Essay #6 Research Paper Rough Draft

Just wanted to let everyone know that I have not included my conclusion in my rough draft. The conclusion is always the hardest part for me, and I find it much easier to write the conclusion after getting some feedback and taking a break from writing for a little while. I look forward to some great feedback, Thanks!

Megan Smith

English Composition II

Essay #6: Research Paper Rough Draft

August 7, 2011

Understanding Culture and Identity: A Unique Perspective on “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” By Sherman Alexie

Throughout history, America has become home to individuals from all over the world, who have different backgrounds and cultures; yet many of these people identify themselves as Americans. However, prior to America becoming the melting pot of the world, there were native, North American Indians who inhabited the land. These Native American’s are now viewed as aliens in their own land, because they have been displaced since the settling and founding of the United States. On one hand, due to the oppression and mistreatment of Native Americans, many Native Americans attempt to identify as a modern American by somewhat denouncing their Native American roots. On the other hand, there are other Native Americans who strongly identify and hold on to their Native roots. In Sherman Alexie’s story, “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” published in 1933, the two main characters, Thomas and Victor, are Native Americans who live on an Indian reservation in Washington; however, they each seem to identify with their culture in different ways. Through understanding the socioeconomic conditions, history, psychology and sociology of Native American culture, one can see more clearly as to why some Native Americans hold on to their culture and roots, while others attempt to turn away.

The history of the oppression and mistreatment of Native Americans plays a major role in why some Native Americans do not identify with their culture. Through examining the history of Native Americans and applying it to the story, “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” written by modern day author Sherman Alexie, it may be understood as to why the characters Victor and Thomas identify with their Native American culture in different ways. According to an article written by Mark A. Tveskov, found in American Anthropologist, we have to pay attention to and have an understanding of Native American history in order, “to understand the demise, persistence, resistance, or revitalization of tradition and cultural identity” (Tveskov 433). During the colonial period, Native American’s faced a near total genocide, due to colonization, as well as numerous hardships and battles against the colonists until they were eventually pushed into Indian reservations. Although the Native American’s faced hardships, they continued to hold on to their culture, even through it’s near demise, “despite the near complete destruction of the more public aspects of traditional culture, American Indian identity persisted” (Tveskov 437). Since the colonial period, Native Americans have been pushed into reservations and have faced many hardships due to their culture, traditions and identity. Even today, Native Americans are looked at as different than the average white, black or Hispanic American. Due to this, it is no wonder that characters such as Victor, in Alexie’s story, try to dissociate with their Native American roots, in an attempt to detach from the identity of a typical Native American. However, David R. Edmunds, editor of Enduring Nations, brings up an important point in his argument as to, “whether Native American identity should be determined by… shared cultural values,” (Edmunds). Victor may want to deny his Native American identity due to the history of oppression and hardships faced by his people; however, the fact that he worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and resides on an Indian reservation exhibits Edmunds argument of shared cultural values. Furthermore, when Victor began talking to Thomas, he eventually felt a need to revisit his Native American traditions:

All the other Indians stared, surprised that Victor was even talking to Thomas. Nobody talked to Thomas anymore because he told the same damn stories over and over again. Victor was embarrasses, but he thought that Thomas might be able to help him. Victor felt a sudden need for tradition (Alexie 585).

Although his peers considered Thomas an outcast, he held on to his Native American identity through the tradition of story telling. Despite the harsh and unpleasant history of the Native Americans, Thomas practiced his Native cultural traditions as homage to his Native American roots and in honor of the hardships of his ancestors.

While the oppression faced by Native Americans may cause some individuals, such as Victor, to dissociate with their roots, some Native Americans, such as Thomas Builds-the-Fire, embraced their culture and attempted to resist the influence of white American culture. As soon as Alexie introduces Thomas in the story, the reader immediately understands that Thomas is very in touch with his Native American culture:

While Victor stood in line, he watched Thomas Builds-the-Fire standing near the magazine rack, talking to himself. Like he always did. Thomas was a storyteller that nobody wanted to listen to… Once, when they were seven years old, when Victor’s father stilled lived with the family, Thomas closed his eyes and told Victor this story… (Alexie 585).

