Encyclopedia Britannica, Online Academic Edition, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011. Web. 13 Sept, 2011, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/89604/California-Missions

Key Artists/ Figures:

Junipero Serra

Gaspar de Portola

Antonio Peyri

Native Americans

Padres

Mira Costa Library

General Comment:

           The Mira Costa library is a great resource and has many things to offer.  I first tried to search the online databases for resources.  I found information about the California Missions, but nothing specifically pertaining to their architecture.  I then focused my attention to the physical text of the stacks.  I found it extremely easy to find text using the catalog search online.  I found great text not only in the Architecture section, but also in the California History section.  I found the research librarians to be very helpful while instructing me on how to navigate the stacks.  Once in the general area of the texts I had found during my search I also found many other useful texts in that area.

Most Useful Sources

Behrens, June. Missions of the Central Coast. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1996. N. pag. Print.

           This text is a good place to start.  The text would fall into the popular spectrum.  The text is extremely easy to read and even contains an elementary glossary.  The articles are short and the photographs are extensive.  These photographs cover a broad range of information; not only mission architecture, but also furniture and tools of the period.  The photographs are nice examples of primary texts while the written text describes the details of the photos.

Roger, Kennedy G. Mission. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993. N. pag. Print.

            This text is the best that I found.  The text has a great selection of material.  The text includes tons of background information and pictures.  The text also has entire chapters dedicated just to the Spanish architecture used while building the missions.  These chapters go into great detail in explaining the techniques used.  The text is scholarly being that it includes a bibliography and vocabulary is technical and research orientated.  The written text of the author is secondary, but the text contains photos which may be used as primary sources of mission architecture.

Artstor. Web. 3 October 2011.

            Artstor is a great resource.  Over one thousand photos can be found after just search mission architecture.  These photos can be used as primary sources of mission architecture.  The database is scholarly and cites all texts contained in the database.

Reyes, Barbara. Private women, public lives: gender and the missions of the Californias. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2009. Print.

            This book is a great resource when looking into the gender/ femininity tensions of the time period.  The text explains how the natives were taught to love and follow the ways of the Spanish monarch.  Another topic of the text is how the natives roles in the public and private sphere.  This text was written by a college professor and is a secondary source.  It would be place in the scholarly spectrum being that it was written for academic use and is well cited.

Cal State San Marcos Library

General Comment:

            The Cal State San Marcos Library is a great local resource.  I started out by navigating the library online.  The site is a little different, but relatively similar to Mira Costas.  The site has three main search tabs: Books & More, Articles & Databases, and E-Journals.  I found it very easy to search for books.  The search gives you a summary of the text along with picture of the cover.  The data bases are also well organized and a tab on the search page states which databases are scholarly.  The tab either states: none, most, all.  This is really helpful to narrow down databases from the start.  The library is also open seven days a week.

Most Useful Sources

Levick, Melba. The missions of California. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1988. Print. 

            This is a great text to start with.  This text is full of pictorial works by Levick.  The photos are great primary sources and can be used to get a feel for the architecture used during the time periods.  One can observe what changes were made in the later missions and determine what may have caused these changes.  The written text of this text would fit into the popular spectrum.  It is written with the general public in mind and even contains traveler’s information.

Sagarena, Roberto Lint. "Building California's Past: Mission Revival Architecture and Regional Identity." Journal of Urban History 28.4 (2002): 429. America: History & Life. EBSCO. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.

            This text can be found in Cal States data bases.  The text covers how Mission and Spanish architectural styles played an important role in shaping California’s culture.  The text is a secondary source, but contains photographic primary sources within.  The text is well cited and is also aimed toward professionals, students, and educators placing it into the scholarly spectrum.

California Missions. Set 1 :Architecture of the Northern Missions: [Guide]. Santa Barbara: Budek Films and Slides, Inc, n.d. Print.

            This text consists of forty-one slides of the missions available in the library.  This text works great as a primary resource of mission architecture.  There are also two more sets of slides available from this collection.  These sets of slides were taken by professionals in the field for students and educators placing them in the scholarly spectrum.  Cal State has an extensive slide collection if more photographs are needed.

La Perouse, Jean-Francois de Galaup. Life in a California mission: Monterey in 1786: the journals of Jean Francois de la Perouse. Berkeley: Heyday Books, 1995. Print.

            This is a great text and is one of the only journals I found.  Most of the text is an original journal written by Jean Francois La Perouse in 1786.  This text could be used a primary source, but also contains commentary from Malcolm Margolin which could be used a secondary source.  The work is well cited and fall into the scholarly spectrum.

