The Truth of My Art

#27 Art and the Artist Organization Chart

REQUIRED TEXT (TYPE IN THE TITLE)	EXPLAIN IN A FEW SENTENCES HOW THIS TEXT WILL HELP ANSWER ONE OR MORE ESSENTIAL QUESTION.	PROVIDE TWO QUOTES (WITH LINE/PAGE #S) FROM THE TEXT, AND EXPLAIN HOW YOU WOULD USE THIS QUOTE IN YOUR PRESENTATION.
Criticism Shepard Fairey’s True Colors Charlotte Allen	People cannot always seem to agree on the true definition of art, and can cause controversy among many people. Shepard Fairey is one of my favorite artists, and his images seek to shock people and draw attention, good or bad. He has progressed from street art, mass media, to even gallery showings.	“Fairey has built his artistic career on a combination of vandalism, via graffiti-like hit-and-run art, and an expropriation of other people's images” “His work... critiques the ‘underpinnings of the capitalist machine.’”
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” (p. 1033) by T.S. Eliot	Art is a means for artists to move past their insecurities and make mistakes. People can then use these artworks to express their own insecurities.	“Time for you and time for me,/ And time yet for a hundred indecisions/ And for a hundred visions and revisions” “To wonder ‘Do I dare?’ and, ‘Do I dare?’ “
“Videotape” (p. 1090)	Art provides insight and a sense of realness into a world we cannot understand. Art isn’t always something pretty or happy, but it’s art because it draws us into it.	“It is real this time, not fancy movie violence--the realness beneath the cosmetic layers of perception.” “They show it because it exists…[it] sucks the air out of your chest but you watch it every time”
Poem My Last Duchess	Art is not simply about realism. It is about finding the beauty in the artwork as something that can bring wonder to a person.	“Looking as if she were alive. I call/ That a piece of wonder” “A heart...too soon made glad…/ she liked whate’er/ she looked on”
Poem Rembrandt's Late Self-Portraits Elizabeth Jennings	Rembrandt as an artist never idealized himself as he aged, instead he focused on the truth of his image, flaws and all. Within my own artwork, I use my images as a way to communicate both the good and the bad	“You are confronted with yourself” “From this self-scrutiny, you make light drift/ The way you want” “With truthful changes, us of fear of death”
Short Story The Bloody Chamber	The story makes many allusions to beautiful things with a twisting into something gory. My own artwork is frequently juxtaposing beauty with pain or death to draw people in.	“his real face, the face that truly reflected all the life he had led in the world” “An extraordinarily precious slit throat” “I was seventeen and knew nothing of the world”
Non-fiction/Essay Art and the Handicraftsman Oscar Wilde	The artist is the catalyst for beauty in art, and everything they create is art as long as they put effort in on it. They show the intimacy of human life and emotion. Art is essential and cannot be ignored in our world.	“There is no opposition to beauty except ugliness” “Beauty which is meant by art is no mere accident of human life...but a positive necessity of life” “For the artist is not concerned primarily with any theory of life but with life itself”
A piece from a non-literature genre of art (painting, sculpture, music, food, architecture dance, etc): Devoured by Nature	In this piece I am showing the relationship between humans and nature and the destruction and death that is being placed in a beautiful setting. The ideas in the Carrion Flower (Which smells of rotting flesh) and the Venus Fly Traps show the gruesome aspects of nature, as well as allusions to death.	As a society, we are destroying nature, so the image shows the reverse of nature as a destructive force.

#25 Final Research Paper

Mason High School

Sex in Our Society

Anna Hayes

English IV

Mrs. Wilson

I have read and understand the sections in the Student Handbook regarding Mason High School's Honesty/Cheating Policy. By affixing this statement to the title page of my paper, I am certifying that I have not cheated or plagiarized in the process of completing this assignment. If it is found that cheating and/or plagiarism did take place in the writing of this paper, I understand the possible consequences of the act, which could include a "0" on the paper, as well as an "F" as a final grade in the course.

When the TV is switched on and the TV guide is brought up, there is a wide variety of shows for teens to choose from for their afternoon enjoyment. Most absentmindedly scroll past the local news or educational shows, finding no interest in politics or current events. Instead, they want to view Carrie Bradshaw’s words of wisdom in Sex and the City, which shows the life of four women living in New York City and their various sexual encounters. She was and remains to be an idol for many women; she explains many myths or problems when it comes to relationships--or better yet, why you shouldn’t have them.

