Friday, November 7, 2014

SPEECHLESS - Michael Jackson's Psalm?


 


 
  Michael Jackson is considered not only one of the best entertainers of all time but also one of the most influential people in the world.  His music transcends boundaries and limitations placed on many artists, even in music today.  He has set records within the entertainment industry, as well as broken records with his humanitarian efforts.  So, it wouldn't be too far fetched to say he was well in his rights to be crowned the 'king of pop'.  With the state music is in, I wish he were still here.  Combing through some of his musical works, I remembered how the song "Speechless" made me feel the first time I heard it. It reminded me of one of  king David's Psalms, in the Old Testament.  So, of course, I am attempting to prove this association through an allusion of Michael's lyrics in 'Speechless' in conjunction with the OT literary works in Psalms.  In order to do this, I will have to provide an explication of the song in question.
 
I must begin with the song's origins. In a 2001 interview with Vibe Magazine, Michael explained that he wrote this song after having a water balloon fight with kids in Germany. Below is his actual statement:
   Vibe: Tell me about the new CD Invincible. “ Speechless.”
Michael: You’ll be surprised. I had a big water balloon fight, I’m serious, in Germany and what inspires me is fun. I was with these kids and we had big water balloon fight and I was so happy after the fight that I ran upstairs in their house and wrote “Speechless.” That’s what inspired the song. I hate to say that because it’s such a romantic song. But, it was the fight that did it. I’d had fun, I was happy, and I wrote it in it’s entirety right there. I felt it would be good enough for the album. Out of this bliss comes magic, comes wonderment, comes creativity. It’s about having fun, it really is.

Very quickly, here is a quote to complete the previous statement.
"When I see children, I see the face of God. That's why I love them so much. That's what I see." (Ebony/Jet Interview, 2002)

Press Play For Song:

Lyrics:

Your love is magical, that's how I feel
But I have not the words here to explain
Gone is the grace for expressions of passion
But there are world's and worlds of ways to explain
To tell you how I feel
 
But I am speechless, speechless
That's how you make me feel
Though I'm with you, I am far away
And nothing is for real
When I'm with you, I'm lost for words
I don't know what to say
My head's spinning, like a carousel
So silently I pray
 
Helpless and hopeless, that's how I feel inside
Nothing's real, but all is possible
If God is on my side
When I'm with you, I'm in the light
Where I cannot be found
It's as though, I am standing in
The place called Hallowed Ground
 
Speechless, speechless
That's how you make me feel
Though I'm with you, I am far away
And nothing is for real
 
I go anywhere and do anything
Just to touch your face
There's no mountain high, I cannot climb
I'm humbled in your grace.
 
Speechless, Speechless
That's how you make me feel
Though I'm with you, I am lost for words
And nothing is for real
Speechless, speechless
That's how you make me feel
Though I'm with you, I am far away
And nothing is for real
 
Your love is magical, that's how I feel
But in your presence I am lost for words
Words like, like, I Love You.  
 
 
 
Speechless is obviously a lyric poem purely by design.
 
'Your love is magical, that's how I feel. But I have not the words here to explain. Gone is the grace for expressions of passion. But there are worlds and worlds of ways to explain. To tell you how I feel."  These lines are expressed as an Antithetic parallelism. In trying to express a feeling, the writer is so overwhelmed he cannot use words that are 'here' (this world) so he seems to want to search for words he still doesn't have access to, which belong to other worlds.  Rendering the writer in a contradictory state. These first few lines are also in A Capella could be categorized as a soliloquy. 
 
"But I am speechless, speechless, that's how you make me feel. Though I'm with you I am far away and nothing is for real." This is great imagery as it evokes an emotion that cannot be sensed but imagined.
 
"When I'm with you, I'm lost for words. I don't know what to say." This is a synonymous parallelism.  In restating the first line with the second, only making use of different words, the audience is able to understand the manifestation of a deeper connection and meaning evolving between the writer and his subject.
 
"My head's spinning like a carousel, so silently I pray."  In this simile, he brings back the jovial induced feeling caused by the carousel, yet, in this imagery, it remains only the mind or his head that causes the feeling through imagination like that of a child, whom the writer has spiritually connected with God.
 
"Helpless and hopeless, that's how I feel inside. Nothing's real but all is possible if God is on my side." This could also be a form of antithetic parallelism. Michael explicitly views his present state as being left with little to no possibility or hope to recover from being rendered speechless. However; he regains hope and momentum with the rational understanding of God's abilities and splendor.  God, whom once again is directly connected in his vision to children, the subject of this lyric poem. 
 