Throughout Alexie’s story, a number of Thomas’s stories are told, which helps the reader further understand that Thomas is in touch with the spiritual and cultural aspect of his Native American roots. Thomas strongly identifies with his Native American culture, despite the hardships faced by Native Americans throughout history. Just like Thomas, there are Native Americans who hold onto the traditions of the culture, such as storytelling. An instance that shows the impact of holding on to Native American traditions is found in an article published in The Western Historical Quarterly, written by Benjamin G. Rader:

At the Haskell Institute homecoming of 1926, Native Americans seized on the opportunities afforded by the occasion to revisit and experiment with their identities and to dramatize, ritualistically and symbolically, their resistance to white society and culture (Rader 429).

Throughout history, Native Americans have been looked at in a different way than the average white American. This event at the Haskell Institute homecoming, where Native American traditions were combined with Euro-American traditions, helps understand the difficulties that Native Americans face, especially those who are in touch with their roots and identify with their culture. Despite the incorporation of white American traditions at the Haskell Institute homecoming, such as the homecoming itself and the football game, the Native American powwow drew the most attention and “provided multiple visual and aural dramatizations of society’s hierarchy while simultaneously affirming white authority over the Native peoples” (Rader 431). Native Americans, such as Thomas Builds-the-Fire, express their cultural traditions in order stay in touch with their identity while possibly opposing the white American traditions and culture. Living on a reservation may allow for Native Americans to identify with their roots because of the common culture in the Native American community. However, the socioeconomic conditions of both life on an Indian reservation and life as a Native American play a major role in developing and maintaining the individuals Native American identity.

A look at the socioeconomic conditions faced by Native Americans also helps shed light as to why some Native Americans, such as Victor, suffer hardships due to their culture as well as dissociating from the Native American identity. As stated in the story, “Victor didn’t have any money. Who does have money on a reservation, except the cigarette and fireworks salespeople” (Alexie 584). Although money does not buy happiness, living in such poor conditions does play a role in quality of life, especially for Native Americans. According to an article from the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, “racial differences are related only spuriously to depression as a consequence of socioeconomic status” (Ulbrich 131). In both Alexie’s story and in reality, the lack of money and the poor socioeconomic conditions faced by Native Americans contribute to the lack of individuals truly identifying with their culture. This is not because of the culture itself, but because of the poor socioeconomic status held by the majority of people within the culture.

In order to shed more light on the poor socioeconomic conditions of Native Americans, understanding the lack of job opportunities is an important factor. Since Victor just lost his job at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, he had no income and no savings, similar to the majority of other Native Americans on his reservation:

Victor didn’t have any money… His father had a savings account waiting to be claimed, but Victor needed to find a way to get to Phoenix. Victor’s mother was just as poor as he was, and the rest of his family didn’t have any use at all for him. So Victor called the Tribal Council…. ‘Now, Victor,’ the council said. ‘You know we’re having a difficult time financially’ (Alexie 584).

Not only did Victor lose his job and source of income, but also his mother and family, and the Tribal Council had economic issues. Although the opportunity for socioeconomic success was almost diminished within the tribe and on the reservation, Native Americans may not even be able to find socioeconomic success outside of the reservation. According to an article by Tolnay and Eichenlaub in Social Science History, “an important theme in the stories of racial and ethnic minority groups in all regions of the country has been the emergence and persistence of unequal access to opportunities for socioeconomic success” (Tolnay 472). This article further points out the hardships faced by Native Americans like Victor since they face numerous socioeconomic difficulties and the hardships of holding on to a job even within their own community on an Indian reservation. If there were no Indian reservation, they would face even more difficulties since there is an unequal access to opportunities for socioeconomic success among communities of mixed racial and ethnic groups. Due to these socioeconomic difficulties, Native Americans, such as Victor, may seem to not identify with their Native American roots as strongly as others, such as Thomas Builds-the-Fire.

