Hey guys! Start blogging by creating a new post and tell us how you think our experimental went. We would love to hear all your comments and reactions.
Perfect. Your site is now connected to the Experimental group. Beautiful opening page. I will go through it in more depth later. Great experimental. Loved it....
Hurray!! Your site is finally HERE!! Let's hope your classmates find it and start commenting soon. Otherwise, it would be such a "pain," wouldn't it? :)
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BJ
5/3/2010 12:26:49 pm
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BJ Schiela
5/3/2010 12:29:59 pm
First of all, nice job! Pain can be a somewhat dark, depressing topic, but you guys made it light and interesting without losing its seriousness. It was clear from your video in the beginning that pain is not always easy to describe, but it was definitely important that pain can be both physical and psychological. As you said, there are countless ways to cause pain, and everyone feels pain differently, so understanding pain as a universal term isn’t very easy. You also talked about how it’s virtually impossible to truly understand another’s pain, which also makes certain types of pain difficult to comprehend. Nevertheless, your experimental contained a lot of deeply thought out information about tons of subjects relating to pain. One of the things I researched for my own experimental was the brain’s use of mirror neurons, which may also help to explain how we attempt to understand another’s pain. Basically, these neurons fire in response to a visual stimulus, so that viewing the actions of someone else can actually trigger us to feel what they’re feeling to a lesser extent. This does not necessarily account for all the aspects of discomfort that may come along with a certain type of pain. Your connection to Chanda’s Secrets was interesting in that it discussed all the elements of pain that can come along with a disease such as HIV/AIDS, not just the physical symptoms. I read this book in 9th grade but never considered all the individual aspects that make up the overall pain that Chanda feels. Not only was there the physical pain of the disease, but the shame that comes along with it and the fear of social rejection. I also learned that much of our pain comes from separation, whether from a loved one or an object that we might be particularly attached to. This obviously brings up the subject of death and loss, for which Gilgamesh was an excellent connection. It was interesting to see that several of the North Side kids, when asked to draw what comforts them when they’re in pain, drew objects such as teddy bears and toys. It seems like young children have a much lesser understanding of pain, and simple materialistic coping methods suffice for them. I would think that a more emotional method of coping (like expressing your feelings or finding comfort in another person) would be more effective for the more complicated pains experienced by adults, but adults revert to materialism all the time, going on spending sprees when they’re upset or eating when they’re distressed. This shows how humans often revert to earlier stages in development in order to deal with discomfort, a theory outlined by Sigmund Freud. What I also found very interesting was the belief that suicide was not necessarily a choice, but the inevitable result that occurs when the pains of living exceed the means to cope with the pain. This made me think of a movie I saw recently based on the true story of Jack Kevorkian, commonly known as “Doctor Death”. Kevorkian advocated for doctor-assisted-suicide in the ‘90s for terminally ill or incurable patients who preferred a quick, dignified death instead of a long, drawn out, painful one. The movie, “You Don’t Know Jack”, was interesting in discussing the opposing sides of the controversial subject. Your personals were all very remarkable as well, discussing the various pains that you’ve endured and the ways one might express pain, with Diana discussing her Haitian relatives, Christine and her various stress fractures from dance, and Michelle’s song. Great job guys…sorry for writing so much!
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Liting Chiang
5/10/2010 12:58:23 pm
Hey Guys! Really good job on your experimental! It was really interesting and informative. Your presentations were very intelligent, and they had a depth of understanding instead of you guys just spitting out random facts that weakly connected to your topic; you guys were able to make very strong connections such as mania, separation, the book "Chanda's secrets", and many others. With each of those connections, I felt you guys were very in tune with the different aspects in which it could connect to pain, both physically and mentally, and that's another aspect of your presentation that I really enjoyed. You guys discussed very sophisticated and intelligent topics, such as trying to understand pain and how everyone interprets pain differently, how it's hard to truly understand someone else's pain. Not only that, when you guys talked about the causes of pain, you guys didn't restate what we already knew; through Diana's interview and many other books and information, you guys opened us up to a world of pain that we knew existed, yet had never truly been exposed to, and i think that by focusing your presentation on the very sensitive emotional aspects of pain such as separation and loss, you guys were able to convey and represent the large amounts of effort and time you put into your research. I really enjoyed every one of your personals. Diana, the photo montage that you prepared was very touching, and I think it was a very sensitive and caring personal connection. If you have any people that you haven't gotten in contact with, I wish you luck! Christine, you're tap dancing was really cool, and the amount of injuries that you had just show the amount of dedication that you put into your tap-dancing! Michelle, you sang very well! What i really liked was connecting your topic to the hisory of the song and the artist, not just the lyrics themselves, once again showing a very sophisticated level of research and depth! I also really enjoyed the way yo uset up your room. The experiment you had with the water was very interesting! I was able to taste a difference in the two water jugs; that was the most surprising part for me. By sharing this experiment with the audience, it really added to your presentation. Plus, the big mural of all of the elementary school drawings was both cute but functional as well, and by coupling it with interviews from students and teachers, you were able to show the way pain is reflected throughout different age groups and generations. Sometimes people shared the smae things, others were pretty different. That was really interesting to me!