This show, along with many others in today’s popular culture, reveal the benefits of these so called “one night stands”, which has become very common in today’s society. The expansion of the internet and nearly unlimited access to online pornography has even furthered the notion that relationships aren’t quite worth the effort anymore. In Aldeous Huxley’s Brave New World, the dystopian society is progressed through the constant cycle of pleasure given to the citizens. The elimination of any need to procreate has also eliminated the need for any form of marriage or long term relationships, and has instead been replaced by the idea that “everyone belongs to everyone else.” (Huxley 40)

The development of technology has brought about many changes to the cultural norms in our society. Society’s perception of sex has changed through the increased access to technology, much like the World State. The instant gratification of pornography and the “feelies” have destroyed the traditional values of love and intimacy in a monogamous relationship.

Happiness of society is important to the controllers of the World State. As long as every  member is happy, there will be no problems. The solution: give every person as much happiness as they could ever need. The unlimited access to pleasure-giving technology in the World State that gives a sense of instant gratification, as well as technological developments that have eliminated the need for long term relationships have changed the purpose of sex to something only used for entertainment.

The instant gratification of technology in the World State has altered the perception of sex to be something necessary for belonging. As the result of their extreme technological advancements, the people of the World State can receive anything they want at a moments notice, including sex or pornography. They sing songs about sexual experiences, how they want people to “hug [them] til you drug [them]” (Huxley 193), where the “drug” is referring to Soma. This song is known and sung by almost every member of society, so the phrase promotes the idea that sex is something that should be done. The government focuses on sex as a necessary part of a citizen’s duty, which again has promoted the commonplace idea of sex. This is exemplified in the Solidarity Service, where “others were being fused into the greater being” (86), where they were becoming a part of society.

Even when the citizens are not engaging in this activity, they are still able to attend the “feelies”, the World State’s equivalent to a movie theater. However, the technology of the theater allows people to feel the sensation of the movie--for example, they can feel the sensation of kissing during a scene. This meant that everyone was able to feel the “almost intolerable galvanic pleasure” (Huxley 168). They use this technology to feel the pleasure of sex without actually doing it, so they begin to become desensitized to the action itself.

With the growth of technology in the World State, they have eliminated the process of child-bearing, and therefore the need for any long term relationships. The development of this technology of creating children without actually giving birth actually created many benefits for the World State, but the drawback was the destruction of any need for an intimate or sexual relationship. To compensate for this, they promoted it as a source of entertainment rather than for procreation. In the past, the childbearing process was simple :”one egg, one embryo, one adult--normality” (Huxley 6). But with the Bokanovsky’s process, they were able to control the population and create many people instead of just “one adult” at a time. They no longer needed parents to create a child; in fact, they found the idea taboo. On the Savage Reservation, they were not given access to this technology, and so Bernard explains that “children are still born...revolting as that may seem”(Huxley 102). The idea was so “revolting” as it was a reminder of the past, which they were not allowed to focus on. They no longer needed the relationships for raising children, so they just eliminated them altogether. This was what was eventually replaced with casual sex.

The conditioning and government controlled media messages controls the way that the members of the World State view sex, which is a part of belonging to culture. The World Controller believes that for a society to be stable, everyone needs to feel as if they are important and a part of a society, so they created the idea that “everyone belongs to everyone else” (Huxley 40). This hypnopaedic phrase is repeated throughout a persons life and throughout the book as a result of the conditioning that the citizens receive. They were taught to believe that they are morally and socially obligated to have sex with other members of the World State, which portrays it more as an obligation rather than an act of love. This idea was starkly contrasted on the Savage reservation, where “nobody’s supposed to belong to more than one person” (Huxley 121). They still believed in the concept of marriage, which was a problem for Linda, because her conditioning was the exact opposite of this idea, and therefore she and her son were shunned as outcasts. Technology in the World State had brought down the ideas of intimacy in the place of universal belonging.

The United States has been a hotspot for technology, and is now able to have technology that Huxley could never have imagined when he was creating Brave New World. With the expansion of the internet in the modern world, the increase in the use of social media for relationships, as well as access to sexual content, has altered the perception of sex as a culture in the United States.

On a global scale, the wide access of sexual content located on the internet has resulted in a change of the perception of sex as something casual and socially acceptable. As a result of the globalization of the modern world, sexual behaviors have become increasingly common or standard as opposed to the previously unique cultural norms. Over time, “sexual mores and values have constantly changed as societies have come into contact with outside influences and new technologies” (Adeyemi). Previously “savage” or third-world countries had different cultural practices in regards to sex than first-world countries. People with less poverty are generally more likely to have sex for pleasure than someone in an impoverished country. With the world slowly becoming more standard culturally, so does the concept of sex. Due to this  global expansion, now the “propagation of sexual content in media is global and created, produced, distributed, and appreciated by worldwide audiences” (Cunningham-Engram). Some countries, such as China and India, have tried to counter this by enforcing stricter laws surrounding the distribution of pornography, but it has not helped. China and Japan are still the largest sectors of sexual content when compared to other countries, while the United States has the largest amount of viewers (Cunningham-Engram). These, however, are not the only factors.

