CONTEXTUALIZATION
For this project I wanted to focus on what the life of a teenager looks like in the context of a different culture and time period. I wanted to look at my mothers life because she was raised in Nigeria, Africa and she was born in the mid 70s. I also wanted to look at my sisters life because she was born in the late 90s and she was raised in York, Pennsylvania. Somewhere throughout research my mom and I began to talk about her older brother and how he may be depressed but it just showed up differently because of the culture. I was very inspired by the idea that depression showed up in many different ways and how culture ultimately dictates how we may view a situation. The video down below does a very good job at painting that picture.
Art
English
My mother explained to me that her eldest brother had to give up his dreams of going to school and getting education to work with his dad. The rest of my uncles siblings got to go get education and do bigger things with their lives. At this time education guaranteed money and a successful life. So imagine how it felt being the only sibling who didn't have a successful life while watching everyone around you thrive essentially. Inspired by this story i wrote a poem.
We Have All Gotten a Part to Play
5 am I wake up to walk to the fields
My father looks at me and says, “son this is just how it feels”
No worries, it's not throwing your life away
We have all gotten a part to play
What determines your amount of success?
your education? The way you look, the way you dress?
No worries, I’m not throwing my life away
We have all gotten a part to play
What does happiness feel like?
When all I get to do is provide
No worries, I’m not throwing my life away
We have all gotten a part to play
Depression hits in waves
Sometimes I look at my life and feel like a slave
I feel like I threw my life away
But we have all gotten a part to play
My kids look at their aunts and uncles in such awe
But they don’t know what it took to achieve it all
I worry I threw my life away
But we have all got a part to play
My father looks at me and says, “son this is just how it feels”
No worries, it's not throwing your life away
We have all gotten a part to play
What determines your amount of success?
your education? The way you look, the way you dress?
No worries, I’m not throwing my life away
We have all gotten a part to play
What does happiness feel like?
When all I get to do is provide
No worries, I’m not throwing my life away
We have all gotten a part to play
Depression hits in waves
Sometimes I look at my life and feel like a slave
I feel like I threw my life away
But we have all gotten a part to play
My kids look at their aunts and uncles in such awe
But they don’t know what it took to achieve it all
I worry I threw my life away
But we have all got a part to play