Regina Spektor Begin to Hope free essay sample

Ah, the gift of music. It was bestowed upon the human race roughly 6,000 years ago because of an effort between the Norse god Thor, Aphrodite the Goddess of Love, and Elton John. Some believe Jesus may have been involved too, but this hypothesis is frowned upon by most musical historians. Through the years, many musicians became popular while others failed. Only a select few are destined to be remembered by mankind. Among those are Mozart, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and – finally – Regina Spektor, the Undeclared Empress of the Universe. Spektor, the Russian-born singer/songwriter behind the albums â€Å"Begin to Hope† and â€Å"Far,† is a musical genius. Her anti-folk style is both original and revolutionary. She makes quality albums with such shocking consistency that one has to wonder whether she is an angel. Did it hurt when you fell from heaven, Regina? Spektors voice is distinguishable, satisfying, and  ­addictive. She makes perfect use of staccato and legato, and her crescendos and decrescendos are flawless. We will write a custom essay sample on Regina Spektor: Begin to Hope or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She acknowledges the importance of pronunciation, intonation, and articulation. Each song has a personality, a face, an identity. Her music is never boring. In addition, her lyrics are pure poetry, her songs positively drip with wisdom beyond her years. She alludes to great works of literature and obscure historical figures. Her fictional characters are relatable and human. Her stories are enchanting, and the way she tells them is hypnotizing. Spektor is intelligent and witty, and her songs are insightful to the point of being intimidating. In fact, Im shivering. Spektors music is rapidly gaining popularity in an explosive insurrection of delirious musical fervor. Whether she is singing the introduction for the television series â€Å"Weeds† or the female part in a song by bespectacled alternative-rocker Ben Folds, whether she is rocking out with The Strokes or having her music appear in â€Å"500 Days of Summer† with Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Spektor never goes unnoticed. More important than her genius or her message, more important than her faith in God or the life-changing effect her music has on her fans, Spektor is attractive. Insanely attractive! I think its her eyebrows. My suggestion: join the revolution. Make a run to the nearest music store and buy several copies of each of her CDs. After that, make the unnecessary purchase of all of her songs on iTunes. Share her music with your friends and family. Hum her tunes at school and whistle them in the middle of a church service. The Regina Revolution will never die. So join it. Join it before it joins you.

Transcendentalism Movement essays

Transcendentalism Movement essays The philosophical thought has been widely focused on the relationship between man and nature on the one hand, and the society on the other. The transcendentalist movement was vivid in acknowledging the role of the direct connection between man and a superior environment which transcends the physical boundaries and the empirical experiences. In exchange, their reference point in the philosophical analysis is the intuitive nature of the human being. Throughout history, there have been various approaches on the matter, from lyrics to composite works elaborating on the main elements that offer man a transcendentalist nature, such as intuition, self respect, and individualism. One of the most important tools for the discovery of an unaltered reality is the intuition each man possesses and which must be developed to the fullest. Matisyahus lyrics point out that some of them come with hunger suppressed; Not fed them feel the death blow in the sense that the actions which allow discovery not through an individual process, one that is untouched by the experience of other men, represents in fact a hindered experience, in which man cannot fully express himself. (Matisyahu, 2006) On a similar tone, but in a different language, Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of the most important writers of the transcendental movement underlines the fact that the direct connection between the man and his environment is essential for the discovery of his inner self. Thus, the stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible; but all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence (; he thus hints to the idea that in order to grasp the full beauty of the universe and of nature, it is important not to be entrenched by static ideas or norms, or theories that other people have established. Another representative figure of the transcendentalist movement Henry Da...

The impact of modern technology ( mobile phone and the internet) on Essay

The impact of modern technology ( mobile phone and the internet) on young people - Essay Example This paper provides a critical analysis of the impact of modern technology on young people. The proliferation of the Internet and online growth has facilitated novel societal trends and business opportunities through the piecemeal evolution of electronic commerce, thereby creating a new social and business model accommodating the contemporary market and thereby redefining youth culture. The creation of multi-faceted digital space has seen a significant uptake by youth on a global scale, thereby perpetuating a domino effect on culture, sub-cultures and social behaviour through the â€Å"commercialisation of youth† on the one side to changing communication trends with social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo on the other (Cross, 2004: 3). Moreover, this directly correlates with the fact that 70-90% of teenagers have access to the Internet at home and the commercialisation of youth has led to market segmentation and a changing consumer market, forcing retailers to adopt a multi-retailer strategy geared towards the youth market (Levy & Weitz, 2008: 27). This has in turn created polarity in debate relating to the wider impact on youth of modern technology, which is the focus of this paper. For example, the diversity of social spaces through networks such as Facebook, internet chat rooms and MySpace for example not only changes the way in which teenagers interact, it provides a backdrop for a multitude of complex interrelated factors, which are difficult to monitor (Barabasi, 2003: 10). On the one side of the spectrum is the issue regarding commercialisation of youth through modern technology with its concurrent impact on multi-retail strategy. This is further highlighted by the increasing influence of media on youth through the deregulation of the media. The Communications Act 2003 deregulates the media in the UK to permit more cross ownership models and integration and under the Act the Office of Communication