Prompt 3

The two different paintings depict the same argument. These paintings show the Native Americans, in a clam and civilized manor, negotiating a treaty with the Europeans. These two paintings illustrate a completely different view of the Native Americans then the Travel Writers did. The Native Americans don’t seem like savages. Yes, they all show more skin than the Europeans, but they look calm and civilized. In both paintings, the different groups are separated. The Native Americans are on one side and the Europeans are on the other. I don’t think this has any real meaning though. When two groups come together, people stand with their side and certain leaders meet in the middle. There is not really a distinction of power though. Both groups have some people standing and some sitting. There is no distinction between the groups. They seem to see each other as two separate entities, but they still have respect for one another. There does not seem to be a power struggle or negative tensions.

The one difference is the color of the cloths that are being traded in the middle of the circle. To me, white (in the second picture) represents pure, calm, heavenly/good feelings. While red has a more negative feeling attached with it. It means, to me, devilish actions, anger, and hot tensions. Overall, the paintings show the same idea. However, the little subtle piece, which seems to be a sort of peace offering (cloth), could make a change in the whole meaning of the picture. The colors could show a difference in the true intentions of the treaty/meeting. White could show a positive direction, while the red could show a negative direction. I am not sure exactly what the artists meant by these objects, but I am sure they had significance.

Promt 2

The “new world body" is written and defined by the European travelers. They view anything different from their norms to be strange, and this is expressed through their writings. The Natives are viewed as barbarous savages with animal like behaviors. These bodies torture entire groups of other savages and then abuse the dead bodies physically and sexually. They are viewed as complete, uncaring bodies. They eat food completely different from the travelers and fall easily to disease. They are promiscuous in their dress and actions. Shelvoke states that the bodies are “swarthy gentlemen quite naked.” This explains that the Native Americans chose to wear less than the norm. This less modest body exposes more skin and sex is not taboo. Sex is natural and easily shared with strangers to trade for materials desired. They wear less ornamentation than the European travelers, which causes concern in distinguishing the leaders from the followers by outside groups. The “ideal” female body is strong and can work under any circumstance, even directly after childbirth. Hearne accounts that a woman suffered for 52 hours during childbirth. He states that ”…the poor creature took her infant on her back and set out with the rest of the company; and though another person had the humanity to haul her sledge for her (for one day), she was obliged to carry a considerable load beside her little charge…” This completely contradicts the weak, innocent beauties of the women normally seen by the travelers in their home country. However, definitions and observations of these bodies would completely transform if they were written from another observer. If the “new world body” would write about the travelers, the travelers’ bodies would not be the “norm.” Every individual holds a unique definition and no one defines people exactly the same.

The map illustrates a similar body of the “new world.” The people definitely show more skin than the “norm.” They eat differently as illustrated with the huge pieces of meat hanging near the bodies. The women have a bigger body build, which means that they do more strenuous work, like expressed in the definition above. There are a couple differences, however. The first difference is that the men are not all naked or close to it. Some of them are wearing longer robes and ornamentation. The other difference is that these bodies do not look like savages. They are having peaceful conversations and look like nonviolent people.

Atkinson Extra Credit

The Atkinson writing was very difficult to read and comprehend. The most difficult part was interpreting the dense writing with the obstacles of difficult vocabulary and sentence structure. It was difficult in general to follow. For example, on page 3, the author talks about all bodies being “fundamentally the same,” and then a few paragraphs down she contradicts that idea. She says “each culture gets the body it deserves.” I understand both arguments, but it is confusing to have both arguments in the same section. How can all bodies be the same and different?

Prompt 1

The bodies around my world are made up of the typical college students. I would like to think that we are all individuals, but society’s influence through the media has shaped how the bodies around me act and view themselves. My roommates are distracted with outer beauty. The media shapes the way that we view the world because reminders of our culture are expressed through television shows, billboards, radios, flyers, etc. There is no way to escape it! For example, when my roommate gets stressed, she goes shopping for new clothing that will make her feel good. Our society strives on material possessions to prove self worth. My roommates are realistic, but do worry about the perfect jewelry for the party or the new makeup to cover all of the blemishes. I find myself worrying about my appearance to look “natural,” as the magazines express. We all truly act within the boundaries of society. My brother and his friends want to be “different.” They dress and act outside the “norm.” However, they act within boundaries set by other “individuals” wanting the same thing. So they are not truly different if they dress and act like people with the same purpose.
Bodies today at the university level are similar to my immediate environment. We are just a sample of the thousands of people who attend the University of Texas. With the size of the school, individuals tend to get lost and do become just a number. People blur together to make one huge “Longhorn Identity.” Graduates leave the school, but still have pride and identify with it. When the student body is dissected into parts, my roommates represent a certain portion of the school. My brother and his friends are similar to another portion. Still there are people who fall in other categories. Some people are way more superficial and others, on the opposite side, do not care about what other people think. Every person may fall into the boundaries set through the generations of our society, but each still has individual skills and talents that hold together the university as a whole. Again, the school is just a small part of the entire society.