The Stranger

THEME CARD


Themes:
1) Extreme alienation from society results in the ability to reflect on one's self, yet also receives reproving views from society.
2) What ties a man to the earth it not his consciousness of the physical, but the emotion that the physical creates within him.

Quotes:
~"They were staring at us in scilence...as if they were nothing but stones or dead trees."
~"When I entered the prison, they took away my belt,my shoelaces,my ties, and everything I had in my pockets..."
~"Once again I could see the red sand and feel the burning sun on my forehead..."
~"That's all for today Monseiur Antichrist"
~"Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know."

Vehicles:
*Tone
*Imagery
*Attitude
*Diction

Conflicts:
*man vs. society
*apathy vs. emotion
*participating vs. spectating

Subjects:
*Judgement
*Alienation
*Consciousness

Characters:
The Arab
Perez
The Chaplin
Meursault
Masson
The Prosecutor
Marie
Salamano
The Employer
Raymond
Maman
The Magistrate
Celeste


Plot:
Shortly after the death of his mother, Meursault becomes involved in the murder of a man, who is a stranger to him. The man is a "stalker" of Meursault's aquaintance, Raymond. The murder takes place on a beach trip. He is eventually condemned to death after an absurdtrial which focused for on his reaction Maman's death instead.

Title:
The Stranger reflects the journey of finding ones's self. Meursault seems to be a stranger to himself and the world because he never has an opinion or emotional reaction. Also, the man whom he kills is a complete stranger to him and the action ultimately leads to his own death.

Every Game Needs a Hero

This Gatorade commercial was promulgated about a year ago. It is part of a consecution of Gatorade commercials called the "League of Clutch". This one imparticular features the meridian of several sporting events including tennis, basketball, baseball and football games. Images include still photos in mostly black and white and a couple scences with live action. Special effects make the series of still photos seems to be in motion as well.
The sender of this message is Gatorade and they use the appeal of ethos through their chosen cast of Maria Sharapova, Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning and Dwayne Wade. Although no one speaks in this commercial, the audience whom Gatorade is trying to appeal to greatly respects the people represented.
Gatorade is trying to dispose the conviction in their audience that if they drink Gatorade, they can become clutch players like Dwayne Wade and the others emblematized. A "clutch player" is one who constanly preponderates at the right times, such as under the pressure of important games.
The images and song presented in the commercial make strong use of pathos. The images remind the sports fan of critical plays and sublime wins. The song,"Oh Fortuna", is a classic which reflects the solicitous emotions one feels at clutch points while watching or participating in a game.
The only language in the commercial is visible text which comes up in segments reading:
"When all seems lost
With the whole world watching
Who will come through
When it matters most
Every game needs a hero"
This appeals to the athletic crowd, every athlete foretastes their shining moment; a moment where everyone credits them with a profound contribution to the big win. When the audience sees that star athletes drink Gatorade, they logically associate winning performance with drinking Gatroade; therefore making for a notably effective commercial.



promulgate- To make known.
meridian- Summit, Climax.
consecution- Sequence.
dispose- To give a tendency or inclination to.
conviction- Idea, Belief.
emblematize- Represent, Stand for.
preponderate- to be superior in power, force, influence, amount, etc.
sublime- Magnificent.
solicitous- Anxious, nervous, eager.
foretaste- To anticipate.

King Without a Crown

[Chorus:]
What's this feeling? My love will rip a hole in the ceiling
Givin' myself to you from the essence of my being
Sing to my God all these songs of love and healing
Want Moshiach now so it's time we start revealing

You're all that I have and you're all that I need
Each and every day I pray to get to know you please
I want to be close to you, yes I'm so hungry
You're like water for my soul when it gets thirsty
Without you there's no me
You're the air that I breathe
Sometimes the world is dark and I just can't see
With these, demons surround all around to bring me down to negativity
But I believe, yes I believe, I said I believe
I'll stand on my own two feet
Won't be brought down on one knee
Fight with all of my might and get these demons to flee
Hashem's rays fire blaze burn bright and I believe
Hashem's rays fire blaze burn bright and I believe
Out of darkness comes light, twilight unto the heights
Crown Heights burnin' up all through till twilight
Said, thank you to my God, now I finally got it right
And I'll fight with all of my heart, and all a' my soul, and all a' my might

[Chorus]

[Bridge:]
Me no want no sinsemilla.
That would only bring me down
Burn away my brain no way my brain is to compound
Torah food for my brain let it rain till I drown
Thunder!
Let the blessings come down


