Senior Quote

Always remember, we get the privelege of education.

Definition of Art

Art is a way of expressing one's opinion in a unique and expressing way. It is solely subjective yet there is a standard that it must meet. No one in the world can define this standard, but it has to do with cultures. Each culture and time period in history has a different meaning of art that is subjective. Whatever a culture or time period defines as art, is art. The purpose of art is to represent an idea or time period through emotion. Art is based on the opinions of society. This can be seen today because art is different today than it was back in China around 1000 B.C. (give or take a century or two). They used to think of ways to torture people without leaving marks and that was considered art. Today we would consider that cruel and unusual punishment, not art.
Some people consider everything art because it is the work of God, yet this is not true. Art is subjective so you can say anything and everything is art but that does not make it art. Art cannot just be a person throwing some keys on a stool and saying it is art because of the experience they went through coming up with it. Art needs to be something more, with higher level thinking. What is art really? It is a way of expressing yourself that attracts the attention of others. To be art, it needs higher level thinking to make it attract people's attention. No one, in their right mind, is going to want to buy your stool with some keys on it to put in their house as art.They might want your keys or the stool, but they are not going to claim it as art. Then again society and culture might be at a time in history, where that is art, so according to my definition it could be art.
The big overall definition of art then is something that appeals to your emotions, while displaying the current values of society.

She Unnames Them Worldview

The worldview of She Unnames Them is postmodern. Humans have the power to control the universe and we no longer talk with God. We ignore His advice and become our own God.

1. God and the Universe- "You and your father lent me this- gave it to me, actually. It's been really useful, but it doesn't exactly seem to fit very well lately." God is the father, so He exists but the universe is under the power of Eve. She has the power to unname all the animals. God's advice is not needed.
2. Humanity and Identity- Humans have power over the universe. Eve had the power to unname all the animals God and Adam named.
3. Conflict and Suffering- "One of my reasons for doing what I did was that talk was getting us nowhere; but all the same I felt a little let down." The conflict is Eve wants Adam and God to talk with her.
4. Hope and Redemption- "Well, goodbye, dear. I hope the garden key turns up." Eve could only hope the key back into the perfect Garden of Eden would turn up. There is essentially no hope.
5. Values and Relationship- The relationship between Adam and Eve and God is fading. The quote under God and the Universe shows this. "One of my reasons for doing what I did was that talk was getting us nowhere." This quote shows that talk between man and God was valued, but it is no longer.
6. Truth and Reality- Humans no longer take God's advice. Just like postmodernism teaches, we no longer need God, we can be our own God.

American Pie Worldview

The song American Pie by Don Mclean is Secular Humanist. It explains how God is gone and how music has taken Jesus's place. There is no way to be saved. Here are the six worldview characteristics:

1. God and the Universe- God is gone. "The father, son, and the holy ghost, They caught the last train for the coast." He does not exist any more.
2. Humanity and Identity- Humans have no control over the universe, chance rules
3. Conflict and Suffering- The music has died and the people looked to music to save them.
4. Hope and Redemption- "The jester stole his thorny crown." Christ is no longer our hope and redemption, but music is. Unfortunately, the music has now also died.
5. Values and Relationships-"And if I knew if I had my chance That I could make those people dance And, maybe, they'd be happy for a while." This means make the most of life while you live. Happiness is important in life.
6. Truth and Reality-Music cannot save you, You cannot be saved.

Paradise Lost- Conflict and Suffering

The nature of the conflict in Paradise Lost is Satan's fall. Milton says, "Th' infernal Serpent; he it was, whose guile Stird up with Envy and Revenge, deceiv'd The Mother of Mankind, what time his Pride Had cast him out from Heav'n, with all his Host Of Rebel Angels, by whose aid aspiring To set himself in Glory above his Peers" (Lines 34-39). John Milton talks about two conflicts in Paradise Lost: Satan's rebellion and the Fall of Man. Sin begins with Satan's rebellion against God and then enters the world through Adam and Eve. Milton mainly addresses the point of Satan's rebellion and how he believes there is still a chance for victory over God. We read the part of Paradise Lost that deals solely with Satan's fall and how he plans his revenge against God. Milton later addresses mankind's first sin. The universe becomes flawed when Satan tricks Eve into eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Sin enters the world and all humanity is sinful. Romans 5:12 states, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned." Paradise Lost agrees with this statement. Thus, all humanity must suffer because of the Fall recorded in Genesis 3. Humans are no longer immortal as a result of their sin. All humans will eventually die. In conclusion, Paradise Lost supports the Christian worldview because it deals with the original sin of Satan and the original sin of man.

Worldview of the Wizard of Oz

The worldview of The Wizard of Oz is postmodern because Dorothy is transported to a different reality. Whatever she believes is reality, is reality. This is a key teaching of postmodernism. Each person defines their reality. Dorothy finally realizes in the end that she has the power to take herself back to the real world. She is able to make life the way she wants it. The main theme of the book is that a person can have what they want and they have the power to define their own life. Another reason The Wizard of Oz is postmodern is because the wizard is just an old man behind a wall pulling strings. The wizard really is not who he seems; in fact he is not a wizard at all. This is connected with the postmodern idea that God does not exist. Just like Dorothy and her friends figuring out that the wizard was really a fake, postmodernist thinkers destroyed the idea of God because He is fake. According to the early postmodern philosophers, God no longer exists. Therefore, The Wizard of Oz is postmodern because Dorothy defines her reality and the wizard is really an old man from the real world.

Identifying a worldview in literature

A worldview in literature is the perspective the author approaches life and the world. To find out what the worldview of the author is, look for their view on human nature, the existence of God, and truth claims they make. Does the author believe man is sinful by nature or good by nature? Do they believe in God or not? Is there absolute truth in the world, if so what is it? These are basic questions to ask when reading a piece of literature. One can tell from these questions whether the author is atheistic or theistic, or whether the author believes man is god because man is good by nature. William Blake, in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, tells the reader that there is a right and wrong. Both need to exist for the other to exist. This is a Christian doctrine that both good and evil exist in the world. Blake also references the Bible and uses similar structure to the Bible, so one can conclude he is writing from a Christian worldview. The key to finding what worldview the author is looking for hints in the text that sounds like a specific worldview while asking the three basic questions. Blake mentions facts from the Bible and believes good and evil are necessary for existence. This sounds like the Christian worldview. Thus to recognize what worldview the author is writing from, ask the three questions while reading and look for hints in the text.