(no subject)
I never really posted my schedule for winter quarter on here, but that's because it's all online. I think I'm going to do really well with the online classes because they're completely at my own leisure - I sign on at whatever time during the day is best for me. So if I wake up at 5 pm, that's cool. If I'm bored and want to work ahead and turn in stuff early, that's cool too. As long as I meet the deadlines, everything's cool.
So, here's what I'm taking:
Rel 112 - Western Religions (mini-term)
Soc 120 - General Sociology
Eng 113 - English Comp III
Mat 102 - Intermediate Algebra (again)
Obviously, I failed Math 102 quite miserably, I feel because of the stupid policies of my teacher. I had no hope of passing because she required 1 homework assignment (that took 2 to 3 hours to complete) and 1 reading quiz (took about 20 minutes) per class, plus random pop quizzes. And if you were 1 minute late to class, you weren't allowed to turn your homework in. She also didn't give partial credit for answers on the test, so if I missed a negative sign (which I tend to do), you don't get anything for the entire problem. I just didn't have time for that mess. So, I'm taking it online, and hopefully will do significantly better at it this time around, since I need to hurry up and move on with the rest of the math sequence I've got to do.
Anyway, the mini-term was during the last 2 weeks, ending this Friday. I only took one class during it because you have an assignment every single day since it's only 10 days of class time. The Western Religions class was taught by a professor I've had before and loved working with her, so I was excited about taking it even though it was online. My mom had her for two classes too, and was really excited that I got to take another class with her. We had to do discussion posts every day based on the day's lesson, and then a two-part final exam (multiple choice/short answer, and essay), plus a 3-5 page paper. I got a 100% on on the discussion posts, a combined 92% on the final exam, and a 100% on the paper. Yaaay!
Here's what my prof had to say about my final paper. The assignment was to visit an art museum and view art relating to a western religion and reflect on what we saw and how it relates to the time period it was painted in and what it means concerning the religion. Since we were in Washington D.C. for the first week of the mini-term, I decided to do something different and hit an art museum there instead of the Dayton Art Institute, which she gets papers about all the time.
GRADE: 100.0000
Kat,
I do remember your mom! She's the Star Trek fan, right? This paper was such a breath of fresh air - a new place and new paintings! I LOVED reading this. How wonderful that you were in DC at this time. You offered fantastic and detailed descriptions and I definitely got a laugh out of the Stephen Colbert painting! :D
The original paper is under the cut (if you want to see what she was talking about). I'm ecstatic about the 100% on this paper, but this e-mail made my day!
On an unrelated note, does anyone else think some of this year's Christmas commercials are some of the best seasonal ads that have come out? I've gotten some big laughs out of several of them.
Sara Koonce
REL 112 - ZC
Amanda Hayden
Art Review Project
Thomas Cole’s “The Voyage of Life”
When given the choice between going to an art museum and going to a religious service, normally I would choose the latter. However, during this mini-term, I only had one weekend available to attend a service and during that weekend I was going to be on vacation! That vacation became an opportunity to visit an art museum other than one I would have an opportunity (or even an assignment) to go to quite often. I was visiting my brother, who lives just outside of Washington, D.C., and I thought to myself, how cool would it be to go to not just any gallery, but to the National Gallery of Art for this project?
So, with that in mind, when my mother and I finally got a chance to head downtown and check out some of the great (and free!) Smithsonian museums on the mall, I made sure to make a stop at the National Gallery of Art to hunt down some paintings for this project. You’ll be happy to know that we went there before going to the American History museum, where my mother was bugging me non-stop to go to because she wanted to see if they’d hung Stephen Colbert’s portrait in a public area - and they had, on the third floor right across from the bathrooms.
To get back to the original point of this paper, when we entered the museum, we stepped into a small room that held four paintings that caught my eye immediately. I find it kind of amusing, almost a play of fate, that the first paintings I found in the National Gallery happen to be of a religious nature. Not only are they exactly the type of paintings I’m looking for, but these paintings seemed to call to me in a way most paintings do not.
