Dyke Jennifer week 1 analysis

     My response is concerned with the theme of change in repetition and in difference. The reading makes a distinction that repetition is complex, that we cannot expect to see the same results every time. Along with difference which carries a negative connotation in a way, such that can be viewed as the direct opposite as sameness or repetition. A quote that very much influenced my response can be found on page 2: "repetition can always be "represented" as extreme resemblance or perfect equivalence, but the fact that one can pass by degrees from one thing to another does not prevent their being different in kind".
     The process I used started with the thought of incorporating something repetitive into my response, but at the same time still wanting to explore the element of difference. Ultimately I choose to take pictures of my garden in the front of my house because at passing glance every day, it looks the same on the surface, but it is actually quite different due to the same changes that are occurring every day. I  was inspired to use something natural and of the earth because of the quotes on natural law and change provided by the reading: "change as a general condition to which all particular creatures are subject by the law of nature". The materials I used were nature, my cellphone camera, and my friendly preying mantis friend who happened to capture my eye and become the subject of an amazing photo.
     However, there are limitations to the photographs in the response. Viewing a photograph of a scene like the one in my garden does not always do it justice. The feelings that are created by being there in person, like the warmth of the sun, the smell of the hearty lavender plant, or the variety of hues from petal to petal; simply cannot be replicated with the same intention in a photograph. I also acknowledge that perhaps it is more meaningful to me that to other people who have not toiled away from a formerly worthless plot of land.
     The choices I made aesthetically was to take the photographs during peak sunlight hours to showcase the color, made brighter by the sun's reflection. I also choose to take photographs at different angles and distances in order to get a perspective from both myself as gardener from up close, as a well as what guests would see walking up by front walkway. The preying mantis may seem a little out of place, but it was quite purposeful. All of the insects in my garden can be a representation of the law of nature, for the reading notes "unites the water and the permanence of the river", just as the creatures unite the elements to the survival of the garden.
     During this response, I learned to not take readings that their face value, as they can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the standpoint of the reader. I was again reminded of the painful subject of inevitable changes in life as well as how important it is not to let your identity be defined by difference or repetition, but to view these concepts as independent of each other, not necessarily opposite.