When I saw the artwork, I noticed that the room lighting was quite dim but the art piece was well lit up for the public to see. The lighting emphasizes the central figure in the middle of the artwork, mainly because he is the only figure that is wearing a bright color. The light is able to shine and bring out the bright color of the main figure. Due to the size of the artwork, spanning from the entire wall, it was able to attract many viewers. (This was when I realized that flash photography was not allowed; mental note for future visits.) Other than the people who were sitting on the benches near the artwork, I was pleasantly surprised to see many non-Asian viewers. When I went to visit the artwork, the majority of the viewers were non-Asians; I would have assumed that an Asian exhibit would attract more Asians rather than other ethnicities. I appreciated the general interest of Asian, specifically Chinese, art among non-Asians.

As mentioned before, the artist emphasizes the central figure with the bright red clothing. This figure is the only subject that is wearing bright red clothing; everyone else in the painting is wearing dark blue and small hints of red; the placement of the figure in red (in the mathematical center of the artwork) helps the viewer understand who the most important subject is. Many figures in the artwork are also facing towards and pointing to the figure in the middle. The number three is a reoccurring theme in this artwork, which further emphasizes the figure in red. Along with the main figure in the middle, the viewer is able to see two other figures on right and left of the main figure. The viewer is also able to point out the three flowerpots below the feet of the three figures, along with, three large sun like objects above their heads; with the middle figure having the largest sun like image.

Danny Lee

Danny decides to take the Q17 Flushing bound bus Monday morning, rather than sticking with his usual Q88 bus commute. He realized that the Q88 was experiencing delays, so he decides to take an alternative route. Since Danny lives near a high school, he was jammed in the bus with a handful of high school students. With his book bag, Adidas hoodie, cuffed skinny jeans and Jordans on, he blended right in with the high school students–all he was missing was a green student Metro Card.  He looks around to see if he could recognize any of the underclassmen he met when he went to high school, but he later realized all of them already graduated–Danny felt old. The bus ride took 35 minutes, longer than his typical Q88 bus commute. He was calculating the time he would have saved if he just waited for the delayed Q88 bus; while trying to convince himself that he made the right choice by taking the Q17 instead.

When he finally got off the last stop on the Q17, Flushing Main Street, he was bombarded with people either running in his direction, or pushing behind him–Danny realized no sidewalk is safe in New York, even in Queens. When he finally managed to get a seat on the 7 Express Manhattan bound train, he noticed someone trailing behind him and sat next to him. He glanced over, and it was Julie. Out of all the cars on this train, and all the seats on this train, Julie sat next to Danny. His heart was racing, thumbs fidgeting, mind racing and wondering, if she purposely sat next to him. Danny wasn’t able to get a good look at Julie, but he felt an undeniable connection brewing.

He was hopeful that she was a Baruch student; for every stop she didn’t get off of, the likelihood of Julie being a Baruch student solidified. When Julie got off Grand Central 42nd street, Danny was convinced that she was a Baruch student. Danny walked towards the 6 train, with high hopes of Julie trailing behind him–but all hope was lost when Julie was presented with a fork in the road. “Uptown 6 Train” and “Downtown 6 Train.” Danny was crossing his fingers, hoping that she would take the Downtown 6 train with him, but she didn’t. Danny’s commute on the Downtown 6 towards 23rd street was a depressing one. While he was walking towards 24th and Lexington, on his was to his campus, he wondered why she would take the Uptown 6. Later he realized that the Uptown 6 went towards Hunter College. After that realization, he was relieved. He thought to himself, no one in their right mind would date a Hunter student.

I do agree with Freud, to an extent. In “Family Romance”, Freud touches upon the psychology of children, in respect to their family. As a young child, according to Freud, the parents are the first source of authority, and truth in their lives. When the child matures, the child begins to challenge and juxtapose his experinces with the experiences he has, and had, with his parents; in most cases, according to Freud, they turn out to be negative. In my family, I am the middle child. For those who are the middle child amongst their siblings, I think they know what I am trying to allude to–“middle child syndrome.”

When I was very young, I didn’t pay too much attention to this, but when I got older I realized how differently my parents treated my siblings, compared to me. I became frustrated many times, and started to investigate if I was the only one struggling with “middle child syndrome.” To my surprise, at that time, many of my friends who were also the middle child either felt the same, or didn’t care. But, there was one friend I had at church that was the middle child in her family, but she did not feel the same way I did. I was jealous of her, and started to picture my self as an adopted child, in her family; while fantasizing what it would be like to be apart of her family.

Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” is a radical poem explaining the concept of self and identity. Towards the end of the poem Whitman writes, “I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable, I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.” This line in the poem, is a response to Whitman’s belief on the concept of self and individual identity.  Whitman explains in his poem that the search and exploration of the concept of identity, is always changing and connected with nature. Ultimately, Whitman debunks the idea of an absolute concept of identity. Whitman uses the word, “untranslatable”, in his poem in order to bolster the idea of an ever-changing view of one’s self. When something is untranslatable, according to Google dictionary, it means: (of a word, phrase, or text) not able to have its sense satisfactorily expressed in another language. The exploration of one’s self, is a subjective experince that cannot be explained to others. The ever-changing search of one’s identity is so complex, that it cannot be translated in words for people to understand–it’s explained by experiencing it yourself.

-Daniel Lee

As I read the first 12 chapters of Jane Eyre, it was evident that Jane was experiencing an overwhelming amount of oppression and suffering. According to Lorde she states, “For women, the need and desire to nurture each other is not pathological but redemptive, and it is within that knowledge that our real power I rediscovered. It is this real connection which is so feared by a patriarchal world.” We can see Lorde’s realization about women play out when we see Jane enter into Lowood. Mr. Brocklehurst’s cruel and aggressive authority over the girls at Lowood, bolster the patriarchal world Lorde paints in her article. Charlotte Brontë’s male alias on the cover of the first publication of Jane Eyre, also bolster Lorde’s picture of out patriarchal world. “The need and desire to nurture each other..” is best shown when Helen Burns and Jane look out for each other. It is evident when Jane and Helen do interact, Mr. Brocklehurst is displeased; this supports Lorde’s second point: “…and it is within that knowledge that our real power power I rediscovered. It is this real connection which is so feared by a patriarchal world.”

-Danny Lee

Google’s dictionary definition of the word sublime states, “of such excellence, grander, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe.” This definition is not far from Edmund Burke’s take on, “the passion caused by the sublime.” Burke describes passion caused by the sublime is in nature when, “those causes operate most powerfully, is Astonishment…with some degree of horror.” Although Burke’s description of passion, in respect to the sublime in nature, is defining nature as “mother nature”, this interpretation of nature can also be tied to our current political nature.

This is a photo of the United States Capitol building, during the 58^th presidential inauguration. According to Burke’s take on passion, in respect to the sublime, this photo triggers the emotional effects of astonishment and awe. Despite experiencing the most divisive and destructive presidential race, probably (hopefully) in my lifetime, there was still a peaceful exchange of power from the two polarizing political parties. Despite of also having the “largest crowd size” in inauguration history, this picture also invokes “some degree of horror”—as was defined on Burke’s second clause of his take on the sublime. There is no question that the United States is divided, and the terror that is associated with that, is if the 58^th presidential inauguration is the last picture we would have of a US inauguration.

-Danny Lee

The reading, “The Enlightenment in Europe and the America’s”, underscores and foreshadows many key aspects of our contemporary life and it’s Enlightenment legacy. The reading begins with the “quarrel between ancients and moderns”—which points to a similar parallel we see in modern society, between the quarrel and tension of conservatives and progressives. Ancients held on to things that were familiar and deemed established truths; they feared,”…that new commitment to individualism promoted by the moderns might lead to social alienation, unscrupulous self-seeking, and lack of moral responsibility.” (Norton 1) Ancients did not have a desire, nor justify the necessity thereof, to create new values—based on their understanding of universal and absolute truth. On the contrary, modernists sought the importance of “individual autonomy” and the push for education among women, along with other progressive and intellectual findings. Fundamentally, the concept of an “ancient” like thinking and a “modern” like thinking, did not change and will never change in an ever-growing society.

Enlightenment thinkers challenged the constant reliance and dependence on higher authority—sparking a rebellion like mentality, similar to what American colonists did to Great Britain. Human beings, according to the thinkers, argued they “…could rely on their own authority—rather than looking to priests or prices—to decide how to act well in the world.” (Norton 5). This was a progressive view point, that directly challenged those who held on to traditional and classical views, whom where known as deists. Deists argued against the need to rely on their own authority, because there was a “divine plan” that was set in place. The analogy of the watchmaker explains how a divine figure ordained and planned our lives, though does not facilitate the day-to-day operations. “…God never interfered with nature or with nature or human action…as ethics was increasingly understood as a matter of reason.” (Norton 4). The reading recognizes the need for balance in passion and reason among human beings. “One could hope to steer with reason as guide, but one had to face the omnipresent of unreasonable passions.” (Norton 5). We can see this unfold in the contemporary political environment, among both conservatives and liberals alike. The violent and brewed up emotions across both political camps, unfortunately discourage and eliminate the opportunity for individuals to discuss controversial topics based on reason and fact. The constant fear among past and current politicians are expressed here: “Those who believed in the desirability of reason’s governance often worried that it rarely prevailed over feelings of greed, lust, or the desire for power.

-Danny Lee