Works Cited

Alexie, Sherman. “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona.” 1993. Literature: The Human Experience: Reading and Writing. Ed. Richard Abcarian and Marvin Klotz. Shorter 9^th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007. 584-593. Print.

Edmunds, R. David (Ed.). Enduring nations: Native Americans in the Midwest. Champaign, IL US: University of Illinois Press, 2008. PsycINFO. EBSCO. Web. 2 August 2011.

Rader, Benjamin G. "The Greatest Drama In Indian Life": Experiments In Native American Identity and Resistance at the Haskell Institute Homecoming of 1926.” Western Historical Quarterly 35.4 (2004): 429-450. America: History & Life. EBSCO. Web. 2 August 2011.

Tolnay, Stewart E., and Suzanne C. Eichenlaub. “Inequality in the West.” Social Science History 31.4 (2007):471-507. America: History & Life. EBSCO. Web. 7 August 2011.

Tveskov, Mark A. “Social Identity and Culture Change on the Southern Northwest Coast.” American Anthropologist 109.3 (2007): 431-441. America: History & Life. EBSCO. Web. 7 August 2011.

Ulbrich, Patricia M., George J. Warheit, and Rick S. Zimmerman. “Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Psychological Distress: An Examination of Differential Vulnerability.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 30.1 (1989): 131-146. JSTOR. Web. 7 August 2011.

Rough Draft Essay #5

Hello all, I just wanted to let you know that I did not include a conclusion in my rough draft because I wanted to get feedback from everyone before I write it. Also, I wanted to think about what I wrote a little bit more so I can figure out how I want to conclude my paper.

Hopefully the format comes out on here, I know how to do block quotes and MLA format, so no need to correct me on that since this is just my rough draft and I don't know if the format will come out right. Thanks for you help!




Megan Smith

English Composition II

Essay #5: Rough Draft

July 22, 2011

Taking Refuge in Ritual

More often than not, when reading a story, the reader is often reminded of another story and can tie the two together. In Ernest Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" the elderly man and the older waiter handle their despair in a routine manner which helps shed light as to why the main female character in Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" begins to handle her unfortunate situation in a somewhat ritualistic manner. The elderly man and the older waiter find that the café is a peaceful place that helps them deal with their anguish, while the main female character in Gilman's story takes refuge in her writing and the wallpaper to forget about her illness and her inferiority in her marriage. Although the older characters in Hemingway’s story have rituals, the younger waiter quickly discredits them, similar to how John fails to acknowledge Charlotte’s rituals.

            In Ernest Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” the older waiter seems to have a personality that allows the reader to relate to in a number of different situations. The older waiter treats the elderly deaf man in the café with respect while still being curious about his suicide attempt. As the story progresses we realize that the older waiter finds comfort in the café and it is a place of refuge, a safe haven for him, since it is a unique setting that attracts a specific type of person. When closing up the café for the night, the younger waiter sees rushed and anxious to leave, but the older waiter attempts to explain him that he has his youth and confidence, and it should not be taken for granted. The older waiter explains the importance that the café has to him:

I am one of those who like to stay late at the café. With all those who do not want to go to bed. With all those who need a light for the night…. It is not only a question of youth and confidence although those things are very beautiful. Each night I am reluctant to close up because there may be some one who needs the café…. This is a clean and pleasant café. It is well lighted (Hemingway 98).

The older waiter is patient with the fact that other people, such as the younger waiter, may not have the same appreciation and viewpoint as he does in regards to the café. The café is a place of refuge for the older waiter; it is his job to have the café available to others during the night, since some people may be looking for a clean, well-lighted place.

