January 18

Polished Visual/ Home

I never suspected it to happen, but when it did, it tore me away from my family. Leaving nothing but a rifle in my hand and fear in my heart. The Korean war was the worst experience in my life, the bloodshed and hatred that it brought caused nothing but suffering. USA thought they were doing the right thing when they invaded, to help its allies. Instead, they started a war that no one wanted to participate in. I remember the day I got the letter to join the army, and it wasn’t my decision, I was forced to leave the ones I loved to help complete strangers. I got to camp and everyone that I conversed with were scared beyond help, nobody expected things to blow up like this. The next couple of weeks were nothing but training and eating rations. Our sarge, Sergeant Henley, he was a honest man and knew exactly what needed to get done. All of the men respected him for that, he had a strong soul and incredible will power. One evening, after all the training the sarge was playing poker with all the boys, it was our nightly ritual. He then stood up with a rush and said to us men, “ Just know when your time comes men, that you don’t lose your innocence or faith within yourself,” it’s the one thing that will keep you safe. With that he put down his cards to show a royal flush and walked out of our quarters.

 

That next morning I wake up to the noise of sirens blaring and helicopter blades chopping at the wind. The attacks have gotten worse and needed more men on the battlefield immediately. Without a moment’s notice I pack up all that I needed, which was just a handful of rations, all the ammunition I could carry, and my rifle. As I was about to leave the building I hear a soft meow from the corner of the room. When I turned around I noticed a kitten in the corner all alone, without thinking twice I go to pick it up and gently place it in my duffel bag. I wasn’t just going to let a kitten die, I’ll have him and he’ll have me. At that moment I knew I had to get back home alive to give my little girl her own cat. After that I bolted out of the doors and ran to the nearest helicopter, it was packed with men but they found out a way to get me in. After we took off I unzipped my duffel bag and reached in to grab the kitten. He was afraid at first, I reckon he was less than a month old. To be abandoned at such a young age, just makes me think about how such a thing could happen. Soon after I was able to curl my hand around his small body, with a gentle and steady hand I brought him closer to my chest. We watched as different landscapes whipped past us as we barreled through the air, closer and closer to the destruction. As we were flying, one of the soldiers noticed what I had, “What in god’s name are you going to do with that? Eat it!” My only response was, “No actually, it’s for my daughter.” That made him shut up real fast. Then we started to get closer to the battlefield, the sound of AR’s and bombs slowly crept into our ears and got louder with each passing second. The air was stained with the smell of blood and mold when we landed, in the distance you would see the paramedics dragging men’s bodies that were missing all sorts of limbs. They were all images that could have came straight out of a nightmare. I then realized what I was put here for, I headed to straight to base camp to get further instructions. They told me I only needed some rations, but take all the ammunition that I can and head to the front line, they were losing men by the minute. I didn’t want to show them how afraid I was, so I just nodded my head and did what I was told.

 

The smells were unbearable, it was a mixture of undefined fluids and feces. The only thing that kept me there was the image of my daughter’s face when she sees what I got her. As bullets sped past right above me, I slowly withdrew the kitten from my jacket. I placed her gently in my palm and dug around my pockets to see if there was anything I could feed him. With no luck out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small plastic medical syringe on a soldier that must’ve died earlier that day. Without even realizing the situation, I took the syringe and broke the metal needle right off. I then took what ration of milk I had left and slowly poured it into the syringe. With my back against some sand bags and my helmet on my knee, I took the one thing I cared about and gave it a life worth living.

 

As I nursed the kitten with it’s small paws wrapped around the syringe, the voices of the axis were closing in and my time of survival was nearing to an end. The footsteps of a unknown individual was closing in, my instant reaction was to pull out my pistol from the holster that wrapped around my waist. With each step growing louder, my heart beat faster and my hands started to shake. Someone then peered over the sandbags, I quickly raised my gun and saw that it wasn’t an ally. I squeezed the trigger and the bullet hit directly in between his eyes and the lifeless body collapsed on me. With the kitten still in the palm of my hand I pushed the corpse off of me and made an effort to escape. As I was about to enter through the door of our barracks, I heard the shot of a rifle as if it were right behind me. The next thing I know, I had collapsed on the ground and couldn’t move my lower half of my body. Knowing that this is the end of the line I throw the kitten into the barracks and with the little strength I have left I shut the door.

If this was the only life that I could save, then so be it. This was a war I wasn’t ready to fight and I saved a life that I had no idea I was going to know about.

