Although this class was a challenge for me I still really enjoyed it. I have learned more valuable information in this semester of this class than I have in my other 3 years of Language Arts at Monarch. I especially enjoyed the modern approach used in this class, reading and learning about modern issues and events. I think what I have learned in this class has made me more knowledgeable about the world I live in and the things I learned in this class I will remember for the rest of my life.
The memoir project was awesome because it was so individualized. I was able to pick something that I was genuinely interested in and wanted to learn more about. Even though I am pretty shy and I was dreading the presentation it was a big step for me and opened my eyes to the fact that I want to be an involved person. This class has taught me how to be an active participant and I think I have made strides in this class. The Laramie Project was my favorite project. I find the topic incredibly emotional and moving. I also loved that it opened up so many good conversations and enlightened so many people that have not necessarily been around someone who is homosexual or has been raised in a way where they have prejudice. I have so much respect for that. Lastly, my least favorite project was the final debate. Although I found my topic very interesting and I enjoyed researching it the actual presentation of the project was very hard to prepare. I think it may have been easier as an individual project. I still enjoyed it and I appreciate what I got out of it but of the three it was my least favorite.
After watching all the videos in class I was flooded with new perspectives and unanswered questions. I still believe that the attack on Matthew Shepard was partially a hate crime but I think that meth played a role as well. The thing that was most fascinating to me was watching Aaron Mckinney's interview on the 20/20 special. Russell Henderson's interested me as well but what was so shocking for me about McKinney's was his demeanor. He seemed so indifferent about the whole situation. I cannot understand how someone could do such a horrible thing to another person in the first place but on top of that it unbelieveable that he shows almost no regret or remorse. He sort of just behaves like it happened, I did it, it's over with. It was striking and something that I had a hard time understanding.
In Act III of The Laramie Project, something that truly amazed me was the statement Dennis Shepard made to the court sparing Aaron McKinney's life. It had to take an amazingly generous and forgiving family to let Aaron McKinney live after what he did to their son Matthew Shepard. In that situation, I don't know what I would have done but I would hope that I could be loving enough to do what they did. It brought tears to my eyes and I think the words will stay with Aaron McKinney until the day that he dies. Dennis Shepard says, "Mr. McKinney, I am going to grant you life, as hard as it is for me to do so, because of Matthew. Every time you celebrate Christmas, a birthday, the fourth of July remember that Matt isn't. Every time you wake up in your prison cell, remember that you had the opportunity and the ability to stop your actions that night. You robbed me of something very precious, and I will never forgive you for that. Mr. McKinney, I give you life in the memory of one who no longer lives. May you have a long life, and may you thank Matthew everyday for it." (Kaufman p. 96) I cannot explain the effect that statement had on me and I find it completely incredible the way the Shepard family handled the situation.
In Act I of The Laramie Project, I felt strong emotions ranging from anger to sadness to utter disbelief. Being someone who has known many homosexuals throughout my life I have already built an emotional attachment to Matthew Shepard and the other homosexuals in the book that have felt discrimination or fear to be themselves. The general feeling I get from the majority of the citizens of Laramie is that they do not like gay people. There are some that say they don't care whether a person is gay or they just pretend like they don't know so they don't have to face it, almost every one makes at least one ignorant, derogatory comment about gay people. An example of this is the interview of Marge Murray, a long time Laramie resident and a social service member. Marge Murray says, "As far as the gay issue, I don't give a damn one way or the other as long as they don't bother me... And that's the attitude of most of the Laramie population. They might poke one, if they were in a bar situation, you know, they had been drinking, they might actually smack one in the mouth, but then they'd just walk away... Laramie is live and let live." (Kaufman 17) This quote shows the general feelings about gay people in Laramie. She alienates homosexuals as a whole by referring to them as "they" and "one" which shows homosexuals are not just people to her, they are gay people. When I think of friends of mine who happen to be gay, I think of them as my friends not my gay friends. For me, there is no difference and the blunt alienation Marge Murray expresses makes me angry and sad. Her ignorance is shown through her saying "Laramie is live and let live.", portraying herself and the general population of Laramie as openminded. She genuinely believes that herself and her town are not discriminatory or close minded because she doesn't care. The catch is that she says I don't care as long as they don't bother me. She is ignoring the issue, what does she mean by bother? I feel that she doesn't care as long as she doesn't have to talk about it, see it, or think about it. That is not open minded. Nevertheless, I found Act I extremely fascinating while still being a tough read because of the content and clashing beliefs between myself and the characters.
