My analysis of the everyday bustle is described in three words: my mother’s pantry. Snuggled in her wooden pantry, coated thick in white paint, Chinese red bean cans nestle with ramen noodles, and short grain rice. Tofu boxes stack over the dusty Cheerios. And certainly, the chopsticks reign over the forks in our kitchen drawer. But, year after year, the ramen noodles are replaced with spaghetti, and three bottles of Ketchup take over the shelf space for the Soy sauce. Need I mention, that several pairs of chopsticks were stuffed in the sofa cushion’s crack? As I closely recognize the happenings of this simple pantry, I recognize how each ingredient reveals meaning. That Ketchup bottle reveals my mother’s transition into the western culture. The thick coats of paint explains her need to keep with the “norm,” for who new white kitchens in Kansas were “in”? My analysis in the ordinary allows me to find the movement in the everyday bustle.
Reflecting on The Wu Family photograph, the family’s possessions are lined up in front of their humble household. Honing into the simplest item, such as the rice cooker, or their television they’d like to replace with a 30-inch, the detailed photograph reveals this family through the sensitivity, and analysis of detail. Certainly, it is through sensitivity to detail that I analyze today.
Reading literature, and discovering the archetypes, the characters, and the many parallels on screen provide me with great excitement. Every event, every movement, has this cycle that breaks down into a problem, then intensifies with pressure and eventually releases. And, by reading literature and viewing films, and listening to artists like Jonny Cash or Hans Zimmer, I become well-fed (even stuffed) with these stories that are stimulated through detail. It is by this detail that I become engaged with the everyday. I love reading screenplays because of the straightforwardness in detail. When I read Crime and Punishment, I can’t help but think of those lavender gloves that reveal Luzhin's rich narcissism. After the reading assignment, I am understanding the importance of actually “seeing,” especially the details that are easy to pass by.
Very well put! I think it's observant of you to have read so much into something that you are already so familiar with. Heck, I was back home a week ago and I asked my mother when the decorations above the cabinets were placed there? I was then informed that she had placed them there several years ago...
ReplyDeleteEverything that we perceive tells a story of some sort. I think it's very important that we recognize what stories are all around us. I really enjoyed that part of the post. I hope that through the course of this class, I will better be capable of observing and interpreting the many stories that are all around us.