Category: Josh, 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
October 9

Visual Response

Creative Response: January 2015

   I could remember the past like it was just yesterday. Twenty-three years ago, I used to live in Kabul with my family in a middle-class home. As soon as I arrived back home from school, I would always peer through my balcony window to see if they had started to play ball yet. My mother would get mad at me because I would leave my plate half-full on the table because I heard the cheers and shouts of the kids playing.

Grabbing my shoes and maybe an extra ball was the easy part but trying to open the door without it creaking so my mother couldn’t hear took tedious planning and effort. As I slipped my shoes on and hid a tennis ball in my pocket, I bolted to the door. Holding my breath, I twisted the handle slightly every second and would stop if it started making noise. When the latch had completely detached from the door frame, I pulled the handle closer to me still holding my breath for longer than thirty seconds. Just as I was about to leave, I heard my mother calling my name frantically. I was sure that she had noticed that I had left the table without finishing the food. She came to the door and said something I didn’t expect her to say.

Mother pushed me out the door and we both ran down the stairs as fast as we could trying to not get trampled by the others that lived in the building. As we were approaching the ground, everyone started to run in various directions and mother and I did as well try to get away from the area.

Just then, as we were a less than a block away from the building, we heard the grenade explode in the background as well as sense the immense impact that it left. Hundreds of people lost their lives and their precious belongings. Mother and I were now broke and homeless but had a close relative that lived on the other side of the city. We stayed with him for many months until we could afford a place of our own. One day, while living on the other side, I traveled by myself back to our old house to see what was left. I took a rickshaw using some change I had found in my pockets a while back. As the vehicle was pulling up to the road, I noticed concrete and garbage scattered on the ground. The street was almost empty except very few people including a police standing on the side of the road monitoring the surroundings. As I was reminiscing the times I had in the place I grew up, I noticed a ball partly deflated but still intact in the pile of trash. The day of the bomb, I missed out playing the games on the ground with my friends. I picked up the ball and started kicking it around although it was intimidating for me to play in front of the officer. I expected to be yelled at for being on the road but instead, I saw a sincere smile on his face.

We stayed with him for many months until we could afford a place of our own. One day, while living on the other side, I traveled by myself back to our old house to see what was left. I took a rickshaw using some change I had found in my pockets a while back. As the vehicle was pulling up to the road, I noticed concrete and garbage scattered on the ground. The street was almost empty except very few people including a police standing on the side of the road monitoring the surroundings. As I was reminiscing the times I had in the place I grew up, I noticed a ball partly deflated but still intact in the pile of trash. The day of the bomb, I missed out playing the games on the ground with my friends. I picked up the ball and started kicking it around although it was intimidating for me to play in front of the officer. I expected to be yelled at for being on the road but instead, I saw a sincere smile on his face.

As I was reminiscing the times I had in the place I grew up, I noticed a ball partly deflated but still intact in the pile of trash. The day of the bomb, I missed out playing the games on the ground with my friends. I picked up the ball and started kicking it around although it was intimidating for me to play in front of the officer holding the rifle. I expected to be yelled at for being on the road but instead, I saw a sincere smile on his face.

Category: Anusha | 1 Comment on Visual Response
October 6

Losing Everything

      Had we not let the american’s buy enough oil? Had we not try’d to fulfill all of their demands? What did our nation do to deserve this; most importantly what did my wife and son do to deserve this. No one deserves having to go to sleep with the thought they might not wake up. Even worse you may be part of the unfortunate few who get bombed and spend their final hours in extreme pain and agony.

    At least I know my wife and unborn son had died a quick death via a landmine.

   I joined the army to save my country from the people that were trying to take it away from me, I heard about others families getting killed every single day and I always thought what I would do if I was in their position. Now it’s another reason for me to fight and protect the soldiers who haven’t lost their families, those that still have hope.

   This is one of the worst parts of my job: thinking. It’s my duty to stand on the outskirts of my bombed city to see if the american’s are coming by foot; in reality I stand here for hours with my AK-47 in my left hand thinking what life could have been.

   Today I’m thinking of my son more than ever;would he have grown up to play like the boy in front of me? How can a scene like this be so beautiful yet so ugly at the same time? The vibrant yellow sands, palm trees and grey concrete contrast each other well, but the red stains and bombed complexes tell you once it looked much better.

    Maybe I should go play with the two boys instead up standing here thinking of what I’ve lost… Pop! Pop! Pop! So that’s what a sniper rifle with a silencer sounds like. I jump for cover and try to find the fatal wound… however there was no wound? Had he missed..no they never miss. As I look over the barrier only seconds after I thought I had been shot at I see the boys are on the ground, smart kids laid down. Then I see the distinctive red stains growing on his shirt that’s when I run to them. Pop! Pop!

