Junior Varsity English (Prep for AP, Humanities, and Big Time University): TOPIC

Friday, May 9, 2008

TOPIC

1. Explain how your topic has evolved from the beginning of the project to today. Has it changed? Has it expanded? Has it narrowed? Why? If it stayed the same explain why you picked it. If you had more time would you change, narrow, or expand?

2. What have you learned about your topic? (What have you learned that is interesting or important to you? What have you learned that is worth telling others?)

3. What would you still like to know more about? Why?

29 comments:

Hannah Benson said...: 1) My topic has evolved in the sense that it has gotten a lot more specific since the first time I thought of it, but it was all based on one thing. I wanted to explore religion in Gloucester, and how it affects every day life, if that life has changed as the church has less influence than the media, etc. At first, I wanted to do the Old Wesley Methodist Church next to Eaton's Apothecary's because I went there and I felt it had a lot of background. However, there was not much information on the church, and because most of the members either died off or don't remember there was not too much to know. But still, I stayed with the religious aspect. I wanted something that most everyone was aware of, but didn't really know too much about. So I chose the Catholic religion because the Island of Gloucester is predominately Catholic. I did not just want to do Catholicism, but rather compare the different ways Roman Catholics practice. In light of the recent combining of the catholic churches to form Holy Family Parish, I decided to compare that to Our Lady of Good Voyage.

2) As a Protestant in a Catholic community, I've learned a lot from this project, but not necessarily things I wasn't vaguely aware of. I knew that Our Lady's was of Azorean decent, and Holy Family was basically everyone else, but mostly the Italian population. One thing that is really cool that I probably should have known about was the Portuguese Crowning Ceremony that takes place every year in May at Our Lady of Good Voyage. I felt kind of sheltered that until this project, I had never heard of something that was so unique and important to members of Our Lady. As far as the two church's compare, I was also not aware that Our Lady of Good Voyage was invited to join Holy Family Parish, but denied even though finances were not extremely strong. I think these are very unique things, and most of the community knows about it, so I'm glad I do as well.

3) Although I've learned a sufficient amount, I still would like to attend a service at both Our Lady of Good Voyage, and St. Ann's (Holy Family) just to see how they do their service. I've never been to more than a Catholic wedding, so I cannot say I know how the Catholic service works. I want to be able to compare not just from hearing it through other people, but to experience it.; May 10, 2008 at 7:53 AM
Ali O said...: 1. My topic has expanded slightly from what I had in mind in the beginning of my researching. I had in mind Braces Cove Beach. However, in my own mind I though I may become limited at one point with even information about the beach itself. I ended up moving towards where the beach was located, which was Eastern Point and from this I decided to pick the Eastern Point Retreat House which is located right near Braces Cove. I ended up with a topic that I still feel interested in, and it still relates to my first ideas I had in mind.
2. I’ve learned that the Jesuits are significantly involved with the founding and distribution of the Catholic religion. There were obstacles to overcome to get to the point where we are today with Catholic practices, and also the offering of retreat houses like the one on Eastern Point all over the world. I learned about the important atmosphere that is purposely set up to accommodate this type of religious teaching, the simplicity that a person’s life contains when living in the retreat houses as from as belongings go and things that they are provided with when there. Most of all, I’ve been introduced the deep purpose for Retreat houses and what they do to heal, mend or fulfill the he body and soul of a human being.
3. I would just like a clearer visual image in my head of the actual atmosphere of the Retreat House. I am going to schedule a tour so I can observe the environment and the building itself, and get some other information one on one from the providers themselves.; May 11, 2008 at 9:07 AM
aunis said...: Alicia Unis
E Block

Judith Sargent Murray

1. My topic really hasn't changed that much since I decided on the topic. I chose to research Judith Sargent Murray, a feminist writer born in Gloucester. After researching for a while I began to appreciate this woman and her accomplishments and was aggravated with the limited sources. My topic did change slightly after reading two of her works of literature. I expanded to her selected works of literature because her words had such an influence on me. I could envision the strength in her convictions and the power of influence she must have had. Other than extending my topic into her actual works of literature, my topic has changed very little. I really enjoyed researching this topic and if given the choice wouldn't trade it.