Social media has a strong ability to alter how they behave both online and in person as the ideas of sexual norms and behaviors change. It has been proven that “social networks...affect health behaviors by altering perceptions of peer norms” (Young). As people, particularly adolescents, see their peers engaging in certain behaviors, such as drinking, smoking, or one night stands, they are more likely to engage in those behaviors themselves. At the very least, they will become more desensitized to the actions. This means that “new media contain[s] sexual messages...and could affect sexual risk-taking” (Collins). Television shows and movies are containing more sexual jokes or innuendos than ever before, indications that sexual actions have taken place, or even fully explicit sex scenes. This can also convey the message that our society promotes the sexual behaviors displayed on TV, and then people will be more likely to take actions on certain impulses.

As the casualness of sex has increase, relationships have began to suffer. They have been disconnected by the technological bridge that was created to strengthen them.While it is quite common for relationships to benefit in terms of being able to connect over long distances or to interact, problems can also be drawn from these same benefits. As a species, “humans...strive to connect with others in order to survive” (Leggett), but these connections can sometimes be hindered when people are constantly distracted due to technology and not making personal and face-to-face contact. On the opposite end of the spectrum, “partners may feel more comfortable expressing certain aspects of their personality only via social media’ (Leggett) This constant need for a text or instant message to explain personal feelings can lead to an inability to verbalize certain relationship issues.

With the technology of the modern world expanding rapidly, our morals are depleting and the ideals of the World State are becoming more prevalent in our society. If this socio cultural trend continues, soon we will be living in this “brave new world”

The global extension of pornography and sexual content in movies today mirror the pleasure-giving technologies of the World State. The so called “galvanic pleasure’ (168) of the feelies can only be compared to the pornographic videos of our society. And because this content can be “appreciated by worldwide audiences” (Cunningham-Engram), there is almost no limit to what people are able to find. This constant access to sexual content on television or pornography online that can be viewed anywhere in the world has led to an almost endless stream of pleasure, just like the scent organs and the feelies. Many participate in this behavior on this idea: sex allows people to connect with each other, and therefore, society. In the World State, this is exemplified in the Solidarity Service, where they were becoming part of “the greater being” (86). This was quite simply, a group of people being joined together by sex. And as Dr. Leggett explained, people quite simply “strive to connect with others”. This concept of belonging has transcended almost every culture, including the World State. However, they connect through the Solidarity Service while our culture prefers to connect through social media and text messaging.

Television today is viewed by virtually every American on a daily basis. Our society’s repeated messages on television and media begins to mimic the ideas repeated in the hypnopaedic phrases. The most common hypnopaedic message repeated throughout Brave New World is “everyone belongs to everyone else” (40), which is the most simplistic way to explain this concept: having sex is something that should be done, with as many people as possible. This is explained because “sexual mores...have...changed...with outside influences and new technologies” (Adeyemi). These “outside influences” can be described as the hypnopaedic phrases that the World State is exposed to nearly every night, as well as the constant stream of media in the modern world. These can be very influential in societies sexual behaviors as a whole.

No matter whether people log off Facebook or turn off Jersey Shore, there will always be a new form of technology to distract people from each other. John the Savage and Bernard never felt a strong relationship with anyone in their homes, and it led to a lot of unhappiness for both characters. Maybe the technology meant to make people happy had actually made them mindless instead The solution: finding a balance between the benefits of these technologies and the disconnect from society. Instead of endlessly texting with girlfriends or boyfriends, get together and be active. Removing apps like Tindr from smartphones and focusing on solid relationships can better a person’s emotional dependence and overall happiness. Maybe then we can steer away from this “brave new world”.

Works Cited

Adeyemi, Adeyeye. "Influence Of Globalisation On Sexual Behaviours Of Adolescents In Nigeria." Researchgate. N.p., 23 May 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

Collins, Rebecca L., Steven C. Martino, and Rebecca Shaw. "Influence of New Media on Adolescent Sexual Health: Evidence and Opportunities."Influence of New Media on Adolescent Sexual Health: Evidence and Opportunities: Main Page. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Apr. 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

Cunningham-Engram, Vanessa G., Gary C. Guffey, and Kim C. Smith. "The Influence of Technology on Sexual Content in Mass Media in the United States, China, and India." Intercultural Communication Studies XVII.2 (2009): n. pag. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