Once again, really good job guys! You guys deserve the praise for all of your hard work!
May 12, 2010 Hi Diana, Christine, & Michelle, Taking on pain as your subject certainly did not give you the advantage of a bright and cheery topic. Your opening video revealed many views of what the word means to your classmates and teachers, but “something that hurts” was repeated often enough to make me think “ouch.” You offered a technical definition of pain as it affects the brain—this went by too quickly for me to pick up on it—but you made the important point right at the start that pain actually serves an important purpose. Pain, you pointed out, lets us know when something is wrong, whether what’s gone awry is physical or mental. Your reference to Chanda’s Secrets was so relevant. The commentary made clear just how many different sorts of pain Chanda experienced. Having just shared that Stratton novel with my freshman, I know how powerful an impact the book has. Great choice. The link to revenge as shown in the film clip from City of God was also very potent. Moving to history, the ultimate social pain (and horror) of genocide brought instantly to mind the Holocaust images you had on the screen. Yet you broadened this standard research by including the as-horrendous example of Rwanda. Your background knowledge was impressive, and you shared it well. Hopefully, many of your peers will read Deogratias, the graphic novel set in the midst of this bloody conflict. Shifting from manmade pain to natural disaster’s harm, Diana, you shared with us your relatives’ first hand experiences with the disastrous Haitian earthquake. By showing us photos of you and your brother and parents in Haiti before the quake—carefree in an unravaged Haiti—and juxtaposing those images with the recent footage out of the destroyed villages of Haiti, you made vividly real to us the damage and devastation—the PAIN—suffered in your relatives’ home country. The moving interview with your uncle about his heartbreaking losses was a powerful illustration of pain. The link to Gilgamesh here certainly seemed fitting. And you went on to explain the various types of psychological pain, mentioning loss and separation, for instance, and personal insecurity. This led into a section about body image, particularly in women, and such disorders as anorexia and body dysmorphia. You mentioned a book, The Power of Now; I missed the author. A really worthwhile point made here was that stress is normal and actually serves important functions; the key is that we must manage stress appropriately. Although the next few sections saw you a bit more reliant on notes, these were information-rich portions of your project. You spoke about religion briefly, and then shared with us a fascinating physics experiment involving the secret law and the law of attraction. The idea that positive images placed on the outside of a bottle sweetens the taste of the water within while negative or neutral images have opposite or no effect on the water seemed farfetched. Yet you did the experiments and found similar results. You had set up the same experiment for us to decide for ourselves. This was clever and intriguing. To be honest, I found it tough to follow all of this completely, but it was a worthy effort. The interview with Victor Marchese, on the other hand, was thoroughly engaging. I liked the distinctions made between physical and psychological pain. He made clear, in fact, that although some people downplay emotional/psychological pain—or even doubt it’s reality—he absolutely knows that this sort of pain is just as real as physical pain. That seemed important for us to hear from an expert. The pain endured by athletes of extreme sports is something we, spectators, may not think about while we’re enjoying their incredible feats. With your table of medical “souvenirs” such as crutches, ace bandages, and sawed off casts, Christine, it was pretty hard to ignore the pain you’ve been through as a lifetime dancer. But just in case we thought you were kidding, you jumped and leapt your way across 450 as we held our collective breath. Wow! I’m sure glad you decided to just show us an example of when you DIDN’T get hurt. Diana’s smooth transition from Christine’s dance to the section about mental illness was a great example of the sophisticated, polished presenting skills you three used to lend a real professional quality to your project overall. The whole project just flowed so well and had an organized yet easy-going feel to it. Throughout, you also had great music going on; I wish we could have had a playlist of some sort so we could have kept track of what we were hearing. However fine the background singers were, none held a candle to Michelle’s live performance. By giving us the context of the songwriter and the song’
