Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Making Connections Between Themes and Real Life
Choose one of the readings from this first week of classes. Choose the central theme of one of the articles and compare that theme to something from your own life. For example, most students can relate to Saskia Verlaan's "Perspectives on Fear" so making a connection between her article and sometime from your own experience would be appropriate for this blog. If you choose Tim O'Brien's "How to Tell a True War Story" maybe you can relate his theme to a story you were told by someone in your own family. Making connections is the key. Good Luck!
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I enjoyed reading The Myth of the Latin Woman because I was able to relate how she was stereotyped for being Puerto Rican to how many of us are stereotyped for going to a Catholic school. Often times, people look at students who go to a Catholic school and think of them as "bible thumpers", but usually it is not true. Other than having a theology class and going to Mass once a week, our religious affairs are not much different than Catholics who go to a public school. We often get looked at as prudes or people who don't have any fun but we do the same things everyone else does every day. Another false stereotyped that is evoked on us is the notion that everyone who attends Catholic school has a lot of money. Yes, we have to pay to go to school, but that does not make us snobs. It just means that our parents are willing to go the extra mile to further our education, and many of the students who attend Catholic schools receive some sort of financial aid. I can sympathize for the writer because just as she is looked at as a Latin women who is "dumb" and "useless", we are unfairly looked at as Catholic students who are self-righteous snobs that walk around yelling out Bible passages.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Abbey. Since I transferred from public school, all of the people I talk to barley talk to me, and it's all because I go to a catholic school. My grades have increased and I have got more one-on-one time with teachers that help. When people stereotype us just because we go to a catholic school and that they think we are "bible thumpers," most of them are Catholics who attend the Faith Formation class every other Sunday, so wouldn't that stereotype themselves as "bible thumpers." I take all the pride I can in being a "bible thumper," just like writer is proud to be Latina, but is sad that everyone stereotypes her to all the other Latina women. I'm sure there is a catholic school where they do spend almost all day sitting in Theology class all day, but does that still give people the right to stereotype them as being a "bible thumper?" I don't think stereotyping anyone is right at all.
DeleteI agree with Abbey and Maddie, the things that most people just assume about children that go to Catholic school just astounds me. My favorite comment that I am sure most people can relate to hearing at some point in our time here, is that we all come from rich snobby families. In the reality of the situation though, most of the kids that go here have parents that are working so hard to make sure their kids get a quality education. You don't know a person simply from what you hear or think about them.
DeleteI couldn't agree more with this. By no means are we "Bible thumpers" and the majority of us do not come from wealthy families. In my personal life, my dad is a mail man and my mom is a school teacher. Neither of those jobs are the jobs of a wealthy family. Yes, we have theology class everyday. There was CCD for several years for students from public schools. Also, a lot of public students receive the same sacraments as we do and go to church. Why must Catholic school students be stereotyped so bad?
DeleteI agree completely because to St. Leos for nine to eight years and I had a friend who went with me but went to public high school. I would say that me and him were pretty good friends before then and when I see him we still talk but something changed. The moment I went to ECC he thought he was better then me and I was automatically a "squid" why some one I was good friends with for so many years would turn around and stereotype me as a catholic squid I do not know. I feel that happen a lot when I go to Boy Scouts. I am looked down on because I go to a catholic high school. Will this change, probably not. I do not think that it is right on any level I would say that I am just as good as them but to them I am not because of my school.
DeleteWhen I was twelve years old I blatantly went against my mom's wishes and watched the horror movie "The Blair Witch Project". Now, four years later, I am honestly still terrified that the man is going to show up and take me and make me stand against the wall as he kills someone, I'm sorry for the visual, but it is true. That fear has stuck with me now and It will for many years. The relation between my disobedience and the event in which the author of the article, "Perspectives of Fear" gets lost in the Grand Canyon is that both event happened at a young age, traumatizing the respective victims. Fear is something that is installed into you when you are young and simple events, such as watching a scary movie or wandering from your family, can stick with you for your life because that is what you compare every other terrifying event that you encounter to for the rest of your life. You always remember that first moment when you were honestly afraid.