            After examining how the older waiter takes refuge in the café in Hemingway’s story, it allows the reader to shed light on how Charlotte takes refuge in her writing in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story, “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Charlotte takes to writing in order to find an escape from her reality; it is a refuge from having to deal with her nervous depression and her overbearing husband. When understanding how the older waiter in Hemingway’s story looks at his job at the café, the reader is able to better understand how writing is Charlotte’s way to escape and feel safe in a way that only few understand. Charlotte states that, “Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. But what is one to do? I did write for a while in spite of them” (Gilman 729). After reading a critique of Hemingway’s story by Charles A. Allen, the reader is able to see that the older waiter uses the café as a gateway for protection, “a defense against the black night” (Allen 155). This is just as Charlotte does with her writing, it is used as a gateway to unlock her confidence and it is a defense against the darkness of her nervous depression.

            Although the older waiter in Hemingway’s story takes refuge in the café, the character of the elderly deaf man seems to find a ritualistic aspect in coming to the café. As stated early in the story, the elderly man was a good client, who frequented the café often. The two waiters could obviously tell that the elderly man was drunk, and they were concerned that if he were to drink anymore he would leave without paying. The elderly man turned his late night drinks at the café into a sort of ritual; there were other places for the elderly man to go, but it was the clean, well-lighted café that attracted him. “The old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference” (Hemingway 96). The older waiter even understand the importance that this late night ritual has for the elderly man when the older waiter says to the younger waiter, “Why didn’t you let him stay and drink? It is not half-past two” (Hemingway 97). This ritual for the elderly man seems to be the a saving grace for him, especially in regards to his attempted suicide a week earlier.

            As the elderly man made a ritual of getting late night drinks at the café, it sheds light on how Charlotte develops a fondness for the wallpaper of the room and begins a ritual of following the pattern. In regards to this, Charlotte states that:

I start, we’ll say, at the bottom, down in the corner over there where it has not been touched, and I determine for the thousandth time that I will follow that pointless pattern to some sort of a conclusion. I know a little of the principle of design, and I know this thing was not arranged on any laws of radiation, or alternation, or repetition, or symmetry, or anything else that I ever heard of (Gilman 733).

This statement by Charlotte shows how she has created a ritual of following the pattern, similar to how the elderly man gets drunk on a regular basis at the café. Each character finds some happiness in this ritual, even though they are each suffering in some way. In the critique of Hemingway’s story it is stated that, “It may lead one in a long search for soothing rituals and the peace and serenity of clean, well-lighted places” (Allen 155). Charlotte has been suffering from her nervous depression for some time, and has attempted to find some peace with both writing and resting, but after her long search, she is able to find this soothing ritual of following the pattern of the wallpaper.

            In order to best understand the older waiter and the elderly man, it is tough to ignore the only other character in the café, the younger waiter. There are numerous characteristics that set this third character apart from the others, and it is vital that the reader understand why the younger waiter is different from the other two, in order to have the greatest appreciation and understanding for the older waiter and elderly man. Although the most obvious difference between the older characters and the younger waiter is age; the younger waiter even seems anxious and disrespectful when it comes to kicking out the elderly man and closing up the café to get home to his wife. A prime example that shows the extent that the younger waiter was selfish was when he decided to cut off the elderly man from drinks, he states, “‘Finished,’ he said, speaking with that omission of syntax stupid people employ when talking to drunken people or foreigners. ‘No more tonight. Close now’” (Hemingway 97). The younger waiter does not understand that the café is a place for the elderly man to come and escape his reality; he discredits the old man and refers to him as being “a nasty thing” (Hemingway 97). The younger waiter also disrespects the older waiter, because he is only concerned with closing the café and getting home to his wife. When the older waiter begins to explain why the café has such great importance to him, the younger waiter tells him, “Come on. Stop talking nonsense and lock up” (Hemingway 98).  When looking at the contrasting views of the younger waiter, the reader is able to develop a deeper understanding as to why the older waiter and elderly man find refuge in the café.