"When I'm with you, I'm in the light. I cannot be found. It's as though, I'm standing in, the place called Hallowed Ground"  If the writer has accredited kids with the ingenious quality of the spirit and purity of God, then these lines are essential to the plot. Here is imagery cascading lively in it's most decadent moments.  The contradictory tone of being with someone who's light is so bright and pure places the writer somewhere he cannot be found is monumental. Therefore, 'When I'm with you, I'm in the light, I cannot be found', is an antithetic parallelism.  The second portion of lines, 'It's as though, I'm standing in, the place called Hallowed Ground"; however, lean more in favor for emblematic parallelism.  


"I go anywhere and do anything, just to touch your face. There's no mountain high, I cannot climb. I'm humbled in Your Grace."  Here Michael has risen the subject in a climatic event.  Expressing that he would do anything, even demoralizing the feat of climbing a mountain, just to have the sensory of touching a face.  This imagery, symbolizes the heights that a person is elevated in the presence of 'God'.  Echoing back to 'all is possible, if God is on my side', addresses the realization of the omnipresence of Yahweh and completes the idealism presented in the writer's original claim. 


 
"Your love is magical. That's how I feel. But in your presence I am lost for words, words like, I Love You."  These last lines are also A Cappella.  When I hear this ending I feel as if the singer/writer has been reduced to his former soliloquy in the beginning; however, has found some kind of favor in his conclusion.  Within the simile of 'love is magical', somehow Michael succumbs to three magical words, he was once at a loss for, 'Words like, I Love you.'  At some point in his journey, he has realized the words he needed were there all along. He didn't have to search far.  He just had to claim them, even if it took an entire ode to God and the youngest of creation to do it. ( I was rooting for Michael the whole time.  True fan until the end.)


 
This entire song is like a prayer.  When you search for the answer and the only place you know to obtain it lies hidden in the silence of meditative prayer. 









 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

My ideal classroom begins with color and seamless design.


I would like 3 walls to be orange in color with an accent wall falling more into the pastel yellow or a beige to creme area, not white.  Lowe’s Gallon of paint - $34.98. covers about 350 sq ft.





I want to keep the white board, I just don’t like chalk boards.


Another suggestion for walls that’s inexpensive and would actually include student contribution: We could display art on the walls from our very own student’s hand picked to provide ambience in the classroom.  


I would also place plant life into the room to add green…
$59.36-Lowes




Desks should be ergonomical and seamless in design to champion flexibility and continuity in the the classroom. I also chose these table because of the adjustable height
I like this adjustable height mobile computer table with power and usb. It’s available in 3 sizes… Cost - $184.88 to $226.88 .  


Seating should be somewhat the same comfortable, providing support, adjustable height and mobile.  Cost $76.88





switching to a more durable commercial carpet can cost anywhere from $.64 cents a square foot to $1.04 cents. Still can’t figure out what flooring I would switch to.


However, if i had to choose


Suggested lighting would be full spectrum lighting, which has had vast studies done since the early 1970’s.  It has been shown to reduce strain on the eyes, promotes focus and memory retention as well as improvement of grades and is healthier than the traditional lighting of fluorescent /  incandescent light bulbs… here is a link that discusses the lighting even further




Depending on quantity purchased… $6.50(100)  $7.00 (25-99) and $8.00(up to 24)
http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/product_658_detailed.htm

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Dear Cain - "Supernatural"

Supernatural Season 9, Episode 11
Supernatural is by far one of my favorite television series.  The show has managed to captivate audiences with it's two handsome demon hunting siblings Dean and Sam Winchester; as well as, its many references to biblical text.  Of course, the name alone invokes a sense of awareness and maintains a transcendent quality that keeps viewers begging for more.  Well, this viewer anyway.  Supernatural is defined as, of or relating to God or a god, demigod, spirit, or devil (Merriam Webster).  Such a broad spectrum of a realm beyond our human understanding and existence has given writers the capability to explore questions and answers in a seemingly pragmatic sense.  My allusion deals with the episode entitled, "First Born".  The bible is notorious for it's firstborns.  One of the most infamous, controversial and earliest, besides Adam of course, is Cain, whom is also the firstborn alluded to in Season 9, Episode 11.  While this episode does encompass two different story lines, my focus will be on the one that follows Dean, played by Jensen Ackles.
Before I plunge further, allow me a chance to quickly recap the happenings until this moment.  An Angel by the name of Metatron, (Curtis Armstrong) has cast every angel from heaven while a knight of hell, Abaddon, (Josie Sands) seeks to destroy not only the brothers but the king of hell, Crowley.  Meanwhile, recently possessed by an angel and newly exorcised Sam, played by Jared Padelecki,  and yes I just couldn't resist, is with another angel Castiel, (Misha Collins) searching for a way to bring down Metatron.  It is while Castiel is healing Sam that he realizes a fragment of grace has been left behind by the angel who possessed him, Gadreel (Tahmoh Penikett), and if he can extract enough from Sam there is a spell that will aid them in tracking Gadreel, whom is working for Metatron.  One would think, "Where is God?"  Well, according to Metatron and other angels, God just left and hasn't returned in the better part of a millennium.  Interesting!  There is biblical evidence to support God's separation from mankind when it becomes too impure.


