SMELL

As a former Presidential hopeful, Mike Huckabee sent a message out to Americans to vote for him with his amusing broadcast. Within the commercial, Huckabee utilized both humor and celebrity endorsement in attempt to gain broader support. The candidate strategically incorporated Chuck Norris within his advertisement due to Norris’ fame and high esteem amongst many Americans. His presence in the campaign commercial also adds wit and comedic relief to the usually serious political ads.
Huckabee is in no way subtle about the message that he is trying to get across to American citizens. Although he makes a joke by saying that Chuck Norris is his plan to secure the border, in all seriousness he brings up topics that he believes the American people will respond to. Chuck Norris backs Huckabee by mentioning that he will protect the second amendment if elected president.
Through the use of humor and absurdities, Mike Huckabee has the ability to make viewers laugh and understand his political platform at the same time. Typically, citizens of the United States do not think of the person who holds the most political power in the nation as a light-hearted and funny individual; however, Huckabee tries to defy this stereotype through his entertaining advertisement. Huckabee says: “There’s no chin behind Chuck Norris’ beard, only another fist,” and “When Chuck Norris does pushups he’s not lifting himself up, he’s pushing the earth down,” in order to make viewer think of him as an ordinary person who is easy to relate to.
Huckabee marketers clearly chose to integrate simple, everyday language in order to appeal to common people. The short and witty banter between Huckabee and Norris also adds to the overall tone of humor of the commercial.
The logic behind this political advertisement is merely that humor equals approval and approval equals votes. By making the public laugh, Huckabee has become a little more human to American citizens.

Cats in the Cradle

Cats in the Cradle
by Harry Chapin


A child arrived just the other day,
He came to the world in the usual way.
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay.
He learned to walk while I was away.
And he was talking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew,
He'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, dad.
You know I'm gonna be like you."

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man in the moon.
"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when,
But we'll get together then.
You know we'll have a good time then."

My son turned ten just the other day.
He said, "Thanks for the ball, dad, come on let's play.
Can you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today,
I got a lot to do." He said, "That's ok."
And he walked away, but his smile never dimmed,
Said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah.
You know I'm gonna be like him."

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man in the moon.
"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when,
But we'll get together then.
You know we'll have a good time then."

Well, he came from college just the other day,
So much like a man I just had to say,
"Son, I'm proud of you. Can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head, and he said with a smile,
"What I'd really like, dad, is to borrow the car keys.
See you later. Can I have them please?"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man in the moon.
"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,
But we'll get together then, dad.
You know we'll have a good time then."

I've long since retired and my son's moved away.
I called him up just the other day.
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind."
He said, "I'd love to, dad, if I could find the time.
You see, my new job's a hassle, and the kid's got the flu,
But it's sure nice talking to you, dad.
It's been sure nice talking to you."
And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me,
He'd grown up just like me.
My boy was just like me.

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man in the moon.
"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,
But we'll get together then, dad.
You know we'll have a good time then."