            Just as the younger waiter discredits and disregards the older waiter and elderly man, it sheds light as to how John plays a similar role in Charlotte’s life. John is overly controlling of Charlotte and as Charlotte says, “John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures” (Gilman 729). John is the contrasting character in Gilman’s story; he seems to be a polar opposite of Charlotte, which allows the reader to develop a deeper understanding of Charlotte’s character. As Charlotte begins to take refuge in her writing, she must hide her writing from John, since he would surely disapprove, “There comes John, and I must put this away – he hates to have me write a word” (Gilman 731). This is similar to the older waiter and elderly man, who both take refuge in the café, the younger waiter does not understand why the café is so important to them, and it is almost a waste of time trying to explain. In Hemingway’s story the younger waiter did not understand the rituals of the elderly man and determined that it was just nonsense, which is identical to when John did not understand or appreciate Charlotte’s ritual of following the wallpaper. In Hemingway’s story, “The anxiety and defense pattern is apparent… but perhaps anxiety as the invisible enemy is most clearly defined” (Allen 155). Since the opposing characters in each story did not understand the rituals of the main characters, it created an anxiety. The older waiter and elderly man felt as if they did not fit in, just as Charlotte felt that she was not like everyone else; because the opposing characters were not understanding, it created an anxiety for the older characters and Charlotte.

Works Cited

Allen, Charles A. A Clean, Well-Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway. “Short Story Criticism.” Ed. Jenny Cromie. Vol. 40. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. P. 155. Web. 20 July 2011.

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper. (1892)” Literature: The Human Experience. 2007. Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Hemingway, Ernest. “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place. (1933)” Literature: The Human Experience. 2007. Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Essay #3 Rough Draft

This is a very rough draft of my essay. I didn't really have enough time to really develop some of my ideas and I plan on adding some more examples and quotes. Hopefully my theme comes across and makes sense!


Megan Smith
English Composition II
Essay #3: Rough Draft
July 1, 2011

Trapped Inside Love

The readings in class thus far have showed us that love is unique because it is not just a feeling, it is an ability. Love can be kind and gentle and filled with bliss and joy, but love also has the ability to produce rage and jealousy. One important factor of love is the feeling and emotion an individual has within them. Although unfortunate, love has the capability to make someone feel trapped. In "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "Jealous Husband Returns in the Form of a Parrot" we are able to see how people sometimes feel emotionally trapped within themselves and within their relationship. It is important to understand how people choose to express their feelings since on one hand some people take control of their feelings and tell others how they feel, while on the other hand, some people tend to keep to themselves and let their feelings control them.

After reading the first few lines of “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the reader can immediately feel the upbeat and friendly nature of the woman. When she begins to describe her husband, it becomes obvious that she is in a marriage that has trapped her and does not allow her to be who she is. The woman states, “John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures.” (729) This seems to express everything that she is, and everything her husband does not like, which shows how she is trapped in her marriage.

The woman is trapped within herself because she follows the rules that are set out before her. The woman states that “I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good…. I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus- but John says the very worst thing I can do is to think about my condition, and I confess it always makes me feel bad.” (729) This shows that she is trapped within herself because she thinks she knows what is best to do but never listens to herself even when she knows her husband is wrong. She does not allow herself to be her own person.

