Deisi's weekly posts

Our everyday experiences can shape who we are as a person whether we acknowledge it or not, we are shaped by our surroundings, as well as the people in them. Poetry, fiction, and art allow us to depict specific moments or aspects of our lives, weather it is their intended and utter meaning or interpreted by the self, these forms of art are impactful in various ways.

Living in a country shaped by immigrants we all come here looking for the same thing. A better life, away from the sorrows of poverty and hunger our predecessors once departed their homelands in search for the American dream.  Being the first born and first generation American you must pick up every stick and stone in the path that you create in order to forge and strengthen the way for those who will come after you. Not only helping the younger generations but also your elders, you become their true north. Sacrificing their personal identity in the search for that better life, first borns have carried a burden long before they ever arrived to the “dream land”.

Being robbed of their innocence as soon as they can read, these children become the third parent and sometimes even the parent to the parents. Having to carry the weight of two generations at a time, they never get the chance to be a child. La Vendedora de Flores is a painting by Diego Rivera which represents not just a certain personality or individual but rather a myriad of people. In this painting one can almost sense the heavy burden that the woman in the painting carries and must continue to carry for this is the only way of life that she has ever known. This is the reality of many immigrant children who were raised to be the first. Whether it may be first generation American or first to graduate high school. First generation children of immigrants go through the battle of paving the way not just for their own selves but also for their families.

Along with the many forced experiences these children are subjected to, their knowledge of their native tongue strengthens thus, becoming a powerful asset. However, it is not seen this way by all who surround them. Language is defined as the symbolic system through which people communicate and through which culture is transmitted (Reading: Symbols and Language | Sociology, 2011). Growing up, a big part of my identity was based on my language. Speaking Spanish at home and English in school, I was gifted the best of both worlds. In the movie “The Arrival” we see language being represented as an ultimate weapon. However, it is shown to be misinterpreted which ultimately causes the endangerment of people. For many years people have felt threatened by that which they do not understand. Weather it is a person speaking another language or merely someone who looks different than them, people aren’t always welcoming of these differences. Having the key of language has allowed many of us to grow up with a sense of pride in our culture as well as our language. A key that has allowed us to connect two very different worlds that we are so actively a part of.

Even though there are many challenges and adversities a first generation American must face, it is still very important to hold on to the hope that if we do not achieve “the dream” it would be our children, or their children. Keeping in mind the bigger picture, we are reminded every day that our journey in this country is not simply for us but for those who are and will be. Walking down this long road it often seems never ending. With no evident milestones, success does not feel like a walk in the park, but rather a hike up the Himalayan.  Similarly to what we see in the poem of the painting titled “Summer Evening” in which we read about Debbie--who eagerly waits for her husband’s return day after day, while holding onto an image of a future that may never come--first generation Americans fight for their dream to come true while still holding onto the hope that one day they will “make it.” For many of us this future never comes in time while for others it never even arrives at all. It is often a game of chance; however this game requires you to put your blood sweat and tears into it.

By the window she sat with lost and gazed eyes

“Oh darling I hope that you told no lies.

The hot and dry summer has again come by,

and you my love, have yet to come say hi.”

As she observes the growing roses on the late summer evening,

Debbie’s heart is saddened and it is also grieving.

“Oh, my Tom please return from war and help rid of this feeling.”

“When will my lover return?

he left last summer, and I hope I will not mourn,

the love that he has given me,

I will forever keep in bloom.

In the deepest of my heart, I shall allow this love to burn.

Oh If my lover never returns.”

The visual work that I have chosen is a painting titled “Summer evening” by Childe Hassam on chapter 4 of the book “Humanities through the arts” on page 84. This specific piece caught my attention due to its vibrant colors as well as the simplicity of it. Its exact simplicity is what allows us to translate the painting into different meanings. In the painting we can observe a woman sitting by the window on a summer evening. How peacefully she was sitting looking out the window, while also observing her roses are the things that captured my attention, as I enjoy gardening as well.

In my ekphrasis I gave the woman in the painting life by naming her “Debbie” and she is the woman whose husband has left for war and has yet to return. My poem describes the sadness that Debbie feels as her husband is gone for war and she fears that he may not return. I centered the poem around Debbie’s feelings and while speaking in 1st person, Debbie portrays to the reader her feelings of sadness and grief as her husband Tom may not return.

