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Friday, June 4, 2010
Reflections
From an early age, many events have impacted my life and how I was raised. My mother was attending Everett Community College during her early 20’s and met my father, who was in the Navy working as an aircraft mechanic. So, both my parents have had some college degree to influence me enough to want to further my own education. Later, my parents found out they were expecting…Twins. Unfortunately, my twin brother, David, passed away at an early age, leaving me to grow up to be an only child. With all of the pressures of life being too much to handle, my parents divorced. Now, I was an only child being raised by a single mother. Yes, I grew up to be a “momma’s boy”.
Growing up, I struggled in school. Since, my mom had to quit school and work two jobs to support the both of us, there was hardly time to see me. My grandparents (as mentioned in a few of my writings in English 101) took care of me while my mom worked. Living with my Japanese grandmother, I picked up a lot of the language, but at the young age, I was still learning to speak English, so I ended up mixing one another and getting the vowels and consonants switched around. Having to take speech classes until 5th grade and always being placed into remedial English, took a huge toll on my self-esteem. I didn’t let that stop me from achieving my goals though. I graduated high school with honors and set out to further my education in hopes to eventually obtain a human services degree from Western Washington University.
It wasn’t until I attended college that I was diagnosed with a learning disorder. Dyslexia was a huge battle for me, and I was shocked that I had not discovered the problem earlier. Ultimately, I learned to cope with it and continue my trek throughout college.
Before taking English 101, I had a few ideas of what was going to take place. I figured that taking it online, it was going to be a piece of cake. Oh, was I wrong. There were many hurdles that I had to jump over to get to where I am now. I thought that I knew how to write at least a decent paper, but it was the academic part of writing that I was having problems with. With Outsiders, Outcast and Outlaws being the subject on hand, I had no idea that Identity, Community and Tradition were the topics that were in store for me. It threw me off balance for a little bit, but I bounced back into it as fast as I had left it in the first place.
Partaking in this class really opened my eyes and my perspective on how communities can help define who someone is as a person, to help define their individuality, and overall, how the three subjects tie together with undeniable unison. Communities have multiple functions in a person or a group of people. They can make one feel a part of something, being an “insider”, by sharing the traditions and taking part in the cultural activities brought on by the individuals who make up the community. But communities aren't just around for giving. A person must give back to the community to see results. If someone is not involved they get results they may or may not want. For most, the outcome is becoming an “outsider” or and “outcast”. Taking away from this class, I have also learning that having traditions can have a lasting impact on an individual and their community, for without traditions, communities have no backbone on which to run by. There are no guidelines or paths to follow, but by making your own, which in some cases is not always a bad idea.
Thank you for taking the time to read my reflection letter and viewing the contents of my e-portfolio. Hopefully, you can gain a little insight on what kind of person I am, and be able to understand my thoughts and choices of writings, and take from my writings, ideas to help you understand more about your own identity, community and traditions that make up who you are as an individual.
Analyze This
After viewing The Visitor, I chose Intermission Two to write about critical thinking. My view changed for one of the subjects that was part of the many story-line in the movie. Prior to the movie, I was not really sympathetic or even understanding towards immigrants that were residing in the states illegally, wondering what their motives were. While responding and reading other fellow students’ feedback, and watching and re-watching the film, this movie made me think about many issues and changed the outlook I had on the same topics and issues that Professor Walter had-- about how someone’s perspectives on people and life in general can change so quickly (only if that person wants to change that is), but also how everything seems to happen for a reason. I grew to respect people that immigrate to America in search of new jobs, education, living conditions--in search of a new life (or at least a change in their current one).
Ever since watching this movie, I have been analyzing almost every movie, trying to understand more than just what is going on during the film. I am picking apart the character's lives and putting myself behind the scenes and wondering what the directors' motives were in a certain scene. Many times, I am pondering to myself, thinking that particular movies that I watch would have been good for my English 101 class. It gets a little ridiculous sometimes, but I enjoy analyzing these movies, for I'm understanding more about the actions of people and community and how they can help each other or harm each other.
Ever since watching this movie, I have been analyzing almost every movie, trying to understand more than just what is going on during the film. I am picking apart the character's lives and putting myself behind the scenes and wondering what the directors' motives were in a certain scene. Many times, I am pondering to myself, thinking that particular movies that I watch would have been good for my English 101 class. It gets a little ridiculous sometimes, but I enjoy analyzing these movies, for I'm understanding more about the actions of people and community and how they can help each other or harm each other.
New Life
Initial Post to Intermission Two Paper Talk:
It was very interesting to see how Professor Walter changed his perceptions and attitudes towards people, throughout the entire film. He seemed like such a loner, with nothing to live for, with such a "cold", unloving attitude in the beginning of the movie and as it progressed he became a caring and understanding old soul. Especially, under the certain situation in which he was involved in. Being introduced to a different crowd can really change someone's outlook on things that don't just involve them. They begin to look at the bigger picture, which is what Walter did. For instance, I remember when Walter came back to his old apartment in New York (which he had rarely stayed at), from teaching one class in Connecticut, and ran into an old neighbor. The neighbor was so happy to see him and wanted to have a short, but sweet conversation with Walter. After explaining that his wife had passed, Walter wanted nothing to do with his neighbor, even while his "old friend" was talking about the events that has passed for him since Walter was gone. The filmmakers did a great job at turning the situation around on Walter towards the end of the movie. They portrayed Walter as being the outsider, while he was asking to find out where his immigrant friend was--no one wanted to listen to him. Unfortunately, it's like that old saying, "What comes around, goes around."
