I
think Banksy is trying to communicate that graffiti is an important way to
communicate opinions and that people should pay attention to graffiti because
it has something of value to say. He makes his art to carry a political
statement unlike graffiti to mark gang territory. While much of his other
graffiti is about political topics, this piece is about graffiti itself. In this piece, Banksy says that graffiti has
the power to change the way people think about topics in their community,
country and world. It might also be a critique of the government working to
erase graffiti when it states ideas that are oppose the governing power.
I think that this work is valuable because it prompts people to think. Banksy is a street artist. Graffiti like his is powerful because it is put up where everybody can see it. Maybe graffiti like his helps inspire change because it is public art work. It is a very straight forward way of communicating beliefs or making a statement. It is available to the uneducated as well as the educated and to people who are not involved in politics.
I think that this work is valuable because it prompts people to think. Banksy is a street artist. Graffiti like his is powerful because it is put up where everybody can see it. Maybe graffiti like his helps inspire change because it is public art work. It is a very straight forward way of communicating beliefs or making a statement. It is available to the uneducated as well as the educated and to people who are not involved in politics.
This is a picture of the Surfing Madonna in Encinitas. The Surfing Madonna appeared one day under the bridge close to Moonlight beach. It just appeared one day. Nobody knew who had created it. I remember being in the car and seeing it. We parked and got a closer look, many other people were doing the same. Some were taking pictures while others just admired the mosaic. About 2 weeks later (or less) the Surfing Madonna was taken down by the city. The city of Encinitas considered it unauthorized art and decided to remove it. They were going to destroy it but people did not want it to get thrown away. People debated over whether to put it back or get rid of it. The debate went all the way up to the California state court. Finally, it was decided that the Surfing Madonna would not be destroyed. Now the Madonna sits verv close to its original position and this time it is authorized.
I think it is really interesting how this one painting caused so much conversation and became a political issue. I remember when I first saw the painting. I was stunned by how beautiful it was. It was a mosaic made up of thousands of pieces of colored class. I realized that the people who made this were real artists. It was art available to everyone because they put in a place that everyone drives by. My reaction was that this was a great thing, an extraordinary thing that doesn't happen every day. I couldn't believe it when I heard that some people in the city government wanted to tear it down. At that point, I realized that the artist had taken a risk of doing something that could be considered illegal just to get his art work seen by hundreds of people everyday. For a long time I was really anxious to know what the outcome would be. I knew that a lot of people were talking to their government officials to persuade them to have a designated spot. I was really happy when I saw the Surfing Madonna back near its original spot where many people could see it. Now, they even have Surfing Madonna 5 K run, bumper stickers, etc... It has become something great for the city and for all the people who visit.
I think it is really interesting how this one painting caused so much conversation and became a political issue. I remember when I first saw the painting. I was stunned by how beautiful it was. It was a mosaic made up of thousands of pieces of colored class. I realized that the people who made this were real artists. It was art available to everyone because they put in a place that everyone drives by. My reaction was that this was a great thing, an extraordinary thing that doesn't happen every day. I couldn't believe it when I heard that some people in the city government wanted to tear it down. At that point, I realized that the artist had taken a risk of doing something that could be considered illegal just to get his art work seen by hundreds of people everyday. For a long time I was really anxious to know what the outcome would be. I knew that a lot of people were talking to their government officials to persuade them to have a designated spot. I was really happy when I saw the Surfing Madonna back near its original spot where many people could see it. Now, they even have Surfing Madonna 5 K run, bumper stickers, etc... It has become something great for the city and for all the people who visit.
“Yes, people pull the trigger - but guns are the instrument of death.
Gun control is necessary, and delay means more death and horror.”- Eliot
Spitzer
This quote argues that the person behind the gun is not the biggest
problem, the gun is the problem. The main problem is that people have access to
guns which are “instruments of death”. In Spitzer’s opinion, the only way to
stop more gun related deaths from occurring is to put gun control policies in
place.
I agree with this quote because the facts point out that guns are a major cause of death in the US. Like Spitzer, I believe that these deaths could be avoided if gun control laws were put in place. I believe that guns are “instruments of death”. People will always fight, no matter if they have access to guns or not. However, the probability of a fistfight or even a knife fight resulting in a fatality is a lot lower than a firefight. Guns make it easy for people to kill one another with the simple pull of a trigger.
