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Thursday, June 4, 2009
Table Of Contents
Reflection Letter
Hello, My name is Allison Noor and I live in Everett. I live with my boyfriend and my 3 month old daughter. I’m attending Everett Community College to get my associates degree in early childhood education. Then I plan to go to Western Washington to get my teaching degree. This is my third quarter at EVCC and my toughest. It’s the toughest because I’m a first time mother trying to raise a newborn while being a full time student. Spring quarter has seemed to fly by and I can’t wait for summer break. During high school I was never great in any English classes. That was one big thing I was nervous for in college. I can think of what I want to write but when I go to write it, it doesn’t come out the same. Fortunately, this class was different then other English classes I have been apart of. The options to ask peers to edit your papers and for feedback before you turn your papers in was a big advantage.
The themes of the quarter include: identity, community and tradition. There have been many assignments that have challenged my thinking of a diverse society. In one of my discussion board after reading and analyzing the story, “Blaxicans” and Other Reinvented Americans” by Richard Rodriguez I changed my way of thinking. I stated “It relates to his argument about assimilation because as much as you try not to become something it becomes apart of you.” I never thought that people’s identity is formed from their community and what they are introduced too. During the blog assignment about tradition, I noticed how everyone has different traditions that others might find weird but to them it is normal. And that it is okay to change traditions.
Now to get you prepared for what you are going to be seeing in my portfolio. For my critical thinking piece I chose my timed write on outsiders. My second piece is my revision piece in which I chose my blog assignment on community. My third piece showing audience and voice was my “I am what I Eat”. And my last piece is my favorite piece which is my intermission two timed write. This class had been a struggle and I have had some tough times finishing the assignments at the last minute but I have really enjoyed this class and I have learned a lot.
The themes of the quarter include: identity, community and tradition. There have been many assignments that have challenged my thinking of a diverse society. In one of my discussion board after reading and analyzing the story, “Blaxicans” and Other Reinvented Americans” by Richard Rodriguez I changed my way of thinking. I stated “It relates to his argument about assimilation because as much as you try not to become something it becomes apart of you.” I never thought that people’s identity is formed from their community and what they are introduced too. During the blog assignment about tradition, I noticed how everyone has different traditions that others might find weird but to them it is normal. And that it is okay to change traditions.
Now to get you prepared for what you are going to be seeing in my portfolio. For my critical thinking piece I chose my timed write on outsiders. My second piece is my revision piece in which I chose my blog assignment on community. My third piece showing audience and voice was my “I am what I Eat”. And my last piece is my favorite piece which is my intermission two timed write. This class had been a struggle and I have had some tough times finishing the assignments at the last minute but I have really enjoyed this class and I have learned a lot.
Beginning: Critical Thinking Skills
For my critical thinking piece I chose my timed write on outsiders. When analyzing something it means that I’m examining something then drawing a conclusion from it. I watched the movie Remember The Titans and looking beyond a movie about a football team, it’s a movie about outsiders. I clearly analyzed what I saw in the movie that I thought represented being an outsider. I wrote “You are an outsider if you were treated unequal then the rest. In the movie the referees were calling the game unfair, They were not calling things they should have. The only reason was because the coach and the team members were black, the refs were white.” Before this class I have never been an analytical writer. Rather then analyzing something in writing I would simply summarize or paraphrase. Now in college there’s a whole new level of writing and it has already improved me as a writer. It’s far beyond just writing what you believe in. You have to add quotes, analyze, different formats, etc.
End: Timed write on outsiders
Being an outsider is not fun for anyone. Have you ever moved and were the new person in school? This is how it is to be an outsider, but just think about being a different color then everyone else. Do you think people would be very open to change? The community in the movie were not very open for this new change. The film and my culture defines how it is to be an outsider by being unequal and shut out from the team, school and community.
You are an outsider if you were treated unequal then the rest. In the movie the referees were calling the game unfair, They were not calling things they should have. The only reason was because the coach and the team members were black, the refs were white. The community in the film treated the blacks differently just because of their skin color. If you are an outsider you are not up to the standards of everyone else and people think down apon you. Who gets to make the decision on who's the outsider and who's the insider? Being an outsider means you are shut out from doing things others get to do. For example, the blacks (outsiders) are persuaded by Robby to go into the restaurant during the movie. The restaurant owner said "the restaurant was full" but the restaurant was empty and he said "he can refuse service to anyone." The outsiders are treated differently they can't go into the restaurant. All the white students (insiders) protested against the blacks (outsiders) going to their school. In my own culture you are an outsider if you are not rich, this means you will be shut out from the rest. If you are homeless people shut you out like you don't even exist. You are not as good as them or not the same so they don't know how else to treat you.
