Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Welcome to our Humanities Blog!

Hi Everyone!
Since I had to stay home with Levi today, I thought that I would communicate with all of you through a blog. I want you all to continue reading your outside reading, work on updating your DP with your book reviews, and to encourage you to continue working on your letter of recommendation for me please.
I know that a lot of you are extremely productive and have finished most (if not all) of the above tasks. Thank you!
The assignment for today (Tuesday, April 28) is to log on to the following website: http://photosthatchangedtheworld.com/
Pick one photo that moves you (yes, just one!). I want you to identify the photo (so that I know which photo it is you are writing about) and then I want you to write about that photo HERE, on this blog. You should write as much as you need to. Consider who these people are, where they are from, and what the photo makes you feel. You can tell a story about the person or the event, you can conjecture about who that person might be, you can write about something that the photo reminds you of. Please use complete sentences and proper spelling. Please remember that this post can be accessed by everyone - keep it school appropriate.
If you have any questions, please email me.
Have a wonderful day and hopefully I will see you all tomorrow.

29 comments:

Eric Harmatz said...

The photo that I chose to reflect on is titled "Segregated Water Fountains". This photo is shocking as it shows how segregation was legal in the 20th century provided it was "equal" to both parties. As you can see from the photo, the "Colored" fountain looks like a subpar urinal compared to the "White" fountain, that looks l uxorious for that time period. How can one even say that those two are equal?

Both water fountains draw their water from the same valve, so the water would be the same for both fountains. The only thing that is segregated is the little nozzle that the water comes out of: one for whites and one for blacks.

In my opinion, this photo shows ignorance as I find it hard to understand why people would go to measures to segregate water fountains based on someone's color. I also find it hard to understand how they can pass off those distinctly different water fountains as equal when obviously the only thing they have "equal" is the water valve that both the fountains draw their water from.

I ask myself, why? Why did people segregate based on skin color. Did they think that black people were diseased? The way our society is in the 21st century I could not even imagine this happening. We have so many laws in place regarding discrimination and racial profiling that in our era public segregation is nonexistent.

Looking at the young man in this picture, he doesn't look sad or mad. He looks like he is just taking a sip of water out of his fountain without thinking twice. He didn't know any different. The man in this picture doesn't show any emotion that he knows how wrong this actually is. He doesn't know...

The white water fountain in the picture reminds me of an old water fountain that might be found around NTC back in the day during it's use as a Naval Training Center. I can hear the valves of the water fountain humming when the lever is pulled. I can taste the hard water that comes out of the fountain. Even though it tastes horrible, it is gold to those who thirst.

Amy Hill said...

Wow Eric! Nice job. I love what you have to say. If you are curious about whether or not this issue still persists today, please see the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education (decided in 1954). In it, the Supreme Court ruled that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal". Can you think of any educational facilities that are unequal today?

Colbie Hartwell said...

The photo that really disturbed me was the "5 year old Mother". I couldn't believe that a 5 year old would be pregnant, and the first thing that I was thinking was how? Was it by choice, was she raped, was it normal in those days? All of these thoughts made me really sad, and couldn't even imagine a 5 year old being pregnant. There is so many things that you aren't ready for, and there is a reason why you go through puberty around 12 years old. Is this still possible, and how did she already have her period at 5? It is so strange and then again crazy how that happened. It is so unrealistic to think of a 5 year old raising another baby when at 5 years old you still basically are a baby. A lot has changed, and today a 16 year old mom is always a huge mistake and complicates things, however this is still a lot easier for the Mother to be handling at that age rather than a 5 year old. It is very important that when someone is pregnant, they are ready and are ready to raise this baby with their family and support them.

Unknown said...

I looked at the "Starving boy and missionary" picture. This picture made me feel really sad because I saw how skinny the boy's hand was. I think that this picture took place somewhere in Africa because there is a lot of poverty there, and missionary work. You could tell that the boy seemed helpless and scared even though you couldn't see his face. It was a really depressing photo.

Amy Hill said...

Colbie, I found that photo so disturbing I almost did not use that website for the assignment! I cannot imagine what she must have gone through, the circumstances, what her life must be like... I'm glad you were able to articulate your feelings about the photo so well. Very nice job.

Trae Washburn said...
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Alexandra[MARIE]Sandoval said...