It didn't take that long for Walter to get accustomed to being around these "new" people that he found living in his apartment for 2 months. In the beginning of the film, you could tell that he was lonely on the inside but on the outside he was as cold as ice. He grew very fond of Zaineb and Tarek, that when there were rough times, he tried to fix them. Just like a community would do for their people. He became so involved in their lives that he wanted almost leave his old life behind. The filmmakers made a great portrayal in this point by having Walter's piano sold to his fourth and last piano teacher (his passed wife had played the piano, so he tried to learn it.) He ended up picking up the African drum, which Tarek introduced him to. It was very much like this throughout the movie, where Walter was throwing away old habits and items and picking up new ones, along with new friends (and family). This isn't uncommon now days, with people picking up and moving to another town, state or even country, to be with someone they love or like this movie illustrates, being with complete strangers and learning to accept their cultures and traditions.
Classmate response and question:
I think that the ending of the film wasn't extremely flashy but do you think that that final scene summarized Walter's transformation and all of the positive influences that his boundary crossing had provided him?
My response to question:
I can see how everything that Walter went through, left him with a positive outlook on people that were outside his boundaries. The immigrants that he took in for a while, influenced him in such a positive way that he was able to experience emotions again. It seemed that after his wife passed, he closed himself off from the world, walking around with no meaning and feelings. When Tarek and his wife entered Walter's "boundary" (his apartment), the transformation of Walter's perception, attitude, emotions, and even lifestyle, began.
Then I responded to a classmate's initial posting, asking questions and analyzing further:
I agree with you in the fact most people who come to America, come here in search for what opportunities they can find, and that most of the time, these opportunities they take, are ones that no one already here wants. It's unfortunate that Tarik was arrested, because like you said, if you saw this guy on the street, playing the drums, you wouldn't think twice about him. Was he arrested because of his looks or, because he was fumbling around with his bags at the station? I wasn't quite sure about that scene. It just shows that someone wouldn't be able to tell the difference from a person living here legally or a person living here illegally.
Here is one more response to another classmate's initial response:
I felt the same way about the movie and how it portrayed such a huge transformation. To go along with what caught your eye when he was trying to find his immigrant guy friend that he had met. Walter was always the type of person to not really care if other people had a problem, it was their situation and it sucked to be them. But, now he was in the same situation but as the victim. The tables turned completely on him. I definitely noticed that at the end of the movie, when he was at the immigrant holding place. He was so desperate to find Tarik, that it made the scene that much more meaningful, showing how the tables had turned, putting him in the situation that he found his new friends in a few days ago. I was able to correlate almost everything that happened to Walter, with how he treated everything before those events took place.
It was very interesting to see how Professor Walter changed his perceptions and attitudes towards people, throughout the entire film. He seemed like such a loner, with nothing to live for, with such a "cold", unloving attitude in the beginning of the movie and as it progressed he became a caring and understanding old soul. Especially, under the certain situation in which he was involved in. Being introduced to a different crowd can really change someone's outlook on things that don't just involve them. They begin to look at the bigger picture, which is what Walter did. For instance, I remember when Walter came back to his old apartment in New York (which he had rarely stayed at), from teaching one class in Connecticut, and ran into an old neighbor. The neighbor was so happy to see him and wanted to have a short, but sweet conversation with Walter. After explaining that his wife had passed, Walter wanted nothing to do with his neighbor, even while his "old friend" was talking about the events that has passed for him since Walter was gone. The filmmakers did a great job at turning the situation around on Walter towards the end of the movie. They portrayed Walter as being the outsider, while he was asking to find out where his immigrant friend was--no one wanted to listen to him. Unfortunately, it's like that old saying, "What comes around, goes around."
It didn't take that long for Walter to get accustomed to being around these "new" people that he found living in his apartment for 2 months. In the beginning of the film, you could tell that he was lonely on the inside but on the outside he was as cold as ice. He grew very fond of Zaineb and Tarek, that when there were rough times, he tried to fix them. Just like a community would do for their people. He became so involved in their lives that he wanted almost leave his old life behind. The filmmakers made a great portrayal in this point by having Walter's piano sold to his fourth and last piano teacher (his passed wife had played the piano, so he tried to learn it.) He ended up picking up the African drum, which Tarek introduced him to. It was very much like this throughout the movie, where Walter was throwing away old habits and items and picking up new ones, along with new friends (and family). This isn't uncommon now days, with people picking up and moving to another town, state or even country, to be with someone they love or like this movie illustrates, being with complete strangers and learning to accept their cultures and traditions.