Strip away the layers and reveal your soul
You got to give yourself up and then you become whole
You're a slave to yourself and you don't even know
You want to live the fast life but your brain moves slow
If you're trying to stay high then you're bound to stay low
You want God but you can't deflate your ego
If you're already there then there's nowhere to go
If you're cup's already full then its bound to overflow
If you're drowning in the water's and you can't stay afloat
Ask Hashem for mercy and he'll throw you a rope
You're looking for help from God you say he couldn't be found
Searching up to the sky and looking beneath the ground
Like a King without his Crown
Yes, you keep fallin' down
You really want to live but can't get rid of your frown
Tried to reach unto the heights and wound bound down on the ground
Given up your pride and the you heard a sound
Out of night comes day and out of day comes light
Nullified to the One like sunlight in a ray,
Makin' room for his love and a fire gone blaze

[Chorus]





In 2006, an unlikely artist topped the charts with his single titled "King Without a Crown". This man, Matthew Paul Miller, goes by the stage name Matisyahu and is an American reggae musician who comes from Jewish heritage which he incorporates in his works. He counts Bob Marley, Phish, God Street Wine and Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach among his musical inspirations.

Upon first listening to the single "King Without a Crown", one would assume by the first stanza that Matisyahu is talking about a woman. "I say you're all that I have and you're all that I need...Without you there's no me, You're the air that I breathe". However, after further listening, the audience surmises that the object of his affection which he is discussing is actually his God. The listener may not even understand this fully until they investigate his diction. "Hashem" and "Mashiach" are actually Jewish names for God. The name of God is a serious topic in Judaism, and there are many rules and traditions surrounding its use. Therefore in Matisyahu's song, which is more like a prayer, he abides by these rules using these alternative names to avoid committing blasphemy.

Also intertwined in his lyrics are devices to portray and emphasize his purpose. Love is personified when he says it is so strong it could rip a hole in the ceiling. Alliteration of the "b" sound in the line "blaze burn bright and I believe" highlights the intensity of Matisyahu's prayer asking God to shine his light on him. Light and dark imagery is also apparent to create a contrast between those who follow God's will and those who are uninformed and do not. "Out of darkness comes light, twilight unto the Heights," In this line Matisyahu also alludes to Crown Heights which is his current residence in a New York City borough. There the population 90% African American and only 9% Hasidic Jews. Matisyahu himself was actually raised as a Reconstructionalist Jew, but later in life developed an affinity to the ways to the Hasidic Jews, which is when he started studying the Torah. "Torah food for my brain let it rain till I drown," illustrates his great concern with studying the Torah.

Early in his life Matisyahu admitted to engaging in drug use, especially with hallucinogens. Yet, ironically in the bridge of this song, he tells the listener, "Me no want no sinsemilla. That would only bring me down
Burn away my brain no way my brain is too compound...If you're trying to stay high then you're bound to stay low" Sinsemilla refers to a highly potent, unfertilized female cannabis plant. However later in the same stanza Matisyahu says that now the Torah is the only food for his brain, displaying his progress away from drug use. At the end of the song, he changes direction to his audience. His original tone of praising, then informing now shifts to challenging. He challanges the listener, "Strip away the layers and reveal your soul give yourself up and then you become whole..." He later tells people to simply "Ask Hashem for mercy and he'll throw you a rope".

Overall Matisyahu has a main purpose of turning the reader to focus more on God and try to better their own lives. He has stated, "All of my songs are influenced and inspired by the teachings that inspire me. I want my music to have meaning, to be able to touch people and make them think. Hasidism teaches that music is 'the quill of the soul.' Music taps into a very deep place and speaks to us in a way that regular words can't."

Rondel

You did everything I asked of you and more
I don't know how things changed so soon
Everyday I thanked God for my blissful boon
And for the snug, safe feeling in my core

Now I regret treating you so poor
My wish that I was wiser extends to the moon
You did everything I asked of you and more
I don't know how things changed so soon

You think the solution is to even out the score
But to you my heart is forever attune
And your actions now leave my heart strewn
The question lies whether to inquire or ignore
You did everything I asked of you and more

Found Poem

It was the first time I'd seen her under the luminous moon,
She stood out like a flash of fuscia in a room of black,
I know she saw me

I could hear her heartbeat race from here,
If only that Royal Copenhagen noticed these things

There would be no contradiction,

Then she would never have let me experience her essence,

But she did, so I spilled my dreams of taking her to Coolwater, Aspen and Fujyama

Only to learn that her intentions were otherwise,

We were just friends, and one day she would visit the Chapel of Love with that Hugo Boss

Then would she realize his heart is of diesel fuel and

She Would Have Been Better Off With Me.

