McDonalds is making scented candles that smell like Quarter Pounder ingredients
**************************************************************
Learning Targets: I can nalyze how authors employ point of view, perspective, and purpose, to shape explicit and implicit messages (e.g., persuasiveness, aesthetic quality, satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement)
RH4: I can nterpret words and phrases, including disciplinary language, as they are
developed in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative
meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
We are beginning a unit on satire today.
Please read over the definition of satire
below, making sure you understand
1. its primary purpose
2. where it is used
3. what forms it may take
What is satire?
Satire is the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
Satire is synonymous with mockery, derision, scorn and caricature; however, there are nuances among these; so be aware.
Satire may be written (literature), graphic (political / social cartoons) and performances. What unifies all these forms is their purpose: constructive criticism, so as to effect change.
NOW..
What are some of the techniques used within the above media? Take your time to read and watch the following.
At the close of the reading, you should be able to define the following: parody, burlesque, exaggeration, juxtaposition, analogy, comparison, and double entendre,
1. parody-a piece of writing, music, etc., that
imitates the style of someone or something
else in an amusing way
literary example: Well, at least there’s one decidedly delicious thing to have come out of the 50 Shades of Grey phenomenon. Quite literally delicious: this week sees the release of 50 Shades of Chicken: A Parody in a Cookbook, which details the sordid adventures of a young, inexperienced chicken as she gets her breasts and thighs handled by a chef — while serving up some excellent recipes for roasting chicken as well.
Fifty Shades of Chicken
2. burlesque-a play, story, novel, etc., that
makes a serious subject seem funny or
ridiculous; a metaphor in which the figurative
comparison is exceptionally comic, grotesque, or
exaggerated. In poetry there a wonderful examples
with Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock, which is a
tells of a great battle to procure a lock of hair or in
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, but there is also burlesque
comedy, which began in the 19th century and made fun
of high brows.
| It was typically broad and low; with a strong emphasis on Slap Stick and sexual innuendo. The lead comedian was known as the "top banana"; and many well-known comedians started in Burlesque — such as Bob Hope, Red Skelton, and Milton Berle — before crossing over into movies, radio, or the fledgling television industry. One of the most famous classic Burlesque comedy routines is Abbott and Costello's Who's on First?. This one is essential for cultural knowledge; take a peek: |
Abbot and Costello Who's on first 6 min
3. exaggeration- to think of or describe
something as larger or greater than it really is
4 juxtaposition-the act of placing two things
next to each other
5. analogy- that if two or more things agree with one another in some respects they will probably agree in others
6. comparison-the act of looking at things to
see how they are similar or different
7. double entendre- ambiguity of meaning arising from language that lends itself to more than one interpretation
- 1. "Marriage is a fine institution, but I'm not ready for an institution"
- 2. "A man is incomplete until he is married. Then he is finished."
- 3. "Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again."
- 4. Ted Walsh - Horse Racing Commentator - "This is really a lovely
- horse. I once rode her mother."
here's the problem with double entendres: they are too risque for the classroom. Check them out on your own.
OK, now that you have reviewed the material, here is what you are going to do:
ASSIGNMENT:
I'd like you to open a word document and list the seven techniques used in satire. As you watch the clips below, find examples to support the different techniques- a minimum of two for each. Include general information on the theme or topic; then support with some textual evidence. There is no need to quote the whole story. Make sure to include material from all of the clips. Obviously, not every technique will be in each clip.
This is a two-day assignment. Due on Wednesday, February, 25 at the close of class. with the exception of those who receive their alloted extra time. Please note we have new material on Thursday.
You will need earbuds!
****************************************************************
An Interview with Shai’yansai Gibson
by Niamah Coleman
The afternoon of February 13, 2020 is when I interviewed Shai Gibson. It was cold outside so
the vibe in the room sort of resembled the weather. Me and Shai we’re pretty well acquainted
before the Interview, since we both came into school of the arts together in seventh grade as
drama majors. Which is exactly what I based the interview off of. I broke the ice with the basic
question of what she thought it would be like coming into school of the arts. She answered the
question in a way i think all SOTA students would, by saying ¨I thought it was going to be like
high school musical¨, the famous disney movie our particular generation grew up on. However
she went on to explain that her experience at first was more of an awkward and nerve racking one.