2. Although this woman was remarkable and fascinating, most of what I had learned were a series of monotonous facts. I had to sift through these empty facts to find some elements of her life that was interesting. Not only did she write essays, but poetry, magazine columns and plays. She was also the first American to have their play produced on the Boston Stage. The ideas presented in her most famous essay "On the Equality of the Sexes" was compared to that of Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique." She dedicated her life to fighting for women's right to an education. Apart from her Mother's teachings on the basic household skills, Judith was practically self-taught. She utilized her family's extensive library and learned alongside her brother that would move onto Harvard College, while she was left at home to find a husband. For such a limited education it is remarkable the eloquence and beauty she writes with. Even in modern times when women have equal rights, her literature is still compelling enough to bring about protests.

3. If I could learn about more concerning Judith's life, I would like to know what kind of effect she had on past women and men. Besides the comment that her neighbors gossiped about her unorthodoxy, shaming her family, there isn't much information on how she affected the people of her time. I wonder if they were compelled like I was, or too conditioned to think it was just something foolish, or the works of a witch. I would like to think her words inspired her peers into rebellion and provoked any form of thought or questioning of the injustices of society.; May 12, 2008 at 10:04 AM
Emily Philpott said...: 1.My topic has slightly expanded since the beginning of the project. I started off just wanting to research the history of the crowning ceremony and the story of how it came to Gloucester, but now i have begun to explore people's opinions of the ceremony and what it means to the people that are actively involved. Also, i have become interested in learning about what the people who aren't involved think of the ceremony and what they think it is. My main topic has stayed the same but i definitely have started to think of different things to research about it.

2. So far, i have learned a lot from this project. I have been apart of the crowning ceremony me whole life and my grandparents are very actively involved in the tradition, but i was amazed at how much i didn't know about it. I never knew the history of the ceremony or how it moved to Gloucester from the Azores. I have been attending the ceremony since i was little so i knew all about what events go on and how it works. I'm glad that i got to learn more about its history from this project.

3. Although i have attended the ceremony and seen it first hand, there is still more i would like to learn. I would really like to talk to people that aren't Portuguese catholics or that were unaware that the ceremony even existed. I want to know what they think it is and what their opinion on it is.; May 12, 2008 at 10:16 AM
Courtland Kelly said...: Courtland Kelly
E Block
Cape Ann’s Artists, Artisans and Influence on Artists

TOPIC
1.My topic has stayed generally the same. The only development was my transition to living artists from the historical painters. Since the Gloucester Art books that I found and read were fairly dry and uninspiring, I decided to research living artists and get their first-hand accounts of their experiences as a Cape Ann artist. If I had more time, I would interview some of the other Cape Ann artisans. With a new perspective, I might change my focus in light of some new and interesting aspect of Cape Ann art that these artists have to share.

2. In almost all of my interviews, which were my best sources, the artists strongly expressed the importance of other artists in Cape Ann to their artwork. Whether it was encouraging them to stay in the business or giving them new ideas to build on, the importance of Cape Ann art community seemed central to all of the artists’ careers.

3. Gloucester is now a famous art colony that attracts many artists because of the beautiful scenery and its rich art history. Although it is virtually impossible, I would like to know more about the first Gloucester artists’ experiences and impressions where they first came here. All of the artists that I interviewed really embraced that art community of Cape Ann, but I wonder about Gloucester as it was before when artists were scarce and the individuality of the art craft was much more prominent.; May 12, 2008 at 4:16 PM
alannah gannon said...: 1.My topic has exapanded some but not much. From the beginning of the project it was just about Hammond's Castle but now it is more about John Hammond and his inventions. The castle itself did not appeal to me the more I researched it but I started to get into Hammonds inventions and how crazy his life was. If I had more time to do some digging i would look at the castle more because i think it will help me with the background of Hammond and his inventions.

2.I have learned about John Hammonds life growing up and how he was first influenced by thomas edison. i also learnt that he first developed his intrests in castles when he lived in england. I also learnt that he invented remote controls, sonar and radar. I think that the castle he built in gloucester was interesting because hammond built it as a wedding present and i think that the castle at lookout hill is interesting. Hammond turned the guesthouse at his parents home into a castle/lab. He did a lot of research at the guesthouse and it was the control point no. 1 for his remote control inventions.

