Christine Howe

Reflection

One of the most prevalent and important issues in our society today is the polarization
and division of our nation. In my project, I wanted to highlight the importance of diminishing
polarization and its effects on us. Using colors and symbols, I created an art piece with the
hope that my audience would start to listen to people of the “other side”, especially after
reading my artist's statement. Since we have not had an exhibition, I haven't really had a
chance to share it with an audience, but I was thinking I could put a version of my artist's
statement in the Quill next semester?
As a young American in the past couple of years, I have had confusing feels about my
political standings. I have always been pretty firmly against most things on the right and
agreed with beliefs of the left, but I was never as passionate about certain issues as of my
peers and family members. I actually thought there was something wrong with me. This
project made me realize that although I stand farther to one side of the political aisle, I could
be what one would consider a “middle grounder”. I lean towards one point of view, but I can
understand the beliefs and values of the other side. For example, abortion is a highly
controversial topic today. Though I have not done extensive research on it, I know where I
stand. I think that a woman should not be required to bring a child into this world if she
doesn’t want to or can’t because of her circumstances. It should be her choice. However, I
understand why people on the right side of the aisle are so horrified by this: the idea of
killing a child is just too much for them. Two main Republican/Conservative values are
family and tradation, and I can see how the concept and act of abortion would go against
both of those. So it is important to be able to understand both sides, and as I touched on in
my project, I think this is one of the most important things that we need to master as a nation
going forward.
During this project, I learned a lot about rhetoric, ideologies, and the democratic
experience. One of the things that stuck with me most about rhetoric is that it is not just a
political idea; it is in our everyday lives. Before this project, I associated it with political
campaigns and things of that nature. After exploring rhetoric further, and discussing it in
class, I began to notice it when I was speaking to people, doing homework, and even arguing
with my parents about cleaning my room. I also learned that although people have very
different ideologies, a lot of the time they have the same value. Sometimes people get so
caught up in the ideologies and beliefs of another person that they do not allow themselves to
understand and form a relationship with them. In terms of the democratic experience, this
project has shown me that it is an ongoing process. As a nation, we are always learning new
things about democracy, and how to fulfill its guidelines as we advance. That is another thing
that is important to realize; as we develop and advance, we need to change our expectations
and policies as a democratic society.
 Christine Howe

Willingness to be disturbed is essential in a democratic society because we have so

much say in things. For example, in elections, it is important to let ourselves “be disturbed”
so that we don’t vote for someone just because of the party they represent, and vote instead
for whoever would do best for our country. On the other hand, we have to let ourselves be
distured by our own party. We can’t allow ourselves to be blinded to the things a candidate
has done or is doing just because they aren’t “the other”.