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@ Cory I think Daniel’s remarks helped many of us who are musically inclined. You seem to have a full plate for yourself in regards to the song you are making, but I think your enthusiasm to try and experiment with the improvisational technique to base music on an image is something that is to be commended. For anyone who isn’t art-focused at the moment, I think Daniel’s words are helpful in finding inspiration from the things that we may deem innocuous. Using these exercises to fuel our academic pursuits is another way we can benefit from our interactions with Daniel and you, Cory, seem to be a good model for that creativity. I wish you, and anyone else reading this, the best of luck with your small group project.
I wholeheartedly agree with most of your post, Cory. What interests me most is your comment about how Ursula titles her sculptures, as I similarly remarked about this subject in our posts for Tara Sabharwal’s presentation. I think there are many similarities between what we have heard from Tara and Ursula throughout these visits, such as the process, or lack thereof, in making a title for an art piece. The comment about directing others in making her art was something that I felt didn’t need too much explaining, in my opinion. Ursula von Rydingsvard is a highly accomplished artist with an incredible skill set, so it makes sense to me that her team would consist of similarly talented people that she would have no problem entrusting the cutting of her works to.
I agree with both you and Cory in this case. Hounsou’s portrayal of Mateo is fantastically done with emotional depth not usually given to a supporting role. As Cory and yourself have pointed out, Mateo’s interaction with the children sees a noticeable change in his demeanor. All the hate and fear he has felt seems to wash away upon seeing the gleeful fun that the girls have, even whilst living in such a depressing situation. From his interactions with the two, it seems that Mateo is being confronted with the person he used to be before his illness: a young man enjoying life for what it is and not what society makes of it. The emotional depth that is brought to the character by Hounsou is incredible and one of the highlights of the film for me as well.
I agree with many of the points mentioned above, but I think Chris touches on a point that I completely agree with, that being the unrealistic “happy ending.” At this point in the 70s, the chances of a minority with a severe illness living in one of the roughest neighborhoods of New York City having enough money saved up to pay for childbirth and the hospital charges of a premature baby is very unlikely, especially during a time when the overwhelming majority of African-Americans made less than $30,000. As was pointed out by Chris, New York City was very antagonistic towards anyone without the right money. Looking at the 70s from such rose-tinted glasses is incredibly harmful to the New York that emerged since then.
Additionally, an interesting thing that I found with movies set during these incredibly divided times was a, in my opinion, mischaracterization of certain social issues. As we saw during the book Let the Great World Spin, the view of Ciaran towards minorities is not the brightest or best. Despite the characters in this movie being Irish and not having experienced the same heterogeneous populations of New York City, the family seems to not care too much on race. Another aspect introduced in the film was the topic of transgendered/transsexual people during the 70s. Including them in the film yet not having any meaningful character interactions or commentary that relates to the times of then or now feels like the story shoehorned an overlooked demographic into the film under a guise of actual representation. While I think Ash detailed the societal shift towards acceptance for trans peoples well, I think it overlooks the rather large lack of acceptance seen historically and even now among religious fundamentalists and certain parts of the LGB communities.
Though I think the film portrays New York from a diverse community that is able to connect despite their differences well, I think keeping the societal aspects that pertain to the time period to the fringe of the story is a disservice to the story.The film’s start at the crossing of the Canada/US border and the initial arrival at New York CIty creates a lasting impact on the movie’s theme and mood. For instance, at the border, the nervousness of the family is palpable as they move to a new part of their lives so far from what they know. The viewer is also given a look at the internal conflict of the parents Johnny and Sarah. Johnny’s initial lapse in memory that he has lost his son still plagues him and, when he is reminded of that loss, he expresses a resigned sigh and forlorn look. Sarah’s memory of their loss is also felt and her forced smile to the other border agent is visibly offset after. From this, the movie’s mood grows ever somber with every passing second. Additionally, upon entering New York, the family sets their sights upon the illuminated visage of New York City. There, the family gazes in wonder and amazement at everything they see, from the dazzling lights of Times Square’s billboards and the somewhat disinterested denizens going about their day to day. As the family transitions to where they have to live, they realize the dolor that they have come to inhabit. A damaged, rank, drab building to house the many shunned peoples of NYC that is in dire need of changes. Here, the movie shows the building and family as intertwined. Throughout the film, the family and the building are both broke, broken, and in dire need of some hope. This opening introduction to New York gives the film a theme that loss leaves deep grooves in the soul of a person and people should endeavor to resolve those deepset scars.
Your interpretation of Corrigan is one that I agree with more than just the simple remark that he is selfless. In any act of selflessness, there is an essence of selfishness within it. Whether it is to feel good about yourself in helping those who can’t or to serve your own ideas of justice, there is an all-threading caveat of some sort of avarice intertwining throughout each action. When faced with the option to leave the order for love, he purposefully finds no way for satisfaction in either choice. Even Adelita remarks how Corrigan has the choice of still serving his God in some way to serve the wretched while still being with her. Yet Corrigan still rejects the ability to have his cake and eat it, too. Amidst his strife, Corrigan pushes himself into more throes of perdition. Over and under the hurdles of life, he has chosen a path of much attrition, however when faced with the first convincing possibility of leaving it for something he truly believes in, he has still contrived a way to make it difficult. Whether it is being a glutton for punishment, feeling undeserving of it while others will never get these chances, or simply because he has lived his life for too long in one way that facing another is breaking the fabric of his being, there is still an addiction to suffering and his own selfishness.
Your assessment of Fernando is spot on. As a teenager in one of the largest artistic hubs of the modern world, his attention to some of the more overlooked artworks seen in day-to-day life is astounding. Graffiti tags are one of the most culturally impactful parts of New York City culture in certain ways. Though there is much debate that it is vandalism of public property, there is an inherent amount of character that is imprinted with each crazily located tag or mural. Fernando takes this view to heart and wants to display this character of New York City for many to see, with the added benefit of any money he may scrounge up from having it published. In the presence of these tags, Fernando feels deeply that he should be the one to push the barriers and make his own tag above the rest, however he knows where his talents lie. He knows that his appreciation of graffiti and displaying them in his own ways is what will do the tags the most justice. Society needs these bits of character, and Fernando’s pictures of the hidden gems of the subway prove the city’s character just as much as the picture of the walker between the World Trade Center’s towers.
I think you have perfectly captured the challenge in personalizing the people around us just as well as those first fifteen minutes in the movie did. It is remarkably easy to look at the throngs of people as a collective mass associated with the general mood of the day. However, it takes effort to recognize individuals and their humanity. To simply understand that the person next to you could be running a bodega that you will go to five days later, or that the people around your own age may be in the exact same community and school as yourself, there is a disproportionate amount of the world that we do not take into account. Despite the belligerence of painting ourselves into specific neighborhoods and boroughs, New Yorkers are all living in the same city, enduring their own woes, and searching for absolution and humanity in others. Just as Thomas pays a debt to Auggie, so does Auggie pay one to Ruby.
I agree with much of your assessment of Thomas and you touch upon a great point of his story that connects to much of the real world. In life it becomes difficult to open up about the problems you are facing especially when growing up and trying to prove yourself as an adult that can solve their own problems. Without a healthy way to vent such frustrations, it can make solving those problems harder and more solitary than they need be. In Thomas’ situation, he has grown up with a long dead mother and a father whom he has only heard hearsay about. Though he has his aunt and uncle, there is still that feeling of being deprived of a guiding hand and a fatherly presence. Having to learn what it is like to entrust your problems with another is just as integral to Thomas’ story as is figuring out his relationship to his father