However fine the background singers were, none held a candle to Michelle’s live performance. By giving us the context of the songwriter and the song’s lyrics themselves, you provided a much more meaningful experience as we listened to your surprisingly powerful voice. I say powerful, not as in “booming”—more like wispy jabs of music one just must pay attention to. You inhabit a sort of haunted and pained persona, I think, when you sing so soulfully like that. Certainly, the performance seemed totally in keeping with your topic. Michelle’s song served as a terrific segue into the material on bullying, specifically about Columbine. What truly frightening footage, with the close-ups of the notebooks the boys had kept. With so much recent news of young suicides after incidents of cyber-bullying, I thought you might have cited some timely current events. No matter. Your explanation of suicide-- “it happens when pain exceeds the resources to cope with it”—really rang true and seemed a non-blaming and compassionate way of understanding why a person would choose to end his or her life. Siddhartha was your next link, and interestingly, he is a character who did consider suicide, if you recall. You cited a French song “L’Autre Bout du Monde (I think) and then Picasso’s blue period. A dance “Nuclear Dance” was inspired by art, and you continued with a great deal of art, much of which went by too quickly for me to fully note. I do remember Hopper. Your humorous schadenfreude film was humorous yet on point. The strong section on alternative healing was personally interesting to me, as I have done a great deal of research in this field. You seemed pressed for time by this point, so I will be sure to check this out on your website to read the material you’ve gathered more closely. It sounded very intriguing. Pain management is definitely addressed best, in my opinion, through a combination of traditional and alternative approaches. I think patients should be made as comfortable as possible; enduring UNNECESSARY pain does not make someone noble, in my opinion. Your very clever audience participation piece worked very well. I really liked that you had everyone write something that caused him or her pain. Then, you redistributed those “painful events” randomly to audience members. This was a good way of helping us to see that everyone suffers with something; you gave us all a chance to develop empathy. Closing moments offered us a couple of “tastes of pain” in the form of Big Red gum, and soda that “makes your head pop.” Ending on an upbeat note, you pointed out your survey results. When asked what makes you feel good (or better after a hurt)? Northsiders had lots of ideas! What adorable pictures to serve as perfect room décor! Yours was a diverse, highly informative, well-researched and most engaging presentation, girls. Congratulations and thank you very much. Ms. Bartscherer
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Landon B.
5/14/2010 01:02:24 am
From the very beginning, I had a very good feeling about your presentation. Pain, in my opinion, is a really cool topic. Although not completely original, Pain is definately very intriguing and a great topic to explore in greater detail. When one thinks of pain, they usually think of getting hurt physically such as getting hit, kicked, etc; however, as you girls mentioned, that is obviously not the case. You did a great job covering all the forms of Pain, s well as explaining Pain in many different subject areas. One of my favorite parts of your project occured after the actual presentation ended. The water with different adjectives/words on them was extremely cool. I did indeed, experience a dramatic change in flavor between the "positive" water and the "negative" water. From this, I learned that the brain can really play tricks on you. Despite being the exact same water, the words on the containers really changed the way you "analyzed" what the water actually tasted like. Overall, a very creative idea! I would also like to thank you for all of the Big Red gum you provided. I have indeed, experienced that type of pain before, and I was most definately not interested in experiencing it again; however, to be honest, I did take some pieces to chew later on in the day, which proved very clutch. In addition, who can talk about your Experimental without mentioning your Personals. One of the best set of Personals I had seen, they were all truly amazing. Michelle, you have the "voice of an angel." I really enjoyed your performance. Christine, even though I have seen you dance many times before, it truly never gets old. The amount of skill, technique, and strength required to dance like that is probably exponential; however, it is apparent that you have worked extremely hard throughout your life to perfect such a dance. Very impressive! And Diana, even though you didn't perform like them, your Personal was just as impressive. You and your family's actions in Haiti will have a lasting impact on the people of Haiti. We all know that Haiti has struggled tremendously, and your actions are truly inspirational. Very touching Personal. Overall, your Experimental was far superior to the average presentation. Very detailed explanations of each slide really enhance the audience's understanding of your topic. Your presentation was the furthest thing from a "painful" experimental to watch, but instead, was a very successful final product.