Overall, whether it be real life or in a film outsiders are shut out and not treated equally to the rest of the community. I believe we should all be treated equally doesn’t matter your race, social class, sex, age, etc. Looking at this quote from the movie “Trust a sole of a man instead of the look of him” Coach Yoast. The world would be a better place and there would be no insiders or outsiders.
You are an outsider if you were treated unequal then the rest. In the movie the referees were calling the game unfair, They were not calling things they should have. The only reason was because the coach and the team members were black, the refs were white. The community in the film treated the blacks differently just because of their skin color. If you are an outsider you are not up to the standards of everyone else and people think down apon you. Who gets to make the decision on who's the outsider and who's the insider? Being an outsider means you are shut out from doing things others get to do. For example, the blacks (outsiders) are persuaded by Robby to go into the restaurant during the movie. The restaurant owner said "the restaurant was full" but the restaurant was empty and he said "he can refuse service to anyone." The outsiders are treated differently they can't go into the restaurant. All the white students (insiders) protested against the blacks (outsiders) going to their school. In my own culture you are an outsider if you are not rich, this means you will be shut out from the rest. If you are homeless people shut you out like you don't even exist. You are not as good as them or not the same so they don't know how else to treat you.
Overall, whether it be real life or in a film outsiders are shut out and not treated equally to the rest of the community. I believe we should all be treated equally doesn’t matter your race, social class, sex, age, etc. Looking at this quote from the movie “Trust a sole of a man instead of the look of him” Coach Yoast. The world would be a better place and there would be no insiders or outsiders.
Beginning: Revision
The original assignment was to write a blog about a community that you are apart of. In my original draft I wrote about how the grocery store is a community and that I’m apart of it. My intro to my blog was boring and the sentences seemed like they were short and choppy. My original blog stated “What holds this group together is that the food supply is still coming to the store, so it keeps people returning to the store. The people in this group need the same thing, which is food.” I revised it so the senteces run smoothly together and the beginning grabs your attention.
End: Community Blog (Original)
What makes this a community is that there are several people going to the same place to get stuff they need. What holds this group together is that the food supply is still coming to the store, so it keeps people returning to the store. The people in this group need the same thing, which is food. They also value the food because we are lucky enough to have as much as we need. Usually the tensions of it being really busy and the long lines that you have to wait to check out in work against the cohesion of this community. Even sometimes there will be a good sale and people will fight over the last item on sale, then it’s hectic. Also there are some cart collisions while turning corners. But overall this community runs smoothly. I fit into this group because I’m just another person that goes to the store to get the grocery’s I need. We all need the same thing, that’s to get food for our family’s. I want to be a part of this community because without this community I would starve. So I would say it’s a good community to be a part of.
End: Community Blog (Revised)
Your local grocery store is more then just a grocery store. Your probably thinking it is just a grocery store. But a grocery store is a community where people are connected because they are all going there for the same reason. This community is held together by the food, everyone needs the food so it keeps them coming back. They also value the food because we are lucky enough to have as much as we need. There are sales, cart collisions, crowded aisles and long check out lines work against the cohesion of this community. But overall this community runs smoothly. I fit into this group because I’m just another person that goes to the store to get the grocery’s I need. We all need the same thing, that’s to get food for our family’s. I want to be a part of this community because without this community I would starve. So I would say it’s a good community to be a part of.
Beginning: Audience and Voice
I chose my “You are what you eat” blog assignment for the piece that shows my awareness of audience and voice. I felt like I did good in my blog talking to the whole world in my blog. For example in my blog I wrote “Now a days, as many of you may know, my family is way to busy to get together and have meals together. Between work, school, grocery shopping, homework and doing last minute errands, there’s no time to squeeze a nice family meal in there.” I am talking to everyone, so when I decided this I decided to make my writing easy to read and something everyone can relate to. I collaborated with the readers of my blog because they may have similar family dinners and events as myself. Doing these types of “public” writings has challenged me to be myself, write how I feel and have fun while I’m writing making my writing more interesting.
End: Tradition Blog
Now a days, as many of you may know, my family is way to busy to get together and have meals together. Between work, school, grocery shopping, homework and doing last minute errands, there’s no time to squeeze a nice family meal in there. Breakfast and lunch we usually never spend with our family, except maybe the weekends. We pick up fast food on our way home for dinner and go to bed before it gets to late, then start our busy day all over again. A lot of “mainstream America” eats fast food because their schedules are so packed full of activities. We don’t eat fast food every night, we have home cooked meals but we don’t eat them together will go watch television or do homework, we don’t spend mealtime together. Basically it leaves holidays for food to be the “central activity” for my family. Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter are the biggest food holidays. My brother, sisters, nieces and nephew will all come over to my parent’s house. The guys will gather around the television and watch sports. The women will sit in the kitchen, gossip and help mom finish up cooking. We can always count on mom making her pasta salad, green bean casserole and tuna salad. The food covers the table like a buffet and everyone stands in line and takes turns piling their plates full of food. Were not like the tradition family that you see on television, we don’t sit at the dinner table, say grace and share stories. Everyone sits where they want to and does want they want to. Some will watch television, others will talk at the table and there’s those that play the computer. It takes about five minutes for everyone to finish their food and usually their complaining because they ate to much then they should of. There’s enough leftovers to last a week, so we don’t dare ask what’s for dinner for the next couple days because we already know the answer.
