Alex Kippenbrock

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Animoto Final movies

1. http://animoto.com/play/93ibq1o6Qy1lPr5g5lgvVg

2. http://animoto.com/play/ShWIpxNSE2cf8Ton6KLKbg

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

This paw print from Image Chef is composed of a few choice words that describe the book. This picture can be a good visual aid as well as a book summary. If someone had never read "From Baghdad, With Love" they would still be able to understand and comprehend what the book is about.

Video Blog

Yea! Everything uploaded correctly. Hopefully you can view this from your computer at home.

Comment Blog

Jack, I have to tell you, this post is most defiantly the reason I chose to read "From Baghdad, With Love". The way you pulled me in with each sentence. It sounds like you wrote this post for me. You must have known I have a soft spot for puppies when you recommended this book to me.

However Jack, I have a few questions and concerns. I have two cats so I don't know if I can relate to how the author feels towards dogs. Most of the time Flaming Swords of Fire simply sleeps in a chair and doesn't show any emotions. Also, maybe I could come to you if I found the book to be confusing. Sometimes that happens and I have to use the internet to find answers. Well, keep up the good work. I've read every one of your posts and they are all little posts from Heaven. Bye Jack.

Hey Abbie! This Animoto is really great. This one 30 second video almost makes me want to read the book. Unfortunately, it sounds like a girl book and I don't like to read that kind of genre. About your post though. I really liked how you didn't just summarize the book, but you asked insightful questions and focused on themes. I know thirty seconds is a really short time to make a video so I'll give you a break on why the video ended so abruptly. Your blog has been really well put together, and I feel that if I ever have a question about a book I can come to you. Keep it up Abbie!

Hey Brandon. I've never read The Shining, but I have seen the movie, and Steven King is one of my favorite authors. This post was really good. It was long but kept me interested the whole time. I really like who you honored child abuse month by talking about the horrors of it. Mrs. Povo would really appreciate you getting the word out. Danny is obviously hurt by the lack of caring from both parents. Danny has a creepy alter ego that makes up for lack of attention. In the movie Jack simply dies without talking to Danny. I didn't know the book had an alternate ending. You paraphrased but I would have liked the books ending better. Really good post. Keep up the good work Brandon.

Animoto Video Blog

http://animoto.com/play/Rqvw9tTvTV40tCnGNmeRtQ

This is my Animoto movie. I tried not to summarize the book, however in less than thirty seconds it was difficult. Hopefully this trailer makes you want to go out and read my book. Animoto is probably my favorite medium on my blogs. I found the pictures off the internet that I thought would fight with From Baghdad, With Love. Enjoy!

Music blog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS9_ipu9GKw

The song that I chose to go along with my book is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater. This song seemed like a good to relate to the book because Lava brightens up Jays day. Even though Jay is in the Marines fighting a war Lava brings out the soft side of the stonily marine. I was really excited about picking this song mainly because I love the band Creedence Clearwater. Also, this song just seems to go along perfectly with the relationship between all the Marines and Lava.

A verse that I think really captures the effect that Lava has on the troops is:
Yesterday and days before
Sun is cold and rain is hardI know, been that way for all my time
'Til forever, on it goes Through the circle of fast and slowI know it can't stop, I wonder

War is hard, but Lava gives the solider's something to look forward to and take care of. Because Lava is best friends and the Marines build a personal connection with the Puppy, emotionally Lava saves lives.

Monday, April 16, 2012

New Book: From Baghdad, With Love

I recently picked up From Baghdad, With Love from the library. I talked to several people that had already read the book, and they all said that they liked it. Hopefully, I can say the same when I'm done. With a new quarter to blog I plan on giving it my all. Unfortunately, I didn't like my last book, and it reflected in the quality of my blogs. From the first couple chapters that I have already read I can tell I will enjoy the book. This quarter I plan to take the best aspects from my previous three blogs and combine them to make an exciting composition of posts.

Loving: Lava helps the troops stay sane by keeping their minds off the devastating war they are fighting in.
Adorable: One of the reasons the troops are powerless to throw Lava back out into the streets.
Vandalism: Lava eats toothpaste, throws up, destroys shoes, clothes, and pictures, yet the troops still love him.
Adventurous: Lava survives the streets of Baghdad, and is always finding his way into the arms of loving troops.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Vlog