Lost in translation is a comedy/drama movie written and directed by Sofia Coppola. The movie first released in 2003 and takes part in Tokyo. The main character, Bob Harris is in Tokyo to film a very important Whiskey commercial. Harris seems to be going through an existential crisis as he has an overwhelming life back in United States where his wife of 25 years suffocates him by constantly chasing after him with messages and faxes while she stays at home to care for their kids. As the title of the movie states, Harris is also having a very difficult time accustoming to the language in Tokyo. In the same luxurious and upscale hotel, Charlotte, and her recent husband John stay. Johns is an entertainment photographer, and his job has brought him to Japan. Charlotte being a recent Yale Philosophy graduate is left neglected in the city when her husbands job takes him out of Tokyo. Both Bob and Charlotte are feeling overwhelmed by the circumstances and after multiple encounters in the hotel, they end up spending a lot of their time together helping each other deal with the feelings in their current lives. Within the movie there were several types of shots used, however, I did notice that the primarily used shots were the crane and following shots as a big part of the movie is spent following the characters and transitioning to different scenes.

Mask pollution

“Life after covid No 1″

The first photograph of the series was taken in the parking lot of a CVS pharmacy, as we all know this area is very high transited by people who are either going to the pharmacy or simply driving by. The photographed mask seems to be a regular mask which means it may be made from nonwoven polypropylene fabric (as most level 3 masks). This material takes up to 30 years to decompose. Polypropylene fabric also releases toxins into the air and soil in which it lays.

“Life after covid No 2″

The second photograph of the series was taken in the parking lot of a Walmart super center. As well as the previous, a very transited area. This mask, however, seems to be made fully from cloth instead of plastic. Depending on the type of fabric used to fabricate this mask, its decomposition could take anywhere from two weeks to two hundred years.

“Life after covid No 3″

The third photograph of the series was taken right outside the entrance to the Walmart supercenter. Like the first mask, it also appears to be made from nonwoven polypropylene fabric which is a thermoplastic polymer, one of the most popular plastics in the world due to its long durability.

“Life after covid No 4″

The fourth photograph of the series was taken in the parking lot of an Aldi grocery store. This area, like the others, is also a high transited area. This mask seemed to be made from full cotton. Unlike the previous masks that are made from chemically-produced fibers, cotton is natural and grown from the earth. If the mask was made from 100% cotton, it would take approximately 5 months to decompose.

“Life after covid No 5″

The fifth and final photograph of the series was taken in a park. While I visited this park, there was not anyone else there. This mask seemed to be a polypropylene fabric mask as well. Due to the park being empty, it is safe to assume this mask had been sitting there for some time.

The effects of COVID-19 have affected not just United States but the entire world. I chose this theme for my photograph series as I am very aware about our environment, and I love learning about the ways that I can contribute to take care of it. Around the world, approximately 129 billion masks are used every single month and 3 million of them are thrown out every single minute. After taking the photographs for this series I made sure to pick up each and everyone of these masks. It is extremely important that we learn about the damage that a simple mask can cause our environment as well as wildlife.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42837/the-rain-56d2217a51a7a

Happiness as described by several sources, is the emotional state by feelings of joy, contentment and fulfillment. It is proven that listening to music releases dopamine which improves mood and anxiety. Music also helps produce the stress-reducing hormone cortisol which helps induce joy and motivation. I chose happiness as my theme because as a person who works a full time job and is trying her best to stay motivated to spend the remaining 8 years of her life in school, I always make sure to keep “happy music” in the background as I do my homework and other school assignments.

1920’s https://youtu.be/yFmTBoWxBO0

“I want to be happy” the song by Helen Clark and Lewis James from the Broadway show “No No Nannette” was originally produced in Chicago in 1924. This song is classified as musical theater, and the theme of the song tells the story of a young working man who falls in love with a girl and wants to make sure she’s happy. The songs tempo is played at a presto pace as it is very fast paced song. The tones of the song are stable therefore it presents with a degree of consonance. The song portrays a happy emotion as the beat of the song remains constant and upbeat all throughout.

1940’s https://youtu.be/5Qk9o_ZeR7s

“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive” by Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters is a song released in 1944 and is a Jazz style song. Throughout the entire song, the singer redacts to the listener that they should focus simply on the positive things in life and never on the negative. With this specific song, more than one instrument is played, and the composer demonstrates the contrast in timbres. The songs tempo is played at two different speeds, at the beginning of the song it seems to be in moderato and towards the middle and ending it speeds up to presto.  

1950’s https://youtu.be/q7d0NRewzW4

“Get happy” by Judy Garland was released in 1950 and it is a Christian evangelical song. The song is played at an andante pace. The song communicates the emotion of happiness, even though it’s a religious song, the singer is letting its listener know that “judgment day” is a day in which they should be happy to go to the “promise land”.

1970’s https://youtu.be/aQUlA8Hcv4s

“Mr Blue sky” by Electric Light Orchestra is a pop song that was released in the 70’s. This songs tempo is played at a presto paced as it does go fast. The song radiates happiness as the singer is asking the blue sky why did it “hide” for such long time and that he’s happy that the sky is finally blue again.  The song perceives different elements of dynamics as the singer incorporates loudness and softness at the same time.

