Final Exam Part 2

            Everything in life must grow and change to stay healthy, whether it is a rock that smoothens by the wind or a plant growing from a bud. This same concept is a very important aspect of creating identity, the soul of a person. “In life everything changes / … / The green grass dies for Winter / and grows back in Summer” (Macknight). Change is shown in Ceremony many times, the characters have mentioned it relating to Native American ceremonies and in today’s societies. There is a cycle of change, without this transformation, one would stay the same forever; through growth and experiences, one can discover who they are. “If there is no struggle there is no progress / if there is no hardship there is no happiness / you can never be through changing / for when you are done changing / you are done living” (Macknight). In Ceremony, a healer told Tayo that all which don’t grow are dead things, in a lifetime, one never stops changing; if they don’t change, they are either dull, or have passed on. The circle of life does not allow one to stay the same, humans constantly adapt to whatever life throws at them, allowing humans to become better and stronger than before.

            Mass culture today and morphed into societies popular culture, meaning whatever is in style is mass produced. Inevitably, this type of culture affects how one views themselves and the world. In the photo, a family is watching TV, which has become a major instrument for mass media, allowing what was once very selected and elite to become democratized. Mass media can carry subtle messages to control the way their audience thinks. TV shows, movies, or reality TV depict the actors as glorious beings, and many people can be affected by this. Singers, actors, and other types of fame will start trends that flow to an everyday person. That male or female will then view how they want to look and act differently than before. How a society in general present themselves, dress, eat, play, etc (their outward identity) all depends on what is popular and/or mass promoted or produced. What the family in the photo seems to be watching the news, one of the easy access ways of getting outside information from their own city to a country across the sea. The news, sadly, can be very biased, tipping to how they want a certain matter to be viewed. Yet, whether or not they are biased, news from television still presents information vastly throughout cultures. How one views different problems and parts of the world will sometimes depend on how the matter is shown and opinions will form. Opinions, unique or not, are a part of a person’s personality and can be influenced by mass media.

            With today’s technology, one can come into contact with another across the globe. A better understanding of that person and their culture can be formed by this interaction and can also be used to broaden identity as it relates to others. From the photo, two people are interacting through technology (a phone and a laptop), both of which can connect to the internet. The internet has proven multiple times that it can bring people together, from using social media to spread news of a disaster, to forming a revolution to better society. This technology can be used to become more aware of one’s surroundings. The two individuals that are communicating with each other are also seemingly from different countries. If empathy, or and understanding can be formed between countries, then the label of identification through race and country will be broken. Instead humans can identify themselves as just being human, not just by being French or Brazilian, Christian or Muslim.

            Stereotypes are a major source of how someone views themselves. An example of a stereotype is how Native Americans are depicted, as shown in the documentary Reel Injun. Natives are stereotyped as unstoppable, stoic, and warrior-like, though this is not true in most cases. In Smoke Signals, while Thomas and Victor are on a bus, Victor criticizes how Thomas acts, saying he’s not a real Indian. Though this stereotype of an “Indian” is untrue, one may try to become that label because it is what everyone outside their culture views them as. Later in the scene, Victor explains what an Indian really is, someone who “doesn’t smile and looks like they just came back from a hunt”. Labeling how one should act can determine how they turn out to be, if one tells themselves that they should be tough and stoic, eventually that will happen. The stereotype created by others becomes their identity.

            Events in a lifetime can be life changing, and depending how one deals with it, the event can change them. PTS(D) is a serious mental statement that can change a person’s outlook on life, themselves, and others. “I was in a fight that was not a fair fight. / I did not ask for the fight. / I lost” (Survivor Psalm). Post-traumatic stress will leave an indentation in a person’s soul, it marks them forever. The event may later define them, whether it is bad or good. “I look back with sadness rather than hate. / I look forward with hope rather than despair. / I may never forget, but I need not constantly remember” (Survivor Psalm). A person can grow from their experiences, they may have had a tough past, but they can still move forward. The event will always leave a wound, but a wound heals leaving a scar, becoming a part of their self.

Final Exam Part 1

Experiences and interactions shape identity

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Smoke Signals

  The story behind Smoke Signals is very similar to Ceremony. A Native American going through a journey to re-find themselves and return home, while coming closer to their native roots. They delve into the process of healing and the importance of telling stories. In the movie, Thomas continuously talks about Victor's father, Arnold, in order to help his friend forgive but not forget. "Hey Victor! I remember the time your father took me to Denny's, and I had the Grand Slam Breakfast. Two eggs, two pancakes, a glass of milk, and of course my favorite, the bacon" (Smoke Signals). Thomas' constant stories is his way of reminding Victor that his father is a good man and he shouldn't try to avoid his problems. "'Your father saved my life.' 'Thomas you don't even know my father.' 'All I know is that when your father left your mother lost you too'" (Smoke Signals). When Arnold left, a piece of Victor also disappeared with him, and Victor became bitter with resentment towards his father.

