Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Half Past Autumn- Gordon Parks

PART 1



  • On the day Gordon Parks was born, how did the doctor save Gordon's life?
  • The doctor placed his body in a bucket of ice water.


  • Where was Gordon born? (what state?)
  • Fort Scott, Kansas 
  • What did Gordon's class adviser, Ms. McClintock, tell him about college?
  • His class adviser tells him that he is not suited for college and that people of the same race usually do not go to college. 
  • How old was Gordon when his mother died?
  • 14
  • Where did Gordon move after his mother died?
  • St. Paul, Minnesota to his aunt's house
  • Did Gordon graduate from college?
  • yes



  • How did Gordon begin his fashion photography career?
  • He started photographing fashion at a women's clothing store owned by Frank Murphy, in St. Paul, Minnesota



  • What is a "double exposure?"
  • the repeated exposure of a photographic plate or film to light, often producing ghost images



  • Who was boxer Joe Louis?
  • He was the world heavyweight boxing champion and held the title longer than anyone else in history


  • What instrument did Gordon play?
  • piano


  • What was the purpose of the Farm Security Administration?
  • New Deal programs designed to assist poor farmers during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.


  • When Roy Stryker hired Gordon for the FSA, what was Stryker's first assignment for Gordon in Washington, D.C.?
  • to photograph the slums of Washington D.C 


  • Who was Ella Watson?
  • a photo subject, a black woman who worked on the cleaning crew for FSA 


  • What was the inspiration for Grant Wood's American Gothic?
  • Parks had been inspired to create the image after encountering racism repeatedly in restaurants and shops in the segregated capital city.


  • What did Gordon learn from Stryker about photography?
  • He learned that the camera can be a weapon to combat injustices in the civil rights system.

    PART 2 



  • When did the FSA shut down?
  • 1943


  •  After Gordon moved to New York, what magazine did he shoot for?
  • Vogue


  •  Who was the picture editor of Life Magazine when Gordon walked into the Life Magazine office?
  • Wilson Hicks


  •  What was the first major story Parks covered for Life Magazine?
  • Harlem Gang Leader, Red Jackson


  •  Who were some of the artists that Gordon Parks mentioned influenced his work after he moved to the Paris Life Magazine bureau? 
  • Picasso, Degas, Van Gogh
  •  How did Parks shoot fashion when he lived in France?
  • He would let the model move and move with the model at a slow speed and take the chances.


  • Where was Parks' concerto performed?
  • Venice


  •  Who was Parks' second wife? (Who was her father? What did she do?)
  • Elizabeth Campbell, her father worked for Ebony magazine and she was a model 
  •  How old was Flavio de Silva when Parks met him?
  • 12


  •  When did Parks meet Flavio?
  • early 1960s


  •  Where did Flavio live when Parks first met Flavio and his family?
  • in a shack


  •  How is Gloria Vanderbilt? Who is her famous son? Who are her ancestors?
  • Gloria is doing well, her son is Anderson Cooper, her ancestors were rich railroad company owners
  •  How did Vanderbilt describe their relationship?
  • unending love and respect for each other 

    PART 3

    • What is your definition of successful?
    Being successful means to achieve something that you desire whether it be regarding family, career, etc.
    • What have you given up to become successful?
    time, money, and effort
    • What did Parks give up to become successful?
    he gave up his marriage to his wife
    • Who was Genevieve Young's father?
    • How much was Parks advanced to write his first book (and eventual best-selling autobiography)?
    half a million dollars
    • How much money did Elijah Muhammad offer Parks to do a story on The Nation of Islam?
    • Why did Parks refuse the money?
    his ethics pushed him not to take the money 
    • What was significant about the movie The Learning Tree?
    • What was significant about the character Shaft?
    • What was Gordon Parks' choice of weapons?
    a camera
    • What reason did Genevieve Young give for the divorce?

    • In 1984, Parks directed Solomon Northrup's Odyssey. What recent feature film told the same story?
    • Who was Gordon Parks, jr?
    Gordon Park's son who died in a plane crash to Africa
    • What is your favorite Gordon Parks photo?
    • What will you remember about Gordon Parks in ten years?




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