She also explained she thought because it was ¨School of the arts¨ it would be different from other
high schools here in the roc. That was something we could both agree on! The most exciting thing
for her in 7th grade was making new friends and coming out of her shell. I think because we were
both drama students in the same class we both had the same experience, although in my opinion,
Shai was a little more shy than me. I also asked her what was the most exciting thing about senior
year for her and her answer was honest and straightforward. She said she was most excited about
graduating from high school and moving out of Rochester onto new scenery.This answer spoke a lot
to Shai´s character because she seemed to be really ambitious about her future and clear that
Rochester wasn't really a part of it. One thing Shai spoke to that really applied itself to me was our
experience at School of the Arts. I asked her ¨would you say your life has changed for the better
or worse since you've been in high school, if so in what ways¨, she went on to say in so many words
that being at SOTA you have a great opportunity to get noticed by outside people who can give you
opportunities because of where you went to school, but the down side is when you have a bad day
or moment, the administration takes everything that happened and holds it against you and that can
make you look bad to colleges. That was something I could relate to for sure being that these past few
months at school havent been the absolute best for me. The last thing we talked about was lessons we
learned being a highschool student. She told me the biggest lesson she learned was that you can't call
everyone a friend in school and to focus on what's important; your education.
**************************************************************************
Interview with Kyneshia
by Joniah Anderson
The School of the Arts in Rochester, New York is a place where many talented students attend.
On Thursday February 13 a freezing winter morning I sat down with Kyneshia a senior here
at the school for an interview. When you get to know Kyneshia you can tell she has an exuberant
personality; from her makeup to her extra big smile you know she has a welcoming energy.
When we first sit down together I ask her to tell me a little bit about herself. She is a visual
Arts senior who just turned 18 this month and her favorite colors are pink and baby blue.
Her sense of humor comes in when I ask her how she would describe herself and she
replies “ Oddly satisfying” followed by her big laugh. She then goes on to explain “ I feel like
I am comfortable to be around, funny and oddly weird, it just all goes together.” I go on to
ask her about some hot topics going on in the world right now, when asked where she sees
herself on the political spectrum she said “ Would say I’m a swinger… Who I feel is most
reliable for the position.” but like a lot of people she thinks Bernie will win the 2020 election “
Bernie for the win”. In recent news Trump stated that he wanted to end the Public Service
Loan Forgiveness program that helps people who are struggling to pay their student loan
debt off. Kyneshia is planning on going to college in the fall so I wanted to see how she felt
about this. “ I feel like it’s very unfair, I don’t believe in paying for education.” we take a turn
and move away from the politics of things. Social media plays a big part in society. It can be
a lethal thing “ Honestly I believe it plays both a negative and positive role” goes on to explain
by saying “ You can’t believe everything on the internet but at the same time you find ou
t important information as well.” we can all agree some people use the internet and social media
for the wrong things but like everything there is the good and the bad we just have to control what
we can and try and make it a safe thing we can all enjoy. The people on the internet get offended
all the time and people in person many say this generation and those to come are too sensitive,
I asked Kyneshia does she think this is true “ I do agree that sometimes us as a generation can
be overly sensitive” she goes on to say “It was never that serious.” Both me and Kyneshia have
friends apart from the LBGTQ+ community so I asked her about recent news about now retired
basketball player Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union supporting their now daughter Zaya and her
transition. “ It’s their kid their life. My opinion does not matter” a take many people on social
media need to embrace. She goes on to say the Wade’s are “ showing other families that you
don’t have to hate your child for loving themselves and loving other people whether they are a
boy or a girl.” We need more people with this mindset in the world to spread love and compassion
and not hate. America is the only country with mass shootings in the hundreds. I asked her if she
thinks we are now desensitized to seeing them on the news “ I feel like as far as shootings go there
just a thing now we’re used to it .” Kyneshia is a very smart young woman who is aware of what’s
going on in the world. She is destined to go far in life.
