Friday, June 5, 2009
Reflection Letter
Welcome to my Journey in English 101 E-Portfolio. I am ending my second quarter at Everett Community College on my way to be a Preschool Teacher and Director of my own Daycare Center. It has not been an easy time but I am driven to keep doing the work by my desire to be a good example to my children. School is a lot of work, but worth it in the end. My grandmother was a great example to me. She finished third grade before she had to go to work to help support her family. Then when she was 70 years old she went to college to take a class to help her to do her job better. If she can overcome the obstacles of age and the lack of education, I think I can overcome my minor obstacles and succeed too.
As I think back on themes identity, community, and traditions that we covered over the quarter, I realize that I have learned a lot. Identity I’ve pretty much been dealing with in different ways, but the essays and discussion boards have broadened my understanding. Different thing define us, some positive and some neg. One essay on Identity was Under the Mask (Lucy dealt with cancer which left her with a deformed face so she hid behind a mask every Halloween and felt like she could be herself). We can prematurely limit our potential human interaction by judging "by the cover". Although I didn’t pick this to add to my E-Portfolio I thought it was a great example of how a lot of us feel hidden and safe in different ways. Like having online classes, no one can judge you by your age or your race etc. and most of us have our identities tied up in our bodies. We compare ourselves to imitators of what the media says is normal. The movie I chose “Bend it Like Beckham” was a good example of insiders and outsiders and issues of identity. It showed that the customs of some families can challenge our ability to achieve our dreams. Achieving dreams are very important to me. I want to be a cheerleader to those around me as a gesture of supporting them in achieving their dreams. Community was fun. I learned lots through the essays that community can be about any group of people. I chose to state my local Safeway as being my community. I being a working single parent I hardly have time for joining groups outside the home, but everyone shops right? Traditions chapter was also an eye opener. In the Ending Poem, I was reminded of the importance of family traditions that’s passed down from generation to generation. I thought that our family had no family traditions, because of the fragmented family that divorce had left; until I started reading Remix and doing my blog for that section did I realize that our family traditions are a bit transformed, but here.
As I am reflecting over the quarter I can see that I am very motivated to make the best of the only life I have. I find it very important to give positive support to the lives that I touch during my life. The essay’s in the book, “Remix” have given me a broader view of the diverse society and has given me a deeper sense of community. I’ve always been aware of the importance of people but I feel I understand cultures better. I hope you are encouraged by the pieces that I have chosen.
Introduction to Cookies Bring Laughter
I picked Cookies and Laughter as Writer’s Choice because this blog is special to me. As we read essay’s about traditions in our text book. I was saddened, because I thought our family traditions were lost, along with other things, in my divorce. As I gathered information for the blog assignment I began listing things that we did on a weekly basis and on special occasions. I realized that these activities were our family traditions. Our family traditions had changed slightly since the divorce, but were still a part of our live’s.
Cookies bring laughter
As my children and I are in the kitchen making our family "Chocolate No-Bake Cookies", My mind is flooded with memories of my sisters and my mother cooking "Chocolate No-Bake Cookies" when I was little. We had a lot of fun cooking together. My mother would stand at the stove with one foot propped up on the stool as she stirred the cookie mixture until it boiled for one minute. It took along time so we all took turns. We would want to stop stirring but mom would inform us that the cookies that we loved would not turn out right if they weren't stirred constantly. When mom took the pan off the burner we frantically put the last of the ingredients in before the whole batch became one big cookie. We then plopped spoonfuls of the cookie mixture onto waxed paper and we waited for the mixture to harden. My sisters and I would sit under the kitchen table and sneak bites of cookies from the waxed paper. My mother would be busy cleaning up the kitchen and pretend to not see us. We would giggle and giggle as we thought we were so sneaky. I now share those moments with my children as we cook the "Chocolate No-Bake Cookies" together, taking turns stirring the mixture on the stove. We also like to take turns reading McMannus books and laughing. We also don't wait for the cookies to harden before we enjoy a warm cookie with a cold glass of milk together. Then we share in the kitchen clean up. Year after year we laugh and cook together building memories and traditions that will be passed down from one generation to the next.
Introduction to Original Society’s Mirror
I chose my first paper, Society’s Mirror to revise because it was my lowest grade. I rewrote it and made it personal. It clearly describes the struggle with identity for me. We can prematurely limit our potential interactions with others because we judge them by their appearance. Most of our identities are tied up in our bodies we compare ourselves to imitators that peer groups, family, pop culture, and mass media states as normal.
