Greetings from Westfield

[x] Graded Paper: ENGL 276

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:56:35 GMT

Semester: Fall 2007
Course: ENGL 276 // Writing About the Arts
Paper Topic: Fine Arts Review
Grade: A-

Maybe I Don’t Know Much, But Baseball Players Need Eyes
Leah Kaplan

Initially, my sister thought that it would be a good idea to select me to accompany her to a showcase in Rye, New York that featured her old college roommate, twenty-five-year-old Vanessa Willeau. I can only say that all those months my sister has spent in the Savannah, Georgia sun where people are warmer and friendlier while I stayed up north layered in sweatshirts and ratty jeans didn’t help to create a mutual fondness for any of the work on display. My sister drew on her friendly southern home while gazing at the art in the pleasing manner. I did my best to keep echoing snorts from my throat whenever I looked at something that I didn’t like. Little to be said, as my sister and I stood in the airy gallery with Starbucks in hand, I was a little less appreciative then the other thirty-something patrons that attended the showcase.

I have to give Vanessa credit for the talent she obviously has to be a part of the New York University Graduate showcase. I must appreciate the work she put into it and how closely she tracked the details of wrinkles in clothing and different heights of background and terrain on the canvas on the four works of art she had on display. This is because I am not a talented visual artist. I have seen what I draw and can safely say that unless NYU picks up an idea from way out in right field and has an idea to showcase silly drawings of smiling pigs with top hats and bowties, I know that I will not be ever showcased in any artist display.

However, I could not appreciate the pen-and-ink creation of David Wright. Willeau was careful to get her drawing on the white paper to resemble the popular baseball player – minus that she had forgotten his eyes. The shadowing along his left arm as it extends with the elbow to his front until his hand covers itself in a black baseball mitt is fine-tuned. Every detail is elaborate. I could even see a design on the mitt that was left white in order to signify the name of the company that has the trademark on the bottom center of the black glove. In the drawing, Wright’s face looks outward as if he were looking around at Willeau’s four other pen-and-inks as well as the other paintings and pen-and-inks done by different artists at NYU that were generously displayed for the paying public on Saturday September 15, 2007.

Willeau did a nice job with making sure the details of the young baseball player were on her drawing of David Wright. Everything south of the nose, that is. If David Wright and his other New York Mets buddies were to travel just north of Manhattan to Rye, NY to see the work, they would surely be impressed by how Willeau was able to match the way Wright’s bottom lip curled over his bottom teeth and his top lip pushed back to reveal a half smile of happiness and accomplishment that I have seen in pictures and vitamin water advertisements alike.

A pattern in the work that is visually pleasing is the curve of Wright’s arm and how the baseball diamond curves behind him in the background. Without the help of color, Willeau needed other aspects to come out in the black-and-white art to create appeal. Initially, the angle and direction might be lost to the viewer but a couple steps closer and a few seconds longer of looking at the magnified baseball card, and angles become an important part of the work. Willeau has drawn David’s left arm to curve at an almost identical angle to the curve of the diamond as a player rounds first base. However, since Wright is a third baseman and Willeau has portrayed him in his defense position, the edge of the diamond that rounds in the background behind David Wright in his pinstripes is an exact opposite to the angle of his arm. Without any color, Willeau was able to get an audience to stop wondering who David Wright could possibly be looking off at without any eyes, and instead the audience can find a redeeming quality in how much Wright seems to pop out of the picture based solely on geometrical rules and regulations instead of colors, like most artists seem to rely on.

The drawing of David Wright wasn’t the first Vanessa Willeau piece I saw in Rye with my sister. However, a popular trend in all the work displayed by the young artist is that people do not have eyes. Eyes, which can be thought of as extremely expressive, are conveniently forgotten on the canvases signed by Willeau in the bottom-left corner. And maybe my sister is right and I just don’t understand how difficult eyes are to draw or how I should stop scowling just because she didn’t draw Shawn Green, my favorite part of the New York Mets 2007 roster. Without eyes, the picture does not seem complete. It does not seem real. Even a set of sunglasses under the brim of the Mets hat would have assisted the drawing in my opinion. To see no sign at all of eyes takes away from the amount of time and work that Willeau spent getting the wrinkles in his uniform and the two stripes on the outside of his cleats to show up in the drawing. I can give Willeau an "I-could-never-draw-that-well" kind of congratulatory message, but other than that, I just can’t shake the feeling that even David Wright needs eyes to go with his smile.

Teacher Comments
I enjoyed reading your more polished and developed draft. You have a clear opinion and supporting reasons, include effective description, and create an engaging persona. The opening is strong, the humor is subtle, and you make thoughtful points. Most of my comments and critique relate to word choice and sentence-level matters. Keep up the good work.

[x] Grades: Spring 2007

Thu, 24 May 2007 20:01:17 GMT

Spring 2007 grades are posted. (only 48 hours late--shocking.)

Film as a Mass Communication: A
Intro to Digital Media Production: A
Media Criticism: A
Writing Poetry: A
Persuasive Communication: A-
Photojournalism: C
GPA? 3.617 (Dean's List #5)

English Major Progress -->
Major with concentration in writing = 39 credits
30 credits (10 courses) completed
British Lit to 1603 > A
British Lit 1603-1780 > B+
American Lit to 1865 > B
American Lit Since 1865 > A
Studies in Film > B+
Creative Writing > A
Writing Poetry > A
Scriptwriting > A
Business & Technical Writing > B+
Persuasive Communication > A-
the overall average is A [3.96]

Communications Major Progress -->
Major with concentration in media arts = 42 credits
39 credits (13 courses) completed
Intro to Mass Comm > B+
Writing for the Media > B
Comm Ethics > A-
Comm Theory > B+
Comm History > A-
Comm Law > A-
Media Criticism > A
Issues in Media Industries > A
Scriptwriting > A
Film as a Mass Communication > A
Intro to Digital Media Production > A
Photojournalism > C
Studies in Film > B+
the overall average is B+ [3.538]

Previous Semester Grades: -->
FALL 06 (junior)
American Lit to 1865: B
Creative Writing: A
Issues in Media Industries: A
Scriptwriting: A
Studies in Film: B+
GPA? 3.66 (Dean's List #4)

SUMMER 2 06 (junior)
American Lit Since 1865: A
World Lit to 1750: B-
G.P.A. ? 3.35

SUMMER 1 06 (junior)
Business & Technical Writing: B+
History of the Holocaust: A
G.P.A. ? 3.65

SPRING 06 (sophomore)
British Lit 1603-1780: B+
Principles of Macroeconomics: B+
Gay & Lesbian Studies: A-
Comm Theory: B+
Comm History: A-
Comm Law: A-
G.P.A. ? 3.5 (Dean's List #3)

FALL 05 (sophomore)
British Lit to 1603: A
Math Applications: A
Physical Geology: B+
Writing for the Media: B
Comm Ethics: A-
GPA? 3.6 (Dean's List #2)

