My people... We have reached the end. It seems like alot but in reality, it was only a small portion of our lives. I think this is how one must feel when they reach the pearly gates of Heaven and they have to talk to St. Peter. When they have to look back on their lives and see what they have accomplished, they end up saying, "That was It? That's all I've done?" Sorry, that is a depressing thought but this holiday season always does that to me.Still, this class was so much work. What makes me laugh is that I have worked harder in this English class than I did in my English 231 class which is supposed to be harder. But it wasn't all bad. The first essay was easy but after that it was all down hill... (essay wise). These last two big essays kicked my ass... I really need a break. But isn't it funny, while we all like to have breaks there is a time where, if the break goes on too long, we think "Man, wouldn't it be nice to have a bit of a challenge?" I think this is what this class was, a huge challenge and a commitment. You could not really slack off for one week, I would have liked to but I couldn't. If you did, Good God, you lost a lot of points.
There is one thing I really did like about this class though. Even though it was a pain in the ass sometimes, I really liked reading the discussions and blogs we were assigned to do. It often happens that in many classes, the majority of people are silent. They have a lot to say but don't have the confidence or the boldness to just say it; I am one of those most of the time. This blogging and discussion allows thoughts to float around that would normally never would have. I can't imagine thoughts being confined to the recesses of the mind. I believe they should be expressed or else they become poisonous. This class has allowed us to share some of these thoughts and lessened the possibility of being poisoned. I learned that everyone in our class are really different. Everyone has had completely different experiences. The things they have been exposed to creates such unique characters. For example, I guess I can be really liberal and when I read more of the conservative views of my peers, I actually learned some things I never thought I could learn. It takes the saying "walk two moons in someone else's moccasins" to another level.
There is so much to say but I don't know where to begin. This isn't an end because I don't think anything ever does. The echo of our actions resound through the lives of others, even when we think we have not had any effect. I wonder if, through this blog, I might have influenced someone else's thoughts just a bit. I know mine have. So my fellow classmates this is a see you later because some of us may cross paths again. Live Long and Prosper!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Finally...
I feel like I am galloping towards the end of this semester. I can't wait for this semester to end. I had five different classes and now I feel like a I need a break. But whatever, I always digress. What did doing this paper teach me... Well, I feel like I out all my creative juices into writing my UC personal statement. I like what I wrote. So my research paper is not as good as I would like it to be. Wish me good luck!
This paper taught me a couple of things. We often overlook sources of information that could help us. As I was reading my groups essay, I kept saying, Oh this source could have helped or man I wish I would have thought of that. I remember my final for the Philosophy of religion class I had to do. We had to sit in a semi-secluded area for eight hours if possible and just wait for the eight hours to end. On the last day of class we had to report what we discovered. A lot of people lied. I actually did it. I remember sitting in this bush for eight hours and had flocks of people seem blind to my presence. I discovered we ignore what is around us and that is really frightening. I feel that I ignored a lot of good information in my paper. I probably going to rewrite a lot of it.
But something else I did learn was how reality is such a fickle thing. However I see the world is how I perceive my reality. I am still contemplating on whether that means that everyone else's reality is just a illusion if compared to my reality. Does reality even exist? Is this like the matrix, where we have a reality imposed on? Or Is there nothing like Buddha said? I am still working on this thought. I just wanted to write a little on this concept.
I have also changed my view on what a hero is. I will admit, I am a bit of an anime freak. There is one anime that I absolutely love and its called Naruto. The thing about this character, Naruto, is that he is always underestimated. Nobody thinks he has any power. They think him and foolish. But he alway beats the bad guy because he never gives up and he doesn't care about the established rules. Nafisi and her students remind me of this. They never gave up loving literature even though their world thought it as a foolish and dangerous venture since it brought in western culture. My definition of what hero used to be was someone who always kicked the bad guy's ass. Now I realize that a hero is someone who fights for what they love and have the guts not to give up even when pursuing their goal is dangerous. This is my new definition of a hero. I am not done with my paper so, I have much more to learn.
This paper taught me a couple of things. We often overlook sources of information that could help us. As I was reading my groups essay, I kept saying, Oh this source could have helped or man I wish I would have thought of that. I remember my final for the Philosophy of religion class I had to do. We had to sit in a semi-secluded area for eight hours if possible and just wait for the eight hours to end. On the last day of class we had to report what we discovered. A lot of people lied. I actually did it. I remember sitting in this bush for eight hours and had flocks of people seem blind to my presence. I discovered we ignore what is around us and that is really frightening. I feel that I ignored a lot of good information in my paper. I probably going to rewrite a lot of it.
But something else I did learn was how reality is such a fickle thing. However I see the world is how I perceive my reality. I am still contemplating on whether that means that everyone else's reality is just a illusion if compared to my reality. Does reality even exist? Is this like the matrix, where we have a reality imposed on? Or Is there nothing like Buddha said? I am still working on this thought. I just wanted to write a little on this concept.
I have also changed my view on what a hero is. I will admit, I am a bit of an anime freak. There is one anime that I absolutely love and its called Naruto. The thing about this character, Naruto, is that he is always underestimated. Nobody thinks he has any power. They think him and foolish. But he alway beats the bad guy because he never gives up and he doesn't care about the established rules. Nafisi and her students remind me of this. They never gave up loving literature even though their world thought it as a foolish and dangerous venture since it brought in western culture. My definition of what hero used to be was someone who always kicked the bad guy's ass. Now I realize that a hero is someone who fights for what they love and have the guts not to give up even when pursuing their goal is dangerous. This is my new definition of a hero. I am not done with my paper so, I have much more to learn.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Thousands of Miles, One Step
Geez, This is a tough assignment. However, I prefer this over the synthesis essay ANYTIME. That essay was brutal, for me at least. I hate to sound cliche but a "journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." Ok, the other 999 miles are tough to but still... I have read all my stuff and made an outline but I keep modifying it. There is so much I could say but I feel like I have to stay close to the prompt... I chose reading Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabokov. I felt like I was on shrooms for awhile when I started reading it. People change into other people, in-laws drag their furniture into a prison... Weird stuff but I liked it. The prompt states that I have to find parallels between the world the main character Cincinnatus creates and The world of the Iran Republic. Easy enough, but what is hard is that I have to state why Nafisi and her students are heroes because they chose to not fit in. I don't know what happened but I ended up going on tangent about the illusions of the world and what not. In the end I had to scrap the first couple of pages because they were so off topic. All my hard work was wasted in a a sense. Sometimes it's very hard to stay true to the prompt because the issue you are asked to write about brings to mind all the other concepts that go along with it. I know when I was writing my synthesis essay on propaganda, I wanted to incorporate things about the Iraq War in it but I also had to scrap out that concept because it was taking over my work. It's like I am trying stuff a whole bunch of apples in my mouth at once because they all taste delicious. That's what I wanted to do with the synthesis essay but I didn't.
