Author: Frankie Morel
Exterminating Angel Experience
When I first stepped into the Metropolitan Opera, I thought I was some stranger because I came in a hoodie, a vest, cargo pants, and sneakers, and most of the people around me were semi-formal. However, there were a few people that were wearing jeans and sneakers, so I kind of felt okay. As for the performance itself, I thought it was not that bad because there were some parts of it that I found a little humorous, but it could have been better. During the first two acts of the play, I did not really understand what they were saying simply because I did not have the subtitles on. I understood the whole play, but I would not say that I really liked it because operas are not really my thing.
As for the pictures, the one with the bear at the middle of the stage represents my previous prejudice of operas. I first thought that operas were really boring because I have always had the imagination that people were just going to sing about whatever. However, the fact that this opera had a bear as one of its characters made it a little more interesting. It was almost as if it was an opera and a play at the same time.
In his essay, Cole explained that Singh’s photographs included “the subcontinental terrain, the eyepopping color,” and “the human presence,” which is why I chose the other photo. This was the beginning of the third and final act, in which the townspeople gathered around the house and the little boy was called on by the officers because his parents were locked inside. At that moment, the stage itself was very colorful, as if it was a show on Broadway, and the fact that the townspeople surrounded the house highlights the “human presence.”
Open Letter Final Draft
Dear Staff of Ripley’s Believe It or Not,
I have always wanted to go to your attraction in Times Square, since I first heard about it in middle school. However, I have never had the time to. Things that are keeping me from going to Ripley’s are the price of the tickets, which are way too expensive, especially for a single person, and some of the exhibits and artifacts are outdated, even though I heard there is about five hundred something exhibits and artifacts in there. However, I am not really concerned about those two. My biggest concern is the fact that since it is located smack down in the middle of Times Square and has two floors, it may not be possible to fill a lot of people. That is the main change that I want to see. Although I am writing this letter to you guys, I am also advocating for all the people that have never had a single chance in their lives to go to Ripley’s, including me.
Two years ago, I went to Times Square to watch a movie with some friends. We were just walking around the neighborhood until we see people crowding around the entrance of Ripley’s. We checked the prices of the tickets, and we saw that the cost of one ticket alone is under twenty-four dollars, which is definitely not worth it. That is probably because it is considered a museum, so the tickets are supposed to be expensive. However, a lot of people cannot afford to pay twenty-four dollars for our own ticket, especially if they really want to go in
As mentioned before, the price of the tickets is the least of my worries. I am mostly worried about why it is such a small museum placed in the middle of Times Square. If you guys think this through, the museum is only two floors, so it can be very challenging to put a lot of people inside. Since there are so many people and tourists that want to go to Ripley’s, they would end up making a long line, and they would have to wait for their turns to see all the exhibits and artifacts inside. I might be crazy, but I really think it would be better if you guys moved to another location, perhaps somewhere where you can make a bigger space and put more exhibits and artifacts. If you think about it, look at the Liberty Science Center and how humongous it is. It can fit a lot of people, and its exhibits are very engaging at the same time. Therefore, I suggest that you guys can build a large place like the Liberty Science Center. That way, you guys are able to fit more people in.
Now, I know that you may not agree with me on this. You guys might think that you do not have enough money to move to a new location because not only will the money go towards construction, but also bringing in more exhibits and artifacts for people to see. However, because you guys have been catching the attention of many people and tourists around the city, doesn’t it make sense to move Ripley’s to a new location with more space? Of course, I am not demanding you to get a bigger space. Yet, this is just something that I suggest for the near future.
In conclusion, I just feel like Ripley’s needs to get bigger, and this is a major change that you guys should make to the museum if you want to attract more people, not just the tourists. Do not get me wrong, Ripley’s is a fun attraction to go to when we are not busy. However, it needs to be better and more engaging.
Sincerely,
Franklin Morel
Sources:
https://www.yelp.com/biz/ripleys-believe-it-or-not-time-square-new-york
My Sample iMovie – The Bronx in the 1980’s
Coco Fusco Blog Post-Swing (Nari Ward)
First Impression
When I saw this for the first time, I was amazed and confused. It was almost as if Ward collected a bunch of old shoes from the flea market and just glued them onto the tire. Another thing that she did was that she hung the tire with a rope. I did not know why, probably to add more spice to her work. I know for a fact that Ward was not trying to portray a swing, like the ones in a playground. I thought she was trying to symbolize that people that were racially discriminated were treated like trash.
Analysis
After analyzing this artwork, I finally realized what Ward was trying to portray. The tire, which was actually used as a swing, represented the concept of free floating, specifically illustrating the times when children were able to run out and play during school recess, after school, and during the summer. The tire is not held by an ordinary rope, however; it is held by a noose, which represents the practice of lynching, or killing people by hanging them. Once I found out what the rope symbolized, I was thinking, “Oh shoot, this definitely means something.” Finally, I carefully analyzed the shoe tips and tongues, which are regularly used for protection. Instead, they represented the men, women, and children that were killed because of racism.
Overall, this artwork demonstrates the unconscious belief that a lot of people have lost their lives due to discrimination and violence, and we are not paying attention to this. I believe that Ward, by doing this artwork, tried to convey her message like this because art does not have to contain any words or messages. There are a lot of things that came out of this piece, and I felt those things when I analyzed it. Ward wanted her audience to understand that this is how we are supposed to perceive the world. We all think that the world is going to be alright, but it is actually not. There are people around the world still being discriminated for who they are and what background that they come from.