Classmate response and question:
I think that the ending of the film wasn't extremely flashy but do you think that that final scene summarized Walter's transformation and all of the positive influences that his boundary crossing had provided him?
My response to question:
I can see how everything that Walter went through, left him with a positive outlook on people that were outside his boundaries. The immigrants that he took in for a while, influenced him in such a positive way that he was able to experience emotions again. It seemed that after his wife passed, he closed himself off from the world, walking around with no meaning and feelings. When Tarek and his wife entered Walter's "boundary" (his apartment), the transformation of Walter's perception, attitude, emotions, and even lifestyle, began.
Then I responded to a classmate's initial posting, asking questions and analyzing further:
I agree with you in the fact most people who come to America, come here in search for what opportunities they can find, and that most of the time, these opportunities they take, are ones that no one already here wants. It's unfortunate that Tarik was arrested, because like you said, if you saw this guy on the street, playing the drums, you wouldn't think twice about him. Was he arrested because of his looks or, because he was fumbling around with his bags at the station? I wasn't quite sure about that scene. It just shows that someone wouldn't be able to tell the difference from a person living here legally or a person living here illegally.
Here is one more response to another classmate's initial response:
I felt the same way about the movie and how it portrayed such a huge transformation. To go along with what caught your eye when he was trying to find his immigrant guy friend that he had met. Walter was always the type of person to not really care if other people had a problem, it was their situation and it sucked to be them. But, now he was in the same situation but as the victim. The tables turned completely on him. I definitely noticed that at the end of the movie, when he was at the immigrant holding place. He was so desperate to find Tarik, that it made the scene that much more meaningful, showing how the tables had turned, putting him in the situation that he found his new friends in a few days ago. I was able to correlate almost everything that happened to Walter, with how he treated everything before those events took place.
Take 1
I chose to “fix up” my Identity paper. Being my first academic paper for English 101, I was not expecting to get a perfect score. But I wasn’t also expecting to get the grade that I received. I didn’t fail, but there was definitely some room for improvement. I thought that I understood the assignment, I thought I had some wonderful ideas, I thought I had a great finished product. What I didn't know, was that I was writing an academic paper, and apparently, I had not known how to write one or completely forgot to produce a well-thought out college-level paper.
In the Identity Unit we were supposed to write a 3-4 page paper that was supposed to include one of the following prompts:
As a result of your readings (primary) and observations (secondary), what seem to be the greatest obstacles or challenges to developing a strong sense of self-identity?
OR
As a result of your readings (primary) and observations (secondary), what seem to be the greatest contributors to developing a stong sense of self-identity?
The prompted that I elected to use was the latter.
Aside from the almost perfect format, there were many errors such as the good ‘ol use of rhetorical questions and driving off the path of the prompt of the assignment. I also had some problems explaining in my paper, how a few sentences related to identity. “I was on the slippery slope to failing most of my classes. He enlightened me to stand back and look at where I was at in life. I did not take gratification into the reflection that I saw and what I was becoming. Thanks to my mentor, I was able to break free from the fast growing addiction of the MMO world.” So, there will be a few changes to my paper many small and more prominent changes. This revision has taught me the ability to pretend like the paper isn't mine which would make it easier for me revise it. That was the problem I was having the rough drafts and full drafts. I was getting feedback on my paper, but I was only inputting the minimum feedback into it. I was afraid that if I changed a sentence or two, then the paper wouldn't make sense or flow properly. I should have used the full advice in the beginning and not worry about affecting my paper, because my paper was already affected--I just didn't know it yet.
The original paper will be italics and the revised paper will be in normal font.
In the Identity Unit we were supposed to write a 3-4 page paper that was supposed to include one of the following prompts:
As a result of your readings (primary) and observations (secondary), what seem to be the greatest obstacles or challenges to developing a strong sense of self-identity?
OR
As a result of your readings (primary) and observations (secondary), what seem to be the greatest contributors to developing a stong sense of self-identity?
The prompted that I elected to use was the latter.
Aside from the almost perfect format, there were many errors such as the good ‘ol use of rhetorical questions and driving off the path of the prompt of the assignment. I also had some problems explaining in my paper, how a few sentences related to identity. “I was on the slippery slope to failing most of my classes. He enlightened me to stand back and look at where I was at in life. I did not take gratification into the reflection that I saw and what I was becoming. Thanks to my mentor, I was able to break free from the fast growing addiction of the MMO world.” So, there will be a few changes to my paper many small and more prominent changes. This revision has taught me the ability to pretend like the paper isn't mine which would make it easier for me revise it. That was the problem I was having the rough drafts and full drafts. I was getting feedback on my paper, but I was only inputting the minimum feedback into it. I was afraid that if I changed a sentence or two, then the paper wouldn't make sense or flow properly. I should have used the full advice in the beginning and not worry about affecting my paper, because my paper was already affected--I just didn't know it yet.
The original paper will be italics and the revised paper will be in normal font.
Take 2
Looking in the mirror, do we always see the spitting image of our parents? When it comes to building uniqueness in a character, it is not always “like father, like son” or “like mother, like daughter.” Even though most people are raised by their parents, who help to develop and strengthen their child's identity growing up, other family members and friends are also contributing factors on how self-identity is formed. Whether it be a coach, babysitter or even a teacher, numerous people (excluding your parents), can have a profound impact on building one’s identity.