UC San Diego Library

General Comment:

            UC San Diegos library is a great local resource.  The library stands up to the university’s stellar reputation.  The library’s massive size can be intimidating, but it is worth the search.  The online library is also a great source for scholarly text.  The online search engine is amazingly accurate; by far the best of the three libraries I visited.  The databases are also extensive and well organized.  UC San Diego even has architecture listed while databases by subject.

Most Useful Sources

Newcomb, Rexford. The Franciscan mission architecture of Alta California. New York: Dover Publications, 1973. Print.

            This text is a great work pertaining to California mission architecture.  The author Rexford Newcomb is a well-known architectural historian with a great reputation.  Newcomb’s text is a great scholarly secondary source.  Newcomb has many other texts which contain information about mission architecture.

Baer, Kurt. Architecture of the California missions. Photos. by Hugo Rudinger. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1958. Print.

            Kurt Baer of Switzerland was a talented artist and scholar of his time.  Baer became intrigued with California mission history and the Spanish who built them.  He participated in archeological digs of the missions while investigating their history and creation.  His text can be used a scholarly secondary source.  The photos in the text are also great primary sources of California mission architecture.

Aata.getty.edu. Web. 6 October 2011

            This is a great database which can be found through UC San Diego’s web site.  This database consists of academic journals covering topics such as history and technology in architecture.  The database is well laid out and citations for each text are ready available placing it in the scholarly spectrum.

Kimbro, Edna E. The California missions: history, art, and preservation. Los Angeles: Getty Conservation Institute, 2009. Print.

            This text describes the conservation efforts in effect to save the California missions.  The text also describes the heritage behind the missions and their architecture.  Included in the text are bibliographical references, placing this text in the scholarly spectrum.  The text could be used a secondary source for a college assignment. 

Web

General Comment:

            The web can used to find almost anything these days including mission architecture information.  There are great sites with scholarly information and a ton more created for the general public.  The web also offers thousands of images which may be used as primary sources if cited properly.  The web is a great source and starting point for any research project as long as the information is written by a professional or scholar.

Most Useful Sources

http://missionscalifornia.com/. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.

            This text has it all.  It contains many photographs, articles, maps, timelines, and other useful information.  This text falls in the middle of the popular/ scholarly spectrum.  The text is informative and has photographs which could be used as primary sources, but is written for the general public, contains advertisements, and has an online store.  Overall this website has a broad range of information and is well organized.

http://www.ca-missions.org/. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.

            This is a great website by the California Mission Studies Association.  The site has a multiple articles published by the CMSA as well as biographies, and illustrated glossaries placing it in the scholarly spectrum.  This is a great resource to anyone needing mission architecture information.  The information is also written specifically for researchers and teachers aids.

http://www.missionsofcalifornia.org/. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.

            This website was created by the California Missions Foundation.  The site has a variety of different information concerning the mission history.  The site has the essential photographs, locations, and basic information, but also has other resources to offer.  One of the most useful sections of the site is the history of the missions in chronological order.  This section is very helpful and well organized.  All of the information in cited properly and most of the text is well written and can be used for secondary sources.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22722. N.p., 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 8 Dec. 2011.

            This page of the California parks website is a great place to start research on the California missions.  This first page shows the path of the famous California missions trail up the coast stretching from San Diego to San Francisco.  This page also has links to other pages that have information on archeology and the general history of the mission.  This site would be considered a secondary source, but may be considered more of a popular source being that the information is not cited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

America Alive Portfolio

The America alive activities have played a large role in my day to day life since experiencing the many tensions that revolved around us each and every day. I was able to take a step back and take notice to several tensions from social conformity to spiritualism and materialism. These few tensions helped me to notice even the tiniest of things that seem to pass by most peoples thoughts, however, I have become a person that completely analyzes each and every thing that goes on around me.  Seeing the issues between individualism, social conformity, spirituality and materialism all help to see just how egocentric and self centered people were and still are each and everyday. I thoroughly enjoyed that America alive project because it made me open my eyes and really see the world around me.

Oceanside Sunset Market's Individualism and Social Conformity

The Oceanside Sunset Market is a great time, each and every Thursday that I have gone there has been a huge crowd. I thoroughly enjoy taking any given Thursday night and heading down to the market to see what is new! Of all of the times that I have gone to the market I never realized the the tensions that are in plane sight!

I was able to add a video to spice this America alive post up. I also took the time to fix a few of my sentences, especially the thesis! 

