Overview
The first artifact is a painting created by Thomas Moran between 1893 and 1901 and entitled The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Yellowstone represents the tremendous opportunities that life presents and how they tend to exceed the capabilities of human beings. The second artifact, “Art of Drowning,” was created by Billy Collins in 1995, and it was relevant in invoking thoughts about the true meaning of life in its multiple forms. The author then deliberates on the short nature of life and the fact that human life is relatively easy to lose, as one can die in a split second. As a result, the common theme represented by these artifacts is the intricate nature of life and its fragility.
The thesis statement is, “The theme of human life’s relative insignificance and fragility is opposed to the eternal power of nature.” The artifacts, theme, and thesis statement are situated in the context of humanities in the sense that they discuss issues about the human race that are part of life and are, therefore, inevitable, such as death. Personally, I feel that the theme under discussion encourages me to lead a whole life.
Relevance of the Theme
The theme under discussion is essential to you as the audience because it helps people to value their existence, as human life is short and is bound to end eventually. Take, for instance, the case of the painting The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, where human life and nature are opposed. It took relatively long for the Canyon to form; therefore, human life is considerably short compared to the time it took for mountains, water, and rocks to create this beautiful work of nature.
Similarly, the poem “Art of Drowning” by Billy Collins represents the life cycle of society as a whole. According to the poet’s words, time is put “into such compression, crushing decades in the vice of your desperate, final seconds,” which demonstrates that the existence of humanity with its seeming complexities passes fast (Collins, 1995). Thus, we must contemplate that while it is true that life is short, it also offers much, so it is necessary to take advantage of the good things in life.
Evidence Showing the Relevance of the Theme
Since it is apparent that we need to value human life and its experiences, I feel that the cultural artifacts under discussion are essential in reinforcing the fact that people should lead fulfilled lives. In order to understand the message portrayed in both artifacts, it is necessary to understand their historical representations. The cultural implication made by the first artifact represents the significance of humanity in the robustness of nature. In the “Art of Drowning,” the author emphasizes that when a person realizes the neighing closure of his lifetime, all life events are condensed into a single image. It passes a message for us not to be preoccupied with too much and fail to see value in the life we lead every day.
Personal Views About the Theme
The artifacts and the theme have a personal effect on me because I feel that art is one of the few things that makes the world more sensual and beautiful. I am interested in the fact that art is timeless, as these artifacts will still be relevant decades from today. I chose these particular artifacts because they teach valuable lessons about human life, its brevity, and its fragile nature. This has a deep meaning to me because I have lost some close family and friends to death, and so I know how lucky I am to be alive today.
I connect with the theme of human life versus eternity because it has helped me recognize what is essential in life and to prioritize it. Even if several other themes would be drawn from the two artifacts, I selected the one I did because it is salient to ensure that every passing day is utilized effectively so that I may leave the world a better place after my demise.
Importance of Studying Humanities
Learning humanities makes people to be familiar with diverse cultures, and so it helps to understand human beings better. By unveiling similarities between various cultures, one can know how to interact with people from other cultures amicably. Also, since humanities unveil the differences of multiple cultures, learning it helps one to be better equipped. Humanities help improve professionals’ insight because people can make better decisions, especially when interacting with people from different cultures. Also, humanities are used to acknowledge people’s achievements and failures, and so learning humanities boosts the capacity for creativity among professionals.
Importance of Humanities to Society
Humanities help to understand society’s components because they reveal detailed information about various cultures that collectively form society. Therefore, humanities help people understand the similarities and differences between cultures. Humanities helps society understand aspects of beauty and what is good through various forms of arts, such as music, painting, and poetry, among others. By informing people about multiple cultures, the humanities help society members to be more cohesive. Also, humanities help society learn from past mistakes. As a result, humanities aids society in planning for the future.
Message
As I have reiterated numerously through this paper, the main underlying message is for us to adjust our instincts so as to give human life the value it deserves. The first artifact shows that while human beings are amazing creatures, we are not more important than other parts of God’s creation. Understanding this is imperative because most people tend to place too much value on humans as the center of creation. As a result, this mentality is the reason for the increasing levels of global degradation, as people assume that the universe was created to serve their interests.
The first artifact shows that although human beings may be pretty important, their existence may be negligible compared to the magnificence of all of God’s creations. The second artifact teaches the need for human beings to place more value on human life because it is short. Thus, both artifacts teach the need for humans to be more self-conscious and empathetic toward each other.
References
Collins, B. (1995). The art of drowning. University of Pittsburgh Press.
Haldane, J., & Lloyd, I. (2017). Art, morality and human nature: Writings by Richard W. Beardsmore. Andrews UK Limited.
National Parks Service. (n.d.). Thomas Moran: Artistic master of the conservation movement. Web.
Steagall, J. L. (2018). The Grand Canyon: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture. LIBRARY JOURNAL, 143(16), 76–78.