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Thursday, June 7, 2007
Facing Challenges
Reflection Letter
I’m not only a student at Everett Community College but also at Lake Stevens High school. Being only sixteen years old and going to high school, college, and work is a bit of a struggle for me. Sometimes I’m so tired at the end of the day I feel as though I don’t complete this online class to the best of my ability. In the beginning of this quarter I was working shifts at night not leaving anytime to do my work for college until around eleven or twelve p.m. Being over exhausted everyday, I knew I had to change something. Now I work morning shifts from six to seven a.m. until ten then go to school from ten thirty to two and have plenty of time to do my college work. You can easily see the change it has made to my grades and effort put into my work. Working hard and being on the go all the time is pretty much my life for the moment. I’m trying to get a business degree to transfer to a four year university. Which takes a lot of hard work to get ahead of my high school education to a higher level, doing all of this will give me a better chance to get into my dream school Western Washington.
Going from my last English class which was actually at the college to an online course was difficult. I didn’t know what to expect and it was harder than I thought. I enjoyed creating conversation in comparison and contrast with other’s who I have never met but felt as though we were sitting in a classroom right next to each other. The three main units, identity, community, and tradition all linked together in some way. My favorite unit was community. I felt as though I understood this unit better than the other units and had fun with all the assignments. The tradition unit was the hardest for me to grasp. I think if I would’ve understood it better I could’ve done better on my paper to my own standards. The timed writings were the most difficult for me. It was hard for me to write on the spot all I could do was count down the time I had left. The group discussions really helped me out with writing my papers; I enjoyed other people’s feedback. Blogging was them most fun for me I could just express my own thoughts on a page that was just about me. This whole class has really challenged me with everything we had to do. Sometimes I would think I couldn’t do it and be so overwhelmed but push myself anyways. Overall I believe I learned a lot and succeeded in trying my hardest to meet not only my teacher’s expectations but my own.
For my chosen pieces I included visiting pop culture Discussion Board 2 in the tradition unit for my critical thinking piece. My revision piece is my unit one paper, “Are we what we wear”? The second blog assignment “What’s your Community”? I felt had the most voice and attraction to the audience. My writers choice is the unit two cultural writing assignment. Our second major paper in which I felt I did a really good job analyzing.
I hope this reflection gave a better introduction of who I really am and how my writing is based off of what I study and learn. I write just what comes to me and hope that’s good enough. I love to write and really liked this class especially for the people in it. Thank you to my instructors and students who helped me write the best I could.
Kirsten Michaels
Anaylze That
Taking two readings and applying them to my assumption that pop culture is manipulative was a good analyzing assignment. I chose two readings that I thought would give good examples towards manipulation with the current trends. For example I explain that in “Britney Spears: the pop tart of winter” Adam Sternbergh explains how Britney Spears is appeared as someone she says she’s really not. Demonstrating how reality TV shows aren’t always truthful and can be edited for entertainment proved my assumption. Analyzing was a big part of this assignment and I feel as though I did a good job supporting a statement from two readings that weren’t similar.
Manipulation within Current Pop Culture Trends
Pop culture is manipulative. For example, we currently have a taste for reality TV, yet the majority of shows are manipulated by the producers, so what we see may not be reality at all. A particular segment may make a participant lazy or pushy because of editing.
In "Queer guy: searching for a straight guy" Hemal Jhaveri explains the many shows on TV that support or show gay relationships. Some of these shows include Will and Grace, The amazing race, and queer as folk. These are just some of the examples there are many more that have gay people or relationships in the show but aren't focused around them. In amazing race there was a gay couple which won the race, and showed everyone that gay relationships aren't just about fashion tips and girls nights out but more than that. They were considered married and had a flawless relationship. It was perfect; they never fought or had any conflicts. Almost too perfect, what if the producers of the shows changed or edited the film, to show people what would interest them the most and keep them entertained. So do we ever really know what were watching?
I would say no, TV is edited so much that you never really know what’s real or fake. Even what we read in magazines how do you know if it's true or not? In "Britney Spears: the pop tart of winter" Adam Sternbergh explains how Britney Spears is not like at all what her image portrays her to be. Her producers and managers want her to portray herself as a sex icon and make her act a certain way in the videos and shows that she does to make people be entertained. She however feels like she can't be sold and says she won't come out to an audience naked or uncovered in her private areas. Yet we have all seen it many times and far worse than just uncovered. People produce what they think we as the audience want to see and what will keep us entertained, not what’s truthful.
