Corbin

Corbin “Daughters of Revolution,” by Grant Wood, is an intentional satire, of the role of women in the revolution, especially those who associate with the group the daughters of revolution. The primary rhetorical technique to achieve this is juxtaposition. For example, in the background of the painting, is the famous picture of George Washington crossing the Delaware. In that painting, the men are seen as a pivotal part of the revolution and are seen as the key figures of the battle. They are strong, courageous, and it us clear that they are making a big difference on history. This is in contrast to the women in the painting, who are doing nothing triumphant at all, unlike their male counterparts. These women look old and lethargic and give off the impression that they have not been doing much to promote the cause of the revolution. Furthermore is the juxtaposition of the ideals of the revolution compared to the ideals of these women. The revolution was a beacon of freedom, and democracy. These are the ideals that George Washington sands for as he crosses the Delaware in the painting. The center pieces of the revolutionary spirit are plain and present in the painting of George. This is immediately juxtaposed to the inherent ideals of the women. These woman all have a sour look on their face, as if they think they are part of a high class society. One of the ladies drinks from a cup of tea, an iconically British activity. These ideas combined give off a representation of aristocracy, like that of the British rule. In this way, the women associated with the daughters of revolution are linked to aristocracy, in shape contrast to what the revolution actually stands for. The women in the painting are a symbol for the weakness and ineffectiveness of the daughters of revolution. The painting of George Washington is a symbol of the American purpose behind the revolution, and a symbol for significant historical change. The painting itself, therefore, is an attempt to convey the daughters of revolution as an anti-American group that believes in aristocracy and has not accomplished much towards forwarding the American goal.

In "I Am an Invisible Man," by Glenn Ligon, symbolism in particular is used to convey the central idea. In the piece, Ligon writes on about how, from his perspective, he is invisible to the world. As the passage continues, it become harder and harder to read what he is saying due to the increase of black blotches over the letters. The words that he writes is a symbol for himself. The words are his feelings and his views, and he is trying to describe them to other people, so in essence, the words are him. Secondly, the black blotches are a symbol for his invisibility, in that the world is making him invisible. If the words represent himself, then the blotches, seeing as they make him imperceptible to others, are his invisibility. Ligon, with the use of symbolism, is able to create deep meaning and intriguing understanding with his simple piece of art This piece of work, called the "Freedman," by John Quincy Adams Ward, is representative of my narrative. The slave, upon being freed, stops and reflects on his life and his memories. For the first time, the man is able to appreciate life and can look back on how far he's come. This is in the spirit of my narrative, because the idea behind my narrative is that my life is filled with lots of important memories that make me who I am. When i wrote my narrative, and when I read it over again, I always find myself looking back on what I've done so far in my life, and how far I've come, similar to the man in that artwork.



"Falls of Tequendama Near Bogota, New Granada" by Frederic Edwin Church is also pertinent to my narrative. In my narrative, "The Bike Trail," I travel along the trail, without a care, from one memory to the next, letting the trail take me where it will. This is similar to the art, because the water flows along on down the river, sometimes stopping in pools, but always traveling on its path. I too, traveling along, going with the flow of the river, if you will. When I "stop in the pools," I am reflecting back on my memories and my life.



This is the piece of art, "Landscape," by Jarvis McEntee. Another idea in my narrative is the idea of taking a step back from the hustle and bustle of life, to appreciate the world and your memories that you've made in it. This piece of art is from the view of a man standing on top of a mountain, taking a view of the scenery that surround him below. I imagine a man on a camping trip would take this picture, and he stops the trip for a while to simply look around. There are many small details within the scenery and daily life, but from on top of the mountain, he can see the bigger picture, as I try to do when I reflect on my memories.