January 16

Lit Exploration

 The Idea that our Beliefs are Impacted by the Actions of Others.

 

What is your opinion of the idea that our beliefs are influenced by the actions of        others?

 

       Humans are a very impressionable species, once impacted by another individual then it maintains a long lasting stain on the individual. Like that of a mustard stain on a white shirt, it’s a fight to get rid of. In the novel Night, by Elie Wiesel we see this stain make its mark on a young boys life which happens to be Wiesel himself, we see how the torment and devastation of concentration camps change his life, and ultimately who he is. On the other side though through The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch the opposite is demonstrated for the reader as it’s a story about how individuals can shape you to model your inspiration after them.    

 

 In the novel Night, a young boy-Wiesel- is taken away from his family, aside from his father and the family is distributed as if game pieces to concentration camps. However Wiesel is lucky enough to stay with his father, but that is the only way in which the poor boy could be considered lucky. Beaten, starved, and made to feel as if he was less than a speck of dirt on this planet the young man is left with the question of, where is God? Why is he letting us be treated in such a way? When the true question is what would make another human do that to someone else? Because of the actions of others the young man disregarded his religion for a long time, for example he chose not to fast when others were or when if things would have still been normal he would have, not because his father told him to do so. But because of the lack of trust he has acquired in God. The absence of trust comes from the actions of those around him who hurt him so terribly he wasn’t even sure if there was a God out there for Elie to even pray to or fast for. Like Elie not everyone is as lucky to have an action of another have a positive long lasting effect on themselves but when it happens, it’s special.  

 

   In the excerpt from The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch we see the other side of the influence individuals actions have on people, were a good snap decision has the power to impact another person to give them hope and re-inspire them. In the excerpt Pausch is watching the landing on the moon in summer camp and is sent to bed by the councilors because it was thought to be 

‘Too late” so they did not witness man first steps on the moon because of a bedtime. But his father at home however took a photo so the young boy once he got back home could see and relish in the moment for himself. That choice the father made left a long lasting influence on Pausch because of his obsession with space and how later on in life he would become a scientist. “Give yourself permission to dream. Fuel your kids dreams, too. Once in a while, that might even mean letting them stay up past their bedtimes.” this quote is important because it displays Pausch’s admiration for great work that it should be witnessed by everyone. So with the influence his father taking a photo had was significant to Randy because it allowed him to dream bigger even if he didn’t give to see the product in it’s debut.  

 

  Seeing a final product in its debut is one of the most satisfying things a person can witness, so when William Forrester gets to see what Jamal becomes he is elated. Forrester had mentored Jamal and to see Jamal be successful at his new school and pursue writing it is a big moment for the former shut in. Forrester’s influence on Jamal had pushed Jamal to trust himself more and be more confident in himself as opposed to belittling himself for the sake of others. And Jamal had pushed Forrester right back with his actions of growth influencing Forrester to seek out new opportunities all over again in his life. The two men growing together to become better versions of each other demonstrates the positive effect that the actions of another person can have on one individual is by far one of the most important things that can be offered. 

 

  Not every time an individual walks into a life is it for the betterment of someone, sometimes the push is to lose your faith, make you rethink your family, but also sometimes someone can walk into your life and they open new doors create a safer atmosphere. Sometimes that mustard stain lands right in the middle of your shirt and other times you’re wearing a yellow shirt and it’s gonna blend in and only you’re gonna know about and you will be grateful for it. 

Category: Erika, Sept 2019 | LEAVE A COMMENT
January 13

Lit exploration

 

When an individual has lived through a life-changing experience, it can alter their life negatively or positively. Depending on the situation, it can result in a life full of passion and happiness or a life filled with regret and sorrow. Their perspective on life can change the way a particular experience has affected their own life. The people who are around them can also be affected by their choice of action and have to also deal with them in the future. Sometimes it’s inevitable and can’t get away from it. 

 

In the film, A River Runs Through It, Paul was the son of the minister and the younger sibling of Norman. They had always been together and played with each other all the time. One day their father had introduced “Fly Fishing” to both Norman and Paul. Once they actually got into the water, paul fell in love with fly fishing. He had told Norman one day that when he grew up he wanted to be a fly fisherman. This particular experience had a big effect on paul when he became older. He became a master at “fly fishing” and loved the skill that he had mastered throughout his life. Paul had such a burning passion for fishing that he had made his own type of fishing called “Shadow Casting”. In the film, Norman had said that it had become an art rather than just a skill that paul had mastered. For paul, whenever there was any awkwardness between him and his brother, he would always give the idea of fishing. Fishing was Paul’s way of ignoring the problems that he had and to just focus on what he loved doing the most.

