Daily Archives: November 17, 2014

Just Kids, Through Page 55

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It takes a certain amount of courage to follow your dreams, whatever they may be. Becoming an artist, while a dream for many, is one of the most difficult dreams to follow, as it does not offer much financial security, and unless you make it big, you really don’t make it at all. I remember Kevin saying this book made him not want to be an artist, and while I certainly agree that this would be a very difficult lifestyle for anyone, this book also shows the positive of such a lifestyle. The first 55 pages of this book, while brief, showed the many pros and cons of being an artist. Those positives included an incredible level of freedom that many of will not enjoy in our lifetime, as Patti and Robert had an incredible amount of free time to themselves. They are also able to do what they enjoy for a living. I think in a way that is the ideal way to live, and that is why so many people try to follow such dreams even if they do not offer much in the way of financial security. Nevertheless, it takes a special amount of courage to pursue something more than the money.

“The Argument Resumed, Or, Up Through Tribeca” by Thomas Disch

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Disch’s poem speaks to the fact that some of the best moments in life involve little things. These events are often brief, yet they can still have a significant effect on your day. One of the most important points of this poem is that these beautiful moments must be brief and fleeting, otherwise, there will be no reason to long for the event to repeat itself. Not to make this about sports, but what, an example that comes to mind is the way that the media treated Derek Jeter this season, as it was his final season. Many outlets, including Gatorade, made exceptions to policies in order to honor Jeter. If these companies did this every time a player retired, it would not be special or significant. However, it was a very meaningful gesture because it does not happen very often. This is certainly not the best example for everyone, but it was something that came to mind for me. I’m sure we each have experiences like this that are brief, but still have a impact on us.

“The Owl and the Lightning” by Martin Espada

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I believe it was Chloe that raised the question of what the significance of the cat and owl was. The main point of this poem is certainly related to religion and how God is a mystery. However, as Professor Drabik pointed out recently, poets do everything deliberately, so the choice for a cat and an owl was no accident. The differences between a cat and an owl are pretty clear, as a cat is domesticated and often bound by rules imposed by its owner and an owl is free, only bound by the laws of nature. In the poem, we see the cat trying to defy the laws of the projects and then fall to its death, whereas, the owl survives and thrives, as it seemingly conjures up a bold of lightning. The owl seems similar to God because he is not bound by the laws of others, and has a mysterious power that others do not. Whereas, the cat is similar to humans, as it is bound by the rules of others and eventually dies, often trying to overcome these limitations.

Wasteland Reaction

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In the beginning of the film, I was expecting the photographer to go to a looked-down-apon place where people use illegal drugs and have terrible working conditions. However, when I saw people saying that they are proud of their jobs, I was surprised. They seemed like regular people living close to poverty. The “wasteland” had quite a number of happy people. It was no challenge for the photographer to entice them to make art. It was cool how recyclable materials were turned int a photo. When the photos went to an auction, I thought the auctioneer was going to say 10 pounds, but he continued to say 10,000 pounds. I guess the photographer went all the way to England to make a good profit, and it got the workers in the “wasteland” excited. Like Professor Drabik said, there are such crazy people that do these crazy things and luckily we have crazy people who give us the opportunity to find out about these crazy events.

Macaulay seminar requires concentration

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To understand the art we are looking at, it is important to concentrate (i.e. there is a lot trying to be conveyed through every word of the poems about NYC). However, the city is an environment that makes people naturally concentrate less on one thing and want to get as many things done as possible. Whereas, rural areas cause people to focus on one task and complete it from beginning to end and encourage people to feel emotions more readily than an urban environment. I find it ironic that we are supposed to look for meaning in art in NYC, a huge urban area making it difficult to concentrate. This kind of course would suit a college located in a rural environment.

Scientifically, we are all going through a struggle against nature to focus on tasks in a place meant for feeling rushed. Why does Macaulay present this challenge to us?

MoMa PS1

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I enjoyed my visit to MoMa PS1 on Friday with Joshua and Kevin. I only saw the zero tolerance exhibit because there was so much that I felt I could not retain anymore knowledge of the other exhibits on that day.

There were many photographs and videos showing unique events and forms of expression. The videos really grabbed my attention especially because the second room I entered was full of TVs showing mostly uprisings and protests in Poland, the country my parents are from. One video that surprised me was a group of gay people calling for a medicinal cure to their homosexuality. They claimed that reason was not a good enough excuse for them to renounce their homosexuality, and they tried to let others know that it was not their choice to be gay. At the museum, I was surprised to see an openly gay protest since Poles do not like gay people. I did not know that if there were gay people in Poland, they would let everyone know about it because they are at risk of being ridiculed and discriminated. This video helped me realize the challenges some people go through in a place I thought I was familiar with. One of the photos that I found interesting showed a rock glued to Tienamin Square in China because it shows the small change someone can make to the featureless ground.

I recommend my peers go to this museum to see all its unique art, and for the ideal price if you’re a Macaulay student: $0.

