Blog 16: Ideas for essay 3

I have many ideas for my third essay but I’m leaning toward a picture taken of me on my Fist Communion with both sets of grandparents behind me. I think this is the only photo I have of all of us together and remember at the time I was grateful somebody had taken it. The body language, clothing, and even the order in which we are standing has always interested me, and along with physical descriptions I will connect this to my family story. My mother's parents (who were divorced for many years) are standing apart like bookends on a shelf and my father's parents are squeezed in the middle, my Grandpa cradling his wife's shoulder with his left arm. We all look happy, (I thought I was a little princess that day) but I wonder exactly what was going through their heads. I'll never know of course, but I can speculate.

I know I have to do more than simply tell a story and so I’m trying to figure out what exactly I want to bring into question/explore.I really enjoyed “Silent Dancing” and will most likely use this as a model for my own piece. I would like feedback as to what I should be exploring (marriage, family gatherings, my perception of their relationships as a child vs. as an adult etc). I know all this sounds pretty vague, but I’m still in the planning stages.