In “The Yellow Wallpaper” we see that when the parrot was man and he was intimate with his wife, he still felt trapped. “It’s like those times when she would tell me she loved me and I actually believed her and maybe it was true and we clung to each other in bed and at times like that I was different. I was the man in her life. I was whole with her. Except even at that moment, holding her sweetly, there was this other creature inside me who knew a lot more about it and couldn’t quite put all the evidence together to speak.” (767)

In “Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot,” the man felt trapped because he was never able to catch his wife cheating because “I had a bare chest and I’d look for little black hairs on the sheets when I’d come home on a day with the whiff of somebody else in the air.” (766) The man knew what was going on but he never caught her cheating. The parrot is similar because “My cage sits in the den. My pool table is gone and the cage is sitting in that space and if I come all the way down to one end of my perch I can see through the door and down the back hallway to the master bedroom. When she keeps the bedroom door open I can see the space at the foot of the bed but not the bed itself. That I can sense to the left, just out of sight. I watch the men go in and I hear the sounds but I can’t quite see. And they drive me crazy.” (767-768) This shows that even the parrot felt trapped because he was able to get so close to seeing what his wife was doing, but was unable to.

In “The Yellow Wallpaper” the woman wanted to express her thoughts and feelings through writing, yet her husband made attempts to prevent this from happening, “There comes John, and I must put this away- he hates to have me write a word.” (731) This shows that the woman wanted to express her feelings and thoughts in some manner because how she writes is in a similar manner as if she was talking to someone. She feels trapped because she wants to express her feelings this way but she it is frowned upon by John.

In Butler’s story, when the man’s wife began to talk about the new guy at her office in the shipping department, the man immediately thought that she was cheating on him with this new guy. The man reacted and expressed his feelings in a two-fold manner; the first with rage and then the second out of pure jealousy. First, the man stated “I locked myself in the bathroom because I couldn’t rage about this anymore. I felt like a damn fool whenever I actually said anything about this kind of feeling and she looked at me like she could start hating me real easy and so I was working on saying nothing, even if it meant locking myself up.” (767) This shows how the man was trapped within himself and within his relationship because he would get so upset but could not openly express his feelings to his wife. He also literally trapped himself in the bathroom. The man got upset but had to hide his feelings; he expressed his feelings by himself but was trapped from expressing his feelings to his wife.

The second manner in which the man reacted to his wife talking about the new guy at work was by finding the new guys’ name and address and went to go spy on him. “Nobody was around in the neighborhood and there was this big tree in he back of the house going up to a second-floor window that was making funny little sounds. I went up. The shade was drawn but not quite all the way. I was holding on to a limb with arms and legs wrapped around it like it was her in those time when I could forget the others for a little while. But the crack in the shade was just out of view and I crawled on along till there was no limb left and I fell on my head.” (767) This shows that the man expressed his feelings because he was so angry about the situation and he wanted to have solid proof of his wife cheating. Although his jealousy caused his death, the man was able to express his feelings of distrust, suspicion and anger through this action.

In “The Yellow Wallpaper” the woman eventually takes a turn for the worst and seems to have lost her mind as she is so consumed by the wallpaper. After John began to see improvement in her health, the woman wrote, “I had no intention of telling him is was because of the wallpaper – he would make fun of me. He might even want to take me away.” (737) Once she become trapped by the wallpaper that surrounded her, she began expressing herself in a manner that made John believe she was getting better, when really she was going insane.

In Butler’s story, the parrot refers to “a burning thrashing feeling” (767) in regards to the “dangling thing over there with knows ad strips of rawhide and a bell at the bottom” (767) in his cage, which was the same feeling he got when he thought his wife was cheating. In order to control this “burning thrashing feeling,” (767) the parrot stated that “I flap my wings and I squawk and I fluff up and I slick down and I throw seed and I attack that dangly toy as if it were the guy’s balls, but it does no good. It never did any good in the other life either, the trashing around I did by myself.” (768) The parrot does state that it makes him feel good, but he knows that it does not solve the issue at hand; it just allows him to express his feelings. He can express his feelings, but he feels trapped because his actions don’t change the problem.

