It is possible to walk through walls.

It is possible to be in two places at once.

It is possible to be standing and moving at the same time.

It is possible to create life.

It is possible that we were created.

It is possible that we are not alone.

It is possible that we evolved.

It is possible to move mountains with our minds.

It is possible that there is no Ultimate Truth.

It is possible that there is Ultimate Truth.

There are infinite possibilities. And, they are all relative.

In contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city, people end up waiting for all sorts of stuff. People wait for elevators, transportation, bank clerks, seating and the list goes on. The reason why people have to wait for services is because there aren’t enough resources to accommodate everyone’s needs at once. Another reason why people need patience when it comes to waiting is due to the inherent fact that people take time to make decisions. Everyone has different needs, so they take differing amounts of time to get things done which either increases or reduces the period of waiting. Waiting slows down the pace of life because everyone needs a reprieve from the craziness of everyday life.

I am going to concentrate on the issue of waiting in the cafeteria. The main reason why I wanted to observe and write about this was that I have had to wait in a line plenty of times and there were a lot of subjects to observe right here at Coe. This falls into an urban practice due to the fact that we are in an urban campus very close to the downtown of a major city. Coe’s cafeteria serves about 300-400 students every meal and that’s a big number for a single cafeteria on a college campus. So, waiting is an eventuality at our cafeteria. We wait to get into the cafeteria which could either be instantaneous or delayed depending on how long the line is which could extend all the way to the bookstore. And then we wait in the food lines which snakes its way around the front of the cafeteria. And then there are lines for salads, deli meats, and liquid refreshments. Some people say that we spend a small yet significant chunk of our time at school waiting for food.

Human nature dictates our restlessness while standing still, so it is interesting to note the different ways that we entertain ourselves while we linger to get food. I interviewed some friends and asked them to tell me what they did or observed people doing at the cafeteria lines. I summarized their answers and my observations and I shall proceed to describe them.

If students go to eat in a group, and are held up, they usually talk among themselves. It could be a conversation that they were having on the way to the cafeteria or something that came up while standing around. But generally speaking in this situation, they tend to ignore people around them as I have observed that many of the conservations get very boisterous and loud and tend to irritate others nearby. While on the other hand, if someone is by themselves, they could be doing or thinking about a multitude of things. Usually they would look around for familiar faces or someone they can stand next to so that they don’t feel lonely. That usually leads to further conversation and an imminent sense of belonging and purpose. However, that doesn’t happen all the time as people can end up being alone. So at times like this, I have observed them to be uncomfortable and shifty as they look around to see if anyone is looking at them. Sometimes in the solitude, you could reflect on classes or events in life. When I was alone, I would think about my pending work and formulate a plan to finish it. Another possible thought that could be running through our mind could be to eat the right amount because it’s a good thing to strive for. Since the cafeteria allows us eat as much as possible, over-eating is a regular occurrence. Humming seems to be a popular option because it’s a sign of letting your mind wander. It’s usually a tune that’s stuck in your head and you don’t know why. It’s funny to see the person next to them start humming the same tune unconsciously which means that we influence our surroundings to a large extent.

The cafeteria is where a lot of the social interaction between students occurs during school days. While standing in line, students check each other out and notice what they are wearing or doing. This is perhaps one of the most popular actions while waiting. If someone in a group notices something different about someone, it sparks instant talk. Something else that comes up in a group is gossip. Waiting in lines allows time for people to catch up on gossip as well. We also scope out the area for seating which either could be finding an empty table to accommodate the group or find an existing table with people you would like to eat with. We also greet each other when we see one another and we also tend to greet the people working there and strike up a conversation with perhaps a chef.

I know a lot of people who either read a newspaper, mail or start homework while the line inches forward. That is a judicious use of time, for time stops for no one and time is money. We also try to look at the food set out and pray the food is good. If the food is good, some people visibly start salivating or tapping their foot in impatience. We must like observing other people because one of the people I interviewed said that she likes to look at the food that people choose to eat.

In conclusion, I think that there are three main things people do while waiting for food. They are socializing, observing, or something self-absorbing. We also need things to entertain us while we are held up. This is however not a complete list of things people do while waiting but rather the observations of an international college student who has never had the opportunity to experience a cafeteria in school.