 

Paul became a very mysterious character in the film. When Norman comes back from university, paul wasn’t there to greet him after 6 long years of being away from his family. He would leave late at night and sometimes not come back after a very long period. Norman eventually grew suspicious of Paul but didn’t think of it. Later on in the film, Norman had continuously heard about paul got to “Lolo’s” every night. The majority of people knew that paul went to Lolo’s at night and stay there. As we figure out, Paul gambles at Lolo’s and had a huge debt towards the people that he gambles with. But instead of trying to pay the people, he continues to play and play until he has a bigger debt than when he had started. This experience changed the way Paul lived his daily life. He would go to work during the day and then go gamble at night. He would often miss family dinners and go off gambling. This cycle that he was in, eventually had gotten out of control because, at the end of the film, he gets jumped and beaten to death.  His death had taken a toll on his family and they were never really the same ever since paul had died. Because was in major debt with the people that he played with at Lolo’s. Paul had been so caught up with his addiction that it had changed his lifestyle completely. Paul had even said “There are three things that you should never be late to work, church and fishing. But there was an instance where he was late for fishing. Being a hypocrite to his own words that he had spoken. It showed that gambling had taken a big toll in his life that he was late for fishing, which he is never late too. This life-changing experience for paul had severe consequences which eventually lead to his death. Small decisions can make a big impact on our future.

 

On September 12th, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called psoriasis. This particular event in my life had changed the way I think about things. I struggle with my skin every day. I take two or three medications and light therapy to treat my skin. It is not a cure but a way to suppress the disease and to make my life more livable. Doing daily activity takes a lot of effort and having to go to school can be the most difficult thing to do at times. This experience has changed the way I think. It makes me realize what I take for granted in life and to always be grateful for what I have. Even though I am sick, I don’t let that get in the way of me, as a strong individual, to do what I have to do to be successful in life.  I always tell myself that people have it worse in this world and that’s what keeps me going. It is what drives me to go to school and get the education that most people in the world don’t get. After I had experienced the worst of what could possibly happen to my skin, I am more grateful that I can mobile. That I can move my body when I couldn’t when I had a horrible skin infection that rendered my use of my limbs. Even though I am still going through many hardships today, I still keep going and look forward to the beautiful future that is up ahead.

 

When an individual has had a life-changing experience, It can affect the individual positively or negatively. However it is, it can change how an individual looks at the world and how they want to live there life. It can make an individual or break them depending on what type of experience they had faced in their lifetime. It can also be a way to appreciate life a little bit more and to be more grateful for what an individual has instead of thinking about what they don’t have.

Category: Rania | LEAVE A COMMENT
January 18

Lit Expo.

Independence will be a time which is present in every individual’s life. Becoming independent, an individual begins to recognize the ability to become self-sufficient, an idea which was most likely ignored due to an early age. Once a mindset to become independent is established, the individual will realize their true potential, becoming successful in their own ways. In the memoir, The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls, the author reveals her own path toward releasing her true potential. From a determined adolescent who sets herself on fire, determined to relieve her hunger to a successful journalist and author, Jeanette demonstrates how an innocent individual will suppress ideas of independence until reaching a mature age and realizing their true potential, ultimately resulting in development toward their own self-sufficiency.

 

Innocent minds will mask any unnecessary ideas of independence due to the false belief of safety established by those they believe their dependent from. In the first chapter of The Glass Castle, Jeanette relives her childhood as she speaks about the time when she caught on fire once making hot dogs at the age of three. Although being only three years old, Jeanette believed that making sure she was fed was her own duty. This clearly demonstrates her parents neglect toward their children as such responsibilities are not intended for the children themselves. Jeanette shows signs of independence at a very early age as making sure her basic needs are reached. Her innocence masks the neglect she faces from her parents, as she feels a sense of safety of ensuring that she is fed. Hotdogs can symbolize safety due to the satisfaction she may feel of just having food present; being able to deal with a hardship she may have faced before which could have been hunger. Jeanette establishes how an individual’s innocence will mask irrelevant ideas by a false sense of safety.

 

A maturing mind is much more capable of understanding hardships and in many cases cause a sense of realizing potential dangers. While growing up, Jeanette starts to look in the trash and even steal food from neighbors in order to keep herself from starving. The Wall’s family began to face financial struggles due to most of the family’s income being spent on selfish reasons by the mother and father. Jeanette’s maturing mind slowly starts to realize the issue and starts to develop ideas for long-term resolvement. At this point, Jeanette starts to show character development as the shift in her character is clearly visible. From an adolescent who

 

hides the signs of neglect to an individual who begins on understanding the problem, Jeanette starts to show signs of independence. Recognition of the issue leads to plans of resolution and being a determined individual, Jeanette begins to think of how she can help her family herself. This eventually leads to Jeanette taking actions to try to control her parents’ financial situation but ultimately realizes that it’s not possible to help due to her parents’ selfish tendencies. Jeanette demonstrates how a maturing individual will start to realize adversities which will ultimately help understand their own potential to become independent.

 

Once an issue is recognized, an individual will begin to establish their independence by acting on their own behalf. Prior to leaving her parents and moving to New York, Jeanette reaches a breaking point where she believes the only way to become successful is by practicing her independence. She plans out everything required to move away from her parents and still be able to survive. After several months, Jeanette is able to act upon the plan and leave. This situation shows Jeanette’s full understanding of her own potential in becoming independent which leads her to act on her own behalf. Jeanette demonstrates how a capable individual will begin to act in order to display their independence.

