Jaurigue, Jeremy Joshua R.

February 12, 2022

3 – IT A Prof. Alintanahin
HMN101
Art Appreciation
Week 3 Assessment Task
1. Take a shot (picture) of an artwork (painting, sculpture, essay, poem, story,
dance,etc.) that you had encountered and had gotten your attention/interest and had
felt such involvement to it.

“And in the death of her reputation, she felt truly

alive.” - an excerpt from Why She Disappeared, a poem by Taylor Alison Swift.
The poem was written in an album magazine during the release of Swift’s sixth
studio album called reputation, in 2017. In the poem, Swift realizes that sacrifices can
happen once a person shows their true colors, but at the end of the day, staying true to
one’s self, regardless of all the external factors, is the thing that matters the most.
2. Explain how this said artwork functions to you, specific of personal and social
functions.

Personal Functions
After reading the poem during its’ premiere release, several emotions were felt.
The poem is relatable to my life experiences back then, as someone who was also
misjudged, by other people, and abandoned by my friends as well, without hearing my
perspective. The written poem by Swift, became my comfort, ever since I read it. It
became my crying shoulder, as if the poem was a person, where I could open up my
bottled-up emotions for a long time. It made me feel that I was not alone. The pain was
shared, and understood by one another, instead of carrying the burden, by myself.
The literature also became my acceptance that it is okay to become my
authentic self, even if there are sacrifices that have to be made or ships that need to be
sunken. Throughout the poem, I realized that I cannot please every individual out there.
Breakdowns, threats, fear, and other negativities will be experienced, but the realest
people in our circle, will show up, and will stay by your side, regardless of your
reputation, even in our most difficult times.
Lastly, the poem gave me the confidence that it is genuinely okay to be my
authentic self, without the approval of others. It is totally acceptable to not always get
validation from different people, all the time. At the end of the day, what matters the
most is our own notion about our self-identity, and how confident can we get, in staying
to our truest character, without hurting other people.
Social Functions
The poem was well received by the general public. It raised an awareness to
the double standards to the music industry, particularly how women are treated unfairly,
and are heavily criticized than men, in the industry, which Swift has experienced for the
past decade. Several musicians such as Halsey, Camilla Cabello, etc. have supported
Swift’s message, since they have experienced mistreatment as well in the industry. The
debates about the hypocrisy in the music industry, have been raised, ever since then,
particularly in the songwriting process of women versus men.
Women positivity, not just in the music industry, but in every sector of the
society, has given more importance and attention. Due to Swift’s influence, young
women were encouraged to their equal rights and question all the double standards and
unnecessary criticism, women have faced. Feminism sparked even more after the
release of reputation.
The most important message of the poem, is the art and power of telling your
own narrative regardless of what the general public thinks of a person. The poem, and
the album that it belongs to, raided an Internet culture, which termed as reputation era,
or an era of a person, where they get hate from the public, without knowing their side of
the story. People since then, were convinced, to always tell their narrative, to reveal the
truth.
3. How does it contribute to the enhancement of your own entirety in being
immersed/involved to the world of art?
The artist’s authenticity and soulfulness to her work, is the major inspiration to
my involvement to art. From the beginning, Swift’s creative and outstanding songwriting
skills, have encouraged me to dabble in art, regardless of its form. Her wide range of
vocabulary, used in her poems and songs, have encouraged me to learn calligraphy.
Swift has always expressed all of her life experiences through the works she has
created. Her number one rule is to always get involved in the creative process of
something, from start to finish. Another visible characteristic from her poem, is the raw
emotions that were conveyed and how clear the message she wanted to express,
regardless of all babbles from others. The poem has taught me that, I can show my
truest, authentic self, through art. I learned that it is better to always associate myself to
every artwork that I do, by heavily embracing my emotions, and portray these feelings,
as I create the artwork.