   In Victor's life, Thomas is the spiritual figure he needs to help him move forward through his ceremony. Because of Thomas' ability to understand people and situations, he was able to forgive Arnold for his role in Thomas' parents' deaths and also know the chore of Victor's troubles. "'Hey Victor, do you know why your dad really left?' 'Yeah. He didn't mean to Thomas'" (Smoke Signals). Throughout the movie (and in the past) Thomas asks Victor why his father left, in hopes Victor may figure it out himself. All the times before the end of the movie, Victor evaded the question, not wanting to face his troubles, and ignore them instead. The last time Thomas raises the topic, Victor was able to find his answer. Though Arnold was never able to return home, Victor finally brought himself back.

Change

"'There are some things I have to tell you ... They think the ceremonies must be performed exactly as they have been done ... the ceremonies have always been changing ... elements in the world begin to shift ... growth keeps the ceremonies strong ... things which don't shift and grow are dead things'" (Silko 125).

   Adaption, as the world changes, you must change with it to survive. In a way, it's like natural selection, if you don't adapt to the surrounding environment and your unique situation, you will fall behind in the fast pace of society.
   Culture can be applied to this as well; for all of time, the human race has changed and evolved. If this wasn't true, we would still be living a nomadic life, or even still swinging in trees. Because of the constant adaption, we are able to keep evolving and surviving; it is in human nature to adapt. While those that can't keep up are left behind, never to grow and expand.

Their Stories

"You don't have anything / if you don't have the stories. / Their evil is mighty / but it can't stand up to our stories. / So they try to destroy the stories / let the stories be confused or forgotten." (Silko 2)

   This citation is about the stories of Native Americans and their culture. The natives don't have writing, so their oral traditions are very strong. They use these traditions to convey not only stories to learn from, but also their history; their very language is embedded with their stories. Without history and culture, we are essentially nothing but an empty shell, doomed to repeat ourselves.
   The poem goes on to say that a certain society (most likely Americans), no matter how powerful they supposedly are, are nowhere near the level culturally and spiritually of the natives. Because of this, that society will try to take away what makes Native Americans strong, and force them to convert their way of life and act "civilized". By doing this, natives lose their identity and will have no choice but to follow society. They destroy their language, which holds their stories, and teach newer generations their lifestyles, causing the Native American traditions to die out.

Creating Something Beautiful

A simple idea,

Inspiration floods the mind.

A jumble of pictures,

Too many to note down.

A team of individuals

Complete what alone cannot.

Time's of the essence,

Finish by a hair.

Paper comes to life.

Colors bring emotion,

Sound brings thrill.

Its spirit spreads beauty to all.

My Writing Style

After reading my past journal entries, I learned that my writing is a direct transcription of my voice. I especially find this in my responses to my personal life in my journal. My style then becomes more sophisticated when I write entries in response to stories or videos. It has come clear to me that unless I am doing creative writing, my voice will usually stand out. "In high school, I have been able to embrace who I am, weirdness and all" (Aug 20). Admittedly, it's hard to read through my journal entries; because I personalized many of my entries, the quality of them isn't very good. In other entries where the prompt was giving an opinion on a certain media, because I need to try to sound more convincing, my writing style is slightly better. "By learning to think divergently, we can become more flexible and open to different possibilities" (Oct 19). It may be from the time difference, but I can see a variation between my response entries.

Analyzing my writing style made me realize that I need to always have great descriptions of people and settings no matter what kind of response I'm writing about. I find that when I'm able to do read-through's, I can edit and add more details to my writing to make it better. When I do a first draft, it's usually very raw and basic, so being able to edit thoroughly helps my work tenfold. "I remember waking up and looking outside and being blinded by the snow in front of our door" (Aug 23). Even from skimming through my writing, I find many different errors and places I can fix a single sentence to improve its quality. I also prefer to type rather than hand write, mostly because I take more time and am able to put more thought into my writing. Yet, if I'm able to use that same mindset while hand writing, my journal entries may develop into something I will enjoy looking back on.

This is a picture of a raw diamond imbedded in a rock. This represents my writing in that after chipping away the unneeded and access pieces and polishing what I have, I'll end up with something beautiful.

What usually inspires me to write is the setting, whether it be the weather/nature or the season. Another thing that can inspire me is the media, like shows/movies, videos, books, music, etc. "An ocean melody / Soothes your pain. / The shifting colors, / You forget time. / A motion of fluidity / Eases your thoughts" (Nov 16). I enjoy writing poems and short stories (in a creative-esque way) and what will inspire me to write them are a varied arrange of things, but the most reoccurring thing is nature and the season (holiday seasons included). In my free write entries, I typically jot down whatever is in my mind at that particular moment; anything from something exciting that happened or will happen, things that are causing me stress, etc. In some cases, little things that I think are cute or pretty or things that make me laugh might be my muse to write. I remember at one time writing a cute little poem about hot chocolate, with a song about it stuck in my head. Many times, my friends will inspire me to write, they may give me an idea that I have to write out, or just being around them will motivate me.

In relation to my inspiration from nature, I found a picture representing each season with quotes from famous writers adding a nice touch to it.

And here's some inspirational music for you: