One of the main things that drew me to the field of anthropology is its truly holistic nature. I think of anthropology as the study of existence since humans have the privilege of creating the narratives by which we understand our existence. For this reason, I really appreciated the perspectives that Taneja focused on in the readings assigned. “Sharing room with sparrows” especially showed me how both poetry and philosophy can be integrated into the analysis of ethnographic research. I am currently in a German Art class and have been able to analyze the ways in which art and society are inextricably tied. Art is one of the most interesting sites (in my opinion) for anthropological analysis as it informs the values and opinions of those within a particular society. Philosophy, too, helps in the understanding of how people build and relate to the social worlds they find themself within. I had never thought of how the experience of temporality influences the prevalence and acknowledgment of social oppression and ecological disruption. In the concluding paragraph, Taneja says, “Many of the same historical forces and concepts that have led to the cheapening and making expendable of black lives have also cheapened and made expendable the lives of non-human such as birds.” This focus on the distribution of power between humans and between humans and non-human species was an unexpected connection. I hope to integrate these perspectives into my future research endeavors as well.