 

An independent individual recognizes their potential due to a realization of hardships throughout their life from an early age, which was once masked due to their innocence. An innocent child who neglected the thought of needing to become independent, realized a lifelong issue which leads them to act upon the situation which ultimately demonstrated independence that the individual was always capable of. Jeanette demonstrates how her response later in life,  toward her adversities from a young age revealed how she always inherited an independent self-sufficient character. All it takes is a moment of understanding, how much are we hiding from ourself?

Category: Rohit, Sept 2018 | LEAVE A COMMENT
January 10

Polished Work

Visual #3

All I Have Left

Love. All I can give is love. The horrors of the war have left me scarred and broken on the inside, with images of death piercing my heart. This war has left me broken. It is hard to remember the feeling of love ; it is hard to remember the feeling of family  ; it is hard to remember the feeling of home. Sitting behind my cover, waiting for the order to be given, to abandon the only home this war has given me. But this feeling of home is not what normal people would describe it as. To me is it a place where I am free from the damage of the war and where I am able to take my mind off of the heartbreaking images within my brain: where the sandbags and dirt walls are the only thing protecting me from harm. But to others home is where the family is waiting with warm hugs and loving smiles; I miss that home.

As the mud dries; the fighting subsides and the trees whistle in the wind, I hear crackling in the bushes. By the time I try and reach for my revolver, a little cat stumbles out of the trees limping towards me, all alone. Its ears are small and fragile, its body is shaking, marked and it eyes are barely open. I look at it and it looks at me staring into my soul as if I can hear it crying out “help me.” I reach my hand out for it, its fur is soft but rough, I can feel every little move its bones make.

The feeling of the fur on my hands brings me back to when I was a kid coming home everyday from school to my cat cookie, her fur was the softest in the world and her bright blue eyes always brightened my darkest day. The feeling of having someone there to love you when you need it most was the greatest feeling in the world. When all hope seemed lost, love always found its way back into my life. But on this battlefield that feeling of hopelessness returns to me and the feeling of love is slipping further away from me.

With the cat in my hand I begin to feel the pulse weaken, I reach into my bag and grab some of my last ration of food and feed it to the cat. Love. Love can be found even in the darkest of places. Even now when I believe I have been consumed by the darkness of the war, this cat appears in front of me, in need of love just like how I was many years ago. Putting the food in its mouth brings back a feeling, a feeling that I have done something right and for the first time during this war there is a smile on my face. I thought this feeling was a distant memory. I thought the smile on my face had died. But deep within me the holes in my heart that the bullets of this war has put in it are slowly healing and the memories that I deemed valuable begin to show themselves once again.

My broken spirit regains what little strength it can with these memories; however, the darkness still surrounds me, but this little cat has allowed me to share the only thing I can possibly give. Love. All I can give is love

 

Visual #2

If Only it Was Possible

Dreams, the power of an individual’s imagination to foresee an utopia; however, reality tends to be the bane of an individual’s dreams.

Dreams. All I have are dreams. Staring down at the mud hole where I am forced to get my water. A necessity to living; yet it is so hard to acquire. Spending all day digging a hole with hope that water is trapped underneath. This is just an example of what I go through. My everyday life is what some people call a nightmare and call their own normal. But to me their lifestyle is a dream; a dream that I desperately want to possess. A dream of mine that is slowly withering away. I look down at my water in my wooden bowl, barely enough to keep a person alive, but this is all I have. This is all I get for the rest of the day. Once I collected the remaining brown water I sit back and put the wood bowl to my mouth. The feeling of water touching my skin again sends shivers across my body, as if I haven’t had any for years.

The sensation brings tears down my face knowing that there won’t be water in my system for some time. All I begin to think about is the feeling of water across my body; something I have only been blessed to hear about in stories. The stories of how places in America shot water out of the ground; how people could drink water without having to worry about bacteria or diseases. My body grows weaker just thinking about how that would feel; I can’t stop thinking about it. It is the only reason I kept fighting for every last drop of water. This is my last dream. The dream that I hold closest to me and the one that is slowly slipping away just like the others have. Laying in a water park surrounded by water, letting it consume me and revive my inner self that had died years ago. Being able to slip down a slide and be hit with a wave a water right in the face. The feeling of having water at your disposal and knowing that it will be there when I need it; if only it was possible to achieve; if only!  My heart sinks deeper into my chest; the tears roll down my face into the wooden bowl because I can’t let any form of water go to waste.

I sit on the rocky ground with what little water I have left. I look down: only to see a blurry reflection staring back at me. If only it was possible to see a glimpse of hope in my dream, but it all seems lost with the muddy water staring back at me. If only it was possible to see myself staring back at me in the water. Then I know I would be in my dream; but just like all my other dreams; reality tears it apart right in front of me. Mocking me that i’ll never be able to have the one dream I truly desire. The one dream that every kid should get to experience; if only it was possible to achieve this dream.

I finish my water and refill the hole I made. Not knowing if I will have the same blessing as I did today. I stand up and look at my empty cups and they stare back at me. The dreams I once relied on to carry me forward are now trapped in the same bondage of reality I am. If only it was possible to escape; but unfortunately it is not. Reality has devoured all I have deemed precious in my life. Even the dreams I once held so deeply close to me; even now they are gone. Now I stand here broken from the inside; mourning what reality has done to me. If only it was possible to escape this life; but I’m afraid there is only one way and the path now is sealed shut.

