統合: Integration
I thought I had last week’s bird flock compare and
contrast essay in the bag. I compared and
contrasted, like the prompt had asked me to, I got rather in depth in terms of
the philosophy of the pieces, and I had time for a relatively decent “future
implications” conclusion paragraph. Apparently, I did not have it in the bag. A high scoring essay would have focused on
contrasting, and my philosophy wasn’t exactly wrong, it just wasn’t right. I didn’t pick up on the biggest
difference – Audubon was a scientist, while Dillard was a writer.
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| A flock of starlings. I see why Emily Dillard was so in awe now. |
Still, I’m going to defend myself. Audubon just wrote
so beautifully, relating the flock of birds to “the coils of a gigantic serpent”
(line 42) – how was I supposed to pick up on the fact that he was an ornithologist
(other than through the article source, which I (shamefully) admit that I missed)?
He had me deceived. In context, that’s about the highest compliment he’ll ever
get from me. I have no outstanding interest in his 19th century
writing or his bird studies, but I do have an extraordinary interest in his 19th
century writing and his bird studies,
the perfect mix of art and science.
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| John James Audubon, orthinologist. |
Let me explain. I’ve had a passion for the fine arts
since a relatively young age; I’m not one of those prodigy children about which
articles are sometimes shared on Facebook, but I like to think that I do have
some above average skill in drawing and painting. I’ve invested a lot of time
into my art, but my parents would rather I have a steady career as an engineer
(I have Asian parents – surprise!). It’s not that they’re forcing a future on
me – I have developed an interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics) from my science and math classes, an obsession over modern
mobile devices, and participation in the robotics team. Having equal interests
in art and STEM, I decided, over the course of high school, to integrate the
two. In terms of current career goals, I’m thinking human-computer interaction,
which combines computer science and design. Point is: I love interdisciplinary
integration.
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| STEAM: A national organization with chapters in many major universities. Each has a unique pentagon, with each point representing the strength of each component of STEAM. |
I feel like interdisciplinary work is a relatively new
concept, especially STEAM (STEM plus art), as its components are traditionally
seen as clashing. So it’s nice to see that John James Audubon had already
caught on more than a century and a half ago, using absolutely beautiful
language to describe his scientific observations of a flock of birds’ “undulating
and angular lines” (line 37), which would seem to clash with each other, but
somehow actually works – just like science and art. Also, he’s a painter, so
instant connection right there.
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| Audubon worked in watercolor -- nice. Love the details in the trees. |
Jason Stacy, who wrote about the connection between
history and English in “Strangers Across The Hall”, puts it nicely: “the two
disciplines are not so estranged as they might seem” (page 66). It’s not just
history and English, though, but any two, or three, or even a greater number of
disciplines. In today’s globalized world, everything’s connected. In my case,
it’s STEM and art. The walk down the never-ending hallway, down a flight of
stairs, and through a connector hallway may not be as easy as Stacy’s mere stroll
across the hallway, but I think I’ll manage.
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