Tuesday, May 14, 2013

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.