Final Part 2

1. The body numbs itself to intense pain, emotional and physical. This lesson comes from PTS(d) and a general understanding of the minds reaction to things with which it cannot process. Like in ceremony, a soldier is blind to the killing, torture, and suffering, it is not until the pain is over that the mind floods with its experiences. This picture found on NPR displays three soldiers. One staring intently at a number of crumpled up letters or a book, this man is black. The second holds the third closely in his arms as he comforts his emotionally wounded brother. Not one man has their head held high. With this photo's composition the artist places the focus of the viewer on the second and third man directly in the middle ground of the photo and in clear focus. This is done in order highlight the depth of emotion between the two men. This emotion is being shared after what can be assumed was a battle. For these men it is not until after the fighting has taken place that the emotion behind it floods back. As with PTS(d) soldiers find it very hard to find belonging withing society after returning, blinded by waves of emotion they are not able to communicate, and comprehensively solve there condition. Once the uniform has been hung up indeed the war is over. The two men withing the middle ground  are absent there helmets, they are civilian in a sense. With their hair showing their true self displayed the numbing is gone and they must deal with the pain they no longer can withhold. This photo through these aspects displays the numbing effects intense pain has, along with the inability to find belonging in society.

2. Human connection exists in modern technology. This lesson is portrayed in modern day communications and the documentary Craigslist Joe. In order to find belonging and an connection one must be able to communicate and share their condition. In this New York Times article "Surfing the World Wide Couch" by Penelope Green, couchsurfing.com is displayed as one of these way people can share their experiences and view the world from new perspectives. Describing the companies mission statement, "Or, as it's mission statement proclaims: 'Participate in creating a better world, one couch at a time.'" So simply and with some humor, the creators indeed mean the empathic understanding that exist when one shares a home. People are able to tell stories, passing on experiences, and communicating at its root level. And although it can be nerve racking attempting to stay in a place you have never been with a complete stranger, with one couch at a time one is able to realize that people a genuinely compassionate and kind.

3. Art is a portrayal of a condition, it is purposeful. As with any form of communication art is able to display the feelings or the mind of the artist to others. Film more than any other is able to communicate its purpose in a number of ways, lighting, costume, set design, it's script. More than any other film displays this purpose behind art, and indeed these ideas can be translated to all forms of art and communication. Stanley Kubrick describes a film as, "...more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings." In order to portray these moods and feelings to the audience, the director uses noticeable changes in the way each scene is set and filmed. While as Kubrick denies it "fiction" film however truly fictional must indeed portray "moods and feelings" that can be associated with real life or at least the mind of the audience. As with most film these moods and feelings exemplify a theme or a deeper meaning within the greater aspect of life. But, "The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later." Says Kubrick. What he means is that although a theme can exist or a greater meaning can be implied, the importance of film or art as a whole is to purposefully and eloquently exhibit a piece of emotion withing the human condition. To make the audience feel empathically towards the scene, and create a sense of each mood exhibited, a Film like all communication must yield a sense of belonging to its audience.

4. Communications technology changes the way we think. This is exhibited through history as communication technology has evolved; from the book and the painting to the film and the blog. With the creation of any new technology we as humans adapt ourselves to incorporate it into our lives. In the book The Shallows by Nicholas Carr technology is exemplified as an ever changing aspect of human life that indeed affects the way one communicates and thinks. Carr goes on with, "When a carpenter picks up a hammer, the hammer becomes, so far as his brain is concerned, part of his hand. When a soldier raises a pair of binoculars to his face, his brain sees through a new set of eyes, adapting instantaneously to a very different field of view." Like the hammer or the binoculars, the tools we encounter require of the human mind adaptation in order to utilize it's potential. This can be incorporated into modern technology as well. As a race, humans can communicate instantaneously and globally at the touch of a button. But this has never before existed, the cell phone, the World Wide Web, these have allowed the human mind to expand itself beyond the bounds of its skull. Although this is true these tools naturally effect the way we communicate in former aspects of life.

