la Obra~~

This year is my first year of taking art at University High School. Though, I loved art even before this year, I really appreciate art more than before. Through art, people are able to express things. Also, it is very enjoyable.
This piece is called Wooden Room. I was looking through the website for a long time, and this piece sort of jumped out at me. It is a just a simple piece, but it looks so realistic and organized. It also has this depressing tone that makes me feel solemn. "The artist, who was born at the fall of the Third Reich, examines Germany's troubled and often suppressed recent history in his works." (www.moma.org) He sure did a great job of expressing it!

realization

At the end of the book, Wright realizes that nothing is perfect and people will always fight for something that is not there. (At least I think that’s what it is.)
He sees problems in his country, he sees problems in organizations, and he sees problems in himself. He realizes that people will always struggle through their differences. For example, he moved from the south to the north in order to escape from racism, which was a major and the only obvious problem he had, then in the north, he faces problems that people have regardless of their race.
He also realizes that he is alone. He realizes that he needs to do things for himself and think for himself. When he was going to go talk to his friend about how he was feeling, he turned back and decided against it. That is because he knows nothing would change. It is just a cycle of feeling depressed. It’s like the blues. (in this case, loneliness.) It never goes away.

Opposite

I agree with Wright’s theory about artists and politicians. However, in my opinion, an artist can be a politician, and a politician can be an artist.
The theory is that often, artists are more individualistic and deep than politicians. Where politicians have their own personal opinions and such, their job is to connect to the general public so that they could get elected. Therefore, politicians often collect different ideas and facts from various groups of people. On the other hand, artists don’t have to worry about connecting with the public; therefore it is easier for them to explore their identities and such, which makes them more individualistic. Through arts, artists express themselves. They ponder about life and deeper meanings to their existence.

change

At the end of part I of the book, Wright moves to Chicago. I think this is a positive change for him for several reasons. First off, he wanted to leave the south for such a long time, basically his entire life. It was almost a goal for him to leave the south, not just a want. He achieved this “need” based goal, which, by itself it’s great, but furthermore, I think it gave him something that he could believe, believe that he could achieve something. It was also good for him to start planning his own life out. He gets to be independent. Even though being away from his family might be hard for him, I think it is almost better for him because he doesn’t have to worry about his family or anybody around him getting mad or upset about his decisions.

stealing

Wright’s act of stealing is not right, however it was necessary for him at the moment. If he weren’t to steal, there was no way out for him. He would have been stuck in the south, unable to fit in. knowing him, he would not try to change. He would much rather give up living than how he was living in the south if it were to continue throughout his life. Obviously, he feels bad about stealing, however he is aware that it was the only way. It is unfortunate that he had to make a decision to steal because he knows it’s a “bad” thing to be stealing. And he does feel bad about stealing because when he is on a train on his way to the north, he cries. I think many things that Wright do are “justified” with unfortunate situations.

to live in the south

By ‘learn how to live in the south’, Griggs means that Wright needs to accept the harsh reality of the south and confirm to the lifestyle down in the south of a black man. Because Wright never really gives up being “right”, he is always in trouble. He doesn’t give in, which is problematic because all the white people view him as a trouble. Griggs is trying to tell Wright that his attitude is not suitable for the life in the south and he must understand that he needs to act differently around white people. It is important for Wright and other black people who live in the south to learn how to act around white people.

Speech

In a way, Wright is justified in refusing to say the speech. I completely understand his point of view. He is probably sick of everyone trying to shape him into something that the society is pressuring him to be. The principal tells him that he cannot give his own speech because of the people who are going to be at the graduation. It’s going to be a mixed-race event; therefore, the principal does not want Wright to misrepresent the black community nor the school. While I understand the principal, I think what Wright did was justified and very courageous. It was something that Wright had to do to prove to himself that he could actually do something and he’s not suppressed by the society.

Uncle Tom

Wright was angry with Uncle Tom because of Wright feels like that Uncle Tom has no right to treat him the way he did in the morning. Uncle Tom, whom, to Wright, is almost a stranger to him, wakes Wright up in the morning to ask him what time it is. Wright wakes up and tells him the time, however Uncle Tom tells him that he does not believe Wright is right. So, Wright double checks the time and tells Uncle Tom the “accurate” time. Then, Uncle Tom gets angry with Wright for not giving the “accurate” time in the first place, so he threatens Wright that he is going to beat him up. Wright defends himself with two razors. I think the reason why Wright is so angry with Uncle Tom and the situation is because this person, Uncle Tom, is a stranger to him that is telling him what is right and what is wrong. He appears out of nowhere and tries to control Wright’s life. I think Wright just does not want anybody to “abuse” him in any ways.