For most, family is not always “thicker than blood”. The majority of youth today seem like they have to explore other areas for further guidance in developing their identity. It is not uncommon in this century for children and young adults to seek out their teacher or maybe even a football coach for self-guidance or mentoring. With the pressure of finding a job or achieving success in school people sometimes get off the path of finding they are by trying to become something they are not-- it happens all the time in schools. In The Overachievers, Alexandra Robbins explains that a number of parents are pressuring their children to do well, making them become overachievers. In the long run, “it contributes directly to young adults’ paralyzing fear of failure” (252; ed. 2, ch. 3). Instead of children talking with their parents and explaining to them that they want to take control of their life and build their own structured character, they are turning to “other” role models to answer their questions of, “Why am I here,” and “What am I going to do from now on?” When I was a sophomore in high school I was addicted to MMORPG’s or Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. Finding me in my room, playing a random game after school was a normal thing to do. Getting in trouble or even talking with my mom was not an option due to the fact that she was working majority of the time and when she arrived home, she did not want to interact with anyone. One day, my friend now, mentor and teacher then, pulled me aside and talked about the importance of striving for a good education. I was on the slippery slope to failing most of my classes. He enlightened me to stand back and look at where I was at in life. I did not take gratification into the reflection that I saw and what I was becoming. Thanks to my mentor, I was able to break free from the fast growing addiction of the MMO world.
In the same way that teachers and coaches can provide guidance, friends and other relatives can provide the same amount of guidance and help to reinforce one’s self-image. Unfortunately, many teenagers feel they need to “conform” to their friends to be “popular”. There are teenagers who feel their identity is based off what activities they are involved in and who they hang out with. In Emily White’s story, High School’s Secret Life, “Their conformity is remarkable; it is not a cop-out but a way of broadcasting the fact that you aren’t a weirdo, that you are speaking in the signs of the chosen ones”(18; ed. 2, ch. 1). Many teenagers though, tend to have a “best friend(s)”, who most likely will share the same interests, and who are able to communicate important topics and can be sure that they are both trying to find their “place” in this world. That best friend is a great contributor to how self identity is formed. Hopefully, they can help steer their friend into building a strong character.
When building a sense of identity we will listen and take advice from our friends and mentors, but when it comes to our elders, do we really give them the time and day? The vast majority of people are inclined to brush off the advice and wisdom our elders have to give. Little do people know, these ancestors can provide people with the insight needed to help develop a strong personal being. They can give us the foundation to build our self-identification on. By teaching, hopefully, the good customs and traditions, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc., they can help us to understand important knowledge that can be used to shape who a person is or who they will become. For instance, growing up, my grandparents did not have a lot of material items—they did not spend what they did not have. They produced their own morals and values. These morals and values were some of the things that my grandparents tried to teach me growing up. In the end It was up to me, to choose if I wanted to listen to them and take their advice and knowledge. It was up to me if I wanted to take that advice and knowledge and use it to compose my pronounced self-image.
Whether it is someone’s mentor, teacher, aunt, grandfather, neighbor, or a close friend, there will always be a multitude of contributing factors to building a person’s foundation of self-identity. The next time you look in the mirror, stare back at the reflection. Hopefully, you can see all of the important people who have helped to shape who you have become.
Revision:
Looking in the mirror, we do not always see the spitting image of our parents. When it comes to building uniqueness in a character, it is not always “like father, like son” or “like mother, like daughter.” Even though most people are raised by their parents, who help to develop and strengthen their child's identity growing up, other family members and friends are also contributing factors on how self-identity is formed. Whether it be a coach, babysitter or even a teacher, numerous people (excluding your parents), can have a profound impact on building one’s identity.
For most, family is not always “thicker than blood”. Youth today seem like they have to explore other areas for further guidance in developing their identity. It is not uncommon in this century for children and young adults to seek out their teacher or maybe even a football coach for self-guidance or mentoring. With the pressure of finding a job or achieving success in school people sometimes get off the path of finding they are by trying to become something they are not-- it happens all the time in schools. In “The Overachievers”, Alexandra Robbins explains that a number of parents are pressuring their children to do well, making them into overachievers. In the long run, “it contributes directly to young adults’ paralyzing fear of failure” (252; ed. 2, ch. 3). Instead of children talking with their parents and explaining to them that they want to take control of their life and build their own structured character, they are turning to “other” role models to answer their questions of, “Why am I here?” and “What am I going to do from now on?” When I was a sophomore in high school, I was addicted to MMORPG’s or Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. Finding me in my room, playing a random game after school was a normal thing to do. Getting in trouble or even talking with my mom was not an option due to the fact that she was always working. The majority of the time and when she arrived home, she did not want to interact with anyone. One day, my friend now, mentor and teacher then, pulled me aside and talked about the importance of striving for a good education. I was on the slippery slope to failing most of my classes. He enlightened me to stand back and look at where I was at in life. I did not take gratification into the reflection that I saw and what I was becoming. Thanks to my mentor, I was able to break free from the fast growing addiction of the MMO world. This helped my identity to not be corrupted with conformity that people are so used to, surrounding the media today. Without a supportive community, one’s sense of identity could change, become lost, or, depending on the situation, grow.