Well back to the last essay... What I really also have a hard time doing is finding the right research to go with it. I found some good articles that could help me but when I read and reread them, they turned out to be lacking the material I needed. So now I have to go find some new material again... Awesome. That's my fault though, I find the research to be one of the hardest things to come by. I can always twist things to my advantage but the work is so much easier if the right materials are present. But I like the challenge this essay has given me because it forces me to expand my critical thinking. I think alot but it's not always in the critical style mentality. Besides, I really liked both the novels I had to read so this is bit a bit of work and pleasure, so I will stop complaining. So, I am going to bust my booty this weekend and do the best I can. That's all I can do.
Well back to the last essay... What I really also have a hard time doing is finding the right research to go with it. I found some good articles that could help me but when I read and reread them, they turned out to be lacking the material I needed. So now I have to go find some new material again... Awesome. That's my fault though, I find the research to be one of the hardest things to come by. I can always twist things to my advantage but the work is so much easier if the right materials are present. But I like the challenge this essay has given me because it forces me to expand my critical thinking. I think alot but it's not always in the critical style mentality. Besides, I really liked both the novels I had to read so this is bit a bit of work and pleasure, so I will stop complaining. So, I am going to bust my booty this weekend and do the best I can. That's all I can do.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Double Life, Double the Lies
The way I see it, e-mail and other "social discourse" online allows room for deception. While it is easier to talk online because there is no face to face interaction (unless by webcam). For very shy people, its awesome. They get to express Ideas they could never have done in reality snd it may even allow them to have more friends. But this is the problem I see with it. Online conversations create an alternate reality, where some real life rules are not applied. Here, I read this situation that illustrates my point:
There was a young man who had been going out with his girlfriend throughout college. But he was feeling bored and felt that he needed a change. He had so many things he wanted to do but he hadn't done them by the time he and his girlfriend got engaged. So he created a fake account where he would portray all the stuff he wished he did and was like being a black belt in Karate, a musician and having an interesting life. When he did this, he started getting friends, mostly females. His fiance found out about this and felt that he was unhappy with her because of this fake account. He argued that the girls didn't matter and he was doing nothing wrong because the character he created did not even exist.
This situation illustrates the alternate reality created by the secrecy of oline conversation. That is the incredible danger with online conversations. When people are not there to monitor you or may you think they are watching, we get a burst of elation because we can get away with things that we could not normally. Take for example speeding on the freeway or even road rage. You go as fast as you want until you see a cop and then you slow down. In road rage, you curse and yell as much as you want but when you are out side your car, walking in the street, you won't act the same. We act this way because we believe that the bubble of anonymity will protect us. For goodness sake, this is how pedophiles masquerade on the internet. They know that many believe that online reality and this living reality are the same and these sick people take advantage of that. Children are especially vulnerable to it because they are still learning to distinguish from reality and fantasy.
I don't believe all conversations are going to be digital in the future. We still need that human contact. Not just to make sure we have human contact to know we exist, but also to monitor our actions. When we are left to our own devices we do more stupid things in certain situations. I believe that online conversation need to have the same rule of reality applied to it, otherwise there is too much deception to handle. I love this line: "Who watches the watchers." This is the reality of online conversations and I cast a bleak future on it.
There was a young man who had been going out with his girlfriend throughout college. But he was feeling bored and felt that he needed a change. He had so many things he wanted to do but he hadn't done them by the time he and his girlfriend got engaged. So he created a fake account where he would portray all the stuff he wished he did and was like being a black belt in Karate, a musician and having an interesting life. When he did this, he started getting friends, mostly females. His fiance found out about this and felt that he was unhappy with her because of this fake account. He argued that the girls didn't matter and he was doing nothing wrong because the character he created did not even exist.
This situation illustrates the alternate reality created by the secrecy of oline conversation. That is the incredible danger with online conversations. When people are not there to monitor you or may you think they are watching, we get a burst of elation because we can get away with things that we could not normally. Take for example speeding on the freeway or even road rage. You go as fast as you want until you see a cop and then you slow down. In road rage, you curse and yell as much as you want but when you are out side your car, walking in the street, you won't act the same. We act this way because we believe that the bubble of anonymity will protect us. For goodness sake, this is how pedophiles masquerade on the internet. They know that many believe that online reality and this living reality are the same and these sick people take advantage of that. Children are especially vulnerable to it because they are still learning to distinguish from reality and fantasy.
I don't believe all conversations are going to be digital in the future. We still need that human contact. Not just to make sure we have human contact to know we exist, but also to monitor our actions. When we are left to our own devices we do more stupid things in certain situations. I believe that online conversation need to have the same rule of reality applied to it, otherwise there is too much deception to handle. I love this line: "Who watches the watchers." This is the reality of online conversations and I cast a bleak future on it.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Understanding Comes from Pain
I know one of the essay prompts is to meant to explain why "stories that are so sad, so tragic—make us so happy." The reason this quote has stuck with me throughout Lolita in Tehran is because of what happened in my Child Development the class the other day. We had to present a poster of ourselves on how we got socialized. Socialization is where individuals acquire the knowledge, skills and character traits that enable them to participate effectively in society. It was very intriguing to see how people became who they are, it's a mixture of psychology and sociology. One of my classmates was a forty-year old woman and she was going to present a big ass poster that had our class going like "Damn! She is going to present that!" But our shock and exasperation was replaced by wonder and horror. She had lived in Iran during Ayatollah Khoemini's reign. Some of the things she described were so horrorific that I teared up a bit. She described how before Khoemini came to power, things were good. The women could makeup and there was a bit more freedom. But as he came to power, things changed. She was a teenager when that happened. Later on she described how she got married and had a child. She feared for her child everyday because she was christian women living in a very radical world. She described how Saddam Hussein poisoned the water in the water reserves (she lived close to Iraq) and the children in the town were dying and bleeding diarrehea. She described, soon after, how she fled to Greece with fake papers and lived in a basement for eleven months. I don't know if it was coincidence, but It helped bring the memoir to mind and cement the theme of the story.