Room for Improvement
The overview of the first paper assignment was analyzing the assertion that I chose which would be “certain name brands or items of clothing are important as ‘identity marker’”. For some folks, it’s all about the jeans, or the shoes, or the lettermen’s jacket, or the sweatshirt with a college logo across the front or anything from Abercrombie and Fitch. How is it that these brands or clothing articles have gained prominence? What do they have to say about identity and about our choices? Could choices be dictated by age, gender, or social status? In my original essay I directed the paper towards a “you” paper instead of following the guide lines to an academic essay. There was also a lot of room to express my thesis more throughout the paper. Choosing this paper gave me the most room to improve and go further into depth with analyzing my assertion. I revised about a page length of the entire essay. Mostly cutting out addressing the paper incorrectly to my audience; it sounds better now but as you read on there needs to be further explanation into my thesis. I feel as though if I would’ve addressed the paper properly and watched my grammar I could’ve gotten a better over all grade.
Identity Inside and out
Identity inside and out
An Abercrombie and Fitch sweatshirt-$128.00, a pair of Target sunglasses-$15.00, having your own identity-priceless! To most people the clothing they wear can only be name brand or highly overpriced, they have to wear the in styles and get it before anyone else has the chance. Does having an article of cloth that covers your body help portray who you really are? Isn’t it crazy that we wear and what style we like can tell someone so much about us? The clothing that you wear does affect your identity and the choices that you make, being persuaded or dictated, however, affects the kind of clothes that you wear. Ever wonder how these name brands became so popular, just look at the vicious circle people go through when it comes to fashion.
When seeing a person dressed in all black with chains hanging down and thick black eyeliner on you automatically assume the label or their identity as gothic. There are many different labels for people based on the way they dress and look. The way you choose to dress reflects upon who you are as a person which related to your identity. Choosing to wear all expensive clothes that are name brand is a choice that you make about what you want to look like and how much money you are willing to spend. We make big choices everyday and in many ways it relates to our identity. Clothes are a big part of how and where everyone fits in, in the world. They reflect your personality, your judgments of not only yourself but others as well, and how you see yourself. All these things make in some way a connection to your identity. If you have a lot of money and want people to notice in the world then you’ll wear the rich fancy name brand clothes. If you’re not a big spender then you’d prefer bargain shopping for what’s cute and still looks good at an affordable price. What you choose to wear should express yourself as an individual. You are choosing what you wear whether it be Abercrombie and Fitch or Value Village that’s your choice. Then again a lot of us wear what we see other’s wearing or what the media tells us to wear. Then you have to ask yourself am I dressing in what I really want to wear or what I’m being told to wear.
Everyone has a fashion style that they go by, whether it is their own or a trend they’re following. So why would they want to change what makes a big part of them and what they like and feel comfortable with. People who really want to fit in to another group or category will change everything about their style just to fit in. I think that changing your style completely would change your identity and the way you think of your values, obviously you go through a change to just completely want to change your whole appearance. What people wear is dictated a lot be social status. Yeah, gender and age have a small part to do with it but it’s mostly who the people look up to and want to be like. At high school if you’re popular then almost everyone wants to be like you, so they dress the same and do everything that’s possible to try and fit in with you. There’s a lot of fashion trends started in magazines that everyone reads. People want to dress like the stars or try at least so they try to copy what they’re wearing and how they do their hair. Having choices be dictated by what you wear happens everywhere. It’s obvious that its essential to fit into the right group or with the right people or just to fit in, in general, and having this longing only persuades people to change their choices to be like someone else’s.
After trying to express your own individuality and identity while being dictated with the choices you make on what clothes or styles you should go with, you then have to deal with the media. Which is also another form of dictation, but how do you think that clothing brands and articles get so popular. From people advertising their logos or brands on themselves, others see that style of clothing and it passes down from one set of eyes to another. If there’s the right influence in the specific target marketing group then business will be booming for that company. That’s how a lot of clothing brands plan it out; they pick a specific target market that they know will get their attention and attract them to their clothes and all of the sudden it’s a hit. From selling so much product they can afford to raise their prices, which is why the clothes today are so pricy and expensive for a lot of people. From businesses becoming so popular it starts the huge chain of affecting different groups by the styles traveling fast, spending all your money on the one outfit that is have to have, and the next day having a new style that is out and even pricier. The vicious circle of fashion can affect everyone especially their wallets!