The photo i had used was the 5 Year Old Mother. I found this image very disturbing how could a five year old be pregnant and how did she end up pregnant this image has left me questioning like crazy. this image makes me want to think its unreal. It is also crazy how she had out lived her son. Amy i liked doing this it had opened my eyes. It was so hard to choose an image because there were so many good one.

Trae Washburn said...
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Nic Nash said...

I chose the "Stopping Time" image. The reason I chose this was because everytime I see a freeze-frame high definiton image I am filled with a sense of amazement. It's unbelievable that human created technology allows us to literally stop time for an instant, and gain a deeper understanding for the extraordinary activities around us or even those that happen constantly. I wish that I could get a camera that takes images like this so I can photograph EVERYTHING in a similar fashion!!

Amy Hill said...

I'm sitting at home hoping Levi stays asleep a little bit longer, reading your posts. I love reading what you write. You are all such great writers and you all have such amazing imaginations. I decided I should write too, if for no other reason than to avoid getting sucked into a daytime soap opera!
I chose the photo: “Last Jew of Vinnitsa". I read the information about the photograph and found out that it was from an Einsatzgruppen soldier’s personal album. It shows a member of Einsatzgruppe D just about to shoot a Jewish man who is kneeling before a filled mass grave in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, in 1941. All 28,000 Jews from Vinnitsa and its surrounding areas were massacred at the time.

This makes me so sad. When I think about history and how important history is, how we need to learn from our mistakes, I think of the holocaust and that this might be one of the most important lessons in history.

If we sit and do nothing while other people are treated inhumanely, unfairly, or with prejudice, are judged inappropriately, gossiped about deceitfully, arrested unlawfully, prosecuted illegally, quarantined fraudulently, injured purposefully, and are murdered inhumanely...what does that say about who we are? I'm horrified that America did nothing for so long when Hitler took power. How could we justify the choice to sit by idly while this terrible act was occurring? To me it is incomprehensible.

It is our responsibility as individuals, as a community, and as a country, to ensure justice prevails. Always.

ray said...

The photo that I chose is the Tiananmen Square protest. I believe that this photo portrays the power of the common citizen. it shows that even one man can stop tyranny and just think about if they all stood up against them right there and then.
If you really think about it it's insane. those are tanks that could just run him over and be done with it , but he was still safe after this event.
This picture was a break through. it showed the peoples power as a whole over the government.

Trae Washburn said...

I chose the photo called "Lunchtime atop a Skyscraper". This photo really stood out to me because the men are staring death in the face and have no fear whatsoever, anyone else in this situation would be extremely scared for their life (even if they were strapped into a harness)! The photo right below it even shows some of the men napping on this beam hundreds of feet above the ground.

Seeing this sort of makes me wonder if the living conditions were so bad during this time that death wasn't even feared. If all of these men had a wife and children to come home to every night, don't you think they would be a little more careful?

I also noticed that they are wearing very worn clothing which shows that they must have been poor. You can tell that this is from 1934 when the depression was going on because people would do anything to make a couple of bucks. Even if it means risking your life.

It makes me wonder how greatly over the years the value of life has changed. In the present day we need to make sure that all of the safety precautions are taken before anybody does something close to being dangerous.

In the end I am glad that we take much better care of ourselves in America and give everyone a safe chance of working and having a life here.

Sarah said...

The photo that I selected to reflect on was called, "Starving Child Stalked by Vulture". This photo to me was one of the most shocking because, I, personally, really care about children. Ever since I was little, I would be the one to take care of the younger ones and I love being the one to take of people. I guess you can say that at a young age the motherly aspect developed in me.

In the lower right corner, you could see a baby rolled into a ball searching for something to survive. It brings sadness to my face as I see this young one looking for something and no one is there to help him. In the upper left you could see a desperate vulture looking at the baby as if the baby is deep fried.

I could tell that whoever is or was in this village isn't there anymore and left the poor baby out to survive by itself. If that was the case I don't understand how the people could let this happen to poor helpless baby.

Every time, I would see this photo, I know that tears would be coming down my eyes in no time...

It really makes wonder how fortunate we are that we are in living in The United States...

Roberto Sotelo said...