I can understand why we like to hear about tragic stories. It helps us remind us why our life is good. After hearing my classmates story of her life, I felt blessed to be living in this country and my concerns and problems are insignificant when compared to hers. I complain about being lonely, she was isolated from her beloved brother for fifteen years. I complain that the government is restricting our freedom of speech, she didn't know what it was for her a large part of her life. Without tragedy, we can never know true happiness. We have to be able to compare two different situations to see which is better. But most importantly, when we overcome the tragedy, it is so much sweeter. I believe you can't have happiness without sadness, joy without sorrow, tragedy without triumph. Without any dark emotions, we can't have light emotions. It's like having pure sun without the night. How can we know what sunlight is when we have no darkness? There would be nothing, things would just exist. I think that we would just exist, if we only had positive emotions. We would not live. There is a difference. Existing implies that we move from one scenarios to another, we are rootless with no foundation. Living means that we have an active role in shaping our future, we actively feel and change. That's all I have to say.
I can understand why we like to hear about tragic stories. It helps us remind us why our life is good. After hearing my classmates story of her life, I felt blessed to be living in this country and my concerns and problems are insignificant when compared to hers. I complain about being lonely, she was isolated from her beloved brother for fifteen years. I complain that the government is restricting our freedom of speech, she didn't know what it was for her a large part of her life. Without tragedy, we can never know true happiness. We have to be able to compare two different situations to see which is better. But most importantly, when we overcome the tragedy, it is so much sweeter. I believe you can't have happiness without sadness, joy without sorrow, tragedy without triumph. Without any dark emotions, we can't have light emotions. It's like having pure sun without the night. How can we know what sunlight is when we have no darkness? There would be nothing, things would just exist. I think that we would just exist, if we only had positive emotions. We would not live. There is a difference. Existing implies that we move from one scenarios to another, we are rootless with no foundation. Living means that we have an active role in shaping our future, we actively feel and change. That's all I have to say.
Friday, November 5, 2010
What Change?
As this semester has trudged along, I haven't felt a big change in my writing. I still feel like I could do so much better. For me, it feels like I have been swimming up a waterfall, just trying to move up from the place I have been. This is how a salmon must feel. I have very high expectations for myself and I feel like I am not living up to them. I really feel no change at all. But that doesn't mean I haven't had some change, I probably haven't noticed it yet. What I do need is a change of venues though, but I am starting to get off topic.
What I have noticed are my strengths. I have found that I am decent at analyzing things and good at telling stories. I noticed this when I got good comments on my first and second essay which involved those two things. But I hate doing timed writings. I hate them with a passion. I used to do them in high school and I always dreaded them. At least the timed write in this class allowed us an hour and twenty-five minutes to respond to one prompt.
What I have enjoyed doing was actually responding to other blogs. My classmate's thoughts are so different from mine that I have had to think of ways to support my own views. If anything, this is what has strengthened my writing. I really has made me think. Many have actually had me modify some of my own beliefs, like the justification of hate speech. I really believe in the Socratic method of teaching, where we have to defend our positions in order to understand them. I feel that is what we have been doing in this class.
The reading I really disliked was ON BULLSHIT by Frankfurt. I felt like I was turned in circles over and over again. I learned more about bullshit than I ever wanted to know. It did get me to think logically, which is something I haven't done in a while. But I felt like it was just BULLSHIT he was spitting back at us. That's how I felt.
The hardest part of this course, for me, is doing group work. I can be a lone wolf and sometimes it's bothersome to do group work online. In person, I would be like "Hell Yeah! Let's do this!" But doing it online makes me lazy because I don't have my partners in front of me motioning to work. That's just me. The PDR has helped me idefntify my faults and has sharpened my thinking. I don't like to do it, but it does have its uses, just like farting I guess.
But once, again I have not felt a change in my writing. I don't want to compare my writing in high school and my writing now because I am tired of staring at my past. Maybe the reason, I haven't felt a change in my writing is because I feel trapped in this place. There is always a point where we all need to change our appearance, values and the place we call home. I am now at this place and I can't see anything but the change I want. My vision is narrowed, so I can't really analyze my change right now.
What I have noticed are my strengths. I have found that I am decent at analyzing things and good at telling stories. I noticed this when I got good comments on my first and second essay which involved those two things. But I hate doing timed writings. I hate them with a passion. I used to do them in high school and I always dreaded them. At least the timed write in this class allowed us an hour and twenty-five minutes to respond to one prompt.
What I have enjoyed doing was actually responding to other blogs. My classmate's thoughts are so different from mine that I have had to think of ways to support my own views. If anything, this is what has strengthened my writing. I really has made me think. Many have actually had me modify some of my own beliefs, like the justification of hate speech. I really believe in the Socratic method of teaching, where we have to defend our positions in order to understand them. I feel that is what we have been doing in this class.
The reading I really disliked was ON BULLSHIT by Frankfurt. I felt like I was turned in circles over and over again. I learned more about bullshit than I ever wanted to know. It did get me to think logically, which is something I haven't done in a while. But I felt like it was just BULLSHIT he was spitting back at us. That's how I felt.
The hardest part of this course, for me, is doing group work. I can be a lone wolf and sometimes it's bothersome to do group work online. In person, I would be like "Hell Yeah! Let's do this!" But doing it online makes me lazy because I don't have my partners in front of me motioning to work. That's just me. The PDR has helped me idefntify my faults and has sharpened my thinking. I don't like to do it, but it does have its uses, just like farting I guess.
But once, again I have not felt a change in my writing. I don't want to compare my writing in high school and my writing now because I am tired of staring at my past. Maybe the reason, I haven't felt a change in my writing is because I feel trapped in this place. There is always a point where we all need to change our appearance, values and the place we call home. I am now at this place and I can't see anything but the change I want. My vision is narrowed, so I can't really analyze my change right now.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Don't Say That!
It's funny to think that people used to say "Gee Willerkers!" or "Oh Poodlestick" as a curse when in today's society we just say "Ah shit." Sorry for my cursing, I have just used it for so long that its become part of my vocabulary. I really don't know what taboo language is. In real life, you hear all these crazy things being spoken like "that stupid cracker" or "that ho." So I really suck at saying what is taboo. The only word I would say is Taboo for me is cunt. I will not call another woman that or allow anyone to call me that. Those are fighting words for me. I guess taboo language is racist language on television. If people aren't comedians or very popular Television personalities, they can't get away with saying things like that. Its all a double standard really. Only some people can say certain things and other can't.
