THE WHITE ALBUM

The White Album was released by the Beatles in 1968. One of the most famous songs from those recording sessions is: Birthday. Please give it a listen and then keep on reading.



The album is a culmination of songs that reflect the turbulence and beauty of the 1960s. It is collage. A collage is a group of very different substances that are brought together to create one whole image. If you remember back to your days in kindergarten...remember? Your teacher would give you a piece of cardboard, construction paper, buttons, glue, cellophane, popsicle sticks, colored pen, glitter and say, "Make a peacock." Yes? Remember?

Well, this term we will be studying collage. Our medium, however, will be language. Our theme, or focus, will be storytelling.

Joan Didion, the great essayist, entitled her groundbreaking essay "The White Album" after The Beatles' opus. There is no link between the two save for two--the title and the notion of collage. Ms. Didion has brought together little vignettes, little stories and observations that span a ten year period to create for the reader an "essence" of a time, a generation, a culture unfolding.

Please, read the essay. Below are links to references she makes. As you read the essay, you will come upon names and historical references that you might not be familiar with. Please become familiar with them now.

THE DOORS




THE BLACK PANTHERS






HUEY NEWTON - Minister of Information, Black Panther Party





Think about what these three videos have in common. If you were to make a collage--take clips from each of the videos--what would be underlying theme of your video be?

Didion also references two sensational murders that took place during this time period. The most horrific of these were The Manson Slayings. His tale is lurid and horrific. Here is a little video that gives you some insight into the murders, the man, the trial, the family.





One theme that pervades all of these videos, of the time, is the theme of violence. Now, remember, Didion writes the piece over a ten year period, from 1968-1978. I find it quite interesting that one of the most pronounced motifs of her essay has to do with the violence that occurred and was occurring in American during that period in the country's history. What are some of the themes that you recognize? I would like you to note one, write it down and give three examples from the text that illustrate your choice.


RESPONSES TO DIDION'S "THE WHITE ALBUM"

Scientology is a paperclip. I bring it to school every day.
Scientology is a fleece jacket. It keeps me warm when I am cold.
It's the idea I have in English class.
It's the snow that falls from the sky.
Scientology is the smile on my mother's face.
Scientology is the ink one my paper from a printer cartridge.
It's the couch I am sitting on.
The fabric that covers the couch.
Scientology is Beaver Country Day School.
Scientology is God. And God is Scientology.
Scientology is nothing and it is everything.
It is around us and inside of us.
Scientology is aliens. Aliens are everywhere. Staring at us. With desire.
Scientology is you and me.
Scientology. Know yourself. Know life.

Danny and Katie B.
(page 20)




The Manson Murders have not been forgotten. 40 years later, Linda Kasabian, the star witness in the Manson Murders was interviewed on Larry King Live. Can you imagine raising a family after seeing a females body in such conditions like Sharon Tate? Now are these murderers still behind bars? Yes, except Susan Atkins who is about to die and is in the hospital. So we are safe...? Linda Kasbian was a former member of the manson family, who witnessed several of the killings. She slept with Charles Manson.

Adina and Gabby





Chicken Delight is a fast food establishment that started in Illinois in 1952. However, common fast food enthusiast, our business goes beyond mere chicken. We provide a wide variety of ribs and pizza in hopes of tickling your fancy. We offer a special price on the combination of a large family meal and an imax film, which is available every day. You will find competitors like KFC and Wendy's ain't got shit on us. Please visit one of our conveniently located restaurants ranging from New Jersey to rural Manitoba. Chicken Delight. Doin' it right since '52

Stephen and Connor P. 19




Scientology
pg 20.

Scientologists believe in aliens. Sophie Dietz, Amirah Mahdi, and John French believe in aliens. (Um… no?) It is a privilege to be a scientologist says Tom Cruise. According to Tom Cruise, being a scientologist makes him feel obligated to help other people because only scientologists can really help. Tom Cruise likes to go on vacations. Scientology helps to FREE the mind. So does smoking weed. The real question about scientology is: What the heck is it? Tom Cruise spends nine minutes and 35 seconds explaining scientology, yet at nine minutes and 30 seconds, we still have no clue what it is. The one thing we learned from the video is that being a scientologist is actually being PSYCHO, because " they see things the way they are ". As does the rest of the seven billion pairs of eyes in the world.




In order to do crazy things you need to experience crazy things. Jim Morrison feels pressured to up hold his bad boy image that his fans have created, in order for people to believe that he is the people need to see him do it. In a way Jim Morrison is crying out for attention and help, and in trying to please his fans he loses site of himself. Now after trying to uphold this image for so long he has transformed into it.

pg. 25




Jim Morrison and The Doors

Jim Morrison is a dead rock star.
The stories he told in his music inspired a movement in the late 60's and 70's.
His wild antics taught others to let go.
He floated around the stage in vinyl pants over nothing.
He sang into his microphone and made people move.
Most importantly, he helped a nation find themselves.
Helped them develop an identity.
He's a dead rock star, but his voice is still heard in his music.




De-light
By Kirsten, Jasmine, and the Sass a.k.a. king of the birdz

This is to all you birds out there, if you a bird flap those wings

I go to the store to get my chicken delight
I eat it every day and every single night
So crispy and juicy it melts in my mouth
C'mon girl let's go down south


Can I get a bawk bawk? BAWK BAWK. x2


It goes real nice with some mashed potatahzz
If you don't believe us then y'all are just hatahzz
You can get it any size small or large
Just ask the King of the Birdz, we're in charge

Can I get a bawk bawk? BAWK BAWKx2

Chicken Delight is the place to be
Chicken Delight is the place fo' me
Drive on down and grab a bucket
If you don't like it ......then YOU STUPID.