Identity Inside and out the Remix
Identity Inside and Out
An Abercrombie and Fitch sweatshirt-$128.00, a pair of Target sunglasses-$15.00, having your own identity-priceless! To most people the clothing they wear can only be name brand or highly overpriced; they have to wear the in styles and get it before anyone else has the chance. Does having an article of cloth that covers your body help portray who you really are? Isn’t it crazy that what we wear and what style we like can tell someone so much about us? The clothing that we wear does affect our identity and the choices that we make, being persuaded or dictated, however, affects the kind of clothes that we wear. Ever wonder how these name brands became so popular? Just look at the vicious circle people go through when it comes to fashion.
When seeing a person dressed in all black, with chains hanging down and thick black eyeliner on people automatically assume the label or their identity as gothic. There are many different labels for people based on the way they dress and look. The way people choose to dress reflects upon who they are as a person which relates to their identity. Choosing to wear all expensive clothes that are name brand is a choice that we make about what we want to look like and how much money we are willing to spend. We make big choices everyday and in many ways it relates to our identity. Clothes are a big part of how and where everyone fits in, in the world. They reflect our personality, our judgments of not only us but others as well, and how we see ourselves. All these things make in some way a connection to our identity. If we have a lot of money and want people to notice in the world then we’ll wear the rich fancy name brand clothes. If people aren’t big spenders then they’d prefer bargain shopping for what’s cute and still looks good at an affordable price. What we choose to wear should express ourselves as an individual. We are choosing what we wear whether it be Abercrombie and Fitch or Value Village that’s our choice. Then again a lot of us wear what we see other’s wearing or what the media tells us to wear. Then you have to ask yourself am I dressing in what I really want to wear or what I’m being told to wear.
Connecting to the Audience
Writing about something that I know from experience really helped me add voice into the paper. My topic I chose was working, which I’m always doing. From writing about something that I can really relate to and am interested in I put more voice into the paper without even trying. This also helped connect to my audience and be able to speak to them more casually then normal. Everybody can relate to working at some point of their lives, which helps with people being able to communicate. Surrounding yourself in a working community is the main point of my blog and since I tend to do this often it was easy to write. That’s why I believe this piece can connect to the audience and show them how I truly feel on the topic.
Working is a Community
"Working is a community"Working people are always busy, usually always on the go. They have something to relate to when communicating with others. Business talk or how's work going leading into conversation. Also when you're a work aholic or just work a lot because you need to you have people surrounding you that you work with. People you become friends with that work with you, other business that your business deals with and you get to know people from their on a personal level. You have an entire army of friends that are work related. You just surrounded yourself in a community that works for a living. Imagine that!
You can share many interests with other people that you work with, it doesn't just have to be all about work. You could go out to dinner with a friend you work with and his wife or his family and your family simply because you enjoy the food not to talk business. Going to a football game or baseball game with some people you work with because you like the team. Many interests can apply, although I’m sure you same a lot of the same interests when it comes to work related things.
If you have a big business deal coming up and you can't let one of your friends in on it that’s also an employee at your work than that could create tension between the two of you. It could be hard to maintain a good relationship outside of the working environment. You might find yourself only talking about work when all you want to do is just hangout. Or there could be different opinions on the way things are ran leading into arguments and settling at just be co-workers.
I majorly fit into this group! Recently I had two jobs and was working one in the morning going to school then one in the afternoon. I couldn't do it anymore so I had to quit one of them it was way too stressful. I noticed that when I tried to be friends with some people I had met after getting hired it was difficult. At first everything I said to them about my personal life got back to work somehow. That's when I knew some people you just can't be friends and work with too. The people I was already friends with before hiring that worked with me was much easier to continue being close. There was that trust there that sometimes you can't get from your fellow co-workers. Some people just want to run you out or take your place. I like to work, to have a sense of feeling that I am paying my own bills and can do it when I get older and am on my own. It's hard with high school and college but I pay all the bills I have now and I want to be sure I can continue doing so by myself when I get out on my own. That's why I like being a part of this community.
The Glory of Accomplishments
For my written choice I chose our unit two community essay. Not only was it a well written paper and organized but it was fun for me to write. I felt strong about the topic and used analyzing two other essays to prove my opinion. Fitting in somewhere is an everyday struggle for most, knowing about the topic from personal experience made it easier to write. This was also my highest grading paper which I am very proud of and I met the guidelines of the prompt. I feel as though my essay shows one of my best writings and I had to have it in my overall portfolio to show my growth.
