U03A1

Tashara Word

HUM1000

u03a1

Instructor Stephen Carter

Part A

I’ve selected a photo that I took of my daughter at the park Saturday afternoon. In the 4x6 photo that I snapshotted with my Samsung Galaxy SII smart phone, Genesis plays alongside a small duck pond that that lies in the middle of the park. She sat alongside the edge of a flower garden and grinned as I quickly snapped the picture. The sky was a terrific, pure blue which set off the color in the picture to give it a spring like feel. The pond water had a slow wave from the seasonably cool late-afternoon breeze and a squirrel ran up a nearby telephone pole. I felt so calm and peaceful as we played that I wanted to retain as much as I could about the day, which I why I took a series of several photographs. I selected this particular one to analyze because my daughter had the cutest smile and her face expressed how much she was enjoying our time outside. Someone else would find this photo ordinary, perhaps even boring, as every parent takes photos of their children playing. I am mesmerized by the image, though, because of the sheer bliss that exudes from my daughter’s face.

I want the audience to take in her joy at doing an activity that was so simple in its nature, but overtook her with happiness. What I realized by completing this activity was that my daughter finds beauty in everyday playthings while I find beauty in her happiness. I always knew this, but wasn’t aware of the extent. Her continued joy is my lifelong goal. What I need to do is learn from my wise soon to be two-year-old: we could have been doing something extraordinary, like horseback riding through the woods, but we were simply running around and having fun at a nearby park. Her appreciation of this ordinary day was so mind-blowing to me because I rarely stop and appreciate effortless pleasures. Life is often and easily taken for granted. It is a blessing to be alive and I need to be thankful every day.

Part B

My first impression...