Beginning: Writers Choice
The writers choice that I chose was a timed write. After watching the movie Off The Map, there were several “over the line” factors that were present and that’s what this essay is about. I like this essay out of all of my written pieces because of the strong feelings and own opinions I used within in the essay to make the essay more meaningful. A sentence from my writing says “First of all, in my community we would never let a stranger that we didn't know live with us. He could be a murder for all we know. Second, children will get confused if you let a stranger live with them that they don't know and we teach our children not to talk to strangers.” This clearly shows the strong feelings I had for the subject of this timed-write. I have never been asked to do a timed- write before and I believe I did a great job on this assignment even with dealing with the pressure of the time.
End: Timed write
Everyone has their own opinions on how family's should live and how children should be raised. For instance in my own perception I feel that children should be raised in a stable environment with a mom and dad. I was raise knowing the difference between right and wrong. I wouldn't have tried any of the "over the line" things Bo did in the movie and my parents would never act the way that her parents did in the film. I would call this family a disfunctional family. In the movie and the group discussion non-conformity was challenged by these "over the line" factors: nudity, depression, strangers, and lying.
In the beginning of the movie Bo tells us about her fathers depression. I personally have never dealt with anyone dealing with depression. Maybe that's why I didn't understand how Charlie sat around all day and let this sickness in his head take up everyday of his life for the summer. In the discussion board a student told me about how he was depressed but he still had to take car of stuff and fight through his depression. You could tell Bo thought the same thing, she wanted him to suck it up and get over it. Bo is just a little girl, she applies for a credit card in the beginning of the movie and ends up getting it in the end of the movie. She buys her father a boat and charges it on the credit card, which she can't pay back. This is totally not acceptable, what parents in their right minds are letting their kids do this? Throughout the movie Bo writes letters to different business's lying to them about their products. She will say how she found an animal feces in it and they will send her boxes of free food, this is lying and wrong. In the discussion board there were a few people that also agreed with me that this was crossing the line for a little girl to be doing.
During the movie the IRS agent comes to look over their taxes. He walks up to the house and notices Arlene gardening naked like it's no big deal. The agent, William, ends up living with the family. First of all, in my community we would never let a stranger that we didn't know live with us. He could be a murder for all we know. Second, children will get confused if you let a stranger live with them that they don't know and we teach our children not to talk to strangers.Crossing the line doesn't end there, during the movie Charlie walks out naked right in front of his daughter. And as I mentioned earlier Arlene was naked in the garden and Bo was outside when she was naked. This is definitely crossing the line, kids in my culture don't see their parents private parts. I was taught to keep my privates covered up that their only for myself. As you can see there are different persepectives of what "over the line" is. Some families think stuff is "over the line" that other families wouldn't think was.
In the beginning of the movie Bo tells us about her fathers depression. I personally have never dealt with anyone dealing with depression. Maybe that's why I didn't understand how Charlie sat around all day and let this sickness in his head take up everyday of his life for the summer. In the discussion board a student told me about how he was depressed but he still had to take car of stuff and fight through his depression. You could tell Bo thought the same thing, she wanted him to suck it up and get over it. Bo is just a little girl, she applies for a credit card in the beginning of the movie and ends up getting it in the end of the movie. She buys her father a boat and charges it on the credit card, which she can't pay back. This is totally not acceptable, what parents in their right minds are letting their kids do this? Throughout the movie Bo writes letters to different business's lying to them about their products. She will say how she found an animal feces in it and they will send her boxes of free food, this is lying and wrong. In the discussion board there were a few people that also agreed with me that this was crossing the line for a little girl to be doing.
During the movie the IRS agent comes to look over their taxes. He walks up to the house and notices Arlene gardening naked like it's no big deal. The agent, William, ends up living with the family. First of all, in my community we would never let a stranger that we didn't know live with us. He could be a murder for all we know. Second, children will get confused if you let a stranger live with them that they don't know and we teach our children not to talk to strangers.Crossing the line doesn't end there, during the movie Charlie walks out naked right in front of his daughter. And as I mentioned earlier Arlene was naked in the garden and Bo was outside when she was naked. This is definitely crossing the line, kids in my culture don't see their parents private parts. I was taught to keep my privates covered up that their only for myself. As you can see there are different persepectives of what "over the line" is. Some families think stuff is "over the line" that other families wouldn't think was.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
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