Category: Blog Postings

“The only way people can really describe pain is to objectify it.” I’m not going to lie, the first time I heard this quote, it seemed so true. Who the hell just says I’m in pain and expect everyone else to understand what they’re talking about? This statement almost certainly follows the question “Are you okay?” Obviously not if I just said I’m in pain! This goes to show you how little humans know about pain, so in order to gain a better understanding of this, they bring objects in to the matter. This leads to statements like “My head is pounding like a bell.” If that were really the case, it’s not that bad. You’ll be with Jesus soon. In all seriousness, this is not really an accurate representation of how we feel, but it is better than the simple “I’m in pain.” This does encourage me about the process of creation as we can have so many different quotes, so many different meanings, so many emotions, so many tears (I may need therapy), just from objectifying pain. However, I realize there are only so many objects that we can use to objectify pain, meaning that with all the new songs that come out everyday, we will soon get bored of that same stupid analogy of that pounding or splitting headache. Once again, if your headache was splitting you…forget it. Not to say these analogies are bad, they just get stale after a while. How do we fix this problem. Never fear, Maroon 5 is here! Here’s the thing: since pain is an immaterial thing, why don’t we compare it to other immaterial things rather than tangible objects? I just so happened to be listening to “Whiskey” by none other than Maroon 5, and Adam Levine crooned into my ears “I admit that I would have sold my soul for a little more time.” How’s that for pain? I could feel the loneliness in the lyric, the emotion in his voice, that this person meant everything to him and he would have everything just to be with them at least one more time. As we know from philosophy, the soul is an immaterial thing, as well as time, yet in this lyric, they appear to be traded for each other. It’s really beautiful to show how immaterial things can mean so much to someone emotionally and and the physical toll it can take on someone, which we more generally know as pain. Of course, why even objectify pain when we have voices, capable of changing volumes and pitches to express greater pain. Sometimes simply screaming with futility, “I’m not fine, I’m in pain, it’s harder everyday” (“Better that We Break” by Maroon 5) with a depressing tone to accompany it is all we need to understand you.

“She suggests (Scarry) every impulse to make things—whether a painting, a chair, a poem, a vaccine or a building—is an attempt to ease the burden of sentience by shifting some of it onto the object.” Once again, at first glance, this seems like the perfect answer. Human beings see a problem, they try to fix it. Well…maybe not. There are always those times when yes, human beings, some of the laziest beings on Earth, love to drown in that burden and pile it on. Music is the perfect example of this. You think every musician…or band, makes a song to ease their burden. Most of the time this statement does reign true, but sometimes they love to drown in their sorrows so much that they make a song to feel even more depressed then before. Don’t lie to me! We’ve all had that moment where we just want to feel depressed, to continue to have those emotions and blast the most depressing music possible. Sometimes to ease the burden and let go ,but other times to feel even more and increase that burden, as if to punish ourselves for our wrongdoings. I’m not trying to say this is the norm, it is rare. However, it does happen, it is logically possible, and therefore, not every impulse is to ease our burden. This really enlightened me about the creation process after making this realization, as it helped me understand that not everything created has to be for a benefit, but to enhance a consequence. How is this a good thing? Without our lowest of lows, we wouldn’t have our highest of highs.

1.) “The only way people can describe pain is to objectify it.”

2.) “When people forge tools or build things, they are often trying to alleviate discomfort. But first they must define the discomfort.”

The creative process has no objective origin regardless of its physically relative result. It cannot be ignored that, on an immaterial level, aspects of the artist are indeed what holds the result together. Art can portray pain and alleviate discomfort, but it can also radiate with happiness, drawing attention and inspiring others to create something unique as well. The former can inspire, but will not inspire everyone. Pain is a trivial matter; it is present as a reminder of our mortality, but blinds us in times of trial. The process of creation can be a therapy for this pain, but there is much more possibility for innovation beyond this once suffering has ended.

Not all discomfort leads to pain, and not all pain stems from discomfort. When discomfort is given definition and then exemplified in form, it is separated from the vessel that harbored it originally. While this may alleviate the range of discomfort to excruciating pain, it may undercut the purpose of this pain or discomfort. The world does not exist for life to be easy, regardless of how much humans contribute to this notion. Pain can serve as a teacher. To define art simply as another medicine, a mere loophole to avoid prolonged pain, makes evident how blind some are to the definition of creation. There isn’t one. To define is for some things to objectify, but for all things it is to relate them to other things such that they lose individuality.