5. Life cannot exist without death. This theme is portrayed in Seven Pounds through the contrast between some of its key characters. The world is full of opposing forces; fire and ice, light and dark, and the expanding mental landscape and the repression of former studies. The contrasting forces are shown by this painting "Duality" by Deb Kirkeeide. It Shows to black birds facing opposing directions, where they meet in the middle the background is split in two. On the left where the black bird faces is a  correctly oriented tree and on the right where the white blackbird faces is and lighter and inverted image of the same tree. The trees and the birds within the painting represent life as parts of the animal kingdom. By using pieces of nature Kirkeeide is proving the the viewer that in life and living, naturally, there exist opposite forces, ones that build and ones that destroy. Through man kinds history this has been noticed, for example Heaven and Hell within religion, these two representing light and dark. As with opposites are opposing colors. Kirkeeide uses the oppositely black and white birds in order to further exemplify this duality within life. The Black Bird is commonly associated with death and darkness, whereas the White Bird, like a dove, is associated with beauty and even love. These opposing  creatures show how within nature exists a dualism, where each and every thing belongs and exists for a purpose and intent.

Semester Final Part 1

Communication; Man's Drive to Belong

Friday Free Write

A Way

Here, close, but far away

two bodies on fresh water

one salt

Near, hinting towards mixing

tossing, turning, flowing

dancing as the two become intertwined

impossible to separate

Mixed, as one

the remnants of both remain

Combined, unique, impacting 

one another

A child, nature observes

knitted souls, two

entangled, community

beyond the scope of one

Neither dependent nor independent

tossing, turning, close

but far away

Friday Free Write

A Haiku

Embarrassment is

an absence of pride in ones

self, to diminish

Art

Art is a broad and unbounded term. we as human's define it. At its simplest art is expression. And expression at its simplest is a physical, visual, or auditory projection of a condition. By this nature can be an Art form. Animals, birds dancing to attract a mate, hunting, this is expression. We are attracted to Art because it evokes empathy. 

Three years from now...

I am sitting on the saddle of my bicycle, resting at the trail-head. One water bottle left, I sit looking at the trail I am headed towards. The mountains encompassing the view, rocky outcroppings surrounded by trees. Directly in the foreground a prairie with green, faded grasses knee high.  Myself adorned with gold and black kits top to bottom; CU colors. As I take a final sip from my water I clip my right pedal in and push down. Coasting forward, I replace my bottle and attach my second pedal. I am on a training ride preparing myself for a 3rd collegiate cycling season. Racing in the Men's A category, I compete with top racers in the nation requiring a whole year devoted to training. I want to perform to the utmost of my ability, have a breakout season, capture a podium spot at the National Championships.

I've been growing a beard, short, trimmed, but the upkeep is minimal. Since classes have started my life has been incredibly busy; books, labs, studying, cycling, there's no end. The CU engineering program has kept my life busy, not confused, busy. Between riding and school life is rewarding, but exhausting. My choice for my minor has suited my, I love it.

These rides help me clear my head, relax. The skies as blue as the Himalayan poppies we used to have in our yard. I feel my skin cool as the air blows across it. I am up to speed pushing through my struggles, controlling the outcome of my life.

SnapShot

This image is of Hawaii, or more specifically Kauai one of the smallest in the Hawaiian chain of islands. I remember going to this place four times throughout my childhood. Mom and Dad were content. I was content. These trips represent my childhood as a whole. The island, jungle, represents my love of nature, Our journeys across island represented my parents caring nature towards me, and the flight, the travel, represented the strife and struggle my parents always had. These three aspects characterize my past, a life of curiosity with loving but separate parents. 

This is a picture of me racing my 1st Varsity high school mountain bike race. Racing is a huge part of my present life. I've spent nearly every weekend involved with a race. Mountain biking especially has taken me to beautiful places in I would never have visited; Fruita, CO, Crested Butte, CO, Aspen, CO, Nathrop, CO,  and Sun Valley, Idaho. This year I've taken my racing to a higher level competing with kids ranked in the top 5 in the nation. I've seen some success, numerous failures, and learned more than one ever could from a book. My passion for cycling has only expanded as it becomes more competitive. 

