Post on 06-Apr-2018
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Being Man. Art Exhibition
Experiencing a moment of time in a mans’ life through pictures. By: Ali Melcher
Photographs taken by: Ali Melcher
and Bradley Willis
As once creatures of instinct, driven by nothing more than our most purest and primaldesires, the human race has certainly made an about face. We have become animals of practice andlearned behaviors building barricades and borders around ourselves making sure we never step footoutside of the realm of “acceptable” behavior. Acceptable by whose standards? That’s the problem,because there is no clear answer. One of these conventions that we have come to understand ascompletely normal is the assignment of gender roles and identities written by a society that demands weuphold them without opposition and instills fear of rejection if we show resistance.
So, how do we come to define a man? Is it measured by the amount of success and moneyhe achieves throughout the course of his life? Is it by the quality of the family he creates and his ability toprovide sufficiently for them? Or, perhaps, it’s simply determined by the sheer masculinity of his strength,
will and power to control the world around him. The world we live in today has made sure that thetransition into manhood comes fully stocked with responsibility to full fill the many roles a man is expectedto play. Man is told to stifle is true, primal nature in order to live peacefully and “free” amongst his fellowman. Are pictures worth a thousand unspoken words? Through these photographs, one man will bedepicted in a moment of his life when he is at the threshold of figuring out exactly who he needs to be.
encounter humanities.
8/3/2019 Ali Melcher
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+fearless.
January 9, 2011.
The ultimate test of man is his ability to laughin the face of danger.
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+refined.
January 12, 2011
Society demands that he keeps up
a certain appearance; a specificpersona. He is expected to
eventually “grow up” and be
accountable for all of his adult
actions.
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+capable.
January 12, 2011
Man is believed to hold the world in
his hands. So, what if he can’t do
something, or achieve a goal, or
reach a destination in his life? Does
that inevitably reflect who is as a
man or lack there of?
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+controlled.
January 14, 2011
He is told to have complete
control over himself; his body,
his mind and most importantly,
he must master his emotions.
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+composed.
January 14, 2011
No matter what, he must never lose
his cool. He must stay completely incontrol of his life. He is allowed
certain vices, but they should never
dominate him.
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+contemporary.
January 14, 2011
He must uphold the most
valued traditions with the
upmost respect, however,
stay in the now and adapt to
an ever evolving society that
is slowing pushing those
traditions further to the side.
8/3/2019 Ali Melcher
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+content.
January 14, 2011
Man must accept his role of
leadership and power. He shouldnot ever reflect on a better life
somewhere and instead, create it
for himself.
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+strong.
January 22, 2011
Mentally sound. His mind is
pulsing with endless
potential. His thoughts,
ideas and finally, his voice
can change the world
overnight. Can he always
handle the pressure?
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+free.
February 4, 2011
How free can a man be
with reigns in his mouth?
He must not ever stoppushing forward or
accept “no” for an
answer. His world should
be limitless…
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+yet, inhibited.
February 12, 2011
…but he must always obey
the rules set forth and
remember to never stray too
far from those constraints.
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+unaffected.
March 4, 2011
Determined and focused.
What he wants, he will getand no outside influence will
stop him, right?
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+aware.
March 11, 2011
He is acutely alert, attentive and
rather receptive to his
surroundings, keeping himself at
a necessary distance as to not get
caught off guard.
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+bold.
March 12, 2011
Courageous. Unafraid, he will take the steps forward thatneed to be taken, when times are difficult and especially
when the conditions are unbearable.
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+clever.
March 22, 2011
Man’s intelligence, wit and popularity are an essential
role to his survival. Should he find himself unwanted
and alone, he will not last long.
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+secure.
March 22, 2011
His self-esteem must be unshakable. His
manhood is his most powerful weapon.
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+resilient.
April 3, 2011
Man must stay willing andirrepressible.
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+dreamer.
April 13, 2011
Man must remain grounded and
realistic but never lose sight of the capabilities he possesses.
He must always think out of the
box but never destroy that box.
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+provider.
April 20, 2011
Physically, emotionally, financially.
The burden is his to carry.
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+best friend.
April 25, 2011
The relationships he develops will
be a defining characteristic of hissaid “manhood.” How well can he
play with others? How much
influence can he project?
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+Lover.
May 1, 2011
Now, it’s time he finds his mate for life; a significantother to conquer the world with. Behind every
great man is a woman making him strong. It will be
assumed something is wrong with him should he
remain unattached in his later years.
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+protector.
May 15, 2011
If he does not keep the ones heloves safe, who will?
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+father, son.
May 21, 2011
And, then, there are those most certain
moments of a mans’ life when he never
feels more vulnerable. Everyone is
born into an automatic role of son or
daughter and from day one we areheavily influenced to pursue that
assigned gender role. However, any
person can create a baby, but,
perhaps, it really does “take a man” to
be a father.
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+Works Cited
ELIZABETH THYRUM, et al. "GENDER, GENDER ROLE, AND CREATIVITY." Social Behavior &Personality: An International Journal 39.3 (2011): 425-432. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO.Web. 8 July 2011.
Excell, Laurie. Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots. Berkeley: Peachpit Press, 2011
“Genders and Gender Understanding in Relationship” Web.
ERYILMAZ, Ali, and Hasan ATAK. "Investigation of Starting Romantic Intimacy in Emerging Adulthood in terms of Self-Esteem, Gender and Gender Roles." Educational Sciences: Theory& Practice 11.2 (2011): 595-600. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 8 July 2011.SearchComplete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed July 8, 2011.
Pachankis, John E., Lea R. Dougherty, and J. Lee Westrnaas. "The Influence of SexualOrientation and Masculinity on Young Men's Tobacco Smoking." Journal of Consulting &Clinical Psychology 79.2 (2011): 142-152. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 8 July2011.
Strong, Bryan, Christine Devault and Theodore F. Cohen. The Marriage and FamilyExperience: Intimate Relationships in a Changing Society. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2010.