3.I would still like to know more about the seances and horroscope reading parties he hosted. I feel that people living in Gloucester at the same time as Hammond might have thought of him as strange. I also would like to know more about the other inventions that he created and what ones did not get patented.; May 12, 2008 at 4:34 PM
Anonymous said...: Sarah Johnson
Halibut Point State park

1. My topic was rather general to begin with, and it’s pretty much stayed that way. I’m basically covering any/all aspects involving Halibut State Park, like I mentioned on the title of my annotated bibliography. I chose this topic for a multitude of reasons. When my sister did this project 2 years ago, I was pretty involved, and I found the research on quarrying the pits in Lanesville and Rockport to be really interesting. Although it seemed all too easy to take this free card and do the same topic, I resisted, although I was still interested in the idea so I was excited to find another topic which involves that. I asked my parents for suggestions when I was brainstorming a topic, and they both came up with the Park separately, so that seemed like a good sign to me as well. Having grown up a few minutes’ walk from the park, it’s definitely a place I know a lot about in the aspects of rock adventures and dog walking, but not one I know much about historically or culturally, so that was interesting as well.

2. I went into this project thinking that I already knew everything worth knowing about this park, but I was, of course, completely wrong. I had no idea there had been wedding ceremonies on top of the grout pile (how romantic), and I definitely didn’t know that when the quarry closed in 1929 due to a decrease in product demand, that over 300 people lost their jobs. I also learned that the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation bought the park after a rich entrepreneur tried to cultivate it for several years. As the man figured: if he couldn’t cultivate it, no one could! And so he sold it to the program which restored the natural aesthetics of the park. As predicted, my favorite information has been involving the quarries, and the quarry stone cutting demonstration at the park was my favorite event, seeing a chunk of granite (with a density of 160 lbs/ft3), split down the center with 3 spikes and a small chisel.

3. I’m still curious about these weddings happening in the park, and also about some of the local artists who have worked in the area. I feel these aspects bring the park to life, as more than an historical hole in the ground or even as a “National State Park”, but makes it more of a community location. I also might shift my focus towards quarrying simply because I love the cultural aspect of the Finns, despite my reluctance to follow in Emily’s footsteps. I’d love to know more about the view of the point from the fisherman’s perspective—how does the grout pile appear from sea? Is the point a beacon, coming home from the north? Is it undefined from the surrounding cape? I’m trying to find a boat to see for myself.; May 12, 2008 at 5:13 PM
MHodgkins said...: 1. My topic has definately evolved. When I first started, all I knew was Stuart Davis was an abstract artist. I barely knew anything else. So I figured I'd do my project on him and his art and his life. Now I've seen what his work looks like and how it has changed over time. He is not only an amazing painter but he is also original and unique. I topic has now expanded from just Davis and his paintings to Davis, his paintings, his style, and his way of transforming something like Gloucester into something that looks almost completely different.

2. I've learned that Davis had been an artist all his life, he started with his father as the art editor of a newsaper and his mother as a sculptor. He worked with many soon to be famous artists in his teen years. He started to experiment with cubism, mixing european and american style to create his own. He spent almost every summer in Gloucester, a place he found to be the perfect inspiration for his work. He used his abstract style transform a simple subject like a waterfront view into a jumble of shapes and colors that was considered a masterpiece.

3. I would like to know more about Davis and why he found Gloucester as such a wonderful inspiration. I read that he saw it as a place full of life, he enjoyed watching the fishermen and other workers do their jobs around the city, but there must of been more than that. I wonder why he would see a place full of wooden shacks, and old boats and docks as a place that inspired such vibrant paintings as bright and lively as his.; May 12, 2008 at 5:57 PM
banderson said...: 1. First I started off saying that the Fiesta would be in an interesting topic to research. I realized going through it that it was a vague topic to cover it all. There was so much information to be found but Fiesta sports fit me well. Being interested in sports made this a perfect fit to spend the last quarter of the year researching. If i had more time i would not change because i enjoy my topic.

2. Living in gloucester my whole life i understood the fiesta very well. Studying the topic i realized that the sports are different than i expected. I actually never knew what the greasy pole winner had won and realized that they acutally win money for the victory.

3. there is still alot of information on the topics that i do not know. Also, i would like to know why gloucester switched the pole of walking across it rather than climbing it becuase that was the first way a greasy pole was competed.; May 12, 2008 at 6:25 PM
MegHan said...: Meghan Ciaramitaro

1. I originally started this project looking at painters of Cape Ann. However, after only a few searches I lost interest in the subject. Right after I chose Cape Ann photographers. I wanted to only use one Photographer, but information is so sparse I changed my subject to multiple photographers in Cape Ann. This is a great topic for me because I love looking at the photographs.