I can be very liberal in certain things, like speech, so I wouldn't have a problem with taboo language. Maybe it comes from being called a dumbass from doing stupid things or because I had very "potty-mouth" parents but I use bad language liberally. I remember when I wa sriding Deja Vu for the first time at Six Flags; you would have thought I was a sailor from the amount of bad words coming out of me. I digress. It is because of my upbringing that I believe that we should be allowed to say things uncensored. Most people are use some taboo words all the time. Watch the movie GRAN TORINO; some people speak like tha all the time. I know I have said this a thousand times but I can't express how important this concept is to me. I cannot be calm when my choices are threatened. I have never been given much room to make my own choices before. It wasn't until I was in my late teens that I finally was able to express my choices. My life has been controlled, to an extent, by mother. I love her but being stuck in that situation made me realize how important choices are to me and other people. That's why I can't bear the thought of my choice to hear uncensored media being restricted.
I think that taboo language represents the main population but not all. There are some that take it too far (F#$k is said every other word) or some who are too pious (the Good Golly people). Having taboo language uncensored doesn't mean that every other word is going to be a bad one. It's like trying to say that being able to smoke means that everyone is going to do it, which is untrue. That is just irrational fear. Having uncensored taboo words means that we have he choice to use them but we don't have too. It would be nice to have the option though.
The problem with having taboo words out, though is that many parent's wouldn't explain to their children what certain things meant. The only real way to have taboo words in the media is if the parents were willing to sit down with their kids and explain these concepts to them. Many parents don't and that's why there is no real tabbo words in the media.
I can be very liberal in certain things, like speech, so I wouldn't have a problem with taboo language. Maybe it comes from being called a dumbass from doing stupid things or because I had very "potty-mouth" parents but I use bad language liberally. I remember when I wa sriding Deja Vu for the first time at Six Flags; you would have thought I was a sailor from the amount of bad words coming out of me. I digress. It is because of my upbringing that I believe that we should be allowed to say things uncensored. Most people are use some taboo words all the time. Watch the movie GRAN TORINO; some people speak like tha all the time. I know I have said this a thousand times but I can't express how important this concept is to me. I cannot be calm when my choices are threatened. I have never been given much room to make my own choices before. It wasn't until I was in my late teens that I finally was able to express my choices. My life has been controlled, to an extent, by mother. I love her but being stuck in that situation made me realize how important choices are to me and other people. That's why I can't bear the thought of my choice to hear uncensored media being restricted.
I think that taboo language represents the main population but not all. There are some that take it too far (F#$k is said every other word) or some who are too pious (the Good Golly people). Having taboo language uncensored doesn't mean that every other word is going to be a bad one. It's like trying to say that being able to smoke means that everyone is going to do it, which is untrue. That is just irrational fear. Having uncensored taboo words means that we have he choice to use them but we don't have too. It would be nice to have the option though.
The problem with having taboo words out, though is that many parent's wouldn't explain to their children what certain things meant. The only real way to have taboo words in the media is if the parents were willing to sit down with their kids and explain these concepts to them. Many parents don't and that's why there is no real tabbo words in the media.
Friday, October 22, 2010
The Media... That bastard
When I was in high school, some boys in my class called me a cunt. I didn't know what it meant but I knew it was insulting by the way they said. I slapped them but it really hurt me when I found out what it meant. I can't really describe how I felt because that words brings up some bad and confusing feelings. I really hate that word. I guess that is what a person feels like when they are called a nigger, cracker, wetback or a guc. I don't know why they called me that; I wasn't being mean at all. But I won't make myself the victim here because I have also been the antagonizer. When I was younger, my parents and other extended family members were racist when I think about it. I didn't know and I had a fight with my male black friend. He got me really mad I called him a mayate because I remember my mom using that word. I knew it was insult but I really did not know what it was. He actually knew what it meant and our friendship suffered because of that. I vowed I wouldn't ever do that again because of the pain it caused and because of the shame I felt and still feel to this day. That is one reason I see everybody as equals, no matter what race or ethnicity they are. We all hurt the same.
I have seen some television shows adding more bi-racial couples to their shows and I think that is a major step forward. But other media, like music videos and certain movies, that promote stupid ideas of race and sexuality. Music Videos really put women down because it makes us seem like objects instead of people. Also in movies, there is always the token "black" man or other ethnic person in a movie amongst a whole bunch of "white" people. The minorities usually play a group of thugs who speak a lot of slang which promotes the idea that minorities are trouble makers. Take the 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN. There is only one black guy who acts according to the black man stereotype. He cheats on his girlfriend with alot of "hos" and talks in slang. It is very stereotypical and promotes certain prejudices. I love that movie though.
TV shows like SOUTH PARK or FAMILY GUY can be seen as shows that reinforce stereotypes because of all the dumb things they say. However, some see it in a good light because they both spare no one. All ethnicites and cultures are made fun of equally and that is refreshing in a way.
I don't think books promote the stereotype without an idea behind it. Usually when a prejudice or stereotype is used in a book, its usually meant to make a certain ideal more poignant.
We all need to take resposibilties for own actions and learn to think for ourselves. We can't blame media for our crappy choices all th time.
I have seen some television shows adding more bi-racial couples to their shows and I think that is a major step forward. But other media, like music videos and certain movies, that promote stupid ideas of race and sexuality. Music Videos really put women down because it makes us seem like objects instead of people. Also in movies, there is always the token "black" man or other ethnic person in a movie amongst a whole bunch of "white" people. The minorities usually play a group of thugs who speak a lot of slang which promotes the idea that minorities are trouble makers. Take the 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN. There is only one black guy who acts according to the black man stereotype. He cheats on his girlfriend with alot of "hos" and talks in slang. It is very stereotypical and promotes certain prejudices. I love that movie though.
TV shows like SOUTH PARK or FAMILY GUY can be seen as shows that reinforce stereotypes because of all the dumb things they say. However, some see it in a good light because they both spare no one. All ethnicites and cultures are made fun of equally and that is refreshing in a way.
I don't think books promote the stereotype without an idea behind it. Usually when a prejudice or stereotype is used in a book, its usually meant to make a certain ideal more poignant.
We all need to take resposibilties for own actions and learn to think for ourselves. We can't blame media for our crappy choices all th time.
Friday, October 15, 2010
The Pursuit of Happiness
It is an odd conundrum. Which is more important, happiness or self-respect? I personally oscillate between the two.