Leggett, Christina, and Pieter Rossouw. "The Impact of Technology Use on Couple Relationships." Neuropsychotherapist. N.p., 4 Nov. 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

Young, Sean D., and Alexander D. Jordan. "The Influence of Social Networking Photos on Social Norms and Sexual Health Behaviors."Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. Pubmed Central, 16 Apr. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

#24 Research Proposal and Annotated Bibliography

Research Proposal:

Relationships are a part of belonging in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and technology has given easier access for people to connect and participate in non-demanding, online relationships. As a society, the perception of our peers has led to a desensitization of the topic of sex and the idea of promiscuity. Research has proven that adolescent use of technology has led to an increase in sexual behaviors, in everything from the easy access to pornography to the influence of images over social media.  When students are exposed to raunchy images of peers, they are more likely to admit to their own promiscuity In The Influence of Social Networking Photos on Social Norms and Sexual Health Risks, Sean Young explains the images have an a “potential power… to affect health behaviors by altering perceptions of peer norms” . According to The Influence of Technology on Sexual Content in Mass Media in the United States, China, and India, a culture barrier also influences the ideas about the distribution of porn. For example, the United States has almost no limitations when it comes to distribution; while Chinese and Indian governments have made a large attempt to control the media distributed over the internet. In terms of relationships, technology can be seen as having both a positive and negative effects. When the couple is apart, they report that technology is beneficial for communication. However, The Impact of Technology on Couple Relationships states that “The Internet has the potential to blur the boundaries between online social relationships and face-to-face relationships” which can reduce the significance of personal relationships. It is also reported that when significant others are together, it is reported that technology can actually be damaging to a relationship through a lack of interpersonal relationships. The idea of online relationships can directly influence a person’s concept of self and their idea of courtship and intimacy. As it relates to Brave New World, technology has eliminated the need to procreate, and therefore the need for marriage. The wide access to technology to be used for pleasure, such as the feelies, has also increased the sexuality of the society. The World State uses sex as a way to create stability in the society, with the Elementary Sex classes and the Solidarity Service. This concept comes as a huge struggle for John, who still dreams about the ideas of love and marriage that he saw others feeling on the Savage Reservation. His feelings for Lenina cannot be reciprocated due to her hypnopaedic conditioning and the notion that “everyone belongs to everyone else”. The use of media to change perspectives on relationships and sex is becoming more prevalent in today’s society, but also in the World State.

How has technology led to a decrease in monogamous relationships as it relates to sex?

How has technology changed societies view on sex?

Annotated Bibliography:

Adeyemi, Adeyeye. "Influence Of Globalisation On Sexual Behaviours Of Adolescents In Nigeria." Researchgate. N.p., 23 May 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

Dr. Adeyemi studied how in Nigeria, the increasing amount of technology has immensely changed the concept of sex in the past 30 years. Before the globalization of the country, many people in Nigeria had very little notions about sex other than the common belief system passed down through generations and the strong concept of marriage. But with the introduction of television and the internet, the importance of virginity before marriage has dropped immensely. He explains how self image has also led to an increase in sexual behaviors. With Brave New World, the idea of engaging in sexual activity was directly related to a citizen’s duty and their image in the society. Lenina felt pressured to sleep with more than just Henry because she did not want to appear attached.

Collins, Rebecca L., Steven C. Martino, and Rebecca Shaw. "Influence of New Media on Adolescent Sexual Health: Evidence and Opportunities."Influence of New Media on Adolescent Sexual Health: Evidence and Opportunities: Main Page. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Apr. 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

This source provides detail of how different aspects of the internet has affected adolescents and young adults and their sexual behavior. With the wider scale of the internet, people have easier access to pornography and online chat rooms where they can meet people to engage in sexual activities. Simple things such as seeing sexual references on television can alter an adolescent’s perspective on sex. With this generation having the largest percent of the population online, the risk for being exposed to sexual content is even higher. This relates to Brave New World with the idea of the feelies and the constant access to technology, and applying the concept of sex as something that is now easily accessible through technology.

Cunningham-Engram, Vanessa G., Gary C. Guffey, and Kim C. Smith. "The Influence of Technology on Sexual Content in Mass Media in the United States, China, and India." Intercultural Communication Studies XVII.2 (2009): n. pag. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

This source discusses the increased availability of pornography and sexualized media in high population countries had directly affected the increase in the sexual activities of its citizens. In the United States alone, $13 Billion a year is spent on sexual entertainment. This readily available content again alters the perspective of the viewers and implements the idea of instant gratification, which is a huge topic for discussion in relation to Brave New World. It also displays the difference in cultures on the basis of pornography. In countries like India, they try to limit the amount of porn available on the internet, while the United States has almost no limitations. It also discusses the advantages and disadvantages to allowing children to view pornography as the enter puberty. In Brave New World, the children are conditioned at a very young age to view sex as a casual thing.

