Blog 14

I believe that I am doing really well in my annotations. I have been trying to ask lots of questions about the text. These are not only clarifying questions, but also questions questioning the text. There were a few points where I was wary of some of what he was saying or he sounded arrogant. I also rewrote different passages in my own words so that I can go back and look for them quickly.

Surrounding Context: This essay was first posted in January of 2014 and was written by YO-YO MA. It was posted in World Post along with a partnership with Huffington Post. YO-YO MA seems like a very educated man by what was described in his bio. He attended both Juilliard and Harvard. He is also a very famous and talented musician, which gives him good credentials for this essay considering that it is about music/art. 

Circumstantial Context: I am reading this essay for class, so I didn’t pick it out for myself. It is also an essay I couldn’t see myself deciding to read for fun when looking at the surface of the essay. Though through reading it I did enjoy it. In high school I did a lot of theatre and musicals. I also used to play piano and took lessons for five years, while now I am going to college for a science is it was sort of cool being able to find a connection between the two. 

Intentional Context: YO-YO MA is trying to convince his audience that the arts are important. He is trying to explain that science and art can go hand in hand even though they are complete opposites. Art and music are used to feel and understand emotions, while they can also help you become more flexible and have more creative thinking. By having these skills a person can use them in a science field which will overall help them.

Tandem: Having two things arranged one in front of the other.
Meridians: A circle of constant longitude passing through a given place on the earth’s surface.
Invigorate: Give strength or energy to.

• 

• 

•