This show started with a scene where Dr. Louis Guillette is riding a boat looking for alligators in the night. He started on his research on effects of endocrine disruptors when he saw changes in reproductive system of alligators. He thinks that we could extrapolate the effects of endocrine disruptors on humans by studying wildlife. At a certain level I agree with Dr. Guillette about studying wildlife regarding effects since animal testing is an integral tool of experimentation on the effects of chemicals on our physiology. He found a visible sign of endocrine disruption in affected alligators as the penis length was shorter than those which have not be affected.

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Lying — one of the biggest sins in our society. People have been lying all through the ages and there doesnt seem to be an end in sight. Our society is ingrained with the art of lying. It is not possible to survive in this individualistic society without lying, but this is the reason that people dont trust each other anymore. Individuals have different relationships with lying. Some may declare their preference for honesty, or lack awareness about moral problems associated with lying; some are just beyond caring, as ifit is an integral part of them.

Of the many lies people tell, the most harmless is the white lie. A common example of my fifth lie isgiving a false excuse to avoid hurting the feelings of someone making a request or giving an invitation. To illustrate this point, a common lie is the phrase I dont have it. I have heard that phrase usedso many times; I am myself guilty of using it, often to the point that I feel ashamed at times. Although a white lie is harmless by itself, since it doesnt have much moral import, the accumulated effect leads to confusion, misunderstandings and distress. People sometimes forget the white lies they say and blurt out the truth. This is embarrassing for both parties involved. But then most people use white lies so often that they dont realize it.

The fourth lie, which stands out to me, is when people say, I dont know or I dont rememberwhen a question is asked. How annoying is it when you ask someone something and then, although they know the answer, they are too lazy to give a straight answer? Instead they give you a shrug and the awful phrase I dont know! This is perhaps the most widespread phrase among the student populus. As sterile as this statement is, most of us are offended by it if its not true. The I dont rememberusually comes up when people are reminded of their stupid mistakes under the influence of alcohol. I am not sure how drunk people have to be so that they lose conscious control of themselves. Feigning amnesiaand avoiding the truth of their idiocy is generally not very healthy.

I would award the third place to the lies we tell ourselves. The most widespread self lie in our age group would be I am not an alcoholic. I can quit anytime. This is something that every drinker tells himself, but the sad part is that itsalmost always false. Another common addiction that people say they can quit is smoking. I have seen attempts of many of my friends and family members to quit smoking but they have always started again when they take one puff after staying away from it for a long time.One such lie I am guilty of is saying that I am not addicted to my computer and internet because lately I have realized that I am. I am generally never in a good mood when the college internet is down because its one of my outlets for stress during the day plus its the only way I am in contact with my friends and family.Another lie we tell ourselves during school is when we think we are doing fine in academics while actually we are not. This has been an issue with several people I know. They think they can get better after failing in tests and quizzes although inside they know better. It tears me up to see people dejected after being unable to grasp the reality of the consequences of not performing up to par in classes.

And the second place goes to the lies we use for excuses in school. In this category, the rampant lying deals primarily with homework. I have heard some bizarre and downright silly reasons like my dog ate my homework or my baby brother tore it up. The 21^st century version would be my computer crashed or a virus deleted my essay. To be truthful, I have used some excuses in my school life as well, mostly stuff like I was sick or I had a major headache.But then my professor would believe these excuses because it was true most of the time and couldnt differentiate between a fake excuse and the truth because it is so believable. Students also lie about tardiness all the time as well. The world famous I had a flat or my alarm didnt go off seem to be the best reasons for being late, although professors have been able to see past the facade.

Last but not the least, the lie that takes the crown is the lies that women tell others. Most of them are downright hilarious. Age and weight is something they love lying about. Its like they think we are blind or something. When a 200 pound woman says that she is 120 pounds, instead of people believing her, shed be the laughed at. Another thing that amazes me is how women think that people would think they are 40 when they are truly 55. Some lies they use when they dont want to go out with someone is usually something like I am busy that night or my parents are coming over. When questioned about lying, theyd say that they were using feminine guile. So it seems like they have coined a new term for lying and it doesnt seem so bad to them anymore.