Essay #2

Megan Smith
English Composition II
Essay #2: Rough Draft
June 20, 2011

There truly are no words that could explain and describe human nature and all of its distinguished characteristics that are unique to the human experience. The manner in which each individual thinks, acts or feels is unique to that individual. Although commonalities may arise between people, differences in these characteristics of human nature may just as easily arise. These differences create diversity among people in countless ways. Just as human nature is not limited to race, gender, ethnicity, etc., diversity is also not limited. In order to show the significance of diversity among people as a trait of human nature and as a part of the human experience, it is important to understand that humans frequently encounter all walks of life in our daily activities. The role in which other people play in our lives has an impact on how we develop our thoughts, actions and feelings and most importantly how we are able to look at the big picture of the human experience.

After developing a theme based around diversity and the impact of others in our lives, I wanted to express in more than just words how diversity can be obvious at times and well disguised at others. In doing so, I choose to use a series of paintings by the same artist, Georges Seurat; although I am not using a diverse selection of artists, his style of painting is quite diverse while the story his paintings tell is quite similar. The sequence of the paintings expresses how an individual is a unique aspect to a group; they are a part to a whole, whether they are involved, uninvolved, or unaware of the bigger picture they are a part of.

The first painting, entitled The Circus, shows individuals acting as a part of group; each member of the audience finds amusement in the circus act and the performers tie the group together since they are what brings them all together in the first place. Each individual in the painting knows that they are involved in something bigger, the audience knows they are an audience just as the performers know that they are performing for the audience. They are all aware that they are each a unique individual but they know that they are experiencing the same thing together. This painting truly shows the diverse nature of people because all types of people, young and old, male and female, wealthy and poor, etc. are able to enjoy the same show. In this diverse group enjoying the circus, it is apparent that humans are emotional creatures who have feelings. These emotions and feelings are aspects of human nature, not an aspect of a particular type of person. Even through this diversity, there is intense commonality between these people. If a circus show was limited to a specific type of person, such as limited to the wealthy and elite, the show would probably be much different and geared towards other traits of that group of people. However, since a circus show appeals to and is open to all walks of life, the show has to evoke the emotions of all sorts of people. This shows that when different people are put together it can change the outcome of something.

“Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it everyday.” –Anonymous

I picked this quote because I felt as if it truly suited what was going on in the painting. The members of the audience at the circus all have one thing in common; they are all enjoying the show, regardless of where they are sitting, who they are with, what they are wearing, etc. Each person in the picture has the circus in common with on another. This audience expresses diversity because there are all walks of life ranging from the elite and wealthy sitting in the front row, to what appears to be poor boys viewing the show from a standing position in the back. But no matter how different each person may be they are experiencing and celebrating their diversity together.

Happiness is harmonious by nature; it does not exclude a single being. –M. Smith

For my expressive commentary, I wanted to expose the deep feeling of happiness that I found in the painting. Feelings and emotions are a core aspect to the human experience. Although not everyone feels the same feeling or shows the same emotion in a particular circumstance, we all have in common the capability and capacity to feel emotion. I believe that happiness is a feeling that can bring people together and create harmony among them. Happiness does not pick or choose who is allowed to feel its warmth; it includes everyone in its work as long as everyone allows it to enter into his or her lives.

The next painting, titled A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, shows individuals acting as individuals; however, they are all in a group setting experiencing and relaxing on the “Island of La Grande Jatte”. Each of these individuals serve a purpose of creating a group or community of people, yet they are not expected to all be the same. Each person retains their individuality and is not actively involved in being a part of the group. They each have their own agenda but are surrounded by all walks of life. This painting shows that diversity surrounds us in many aspects of our lives; people do not have to actively interacting with other people to see the differences between them. Just as the title expresses, the people in this painting are spending a Sunday afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte. Some people are relaxing in the sun or shade, others are spending time with their families or by themselves, some are daydreaming and others are playing under the trees or just passing by. Although what each individual is doing on the island on this Sunday afternoon exhibits diversity, we are able to see that the types of people are also diverse. Some individuals seem to be of wealthy or elite status, while others seem to be grateful for a day off from a blue-collar type job. Even through this diversity, they are each enjoying a relaxing day on the island and the calm and peaceful environment evokes a sense of warmth and community among the people.