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

The Truth

After reading Langston Hughes poetry I have decided that it was a big waste of my time. There are three reasons that I do not like his poetry. 1) I'm not African American. Yea that's the truth. All of his poems are geared toward a culturally different way of life. The language and that he uses don't connect with me and make me laugh. 2) My favorite poem is called "Baby" and it is the most ridiculous piece of writing I have ever read. When I read it, the first thing that came to my mind was, "What if I had attempted to write this during the poetry emulations?" The answer? I suspect that Mrs. Hayes would be angry because I wasn't taking the homework seriously. However, Hughes writes it and it becomes part of a famous collection of poems. 3) Finally, I wish I had picked a better book to read. I finished the book in three days and realized that I hated it and would have nothing to talk about while blogging. Well somehow I managed to finish. Now for the fourth quarter I hope there is some book on the list that I over looked the first three quarters that can hold my interest.

animoto

http://animoto.com/play/G0ZYEtIqXRFUe7J19yb2ZA

In this video I broke down the message that Hughes was trying to get across in all his poems. That message is that blacks need to assimilate a little into new cultures, but they cant forget their roots. Either as an individual or their African heritage. Also, in a lot of Hughes poems, he talks about children and young adults. I think this is him saying that the future generations are also very important. I choose the jazz music because some of his poems could be songs sung by African American singers. Overall this animoto turned out nicely, and Hughes have even liked my poems.

Poetry taken to the next level

For this post I used a website called imagechef to take on of Hughes poems and make it appealing to look at as well as read. I choose "Song for a Banjo Dance". This poem sounds like it would be sung in a racially segregated bar down by the river. An old woman with missing teeth might be singing the words in a course voice while a young black man does some sort of jig or dance to the beat. This is the image that is conjured in my head while I read this book. It doesn't even sound like it should be in a poetry collection. When I think of poetry I think of the likes of Longfellow and Whitman. Of course those two talk about different subjects in their poems, but Hughes wrote a song which is different than any poem I've ever read,

Picture Blog

The Dream Keeper and other poems is the book that I decided to read for 3rd quarter bloggs. At first I was skeptical about reading a book of poetry that is based toward African Americans, and I still am. I defiantly don't connect on all the themes, but Ive been trying.

This is Langston Hughes. He wrote The Dream Keeper and other poems. In it he talks about black culture and social injustices.

One of Hughes themes is how black can be beautiful. He came from a time when being black was demode.

Hughes writes many of his poems about the working class blacks. He connects with the common man on many levels in nearly all of his poems.

When someone reads Hughes poems they feel that he is trying to translate African culture into poems. All of his poems beautifully illustrate the transition. His poems also remind blacks never to lose faith in their culture.

Many times Hughes talks about how important it is to keep family at the center of your life. From young children, to future wives and husbands, to grandparents, family is important. It almost seems like Hughes can't stress this theme enough as you read his poems.

Many times a Poem from "The Dream Keeper and other poems" will have one poem that is hear wretchedly sad. Then, two or three poems later Hughes will have a happy upbeat poem. This style keeps the readers emotions doing 180's throughout the book.

A lot of Hughes poems could be old spiritual songs sung by African Americans during slavery. Other poems are upbeat songs that condone happiness and good times. Both types of song poems make me imagine and old black woman singing.

Hughes wants blacks to never forget their roots. Fist in the air would appeal to Hughes very much, as it symbolizes black power.

African American art was probably an inspiration for Hughes when he was writing poetry. These artistes appealed to the visual senses while Hughes appealed to the hearing.

A lot of Hughes poetry talks about kids growing up. This baby reminds me of my favorite poem in the collection "Baby".

A lot of Hughes poems sound like African American spirituals. He writes in a rhythmic beat and the words melody makes you tap your feet. This is a different style of poetry than I have ever read.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Boring

In the beginning I thought that Langsten Hughues would be capable of writing poetry that catches my interest. However, after reading The Dream Keeper I realize i was wrong. I thought that reading some poetry would help with the assignment that was being assigned to our class at the time. The assignment was to write poetry. My initial intentions was to pick up on some of the habits that an esteemed poet must posses. However, as I read the first few poems I realized that if I emulate Hughes I would be deemed a mega racist. To understand how racist Hughes really is the reader simply has to change the black derogatory words, symbols, and phrases to white terms.

The Negro
I am a Negro(Cracker):
Black(White) as the night(sun) is black(white),
Black(White) like the depths of my Africa(Confederacy).

Oh...
Yea...
The Dream Keeper just became the most racist book ever.
Did Hitler write it?
Nope!

And that is just the first stanza of one poem. This is a major double standard that ssociety allows.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Music Blog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBD9h0jUq3w&feature=related

This is the link to a song that I think Langston Hughes would love. The song is "Waving Flag" by Knaan. It was the world cup theme song, and has a powerful message when you listen to the lyrics.

