Marcus' HUM251 Blog

Francisco Goya's tumultuous life is capitalized by the "Black Paintings" that he produced while he was in a deep state of dejection shortly after the Napoleonic wars and becoming deaf from two severe illnesses. Goya also produced a vast series of satirical etchings called "Los Caprichos" to criticize the ignorance of the Spanish society he witness at the time. Both of the series of art works were intended to criticize the failure of the Spanish state and the horrors during the Napoleonic wars. However, the Black Paintings were never intended to be revealed to the public, especially since Goya painted them directly onto the walls of his home. This etching / aquatint drawing is titled "The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters" (1799) it is 21.5 cm by 15 cm and is one of the more famous etchings from Los Caprichos. This depicts a sleeping Goya on his drawing desk as he is harassed by an onslaught of bats and owls. I believe that Goya is haunted by the ho...

Various forms of personality quizzes over the past couple decades have evolved into a social phenomenon on smart phone apps and the internet. It has even become commonplace for one go speak with a fortune teller and toss oodles of cash into these "experiences" to discover one's own personality. A vast plethora of individuals have taken personality quizzes whether they be Pottermore tests from Harry Potter or Game of Thrones house tests, but do any of these actually accurately measure your virtue as an individual, let alone your personality? Some individual's personalities have the tendency to change overtime and to accurately gauge it consistently would be nearly impossible. However, taking the time to ask yourself simple questions about your own perspective on life could prove to be enlightening. Some fundamental aspects of an individuals personality can be discovered by comprehending if one is Romantic or Classical. As Romantics are generally more intuitive as they ...

It was the spring of 1863 and a runaway slave by the name of Gordon managed to escape the brutal grip of his master. He paved his way towards the Mississippi river while being pursued by his master's bloodhounds, and managed to throw them off the trail my masking his scent with onions from the master's farm. After traveling a grueling 80 miles towards the Mississippi river Gordon finally acquired his freedom at the Baton Rouge Union army base; this alone is an amazing feat, but Gordon did not stop there. Gordon joined the Union army a couple months after Abraham Lincoln allowed African Americans to serve in segregated corps. Once Gordon went through his medical exam the military doctors began to realize what horrors Gordon went through during his years as a slave. The scars on Gordon's back were so apprehensive that journalists from the Weekly Harper decided to photograph his wounds and mass produce the photos to inform others of the terrible situation slaves were in. Many ...