What Does It Mean To Be Human?

One of TIME Magazine's most influential images of all time,  Earthrise , evokes many feelings within me. As a long time space enthusiast, I can attest to this image being extremely impactful. It was Christmas Eve 1968 when Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William (Bill) Anders entered lunar orbit in the Apollo 8 spacecraft. Anders was the one who took the photo, as he rushed to get a color canister for the camera. I personally think that this photo is beautiful, and it really sheds light on how small we are in the universe. The past year had been brutal and war torn in America, so a sight like this one made people feel a little bit more peace. I think that since Bill was not a photographer, that he wasn't necessarily trying to evoke any feelings specifically by taking this photo. I do think that he wanted people on Earth to have the opportunity to see what our home looks like from space. I also think that it is important for humanity to know that we are not as much as we think we ...

Aaron Douglas was a prideful and creative man, who believed in his heritage and was motivated by it to create art. Douglas was easily the most celebrated artist of the Harlem Renaissance, and was sometimes referred to as "the Father of Black American Art." His piece "Aspirations" is a telling portrayal of the struggles that African American people faced. The piece has 3 figures, all holding some type of object, that all represent education in some way. One is holding a globe, another a math tool of some kind, and lastly a woman holding a book. Each one signifies how important it is to be educated and know how to read and write, because at this time education equaled success. Underneath the figures is dark, with hands held high with chains around their wrists, to represent the past of many African Americans in slavery. The highest and brightest point of the painting is the city on top of the hill. It represents what they are aspiring for, the "American Dream...

I have always believed in fate and destiny to a certain degree, and when I think about what the meaning of my life is, I tend to try and divert my mind away from that question. Here in America we are free, but are we living  freely? I think the unwanted answer to that question is that no, most of us are not living our lives freely. We are bound by the social constructs of society and it makes us feel trapped. Most of the time our actions are to please others, like our parents or spouses. Ever since I can remember, I was told, "You have to go to school, to get a job, to make money, to get a house, to start a family, so that they can go to school, get jobs, and start their own." And yes, I do want a family some day, and I do want to finish college, but that might not be everyones cup of tea, and I think that that is okay too. I always thought that life just had meaning, but the older I get, the more I realize that what you do in life is what gives it "meaning." I use...

Even though I was born in the late 90's (1997) I grew up listening to music from the 80's, hip hop, and rap music. I can't say that I remember the first time my mom played her Bruce Hornsby and the Range CD, but I remember 'The Way It Is' vividly. This song, which is perfect for the purpose of this blog post since it tells a story of social ills, and injustices, specifically regarding the Civil Rights Movement in 1964. However, I will actually be discussing a "remade" version of the song; 'Changes' by Tupac. As I mentioned before, I was raised on a lot of rap music, my mom would either put in the 80's greatest hits album or put on Tupac, or The Notorious B.I.G. There was really no in-between. Being a white female I can't say that I relate to what is rapped in this version of the song, but it definitely resonates with me. The song tells a story of how many struggles african american people have to go through just to make ends meet, and how...

World War I brought about many emotions to people from all walks of life. War was not easy for anyone and people suffered greatly. Sara Teasdale (1884-1933) was an American Poet from Missouri who wrote a poem that I will be discussing today. Teasdale was most well known for her poems that expressed her passion for romanticism and they also displayed simplicity and clarity. "Spring in War Time" was first published in 1917 and it expresses Teasdale's question as to how spring can still come in spite of the war. "Oh how can Spring take heart to come To a world in grief, Deep grief?" At first I could tell that she was wondering how the joys of spring can still come, but I didn't understand the phrase "take heart to come." So I looked it up and it and it basically means get up the courage or strength to come. The main idea that I gathered from reading the poem (literally 100 times) is that seasons will continue to come in war time, and Teasdale knew...

German expressionism is such a unique way of portraying an idea or a mood just by how the art piece, music, or film is presented. It is presented in a way that is distorted and unique, designed to show the emotional meaning behind it for the artist, or creator. I became particularly interested in the German expressionist film, Nosferatu. The story begins as an estate agent by the name of Knock, is asked to find a place for Count Orlok to move to. Knocks' young assistant Hutter is sent to Orlok's castle in Transylvania to assist him in purchasing the house across from Hutter and his wife Ellen, who are newlyweds. Hutter's journey there was filled with people telling him to return from where he came and not to make the trek to Count Orloks castle, because they believe he is evil. Once Hutter makes it there, he experiences some weird occurrences, such as Orlok reacting strangely when he sees Hutter's blood, and Hutter even wakes up with two marks on him that appear to be...