Peer Review for The Ant and the Boot and Symbolism in Frida Kahlo's Paintings.

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you will need to read two example student essays. The essays are titled: The Ant and the Boot and Symbolism in Frida Kahlo's Paintings. I provided hard copies of both essays in class. If you did not get hard copies of those essays, then be sure to read them online and/or print them if you'd like to take notes on them. You will find the student example essays under "Files." Please make sure that you read the following handout before you read the example essays: "Conclusion Options for the Visual Rhetoric Essay." It will help you identify the type of conclusions employed in the essays.

You will also have to complete peer review sheets for both essays; you will find the peer review sheets in a folder labeled-- Student Example Essays and Peer Reviews--under "Files." Please just type up your responses in the doc itself.

1 page for The Ant and the Boot, and 1 page for Frida Kahlo's Paintings

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Prof Batchelor The Ant and the Boot The photo of Tank Man, or the Unknown Rebel, is one of the most iconic images in history. One of four photos, all by different photographers, this particular image features a young man standing in front of a line of Chinese military tanks. The top-left corner is covered in shadow and a burned bus sits in the background. Tank Man made his stand the day after the Tiananmen Square Massacre, where thousands of civilians were fired upon by the Chinese military following the seven week long Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, resulting in an unknown amount of casualties that may reach the thousands. The protest consisted mostly of students mourning the loss of the former Communist Party General Secretary, who promoted economic and social reform of the communist government (Szczepanski 1). The students called for government accountability, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and the restoration of workers' control over industry, all very democratic ideas in a strictly communist nation. Party Elders declared martial law when the protest escalated to cities across the nation. Divisions of the People’s Liberation Army were ordered into the square on foot and in tanks, firing tear gas into the crowds and eventually firing artillery. By the morning of June fourth the square was cleared of protestors. The following morning an unknown man stops a line of tanks and Tank Man is born (Szczepanski 2-3). Tank Man represents a modern day David and Goliath; he is a symbol for every average man and woman that they can be the ant that stops a boot. The angle of the image can be used to show just how small Tank Man is. He is a mere speck in the image, and at a glance he could be missed. In the nation like China with one of the largest populations, an individual is just a grain of sand on a beach. Like sand, though, one grain can completely stop a machine from running. As well as showing the minuteness of Tank Man, the high angle gives the viewer a better understanding of the events that are unfolding. The image would impart the same message if the angle were shot from level ground or at a height such that only one tank or all the tanks were showing. If shot from ground level, one would be able to see all of the panic happening behind the scenes. In this way, it could work to make Tank Man seem more heroic. He would be one man walking into lions’ den, instead of walking away from it. If shot from a higher angle, one would be able to see the full might that the People’s Liberation Army brought to Tiananmen Square. Dozens of tanks line up in front of Tank Man, while just as many wait in formation; troops can be seen in lines near the end of the rows. Any angle that shows Tank man turns him into a solitary figure facing off against an army. The line of tanks represents government strength and rigidness. These tanks are in a perfect row, showing that the People’s Liberation Army is very rigid in its actions and that the People’s Republic engrains obedience into the minds of its people. Even something as difficult as maneuvering a multi-ton vehicle of destruction like a tank must be carried out with extreme precision. There is no room for error and no room for difference in the People’s Liberation Army. To add to the sense of rigidity, the tanks also happen to be following the traffic lines on the street. It is almost as if, even when the tank operators have so much power at their fingertips, they have no other choice but to follow the laws and regulations of the People’s Republic of China. The tanks themselves are a representation of strength, as tanks were one of the most powerful weapons a military could have. By sending in tanks to subdue the protesting masses, the People’s Republic is saying: “Do not mess with us. We have tanks that can and will crush you without prejudice. We are stronger than you will ever be.” This message was heard loud and clear by all of the people who were occupying the square – all except Tank Man. The burned bus in the background of the image is a physical representation of the previous night’s conflict. Violence was handed out by both sides, and the square was left in disaster. Doctors and everyday people rushed to the aid of the wounded, and left things like buses burn. Aside from the literal interpretation, the bus is a symbol of Chinese citizens that are burned out by a government and then pushed aside when they are completely defeated. In contrast to the tanks, the bus is still clearly colored despite its burns. Both vehicles feature the color red somewhere on their bodies. On the tanks, the red lies in the stars on their sides. Here the stars symbolize communist China and the oppression that comes with it. The bus, on the other hand, has a red roof which may symbolize the passion the citizens feel. The protestors were