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Kristen L.
5/16/2010 06:23:26 am
Hey guys! Congrats on pulling off such a great and entertaining presentation! First off, I'd like to mention that your experimental topic was one of my favorites. The word "pain" in itself is so blunt and likewise extremely powerful. However, pain is something prevalent in everyone's lives and something we usually tend to shy away from discussing. A cool part of your overall presentation was how you were able to at least brush upon (if not extensively describe and analyze [: ) all of the types of pain that everyone experiences in their lifetimes. Something you researched that I remember is the neurons in our brain which stimulate pain. This I found very interesting, since physical pain, when you get right down to it, is meant to come as a positive thing. Doctors often stress how diseases that come without painful warning signs and symptoms can be the most dangerous. Pain is the most urgent means our body has of telling us that something's wrong. I liked how you described the various ways in which people of a less empirical, scientific time chose to view and treat pain and to handle general health and medicine. You mentioned karmic imbalances as well as portions of Asian philosophies. Talking about leeches and acupuncture as traditional methods of alleviating pain in general was an interesting touch. I find acupuncture especially intriguing since it is still practiced in various places, including Korea. Just a few years ago, I came to Korea with a tad bit of food poisoning and was immediately rushed by my relatives to undergo acupuncture with a little portable, medicinal needle. I can say first hand that acupuncture does work--though it's really not my favorite method of treating pain. Around this time, you linked the book "Chanda's Secrets" as a partial transition between physical pain (that felt by Chanda's loved ones throughout their experiences with AIDS/HIV) and the emotional pain Chanda herself feels in her heart as the story progresses. Under emotional pain, you talked about Picasso's complex Blue Period, which pretty much epitomizes all types of emotional distress. At the same time, you mentioned Gilgamesh's great heartbreak in his journey to alleviate the pain of the loss of his karmic soul mate. Your personals were all very interesting and showed true emotional connections between all of you guys and your topic. Diana - I remember when you first mentioned to me your idea about connecting Pain to your family's losses in Haiti. Your actual presentation of your story (supplemented by the cultural interview with your family members) truly astounded me and stretched way beyond what you initially told me you wanted to do. Christine - Your story was inspiring, and your dancing was lovely as well. Michelle - Your singing was beautiful, and the song and your background created a great connection overall. Congrats again, guys!
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Victoria G.
5/16/2010 03:07:15 pm
Hey guys! I was so excited walking into your experimental, and looking around at all of the decorations. You really went above and beyond for this project-and it showed. Each and every bit of information that you shared with us was absolutely perfect. I like how you explained the differences between physical and psychological pain, and how differently pain affects one person from the next. I also loved the interview with Victor, and hearing his professional words about psychological and physical pain. He explained how one person could think that they understand your pain, but unless you really study the topic and experience the exact same thing, under the exact same circumstance (which is pretty much impossible), then you will never truly understand the pain of another.
I loved the pictures from North Side, and hearing about the trip that you took there. If you think about it, are our ways to cope with pain really that different from theirs? Usually people have a constant that they flee back to in times of distress. Like BJ said, some people eat, or go on spending sprees, or some just go lie in bed and wallow. Children and adults both revert to things that are of comfort to them on an everyday basis when they are in any sort of pain or discomfort. So while it was interesting to see that most of the North Side students drew stuffed animals or toys; I think that if you were to put a group of adults together in one room, they would probably all draw objects that are similar in a few ways as well.
To end my comment, I just want to add that I loved every set-up that you guys had for the end of the presentation. They played into your topic so well, and everyone had a blast trying things out. I personally think that the pop rocks and soda were the biggest hit, and it really did hurt! I was actually surprised how each of the things that you had on the side worked, especially with the water. Thanks for presenting us with such a great topic, you really did a great job!
