Course Project Part One 1 .docx - 1 Exploration Document...

Exploration Document
Kamalee Jackson
HUM200
Cultural Artifacts
The first piece is a painting called the “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh. This painting
was done in France by Van Gogh as he sat in his Asylum room in 1889. The painting is currently
located at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It was sold to the Museum in 1941 and has
been located here ever since. The second piece is “The letter from the Birmingham Jail. This
piece was written April 16 1963 from a jail cell in Birmingham that was occupied by Dr. King.
This took place during one of the most notable era's of the civil rights movement.
Common Theme
The common theme shared by both these works is one of confinement. In “The Starry Night"
Van Gogh constructed this painting from a place of confinement within the asylum he was
restricted to. Due to the inconsistent mental state of Van Gogh he was restricted to the asylum for
about 12 months. During his stay the painting is a depiction the mental and emotional highs and
lows Van Gogh was dealing with during his confinement. "The letter from the Birmingham Jail"
was a letter addressed to a group fellow clergymen. Dr. Martin Luther King wrote this letter
while he was confined to jail for continuing to protest during the civil rights movement. Not only
was Dr. King confined physically but the people of color were confined to the constant fear of
mistreatment, abuse and racial segregation. Dr. King was confined in the Birmingham Jail for 8
days.
Personal Experience
The theme of confinement is still prevalent today. We live in a society where, depending on what
we engage in, the company we keep and how we behave, it puts our freedom in jeopardy. I have
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had family members and friends that had to be confined due to many different reasons. Some
were a threat to society and some were a threat to themselves. No one likes to have their freedom
taken away but confinement is a necessary evil. It can have a positive impact or negative impact
on how a person may or may not progress through society. I have also seen confinement used to
bring awareness to pressing issues. Could be anything from bringing awareness to social
injustice or to speaking out about minimum wage. Having family members and friends that have
dealt with confinement has been something that I have had to personally deal with.
Profession
A profession that is impacted by the theme of confinement is Law enforcement. There is a direct
correlation between confinement and this profession. On a daily basis law enforcement
sometimes is tasked with dictating ones freedom and placing them in confinement. Not only
from an aspect that is criminal related but there are times where law enforcement officers have to
engage with individuals that are going through a crisis situation. Depending on the severity of
that situation we are often times tasked with placing that individual in some kind of confinement
for their safety. Law enforcement also has to place individuals in confinement for the safety of
the community around them. Being involved in this profession you need to have a general