So, why are Sam and Dean separated?  Dean is seeking redemption for allowing Sam to be possessed and teams up with Crowley to seek a knife. Crowley explains it is the only instrument able to defeat Abaddon because it was used to execute the 'Knights of Hell'.  He persuades Dean to search the family vault for what he calls the "The First Blade".    Dean reluctantly goes to the vault but does locate information about the blade and the name of a woman who can help them locate it, Tara.  After finding Tara, she shows them a location spell but is missing one ingredient.  Of course, Crowley is able to retrieve it and voila, the blade is somewhere in Missouri... on a farm?  What's up with these people and spells?  I don't remember any spells being used in the Old Testament.  When Dean and Crowley finally make it to the farm, a beekeeper can be seen walking amongst the hives, whom Crowley readily identifies as Cain, played by Timothy Omundson.
            Rewind.  Cain?  How old is this guy?  First, let's address the honeybees and the fact that the father of murder is the beekeeper.

 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” Exodus 33:3

This could explain why God has been absent for so long.  Not to mention, Dean's character has always been stubborn and rash as well as violent. Cain also makes the statement, 'Without bees, mankind would cease to exist. Honey, in this case, is indicative to fertility.  When looking back to the separate story lines of this episode, on one hand there is grace remaining inside of Sam and on the other Dean is seeking redemption for his actions.  The writers not only establish a fine line between redemption and grace, they also are insinuating that Dean is close to the proverbial promise land.  Once again, God hasn't been around, so is it even possible to have all three without His blessing?  Crowley seemingly acts as if he wants no part in asking Cain for any assistance and begs Dean to leave.  However, reluctance has never been a strong suit for Dean to wear.  Dean demands that Cain give them the blade.  Cain states that he no longer has the blade.  Besides it was he who built the Knight's of Hell.  It was also Cain, who slaughtered them.  In a very interesting exchange of words between two firstborns, Cain and Dean, the audience is given an entirely different view on what really took place the day Cain killed Abel.
 

Cain: We're Kindred Souls.
Dean: Except for I didn't kill my brother.
Cain: No. You saved him.

This is the biblical rendition of what happened that dark day in history.  Genesis 4: 1-16 expresses that Adam and Eve conceived and Cain was the firstborn. They conceived again and Eve bore another son Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep and Cain worked the ground.  When presenting to the alter, Cain gave an offering of fruit but Abel gave an offering of the firstborn of his flock and the fat portions.  God was happy about Abel's offering but not Cain's.  When God witnessed Cain's fallen countenance:
The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4: 6,7
Cain eventually went to his brother and spoke to him.  He rose up to kill him while in the field.  God later comes to Cain questioning him about his brother.  Cain then replies in the most infamous line, " I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" Genesis 4:9 
 God then curses Cain.
Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.             Genesis 4:13-17

Well, this is the biblical story and the mark of Cain stands true even in the fictional version. There is an actual mark on the forearm of Cain.  In Supernatural, Cain; however, tells the story with a twist.  

Cain:
Abel wasn't talking to God. He was talking to Lucifer. Lucifer was gonna make my brother into his pet, I couldn't bear to watch him be corrupted, so I offered a deal — Abel's soul in Heaven for my soul in Hell. Lucifer accepted... as long as I was the one who sent Abel to Heaven. So, I killed him. Became a soldier of Hell — a knight.

This is why Supernatural's Cain said he and Dean were kindred souls.  Sam made a deal in a prior season. The difference was Dean took on the burden so his brother wouldn't die.  Dean went to hell so Sam could live.  Sam living, is the reason there was some grace remaining.  Cain isn't even able to toil the earth, yet, he is still a earthbound spirit; regardless of him being a demon.  He only wants to be left alone, even in this episode, and has sworn off any violence after his dearly departed fiance begged him to stop. Supernatural creators use many references to biblical text but this is by far the best.  The idea that Cain is a semi good guy who remains to this day is remarkable.  Remember, the mark of Cain was placed on Cain in the event those who found him should attack him. I absolutely love the fact that the blade works with the 'Mark'. Cain tells Dean where the blade can be found and transfers the 'Mark', which could only be transferred to someone Cain deemed worthy.  This is done in the heat of attack upon Cain's house by some unruly demons working for Abaddon.  Cain places Dean and Crowley safely outside of the house and tells Dean to do what he needs to do.  The scene ends with Cain surrounded by Demons and a bright red light emanating from the house as the screams and cries of Demons hunt our auditory nerves. 
Please excuse the language, as it is not my own.  Enjoy!


