Kathleen Balan-Celino

University Studies 183A-002: Work of Art (CRN 63741)

June 5, 2015
Final Reflective Essay
A Work of Art. When signing up for this class, I thought that it was an art class
involving creative projects. Stereotypical. As the class continued to progress each day, I
realized that it was a much bigger picture of art. By this, I mean each individuals own
definition of art. In my case, a work of art is a creative medium that produces an
emotion. The reaction created by the piece may be interpreted differently depending on
the viewer. In other words, art makes a connection with a person. For this specific class,
the books were our medium. The books chosen for this class had a common objective to show cultural context. From my interpretation, cultural context is the beliefs, customs,
ideas, etc. shared by a group of people. Each book took place in a different time period
and different country written by various authors. Reading these books showed me the
message the author wanted to communicate. Practically a whole other part of the world
was being shown through the eyes of the author and was clearly portrayed to the reader.
Through these books, I was able to see and understand the mutual problems each person
faces, even if they are from a different city, state, or country. Each person, no matter
which part of the world they live in, experiences the different forms of love and violence.
Although violence and love is a mutual experience shared by each person, the cultural
difference is still taken into account. During the two terms, the focal point of the class
was the cultural context, and the different forms of love and violence.

In the Winter Term, the class focused on love. During this term, I learned how
love is shown and seen through the eyes of the different characters. Love can mean
affection for a person other than yourself; caring for a person and worrying about their
welfare; wanting to make a family with that person; understanding each others feelings
and being able to express them through different actions. But with love, there is also
infatuation. Infatuation is sometimes confused with love because it can have similar
feelings. Infatuation, to me, means wanting more and more of the person because of
what they give you, how they treat you, or how attractive they are to you. Love is a
beautiful emotion that can open up so much promise to a person, but the affects of losing
love can be terrifying. Experiencing love can either help a person find enlightenment, or
lead them to a spiraling abyss that gets harder and harder to escape.
As for the Spring Term, the class focused on violence. In this term, I learned the
reality of violence and how cruel the affects can be. Gender violence. As a woman
myself in society, the books read in this term made an impact to me. The harshness of
society towards women is heartbreaking. Especially in the different cultures. There are
cultures that limit a womans voice because of her gender. Even when shes clearly being
abused within her family, she is unable to speak out because there will be no one to
believe her or even entertain what she has to say. War Violence. This form of violence
can interrupt a young life. War changes the lives of people by taking away a loved one,
or being killed in war. Because of war, younger generations may not be able to
experience the life they wish to live unable to create a family, unable to experience
failure or success, unable to love or be loved, unable to find a job, etc. Such a cruel
reality.

Overall, this class was able to open my eyes to the world. Im not limited to just
one place. Now, I can see a world from a bigger picture. Although I may be one of the
lucky ones who dont have to experience such cruelties in life, I can make a difference in
society. From what Ive learned in this class, I can have a new perspective of viewing the
world. Through the profession I decide to pursue, I hold the power to make a difference.
A difference that will not only benefit myself, but other people as well. Im part of the
future generation that will make a difference in the world for the better.