HUM_M2-2
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School
Southern New Hampshire University *
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Course
100
Subject
Arts Humanities
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
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4
Uploaded by SuperHumanHeatMole59
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2-2 Project Proposal
Lissette Hernandez
Southern New Hampshire University
Hum-100: Perspectives in the Humanities
Professor Jacobs
May 11, 2023
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2-2 Project Proposal
The cultural work I have chosen that is significant in my life is the caldero. A caldero is
the Spanish term for a cauldron. Many people of all different backgrounds use calderos, but
Puerto Rican households use them regularly. I have chosen to talk specifically about my great-
grandmother’s caldero because it is 110+ years old and was passed down to me. I feel this
specific caldero is a work of art made by my ancestors and has been used and passed down from
generation to generation. The characteristic that stands out to me most is the outside of the
caldero that was passed down to me. I can see that my caldero was used to cook in fires by the
dark, burnt colors on it. It also has dents and spots where the dark, burnt color can’t be seen. I
suspect this is from it being hit on things or dropped. I would expect layers to be peeling off from
the many years of use, but instead, it is soft and smooth in feel.
I do not expect that my great-grandmother intended to begin creating this art. The art on
my caldero was unintentionally created while cooking for people. The caldero was then passed
down to my grandmother, and then my mother and both continued to cook in it; they also
continued to create the artwork it is today. I also cook in it now and hope the art continues to
create itself so that one day, I can pass it down to one of my kids. Although my family did not
intentionally make the artwork on my caldero, I do believe they were successful in providing
meals to family and friends around them and while doing so, they were also successful in
creating artwork on it as well.
A cultural work from an unfamiliar culture is the cauldron. The value of studying cultural
works from different cultures is that I am learning about something to have a better
understanding of it. For example, for my cultural work, I wrote about the caldero that most
Spanish families use. As I moved along to the next step of my assignment, I thought to myself,
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let me see what cooking utensils other cultures use that are “different”; I found the cauldron.
While researching, I learned about utensils that other cultures use to cook. I can also learn about
the history of different things and people, which can teach me to be grateful for the time I am
living in yet empathetic to struggles others have had in the past.
Although cauldrons aren’t rare, when people think of a cauldron, they automatically
associate them with witches, brews, and spells. While researching, I have learned that cauldrons
and witches have no association and that this is just a myth. Cauldrons were used as early as the
1300s, and they were used to make meals and boil water for cleaning themselves and some of
their things. Often, the only cooking utensil a family had was the cauldron which made this an
essential item in most homes.
Looking through the humanities lens, I can be more empathetic. I could not imagine
surviving in a time where I would only have minimal choices of necessities. It may sound like
“simple living”, but it also must’ve been difficult, and time-consuming to prepare meals for a
family. The reason cauldrons were invented was to be able to provide necessities for families. In
caldrons, they could cook, wash clothing, and bathe themselves.
Learning about cultural works from other cultures can equip me with skills in being more
empathetic and understanding of the background of other cultures. My current and future job is
working with people that are from all walks of life. Understanding where and what their culture
is, sets me up for success in building rapport and gaining trust with the families I work with.
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References
Mirchandani, A. (n.d.).
Cauldron
. Medieval London. Retrieved May 8, 2023, from
https://medievallondon.ace.fordham.edu/collections/show/30