 

Persuasive Letter

Dear Prosper School Council:

My name is Terry Reid, I am a recent graduate of this very school and I’m here today to inform you about the issue of separating core classes by gender. I believe that separating core classes by gender will overall affect student performance negatively.

Having been in core classes that are co-ed allowed me to develop social skills that I have been able to use later in life. These skills were built by being able to talk to girls, while giving and receiving help in class. Acknowledging that girls and boys brains develop at different speeds, not all boys develop slower than girls. Having different genders in each class allows for different ideas to be shared resulting in a greater amount of information to be spread and the greatest amount of development to happen. One may argue that this conversation will not always be about school resulting in distraction that causes key points to be missed; however the conversations the boys and girls have build fundamentals that they will need for later in life, as the job they may be working at may not only be one gender thus causing them to work with the opposite gender. Allowing co-ed classes will allow for crucial communication skills to be developed, it creates the most fair and equal education for the students and finally it provides the greatest opportunity for students to develop relationships between other students.

Communication skills are the most essential of skills: they provide individuals with the confidence to talk to others and allow them to deliver the best outcome possible. Being segregated from the other gender limits an individual’s communication skills resulting in them not being as confident when talking or discussing ideas with the opposite gender. In the real world I can speak from experience that having that communication skill develop between genders at a younger age really helped me succeed in my job; as I am able to confront girls in a respectful manner, a skill that I was able to develop through high school. Once you get out of high school most jobs are co-ed; this means that girls will have to be able to work with boys and vise-versa and being separated from them throughout key high school cores will result in less teamwork between those two groups. Also creates more misunderstanding between them as they have not had much previous experience with problems that involve both genders.

Education everyone receives is meant to be fair and equal, as everyone learns the same content and studies the same course; but if separated it can be seen that boys and girls will be studying different text in Language Arts class. Yes, the courses always could be made the same but seeing as how girls and boys brains develop at different speeds, boys may offer a different perspective to a text that a girl does not see. The proposal for the separation of different English studies, creates an unfair course all the girls texts in the course may have a deeper meaning than the boys texts resulting in different levels of education being taught. Experiencing a mixed LA class and studying the same content allowed for boys and girls to share the ideas they had about each text, thus resulting in the maximum amount of learning to be done.

Relationships are key parts of life and how an individual develops and keeps those relationships is what matters. Being friends with only one gender will create biased viewpoints but also limited view points. Having core classes with the same gender will teach students that it is okay to only be by your gender and that there is something bad about being mixed. Creating this spereration will create stress between existing relationships seen by John and Lisa, they are sad that they are forced to be separated from each other, this could potentially cause issues to occur in the future. Being separated from the other gender in the core classes limits the ability to interact and build a relationship with someone from the opposite gender, it may also cause current friendships to be ruined because they won’t be able to see each other as often. I saw many friendships created between boys and girls and some of those have even lasted to this very day, which shows how important that time together is. So without a doubt, separating genders will affect the students friendships and the ability to make them with the opposite gender.

Separation between boys and girls for core classes limits their ability to develop key communication skills, it limits the ability to receive the most fair education and it creates conflict between relationships between students. I would love to see core classes stay mixed genders as you have read it has helped me greatly in my everyday life now and taking that away will ultimately affect those students. Thank you for taking your time to read this today and I hope you take into consideration what I have said.

Sincerely

Terry Reid

Terry Reid

 

Lit Exploration

The Choices We Make

“What is your opinion of the idea that our beliefs are influenced by the actions of others.”

Choices. All choices affect us; however, it may not be the choices we make that persuade the way the world is viewed, sometimes it’s the choices by the people around us that influence our beliefs. The values and beliefs that are ingrained into our personality are difficult to remove; however when an individual is at a vulnerable phase in their life, the actions, made by other carry a much bigger burden.

Vulnerability, the most evident feature during early childhood years. In the film A River Runs Through It, Norman and his brother Paul are raised in a catholic household by their father who is also the minister of the church. As years go on we begin to see how Normans beliefs are mirroring his fathers beliefs simply because of the choices the father has made for Norman. We see Norman and Paul laying down on a hill talking about their future goals. Paul asks Norman what he wants to be and Norman replies “A minister I guess…” But later shares he rather be a boxer. Norman sharing that he want to be a minister demonstrates the actions of the father and how they penetrated the vulnerable Norman. Thus causing Norman to change his beliefs from what he wants to the expectations of the father. Norman not pursuing what his heart desires represents that the father of Norman has been influencing his beliefs by the choices he makes. Being vulnerable at a young age is when most individuals are influenced the most by others. Young kids are curious and always look and see what other are doing, they then reflect on what they see and use the actions of others to develop their beliefs. Beliefs are a fragile subject they are easily altered by what other individuals do around us. Learn and decrypting the actions that others make around us ultimately shapes our beliefs and what we value later in life.

