Hierarchical Social Structure

Hierarchical Social Structure

Societies begin with a hierarchical structure in which one must begin from the top of its basic structure, through its intermediates, before hitting the bottom of the sociologically defined society.

The pyramid scheme begins with a single individual, as presented by Diego Velasquez in The Waterseller of Seville. This painting portrays a cycle of life by its circular patterns and smooth curves, like that of a full moon with its glowing softness as it blends into the clear, midnight sky. At its center is a clear cup filled with water, like the water of life that quenched the dying man’s thirst in a hot desert. It is being passed around three men, who also stand in a circular fashion. They represent one body in different stages of life. The young boy, in his school uniform of a black jacket and white dress shirt, looks at the glass as would a child at a chocolate chip cookie, craving and yearning for that bit of sweet chocolate encased by a soft sugary dough. He is eager and ready to take on the next step of satisfying himself and his thirst for knowledge. The old man on his right is wearing a very bright red cloak that reflects off onto his hands and face, giving it a red glow as well. He reminds one of the story of the red balloon that befriends a young boy while floating round and about in a protective and guiding manner before it was accidentally burst. He too has his hand on the cup as if to receive it from the young boy, as if they are passing this bit of knowledge onto the next stage of life, where he is now present. His hand rests upon a large water jug with such smooth curves, like the soft ripples in a pond after a rock skids across its surface. It contains that bit of knowledge carried through the years from life, flowing as would water. Behind the young boy and man is a more mysterious figure, like a spirit from the netherworld whose face is transparent. He, too, holds a glass in his hand, but unlike the other two, he is actually drinking from it. He is the symbolic representation of a completion in the rites of the glass.

In the center, lie both Grant Wood’s American Gothic and Pablo Picasso’s Acrobat’s Family with a Monkey, which represent the basic unit of family.