Category: Surpreet | 4 Comments on Losing Everything
October 2

I need a moment…

After examining the given photograph, it is evident that the police officer is committed to his duties by patrolling the neighborhood, and happened to come across kids playing a game of soccer. Poor countries don’t have a properly developed government meaning that the individuals living in those countries have to be constantly aware of the dangers around them, such as thievery, murder, etc. This shows us that individuals living in harsh conditions due to the given state if their country will not have similar experiences as others and have to be precarious about the things happening in their surroundings.

Some individuals are not fully aware of the dangers that a simple object may pose a threat towards others. It is can be interpreted that the police officer holding a gun arrives in the midst of kids playing soccer which shows that it can impose a different meaning to the parents of the children than what was intended by the officer. Police officers are known to carry a weapon(most likely in the form of a gun) along with them on their job because of the role assigned to them. However, the rules following the usage of the guns are much different in smaller countries than in major countries such as Canada and the United States. The rules of the US and Canada states that guns are open to fire upon the command of an individual of the highest rank, but in smaller countries, they are open to fire upon the individual’s circumstances, in order to accomplish their job.  The officer may impose that they should not have to worry because they are there for the protection of the citizens. However, the parents might not trust the officer around their children because of the how dangerous the conditions of the country are and the feeling of the many possibilities of dangers. Living in smaller countries with a poor government can tell others that the individuals have experiences things unlike them, such as civil war, abuse of power/authority, etc.

In conclusion, the conditions of a country can determine the roles of the individuals and their experiences. The gun is a symbol of violence, however, can also be a symbol of protection from the reasoning behind the usage. To the individuals of the smaller countries, the condition may seem normal to them because of the things experienced throughout the years. In my opinion, this photograph does a good job of demonstrating how much suburban countries differ than major countries. In my own life, I’ve lived in Nepal for over 10 years of my childhood; ever since the early years, I was always told not to let go of my parent’s hands while outside so that I wouldn’t get lost in the crowds of people outside. I was told that there were high chances of getting lost or kidnapped so it was a must for me to always be beside my guardians. Crime in rural areas of the cities is very often heard of while living in third world countries which high raises the people’s attention towards the safety of themselves, their loved ones and their belongings. When playing with friends, I was told never to go too far away from the house and to make sure not to talk to strangers, especially the ones that like giving away free candy.

Category: Protsahan, Sept 2017 | 3 Comments on I need a moment…
September 30

Polished Visual Response: Fight for the Future

I had turned away from one second and before I knew it, my friend, Carl, was locked in position in front of a man holding a gun. I was stunned, unable to move a single muscle. The man was silent, no facial movement of any kind. The only movement present was the ball, bouncing from the wall, rolling the opposite way. There was no telling what anybody would do next. The man slowly turned his head, locking eyes to me. This could have been the end of both of us, having that feeling that we could not do anything to stop it. Slowly, the man raised up his firearm, and pointed it towards Carl.

There was a civil war going on, one disagreement, and turned the entire country into a wasteland. Many citizens fled the country to neighboring area where they can feel safe form the destruction going on; however, my family wanted to stay and fight to protect the country from the government. My family always said to never back down from a situation if you are able to do something to prevent it. Trying to avoid the situation shows that you are weak and a coward and should be felt with disgrace. At the time, I was too young to be holding a gun, to be fighting but, that did not stop my father from trying to teach me the ways of fighting. The war had lasted around a year and aid from other countries had been feeding the other side, the government, of supplies. My father was injured during the battle a couple of months ago and has not recovered since. It really was a miracle that he survived but, at the cost of his movement. I can remember when he had expressed that every time I went outside, it could be the last time I see him or the last time he would see me.

Blood was everywhere, and all I could do was watch, as Carl was laying down with blood gushing away from his chest. I watched as the life drained away from him, and I had no idea if I would be next, but I was stunned, I could not move nor did a sound come from me. All I could think about was me disappointing my father that I could have prevented this, or at least attempt to. Now, my best friend, was most likely dead. This was the moment I could at least do something, to save myself.

I noticed the ball a few feet away from me and, at that moment, I had an opportunity. The man looked like he was getting ready to fire at me but, before he could do it, I sprinted towards the ball, and – using all my energy – I kicked the ball, straight at the man, hoping to stun him or to give me a chance to escape.

The ball had struck him in the chest dead on, and he had dropped his gun. At that moment, I felt like I had a chance to live up to my father’s words. I kept sprinting, I looked at the gun that was on the ground, and I had a chance. I picked up the gun without hesitation and pulled the trigger towards the man.