SPRING 05 (freshman)
English Comp 2: A
Geography & Lab: C
U.S. History since 1865: A
Women Writers of the Carribean: C+ (this was the class where my TEACHER EVALUATION was graded)
Intro to Mass Comm: B+
GPA? 3.05

FALL 04 (freshman)
English Comp 1: A
Intro to Theatre: B
Foundations of Math Reasoning: B-
Principles of Sociology: A-
Music Appreciation: A-
GPA? 3.42 (Dean's List #1)

Cumulative GPA: 3.478

[x] Grades: Fall 2006

Sat, 30 Dec 2006 16:35:28 GMT

Fall 2006 grades are posted. (although only on one part of the site)

American Lit to 1865: B
Creative Writing: A
Issues in Media Industries: A
Scriptwriting: A
Studies in Film: B+
GPA? 3.66 (Dean's List #4)

English Major Progress -->
Major with concentration in writing = 39 credits
24 credits (8 courses) completed
British Lit to 1603 > A
British Lit 1603-1780 > B+
American Lit to 1865 > B
American Lit Since 1865 > A
Studies in Film > B+
Creative Writing > A
Scriptwriting > A
Business & Technical Writing > B+
the overall average is A- [3.61]

Communications Major Progress -->
Major with concentration in media arts = 42 credits
27 credits (9 courses) completed
Intro to Mass Comm > B+
Writing for the Media > B
Comm Ethics > A-
Comm Theory > B+
Comm History > A-
Comm Law > A-
Issues in Media Industries > A
Scriptwriting > A
Studies in Film > B+
the overall average is B+ [3.56]

Previous Semester Grades: -->
SUMMER 2 06 (junior)
American Lit Since 1865: A
World Lit to 1750: B-
G.P.A. ? 3.35

SUMMER 1 06 (junior)
Business & Technical Writing: B+
History of the Holocaust: A
G.P.A. ? 3.65

SPRING 06 (sophomore)
British Lit 1603-1780: B+
Principles of Macroeconomics: B+
Gay & Lesbian Studies: A-
Comm Theory: B+
Comm History: A-
Comm Law: A-
G.P.A. ? 3.5 (Dean's List #3)

FALL 05 (sophomore)
British Lit to 1603: A
Math Applications: A
Physical Geology: B+
Writing for the Media: B
Comm Ethics: A-
GPA? 3.6 (Dean's List #2)

SPRING 05 (freshman)
English Comp 2: A
Geography & Lab: C
U.S. History since 1865: A
Women Writers of the Carribean: C+ (this was the class where my TEACHER EVALUATION was graded)
Intro to Mass Comm: B+
GPA? 3.05

FALL 04 (freshman)
English Comp 1: A
Intro to Theatre: B
Foundations of Math Reasoning: B-
Principles of Sociology: A-
Music Appreciation: A-
GPA? 3.42 (Dean's List #1)

Cumulative GPA: 3.451

[x] Graded Paper: MCOM 330

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 22:15:39 GMT

Semester: Fall 2006
Course: MCOM 330 // Issues in Media Industries
Paper Topic: Pornography in America
Grade: 20/20

Leah Kaplan
Issues in Media Industries
11 December 2006

Bow Chicka Bow Wow:
Porn in America

Dreams of making it rich in the music or athletic industry are being squashed. As it turns out, that is not where the money is. Those who want to be rich in this country can pursue careers in the pornography industry. In America, the porn industry is noted to be twice as profitable as the music business. Along with that, “[p]orn revenues in the US are higher than all money generated by the combined professional American football, baseball, and basketball franchises” (Harlow 12). The porn industry has been booming over the past thirty years, and now Americans must question the role that it plays in our country and in our lives. There doesn’t seem to be an overall agreement on who benefits and who suffers at porn’s hand the most. However, there is one aspect of porn that our country seems to agree on: it is mighty popular.

In today’s culture, pornography is readily available. It appears on the internet, in movies, in stores, and in the case of one church, on bibles. “A Christian missionary group making the rounds at US adult entertainment conventions hands out bibles with ‘Jesus loves porn stars’ stamped on their covers” (“Sex Church Preaches how ‘Jesus Loves Porn Stars’”). The article makes the argument that “Jesus loves porn stars as much as he loves pastors, soccer moms, liars, thieves and prostitutes” (“Sex Church Preaches how ‘Jesus Loves Porn Stars’”). Even with its good and noble intentions, the thoughts of this church haven’t caught on to other religious facilities. The ministers of this church have difficulty getting a version of the New Testament with “Jesus Loves Porn Stars” stamped on the cover because one of the biggest Bible publishing companies---The American Bible Society---refused to print it. They said that the wording was misleading and inappropriate (“Sex Church Preaches how ‘Jesus Loves Porn Stars’”). Although the ministers of this unnamed church will disagree, many believe that porn doesn’t have a place in a church or temple.

While porn in church makes a unique story, the more traditional and popular places for an American to get their hands on pornography is hotel rooms across the nation. Large hotel chains such as the Hilton and the Marriot offer adult movies---provided by LodgeNet and OnCommand---in their hotel rooms. Although, the contracts with the providers can be expensive to cancel, many coalitions are trying to rid adult movies from the in-room options.
“A coalition of 13 conservative groups including the Family Research Council and Concerned Woman for America took out full-page ads in some editions of USA Today earlier this morning urging the Justice Department and FBI to investigate whether some of the pay-per-view movies widely available in hotels violated federal and state obscenity laws” (Crary).
While decency may be in question, hotels are often cautious to remove their hardcore movies from the selection. This is because adult movies are part of the revenue. It deals with the hotel’s business and their profits.

Along with hotel rooms, porn appears on the internet. It is all over the internet.
“There are some 4.2 million pornographic websites, 12% of the total web content, according to the anti-porn watchdog Internet Filter Review. It says uses make 68 million pornographic searches every day, a quarter of all search engine requests” (Harlow 12).

A government study was conducted last November to reiterate what John Harlow has addressed in his article. The study was a reaction to the Child Online Protection Act hearings and determined that one lifetime was not enough for a single person to view all the sexually explicit material currently available in cyberspace (“Government Study: A Lifetime of Porn on the Web”). It is impossible to filter and block all of the inappropriate material during searches on websites such as Google. “5.4 million Pornographic Web pages remain unblocked” (“Government Study: A Lifetime of Porn on the Web”). Pornography is a growing industry, just as the internet is a growing medium. When the two intersect, the power of the internet and the power of pornography are brought to its maximum. With the help of the internet, the pornography industry is becoming more like a business than it ever was before.

What used to be something that a person would go behind a seedy curtain in the back of a video rental store to pick up some guilty pleasures in the form of visual erotica is now becoming more like a business than before. The porn business is a growing franchise. It has over $12 billion dollars in earnings each year (Harlow 12). The changes in the country are allowing porn to become more high profile than it has been in the past. And business is continuing to boom while more and more people are buying into pornography in this country.

Just like how the business of pornography is changing in this country, so are its audience and its consumers. “Once confined to the top shelves and the back of cupboards, pornography was the domain of dubious men in raincoats. But the industry in the US is changing” (Devaney). Men continue to be consumers of the pornography that is supplied, however they are not alone. Women buy into the product too. Women will also buy erotica and sex toys. In fact, some believe that “sex brands aimed at women could be the next big thing” (Devaney). While consumers of pornography become more main-stream, so do the companies and organizations that produce it.