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel Jenna. One time, my father was watching some scary movie out in our living room while my mom was back sleeping. I walked out into the living room and began to watch this movie with my father, keep in mind that at the time I was about ten years old. I cannot remember the name of the movie but I do remember what it was about. The movie was about this guy who had been living in this woman's house without the woman knowing that he was there. This man had been stalking her for a very long time and at night he would watch her from the a hole in the ceiling. Eventually the man had killed the woman in a very brutal way. From that moment on, I always had the fear that there was someone watching me from the ceiling. Even though that I knew that thee was no one there, the fear was still there.
DeleteJenna, with what you were saying about fear coming from when you are born, I totally agree with that. It's like no matter what fear doesn't go away, no matter what you do to try to get over it. It's like the snow ball effect. When a little snow ball starts rolling down a snow covered hill, it collects snow over and over and grows with each roll, the old stuff doesn't go away, snow just keeps getting added to it. That's like fear, it starts with the small stuff, then it keeps collecting new things to make you get overwhelmed with almost everything. The author said when she was "lost" she thought she was going to fall off the side of the canyon and die and that no one would find her. Fear makes you automatically think the worst outcome possible. That's probably the worst thing about fear, making you jump to terrible conclusions.
DeleteHey Jenna, I can relate with you, and you are completely correct. That movie is terrifying. I still get chills from thinking about that movie, and I have not seen that movie in probably like 7 years ago. But I still have bad memories about that movie. I don't know what it was about that movie, but it is just...scary. I do not really remember much about that movie. I just remember that it was scary. I think my fear has something to do with the fact I cannot remember much about the movie. I think my fear is suppressing that memory, but it's just a theory of mine.
DeleteOnce when I was little, my mother and father took me to Walmart so that they could get whatever it is that they needed to get for the house. I remember that my mother and I were walking down one of the isles in order to get a present for one of my cousins birthdays. While she picked out the toy for my cousin, I was looking at the other toys, like kids usually do when they are down the toy isle. While I was looking at the toys, my mother had walked away without my knowledge. Once I turned around to find that she was not there, the panic had set in. The feeling of fear had completely rushed through my mind. I was looking all over for someone that I had known, but I was panicking so much that I couldn't find anyone. I remember running up and down the isles with the thought that I would never see my mother again. The feeling of relief when I found her overcame any of the fear that I still had. This was one of my first memories of fear. I can still remember that feeling of being alone, all by myself. This is the thought that first came to my mind when I had read the paragraph about how the author got lost in the Grand Canyon. I understood what she had felt because I had been in somewhat of the same situation. I don't think that I could ever forget the fear that I felt when I realized that I was all alone.
ReplyDeleteI think that this experience relates very clearly to the story, in that an initial encounter with fear can be very difficult to forget. When an event such as this occurs, the mind transforms into one we scarcely recognize, and we are immediately trapped inside our own panic, desperately trying to find an escape. The escape we seek is often the relief to our fears, the assurance that they were really not as much of a threat in the first place. When this relief comes, the initial shock remains, making it nearly impossible to disregard, although we are reminded that the severity of the situation is not as it once seemed.
DeleteI have had a similar experience as to RaeAnns. I remember going to a mall in a city, and walking into a clothing store to look around. After a few minutes my mother was done and said she would wait for me outside of the store. I was finished and went to find her. I didn't see her and started to panic. After looking around and looking again in the store, I finally found her sitting on a bench. I was relieved to see her and told her I was worried. She knew right where I was, but I had no idea where she was.
DeleteSo, basically the exact same thing happened to me about 8 years ago. I still remember the fear and adrenaline pumping through my veins as I ran up and down the aisles looking for my father. At that moment in my life, that may have been the scariest thing to ever happen to me. But it is terrifying to be left alone at a young age. I remember I was ready to tear down all the shelves at Walmart because I thought if I did that, I would be able to see my dad easier. But I did end up finding him in the dairy aisle at the old Walmart. So I guess it was good I found my dad, or that might have been problem
DeleteRaeAnn, I had a similar situation in Walmart as a child. At one moment I went to look for a particular item apart from my mom and we agreed where we would meet at. When I went back she was not there. At first I was not afraid, but as I looked though more and more aisle, the panic set in. I remember feeling so afraid. Luckily I found her, but I can still remember the feeling and fear that I had inside me to this day. Both of our situations are similar the author's in the Grand Canyon because we were not actually lost. We were just exposed to the fears of being lost, but we were never truly lost.