Lies range from the Monica Lewinsky/Bill Clinton scandal to the innocuous white lies. One interesting statistics from a leading authority in lying is that women tell four white lies every 15 minutes to mens three. I think lying is okay in a micro level but on the macro scale, a lie is like a ripple that expands and reproduces exponentially as one lie begets another lie. So, a perfect utopian world would not have any lies.

I noticed that some people were hitting my blog looking for the dying niobid, so i decided to put up the paper i wrote about the sculpture. FYI: this is not the professor-corrected version, so don’t mind the mistakes.

Exploration of female nudes in the Classical and the Hellenistic

The Dying Niobid
Aphrodite of Knidos

The two pieces of sculptures that I will be comparing are The Dying Niobid and Aphrodite of Knidos. The Dying Niobid is a Classical sculpture dated 450-440 BCE. The Aphrodite of Knidos is a Hellenistic piece by Praxiteles during the peak of his career between 330 and 360 BCE. There was a change in values and virtues of Greek culture through the transition from the Classical to the Hellenistic. This was especially true in case of perception of art concerning men and people from other cultures outside Greece. However one thing that did not change was the perception of women in that society. Women were exploited in the Classical era and that continued through to the Hellenistic era in the portrayal of women in sculpture.

The Dying Niobid is the first female nude sculpture found belonging to the Classical period. This piece is clearly Classical with a few innovations such as the nude portrayal. It was a bold move by the unknown sculptor because women were always clothed as nudity corresponded to heroic status. When men were depicted in sculpture, they were nude and larger than life affirming the male dominance of the society. An example of this dominance is the Discobolos by Myron in mid-fifth century BCE which showed an idealized larger than life male who was not self conscious about his nudity. This offers the heroic element to the sculpture. There was no self-consciousness due to the lack of clothing which suggested confidence and vitality.

The primary iconography of the piece suggests pathos since the young Niobid was fleeing from Artemis and was shot in her back with an arrow. That was suggestive of cowardice as no man would have been shot in the back. She stumbles as she is shot in the back and that causes her drapes to fall off. The nude element is accidental as she stumbles and reaches back to pull the arrow out. In the process, she grimaces and throws her head back in a pathetic gesture. This clearly deters the piece from reaching heroic status. We can also see the pain of evident death on her face. She realizes that she is doomed and fated to die. Her form is Classical as the piece depicts rhythmos due to symmetry in motion. Her right arm and left thigh are on a vertical line, so there is symmetry on the vertical axis. Her extended right thigh is balanced by her arms reaching for her back. She also forms a triangle which provides with a certain sense of stability because Classical sculpture was about order and reason. Stability in the form was very important. This was also about the momentary as it was depiction of frozen motion, a still image in the process of the young Niobid stumbling.

The artist was playing around with new ideas but he still had various constraints regarding form and iconography. Women had not been depicted nude in the Classical era due to their inferior status in society. The sculptor balanced the nudity in the piece by showing her in the process of dying. Dying can be shown in a heroic manner but the artist goes further to deprive her of heroic status by showing her getting shot in the back as she runs away cowardly from her pursuer. He balanced the piece because the public of that era would not appreciate the novelty of female nudity. The portrayal of death in a woman who is vulnerable and defeated depreciated the value of the female Niobid. The piece conformed to the ideals of Greek society during that period.

The young Niobid was unselfconscious of her nudity as she was more concerned with the arrow in her back. This caused her to gaze upwards as she fished around for the arrow. This allows us to gaze at her accidental nudity freely. This brings a voyeuristic element to the piece and suggests a certain level of eroticism. This eroticism borders on pornography because it provides the male viewer sexual pleasure while looking at it. The pornographic element in this piece is ghastly with the portrayal of death. It is similar to snuff pornography in the modern world where the subject or victim is murdered brutally on film after having sex.

The Dying Niobid acknowledged the male dominance in the society as the male viewer had the control of interpreting the piece the way he wanted. He could either look at it erotically or look at it with disgust. He could derive pleasure from viewing the topless Niobid or be sickened by the pathos during the last moments of her death. Either way, this showed that women were still exploited and would not be given equal status in society. Men could be heroes but women would not be given the status. They would be almost heroic and then the artist would do something to the piece to deprive them of the heroic element. Women were shown as soft, delicate and vulnerable, which was not heroic.