I think that this quote is important because it brings the issue of deaths caused by guns back to the guns themselves. Some people argue that people are the problem not guns. They say that it is the fault of the shooter for killing people not the fault of the gun. Although the shooter is part of the problem, I argue that without a gun it would be a lot harder for the shooter to kill anyone. I think that Eliot Spitzer’s argument focuses on the real problem, the gun itself. And once people agree what the problem is, it is a lot easier for people to arrive at a solution.
I agree with this quote because the facts point out that guns are a major cause of death in the US. Like Spitzer, I believe that these deaths could be avoided if gun control laws were put in place. I believe that guns are “instruments of death”. People will always fight, no matter if they have access to guns or not. However, the probability of a fistfight or even a knife fight resulting in a fatality is a lot lower than a firefight. Guns make it easy for people to kill one another with the simple pull of a trigger.
I think that this quote is important because it brings the issue of deaths caused by guns back to the guns themselves. Some people argue that people are the problem not guns. They say that it is the fault of the shooter for killing people not the fault of the gun. Although the shooter is part of the problem, I argue that without a gun it would be a lot harder for the shooter to kill anyone. I think that Eliot Spitzer’s argument focuses on the real problem, the gun itself. And once people agree what the problem is, it is a lot easier for people to arrive at a solution.
January 16, 2014
One of my favorite places to go in San Diego is the zoo in Balboa Park. I love to see all the exotic animals up close. The design of the zoo includes a large section which makes it feel like you are in a jungle. In this part of the zoo, there is an enormous aviary. An aviary is a domed, fenced in landscape designed to house many different species of birds. I have seen other aviaries that I like, but this is my favorite. It has many levels. It has a waterfall that runs throughout it and there are many tall trees and shrubs. You can enter at the top of the aviary at a ledge just before the cliff and look up into the tops of the trees. The beginning of the waterfall is a little pond at the edge of the cliff. In this part of the aviary there are small birds that like to live on the ledge and near the pond. If you look carefully, you can see some big colorful birds at the tops the trees. Last time I was there I saw an enormous peacock-like bird. It was beautiful. It was grabbing the bars at the top of the dome and looking down at the people walking down the path. As the path meanders and spirals down into the heart of the aviary, you can see the waterfall cascading down and flowing into a stream. There is a lot of greenery and the middle of the trees with birds flying among the branches. I like looking at the signs which show what the names of the birds are. I like being able to identify them and see a variety of exotic birds from all around the globe. Some of the birds are endangered or almost extinct in the wild.
When I get to the bottom of the aviary and look up, it feels like a very special place. It is its own little world that you can walk right into. It’s like Rivendell in Tolkien’s books. It is beautiful, like visiting the Amazons for a moment. I appreciate the fact that someone designed this aviary in a way that is not just good for the birds but also for the humans who enter. You go into their environment. Sometimes a bird will even perch on a railing close or fly past you. I think that this aviary is, in a sense, an interactive art piece in which exotic birds and humans can interact.
One of my favorite places to go in San Diego is the zoo in Balboa Park. I love to see all the exotic animals up close. The design of the zoo includes a large section which makes it feel like you are in a jungle. In this part of the zoo, there is an enormous aviary. An aviary is a domed, fenced in landscape designed to house many different species of birds. I have seen other aviaries that I like, but this is my favorite. It has many levels. It has a waterfall that runs throughout it and there are many tall trees and shrubs. You can enter at the top of the aviary at a ledge just before the cliff and look up into the tops of the trees. The beginning of the waterfall is a little pond at the edge of the cliff. In this part of the aviary there are small birds that like to live on the ledge and near the pond. If you look carefully, you can see some big colorful birds at the tops the trees. Last time I was there I saw an enormous peacock-like bird. It was beautiful. It was grabbing the bars at the top of the dome and looking down at the people walking down the path. As the path meanders and spirals down into the heart of the aviary, you can see the waterfall cascading down and flowing into a stream. There is a lot of greenery and the middle of the trees with birds flying among the branches. I like looking at the signs which show what the names of the birds are. I like being able to identify them and see a variety of exotic birds from all around the globe. Some of the birds are endangered or almost extinct in the wild.
When I get to the bottom of the aviary and look up, it feels like a very special place. It is its own little world that you can walk right into. It’s like Rivendell in Tolkien’s books. It is beautiful, like visiting the Amazons for a moment. I appreciate the fact that someone designed this aviary in a way that is not just good for the birds but also for the humans who enter. You go into their environment. Sometimes a bird will even perch on a railing close or fly past you. I think that this aviary is, in a sense, an interactive art piece in which exotic birds and humans can interact.