In the same way that teachers and coaches can provide guidance, friends and other relatives can provide the same amount of guidance and help to reinforce one’s self-image. Unfortunately, many teenagers feel they need to “conform” to their friends to be “popular.” There are teenagers who feel their identity is based off what activities they are involved in and who they hang out with. In Emily White’s story, High School’s Secret Life, “Their conformity is remarkable; it is not a cop-out but a way of broadcasting the fact that you aren’t a weirdo, that you are speaking in the signs of the chosen ones”(18; ed. 2, ch. 1). Many teenagers though, tend to have a “best friend(s)”, who most likely will share the same interests, and who are able to communicate important topics and can be sure that they are both trying to find their “place” in this world. That best friend is a great contributor to how self identity is formed. They can help, guide, support, defend and sometimes even get into trouble for their friend. Their loyalty can cause a friend to create strong, meaningful emotions, which will help to build or add to a good solid identity.
When building a sense of identity, we will listen and take advice from our friends and mentors, but when it comes to our elders, we sometime do not give the time of day. The youth feel that they know everything, therefore the opinions and advice of older generations do not matter. The vast majority of people are inclined to brush off the advice and wisdom our elders have to give. Little do people know, these ancestors can provide people with the insight needed to help develop a strong personal being. They can give us the foundation to self-identification on. By teaching, hopefully, the good customs and traditions, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc., they can help us to understand important knowledge that can be used to shape who a person is or who they will become. For instance, growing up, my grandparents did not have a lot of material items—they wouldn’t buy things they did not need. Many times, they wouldn’t buy things they even wanted. They produced their own morals and values. These morals and values were some of the things that my grandparents tried to teach me growing up. They wanted to teach me these items so I could in turn build a strong foundation for my identity to be built upon. In the end it was up to me, to choose if I wanted to listen to them and take their advice and knowledge. It was up to me if I wanted to take that advice and knowledge and use it to compose my pronounced self-image.
Whether it is someone’s mentor, teacher, aunt, grandfather, neighbor, or a close friend, there will always be a multitude of contributing factors to building a person’s foundation of self-identity. The next time we look in the mirror, let us stare back at the reflection. Hopefully, we can see all of the important people who have helped to shape who we have become.
For most, family is not always “thicker than blood”. The majority of youth today seem like they have to explore other areas for further guidance in developing their identity. It is not uncommon in this century for children and young adults to seek out their teacher or maybe even a football coach for self-guidance or mentoring. With the pressure of finding a job or achieving success in school people sometimes get off the path of finding they are by trying to become something they are not-- it happens all the time in schools. In The Overachievers, Alexandra Robbins explains that a number of parents are pressuring their children to do well, making them become overachievers. In the long run, “it contributes directly to young adults’ paralyzing fear of failure” (252; ed. 2, ch. 3). Instead of children talking with their parents and explaining to them that they want to take control of their life and build their own structured character, they are turning to “other” role models to answer their questions of, “Why am I here,” and “What am I going to do from now on?” When I was a sophomore in high school I was addicted to MMORPG’s or Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. Finding me in my room, playing a random game after school was a normal thing to do. Getting in trouble or even talking with my mom was not an option due to the fact that she was working majority of the time and when she arrived home, she did not want to interact with anyone. One day, my friend now, mentor and teacher then, pulled me aside and talked about the importance of striving for a good education. I was on the slippery slope to failing most of my classes. He enlightened me to stand back and look at where I was at in life. I did not take gratification into the reflection that I saw and what I was becoming. Thanks to my mentor, I was able to break free from the fast growing addiction of the MMO world.
In the same way that teachers and coaches can provide guidance, friends and other relatives can provide the same amount of guidance and help to reinforce one’s self-image. Unfortunately, many teenagers feel they need to “conform” to their friends to be “popular”. There are teenagers who feel their identity is based off what activities they are involved in and who they hang out with. In Emily White’s story, High School’s Secret Life, “Their conformity is remarkable; it is not a cop-out but a way of broadcasting the fact that you aren’t a weirdo, that you are speaking in the signs of the chosen ones”(18; ed. 2, ch. 1). Many teenagers though, tend to have a “best friend(s)”, who most likely will share the same interests, and who are able to communicate important topics and can be sure that they are both trying to find their “place” in this world. That best friend is a great contributor to how self identity is formed. Hopefully, they can help steer their friend into building a strong character.
When building a sense of identity we will listen and take advice from our friends and mentors, but when it comes to our elders, do we really give them the time and day? The vast majority of people are inclined to brush off the advice and wisdom our elders have to give. Little do people know, these ancestors can provide people with the insight needed to help develop a strong personal being. They can give us the foundation to build our self-identification on. By teaching, hopefully, the good customs and traditions, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc., they can help us to understand important knowledge that can be used to shape who a person is or who they will become. For instance, growing up, my grandparents did not have a lot of material items—they did not spend what they did not have. They produced their own morals and values. These morals and values were some of the things that my grandparents tried to teach me growing up. In the end It was up to me, to choose if I wanted to listen to them and take their advice and knowledge. It was up to me if I wanted to take that advice and knowledge and use it to compose my pronounced self-image.
