after carefully listening to the blackstar album and subsequently listening to another talib kweli album entitled The beautiful struggle, I decided that the beautiful struggle is a better cultural object. Although the album itself may not have as many cultural implications, the lyrics of the individual songs speak to me on another level. Therefore, my two cultural objects are now narrowed down to either the beautiful struggle or the boondocks.

My Other Primary Source is the rap album, BlackStar, by Talib Kweli and Mos Def. This is the first mainstream album put out by either artist. Both artists previously were underground artists and this album catalyzed their emersion into the mainstream. It is an incredible album because the lyrics have the skillful creativity and rebelliousness of underground rap but the production is of a high quality mainstream standard.

One of my primary sources is the television series, The Boondocks. This is one of the only cartoon series that primarily portrays black people with a special focus on the world through the lens of two black children. The witty social criticism mixed with a running commentary on black America makes this show incredibly entertaining. It was based off of a comic strip with I would definitely use as a secondary source.

My other primary source is a chain necklace with a Jewish star hanging from it. The necklace was a present for my bar-mitzvah and I subsequently purchased the Jewish star to hang from it. The Jewish star is a reflection of my Jewish identity and I wear it proudly to display my Jewish roots. It connects my to a 6000 year legacy of people who ceaselessly overcome the odds.

One of my primary sources is a pair of Air force ones. Air force Ones are Nike basketball shoes that were some of the earliest basketball shoes made by the company. Recently they regained popularity and new versions of the classic shoe were released in a variety of alternative shapes and sizes. It is important to me because it lets me know that my sneakers are reflective of a legacy of urban basketball footwear. In addition, they are extra fly.

Blog 1: Interview

I interviewed a student whose primary source was a film entitled “Last King of Scotland.” His film had cultural and social implications as well as critique. He recommended that I find a cultural source that also had implications and critique. This is a given level of interpretation that can catalyze further analysis. He suggested that after I find the significance of this first level of implications, I should ask “what is the next level of significance?” I should look for a source with many levels of interpretation and analysis. Some other advice he gave me was to talk to my instructor a lot and go to the writing center a lot. When talking about the semester long project, my interviewee had some seemingly obvious advice. He said to take all the small activities leading up to the research paper very seriously. Often the assignments are small enough to bullshit. However, if I take them seriously, it will make the research paper easier in the end. Another obstacle he had was a change for his original plan. Because of the constraints of the assignments, he couldn’t do what he had originally planned. His advice was to carefully analyze the cultural text before choosing the paper topic. He said “let the cultural text speak to you.” He also recommended being open about secondary sources, paying special attention to the source in the synthesis essay.