Palaces Out Of Paragraphs

English 1102: Hamilton and Writing

Reflective Blog Post

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By: Kristen EnglishImage result for hamilton memes

The feedback I received for my project through the peer review was very helpful and insightful. It gave me a different perspective on some things and helped me to see what was relevant and what was not. I made changes according to some of the suggestions but decided to keep some elements as well. Overall I felt as if the peer review was extremely beneficial and I am glad that I was given the opportunity to participate in it.

One suggestion I was given was to rewrite the blog entries from my project and make them sound more formal as Hamilton would have. I decided not to take this suggestion into the revision process and I was not intending to tell the story as Hamilton would have in the past. My goal was to tell the story of the song My Shot from a modern perspective. I felt like using modern dialect would help to tell the story more than using dialect that Hamilton might have in the Revolutionary Era.

Another suggestion I was given was to rewrite the character in the blog posts political views to align with Hamilton’s views in real life. I also decided not to take this piece of advice, as my goal was not to make the character in the blogs exactly a mirrored representation of Hamilton. The goal was to get the spirit and to tell the story of the song My Shot and I feel like the background and views that the character I created has helps to tell the story from a modern perspective. I did however take into consideration my partners suggestion of getting rid of characters who do not add anything to the story. I agree that some characters were added who did not contribute to the overall project.

In conclusion I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have another peer review my work and to tell me what could be fixed and what could be made better. I believe through this project I have gained a deeper understanding of the meaning behind the song My Shot and really admire Miranda for creating such an inspiring and deep piece.

Blog Post 5

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By: Kristen English

For my last blog entry, I have decided to compare the remix of My Shot from The Hamilton Mixtape to the original as a way to broaden my prospective for the final remix and adaptation project. The lyrics in the remixed adaptation of the song are from a modern viewpoint as they reference scenarios such as a “young tot applyin’ a sticker to his Spiderman lunchbox”, which obviously did not exist in Hamilton’s time era. The song is from the viewpoint of an oppressed modern day citizen who has to work hard to achieve his goals. The remixed version, much like the original, tells the story of a man who wants more out of his life and is not going to miss his chance to achieve his dreams and goals.

While both the original and the remixed piece have the same underlying argument of one fulfilling their dreams, the differing lyrics and delivery of each song give a different feel to each piece and evoke different emotions. Busta Rhymes’ remixed version is a classic hip-hop anthem telling the story of a young troubled man’s rise to fame through dedicated hard-work while out-lining the struggles he faces along the way. This theme is very common among hip-hop music and while the remixed song itself is very motivating in lyrics, the delivery of the song is smoother and more laid back than the original. Also, in comparison to the original version, which has a very upbeat and strong delivery, the remixed version tells the same story with the classic old-school hip-hop feel. The remixed version gives a different perspective on a classic piece with a classic storyline through the use of different lyrics and differing delivery. This is important because it shows viewers that no matter what era, people still face the same issues regarding oppression and the drive to succeed despite all odds. This story needs to be told because it sheds light on the topic of success through oppression, which can often be overlooked this day in age.

I believe reviewing the remixed version of this song has given me the different perspective that was needed for my project. As my project is telling the modern story of the song My Shot, this remixed version was perfect to analyze. The lyrics gave me insight into modern struggles that people from differing backgrounds can face and inspired my own ideas into how I am going to tell the story through my blog. While many argue that the original piece cannot be beat, I say that both are great for different purposes and I am glad to have taken the time to analyze both and broaden my knowledge and outlook on the topic.

 

Pictured Busta Rhymes with Lin-Manuel Miranda 

Image result for busta rhymes my shot

Remix and Adaptation Proposal

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By: Kristen English

 

For my Remix and Adaptation Project, I am going to take the song “My Shot” from Hamilton Act 1 and adapt it into a modern day blog with multiple entries and with the use of multimodal elements. I will create my own Blog through Wix and design the website to represent Hamilton’s persona and character in the show. The blog will consist of several different entries all attempting to portray the narrative described through the lyrics of “My Shot”. I will be writing as if I am Hamilton’s character in the show and tell the story from how I envision his point of view. I will also adapt the blog entries to have a modernized element to them and portray the narrative through the lens of a modern-day Alexander Hamilton.

 

I believe this project is going to require a bit of technical skills as it does require the creation of an entire blog website along with multiple blog entries to tell the story. Along with the technical skills required there is also a degree of creativity involved as I have to adapt the story told by Hamilton in “My Shot” to fit as a modern day story in society. I believe that this idea however is within the scope of the project as outlined by the rubric as I estimate that the entire creation and writing process of the blog should not take longer than 8-10 hours.

