HW 44 - comments

TO:
Eloise:

Eloise! You chose to investigate the subject of human sex vs. savage animal reproduction. You created a video collage containing sex and labor, and wrote a poem discussing the taboo subject of sex and giving birth. 

I appreciate the work you must have put into the video. I am interested in movie making and I know that, at least for me, such a montage takes a lot of time and skill to stitch together. The way you transitioned between clips keeps the viewer awake, eager to know what will happen next.

Your topic matters to me because I have been thinking about how sex in our society is starting to become just another source of pleasure. Teenagers seem not to care about the emotional side of love-making. Its a shame that your project can't really be shared publicly because it could help some people realize that people should not become savage animals.

The combination of film and words made your project intriguing and gave me food for thought. Awesome work!


Bianca:

Bianca! You interviewed your peers about abortion, a difficult subject which, unfortunately, seems to become more common in our society. You also wrote an analysis of your interviewees' response and connected their opinions to what happens around us.

I value your courage to interview people about such a taboo subject. At places, the questions seem almost uncomfortable but both you and your peers managed to approach them in a mature way.

Your project matters to me because I, myself, know a person who was considering abortion. She lived in Poland but your project showed me that the attitude towards abortion is the same here as it was in my country. I find that interesting and I am glad you gave me an opportunity to compare the subject in two different environments.

Amber:

Amber! You researched and investigated how a type of birth affects the bonding of a mother and her baby and included a lot of interesting quotes from various sources.

I appreciate how much work you must have put into your project. You used a lot of very interesting information and interpreted it in a way which matches your subject. I like the fact that you had a clearly stated thesis and supported it very well throughout your writing.

Your project is important to me, because I am very interested in the different ways bonding can be affected. My mom always tells me that the most beautiful moments of her life were when she held me and my brother for the first time. Your project makes me wonder if my mom's experience would have been the same if she had a cesarean section. 

Great work!

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FROM:

Lily (protege):

I really liked the visual representation, of when the labor period was separated into Caesarean and natural birth. I also liked the personal connections throughout the project, those of your own birth and delivery. I thought you put quite a lot of effort into the entire project, which made the poster very organised and easy to understand.

Kasia - My mom (mentor):

I like the idea of visualizing the process of giving birth. Your concept is to show the growing tension throughout time. This may help people who were not (or will never be) directly involved in the process to imagine what the whole process looks like.
It is obvious, but I have to mention, that your stories are very personal to me. They gave me an opportunity to recall everything once again. I must say I was lucky that everything went so smoothly for me.

I think that one of the aspects which may have been worth mentioning is that the mother should always concentrate not on her own pain but on the safe delivery of her baby. She should always bear in mind that it is more difficult for the baby than for the mom. Inside the womb, a baby feels safe and cozy. It is warm, the light is soft, it hears only soothing sounds of the intestines and the mother's heartbeat. Then, all of a sudden, something starts to happen that is intended to change everything. Water disappears, contractions push and the baby gets tightly squeezed. While outside, it has to breath by itself, it is suddenly surrounded by bright light, noise, and lots of fuss. There are big hands that touching and examining it. The air and temperature seem very strange. Even fabric and beds are uncomfortable. 

If such aspects are taken into consideration by the mom, the baby is not a trouble and pain paker, but is a little being which needs a lot of help. This is a psychological issue which must be emphasized while a pregnant mom is preparing herself for giving birth.

Bianca (classmate):

Martyna,
I thought your presentation/poster was awesome. The colors did birth justice as it is truly a miracle. You draw an abstract representation of birth and represent the usual boring phrases, "as the birth progressed, the contractions get stronger" with a red tube that zig zags and gets bigger as it progresses to the right of the poster. You strive to create a visual of the process of birth with the help of anecdotes from your family friend. You clearly describe what Pitocin, Cesarean Section, and Epidurals are capable of doing.

I appreciate that you chose to do something creative. I have not yet seen anyone make a poster, even when the option was available. The visuals really help further your story/timeline. The timeline was helpful and extremely structured. I value the fact that you were able to make the clear connections between your story and drawings.

Your project matters to me because I am a woman, capable of giving birth. Once I am old enough, I will want to have a baby. It's important, to me, to know what the effects of pitocin are and the possible complications of a cesarean section. This knowledge would be helpful in the event that I want to create a birth plan or acknowledge when my obstetrician or midwife makes a suggestion rather than thinking it was a necessary course of action to take.

I wish you had gone into more depth about how investigating birth was important to you. Although it was easy to understand the ideas you were trying to get across, I could not identify the intent in your choosing to do this project.

Great Work! I wish I could have done something like this to make my project more aesthetically pleasing.