Reflection on Quarter "Whatcha Lookin At?"

I’m a very private person and this portion, “blog” is a bit of a struggle for me. I am of the generation that was raised with corporal punishment, strict boundaries, and consequences. Although talking through technology has its place, I prefer face-to-face conversation. That may be considered bias and narrow, but even telephones seem impersonal to me, because you lose the expressions meant to be shared. Peppered through my assignments were hints or peeks into my family and life because we typically write based on who we are. At almost fifty years old, I have been exposed to different religions, geographic locations, the military, and enjoy my current career of 20 years. This personal academic undertaking will not give me any more money or a promotion. The goal of obtaining a degree is almost complete, but is really an exercise in showing my children that is never too late to learn new ideas and complete goals. My children… you may ask, are in their late teens and twenties.
English courses throughout my academic life have always come easy and enjoyable. This particular class truly continues to challenge me. Twists and turns throughout the course which focus on social standards such as identity, tradition, and community are not only interesting, but also very individual. Many of my life experiences have played a key role in my analysis of the different interpretations of all three categories which is probably the norm. The assignments made me think and analyze many everyday locations, people, and settings that typically your senses just note. I found myself looking and listening to people a little more, being a little more attentive, and at some level focusing more on the words being expressed during everyday conversations. I confess that my views probably have not changed, but certainly reviewed. These points being noted, I still believe that human contact will always be more important than any other forum. The different forms of media, movies, radio, and others topics that might fit this category, are just entertainment for the most part. I do not take them serious and would always choose a good conversation with a friend.

The identity portions of the course brought self bias to the forefront and at some level helped me recognize or at least acknowledge my core beliefs. This started with an essay written by Kathy Wilson entitled, “Dude Looks Like a Lady.” Wilson’s essay noted the bias shown towards culture assumptions where a busty woman was constantly mistaken for a male because she chose to wear her hair short. While reading other students posts, I quickly realized that the community as it relates to this course contained numerous communities. Young people and a few older with spirit beliefs based on their backgrounds and the material presented. Some were just fun to read and some I struggled even to connect with because of the differences in generations. I saw communities my children live in, and some that I could even relate with. It would appear there are no clear rules or boundaries with identities or cultures. This since of community was noted in Emily White’s essay, “High School’s Secret Life” where she noted the different type of students congregating in the lunch room in different areas, yet attending the same school.

Even if you were raised in a particular culture, youth continues to challenge and reshape new and old beliefs based on social and individual’s needs. As with history, some of these are productive or destructive. They both associate with each other throughout life, but there is no clear winner in the end. Maybe that is the way it should be, so that balance emerges, yet individualism thrives. Tradition was kind of interesting because it noted traditions with a slant. I have always loved and assumed that traditions provided security and comfort. Talking about wearing particular shirts, eating certain meals, and even when and where we ate certainly spun this premise around. I do not know if I really believe that much thought is needed to define tradition, but recognized some could define, divide, and even combine different people, cultures, and generations.

The Thanksgiving dinner assignment originally didn’t peak my interest. Different posts from students on this subject provoked emotions of resentment, endorsement, and at times even contentment because each student had their own spin on this particular idea. None were ever meant to be rude or provoke a strong challenge, but all certainly were individually based. In the end, it didn’t change my personal belief that families lose precious memories if they don’t celebrate in certain social settings and will regret it later in life. That being said, I do not advocate any type of dysfunction or arguments during these traditions because those are negative in nature and will always taint the setting. This tradition enlightenment was noted in the essay by Garrison Keillor, “A Wobegon Holiday Dinner” in which stereo typed conversations, preparation of food, and even gender roles were discussed.

We have been asked to cite why we chose our particular pieces during this assignment. The “Critical Thinking Piece” selected is the Intermission One timed writing assignment. The movie reviewed and analyzed was, “Return of the Titans.” This movie was very stereo typical in substance, but made me feel good at the conclusion. I have always represented the underdog in my life and this movie was no exception. Throughout the movie the characters moved from the “Insider” position to the “Outsider” position. Although the movie was simple at first blush, the social settings, characters, social backdrop, and even personal biases were the themes in this movie.

The “Paper Revision” selected is the Discussion Board for “The Museum and Me”, written by Ellen Ullman which illustrated the computer’s importance in the technology world to the point of isolation. This was probably the most noted essay I read. It is now and real world with quite a slant towards the individualism, media, and maybe even the future. As part of the “Community” section of the course, you will swiftly question whether the “Web” binds communities or segregates individuals. It saddens me and at the same time enlightens me to the fact we have all this information and communication at our fingertips. This is supposed to be a good thing…right?

The “Awareness of the Audience and Voice” selection is a blog entry based off the essay by Garrison Keillor, “A Wobegon Holiday Dinner”, which is noted above. Tons of assumptions and challenges sprinkled through this essay. Traditions of comfort verses old outdated mundane traditions. Additionally, are traditions even necessary? In my posting of “Traditions End and Begin”, the current, sometimes referred to as the traditional was noted, but left with a foundation for my children to construct their new traditions if they choose. There were many heartfelt, challenging, and pointed conversations during the discussion portions of this assignment. You will not that tradition was challenged or embraced in this essay. Not necessarily the most interesting topic, but certainly traditional wounds were felt.

“Writers Choice” was also an easy piece to choose. I didn’t do particular well on it but a message written in it is how views concerning the military, or more specifically, why people choose to enter a job that doesn’t pay much and is normally more physically and emotionally demanding then most, and one that may end their life way before the golden years. I have lived my life a military dependant, an active military member, and still have friends serving in Middle East today. You might get the sense that was my career. Actually, I was only active military for approximately six years of my life. I just believe these special young people who join the military are the ultimate public servants. They all love America, want to always do the right thing, and would generally choose honor over anything else presented to them. The essay aspires to compare both past and present reasons why people enter the military.

All my papers, as with many I have read were written based on our personal experiences in life and core values. The assigned readings weren’t always that interesting or provocative, but like everything else we deal with in life, I always try to approach everything with a positive attitude, so everyone succeeds. I am not a dreamer or live in a make believe world, but I do believe that everyone does control their destiny at some point in their life regardless of how they poorly their particular early life experiences were dealt.