 

Overall I am super excited to begin to work on this project. I feel that this project fits my skills as a writer and allows me to be creative and make something new out of the song without having any musical abilities. I can foresee challenges however if I procrastinate and wait until the last minute to get started on the actual project. To keep myself on track I am setting daily reminders to work on the project bit by bit so that I will not wait until the very last minute and overwhelm myself. In conclusion, I am super excited to get started and cannot wait to see what creative ideas everyone else comes up with!

 

Image result for hamilton memes

Blog Post 4: My Writing Style

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By: Kristen English

Image result for procrastination

I have always had a love/hate relationship with writing ever since I first learned how to write. My teachers and peers would always say that I had a knack for it, but for some reason I always despised the writing process. For me, I think procrastination was the biggest issue that I faced when writing. I would always (and even still do now) put off starting an assignment or piece of writing until the very last minute. However, once I actually sit down and start, the ideas just kind of naturally flow out of me.

I would describe my writing style as very matter-of-fact with an element of realism. For me, I hate when I’m reading something that doesn’t flow the way a real-life conversation would. I feel like the way to connect with your audience or readers on a deeper level is to write in a way that they would relate to. Blogs are such a popular way to reach audiences in society today and I believe that it’s due to their realistic nature. With blogs, one has the ability to write down and publish their thoughts on any topic without the formality of most print media. That’s probably my favorite aspect. I strive for anything I write to have this realistic and relatable feel as well.

My favorite environment to be in when I write is a very laid-back vibe with other people in the area. I mainly go to coffee shops around my apartment and set up camp for the entire day if I know I have an assignment coming up, or if I just want to journal and write down some of my thoughts. I like to be around other people when I write because it helps me draw inspiration. I am very much a people person and I have found that, for me personally, I work better when others are around.

Writing isn’t my favorite pastime by any means, but I would say that there is something quite calming about sitting down in my favorite coffee shop, with my favorite coffee, and just writing down my thoughts. I am constantly reminded of how therapeutic it is every time I journal or write about something that I am passionate about. Once I work on my procrastination issues (ehh maybe I’ll start tomorrow) I am confident that I could become a better writer overall.

George Washington’s Farewell: Historical Annotation Project

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  1. George Washington’s Farewell Address, September 19, 1796 : Paragraphs/ Breaks 1-7
  2.  Document Originally found on ConText
  3. Link: https://context.montpelier.org/document/715#passage-15

By: Kristen English

George Washington’s Farewell Address

 

September 19, 1796[1]

Friends, & Fellow–Citizens.

The period for a new election of a Citizen, to Administer the Executive government of the United States, being not far distant, and the time actually arrived[2], when your thoughts must be employed in designating the person, who is to be cloathed with that important trust[3], it appears to me proper, especially as it may conduce to a more distinct expression of the public voice, that I should now apprise you of the resolution I have formed, to decline being considered among the number of those, out of whom a choice is to be made[4].

I beg you, at the same time, to do me the justice to be assured, that this resolution has not been taken, without a strict regard to all the considerations[5] appertaining to the relation, which binds a dutiful Citizen to his country–and that, in withdrawing the tender of service which silence in my Situation might imply, I am influenced by no diminution of zeal for your future interest[6], no deficiency of grateful respect for your past kindness[7]; but am supported by a full conviction that the step is compatible with both.

The acceptance of, & continuance hitherto[8] in, the Office to which your Suffrages[9] have twice called me, have been a uniform sacrifice of inclination to the opinion of duty, and to a deference for what appeared to be your desire. I constantly hoped, that it would have been much earlier in my power, consistently with motives, which I was not at liberty to disregard, to return to that retirement, from which I had been reluctantly drawn[10]. The strength of my inclination to do this, previous to the last Election, had even led to the preparation of an address to declare it to you; but mature reflection on the then perplexed & critical posture of our Affairs with foreign nations, and the unanimous advice of persons entitled to my confidence, impelled me to abandon the idea[11].

I rejoice, that the state of your concerns, external as well as internal, no longer renders the pursuit of inclination incompatible with the sentiment of duty, or propriety; & am persuaded whatever partiality may be retained for my services, that in the present circumstances of our country, you will not disapprove my determination to retire[12].

The impressions, with which, I first undertook the arduous trust, were explained on the proper occasion[13]. In the discharge of this trust, I will only say, that I have, with good intentions, contributed towards the Organization and Administration of the government, the best exertions of which a very fallible judgment was capable[14]. Not unconscious, in the outset, of the inferiority of my qualifications, experience in my own eyes, perhaps still more in the eyes of others, has strengthned the motives to diffidence of myself[15]; and every day the encreasing weight of years admonishes me more and more, that the shade of retirement is as necessary to me as it will be welcome. Satisfied that if any circumstances have given peculiar value to my services, they were temporary, I have the consolation to believe, that while choice and prudence invite me to quit the political scene, patriotizm does not forbid it[16].