**********************************************************************************************************
Interview with Ms. Parker
by Avery Burgess
The day was the 13th of February and my interviewee, Dorothy Parker, was wearing a dark purple, yarn woven, sweater accompanied by black denim jeans. I was lucky to interview her due to the number of interviewees being as scarce as they were in the first place. Though there was plenty of room to have the interview in the classroom. I felt that I could conduct the conversation better if there were less distractions around us, so in order to accommodate this we relocated the interview to the local floor house office. Initially I already had some background information from Ms.Parker, with me having her English class for the past two years. To start the interview off I had asked her about her childhood and any significant events that took place over her life and how they shaped her into the she is currently. She talked about how “ my father was very ill in my adolescent years and it was very stressful for the whole family; so it makes you grow up more quickly, makes you take more responsibility”. I felt bad for the fact that she had to undergo this lifestyle as a child and wished that I could empathize with her more, but I could tell that if i pressed to go into details it would possibly bring back some dark memories she may have had. I asked how this would affect her growing up later, she claimed that “ it made me be more independent and headstrong depending on one's perspective and I think I literally left home the day I graduated”. I asked her to elaborate as to what made her decide to leave at such a young age. “I wanted to be independent, that I could be fine on my own and I am a believer in that you have a responsibility to those people who support you economically. If I wanted to make my own decisions, I have to take care of myself economically.” Continuing the conversation I asked Ms.Parker to tell me any regrets she may have had of if there was anything she would have done differently, she proceeded to tell me that “regrets are a waste, you can’t go back. You can learn from them and you can try and decide not to repeat those particular errors again, but you can’t really refresh”. I had tried to put for a scenario that would result in having regrets but for the most part her answer was unchanged. I had compared my interview of Ms.Parker to Kayla's interview of how we both would go into detail with our responses; I used this opportunity to go into my next question. I had Ms.Parker articulate herself, but before I could continue with the interview I had her tell me about the majors she had while in college. She told me that she had a English degree, she also had an additional secondary certification, which would allow her to teach high school, a masters in liberal studies and a masters in art history. After I had gathered this background information, I resumed my earlier question. She would go on to say that “I am conscientious, a very hard worker. I get the job done no matter what it takes, I’m also pretty good at communicating either when doing my own research or communicating when you need support to make a successful end project”. Once again I asked her to elaborate as to what her response would dictate. “ I look at my students every year as individuals and what their needs are and I’ll tailor my lessons and I’ll often times have an idea which many times takes me much longer to put together to scaffold what needs done for the student to get to their goals”. She continued by saying how life was hard and that once you’re in the real world you’re on your own. I then gave Ms.Parker a choice between continuing to be a high school teacher or teaching at a college level, she told me that “ I had been offered something because someone thought I was retiring and I was offered something at a college this year, 101 and 102 English.” After a brief pause she would go on to say “ I like what I do now; It’s done, I have other things I'm interested in, I always want to learn, I always want to explore things and share things with people. It’s all good. If I were doing it over in a different environment, a different time, different circumstances I would have gone on and been teaching at a college university thirty years ago”. Next, I used a question she offered me earlier in the week: whether she was a poem or a novel? She responded by saying I am definitely a poem, absolutely a poem. Because I think I’m multi-layered, so what you see on the surface is not an exact mirror of who I am, so it’s not literal. There are many connotative levels and they change depending upon one’s time, it could anything from the time of year, the relationships, one’s physical health”. Nearing the end of the interview, a teacher had walked in and Ms.Parker had asked the same question and answered with a poem as well. I then asked out of the numerous books she has read over her life would describe her the best. She then responded “ I would be a character in a mystery, so I could figure things out. I know who I’d be, I would be Gamache in a Louise Penny novel, in charge of security of the Montreal security.” she continued with details about t how the character was complex and convoluted,I could tell that she wanted to talk more about this one character specifically. I had gotten to my final question due to the fact that at this point in the interview we were out of time; so I asked quickly what the defining moment in her life was and she responded by saying “ the moment I decided that, at age seven-teen, this is me and I take care of me”.
*********************************************************************************
Interview with Wesley
by Keagan Martin
It was a cold and snowy Thursday afternoon when I sat down with Wesly. We were
both a bit awkward and seemingly nervous as we started the interview. Neither of us
had talked to each other before and i asked my first question, why he picked this school
his answer was that he “didn’t personally pick the school” but there was “nowhere else
I’d rather be.” I nodded a bit and took in his positioning trying to write his answers down
as well as watch our surroundings. Wesley knew he wanted to write and said he had
always been creative and his inspiration and elimination of what he wanted to be was
based off of many people that had comics so when I asked him what his next step in life
was he said he was still trying to figure himself out and work on his indecisiveness but
knew that he wanted to go to a “college that will assist my writing career” but he wasn’t
sure which one he wanted to go to yet. that. By the end of the first few questions I fell into
an understanding of Wesley as I connected with him on a personal level, even though I hadn’t
known him for more than a few minutes it was quite easy to carry a conversation.I wanted to
understand him better so I asked about how the way he was raised impacted his life and he
shared with me that he was raised by his mother and grandmother feeling as if this made him
“more hesitant to go out of my comfort zone”. However he did feel like he was more patient
having 7 younger siblings. I was surprised stating that i couldn’t imagine what it must have
been like seeing as I myself was an only child. Halfway through our talk I noticed that he
hadn’t looked at me or made eye contact once giving me the feeling that he was open but
a bit uncomfortable or shy with looking at people despite being very easy to talk to. Wesley
wishes that he can be more experimental and less introverted than he is now along with
being more comfortable with walking in Rochester itself.