The photo that I chose to write about was the "First Flight." This photo shows the first flight on December 17, 1903. This photo grabbed my attention because it shows how much we have progressed since 1903. Now there are hundreds and hundreds of planes leaving airports around the world carrying more than 25 people. The first flight only carried one person. what everyone dreamed of finally came true in 1903. Now everyone is dreaming about jet packs and stuff (cant wait till that day comes). This picture makes me feel happy because of what they did and what we can do. If they can do what they did, imagine what we can accomplish. It also makes me happy because I like building stuff and want to be an engineer when I grow up.

scott lindquist said...

I reflected on the photo "Burning Monk"

I chose this specific picture because it was regarding protests, or standing up for what one believes in.

Today at lunch, students of Joann's advisory and other miscellaneous people who believe in Joann as a teacher, adviser, and member of High Tech High Media Arts gathered to let Larry know that Joann cannot leave. I chose to attend the meeting because I believe in Joann as well. These last couple days at school have been somewhat of a minor protest to the decisions made regarding the firing of certain teachers, Joann being one of them. When we chose to organize ourselves collectively and tried to professionally convey our points, we were shot down. Larry basically told us that Robert has the authority as Director of High Tech High Media Arts to hire and fire at his will.

When it came down to a simple question, "Does what we are doing matter?", Larry responded by saying he wouldn't interfere with Robert's decision.

It makes me feel that my voice, and all the voices of the students of Media Arts don't matter. We are involved in the hiring of teachers, but our opinions don't matter when it really counts; when its something we feel passionate about and something we believe in.

When Larry told us that every teacher basically signs a contract that lasts only a year, and should expect to only be around for a year, it made me feel that there is no point in developing relationships with administrators that I connect well with, because I should only expect that relationship to last a year.

I'm not saying I agree with tenure, because I don't. I'm saying that if students legitimately care about a teacher, and believe that that specific administrator deserves to stay, that directors should at the very least take into consideration our opinions. At a place where we like to pride ourselves on making our school a comfortable place for students to be, a place where we can talk with our teachers as more than just teachers, but as people, I find it ironic that when we really take it upon ourselves to speak up, we are ignored.

Joann leaving makes me realize a larger picture. Students don't really have a voice that matters when it comes down to it, not even the ASB; after all Joann was the ASB adviser, and we have witnessed how that paid off. The ASB was just a way to delegate off work that would otherwise fall in the hands of those higher up.

Connecting back to the picture and this assignment, something I have largely ignored myself, I would just like to say that I sure hope that this monk made an impact on people, and that some success came from his protest. And in the event that there was a positive outcome from what he did, I would like to ask if that is what it takes for your voice to be heard, and if burning yourself in public is what it takes for what you believe in to matter?

Charae Pimentel said...

The picture I chose was the "The Kiss at Times Square". I chose this photograph because it's a classic and it's not sad like the other pictures. When I first saw this picture I thought to myself,"OH HEEYYYYY!" :]

Once I knew the story behind the picture I thought,"HAHA", because the nurse slapped the mess out of the guy after the kiss was completed.

I wonder what exactly was going through the sailor's mind. But, I guess the happiness and contentment from being back home is enough, especially after coming home from the war (World War II).

maguilar said...

http://photosthatchangedtheworld.com/earthrise/
I chose to do the assignment on the photo titled Earthrise. It is at the pinnacle of many sociopolitical issues that this photo was taken in the 60’s. During this time, and most certainly 50 years into the future, as well as thousands of years into the past, humans were destroying everything and each other. Wars ripped and ravaged the earth and its inhabitants in efforts to exterminate entities that this picture, simply plays a joke on. From this view, you can barely see a land mass, unbeknownst if it is populated by humans, or even sentient organisms. From the vantage point of this photo you cannot see human emotions, or international borders, the crowns of kings, or the cross atop a catholic church in Africa. But what is really important about this picture is that your knowledge, thoughts, opinions, hatreds, indifferences, infatuations, citizenship, and color, mean absolutely nothing. Any sentient thought you have ever had is no more important then that of a spider. They are all lost in the vastness of space. Considered next to the enormity of some of the most cataclysmic changes to ever occur in the history of time, or history as humans will be considered an event so fast and so tiny that it would not be out of the question to say that it never even happened.
Even though these photographs are not on the website, I think that two other photographs fall into the same explaination; “Pale Blue Dot” and “Hubble Ultra Deep Field”.

caesar said...