In looking forward to the moment, which is intended to terminate the career of my public life[17], my feelings do not permit me to suspend the deep acknowledgment of that debt of gratitude which I owe to my beloved country, for the many honors it has conferred upon me; still more for the stedfast confidence with which it has supported me[18]; and for the opportunities I have thence enjoyed of manifesting my inviolable attachment, by services faithful & persevering, though in usefulness unequal to my zeal[19]. If benefits have resulted to our country from these services, let it always be remembered to your praise, and as an instructive example in our annals, that, under circumstances in which the Passions agitated in every direction were liable to mislead[20], amidst appearances sometimes dubious, vicissitudes of fortune often discouraging, in situations in which not unfrequently want of Success has countenanced the spirit of criticism, the constancy of your support was the essential prop of the efforts, and a guarantee of the plans by which they were effected[21]. Profoundly penetrated with this idea, I shall carry it with me to my grave, as a strong incitement to unceasing vows that Heaven may continue to you the choicest tokens of its beneficence[22]–that your Union & brotherly affection may be perpetual–that the free constitution, which is the work of your hands, may be sacredly maintained–that its Administration in every department may be stamped with wisdom and Virtue–that, in fine, the happiness of the people of these States, under the auspices of liberty, may be made complete, by so careful a preservation and so prudent a use of this blessing as will acquire to them the glory of recommending it to the applause, the affection–and adoption of every nation which is yet a stranger to it[23].

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Blog Post 3: A Singularity In Blue Analysis

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By: Kristen English

I am writing this post in regards to the class reading, “A Singularity in Blue”. I feel like the author makes a few extremely compelling points throughout the entirety of the article. I really loved the whole basis of the argument in the piece which argues that the takeaway from the musical should not be the Romanization of the founding fathers, but rather seeing people of color be written into history as they should and be portrayed as the heroes of the story. I really feel like the author had a point when she demanded that audiences refrain from romanticizing the founding fathers after watching the show because it had already been done throughout all of American history. Kids are taught in school everyday that the founding fathers were heroes to this nation and defeated the villain (Great Britain) and came out on top in the end. This is a dangerous narrative to paint though, due to the fact that while the founding fathers did defeat the tyrannical powerhouse of Great Britain, they were also suppressing people of color at the same time. They were leaders in the genocide of the Natives and slave holders to the people of color forced to come to the new nation. Hamilton does a great job at repainting this narrative and depicting it as a triumph by people of color over their previous and current white suppressers.

The idea that the revolution and Alexander Hamilton as a character where just a “vehicle for the narrative, and a tool for conveying the ideologies of the show” is perhaps the most genius thing that Miranda could have done. The American Revolution is portrayed as one of the greatest moments in American history and embodies the American Dream that anyone can have it all if they work hard and persevere. They forget one main aspect in history books however… this dream was only attainable if you were white or from European descent. This is a dangerous and quite frankly wrong way to portray the American Dream, as a large portion of the nation today are people of color or descended from people of color. To have your heritage completely written out of history books or painted incorrectly is such a slap in the face to these cultures and peoples and I cannot believe that there has not been a change to this day.

I really applaud Miranda and the author of this article for shedding light on a topic that has been touchy in the past but ultimately needs to be out in the open. It’s my hope that when people leave the show that they fully understand what the true meaning and purpose was of the casting and lyrics. Ultimately the end goal is that one-day people of color can take back their deserved place in American history and I feel that Hamilton brings us one step closer to that.

 

Struggles of Annotating the Address

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By: Kristen English

Blog Post #2

For my Historical Annotation Project, I choose Washington’s Farewell Address to annotate and analyze. George Washington wrote this letter, with the help of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, to “friends and fellow-citizens” as a farewell to his reign as President before retiring to Mount Vernon. His address was originally published in the American Daily Advertiser, September 19, 1796. His address was published under the name “The Address of General Washington To The People of The United States on his declining of the Presidency of the United States” (whew! What a title). As popularity of the address continued growing it was reprinted in several newspapers and was even made into pamphlet form.

I think what drew me to this document was the historical significance that the document once held. The document, in it’s time, was celebrated as one of the greatest written works of all time. It was reprinted more than even the Declaration of Independence, and yet in modern history it is barely studied with emphasis being placed on understanding the meaning of the documents of the revolution. I remember briefly talking about the Farewell Address in my high school history class but we never really dove in to the document to interpret meaning and understanding to the tone and language Washington uses. I feel like it is important to bring light to the meaning of this document as Washington tried to directly set a path for the nation to follow after his presidency while also warning against several factors that could tear the new and fragile nation apart.