The set is called “The Voyage of Life” and was painted by an American by the name of Thomas Cole in 1842. There are actually two versions of this series. The first set was painted in 1840 on commission (though the patron died before their completion) and is on display at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute in Utica, NY. The second set, which is the set displayed at the National Gallery, was painted in Rome in 1842. Cole painted mostly landscapes of the wilderness of America, because he felt that the wild forests and untamed land were evidence of God’s work and should be celebrated. His skill in landscapes is evident in all of the paintings, as well as his personal dedication to his faith.
In the first painting of the series, titled “Childhood,” a wide and calm river snakes its way out of a dark rock cave and into a lush landscape. On the river is a small wooden boat with an infant inside, who is looking around in wonder at this bright new world around him. Also in the boat, standing behind him, is a glorious angel, the guardian angel for this new life. The wildflowers and almost primordial looking trees look like how I imagine the Garden of Eden would look. The guardian angel is a typical depiction of an angel - a long and flowing white robe, wings, and a shining gold halo of light around its head. She watches the child as if she’s afraid he’s going to do something silly like jump overboard, and she has her arms open like she’ll be there to catch him if he does.
The feeling of the painting is one of the awe of new life. True, the angel is a thing of beauty in and of herself, but the innocence of the child and the fresh new landscape, after emerging from a hard, dark cave filled with swirling black mist, draws your attention more. This painting reminds me of the Christian belief that you should always trust in God. The child has no concept of bad things at this point, and trusts in the angel completely, who will be there for him if anything goes wrong.
The second painting, aptly, is titled “Youth.” In this painting, the angel and the boy are far away from the dark mountains and caves of the first painting and they are a distant memory in the background. The two are now surrounded by a lush green forest and clear blue sky. The boy, now probably around 12 years old, has taken the boat out by himself onto the river and is excited to be moving forward and on his own. The angel stands on the bank, watching him go, one arm reaching out to him, though whether she is trying to stop him or simply waving him on is unclear. Looking up the river, there is a ghostly image of a castle in the clouds. I interpreted this to be the kingdom of Heaven and the young boy is excited to be starting his journey on his own, ready to find himself, his spirituality, and his place in the grand scheme of things.
Continuing on, you find “Manhood” next. This painting has a strikingly different tone from the last, where the boy was excited and ready to face the world. In this painting, the boy, who has become a man, has lost control of the boat. He is heading into treacherous, rocky rapids, the trees and flowers are gone and replaced once again by dark mountains and caves. The angel is no where in his sight, but she is watching from above, the only light spot in the dark clouds swirling above his head. The man has his hands clasped together as if in prayer, and he looks above him for guidance through what he knows will be rough waters ahead. Just past the rocky rapids you can see light again, through a break in the clouds, where the river smooths out though the greenery does not return.
The final painting is “Old Age.” The river has reached its larger body of water and all of it is calm. The boat, which is now battered and broken, exits the dark caves and the man sees his guardian angel once more. Light shines down from above and the dark clouds are parting to show other angels waiting as she prepares to lead him home.
I think this series really embodies what American Christians were feeling during the mid-1800s. As people moved westward, they relied on their faith in God to get them through tough times and to survive both physically and spiritually. The journey through life (and even across America, which is what many interpret to be a second meaning to this series) is a rough one, where you move from the joy and excitement, through the dark times, until you finally make it to your destination. Throughout all of this, you may not always see the hand of God, as embodied by the angel in these paintings, but you have to have faith that he is always there to help you in case you fall out of the boat.
These paintings embody an important principle of Christianity. Though you may not always see the angel, you have to trust in your faith and you have to believe that God is always there, always guiding you. Unlike Islam, where you return your thoughts to Allah at least five times a day, Christians may only directly think of God once a week during church or once a day at night time prayers. They expect life to be difficult and for it to be a trial to prepare you for your judgment, but they continue to have faith in God’s guidance.