I felt a sense of satisfaction in me; I had honored my father’s words, and stood up to no longer be in fear of the worst to come. However, I still failed, Carl, was dead behind me, and I knew, if I had not been frozen in place, I could have stopped it from happening. I can’t let this moment mourn over my life, I need to use this experience to further my life, to protect those I care about.

Category: Chris, Sept 2017 | 3 Comments on Polished Visual Response: Fight for the Future
October 21

A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through Response Picture

As humans, there is a sense of responsibility to honour and respect the people who have poured into your life, or helped instil your values. The text provided is a photograph of Reverend Maclean, Norman and Paul, all standing in a field by a river watching the sunset. In the image, the father is looking up towards the sky, while his sons are standing behind him looking towards their father. This image combines the beauty and grace involved in nature with the unity of the Maclean value of family and of the Presbyterian faith.

 

In the photograph, Reverend Maclean is at the forefront, with his arms crossed behind his back, looking up towards the sky. He is wearing a black suit with a top hat, considerably well dressed for the setting that they are in. While looking at the physical stance of the father, it creates the impression that he is looking up towards God. The father’s body language with his head up high and his arms crossed behind his back signify authority and respect. For him, standing by the riverbank carries with it a sense of peace and praise towards the Creator. Although the father is seen as a very strict and almost mean character, he is being presented at a time where he is the most vulnerable, when connecting with God and with nature. All the things that the father is doing suggest that he is taking the time to honour God, person that he has based all of his values from, the person he looks up to. It is through nature that Reverend Maclean feel closest to God, and can momentarily return to a sense of peace, his own Eden. In addition to the father’s body language, there is a small space separating him from his sons. The small space of separation between the father and his two sons conveys the impression that the time he is taking now is very serious to him, so serious that he cannot be distracted by anyone. Every other element that could cause the father’s attention to be drawn away is eliminated by the fact that he is in an atmosphere of peace and serenity. Reverend Maclean’s strong faith encourages him to take the time to stop showing respect and admiration to the one that he believes deserves it. In doing this he is being an example to his two sons who follow very closely behind him.

 

Both Norman and Paul are standing closely behind their father in the photograph. Unlike their Reverend Maclean, they are wearing more casual looking clothing and are about a step back from him. Norman’s clothes are more brightly coloured as well as in the light, while Paul is wearing darker shades and is in the shadow. Both the boys’ focus seems to be directed towards the ground by their father’s feet. The particular manner in which the men are standing parallels the hierarchy that is shown throughout the movie, God, Reverend Maclean, and Norman and Paul both at the bottom. This order show the path in which the Maclean men acquire insight, and it also shows who each one of them try to honour. In the same way that Reverend Maclean honours and respects God, Paul and Norman honour and respect their father. This theme is carried through the photograph and also through the film with the countless attempts, from mainly Norman, to live up to his father’s expectations; usually followed up by Norman complying to his father’s wishes in an act of respect. Also in the photograph, Norman is more brightly lit when compared to Paul. It is almost as if he is glowing in appearance. The contrast between Norman’s clothing and Paul’s connects to the film in the fact that Norman was shown as the favoured son in his father’s eyes, while Paul was never held to the same standard. Through Christian imagery Paul is represented as the “prodigal son” who runs off with his inheritance, spends all his money, and comes back to his father when in need of help. While Norman is displayed as the “lesser known son” who always follows his father’s wishes and never goes astray. Although both sons come back to the father in the end, the “lesser known son” ends up with a greater inheritance finance wise and knowledge wise because he stayed with his father and learned about values and morals. Paul and Norman still equally show respect for their father because of the knowledge and enlightenment he has poured into their lives.

 

Reverend Maclean, Norman and Paul all have someone they look up to and base their values and morals from; because of this, they all have an appreciation towards their particular role model. The photograph above from the film A River Runs Through It helps validate the belief that in society people will take the time to honour and show reverence to the people who most influenced their lives.  

 

Category: Martha | LEAVE A COMMENT
October 2

Cherish every moment.

I’ve lost everything. Everything I value in my life. Have you ever experienced such a devastating moment in your life, where you just feel completely empty? Well I have been in that path for a while now. My name is Aliyah Johnson; I lived small farm near the Mississippi river. I lived in a loving, enthusiastic and playful family of six. My father worked in his own woodshop across the street and my mother stayed at home, providing us with anything we needed. My mother was one of the most helpful women in Mississippi. One thing that she always use to say to me was to be a strong brave independent woman. Because of her strong comforting advice I wouldn’t be here today.