**********************************************************************************************
An Interview with Nevi
by Alquasia Maye
On a cold Friday morning at School of the Arts, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nevi,
a senior who shows nothing but an upbeat and outgoing personality. We were interviewing
in a small office with pale banana-yellow walls and flags of colleges and universities
splattered all over the walls. Sitting in the office, Nevi was wearing a simple yet colorful
outfit to the interview. A Navy blue sweatshirt with writing on it. As we were talking,
I learned some things about Nevi. I had learned that she’s been through a lot of struggles
in her life but despite all of the trials, she somehow manages to keep a smile on her face.
Maybe I can take a thing or two from her when it comes to self-perseverance. I had asked
Nevi, “There’s a saying that goes, ‘Jack of all Trades, yet master of none’, what does that
mean to you?” At first, the question was met with silence, followed with me taking bites
of my cheese Danish waiting for her response. She said shortly after, “Honestly, I don’t
know”. I then explained the quote to her and then I saw the lightbulb go off above her head.
I then moved on to the next question which was if you could repeat a year in high school,
which year would it be? Nevi quickly and confidently replies with, “Ninth Grade.” When I
asked her why, she said, “[it was] just not it.” The conversation then spewed to my own
answer, saying that I would also repeat 9th grade. After our long conversation about
changing the past or remembering good friends, I inquired about Nevi about which people
inspired her. She answered with four people in mind, “My mom, my grandma, my boyfriend
and Tyler the Creator.” When I asked her to elaborate and explain why, she said that they
were key into molding her personality and helped her get out of their comfort zone. I also
asked her about a deck of cards. I grew up with my mom telling me that whatever card you
play the most during card games is what you are personality-wise. I asked Nevi a question
linking to that philosophy, and she replied that she would be the Queen of Hearts. When I
asked why, she replied saying that everything she did came from the heart. In my opinion,
it was a cute thought. The conversation dragged on, and my danish was gone at this point.
We had talked about our own lives and experiences, which then led to the question of an
experience that gave an important lesson. Once that question was out of the way, we then
concluded with our dream careers and whether they had changed or not. Nevi, had an
interesting switch of careers. When she was younger, she had wanted to be a Walmart
cashier but now she wants to be a clinical psychologist. Perhaps I’ll be working with her
in the future. As a final note, Nevi was a very bubbly and outgoing person and it was fun
interviewing her.
**********************************************************************
Interview With Zhuliyan Zhelyazkov
by Joshua Phonarath
It was 3rd period, Journalism. I walked in and see Ms. Parker holding a camera. Oh wait...is that today? I remembered that a few classes ago, she said she would be taking our pictures for our interviews. I sighed and looked down at my outfit that I only had 10 minutes to put together, which I also sort of did in the dark because fluorescent light hurts my eyes in the morning. If I was going to be shown on the infinite internet for anyone to see, I wanted to be presentable. At least not be wearing a hoodie that I had worn almost every day in 9th grade.
After her little introduction of the day’s assignment to the class, everyone dispersed into their groups. I watched Zhuliyan gather his things from his desk and head over to mine. He was wearing a cardigan that had the color of my coffee creamer. I motioned him over to the desk next to me.
“You can just keep the desk there, I don’t want to rearrange everything.” I laughed. Which was true, but I also just didn’t want to be face to face because I don’t like eye contact. (This makes going out to eat and sitting in a booth with someone difficult.) “So,” I paused for dramatic effect. “How are you today, Zhuliyan?”
“I’m okay.” We chuckled, and then it was silent for a second. This is going off to a great start. I never really talked to him before today, maybe a couple times at the beginning of the year but nothing best friend-ish.
“Should I go first? I mean, do you want me to ask the questions first?” I began to put the heading on my paper. He nodded his head. “So Zhuliyan, your first question is, what do you think happens when we die?” I thought about how weird of a first question this was.
“Well, I am an Orthodox Christian, so I believe in a type of heaven or hell.”