First of all, most of what we do is in the pursuit of happiness. It is even stated in our Declaration of Independence, " [We have] unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness ." As Jefferson pointed out, it is our unalienable right to search for it. Happiness is one of the biggest motivations in American society. We all want it; we divorce our husbands/wives because they cause us unhappiness, we quits jobs because we don't feel happy doing it and the list goes on. It is important to us. I believe that capitalism is based on a twisted notion of happiness: greed. That's a whole other discussion. But we all want it. Not many people like to feel depressed or sad. They become sluggish and uninspiring. The problem with happiness is that it is such a fickle emotion. I read Voltaire's "Candide" and the characters were happy at one point in the novel and then seeped in sorrow the next. It was a whole cycle of happiness and contentment combined with sadness and depression. One of the big points of the novel was that one will never be happy always and it is better to lose yourself in work. That way, you do not feel and are unattached to your emotions. There is way more to this novel but this is a point I deduced from it. What we got to understand that happiness is never constant.
Self-respect on the other hand, is different. As Nafisi said in her analysis of Catherine's character and the novel is that self-respect does not require happiness. The thing about self-respect is that it is one of the first things to go. I have known women who get pregnant just to "snare" a man. They basically whore themselves out to accomplish a selfish deed. That's when I ask, "Where has your self-respect gone?" I really can't comprehend how a person can do such a thing as shed their self-respect for such lowly things. It really is one of the first things to go in people. More people should have self-respect because it creates a stronger character. The people of this society should take note of Washington Square. Just as Catherine wouldn't bend to her father's and suitor's wishes in the end, we too should stand up for our principles. That is part of what having self-respect is. Our principles and beliefs are what define us. When we lose site of our ideals and beliefs, we lose ourselves and our self-respect in the process. We become lost in this busy world. That is why I believe there are so many lost souls in the world. They have no firm ideals or beliefs and when they don't have that, they have no basis for their self-respect.
I can't say for sure which is more important. One soothes our longing for companionship, to feel happy. The other gives us a reason to be proud. Self-respect gives us something to stand for, while happiness gives us something to work for. Either way, one has to ask themselves what they value more and then they will know which is more imporatant to them.
First of all, most of what we do is in the pursuit of happiness. It is even stated in our Declaration of Independence, " [We have] unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness ." As Jefferson pointed out, it is our unalienable right to search for it. Happiness is one of the biggest motivations in American society. We all want it; we divorce our husbands/wives because they cause us unhappiness, we quits jobs because we don't feel happy doing it and the list goes on. It is important to us. I believe that capitalism is based on a twisted notion of happiness: greed. That's a whole other discussion. But we all want it. Not many people like to feel depressed or sad. They become sluggish and uninspiring. The problem with happiness is that it is such a fickle emotion. I read Voltaire's "Candide" and the characters were happy at one point in the novel and then seeped in sorrow the next. It was a whole cycle of happiness and contentment combined with sadness and depression. One of the big points of the novel was that one will never be happy always and it is better to lose yourself in work. That way, you do not feel and are unattached to your emotions. There is way more to this novel but this is a point I deduced from it. What we got to understand that happiness is never constant.
Self-respect on the other hand, is different. As Nafisi said in her analysis of Catherine's character and the novel is that self-respect does not require happiness. The thing about self-respect is that it is one of the first things to go. I have known women who get pregnant just to "snare" a man. They basically whore themselves out to accomplish a selfish deed. That's when I ask, "Where has your self-respect gone?" I really can't comprehend how a person can do such a thing as shed their self-respect for such lowly things. It really is one of the first things to go in people. More people should have self-respect because it creates a stronger character. The people of this society should take note of Washington Square. Just as Catherine wouldn't bend to her father's and suitor's wishes in the end, we too should stand up for our principles. That is part of what having self-respect is. Our principles and beliefs are what define us. When we lose site of our ideals and beliefs, we lose ourselves and our self-respect in the process. We become lost in this busy world. That is why I believe there are so many lost souls in the world. They have no firm ideals or beliefs and when they don't have that, they have no basis for their self-respect.
I can't say for sure which is more important. One soothes our longing for companionship, to feel happy. The other gives us a reason to be proud. Self-respect gives us something to stand for, while happiness gives us something to work for. Either way, one has to ask themselves what they value more and then they will know which is more imporatant to them.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Capital Punishment and our Existence
There is always a person that one person that gets you to think critically. I had two. My sister is the first one and she is usually the one that turns my ideals on my head. The first time this happened was our conversation on capital punishment. I was just in high school and I had to write a paper on the subject. I was so certain of my stance that I bragged about it to her. My view back then was that taking a life for a life accomplishes nothing: an eye for an eye leaves the world blind. I truly believed this.I also thought it is better that we forgive and move on with our lives. I wasn't really religious; I just believed that forgiveness was the way we could stop the chain of violence. I had seen what hate has done to my grandmother. My grandfather left her for someone else and she has never forgave him. I have seen her become bitter and alone; that's why I say it is better to just let it go. If you don't let it go, it becomes part of you. A poison to the soul. But my sister pointed out to me that she would want to see my death avenged if she were ever put in that position. "How would you feel if someone killed me? Would you feel forgiveness? No you would feel anger and you would want to see justice done." She got me to understand that forgiveness is not an easy thing to achieve. Its not as easy as 1,2,3. She got me to understand this. By her statement, it got me to see that displaying forgiveness is a greater display of inner strength than righteous anger. I let myself listen and I learned something new. I would not change this conversation at all. Sometimes going back and trying to change things is more detrimental than helpful. Its better to shape the future tan try and change the past.
The other conversation was recent. My classmate was writing a philosophy paper and she began to speak about it. Her big question was "Why do we exist?" I responded arrogantly, that we are here to reproduce and survive. She kind of through me for a loop when she said, "Yeah, well do you know why?" I paused because I really didn't know. I am not as fast on my feet as other people but I really started thinking, "why?" When I finally came up with an answer, the class was over. I had been getting cocky because of a knowledge high I was currently in. I was proud of how much I have grown as a student but her simple question helped me realize that I still had a lot to learn. I am going to thank her next class because she humbled me and I believe that is essential in the pursuit of knowledge. I would not change our conversation.
I did come up with an answer for the existence question. My answer is this: everything strives for life and sometimes there is no sense to the world. Is there any reason we need arm hairs? Is there any reason that there is evil in the world? Is there a point to anything we do? I know it is a bit nihilistic but is there a reason for anything? However, I honestly think that everything strives for life because anything is better than solitude. I believe we aim to survive and reproduce so that we are not alone in the universe. Lonelinss has power.
The other conversation was recent. My classmate was writing a philosophy paper and she began to speak about it. Her big question was "Why do we exist?" I responded arrogantly, that we are here to reproduce and survive. She kind of through me for a loop when she said, "Yeah, well do you know why?" I paused because I really didn't know. I am not as fast on my feet as other people but I really started thinking, "why?" When I finally came up with an answer, the class was over. I had been getting cocky because of a knowledge high I was currently in. I was proud of how much I have grown as a student but her simple question helped me realize that I still had a lot to learn. I am going to thank her next class because she humbled me and I believe that is essential in the pursuit of knowledge. I would not change our conversation.