Though Thomas Cole was mainly a landscape painter, his faith was strong and he felt that God and his works should be celebrated. He conveyed his feelings that you should always believe in God’s power and guidance very well through this series of four paintings. They are a good representation of how Christians in America felt in that time as they went through the unknowns of westward movement and their faith in their spirituality.
So, here's what I'm taking:
Rel 112 - Western Religions (mini-term)
Soc 120 - General Sociology
Eng 113 - English Comp III
Mat 102 - Intermediate Algebra (again)
Obviously, I failed Math 102 quite miserably, I feel because of the stupid policies of my teacher. I had no hope of passing because she required 1 homework assignment (that took 2 to 3 hours to complete) and 1 reading quiz (took about 20 minutes) per class, plus random pop quizzes. And if you were 1 minute late to class, you weren't allowed to turn your homework in. She also didn't give partial credit for answers on the test, so if I missed a negative sign (which I tend to do), you don't get anything for the entire problem. I just didn't have time for that mess. So, I'm taking it online, and hopefully will do significantly better at it this time around, since I need to hurry up and move on with the rest of the math sequence I've got to do.
Anyway, the mini-term was during the last 2 weeks, ending this Friday. I only took one class during it because you have an assignment every single day since it's only 10 days of class time. The Western Religions class was taught by a professor I've had before and loved working with her, so I was excited about taking it even though it was online. My mom had her for two classes too, and was really excited that I got to take another class with her. We had to do discussion posts every day based on the day's lesson, and then a two-part final exam (multiple choice/short answer, and essay), plus a 3-5 page paper. I got a 100% on on the discussion posts, a combined 92% on the final exam, and a 100% on the paper. Yaaay!
Here's what my prof had to say about my final paper. The assignment was to visit an art museum and view art relating to a western religion and reflect on what we saw and how it relates to the time period it was painted in and what it means concerning the religion. Since we were in Washington D.C. for the first week of the mini-term, I decided to do something different and hit an art museum there instead of the Dayton Art Institute, which she gets papers about all the time.
GRADE: 100.0000
Kat,
I do remember your mom! She's the Star Trek fan, right? This paper was such a breath of fresh air - a new place and new paintings! I LOVED reading this. How wonderful that you were in DC at this time. You offered fantastic and detailed descriptions and I definitely got a laugh out of the Stephen Colbert painting! :D
The original paper is under the cut (if you want to see what she was talking about). I'm ecstatic about the 100% on this paper, but this e-mail made my day!
On an unrelated note, does anyone else think some of this year's Christmas commercials are some of the best seasonal ads that have come out? I've gotten some big laughs out of several of them.
Sara Koonce
REL 112 - ZC
Amanda Hayden
Art Review Project
Thomas Cole’s “The Voyage of Life”
When given the choice between going to an art museum and going to a religious service, normally I would choose the latter. However, during this mini-term, I only had one weekend available to attend a service and during that weekend I was going to be on vacation! That vacation became an opportunity to visit an art museum other than one I would have an opportunity (or even an assignment) to go to quite often. I was visiting my brother, who lives just outside of Washington, D.C., and I thought to myself, how cool would it be to go to not just any gallery, but to the National Gallery of Art for this project?
So, with that in mind, when my mother and I finally got a chance to head downtown and check out some of the great (and free!) Smithsonian museums on the mall, I made sure to make a stop at the National Gallery of Art to hunt down some paintings for this project. You’ll be happy to know that we went there before going to the American History museum, where my mother was bugging me non-stop to go to because she wanted to see if they’d hung Stephen Colbert’s portrait in a public area - and they had, on the third floor right across from the bathrooms.
To get back to the original point of this paper, when we entered the museum, we stepped into a small room that held four paintings that caught my eye immediately. I find it kind of amusing, almost a play of fate, that the first paintings I found in the National Gallery happen to be of a religious nature. Not only are they exactly the type of paintings I’m looking for, but these paintings seemed to call to me in a way most paintings do not.