 

Growing up the main actions that influenced my beliefs were also the ones of my parents. Through my early childhood I remember my dad always being the kind of person that showed respect to whoever he met. Having been such a young age I didn’t realize why he was always being so nice to others for but it stuck with me. Now that I am mature enough to make my own choices and I am able to change my beliefs I know I will not be able to change the ones my dad ingrained in me as a kid. When we were on our way back from the pool at the Ramada Maingate in Anaheim California, we saw someone crawling in the bushes. There was a man on his stomach crawling unable to stand because of the amount of alcohol he drank. Instead of leaving the man there and letting him fend for himself; my dad offered his hand to a complete stranger who was in desperate need of help. My dad carried him to his room in the hotel and made sure that someone was there to watch him in case he threw up. To me this demonstrated the true identity of my dad and how he cares and respects any individual he comes across. Now I treat everyone with respect no matter how much they give me because I know t is the right thing to do. Having been such a young age the lesson my dad taught me has influenced the way I see others and because I was so young I was able to take in all that he was showing. To this day I still believe all individuals deserve kindness no matter what they have done. The actions displayed throughout my life by the people closest to me shaped who I am and strive to be as an individual.

Being vulnerable is not always at youth, sometimes it is when an individual enters the darkest place in their life and focus more on the people around them. This is evident is the character Paul, because Paul was raised the same way Norman was they both had similar values. Meanwhile, Paul was trying to figure out what his passions were during a dark time in his life, he had a drinking problem and refused to admit it.Watching his brother and the people around him Paul realized that his beliefs right now were not the best to have. The quote “Paul stayed, unwilling to leave the fish he had not yet caught.” shows how Paul is still waiting for his beliefs to be influenced by the actions others make around him. An example of this is seen by Norman leaving to University and fulfilling the father’s expectations. Paul, however his different he see that Norman is not as happy as he can be and this caused him to change his beliefs from expectations to passion. Because of Normans actions leaving to University it inspired Paul to go to college and follow his passions despite what his father thinks. The values and beliefs taken in by a child are hard to replace but after being affected by an individual’s actions those beliefs may be influenced and changed. The actions of others affect the way individuals perceive the own beliefs and use the actions of others to alter those beliefs. Even though they may not be vulnerable if an action my another individual is powerful enough it may change set beliefs.

Having seen the actions of others and those actions having a direct affect on an individual’s life, and individual may realize that their beliefs are not as accurate as they want them to be thus causing the to alter them. Norman and Paul were excellent cases of beliefs being changed because they both were at different phases in their life when those changes happened. Being vulnerable can happen throughout the life of an individual, but it’s the choices others make that deeply affect a person during that time. Choices are the most powerful action in the world and no matter who they are made by they will leave some kind of lasting effect on the people around.

Category: Brayden, Sept 2018 | LEAVE A COMMENT
January 18

Influence (Lit Exploration)

 

Influence

The actions of others can influence and affect the beliefs and ideologies of oneself; in the film, A River Runs Through It, Robert Redford explores this idea and displays it most vividly through the character of Norman. When someone grows up around people who are vocal about their beliefs then these beliefs can transfer over to oneself and can help shape one’s own ideologies and understandings for the future.

Within this excerpt we follow Michael Oher and he describes all of his memories of his favourite teacher, Mrs. Logan. Most of this text are memories of how you can see Mrs. Logan and how she firmly believed in all of her students; in doing what she felt was right she left an impact upon Michael and this is shown through the final line in the text. “I had carried that memory of Mrs. Logan with me for years because she made me believe that I had talent worth developing and the ability to see it through.” This quote is of Michael saying how he has clearly been affected by the actions of Mrs. Logan and how he has kept the memory of her for many years. This means that Michael has been touched by the actions of her not giving up, and believing in him and everyone else; everyone received the belief and encouragement that was provided by Mrs. Logan. When someone believes in you; one can feel the authenticity of the belief and that creates a cause and effect relationship; when someone experiences receiving the support then they are more likely to provide it in the future.

In the film, A River Runs Through It,  we primarily follow Norman, and we see how the actions of others affect Norman’s beliefs. The actions of Norman’s father have clearly made an impact on Norman as a person; though the art of fly fishing Norman is able to really connect to his brother, Paul, who has also grown up with the same values. In the beginning of the film we can see that one of the father’s main values are fly fishing, and with that we can see how it has heavily influenced and left an impact on Paul, but we are also shown how being away from the graceful lifestyle of fly fishing has affected Norman. Norman struggles to get back into the flow of fly fishing, but by the later parts of the movie we see Norman catching a lot of fish and finally accepting that grace that was once taught to him after reconnecting to his home, his father and his brother. This grace that was taught to Norman and Paul never actually leaves them, it only becomes weak when it is not put to use. One’s beliefs may be clouded but when the time is right they will sort themselves out and the influences that which implanted the ideas of them will be revealed, no matter how long it takes.

As an example of the idea of being influenced by others within my own life would be that I have experienced a lot and I will continue to experience more; this involves meeting new people and knowing how to treat them, and throughout a lot of my life I had the idea that I will pretty much be on my own for majority of my life, which is true. But I will have to talk and communicate to people everyday, whether I want to or not; I never had a solution for how I would deal with people in the future. In tenth grade I was introduced to the idea of infinite love and gratitude(ILAG) through my choir teacher, Ms. Orchard. This was new and strange ideology that I never truly understood until a year later when I was taught how to effectively use the ideology of ILAG in my drama class taught by Ms. Hunnisett. Within that drama class my core beliefs changed, I realized that everybody has good within them and that if you show ILAG to others then dealing with people becomes more than just bearable, it becomes enjoyable. In my final year of highschool I have drama and within it, one of the closest groups that I would call a family, I have ever met. This is all because of the actions of two teacher who’s strong beliefs have transferred over to us students and has influenced us for the better; I know I will never forget the lessons I have been taught and I know that I will continue to follow the beliefs of ILAG.