The Aphrodite of Knidos was a trend setting piece as there were many versions of Aphrodite created later. This was a piece of Hellenistic sculpture as the iconography shown here is as simple as a bath. The piece shows Aphrodite nude with her right hand covering her pubic area with her left hand holding on to a drape over a water vase. Her head is also turned to the left. She is emerging or getting ready for a bath. This is a very private moment that we are witnessing. This piece does not have a heroic element in it either due to the selfconsciousness of her nudity.

The pose of Aphrodite was contrapposto which is defined by American Heritage� Dictionary as �The position of a figure in painting or sculpture in which the hips and legs are turned in a different direction from that of the shoulders and head; the twisting of a figure on its own vertical axis.� She has her right hip cocked to the side with most of her weight on her right foot. It�s a casual stance which is more comfortable that the rigid straight posture. This casual posture alleviates strain. However she is balanced with her extended left arm and hand. This pose conveys ease in posture yet reassuring stability. This is very similar to the Doryphoros. Her pose is more supple, feminine, and not athletic because she is stooping a little. This made her nude feminine form different from the athletic yet casual stance of the male Doryphoros. However a key difference in the two pieces is that the male Doryphoros is not self conscious about his nudity.

The line form of the Aphrodite is S-shaped which induces sensuality to the image. Plaxiteles used the bath as a pretext for nudity. She is self conscious about her nudity. This is perhaps due to her privacy being invaded by a male gaze. She quickly moves to cover her private areas in a gesture of modesty. Her posture is coy which makes this image of Aphrodite erotic. This piece was made for a male gaze. This voyeurism makes this image pornographic too. Her failed attempt to be modest makes it more erotic because it makes us wonder about what�s hidden. However, since her gaze is not straight but looking off to the left, we are allowed to view her nudity freely without feeling uncomfortable.

There are similarities between The Dying Niobid and the Aphrodite of Knidos. They have a certain sense of order. Both of them are balanced, inducing order into the sculptures. This makes the Aphrodite of Knidos pseudo classical. They are both nude but without the trait of heroism. The Niobid is portrayed with pathos as she stumbles. Aphrodite is shown in a private moment doing something as trivial as a bath. Both the female nudes are looking away which allows the viewer to scan her body at his pace without feeling uncomfortable. An interesting observation is that the build of both nudes are similar. It�s rather fascinating to see that the image of a sensual female body had not changed. The voyeuristic element in both the female nudes gives control to the male viewer. This shows the exploitation of women because men thought women were inferior to them. They made women seem like mere sex objects.

Since these pieces are produced in contrasting eras, they have some fundamental differences. They have different forms as the form of the Niobid is more rigid and ordered. The Niobid is also not conscious about her nudity while Aphrodite is clearly conscious of her nudity as she moves to preserve her modesty. Another difference is that the Niobid is shown performing a pathetic gesture while Aphrodite is merely in a bath. Mortal women were likely to be shown more pathetic and vulnerable than goddesses.

Since neither of these pieces are heroic and are suggestively erotic, it portrays the status of women as lowly. They were not allowed to be equal to men. We have not been witness to any male nudes that were meant to be erotic. This is due to the fact that most of the sculptures were made for rich male aristocrats who looked down upon women. When the artists created these masterpieces, they were subject to constraints in art during the particular era. During the Classical era, the nude female was not a permissible theme when the male nude form was evolving. So, they had to create abnormal states for the female subject to make her nude. However, even with relaxation of that form of prejudice, Praxiteles felt like he had to justify Aphrodite�s nudity by using the premise of a bath. They were not allowed to show women as heroes due to possible public outrage. So, they condoned the male dominance by creating images of women which were meant to serve as high class pornography further subjugating women.

Reference:

1. The Aphrodite of Knidos and Her Successors: A Historical Review of the Female Nude in Greek Art. Christine Mitchell Havelock. University of Michigan Press.
2. Greek Sculpture: A Critical Review. Rhys Carpenter. University of Chicago Press.