Whether it is someone’s mentor, teacher, aunt, grandfather, neighbor, or a close friend, there will always be a multitude of contributing factors to building a person’s foundation of self-identity. The next time you look in the mirror, stare back at the reflection. Hopefully, you can see all of the important people who have helped to shape who you have become.
Revision:
Looking in the mirror, we do not always see the spitting image of our parents. When it comes to building uniqueness in a character, it is not always “like father, like son” or “like mother, like daughter.” Even though most people are raised by their parents, who help to develop and strengthen their child's identity growing up, other family members and friends are also contributing factors on how self-identity is formed. Whether it be a coach, babysitter or even a teacher, numerous people (excluding your parents), can have a profound impact on building one’s identity.
For most, family is not always “thicker than blood”. Youth today seem like they have to explore other areas for further guidance in developing their identity. It is not uncommon in this century for children and young adults to seek out their teacher or maybe even a football coach for self-guidance or mentoring. With the pressure of finding a job or achieving success in school people sometimes get off the path of finding they are by trying to become something they are not-- it happens all the time in schools. In “The Overachievers”, Alexandra Robbins explains that a number of parents are pressuring their children to do well, making them into overachievers. In the long run, “it contributes directly to young adults’ paralyzing fear of failure” (252; ed. 2, ch. 3). Instead of children talking with their parents and explaining to them that they want to take control of their life and build their own structured character, they are turning to “other” role models to answer their questions of, “Why am I here?” and “What am I going to do from now on?” When I was a sophomore in high school, I was addicted to MMORPG’s or Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. Finding me in my room, playing a random game after school was a normal thing to do. Getting in trouble or even talking with my mom was not an option due to the fact that she was always working. The majority of the time and when she arrived home, she did not want to interact with anyone. One day, my friend now, mentor and teacher then, pulled me aside and talked about the importance of striving for a good education. I was on the slippery slope to failing most of my classes. He enlightened me to stand back and look at where I was at in life. I did not take gratification into the reflection that I saw and what I was becoming. Thanks to my mentor, I was able to break free from the fast growing addiction of the MMO world. This helped my identity to not be corrupted with conformity that people are so used to, surrounding the media today. Without a supportive community, one’s sense of identity could change, become lost, or, depending on the situation, grow.
In the same way that teachers and coaches can provide guidance, friends and other relatives can provide the same amount of guidance and help to reinforce one’s self-image. Unfortunately, many teenagers feel they need to “conform” to their friends to be “popular.” There are teenagers who feel their identity is based off what activities they are involved in and who they hang out with. In Emily White’s story, High School’s Secret Life, “Their conformity is remarkable; it is not a cop-out but a way of broadcasting the fact that you aren’t a weirdo, that you are speaking in the signs of the chosen ones”(18; ed. 2, ch. 1). Many teenagers though, tend to have a “best friend(s)”, who most likely will share the same interests, and who are able to communicate important topics and can be sure that they are both trying to find their “place” in this world. That best friend is a great contributor to how self identity is formed. They can help, guide, support, defend and sometimes even get into trouble for their friend. Their loyalty can cause a friend to create strong, meaningful emotions, which will help to build or add to a good solid identity.
When building a sense of identity, we will listen and take advice from our friends and mentors, but when it comes to our elders, we sometime do not give the time of day. The youth feel that they know everything, therefore the opinions and advice of older generations do not matter. The vast majority of people are inclined to brush off the advice and wisdom our elders have to give. Little do people know, these ancestors can provide people with the insight needed to help develop a strong personal being. They can give us the foundation to self-identification on. By teaching, hopefully, the good customs and traditions, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc., they can help us to understand important knowledge that can be used to shape who a person is or who they will become. For instance, growing up, my grandparents did not have a lot of material items—they wouldn’t buy things they did not need. Many times, they wouldn’t buy things they even wanted. They produced their own morals and values. These morals and values were some of the things that my grandparents tried to teach me growing up. They wanted to teach me these items so I could in turn build a strong foundation for my identity to be built upon. In the end it was up to me, to choose if I wanted to listen to them and take their advice and knowledge. It was up to me if I wanted to take that advice and knowledge and use it to compose my pronounced self-image.
Whether it is someone’s mentor, teacher, aunt, grandfather, neighbor, or a close friend, there will always be a multitude of contributing factors to building a person’s foundation of self-identity. The next time we look in the mirror, let us stare back at the reflection. Hopefully, we can see all of the important people who have helped to shape who we have become.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Speaking Out
The reason I chose the first discussion board from the Tradition unit is simple. I was able to write freely and express my opinion and give examples to back those opinions. “Not knowing where to start and not having any previous knowledge or guidance can be hard on someone who is not born in one's culture. In my opinion, it would be much easier to have been born into a culture and grow up knowing its traditions and values, then to be forced upon one and having to learn everything about it.” There was a couple of responses from fellow classmates that required me to analyze deeper into what I was actually trying to say, which was good because that meant that my audience wanted to know more. I was able to provide some more insight to their questions to hopefully make them understand where I was coming from a little better.