While I was analyzing this, I was thinking about the Tainos, who were the first people to settle on the Island of Hispaniola, which is what we know today as Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Once Columbus and the Spaniards completed their voyage to the New World, they killed off the Tainos so that they can claim the land for themselves; on top of that, they enslaved and forced them to find any gold or treasure. The Civil Rights Movement also came to mind. Specifically, I was thinking about Emmitt Till, the young African-American male who was killed because of his color. This shows that racism and xenophobia have existed for a very long time. Everybody, no matter his or her ethnic background, is human, and everybody should be treated the same. It is unjust to kill someone off like that just because you have envy for what he or she is.
Open Letter to Ripley’s
Dear Staff of Ripley’s Believe It or Not,
I have always wanted to go to your attraction in Times Square, since I first heard about it in middle school. However, I have never had the time to. However, that is not the issue here. The two things that are really keeping me from going to Ripley’s is that the tickets, one, are too expensive, especially for a single person; two, some of the exhibits and artifacts are outdated, even though I heard there is about five hundred something exhibits and artifacts in there; and three, since it is located smack down in the middle of Times Square and has two floors, it may not be possible to fill a lot of people. These are the main changes that I want to see, and the people that created this attraction have the power to make it happen.
I remember one time when I was in Times Square. Two years ago, I went to the movies with my friends. We were just walking around the neighborhood until we see people crowding around the entrance of Ripley’s. We checked the prices of the tickets, and we saw that the cost of one ticket alone is under twenty-four dollars, which is definitely not worth it. That is probably because it is considered a museum, so the tickets are supposed to be expensive. However, a lot of us cannot afford to pay twenty-four dollars for a ticket, especially if we really want to go in. This just does not make any sense.
My other concern has to do with the fact that some of the exhibits and artifacts are outdated. From what I heard, there were some exhibits from approximately one hundred years ago, and I do not think people do not want to be amazed by that. I understand that you guys want people to see weird and cool exhibits from a long time ago so that they can recognize the history of Ripley’s as a whole. However, I believe that people, especially the ones that have already visited Ripley’s, want to see new exhibits, as in things that we have not seen before. That way, the museum would not just be a breeze for people; instead, they would actually enjoy it and be astounded by the things in life that we consider very strange.
My very last concern is the fact that the museum is only two floors, so it can be very challenging to put a lot of people inside. Since there are so many people and tourists that want to go to Ripley’s, they would end up making a long line, and they would have to wait for their turns to see all the exhibits and artifacts inside. I might be crazy, but I really think it would be better if you guys moved to another location, perhaps somewhere where you can make a bigger space and put more exhibits and artifacts. That way, you guys are able to fit more people in.
In conclusion, I just feel like you guys need to make some major changes to the museum if you want to attract many people, not just the tourists. Do not get me wrong, Ripley’s is a fun attraction to go to when we are not busy. However, it needs to be better and more engaging.
Sincerely,
Franklin Morel
Resources:
https://ripleysnewyork.com/buy-tickets/
https://www.yelp.com/biz/ripleys-believe-it-or-not-time-square-new-york
The Trujillo Era
As a Dominican-American, it was hard for me to understand the horrors of the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. I first learned about it when I read In The Time of The Butterflies by Julia Alvarez in the sixth grade. Through the perspective of the Mirabal Sisters, I was terrified by what Trujillo did. On top of that, my grandparents lived during this era, so I could imagine what they were going through. Because of this, I decided to do my portrait on the Era of Trujillo.
Franklin’s Ode to the Sea Blog Post
This painting definitely speaks out to me and represents something from my life. No, that does not mean that I have been jail to before. The way that I see it, this painting has another meaning to it. I believe it signifies that even during the darkest times of our lives, there is hope for the future. Dark times are really tough, especially the ones that come back to haunt you.
My darkest time occurred over the summer, in which I was fresh out of high school and getting ready for college. My dad and I got a call on a Monday afternoon. My great aunt informed us that my grandfather, whom I loved very much, passed away. The thing about it was that we knew it was going to happened because my grandfather was sick for a while. At that moment, however, I realized that I was never going to able to see him again. I saw him last year, during my vacation to the Dominican Republic, where my family is from. I was so excited to see him at that time, but as of now, I do not know how I am going to live life without him.
Ever since my grandfather passed, I have felt so bad for my mom because she did everything that she could to keep him alive. Additionally, my mom is sick herself. She has some weird disease that is called scleroderma. From what I know, it occurs when your skin hardens until it forces your organs to stop working. The worse thing about it is that it has no treatment whatsoever, and that is what haunts me. At this time, I feel afraid because I cannot afford to lose my mom, whether it is now or next year. My mom has done so much for me, such as being there when I got my high school diploma. I cannot imagine how life would be without her because she is one of the most powerful women that I have ever looked up to. On top of that, today is her fifty-first birthday, which is why I decided to write this post today. Even though this disease is so chronic, there is still hope that she will get to live for a long time. After all, that is something that she has always wanted, as well as seeing my generation and the one after grow.
In summary, this painting is very iconic, and it sends a clear message. Everybody has dark times in life, and it is very challenging to live through them. They can come back and give you nightmares, as well as distract you from what you are doing at the present moment. However, there is a light in the darkness, and we call this light hope. Hope will bring us out from those tough times, and it will bring us happiness. Unfortunately, I will lose both of my parents sometime in the future, but for now, I must keep a positive attitude and just hope for the best.