The portion of this video I want in my blog is 3:30-4:30, the part about hate crime legislation. I choose this because it touched me in two ways. I was overwhelmed with the happiness and joy that Judy Shepard and Ellen must have about hate crime legislation being passed and that people can be protected from horrendous bullying but at the same time I was overwhelmed with sadness. In my eyes, the fact that a law restricting people from assaulting or killing a person because of their sexual orientation, race, gender, or any quality for that matter is awful. I just with people could be accepting of all kinds of people from all different backgrounds and lifestyles.
The memoir Service by Marcus Lutrell really stood out to me. Hearing about the hardships our American soldiers have to go through really gives me perspective and I find I have a lot of respect for them. I can't imagine what it would be like to be in a place where every minute of everyday you weren't safe and you didn't know if you were going to live to see the next day. Learning about Marcus Luttrell specifically gave me a lot of respect for him. He was a navy seal, he served 8 years, and received a Purple Heart. To me, that is extremely respectable.
The memoir presentation of Chosen By a Horse by Susan Richards gave me some new perspective I didn't have before. I personally have never really been involved with horses, farms, or really have never even known anyone involved with horses so hearing about the story gave me a lot of insight into something I don't really know anything about. I found it really fascinating that the author felt that horses taught her how to better love people. I have never had that kind of connection with an animal so I can't imagine what that is like but I find it very interesting.
The memoir No Limits by Michael Phelps really interested me. It's amazing that one swimmer can receive 8 gold medals, some of them being as close as .01 seconds.Thankfully, Michael had his mom's support and I think that is what led him to do so well in the Olympics. Having someone say something like "You'll never be anything", especially coming from a teacher would really crush me, as a student or a parent. Michael's mom and eventually Michael used this as a motivation to become something and that to me is truly inspiring.
Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis sounded very different, a memoir where I feel you would be surprised around every corner. The story sounds very sad, his dad getting him into cocaine at such a young age it seems as if he almost didn't have a chance. I hope he is clean now but clearly he has had a successful life and in the interview he seems like a pretty happy, spontaneous person.
The War conveys the importance of being controlled when dealing with conflict. Through lessons and memories Lidia and Stew learn things at a young age that some people never learn in their lifetime. Lidia learns the importance of being open-minded and appreciative. Stew learns the importance of being kind, empathetic, and controlled. Lidia and Stew, through their father's actions and words, are able to become well-rounded, happy people.
"War is like a big machine that no one really knows how to run and when it gets out of control it ends up destroying the things you thought you were fighting for, and a lot of other things you kinda forgot you had."-Lidia (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111667/quotes). For Lidia, this quote has more than one meaning. She has come to an understanding of her father's life and morals. She realizes her father went to war thinking he was doing the right thing for his country, even though it wasn't what he wanted to do. He ended up losing his mind, losing his best friend, and almost losing his family. Lidia applies this to her own life in the conflict between her side, her brother Stew and his friends and her best friends, and the Lipnicki family. This specifically applies to when the Lipnickis and the Simmons (and friends) violently fight over the tree house. The tree house is completely destroyed afterwards and Billy Lipnicki almost loses his life, a life hardly cared about by anyone until after the fact. Lidia recognizes that Stew lost pieces of his father. Not literal pieces but his father's key was lost and the lock was nearly taken. Lidia learned from this. She learned the importance of accepting other perspectives and seeing someone else's side of the story. She took her father's views and applied them to her life and everything changed.
"Boy, sometimes all it takes is a split second for you to do something you'll regret the whole rest of your life."-Steven Simmons (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111667/quotes). Stew takes everything his father tells him to heart. He has so much respect for his father but he also has a hard time controlling his emotions. Although he appreciates his father's stories and words from the moment he hears them, he acts on his emotions first. It takes a bigger lesson to really impact Stew into living his life in the way his father tells him to. Every time the Lipnickis come around causing trouble, Stew flares up. He will pick a fight with them, he bottles up anger toward them and he spends a great deal of his time just despising them. His father's death puts him over the edge and he initiates the big tree house fight. When Stew saves Billy Lipnicki from drowning in the water tower the words of his father become clear to him, the words imprint on him and he knows he will never be the same. In this moment, Stew becomes overwhelmed with regret. Everything his father says finally makes sense. He understands why his father gave away his mom and sister's cotton candy to the lipnicki kids and why he always says to just be polite to them, not to fight. He becomes the bigger person.