2. I've learned that there are artists in Cape Ann who can produce amazing work. Also that many of these photographs have traveled around the world, but find a good amount of inspiration from little towns like Rockport or Gloucester.

3. I would like to know more personal information about the artists because their biographies or "artist summaries" were short and un-detailed. I didn’t learn much about the artists and if I had more information than I could have a stronger argument about the personal; May 12, 2008 at 8:03 PM
Emily Castro said...: 1.) When choosing my topic for the Cape Ann Art and Culture project I wasn't looking for things that were very specific, but rather general topics that interested me. After two days of searching I chose to research Charles Olson for the project. After further research, I came to discover that Charles Olson is held responsible in creating a philosphy that is very important among many writers and artists in Cape Ann and across the country. Charles Olson's philosophy is the persistence of place. Now, rather than focusing on Charles Olson's life, literature, and ideas, I am focusing on the single philosphy and how Olson applies it to Cape Ann.

2.)Through research I have learned many things about Chalres Olson and his life, and I am just beginning to learn about his philosophy of the persistence of place. Through watching the movie Polis Is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence of Place, I learned that Polis is a Greek City-State. It is also a body of citizens, and it also referrred to by some as the local ( a concept I am still trying to grasp). I also learned that in order to truly see what one is looking at one must first know what was there before the present, what meaning it held, why it existed, and how it came to be. Thus far I have only scratched the surface of Olson's philosophy of the persistence of place.

3.)I would still like to learn more about the persistence of place, because I still do not fully understand it's meaning and the weight that it carries for many poets and artists on Cape Ann and across the nation. I would also like to know more about projective verse, Olson's Maximus poems, and the effects that his poetry had/has on American poetry as a whole. I think this information could aid me greatly in writing a creative, comprehensive paper to support my thesis.; May 12, 2008 at 8:49 PM
leah palazola said...: 1. In the beginning all I really knew was that I wanted to do something involving the St. Peter's Fiesta. Other students were focusing on the sporting events and stuff like that. Once I got into it I realized that I wanted to focus on comparing it to some of the first Fiesta's back in the late 1920s; something about how its original religion and tradition has possible changed.

2) Some of the most interesting information that I learned was from an interview I did. I interviewed my Grandfather who has experienced every single Gloucester Fiesta since the first one in 1927. He was able to give me information that I was new to me about how the Fiesta was run when it first started. This allowed me to compare it with what I know of it and have learned of it today. The most interesting thing to me was that the St. Peter's Fiesta was first just a one day event where the statue was taken out of the warehouse, where he was stored down the Fort, and the neighbors would gather with Captain Salvatore Favazza to honor the protecter of their fishermen. My Grandfather lived down the Fort when he was a child and was able to participate in this event before it become the huge festival it is today.

3) I am very interested in the background and old traditions that came along with the St. Peter's Fiesta. I would like to learn more about how different events started and the reasoning/meaning behind them.; May 13, 2008 at 5:41 AM
Lucy Fox said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; May 13, 2008 at 5:53 AM
Lucy Fox said...: Cape Ann Art (specifically Gloucester and Rockport Harbors)

My topic originally was going to be Rockport’s Motif #1. Since the first day of research, my topic has changed a great deal. Having run into multiple dead ends, and figuratively speaking, rotaries, I expanded my topic to include all Cape Ann art depicting harbor scenes. There is plenty of artists who visited Cape Ann and were influenced greatly by the both Gloucester and Rockport’s picturesque harbors. In my research I saw countless images of the Gloucester Harbor I see daily. It interested me to see that people for decades have found my everyday environment a beautiful and fascinating sight. What was particularly interesting was the number of artists who have been inspired by Cape Ann’s harbors. I think it is important for people to realize how fortunate they are to live in such a beautiful place; many are oblivious to the amazing spectacle that is everyday life in a North Eastern seaside town.; May 13, 2008 at 5:55 AM
alison r said...: Starting off this paper I knew I wanted to do something about the fishing in Gloucester/Cape Ann. So I started researching about fishing in Gloucester, when it started, how it grew, what it influenced and so on. But I branched off that topic and into boat building. I found a lot of information on boat building, but in particular schooners - so I chose to write about that - mainly about how auxiliary engines have changed them. The one big thing that I learned from my research of schooners is that they were much bigger in the early years of Gloucester compared to the fishing industry. Many more people where employed to build the boats that went fishing rather than employed to do the actual fishing. Maybe one day I will get the chance to take a ride on a schooner. I have ridden on one before but it was so long ago.; May 13, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Michael said...: Michael McGovern
E Block

1. No, my topic hasn't really evolved since the project started. I went into this project trying to cover as much information about Dogtown as I could. Every source that I looked at told me pretty much the same thing about Dogtown. I did not gain diverse information about Dogtown and as a result, my topic stayed broad. I picked this topic becuase I found Dogtown's history and tradition very interesting. I always liked the stories about the people of Dogtown and the legends that revolved around it. If I had more time, I probably would have tried to expand my search. I would have tried to find different information about Dogtown and try and make my topic a little more diverse.

