Posts from — December 2008

Author, New York Times columnist, and dedicated son Mr. Sam Freedman appeared at Baruch College last week for a talk back about his historical biography Who She Was. The book is a factual rendering of his mother’s life: raw, unpretentious, and heartbreaking. [Read more →]

Samuel Freedman, the author of Who She Was, was kind enough to grace my class with his presence and his wisdom. I was very excited o meet him because I was anxious to supply a face to the name that I knew very well. His book regarding his mother’s life was very powerful and contained many deep feelings within its pages. It was compiled with a good deal of comprehensive research an analysis of the era in which his mother lived. This thorough analysis gives anyone who reads the book a very clear idea of who Mr. Freedman’s mother was and the factors that made her this way. [Read more →]

When my fellow classmates and I were first notified about the upcoming visit from Samuel G. Freedman, I was looking forward to receiving insight and inspiration for my own “Who She Was” assignment.  After reading his book, it was evident to see the love and respect he had for his mother, but hearing him talk about her was completely different.  After this class, I decided that I would write about my own father because of the love and respect I have for him, much like Freedman and his mother.  Freedman claimed that the book was used as an “act of penance” towards his mother.  He also said that he made sure everything was done correctly.  For example, clothes, language and culture of his mother’s lifetime were vital to capture the essence of his mother’s life.  This is the technique and approach I would use for my assignment.

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Love, betrothal, and childbirth were extremely important in renaissance Italy. For men, the taking of a wife was most often an affair predetermined by familial obligation or societal convenience. For woman, marriage was a coming of age (at a very young age,) and one’s inauguration as a caretaker and child bearer. This ritualistic matrimony, often void of sexual attraction, was inculcated by the Catholic Church and considered to be the most important event in a woman’s life. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new exhibit Art and Love in Renaissance Italy is a paradox in a sense; the historic marriage of man and woman, loveless and obligatory in nature, was the topic of some of the most handsome works of art in history. [Read more →]

www.motherjones.com

Since I was ten years old I have been reading biographies of famous people. I am not usually so fond of memoirs about ordinary people. Sam Freedman wrote a memoir, Who She Was: My Search For My Mother’s Life. Even though a son wrote this book about his mother, it is not written like a standard memoir, he writes it from a distance, rather than including himself in every aspect of the book.

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              On a bitter cold evening my class met at BAM in Downtown Brooklyn to watch the final show of the semester, a dance performance called “Urban Bush Women”.  When I entered the building I felt a sense of awe at the beauty of the structure. BAM is a glimpse into the old Brooklyn, a place rich with culture.

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As I prepared to undertake my street photography project, I found myself wondering about what topic I should choose. After much thought and conversation with others I decided to try and document the vast amount of forced advertising in New York City. I chose to focus on the posters that are plastered on walls and construction sites throughout Manhattan. I really wanted to show that the posters assault those who walk the streets of New York City with their size and their repetitious nature. [Read more →]

My collage shows some of the defining moments of Roger Federer’s career. Roger has already established himself as one of the best tennis players to ever live. While his career is far from over, there have already been defining moments along his champion’s path. In my collage I have chosen four specific moments to chronicle his career. [Read more →]

To my surprise the play Irena’s Vow was not a one woman show, where the actress would act all the characters in the play from the twelve Jews to the Nazi major, as predicted by my professor. The play, however, opened with Ms. Feldshuh, in a narrative voice, portraying Irena Gut and nine supporting cast members acting different characters in the play. Periodically, during the play Ms. Feldshuh would act as some of the characters, usually by with foot stumping, coughing, or changing in tone. [Read more →]

My theme for the street photography project is American dream. I want to express my feeling towards American dream that doesn’t exist anymore. Throughout my photographs, I try to tell the viewer the hardship of immigrants, came to find a better life, in the New York City. With the ideology of American dream, these immigrants, who were doctors and businessmen in their old country, came to America only to find themselves washing dishes and selling fake merchandise off the street. I also connected to the new immigrants because my parent went through the same struggle. Living in a Chinese community myself, I want my photographs to be dark and serious. [Read more →]