“Cool, cool. I’m not really a religious person so I don’t really have a concept to believe in regarding life after death. I was raised Buddhist, so I guess I believe in reincarnation. Organized religion isn’t really my thing, I just like to live my life how I want. I just really, really hope that when we die, it isn’t only oblivion forever. I don’t want to be trapped in the silence of the void for eternity. Sorry if that’s depressing.” We laughed a little bit and then continued.
“Next question, what do you think your character flaw is?” I clasped my hands together on my desk like a real journalist.
“Hm, character flaw?”
“What I mean by that is, what do you think is wrong with you?” I realized how strange that sounded. “No, no, wait. I mean like, what do you think is a weakness of yours? What would you want to change about yourself?” I saw the gears turning in his mind. “For example,” I wanted to give him something to work with. “Sometimes people are jealous or possessive.”
“I guess I would say that I want to be nicer, and I don’t mean that I am a mean person now, I just want to be an even better person to other people that I am right now. You can never go wrong with that.”
“Oh yeah, that’s a good one. A lot of people that I know should take a page out of your book.” I laughed. “I think that mine is a lot more selfish than yours though.”
“What is it?” Zhuliyan asked.
“Well, I’d say that my character flaw is being scared of being replaced. I don’t really know how to explain it. Like, if my friends start talking to other people more than me, I start to get uncomfortable and I don’t like it. It just feels off to me. I don’t like being expendable, and I don’t like when people leave me.” In the back of my head, I had the feeling that I was making this interview a little bit too much about me. “Shall we move on?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, next question, who is somebody that you will always remember?”
“I think I’d say my grandmother. She and I were very close.”
“Were?”
“Yeah, she passed a couple months ago.”
“Oh. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“It’s okay, she lived to be 102!”
“Really? That’s good! I hope that I’ll be able to do that.” I laughed.
“I think that I’ll always remember the memories we have together. She loved to sing, it seemed like she never stopped when I was around her. I think that it really made her happy.”
“It’s nice that you have these good memories with her. I never knew my grandmother because she passed before I was born, so I don’t really have a connection to her. Sometimes, I wish I did.” Why are all of my answers so desolate?
“Next question, do you think people of color can be racist?”
“Of course, racism is a mindset. It isn’t exclusive to any race. Although, I think it’s safe to say that white people are racist more often. In Bulgaria, there is a lot of hate against the Romani people. They are called gypsies by some, but that is more of a slur than an actual name for their group. Back home, I notice a lot of tension between Bulgarian people and the Romani. It started to become more prominent in the 70’s or 80’s because there was a large wave of immigration by Romani people. But anyway, yes, I think anybody can be racist.”
“I agree. A lot of the time, people mistake racism, which is prejudice and discrimination, with institional racism. Yes, people of color are significantly disadvantaged because of many systems targeting their race that have been put in place which are still affecting people today, but that’s what makes it different from regular racism. I think when people say X race can’t be racist because that race has no power in society, they aren’t acknowledging that systematic racism and social racism are different.”
“Next question, if you had 24 hours to live, what would you spend your time doing?”
“Hmm...in the context of this question, am I in Bulgaria or in Rochester?”
“You’re anywhere you want to be.”
“Okay, so Bulgaria.” He laughed. “If I had 24 hours to live, in Bulgaria, I think I would try to spend time with my family, tell people that I don’t like that I don’t like them, and try to visit places that I’ve never been before.”
“I think I would say the exact same thing, a lot of emphasis on telling people how I feel. I would tell people who I hate that I hate them, and I would tell people that I am attracted to that I find them attractive, because what is there to lose? I’m going to die anyway. I would also like to go to places I’ve never been to, my biggest aspiration in life is to see the world. Maybe I’ll come to Bulgaria at some point if I’m lucky.”
“And last question, what did you want to be when you were little?”
“I think I wanted to be a pilot.”
“Like, an airplane pilot?”
“Yes,” he laughed. “I just thought it was so cool that they were controlling such a big vehicle like that.”
“Why’d you stop?”
“Music. It was just my priorities switching around. It’s not like little boys want to be dinosaurs forever. That’s what I’m here for anyway, I play the piano.”
“Really? I never expected that.”
“What did you think my major was?”
“I don’t know, I just didn’t think it was piano.” We laughed. “Do you think that you’ll ever want to be a pilot again? If music doesn’t work out?”
“Not really. If music doesn’t work out for me, I think I’d rather go into working with geography.”