The set is called “The Voyage of Life” and was painted by an American by the name of Thomas Cole in 1842. There are actually two versions of this series. The first set was painted in 1840 on commission (though the patron died before their completion) and is on display at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute in Utica, NY. The second set, which is the set displayed at the National Gallery, was painted in Rome in 1842. Cole painted mostly landscapes of the wilderness of America, because he felt that the wild forests and untamed land were evidence of God’s work and should be celebrated. His skill in landscapes is evident in all of the paintings, as well as his personal dedication to his faith.
In the first painting of the series, titled “Childhood,” a wide and calm river snakes its way out of a dark rock cave and into a lush landscape. On the river is a small wooden boat with an infant inside, who is looking around in wonder at this bright new world around him. Also in the boat, standing behind him, is a glorious angel, the guardian angel for this new life. The wildflowers and almost primordial looking trees look like how I imagine the Garden of Eden would look. The guardian angel is a typical depiction of an angel - a long and flowing white robe, wings, and a shining gold halo of light around its head. She watches the child as if she’s afraid he’s going to do something silly like jump overboard, and she has her arms open like she’ll be there to catch him if he does.
The feeling of the painting is one of the awe of new life. True, the angel is a thing of beauty in and of herself, but the innocence of the child and the fresh new landscape, after emerging from a hard, dark cave filled with swirling black mist, draws your attention more. This painting reminds me of the Christian belief that you should always trust in God. The child has no concept of bad things at this point, and trusts in the angel completely, who will be there for him if anything goes wrong.
The second painting, aptly, is titled “Youth.” In this painting, the angel and the boy are far away from the dark mountains and caves of the first painting and they are a distant memory in the background. The two are now surrounded by a lush green forest and clear blue sky. The boy, now probably around 12 years old, has taken the boat out by himself onto the river and is excited to be moving forward and on his own. The angel stands on the bank, watching him go, one arm reaching out to him, though whether she is trying to stop him or simply waving him on is unclear. Looking up the river, there is a ghostly image of a castle in the clouds. I interpreted this to be the kingdom of Heaven and the young boy is excited to be starting his journey on his own, ready to find himself, his spirituality, and his place in the grand scheme of things.
Continuing on, you find “Manhood” next. This painting has a strikingly different tone from the last, where the boy was excited and ready to face the world. In this painting, the boy, who has become a man, has lost control of the boat. He is heading into treacherous, rocky rapids, the trees and flowers are gone and replaced once again by dark mountains and caves. The angel is no where in his sight, but she is watching from above, the only light spot in the dark clouds swirling above his head. The man has his hands clasped together as if in prayer, and he looks above him for guidance through what he knows will be rough waters ahead. Just past the rocky rapids you can see light again, through a break in the clouds, where the river smooths out though the greenery does not return.
The final painting is “Old Age.” The river has reached its larger body of water and all of it is calm. The boat, which is now battered and broken, exits the dark caves and the man sees his guardian angel once more. Light shines down from above and the dark clouds are parting to show other angels waiting as she prepares to lead him home.
I think this series really embodies what American Christians were feeling during the mid-1800s. As people moved westward, they relied on their faith in God to get them through tough times and to survive both physically and spiritually. The journey through life (and even across America, which is what many interpret to be a second meaning to this series) is a rough one, where you move from the joy and excitement, through the dark times, until you finally make it to your destination. Throughout all of this, you may not always see the hand of God, as embodied by the angel in these paintings, but you have to have faith that he is always there to help you in case you fall out of the boat.
These paintings embody an important principle of Christianity. Though you may not always see the angel, you have to trust in your faith and you have to believe that God is always there, always guiding you. Unlike Islam, where you return your thoughts to Allah at least five times a day, Christians may only directly think of God once a week during church or once a day at night time prayers. They expect life to be difficult and for it to be a trial to prepare you for your judgment, but they continue to have faith in God’s guidance.
Though Thomas Cole was mainly a landscape painter, his faith was strong and he felt that God and his works should be celebrated. He conveyed his feelings that you should always believe in God’s power and guidance very well through this series of four paintings. They are a good representation of how Christians in America felt in that time as they went through the unknowns of westward movement and their faith in their spirituality.