The article challenges the mystery of creation, trying to define its intention with a formulaic rendering of that which is inherently random (lacking pattern or predictability).

One of my favorite songs states “Its better to feel pain than nothing at all”.  The feeling of pain is an essential part of life, and rather than sleeping through it all without any sense, it is better to live even if their will be pain. The feeling of pain is not only natural but in a way it is a necessity. If there was no reason to alleviate this pain then there would be no need to live. If we achieve true euphoria without psychical or mental barrier then there is no point in putting effort into changing things. However with this pain our world is ever changing, trying to find new and better ways to solve our pain. And through these efforts sometimes we fail but other times we gain even by accident. This is what Boxer communicates when she states ““When people forge tools or build things, they are often trying to alleviate discomfort. But first they must define the discomfort”. We have the need to create things because we have the necessity to fix the pain we are experiencing, without this vital part of life we cannot have the creative force of pain driving us to push on.

 

When I saw the Laocoön statue in person this summer, it didn’t really affect me as much as it did after I read this article. I never really thought about the story behind it when I observed the art, I definitely appreciated its beauty and grace, but I didn’t think that this was an art that people looked down upon. When you see a muscular guy struggling against monstrous tentacles, the first thing you really think of is a heroic story, however it was one of punishment and terror. As this man went against the gods and is art to show the aftermaths of disobeying authority. Boxer states “the sculpture [of Laocoön] didn’t change, but the idea of pain and justice did”, and I completely agree with this, because when we think of justice and pain we don’t think about putting this out in the public for people to view and admire. We feel pity for those that go through pain, rather than enjoyment that they got what they “deserved”, and we would never relish such images of pain now.

If I had a dollar for every time my mom told me “no pain, no gain”, I wouldn’t need a job. But it’s true. There is no gain without pain.

As Boxer mentioned “The only way people can really describe pain is to objectify it,” objects carry the burden of the pain people get tired of harboring. Pain is the fuel that drove people to build homes, cars, trains, phones, and almost everything many of us have the luxury of owning. Pain is revealed in the absence of the object. Without a boiler, there are no hot showers, without cars, trains and planes the world becomes smaller and without chairs people become more hostile.

Pain made Taylor Swift famous, not Kanye. Just as Boxer stated “When people forge tools or build things, they are often trying to alleviate discomfort. But first they must define the discomfort”, Swift forged her pain caused by her multiple failed relationships into multiple hit songs. By transferring pain into words, she was able to describe and alleviate the suffering she harbored.

Pain is art. Whenever I have emotional pain, I find myself either holding a whisk or a henna cone. Speaking about pain has never been easy for me, but there is something about baking and designing flowers and paisleys that always has a way of calming me down. Maybe it’s the sweet smell of the melted chocolate or the stunning intricacy of my henna that absorbs my pain while I absorb its beauty.

Someone once told me if I feel pain it’s a good thing; it means I’m still alive. “The Formula For Portraying Pain in Art; Building Chairs or Forging Tools to Ease Suffering Can Transform It Into a Creative Force” by Sarah Boxer echos that someone.

“The only way people can really describe pain is to objectify it,” because we all know for sure how it’s caused but can’t put words to how it feels without referring to what caused the pain.

This makes sense, then, when we consider, “When people forge tools or build things, they are often trying to alleviate discomfort. But first they must define the discomfort.” Pain drives creativity. Pain forces us to think outside the box and to figure out a way to at the very least lighten it..

This is just a physical expression of something that was inherent in me from a very young age. Who would’ve thought that aesthetic Tumblr quotes like “The loneliest people are the kindest, the saddest people smile the brightest…” are actually rooted reality? We use our painful experiences to create art.

These “beautiful pity parties” (as Michael so eloquently articulated) really do force us to realize we are not alone. When I write a song, sitting next to my dusty, worn keyboard, wringing my hands, fiddling with my bitten pencil, with my tears blurring the world around me, I could only hope the objectification of my pain could alleviate someone else’s.

I could only hope I’m still alive.

I never thought of art this way (or thought of art at all) before this. The article makes an interesting statement, saying that pain can provoke creativity.

I chose quotes #1 and #2

1) The only way people can really describe pain is to objectify it.

