I visited the Museum of the City of New York on November 20th alongside my peers Bosko and Jayden Pooran. We explored the “NY at Its Core” permanent exhibit and many others, including the Byzantine Bembé, which was incredible. We also visited the ‘URBAN DANGERS’ exhibit, which goes hand in hand with the Watchman’s rattle. The exhibit description mentions NYC’s vast expansion in population numbers; in about 70 years, it more than quadrupled. Crowding in such limited areas—as the city was confined to what we know today as Lower Manhattan—brought risks of fire and the rapid spread of disease. In 1776, a Revolutionary War fire destroyed 25% of the city’s…

Using Stuart Hall’s essay “The Spectacle of the Other” it’s critical that we analyze the binary opposition of the East and West in Puccini’s canonical opera Madama Butterfly. Hall argues that these binary oppositions construct a narrative where the West is seen as the norm and the East as the exotic ‘Other’. The opera takes place in Japan, which strikes a stark contrast between Western civilization and the Orient (the East). Madama Butterfly represents Eastern civilization through traditional Japanese attire, customs, and cultural demeanor, which is certainly different than characters like Pinkton who echo vibes of American assertiveness and cultural insensitivity. The scene I’m choosing is “Un bel di vedremo”…

The musical Suffs that we saw on Broadway was absolutely incredible. It approached the representation of the women’s suffrage movement by depicting historical moments in a memorable way. Through countless songs, scenes, and a constant calling for equal representation, the production cast fought their heart and souls out for women’s suffrage. With an exclusively female cast, this was a big day for women. They fought hard during the movement and still fought for equal representation in all aspects of society for many years later; they deserve to be celebrated. These acts later paved the way for African American women to gain the right to vote through civil rights act under…

Hamilton is an extraordinary musical that has had an incredible cultural impact since its debut on Broadway in 2015. Its racial casting, rap music, and advocacy for diversity all played a role in reinterpreting the story of our American Founding Fathers. There had never been a show before in the history of Broadway that defied expectations to such a level, incorporating hip-hop, R&B, and classic show tunes that raised the bar to a new high. The Battle of Yorktown depicts the crucial battle during the American Revolution. In the song “The World Turned Upside Down,” Hamilton focuses on combining rap and other classic styles to convey the intensity of battle…

Paul Cézanne’s Turning Toad at Montgeroult appears to be a painting of a small village/multiple houses accompanied by a small bridge and grass below it. Cezanne gives these roofs a very smooth appearance. We can see the moon in a distant background in addition to a rectangular door on the far left’s house. The technique used is interesting to say the least; The houses are drawn incredibly smoothly and easy to distinguish, but everything else from the pathway/bridge to everything below is rather blurry. The houses appear to be rising and moving up alongside a hill, with two houses, the ones on the top left and far right, being colored…