Through the use of situational irony and chronological imagery, Harry Chapin illustrates the tendency of children to embody the habits of their parent figures when they grow into adulthood. The story in “Cats in the Cradle” demonstrates the way in which American culture places a heavier emphasis on financial success than on the importance of family values.
Chapin entitled the song “Cats in the Cradle,” incorporating aspects of the nursery rhyme “Hey Diddle Diddle” within the work in order to capture retrospective childhood memories. The end rhyme scheme enhances the natural rhythm of the song and creates a story-like effect for the listener. The song begins with lyrics which trivialize the significance of the birth of a child, demonstrating that the speaker puts business and money first. “A child arrived just the other day, he came to the world in the usual way. But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay.” By oversimplifying the birth of his child, the author creates a detached tone, adding to the initially indifferent perspective that he has about his own son. As time progresses the Father realizes how foolish he was, but by the time he has his epiphany, it is much too late for him to make amends. Not only has he forfeited a relationship with his son, but he has also implanted a lack of concern for family within his boy.
Ironically, the Father within the song works excessively in order to provide his family with material goods which have no value because of his absence. “‘Thanks for the ball, dad, come on let's play. Can you teach me to throw?’ I said, ‘Not today, I got a lot to do.’ He said, ‘That's ok.’” As a role model to his son, the Father should instill within him the value of time spent with loved ones, but rather, he shows by example that making money surpasses all else. Promises are left unfulfilled and plans are put off until it is too late: ‘“When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when, but we'll get together then. You know we'll have a good time then."’ The repetition of the word ‘then’ at the end of the two final lines stresses the uncertainty of when the father will have enough time for his son. Ultimately, when the father completes all of his commercial endeavors he wants to spend time with his son, but he realizes that his son will put his career first because that is the example that was set for him.
In the end, the song portrays the young boy as a grown adult who, just like his Father, does not make time for the things that really matter. Throughout the song, Harry Chapin utilizes repetition to emphasize that the boy yearned to be like his father, "I'm gonna be like you, dad. You know I'm gonna be like you" and he concludes by saying: “He'd grown up just like me. My boy was just like me.” This situational irony shows how lessons learned early in life are hard to forget. In the end the father and the son have traded places, one wants to spend more time together and the other believes that he has no time to ‘waste’ with family. Previously, the young boy had asked his father to spend time with him and when his dad replied that he was too busy, he unknowingly taught his son a skewed order of priorities. He only comes to realize it when time forces him into a different perspective: “I said, ‘I'd like to see you if you don't mind.’ He said, ‘I'd love to, dad, if I could find the time.’”
By telling a particular tale that is also universal in many respects, Harry Chapin enlightens the listener with an ironic and eye-opening message. He subtly warns against the danger of putting a career before family and shows how this ideology is passed down from one generation to the next.

Sestina

To speak of love is to speak of contradictions.
Contradictions of the heart and mind.
My heart urges me to hang onto your every word while my mind tells me to run,
but love eradicates all notions of logic and reason so I stay and I listen.
My heart is too strong; my mind has no chance in the competition.
So I throw self-preservation to the wind in order to love.

I used to laugh at those foolish girls in the movies, the ones who fell in love.
They seemed to hate the man they loved and their actions and words were complete contradictions.
Hollywood has tricked us into believing that love is a competition,
they have depicted love as requiring games of the mind.
But I wish that I could just make the world listen
because I would tell them not to run.

Perhaps it is because in modern society we are always on the run.
We have no time for others to appreciate and love,
yet we complain that no one will listen.
Sadly, it has become a world of contradictions.
Do we condemn ourselves to loneliness with money in mind?
We do all of this for the sake of competition.


But I am here to tell you that love should not be a confusing competition
Or a struggle, or something to hide from or at the thought of, run.
but rather it should be a refuge and an escape for the mind.
In order to survive we need to breathe, drink, and live in love.
No more contradictions.
Just listen.

You will hear the sound of a heartbeat if only you listen.
Forget about championships, winning, and competition.
Even though love causes conflicts and contradictions,
NEVER RUN.
Use your entire heart to love,
Always keep this advice in mind.

Love should flow naturally, disregard the mind.
Every human being needs someone to listen,
and every human being needs someone to love.
Make this a personal competition:
When love finds you, plant your feet in the ground and refuse to run.
Embrace love, embrace contradictions.


Be a fool in love, those who matter won’t mind.
Accept the confusions and contradictions, look to your heart and listen.
Once you're aware of the banality of competition, discover your own path and only then should you run.

Feminine Masculine Found Poem

The heartbeat of America, Las Vegas.
Bright lights, a flash of fuchsia,
a sparkling pink diamond on the finger of a newlywed
who is just leaving The Chapel of Love.
I work on the Las Vegas strip.
They think I’m only a waitress.
But when I leave the café, I go to The Live Jazz Club
where I perform my voodoo magic behind the microphone.
They all come to hear my one man show: the man in the expensive Calvin Klein suit (Ferrari black), the taxi driver, and the housewife alike.
I put on a mighty mauve dress, I’ve been told that it’s my color
since it compliments my peach parfait complexion.
The dark lights seem even less significant in comparison to my spotlight,
a single stream of light that follows me everywhere,
and the red velvet curtains become my backdrop.
They say that there is no such thing as true love in Sin City
But that is a lie, for music is mine.