Sarah Boxer brings up a book by Elaine Scarry. She says that people never truly describe pain, but they only describe things or objects that can cause the pain. When I thought about this, it is actually very true. We can never describe our pain; we can only use examples of other things to explain our pain to others as best we can. The other day, I stepped on a lego (thanks, little brothers). The pain would described as a “sharp pain”, or like I had been pricked by little needles. I never thought of it at that moment (or any other time I got hurt), but I wasn’t able to really describe the pain, but only relate it to things that CAUSE pain. This challenges us as creators. The first person to describe pain must have had a difficult time finding exact words for it. What if we experience a pain one day that we can relate to no other experience? How will we describe it then?

2) When people forge tools or build things, they are often trying to alleviate discomfort. But first they must define the discomfort.

We’ve already discussed describing a pain/discomfort. But how do we relieve these discomforts? Boxer discusses the tools people use to ease pains. As creators, most of the things we make are made to relieve pain, to ease discomfort, or to make life easier. She uses the example of a chair. We use chairs to help us counter the discomfort of having our body weight for extended periods of time. Many things have been created to ease discomforts, and still we are in the process of developing more. Some are very simple things that many take for granted today. Shoes are an example. Somebody a long time ago was sick of walking on bare feet and getting cuts from rocks and rough ground, so they developed shoes. Whether the first shoes were just a piece of wood or maybe soft cloth, they sought out to ease the discomfort of bare foot walking. Since then, many developments were made and the result was the comfortable sneakers or shoes that we wear today. All in all, pain leads to the need to alleviate it, and that need often results in new technology.

Does this mean pain is a good thing?

The article Pain in Art by Sarah Boxer brought up an interesting point that I had never really thought of. The first thing that Boxer brings up in the article is the point that “The only way people can really describe pain is to objectify it.” This is interesting because we discussed something similar in philosophy where you can’t really describe an experience 100% accurately unless the other person has experienced the same thing. The best you can do is make analogies to other things. When people talk about pain they do, almost always, compare it to something physical. For example, when someone has a very painful headache they may say something like “It feels like a hammer is pounding the inside of my head.” People do this because it is the best way to convey how the pain feels to others. Boxer builds upon this point in saying that “When people forge tools or build things, they are often trying to alleviate discomfort. But first they must define the discomfort.” This is also true because tools are literally things people use to make tasks easier. When an artist builds a sculpture they are usually trying to send a message or make people feel some sort of emotion. I don’t have any problem with this way of explaining art because I believe it’s true. Works of art are made because of some sort of discomfort in order to relieve that discomfort. Even if the sculpture or artwork is not something that portrays pain but rather a happy situation, the artist did have the discomfort in the fact that no one else felt this way or has seen this piece, so it is shown to alleviate that discomfort that they have.

When I read the four quotes, I didn’t really know what to say. I needed to go over the article again to get the full understanding. The article gives many examples which made it easier to find what the quotes mean. I also feel like the quotes build on each other.

1)  “The only way people can really describe pain is to objectify it.”

Boxer is listing the words people often use to describe their pain and says that all the words she listed were of things and actions that cause pain. From that moment my mind was blown, I never thought of it that way or even realized it. When I have headaches I usually say it feels like pressure in my head but it’s not really pressure, there is nothing squishing, pushing or causing tension in my head. What I am really doing is describing and relating my pain to something I think would feel similar.

2)  “When people forge tools or build things, they are often trying to alleviate discomfort. But first they must define the discomfort”

This is like saying anything that is created even beyond art is made to relieve us of any pain. She uses an example of a chair, someone made a chair to rest their tired and heavy body. This is an extension of the first quote, to define discomfort we objectify it. It’s like Boxer is saying first we figure out what’s wrong or what is bothering us then we make something to dull our suffering.

3)  “the sculpture [of Laocoön] didn’t change, but the idea of pain and justice did”

This quote I understand what it is trying to get at but I don’t agree. I’m sure people in Greece saw that Laocoön and his sons were in pain but they knew of his story and no longer felt remorse. No one would pity the man who disrespected their god. But now people see Laocoön and pity him and feel his pain for a few reasons, one being that people do not have the same beliefs, and two they might not even know of this story. Some people just like to look at art and see what they want to see and not what it is meant to be.

4)  “she suggests (Scarry) every impulse to make things—whether a painting, a chair, a poem, a vaccine or a building—is an attempt to ease the burden of sentience by shifting some of it onto the object.”

This quote was extremely funny to me because how is a painting of a chair supposed to make me feel anything. And then, I saw the painting and how used and beaten up this poor chair was. I start imagining what it would be like to be a chair, just constantly being sat on by strangers. Not a great way to spend the rest of your life, wasting away while people only use you for their own benefit. But then again maybe chairs are happy, that is their main purpose. (This started getting weird.)