2. I have learned that Dogtown was much more than just a small settlement. I found that it was used as a barricade against pirates and at one point was the community of the rich. Also, Dogtown has been used as a place of inspiration because of the stones that Roger Babson had put in the Dogtown Commons.

3. I would still like to know more about the first settlements of Dogtown. While trying to find information, all I could find was individual people as opposed to a history of the town. No source talked specifically about the community and how the people lived in Dogtown.; May 13, 2008 at 4:16 PM
Paul Russo said...: 1. When I first started to research my project, I figured I would base my information on a few quality, and famous photographs. However, as I got deeper and deeper into research, I discovered that there are so many pictures taken in Cape Ann of famous places and beautiful scenery. I would definitely say that my topic has expanded from my original idea. Now that I have gotten most of my initial researching done, I regret not narrowing my topic down to maybe a famous photographer who based his/her life on Cape Ann photography, like Charles A. Lowe, a widely recognized photographer who used to work for the Gloucester Daily Times.

2. From looking at hundreds of photos taken in Cape Ann, there is really not much more I can learn that I have no already known. However, I have never noticed how tranquil Cape Ann seems when photographed. I also never noticed how much history influences a picture to be exceptional.

3. I would like to learn about world-known photographers coming here and spending some time in Cape Ann. I would also like to find the photographs of Cape Ann that have really stuck out to people that are not from here. Even though I have seen pictures of famous locations, I am not sure that I have found a picture that has become famous solely because of the photo, and not what is in it, if that makes sense.; May 13, 2008 at 5:03 PM
Alyssa D'Antonio said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; May 13, 2008 at 5:40 PM
Alyssa D'Antonio said...: At the beginning of this project I had absolutely no idea what topic to choose, after mulling over various topics and wasting at least one full day in the library mulling over different aspects of Cape Ann I finally decided on Charles Olson. Going into this I had no idea who Charles Olson was, other than that he has influenced many of my favorite writers, like Jack Kerourac and Allen Ginsberg as well as the rest of the Beat generation. As I read his poetry and began researching his life I learned that Olson was not only important to these authors, but to Cape Ann as well, and the ideals of utopianism. My ideas for my topic began to narrow from just a generalized look at Charles Olson to the interdependent relationship between Charles Olson and Gloucester. The city inspired Olson to write, and Olson’s writings inspired the city to strive to become his own ideal of Polis.
I think that in learning about Olson’s personal life and personal relationships with both the people in his life, and his home are key to understanding why Olson desperately wanted to try better his city. Olson was greatly disturbed by the corruption in both the Kennedy era presidency, and his own town government at the time, and both inspired Olson to start his work on The Maximus Poems.
I think that a deeper exploration of Olson’s writing structure would help me to understand the sometimes tougher concepts of Olson’s poetry. In order to really understand what Olson is trying to convey I have found it helpful to read his poetry at least twice and once aloud in order to really start to grasp the concepts. I would also find it interesting to learn more about Olson’s personal life, from what I have skimmed through, it seems as though Charles Olson would have been a very interesting person to know. Finding more first hand accounts of Olson would definitely help me to serve my thesis ideas of Olson’s dependance on Gloucester.; May 13, 2008 at 5:40 PM
Analise Sanfilippo said...: 1)My topic has evolved because i went from jsut thinking that T.S. Eliot was just a poet straight from gloucester. I have found in my research that he has actually lived in two other places. I have learned quite a few of his writings have focused directly on cape ann and also specifics of gloucester. While doing my research it was quite hard to come across the specific writings that were written about cape ann. Internet sources were not exactly the best to go by but many of the books that I had looked in were just based on his plays and playwrites.

2)Most of the informations that i have found was very much the same all of my internet sources were basically biographies of T.S. Eliot. He is deffinetly one of the more interesting poets that have written in Gloucester because he has lived in many other places and has seen many other things. So its almost amazing how he founds such beauty in cape and and eastern point.