As one comes to realize their own beliefs, they will understand why they believe them, but they must also remember where those beliefs came from because I believe that the people who can change how one thinks are the truly important within life. It is important to reflect upon the origins of one’s beliefs because only then is it possible to see who truly impacted and affected your life.

Category: Samuel, Uncategorized | LEAVE A COMMENT
January 17

Polished Literary Exploration

 

Hope is what gives one motivation. It gives one purpose and something to strive for. Although hope may be fictional it still gives one the will to keep going no matter the circumstances they are in. In the novel, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Jeannette’s father Rex Walls provides his children (especially Jeannette) with hope as a tool in order to disregard the fact that they live in poverty and are constantly on the “skedaddle.” Both these characters form a great bond as the novel progresses through this vision of hope. The Glass Castle portrays the idea that hope can allow one to disregard the struggle of life until one’s hope is no longer present.

Initially, in the novel, Rex Walls tells Jeannette about how one day with his invention he will build a great castle made of glass. Jeannette being as young as she was is ecstatic about this. Rex gives her something to believe in, something to be hopeful for in order for her to dismiss the fact that he is not providing for her like a father should. This “Glass Castle” idea allows for Jeannette and Rex to create a strong bond as they made the blueprints for the castle together. But this false hope is used by Rex in order to give his children the incentive to always come back to him even if life is going their way.

As the story progresses Jeannette wants to move to New York. This want for change is then challenged when Rex brings up the Glass Castle once again. She is now on the fence as her hope for this castle is emerged from within herself. Rex uses hope as a way of keeping Jeannette with her. The mixed emotion Jeannette feels causes her to rethink what she wants to do. This ultimately means that the hope she had for the castle is slowly fading away as other priorities are more important. Jeannette’s growth as a person has allowed her to see that maybe this hope she once had isn’t as important.

Finally, Jeannette see’s that Rex is providing false hope. Something to strive for that will never come. What this means is that Jeannette has decided to move to New York as there’s nothing left for her where she is. She sees that her potential is being restricted by her father as he does not want what’s best for her, but wants what’s best for him. The hope of building this glass castle is no longer important to her as she wants to be successful in life. Throughout the novel, there is a constant tension between whether hope is important or not but in the end Jeannette sees it as irrelevant to her success.

Hope eases the pain from the struggles of life. It can be a great quality to allow you to be successful. But hope must be authentic, as false hope can only last so long. As seen through the character Jeannette, false hope only gives you the strength to dismiss the problems around you while something one is truly hopeful for can change an entire life.

Category: Kamal | 1 Comment on Polished Literary Exploration
January 17

Polished Lit Exploration

Connections within self

Friendship. Brotherhood. Family. This is how an individual thinks of others in terms of connecting with them over a certain period of time. An individual is most influenced by the positive actions of others that share a bond with them in which helps guide their actions to become a lasting memory. In other words, when others share a positive experience with an individual in which builds a sense of connection between them, it helps the development of their relationship. In the excerpt, “I BEAT THE ODDS” by Michael Oher, the film, A River Runs Through It by Robert Redford, and a personal experience, it can be seen that an individual is influenced by the positive actions of others who share a sense of connection with each other in which provides a desire for the individual to remember others’ actions as a lasting memory.  

When an individual is positively influenced by the actions of another individual, they will think of them as their role model, leaving a lasting memory of the message they were provided. In the excerpt, “I BEAT THE ODDS,” Michael Oher tells the reader of his experiences from elementary school. He tells us that his fourth-grade teacher, Ms. Verlene Logan “never made me feel as if there was anything negative” which shows that she is an optimistic person and that she cares about her students and does not judge them on their appearance or living condition. Michael Oher is positively influenced by the actions of Ms. Logan because “ she made me believe that I had a talent worth developing and the ability to see it through.” This means that Ms. Logan influenced Michael by telling him that he had talent and that he could pursue it by working hard and never giving up. This matters because, in our world, individuals of different races, appearances, and personality are often rejected by society. Overall, Michael Oher was taught a very important life lesson by Ms. Logan that he kept a lasting memory in which ended up helping him become a National Football League player.