I did come up with an answer for the existence question. My answer is this: everything strives for life and sometimes there is no sense to the world. Is there any reason we need arm hairs? Is there any reason that there is evil in the world? Is there a point to anything we do? I know it is a bit nihilistic but is there a reason for anything? However, I honestly think that everything strives for life because anything is better than solitude. I believe we aim to survive and reproduce so that we are not alone in the universe. Lonelinss has power.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Being Poltically Correct Sucks @$$
I really can't stand the fact that we can't say BLACK or WHITE without getting a dirty look from some people. The thing that really makes me laugh though, is when I see people, teachers especially, tip toe around the race of people. The race that people always have trouble saying is black people. I laugh everytime a teacher starts talkinng about culture and race because when it comes to black ethnicity, they pause and get an "oh crap" look on their face and then the say african american. This is what goes on in their minds, "Damn, should I say Black? That might offend people. I'll just say African American to be safe." This happens to all people who are not black. One thing I find funny also is that white people feel guilty about calling an African American "black" because of history. Well, its not really funny but it does have some humor in it.
I do understand the need for some poltical correctness though. Imagine if there wasn't. It would be like living in the time before the civil rights act of 1964. There would be people openly using the word niggar or spic or guck openly, because whether we like it or not racism still exists. I may be exaggerating the amount of use of racial slurrs, but I might not be. I know plenty of people who are racist which really pisses me off. It is in this situations that political correctness is useful. I think its best applied to people who are in office and those that are racist.
I know I am jumping around from subject to subject but I get really irritated when this topic comes up. I feel its a good thing in certain situations and in others, people go to far. It's like our freedom of speech has been severely restricted. That is why I loved the Chapelle Show so much. For my generation, he was the one who bent and broke the boundaries of what was considered politically correct. When he was hosting his show, he once said that white people say that all black people look the same and he shot back that he thought that white people all look the same. This is funny but can be considered politically incorrect.
I hate racism and I hate it sexism even more. But being politically correct all the time severly limits our freedom and this is one thing I value above almost everything else. If I can't say black or white in my class because I fear being politically incorrect than there is something wrong. Race and Gender terms are the biggest contributers to being politically correct. I haven't mentioned the gender poltical correctness terms because I can't keep a a clear thought in my head if I address that issue.
This notion of being politically corrects comes from people who have been oppressed by certain words for such a long time that it's undrstandable when they lash out with this notion. But people can take it too far. I say we should learn to live with the notion that there are some people who are just plain jerks out there and even though we place certain rules on them, some won't ever change. I know it sucks but that is reality.
I do understand the need for some poltical correctness though. Imagine if there wasn't. It would be like living in the time before the civil rights act of 1964. There would be people openly using the word niggar or spic or guck openly, because whether we like it or not racism still exists. I may be exaggerating the amount of use of racial slurrs, but I might not be. I know plenty of people who are racist which really pisses me off. It is in this situations that political correctness is useful. I think its best applied to people who are in office and those that are racist.
I know I am jumping around from subject to subject but I get really irritated when this topic comes up. I feel its a good thing in certain situations and in others, people go to far. It's like our freedom of speech has been severely restricted. That is why I loved the Chapelle Show so much. For my generation, he was the one who bent and broke the boundaries of what was considered politically correct. When he was hosting his show, he once said that white people say that all black people look the same and he shot back that he thought that white people all look the same. This is funny but can be considered politically incorrect.
I hate racism and I hate it sexism even more. But being politically correct all the time severly limits our freedom and this is one thing I value above almost everything else. If I can't say black or white in my class because I fear being politically incorrect than there is something wrong. Race and Gender terms are the biggest contributers to being politically correct. I haven't mentioned the gender poltical correctness terms because I can't keep a a clear thought in my head if I address that issue.
This notion of being politically corrects comes from people who have been oppressed by certain words for such a long time that it's undrstandable when they lash out with this notion. But people can take it too far. I say we should learn to live with the notion that there are some people who are just plain jerks out there and even though we place certain rules on them, some won't ever change. I know it sucks but that is reality.
Friday, September 24, 2010
We Kicked Soviet Union's @$$!
The two world wars allowed us, the United States and the Soviet Union , to rise to the status of Super Powers. Which is pretty cool but a heavy responsibility. If we paid attention in history, we know that a whole bunch of “conflicts” arose out of that era; Vietnam , Korea Berlin Jordans made in Thailand
The many nations in the world use our language because we, Americans, are everywhere. But according to Barbara Wallraff, other nations who learn to speak English usually add their own language into it. We did it with British English and other English speaking languages have done the same. As stated in her essay, “English is much easier to learn poorly and to communicate in poorly than in any other language.” Which, I think is true. If we say That boy dumb or Me no understand, we get the message. If you try saying that in German it comes out as nonsense. You would have to use a complete sentence to express that simple thought. Ich bin nicht dumb. Which is kind of annoying but good.
What I have noticed is this: the world adopts the language of the world’s superpower. Look at what happened when the Spanish took over the world and they were the world’s Super power. They had the indigenous people learn their language and now A whole continent and then some speak Spanish. The Portuguese were powerful too, and the whole country of Brazil Middle East , now some parts of the old empire have Arabic words mixed in with the native language. That is the way of the world. However, when the super power collapses so does their hold on being the dominant language spoken in the world. Right now, it is the turn of English to be on top but when The United States falls, because it will, so will our “global language.” That is a cycle of life. Nothing lasts forever and the power of the U.S.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Chapter 2’s Impact on My Writing Style
The first essay that really affected me was Mary Pipher’s “Writing to Change the World.” I have always believed that a story has the power to change the world just like the Jungle or Herodotus’ Histories did to the ancient world. I have had a few books change the way I look at the world and one of them was one called The Dead Emcee Scrolls, which is a collection of hip hop poetry. I love to write, poetry mostly. But I have been in a slump for LONG time. I read that book and I felt like a new door had been opened for me. It is beautiful and simple, something that has been elusive in my writing. Another novel that changed my life was actually written by Gary Jennings’s Aztec. It was just so explicit! I never knew how much overt language was capable of being published. But it wasn’t just that it was eloquent. While it did describe certain scenes explicitly, it was still a moving book with a powerful message. I may be exaggerating about the explicit content of the novel but it was just amazing. It was a tragic but optimistic book. Anyone who has read it will understand.
