My Re-appropriated Pendant
The necklace I prize most is a gold chain with a pendant of the Virgin Mary. The back of the pendant is an engraved “M” with a cross attached paired with two hearts surrounded by stars. Surrounding the image of the Virgin Mary is the phrase “ Regina sine labe originali concepta OPN 1830” meaning “ Queen conceived without original sin, pray for us” in Latin. Seemingly a display of the Catholic faith I was raised into, the chain is an ode to my childhood memories with my grandmother and the idea of iconography.
A French bible, rosary, candles and a prayer card dedicated to the Virgin Mary always sat beside her bedside my grandmother’s bedside table. My grandmother was the kind of person that shows her love in actions rather than words given the language barrier between us.She spoke minimal English but was fluent in Haitian Creole and French. Although she struggled with her mobility, she would always ask my mom to take her to church in East Harlem twice a year. Hailing from Long Island, the drive into Spanish Harlem was always tediously long but felt worth it upon arriving.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s exterior was bright with classic Roman architecture yet inside remained dimly lit and ominous. The light that crept into the church via the stained glass windows and chandeliers made the church appear dim on the cloudy days we often visited. I remember the feeling of being mesmerized by the beauty of the church yet the odd feeling of being present in an empty in a place of worship. The idea of being in this extraordinary place, practically alone, with just my family, provided the ability to explore the entire building that I admired as a curious child. The necklace of the blessed virgin mary serves as a nostalgic nugget of my past in which my grandmother was still here. My grandmother was such a source of reassurance and comfort in my home growing up. Her deeply Catholic upbringing was something my mother appreciated and held dear in raising my siblings and I. Although I do not consider myself a religious person, my understandings of spirituality draw largely on the faith of my grandmother. The necklace appears as a religious relic particularly for the Roman Catholic faith that is known for idol worship of saints as well as angels.
I understand that in wearing a religious symbol as iconic in imagery as the blessed Virgin Mary many would assume that I am a devout Roman Catholic. Despite its appearance of direct praise, my comfort in the imagery of the Virgin Mary remains a reminder of the church I would attend with my grandmother in which Mary was the patron saint for the diocese. I wear the necklace close to me due to the remainder of my grandmother and the values she taught me. The pendant of the Virgin Mary is not just a reminder of time spent in Our Lady Mount Carmel but also about iconography. The older I get the more fascinated I become in symbols and language that illustrate the fluidity in a culture when it comes to meaning. I’ve found it interesting to explore aspects of the culture I grew up around but was not exposed to. I was surprised to learn during colonization, throughout the Caribbean, Indigenous peoples, as well as enslaved Africans, used Roman Catholic imagery to assimilate and appear as though they converted to Christianity. In discovering the varied cultural significance in the seemingly simple understanding of Catholic idols, I was reminded that meaning is relative and often varies depending on the social context. My necklace grounds me with a sense of security and comfort with the memories of my grandmother.
Reflection
I initially struggled in finding a personal artifact to write about in depth. Although artifacts are any object reflecting material culture, finding an item of substance was challenging. I wanted to write about an item in my room that is often made comments about but realized since is not mobile, a relatively small amount of people have seen it to draw assumptions based on it. I decided to write about my necklace because it is not something I consciously acknowledge every day. The necklace is something I have always treasured but in thinking about the reasons for my admiration and nostalgia surrounding it, I was able to revisit some distant memories. I became accustomed to the format of writing research-based essays last semester, which vary significantly from a personal narrative like the personal artifact assignment. Narratives center your experiences which require a tone in expressing your story only you personally have the authority to dictate. Throughout the editing process, I found myself struggling with wordy sentences. My lack of concision in writing can impede comprehension at times. I hope to continue to work on clarity as well as awkward sentence structure throughout the semester. The potential audience for the personal artifact essay includes peers in the class as well as the professor. The broader context which is expected of the audience is the understanding of the idea of an artifact and the ways in which they act as a representation of identity. I found my experience in writing “My Re-Appropriated Pendant” intriguing as a shift in the genre in contrast to the research-based writing I’ve become familiar with.
Writing for the Social Sciences Final Portfolio 