“Formation” to Unite the Nation

Chris BeecherFilm and Media, Responding to a Text, Social Criticism

Editor’s Note: If you would like to see the music video for Beyoncé’s “Formation,” you can click here. In 2005 of August, Hurricane Katrina forced around 1.5 million people to evacuate and around 700 people are still missing today. Recovery for this incident took years and many citizens have not recovered financially. Many believe that the government neglected the citizens …

Women in Films: Sidekick or Equal

Chris BeecherArgument, Film and Media, New Voices, Responding to a Text, Social Criticism, Visual Rhetoric

Analyzing images helps deconstruct the message the image is trying to convey and helps us understand why everything is portrayed the way it is. As Jack Solomon explains in his article, “Reading Visual Images Actively,” “In analyzing images, you will develop the ability to identify specific telling details and specific evidence” (33). Supremacy is the quality of being superior and …

How Hepburn Sells Chocolate

Chris BeecherAdvertisement Analysis, Film and Media, New Voices, Responding to a Text, Visual Rhetoric

It is very common for an advertiser to use a celebrity to affect a product’s value, such as in Galaxy’s 2013 chocolate bar advertisement [aka Dove Chocolate], which included a digital re-creation of Audrey Hepburn. In several days, most news outlets scrambled to report this new Galaxy girl; the ad touched off a heated discussion in the public. This chocolate …

Till Eternity

Chris BeecherArgument, Film and Media, New Voices, Previous Editions, Responding to a Text

On January 2013, Justin Timberlake announced his 20/20 experience album, which was released on February 11th, 2013. It was nearly 7 years since the pop star artist released an album, and on it was a song called “Mirrors.” Imagine being a newlywed and wanting to write a fascinating song for your partner. Well, that’s where the song “Mirrors” comes in. …

Running Out of Water

Chris BeecherAdvertisement Analysis, New Voices, Previous Editions, Responding to a Text, Social Criticism

The environment is a provider for every species on earth. Humans, animals, plants, and other resources need the basic essentials such as water, food, and land in order to sustain their lives. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), “About 71 percent of the Earth’s surface is water- covered … The vast majority of water on the Earth’s surface, …

The Struggles of Gender and Sexual Identity in Modern Society

Chris BeecherArgument, Literary Analysis, New Voices, Previous Editions, Responding to a Text, Social Criticism

American society shames specific people based on how they identify themselves. In the novel Every Day by David Levithan and the article called “Relearning the Mothertongue: Notes from a Second Generation Queer ” by Ryn Gluckman, both authors discuss gender and sexual identities. The novel’s main character “A” changes bodies each day and isn’t able to stay within one gender . In the article, Erin …

Men Who Are Miles High

Chris BeecherFilm and Media, New Voices, Previous Editions, Responding to a Text, Visual Rhetoric

    In the 1930s,  during the Great Depression, many union workers would do anything to put food on their plates. During this time, skyscrapers were under construction, and union workers would work unharnessed on a steel beam above the city. A photograph of these men was taken on September 20th, 1932 and is enough to make the viewer anxious. They are miles …

114B Portfolio – Julian Soriano

Chris BeecherArgument, Blog, Literary Analysis, Portfolio, Portfolio Preface, Responding to a Text, Website, Wings

In this online portfolio and blog, the author showcases his works for “Project Text” and “Project Space.” Throughout the essay “Medical Procedures and Psychological Scars in Literary Works,” he compares and contrasts Next to Normal by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey to One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. For “Project Space,” he submits a proposal to build …

Letter to Dad: Garbology

Chris BeecherNew Voices, Previous Editions, Responding to a Text, Social Criticism

Dear Dad, I miss you and the rest of the family very much. So far, I’m starting to feel more adjusted to the CSUN campus and my classes. Hey Dad, remember when I came home over the weekend and you asked, “What’s that book you’re reading? What’s Garbology?” Well Dad, in my English 113A class, I was assigned to read this book, Garbology: …