Person with Tattoo - Assignment Example

An Interview: Person with Tattoo One had the opportunity to interview an acquaintance from one’s neighborhood, Michael. One knew him since he was a teen-aged guy riding his favorite motorcycle around the block. At times, he was wearing sleeveless shirt and a big image of something protrudes from his left shoulder and envelopes his left arm. One asked him questions regarding his tattoo and the responses are hereby enumerated below:A. The Reasons for the Tattoo When asked what the reasons for the tattoo were, his response was simple and straightforward: he thinks it is cool to have one and that since most of his friends decided to have a tattoo; he was prodded to have the tattoo to be acknowledged that he was part of the group.B. The Design Choice The design that shown to me was a dragon.

The face of the dragon was on Michael’s chest and the body was uniquely drawn in the shoulder blades. Likewise, the tail enveloped his entire upper left arm. It was only in black ink and it has no other color. C. The Placement Choice According to Michael, he thought of the placement as the left portion of his chest and to be expanded to his shoulder blade and upper left arm because, it was initially perceived that the heart is likewise situated almost adjacent to the left portion of the chest.

Therefore, this placement is an indication that the image represents whatever he believes or hopes to achieve in life, comes from his heart; and to be exhibited through the mighty power of the dragon.D. The Circumstances Surrounding the Process Michael indicated that the choice for having a tattoo was not at the spur of the moment. The circumstances surrounding the process evolved through time. He actually thought of having a tattoo since he was very young, say, about 12 to 13 years old. By then, he was already figuring out the design, when he would eventually decide to have one, sometime in the future.

When he became friends with a group of teen-agers with motorcycles, they eventually decided to have a tattoo as a symbol of their friendship. Thus, when he was 18 years old, he had the dragon tattoo drawn in the location indicated above.Comparison with Samoan tatua by a tufunga The experience of Michael was far from the experiences of receiving Samoan tatua done by a tufunga. It was learned that “a tatatau of Samoan origin was considered more esteemed than one completed by a Tongan tufunga.

This was largely due to the origins of chiefly lineages in Tonga connecting to Manu'a and Upolu; and because of a divine birthright bestowed on certain Samoan tattoo families like Su'a” [Man10]. Thus, the design, placement and the person doing the tattoo has different meanings, as well as levels of expertise in the Tongan tradition. There are similarities in terms of commoners in the Tongan tradition who were noted to decide on receiving tattoos for the reasons of social acceptance and aesthetics.

Unlike in contemporary times, persons who want to have a tattoo do not have to consider social stratification and levels and they have the right to decide on the design, placement and circumstances, without consulting other people. It was learned that in the Tongan tradition, “it was the tufunga, with his knowledge of tatatau, who would decide on the overall placement and look of the tatatau according to standard protocols” [Man10].ReferenceMan10: , (Manulua par. 16), Man10: , (Manulua par. 21),