Chapter 3
Summary
- Yara Murad, an instructor, welcomes twenty-one first-year students to the course "Responding to Art" at their first meeting.
- To break the ice, she asks the students to introduce themselves, share their majors, and the last TV show they binge-watched.
- Yara shares her own experience with a show, "Mo," that resonated with her Palestinian American background.
- She expresses her desire for the students to find value in the humanities and art, despite potential preconceptions about their utility.
- Yara faces disengagement from the students, who seem more interested in their phones than the class.
- She introduces the topic of color theory and its significance in various creative and professional fields.
- Yara emphasizes her intent to explore works by diverse artists, not just the most famous ones.
- The class responds passively to her presentation of several artworks exemplifying color theory.
- Yara invites the students to free-write about a painting that moves them, sharing her own connection with Munch's "The Scream."
- One student, Martha, engages with the exercise and discusses Monet's "Impression, Sunrise," learning about its role in the Impressionist movement.
- As the class ends with little apparent impact on the students, Yara reflects on her life and the choices that led her to teaching rather than creating art.
- She contrasts her current life with her youthful dreams of traveling and making art, recognizing compromises made along the way.
- Yara reflects on her family's background, the desires and hardships expressed by her parents, and her connection to her Palestinian heritage.
- Despite her personal turmoil, she posts a picture on Instagram to portray a happy, fulfilling life, revealing an internal struggle between her online image and her true feelings.
- Anxious about the perception of her online post, Yara cycles through checking different social media platforms repeatedly.
- Struggling with her feelings, Yara eventually deletes the photo, feeling overwhelmed by the weight of expectation and memory.