The friendly follower of Christ

     My name, Christian-Dave, means "follower of Christ" or "A Christian" big surprise huh? The second part of my name "Dave" is a shortened version of "David". The name David means "Beloved" or "A friend". How my parents actually named me, and all my brothers as well, was after a king. In my case it was King Christian of Denmark. The second part of my name actually comes from a Filipino tradition: When my parents named me and my siblings they included my Dad's first name (Dave) and my Mom's maiden name "Raymundo" (Spanish for king of the Earth by the way, pretty awesome middle name). Also, fun fact, if I was born in the Philippines I would have been named "Ricardo" which means "Powerful Leader" slightly more BA in my opinion.

     So does the meaning of my name, a Christian friend or beloved follower of Christ, define me properly? I would say yes. The "follower of Christ" is accurate for the most part. I go to church on Sundays and rosary on Saturdays and I believe that Jesus died for our sins. The second meaning of my name "friend" or "beloved' depends on the person. If your my friend then this hold true, and if your not my friend you are missing out on something that you didn't know you needed in your life until now.

    The dilemma of individual values and familial or social values can be a hard one to overcome depending on your situation. As someone who has to take care of three other younger siblings I can say that one's time can be very limited when they're responsible for others. When you have to care for the needs of the many it becomes difficult to attend to the needs of the few. This counters the need for self-progression/ self improvement, and forces the individual to make decisions that may not appeal to the larger whole in order to achieve this self-improvement.

     We are taught at a young age to put others before ourselves, and that being selfless is a trait that a good person possesses. We even having a saying regarding the matter: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"This is where the dilemma comes into play: How can those who believe in the ideal of selflessness find opportunity for themselves?

   

"Elderly Man and Baby, St Paul, MN"

by: Wing Young Huie on http://photos.wingyounghuie.com

     I chose the photograph "Elderly Man and Baby" for a multitude of reasons. First off, a denotative look at the contents of the photo: An adorable baby, and an adorable Older Man. Both of them are sitting in a chair with wheels attached, and both of them aren't looking at the camera. The background is a rural neighborhood with no real eye-catching points. 

     Through a connotative lens the photo has more to say.Wing Young Huie's is trying to ddemonstrate the generation gap through this photo. The older man is any where from 60-70 years older than the baby, who looks about less than a year old, and was probably raised in a much different fashion than the baby. He has, quite literally, a life time of experience over the baby. Despite these facts they appear to resemble one another in this photo, both relacing in a chair and looking away from the camera. This is a testament to how, despite the generation gap, have at least some things in common. They cannot walk yet, they may not know where they are, and they don't have an a appreciation for photos. 

    Margaret Atwood approaches "othering" in The Handmaid's Tale through language. She created Neologisms that are used by the Gilead government to approach othering. Everyone in society has some kind of label: Haidmands, Unwoman, Angels, Aunts, and Commanders all have a title to their person. A judgement can be made just by hearing someones title. A Commander is in a position of power, an Aunt or Angel are capable of getting someone arrested by the Eyes, and Handmaids are only valuable in the bed. The Gilead society is based upon othering in order to maintain structure.  

     Wing Young Huie takes a different approach to "othtering". He goes out into the world and takes photographs to present examples of othering. This photo, "Elderly Man and Baby", is a perfect demonstration of othering. The two subjects of the photo are complete opposites. A baby experiencing life, and an old man who has plenty of experience. The baby appears to be black and the older man white (even thought it is hard to tell given the photo is in black and white). This difference is emphasized by the direction they are staring. The baby is staring to the right, and the older man is staring to the left. This opposition shows a difference in mind as well as body.