I always foresee myself living in the mountains. They are the things that hold captive all of the things that I love. The wilderness, the forest, the wild, there is something magical about mountains. The upheaval of earth and fire that lead to there creation adds to their marvel. This photo is of the Maroon Bells in Aspen, CO a simply stunning view all year. Aspen is one of my favorite mountains to ski; the flow, the run length, it's perfect. Regardless of where I am, as long as there is mountains I'll be happy.

Memoir Complexities

*Excerpt from The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls Chapter 2 The Desert p.59-62

“I didn’t. Instead I became fascinated with it. Dad Also thought I should face down my enemy, and he showed me how to pass my finger through a candle flame. I did it over and over, slowing my finger with each pass, watching the way it seemed to cut the flame in half, testing to see how much my finger could endure without actually getting burned. I was always looking for bigger fires. Whenever neighbors burned trash, I ran over and watched the blaze trying to escape the garbage can. I’d inch closer and closer, feeling the heat against my face until it got so near that it became unbearable, and then I’d back away just enough to be able to stand it.

The neighbor lady who had driven me to the hospital was surprised that I didn't run the opposite direction from any fire I saw. ‘Why the hell would she?” dad bellowed with a proud grin. ‘She already fought the fire once and won.’

I started stealing matches from dad. I’d go behind the trailer and light them. I loved the scratching sound of the match against the sandpapery brown strip when I struck it, and the way the flame leaped out of the red-coated tip with a pop and a hiss. I’d feel its heat near my fingertips, then wave it out triumphantly. I lit pieces of paper and little piles of brush and held my breath until the moment when they seemed to blaze out of control. Then I’d stomp on the flames and call out the curse words Dad used, like ‘dumb-ass sonofabitch!’ and ‘Cocksucker!’

One time I went out back with my favorite toy, a plastic Tinkerbell figurine. She was two inches tall, with yellow hair pulled up in a high ponytail and her hands on her hips in a confident, cocky way that I admired. I lit a match and held it close to Tinkerbell’s face to show her how it felt. She looked even more beautiful in the flame’s glow. When that match went out, I lit another one, and this time I held it really close to Tinkerbell’s face. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide, as if with fear; I realized, to my horror, that her face was starting to melt. I put out the match, but it was too late. Tinkerbell’s once perfect little nose had completely disappeared, and her saucy red lips had been replaced with an ugly, lopsided smear. I tried to smooth her features back the way they had been, but I made them even worse. Almost immediately, her face cooled and hardened again. I put bandages on it. I wished I could perform a skin graft on Tinkerbell, but that would have meant cutting her into pieces. Even though her face was melted, she was still my favorite toy.”

Response:

This excerpt from the memoir The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls represents complexity within Wall's story. The complexity is represented by the disconnect between the author's prideful tone and the actual story one is reading. "I’d feel its heat near my fingertips, then wave it out triumphantly." (Walls) this quote is representative of the authors pride in accomplishment; she is in control of something within her life something so absent from her childhood, choice. Walls' obsession of fire, no different from any other child, is unique within the circumstances of her life. Having "already fought the fire" as her dad would would say, The logical step it to conquer her fear. The oddity within this passage is the almost obsession over fire Walls has. "I started stealing matches from dad. I’d go behind the trailer and light them. I loved the scratching sound of the match against the sandpapery brown strip when I struck it, and the way the flame leaped out of the red-coated tip with a pop and a hiss." (Walls). This eloquent description of lighting a match and the feeling the author has when doing so represents the power this memory had and still has over her. The matches, the fire, represent freedom and personal control. The innocence of a child curious with fire masks a powerful personal experience that represents a glimpse of freedom of choice for the young Walls. The complexity is the two interpretations of this well written passage, the adult and the child, one in the same.