Tiffany Yang
Journal 4
English D394 (Prof. Scanlan)
9/29/15
My favorite Urban Art Picture
Lewis Wickes Hine is the photographer that I picked because his pictures is often about workers in industrial setting. His images on page 147-149 are all about working class people working during the 1900’s; the industrial revolution. The photo that I choice to be my favorite is “Riveters attaching a beam,” because the photo shows four men constructing a building. The determination was the main reason why I choice this picture, they are at the 92nd floor, the floors are not built yet by the looks of one of the men sitting on one of the pillars and the other three stands on top of a wooden floor tied to the ceiling pillars. The four man is just working not even showing an ounce of fear. They were working determine to finish the Empire State Building and get the payment for their hard work.
I know I would have the opposite reaction to the project, because I get nervous if I was up so high. I would possibly find a way out of a task which requires me to be like those four men, I would find some way to get a task that will keep my feet on a solid ground. That is why I admire the four men in this photo and it is a little personal and a useless reason but that is my reason. They had a purpose to be there and did not let the height scare them away from the task at hand. That is what I want in my future; do not let my fear limit my success.
Best,
Tiffany Yang
There were multiple things in your explanation that drew my attention about the photo “Riveters attaching a beam.” First off, I like the way you described what was happening in the photo. It helps the person who would not be able to see the picture understand what is going on in the photo. I also like the way the workers determination was one of the reasons for this picture being your favorite. What also drew my attention in you explanation of your favorite photo was the connection to the determination you would have and the admiration for the four men being up so high in the sky.
The workers here show an excellent amount of bravery in the process of building the building (sort of odd how the word building words both times in the sentence… I digress.) It also gives me a smidgen of a feeling of the creeps when I imagine working at high altitudes. The worker that’s kneeling down, installing the rivet is literally kneeling on a palette. Can you imagine what would happen if he leaned back, or a gust of wind was strong enough to knock him over?
What a fright.