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Silence

sara.gladwin's picture

Silence as a Self Imposition

I chose this photograph because it speaks also to the silence imposed upon one’s self, the limitations we may feel in forming the opinions we do

or do not voice. This past week I have had several realizations leading ultimately into an epiphany about the way silence plays a role in my life, and how it will continue to affect my interactions with classmates in this 360.

I recently come to restructure how I believe epiphanies form, in that I no longer see an epiphany as a sudden realization. Instead I recognize it as a gradual process, one that takes into account multiple realizations and experiences. Often I will discover a piece of an epiphany through my surroundings, or an experience, or another person. Eventually, those small pieces accumulation into a full actualization; into a moment of clarity generally categorized as the epiphany. However, the pieces leading into that moment are crucial and inseparable from the mean

Sharaai's picture

My Image of Silence

As I was looking for images of silence, I began to think about the moments in time when I appreciated a specific sense of silence. Images of schoolwork, sunsets and sleeping ran through my mind but one that stood out for me is the feeling I look for when I am reading for enjoyment. When I am reading to get away from my surroundings and am attempting to surround myself in a while new world; when I am reading for pleasure, I often hope to become completely involved in the book to point that my surroundings become silenced by the words I'm reading and the worlds I am throwing myself into. Though reading a good book brings a sense of silence over me, the image I chose doesn't necessarily pour out the feeling of silence. It has books everywhere, sticking out randomly from the shelves, stacked vertically, horizontally and all the ways possible. But when you look to the back of this image, you see a man looking at a book very intently. He seems so concentrated and enthralled in his reading that the mess of books around him fades away. This is the silence I love to see. Silence on the outside but the inner workings of the mind still seem to be hard at work.   

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