“We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.” –Anne Frank

I picked this quote because it describes the atmosphere of the painting that is easily felt by the viewer. The immediate feeling that I got from this painting was that each of the people were so different from one another and they all lived separate lives, yet they all shared a sense of happiness. I was able to tell that each person in the painting simply wanted to spend his or her Sunday afternoon relaxing on the island, each in an objective to be happy. However, the reason behind why they all wanted to relax and experience happiness varies dramatically. Each individual leads a different life, but they all have the same objective on this Sunday afternoon.

A day of relaxation brings peace to our mind and warmth to a community. –M. Smith

The expressive commentary I choose to add to this painting was meant to infuse a sense of comrodery between the individuals and their feelings as well as between each individual. A long week of work can surely ware a person down; but a day of relaxation allows our mind to rejuvenate and we are able to find peace with ourselves again. Although an individual relaxes for their own sake, it creates a certain feeling of warmth among the people and community surrounding them. When one person takes the time to relax, others will follow suit and when everyone develops their peace of mind, the community is able to become stronger.

The third and final painting, Men Fishing In The Wharf, vividly expresses how an individual person can impact other individuals or groups of people, without knowing that they are doing anything. Each of the men fishing seem to be distant from one another; they seem to not be on a personal level with each other. Each of the men fishing see that they all have fishing as a common ground, but they do not see how they each affect one another. If one man catches a fish, and heads home to cook it for dinner, that is one less fish for another man to catch. Although they are not a part of a specific group and they are all individuals doing their own thing, they still may have an affect on someone else that they may not be aware of. This painting shows that diversity can be subtle and still have a significant impact on people. The actions of complete strangers do have affects on others whether it is visible or obscured. If individuals were more conscious of their actions and the affects their actions will have on others, people would be able to create an environment where diversity encourages us to work together and help others.

“Behave so the aroma of your actions may enhance the general sweetness of the atmosphere.” –Henry David Thoreau

I choose this quote because I felt as if it really touched upon how important a single action can be and how it has the potential to make a positive change in the world. Each and every action has some sort of meaning behind it; an action is not without thought. This quote shows that actions are not simple, our actions stem from our behavior and our feelings, which influence both our good and bad decisions and actions. If people were to be aware of their actions and how they affect other people, the world would be able to prosper from this generosity and respect for others.

A single action can have affects in places both known and unknown. –M. Smith

When developing my expressive commentary for this painting, I wanted to express the importance of actions as a characteristic of human nature. Each and everyday, people make decisions and act upon them, but rarely do we think about how our actions have affects that we do not see. People generally consider the affects of their actions on the people they are close with; this group of people that is considered is not diverse, they are all the essentially the same. Our actions reach unknown places and we must consider the diverse group of people that will be affected by those actions.

These paintings show that diversity does not have to be about gender or class; diversity can be finding differences within an individual. These three paintings came from a single individual, yet they are all so different from one another. The characters in these paintings are able to be their own self as an individual, yet be apart of a group or have an affect on others. Diversity is an essential aspect to the human experience; but it is through our thoughts, actions and feelings that we are able to look at the big picture. Whether we work actively or passively as a group or we are blind to our actions affects on a diverse group of people, we each continue to learn and grow in our human experience.





Paintings Work Cited
Seurat, Georges. The Circus. 1890-1891. ABC Gallery. Web. 17 June 2011. .
Seurat, Georges. A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. 1884. Wikipedia. Web. 17 June 2011. .
Seurat, Georges. Men Fishing In The Wharf. Wikigallery. Web. 17 June 2011. .

Quotes Work Cited
“Diversity Quotes.” Finest Quotes. Web. 17 June 2011. .
“Famous Anne Frank Quotations.” Quotes.net. Web. 17 June 2011. .
“Henry David Thoreau Quotes.” Thinkexist.com. Web. 17 June 2011. .

Pictures