Christmas Memory

Clamorously- adj. loudly, noisily
Impetuously- adj. quickly, abruptly
Incandescent- adj. glowing, bright
Locale- noun. scene
Emanation- noun. Smell, effusion
Furbished- adj. decorated, decked out
Equable- adj. smooth, constant
Entwined- verb. curled, twisted around
Intoxicating- adj. exhilarating
Bliss- noun. euphoria

It was snowing. My toes were numb with the cold. Snowflakes dusted my hair and my eyelashes. The squeals of the other children rang clamorously in my ears as they flew impetuously down the hill on a red sleigh. I walked inside to warm myself by the fire. My ears, nose, and incandescent, young eyes took in the Christmas locale. The wintergreen emanation of a furbished tree, presents hiding underneath; the sight of too much food on the table; the sound of laughter thickening the air; the equable coat of a dog, which belonged to some distant relative, entwined around my small feet. The atmosphere was intoxicating. My earliest recollection of Christmas. Bliss.

Taylor Swift

When choosing the artist of the year for this month’s cover story, the editors here at the Rolling Stone kept in mind the definition of a true artist: a person whose work exhibits exceptional skill. This definition is definitely applicable to the young, beautiful, and talented Taylor Swift. Swift first came to mind because of her inspirational success as a young woman in the music industry. This particular performer has achieved many accolades including numerous awards from big-time companies such as CMT Music and Country Music Association. This track record is impressive no matter who you are, but what makes it even more remarkable is that Swift is a mere eighteen years old.
Taylor Swift performs mostly within the country genre, but she blends a pop type sound, creating a unique style. The grammatical structure of her songs, which includes what is considered to be southern slang, mostly follows that of the country genre; but Swift is by no means a conformist. She defies classifications and generalizations by writing universal songs that everyone can relate to. The performer weaves throughout her lyrics the message that love is a timeless aspect of life, as long as one exists so does the other. In her song Love Story Swift relates herself to Shakespeare’s Juliet, exemplifying how connected humanity is by love. When she sings “You were Romeo; you were throwing pebbles, and my daddy said stay away from Juliet and I was crying on the staircase, begging you, ‘Please don’t go,’” Taylor Swift creates a bond between herself and a girl from 1597, showing how time does not affect the results of love. She later alludes to Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter when she sings “I was a scarlet letter,” signifying the nature of their forbidden love. The young artist also employs a flashback within her song, a common method of literary experts. Swift sings “I close my eyes and the flashback starts,” and continues by depicting the event with detailed descriptions by the use of phrases such as “summer air” which indicate the setting. The diction within Love Story creates for the listener a vivid image of the scene being portrayed.
Taylor Swift’s distinctive musical style may be the product of a combination of the performers who surrounded her in her formative years as an artist. A listener can distinguish elements within Swift’s music from various influential musicians. As a little girl she loved Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton and she attributes her ability to “stretch boundaries” to the Dixie Chicks and Shania Twain. Swift’s Grandmother was also in the music business; however she performed opera at the professional level rather than country. Taylor Swift has not only been influenced by others, but she has also been a very inspirational figure herself. She has been a role model to the younger generation, encouraging fans to pursue their dreams by displaying her own success.
The captivating singer is a combination of a dangerous and optimistic artist in that she sings about both sides of love. Swift describes the situation she is in as a “mess” saying “Don’t be afraid; we’ll make it out of this mess,” and adds to the negative portrayal of love in her song with "This love is difficult," and “I got tired of waiting, wondering if you were ever comin’ around. My faith was fading.” However, Swift also sheds light on the more positive side of love by singing “You were everything to me,” and “I love you and that’s all really know.” The young performer has accomplished so much for her young years, proving that talent coupled with ambition is the key to success.

Hypnopedia: Listen to the Silence

It is against human nature to be completely silent all the time, but we take silence for granted. Much more is said in a moment of total silence than in a moment of chaos. Each of us are constantly on the move and we try to cram as much as we can into our schedules to maximize our efficiency. As a business directed society, it seems that we have forgotten that occasional silence yields more than a week's worth of talking does. It is in these moments that we are enlightened and that we can ultimately come to know ourselves.