SMELL

The makers of Cheetos, The Frito-Lay commercial, appeal to the average person in this Cheeto commercial, featuring 'Papa Chester'. They depict their product as the snack of the common man through the interaction between characters Vanessa and Rachael. Vanessa is shown as an average soccer mom who attempts to talk with snooty, apparently well-traveled, and wealthy Rachael. The condescending tone used by Rachael contributes to the overall feeling of annoyance. As she brags about her child and his advanced skills in Mandarin an emotion of dislike is built within the viewer for the heel-wearing Rachael, not 'Rach' as she quickly corrects the other mother. The pathos for Vanessa is created within the audience as they can all relate to a time when they were made to feel inferior. Rachael appears extremely uncomfortable with the hug between the two moms possibly because she doesn't view them as friends or companions, but merely as people who talk because they have to. But in the end Vanessa comes out the champion as she wipes her orange-stained fingers on Rachael's undoubtedly expensive white designer top and the whole audience cheers along with Cheeto's mascot as he coolly says "Papa Chester is proud of you". The average person has come out the winner with the last laugh on high society and Cheetos in tow.

Song Explication

Sufjan Stevens - To Be Alone With You

I'd swim across Lake Michigan
I'd sell my shoes
I'd give my body to be back again
In the rest of the room
To be alone with you
To be alone with you
To be alone with you
To be alone with you

You gave your body to the lonely
They took your clothes
You gave up a wife and a family
You gave your ghost
To be alone with me
To be alone with me
To be alone with me
You went up on a tree

To be alone with me
You went up on a tree

I've never known a man who loved me

Sufjan Stevens, a baroque pop/alternative classified musician who plays ten instruments and writes all of his own material, clearly shows his religious beliefs in the lyrics of "To Be Alone With You" and the biblical allusions he utilizes to strengthen the personal relationship he possesses with God. Although he is a more private person, saying in a 2004 interview "I don't like talking about that stuff[religion] in the public forum because, I think, certain themes and convictions are meant for personal conversation.", his lyrics speak for themselves. Within this song Stevens directly correlates to the life of Jesus and the sacrifices experienced by his savior.
The first stanza deals with the connection Stevens has with Jesus. He feel so strongly that he is willing to sacrifice things, even if they aren't exactly of the same magnitude of that which Jesus sacrificed. He offers to swim across Lake Michigan, possibly bringing bodily harm to himself. Sufjan would give up material possessions and money to feel closer to God, even if it is a miniscule as "I'd sell my shoes". He even will do thaumaturgy and volunteers his body just to be in a room with Jesus. All of these oblations depict the esoteric and personal relationship felt between Sufjan and God. This connection is more like a consanguinity to Stevens and is also a very intimate one, specific towards him. Not many other people can tell of the same affiliation to Jesus, though other experiences may be analogous.
Stevens' second stanza utilizes biblical allusions to show Jesus' peregrination. Jesus eschews his life to save the lives of those he truly loves. He too gave up material chattels to live devoutly to his father and his teachings. "They took your clothes" not only refers to the absence of possessions but also to when the Roman soldiers take Jesus' clothing in Romans 19:23-24 during his crucifixion. Jesus was fully human and also fully divine. He was tempted with numerous things and could have chosen to take the fully human divergence and lived a easier, more normal life. Instead Jesus gave up human appanages, such as "a wife and a family". He leaves behind these privileges in order to save a population of followers. "You gave your ghost" alludes to the fact that Jesus left behind the Holy Spirit, sometimes referred to as the Holy Ghost, to his apostles so that they would continue on with their beliefs and the spreading of the Gospel. Jesus was crucified which resulted in the saving of sinners and followers everywhere. Stevens shows this connection by singing "To be alone with me You went up on a tree". The tree in this lyric represents a cross. Sufjan ends his powerful song with "I've never known a man who loved me". This statement shows how deeply he believes God loves him and the feeling he also reciprocates. To Stevens, no love compares to the love of God.
Sufjan Stevens' religion has certainly come through his lyrics, but they can also be interpreted to personal relationships. The biblical connections to the story of Jesus and his crucifixion seal the religious theme on this song. Stevens has allowed his personal beliefs to influence, but not overpower, his lyrics.

Vocabulary
oblation - offering
esoteric - intended for or understood by only a few
thaumaturgy - the performance of miracles or magic
consanguinity - a family relationship
analogous - similar, alike
peregrination - journey
eschew - abandon, sacrifice
chattel - possession
divergence - route
appanage - a natural or necessary accompaniment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoQzWb_f1oA

Sestina

Forever Together

Sometimes staring into his eyes
can feel the same as gazing at the sky.
The light blue reminds me of the ocean
as we spend an instance lazily together,
caring for nothing but each other
and the little time left.

There aren’t many moments left
and I can read it in his eyes.
Soon we will leave each other,
staring, as we drive away, at the sky,
so we won’t look back and remember being together.
We may become separated by an ocean.

But even if there is an ocean
my memories will permanently be left,
those ones of me and him always together
feeling constantly the staring of jealous eyes
belonging to those who pray to the sky
for something like ours and no other.

Its hard to believe, but I feel there is no other,
no other person who I would cross a vast ocean
to find or fly through the wide open sky
to get to just so he never feels left
behind with tears in those beautiful, crystal eyes
that always said “We’ll forever be together”.

We were aware of the lie of endlessly together,
but at those moments I didn’t want any other
story, just the one that calmed my eyes
so I didn’t cry a whole ocean
or let my final and true feelings be left
untold except to the eternally listening sky.

We let our dreams soar into the sky,
those dreams of our lives apart and together.
There are two routes but I know which once will be left
without my footprints or those of my significant other.
Soon the unbeaten path will be washed over by an ocean
and I’ll no longer be gazing in those eyes,

as he will have left in a plane high in the sky.
I’ll be alone with only my eyes, looking at pictures of us together,
still yearning for no other while persistently praying he’ll cross that ocean.

Feminine/Masculine Found Poem

Old Jewels

As I entered my childhood room I spotted it.
My mermaid chest.
I could feel my heartbeat going faster.
It use to be my essence.
The mermaid guarding my treasures has fairy peach
skin and red velvet hair and she sits on a
rock in the blue coolwater.
I finally opened the box to reveal
the essentials I had to wear everyday.
A flash of fuchsia
Tangerine joy
Pink diamonds
Racing rubies
Rose quartz
and a Pearl harbor.
all glitzed and glittered
while I remembered
every piece,
every moment,
and every boy
with a gapped smile behind the jewelry he gave to win my love.