Abstracting- Good Vs. Evil

picture by Flyinfrogg

Balance

   Light       Shadow

Bright               Fallen

   Shine                          Darkness

  Honesty                                  Deceit

  Wisdom                                          Demise Redeeming                                        Malevolent 

       This week for our How Do I Love Thee assignment, we are examining the idea of "abstracting".  What is abstracting?    Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein state in Sparks of Genius, " They reduced complex, visual, physical or emotional ideas to bare, stripped images, revealing through simplicity the power of purity.  In other words, they abstracted." .(p. 72 ) We find great abstracts in amazing works of art, and also abstract ourselves on a daily basis when we whistle a part of our favorite song.

     

        My subject matter for this assignment is the elements of fantasy genre. I wanted to work on abstracting one single element from the fantasy genre, and represent the abstraction through two different mediums.   I decided to focus on the element of good versus evil.  In the fantasy genre,  the theme of good versus evil  consistently appears.   How this theme appears can vary, whether it is through superheroes, animals, or even places.  Therefore, it is important to know that this element exists and it can be experessed  differently with each novel read.

      I chose the photograph above as my first example of abstracting the element of good versus evil. I am a very visual person and I liked the way this picture takes this idea and exhibits two opposite forms (good versus evil) on one person.   This picture begins to tell a story by the use of minimum detail- such as the difference of color in the eyes, or the lightness to darkness of the face.     The color change of the eyes can represent the  idea of a human turning to the "dark side". It also suggests the idea from natural to supernatural.   The changing from lightness on one side to darkness provokes the thought of good versus evil.   This photograph also represents the lightness and darkness characteristic through the bird and its feathers.    This picture can also be used to bring in more elements of the fantasy genre (such as the bird and the idea of flying and its relation to good versus evil).

         My second medium was a poem that I created  to exhibit good versus evil.  I thought the poem is a good representation of the qualities these elements demonstrate in a fantasy novel.  Goodness portrays the light, virtue, and goodness of the objected represented. Deceit, power, and demise come along with the darkness of evil that is shown in the object or character/s contained in that genre.   As the poem goes to opposite ends, we also see this happening with good and evil- it is a goal to find the center, or "balance" to maintain equality.  

     

      I find this idea of abstracting such a fascinating tool because it is something I am asked to do on a daily basis as an elementary teacher.  In every subject matter we are to take a complex topic and strip it down to the bare essentials in order for students to begin to understand the concepts.   It is essential as an elementary teacher is to be careful to focus on one main detail or element at a time.