Author Archives: Zhilou Huang

On my visit at the Met Museum, a particular piece of modern art that caught my eye was Joseph Stella’s Coney Island, painted in 1914. It is a circular painting, mounted with a gold frame. Joseph Stella was an American painter born in Italy in 1877 and died in 1946. He was best known for his paintings of Industrial America such as paintings of the Brooklyn Bridge or Coney Island. His piece on Coney Island is an oil on canvas painting and looked like a kaleidoscope of bright and beautiful colors. With the many shapes and different colors, it is essentially an abstract painting. His use of colors are coordinated with the lights and crowds at Coney Island. Coney Island is a popular area in Brooklyn known for the beach, entertainment, and tourists.

This piece of work is abstract which is  a branch of modern art. I believe modern art is meant to be different, expressive, and sometimes strange. Abstract art uses different shapes, colors, lines, and forms to create a visual reference, which is sometimes hard to depict. I’ve always liked abstract art because I can create my own idea of what I think the art piece is. I was primarily drawn to this art piece because it looked really pretty. When I went closer and examined this art piece and description, I felt like I could see lights, perhaps at night and the sky. Some parts of the art, towards the middle, had intricate small dots which was interesting. I could also see shapes overlapping as well as the jagged lines.

At the bottom right of the piece was his signature in really small light letters, almost as if it was going to mix with the paint. The questions I would ask about this painting are why those particular shapes and how long did it take to paint it? Overall I really liked the painting as well as the trip to the Met. I learned a lot about the different types of  modern art, mediums, and techniques while trying to find an art piece.

My group was assigned William Wordsworth’s Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 and The World Is Too Much with Us. These two poems are sonnets, which are fourteen-line iambic pentameter (ten syllables per line). Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 is about how the speaker described the view from the bridge. His depiction of London in the morning was of awe from the beauty. The World Is Too Much with Us on the other hand is the speaker’s feelings towards modern age. It has lost its connection to nature and everything meaningful. Humans became too preoccupied with material. The speaker was very descriptive in both poems, but I was more drawn to The World Is Too Much with Us.

The World is too much with us is basically a complaint of the world being too overwhelming and that we’re so concerned about time and money that we waste our energy. “Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers: Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!” (Lines 2-4). These lines describe that we turned the world into something in which we don’t see anything valuable within Nature. The speaker describes in the poem that it’s like we’ve sold our soul and lives.

I agree with the speaker and can kind of relate it to myself. I feel that everyone is too caught up with life, meaning work, school, and the future. We all want to be successful but we’re not appreciating the little things in life such as nature or even just life. In the past, I’d always love going to various places with amazing views such as bays, piers, beaches, etc. I’d just stay there and admire at the view, letting it sink in. I really miss those times and I realize that I barely have time now because I’m so involved with what I MUST do. There’s immense burden and weight of my future. I work, and I go to school because I want to become a successful person and not disappoint anyone. Knowing that I’m concerned about my life makes me as sad as the speaker is about the world. Maybe if everyone slowed down a bit and took a deep breath, they’d would be a bit happier.

Hi there! My name is Zhilou Huang, I’m 18 years old and currently a sophomore. I wanted to major in Accounting but switched to Finance for opportunity reasons. I want to minor in psychology because it seems like something I’d be interested in. Both my parents are from Guangzhou, China and had my oldest brother there too. My other brother and I were born in Berlin and we all moved to New York in 2007. We moved here because my dad’s side of the family lives here. I pretty much forgot how to speak German due to the lack of communication of this language. I remember always eating doners in Berlin or as they call it here- gyros.

Some of my hobbies include hanging out with friends, sleeping, painting, watching anime, shows and movies, and listening to music. I listen to many types of genres such as rap, pop, or r&b depending on my mood. Some of my favorite artists are Kanye West, Troye Sivan, Frank Ocean, and Khalid. I also love the band Brockhampton for their uniqueness and upbeat music. Throughout my life I’ve had many pets. I currently have 3 cats and used to have turtles, fish, and hamsters. In the future I really want to get a dog, preferably a Shiba inu or golden retriever.

I look forward to this English 2850 class as it has a fun environment already. I want to join clubs like She’s the First, UCLA, or anything honestly to meet new people. I don’t think I’m going to have much time though due to work. I’m currently a cashier at Shoprite and don’t really mind the work. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to juggle both work and six classes, but I think I’ll be able to manage. I enjoy eating all types of foods and want to be able to try foods of diverse cultures. I also want to travel to different states and countries and see what it’s like. I’m excited for my future and what it has to hold.