Linoleum

Fictional and documentary photography There have been many attempts by photographers to challenge the line between reality and fiction. Cindy Sherman is one of the photographers who create images that ignite the speculative relationship between reality and fiction. Through her photography, Cindy Sherman develops a new path where she fosters a visual discourse and opens up a discussion on the power of images and the message that the image communicates to the viewer. In many of her images, Sherman…

No one fits into any rigid mold of normalcy. I think a lot of us walk around thinking other people feel okay, or normal, but they don’t. Trying to fit into whatever ideas we each have of what’s normal or not is uncomfortable and unnatural. Still, it’s one thing to know this on an intellectual level and another thing entirely to internalize it on an emotional level. It’s hard not to want what we think everyone else has, even if, intellectually, we know it’s a mirage. I’m mostly okay with who I…

I had an opportunity to observe a 9-month old boy for about an hour in the infant’s home. I went over around nine in the morning. When I arrived at their home, the infant was crawling around on the floor. The mother approached me with the father and mentioned her child started teething this week, therefore he may be a little fussy at times. He immediately approached me with a big smile on his face. I asked the parents if it would be okay for me to record the child, so I could take more detailed…

was an African American surgeon and researcher. He organized America’s first large-scale blood bank. He also trained black physicians at Howard University. His parents were Richard and Nora Drew. He had four siblings. His father worked as a Carpet, linoleum, and soft-tile layers Union which gave them a middle-class life. They were raised with education being the main priority. Charles was raise in an irrational neighborhood. He was raised during the racial segregation era. The Jim Crow laws…

I plopped down in my cold, hard chair in the far back corner of the art room just as the minute bell chimed, signaling the last class of the week would begin in 60 seconds. Standing in groups scattered near the crooked rows of black tables, my classmates excitedly chattered away about plans for the weekend. Since I was one of the few freshmen in this Introduction to 2-D Art class, I did not join in the conversation. Instead, I stuffed my hands into the pocket of my favorite purple sweatshirt and…

It was a long summer’s evening in Colorado Springs, July 03, 1975. The air was warm and still, radiating through my chest and embracing my tanned arms and legs. Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend” and Rod Stewart’s “Maggie Mae” were spinning on the AM station of my friend Paul’s Earl Schrieb freshly-painted turquoise-blue Karmann Ghia. “When you’re down and troubled, and you need a helping hand…” I felt accomplished to have memorized each song and with a convincing smile confidently sang the…

CHARACTERS/ PLOT SUMMARY SYMBOLS, MOTIFS, IMAGES, THEMES, SIMILES, METAPHORS, CONNECTIONS, QUESTIONS The House on Mango Street They move to Mango St. Esperanza compares it to the house that she wants to live in (does not measure up). American Dream (theme) disappointment (theme) TT/ TBE: connection (looking to media for standard TS connection: moving from apt to house Nuns: SYMBOL/ motif of SHAME (another theme) Hairs She describes the type of hair that her family members have. Her…

who’d pushed me. But a fist was the only thing I saw, and that was simply because it was slamming into my left eye. My head was knocked to the side, then I was pushed again. I tried to catch myself on one of the sinks, but I lost my footing on the linoleum flooring and I landed on my back. “What did I tell you, Kai?” A cold voice asked from somewhere to my left. Thankfully, it was a voice I…

The Million-Dollar Monopoly Tournament Ginny chooses to play as the thimble for the monopoly game. A thimble is a small hard cup worn for protection on the finger that pushes the needle for sewing. The most obvious representation for this device is protection, something Ginny desperately desires. She wants to be protected from the unfamiliar outside world and her secrets. While Ginny has never really left the family farm, her life has been filled with numerous hardships. Her mother died when…

Malcolm’s car is not in the driveway. I hope his meeting with Lily had been copacetic. I don’t care to be alone, so I knock at Emese’s front door. “Hello, lovely to see you,” she says, and invites me into the foyer. “How are you?” “I’m not sure. It’s been a crazy day.” “There’s roast chicken with tarragon in the oven,” she says, “I’d love for you to join me for an early dinner.” “Thanks.” We walk into the kitchen. The smell of food comforts me. She nods for me to sit, and arranges…