Awakenings

Rodolfo Morales

As I began to work on my collage project, I wondered what would be an appropriate topic that would fit in with the theme of “Awakenings.” As I pondered fruitlessly about what I should do for this assignment, I stared at a picture I have on my desk of my father when he was approximately my age. It was striking to me how much I look like him, and looking into the picture, I saw a certain reflection of myself. As I continued staring at the picture, I experienced my own awakening; my father could be the central point of my collage! I realized that his life story is one of despair mixed with hope, life itself being a constant awakening for him. Slowly, images began to come forth in my head of what he had told me about his life, especially about his decision to immigrate to the United States.
My father is originally from Guatemala. However, his childhood was not one filled with much joy or fun. Instead, he suffered a childhood of poverty. His father left him alone in the woods when he was 5 years old, and my father did not see him again until two years later. In fact my dad lived in a broken home, and I tried to demonstrate this by tearing apart the Guatemalan flag in my collage. In addition, I painted blood on the torn flag to represent how the Guatemalan government killed my father’s uncle ruthlessly. The blood is splattered recklessly, and the handprints, (which I painted), demonstrate the violent nature of his death and how deeply it affected my dad. According to my father, his uncle was found dead tied to posts with mutilated body parts and with bullet holes in him.
My father was living with his uncle at the time that this happened, and due to the danger that was presented, he was forced to move to the United States. For this reason I placed the picture of my father when he was my age in the middle of the bloodied Guatemalan flag and a vertical American flag emanating rays of sunshine. I did this to represent my father’s journey to the United States in search of a better life. He was leaving behind the darkness that had haunted his childhood and was heading towards a country where his hopes and dreams could be fulfilled. The rays of sunshine spread out and touch my dad’s picture as a symbol of all the opportunities that awaited him in his new home. I also placed the American flag vertically next to him to show that in America, my dad would have opportunities that could take him much higher than in Guatemala.
Once I finished with the project, I felt a deeper appreciation for my father and the sacrifices he has made throughout his life. He truly suffered in his youth, and still he was able to persevere and become a success in his life. My dad’s story has inspired me, and I have come to realize that I want to be like him in persevering to achieve my dreams and goals.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 27th, 2007 at 8:24 am and is filed under