There are few words that can make you feel the simple force of one word. Just like a breath lost in a strong wind, the strength of a word like eyes, dark, light can be lost in the complex way big words are put together. I would have not known how strong a word was ‘til I read Richard Lederer’s Essay, “The Case for Short Words.” It was like the sun rise after a dark night. If you haven’t noticed I have been trying to use monosyllable words together but it is actually proving tricky for me. I don’t understand why! Well, now I do but it is still disconcerting… I am so used to putting words like verisimilitude and apoptosis into my writing, I feel like it has been stunted in its growth. It was like seeing fireworks burst in the night sky, beautifully simple. I really don’t know what else to say. I can blather on and on about how special this essay was to me but it would be better if I tried to show it. So here it goes.
I sat down on the seat and opened a magazine. The door was locked and no one was at home. I read a story about how Brad and Angelina were in another clash on who was in charge and I was shifting to the next page when I heard a knock on the door. It could not be happening. My private moment was being interrupted. “Hurry up, I need to use to the Lou.” The knock would not stop. So I got up and glared at my sister. No one disturbs my privacy.
The next day, I hid in her room, right in her closet. She took a long bath, an hour I believe. She came out, with a towel wrapped on her head, robe on her body. I waited and at the right time, I banged on her door as hard as I could. I peeked out of the closet; Big mistake. She is 5’0 feet and weighs 200 pounds. There was stuff I should not have seen. Never mess with a girl’s private time or you might pay for it in odd ways.
I challenge anyone who does not get bored reading my blog to use monosyllable words to describe a moment in time that is really significant to them.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Indifference is Worse than Hate
First of all, I just want to say that the speech given by Elie Weisel and Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter are one of the best written essays I have ever read. That said, I will discuss what indifference and silence are.
These two were masters at using ethos, pathos and logos. They weaved the concepts seamlessly; they tore out your heart, lifted your soul from the darkness of ignorance and rewired your mind at the same time. What they spoke of though was the evil of indifference and silence. I was once read that indifference is the opposite of love. After reading those two essays, I couldn’t agree more. What indifference brings to mind is a robot. I know it seems weird, but hear me out. When we think of the movie terminator, we think of humanity fighting against the machines. What was more frightening than their endurance and strength was actually with the indifference they killed with. Men, women, pregnant women, children and babies died at their metal hands. What is scarier, a man who kills in anger or a man who kills just because he can? As Elie Weisel stated, it is indifference that makes us inhuman. Because what defines us as humans is the ability to love. Other animals can possibly love but humans do it in their own unique way. Love drives our society subconsciously. Whether it’s the love of power, justice, money, mercy or equality, the most significant thing is that we love. Or as Thomas Jefferson alluded to, it is the pursuit which we yearn for. Even if we never experience love for someone or something, we will always pursue it.
Now silence, is a different thing. Let me give an example of silence. It was my first year in high school and I was taking algebra because It was not forte. The classroom was full of the typical high school kids. There were the party goers, the jocks, nerds, the cholos, the cool kids and the outsiders. I was a nerd. But as the semesters passed, the cool kids would bug this girl, who was an outsider. She was quiet and did her work. She was a nice girl and had much to offer in friendship. I talked to her but soon the “cool” kids, began to nag her almost every week. They made fun of her shoes, how she dressed and her silence. She just sat there and took it. It was painful to watch but her silence made it worse. It’s like watching someone die. I have never felt more ashamed of myself than in that year. I had the power to stop it but my silence was what caused her to be bullied. I have since than vowed not to remain silent against such injustice. It is hard to keep that vow sometimes because I fear standing alone. I understand what Martin Luther King said about the time of silence being over when he initiated the movement of desegregation. My case was not as extreme but I do understand the urgency of which he spoke of. Silence is worse when you care because it marks you as a coward. I would rather be categorized as a robot than a coward.
These two were masters at using ethos, pathos and logos. They weaved the concepts seamlessly; they tore out your heart, lifted your soul from the darkness of ignorance and rewired your mind at the same time. What they spoke of though was the evil of indifference and silence. I was once read that indifference is the opposite of love. After reading those two essays, I couldn’t agree more. What indifference brings to mind is a robot. I know it seems weird, but hear me out. When we think of the movie terminator, we think of humanity fighting against the machines. What was more frightening than their endurance and strength was actually with the indifference they killed with. Men, women, pregnant women, children and babies died at their metal hands. What is scarier, a man who kills in anger or a man who kills just because he can? As Elie Weisel stated, it is indifference that makes us inhuman. Because what defines us as humans is the ability to love. Other animals can possibly love but humans do it in their own unique way. Love drives our society subconsciously. Whether it’s the love of power, justice, money, mercy or equality, the most significant thing is that we love. Or as Thomas Jefferson alluded to, it is the pursuit which we yearn for. Even if we never experience love for someone or something, we will always pursue it.
Now silence, is a different thing. Let me give an example of silence. It was my first year in high school and I was taking algebra because It was not forte. The classroom was full of the typical high school kids. There were the party goers, the jocks, nerds, the cholos, the cool kids and the outsiders. I was a nerd. But as the semesters passed, the cool kids would bug this girl, who was an outsider. She was quiet and did her work. She was a nice girl and had much to offer in friendship. I talked to her but soon the “cool” kids, began to nag her almost every week. They made fun of her shoes, how she dressed and her silence. She just sat there and took it. It was painful to watch but her silence made it worse. It’s like watching someone die. I have never felt more ashamed of myself than in that year. I had the power to stop it but my silence was what caused her to be bullied. I have since than vowed not to remain silent against such injustice. It is hard to keep that vow sometimes because I fear standing alone. I understand what Martin Luther King said about the time of silence being over when he initiated the movement of desegregation. My case was not as extreme but I do understand the urgency of which he spoke of. Silence is worse when you care because it marks you as a coward. I would rather be categorized as a robot than a coward.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Question 5: The Power of Language!
What has the power of language done for me? I have an idea of what it has implanted in my mind but I have never really been able to talk about until now. Also, because I have never been asked that question before so I don’t know how to respond to it correctly. Here goes my thoughts… When I think of language, I think of magic. It is mystifying how a few sounds can be meddled into something musical and understandable. Think of the word green. It symbolizes a color. How do you define color? A shade of the rainbow? A pigment? If you were blind how would you know what it was? Language is what paints the blank canvas of our world. Imagine not being able to tell someone you love them. Sure, you could express it in your eyes, your touches, your smile but doesn’t hearing “I Love You,” make you go all warm and fuzzy? Language is magical. It can make us feel things deeper than we could with just body language. It takes on the transcendent quality that music has. (I talk a lot about music because I am so moved by it; it’s a reoccurring notion when I talk about something universal.)