Pornography is not all produced and supplied by amateur companies that solely produce it. Big name organizations have a hand in the supply and production. Examples of these are General Motors and AT&T (Devaney). AT&T has a share of the porn profits with the help of 1-900 numbers. These numbers are “dominated by phone-sex services” (Devaney). As long as consumers are willing to pay for porn, well-known market giants will continue to have a hand in it. It is all about the business. It is all about the money. And a franchise like pornography has a lot of money to spare.

Protected by the Amendment for Freedom of Speech, pornography has not proved itself to be too dangerous. An individual must be of a certain age to view it. The age was chosen to ensure that a person is both responsible and aware of what they’re taking part in. However, is it harmful? At the beginning of the craze, feminist Andrea Dworkin believed that porn was going to unravel our country. It would make the men violent towards women and cause them to think that sex was readily available whenever they desired it (Wolf). However, in 2005 the initial feelings were gone. No longer did feminists believe that men were being harmed by pornography. According to Naomi Wolf’s article, the new victim of porn was women. “The onslaught of porn is responsible for deadening male libido in relation to real women” (Wolf). With the help of pornography, women’s sexuality and confidence have been decreasing because men can now turn to porn to find women with surgically enhanced aspects. A popular business in today’s culture, a person can not escape the presence of pornography. It is crosses all forms of the media.

[x] Graded Paper: ENGL 391

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 02:06:17 GMT

Semester: Fall 2006
Course: ENGL 391 // Studies in Film
Paper Topic: Annie Hall (Review)
Grade: B+ / A-

Leah Kaplan
ENGL 391
28 October 2006

Left Wing, Communist, Jewish, Homosexual Pornographers

Woody Allen’s 1977 film Annie Hall is another depiction of Woody Allen failing to find wants he wants in life and love. The internal struggles of Allen’s character, Alvy Singer, are told through impressive dialogue and camera techniques. Alvy Singer narrates the meeting and separation between him and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). The audience looks on as neurotic-ness, hang-ups, and immaturity on Alvy’s part cause these two characters to go their separate ways. Tied together, the film Annie Hall reaches viewers on levels of humor and emotional ties.

In the past, I have praised Francis Ford Coppola’s work on The Godfather for creating a movie where the audience does not feel like they are watching a film; now I amend Woody Allen for doing the exact opposite in Annie Hall. The progression of this film is very unrealistic. Alvy Singer has the power to go back in time and watch earlier moments of his life and even communicate with those present in the scene. As a character, Alvy Singer does not only communicate with members of his past. He also has the ability to speak to the audience as well as to strangers on the street that have been blessed with a deep knowledge of the going-ons of his life. An old woman, a young couple, and a horse with a police officer sitting on its back all served objects and people with whom Alvy could confide. The unconventional order and actions of the characters make for a humorous movie.

One negative about the film is that Woody Allen is not what is called a triple-threat. The camera techniques such as a split screen show audiences that Allen is a magnificent director. The story is filled with humorous dialogue as well as a certain flavor of pathos and emotion. Therefore, Allen is a talent scriptwriter. However, if you see more than one Woody Allen character, you notice a sense of unmistakable déjà vu. While talented, Allen is not a versatile actor on any level. He always plays a neurotic man in the middle of a Me vs. The World crisis. I enjoy all of his characters, but I do not feel adequate in praising Allen as an actor for playing the same role in several different situations.

While enjoyable to watch, I feel it takes a fan of Woody Allen to become a fan of the film. Annie Hall should not be the first Woody Allen film to see although it should be watched once a person does decide they enjoy his work. The chronology can throw an unsuspecting viewer off in this fast-paced motion picture. Different from Allen’s early parodies, an Annie Hall audience listens to Allen’s character whining about the same few things---sex, relationships, and California---throughout the film. If an individual isn’t already accustomed to a little neurotic man that they see on the screen from earlier works, Allen’s on-camera persona can be a negative affect on the viewer.

For those familiar with Allen’s work and for some reason or another haven’t seen the Academy Award winning Annie Hall, I could not make a stronger recommendation. The movie is very funny and very sweet. The dialogue is worthy of being quoted throughout the ages. Allen’s direction is brilliant. A movie where you can see a little boy eat tomato soup while a roller coaster shakes the foundation of the house, a man walk up to a horse and begin speaking, and not one, but two scenes about collecting lobsters off a kitchen floor in a sense of uncontrolled nervousness is a film worth watching. Allen often slips the line “More fun than laughing” into his movies, and an audience can look forward to the best kinds of fun while watching Annie Hall.

Teacher Comments
I'd like to see you writing in a more conversational, idiomatic way. Some of your sentences seem roundabout or cluttered. I don't really hear you speaking in them. Good writing should have a conversational flow, so that you can almost hear the voice of the writer. I do hear your voice in the final paragraph. That's how you be be writing all the time.

[x] Graded Paper: ENGL 391

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 02:01:00 GMT

Semester: Fall 2006
Course: ENGL 391 // Studies in Film
Paper Topic: Godfather, Part One (Review)
Grade: B

Leah Kaplan
ENGL 391
Prof. Stessel
24 October 2006

Take the Film and the Cannolis

Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 film The Godfather is based on the book by Mario Puzo and tells the story of the Corleone family. It is filled with interesting characters and plot lines. Following the famous crosscutting in the baptism scene, you aren’t aware that you’ve been watching the Corleone’s for nearly three hours. Coppola made sure that the movie had good pacing throughout.

In directing this movie, Coppola is subtle. He uses none of the spastic camera angles or shots that are ever-present in so many movies. As a director, Coppola told the story of Vito (Marlon Brando), Michael (Al Pacino) and the others as if the audience was watching it first-hand rather than watching a movie. Coppola’s directing style is professional. He knows how to make a three-hour movie not feel like torture.

Even more impressive than the steady camera shots in The Godfather is the undeniable influence that the movie has had on others. Coppola set a standard for gangster movies and television shows that is echoed by many. Without The Godfather, there would be no The Sopranos, Analyze This, Analyze That, Mickey Blue Eyes, and Shark Tale. However, the list goes on from there. Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men in Tights would be without the hilarious gangster scene where even lines from the movie are recited. In You’ve Got Mail Tom Hanks’ character would have fewer lines if he couldn’t tell Meg Ryan’s character to go to the mattresses. Many people enjoy this genre of movies and television shows and don’t even realize that much of it was influenced by Coppola’s award-winning film.

A common phrase among viewers of this film was “Pacino Rocks!” I agree that Al Pacino portrays the character of Michael without a flaw. He shows the transition from not wanting to have anything to do with the family business to acts of vengeance all the way to the new Don Corleone wonderfully. However, even with a young face and physique, Al Pacino still frightens me. I found Brando’s portrayal of Don Vito Corleone flawless. I saw Vito’s character as endearing. He promises the heads of the other families that it will not be him to break the peace treaty they have agreed upon. And he sticks to his word. The character of Vito is a loving one. Even though Vito is guilty of arranged murders as being part of the mafia, it is hard to truly dislike him. The love he shows for his children and his grandchildren is something that allowed viewers to see through the Don category that he also fell into.

