1. (Just Lather, That’s All – Hernando Téllez)- “But killing isn’t easy. You can take my word for it.” (pg.5)
In this story, a barber is shaving the face of his enemy. The enemy, or antagonist, is a captain of sorts, who is in charge of the discipline in the town. He is a brutal man and shows his power with violent acts. This quote was said by the antagonist in the story. This line made me understand his point of view. It shows that the captain does not find joy in killing. He understands what he is doing and does not take pride in the fact that his job requires him to do so. The quote helped me understand his inner emotions.
The picture I chose is of a person who is grieving. This person is upset. As well, the person is feeling regret. Whether or not they are grieving for something they did, a decision they made, or a death of some sort, is unclear. What I am sure of is that this person is facing a dilemma in his/her life, trying to come to terms with what has happened. This picture depicts this quote to me. The captain in the story does what he has to, to keep his job. At the end of the day he knows what he has done and feels the pain he has inflicted upon so many people. He feels regret and sorrow and shows that when he says “killing isn’t easy”.
2. (I am from soul food and Harriet Tubman – Lealonni Blake) – “A violent family is where I’m from.” (line 5)
No matter what the words are saying, anything that gives an outsider a link to someone’s past helps them better understand that person’s identity. When the character in the story talks about their childhood and family life, you become to understand how they came to be. This person suffered either abusive parents or parents who abused each other. The words the author chose were so blunt and straight-forward that they really helped us to know a quality about this character’s past; a quality that defined them.
The picture we chose for this quote has both obvious qualities and well as hidden reasons as to why we chose it. When you look at the picture you see, literally, a violent family. But if you look more closely you can see the story behind the photograph. On the wall in the photo, is a picture of a happy family. That tells us that even though on the outside this family looks put-together and happy, on the inside, at night, all of the truth comes through.
3. (Alone – Maya Angelou) – “Nobody, but nobody, can make it out here alone.” (line 12)
To me, this line can be interpreted in multiple ways. I think that this character is feeling upset. The line shows that she is vulnerable, most likely because of an event that just happened. This line helps me understand that she is dealing with feeling distant and deserted by everyone around her. Also, the fact that she said “nobody” makes me realize that this character is aware of others. She knows that other people go through sadness, loneliness, and hard times, just like she is.
The picture we chose is of a girl standing alone on a beach. The beach scene represents her not being in a dark or harsh place, but rather and sad and confused place. The whimsy added by the wind in the picture shows her thinking about others and contemplating her life. For me, this picture displays the exact emotion that is conveyed in the quote.
4. (Brother Dear – Bernice Friesen) – “Dad makes a lot of money. He did what his father wanted him to do and he’s not happy.” (pg. 7)
This line pulls back layers of this family’s dynamics. By this I mean that this line shows that the father’s strictness was brought upon him by his parents as well. Because of his parents forcing him to do what they wanted, he continued the cycle by making his children do the same thing. This shows that his ruthlessness is not because he does not love his kids, but rather because he does not know any differently. Part of his identity comes from how he was brought up and how his parents treated him. He then passed this on to Greg and Sharlene (his children), the main characters in Brother Dear.
The picture we chose is of a man who is holding his head. He is doubled over with frustration, anger, and regret. This is how I picture Greg and Sharlene’s father. Even though he tells his children that they must do what he wants, he knows that he resented his parents when they made him do the same. The man in the photo is how I would picture the father in this story. This is what he would be like when no one was watching, when he was alone.
5. (Brother Dear – Bernice Friesen) – “He’s off on his life adventure, and I’m stuck in grade 11.” (pg. 9)
This quote is not unheard of. This is something that many teenagers say. Who wants to be stuck at home, in class, and with your parents when you could be out in the world living your dream? Sharlene, the main character from this story, is a grade 11 student. She is upset because her brother is leaving to go fulfil his dreams while she can’t do so. For me, this shows that she resents her brother for finally standing up to their father. She wishes she could do so but she doesn’t have it in her to actually do it. The quote shows her anger, stress, and frustration about the situation. It also shows us that she is realizes she is still a child, in everyone else’s eyes, and she is not okay with that.
The picture we chose is to represent Greg. Greg is Sharlene’s older brother whose “off on his life adventure.” He is shown walking down the train tracks because he does not have a place to go. Greg does not have a plan; he just wants to live his own life. The quote is talking about how Sharlene is upset about Greg moving on with his life. This photo depicts Greg moving on. He is leaving his family and becoming his own person.
6. (Richard Cory – E.A. Robinson) – “And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, went home and put a bullet through his head.” (line 15-16)
This quote is from a poem about a man who, on the outside, is perfect, charming, and rich, everyone loves him. On the inside, he hates himself. You learn this from this quote. It shows that on a “calm night” he killed himself. To me, a calm night is a night where everyone is not stressed and is content with their days. Richard Cory, on this happy night, wasn’t. He “put a bullet through his head” because nobody thought to look deeper into this perfect man’s life. The town’s people did not think to ask him how he was, or how he was feeling. They let him be and because of this, he killed himself. I imagine that Richard Cory felt alone and that no one cared. The quote tells me, about his identity, that he wished someone cared more about him, on the inside, than his money and good looks. The words “put a bullet through his head” show me that, to him, it was nonchalantly done, no big deal. He did not go home and commit suicide, or kill himself; he just put a little bullet through the side of his head. It’s made to seem like no big deal, even though, as we all know, a death is one. Richard Cory had no one to care for him because of who he was, only for what he had.
The picture we chose takes place at night. We chose a night seen because it shows the dark, sad state that Richard Cory was in when he killed himself. Also, the person walking alone on a quiet street is meant to show him feeling alone. He felt he had no place to look forward to, and no place to go back to.
7. (Alone – Maya Angelou) – “The race of man is suffering and I can hear the moan.” ( line 30-31)
This quote isn’t about the character who is saying it. This quote is talking about how the world is in despair. The whole human race is going through problems and this character can feel it. This character is distraught because he can “hear” the suffering of his fellow humans. He is wondering about how he can be the only one to notice when clearly the whole world is involved.
This picture is representing the speaker in the poem. The speaker is sitting with his hands over his ears and the sides of his head. He is trying to rid himself of the sounds of suffering people. He is in an empty space to try and think about how he can help everyone out.
My essential question is how does what I know about the world shape the way we view ourselves. This connects with my visual because all of the quotes we chose can be generalized to affect most people in the world. I know that the world has rich people and poor people, happy families and broken families, people with dreams and people with no one/nowhere to turn to. All of the quotes above come from ideas that are bigger than just the person who said them. All the thoughts and emotions I know about the world, affect me. They change how I see myself and others. They change the way I feel and make me want to make changes to help others. These quotes from all these different stories and poems capture the essence of what it means to be human, what it means to be a part of the world in which we live.