When an individual develops a strong sense of connection with others, they will show the individual the value of different lifestyles. In the film, A River Runs Through It by Robert Redford, Norman is shown to be an optimistic and observant individual and is influenced by the actions of his brother Paul, and his father, Reverend Maclean. Reverend Maclean is a Presbyterian working in the church of Montana and is also the father of Paul and Norman. At youth ages, Reverend Maclean taught the boys about the Church and fly-fishing, both of which are highly valued by the three men throughout the film. Norman was influenced by his father’s different lifestyles, he valued both lifestyles and felt a responsibility as the older brother to be accountable for the actions of his brother and acceptable by his father. In the film, Paul is shown off as a rebellious individual, he is strong and will stand up for himself by any means. Norman was influenced by this side of Paul: Norman never said “no” to Paul, even during the Rowboat scene. Paul called on the other boys to go shoot the chutes, however, none of them accepted until he asked Norman who knew it was a bad idea but went along with Paul because of his sense of brotherhood towards Paul. This means that Norman is influenced by the connections he has with Paul and Reverend Maclean; he learned to be faithful, have a sense of hope, be responsible and accountable, and to help the people who need it the most. This matters because, in our world, some individuals do not have the opportunity to learn certain traits and skills in order grow as a strong individual. Overall, Norman grew up to become a faithful individual who valued others and had a sense of responsibility towards his family.

When individuals are often shown the path towards ignorance, they cannot find the guidance that they need until they desperately search for their role model/figure. In a personal experience, I was taught to only follow and do the things that my parents had planned for me. I thought by being loyal to my parents I would gain my own authority when I was an adult, but I soon realized that I had been following a path of ignorance by not following my own dreams, and not taking the initiative to plan out my future. My parents had a great role in my life as my role model until I realized that I had different wants and needs than them. I left the path of ignorance and searched for a role model in which I found within a professor at the MIT. He eventually stopped teaching at the university, but he gives students help online through social media, which I find helpful towards achieving my own dreams. This matters because, in the real world, there are many young individuals who are often lead towards a certain goal by others and do not realize that they are being led towards ignorance until they realize the differences in their desires.

In conclusion, from the excerpt, “I BEAT THE ODDS” by Michael Oher, the film, A River Runs Through It by Robert Redford, and a personal experience, it can be seen that an individual is influenced by the positive actions of others who share a sense of connection with each other which provides a desire for the individual to remember others’ actions as a lasting memory.  Michael Oher learned to never give up and through his hard work, he can see through his talent. Norman learned to be faithful, responsible and accountable because of the experiences of his brother, Paul, and his father, Reverend Maclean. Finally, I learned that I was being led towards a path of ignorance by letting others choose my decisions for me instead of having the acknowledgment to set my own goals and a long-term goal which I discovered at a youthful age and was guided by a former proffesor from MIT. 

Category: Protsahan, Uncategorized | LEAVE A COMMENT
January 17

Polished Lit

 

Life lessons

During the average life of everyone has their ups and downs in it. Sometimes life can be so black and white and it’s in the grey area where we learn and find ourselves. When someone’s past has had erratic or hard life lessons taught to them it’s the way that they deal with it that either keeps them in chains or makes them free. This can be seen in The Glass Castle about jeanette and how her struggles and hardships forced her to fend for herself and was what made her, about Rex and how he turned to drinking to forget the past, Rosemary and how her strict life lead her to go down a different past.

 

Going through struggles helps makes us who we are and makes us prepared for the future because of what was going on. In the glass castle by Jeannette Walls, Jennette goes through being made fun of by her peers for the not having decent clothes and being bullied because of it. This helped her because later on when she was being bullied she was able to defend herself better and being able to stand up for herself.  Everyone has hardships and struggles and how you deal with that is how you are preserved either a success or a failure by society.  A success would be able to overcome this and be stronger for it or you can fail and become what you hate. Everyone wants a success story, no one wants to be a failure and knowing that it’s ultimately up to you is the most important thing to remember.

 

Blocking memories and experiences is one way people use to protect themselves from being hurt again. In the glass castle when you get to welch and meet rex’s parents you begin to see why he is an alcoholic because of the place where he was raised and his parents. This is significant because this is how he deals with his issues and problems is by drinking to forget the pain that he feels everyday because of abusive parents and a not supporting household. Drowning your issues is how many people seem to push away there problems. There are many ways people do this either by diving into work or going to drugs. Pushing things away and not dealing with them is many ways why relationships fail because there not able to deal with the trauma that they have experienced and in the end are not better for it.

 

It’s how you are raised and where you learn is how you decide to live your life. In the glass castle Rose mary is seen and interpreted as a free spirit and this is how she lives her life is without a worry in the world because of her strict upbringing she feels that she forever need to be free. This is important because she is also pushing her feeling away and instead of letting in the worries and dealing with that she doesn’t let anything get to her and that’s why when she gets sad she goes into a 3 day period where she can’t do anything because she lets in all the things that she has pushed out flood back to her. This is unhealthy because she is keeping in her pain and not letting it come out and fly away. Talking to someone would even get rid of this issues. Often people like this don’t like conflict or don’t want to see people’s feelings get hurt so they keep it in until they cant anymore.

 

People’s past is often filled with hardships and struggles and ofen this is how people tend to few themselfs is either as a survivor or as a failure. Jennette dealt with her issues and because of that she succeeded and moved on in life and didn’t become a shadow of her parents. Both Rex and Rosemary see themselves as failure and don’t often have real or personal talks because they both push away there problems and ignore them. Even though these issues have real consequences to their relationships and that both of them seem to accept this.