3) I would love to be able to dig deeper into T.S. Eliots poetry. One thing that I would love to do is to be able to go to eastern point and where T.S. Eliot has spent his summers and try to imagine the feelings that T.S. had while writing his wonderful works of poetry; May 13, 2008 at 5:47 PM
Lucy Morgan said...: Lucy Morgan

I initially decided to research St. Peter's Fiesta because there has always been something about the atmosphere of the event that makes me uneasy. I'm not sure if it's the air of the carnival, the devotion to religion, the boisterous locals, or the emptiness of the square once it clears out...but something about it has always compelled me. When I set out to research the topic I intended to narrow it, but it's only expanded. There are so many aspects of Fiesta that deserve to be delved into. I've learned a great deal about the origins of the recreational activities that ensue, as well as the origins of St. Peter and the celebration itself. Now that I've educated myself about the history of Fiesta, I'd like to find more information about the social aspects of the event...perhaps through interviews, pictures, or police notes.; May 13, 2008 at 5:56 PM
BHand13 said...: Brian Hand

My original topic has narrowed greatly, almost to the point where it has become everything i didn't want to focus on in the beginning. When i thought of movies, i was envisioning Cape Ann as a starting point to my idea but recently it has become more of a restriction. However, my topic's connection with Cape Ann is so frail, i feel it is necessary to adjust my focus to better suit the prompt. Now, i will shift my attention to the role Cape Ann has on each film, and how the film has utilized its respective area of Cape Ann to suit the film.

2. My research has led me to many important discoveries, the most important being the realization that i have a lot of work to do.
My topic depends entirely on how well i am able to dissect relative information from the various movies i am studying. I haven't been able to do that because of my lack of free time. But through my research at school I learned, of course what movies were filmed in Cape Ann and read some interesting reviews, which were useful regarding my original concept (which focused on the moviemaking), but are useless for my new topic (which centers around Cape Ann). I found the reviews most interesting but also the least useful,because they rarely mention the use of setting and scenery.

3. I would like to know more about why and how the filmmakers utilized Cape Ann in the way that they did. I always find it interesting when i hear an outsider's perspective of GLoucester, and it would certainly strengthen my project if i were able to answer the question of "why". But the chance of me talking to any of them isn't favorable, so i will resort to speculation.; May 13, 2008 at 5:57 PM
Kaylie McTiernan said...: 1.) Overall my topic has not evolved much. I have gained information on my topic, but kept my thesis broad. There is limited information to begin with on my topic, so I have tried to use everything that I have found. I picked the topic from the beginning because I found it interesting. After learning more about it the topic is even more fascinating.

2.) I have learned a lot about my topic. I knew that European diseases caused the Native Americans’ disappearance, but I did not know how suddenly their civilization vanished. It’s interesting that very little is known about their society today after so many years of their settlement here. One interesting fact I discovered was a legend passed down from the Native Americans that is still around today. The legend of the sea monster in Gloucester Harbor originated from the Native Americans. They warned the settlers of the monster.

3.) I would like to know more about the beliefs of the Native Americans specific to Cape Ann. Many more Native American artifacts can be found in other parts of the United States. Because of the climate on Cape Ann many artifacts have been lost. Also, the settlers only documented what they needed to and wrote little about the Native Americans’ culture and beliefs. Native Americans had many interesting traditions and I would like to find out more about the Native Americans specifically from Cape Ann.; May 13, 2008 at 6:18 PM
Kyle Smith said...: Kyle Smith
Gloucesterman Series

Alright, so Mr. Cook, because I can’t answer all these questions separately, I’m answering them however they come together in my mind. I’m sorry, but this is going to be a mess. I will hit all the points, in no semblance of order. Sorry in advance.

Well, I’ll be honest, I just was bumbling around in the library when I found information about Jonathan Bayliss, a local author on Wikipedia. After doing some research online, and finding basically nothing about the man, I turned to his books, and as I found out, he has a small but loyal following. This following, namely Steve Farrell, has written countless essays about his tetrology. In fact, he’s written all the essays on the topic and has created a website to further delve into the books. So essentially, all my sources were essays of his, but I also made the effort to contact Mr. Bayliss who was unfortunately very busy. So, I am unclear of the accuracy of the sources and have little variety but I am confident they can be used as a jumping stone into the topic. My advice to future researchers would be to try and set up interviews with Bayliss and Farrell face to face. I really didn’t find answers to any of my questions, simply more questions that I’m going to have to answer. Hopefully a notable source will pop up though (Mr. Rich, although I’m still waiting on a response).; May 13, 2008 at 7:21 PM
Kat said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; May 14, 2008 at 3:56 AM
Kat said...: 1.) Since the project began, my topic went from John Hammond, to Hammond Castle, to architecture in Gloucester, to the lighthouses of Cape Ann. I don't really know why I chose lighthouses, or how I made the jump to it, but I think that it is a better choice. By choosing not just one specific lighthouse, I was able to broaden my search in the archives, online, and in books from the library.

