What Means Switch - Questions

My question regarding the reading :

What, if anything, does their front yard signify? The fact that people are also mowing over their plants, even Sherman's parents ran over a small tree. And what about their building a wall?

I responded to Robbie's question:

Why does the author spend so much time talking about Sherman Matsumoto? Why is it significant that we know about him?

The author spends time talking about Sherman Matsumoto because he is an importnant character that represents the Japanese culture our main character is exposed to. It also shows what the Americans in their school know about Oriental culture, they can't tell the Chinese from the Japanese. Even she dosen't seem to recognize the difference on the level her mother does (ie. kicking him out of the house). He is the only Japanese boy she knows, and she falls in love with him. Showing their relationship helps the reader understand the personality and thought process of the girl. We know her better through what we see in her relationship.

Writing Excercise: Description

ALTERNATE ROUTES TO ROOFTOPS

Being hauled up, my arms stretch and everything scratches. My toes have just barely left the fence, and I dangle here, completely dependent upon two girls who posses the physical dexterity I lacked wriggling onto a plateau above a Hawaii Kai cul de sac of nearly identical homes. We scale one roof among many, one vast expanse of whiteness – a blank canvas. The view towards the rest of the neighborhood consists of empty rooftops and pristine front lawns. Dusting off and walking around, we are amazed at our new perspective, our place directly above the marina. We contemplate; weigh the risks of jumping off our perch where we could shatter the complacency of the man-made lake. The roof is flat, it gives a little when we bounce, and we’ve forgotten others sheltered beneath it. No, it’s just us, she replies. We shy away, she continues with an apology. The neighbors are heading out, we can stay.
We roll skateboards; and savor baguettes with cream soda.

We let the warmth of the sun seep into our bones. Now, I watch dog-walkers and joggers, waiting for their reaction to three girls in bikinis sitting on a roof. Laughter binds us and later, full of contentment we lower ourselves, find the ledge and shimmy on down.

Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare, Henri Cartier-Bresson (1932): Analytical Paper

This photograph shows a silhouette of a man jumping off some scrap wood over a puddle. By the title, we know he is behind a train station in France, but there is nothing in the print to suggest it. Behind the man, we see another figure, a silhouette of a man standing. Behind him, a wrought-iron fence surrounds a cemetery. On the left side of the fence there are posters advertising for a circus, something about a “Railowsky”.

Following the eye through this photograph, it starts with the ladder directing the viewer to the white diamond shape between the legs. The eye then travels upward through the man’s body and to the left following the fence line, where we end up at the circus poster. Attention is now diverted to the reflection for a while, and then we notice details such as the cemetery and the various items near the standing man.

Before we can divulge into the meaning of this piece, we need to examine the photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson. He is very famous for his French street photography, almost as much as for the phrase he coined, “the decisive moment”. Street photography is a very difficult genre, as you are trying to capture something extraordinary in everyday life. Composing an iconic photograph like this is a combination of luck and observational skills combined with intuition. While a painter may have days or even years to think about the position of his subjects in a painting, a photographer has mere fractions of seconds. Henri Cartier-Bresson apparently took this photograph through a peephole in a fence – no time to even look through the viewfinder. This is why I chose this particular print – it left me deeply impressed due to the serendipity needed to capture such a fleeting moment with great composition.

This print has arguably the most famous examples of a “decisive moment”; the silhouette is jumping over the puddle but his feet have yet to grace the surface – giving this photograph surrealist overtones that prompt questions about the water itself, such as depth. Surrealistic elements are rare in street photography, but the full silhouette in the reflection is incredibly surreal. The only point in time this photograph is interested in is now. The water is complacent, and we can see the reflections of the surroundings almost clearer than they appear in the print. Chiaroscuro, a technique with emphasis on light and shadow, also includes reflections of light. Almost half of the frame is dedicated to this reflection, we can ask, what is the importance of this? It adds aesthetically, to the print, with the white sky and water frame the band of shadow, creating symmetry. But a reflection can imply careful thought of past events, a considered idea, or an indication of the result of something.

The reflection also creates interesting shapes. The man’s silhouetted legs form a diamond shape around the almost-white water. The ladder-shaped wood points to this white space, directing even further attention. The wrought-iron fence provides interesting lines to the piece, and the reflection is a good use of these lines. The rule of thirds, or placing objects of interests at the intersections of these imaginary lines, is often used when composing a photograph. Evidence of this here includes the top of the wrought-iron fence with the skyline, and the position of the jumping man.

Focusing on the three silhouettes in the frame, notice another reflection of the position of the man jumping and the circus poster. They seem to be in almost the same pose, heading different directions. This strengthens the idea of repetition found all over the piece. The man, standing in the background, seems to counter this, as his pose is rather devoid of life comparatively to the vivacious position of the jumper. Observation shows that this man has his own pairing – of the cemetery he stands in front of, and the shape of the tombstones are similar to his head and shoulders. The juxtaposition of the jumping man and the circus poster compared with the standing man and the cemetery provides interesting viewing.

In conclusion, I believe that the main idea of this photograph is the concepts of reflection and time. This print wouldn’t hold as much prestige if it lacked either one. Timing is crucial and creates the mood of this image, fleeting spontaneity. Reflections enhance this and create a surrealist image and the hidden reflections of the other silhouettes create even more depth to this image.