To fully understand this document, I feel like extensive research must be done on the language and meaning of different words used then vs. how they’re used now, the time period in general, and Washington’s view points on society and how he believed the government should be run to ensure the nation’s survival. A few of the challenges I have encountered while trying to research the document is that a great deal of sources don’t go too in depth with each and every word of the address, rather they take the address as a whole and analyze meaning from the summary of the document. With the annotation project I feel like it is important to be able to gather meaning from almost every sentence in the document and really break down what Washington was trying to convey with every word. I’m confident though that with harder and more extensive research than what I’ve done to date I will be able to properly understand and annotate the Farewell Address!

 

(side note: please enjoy this gif I found of Washington riding into battle on a puppy :) )

Blog Post 1: Hamilton as the Symbolic Figure

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By: Kristen English

Throughout Act I of Hamilton there are many similarities drawn between political and social issues that affected society in the Revolutionary era as well as in today’s modern era. These comparisons are drawn through the use of lyrics in the music as well as the musical style itself. Act I focuses on the beginning of Hamilton’s journey from a poor, fatherless child growing up in the Caribbean to one of the most influential founding fathers remembered in history today. While the entire production focuses on, as told by Miranda, “a story about America then, told by America now,”. When you look solely at the written elements through the lyrics of Act I you can definitely see the intent of Miranda’s vision.

In the first song of the show, “Alexander Hamilton”, the lyrics focus on a young immigrant boy with a dream for a brighter tomorrow. The song centers on all of the struggles Hamilton faced growing up, while also repeating the underlying question of how Hamilton reached such success in his life while faced with so many challenges and hardships. This piece is crucial to today’s modern society and its skewed view on immigration as it stands as a reminder that this country was founded on immigration and the dream for a brighter tomorrow. The number also uses repetition with the line, “In New York you can be a new man,” to reiterate the fact that New York is the home of millions of immigrants just like Hamilton who traveled there to change their lives for the better. Miranda portrays Hamilton as a, “young, scrappy, and hungry” immigrant who through hard work and perseverance became one of the most influential men in our country’s history, commemorating him as an icon of the American Dream that is still prevalent in today’s society.

Act I goes one step further to create the parallels between the past and the present economic, social, and racial issues by adapting songs from the show from current hip-hop trends at the time. The song, “Wait for It”, has been labeled by many critics as not only a song describing Burr’s character in depth but also a narrative as to the destructions behind minorities being told to wait for their time to come. While parallels are also drawn between other songs directly being influenced by popular hip-hop artists at the time, such as Notorious B.I.G and Destiny’s child, which furthers the idea that the two eras are not too far off in terms of the societal issues that are present.

I feel as if Act I did an amazing job painting the immigrant success story that this country was founded on. With Miranda being a direct descendant of Puerto Rican immigrants, I feel his intent on the entire production was to portray these social issues that existed in the past as issues that still affect the present while also portraying the image of the immigrant success story.

Kristen English: Introduction

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Hi Everyone! My name is Kristen English and I am a Business Administration major with a concentration in IT Management. I am scheduled to graduate in December of 2019, so sadly I only have a few more semesters here at the Institute. I am in the online section of this course due to taking a full load of early and late summer classes on campus. I have completed an internship and am currently in the middle of rotations between a separate co-op which is the reason my scheduling of classes is so weird and I’m taking this course as a rising senior :)

A little about me; I am currently co-oping at Delta Air Lines as a project management co-op with the Airport Customer Service department. A big perk of my job is that I get to travel a lot!! I’ve been fortunate enough to go so many cool places and I am looking forward to going to many more! I participated in the Georgia Tech Oxford Study abroad program last summer and traveled all over Europe and made many new friends. My absolute favorite place I’ve traveled was the island of Capri off the coast of Naples, Italy. Ask me any time about my travels and you’d probably be stuck for an hour listening to me go on and on. Outside of traveling, I really enjoy going to Piedmont Park, hiking, and basically anything outdoors!

In terms of English courses at Tech, I took ENG 1101 my freshman year with Andrea Kraft and really enjoyed my experience. I was fortunate to have a professor who really cared about her students learning the material and picking a topic that was interesting and engaging. We worked a lot with blog posts and website creation in that course which was extremely beneficial for me because my past experiences with English courses in high school were mainly just written essay and literature based. I feel like I still have room to improve however with the technical written aspects of communication but this past course was a great introduction.

In all honesty I have never even seen a real musical other than High School Musical (which I don’t think really counts…). I do recognize the name Hamilton though and know that it is a widely known and loved musical. I am familiar with a lot of music from musicals due to my love of the TV show Glee in high school. I am also very familiar with the hip-hop genre from being a college student and living in Atlanta which is widely known to produce note-worthy artists of the genre. I am excited to learn more about Hamilton and hip-hop and how they tie into each other. I am a naturally curious person with a passion for learning new things so I am sure this semester is going to be another great experience for me as a student to broaden my horizons and learn new things!