The photo that I chose to write about is titled "Starving Child Stalked by Vulture". This photo shows a Sudanese boy being stalked by a vulture which is in the back of the image. The vulture is waiting on the kid to die, so he can eat him. This image makes me feel sad, because it shows how there are kids in African that die because they have nothing to eat. As I was reading about the image, I found out that the photographer who took this image committed suicide three months after he took the shot. The reason why he did this was because of the shame he was under for not helping the kid sooner.It took him 20 minutes to set the picture up.

kJ said...

http://photosthatchangedtheworld.com/9-11-attacks/
Yesterday, the white house did a photo shoot in new york city. A Boeing 747 commonly known as Air force 1, flew around the statue of liberty and near the site of the world trade center tradgedy. This low flyover caused evacuations and panic around new york, and later remarks from the mayor such as ill-considered, and insensitive. We have to think now what makes it such a big deal. The 747 was painted like air force one, and accompanied by at least one military jet so what caused so much panic…

9/11/01 One of if not the most tragic day in American history since 1941 caused this reaction. The eerily similar situation of a plane coming towards tall new york buildings should be cause for panic. if only 9/11 had not happened.

Eric Harmatz said...

This photo shows United Airlines Flight 175 with scheduled service from Boston's Logan Int'l Airport to Los Angeles Int'l Airport on September 11th, 2001. The aircraft was operated in a Boeing 767, and carried a lot of fuel and 65 passengers. The aircraft crashed into the South Tower shortly passed 9 AM Eastern Daylight Time, killing all onboard and leading to the collapse of the South Tower. 17 minutes earlier, American Airlines Flight 11 (also BOS-LAX) impacted the North Tower. Cameras were rolling for coverage of the North Tower impact, and they were able to catch a video of UA175 impacting the South Tower live on television.

When AA11 hit the North Tower, people suspected that it was a random plane crash. It wasn't until UA175 hit that Americans realized the severity of the day and that the plane crash was not a random plane crash. It became evident that these were hijackings.

This photo is shocking. It brings back memories to where I was on that fateful day, the USS Constellation on a Tiger Cruise from Hawaii to San Diego. I woke up to CNN being played in my dad's stateroom. I watched CNN all day and realized the severity of the situation when a total of 4 planes were lost before the FAA and NORAD grounded North American flights.

This picture marks the start of a new era. An era where America is at war with terrorism. The airline industry has been negativly affected due to this day. Many airlines have filled either Chapter 11 or Chapter 7 bankrupcy protection due to the unstability of the industry after 9/11 and due to the unpredicted rise of oil prices that followed.

citychic3 said...

The photo that I chose was not as shocking and horrific as some of the others, yet still stood out to me. the photo that I am choosing to reflect on is titled, "Take the Picture already!" I think I chose this picture because I love children and when I see them, I study them to get to know how they are and what they are feeling.
Boredom. Aggravation. Suspence. Impatience. These were the words that popped into my head from the glance at the scrawny little boy's face and posture.
Have you ever waited for something so long that you couldn't stand it anymore, and you would do anything to get what you wanted? That is exactly what I see plastered on this boy's face.
It would seem to him that he had been waiting for eternity for that one perfect shot, who the photographer was claiming she was searching for.
The way the left strap of his jumper was hanging off, showed me how uninterested he was by that point. What shocked me, though, was the fact that he had a toy hand grenade in his right hand. This little symbol scared me, and made me think that this must have been sometime during a war, where little boys would be encouraged to be tough and be like men. Thats what I think at least.

Kate said...

The "Tiananmen Square Protests" picture is really inspiring to me. I just can't help but wonder what the man was thinking; I wonder what could have been going through his mind at the time he stopped in front of the tanks. The huge death machines, I can only imagine the fear attempting to break my resolve to stand there. I can imagine the shadow looming ominously over me, about to crush me. That’s all I can really think I would do, because that’s probably when I would bolt. I feel really bad for the young man also because of the communist leaders they probably had him killed for what the call “an act of defiance,” while the rest of us call him a hero. This title which he undoubtedly deserves, I hope that he knows that he would deserve such a title. Finally, true courage and the strength of one’s resolve are shown in acts like this, an act that changes the world and the way people think.

Pikis said...

