Student 20

Object 1: “Louder than Words” by Jonathan Larson

To explain “why do we seek knowledge?'' I chose the song “Louder than Words” written by Jonathan Larson and performed by Andrew Garfield, Vanessa Hudgens, and Joshua Henry from my favorite movie on Netflix: Tick, Tick…BOOM!. Tick, Tick…BOOM! is my favorite movie from Netflix because it delivers the story of a young man, Jonathan Larson who has the option to either get out of his way to pursue his dream of becoming a musical theater writer or appeal to conformity and find an easier job to pay his bills.I felt related to the struggle he was going through because at the time I was inspired to be a writer, and I wanted to know more in depth about the struggles of one.

Instead of the whole movie, I choose the song “Louder than words” because as the last song of the movie it represents the end of Larson’s struggle to choose to follow his dream instead of conforming with not creating anything new to live a quiet life. In order words, Larson desired to seek new knowledge and explore things never attempted before in the worlds of musical theater. The reason that Larson wished to do this was because his was inspired as a result of his dream. The song symbolizes why people seek knowledge to fulfill their dreams. For example Jonathan’s dream was to create a Musical that would criticize society during the 1990s. One interpretation of the song is that it represents the multiple questions he brainstormed in the attempt to find an answer that would lead him to create a musical.

This song is included in the exhibition because it represents how the art reflects the values of the artist, because when I listen to the song I felt the resolve Larson had about his dream. Especially in the lines “Why should we blaze the trail / When the well worn path seems safe and so inviting?” that directly reflects Larson’s ideas that people should pursue their dreams.

Object 2: My copy of Final Fantasy XV

This object is my copy of Final Fantasy XV which I got to play the summer before my junior year and became my favorite game because it offers a compelling story about a prince forced by his father to leave the luxuries of royalty to embark on a journey through a new world. Nevertheless, the reason for the king to send his son away to explore an unfamiliar world for the prince was to allow him to grow into the next king.

Growth allows for the creation of new knowledge by offering a change in perspectives. For instance, it was through a change in perspectives that the protagonist, Noctis, goes from a spoiled child to a humble king in order to save his kingdom. Through many instances in the game, Noctis is faced with challenges that force him to change the ways in which he sees the world. For example, in the middle of the game, when Noctis gets in danger, one of his friends, Ignis, loses his eyesight in an effort to save noctis. This experience taught Noctis that his actions have consequences, and that he must take responsibility for them. Despite Noctis not actively seeking this knowledge, it is through his goal to grow that he is faced with multiple perspectives that help him grow as a king.

The game itselves was included into the exhibition because it conveys the idea that because we seek knowledge to grow, we will face undesirable situations to obtain a new perspective to achieve this growth.

Object 3: My skateboard

My skateboard used to be my uncle’s when he was my age, but he passed it down to me when I turned twelve. However, I did not start using my object until recently. Once I learned to ride my skateboard properly, I used it to explore new places away from my house because it provided me with a sense of freedom.

In this scenario, the freedom provided by my skateboard is caused by my will to escape my daily routine because once a place in my life becomes repetitive, it loses the essence that originally made it special. As a result, the special meaning these places used to have now harbor stress and negative emotions within them. Therefore, I use my skateboard to be free from these stressful places in an effort to constantly find new roads, bridges, and landscapes to explore and find freedom. New knowledge is considered peace, and I seek it because I want to be free from the constraints of what I already know. In other words, my skateboard is an instrument that allows me to see new perspectives.

As seen in all three objects, despite the reason for why people seek knowledge, the significant question is heavily involved with the change of perspectives. Ultimately, this is due to new knowledge involving the desire to express a new perspective as expressed by the song, the desire to learn something new as shown by the video game, and the desire to find something new as it represented the skateboard.