Student 13

You can determine someone's personality by looking at many different aspects of their life. Whether it is the music they listen to, the colors they choose, or the ideals they have, their personality shines through.

Sigmund Freud felt that what you do on the outside was a reflection of what is happening on the inside. He felt that inside of a person, the three aspects, the ego, id, and the superego were all pulling at each other. There is a war going on inside each one of us. Freud thought that everyone was neurotic because of these wars. He felt that our superego had taught us to hide our feelings.

On the other hand, Carl Jung had a differing opinion. He felt that the self was the goal in life. This goal motivates us and compels us to want to seek wholeness. To Jung, Christ is the ultimate example to follow. Because this completeness required so much effort, it was thought that it could not be fully developed until middle age.

The music of the 19th century was termed as "Romantic." The Romantic Movement was the first international movement. This music was used to express emotion. It was the most perfect music because it was the purest expression of emotion. There are four key characteristics that defined Romantic music. First, it was written in a minor key, which meant that dissonance was heard. Some of the pieces sounded like someone was just banging on the piano. Second, there were leaps or jumps all over the piano. Third, there were many diagonal lines. This causes tension and anxiety. Finally, Romantic music had varied contrasts. One moment, the music was soft and flowing and the next, it was loud and choppy.

The art of this era looked like the music sounded. There were dark, bold colors and diagonal, choppy lines. Many of the artists blurred the paint, giving it motion and making it seem alive. The main focus of art was on individualism.

To begin explaining my self-portrait, I will start with the miniature piano. The piano itself is significant because it is my mother's. She is the person responsible for getting me interested in the piano. She also taught me to play my first song, "This is the Day." I have played the piano since then, taking lessons for around eight years. The piano is a dark, red-brown wood color with a transparent top that opens up. On the inside are my other two objects, which I will explain later. The red-brown color is significant because you cannot see through it. I do not let many people get to know the real me. I like being private. On my Yoruba ring, the du-du colors were my third choice, but I think that they describe me more than my second choice, pupa. I believe that I am a practical person. Many of the lines on my piano are straight, horizontal lines. This reflects my dependability. My friends know that they can depend on me in most any situation. When the top is propped open, it forms a triangle. When we did the preferential shape test, the triangle was my first choice. This can either show that I try to achieve balance in all parts of my life, which I do, or that I set reachable goals for myself, which I also do.

Inside the piano I have two objects, a bracelet and a picture. The bracelet is no ordinary bracelet; it is a charm bracelet. I have had the bracelet for four years and have added twenty-one charms to it. This bracelet is important because every charm has some meaning. I have a cruise ship from when I went on the Senior Cruise to Mexico, a flute because I play it, a graduation cap from when I graduated, an airplane from my first airplane trip, and my high school mascot, a Greyhound, to name a few. The bracelet is silver, reflecting my number one Yoruba choice, fun-fun. I am a cool, aloof person, so that fit me well. The shape of the bracelet is a circle. This could show my attempt to achieve wholeness and completion in my life. I have a strong church background and believe in Christ. I think that I am more of a Jungian person than a Freudian person. Because of my background, I strive to be the best I can through Christ.

The last object inside the piano is a picture of my Chihuahua, Bud. He was a gift from my boyfriend after I got my wisdom teeth removed. I added him to my project because he shows my soft side. Though I sometimes act like I do not care about things, deep down I really do.

The last piece of my project is not something you can look at; it is something you listen to. I recorded myself playing Enrique Granados' Oriental on the piano. Music is the best way that I can express myself. This piece was written in the Romantic style. It is in a minor key, has dissonance and contrasts and also has diagonal lines. This piece has soft parts and it has loud parts. I am like this; I can be nice, but I can also get angry. There are some places where everything flows well and together. This is me when I am playing the piano. Then, all of the sudden, it sounds like someone threw some notes onto the page. This is me during finals!

There are many ways to describe myself, but these four things are the best examples. Throughout this course, we have tried to find our real self and I think that I have come to know the real me.

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