sorry

Apologies for posting after midnight. Was having trouble with the table of contents so I just changed the blog archive on the left to the table of contents.

Looking Back

            This past quarter has been a very big experience in my life. I feel that I have grown as a writer and have learned new skills that I can incorporate into every aspect of my life.  When I started out in this class I never felt like I would have an experience that could help rather than getting the satisfaction of getting English 101 done and out of the way, I found out that there was so much more to get out of this online class rather than just English skills.

            At first I resented the idea of an online class but as we delved deeper into the discussions boards and I really connected with the other students in the class. I never have seen the diversity of viewpoints on one piece of literature or film. The multitude of viewpoints made me learn from everybody and also appreciate each person’s thoughts and in the end they helped me become a better analyzer and possibly a better person over all.

            I’ve never really been good with goodbyes, especially when I’m saying goodbye to people I’ve never met in person. I will miss the conversations that went down in our online communities and I wish the best of luck to all my fellow 101D classmates.

My Analysis

            My skills of analysis have never been something to write home about, I would read or watch a piece and my views are limited, while others can see extremely more in depth when compared to me. Over the course of this class I felt that my skills of analysis have grown to substantially so know I feel comfortable talking with others about analyzing a piece of work. I chose the essay I wrote about the film Edward Scissor hands because I felt that I analyzed that film well.

Edward Scissorhands

     The movie Edward Scissorhands tells the story of a boy that was created by an inventor, edward was 'unfinished', he was left with scissors for hands because his maker died before he could install his real hands. The film defines what it is to be an outsider by showing how people can be excluded from the norm of society.

     The main identifying characteristic of an outsider is that the person differs from what everybody else has accepted is the correct way to live your life. In Edward's case he is not a natural human so that alone makes him stand out from the families of the suburbs, adding to the effect; Edward has scissors for hands which is different than everybody else's hands. The film brings up many situations where having scissors for hands can make any ordinary task such as eating peas one at a time, drinking out of a glass without a straw, or the comical scene with the water bed. The challenges that Edward faces when he attempts the normal everyday activities create a major handicap for him that makes him an outsider when compared to humans.

     There are ways other than having scissor hands that can make a person be considered an outsider. The Boggs family was instantly shunned from the society the moment they took Edward in after he was arrested. They were shunned because they took care of a 'criminal' that also happened to have scissors for hands. Kim was accepted by her friends before she met Edward, but after she began to accept him and fall for him, she drove away the people she once called friends. If someone is considered to be an outcast and there are people who will care for him; other people will consider the caregivers to be outsiders as well.

     The discussion group had an impact on how an outsider can be defined. When I first watched the film I didn't notice how Peg Boggs was treated as a outcast from the very beginning. Jaime Frazier's post in the discussion board opened my eyes to the fact that Peg could be an outsider. I thought about the time frame in the film, I'm guessing it was in the 50's or so; back then women just stayed at home but she was out there working and helping provide for her family.

    There was also another post in the board that made me rethink how we consider a person to be an outsider. Tricia Jones made an excellent observation in that as soon as the people could benefit from Edward he was no longer an outsider but a contributer to the community. This showed me how a person can be a good person but if they don't contribute then they are to be excluded and shunned.

     Both the film and the discussion board provided me with new insight that let me have a better understanding of what it means to be an outsider and how there are many different ways to be considered one. There are reasons beyond just physical difference that will characterize a person as an outsider when compared to what everybody else has accepted to be the 'right' way to live.

My Revision

When it comes to reviewing my work and choosing a piece that best could represent a revision, it would have to be my first essay about identity. I would say that I had trouble at first with the use of MLA format and that first essay proved my thoughts.  Also my thesis connectivity throughout my essay could also use a revamp so as to not trail on without guidance or a point. 

Identity

A person's self-identity is a very important idea that helps allow differences between each and every people, because an identity is unique and ever changing.  An Identity changes from person to person; it is created and changed through the actions performed by the individual. When building one's identity multiple challenges can arise that inhibits one's ability to form and create their identity, these challenges include; not fitting in with the normal or accepted lifestyle, dealing with peer pressure, and finding the best group of people to associate with.  Overcoming these challenges is what helps define a person's self-identity.

Trying to fit in and be a part of the normal way of life can be a very daunting challenge for some people, the traditions or traits that a person has can restrict the ability to fit in with society. In Gloria Anzaldua's story "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" she talks about how her primary language of Spanish alienated her from the predominate language of English in the area that she lived in. "If you want to be American, speak American. If you don't like it, go back to Mexico where you belong" (Anzaldua 78) This quote shows how Gloria was the outcast in the group when it came to her language, instead of just learning English to fit in and not stand out and be vulnerable, Gloria embraced both languages and in the end she began to learn that you don't have to conform in order to fit in "I am my language" (Anzaldua 82). Gloria decided to be her own person and have a unique self-identity different than every body else.

Peer pressure is a powerful subject; dealing with peer pressure can greatly strengthen or hurt one's self-identity. In Lucy Grealy's story "Masks" she tells her story of growing up with the effects of cancer and how they impacted her social life. Her cancer had physical effects on her that unfortunately made it so other children would make fun of her for it "Hey, girl, take off that monster mask-oops, she's not wearing a mask" (Grealy 66). When Halloween came around she was able to experience a moment in her life where she could hide from her troubles and life a normal life for once "I felt wonderful...No one could see me clearly. No one could see my face" (Grealy 67).  At first she loved this feeling of freedom but then she realized that it was a fake freedom that she was enjoying and she learned that she had to accept her condition be because it was what helped define her self-identity. By hiding from what she was being made fun of made her live a life that was not hers, thus her self-identity was not real to her, by accepting herself as a whole she could build her own unique identity.

