HUM 102 Project Template Questions and Answers_2026.
Part One: Choose the Creative Works
1. Describe the two creative works.
Mental Health is my topic.
My chosen works are; Starry night by Vincent Van Gogh and The Perks of Being a Wallflower
My works fall under visual and literary arts
2. Describe how the chosen creative works can be used to understand the topic.
Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh tells about mental health because it was painted while he was
voluntarily admitted to the Saint Paul de Mausole asylum in France. He painted it based on his memories
from looking out his window.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a novel that touches base on adolescent mental health problems
such as trauma, depression, anxiety and PTSD. Charlie is a character in this book that struggles with
friends after his friend commits suicide and going back on childhood trauma.
3. Describe the value of the diverse perspectives demonstrated in the chosen creative works.
The value of the diverse perspectives demonstrated in Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, you see his
different emotions with his hallucinated reality. This reflects his psychological perspectives while sitting
in his hospital room, staring out the window. This perspective adds to the work because it brings out
such emotion and makes the viewers feel what it was like to be in his shoes
The value of the diverse perspectives in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, it showcases empathy,
resilience, and connection along with trauma, sexuality and social isolation. These perspectives add to
the work by again, showing emotions, making you feel emotions, and the story it conveys about a tragic
story of a kid who gets through a friend’s suicide and learns to cope through their own friendships along
the way.
4. Describe potential biases and assumptions present in the creative works in relation to the topic.
Potential biases and assumptions of Van Gogh’s Starry Night could be that it is
just a cheerful painting of a night sky with some housing in the background. Some may say the painting
is a representation of his depression and hallucinations. Or some might just say it is a painting of the
outdoors. Each person will have their own outlook on the painting and feel different emotions through
it. Many people may look at the painting as just a struggle of his mental illness, ignoring the focus on his
brushstrokes or the Romanticizing of his struggle with his own smarts.
The Perks of being a wallflower has several different biases and assumptions
such as; stereotyping and romanticizing mental illness, overemphasis on trauma and lack of mental help.
All of this can lead to assumptions by people with mental problems and making them think they may not
need to get any help since the actors in the movie did not. The film shows examples of ‘Beautiful
Suffering’ from romanticizing the thought of mental illness. People may get the idea that seeking mental
health is not necessary due to the projections of this film.
, Part Two: Self and Society
1. Describe how the creative works create meaning surrounding the topic.
The creative works I had chosen create meaning surrounding mental help because of the story they
are telling. With Starry Night having a hidden story of an artist with mental struggles and The Perks of
Being a Wallflower showing us the story of someone who suffers from loss and a tragic past try to cope
with the new friends they had made. In the art piece of Starry night, you see the view from outside an
asylum window, the dark colors and brushstrokes of someone who is struggling and still managing to
use his talent to show it. The movie the perks of being a wallflower, the emotions and struggles the
actors portray comes from their own heart and really makes you feel what they are going through.
2. Describe how the creative works have impacted society’s perception of the topic.
The Starry Night painting has definitely impacted the world. So much so, it made it to number 28 of
the world’s most famous paintings. People have many different portrayals of the artwork. Some think it
is just a pretty night time painting, while others see the true, sad meaning behind the painting. It is an
iconic explanation of emotional expression.
Just like Starry Night, The perks of being a wallflower has two different impacts on society’s
perception. Some view it as a coming-of-age story that opens up about the priority of inclusivity,
diversity, mental health, and empathy. While others may view it as controversial for bringing up the
topics of trauma, mental illness, lgbt and the raw emotions in the film.
3. Describe how the creative works might be perceived by different groups of people.
The painting Starry Night by Van Gogh can be perceived by different groups of people in many ways.
There is not one set opinion on the painting as it affects people differently. People who study psychology
may see the painting as a good example of emotional expression, some who are just the average viewer
may see it as a beautiful display of art. Some who are artists or study art may look deeper into the
brushstrokes and colors used to portray the painting. Everyone has their own point of view that shows
depending on the type of person.
The movie The Perks of being a Wallflower can be perceived by some people such as young adults or
teenagers may relate to the movie and see the topics as something they go through on a daily basis. The
sense of wanting to belong can resonate with some who may be going through bullying or life struggles.
Adults who are looking back on their life may have a sense of nostalgia, recognizing the struggles that
they may have faced growing up. Adults may also recognize some details that younger teens may not
see, such as details about the characters behaviors and traumas.
Some people may see these works of art as powerful and meaningful rather than just works of art.
They may romanticize the works of mental illness and trauma through both types of work. These works
can be praise by some as encouraging empathy plays a huge part in these artworks. Both have very
powerful meanings but they all have different viewpoints through each person.