Wasteland Reaction

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When I first heard the name of the documentary “Wasteland” I was initially was expecting the film to somehow relate to the poem by T.S. Eliot “The Wasteland”. I was surprised to find out that the film was actually centered on a man who makes art out of recyclable waste. This documentary was by far one of the most emotionally charged and eye-opening films we have watched this year. Firstly, I felt extremely humbled by the fact that many of these catadores take such pride and enjoy what they are doing, sorting through trash, when there are people who grumble at throwing a trash bag down the trash shoot. Also, the lives of each catadore displayed the resilience and strength behind each of these individuals and their journey at times had me near tears of sadness and joy. Furthermore, Vik Muniz’s artistic concept with this project was not only beautiful, but the effect he had on the people he chose to involve was equally beautiful. I really respected him for making the art a collaborative effort and not treating the catadores as charity cases. It was amazing to see Muniz fuse his passion of artistic expression with a humanitarian impact. By just allowing these individuals to participate in his project he not only gave each of them a huge boost to their self-esteems and pride, but also gave them the financial stability they needed. Muniz truly helped to transform their lives and influenced them to strive for more in their lives while still carrying pride for their career as a catadore.

On “The Argument Resumed; Or, Up Through Tribeca”

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Everything comes to an end. The ideas of limitations and absoluteness, infinity and ephemeralness, have been questioned since the time of the Ancient Greeks.  These opposing ideas mainly appeared through the focuses on immortality and mortality; life and death. Some believed that beauty was truly immortal. Things such as art, love, and even blood lines (mainly considering royalty) were considered beautiful and grand because they existed longer than a lifetime. Philosophers such as Socrates have supported this idea. Socrates viewed love as humanity’s attempt to achieve immortality, a feat that overcomes physical impossibilities.

The opposing idea, which the poem appears to follow, is that beauty is fleeting. It can only exist in limited periods of time. Many poets and romanticists, such as William Shakespeare believed in this idea. In his sonnets, Shakespeare discussed that death, in fact, makes life greater because it (death) ends it (life). Because life is limited by death, one must make their best of it, and enjoy what is has to offer. Without death, life loses it beauty, and becomes dry and sorrowful.

The idea of memory, however, treads the line between the differing views on infinity or temporariness. A memory is something that can last a lifetime, or can persist through time if it is somehow recorded (a diary, biography, painting, etc.). The thing that is remembered, nonetheless, is stuck in time. It is finite. The poet of “The Argument Resumed” shows that beauty must be finite, that something beautiful can only exist temporarily, and that it can only be enjoyed momentarily because of its connection to memory. The key line from the latter half of the poem is “How shall it bear repeating?”. “It”, here, refers to any beautiful moment, event or thing. The poet uses basic logic to argue that if something beautiful lasts forever, how is it possible for humans to recall it multiple times? The poet discusses that true beauty and glory exists in bursts or short periods of time. It is possible for these short bursts to reinstate that sensation of magnificence any time in the future.

I cannot help but finding myself in agreement with the poet. If beautiful things were everlasting, how would we possibly enjoy anything else? How would it be possible to ever return to any singular, truly enjoyed and cherished piece of time?

Reaction to Just Kids (1-55)

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Although the start of the book was quite slow for me, I can see what Ms. Drabik meant when she said that it would be hard to put down the book. The moment Patti got herself to New York, it instantly became an adventure that you really can’t stop reading.

My curiosity sparked when Patti met Saint as I really couldn’t understand how one can befriend a stranger so quickly. Then when she just re-named Bob to Robert, I was just confused how Robert/Bob accepted the name with no hesitation.

What really got my mind racing was how Patti just tossed away the waitress outfit that her mother gave her. It was a sign of hope from her mother, but Patti tossed it away. I can understand how it can be compared to flowers that have wilted, but like flowers, it can also be preserved and be kept.

I just can’t wait to read the rest of this!

Scribner’s Bookstore

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Located at 597 Fifth Avenue, between 48th and 49th street in the heart of Manhattan, Scribner’s Bookstore is located inside the Charles Scribner’s Sons Building, right near the Rockefeller Center. The building was built in 1913 and designed by a guy name Ernest Flagg in a Beaux Arts-style exterior. Beaux Arts style architecture was a style of architecture that heavily influenced the United States during the turn of the 20th century. Some characteristics of Beaux Arts Style include flat roof, arched windows, arched and pediment doors, classical details, symmetry, sculptures, murals, etc. In Just Kids, Scribner’s Bookstore is significant because it was the place where Patti Smith got her job after being fired from being cashier because she didn’t charge a Chinese customer tax on an expensive Buddha. The job was referred from Janet Hamill, a friend she met from college. Smith described her job as a “dream job, working in the retail store of the prestigious publisher, home to writers like Hemingway and Fitzgerald, and their editor, the great Maxwell Perkins.” (Smith 55). Smith also felt very lucky to be working at “such a historic bookstore”, with a higher salary and being able to work with Janet (Smith 55). The bookstore announced its closure in 1988, and officially closed in 1989, ending the 76 years of business. Today, it is currently a Sephora cosmetics store, with the name of the building, “Charles Scribner’s Sons”, still written on the building itself.

 

~Christopher Chong