The process of creation is natural. You want to shelter yourself from harsh winds and snow so you make yourself a shelter or a little home. That old spring mattress is too rough and doesn’t give you enough back support so you go out and make a tempurpedic bed, etc. And sometimes it doesn’t have to be natural, it could be an accident or with the hopes to relieve someone else’s suffering who you may never even see.

Part I

While reading the judges monologue, one could really feel the burning pain inside the judge’s heart for his city. It almost feels like a time before the rebirth of the world, where everything is in chaos and there is nothing but crime! But in all of the commotion, one could clearly sort out people like the tightrope walker because in the judge’s eye, he was a unique one. He respected the tightrope walker because he made a monument by doing something that caught people’s eye temporarily and was bold. This makes me think of how there are always some revolutionaries who would go against the flow and would try to bring about a change. The tightrope walker is one such revolter, who makes things lively in an area that is filled with crime and malice.

Part II

In life, sometimes you have to make rash decisions whether you like it or not. And often as a judge you will be faced with such rash decision making opportunities frequently, where you will be forced to make a decision based on your understanding, your morals and based on what you know from the story. So, when looking from Judge Soderberg’s perspective we find out that he sentences Tillie to eight months in prison because he sees her as a prostitute and as a criminal he mentions in the monologue. He has no clue as to what her backstory is. I also feel like he sentenced her for eight months instead of six because he sees her as a waste of the society that needs to be either tamed or removed. And removing isn’t an option in this case, so he decides to put some sense into her head by locking her in for an extra two months. However, the case of Petit is completely different. He is in fact fascinated by Petit as I mentioned in Part I. In some sense he grows to respect Petit because of what he had done. Therefore, he feels pressurized when the time comes for him to decide for Petit. In some sense, the sentence he gave to Petit, about paying a cent for every floor on the building, is funny and clever. However, it isn’t fair as it allowed Petit to walk away as a free man while it imprisoned Tillie. Now, from my personal opinion, I wouldn’t have sentenced Tillie to eight months prison since I know her backstory. It might not have been possible, what I am trying to do, but it is worth a shot. I would have sentenced her to wearing ankle bracelets for 6-8 months, so that she could stay with her granddaughters, while at the same time understand that she was given another chance in life to become a better person. This would also allow her to reflect on the part where if she was sentenced to prison then she wouldn’t have had the chance to be with her grandchildren. Maybe somewhere in this sentence, she might have found her true purpose in life and might have changed her lifestyle. The possibility of it happening might be minuscule, but it is still there. However, on the case of Petit, even though his punishment wasn’t fair in comparison to Tillie, it was justified. I feel so, because Petit was just doing something he loved. He was reaching out towards freedom. And nobody should ever be punished for following their hearts. But then again it may be more complicated than that. What if he influenced other people to do the same, but those other people weren’t skilled enough and had fallen into the arms of death? So, I understand Soderberg’s opinion as well. But I feel like the piling up of the two cases is quite complicated as it depends from person to person to give their opinion as to what they would have done. There isn’t a definite answer.

Part III

When one listens to the phrase “the world spinning”, one might think of how our earth constantly rotates and revolves around the sun on a fixed path. And there is the gravity of the sun that allows the earth to do that. Similarly the gravity of the earth allows the moon to rotate and revolve around the earth. So, we see how things keep on going, and as they go on, they cause another affect. Similarly, such is the story of our earth. Our everyday boring lives go on and on and on until something unique comes about to stop it and entertain it for a while. We as human beings are tempted to react to such a unique performance. And our reaction to that performance causes the performer to do more of such acts. And such acts influence other people’s lives like Petit influenced Claire and her friend’s lives. We don’t seem to notice the connections in between such interactions. But somehow, I feel like when Jaslyn saw Petit’s image and the date on that image, she noticed something unique. She called it beautiful and ugly simultaneously. I feel like she started to see all the connections. It made her happy because she saw how the tightrope walker followed his heart and did what he wanted to. But also, at the same time, it was the day when her mother died in a car accident. She also might have known about Gloria’s children and how the women thought Petit’s act to be nothing more than giving away his life. Jaslyn might have been able to notice all these connections and might have had come to the conclusion that despite the fact that the world keeps on spinning, there are incidents that catch us off guard and alter the course of the world. Either ways the world still keeps on spinning even with the altered path. There is no stop to it. So the best we can do to contribute towards it, is by doing what we do best, hoping that we inspire people in the best of ways.