12/5/08 Poem

The children and their families perambulated like shoppers on Black Friday into the neighborhood Christmas party. Mothers magisterially shoved blameless children, not belonging to themselves, out of their perfect angel's way to espy upon the
Exultant One himself: Santa Claus. The arid air outside felt crisp and clean as the brisk wind breathed against my skin. Seemingly ideal weather for the occasion, however, not glacial enough that the imitation snow ahead would not sodden the grass where it had been placed. Fidgetting boys and girls waited in line for a train ride while one covetous mother sneered at another whose Gucci tote was significantly larger than her Louie hobo bag mentally noting to add an upgrade to her Christmas list. These parents seem to have forgotten the original purpose of attending this Christmas celebration. They seem to have misplaced inside their hearts and minds the passion they felt for the season as a child. The savory smells that filled the house when the Christmas Day feast was being prepared, the feeling as if Mexican jumping beans had found their way into your stomach as the anticipation to see what Santa brought this year grew, the enraptured expressions on everyone elses faces in the room while they opened their gifts as if it was the last one they would ever receive, the sight of Uncle Tom wiping the thick egg-nog mustache off his upper lip. If they could find these memories within themselves, maybe the holiday season could regain its meaning.

arid- (adj.) marked by little or no precipitation or humidity
enraptured-(adj.) experiencing or marked by overwhelming usually pleasurable emotion
espy- (verb) to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes
exultant- having or expressing feelings of joy
fidget- (verb) to make jerky or restless movements
glacial- (adj.) having a low or subnormal temperature
magisterial- (adj.) overbearing, agrressive
perambulate- (verb) form of walking
sneer- (adj.) to express scornful amusement by means of facial contortions
sodden- (adj.) containing, covered with, or thoroughly penetrated by water

Shwayze

"Malibu. It’s where Mathew McConaughey flexes his pecs for paparazzi while shirtless on the beach. It’s where Courtney Cox and husband David Arquette recently sold their home for the modest asking price of more than $30 million to Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. It’s where Julia Roberts built her multi-million dollar, eco-friendly estate as a tribute to Green living. And it’s where Cher, Jennifer Aniston and Mel Gibson share the same 310 area code as the Malibu trailer park community that brought us Shwayze."

Twenty-two year old Shwayze, born Aaron Smith, made his debut at Malibu Inn, a local hang-out/ chill-spot in 2005, as the opening performer for the failed band, Whitestarr. Just like most newcomers, Shwayze too experienced a tough crowd who even tried to kick him off stage. Embracing the moment however, Shwayze introduced himself as "the only black kid in Malibu," which set the crowd off. It was at this point that he first made contact with Whitestarr frontman Cisco Adler.

Cisco, the son of A-list impresario Lou Adler, and Shwayze hit it off becoming not only collaborators but best friends as well. Cisco provides the rock/ acoustic sound you hear, while Shwayze mixes things up with hip-hop. This melting pot of beats and melodies provides for a relaxed, breezy tone true to the West Coast. Shwayze describes their music saying, " It’s California chill, West Coast stoner music.”

Being new to the entertainment industry, Shwayze has not yet made his own mark on history. He has been influenced by some of his all-time favorite artists, including: Prince, Tom Petty, Beck, Bob Marley and Outkast. Yet, he sounds more like a Sublime, Slightly Stoopid and Sugar Ray combination mostly. Basically, if your in a bad mood pop in some Shwayze and feel yourself wind down.

The first major song by Shwayze "Buzzin' " talks about "backyard blockparty by the bar" where he met a girl and fell in love. "Buzzin' " is also the title of his new tv series on MTV. The Song "Corona and Lime" (posted above) is another favorite of Shwayze listeners and portrays his combination of styles well in addition to using metaphors the listeners can easily pick up on and relate to.

When it comes to pushing a particular message Shwayze does not have one imparticular. “I was single, Cisco was single, and we partied in the pool, partied at the beach, chillin’, hangin’ out with chicks. That’s what we were writing about,” he says. It seems they create music for its original intention, sheer fun. Its refreshing not to be bombarded with lyrics which try to tell you what to say or how to act, Shwayze just tells it like it is, how he deals day to day. He is not trying to change the world, but instead he truly puts energy into making the best out of whats given to him.


This sums up what we know of Shwayze to date, but I believe we will be hearing more from him soon, so keep your ears peeled and minds open!