The Tibbits Opera House and its Struggles with Art as a Aesthetic Expression and Serving as aCultural Purposes

The Tibbits Opera House has been a privilege to be able to experience my entire life and by far my favorite America alive post. The Tibbits Opera house is full of history and an abundance of tensions being discussed in class. I wish that others were as lucky as I am to be able to visit such a historical place. 

I added pictures to this post and also a few more links that are most related to the topic. I also fixed some of my historical flaws and took out some of the tedious details. 

The Whaley House's Revealing of Spirituality and Materialism

I am truly intrigued by haunting and the supernatural world. The Whaley House was a great way for me to experience this especially during the Halloween season. I have recommended this site to many others and am hoping that I will be sure to go back again. 

I made sure to fix my conclusion and my thesis sentence. I also made sure to add more photos and links most related to the text. I also was able to find a very interesting short video on the history of the Whaley house that I found quite interesting!

The Riley's Farm Continual Tension on Technology and Nature

My trip to the Riley Farm was a very intersting one. My husband and I went to this place together and both fell in love with the atmostphere. Being people that love the outdoors and being from a smaller town it gave us a some sort of hometown comfort. I loved the history behind this place and found it very informational. 

To help to fix up this piece I added a few pictures that are directly related to the text and the tensions that are discussed. 

 

America Alive Portfolio

Through America alive I have gained the ability to see aspects of American culture on a deeper level than I ever have before. Not only has it enabled me with the tools of observation, interpretation and analysis but it has awakened and developed an fascination with American culture that I never before possessed. In visiting the San Luis Rey Mission, Old Town San Diego, the Yellow Deli, and Monster Rock I have taken a journey through time, of sorts, allowing me to experience both  widely and narrowly seen landmarks that represent different parts of the American journey. As a result I have felt more connected than ever. I feel as though I have gained an invaluable compilation of firsthand understanding that I believe I will cultivate and incorporate for the rest of my life.
    After my visit toThe Yellow Deli, it quickly became my favorite place to relax and study. This     microsmic embodiment of the concept of Utopianism is both consuming and rejuvinating. It is a     comfortable,welcoming place with interesting, kind people--a true novelty. I ammended this post     by linking to their website and some others about their religion.

   My adventure to find Monster Rock, the old Native American legend, was eye opening in ways     that the other locations were not. With the other landmarks there was some kind of attempt made     to mask the culutural tension that contributed to its present existence, whereas with Nahachish,     no such facade was even minutely visible. This post I changed by enhancing and editing the many     historical flaws in my research and adding as many links as i could find relating to the topic.

    I really enjoyed my trip to Old Town San Diego probably because of its attractiveness to tourists.     Good restaurants, lots of souvenier shops and lots to explore. I changed this post by adding some     links and more in-depthly exploring the tensions I found there.

    The reason I address my Mission San Luis Rey post last is because it is the most commonly     visited, not because it was the least interesting by any means. The building itself is incredibly     beautiful and completely immerses one in the past. I improved this post by adding more detail     and links.

 

America Alive: San Luis Rey

This weekend I paid a visit to Mission San Luis Rey. I chose this
museum because I happen to live only a couple of blocks away. When I came to this museum I found the tension between religious idealism and economic opportunity, which the mission actually was more in the middle of these two tensions. The first thing I noticed when I entered the museum is the atmosphere of the building. It was very quiet and very somber. When you walk inside you are greeted with ancient pottery and clothing that Indians and friars wore. As I continued through the museum I saw numerous references to Christianity such as the portraits of Jesus' Resurrection and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The more that you continued through the museum you see even more Christian Idols and artifacts. Then I stumbled upon a photo of Native Americans wearing the garb of the friars that lived at this mission while they were doing landscaping. While
the white settlers at this mission were busy with sermons and focusing on their studies the Natives had to work for their keep instead of all the friars pulling their fair share of the work. The mission succeeded economically due to these few Natives because they planted plants and kept the grounds clean, which in turn brought more Christians to the mission to worship and donate to the church. My experience at the mission was enlightening and I will never forget the quote of Sir Francis “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” The white friars along with Friar Francisco who were instruments of the Lord, but the Native Americans seemed to be the tools of the Lord’s instruments.

America Alive Post #3: Polk Street, San Francisco

The Polk Gulch neighborhood in San Francisco, California today is just another fun street with restaurants, bars and shopping.