Acceptance Among Communities
It’s hard sometimes for people to find somewhere to fit in. In most cases they have to change their own characteristics and likings to be accepted into a community. Without fitting in there won’t be acceptance. Once accepted there will be standards that need to be followed to provide a sense of stability. Finding a community to be a part of isn’t the hard part it’s finding one that you enjoy being in and can just be yourself in that’s challenging.
In “Reclaiming Our Home Place” Maya Angelou expresses her feelings on what happens after slavery and winning the Civil war. How people go back to their homes because that’s what they know and love. “With liberation comes choices.” (pg.135) she explains how people aren’t afraid to go back to where they were enslaved because that’s the life they knew and what makes them happy. “We can stand for the good. That’s why we risk our lives.” (pg. 137) They go back home after being in fear for so long because that’s the kind of community they want to live in, its where they feel like they belong. After the bus boycott towards the segregation for whites and blacks and where they had to sit an old African American lady walked to the back of the bus and sat down. A young man was so upset that he had just had walked eighteen miles for her to be able to sit in the front and she went to the back that he went to the back and confronted her. She simply said “Son I walked with you, but now that I can sit anywhere. I’m sitting in the back. It’s much more comfortable I can relax, put my bags down, and stretch my legs out.” (pg. 136)
I believe that the Maya Angelou is trying to explain how in a community you have choices of who you want to be surrounded by and where you want to live. The people in “Reclaiming Our Home Place” went back to the only home they knew because that’s where they felt comfortable and they surrounded themselves with not only other African Americans who had been through the same horrible things they had but others who had the same likings as them. “I live in the South because it’s the best place to live. It’s beautiful beyond the weight and even the ecstasy of the memories.” (pg.137) It’s a choice for many to want to live anywhere and make any kind of community they want to. Now that they have freedom to not be stuck in only one place out of the entire world, to not be somebody’s slave, to do what they please like anyone else, they choose to go right back to where they used to be held captive. “With choices comes a different kind of criticism.” (pg. 136)
Is alternating who you are as a person really worth fitting into a certain community? For Clair a young 18 year old girl it was important for her to find a certain group of people she could fit in with and talk to, a certain group of people who would understand her. It was so important for her to do so that she was even willing to almost die to follow the rules of her community. Mim Udovitch author of “A Secret Society of the Starving” explains the internet communities that exist for Pro-ana girls and boys. “Pro-ana, the basic premise of which is that an eating disorder is not a disorder but a lifestyle choice, the sites are a way for them to connect with other girls and to basically talk about how special they are. And they become very isolated.” (pg.111) Clair who made herself become anorexic after visiting the Pro-ana sites feels as though the people on the site are just like her and are her only friends. Knowing she could die at any moment doesn’t matter to her the only thing that matters is knowing that she has a place that she can fit into. Not by a cheap price unfortunately, not only is starving yourself the only way you can join this community but there are commandments and rules you have to abide by in order to stay in. “The Thin commandments on one site, include: If thou aren’t thin, thou aren’t attractive; Being this is more important than being healthy; Thou shall not eat without feeling guilty; Thou shall not eat fattening food without punishing thyself afterward; and Being thin and not eating are signs of true willpower and success.” (pg. 112) Along with these commandments are “thinspirational” quotes and messages on how you should lose weight the healthy way and not turn to the life threatening ways but if you’re emotionally scarred this web site is for you. The Pro-ana community numbers in the thousands and is largely made up of girls between the ages of 13 and 25. “And it is a close community, close in the manner of close friendships of girls and young women.” (pg. 112)
This community is made up of many girls and a few boys who have either had to change their own perspective on life and the way they look or has kept going down the wrong path just to fit into a certain kind of community. All people need a place to fit in but to go to such an extent to try to fit in is not worth it to me. There are rules you have to follow including starving yourself and punishing yourself for eating just to belong to the Pro-ana community. This to me is not worth fitting in to a community who doesn’t accept you for who you are. Find somewhere else to go, surround yourself with people who are like you and find the same things interesting that you do.
Being happy is the most important thing, as long as you are surrounded by a great community where you can just be yourself in. That’s all that truly matters. Having to change who you completely are as a person wouldn’t be worth it in the end, being accepted shouldn’t be a difficult task. A community should be what you make of it and wherever you want it
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
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