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Marie Reilly (Christines Aunt)
5/17/2010 04:19:28 am
Bravo Girls!!! You did an amazing job. I had the pleasure of watching your presentation in school. You should be very proud of the hard work that you put into this project. I learned so much and you had my interest throughout the presentation. I was so impressed the way this amount of information was displayed. You covered so many different aspects of pain, the amount of research that you girls put into this should be applauded. I would like to show your website to others, to show the level of commitment you have used to complete this project. I think the presentation and website show far more advanced level of work than 10th grade. I thought your own personal touches really topped off the presentation.
Wonderful job girls!
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Renita A.
5/17/2010 12:23:43 pm
Hey guys! When I first walked into your room, I was a little confused as to why there were slips of paper on each chair,silver trays at the end of each row, elementary school drawings on the wall, water in 3 different pitchers, and also why there was Big Red gum on the other side of the room. After sitting through your experimental, I found out the reasons as to why all these objects were around this room. Your room design was very fun and eye-catching. Next when we sat down and had to write what brings us pain, I felt a little depressed, because is pain is something, I think, nobody really wants to talk about, but it was a very effective way to get the audience involved. When it came to your actual presentation, there were many things that still stick out in my mind. Although as BJ said earlier, pain can be a very depressing topic, but you guys were able to pull it off with so much confidence and enthusiasm it kept the presentation very upbeat. I learned a lot about physical and emotional pain, where it comes from in the brain and also how other people deal with their pain. One thing that I really enjoyed was your visit with the Northsiders. Being able to see the younger kids express their feelings about pain, and more specifically what makes them feel better after the experience pain. Their drawings were very interesting to look at. Another part of your experimental that I enjoyed was your experience drinking the different types of water. The water that came from negative cups, the one from positive cups, and the one from the cup named Buddha. Whether it was a trick of your minds, or something genuine it was a nice touch for you to have you personal opinions about that particular topic. Then, when you asked us to read what other people's pains were, it gave me a chance to see that, "Hey I am not alone... other people go through what I do too." One of your art pieces, "The Guernica", by Picasso, really stood out in my mind because we learned about that painting in Euro class and it was nice to see it used. I also enjoyed the French song that you showcased for a moment, because it shows that like love, pain is also universal it reaches every country and every race. Lastly, the booths that you left around for everyone else to try out were an inventive way to let the audience have some fun while still bearing in mind your topic. Moving on to all of your personals... I thought all three of you did an amazing job with your personals. Diana, I really liked how you brought you topic pain into our family trips to Haiti. The interview with your relatives and the pictures of the people, clearly showed us how much better of Americans are. They experience so many pains that we probably will not know due to that fact that most of us live in a sheltered environment. Christine, I always knew that you danced and that you got the occasional injury from it. I never knew how well you danced and also how many injuries you received and also how much pain they must have caused you. Your perseverance to keep on dancing is very inspiring. Last but definitely not least Michelle, I remember you commented on my experimental (Reflections) on how proud you were that I got over my fear of singing. Well, I must say,we both have grown a lot since our 7th grade concert were we sang the solo, "Once Upon A December" together. I was so proud of you up there, you were smiling and laughing while you were singing, you voice tone and quality was beautiful and the song you chose definitely didn't look easy to perform. You all were amazing! Good job girls!
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Danielle K
5/18/2010 12:03:44 pm
Hey guys! I wanted to congratulate you guys with such a great job on your presentation. I really enjoyed watching it! I think the best part of your experimental would have to be the humor you were able to put in it. That made it the most enjoyable!
Your topic was also so very interesting. The topic itself is a very catching topic since it deals with everyone on this earth. We can all relate to this topic and the research you did helped us know a lot more about it. I would like to thank you for teaching me so much in this field. I was very pleased with the information and things I had learned from your project! I had to say the most memorable part of your experimental would have to be your experiment with the water. I found it SO interesting on how you guys felt different form just negative and positive. I also remember the Nuclear Dance. At first I thought it was just weird, and I didn't understand it. But when it was explained I saw the dance differently. It was crazy and chaotic, and now I understand now. I wanted to also talk about your personals. Christine you were amazing, and your story behind it all was just inspiring. I never knew you went through all this, and it made your dance even more amazing to watch. Diana your heart warming experience in Haiti was also very inspiring. I thought it was so great that you went to Haiti to help out. I only wish that I could do such a great deed. Michelle I heard you were very good at singing, but I wasn't able to make Wheatley Idol. So when you sang for the experimental I was blown away. Your voice is awesome, and I just loved the song you sang. You were very brave to sing in front of an audience, and I'm very glad you did it!
