updated AB for research paper (hannah hoch)

German Dada artist Hannah Hoch’s photomontage entitled “German Girl” (1930) illustrates an image of a conventional young German girl. The collage is supposed to be a representation of the features that are considered to be normal according to the German public, however the mix-matched and distorted features of the figure elucidates a deeper meaning of Hoch’s, in which she questions how one can define what is normal? Such a message correlates with the ideals of Dadaist artists who sought to create “anti-art”, as a means of protesting the logical and traditional art aesthetics prior to World War I. Seen as a revolutionary artist for her development of the technique of photomontaging, Hannah Hoch’s crafty and chaotic work was an influential and inspirational product of the Dadaist art movement in Weimar, Germany. A homosexual and feminist advocate, Hoch’s artwork encompassed a recurring theme of the “New Woman” in which she constantly juxtaposed the conventions set up for women in regards to their sexuality, their roles in society, and the standards on which they are judged as beautiful.. Ultimately, Hoch’s work centered on redefining women and erasing the defined gender roles of the 1930’s.

Starbuck's and Its Logo(s)

Claim: Take a look to the left and what do you see? Two logos, they are only slightly different from each other. The importance between them is the fact that they both represent the same company. Starbucks has become a household name in America and has come to spread across the world as one of the leading businesses serving coffee. The current logo at Starbucks is usually hard to miss. The green mermaid or "siren," as it would be called in the store, originated as the brown one on the right. As starbucks grew and expanded into the 20th century, it changed the logo to a more moderate and less sensual image in green. The original siren in brown was based off of a Norse Woodcut of a siren.
Evidence: The primary source will be the starbuck's logo. Supporting or secondary sources will come from http://www.deadprogrammer.com/starbucks-logo-mermaid and other various sites.
Purpose: Starbucks is one of the leaders in coffee production and trade. The purpose of this is to find how the logo and other logos of major companies came to represent an idea or concept. It also aims to show how Starbucks has come to represent an age of good coffee and safe trade.
Audience: Peers and Coffeehouse customers and those Partners who work at starbuck's.

America's Next Top Model: AB

This is going to be my final AB post. =] As I was watching America's Next Top Model, I realized that I should research the success of the winners from the show and why they have and have not found success. My primary source is the actual show.

claim: Tyra Banks can transform ordinary girls into "top models" through 13 weeks (?) of modeling challenges and lessons.

evidence: Winners from each cycle have gotten modeling contracts and CoverGirl contracts, as well as other advertising and modeling jobs. Even the "losers" on the shows have gotten modeling exposure and gained experience to book jobs.

purpose: The purpose of this show is to give young ladies the opportunity to become models through the challenges and lessons given to them by fashion experts and professional models themselves.

audience: Women of all ages, some men. People who are interested in fashion and the modeling industry.

Breakfast at Tiffany's and Fashion

I have decided to change my topic, once again, to researching movies, specifically Breakfast at Tiffany's, and how they have affected fashion and culture.

claim: This movie shows that fashion is a big part of American culture and people enjoy living lavishly. I will show how this movie in particular has affected fashion throughout the decades and possibly created a big advertisement for the jewelry company, Tiffany & Co.

evidence: Throughout the movie, the main character, played by Audrey Hepburn, is dressed in clothes that have a "classic" look, which has inspired a lot of the designs and styles of fashion even after the movie. From her jewelry to her shoes, these pieces can be seen in many of today's stores and high fashion magazines. Another piece of evidence to look at in this movie is the significance of the store Tiffany & Co. It gives the store romantic appeal, which is possibly why people like to give Tiffany's jewelry to their loved ones as gifts.

purpose: The purpose of this movie is to show that people can change from their materialistic lives to falling in love with someone who doesn't have much. In the movie, Audrey Hepburn is basically a gold digger, and in the end, she falls in love with her neighbor who is just a struggling writer and doesn't have much money. But it also shows the significance of material things at the same time because of the store Tiffany's and how that brought them together.

audience: This movie was made in 1961 and was based on a novel by Truman Capote. The audience back then was probably people in their 20s and what not. But today, people of all ages have seen this movie. People see it as a "chick flick" so probably more females watch it. People who are interested in fashion are also a big part of the audience.

I don't know if I did this AB right. =/ I'm hoping I did, since this is my 3rd one. Basically, I want to look at this classic movie having an impact on fashion and make a connection between fashion influencing movies, or movies influencing fashion.

