|
Friday, March 12, 2010
Conclusion
Conclusion
Thank you for reading my portfolio. You have survived a peek into a very strange mind. When I began this class I had envisioned writing some inane papers and reading about thing I had no interest in. I was very pleasantly surprised. Everything we did intrigued me, either because I am a little more mature and have broader interests, or the readings offered by this class were just down-right interesting. Whichever the cause, this class was challenging and very enjoyable. I learned quite a bit about myself.
My first lesson was about my ignorance about the internet and blogging. While the chances my blogging activity will maintain are slim at best, it was fun for now. The divisions of the class; Identity, Community and Traditions held many lessons. My view of myself is somewhat different. My beliefs may not have changed much as I was already pretty open minded and able to change my perspective however, the new view of the world was refreshing.
This class was fun. I’m glad I took it. Now it’s time to head toward the new horizon.
Looking Back At Me
My name is Vince. Welcome you to my reflection. The best way to describe myself would be as a husband, father, paramedic/firefighter, wildlife painter, gardener, traveler and now an over-the-hill student. With some exceptions, for the past thirty-two years I have been meeting people on the worst day of their lives so it takes a lot of my energy to try to keep things in perspective. I have been witness to many people reaching a crossroad in their lives. Now, I am approaching a crossroad in my own life. The clock says it is time for me to retire; however, just doing nothing is not an option to me. Unfortunately, all of my education has been very focused on my profession. If a new profession is in my future, going back to school will be necessary.
Without a plan of what to do with myself, which classes to take was a challenge. It seemed logical to start with the core classes. This way, the decision of direction could be procrastinated. After surviving a math class in my first quarter, it was time to take an English class. The fact the English 101 class at Everett Community College had a diversity theme was a plus as learning about other cultures is a personal interest of mine. However, school was a very long time in my past. Basic grammatical mechanics were going to have to be relearned. Even though the terms MLA, ‘voice’ or ‘transitions’ were mysteries to me, terms and writing mechanics were not the only challenges to be conquered.
The themes in this class challenged me to reevaluate the way I look at many things. In the Identity component, the simple act of examining the contents of my wallet made me think of how someone else would look at me. I have to admit, my wallet has undergone a few revisions since then. The Community component allowed me to look at a culture I knew little of. After watching the movie “Bend It Like Beckham” I started reading more about Indian culture and history. I knew little of the subcontinent and now I want to learn more. The traditions section was my favorite. The exercise brought back treasured memories of my late father and grandfather. The paper I submitted touched me personally and made the decision for my “writer’s choice” submission easy.
The traditions essay will be my “writer’s choice” piece. It was a joy to write and it brought back memories of going to movies with my grandfather I had long forgotten. I selected my essay about Gloria Anzaldúa’s Essay: How to Tame a Wild Tongue as my “revision” subject. The first document was clumsy and unfocussed. It was difficult to follow as it jumped around and the transitions were very weak or non-existent. It needed a lot of work. Rewriting it feels like a deserved penance. A fleshed-out version of my entry in our discussion board regarding Samuel L. Jackson's essay in Remix will be my “critical thinking” piece. It represents one of my rare times when my communication skills seemed to be on target. Lastly, my blog about communities, "Firefighters are a Community" will be my “voice and audience” piece. This was a difficult choice. Often my voice overrides my audience.
This class and the discussion boards have reinforced in me the value of communication skills. Reading entries from my fellow students opened my eyes to some opinions that while I may not completely agree with, are still very important to learn about. I have also learned, at the risk of sounding like an old curmudgeon, that educational style has changed in some ways that are uncomfortable to me. Some sections used comedy routines or satire websites as citations and seemed to treat them as facts. To me, this feels like education gives too much weight to entertainment influence, possibly to be more ‘hip’ or current. Edward R. Murrow’s fears may be coming true. That being said, it is imperative to keep an open mind, which I will endeavor to do.
Critical Analysis Introduction
This exchange reminded me of when my daughter would tell me of a brand new song by one of her favorite groups or singer. Many times the song is a re-release of an older song. This is a similar situation that was happening with the article written by Mr. Samuel L. Jackson, “In Character.” He seemed to be implying all the changes in attitude were just beginning to happen in our society towards African Americans. After living through the 1960s and the Cultural Revolution then, and having seen the exquisite acting skill of Sidney Poitier, it didn’t seem right to not say anything.
Critical Analysis
Response to “Pop culture changes with each new fad and phase and frames the way we see the world” by Rebecca Ostrem. (Traditions DB 2)
It is ironic Mr. Samuel L. Jackson, in his essay “In Character,” (Remix 455-457) neglected to mention the work of people like Harry Belafonte (Island in the Sun), Sidney Poitier and even Bill Cosby (I Spy) from the 1960s. Sidney Poitier won the Oscar for best actor in 1964. The characters Homer Smith (Lilies of the Field), Mark Thackeray (To Sir, With Love) or Virgil Tibbs (In the Heat of the Night) cannot accurately be called subservient roles. It appears, sometimes history is forgotten to make a point.