Can I get a bawk bawk? BAWK BAWKx4

where my birds at? chickens, penguin, ostriches too.
flamingos roosters we love you 2.

Can I get a bawk bawk?BAWK BAWK(fade out)

(see above Chicken Delight video)


Joan Didion's Madness

Joan Didion’s madness is hidden.

On camera she is accepting an award like a non-crazy, normal person.

How is it that she seems so crazy in a Psychiatric analysis?

Because

Psychology is a way to categorize people.

Psychology judges people.

Psychology is impersonal.

Psychology has the need to classify people.

Psychology makes a big deal of everything although every person has their issues.

Psychology fails.


By Keron and Marie-Annett





LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) was officially discovered in November of 1938. In earlier history, there were instances where this drug's symptoms were present in a community. We are talking (of course) about the infamous Salem Witch Trials. When we dream, we draw on our experiences. When provoked by mass hysteria, it taps at our unconsciousness. In the case of these 141 women and 44 men, the bread they ate was contaminated by ergot, a fungus that is a base ingredient with symptoms similar to those of LSD. The fear of witchcraft permeated the community after Cotton Mather's accusation of these men and women being under the influence of a darker deity. It was because of these behaviors that the accusation drew even more fear into the people who then put these innocent people to death.

~ Abina Cohen & Ali Broadstone



Hannah and Angelo

Sept 18


Charles Manson

Charles Manson plotted serial killings
Who wanted nothing but murder.
As he hired 4 girls to spill the blood
but not get caught
He was at home planning his next victims.
People were dieing day by day
but Charles manson never had to pay
before the 4 girls saw their last days.
Charles Manson was then put behind bars
And convited to a life sentence
But then carefully thought it out and repented.

The My Lai massacre was a horrible incident in American history that occurred in 1968. 500 innocent Vietnamese civilians were killed by U.S troops the large majority of the victims were women, children, or elderly. The story of the event did not go public till 1969. Protest against the violence spread through the nation. Only one soldier was put in jail and he was pardoned only three days later. The massacre has not been forgotten.



Meri and Taylor



Eldridge Cleaver:



Eldridge Cleaver was Jesus. He was minister of the Black Panther Party through the years when America was on drugs. Depressed as he was oh so very much, he spent his times behind the bars…for a long, long time…for not paying respect to the American body. And of course…obviously…for getting shot and raping someone. There he didn’t do much. Just wrote a couple books and essays about how not to do it again. That was his major apology…but he has his own personal beliefs and chooses to speak out to the world openly, like he did with these college students. This is when Eldridge Cleaver…became the one…the only…Jesus.

No name Maddox Ginny,Harry, Neddy

A swastika between the eyes
Behind them the devil lies
Sharon Tate was stabbed 44 times
The child within her was victimized.
In San Fernando “The Family” lived
When they came no one survived
Now in jail it’s his turn to die
The motives for his killings no longer fly




Alex
Noah

The Black Panthers

We chose a clip about the black panthers and their leader Huey Newton. This video is shot during the trial of Huey Newton who was accused of shooting a police officer. At the beginning of the video, a group of black panthers are standing outside a courtroom showing support for Newton. The claim that they will not leave until Newton is set free, and if he is not set free there will be violence. The next part of the video shows a funeral of a black panther after he was shot while being ambushed by the Oakland police. There is then outrage within the black community and a lot of rallies for the release of Huey Newton. The video shows a large gathering of Black People supporting Newton at a big assembly. Many people speak on behalf of Newton. The main purpose of the video is to display the huge amounts of support the black community had for Huey Newton.




This is a video about Huey Newton's ideas which express the problems with racism in his era and now and the mistreatment of African Americans in his community. The simple fact that Huey Newton is expressing is police are brutal to Blacks. The reasons for having the black panther Party are clearly explained by many African American men and women from out time Huey's time period and now. The reasons include stopping police from arresting African Americans for unreasonable events and bailing Blacks out of jail. He would also like African American to be remembered in history for the actions they took in creating the United States. Fredrika Newton, the founder of the Huey Newton foundation explains that the organization was started to remember the Black Panther Party and their beliefs. It was started in 1993 and has recently created a tour and exhibition about the Party.



After spending about a year in jail, Huey along with all the other black panthers organized numerous breakfast kitchens for people too pour to afford their morning meal. The black panthers created a free medical center, and initiated a door-to-door heath care service. They aided the homeless in finding shelter and gave them free clothing and food. All this happened after he was released from jail. Many people see Huey P. Newton as an anti-social gangster. But society never told the story of his other side in which he contributed greatly to the community.

--
-Joe Barnard and Tiesha Pough



Charles Manson


As we watch this video, all we see are pictures but our main focus is on the insane words of Charles Manson. Manson believes that because of his troubled childhood, society has turned it’s back on him. Manson believes that because of the toll that his life has taken on him, he has the right to do anything he wants, including taking the lives of innocent people. Manson is under the impression that he never murdered anyone, although this is physically true he was the influence behind the actual murderers’ reasoning for killing Sharon Tate and 4 others. Manson believes that the murders he’s responsible for were not enough of a toll on society, he believes that he had the right to kill 500 hundred people if he pleased. Charles Manson’s words and actions subsequent to his conviction have made sure that he will never be released.


by Mitchell and Rachel