Collage

How does this collage represent my identity?
     Everyone has their own unique identity which is made up of who they are and what represents them as an individual. My friends and family are a major part of my life and help to make up who I am. They are the people that have always been there for me and will be no matter what. I have learned from them and been through a lot as well. Every family is different, however, it shapes who you are and who you become. I also have many pictures from when I was younger and growing up with friends. I believe friends are a major part of who you are as well. My friends in these pictures I have basically grown up with most of my life. We have played together, gotten in trouble together, and have basically grown as individuals. The people you grow up with know you better than most because they were there experiencing your growth with you. I also put a picture of Boston and the Patriots because that is where I grew up. Boston is where I am from and shaped who I am. Everyone grows up different depending on where you are from. Living in a small town in the north gave me a different perspective than say someone from Charlotte North Carolina. However, I put the Charlotte 49ers because Charlotte is now a part of me as well. Every experience you have and the  choices you make shapes who you are.
What are the links between images and identity and our society? What types of images do you identify with?     Images are just visuals of who you are and what you are made up of. Your identity is so unique to anyone else because it describes exactly who you are. Everyone comes from different backgrounds, has different experiences, and makes different choices. Our society today, allows you to be a unique individual and whoever you want to be. Images are a way to express what something or someone is. Also, with images you choose what you want to show and what you do not. Every image holds a memory. Personally, I identify with Boston, because it is my home town but  Charlotte as well because I decided to move here. Every individual is different and holds an identity which is unique to everyone else.

24/7 America

Our assignment was to read Patrick Cox's article, 24/7 America: A Family Photograph Album. Cox explains how Rick Smolan and David Elliot Cohen have taken multiple digital images of the average lives of Americans. For example, they captured images of rural landscapes to celebrations. Cox continues to talk about how photos play such a significant role in every Americans lives. Photos are how we recapture and remember a certain event or special time in an individuals life. The images as the author describes, are not glamorous but representing the true America. The photos are what really happens in individual's everyday lives and not what is seen on television. I enjoyed this article and looking at these pictures because even though the pictures might just be ordinary they are capturing a different memory in every single photo.

Something Ordinary

      This is a picture of my childhood best friend and I listening to music. This is something I love to do to relax with someone who has always been very close to me.

Overview

      This week in class we analyzed the movie Capitalism, A Love Story. It gave everyone the chance to work together and really think about the message Michael Moore was portraying. This activity allowed us to think in depth about more than what we saw in the film.
      Also, we learned how to analyze photos rhetorically. We talked about how due to how advanced technology is today, you are able to enhance or distort photos to make them a whole new creation of reality. We looked at a particular picture taken in Haiti. There were multiple different perspectives in this photo. It was interesting to see how many different outlooks there were in just one picture.

overview; reflection of capitalism film

     The movie we watched in class this week was about capitalism and how it is destroying our country. They used multiple examples of personal stories of how capitalism how made a major impact on their lives negatively. For example, in many cases families have had their homes taken away by the government and sold to someone else without them knowing because they could not pay their bills.
       There have been several families that have had their lives effected dramatically due to the economy. Personally, I have seen my cousins and uncle go through such a difficult situation due to the economy. They lost their mother about five years ago who was their main income. Their father had gotten laid off and had no way of paying their bills. They were one of the many that lost their house and have been struggling to be able to pay expenses everyday. This was not something they put on themselves, however, they were forced to be in such an awful situation due to the economy and their circumstance. Even though I was not going through this myself, it was hard to see my family struggling so dramatically. Every individual can relate to this movie because it is something that has effected our country over the years.

overview of this week

This week we have learned different methods of research and the steps needs to create a well done research paper. I have done several research papers in the past and have used most of the methods we have gone over. I am still in the process of creating my proposal, however, I have my main idea. My topic as mentioned before is child abuse which there is many different ways to go about it. Basically, I am trying to find a way to reduce child abuse in families in charlotte and an argument that will persuade that children need more help than they are receiving now. This is a major passion of minebut still need to figure out exactly what to focus on.