It was now only 2 minutes before the bell rang. I had gotten so lost in just talking about these different things that I lost track of time. I think that this interview really let me get to know him better.
*******************************************************************
Interview With Maria Campanaro
By: Akhiyar Abdi
A little over a week ago I sat
down with Maria Campanaro, a graduate student at the University of Rochester
who is getting her masters in Ela and Special Education for grades 7-12.
Campanaro is completing her field work at School of the Arts and plans to work
in the Rochester City School District when she graduates in May later this
year. The interview began awkwardly so I quickly asked my first question in the
hopes that we could get more comfortable with each other. I could tell from her
appearance that she wasn’t feeling well and she confirmed this when she said
her first thought that morning was “I feel so sick I don't know how I’m going
to make it through the day.” I was confused on why she would go through the
trouble of coming to work when she should’ve been resting at home. She told me
it was very important for her to get to know the students she would be working
with until the end of her field work. This answer told me a lot about her
personality and devotion to her work and her next words were further
confirmation. “I would describe myself as compassionate. Ever since I was a
little kid I could tell what people are feeling and I would always try to help
them. I always asked myself ‘how could I help children not feel left out’. My
hope is to learn to make sure that every student gets the best education they
can get.” Although Ms. Camp is compassionate and caring to her students, she is
also working hard on doing the same for herself, “I think it’s important to
care about other people but finding a balance to take care of yourself is
important too”. When I asked her about pure altruism she had interesting
thoughts on the topic that I agreed with, “I think altruism is just altruism
and taking care of yourself is not selfish.” I wanted to know more about her
values and morals so I asked her what her utopian world would be in order to
find out more about those things. Campanaro’s utopian world would be one where
“everyone respects each other and respects each others dignity and takes care
of one another, while also learning how to be better”. I wanted to know more
about Ms. Camps early childhood experiences so I asked her about the first
memory she could recall. It was her 5th birthday party and her mother surprised
her classmates by bringing pizza and cake. Campanaro told me the story with a
smile on her cafe, saying “I was the coolest kid that day”. We spoke a lot
about her early life, beliefs, and character but I also wanted to know what she
wanted her legacy to be, so I asked her what she wanted to have written on her
headstone. Surprisingly she had actually thought about it before so she was
prepared with an answer, “Here lies someone who knows nothing but has learned
it all, daughter, mother, teacher, friend. Something like that. I'm also a fan
of Edgar Allen Poe and he is quoted to have said ‘never suffer would never to
have been blessed.’ I think I want to live that way”. She also had plans on how
she wanted to spend her last moments saying she would like to spend it with her
husband “listening to music that we grew up listening to or watching a
compilation of all the trailers of movies we’ve liked and seen, eating
strawberry ice cream or drinking coffee”.
******************************************************************
Interview
with Avery Burgess
by
Kyla Carter
It was a Thursday trapped in a snowglobe. Fuzzy flakes of
snow fell outside of School of the Arts, where Avery Burgess and I sat on the cold tile floor. He already seemed
pretty comfortable with not only loud students walking back and forth and a
cool draft passing us, but with opening up to a complete stranger such as
myself. He started off with a proper introduction, hand shake, and a friendly
“Nice to meet you;” he’s very good at conversing. However, when I began asking
the questions, he retracted his hands to his pockets and only took them out to
pick his nails. He told me, “Go ahead, ask me whatever question you want,” but
it was clear that there were some he wasn’t quite ready to answer. This was
especially considering the fact that, “One of my deepest darkest
desires... That’s locked away,” he said and we both proceeded to laugh.
On
the other hand Avery was extremely complacent with answering anything that had
to do with his idea of a perfect life. After asking him four general questions
about this specific topic I began to really understand that he finds to most
joy in calm and peaceful places where he can relax and think to himself,
reductions of sounds, video games, Kendrick Lamar’s music, and being alone. I
asked him, “What would you consider a perfect life? Would you have to work?
Would you spend it with someone or remain alone?” When he responded I was taken
aback. I couldn’t possibly understand how anyone could find the most pleasure
and “company in being by himself” and “spending the rest of his life with
himself,” but what Avery said next offered me a new perspective. “I can be
social but choose to be by myself and my thoughts, so I can relax and break
down.” He’s right about needing a balance, especially since his ultimate goal
is to own a large video game company and create multiple of his own perfect
worlds.
In
Avery and I’s “not so perfect interview world” we were interrupted by Mr.
