princecomedy
Oct 27, 2012
Undergraduate / "Can film inspire social change?" - Cornell A&S Supplement Essay [2]
Question: Describe your intellectual interests, their evolution, and what makes them exciting to you. Tell us how you will utilize the academic programs in the College of Arts and Sciences to further explore your interests, intended major, or field of study.
Essay:
Comfort, joy, and sadness are all emotions I feel while staring at the screen for two hours. Maybe it's the image of the vast landscape or the brave sound of the music encompassing the atmosphere as Frodo and Sam travel to Mordor. Whatever it is, I feel the pathos-the emotions driving me to do something different. Something definitive.
The art of cinema and its influence on me as a child was similar to the obsessions every kid has over Spider-Man or Toy Story. Everything I saw, I imitated-teaching me small, but lasting lessons on friendship and character. 9/11 changed every aspect of my character and my understanding of this world. The cultural and political crisis that occurred due to 9/11 created an increase of fear and confusion. As a small child of the Islamic faith, I was incredibly affected. The way people looked at me changed. Maturing, I searched for a reason for the world's stares. I wanted to alter the way people viewed me, so I looked back at my childhood fascination and asked,
"Can film inspire social change?"
Eventually, I found the answer. When my high school was developing a 5K Run to raise money to build a well in Uganda, I immediately signed up to be the head in Media Advertising. I had to create videos that would inspire students to participate; however, though the task seemed easy, I had to dive deeper into the purpose of cinema. To motivate students, I spent weeks producing a three minute short that incorporated elements of powerful emotion and story I had seen in international movies like My Name is Khan and Schindler's List. I was initiating a social transformation in my own community - initiating change. I realized that cinema had the power to encourage and persuade, whether on a local or a national level. We raised over ten thousand dollars and served over seven hundred people in the village of Enkondo. My passion was locked, and as I look back at the roots of this passion, I realized that the tragic effects of 9/11, my bullying problems and discrimination I felt throughout my life, inspired me to become change.
It is this passion of social change that motivates me to pursue a double major of Film and Government at the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University. The College would help develop my knowledge in national public issues and produce political cinema to inspire change, as I did with my 5K experience. Taking courses such as "Racial and Ethnic Politics in the US" and "Political Theory and Cinema", and completing study abroad programs that would absorb me in an investigation of another culture, would construct a foundation of new knowledge - and an endless exploration into the political and cultural structure that holds each nation together. By using the programs in the College of Arts and Sciences I can fathom ideas of progress and establish the definitive I had desired.
Please comment and criticize as much as you please, and thanks in advance!
Question: Describe your intellectual interests, their evolution, and what makes them exciting to you. Tell us how you will utilize the academic programs in the College of Arts and Sciences to further explore your interests, intended major, or field of study.
Essay:
Comfort, joy, and sadness are all emotions I feel while staring at the screen for two hours. Maybe it's the image of the vast landscape or the brave sound of the music encompassing the atmosphere as Frodo and Sam travel to Mordor. Whatever it is, I feel the pathos-the emotions driving me to do something different. Something definitive.
The art of cinema and its influence on me as a child was similar to the obsessions every kid has over Spider-Man or Toy Story. Everything I saw, I imitated-teaching me small, but lasting lessons on friendship and character. 9/11 changed every aspect of my character and my understanding of this world. The cultural and political crisis that occurred due to 9/11 created an increase of fear and confusion. As a small child of the Islamic faith, I was incredibly affected. The way people looked at me changed. Maturing, I searched for a reason for the world's stares. I wanted to alter the way people viewed me, so I looked back at my childhood fascination and asked,
"Can film inspire social change?"
Eventually, I found the answer. When my high school was developing a 5K Run to raise money to build a well in Uganda, I immediately signed up to be the head in Media Advertising. I had to create videos that would inspire students to participate; however, though the task seemed easy, I had to dive deeper into the purpose of cinema. To motivate students, I spent weeks producing a three minute short that incorporated elements of powerful emotion and story I had seen in international movies like My Name is Khan and Schindler's List. I was initiating a social transformation in my own community - initiating change. I realized that cinema had the power to encourage and persuade, whether on a local or a national level. We raised over ten thousand dollars and served over seven hundred people in the village of Enkondo. My passion was locked, and as I look back at the roots of this passion, I realized that the tragic effects of 9/11, my bullying problems and discrimination I felt throughout my life, inspired me to become change.
It is this passion of social change that motivates me to pursue a double major of Film and Government at the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University. The College would help develop my knowledge in national public issues and produce political cinema to inspire change, as I did with my 5K experience. Taking courses such as "Racial and Ethnic Politics in the US" and "Political Theory and Cinema", and completing study abroad programs that would absorb me in an investigation of another culture, would construct a foundation of new knowledge - and an endless exploration into the political and cultural structure that holds each nation together. By using the programs in the College of Arts and Sciences I can fathom ideas of progress and establish the definitive I had desired.
Please comment and criticize as much as you please, and thanks in advance!