The Yelleti Times

          In “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” Basil was hesitant to publicize his painting of Dorian, but he was afraid that it would reveal too much of himself. At the time this book was published, there were contrasting views on whether or not art should incorporate the artist’s feelings in the work or whether art should strictly be made for the purpose of pleasing the eye (the romantic movement vs. the aesthetic movement, respectively). The aesthetic movement (1860-1900) arose in an attempt to recover from the gloomy and materialistic aspects of the Industrial Age. Its goal was to incorporate art into everyday life but to refrain from any personal feelings conveyed in it - basically to create art that simply pleases the eye as a distraction from everything going on in real life. Artworks from this era include The Princess from the Land of Porcelain, Proserpine, In the Days of Sappho (Reverie), etc. These images are not of much sentimental value, but are m...

     Shockingly, this school year is nearing its end. I can vividly recall the first day of 11 AP English, where the curriculum was being read to us and I was fearing for my life at the thought of writing an essay every Monday morning and having 1-2 hours of homework for this class. However, looking back on this year, I realized that I have never learned so much from a class without having this much fun. I cannot take all the credit for the knowledge I have learned - although this year has been quite painful at times, many people and texts helped me get through it.      I cannot begin this acknowledgment section of my 11 AP English experience without thanking Mrs. Valentino for molding me into a solid writer. In all honesty, I was extremely frightened the first day we met, especially when people were getting yelled at to “gEt hEre oN tiMe!!!”, but little did I know how cheerful, knowledgeable, blatantly humorous, and motivating she is (and how funny it is w...