But there has been a defining moment where I did feel the power of language. But in order to describe that experience, I have to describe another one first. I was a child in elementary school, fourth grade to be exact. A friend of mine had inspired me to read more and create my own stories. So, in the fourth grade, I tried my hand at poetry. I was in love with this boy named Timothy and I was so inspired I wrote my first ever love poem. At the time, it was a great achievement because I was young and a friend of mine memorized it because she loved. It goes like this:
“Love, what is love? Is it a kiss or a hug?
Yes but It comes from the heart and soul.”
It is humiliating to think that this was deemed good and I am a bit embarrassed for posting this. Here is my first ever poem. This is significant because of what it did. It opened a new world for me; like a window into my soul had been opened though I didn’t know it.
When I was in high school, I took a creative writing class. I was procrastinating. It was a period before my Creative Writing class and I hadn’t done my homework so I asked my friend to give me a theme to write about. She told me to be dark. So I turned my IPOD on and wrote to a dark song. This is what came out:
The sweet song named immortality calls
It calls to all beckoning blind greed.
"Listen to echoes,” eternal life says
“Resounding through the empty hall of souls,
Till your own grave to keep you level
Just try to remain sane in raucous rage.
Gnash your teeth, claw your way out, so alone
So desperate, lament to creeping death
Freeze your own heart but leave only despair.”
That is what I wrote and in that moment I felt the power of language. I felt the power of curiosity through language. I was amazed That I was capable of coming up with this and I wanted to know “What else am I capable of?” I know that is not the best poem written but I am proud of it. Curiosity is a powerful thing and I still want to know, “What’s next?”
But there has been a defining moment where I did feel the power of language. But in order to describe that experience, I have to describe another one first. I was a child in elementary school, fourth grade to be exact. A friend of mine had inspired me to read more and create my own stories. So, in the fourth grade, I tried my hand at poetry. I was in love with this boy named Timothy and I was so inspired I wrote my first ever love poem. At the time, it was a great achievement because I was young and a friend of mine memorized it because she loved. It goes like this:
“Love, what is love? Is it a kiss or a hug?
Yes but It comes from the heart and soul.”
It is humiliating to think that this was deemed good and I am a bit embarrassed for posting this. Here is my first ever poem. This is significant because of what it did. It opened a new world for me; like a window into my soul had been opened though I didn’t know it.
When I was in high school, I took a creative writing class. I was procrastinating. It was a period before my Creative Writing class and I hadn’t done my homework so I asked my friend to give me a theme to write about. She told me to be dark. So I turned my IPOD on and wrote to a dark song. This is what came out:
The sweet song named immortality calls
It calls to all beckoning blind greed.
"Listen to echoes,” eternal life says
“Resounding through the empty hall of souls,
Till your own grave to keep you level
Just try to remain sane in raucous rage.
Gnash your teeth, claw your way out, so alone
So desperate, lament to creeping death
Freeze your own heart but leave only despair.”
That is what I wrote and in that moment I felt the power of language. I felt the power of curiosity through language. I was amazed That I was capable of coming up with this and I wanted to know “What else am I capable of?” I know that is not the best poem written but I am proud of it. Curiosity is a powerful thing and I still want to know, “What’s next?”
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Blogging is something new to me
When I define critical thinking, I usually end up coming up with my own definition for it. I describe it as follows: Critical thinking is when one at least attempts to actively observe their surroundings, the actions of others, and/or the words stated in order to draw an educated conclusion to what is presented. This is how I define it. There is a flaw with my definition, however, this is the way I understand critical thinking. When I read, I think but it is not necessarily critical thinking. Likewise with the reading. For example when I read a great book, like I mean great, no Twilight crap, I get lost in it and critical reading and thinking go out the window. But if it is just good, I begin analyzing the situations presented and what the characters say and I predict what’s going to happen next. The reason I do this is because I sometimes do more than read. I begin to live what the characters in a novel, poem, play, etc. live and it becomes a reality for me. So when I think critically about a book it’s either because it is only good or I am required to. If I am asked by the professor to analyze a text, I will do it and disconnect myself from it. I become a scientist and a text becomes the thing I am analyzing.
My everyday life is a little different. I walk around a bit oblivious. I dream of being an assassin with a troubled past, who is trying to leave the way of shadows but keeps I getting sucked in... I lose myself in daydreams at times but when I pay attention I usually end up critically thinking. I don’t watch the news as much as I should because it is biased and it feels like it’s more for the ratings than the news. How does Lindsey Lohan going to jail compare the BP disaster in the gulf? It’s stuff like this that takes away from the news being valid. Politics is in the same boat. My biggest application of critical thinking occurs with my relationship with people. I analyze their body language, voice pitch and words to try and understand what they are saying and feeling. I try to understand their motives for what they did and why. This is where my critical thinking is at its best. Sometimes it’s even good when I analyze a text.
I think that English 103 will help me focus my critical thinking into more areas such as politics and the media. It has been a while since I have analyzed a text so it will probably also sharpen my old skills again. Hopefully, by the end of the term, I will be able to apply my critical reading and thinking skills into any area I want. Also, I hope it dispels my habit of daydreaming when I should be observing. But that is no guarantee; I probably have to change that myself. This could be the class that allows me to take that step forward.
My everyday life is a little different. I walk around a bit oblivious. I dream of being an assassin with a troubled past, who is trying to leave the way of shadows but keeps I getting sucked in... I lose myself in daydreams at times but when I pay attention I usually end up critically thinking. I don’t watch the news as much as I should because it is biased and it feels like it’s more for the ratings than the news. How does Lindsey Lohan going to jail compare the BP disaster in the gulf? It’s stuff like this that takes away from the news being valid. Politics is in the same boat. My biggest application of critical thinking occurs with my relationship with people. I analyze their body language, voice pitch and words to try and understand what they are saying and feeling. I try to understand their motives for what they did and why. This is where my critical thinking is at its best. Sometimes it’s even good when I analyze a text.
I think that English 103 will help me focus my critical thinking into more areas such as politics and the media. It has been a while since I have analyzed a text so it will probably also sharpen my old skills again. Hopefully, by the end of the term, I will be able to apply my critical reading and thinking skills into any area I want. Also, I hope it dispels my habit of daydreaming when I should be observing. But that is no guarantee; I probably have to change that myself. This could be the class that allows me to take that step forward.
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