sarahsdesma9: Blog Post #1

C.P. Snow’s coined idea of the separation of two cultures is something that can be seen directly in everyday life. The UCLA campus perfectly implements the idea of “two cultures” by physically separating its grounds into North Campus (Humanities, Arts and Social Science) and South Campus (Math and Sciences) without much room for the intertwining of these two “cultures”. It does not take a very artistic eye to notice the difference between the architecture of the north campus and south campus buildings. While the north campus buildings are comprised of beautiful red brick and intricate details the south campus buildings often resemble concrete blocks. Before entering UCLA I had a strong love for science; however, still did well in social science and humanities classes. After coming to UCLA these two subjects were completely separated and was quite a shock for me. The separation between these two campuses is simply astounding; yet, these two cultures are indeed very similar. Both cultures are made up of dedicated students working towards their dreams of a better future.

South Campus

North Campus

As a first generation American I consider myself to be a part of two cultures. My parents are Irish immigrants who raised me and my siblings in America, yet with the culture and traditions of Ireland. As a child I often found myself confused as I would learn one thing from my parents (particularly different words for an object ex: shopping cart vs. trolley) and then another from my peers. In order “satisfy” both cultures I would have to change my wording depending on the audience to which I was speaking. As I grew older I realized the similarities between these two cultures and found a way to mix them together so that they are a true representative of who I am as a whole.

This new idea of trying to diminish the line between two cultures has given me a greater perspective to the world as a whole. Two cultures may reveal entirely separate things or one big picture. Take a lot at these pictures below.. What do you see? One or two images?