Tuesday, November 22, 2016

"A Negro family come to town"

In the picture shown, I see people in the back of a pickup truck being parked. I can also find other details like the dirt road, other cars, and the trees. Objects shown include a car, a chair, and random items in the truck. The physical setting is a road with trees on the sides and a visible. Holding on the right.

This photo was taken in 1941. It depicts "negroes" at the back of a truck parking on the side of the road. I think this was made because the photographer may have been related to the people in the picture. If this image was taken in our present day, there would not only be color, but the vehicles would be different models. The road would be paved but as for similarities, the people and items is the truck would be in the same position.

"Macomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse, sagged in the square." When I read "red slop," I thought of Mexico. In rain, streets turn to slop there as well. This was because the roads were made of dirt. I connected that experience to the text and to the picture because those streets look like dirt. As for the sidewalk, there's a big patch of grass between the cement on the roadsides and the sidewalk. I looks like the grass overlays with the cement and grass possibly grows there too.

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.umbrasearch.org%2Fthumbnail%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.loc.gov%252Fpictures%252Fcdn%252Fservice%252Fpnp%252Ffsa%252F8c07000%252F8c07400%252F8c07468r.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.umbrasearch.org%2Fcatalog%2F0d0769359b3b335061f401cff8fe2e6c37eda2d5&docid=EgFjaXwXQ0dPOM&tbnid=rKztVKi8QIyoyM%3A&vet=1&w=640&h=479&hl=en-us&safe=strict&client=safari&bih=672&biw=1024&q=library%20of%20congress%20a%20negro%20family%20come%20to%20town&ved=0ahUKEwj4pIi-pe3QAhVL62MKHVMYDz0QMwgiKAcwBw&iact=mrc&uact=8

Because Bogger has problems getting the image in, here's the link to the photo on Google Images.


Delano, Jack. Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia. A Negro Family Come to Town.     
     N.d Library of Congress, Washington D.C.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

If "Martyn Pig" Had a Soundtrack

I have recently finished a book found in Mrs. Larson's library which I found intriguing. "Martyn Pig" is the story of Martyn, a young 14-year old who lives with his alchololic father. With Alex who is three years older than Martyn as his only friend, life is unstable. There's children who bully Mayrtyn by his last name "Pig", his dreadful Aunty Jean which visits occasionally, and Alex's boyfriend, Dean. Martyn goes through so much and things become worse when a simple accident changed his life forever.

Of course Martyn hated his drunken father who did nothing but drink, watch television and order Martyn around but he didn't want to take his life. The alchoholism and a small push ended the old man's life and left Martyn troubled. With the help of Alex, the two must find a solution through this conundrum, along with threats and suspicions.

If I could pick the soundtrack for "Martyn Pig," I would use "Mad World" by Gary Jules. This depressing song reflects a man's perspective on doing the same routine every day, week, and month. I would include this because Martyn is neglected by his father who is consumed to his alchoholism. One can only imagine how sad Martyn's life would be. This connects to an example in the book where Martyn is ordered to get turkey and when he describes the daily "stages" of his dad getting drunk

Link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4N3N1MlvVc4

The second of five songs I'd pick is "Donovan" by Brian Reitzell isn't really a song but an instrumental music score. This was composed for the video game "Watch_Dogs" which is played as the theme of a villain. "Donovan" connects to a situation where Alex and Martyn have risky business with Dean.

Link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zeSDAs7kMes

Next, I picked "Damned" by Kevin Sherwood. This instrumental is part of the "Call of Duty Zombies" soundtrack and used as menu music. Not only is "Damned" a cover soundtrack, it describes what Martyn is. When his father dies, it leaves him with the decision to call the cops or cover it up, along with many other details spiraling out of hand.

Link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3HAOmIiuJME

The second to last song chosen for this book's soundtrack is "Silk Vista". Composed by Johan Skugge and Jukka Rintämaki, this was used for "Battlefield 4". Its beats, if you will, are great for intensifying a visit from Aunty Jean. Why would the scene need emphasis? This was after Martyn's father's death and Alex has been there helping Martyn hide the incident.

Link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dgHlKHFhkWg

Last but not least on the Martyn Pig soundtrack, I chose the third theme made for Doom 2016. Like other pieces in the Doom soundtrack, this is a heavy rock instrumental and is ideal for Martyn Pig. Many intense sections in the book like Alex and Martyn getting the body hidden elsewhere deserve music like this.

Link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PL_AjfGgaQtib2vhJ6TwdOCMg-6SjVHC1E&params=OAFIAVgE&v=5ALnYMxVGSA&mode=NORMAL