I’d suggest The Godfather to anyone of either sex who enjoys laughing and following a good story. It has characters to fear like Pacino, endearing characters like Brando, and scenes that stay in your mind forever, such as the baptism scene and the horse head in the bed. The lines delivered in the movie bring some humor into it in the middle of all the blood spill and gunshots. After Paulie is shot, the accomplice is told to “Leave the gun and take the cannolis.” If a person enjoys crime drama with a few laughs thrown in, then I would recommend The Godfather. Only one question would remain on their lips after watching the enticing film: What is with Brando’s cheeks?

Teacher's Comments
Your comments on The Godfather seem observant and sensible. Try to word "there is..." differently. You can always find a more active way of phrasing your point. Also, in your 4th paragraph you are making Vito sound like a teddy bear when he is really a monster although an attractive monster

[x] Grades: Summer 2 2006

Sun, 27 Aug 2006 15:42:38 GMT

Summer Session 2 grades are posted (I was waiting on one)

American Lit Since 1865: A
World Lit to 1750: B-
GPA? 3.35

English Major Progress --->
Major with concentration in writing = 39 credits
12 credits (4 courses) completed
British Lit to 1603 > A
British Lit 1603-1780 > B+
American Lit Since 1865 > A
Business & Technical Writing > B+
the overall average is A- [3.65]

Communication Major Progress --->
Major with concentration in media arts = 42 credits.
18 credits (6 courses) completed.
Intro to Mass Comm: B+
Writing for the Media: B
Comm Ethics: A-
Comm Theory: B+
Comm History: A-
Comm Law: A-
the overall average is B+ [3.45]

Previous Semester Grades -->
SUMMER 1 06 (junior)
Business & Technical Writing: B+
History of the Holocaust: A

SPRING 06 (sophomore)
British Lit 1603-1780: B+
Principles of Macroeconomics: B+
Gay & Lesbian Studies: A-
Comm Theory: B+
Comm History: A-
Comm Law: A-
G.P.A. ? 3.5 (Dean's List #3)

FALL 05 (sophomore)
British Lit to 1603: A
Math Applications: A
Physical Geology: B+
Writing for the Media: B
Comm Ethics: A-
GPA? 3.6 (Dean's List #2)

SPRING 05 (freshman)
English Comp 2: A
Geography & Lab: C
U.S. History since 1865: A
Women Writers of the Carribean: C+ (this was the class where my TEACHER EVALUATION was graded)
Intro to Mass Comm: B+
GPA? 3.05

FALL 04 (freshman)
English Comp 1: A
Intro to Theatre: B
Foundations of Math Reasoning: B-
Principles of Sociology: A-
Music Appreciation: A-
GPA? 3.42 (Dean's List #1)

Cumulative GPA: 3.409

[x] Graded Paper: ENGL 217

Thu, 03 Aug 2006 13:45:37 GMT

Semester: Summer 2 2006
Course: ENGL 217 // American Lit 1865-Present
Paper Topic: Reaction to Poems by Langston Hughes
Grade: 22/25

Leah Kaplan
ENGL 217
Prof. Barnes
27 July 2006

Langston Hughes Poems

Like many other poets and artists of the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes’ work was focused around race relations. “[Hughes] portrayed the humor, wit, endurance, and faith of his people with extraordinary skill. Subjected to discrimination and segregation, he remained steadfast in his devotion to human rights” (Nichols 2007). During his lifetime---from 1902 until his death in 1967---Langston Hughes wrote poetry, fiction, and essays focusing on themes that are still relevant in today’s world.

Hughes’ poetry uses clever literary devices to portray his deep feelings about culture and race in early twentieth century America. His poem “The Weary Blues” encounters all factors of the Harlem Renaissance. During the Harlem Renaissance, African Americans found a voice through writing, music, and art. A theme of the Renaissance is blacks living in a white world. Langston Hughes’ poem portrays that feeling in the line about the African American blues singer playing late into the Harlem night. “With ebony hands on each ivory key / He made that poor piano moan with melody. / O Blues” (Hughes 2009). The image of ebony on ivory is so important throughout this poem because the sheer contrast of it backs up the voices of the Harlem Renaissance.

Langston Hughes’ poetry was not only about the reality of being black in a white world, but also dreams of when the colors would blend and everyone could be an American. Langston Hughes dreamed of a time when skin color would not matter. His poems “I, Too,” “Dream Variations,” and “Harlem” speak of his dream.

Both “Dream Variations” and “I, Too” speak of Langston Hughes’ dream for equality and the end of racial segregation. “Dream Variations” is almost a repetition of the same verse twice. However, the tone of the poem changes. The first verse describes the dream in a matter-of-fact way with less feeling than the second verse. Hughes describes the day as being white to separate day and night by color.
"To fling my arms wide / In some place in the sun, / To whirl and to dance / Till the while day is done. / Then rest at cool evening / Beneath a tall tree / While night comes on gently, / Dark like me" (Hughes 2010).
Like night and day are separated, it was a similar situation for the blacks and whites of America in 1924 when Hughes wrote the poem. In the second verse, there is a larger sense of pride. The day is no longer white, but instead it is quick. The word “beneath” is removed from the phrase about the tree. By removing that word, Hughes is saying that in this dream he will no longer have to hide away in the dark night.

“I, Too” has a similar tone to “Dream Variations.” It is about the dream of being part of America and not being separated by the color of his skin. Hughes begins the poem by stating himself as an American. “I, too, sing America. / I am the darker brother” (Hughes 2010). For the time being, the speaker of the poem talks of a life of segregation by explaining how he has to eat in the kitchen when company comes. The poem is suggesting that the whites were ashamed of the blacks being a part of their country, but with time the whites would grow to be ashamed of a time when they didn’t want to be a mixed-race country.
"Tomorrow, / I’ll be at the table / When company comes / Nobody’ll dare / Say to me, / “Eat in the kitchen,” / Then / Besides, / They’ll see how beautiful I am / And be ashamed" (Hughes 2010).
Hughes’ poem is about how even though we may believe that the African Americans were not worthy of the same rights and privileges that the whites had, one day we would learn that they are equal to us. The whites would come to realize that blacks belong in the country as much as they did. The speaker in the poem called himself “the darker brother” to mean that the only thing different about him was the color of his skin.

Years after the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes wrote “Harlem” to speak of the harsher world. It was 1951, three years before the first southern school was going to become desegregated. The ideals and dreams of Hughes’ earlier poems had not been unearthed yet. “What happens to a dream deferred? / Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun? / Or fester like a sore / And then run” (Hughes 2011). Similar to the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Hughes must realize that all dreams take time. He had spent his lifetime waiting for equality between races in America. In 1951 when he wrote “Harlem,” Hughes was still waiting. He was still dreaming of a day when races faded away and no longer mattered. Following the Harlem Renaissance, his dream had been deferred.