Original Society's Mirror
Our view of ourselves is distorted by our society’s standards that are place on us daily. It is a wonder that any of us can still function when we see ourselves through the mirror of the world. According to our cultural standards: We have to be beautiful, a slim body, no physical imperfection (or close to that), to look like the people we see in the movies, admired by others, attract the opposite sex. When we work at viewing ourselves differently we are still are hounded by the mirror that others hold up by judging us. James M. Henslin, Sociology, writes: Each to each a looking-glass Reflects the other that doth pass. The looking-glass self contains three elements: 1. We imagine how we appear to those around us. 2. We interpret others' reactions. We come to conclusions about how others evaluate us. 3. We develop a self-concept. Based on our interpretations of the reactions of others, we develop feelings and ideas about ourselves. A favorable reflection in this "social mirror" leads to a positive self-concept, a negative reflection to a negative self-concept. "Society has built a mirror that distorts how we are viewed." In Dude Looks Like a Lady, Kathy Wilson, she did rebel against the beauty contest that life sponsors but she was still in it whether she wanted to be or not. She shows us that when she prepares herself for the confrontation from the man she calls the redneck man. She said, "Aaaw, I thought. Bring it on"(Kathy Wilson, p23). Someone who is free of the world's mirror isn't anticipating the criticism of the onlooker. And then she reconsiders letting her hair grow out because of the onlookers reaction. This says to me that she was still living her life by the cultural mirror. At first I was amazed at her courage and self-worth that she exhibited by cutting her hair and saying she was cute that way, because I would feel cute in my own home maybe, but in public I feel I have to present myself according to the standards. The "mirror" if I wanted to be accepted and sometimes to be loved. In "Dude Looks Like a Lady" Wilson describes herself as "a black woman whose bald head makes me invisible to some, boyish to others, and beautiful to me. It makes me unfettered and unadorned. Mostly it makes me free. And without it my name is all woman"(Wilson, p23). Free means you are not bothered. She proves over and over that she was bothered. Everyone is still affected by the judges of the social mirror. Most of us prepare our bodies at the beginning of every year for the bathing suit competition by dieting and exercising. Winter is easy if you have the funds to buy the clothes and the face to pull it off. When the social mirror says "Sorry honey you just don't meet the standards anymore" some work on the mind. We sing songs like “Mirror" by Barlow Girl asks the mirror on the wall, have I got it? Cause mirror you’ve always told me who I am. I'm finding it's not easy to be perfect" then she decides that the mirror will no longer define her. Then she questions the mirror, “who are you to tell me that I am less than what I should be? I don't need to listen to the list of things I should do... I won't try. Mirror I am seeing a new reflection I'm looking into the eyes of he who made me and to him I am beauty beyond compare I know, he defines me." She is now changing what perception she has of herself by changing her mind about who will be her judge. Some say things like "I am acceptable just the way I am." That doesn't work for some so they say things like "Who gives a hoot what they think, this is me, deal with it." Some learn to live with what the mirror has given them. Some suffer in silence. But we all feel it in some way or another. Kathy Wilson mentioned that she was cute like that, well in the dictionary cute is defined pretty or pleasing in a dainty way. Kathy gives us the idea that she is out of the competition of the mirror, but she isn't. Cultural attitudes and assumptions define identity. They also allow us to label or identify others. We are influenced by our surroundings. Our sense of identity extends from our personal connections, to our social relationships, to material objects we choose, and to others we don't. The views of others presented in a negative manner can make even the most confident person feel incapable of doing a task. One sunny day last week my friend walked up to my gate. I know her as a beautiful, smart, loving, compassionate 38 year old. Right now she is attending Nursing School and will graduate in June of this year. She has 3 very lovely girls and she is a great mom. She succeeds in everything she does because she is always trying to do her best. Yet when someone in authority tells her that she is incapable all of a sudden she is. In another situation a husband of a friend of mine is working on my car when he says, "you'd never know by looking at me that I would be capable of doing this, would you?" "Society has built a mirror that distorts how we are viewed." We could hide behind masks like in "Masks" by Lucy Grealy, so we too could say, "I began to realize why I felt so good. No one could see me clearly"(Lucy Grealy, p43). Or we could have not only looks and age as our problem but our language too as in "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" by Gloria Anasaldua "Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity- I am my language. Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself"(Anasaldua, p58). We must take pride in us as an individual, different from others, unique and okay with us or we are stuck in the mirror that society has built.