It is still known for its controversial beginning as an openly gay neighborhood founded by homosexual citizens unwilling to compromise their identities any longer. To this day, the street will likely be filled with people that San Franciscans are accustomed to, being that the city has a large gay population. However, in other parts of America, tolerance is not being practiced as it has been in San Francisco for a long time. This conflict that exists between individual is perpetuated by the natural divide in America. One may not find a man dressed as a woman, or vice versa, living in the Bible belt. It is understandable that we may be uncomfortable with things that are unfamiliar to us. For example, I spent a lot of time in San Francisco as a child and I lived in New York city where attended an arts college. While I am familiar with the gay population and embrace it as a normal part of life, my family in Vancouver, Washington does not. They are not openly intolerant; they simply do not encounter what I have. Polk Street was the first site for the Gay Pride Parade, and to this day is the place for eccentric Halloween celebrations.

        

America Alive Post # 2: Cabrillo National Monument

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo led the first European voyage to what is now the West coast of America. The Cabrillo National Monument marks the spot the ship arrived at in San Diego bay in 1542. There they met the expected Kumeyaay Indians.

        

The Kumeyaay way of life was different from the imperialistic ways of the Spanish. Cabrillo was greeted by the Indians and differences were quickly noted. The Indians had long hair, decorated and often braided. The uncertainty of the Indians was obvious so Cabrillo gave them gifts and assured them he meant no harm. The Kumeyaay lived by understanding their environment, fishing in canoes and trading crafts with neighbors. These cultural differences surely caused tension between these two groups of people. The new settlers had to find a way to acquire the land they came for without upsetting the native people. The Kumeyaay would rightly feel invaded and possibly fear for their land. Both groups would certainly experience culture shock not having known the differences that existed.

America Alive Post # 1: First San Diego Courthouse

The first San Diego courthouse was built in 1847 by members of the Mormon Battalion. Members were "500 men who enlisted in Iowa to help fight the war with Mexico. Several women came as laundresses." The building still exists today on San Diego Avenue, the original downtown San Diego.

          

Native Americans, Catholics, Protestants, Jewish Yankees, Chinese Taoists, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, Moslems and multi-ethnic Europeans were subjected to alternative "exotic" laws which created tension for moralistic humans because of their background. In this situation the most obvious tension is cultural difference as a justification for oppression. During this time, oppression of Americans existed not only because of racial differences, but cultural differences as well. Eventually, the vigilantes, groups of people fighting against these tensions, took control because the current judicial process was unjust.

America Alive Introduction

America Alive

    The America Alive project was my favorite element of American Studies.  We were given the chance to take the information we learned in class and apply it in the real world.  The project has opened my eyes and gave me a new found appreciation for historic sites.  Their are so many places that I have taken for granted and taken no interest in what so ever.  An example in the Olivenhain Meeting Hall.  I have lived next to this site my whole life and have never taken the time to figure out why it's actually there, or the purpose it once served.  I now find myself digging deeper into each place I visit.   

1. Old Town/ The Whaley House

    This is my favorite site I visited.  I have been there twice before; both times to "drink in a bar for some girls birthday."  I was completely oblivious to the history behind site, which is pretty embarrassing when you think about it.  Visiting Old Town as a historian was much more rewarding than over priced drinks followed by a hangover.  It was in this field experience where the idea and concept of the project made sense to me.

    I changed the beginning of the post and tried to answer the guiding question rather than restating it.  For the first time in this post I added photographs that I had taken.  I also added links and made sure that my links and photos open into new pages.  I like adding my own photos because they relate to what I wrote about.

2. Korbel California Champagne

    I really enjoyed this field experience as well.  I have seen very little of Northern California and was blown away by how beautiful it is.  There is also a lot of history up there and people are extremely passionate about it.

    Being that this was my last post I changed it the least.  I added a sentence that places the post on the spectrum rather than just stating the guiding question.  I just tried to make sure I had my tension, details, photographs, and links 

3. Olivenhain Meeting Hall

    This post was also one of my favorites.  I have lived a mile from this site almost my whole life and have never researched the history behind it.  I enjoyed visiting the meeting hall as a historian.  There are other historic sites near my home that I now look foward to visiting after my rewarding experience at the meeting hall.

    For this post I went back and added more details about the architecture of the meeting hall.  I also added a few links and pictures to the post.  

4. Old Mission San Luis Rey de Francia

    Visiting the mission was a really nice experience.  I have been there before, but I was a lot younger and hardly remember it.  It was really close to visit and I enjoyed the museum.  The tension was blantant while visiting the mission which made this a good site to start with.  I wrote my research guide and arts and culture essay on mission architecture and this visit helped me there as well.

    I ended up changing this post the most.  The first thing I changed was moving my tension to the beginning of the post.  I didn't take pictures while I was there, but I found images to add from google.  I also went back and added links to key words Jim had suggested.