I was quite knowledgeable for a young girl; I always had the highest marks in all my classes. Everyone use to say that I was too smart for my age. Within a spit of a second time flied by and I’ve graduated high school and got my degree. During this time, education was the most important thing to have in my family. Because of my parents not being to educated, they wanted us kids not to repeat the mistakes they have made in the past. Journalism was my passion. I enjoyed writing stories about individuals that may be struggling in life and give advice to them or even if an individual that is truly blessed with what they have.

Every Sunday mother and father would take my siblings and I to the church that was a walking distance away from where we lived. My family was extremely religious, which I truly honored. My family was all I ever needed; they helped me through ups and downs, lead me to successful in my career life, and supported me through every decision I made in my life. They largely influenced me, and I am thankful for that.

We had our moments where we laughed and loved each other so much and the other moments where we cant take one another. Years passed by rapidly, and our family started to drift apart. My father was diagnosed with blood cancer, which spread through his old anemic body instantaneously. All three of my older sisters got married and moved into the city to start their new lives with their new families. However, my mother was getting old and weak so I just had to let her go. Who could even picture a family so loving and always together like ours, to end up like this?

It is hard. Hard to even think that, my family is gone forever. Everything I valued the most, vanished. I ended up selling the house and moving into a much smaller apartment, where there was only me living in. My mother was right, I did become a strong brave independent women. Even though it hurts to think about my family not being here with me, I still visit the old cabin and sit on the couch my father use to sit in and look out the window. I pictured the moments we cherished when we were still together. All the laugher, the childish pranks we played on each other and everything else that made us closer and closer each day, could have been happening till this day.

After all, this is life, we are suppose to have moments where we hit rock bottom and we have to work your way back up. Even though you’ve lost everything like myself. I try to move on and continue with my life but my family and the times we had together will forever be in my heart.

Category: Sandeep, Uncategorized | 2 Comments on Cherish every moment.
September 29

Perseverance

This picture of two people sitting on the bench while water flows through the city brings the idea of perseverance to my mind. These two have shown that life throws many obstacles in your way but it is up to you to let it get the best of you, or if you will overcome. This picture was taken during the floods that devastated southern Alberta. Although these people have been affected they have decided that they won’t let this disaster get the best of them and that they will make the most out of this horrific situation. By sitting on the bench they are metaphorically taking a stand. In life things aren’t just handed to you, you need to strive for your goals and overcome the inevitable obstacles that will come in your way.

Category: Taylan, Uncategorized | LEAVE A COMMENT
January 19

Visual Analysis

Many times in society, people take many things in granted for and do not realize how important it is until it is gone. The essentials to survive such as food, water ,clothing and shelter are taken  advantage by others and some are hoping and praying that they get some of the necessities by going to many extremes so that they can provide for themselves and for their families. In the picture by John Stanmeyer and Lynn Johnson it represents how some countries in the world are blessed with the basic necessities they need to strive and some places on the world are constantly in poverty and do not have the resources to help stabilize themselves.

In the first picture by John Stanmeyer, people are taking advantage of the luxury of the clean water they have by playing around in it  at a recreational water park. This visual is representing how much people abuse the necessities they have and do not think of how other people around the world are suffering because they do not have the luxuries they have. The people in this photograph are enjoying themselves very much and sitting down in the middle of the park in the water and some are just lying around soaking up the sun with the cool waters gently floating around them and the kids are going on the water slide. They do not think of how grateful and blessed they are to have such  a sufficient amount of water that they can build water parks such as this one  and not have to worry about doing hard manual labor and sending their kids to walk miles before they can get some water.

In the second picture by Lynn Johnson, there is an Ethiopian woman trying to get some water out of the ground by using a water vessels to dig up the ground and scoop up every single drop of water. The water is much more soiled and dark  therefore is lacking the amount of nutrients it should have. This visual is much different than the first because Ethiopia is a very poverty struck region and the people who reside in the villages and towns do not have the luxury’s some of the more developed and the more blessed countries. This woman has to work very intensively everyday to get water and spends countless hours trying to get enough water so that she can bring it back to her family.  This Ethiopian descendant woman has to earn her basic necessities and  she is still grateful that she is getting water even though it is dirty and malnourished. The woman in this picture seems to be very emaciated because her arms are looking very bony and skeletal.

In both of the visuals presented, the way of life is very different and that people around the world are taking advantage of the necessities and luxuries they have and others are less fortunate. These things are happening all over the world in but society as a whole, we choose to not acknowledge the circumstances and keep on wasting the valuables we are given. Many countries around the world such as Africa and millions of people suffering, we should do this and help out. This arises the question of Do our wants overrule our needs and our daily essentials?

Category: Arsh | LEAVE A COMMENT