The Peace Symbol

Gerald Holtom, a professional designer and artist and a graduate of the Royal College of Arts, first designed the Peace symbol in 1958 for the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War (CND). Though it is primarily known as the symbol for nuclear disarmament in Britain, in the US and around the world it is generally known as the peace symbol. A few people are said to have introduced the symbol to the US: Bayard Rustin, a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr., brought it over to the US, on his return from participating in the first Aldermaston March; Albert Bigelow, a pacifist protester, sailed his small boat outfitted with the CND banner into the vicinity of a nuclear test in 1958; and also Philip Altbach, a freshman at the University of Chicago, who traveled to England to meet with British peace groups as a delegate from the Student Peace Union (SPU) purchased a bag of the peace symbol buttons while he was in England and brought them back to Chicago where he convinced SPU to reprint the button and adopt it as its symbol. Nevertheless, it became widely used in civil rights marches, it appeared on anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, and was even seen painted in protest on American GI helmets. It appeared on the walls of Prague when the Soviet tanks invaded in 1968, on the Berlin Wall, in Sarajevo and Belgrade, on the graves of the victims of military dictators from the Greek Colonels to the Argentinean junta, and most recently in East Timor. The symbol, initially created to protest violence, remains for the same purpose; it continues to represent peace in this world and is directed and worn for anyone who will look or listen to its simple message.

Jay-Z & the "Evils"

I'm planning on doing my research paper about the possibility that Jay-Z is a Freemason and that he is a "devil worshiper" and what not, as some people like to believe. I really don't believe this myself, but I find it very interesting that people make connections between the symbols and lyrics he uses throughout his career and the symbols that are associated with the Freemason society.

Claim: Jay-Z uses subliminal messages in his music and other aspects of his life and career to "corrupt"? his audience. He is heavily influenced by the Freemason society and the Illuminati.

Evidence: One of my sources is the song "D'Evils" off of his first album, aka the best album he's ever made, Reasonable Doubt. =] And other songs like "Lucifer". I can also use material on the Freemason society itself and compare the two.

Purpose: To see if this all makes sense and to possibly prove that it is not true?? To show that Jay-Z is not a devil worshiper =]

Audience: Hip Hop and Jay-Z fans, listeners of good music.

Shi ji and Shang Jun Shu

Shi ji (Records of the Grand Historian):

The Shi ji was written by Sima Qian during the Han dynasty from 109 to 91 BC, intended as a definitive record of Chinese history up to that time. Sima Qian's the basic premise was to put forth an un-biased, accurate account of history and then use it in order to guide future actions of state. Of his work, he said, "I have gathered up and brought together all the old traditions of the world that were scattered and lost. I have examined the events of the past and present and investigated the principles behind their success and failure, their rise and decay, in 130 chapters. I wished to examine into all that concerns heaven and humankind, to penetrate the changes of the past and present, putting forth my views as one school of interpretation." Throughout the work, Sima criticizes the preceding Qin dynasty, and its 'harsh Legalist' ideology, extensively. Further, Sima presents a detailed description of the political climate of his day, under the reign of emperor Han Wudi - describing how men of ambition are willing to say and do anything, without consideration of the consequences, in order to get their own views implemented into official, government policy.


Shang Jun Shu (The Book of Lord Shang):

The Shang Jun Shu was one of the earliest written works of the Legalist school of philosophy in ancient China. Shang Yang wrote the book sometime between 359 and 338 BC. He was the chief minister of the kingdom of Qin in the 'Warring States' era and enacted numerous Legalist reforms that eventually allowed Qin to conquer all of China and form the Qin dynasty. The Shang Jun Shu covers everything from law, immigration and military strategy to agriculture. In it, Shang presents a meticulous, step by step description of what the government of a state must do in order to survive and prosper - which has come to be known as 'harsh Legalism'. This Legalist philosophy is focused the basic idea that, "A weak people means a strong state and a strong state means a weak people. Therefore, a country, which has the right way, is concerned with weakening the people." However Shang's style of 'harsh Legalism' was abhorrent to Confucians and fell into disrepute in later Chinese history; the author Su Tung Po (1036-1101 AD) said of him that, “[The name of Shang Yang] is in the world like fly‑specks; speaking about him befouls the mouth and tongue, writing about him sullies the paper; when his methods are applied in the world, ruin of the state, misery of the people, destruction of the family and loss of one’s own life follow one after the other.”


I am interested in the way Sima Qian presents the past and uses his comments on historical figures as a way to put forth commentary and subtle criticism of his present political state - which was not necessarily safe to discuss openly. I view the Shi ji as a tool that Sima used in order to try to legitimize political discourse and prevent repressive regimes like the Qin dynasty from arising again. By reading the Shang Jun Shu, one can see that Sima's repeated criticizms of the Qin and Legalism are at most only slightly exaggerated.