1980’s https://youtu.be/d-diB65scQU

“Don’t worry, be happy” by Bobby McFerrin is a Jazz song released in the late 80’s. The songs melody seems to be slow and playful with several melodic lines throughout the song. The tempo of this song is moderato. The tones of the song are easeful and pleasing to the ear therefore resulting in a consonant sound. The song invokes happiness as the singer tells its listener to not worry about the small things and simply be happy.

1990’s https://youtu.be/zWaymcVmJ-A

My home serves its functional purpose. Though it is a small house, with only 1,100 square footage I consider that its domestic architecture was well distributed to serve its purpose. There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms in my home. The different rooms of the house are divided by walls to provide privacy and each of these rooms also has a regular sized window to allow natural light to come in. In terms of the kitchen, dinning room and living room, these areas of the house are not separated by walls, giving it an open concept, and making the space seem larger. When I purchased this home, I also noticed that the walls of the house were painted white and the kitchen cabinets as well as the floor tile are white, thus also tricking the eye into thinking that the space is much larger than it truly is. The bedrooms of my home do not give me a claustrophobic or crowded feeling as I have only placed the furniture that I know I can fit in such reduced space and I also consider myself a minimalistic, so I think this helps. The kitchen, dining room and living room are open concept which gives me the cozy and welcoming feeling when I come through the door.

The Shoes on the Danube Holocaust is a memorial created on April 16, 2005 by film director Can Togay and Sculptor Gyula Pauer as a tribute to an appalling time in history. During World War II approximately 80,000 Jews were kicked out of Hungary by Ferenc Szalasi and his fascist and violent antisemitic Arrow Cross Party. The nearly 80,000 Jews were taken on a death march to the Austrian border where approximately 20,000 of them were shot nearby the banks of the Danube River. Shoes on the Danube is a full round style sculpture created as a tribute to those killed. Togay and Pauer came up with the idea of utilizing the shoes left behind by the victims on the riverbank. During World War II shoes were seen as a rare and valuable commodity, therefore these victims were forced to remove their shoes at gun point and face their executioners before they were shot to fall over the edge of the river and be washed away by the freezing waters. If observed, on the sculpture it is seen that there are several shoes with no laces, the reason for that is that Arrow Cross would pull out the shoestrings out of some of the children’s shoes and utilize them to tie their victims’ hands before they were shot.

Perfectly arranged along the banks of the Danube River in Budapest Hungary, this valuable sculpture is made up of 60 pairs of real life size, 1940’s style shoes sculpted entirely out of iron. The shoes arranged were chosen carefully to demonstrate the different ages, genders, and occupations of those who were killed; a women’s pair of heels, a working mans boots and even the small shoes of a child. The shoe style sculpture is a sorrowful reminder of those who once occupied them.

“Untitled 2013” is an acrylic painting done by Nasrollah Afjei. At first glance, this painting gives the impression that it is simply a wave of colors. However, deep analysis of the abstract painting allows us to read a word withing the painting. Afjei utilized the Persian word eshq (meaning love) repeatedly to create such effect. The repetition conceals the word and instead, our eyes are distracted by the colors and waves.

Within the painting there are several colors that were utilized to create different suggestions. I consider that the thin and delicate white lines that that go in different directions and separate the words, were used as the meaning of peace and pureness that comes with love, even though at times it may feel like a wave of emotions. The color maroon was utilized to accentuate the deeper areas of the waves, to remind us that love can sometimes be dark and make us feel as if there is no light. However, the colors light pink and lilac dominate the painting as a symbol that love brings us peace, comfort, and warmth.

La Vendedora de Flores is a painting done in 1942 by Diego Rivera a Mexican painter and muralist. At first glance, this painting shows an indigenous woman carrying a large bundle of lilies. However, there is a lot more significance within the details of this painting. We see a clear anonymity of the women in the painting—as she kneels on the ground with her head lowered. This woman does not symbolize a personality or an individual but rather a myriad of people. We can also see that the bouquet of light colored lilies is monstrous compared to the woman. This bouquet being so large represents a heavy burden that she must carry. We can also note that the color of the lilies overpowers the background as well as the woman. The domination of these flowers over the woman symbolized the ruling of the upper classes over the poor. These vendors bow down on to their knees to serve those with money and power. In other sense the lilies symbolize death as they are a common funeral flower in Mexico. Thus, juxtaposing the blossoming of the present with the dying traditions of the past. We can also note that there are two figures in the painting rather than just one as it is common in Rivera’s Dia de Flores series. The hidden figure prepares to shoulder the basket of lilies onto the woman. Thus, demonstrating that these people help one another with the everyday adversities and difficulties of their lives.