Lidia and Stew learn how to deal with conflict from their father. Through the struggle of losing their father and the conflicts in the story they are able to grow from their experiences. When Lidia opens her mind she sees that her father isn't a selfish man, he is actually the most selfless man she ever knows. Stew is able to see the pain the Lipnickis suffer and appreciate what his father does for them. He is able to understand that the Lipnicki's are subjected to abuse, they don't have a source of love and that is why they are the way they are. Stew also learns how to handle his extreme emotion toward the Lipnickis through empathy and control. For the rest of the Simmons children's lives they will remember the words their father spoke and the days that make them stick. Their viewpoint on the world will forever be enlightened because of the things their father teaches them.
I see a man on a subway with a box on his head, with a smile on the box. The subway is moving and there is one person facing away from the camera in the background.
I feel loneliness and sadness. I feel curious as to what is going on in the picture.
I think the underlying meaning of the picture is that this man puts on a smile when he isn't really happy. You cannot see his face. This represents that he walks around putting up a front and no one knows how he really feels because they only see what is on the surface. I think this picture is very deep and powerful. It evokes a lot of emotion.
A memory that vividly impacted me was the day we officially turned over the house I grew up in to a new family. I was opening at work so I woke up extra early to go over to my house of twelve plus years and say goodbye. As I drove over, my windows were down, the wind was blowing through my hair and the sun shined brightly in m watery eyes. Instead of thinking about my usual everyday thoughts (my agenda, to-do list, and free time), it was like I was watching a movie in my mind. Every memory, every moment, rushed through me. I was fighting the tears. As I pulled up, I smelled fresh cut grass, the house looked more vibrant than usual. I slowly paced up to the two brick steps, really taking in my home. I gently pushed open the big, wooden door that always smelled funky when the sun shined on it. Inside, I stopped, overwhelmed with the sight of my home, empty. No furniture, no family, nothing. I calmly walked through the house, spending time in every room. Remembering every moment. Each room got harder and harder to walk away from. When I finally dragged myself away from my hollow bedroom I walked the length of the main floor one last time, then pushed myself through the front door trying to keep my head from turning back. I stood in the freshly cut and watered lawn, next to the u-haul and stared at my home. For the last time as my home. The tears flooded my eyes and spilled warm and wet down my cheeks. Then I turned and walked away, cherishing every moment I ever got to spend in that house.
My favorite movie, above all, has always been Stand By Me... until yesterday. Now it is a tie. Last night I went to TheSpectacular Now. It was so moving and had such an impact on me (as you can tell from the title of my blog) I just loved it. It does not surpass Stand By Me though. I love Stand By Me because of the way it portrays friendship. The message is very real, friends will come and go in your life but you will always be able to cherish and remember all the amazing memories from those friendships and their impact on you. I loved TheSpectacular Now for so many reasons, it has so many dimensions. It exhibits addiction, depression, hopelessness, loneliness, change, and self renewal. I related to the main character a lot, not in that I am depressed or have an addiction, but in that I sort of put up a front, as a lot of people do. The main character, Sutter, is extremely well liked by his peers and he is always the easy-going, fun guy but inside he feels no love. He feels so alone and sad. My scenario is very different in detail but similar on the surface, which I feel more comfortable keeping personal, but I did find myself relating to him. The movie had a huge impact on me and I think it will be one of my favorites for the rest of my life.
Stand By Me- Chris and Gordy
This is not my first choice scene from The Spectacular Now but since it just came out in theaters there wasn't much option!
I cannot pin down the best experience of my entire life, but I am going to talk about a memory that is particularly special to me. When my older brother was 12 he had an extremely intense and dangerous chest surgery. His ribs were growing out away from his heart instead of the way they normally grow naturally. He has a massive scar all the way across his chest which required over 150 stitches. As you can imagine, it was incredibly painful and the healing process was very long. He was in the hospital for a couple weeks after the surgery and he was in a ton of pain. I stayed at my Granny's house until he was allowed visitors other than my parents. Then she brought my cousin Stacey and I to the hospital to see him. I had talked to my mom on the phone and she said Griffin hadn't smiled since before the surgery and it had been a few days since the surgery. To try to make him smile, Stacey and I dressed up in old lady clothes and wore grey wigs. We walked into his hospital room, Griffin was hooked up to all sorts of machines and he had the dullest, saddest look on his face. When he looked up he lit up and a huge smile spread across his face. That moment was amazing. Even though I was 9 at the time, this memory is still really vivid in my mind.