In today’s world---almost 40 years after Hughes’ death---his dream of a perfect desegregated world is still deferred. Equal rights have come a long way since then; however there is still farther to go. Schools, restaurants, and other public places are desegregated. However, some places still judge on the color of one’s skin. If Langston Hughes knew that in 2006 some private clubs did not let African Americans join or that someone with white skin sometimes made more of a profit in their jobs, he would still call aspects of his dream deferred.

Langston Hughes got his start in writing during the Harlem Renaissance. His writings focused on ideas and dreams for the future. His dream was a simple dream of equal rights, something that should be a given. However, about thirty years following the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes continued to live in a world where segregation was still popular. He wrote “Harlem” about how his dream was deferred. He still dreamed of a perfect, desegregated world, but he had to acknowledge that dreams take time. Today while African Americans have had a great impact of American culture, there is still more work to be done. Langston Hughes poems are timeless because they deal with real subject matters that are always present.

Teacher's Comments
Nice use of cultural context.

[x] Graded Paper: ENGL 217

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 14:36:24 GMT

Semester: Summer 2 2006
Course: ENGL 217 // American Lit 1865-Present
Paper Topic: Life is Facade (Daisy Miller)
Grade: 21/25

Leah Kaplan
ENGL 217
Prof. Barnes
20 July 2006

Life is a Façade

William Shakespeare once said, “Life is a stage, and all of us are merely players upon it.” A large and important part of the stage and the theatre is the audience, the people that we must perform for. We are always conscious of the presence of the audience. The people who are watching us live our lives are the people that we are performing for. Many times, we will act in a way that will fit the pleasure of the audience even if it means hiding a true part of ourselves. Henry James’ “Daisy Miller” suggests that people will have a façade, to hide a certain part of their personalities. A part of everyone won’t be fully revealed to everyone surrounding him or her.

Daisy Miller is a young American girl who is thrown into a new world of money and high-society. She learns that there are certain standards for a girl such as herself. A female member of the upper class is supposed to stick to the norms of society. Throughout the story, Daisy Miller goes against those norms by speaking aggressively, going out in public with several men, and wanting more from life than just to one day become someone’s quiet wife, bound by the rules of society.

Although the character of Daisy did not let others decide what kind of person she would be, that was not true for all characters. Mr. Winterbourne, the narrator, saw the character of Mr. Giovanelli as an overly charming playboy because of the façade that Mr. Giovanelli himself hid behind.
"Mr. Giovanelli, who spoke English very cleverly---Winterbourne after learns that he had practiced the idiom upon a great many American heiress---addressed her a great deal of very polite nonsense; he was extremely urbane, and the young American, who said nothing, reflected upon the profundity of Italian cleverness which enables people to appear more gracious in proportion as they are more acutely disappointed (James 1480)."
By saying that Mr. Giovanelli didn’t speak English well, but cleverly implies that he was a sweet-talker. Later on, Mr. Winterbourne’s first impression is proved incorrect, but what is proved is that Mr. Giovanelli was trying to please the expectations of the people around him with his “clever Italianness.” The members of the high society expected Mr. Giovanelli to act a certain way, and with an aim to please his audience, he created a Casanova façade to hide behind while in public. Mr. Giovanelli performed the expected for his audience, as many characters did; however, Daisy Miller didn’t follow her cues and lines that were dictated to her in an accurate manner.

Many of the characters in “Daisy Miller” acted in the way that they thought they were supposed to act, based on the unwritten rules of wealth and society. The men were men. The women were women. However, Daisy was Daisy. Her behavior broke away from how she was supposed to act and perform. “[T]he unexpected in her behavior was the only thing to expect” (James 1487). Daisy Miller is ahead of her time and a feminist prior to the feminist movement. She is brash, vulgar, and breaks all of the rules. She performs the unthinkable and the unexpected throughout the story.

I feel that Henry James made Daisy Miller a heroine for very important reasons. Following the reconstruction era in our country, radicals were needed. New norms and laws were coming into the American lifestyle. Henry James assigned this brash attitude to a beautiful, innocent girl to show how change did not have to be ugly or undesired.

Teacher's Comments:
Nice intro. The end of the response paper is the best part, and yet, it ends too soon! Without the connection that Daisy Miller symbolizes America, must of this response read as tell and not enough showing

[x] Graded Paper: ENGL 217

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 14:29:19 GMT

Semester: Summer 2 2006
Course: ENGL 217 // American Lit 1865-Present
Paper Topic: An Hour of Freedom (Story of an Hour)
Grade: 21/25

Leah Kaplan
American Lit Since 1865
Prof. Barnes
12 July 2006

An Hour of Freedom

Kate Chopin was far from ordinary. Even when her writing wasn’t successful, she continued to write. “She lived her life the way she wanted to and wrote what she felt, thought, and wanted to say” (“Kate Chopin: A Woman Ahead of Her Time”). Because of Chopin’s personality, the character of Mrs. Mallard did not surprise me. Mrs. Mallard from Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is a woman who loved freedom so much that it killed her.

When someone has strong mentors, they can become stronger themselves. Kate Chopin’s life was filled with strong women, whether it was the nuns at her school or the independent widows in her own family (“Kate Chopin: A Woman Ahead of Her Time”). Chopin was able to use the women she knew to create strong-minded women such as Mrs. Mallard.

“The Story of an Hour” begins with Mrs. Mallard learning of her husband’s death. Her husband’s friend, Roberts, and her sister, Josephine, were the ones who broke the news to the woman. From the beginning of the short story, Mrs. Mallard’s passion within her was evident.
She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment in her sister’s arms. (1523)
Chopin infers that while many women would have been shaken and in shock if in Mrs. Mallard’s place, the sad news instead enflamed the woman with passion. There was a certain release in the tears that Mrs. Mallard shed.

The story of Mrs. Mallard continues as her short grief subsides. When Mrs. Mallard is alone in her room, the tears stop and instead she is possessed with a sense of freedom, something she has felt a longed for. Freedom has overcome her. “There was something coming for her and she wanted it, fearfully” (1524). Mrs. Mallard lived in a time where women didn’t have a lot of freedom. They had to allow their husbands to be more dominating. With the passing of her husband, Mrs. Mallard got a taste for something she didn’t know or understand. However, she liked it.

Mrs. Mallard didn’t always love her husband. He never hurt her and was always kind, but it was not always love she felt. Mrs. Mallard was not overfilled with tremendous joy on account of her husband’s life and love. What seemed to make her the happiest was when she knew she had her chance to be free and live for herself.
"There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence which men and women believe that they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature (Chopin 1524)"
Mrs. Mallard was finally ready to live an independent lifestyle. She would not have to obey any individual’s wishes, but her own. Although her husband was a kind man, she had achieved a love for independence and happiness that was all her own. Without marriage, Chopin is saying that a woman can live for herself. Women can understand what it is really like to be happy because they are no longer blind to what life has to offer. Even though Mrs. Mallard was happy during her marriage, she has learned that it wasn’t really a sense of happiness as opposed to a quiet satisfaction. Kate Chopin is writing about how there is life after marriage and how that life can be a good because a widow will know what it is like to be independent.