P.S. Great website!
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Lauren L.
5/18/2010 12:51:14 pm
Michelle, Diana, and Christine- I really liked the extent at which you included the audience, like when everyone had to write down something that gives them pain and our responses were passed around to others. It showed us that we all go through the same sort of pain and it teaches us that we can find comfort with the help of others. The experiment with the water was really interesting as well. It kind of reminds me of the book you discussed "The Secret" because if you think positive thoughts, positive outcomes will occur just like the "positive" water and the water will taste better. Also the big red challenge was a funny little addition! (I didn't try it though) You girls made a good point about how the entertainment industries use pain for our enjoyment (Schadenfreude). You gave us good examples like Tom and Jerry and the fact that Disney movies usually have family issues. Its something that you don't really think of on tv when someone gets hurt and you laugh (see Americas Funniest Home Videos). Another thing that was very interesting was when you talked about disorders like anorexia. Out of everything you girls mentioned, I probably remember what you said about how doctors tried to put into reality how anorexia patients actually looked with the paper and sketch, the most. I also loved the personals. We were treated with Michelle's singing and Christine's dancing. Diana, your personal was really intense; the pictures of the starving children were so heartbreaking. You also used a great variety of art that each describe pain in a different way. From Frida Kahlo's "The Broken Column" to Munch's "Scream", they all expressed the feeling of pain so vividly that we could almost feel it. I really liked your experimental. There was such a variety of subjects that were touched upon in such an educated manor. Great job!
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Rory Heller
5/19/2010 05:37:38 am
hey guys! Walking out of your presentation I felt that I had just been given a complete and exciting education on all things relating to pain. I was relieved that is came out so well, being that if it didn't I would've had to call it "painful." Kidding! I didn't expect anything less than fantastic. I was mostly impressed that you were able to keep bright smiling faces and make a heavy topic like this enjoyable. A great example of this was Diana's personal. Although she was talking about the tragic situation in Haiti, her love for the island and culture made it easy to watch. On the subject of personals, I loved that they didn't connect, a tactic my group did not use. In this way, it gave each of you creative freedom to do whatever you liked without boundaries, and truly make it personal. Christine, any time you can include your dance into something school related its phenomenal! Michelle, your performance provided a perfectly timed break from speaking and not only did the lyrics fit, the haunting essence of the song gave me the chills. Without compromising fluid transitions, you were able to cover the full pain spectrum, emotional, such as depressions and suicide, physical, such as Christine's ankle, and sometimes both, such as Picasso's Guernica painting representing the Spanish Civil War and how the brain affects one's interpretation of pain. Lastly, I felt your decorations around the room were the most unique and appropriate of this year's experimental season. It really tied it all up, just as I am going to now. Thanks guys!
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Mahdiyah
5/19/2010 10:05:48 am
Christine, Diana, and Michelle What a painless presentation!
I want to start off by congratulating you guys on an amazing experimental. From the beginning to the end it captured my undivided attention. Researching a topic such as pain was probably complicated but easy. The numerous areas that pain could be related to must have been easy to come up with but the more intricate detailed stories and examples I am sure required mush hard work. It was a good way to get your presentation moving by asking us to write our fears or what causes us pain on a piece of paper and passing them around. This excercise showed us that we all go through some form of pain. Theough out the presentation I felt as if I was learning more and more through each slide. I really enjoyed the "Blue Period" of art, and the song in French. However my favorite part had to be Diana's Personal. The interview with her relatives in Haiti and the video about her volunteering with her parents and brother really expressed how pain occurs but how it can be treated. You showed us many different examples as to where pain comes from. The popular tv series Tom and Jerry and the book "The Secret". I never knew that Michelle had such an amazing voice and I was delighted that she chose to sing for her Personal. Of course we all are aware of Christine' s beautiful Irish dancing, but I personally did not know how physically challenging it was. I loved her display of the numerous awards, casts. and, photos. The end of your presentation was just as inspiring as the begining. The Big Red challenge was a very creative way to express pain. Also the water jug experiment was very interesting. I never knew that just by writing a few simple words and believing in something that it could actually come true. I would like to say congratulations one more time on a truly amazing experimental.