4. Explain how the creative works influence the development of empathy regarding the topic.
Part One: Choose the Creative Works
1. Describe the two creative works.
Mental Health is my topic.
My chosen works are; Starry night by Vincent Van Gogh and The Perks of Being a Wallflower
My works fall under visual and literary arts
2. Describe how the chosen creative works can be used to understand the topic.
Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh tells about mental health because it was painted while he was
voluntarily admitted to the Saint Paul de Mausole asylum in France. He painted it based on his memories
from looking out his window.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a novel that touches base on adolescent mental health problems
such as trauma, depression, anxiety and PTSD. Charlie is a character in this book that struggles with
friends after his friend commits suicide and going back on childhood trauma.
3. Describe the value of the diverse perspectives demonstrated in the chosen creative works.
The value of the diverse perspectives demonstrated in Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, you see his
different emotions with his hallucinated reality. This reflects his psychological perspectives while sitting
in his hospital room, staring out the window. This perspective adds to the work because it brings out
such emotion and makes the viewers feel what it was like to be in his shoes
The value of the diverse perspectives in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, it showcases empathy,
resilience, and connection along with trauma, sexuality and social isolation. These perspectives add to
the work by again, showing emotions, making you feel emotions, and the story it conveys about a tragic
story of a kid who gets through a friend’s suicide and learns to cope through their own friendships along
the way.
4. Describe potential biases and assumptions present in the creative works in relation to the topic.
Potential biases and assumptions of Van Gogh’s Starry Night could be that it is
just a cheerful painting of a night sky with some housing in the background. Some may say the painting
is a representation of his depression and hallucinations. Or some might just say it is a painting of the
outdoors. Each person will have their own outlook on the painting and feel different emotions through
it. Many people may look at the painting as just a struggle of his mental illness, ignoring the focus on his
brushstrokes or the Romanticizing of his struggle with his own smarts.
The Perks of being a wallflower has several different biases and assumptions
such as; stereotyping and romanticizing mental illness, overemphasis on trauma and lack of mental help.
All of this can lead to assumptions by people with mental problems and making them think they may not
need to get any help since the actors in the movie did not. The film shows examples of ‘Beautiful
Suffering’ from romanticizing the thought of mental illness. People may get the idea that seeking mental
health is not necessary due to the projections of this film.
, Part Two: Self and Society
1. Describe how the creative works create meaning surrounding the topic.
The creative works I had chosen create meaning surrounding mental help because of the story they
are telling. With Starry Night having a hidden story of an artist with mental struggles and The Perks of
Being a Wallflower showing us the story of someone who suffers from loss and a tragic past try to cope
with the new friends they had made. In the art piece of Starry night, you see the view from outside an
asylum window, the dark colors and brushstrokes of someone who is struggling and still managing to
use his talent to show it. The movie the perks of being a wallflower, the emotions and struggles the
actors portray comes from their own heart and really makes you feel what they are going through.
2. Describe how the creative works have impacted society’s perception of the topic.
The Starry Night painting has definitely impacted the world. So much so, it made it to number 28 of
the world’s most famous paintings. People have many different portrayals of the artwork. Some think it
is just a pretty night time painting, while others see the true, sad meaning behind the painting. It is an
iconic explanation of emotional expression.
Just like Starry Night, The perks of being a wallflower has two different impacts on society’s
perception. Some view it as a coming-of-age story that opens up about the priority of inclusivity,
diversity, mental health, and empathy. While others may view it as controversial for bringing up the
topics of trauma, mental illness, lgbt and the raw emotions in the film.
3. Describe how the creative works might be perceived by different groups of people.
The painting Starry Night by Van Gogh can be perceived by different groups of people in many ways.
There is not one set opinion on the painting as it affects people differently. People who study psychology
may see the painting as a good example of emotional expression, some who are just the average viewer
may see it as a beautiful display of art. Some who are artists or study art may look deeper into the
brushstrokes and colors used to portray the painting. Everyone has their own point of view that shows
depending on the type of person.
The movie The Perks of being a Wallflower can be perceived by some people such as young adults or
teenagers may relate to the movie and see the topics as something they go through on a daily basis. The
sense of wanting to belong can resonate with some who may be going through bullying or life struggles.
Adults who are looking back on their life may have a sense of nostalgia, recognizing the struggles that
they may have faced growing up. Adults may also recognize some details that younger teens may not
see, such as details about the characters behaviors and traumas.
Some people may see these works of art as powerful and meaningful rather than just works of art.
They may romanticize the works of mental illness and trauma through both types of work. These works
can be praise by some as encouraging empathy plays a huge part in these artworks. Both have very
powerful meanings but they all have different viewpoints through each person.
4. Explain how the creative works influence the development of empathy regarding the topic.
