Torch singers

Innocence is the lack of corruption, it is purity. One of the things that come to mind when you think of innocence is children. Children are unaware of the horrors of the world and they are still pure in mind and spirit. As kids in America we were very lucky to be able to have our innocence for as long as we can. However, in countries like Sierra Leone they are not given a choice, they lose their innocence at a very young age. Children in Sierra Leone and other areas around the world can be…

Rock and Roll began with jazz, blues, folk, and gospel, and from there, it has morphed into the almost all-encompassing classification that we label the genre today. Throughout the history of Rock and Roll music, it has been an example of evolution, not just in the music industry, but in American culture. The history of Rock and Roll is intertwined with our nation’s history, oftentimes being a catalyst for our country's progress. Today, Rock and Roll exists as a beautiful collection of sounds…

like John Singer Sargent (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, n.d., “About”). Singer Sargent was a “brilliant painter of society portraits,” as well as a painter in an originally American style (Promey, 2001, p. 4). By supporting Singer Sargent, Gardner helped him craft a style of art the neighborhood and the United States can claim. An interview with the Museum’s Studio Projects Coordinator, Brian, disclosed that Gardner “frequently supported artists and even invited artists, like John Singer…

A Long Way Gone (2007) is a true story of Ishmael Beah, who unwillingly is forced to become a child soldier when a civil war breaks out in Sierra Leone. The story starts with Beah only 12 years old, who is away to perform along with his brother and friends when rebels attack his village. During all this chaos, confusion and ambiguity of war, all of them are left to wander from village to village in search of food and shelter and along the way commit to acts they had never thought of doing so…

John Singer Sargent was born in 1856 in Florence, Italy even though his parents were native to North America. He was provided with little schooling other than geography, math and reading, but learned to speak Italian, French, and German. His mother was an amateur artist and encouraged him to paint with her and after seeing the skill and ability he had his parents enrolled him in his first-documented formal art training at the Academia di Belle Arti in Florence. In spring of 1874 his father…

There is a charming story tilted Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae. In the story, the giraffe is sad because he can't dance like all the other animals. That’s when the cricket shattered his perspective with this jaw dropping quote. He said, “‘ Excuse me’” said a cricket “‘ but sometimes when you’re different you just need a different song’” “‘ Listen to the grass and listen to the trees’” (Andreae). The cricket puts the message of the whole story into one simple sentence. He is telling the…

Even though Sargent was an accomplished artist of many genres, it was in portraiture that he achieved the greatest popularity and, subsequently, commissions in this genre were predominantly what he received. His talents as an artist of great versatility became, for the most part, marginalized, as he became known as not an artist, but a portraitist. Even today, he is celebrated for his magnificent portraits, and it is easy to understand his popularity in portrait painting after viewing even just…

“Blood was running down [the woman’s] dress and dripping behind her, making a trail. Her child had been shot dead as she ran for her life,” (Beah, 2007). Although graphic, traumatic events like this are common in some parts of the world and it’s the kids who witness and commit them daily. It’s natural to think that events like this should not be happening in 2015. Unfortunately, that’s not a reality. Because it is estimated that 250,000 children in 19 countries around the world are deprived of…

War is an eclipse - the darkness that veils prosperity. It has always been associated with negativity and instability. Death and destruction follow every path and the minds of people are thrown into disorder. At times like these, many cannot see any array of hope. However, behind the darkness of the eclipse lies the light of the corona. The corona of positivity that stays strong within adversity and uncertainty. The population most affected by war are the soldiers and the victims. They live,…

Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Rwanda, here are only a few countries in which children are used to fight and endure war up close. Throughout history and many cultures children have been used for direct part ( actual soldiers), support roles (spies and messengers), and even political advantages ( human shields and propaganda). This is the cruel reality that these children face everyday. During their time in an environment like this the children are indoctrinated by many different tactics. In A…