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Remy H.
5/19/2010 01:23:09 pm
Hey, guys!
Great job on your Experimental! You did an amazing job connecting Pain with virtually every discipline possible, and you helped shed new light on what pain means to me.
One thing that I must compliment you on was how well you made everything relate to the main topic, but you still found the means that assisted in “completely turning your topic around,” as Ms. Bartscherer had requested. You derived most of your topics from physical, emotional, and mental pain, and eventually took your audience members down the path to how these facets of pain have been treated in the past, how people imagine them to be, and how people react to them. I was especially interested in “Schadenfreude,” the sadistic belief in experiencing pleasure from another’s pain.
I know that it has been mentioned multiple times at this point, but I feel that it would be sinful to ignore your incredible personals. The diversity of them all was very unique to the world of Experimentals, as many groups attempted to establish some sort of pattern. But you went against the norm and decided to make your own rules. Christine – your dancing was flawless as usual, and the determination that you conveyed in overcoming your physical ailments because of your love for the sport is so very admirable. Diana – the work that your family does in Haiti is absolutely unparalleled to anything I have ever seen. Your video montage was so inspirational and touching; it genuinely fulfilled the credentials of a fantastic personal. Michelle – I found it so interesting that you were able to tie both one of your favorite books and favorite songs into a pleasing personal. When one is able to use one’s natural gift to clarify a notion or point, it is even more convincing.
Another effective addition to your Experimental was how you were able to utilize the audience members to your advantage – and to theirs – in telling them to share anonymously what causes them pain. This set a certain mood that suggested that pain is not something to be so closed about; it can offer such a great deal, and there is so much to learn from it. This was carried throughout your entire presentation, and it is also what set it apart from many of the other ones.
I would like to make note of the vast array of media that you used throughout. You incorporated art, including pieces created by the likes of Pablo Picasso (his Blue Period) and Martin Ramirez (“Gallion on Water”) as well as literature such as The Power of Now and The Secret, along with many other classics that we have examined throughout the year. You also used various clips, such as the Tom and Jerry animated short to illustrate Schadenfreude.
All of you presented with such great poise and eloquence. You convinced each and every audience member that you were experts on your subject, and were quite compelling to say the least.
Congratulations!
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Brooke R.
5/19/2010 01:40:48 pm
Diana, Michelle, and Christine - To be completely honest with you, when I first heard that "pain" was an experimental topic this year, I was not really that into it. However, after watching your well done presentation, I apologize and regret having such a closed mind. As pain is definitely not a subject that is as lighthearted as most, you were confronted with a whole different challenge on top of your powerpoint and website alone. It is unquestionably difficult to present a topic like yours while holding the audiences attention to the fullest. I respect you for not only taking on this challenge, but pursuing and mastering this strenuous task. For you're 42 minutes of stardom, I was enlightened with a whole new set of eyes to the idea of pain. Rather than the physical or mental pain that I have been taught and experienced my whole life, I see far beyond that now. This was possible through you're audience interaction with the writing down of personal "pains" and exchanging with another persons perspective. I thought this added a great deal to the success of your presentation. It was interesting to see what caused other people pain and how different it is seen through varying eyes. (BTW - Mine being math) Touching upon genocide was a profound part of your project and made a huge impact on me while listening to you present. It is hard to believe that people actually do possess the morale to mass murder thousands of people. It is almost as if they are seeing the world through a different lens than that of the majority. A lens glassed over with darkness causing their sick depiction of what is righteous, while ours is masked with bright lights and color. It is truly an astonishing idea that such hatred can be present on the Earth, while such love could be just around the corner. All of you're personals were very well done. Diana, you're efforts in the reestablishment of stability to Haiti through your ancestry is truly remarkable. Hearing about you're story and the current struggle in your family with the devastation in Haiti is one I will always remember. Chistine, as always, danced like a star. You're performances are always jaw-dropping, and even more so with your foot problems! Michelle, you're song was both fitted, and sung wonderfully.
PS - Picasso's "blue period" was also one of my favorite points. And awesome website! Who's the hopeful graphic designer?!
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