Rachel Reid
“ Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope”
“ It is the spectator and not life that art really mirrors”
In reference to the first aphorism, I agree with it because being able to fully appreciate and enjoy good things is a blessing, that not everyone has. There are the glass half full and glass half empty people. Some people would see a rainy day and be mad at the world for the rain, while others would thank the earth for the rain and enjoy it. Like the saying, some people dance in the rain others just get wet. This made me think of the song “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. The song is about two people in love, calling their partner home. They acknowledge how beautiful it is to have a person who feels at home. The song mentions following their partner anywhere, and how much better they feel when they are with their partner.
In reference to the second aphorism, I also agree with it. Everyone brings their own experiences and perspectives when they look at art, so the same piece could have different meanings for everyone. Thinking about the roles that perspective plays in how we view different subject material makes me think about Cat’s Cradle. I had never read Vonnegut before and at first, I was so confused by his writing style. Now that I understand that he is being ironic it makes sense. I read this book in my FYE and when we had discussions I disagreed with all my classmates on the true meaning. Everyone did because we all have different perspectives before and while reading Vonnegut. Connecting back to the aphorism, the way I understood this material could be different from Vonnegut’s intention. This could be applied to almost everything in life, especially music. Growing up I hated country music, so if someone was playing it I automatically didn’t like them. Now that I’ve explored different genres of music and gained a different perspective, I see the genre differently. This is also applicable to specific songs, like “Under the Boardwalk” by The Drifters. To most this is a happy song, singing about a pretty day at the beach. But it makes me sad because that was my mimis favorite song. When I listen to that song I don’t feel happy, I just remember singing it with her which makes me sad. I am the spectator, and the song is a mirror of myself because of my previous experience with the song.