 

Category: Kyle, Sept 2017 | LEAVE A COMMENT
January 20

literary exploration

Literary exploration        Jasmeen la 30-2

“Your beliefs determines your act and your action determines your results but you first have to believe.” This quote by mark Hansen shows that our inspiration comes from our heart and soul. Beliefs shape who we are and who will you become. Often times our beliefs are shaped by role models and positive actions. If we admire a person you will respect them, and you will do what they say. True role models are those who possess qualities that affect us in a way makes us want to be better people.

When we are growing up we look up to our role models for inspiration and use them as a blueprint for how we should behave when we are older. Normans was connected to his father. His father was a role model for him through religion, fishing, and writing. In the movie “A River Runs through It, Norman’s father said Norman, you like to write stories and he said yes I do. “ Then he said, “Someday when you are ready you might tell our family story” only then you will understand what happened”. Norman was taught by his father at home, and his father primarily focused on reading and writing. This helps to fuel Norman’s fondness of writing. Having a correct role model will ensure that we learn to be successful and adaptive life, and that we are happy when we are older. Another example from the movie river runs through it is when Norman said “there is no clear line between religion and fishing. When he was older he still kept those teachings from his father, the importance of fishing and religion. Norman kept the teachings his father gave until he was old, and made him a better person.

When our role models fulfill their role the way they’re supposed to, they can provide a model for living and for getting to the point we want to be in our lives. For example form life is my taught me to strive for more than the average and that I really could achieve anything, if I out my mind into it. In the last lecture, Randy pausch talks about his beliefs that were influenced by actions of his father. In the text he said “but when I got home few weeks later, I learned that my dad had taken picture of our TV set the Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, he had preserved that moment for me, knowing it could help trigger my dreams”. Randy pausch’s father just took a picture and that one picture helped randy achieve his dreams. For many children, the dreams begins when they are little. Randy paucsh’s father was a role model for him. He helped his son to accomplish his dreams without telling and wanted to succeed. In fact the teaching that rand pausch learned from his father will always stay with him and randy pausch used that teaching further to help fuel his kids dream.

When were are younger most of us looked up to someone and in the future we will too. For the majority of us that would be our parents. I really believe in what my father says to and I trust him. My father believes in me, no matter what mistakes I had made. My father taught the value of friendship at all levels and how important it is for you to be a friend. He taught me to strive for more than the average and that I really could achieve anything, if I put my mind into it. My dad taught me to respect everyone and accept them who they are no matter what their beliefs are. He taught me to work hard for my goals. My father often like to play games with us such as board games, or sports games.  He never lets any of us win. No matter what the game was, he played to win. I was able to beat him in a game, fair and square, I truly felt like a winner. He taught it was okay to lose as long as you tried my very best. Being a positive role model for your children is one of the most important and rewarding thing you can do for your child.

Children admire people who act in way that support their beliefs. It helps them understand how their own values are part of who they are and how they seek fulfilling roles as adults.

 

 

Category: Jasmeen | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 17

The Beliefs of Individuals

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The beliefs individuals have become altered and influenced by the actions of others due to the end result of man’s ability to immensely trust one another. In trusting others we become manipulated into believing what they say and do without knowing the full extent of the truth. When we trust a person in life our beliefs become manipulated and influenced by the actions they portray whether they be false or true. This type of manipulation is shown through William Shakespeare’s play, Othello, when Iago attains the trust of his comrade, Othello.

In the play Othello, written by William Shakespeare, Iago has managed to manipulate and influence Othello’s beliefs on his wife, Desdemona, believing now that she is an unfaithful whore. Iago attains Othello’s trust through opening his mind and showing him only certain situations of what his wife looks like to be doing. He uses Othello’s individual passions for his wife to manipulate him to do whatever devious plan he desires. This illustrates that people can be manipulated into doing certain things that aren’t in the right through the simple act of gaining ones trust.

As well Iago does more than manipulating just Othello’s beliefs, he also alters the beliefs of a man named Roderigo. He does so by manipulating him into believing that Othello’s wife is really in love with Roderigo himself. Roderigo only believes Iago because Iago has once again attained the trust of another individual. With trusting Iago, Roderigo has no reason not to believe the horrible lie that Iago has started only to get him to do the dirty work of his devious plan. This over all illustrates that the human mind is easily manipulated by the actions and words of individuals that they have learned to trust regardless of the outcome. Humans choose to believe such actions and words because of the addiction towards excitement. Individuals want excitement so they become so naive to believe anything they are told without any evidence regarding the situation.

In my own personal experiences with peoples beliefs being influenced by the actions of others is happening every day. People believe what they want to change their emotions from its current state. By doing so this makes individuals lives more exciting and more interesting because they have more emotions and situations to think about than they can handle. We want so much more excitement in our lives that we become so desperate in looking for it that we start to believe anything that the people we trust do with their actions and words.

Many individuals put their trust in people that are inconceivable and manipulative which leads to our beliefs becoming altered by what they say and do without knowing the full extent of the truth. When we trust a person in life our beliefs become manipulated and influenced by the actions they portray whether they be false or true. In the end result humans are easily trusting leading to our beliefs becoming influenced by the actions of others because we let ourselves get taken over by the devious minds of others.

Category: Jordanne, Uncategorized | LEAVE A COMMENT