Reflection Week 3/31

     This unit is interesting to me because although most of it is very apparent in society I have never studied it in depth. A lot of it I already knew, I just had never though about it. Studying the media has shown me why our society is the way it is. There were some things I didn't formally know that I found extremely interesting. Psychological  noise was one of these things. I understood the concept of psychological  noise before I read this textbook but I never considered it for myself. For example, selective exposure is a type of psychological noise which is that in general, "we expose ourselves to information that reinforces rather than contradicts our beliefs or opinions." (Culture and Communication) I started thinking about my behavior and if I conform to selective exposure and I found that I do. I tend to only inquire about things I know that I will like the answer to. I don't even do it intentionally but it is how my brain works. I know there is information out there that will contradict my beliefs I just unconsciously chose to not seek it out.
     Another point I found very interesting was about how although nearly everyone views the mass media we all see it differently. "...we all think that what we see with our set of goggles is what everyone else sees." (Culture and Communication) I had never really recognized that everyone sees these things differently and it effects their lives in different ways than it effects mine. I was really grateful that this reading exposed me to that concept because I think that is important and can be applied to multiple aspects of my life. It is also interesting to think about the task of being a media producer, advertiser, director, etc. It must be so difficult to mass produce something that has to have an impact on such a mass audience. Overall I enjoyed diving beneath the surface of our culture and exploring the mass communication and media and how they effect  our  daily lives as well as our life spans.
 
I chose this picture because it demonstrates how the media interconnects all of us and it puts everyone on the same level because the majority has access to the same things.

Reflection Week 3/17

     I am pro democratization. I believe that our technology has expanded as our brains have expanded which has led to the progression of every other aspect of society. It does not make any form of art less special because every one has access to it. In Press Pause Play, Moby says, "When humans make stuff we tend to make interesting things." This is true. As humans we are constantly pushing our creativity to the limit in our own ways. Regardless of wealth, race, social class, etc. every human being has this quality. Every person having access to the means to be creative just makes our world more diverse and interesting. There is a ton of talent, genres, and oppourtunites that have arisen due to democratization. For example, the film industry and media."A lot of movies that may have not had the chance to be made will be made, which means you're gonna have a lot more options for cinema, you're gonna have a lot more creativity rising to the top." (Hank Shocklee Press Pause Play) Ultimately technology has allowed our mass culture to become more individualized while at the same time bringing us closer through all these different forms of art we get to explore. 

     Through democratization we also have the oppourtunity to discover new talent in ourselves and others. It is easier to be recognized now, with the internet and all, people have the choice to put themselves out there and find appreciaters qucikly. Lena Dunham is a great  example of this. She says, "I never thought of film making as a job I could have... it didn't ever occure to me that it was something I could do with my life." (Press Pause Play) What allowed Dunham to become an actress was her ability to use to internet to get recognized. Now with everyone having that luxury, I think we can have a much broader spectrum of talent in every industry; art, music, film, media, and digital media. That being said, I believe that luxury will still but continue to change. We may be using a completely new method on a completely new device just a few years from now but I think democratization will continue to increase. "I think in 20 or 30 or 50 years we're going to look back at now with sort of like an endeared, a wistful nostalgia... like the same way like we look back at phones 25 years ago like oh they're cute, they're big and clunky and only worked in one part of the world... it had its own charm but we moved on." (Moby Press Pause Play) I agree with this. Everything will just keep growing and changing but if anything all these art forms will become more accesible. It will only make a more diverse and accepting world. 

I chose this picture because I think it demonstrates how technology has bonnded society through communication and access. There is one human race behind everything you see on a daily basis.

I chose this picture because I think it represents how technology and access to it allows us to create connections and bonds to anyone anywhere. 

Reflection Week 3/10

     This week in class we watched Smoke Signals. I enjoyed the movie but I honestly thought it was a little cheesy. I really enjoyed the whole story and I was happy that Victor Joseph had healed but it was just very predictable. I thought the movie was humorous and entertaining while being educational about native life. I did not always understand the message that Thomas Builds-the-Fire was trying to convey through his stories. Overall, I thought it was a good movie. I also drew a lot of parallels between the movie and Ceremony. For example, alcoholism, PTS, and healing.
     This week we were also introduced our essay prompt for out Native Study Essay. I am anxious to write my essay and see more in depth how everything we have studied links together. I am nervous about writing it as well because the prompt is challenging and I have a busy week ahead of me with work and other classes. I really enjoyed this unit of native study as it was not something I had been exposed to. I think it will be fun to analyze and write about. I am also glad to be exploring new topics.
  

