Seoung Hee Yoo, Reaction essay final, Tues56

Reaction Essay

Housewife

A picture is worth more than a thousand words. A photograph tells a story, captures history and shows culture. The two photographs depict two women from different periods of time. The first picture, title 'Housewife, 1930s' by Granger shows the stereotypical housewife from the 1930s. The other photograph titled 'Housewife and children having stress' from Dreamstime, depicts a modern mother of the 21^st century. The theme of both photographs are identical, but viewers can infer that the housewives from different centuries of each photo lived very different lives.

In Granger's photograph, you can see a housewife holding a pie while she is smiling at her daughter in the center of the photograph. To the left, the daughter is looking up to her mother with an empty plate in her hands as if she is asking for more pie. To the right, there is a small, white, opened refrigerator that is as tall as the mother. Inside the refrigerator, you can see vegetables, canned foods, fruits, milk and jars neatly arranged. The background of the photograph is very plain and simple with no decoration. You can tell that the kitchen is not modern because all the furniture is small. The picture is also black and white so viewers can instantly tell that it was taken a long time ago. Furthermore, their fashion tells a lot about the culture from this period. The mother is wearing a long, dark dress with black heels and thick make up. Her fashionable white apron made from thin cotton is tied around her waist. The daughter is also wearing a short, single dress and plain black shoes with socks. Although they are at home, they are completely dressed which shows feminine values of this period.

The housewife in the second photograph depicts a very different image. The photograph is a closer shot of the housewife and her two children. The mother is holding onto a small child in one hand, and stirring a big pan with a wooden spoon in the other. She is talking on the phone which is held between her shoulder and face. The small child in the mother's arm is supporting the mouthpiece of the phone to the mother's mouth. The other daughter is standing beside the mother and watching her mother stir the food with her head slightly tilted to one side. The mother is wearing a plain, white shirt and a long apron above it. Her hair is messy, held back by bobby pins and hair clips. In the background, there is a row of kitchen utensils hung on one side of the wall and decorative curtains on the other. The kitchen and the style of the mother reminds us of busy mothers today.

In 'Housewife, 1930s,' you can instantly guess that the photograph was taken a century earlier from today by looking at the housewife's dress, style and hair style. The kitchen is very simple with little furniture and equipment because there was little technological development during this period of time. Furthermore, the woman seems relaxed as her shoulders are slightly slouched and is smiling warmly at her daughter. She depicts the stereotypical perfect housewife of the 1930s, who finishes her domestic chores on time, raise children and still manage to look elegant. To the contrary, the mother in 'Housewife and children having stress,' looks very busy as she is doing various tasks simultaneously. You can tell that the mother doesn't have enough time to dress up or do her hair as much as the housewife in the first photograph. If she works, she is most probably talking to her boss over the phone, or possibly to her husband. The photograph is more realistic and shows the busy life of a housewife. You can immediately guess that the photograph was taken in recent years because the kitchen looks much more modern with colorful decorations and expensive silverware.

Two housewives are depicted in these two photographs. The main center of interest, which is the housewife, is centered in the middle of the picture in both photos. The background of the photo gives viewers an idea of the period of time and culture that the photo was taken. Even the fashion of the housewives show that they have different styles. One housewife finishes her domestic chores and has time to dress up while the other doesn't have enough time on her hands. From these two frozen moments, viewers are able to interpret the story of these two women.