The photo of the afghan girl did not surprise me much since I have already seen it so many times but it still intrigues me the idea that Steve McCurry was able not only able to see the face of an Afghan girl but to capture the moment. The most incredible part about it was that while her face was a sensation in the west she or anyone around realized it. No one had any idea that she was very famous until McCurry decided to search for the girl once again. To know what had happened to those beautiful eyes that became a symbol. After finally been able to find the girl, that now was as married woman, the chance to see her face was again was uncertain since now she belong to a man. Her reaction to her own photo gave her a unknown nostalgia that no one will understand. Her bright eyes are now full of darkness. As if her innocence has been robbed from her. Even though she is like 30 she looks 50, what can life do to us ?

Kevinyo said...

The photo that i chose is the Emmett Till Murder. I was shocked by the way that he looked after they found his body. It did not even look the same from the earlier photos. It was sad that he was lynched and murdered.

Lia B. said...

The photo I chose to reflect on was "Boy Throws Rocks at Tank". Out of the website of pictures that changed the world, this was one of the only ones that really empowered me. Amy I was completely creeped out by all the pictures of dead people and poor starving kids. It was so sad! But this picture really stood out to me because it reminded me of the man who stood in front of a tank (that picture is on the website too). It really amazes me that someone so small and who could easily be crushed by the massive armored tank had the guts to stand in front of it in defiance and in the picture actually throw rocks at it.

It makes me think of symbolism and how the tank actually stands for something bad and hard to stop. The person standing in front of it is either scared of change or strong enough to try and stop the tide of the bad thing from coming. It made me think that if I am ever in a situation that may seem daunting, I must not pull back and let it take over.

Alex P said...

The picture that caught my attention the most was the,” Dragging Vietcong Soldier.” This image really gave me an idea for how the war really was during that time in the past. It is very unfortunate that not only were the dead being dragged but our American troupes were contributing to it.

Jesus Cisneros said...

Image chosen:

Omaha Beach

"You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have
striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The
hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you... The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to
Victory!... Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great
and noble undertaking."

- General Dwight D. Eisenhower

June 6th, 1944 actually happened. Regardless of all the video games and movies that portray it in a beautiful, inspiring portrait, the day actually happened and the Allied victory changed the course of history. Although the image doesn't depict an epic, bloody, large-scale war scene, it conveys the message that real men fought and died for the riddance of tyranny.

This image of one soldier of the nearly 200,000 describes the intensity, pressure, fear, and bravery the Allied forces displayed that fateful June 6th morning. This young soldier is facing almost certain death in the face - but for a greater cause than anyone could have ever imagined. I have the upmost respect for all of the men that partook in that fateful day - and I look forward to living my life in much thanks to the freedom they were able to provide and preserve.

Sara Brant said...

I chose the "Flag Raising at Iwo Jima." This powerful image of American soldiers during World War II will last through eternity. It illustrates how these brave soldiers sacrificed their own lives during the historical and brutal war of "World War II."

Looking at the image of these four soldiers raising the American flag is a strong patriotic photo that represents our country during the darkest days of history. I cannot begin to imagine what these young men went through. My grandfather fought in this war and witnessed this event from the battles on Iwo Jima. I have heard stories through my mother about his life as a soldier. I have seen his amazing artifacts and photo albums filled with images of his friends during the war, including captured Japanese soldiers and a Japanese sword that was used in the war.

I am blessed to have the freedom that my grandfather and many of his friends fought and gave their lives for. I have met some of the soldiers that were there with them and listened as they shared their stories about my grandfather and their life on the islands in the Pacific.

PBS Television produced a documentary on the war and two of my grandfather’s good friends were in the documentary. The image I selected was actually the second flag rising. The original photo was a smaller flag raised the day before the famous photograph. We as a nation should show gratitude toward all the soldiers that have fought and are fighting for us today.

Dr. Kelvin PHD MBA said...

"SWAT vs. Cuban Boy"

I can imagine that these images scare the day lights out of some people, or leave a strong impression on how cruel the world can be.

What i found troubling though, was that i didn't feel anything towards any of these pictures, so i started drawing conclusions. As sad as it is to say i believe that the majority of the male population of my generation has been desensitized by video games and the media. Therefore we do not feel the sorrow of a dieing young man in Africa or the rage of seeing a SWAT member point a loaded gun with live ammunition at a young boy and man in a closet.

What this tells me is that, the world is heading towards a darker place. Where bloodshed is no longer a means for panic, or where a decaying body is just a "casualty of life."