On Longing Assignment

Sentence One: "The body is the primary made of perceiving scale."

In this picture taken by me, you see a blonde-haired girl holding a snake on an outdoor porch.  This girl is one of my close friends here at Flagler, Serena.  In her hands is her new pet which she rescued from a home where it was being mistreated.  The quote listed above relates to the picture because you can see how small the snake is, when comparing it to Serena's body.  This picture illustrates the harmlessness of the animal which is why this picture resinates with me so much.  Since I was a little girl, I have always been terribly horrified by snakes.  It could be because they are one of the few animals with no limbs, or the fact that I am from Long Island and there aren't many snakes that inhabit the area.  When Serena told me she was getting a snake the thought alone gave me an unsettling feeling.  But when finally coming in contact with the snake, it was not scary at all.  The snake mainly kept to himself and I expected it to be bigger than it actually was because of it's intimidating name "ball python."  Here, you see Serena holding the snake and it is so new to its surroundings what it is scared and curled up in the palms of my friends hands.  It was the first time I ever appreciated snakes and how cool and mysterious they are.  It also was a time I realized that snakes are harmless and they are a lot more friendly then people perceive them to be. 

Sentence Two: " Capacity of objects to serve as traces of authentic experience."

The photo above displays a rotting banana.  On the surface of the banana peele are words carved or written, that may be describes as derogatory.  But this singular object, or the photograph, holds a recent memory that has value to me.  My roommates and I found the banana with the rest of the bunch in a fruit bowl that sits on our kitchen island counter, the night after we threw a party.  When coming across this my roommates and I just laughed because it displays the amount of randomness and creativeness that lies within the people we surround ourselves with.  When going to a liberal arts school you can never get away from meeting people who create art out of anything.  This relates to the quote because the banana is the one object that reminded my roommates and I about how fun the night before was, and it aided us to reflect upon that memory and the people who were involved in those memories. 

Sentence Three: "The souvenir reduces the public, the monumental, and the three-demensional into the miniature, that which can be enveloped by the body."

This picture was taken in my neighborhood in Saint Augustine.  I was out for my daily run and I couldn't help but to stop and admire the beautiful sunset that surrounded me.  I took my phone, pressed the camera app, and held it up to my line of vision to capture the moment, with the intentions on showing my roommates when I returned to my house.  after a few shots, I looked back at the photographs and was not pleased with what I had taken.  Yes the picture is beautiful but It did not quite have the beauty effect like the actual moment in real life.  I think what the quote is trying to relay the message that an object associated with memory, will never have the full affect of actually experiencing the memory in reality.  When I returned from my run, I didn't even bother showing the pictures off to my roommates because the photograph did not properly demonstrate the beauty that I saw. 

Sentence Four: " Nostalgia can not be sustained by loss"

The photo above shows one of my best friends that I made at Flagler.  This picture was taken on her 20th birthday, during a dinner that my roommates and I hosted at out house with tons of food and all of our friends.  Almost like celebrating adulthood.  She was no longer a teenager anymore.  It's funny because even though she is 20, her physical appearance may resemble a much younger version of herself.  The pink hair and the matching glasses and that huge contagious smile to me, reminds me of childhood and a free spirit.  A few days after this picture was taken, my friend decided she no longer wanted to stay in Saint Augustine, and withdrew from school.  This picture though containing happy content, now makes me sad when I look at it because it makes me miss my friend and the happy memories we shared such as this photograph. 

Sentence Five: "The place of origin must remain unavailable in order for desire to be generated."
 
In the photograph above is me during my break as a lifeguard, working out while my co-worker, Tina helps me by placing her body weight on my feet (and yes, she's eating an acai bowl).  I believe this photograph accurately describes desire because instead on enjoying my break at the beach, or indulging in a delicious snack, I made the decision to exercise so I can stay in shape.  And the fact that my co-worker is literally eating her food in front of me made my desire to be strong, stay in shape, and possibly lose weight increased and intensified my workout. 

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