Traditions Are Limiting Our Personal Growth
For the most part, American traditions have stayed pretty consistent throughout the years. It is respectable to state though, that time can make or break long running traditions. Or keep them alive but maybe changing a few aspects. For example, the gossip industry which used to run on People magazine alone, has been blow out of the water into a "massive multi-million-dollar celebrity gossip agency", as explained in "Stalking Celebrities" by Heather Havrilesky. Today, society has the same needs for attention-seeking as they did a few years ago. The only difference is the media. With more technology and people demanding more and more out of celebrities, while trying to find the wrong doings of them, we are creating a new culture that coincides with the old. "An odd group of attention seeking celebrity sociopaths rose to the occasion with increasingly aggressive public displays of affection for themselves and no one else". That quote from Havrilesky explains with a new age comes new obstacles.
Sometimes, traditions can have a bad influence or can be limiting to others. Especially those who have not been involved in that particular culture or tradition before. For example, in "A Wobegon Holiday", poor Aunt Marie was married into Garrison's family and always felt out of place at holiday parties or other family gatherings. She was always worried about perfecting recipes and not making huge messes in the kitchen. With so much pressure to fit in, it can be hard to find a spot in someones culture or community. Not knowing where to start, not having any previous knowledge or guidance, can be hard on someone who is not born in one's culture. In my opinion, it would be much easier to have been born into a culture and grow up knowing its traditions and values, then to be forced upon one and having to learn everything about it.
Knowing one's identity can help to carry out a culture's traditions. "Social diversity has erased many of the older markers," as stated by Janny Scott and David Leonhardt in "Class Matters". "The contours of class have blurred; some say they have disappeared." This means that over time, with all of the pressures of becoming something more than just someone having "more than a house with a porch and coming home to dinner", people are forgetting who they really are. Not saying that it isn't great to aspire to be something great--just don't go overdo it and go into debt, pretending to have something you don't. With time, comes research and new advances. With research and advances comes the movement of families up and down the economic ladder. This mobility has slowed over time, making it seem much harder to get anywhere in life. This is why many students are attending college right out of high school--they want to advance, to carry out the "American Dream".
To Anon classmate,I feel that traditions are both guiding and limiting, but if I had to choose one or the other, I'm leaning towards limiting. There is a lot of pressure that comes with either joining a new tradition, starting one, or even just carrying out a tradition. As far as "something more than a house...", the sentence went someone along the lines of: with all the pressure of wanting to become something more and having more than just a house with a porch (which was the seemingly simplicity of life 30-40 years ago), many people are doing what they think other people would want from them, not something that they want. For example, working at your dad's mechanic shop because he wants you to, even though you might want to go to college. I feel that many people are joining clubs or participating in traditions because its something they think society expects out of them, if that makes a little more sense. I don't remember saying anything about losing your identity, but maybe it was just me wording things a little wrong. Hopefully, that gives you a clearer understanding.
Sometimes, traditions can have a bad influence or can be limiting to others. Especially those who have not been involved in that particular culture or tradition before. For example, in "A Wobegon Holiday", poor Aunt Marie was married into Garrison's family and always felt out of place at holiday parties or other family gatherings. She was always worried about perfecting recipes and not making huge messes in the kitchen. With so much pressure to fit in, it can be hard to find a spot in someones culture or community. Not knowing where to start, not having any previous knowledge or guidance, can be hard on someone who is not born in one's culture. In my opinion, it would be much easier to have been born into a culture and grow up knowing its traditions and values, then to be forced upon one and having to learn everything about it.
Knowing one's identity can help to carry out a culture's traditions. "Social diversity has erased many of the older markers," as stated by Janny Scott and David Leonhardt in "Class Matters". "The contours of class have blurred; some say they have disappeared." This means that over time, with all of the pressures of becoming something more than just someone having "more than a house with a porch and coming home to dinner", people are forgetting who they really are. Not saying that it isn't great to aspire to be something great--just don't go overdo it and go into debt, pretending to have something you don't. With time, comes research and new advances. With research and advances comes the movement of families up and down the economic ladder. This mobility has slowed over time, making it seem much harder to get anywhere in life. This is why many students are attending college right out of high school--they want to advance, to carry out the "American Dream".
Now a response from fellow classmate:
Daniel,
While I enjoyed your perception regarding these readings, I find myself still postulating your opinions on cultural traditions. I loved the quotes that you chose, but I also would have enjoyed a bit more verbosity on your part, as what you did write was very compelling. Do you find traditions guiding or limiting? What do the American Dream and the contours of class have to do with forming our personal identities? The idea that the search for "something more than a house with a porch and coming home for dinner" could cause one to lose their identity does not make sense to me. Admittedly, I am profoundly against the conquest for monetary success and material obsessions, but I can only imagine that searching for something more would lead to FINDING one's identity, rather than losing it.