Leggett, Christina, and Pieter Rossouw. "The Impact of Technology Use on Couple Relationships." Neuropsychotherapist. N.p., 4 Nov. 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

This source studied both the positive and negative influences of technology when it came to relationships. It examined the positive effects that technology had, allowing the couple to still engage while they are apart, or various activities that they can engage in together. This help to strengthen a relationship. However, using technology when they were together, but not using the same technology, they reporting having a negative image of their relationship. For example, using a laptop while with a significant other made them feel a disconnect with their partner. This relates to Brave New World because John feels disconnected from Lenina, despite the technology that is around them.

Young, Sean D., and Alexander D. Jordan. "The Influence of Social Networking Photos on Social Norms and Sexual Health Behaviors."Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. Pubmed Central, 16 Apr. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

This source explains various studies on the influence of social media on student ideas of sexuality in peers. When students view peers engaging in promiscuous activities in photos on websites like Facebook or Instagram, they are more likely to admit to their own sexual activities as well as saying they view sex as more socially acceptable. This relates to Brave New World with hypnopaedia and the Solidarity Service, where the ideas of sexual behaviors being socially acceptable are being ingrain in the minds of the people in the World State.

#23 Final Topic Selection

FINAL TOPIC SELECTION:

MY ESSENTIAL QUESTION/QUESTIONS:

How has technology led to a decrease in monogamous relationships as it relates to sex?

How has technology changed societies view on sex?

How are authentic relationships/intimacy developed and maintained in the face of science/technology?

MY FINAL TOPIC SELECTION AND WHY I CHOSE IT/BNW CONNECTION:

Relationships are a part of belonging in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and technology has given easier access for people to connect and participate in non-demanding, online relationships. As a society, the perception of our peers has led to a desensitization of the topic of sex and the idea of promiscuity. Research has proven that adolescent use of technology has led to an increase in sexual behaviors, in everything from the easy access to pornography to the influence of images over social media. When students are exposed to raunchy images of peers, they are more likely to admit to their own promiscuity In The Influence of Social Networking Photos on Social Norms and Sexual Health Risks, Sean Young explains the images have an a “potential power… to affect health behaviors by altering perceptions of peer norms” . In terms of relationships, technology can be seen as having both a positive and negative effects. When the couple is apart, they report that technology is beneficial for communication. However, The Impact of Technology on Couple Relationships states that “The Internet has the potential to blur the boundaries between online social relationships and face-to-face relationships” which can reduce the significance of personal relationships. It is also reported that when significant others are together, it is reported that technology can actually be damaging to a relationship through a lack of interpersonal relationships. The idea of online relationships can directly influence a person’s concept of self and their idea of courtship and intimacy.

This connects to BNW because they do not have monogamous relationships in a world filled with technology; while on the Savage reservation there is a marriage and a belief in the sanctity of a relationship. This is a huge struggle for John, with his feelings for Lenina and her inability to fully understand the love that John has for her because of the hynopædia.

QUOTE FROM TEXT	ICEBERG VIEW OF CULTURE	MASLOW’S HIERARCHY	PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUE (WHERE RELEVANT)
“There was also monogamy and romance…[now] everyone belongs to everyone else” (40)	concept of relationships and intimacy	Part of belonging by allowing everyone to be a part of this
“She thinks of herself that way. She doesn’t mind being meat” (93)	concept of self concept of beauty	Concept of belonging and a lack of self-actualization
“nobody’s supposed to belong to more than one person” (121)	dependency on another person concept on intimacy	belonging and self-esteem
“In silence, and from a long way off, but violently, desperately, hopelessly, he had loved Kiakime” (135)	Concepts of love Societies views on love	John feels a lack of belonging in the Savage Reservation
“In Malpais people get married….They make a promise to live together for always” (191)	Concepts of family Commitment courtship practices	Belonging to another person and family
“Put your arms round me….hug me til you drug me, honey” (193)	courtship practices	idea of self-esteem for Lenina
“ ‘O thou weed, who are so lovely fair and smell’st so sweet that the sense aches at thee. Was this most goodly book made to write ‘whore’ upon?’ “ (195)	concept of modesty concept of love idea of smells	Safety and belonging are harmed as his friend betrays him
Beauty is attractive, and we don’t want people to be attracted by old things” (219)	concept of beauty	idea of self-esteem and constantly searching for a new beauty
I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin” (240)	religious practices concept of self	attempting to reach self actualization