I chose my dad as my caretaker for both of my poses.  He probably wouldn’t want me to tell everyone how old he is, so I’ll just tell you that he’s in his fifties.  My dad works in Staten Island as a Sergeant in New York State Supreme Courts, and he spends the rest of his time taking care of my mom, sister, brother, myself, and the rest of my family.  My dad is one of the most important people in my life, and he most definitely is one of my main caretakers.

My realistic pose was of me lying on the stage with my hands behind my head and my feet crossed.  I was trying to portray my father sleeping.  At home, we always see my dad sleeping a lot whether it be in his room, on the couch, at night, or in the middle of the day.  I wasn’t trying to say that he is lazy or carefree because he really is not.  He works hard at his job, runs errands, and does many things to help my family.  I’d like to think he’s just tired from all that he does so he likes to nap often.  Honesty, I probably get my crazy sleeping habits from him.  It was interesting to hear the different ideas about whom I was portraying.  Some classmates did think I was a man because of the way I placed my hands.  Still, many people were wrong in the age and gender of the person in my pose.

My abstract pose was of me standing in an almost “Superman” position with my head tilted upward and my hands on my hips.  I was trying to convey a “superhero” quality of my father.  Many people thought I was portraying a woman because of the way my hands were placed and my head was lifted; however, I was actually trying to show a sense of confidence and strength that my dad possesses.  Even when I was younger I always perceived my dad as very strong and protective.  Growing up, he has always supported me and made me feel safe.  Although I don’t see him everyday since I live in the dorms, I still know that he supports me and cares about me.  His continued encouragement in my life made transitioning into college life easier.  Even though he really didn’t want me to leave home, he supported my decision to dorm and to get a full college experience.  I chose my dad for this pose because I truly believe that our relationship has helped me to grow knowing that he’ll always be there when I need him.

My realistic pose was of my father. Every time we take a picture of my father, he makes this pose to mess with me and my sisters. He loves to scrunch up his nose and purse his upper lip to make us laugh. I crossed my arms and took a wider stance to show how he usually stands like a little child, stubborn and unwillingly to compromise. In order to get my father to stop, we usually have to complement him or tell him we will love him if he lets us take the picture.  He loves hearing us adore him. I chose my father for my caretaker studies because after a really hard day of school, watching television and laughing with him always cheers me up. He is a police officer and he has always been a person to help and entertain others. A big part of my interest in medicine, politics, and human rights comes from his dedication to public service and instilling that in me. When I was younger, my father was the one who made me breakfast in the morning and got me ready to go to school since my mother worked. Out of my sisters, I‘m the closest to my father since we have similar habits of talking, political ideologies, interest in sports, and overall personalities. I explained the Caretaker study to my sisters and did this pose and they knew instantly that I was mimicking him because it represents him to well: funny and warmhearted.

My abstract pose was of my older cousin.  She was an NYU student when I was young. In between her 4 jobs, studying, and her double majors, she would always bring me clothes and food home since my aunt used to babysit me. If she missed me a day, she would drop by our apartment to kiss me goodnight and drop off presents. Since I was so young when she went to college, everyone thought I was her daughter and till this day she calls me her “first daughter” (since she has a daughter of her own now). This pose represents two characteristics of my cousin: vocal/opinionated, and nurturing/caring. The calling out gesture represents my cousin’s free nature of saying what she means and meaning what she says. She studies and researches everything to become an expert on any interest she tries from interior decorating to running a small business. She is a risk taker and isn’t afraid to break tradition to pursue things she loves. She encourages me to pick up hobbies and interests and pursue them so that I chose a career I will love and have experiences I will enjoy. In the pose, my other hand is held out like I was holding a child. This part of the pose represents her nurturing and caring side that she has for me and has for her children.  She is charismatic, energetic, and cool person that children just gravitate towards. She was a big part of my upbringing and is still a huge part of my life.

For my first pose, I chose my father as my caretaker. He’s been one of the most influential people in my life, shaping me into the person I’ve become. He’s in his late sixties and is a teacher of high school English. Before that, he was an editor and travelled the world. For my realistic pose, I stood lecturing with a book in my hand. I see my father as a wise and cultured person and I chose to portray him in a confident and knowledgable pose. This is a pose he would often assume as a teacher, but it is also a pose I think represents the qualities he possesses such as knowledge, wisdom, and confidence. Many people quickly knew it was my father and that he’s a teacher. The hand was meant to represent my father’s quality of reaching out to others and share his knowledge as a teacher. The class was very spot-on in this pose.

For my abstract pose, I chose my mother as my caretaker. Although the pose wasn’t abstract in its physicality, I chose it to be abstract because it’s not a pose I would see a caretaker assume normally. It’s a mentally abstract pose in that it’s a pose a child or teenager would take, not a parent. My mother is normally a very communicative and social person. To me, this pose was an abstraction of the way she normally is and represents her her internal feelings about her difficult familial background. I see my mother as a very strong person, despite what she’s overcome in her childhood. However, there are times in my life when I’ve seen my mother falter in her strength. Everyone was correct in thinking this was a woman, however they all believed it was a child or teenager. Often, I think my mother feels like she’s still a child or a teenager and that’s she’s stuck in her parents’ divorce. This is a physical representation of the way she closes herself off and regresses into those feelings. Eloise was correct in stating that sucking my stomach and my arms, as well as the closed feet and downturned head were meant to represent a feeling of safety.  However, it was also meant to represent the way my mother closes herself off and holds in all these feelings. This person is not physically five, but is mentally regressing into the feelings of that age.