2.) I have learned that there are many lighthouses surrounding Cape Ann, and at least one has been around since the 1700s, when the British controlled the colonies. I also learned that there are some people who are trying to preserve the lighthouses to ensure their historical value, and purpose. Another thing that I learned was that there are many people who enjoy spending their free time travelling around to different lighthouses and cataloguing them.

3.) I would like to know more about the artistic aspect of the lighthouses, such as who paints or photographs them, and find out more about the history of the lighthouses.; May 14, 2008 at 3:59 AM
olivia said...: Olivia Brown
Rocky Neck

After two days of sitting at the library computer googling everything I could possibly think of about Gloucester and being completely undecided, I took a liking to art in Gloucester. From there I had decided that I didn’t just want to do a single artist, but the aspect of art’s affect on Gloucester. Once I had thought about it for a bit, it ended up that Rocky Neck Art Colony was the topic that stood out most to me. My topic went from specific artists to a really board search, then I decided Rocky Neck wasn’t to board but also didn’t focus in on one artist themselves. Being at the stage in the project that I am now I wish I had stuck with just one artist, or one artists effect on Gloucester, I feel as though I would have been able to find more information about one artist rather than all or Rocky Neck.; May 14, 2008 at 5:17 AM
Mercedes Lane said...: 1.) Since the beginning of the project, my topic has changed minimally. When I first thought of art and culture in Cape Ann, Fitz Henry Lane immediately came into mind as a prominent artist in the area. Also, I knew that I am distantly related to Lane and felt that this information could add interest to my project. I began the project by researching Fitz Hugh Lane and the artwork that he had completed throughout his lifetime. Through my research, I discovered that he was not only an artist with beautiful paintings, but one who was forced to overcome the odds against him to be a success. I was completely unaware that Lane had struggled in order to be successful. My topic has not changed throughout this process, but my ideas about Lane have certainly evolved.

2.) Throughout my research, I have learned many different facts about Fitz Henry Lane. I learned many things about his upbringing, and the physical restrictions that changed his path in life which led him to become an artist. Lane was meant to work at a job involving hard labor, but was paralyzed one day, which left him unable to work. Due to not being able to work, Lane began to draw and paint, and eventually influencing his decision to attend art school.

3.) I think that I would like to learn more about what influenced Lane’s artwork. I would like to understand why he painted certain pictures. Could they have possibly been painted for someone, or did someone tell Lane of a place that he should paint? Could he have just been walking along and seen something beautiful and that is what inspired him? I think that learning more about the reasons he painted certain things could help me understand Lane as a person.; May 14, 2008 at 8:01 PM
alees said...: 1. I started with the topic of Nan Webber and Theatre in the Pines and then went to Israel Horovitz then Carol Babson Carter. I finally decided on Hammond because I thought that I would be able to find plenty of information on him and I have been fascinated by him since I was a child. I knew that I wanted to focus on his eccentricities because that has always been what interested me. After I decided to focus on that, my topic didn't change.

2. What have you learned about your topic? (What have you learned that is interesting or important to you? What have you learned that is worth telling others?)
2. I learned that Hammond's favorite word in the English language was "no" because to most people, "no" means "stop, don't do that" but to him, "no" meant "start." I also learned that he had a lot of problems being taken seriously by people because he lived in a castle. I also found out that he loved to play practical jokes on people and sometimes wet his guests down before dinner with his indoor rain-making machine just to see how they would react.
3. I would really like to see some of Hammond's diaries because I think that he is a fascinating man and I have done a lot of speculating in my paper and I would like to read how he actually thought and felt. I really identify with Hammond because he thought differently than a lot of people but he didn't let public disaproval stop him. I sometimes feel like I have different ideas from the norm and I admire his courage in not being afraid to be himself.; May 21, 2008 at 5:53 PM