Introduction to the revised Society’s Mirror
I know this revised version of the Society’s Mirror has not been graded but I would hope that it is written better than the original. I still struggle with the class requirements. English is not my best subject. I hope you enjoy the read.
Revised Society's Mirror
This is the mirror we need to be looking into, one that shows us how we are to see ourselves. Our view of ourselves is distorted by the social standards that are place on us daily by the messages that are conveyed through things such as peer groups, family, pop culture, and mass media. It is a wonder that any of us can still function when we see ourselves through the mirror of these messages. These messages say we have to be beautiful. We have to have a slim body or be muscular if a male. We can’t have any physical imperfections. We are told that we need to look like the people we see in the movies, be admired by others, and we have to attract the opposite sex. When we work at viewing ourselves differently we find that we are still being hounded by the mirror that others hold up by judging us. This has been around for a long time. I am not the only one who finds this to be true. James M.Henslin writes an article about this very subject. In his article he states, we imagine how we appear to those around us. We interpret others' reactions. We come to conclusions about how others evaluate us. We develop a self-concept. Based on our interpretations of the reaction’s of others, we develop feelings and ideas about ourselves. A favorable reflection in this "social mirror" leads to a positive self-concept, a negative reflection to a negative self-concept. "Society has built a mirror that distorts how we are viewed." In, Dude Looks Like a Lady, Kathy Wilson, did rebel against the beauty contest that the media conveys, but she was still in the beauty contest whether she wanted to be or not. She shows us that when she prepares herself for the confrontation from the man she calls the redneck man. She said, "Aaaw, I thought. Bring it on" (p23). Someone who is free of the world's mirror isn't anticipating the criticism of the onlooker. And then she reconsiders letting her hair grow out because of the onlookers reaction. This says to me that she was still living her life by society’s mirror. At first I was amazed at her courage and self-worth that she exhibited by cutting her hair and saying she was cute that way, because I would feel cute in my own home maybe, but in public I feel I have to present myself according to the standards. I have to be beautiful, so my hair and clothes have to be just right. So I take a look at myself in my bathroom mirror. What is reflected in my mirror tells me whether I am ready to go out in public or not. The mirror is the place I check at home to see if I am okay to go into public. It’s the same with Society’s mirror, if I wanted to be accepted and sometimes to be loved by my peers. Then I would have to follow the standards set forth by the peer groups, family, pop culture, and mass media. Wilson describes herself as "a black woman whose bald head makes me invisible to some, boyish to others, and beautiful to me. It makes me unfettered and unadorned. Mostly it makes me free. And without it my name is all woman"( p23). Free means nothing can hold a person back. Everyone is still affected by the judges of the social mirror. I prepare my body at the beginning of every year for the bathing suit competition by dieting and exercising. Winter is easy when there are the funds to buy the right clothes. As I get older the social mirror says "Sorry, honey you just don't meet the standards anymore" I started working on the way I think. I started reciting positive affirmations to myself to counter the negative thoughts. Then I realized that I needed to choose to change who and what defines my worth. The mirror has always told me who I am. I'm finding it's not easy to be perfect especially as I age. Until I choose to decide that the mirror will no longer define me I will be trapped in the beauty contest of society’s mirror. I am now changing what perception I have of myself by changing my mind about who will be my judge. My creator is my judge now not the mirror of society. I’ve tried just telling myself that I am acceptable just the way I am. That doesn't work for long. I’ve even said, "Who gives a hoot what they think, this is me, deal with it." I didn’t want to be like those who just learn to live with what the mirror has given me and suffer in silence. Cultural attitudes and assumptions define identity. They also allow us to label or identify others. We are influenced by our surroundings. The magazines we read influence us. The t.v. shows we watch. The views of others presented in a negative manner can make even the most confident person feel incapable of doing a task. One sunny day last week my friend walked up to my gate. I know her as a beautiful, smart, loving, compassionate 38 year old. Right now she is attending nursing school and will graduate in June. She has three very lovely girls. She is a great mother. She succeeds in everything she does because she is always trying to do her best. Yet when someone who is in authority tells her that she is incapable all of a sudden she is in the way she thinks about herself. In another situation a husband of a friend of mine is working on my car when he says, "you'd never know by looking at me that I would be capable of doing this, would you?" These two people are perfect examples of how the mirror of society affects our view of ourselves. "Society has built a mirror that distorts how we are viewed." We could hide behind masks like in "Masks" by Lucy Grealy, so we too could say, "I began to realize why I felt so good. No one could see me clearly"(Lucy Grealy, p43). Or we could have not only looks and age as our problem but our language too as in "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" by Gloria Anasaldua "Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity- I am my language. Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself"(Anasaldua, p58). We must take pride in us as an individual, different from others, unique and okay with us so we can break out of the mirror that society has built.