-

Monday, September 22, 2014

How was Moses' blessings able to override Jacob's, especially when dealing with the Levites?

 
 
 
 
 
The book of Deuteronomy is a rather difficult to read, follow and comprehend.  Moses recounts 40 years of what many literary scholars have deemed an epic adventure.  There are very little narrative moments encountered and then all of sudden... bam!  You reach the end and realize the new promised and blessed beginning has the potential  of becoming a curse.  Of course, the curse is only if the Israelites do not obey the laws as set forth by Yahweh.  Essentially, I was drawn to the beautiful poetic blessing of the people of Israel by Moses.   As I began, to read through the blessings a most profound thought occurred.  The tribe of Simeon is left out completely but Levi is given a bountiful blessing.  Why was the tribe of Levi blessed and Simeon not?  Weren't these two cursed within the blessing by their father Jacob? 
 
 
 
Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.  Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company.  For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen.  Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel!  I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.  (Genesis 49:5-7)
 
As I researched the potential reasoning behind the sudden change of heart on the behalf of Levi, I discovered something very interesting.  First, we must remember that Moses was the brother of Aaron and Miriam, whose mother, Jochebed, was the daughter of Levi, whom was separated from his people 3 months after his birth. 
 
 
 
 We must also remember Moses' quick outburst of anger and violence when he killed the Egyptian.  The attributes of violence his grandfather spoke of were still there.  The significance; however, lies in his shame and fear after killing the Egyptian and being reminded by his brethren that he had committed an act of violence.  This is also the reasoning within the story for his preeminence over the tribes of Israel.  Moses simply displayed what I like to call, heart over matter.  Moses was the beginning of Levi's curse having the potential to become a blessing.  Even more enlightenment for the Levites came when they "...sided with Moses over the sin of the golden calf at Mount Sinai; however, even then they used their swords as weapons of violence in slaughtering about three thousand that day (Exodus 32: 26-29)."   (Jaymack.net) 
It is (Exodus32:29) that stands  alone to constitute the violence within the situation. 
 And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”
 
Because of their loyalty, they remained divided and scattered among the people, sons and brothers.  However, this same loyalty is the reasoning for their newly appointed job as priests.  Seemingly, the original division of Levi and his brother Simeon by their father Jacob served a greater purpose within God's plan. (Thirdmill.com)  God needed them scattered among the people, '...so that they could teach God's precepts and laws to Israel."  (Thirdmill.com)  In order to do that the Levites are charged with the upkeep of the Temple and the many rituals and ceremonies.  This was no easy feat; therefore, God also gave them "...all the tenth of Israel as their inheritance."  (Guidedbiblestudies.com)  
 
 Meanwhile, the Simeonites seemed to dissipate rapidly overtime, "at the second wilderness census of Israel, 63% of the tribe perished and they became the smallest tribe. Numbers 26:14 records their new number as being 22,200 people in number."  (dailyfamilyministries.com)  For the tribe of Simeon there arose no one as an intercessor and not one account was recorded that would even justify Yahweh having a change of heart.  The original curse for this tribe remained and they eventually were absorbed into the tribe of Judah.  There is no later record of them in the history of Israel. (Ligonier.org)
 
 
This in short reminds me of two children who are terrors when they are together.  The wisdom comes in the separation.  One apologizes from the heart, redeems himself and is forgiven and allowed to interact with his peers again.  The other, feels as if he is the one whom has been wronged and does nothing to change his attitude or behavior and continually digs a deeper hole for himself.  That same redemptive quality displayed by the 1st child is also the reason why Moses, a Levite, was able to bestow or rather turn a curse into a blessing for the Tribe of Levi.  In return, Moses' words were that of poetic Justice.
 

 
 
 
 And of Levi he said,

“Give to Levi your Thummim,
and your Urim to your godly one,
whom you tested at Massah,
with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah;
who said of his father and mother,
‘I regard them not’;
he disowned his brothers
and ignored his children.
For they observed your word
and kept your covenant.
They shall teach Jacob your rules
and Israel your law;
they shall put incense before you
and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
Bless, O LORD, his substance,
and accept the work of his hands;
crush the loins of his adversaries,
of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”

(Deuteronomy 33:8-11 ESV)