Portfolio Item 6

Project Details
London Synthesis Essay
Engl 7350 Seminar in Multicultural London, Second Summer Session 2014
This paper was meant as a culmination of experience during the London Study
Abroad program. It was meant to amalgamate the various experiences of London
into a cohesive lesson. It discusses the visual impact of London. It references the
work completed in the Daybook completed for class.

Critical Refl ection

But I wanted to learn. A yawning hole deep inside me was begging to be filled up
with words and thoughts and ideas (Blackman 63). I whole-heartedly concur with
this statement from one of the novels read for this course. The novel influenced my
perceptions of Other and therefore my perceptions of London. In the novel, racial
positions are switched allowing one to perceive life from a different point of view.
How do people learn to see from different perspectives outside a novel? I find that
the concept of seeing a people through their own visual concepts of reality
continues to enlighten me both for my own sake as well as to learn about others. I
look at my students choices in fashion and look differently now. It is the concept
within this paper that I feel works well. I do not agree that if you mix with all these
people you have to give up your culture to accept theirs (Ali 27). Experiencing
other cultures and their visuals allows one to expand understanding rather than
limiting it; we get to fill that yawning hole deep inside rather than walk around
empty. If I were to write this essay again, though, I would expand on the installation
at the Tate Modern. It truly was a fascinating look at how visuals affect perception.
Therefore, visuals must play an important role in our assumptions and our
stereotypes.

References
Ali, Monica. Brick Lane. New York: Scribner, 2003. Nook File.
Blackman, Malorie. Noughts & Crosses (Black & White). New York: Simon &
Schuster, 2001. Nook File.

A 1-7 rating of the overall satisfaction with the item

6 I am happy with my thematic selection in discussing London; I would like to
expand a few ideas.