Introduction to Safeway is My Community
I picked Safeway is My Community because I believe it is the best piece that shows and awareness of audience and voice. I tried to be descriptive as to help my audience feel as though they were shopping with me.
Safeway is my Community
As I walk through the doors at Safeway I am greeted by the music playing overhead. I break a cart free from the row. Then I set my purse into the kiddie seat. I pull out my grocery list. I step into the isle and smile at the person passing by. They smile back and continue to push a cart that is identical to the one that I am pushing. Many people come to Safeway. We gather together to shop for food. This makes Safeway a community. As I am getting the things on my list from the shelf I see my friend Susie and we stop to chat. We catch each other up on our live's and then we're off again searching for those needed items. When I reach the produce isle I see a very friendly person stacking the fruit in nice presentable stacks. He smiles and asks me, "Can I help you find anything?" I say, "No, but thanks for asking". He continues to restock the fruit and I bag some vegetables and place them in my cart. As I approach the deli to order some orange chicken and rice for dinner, someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn around to see my friend Joan. We chat a while and then vow to get together soon and have lunch. I give my order to a very friendly gentleman and he gives me my Chinese food. I am off to the check stand. Friendly service is what holds this group together. We all need food. I wonder if George is working today and if his line is short. I enjoy going through George's line because I have known George for a long time and his grandson went to school with my son. Even when I don't go through his line I always make it a point to say hello. Self-service check out stands would work against the personable, friendly service that I enjoy. People valuing people. I fit in with group because I spend money every week on food for my family. I choose Safeway to go to because I feel apart of the people at Safeway. The workers are very friendly and my friends shop there. We all grab our carts, take out our shopping lists, and grab different things off the shelf. Some of us smile and some sing with the music as we shop. We always have time to stop and catch up on our latest happenings. I feel I belong to the Safeway community. Come join us. Bring your smile and your grocery list and have a great time.
Introduction to Timed Write #1 Bend it Like Beckham
I was impressed by the way I started to understand what the writer was trying to get across to us as viewers by using different camera positions and music all the while setting in motion our emotions. I enjoyed this movie because it helped me to understand different family customs and diversity. I think family customs are important but so are our individual talents and dreams. God gives each of us a gift of potential. Our gift to God is how we use that potential. In Bend it Like Beckham, two girls struggle with their families acceptance of their dreams to be a part of a soccer team. In some ways I think they handled it wrong but in the end it worked out right.
Timed Write #1 Bend It Like Beckham
Family customs can hold us back from our dreams. In "Bend it Like Beckham", Jess has a dream to play soccer but knows that her family customs won't allow her to pursue that dream. So she takes things into her own hands and realizes that if she doesn't do something her families customs will hold her back from her dreams. Jess' parents were against her playing soccer because she was a girl and in her culture girls don't play sports. This deprived her of her identity therefore, made her feel as an outsider. Being able to choose our path in life can sometimes give us opposition and make us choose between belonging or being separated from others. Being an individual with hopes and dreams that differ from our family customs can make us stronger through fighting for what we want. In the part of the film where Jess was playing with her team during the game a girl from the opposite team purposely tripped and kicked her calling her a Paki. Jess became angry and retaliated by pushing her. Jess was sent off the field. Jess felt like an outsider when she was called a Paki because this attacked her ethnic background. This was an attempt to make her feel isolated therefore play poorly. Isn't this what happens to us when we are weak in how we view ourselves? Jess had to deal with the community acceptance as well. Being from another culture brings on racial differences and discrimination's. Family customs can hold us back from our dreams if we let them. Jewels family customs were gender identity related. Jewels was not acting like a girl, but a boy, according to her mother. Gender identity can make us feel like an outcast when we want to do what our culture calls "boyish activities". Being a girl, we are suppose to wear dresses, fix our hair, wear makeup, have a boyfriend, and be the cheerleader instead of the player for the game. Family customs can hold us back unless we are motivated to keep going toward our dreams even in the face of opposition. We all struggle in one or more of these areas based on the views or customs of our family backgrounds. We will let our family customs, community expectations, and cultural difference effect our path in life if we don't persevere and go forward towards our dreams. Don't let your family customs hold you back from your dreams.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)