Chandelier telling us we had to go back to class, but that did not stop the
flow of our conversation! He continued to answer my questions in depth, and his
answers showed me that he is mentally confident. I asked, “Do you have any
insecurities, physically or mentally? Has this actually caused any problems for
you?” His body appearance is a “drawback,” because he doesn’t feel good about
himself yet he knows he can fix things. He directed his attention to the floor rather
than me, but instead of letting this keep him down, he quickly perked up.
“Mentally, there’s nothing.” He has no sort of insecurity or doubt when it
comes to his mind, and that is admirable. By the end of the interview, I felt
that I knew Avery pretty well and even tried guessing what his response would
be to my final question, “Would you rather have money or love? Why?” I guessed
that he would say money, because he wishes to own a business and would spend
his last day on earth alone. However, he doesn’t have a pessimistic view when
it comes to love. Avery doesn’t like the commercialism of love, using
Valentine’s Day as an example. If he were to find the one it’d be very
significant, but “A billion dollars looks pretty nice,” he says.
***********************************************************************
Interview
with Taina Rios
By Aracely Valasquez
On February 23, 2020
,it was a cold cloudy day when I interviewed Taina Rios. We were in a room that
allowed Taina to feel relaxed and welcomed. Taina and I have known each other
pretty well but not as well as I thought. We met each other in 7th grade in choir.
We were never close till high school but we were well acquainted. Which is why
I asked her question to get to know her outside of her student role. Taina has
a goofy personality while also being very wise, which is why I wanted to ask
her questions most wouldn’t comprehend as well. One of the first questions I
asked “what are your beliefs on the afterlife?”, She replied calmly, “I feel
like when you are on earth you have to have a pure heart to be able to have an
afterlife, cause life is inevitable”. I then asked her, “Do you think there's a
heaven”... she replied by saying “i just think there's a better place than
earth.”. That being the first question allowed the tone to get more relaxed.
The next question, “What career do you feel will best fit you?”Taina took a
moment to think then she said,”I want to start off as a nurse but eventually
become an entrepreneur because I want to have knowledge on medicine in the
event anything could happen”(Taina). The next question went with the second one
which was “Do you feel your career benefits your strengths?” Then she replied
“Yeah, I’m a people person, old people love me, people in general”(Taina) The
questions lighted up the mood for a little so we took a break, Then we started
back up again so i asked her, “ Explain something that happened to you, that
formed into who you are today/”. It took her awhile to provide, she didn’t know
what she should say, Then she replied “Every event led up to who I am, there
was lesson in everything I’ve encountered” she repeated it again “everything
was a lesson...At the moment I thought I wouldn’t be able to get through it but
at the end of the day it shaped me into who I am”(Taina) That response was
great Then I ask her another serious question, “What is your political view on
our judicial branch?” She made a interesting face then she replied quickly “All
of it is corrupt because how are you ignoring all the conflicts going on..No
equality...They throw people in jail… they just take an advantage”(Taina) This
question made the room intense again but then i ask her a question so we could
leave the interview in a good place. I asked “How do you see yourself in the
next decade?” She smiled and replied “I want my career to be settled, I'm
married, traveled 5 places outside the united states, and 2 kids by then”
(Taina) Which I felt was a great way to end the interview.
*******************************************************************
Interview
with Alquasia Maye
Nevierah
Dowdell
It
was somewhat winter, snow is falling heavy yet gracefully as I look to my left.