As you can see, the response from my classmate was focused, they had questions and gave their opinions. In turn, I gave a decent response to go further in depth on what message I was trying to convey to the audience in the first place:
To Anon classmate,I feel that traditions are both guiding and limiting, but if I had to choose one or the other, I'm leaning towards limiting. There is a lot of pressure that comes with either joining a new tradition, starting one, or even just carrying out a tradition. As far as "something more than a house...", the sentence went someone along the lines of: with all the pressure of wanting to become something more and having more than just a house with a porch (which was the seemingly simplicity of life 30-40 years ago), many people are doing what they think other people would want from them, not something that they want. For example, working at your dad's mechanic shop because he wants you to, even though you might want to go to college. I feel that many people are joining clubs or participating in traditions because its something they think society expects out of them, if that makes a little more sense. I don't remember saying anything about losing your identity, but maybe it was just me wording things a little wrong. Hopefully, that gives you a clearer understanding.
Favoritism Never Hurt
For my Writer’s Choice, I decided to showcase my Tradition Blog. In my last blog, I felt like I covered the main three subjects in this class, without even trying, with so much ease. It was a fun topic to write about because I absolutely love food—Especially Japanese food (that is what I was raised on and still have every now and again). I was able to talk about Identity- “When someone first sees me, they don't see the Japanese qualities, because I am only 25 percent, but my family says I have the appetite of a full-blooded Japanese man.”
Being Japanese makes up a part of my identity and eating the food just compliments the qualities. Also, I brushed upon community, speaking about the difference between American and Japanese meals and explaining how each community covers different traditions. “Unlike typical American families, where their meals are centered on meats of different sorts, my family tends to focus on our rice and then have numerous dishes, scattered around the table. These dinners are not eaten everyday--they don't happen until about New Years.” Speaking of traditions, I covered my own families’ traditions and what it means to me and how I plan to keep it going for upcoming generations. “A long growing tradition in my family and throughout Japan is Osechiryori…..To me, this is one of my most cherished traditions, and will carry this on to my children.”
Being Japanese makes up a part of my identity and eating the food just compliments the qualities. Also, I brushed upon community, speaking about the difference between American and Japanese meals and explaining how each community covers different traditions. “Unlike typical American families, where their meals are centered on meats of different sorts, my family tends to focus on our rice and then have numerous dishes, scattered around the table. These dinners are not eaten everyday--they don't happen until about New Years.” Speaking of traditions, I covered my own families’ traditions and what it means to me and how I plan to keep it going for upcoming generations. “A long growing tradition in my family and throughout Japan is Osechiryori…..To me, this is one of my most cherished traditions, and will carry this on to my children.”
Not Just About The California Roll
In the morning, my Japanese grandmother will wake up at 7:00am and cook three cups of rice. My grandmother is very persistent when it comes to her rice cleaning. Instead of just throwing rice in the rice cooker and letting it cook, she spends about 15-20 minutes cleaning rice the old fashioned way--washing and rinsing, washing and rinsing, over and over again, then letting the rice settle for another 15 minutes. All of that hard work does not go unnoticed. Just myself, I can eat 3 cups of rice or more per day, so much rice that my grandmother had to teach me how to cook and clean rice the traditional way.
There are so many Japanese dishes that involve rice. One of my favorite dishes Ojiya, which is typically made with rice stewed in stock, often with egg, meat, seafood, vegetables or mushroom, and flavored with miso or soy. The way we make in our home is just rice with miso, a cracked egg, and green onion. The consistency is comparable to porridge or a soupy risotto. This dish is my "chicken noodle" soup when I am feeling ill.
Unlike typical American families, where their meals are centered around meats of different sorts, my family tends to focus on our rice and then have numerous dishes, scattered around the table. These dinners are not eaten everyday--they don't happen until about New Years. A long growing tradition in my family and throughout Japan is Osechiryori. This meal consists of many different types of traditional Japanese dishes. Think of really big bento boxes but the preparation is immaculate. My favorite item in the Osechi dish is the toshi-koshi soba which usually served at midnight on the New Year. In my family, this tradition just involves two people , myself, and my grandmother. At this time we talk about the great things that can come of the new year and things that we would not forget from the previous years. To me, this is one of my most cherished traditions, and will carry this on to my children.
Over the years, as my grandmother grows older (she is 84 now), she has been trying to pass on old recipes from when she was living in Japan. Now days, there are many Japanese Americans who have either come to America or were born here, so it is typical to purchase pieces of Osechi pre-made or to buy the whole Osechi family dinner, which isn't for the faint of heart if you have a tight pocket. We have been making a few of our dishes at home and it wouldn't be unusual to find us in Central Market or Uwajimaya in Seattle, hunting for the rest of the traditional items.
As you can see, Japanese food consists more of just your mom and pop teriyaki and sushi restaurants. The food that I have grown up to love can now be found in many Asian districts around the world, but my favorite will always be the dishes that my grandmother has cooked for me and the family. Remember, when it comes to Japanese food, it's not always about the California Roll.
That's All Folks!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
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