Reflection Week 3/3

     The end of Ceremony was devastating. It was hard for me to read when Tayo was tired, hungry, and thirsty and he was running from his friends. That was unbelievable to me and I can't imagine the heartache he felt when he found out that they were hunting them down. Then, I could not bear to read the part when Emo, Pinkie, and Leroy were beating Harley and Tayo had to watch. I am still confused on exactly what happened then though and how Tayo made it back home safely. I could feel how hard it was for Tayo to watch but afterwards I couldn't read his emotions. I couldn't tell if he was still finding light in his days or if he was depressed again.

     Something I noticed in the last section of the book was the use of the color yellow. It was used repeatedly to describe a wide variety of things. For example, the bull, the bull's eyes, the sandrock, flames, the light, the sand, uranium, and the leaves. Not only were all these things described as yellow but the same items using the same description were repeated over and over in this section. In fact, there were many things described with color in this section but yellow especially stood out to me. I don't understand why this is used so much and why it is relevant. 

This represents Harley's hand-a symbol for Harley. He was bleeding badly when Tayo last saw him and the heart represents Tayo and Harley's love for each other.

This is the yellow, and yellow light, that is surrounding Tayo throughout this section of the novel.

Reflection Week 2/24

    The essays this week were hard for me because they were before we discussed and I was confused on a lot of the reading material. After we discussed, I understood that I analyzed the section incorrectly. I felt like Tayo started healing through the ceremonies and stories that Betonie told him. I felt like he was finally becoming happy and starting feel like he could let go of some of his sadness or at least control it. Then when he came down and spent time with Harley, Leroy, and Helen Jean I felt that he was relapsing. He started drinking again to numb himself and it seemed to me that he enjoyed that. Now I know that Tayo was realizing that he no longer wanted to feel that way and live his life that way.

    I am very glad to see that Tayo has continued healing, that I was wrong in my analyzation. The discussion we had after the essays really helped me better analyze portions of the reading and I can now see that Tayo was still healing. He was relapsing in a way but during that he knew it wasn't what he was going to continue to do. Also, now that we are farther in the reading it is so apparent that Tayo is way healthier. I am so happy for Tayo and it is such a relief to see him feel and react like a healthy person. I feel his happiness when he smiles and it is contagious. It is amazing what Tayo has overcome. 

This picture represents Tayo and his relief/release from his sadness. 

Reflection Week 1/17

     This week former U.S. Navy Seal, Clay, came and talked to our class about his experiences in the Navy and throughout his life. One thing I thought was really cool was that he gave an amazing description of the intensity of P.T.S. and the severity at which he has it. First of all, it really helped me relate to P.T.S. I always related it to war veterans but now I know that I have P.T.S. with some experiences as well. It also really helped me relate to Ceremony better and see how Tayo is feeling a lot of the time. When Clay described being able to smell gunpowder in the air, hear screaming and shooting, and taste the blood in the air, I could see how vividly those things were appearing for him. I could feel the extreme qualities of those memories in his mind.
     Something that was extremely intense for me, was when Clay talked about the 12-year-old girl he killed in Jordan. I cannot imagine being in that situation or living with that situation everyday from then on. The reality of that situation made me so sad. The fact that there are people in our world, that would persuade a young girl to commit suicide in order to kill others sickens me. I feel sad for that girl. I feel sad for Clay and the severe emotional pain that comes with his job. I feel sad for our world. It is hard to imagine that things like that actually happen in our world. Even though I did not agree with everything he said, Clay made me thankful for his service and for coming and sharing his experiences with our class so that we can understand Ceremony better and the world we live in better.

Reflection Week 2/10

     This week the discussions really helped me understand Ceremony better. There were a lot of metaphors, double meanings, and time frames of the book where I was very lost that I now understand. I still have some unanswered questions but overall I have a much deeper understanding of the details of the story. The essential parts of the story that are crucial to understanding Tayo's current state were fuzzy for me until we talked through them, moment by moment. I now feel more confident about the reading.
     Now that I understand things better, I feel even more sad for Tayo. As I learn more and more about Tayo's past I can't imagine how he functions on a daily basis. He was repeatedly abandoned by his mother as a toddler. When he finally was given a stable environment and a consistent family he was subjected to Auntie's rude and uncalled for words and actions. Tayo feels so much guilt for everything that has gone on in his life that he has no control over. I feel that he is clinically depressed and I feel so sad that everyone that was supporting to him and kind, he has lost. Mainly Rocky and Tayo. I wish Tayo had a more loving and caring environment to live in so that he could find ways to deal with his grief and pain.


I chose this picture because I feel it represents all the parts of Tayo's life that are dying to get out of him.