desperate for reform and they were willing to protest against one of the most terrifying governments of the time to get their reform. All of their fears, hopes, and emotions are represented in that red. Even though it is burned, one can still see the bright red that used to be, faded to a subdued shade by time and exposure, but there none-the-less, much like the emotions of the protestors. The shadow created by the trees in the upper-left corner is foreshadowing the uncertainty of the future. It looms ominously over the image like a black hole about to devour everything in its path. The shadow could also represent the black future Tank Man faces after his bold action, and the black future of the state of the country. No one knows what happened to Tank Man after he was forced away from the scene. He could have been imprisoned, sentenced to a life of labor after his rebellious stand, he could have been let go to live a life of poverty and obscurity, or he could have been killed as a message to others who would think to act like he did. There is almost no way that Tank Man had a bright future; his was dark, like the shadow in the corner. The shadow is mere feet away from the bus, which is a symbol of Chinese citizens. This intangible force is soon going to engulf the bus in darkness, perhaps foreshadowing what could happen to the people of the People’s Republic after they defied their government. The party elite could choose to tighten their grip on their citizens, choking them and denying them any freedoms that they so desperately demand and yearn for. In a more general sense, the shadow could represent the uncertainty of actions. Tank Man shows his strength by his actions, defying his military and his government despite the dark future looming in the corner. He does not know how his actions will be interpreted or how they will be viewed, yet he continues to act. The way that Tank Man is presented represents the enormity of his decision. From his clothes to the shopping bags at his side, Tank Man looks like a man who just stopped in the middle of his everyday life to stand up to the oppressors of his people. There is nothing particularly special about the man himself. He is a stooping man, anywhere from twenty to forty. He does not appear to be physically strong; he actually comes off as rather small and meek. His clothing do not imply wealth or power, they are just black slacks and a white shirt – perhaps a uniform from his job or school. Everything about his screams “average.”. But this average man did something incredible. He faced an enemy that everyone else was terrified of. He became a pillar of strength, unmoving, against the tanks before him. His shopping bags become anchors, weighing him down against the tide of military might. His clothes become the uniform of the people, showing that they are strong. His small stature laughs at the tanks, goading them about their incompetence to stop him. This every day, average man became an immovable object against an unstoppable force. Tank Man’s anonymity turns him into more than a man; it turns him into a symbol. This image does not focus on the fear on his face or any other identifying factors. In fact, the way that the image is shot makes him seem unwavering against the row of tanks before him. In leaving Tank Man’s identity unknown, he can be critiqued only for his actions in that moment. And in that moment, he is facing down the might of China. He is your next door neighbor standing up for you. He is your brother, your father, your best friend. He could be anyone, and because of this he transcends the flaws that individuals have. He is only strength and courage. He is the symbol of fearlessness when facing a giant. Because he has no face, any person can put their own face on his actions. Anyone can look at this symbols and think, “I can do that. That can be me.” He becomes a true symbol in this way, one that lasts for generations. These images of Tank Man are so iconic because they can relate to any time and any people being oppressed by an unfair government. Tank Man gives others the courage to stand up for their beliefs and to do something when they are pushed to the edge. As recently as the present, individuals throughout the Middle East are making a stand against giants, sparking protests and leading revolutions. In 2010, a street vendor in Tunisia set himself on fire in protest of the confiscation of his food cart and the humiliation and harassment he faced from the local officials. His action was one of many that sparked the Tunisian Revolution (Abouzeidb 1). Tank Man can be an inspiration for others to act in less dramatic ways than self-immolation and selfendangerment, simpler ways that can lead to reform rather than revolt. Whether it be a school teacher standing up to their district when they feel that things are unjust, or a bystanders standing up to a bully, each person is essentially following Tank Man’s lead. Works Cited Szczepanski, Kallie. "The Tiananmen Square Massacre, 1989." About.com Asian History. About.com, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. . Abouzeid, Rania. "Bouazizi: The Man Who Set Himself and Tunisia on Fire." Time. Time, 21 Jan. 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. . Iyer, Pico. "The Unknown Rebel." Time. Time, 13 Apr. 1998. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. . Symbolism in Frida Kahlo’s The Broken Column and The Wounded Deer The artist of The Broken Column and The Wounded Deer, Frida Kahlo, was born in 1907 in Mexico City. At a young age, Kahlo encountered many tragedies that were mentally and physically crippling. The Frida Kahlo Foundation website outlines that at age of five she was diagnosed with polio, which left her with mobility disabilities. This was only the beginning to a series of troubling events. In 1925, Kahlo was traveling on a bus which a streetcar had collided into, causing serious injuries to her bones and organs (Frida). Her spine had been broken and her reproductive organs were permanently damaged (Frida). She began to paint while in the hospital and during bed rest, but never fully recovered. Kahlo had to endure numerous spinal surgeries and had experienced multiple miscarriages because of the infertility brought on by the nearly fatal bus accident. According to the Frida Kahlo Organization webpage titled “Frida Kahlo and Her Paintings,” in 1929 she married Diego Rivera, a long lost lover. Their relationship was exceedingly unhealthy and emotionally traumatic. Rivera proved to be consistently unfaithful despite Kahlo’s unquenchable admiration of him (Frida Kahlo Organization). Kahlo and Rivera divorced in 1940, but remarried with a predictably rough start, leading to nothing but heartache for Frida Kahlo (Frida). Emotional pain can be as painful as physical pain and sometimes we can illustrate that with symbols and physical matter much like Frieda Kahlo did in her works of art. In The Broken Column and The Wounded Deer, the artist’s physical and psychological struggles are demonstrated by distorting and mutilating her own body and symbolic elements in her self-portraits. The Broken Column is a painting of a partially nude woman, Frida Kahlo herself, standing alone in a barren desert. She has russet colored skin with dark hair and high cheek bones, mimicking her Mexican descent. Her face is emotionless, though she is staring directly ahead. She has fat tears running down her cheeks. Kahlo is completely bare from the waist upward, though she is wearing a brace that is wrapped around her torso and shoulders with a pale lavender blanket around her waist. She has a substantial amount of nails protruding along the flesh of her entire body. The largest nail appears to be lodged into her heart. Additionally, her torso is torn open showing a broken column used to represent her spine that appears to be on the brink of collapsing into rubble. The background in The Broken Column provides space and emptiness in the self-portrait, giving off the feelings of abandonment or loneliness. Our eyes are only drawn to her because the landscape in the painting lacks any other life. Deserts are commonly known for having extremely unfavorable climates, making it difficult for most life forms to thrive there. Kahlo represents her infertility by painting herself in a desolated desert. Just like the earth, the female body is supposed to be able to produce and sustain life; the landscape is symbolic for lifelessness and the inability to produce life in this way. Moreover, according to Holland Cotter’s “The People’s Artist, A Work of Art Herself,” Kahlo also painted this self-portrait while recovering from surgery in the hospital (1). The loneliness and lack of any other life in the background could give us the insight on how alone and abandoned she felt being by herself during this hard time in her life. Vulnerability and shame is expressed through Kahlo’s almost completely bareness in The Broken Column. Being naked is stripping oneself of one’s second skin or protective image. When one is stripped of their most comforting objects they feel exposed and violated. Kahlo chooses to expose almost her entire self to her audience, showing us everything one takes personally. Her bareness gives off an undeniable sense of vulnerability. We automatically have a kind of power over her because we see everything that would otherwise have been hidden in on an equal individual. In addition to her nakedness, her hair is carefully placed behind her ears so that we are even gifted with her bare face, hiding no emotions from us. Also, the only clothing on her body is a brace that is wrapping around her torso and shoulders, and the blanket around her waist. After the bus accident and the spinal surgeries, Kahlo had to wear many braces to stabilize herself (Cotter). In the painting, her body is torn open to expose her insides, so the harness may also convey that, by being held together by a brace, not only physically but mentally as well, she needs some assistance or she will break down and fall apart. Finally, the blanket she is wearing only covers her waist, or more importantly, her reproductive organs. Along with Kahlo’s loneliness, her infertility also caused her much shame. She is open about every other part of her body, but she is ashamed of her female parts because they did not serve their purpose any more. As a woman, that is an area of personal identification and pride that she wished to keep to herself. The inflicted wounds and injuries on Kahlo’s body in The Broken Column symbolize her physical and psychological pain. Her torso is ripped open exposing a broken column about to crumble that represents her spine. A column’s main purpose and function is to provide sturdy and reliable support much like a spine. She uses the column to represent her spine’s initial purpose but has it broken in various sections to symbolize the tragedy of the bus accident and her multiple surgeries (Frida Kahlo Organization). It may also suggest that she feels spineless or cowardly since she is in fact missing an actual spine. Besides her obvious attempts at indicating pain with the tears running down her face, Kahlo painted herself with multiple metal nails penetrating the flesh all over her body, representing the physical chronic pain she had to go through every day. The nails cover her entire body, all but one leg. The protruding nails indicate which leg was the one dealing with the trauma from polio. To add to the meaning behind the nails, the largest nail stabs Kahlo directly over her heart. Because of her unquenchable love for her husband Diego Rivera, the nail stabbing her heart indicates the ache and betrayal she feels from his various affairs (Frida Kahlo Organization). In addition, one might read the nails as a way of just expressing the chronic pin-and-needles pain Kahlo suffered from. Despite all the evidence of Kahlo