There were many bridges in this story that were unsettling. But the one that personally made me feel a bit unsettled at first was the connection between Corrigan and the prostitutes, especially Jazzlyn. This is because in our society prostitutes have a bad impression. And maybe I was also one of those people who might have thought so until sometime in my life. But I was so wrong. After knowing Tillie’s story, it broke my heart. She did all this to make sure that her children don’t go through the same experience, but in the end, even Jazzlyn ended up being a prostitute. And honestly speaking, I personally have a friend who was a prostitute. I won’t be sharing any incidents of how we met, or who that person is, or even why they did this. But I know their story, and I am pretty sure, if you knew their story then maybe you might have sympathized with them as well. Many of these prostitutes, become one because they are desperate. They just want to be able to feed their family. They don’t see any other option. And in their opinion, the quickest way to get cash would be by being a prostitute. And honestly, I don’t even blame them. Sometimes, I am even forced to think about what would I have done, if I was so poor that I was on the brink of death, and on top of that I had to support my children and my family. It’s a tough choice to make. When you don’t see options, you do somethings that you naturally wouldn’t. And honestly speaking, that friend of mine was one of the nicest person I have ever met. But society sometimes f**ks you up so bad, that there is nothing you could do. You have to live with the pain, and drop your esteem and respect in order to make sure that your loved ones are safe and are fed.

A bridge that actually made me cry was when Corrigan was drunk all day and night and was smoking on his mother’s birthday. And he came home with eyes that were numb and a body that couldn’t stand on its own feet. Despite all this, his mother hugged him and made sure he was alright and saved him the birthday cake. I feel like I have a deep connection to this moment because I live here without my parents. Sometimes when you see such parental love and you know you are deprived of it as for the moment in life, you start to feel happiness in the moment because of the story but yet you cry so hard inside, that it creates a hole in your heart. I feel like in some sense that is what I went through while reading this connection between Corrigan and his mother. In my situation, you would give anything to have that parental love in your life. It isn’t like I am deprived of it. But it’s just that, that I don’t physically have my parents with me to comfort me in such situations. It isn’t my parents’ fault. But it’s just that people are put in situations where there are no options. This matured me quicker than I might have if I was living with my parents. But still I tend to make rash decisions as all of you might already know! But I hope that some day, despite being an adult, I will come home to my mother, all drunk and smoked up, just to be comforted by her and being able to reminisce this moment of the past.

Part I.

In Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, the judge’s monologue describes the crime and destruction that has taken over The Bronx. In Man on Wire, Philippe Petit is also committing a crime, but it is not one that that tears us apart. Instead, it brings us together.  Everyday New Yorkers along with visiting tourists stopped and stared in amazement to watch Philippe, a great contrast from the murders, rape, and robberies.

Part II.

The judge having Tillie, Jazzlyn, and the tightrope guy finally ties the entire story together. Judge Soderberg is actually married to Claire and is actually relieved when he discovers he get the tightrope walker’s case. It almost a break from the events judge Soderberg usually deals with and describes in his monologue. Seeing these two cases presented at the same time shows two drastic differences in what is considered a  crime. Philippe’s action were considered by many to be an act of beauty.  However, Tillie and Jazzlyn are seen as nothing more than lowlifes and prostitutes. Because of this Judge Soderberg has a more light hearted view on the tightrope walker (Petit) than Tillie and Jazzlyn. The doubling up of these two events finally bridge the connections presented throughout the story.

Part III.

In the prologue we first witness Philippe Petit on the tightrope. Bystanders look in awe and the reader is left unknowing as to whether the stunt was successful or not. We later find out that as this is going on, Tillie and Jazzlyn are being arrested,Claire has the laddies over for lunch, and Claire’s husband, Judge Soderberg, gets both Petit’s as well as Tillie and Jazzlyn’s court case. Many things did not make sense when first reading the book. It is mind blowing to see how these people with completely different lives and stories could be so closely connected.

A bridge that surprised me the most was when Ciaran met Lara. It is unsettling to think about meeting the person who killed your own brother. Most people would react with some type of aggression or hate. However, they end up being together. I personally do not think I could go through something like that, however things happen for a reason.

The bridge that “made my heart sing” was Jaslyn being with Claire. It was shocking to see Jaslyn is Jazzlyn’s daughter. Even though she couldn’t be by her birth mother’s side, she was there for Claire. It was heartwarming to learn Jaslyn had escaped the loop of prostitution running in her family and is living a decent life.