Mrs. Mallard died for her independence and her freedom. She was looking forward to living out the rest of her life embracing the phrase “free, free, free!” as she had from her spot in her bedroom while staring out the window (Chopin 1524). However, she only had freedom for an hour. That was hour was glorious. When she saw that her husband was actually alive, the truth broke her heart. Her freedom was gone once again. It was at that moment that her broken heart stopped (Chopin 1525). Mrs. Mallard is more heartbroken to lose her freedom than she was to lose her husband. In the last moments of her life, she had felt what it was like to be on her own. She no longer needed a husband to be by her side. She would be able to follow her own whims. Chopin wrote about how when a woman gets a taste of independence, it is heart breaking to realize that the man has come home and the small amount of independence that was once felt is gone.

In The Story of an Hour, Chopin is showing that in life we are never free. While throughout her lifetime, Kate Chopin lived as a strong woman and followed her own dreams; there were always obstacles in the way. Mrs. Mallard had to find a way to be free. When she thought that her husband had died, she got a taste of freedom only to realize that she was not free being someone’s wife.

Teacher's Comments:
Nice first response. Some of the analysis is repetitive. One suggestion to reduce the repetitiveness is to think about why Chopin wrote the story the way she did. What commentary do you think she was trying to make? How are the details significant to the larger theme of the story

(oh...and PS, my teacher spelled "significant" wrong.)

[x] Graded Paper: History of the Holocaust

Thu, 13 Jul 2006 16:22:17 GMT

Semester: Summer 1 2006
Course: History of the Holocaust
Paper Topic: Kristallnacht
Grade: A-

Leah Kaplan
History of the Holocaust
Rabbi Sternberg
13 June 2006

Kristallnacht:
The Night of Broken Glass

World War II began in Europe in September of 1939 when the Nazis invaded Poland. However, the beginning of the war was not where the violence and persecution began. The terror of Nazi occupation had been occurring in Germany and Austria before the invasion of Poland. Most noted and well-known is the terrors of Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass, which took place on the night of November 9, 1938---almost a year before World War II broke out in Europe.

Kristallnacht is defined as “the night of broken glass.” Throughout Germany and Austria, synagogues and Jewish schools were burned or vandalized. Said to be spontaneous, it was discovered afterwards that the Nazi party had planned Kristallnacht in advance. They used the story of Henry Grynszpan as an excuse saying that it was their motivation. They had really been looking for a way to rid the Jews of Germany, not caring where just as long as they were out (Ellis, Silinsky).

The story of Henry Grynszpan is one of revenge. One cold rainy night, they rounded up Polish Jews, who were living in Germany, and beat them as they chased them across the border. 12,000-17,000 Polish Jews were herded into military stables in a small border town where conditions were miserable. Henry Grynszpan’s parents were two of these poor, starving Jews. He was living in Paris at the time and the news enraged him.
“The boy was frantic with concern for his parents and felt that he needed to "do" something to publicize to the world what was happening to the Jews in Germany. This seventeen-year-old boy got a gun, walked to the German embassy in Paris, and shot the first man he saw- an embassy official named Ernst Von Rath. Von Rath died. This triggered a "spontaneous" uprising against the Jews. It had actually been planned for quite a while, and this was just the pretext to put the plan into action” (Ellis, Silinsky).
With Henry Grynszpan as a scapegoat, the Nazis were able to put their plan of terror into action. As night fell over Austria in Germany on November 9, 1938 Kristallnacht took place.

Kristallnacht took place as early as two hours after Von Rath’s death was announced. The timing varied among the units. “The Gauleiters started at about 10:30pm, only two hours after news of Von Rath’s death reached Germany. They were followed by the SA at 11pm, and the SS at around 1:20am” (“Kristallnacht”). Each of the units was dressed in civilian clothes to help support the spontaneous argument.

Each building or person associated with the word “Jew” became a casualty of Kristallnacht. “This pogrom damaged, and in many cases destroyed, about 1574 synagogues, constituting nearly all Germany had” (“Kristallnacht”). Synagogues were burnt to the ground and destroyed. Shops and stores that were owned by Jews were destroyed as well.
“Jewish homes and stores were ransacked all throughout Germany and also in Vienna, with a mixture of German citizens and Stormtroopers going to destroy buildings with sledgehammers, leaving the streets covered in smashed windows of destroyed businesses the next morning” (“Kristallnacht”).
Police were called in at 1:20 am (“Kristallnacht”). They stood by only protecting what was Aryan. They were following the orders of a Nazi official named Heydrich. “Police and firefighters stood by as synagogues burned and Jews were beaten, only taking action to prevent the spread of fire to non-Jew owned property and to stop looters” (“20th Century History: Terror on Kristallnacht”). It wasn’t wartime, but cruelty towards people had already begun.

Many Jews became casualties of the night. The Nazis wanted to make Germany Judenfrei, meaning Jew-free (“20th Century History: Terror on Kristallnacht”). After the Gestapo had rounded up a number of Polish Jews on October 28, getting the German Jews out of Germany was the next step towards Judenfrei. “On the night of Kristallnacht, 91 Jews were murdered while 30,000 Jewish males were rounded up and sent to concentration camps such as Dachau, Sachsenhausen, and Buchenwald” (“20th Century History: Terror on Kristallnacht”). Three years following the Nuremberg Laws, the Nazi party began to follow through with their regulations in a violent way.

Paying for the damages of Kristallnacht was a great expense. It was placed on the Jews living in Germany. After the horror and the terror of the night, the Jews that remained in Germany, had to pay for damages.
“Germany did not produce plate glass at the time, and it took Belgium’s total plate glass production about six months to replace all the windows that were broken. To top it off, the Jews were charged one billion Deutsch Marks to pay for the damages” (Ellis, Silinsky).
The German Jews were burdened with expenses because the Nazi party saw all Jews as dangerous and an expense.

Although war was not declared until September of the year following Kristallnacht, Europe was not at peace. European Jews were losing their businesses, homes, families and lives for some time before the declaration of war was passed. The events of the night of November 9, 1938 are proof that peacetime in Nazi Germany under Hitler as the Fuher was not peaceful. They were filled with violence and terror as they were killed in the street or sent to concentration camps where the living situation was unbearable. Kristallnacht is proof that violence often comes prior to war.

Works Cited

“20th Century History: Terror on Kristallnacht.” 24 June 2006. <http://history1900s.about.com/library/holocaust/aa060397.htm>

Ellis, Rabbi Eliahu. Silinsky, Rabbi Shmuel. “Holocaust Studies: Kristallnacht.” 13 June 2006. <http://www.aish.com/holocaust/overview/kristallnacht.asp>

“Kristallnacht.” 25 June 2006. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/kristallnacht>

[x] Grades: Summer 1 2006

Thu, 13 Jul 2006 16:15:30 GMT

Summer Session 1 grades are posted.