Cliques are a big part of today's education system, many kids try to side themselves with a clique that the will best fit with or what is generally the 'right' clique to be in. In Emily White's story "High School's Secret Life" she talks about the clique systems that are apparent in today's high school systems. A person tries to find a clique that best fits with their personal beliefs and identity, the members of a clique share many similarities.  "The cafeteria is high school's proving ground...its the place where you find out if you have friends or if you don't" (White 15) This quote shows how trying to find what group to associate one's self with is a tough task, being able to identify with a group or not will help determine what your self-identity is.

One's self identity is an idea that is unique and different for each person, as they experience the world and life their identity will change and help redefine who they are as a person. The challenges people face in life put them up to situations so they can figure out for themselves what their true self-identity is and who they are as a person.

My Voice

            When it comes to my voice I would have to choose, in my opinion, my best post in my blog, which is the post about traditions. In this post I talk about how my family has some traditions that are somewhat private.  I felt that I made strong statements and had good proofs in my work. I didn’t feel like I was hiding in the post and posting something easy.

Family Food Traditions

When it comes to dinners at my house during the week I am in everett with my college roommates and I'm living on a very meager budget and choice of food for meals. I have become very accustomed to making quesodillas with different choices of fillers. About once a month we make our costco trip to fill our cupboards with the essentials to  make the tried and true meals that we know we can make and afford.

On some weekends however, I travel down to my hometown to visit my family. The meals that I eat on the weekends tend to help me stay nourished for the next week. Fridays are usually pizza night at my house, and the weekends have a variety of different meals; if its nice out my dad likes to barbecue different meals and sometimes we're treated to my mom's pot roast. During the week at my families house, the meals are typically easier made meals; like frozen chicken wings, etc.

When it comes to holidays, my family pulls out the 'big guns' to make the extravagant meals. For Thanksgiving and Christmas if the holiday finds itself residing at our house that year, my mom pulls out her mom's recipe on cooking a turkey (which is both laminated and copied onto the computer) My family members help out during the procedure; each assigned to a task. Sometimes there are conflicting beliefs as to what the best course of action is when it comes to making the holiday the perfect one; in the end each holiday ends in success.

My Own

For the piece of work that I choose to incorporate would be my final essay about traditions. I feel like this piece should be in this portfolio because it utilizes all the skills and procedures that I have learned throughout this course. I feel like it was my best work that I’ve done to date. (Even if my grade reflected otherwise)

Tradition

The world of technology is one of the fastest growing aspects of human life that exists, the computing power of computers doubles approximately every 2 years (Moore’s law). This exponential growth has allowed for many innovations to be created that were not plausible in the near past. This speed of improvement has allowed technologies like the cell phone, computer, and social networking to thrive and become available to the general public. Having easy access to technologies like computers and cell phones has allowed the tradition of distance and separation between people to fade away.

            The computer has allowed people to be connected by the use of the internet with just a small monthly fee that is viewed as an acceptable expense.  The improvements in computing has led to developments like social networking which can connect people at all hours of the day even when there are potentially continents separating the people. In the past people used to meet in person to invite people to events but now with sites like Facebook all it takes is one to set up an event and click people’s names to invite them. Entire conversations take place over social networking sites that could easily be completed in real life. With the simplicity of sites like Facebook, there arises the possibility of crashes that can make the site temporarily down; The Onion’s satirical story “MySpace Outage Leaves Millions Friendless” tells a story of a hypothetical MySpace blackout that has gripped the country, “…an estimated 50,000 people remain trapped in their apartments, with no way of contacting the outside world…” (The Onion 159) This quote shows how it could be though for the public to deal with the separation again that eluded them when they were all connected by the social network. The ease of connectivity has allowed people to lose sense of separation and distance that at one point was impossible to overcome.

            The cell phone is another innovation that has drastically brought the population closer together and eliminated the distance that once divided people. In the past letters were the fastest way to communicate and it would take months for people to say a small message. The inventions throughout history helped people close the gap between the populations, the invention such as the telegraph led way to the first phones in the country. The first phones were a giant leap, but when the cell phone came and allowed people to talk almost anywhere on the go, the restrictions of distance people faded away. The cell phone has evolved rapidly to make connectivity easier and also the modern day cell phone can almost replace your home computer. In Ellen DeGeneres’ book “This is how we live” she talks about how the cell phone changed the way people lived their lives, “Phones have gone through such an evolution. Now we have this wireless technology that lets us take to anybody, anywhere, anytime.” (DeGeneres 642) The cell phone has allowed us to talk to people that are across the country like they are in the same room, or on the same street.

            The technology behind video games has also allowed many people from across the world.  In the past you could only play with people in the same house but with the inventions of Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network the connectivity has allowed many people to be able to play with each other over the internet; there are over 30 million users for Xbox and 77 million for PlayStation (Wikipedia).  Over 100 million people play video games online which is a community that is located across the world, but they play with each other instantly as if they are in the same room next to one another. Steven Johnson talks about how online interactions are increasing in popularity among in his excerpt from “Everything is Bad for You: Games” he says; “…many online interactions do have the benefit of being genuinely two-way conversations” (Johnson 467) this shows how we can communicate with others even though we are separated by distances that would usually take much time to traverse.

            The growth and expansion of technology has ultimately drawn us together closer and closer together. In the past humanity has been separated by distances that required durations of months in order to communicate with other people, now with the advent of cell phones and the internet the distance that once separated us reduces to almost non-existence.