Craft

Today I started CRAFT(part one). Just like the other sections I have done there will be three parts. So get ready for part one!

To the Cassiterides:

This chapter is called "To the Cassiterides" and it is about tin. The Phoenicians were from Syria and Lebanon. They started their search for tin in Crete and Turkey. They traveled around the world in search for tin and came upon the islands of the Cassiterides. This is where they found most of the tin that they obtained throughout their journey. Tin was also found in Cornwall. It was first discovered there in 2000 B.C.E. in riverbeds and fires. Cornish tin was especially pure. Primo Levi calls tin a "friendly metal" and can be combined with copper to make bronze. It is shiny, strong, and bright yet it can also be soft. Tin soon became the commonplace metal. The Tin man in The Wizard of OZ has tin prostheses after his bewitched axe chops of all his limbs. Tin was named after the ringing sound it made. It rings out "happy imperfections".

Picture Work Cited: Tin man, http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/09/confessions-of-a-tin-man/, Mid Walsh, Elephant Journal, 8/14/11

Dull Lead's Grey Truth:

The next chapter was called "Dull Lead's Grey Truth" and it is about Lead. In the 1800's Auguste Rodin created The Thinker. It sits on an extreme angle and has been found to contain lead inside it. This is what allows it to defy gravity so well. Lead has been forever associated with death. It does not corrode and preserves it's contents, it has been used in tombs for this very reason. Germany uses lead to predict the future by performing a lead-pouring ceremony on New Year's Eve. But Lead has not only been used for fortunes, it is also used for weapons, architecture, art, and aircraft. However some uses must be put to rest because of hazardous health effects.

Picture Work Cited: The Thinker, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Auguste_Rodin-The_Thinker-Legion_of_Honor-Lincoln_Park-San_Francisco.jpg, Wikimedia Commons, 6/4/12

Our Perfect Reflection:

This Chapter was called "Our Perfect Reflection", it is about silver. In the book The Great Gatsby silver has much worth during the Jazz Age. It is reflected everywhere during this time. It is even used to describe Daisy as a "Silver Idol" in the eyes of a poor Jay Gatsby. Silver is often associated with feminism and the moon, the very opposite of the sun. It represents purity, innocence, hope, and virtue. "Silver was the brightest and whitest of the elements". Silver was incomplete however because it corrodes over time. It is not readily oxidized and has a tendency to tarnish and blacken. If polished correctly it so clearly reflects light that if you look into it you can see your reflection. 

Picture Work Cited: Silver, http://www.nygoldcashers.com/buy-sell/silver/, Generation Jewelers, 2012

Thus ends CRAFT(part one)! Stay tuned for part two.