Business & Technical Writing: B+
History of the Holocaust: A
GPA? 3.7

English Major Progress --->
Major with a concentration in writing = 39 credits
9 credits (3 courses) completed
British Lit to 1603 > A
British Lit 1603-1780 > B+
Business & Technical Writing > B+
the overall average is A- [3.533]

Communications Major Progress -->
Major with concentration in media arts = 42 credits.
18 credits (6 courses) completed.
Intro to Mass Comm: B+
Writing for the Media: B
Comm Ethics: A-
Comm Theory: B+
Comm History: A-
Comm Law: A-
the overall average is B+ [3.45]

Previous Semester Grades -->
SPRING 06 (sophomore)
British Lit 1603-1780: B+
Principles of Macroeconomics: B+
Gay & Lesbian Studies: A-
Comm Theory: B+
Comm History: A-
Comm Law: A-
G.P.A. ? 3.5 (Dean's List #3)

FALL 05 (sophomore)
British Lit to 1603: A
Math Applications: A
Physical Geology: B+
Writing for the Media: B
Comm Ethics: A-
GPA? 3.6 (Dean's List #2)

SPRING 05 (freshman)
English Comp 2: A
Geography & Lab: C
U.S. History since 1865: A
Women Writers of the Carribean: C+ (this was the class where my TEACHER EVALUATION was graded)
Intro to Mass Comm: B+
GPA? 3.05

FALL 04 (freshman)
English Comp 1: A
Intro to Theatre: B
Foundations of Math Reasoning: B-
Principles of Sociology: A-
Music Appreciation: A-
GPA? 3.42 (Dean's List #1)

Cumulative GPA: 3.454

[x] Grades: Spring 2006

Tue, 23 May 2006 16:18:39 GMT

Spring 2006 grades are finally posted.

British Lit 1603-1780: B+
Principles of Macroeconomics: B+
Gay & Lesbian Studies: A-
Comm Theory: B+
Comm History: A-
Comm Law: A-
G.P.A. ? 3.5 (Dean's List #3)

English Major Progress -->
Major with a concentration in writing = 39 credits.
6 credits (2 courses) completed.
British Lit to 1603 > A
British Lit 1603-1780 > B+
the overall average is an A- [3.7]

Communications Major Progress -->
Major with concentration in media arts = 42 credits.
18 credits (6 courses) completed.
Intro to Mass Comm: B+
Writing for the Media: B
Comm Ethics: A-
Comm Theory: B+
Comm History: A-
Comm Law: A-
the overall average is B+ [3.45]

Previous Semester Grades -->
FALL 05 (sophomore)
British Lit to 1603: A
Math Applications: A
Physical Geology: B+
Writing for the Media: B
Comm Ethics: A-
GPA? 3.6 (Dean's List #2)

SPRING 05 (freshman)
English Comp 2: A
Geography & Lab: C
U.S. History since 1865: A
Women Writers of the Carribean: C+ (this was the class where my TEACHER EVALUATION was graded)
Intro to Mass Comm: B+
GPA? 3.05

FALL 04 (freshman)
English Comp 1: A
Intro to Theatre: B
Foundations of Math Reasoning: B-
Principles of Sociology: A-
Music Appreciation: A-
GPA? 3.42 (Dean's List #1)

Cumulative GPA: 3.39

[x] Graded Paper: ENGL 211

Mon, 08 May 2006 04:54:33 GMT

Semester: Spring 2006
Course: ENGL 211 // British Lit 1603-1780
Paper Topic: Satan's Human Qualities (Paradise Lost)
Grade: A-

Leah Kaplan
English 211
Prof. Neikirk
19 March 2006

Satan: Milton’s Humanistic Devil

In John Milton’s Paradise Lost, it is arguably clear that Satan, formally Lucifer, was the most human of all the immortal characters. During the epic, Satan goes through changes and characteristics that are easily identified by all readers. The jealousy and feeling of revenge is something the readers can all relate to because it is something that most people experience throughout their lives. In Paradise Lost, John Milton attributes many human characteristics to Satan.

With humanistic characteristics comes emotion. Something that everyone can relate to is ambition. Not only was Satan ambitious, but also Milton makes a point in book four of Paradise Lost to say that ambition was the cause of Lucifer’s downfall. In book four, Satan believes that he would have been better off if he was a less powerful angel. However, the closer that Lucifer got to power, the more he wanted it. Lucifer’s attempt to seize power and give into his humanistic, ambitious self is what initially caused Lucifer to fall from the grace of heaven.

Satan’s ambitious drive is not only similar to mankind, but specifically to what was occurring in England during the time that John Milton first wrote Paradise Lost.
“The civil war in heaven, leading to the punishment of those who dared to try and seize power from an aristocratic leader, mirrors the struggle of Oliver Cromwell and the supporters of democracy, for which many of the ‘traitors’ were later executed” (“All Hell Breaks Loose”)
Just as Lucifer and his band of supporters were infested with ambition and a dream of ruling heaven, during the 17th Century, England went through a similar struggle. They people of England dreamed of democracy where the king would not have an almost tyrannical rule over their lives. While ambitious Englishmen didn’t fall through Chaos for nine days and land on a burning lake, many were silenced and killed for being so ambitious. Through this, we can see that Satan was the most humanistic character in Paradise Lost due to his ambition and drive.

Ambition was not the only human characteristic that Satan had. Satan had a pitying quality to him. The pity of Satan is spread internally as well as externally. Upon first laying eyes on Adam and Eve during Paradise Lost, Satan faces both internal and external pity. Externally, Satan feels bad about what he is about to do to Adam and Eve. They are brought into this paradise---The Garden of Eden---completely taken by the world around them and vulnerable to Satan’s deeds. Satan is aware of what he is going to do and he does feel sorry for it. He knows that Adam and Eve didn’t do him any wrong and his true battle is with the Father and the Son in heaven.

Along with feeling sorry for the punishment Satan is about to envoke on the Father’s newest toy and creation---Adam and Eve---Satan is also hosting his very own pity party as he watches them from the Tree of Life in book four. All readers can identify with that quality of Satan. As Satan watches Adam and Eve in their Paradise, one fact is brought to his attention. Satan sees just how far he is fallen. That invokes anger in jealousy in Satan. He sees Adam and Eve as everything but angels. They are beautiful, tall, and majestic, but not quite as lumerous as angels or gods. Wallowing in despair, Satan is able to see just how far he has fallen to his current and pathetic state.

Jealousy is a widely known human characteristic. Satan feels it, and once he seduces Eve to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge in book 9 of Paradise Lost, Eve experiences jealousy and humiliation, which are human characteristics that Satan began experiences long before when he was still Lucifer and residing in heaven. Satan temps Eve with the humanistic qualities that he has. Eve is intrigued and once she eats the apple, the same humanistic characteristics that are reflected in Satan show themselves in Eve.
“Shall I appear? Shall I to him make known as yet to change, and give him to partake full happiness with me, or rather not, but keep the odds of knowledge in me power without copartner? So to add what wants in female sex, the more to draw his love, and render me more equal, and perhaps, a thank not undersirable, sometime superior; for inferior who is free? This may be well: but what if God have seen, and death ensue? Then I shall be no more, and Adam wedded to another Eve” (Milton 828)
Upon eating the apple, Eve matches the humanistic qualities that Satan displayed all along. She becomes ambitious, possessive, and jealous. Initially, Eve wants to keep her knowledge a secret so that she could be more powerful than Adam. That is similar to the ambition that overcame Lucifer when he first had the thought of taking over heaven. However, when Eve realizes that she could be killed and Adam would move on to another woman, replacing her, jealousy and possession takes over Eve. Satan’s jealousy and anger had been portrayed back in book four of Paradise Lost.