We were in a small, yellow four walled room when I interviewed Alquasia, and
somehow her smile and laugh were brighter than the room. She’s a bright, blunt
girl. Fearless. Humble. Anytime anybody sees her she’s always laughing, making
jokes and shining a light in a dark room. As I look around me, college
banners puked over each wall, inspiring the questions of college. She wants to
stay local. “I like staying closer to home,”. One thing that inspired her
choice of MCC for college is the passion for food she has. She likes to “try
different styles of food” while being less than an hour away from family. She also mentioned how people ask her about
her eating habits and not gaining weight and her responses are always, “I don’t
know”. I asked her about her high school experiences, because others have
different but yet similar experiences. High school experiences for her were
fairly normal. One challenge she faced during her high school year was her
height, because of this she wasn’t able to engage in sports, mistake her for a
younger age, look over her and more. I realized that she and I shared the same
struggle when dealing with height in highschool. Unlike others, one challenge
she faced in middle school was racism and colorism. People always told her,
“you talk white” or “You’re too smart to be black”. This causes her to push
forward without caring about anyone’s thoughts but her own. One question asked,
‘How would you like to be comforted when mad or sad” and she responded saying,
“Growing up I was never taught to show emotion” which is disappointingly normal
in black homes. Her escape from the world is her boyfriend. “If I’m happy, sad,
hungry, mad, my boyfriend is always there for me,” She said. Even though she
thought showing emotions is “weird”, she plans to be a psychologist later on in
life, which is ironic to her not knowing how to talk and explain her emotions,
but rather just eat food when upset. Her advice to kids going through middle
school and highschool is, “Always have food, study for math, stay away
from problematic people, and be petty to your haters,”. Although she shares the
fear of getting physically abused, one artist that she wishes to be on a date
with is Chris Brown. “What's the choice of meal you’ll have with him?” She
replied, “Eating Taco Bell”. As mentioned, Alquasia is a bright, humble,
fearless girl who has big dreams for the near future. One last piece of advice
she had for others was, “Use protection kids”.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Interview with Jaden
by Aisha Lopez
In
the afternoon of February 14, 2020 I interviewed Jaden Morgan. This day was
unique because it fell on both Black Lives Matter day at School of the Arts
(SOTA) and Valentine's day. It was also the day before we started the February
recess. Therefore, I felt this would be a good day to have an easy going
conversation with Jaden Morgan. During our conversation, I learned about Jayden
resilience and his dedication in becoming a better student and person. I
started the interview by asking him a few open-ended questions regarding his
life and improvements he has made as a student at SOTA. Jaden was forthcoming
and honest on his responses and admitted that he is self conscience about every
action he takes. For instance, Jaden revealed his very personal challenge
in overcoming his obesity. He became obsessed with working and keeping in shape
to where he was feeling more confident and happy with himself. When he was
younger, Jaden didn't really look at the future as the way he views it now,” It
was pretty rough because i did not live in the moment. I did drawings and
really didn’t think about my future”, he stated. Within those rough years of
experiencing better knowledge for his heart he found a passion for animation.
The people that inspired him and pushed him to where he is at, are the people
that completely inspired Jaden everyday. “ Back in 9th, where i began to
develop my talent and realised that i could draw my parents and cousin inspired
me to continue and push me everyday to never stop my talent”. Family love is
very important in a student's life and Jaden is very lucky to have a family
that can support him in every way possible. Jayden has a very bright future and
its going to be lucky enough to reach his goals.
*********************************************************************************
Interview with Joniah Anderson
By Kyneisha Hall
Today, February 13 2020, I got the chance to sit down with a classmate of mine, Joniah Anderson. We're familiar with each other so you felt a sense of comfort when we started to interact. Before we started she bluntly told me that she was glad that we were paired considering we already knew some things about each other already. Joniah is a visual arts major, she’ll be graduating in the senior class of 2020. She also mentioned being a Aries and that she is super shy. “ I'm super shy, like I hate being on spot” Joniah said. She has siblings, a little sister to be exact. Even though she is quiet most of the time she is really intelligent, so i wanted to ask some questions regarding today’s society and see what she had to say.
I start the questions, “Drugs have become a problem in our society, How should we handle this”?’ I asked. She fixed her postier and looked around a little, in a almost thought way she responds, “ I feel like drugs have always been a problem in society, And nowadays the music makes it acceptable. I think parents should pay attention to what their kids are watching and listening too.” I agreed considering the fact that music DOES play an important role in today’s society and the minors who listen, and get the idea that Drugs are okay and that their fun to do which results in the problematic debate about making certain drugs legal. As we got deeper into our conversation, I decided to ask her a question regarding the educational system. “To what extent do you think an individual's wealth and education defines their role in life?” She thought about this for a moment, And it was almost like you saw the gears working inside of her head as she prepared to give me an answer. “ I think the more wealth and sometimes education you have, you will be better off in life. And obviously your achievements in your life are obviously not the case” she said. I agree and move onto the next question. “ Tell me about your plans down the road?” I asked, I mentioned before that we know a little about each other, but i didn't really know her goals or plans for the road ahead. She didn't have to think much about her answer, “ I plan to go to community college first, then go to a 4 year school after business and photography.” she says with a faint smile. “ We as Rochesterians, what are your thoughts about our community? How would you change things? She thinks this through before answering once more, “ I think like any other place there are good parts and there are bad parts. But we have a drug problem in Rochester and I think in the less fortunate places. We all have to come together to build them up and keep them up.” that concluded our interview and with a shy smile Joniah and i went our separate ways.