presenting herself as vulnerable or weak, the angle and framing of this painting conveys strength. She is not presented as if we are looking down at her, where we would label her as submissive or vulnerable. On the contrary, she is on an equal level to the viewers. Despite the wounds and pain inflicted on her, she still manages to stand upright with a sturdy stature. Kahlo is also staring directly ahead, right towards us. This could mean that she is challenging us to face her pain and suffering. As if she wants us to feel that where there is suffering and helplessness, there is also strength. In 1946, Frida Kahlo had an operation on her spine in an attempt to rid herself of the back pain she had been experiencing since the accident (Frida). Like many of the operations, this one failed to cure her problems and only lead her to express herself through her artwork. The Wounded Deer expresses the disappointment from the surgery and her feeling of hopelessness towards life. In The Wounded Deer, Frida Kahlo painted her face on the body of a young deer in the middle of a forest. Along with the body, she included long, strong antlers on top of her head. There are wooden arrows gouging along the sides and throat of the deer body in no particular pattern. Her tail is wedged between her legs in a curling fashion. She is surrounded by trees that are gloomy and dead. Front and center lays the only branch with leaves or any signs of life, broken. In the distance, there is light. Even though the distance seems bright and hopeful at first, a lightning bolt is striking in front of dark clouds. Unlike in The Broken Column, Kahlo is not fearlessly exposing her own body, but instead her body is replaced with a body of a young deer with only her human face to identify her. She is not hiding behind the identity of the deer; she is portraying herself as prey. Kahlo is indicating that she felt hunted or harassed with little power. Her tail is curled between her legs, and this body language is typical for an animal that is very afraid or submissive. In the food chain, deer are only hunted. No matter how fast a deer runs, the predator always finds a way to capture its prey. Several arrows convey that Kahlo has been defeated by a possible predator. Or, in another sense, she has been powerless and taken advantage of by her wounded body. The arrows could also just another indicator of her chronic pain from the accident, much like the needles could have in The Broken Column. Her body language also implies hope, where the location and circumstances indicate helplessness. The deer’s body is not lying there limp or defeated; it appears to be in mid-stance, fighting to escape, conveying possibly that Kahlo is longing to run free with no constraints. She went through countless surgeries in hopes of leading a normal life. So, in The Wounded Deer, she highlights that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. But, the arrows could symbolize the burdens of life that are keeping her from being free. Her disabilities prevent her from reaching her goals, much like the arrows are restraining the deer from the world beyond the dead forest. Even if the deer would happen to reach the light, she would only be greeted with bad weather. This way of thinking perhaps indicates that Kahlo felt that if she did overcome her misfortunes that there still would have been nothing pleasant left for her. She was portraying what she thought was her hopeless, inevitable fate. In conclusion, both The Broken Column and The Wounded Deer illustrate Kahlo's inability to overcome the effects brought about by her infertility and disabilities through the painting’s symbolism. While The Broken Column focuses on her shame and embarrassment regarding her nonfunctioning reproductive organs, The Wounded Deer illustrates feelings of hopelessness regarding her inability to bear any children and continuing her family tree. The broken branch in front of Kahlo’s body on the ground symbolizes her useless reproductive organs. Trees are often symbols of family and life. Trees are beautiful and give off the feelings of a prosperous living environment. Every year a tree goes through a lifeless stage but before this happens they create more life and this is their sole purpose. Also, often times a family’s ancestry is referred to as its family tree. This phrase indicates that trees symbolize family history and the process of reproduction. The branch is broken, telling us that it can no longer give off seedlings or create new life. It is the only branch in the whole painting that still has leaves attached to it. That may indicate Kahlo’s lost hope for being able to create new life. Just like the broken branch, her reproductive organs had the potential to create new life on earth but by some tragedy had its opportunity and purpose ripped away from it. Work Cited Cotter, Holland. "The People’s Artist, Herself a Work of Art." Art & Design. The New York Times Company, 29 Feb. 2008. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. Frida Kahlo Foundation. Frida Kahlo: The Complete Works, 2002. http://www.frida-kahlo-foundation.org/biography.html Frida Kahlo Organization. Frida Kahlo and Her Paintings, 2011. http://www.fridakahlo.org/
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The Ant and the Boot

The draft on the Tank Man is profoundly amazing. It flows smoothly in an enjoyable
rhythm and is effective in the message that it is trying to put across. The most exciting aspect of
the draft is the examination of the symbolism and metaphor in the actions of the Tank Man
through the title "the Ant and the Boot." It is a befitting title as the tank man's actions are
compared to those of an ant that wishes to stop the force of a boot despite the eminent
predicament staring at it. Moreover, the sequence of the arguments and critical points is entirely
logical and in tandem wit...


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