There are many characters in Milton’s Paradise Lost, however none seem to display human qualities as efficiently as the fallen angel, Lucifer. After being banished from heaven, Satan---formally Lucifer---is shown to have some human qualities---such as envy and ambition---that even the readers of 17th Century England could identify with as being humanistic. Emotions make Satan John Milton’s most humanistic character throughout the epic, Paradise Lost.

Teacher Comments:
Nice, clear reaction paper. No one else brought up the point of the fight over democracy in England. Good job!

[x] Graded Paper: MCOM 307

Mon, 08 May 2006 04:51:18 GMT

Semester: Spring 2006
Course: MCOM 307 // Comm Law
Paper Topic: Chandler v. Florida Case Brief
Grade: A

Leah Kaplan
MCOM 307
26 February 2006

Chapter 7:
Chandler vs. Florida

Media technology had truly advanced by the time the year 1980 rolled around. Realizing the change in broadcast technology, roughly ten states allowed TV camera coverage in their courtroom even without the consent of the defendant. In 1981, with Chandler vs. Florida, it was time for the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and interfere with the laws of media coverage in a courtroom. Two police officers by the name of Noel Chandler and Robert Granger felt that the TV cameras in the courtroom of their 1981 trial had denied them a fair trial.

Chandler and Granger were two police officers convicted of burglary of a restaurant. They were convicted of using their squad cars and police radios during this burglary. During their trial, there was TV media coverage even though Chandler and Granger had objected.

The Supreme Court ruled 8-0 against Chandler and Granger. Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote the majority opinion stating that the presence if a television camera doesn’t violate a defendant’s right for a fair trial. It is not unconstitutional to have media coverage even if the person on trial objects. Chief Justice Burger felt that criminal defendants are allowed to protest their convictions if they can clearly demonstrate that the TV camera had denied their constitutional right to a fair trial and persuaded the jury to vote in a certain way. However, in the case of Chandler vs. Florida, there was no evidence found that the television coverage had a true impact on the trial. Chandler and Granger were unable to show evidence of a trial that was jeopardized by media coverage.

As a response to the Chandler vs. Florida case, the American Bar Association changed the rule that has restrictions against broadcast and photographic coverage of a trial. The rule is rewritten to allow judges to permit coverage as long as specific safeguards are met. As stated, the coverage has to be consistent to the constitutional rights of a fair trial that every person is deserving of.

In 2003, South Dakota became the 50th state to allow television and still photographic coverage in a courtroom. A few states permit coverage of a criminal trial as long as the defendant agrees. However, thanks to the case of Chandler vs. Florida and the unanimous decision made by the U.S. Supreme Court in that case, at least thirty-five states allow media coverage in the courtroom even if the defendant objects.

[x] Graded Paper: MCOM 221

Mon, 08 May 2006 04:49:31 GMT

Semester: Spring 2006
Course: MCOM 221 // Comm Theory
Paper Topic: Family Systems
Grade: 9/10

Leah Kaplan
MCOM 221
3 February 2006
System Theory:
Family Systems Analysis

Littlejohn expresses how a good example of system theory is a person’s family. There are objects, hierarchy, and strive for the balance of homeostasis. In a family as in every system, there are examples of self-regulation and control mechanisms. The Kaplan family is no exception to the requirements of system theory.

In the system known as the Kaplan’s, there are six objects. Only five of the objects are human, but those who know my family know that my dog possesses more power than my brother, sister, and I put together. The kids---Sarah (22), Gregory (16), and Leah (19)---are the lowest ranking objects. Somewhere in the middle is my father and my French bulldog, Tonto. Pulling rank in the decisions of our family is my mother. In the Kaplan system, the objects are all very different from each other, but together we must work together to create a productive living environment.

Like every other system theory, each of the objects has to depend on everyone else in the system. My parents both work in the medical field and make money to buy food, clothing, and our college education. When my mom had surgery on her hand, she had to depend on my sister and I and our driving abilities to bring my little brother, Gregory, to and from various activities. Whether my parents are ready to admit it or not, they need my siblings and I. If it weren’t for us, a family dinner might exist when there was silence and normalcy. We provide the entertainment. Sometimes we can be viewed as inappropriate for the dinner table, but that doesn’t stop my parents from laughing along with out antics. As for the final object of our system, Tonto seems to be under the impression that we would never be able to do simple things. It is true that when I came to college for the first time and had to stay in the most uncomfortable bed, I was already used to sleeping with a snoring creature that used to nest in my neck, so I was happy just that there wasn’t snoring in my ear.

Upon first hearing so, many people don’t believe that a dog who doesn’t even know his own name and only answers to “cheese” can possible have a higher amount of control than my siblings and I. However, the only person with more control than the creature who is deservingly called Sir-Snores-A-Lot, is my mother. And she will always favor Tonto. For instance, I do not have my own bed. Before we bought Tonto, it was my bed. While I couldn’t keep people out of my room when I wanted privacy, no one ever tried to come near my bed. It has since become Tonto’s bed. He is just nice enough to let me have a little bit. Tonto can’t even be a typical dog and sleep at the foot of my bed. I get in trouble when I try to move him. I get in the same amount of trouble when I don’t want to have to share a blanket, pillow or stuffed animal with him. Tonto can’t speak, but my mom always seems to believe she knows exactly what he wants and what he’s thinking. According to her it is not about cheese. According to her, Tonto’s mind is filled with thought of how he deserves to sleep with his head on my pillow. This displays two levels of control in my family. The first more obvious one is that a twenty-eight pound dog is allowed to have more power than me. The second is that my mother makes most of the decisions in the family and because she says to share a pillow with a dog displays that what she says goes.

While the systems of power and control in my family may not sound very appealing, it actually keeps my family in balance. We have all gotten used to and accepted how my mother is key in making decisions. Nobody expects it to be any different. In my family, we all know that if we want to get a decision approved going to my father would be a waste because he would only send us of to mom.

Teacher Comments:
Nice job here describing how wer create families - yes! With dogs too! Your grandmother sounds a powerful voice here too -- at least according to your class example! Thank you for sharing that example last week -- perfect! Relational communication exists in specific cultural & ethnic contexts.

[x] introduction

Mon, 08 May 2006 04:42:33 GMT

In case it didn't make sense before, I will use this LJ to post school related stuff such as assigments & newsletters. (All shamelessly stolen from Kat.) If you wish to keep up with my personal life and what lies outside papers and class overviews -- then check out amottie86.