When I get older I will be stronger
They'll call me freedom just like a wavin' flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back, oh

This sounds like a poem by Langston Hughes himself. The song sounds like a modern day interpretaion of The Dream Keeper and other poems. Both talk about a struggle for freedom and how people need to enjoy life. The song speaks for itself and to understand the corralation you need to read the book as well.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Letter to Mr. Fitzgerald

Alex Kippenbrock

1301 E. Walnut St.

Carbondale, Illinois 62901

Dear Mr. Fitzgerald,

Hello, I am currently a Junior at Carbondale Community High School. I have recently read your novel The Great Gatsby, and it is by far the best book that I have read in a long time. Of course the characters, plot, and setting all intrigued me, the reason I truly loved your book is the intricate themes and symbols you weave in throughout the entire story. It is possible to read the novel as you might read any other book, but you would only scratch the surface of this classic American story. While it seems that English teachers pick apart every single detail of classic literature until a rose bush turns into the meaning of life, they would be correct to do this to The Great Gatsby. In fact if they did not, they would be severely under qualified to teach. From every description of color, to the weather, themes and symbols are rampant throughout the novel.

I really enjoyed the character Jay Gatsby. Even up to the very end when the reader discovers that he is just another rich aristocrat, I still felt pity for him. Maybe I loved Gatsby so much because he is such an unusual character. Rather than being perfect you reveal his many flaws. Gatsby enjoys the opportunities to throw extravagant parties and a lot of people are always there. However, none of these people really know Gatsby. They come up with insane stories to tell of Gatsby’s history. The ironic part of these stories is that Gatsby himself probably had the simplest upbringing of everyone. Living in a rule city, there is not many well of folks. However, you always hear the story of the person who made it big, and is now living in a large city. Gatsby’s success story gives me hope that there is a possibility that you can come out of simple upbringing. This is of course the American Dream. Gatsby’s story is a true example of what nearly all Americans hope they can become. However, the residents of West and East Egg symbolize the end of the American dream. The valley of ashes and Eckleburgs faceless eyes are two symbols that point this out. Had I treated the book like a children’s novel, I would have read right over them, and not understood their meanings. Unfortunately, today’s society shows many of the same flaws that were apparent during the 1920’s. Extravagant elitist parties, a spike in adultery, and a shallowness of the upper class all point to the degragation of the society. If The Great Gatsby was reset in the 21^st century, readers would have a hard time deciphering differences between the two decades.

Thank you for writing such a wonderful work of literature. As I mentioned it has now become one of my favorite books. The Great Gatsby is a novel that has been read throughout the years and will no doubt be read by future generations.

Your reader,

Alex Kippenbrock

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Letter to Mr. Fitzgerald

Dear Mr. Fitzgerald,

My name is Alex Kippenbrock, and I am a Junior at Carbondale Community High School. I have recently read your novel The Great Gatsby, and it is by far the best book that I have read in a long time. Of course the characters, plot, and setting all intrigued me, the reason I truly loved your book is the intrecit themes and symbols you weave in throughout the entire story. It is possible to read the novel as you might read any other book, but you would only scratch the surface of this classic American story.

While it seems that English teachers pick apart every single detail of classic literature until a rose bush turns into the meaning of life, they would be correct to do this to The Great Gatsby. In fact if they did not, they would be severely under qualified to teach. From every description of color,

Watch and Learn

Vloggggggg

Monday, December 5, 2011

Great Music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRps78mdzzE

I choose "When You Were Young" by The Killers for an embedded song that describes The Great Gatsby, and this song describes the book flawlessly. It actually really excites me that I found a song that matches so closely to the novel. The specific part of The Great Gatsby that The Killers sing about is Gatsby dreaming about the progression of Daisy and his love. Gatsby tells Nick Carraway the story of his first and only love. It is a beautiful story, and Gatsby shows that he has nearly lived his entire life trying to find and win back Daisy. I can imagine the music video staring Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. I can't type fast enough to get all my ideas down.

The way I pieced together the song and the book is that Gatsby and Daisy were in love when they were young, but they grew up and have different lives. Well Daisy has a different life. Gatsby sort of stalks Daisy. The song talks about the memories of being young and how you imagine things differently. Gatsby does this all the time. Throughout the song I imagine Daisy sitting on a stool while Tom stands by a corner in deep thought. They are both unhappy and they now it. Gatsby then rolls by the Buchanans house in his expensive yellow car and both he and Daisy look up. Right now I'm still really excited and suspect that The Killers wrote this song about Gatsby's and Daisy's love. Maybe I'm just imagining things(It's 12:24p.m.) ,but I will never be able to listen to this song again without The Great Gatsby music video rolling through my head.