September 9th, 2010
The photo An Unusual Request by Laurin Rinder is an image of an old woman who is nude and posing in a dramatic, yet emotional way. The modal was a 85 year old Ukraine woman who had livid a hard life, she was a ballerina but she retired. She also wrote book, made paintings and drew things, she also became a pediatrician but she retired from them as well . When she moved to L.A three or four years ago she started to try acting. She wanted some head shot photographs of her and her agent managed to make contact with Laurin Rinder. Laurin Rinder shot many head shot pieces but most of the photographs where based mostly on emotion. During the middle of the shoot the Ukraine woman showed that she believed that Laurin was a good photographer by asking Laurin if they could do a shot of her in the nude. Laurin was slightly touched but mostly confused. He then asks why and the Ukraine woman replays, “Because after I‘m gone, I want people to celebrate my body.” Her answer just tore Laurin apart. Shocked by both her question and her answer, Laurin knew that the Ukraine woman trusted and believed him and felt valued but also sad and touched. Later we hear that the old Ukraine woman had phoned thanking him again for the photos and said that they where perfect. This yet again show belief as she had believed in him earlier and she was not disappointed. Laurin remembers thinking back on the amazing shoot that, “She was very complimentary and she made me feel great; it was one of my most memorable shoots.” Laurin remembers the shoot well, and realised that she really believed that he would do a good job and this made him feel valued and proud.
“The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become.”
(Jim Rohn) The two story’s show that if you believed in something (like Luella or the old Ukraine woman) it makes others feel valued (like the boy or Laurin). It also happens in many other story’s throughout the world, I think the main reason why people but so much belief and kindness in there story’s (Thank You Ma’am) may cause people to have more belief and faith in each other in the real world (the story behind A Strange Request) and that’s what makes people feel valued and appreciated.
August 16th, 2010
(An Unusual Request by Laurin Rinder)
Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is.
Showing belief in someone can help them feel valued. The short story, “Thank you, Ma’am,” Is about Luella Bates Washington Jones, who is a large woman with a large purse. But one night a young boy named Roger tries to steal the purse but Luella was smart and tough enough to stop the boy. Instead of handing the boy over to the police, she takes him to her house and gives him a meal. The boy tells her that, “there’s nobody home at my house,” and that he was trying to steal the purse because he wanted to buy some, “blue suede shoes.” Luella then gave the boy ten dollars and allow the boy to go with out getting in trouble. Luella shows that she believed that the boy would tell her the truth when she asked, “if I turn you loose, will you run?” The boy replied, “yes’m,” Luella then says, “then I won’t turn you loose.” It was obvious that Luella believed the boy when he said that if she turns him looses that he will run. If the boy hadn’t said that, then Luella still might have believed him and let him loose and he would have run. But in away I think the boy was glad that she believed him and it gave him hope that she might just let him go. Later in the story Luella gives him money and lets him go without punishing the boy, the last thing Luella says to the boy is ““Goodnight! Behave yourself,boy!” she said looking out into the street. The boy wanted to say something else other that “Thank you Ma’am” to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but he couldn't do so as he turned at the barren stoop and looked back at the large woman at the door. He barely managed to say “Thank you” before she shut the door. And he never saw her again.” Shows that Luella still trusted him and that she believed that if the boy got what he wants then he wouldn’t try to steal again. Astounded that Luella trusted him, Roger felt really grateful and tries to say more than “thank you Ma’am” but was enabled as Luella knew he would feel valued because she believed in him.
The photo An Unusual Request by Laurin Rinder is an image of an old woman who is nude and posing in a dramatic, yet emotional way. The modal was a 85 year old Ukraine woman who had livid a hard life, she was a ballerina but she retired. She also wrote book, made paintings and drew things, she also became a pediatrician but she retired from them as well . When she moved to L.A three or four years ago she started to try acting. She wanted some head shot photographs of her and her agent managed to make contact with Laurin Rinder. Laurin Rinder shot many head shot pieces but most of the photographs where based mostly on emotion. During the middle of the shoot the Ukraine woman showed that she believed that Laurin was a good photographer by asking Laurin if they could do a shot of her in the nude. Laurin was slightly touched but mostly confused. He then asks why and the Ukraine woman replays, “Because after I‘m gone, I want people to celebrate my body.” Her answer just tore Laurin apart. Shocked by both her question and her answer, Laurin knew that the Ukraine woman trusted and believed him and felt valued but also sad and touched. Later we hear that the old Ukraine woman had phoned thanking him again for the photos and said that they where perfect. This yet again show belief as she had believed in him earlier and she was not disappointed. Laurin remembers thinking back on the amazing shoot that, “She was very complimentary and she made me feel great; it was one of my most memorable shoots.” Laurin remembers the shoot well, and realised that she really believed that he would do a good job and this made him feel valued and proud.
“The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become.”
(Jim Rohn) The two story’s show that if you believed in something (like Luella or the old Ukraine woman) it makes others feel valued (like the boy or Laurin). It also happens in many other story’s throughout the world, I think the main reason why people but so much belief and kindness in there story’s (Thank You Ma’am) may cause people to have more belief and faith in each other in the real world (the story behind A Strange Request) and that’s what makes people feel valued and appreciated.
August 16th, 2010
There are Two Sides to Justice
In the book Lamb to the Slaughter, it displays the phrase, "there are two sides to justice." The protagonist Mary Maloney, was a happy pregnant wife who's world was shattered when her husband (Patrick Maloney) decides to leave her. Feeling betrayed and looking for justice, Mary Maloney killed her husband with a leg of lamb. To Mary, justice has been serve, at first she didn't care if she would be punished because what she did wasn't justice,but murder. All those who liked and loved him (eg his parents, closed friends) would have felt like that the murderer (Mary) should be punished for doing something injustice. But to other people it feels like the exact opposite.
In the book Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman displays an excellent example showing that there is two sides to justice. In the story, one of the main character's (Callum) father got caught rebelling against the crosses and was sent to jail. To Callum he felt like this was unfair because his father was just trying to make the place nicer for the noughts. But for the crosses felt that he deserved to go to jail rebelling. The a few crosses that also felt like this was unfair was Sephy (the other main character) and her mother, they few crosses who also believed that this was unfair and managed to get Callum's father a lawyer and helps Callum's dad escaped a hanging. But Callum's dad died later trying to escape jail. Later on in the book, Sephy had to chose who was going to live, Callum or their (Callum's and Sephy's) unborn child. Sephy couldn't kill their child, Callum was then hanged by the orders of Sephy's father. To Sephy, she once again felt like justice wasn't served and it was unfair. But to her father he felt like he got rid of one more nought. To all the crosses they once again felt like justice was served and they believed that with Callum dead that they made the world a safer place. According to Malorie Blackman's website (http://www.malorieblackman.co.uk/noughtsandcrosses/noughtsandcrosses/), she based the book on slavery, how racism has affected thousands of people's lives and how injustice can seem like justice had been served.
There are two sides to justice and these main characters display it. Mary Maloney displays how justice can seem fair but isn't, for Sephy, she shows how to some people can feel like justice had been served but didn't feel fair for other people. Many families across the world are feeling these emotions and many don't think it's fair. But who can really say when justice has been served, to different people comes different opinions. "Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