You make a very good point in your comment;
TV and cable networks present the news with a bias. FOX news is a well-known poster child for presenting the news with a right wing conservative slant (I'm not taking a stand here, just presenting the facts). It's becoming more of a challenge to sort out what are embellishment, opinion and bias from the facts. Sound bites can be edited to twist the words of the speaker. All of this manipulates our process of forming opinions (Ostrem)
When news stopped being the report of what happened and became entertainment we started downhill. But then there is the question of blame. It is difficult to determine who is really at fault, the news shows or the people that watch them and give them ratings so sponsors flock to them. In 1964 Edward R Murrow said "If we were to do the Second Coming of Christ in color for a full hour, there would be a considerable number of stations which would decline to carry it on the grounds that a Western or a quiz show would be more profitable." It was true then and it's true now.
Ostrem, Rebecca “Pop culture changes with each new fad and phase and frames the way we see the world.” Traditions Discussion Board 2 – Checking Assumptions About Popular Culture. 2 Feb 2010. Web.
Jackson, Samuel L. “In Character.” Latterell. 459-467. Remix: Second Edition. Comp. Catherine G. Latterell. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin. 2010. Print.
Revision Introduction
This was a tough one. Pretty much everything I wrote for this class could use some revision. It became the task of picking the worst of the worst. This particular essay; “How to Tame a Wild Heart” really hit a nerve for me. Almost every other sentence in my essay started with “I.” This became more of a diatribe than an essay. While the focus of the paper was how the author brought out an emotional response, whether from agreeing or disagreeing, my essay sounded like a lecture to a child. My belief that my points were valid not withstanding, I offer a different spin on the subject.
Revision: "How to Tame a Wild Heart"
How to Tame a Wild Heart Revision
Gloria Anzaldúa’s Essay: How to Tame a Wild Tongue drew an interesting analogy comparing the physical organ of her tongue to her language. The first part of her paper speaks of her experience with a dentist and her overly active tongue. However, then Ms. Anzaldúa changes her focus to speaking Spanish. The dichotomy was humorously portrayed. She expressed her firm desire to maintain the use of her inherited language, even though it brought out hostility toward her at times.
In her essay, Ms. Anzaldúa told of the treatment she received at the hands of her teacher. Once, when he heard her complaining about learning English and wanting to be able to use the Chicano language, he told her “If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong.” (78) This was a cruel, vindictive and very offensive comment to be made by anyone, but especially by a teacher. This intolerant behavior has no place in a learning institution. The second part of his quote tells me the teacher’s bigotry goes beyond Ms. Anzaldúa’s language. Ms. Anzaldúa defended the use of her language and went on to explain more about it.
The history of the Chicano language as described by her was fascinating. The many variations and dialects are similar to how English is spoken around the world. My family had quite a bit of difficulty understanding the English being spoken in the Philippines and they had a very difficult time understanding us. Ms. Anzaldúa also described how her language, like many Latin-based languages had a gender in its speech and how this carried over into the culture. Her assertion of male dominated culture marginalizing women in their language was illustrated with her quote; “language is a male discourse.” (79) This may be accurate for many cultures, though not all. Her experiences differ quite a bit from mine.
My own experiences with Hispanic friends and relatives have had very strong female influences. My aunt married into a Latino family that had a dominate matriarch. Her husband’s mother also came from a Hispanic background like Ms. Anzaldúa however; she did not acquiesce to any man. She also spoke two languages. Most of my family is bilingual with one language or another. Ms. Anzaldúa’s comments on the attitude toward her language do bring up some questions.
It would be safe to say no Greek today speaks the same language of Euripides or Plato. No German uses the same way of speaking as the Visigoths. Modern Germans or Greeks are not any less of a people than their ancient ancestors because they use a different language. For that matter; we do not speak English the same way our founding fathers did. Language is fluid and always changing. Ms. Anzaldúa’s desire to hold onto cultural pride is understandable. However, holding on to something like a language foreign to where you are living could be inferred as a way of keeping a people separated. It is not logical to expect society to change to suit Ms. Anzaldúa. There are more than 6800 different languages in the world. (Ethnologe; Languages of the World 1) It is not the responsibility of everyone in the world to speak every language. One could ask if Ms. Anzaldúa can speak Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian or Navaho.
People have the choice to bend to get along in an environment or stand defiant. Whether that person decides to fight for language, religion, politics or anything else, it is they who choose to make it a fight. When we stand and fight the current, the river is not at fault. In my own travels abroad it never occurred to me to expect the indigenous people to be able to speak English. It is my responsibility to learn to communicate in the environment fate or my own choices have placed me. Language is a tool. The function of a language is to communicate a person’s thoughts, needs or wants. If the language a person is using isn’t able to do this, it should be modified or abandoned.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