DeleteIt is in the nature of humans to be afraid of at least one thing. Even if it is not shared out loud, we can guarantee that everyone, even the strongest of people, are not immune to everything. When I think about my biggest fear, I think about myself, or someone else that I know, dying. It is a dark subject but it makes you think, just as Saskia Verlaan thought about fear in "Perspectives on Fear." At night, she looked at the streetlight shadows on her wall and thought about the "rectangle" that wasn't actually a rectangle. It was irregular. Late night thoughts are always more in depth for me. I think harder and longer about the little things that scare me. I often ask myself questions about where everyone that I was close to on earth is now. I am afraid because I was told that heaven is not a place like we have on earth. I cannot image anything else without being afraid.
ReplyDeleteThe thoughts of killing the rats in the chicken coop contradicted each other to the point where Saskia Verlaan went against her initial instinct in "The Perspectives on Fear." The things that go through my head when I think about death vary from happy to sad thoughts and they change the more I think and pray about them. I love to think that everybody goes to heaven, but how do we know who God forgives, or who was hiding a sin on earth. I also think of the good things about dying, such as being happy forever. You will never have stress and that will make me very happy! The longer I think about my fear, the more my thoughts change. My initial idea, along with the one in the reading is not the same as the way I think coming out of the situation.
I fear things because I do not understand them. It may sound crazy, but I was afraid when I read "Heaven is for Real." I did not have the answers to any of my questions, so I worried about it. I did not know what to believe about dying. The reading on fear talked about understanding things, and I completely agreed with it. It talked about how understanding things was what troubled most people. The more they knew the better they felt about their fears, they had control of them. All that I can do about my fear is pray more often for the answers to my questions. One day when I die I will know all of them. Maybe then I will not be afraid anymore.
I feel the same, Grace, because I had never lost a family member until I was in seventh grade. It scared me how people who I had known and had memories with were gone. They were so full of life at one second and now they no longer existed. I found it disturbing and still find it disturbing to this day. Maybe it would not have been as troubling if I would have been introduced to death at a younger age. My younger sibling and relatives took it well but I just could not get over the fact that you can one day be gone from this world.
DeleteIt scares me a great deal when I think about death. One day we will just die, we won't think, we won't feel, we won't even exist anymore. It makes me question if what I do while I am here will even matter. What scares me the most about death is that you never know when it is going to come. The most terrifying thought about death for me is that one day I just will not wake up. I will never get to talk to anyone again, I would never get to say me goodbyes, or be able to accomplish the things I would like to before I die.
I think everyone deals with death in a different way. Some people are scared of it and others accept it openly. I wish I was able to say that I would be open to it whenever God wants to take me, but I cannot.
I think that in regards to a fear of death, one could argue that the deeper fear is the unknown. If you think about it, death itself is inevitable. We cannot really fear death, because we do not really understand it. We find comfort in the life that we live because it is all we have ever known. When thoughts arise about anything other than this life that we know, fear develops out of uncertainty. I think that that is what scares me the most about death - the unknown destination. What will happen next? We want the answers to our questions now, and that lack of assurance constructs our fear. As you mentioned, the only time we will ever truly know what awaits us in the next life is when we are brought to confront it, when all of our questions will be answered and our fears relieved.
DeleteGrace, I know what you mean to fear death. I always wonder myself what happens when we die. Is there Heaven? Is it Hell? Is it just darkness that we don't know how to explain? It terrifying to really think about it, but I feel like Heaven Is For Real made me feel more secure about the afterlife. It's just something that we have to really worry about when we get to that point of our lives.
DeleteI made the most connections with "Perspectives of Fear." The narrator tells a story of rats in a chicken coop. How every rat was portrayed as a devil rodent in some terms. When she checks the coop before she enters, she hits the sides to see if the rats move about. When they don't, she feels it's okay to go into it. When she sees them, she freaks out and sees that they are freaking out too. It's then when the narrator looks into the rats eyes, seeing black instead of red, she sees the innocence in the rats eyes. I think fear is innocence. Fear doesn't mean to overcome your mind and think the worst thing possible, like the narrator explains her trip to the Grand Canyon. How she gets lost then sees herself falling down the cliff dyeing and no one to find her. I think that's the worst thing about fear, that it makes you jump to crazy conclusions to a bad situation. Fear can't control what it does to your mind, just like the rat can't control it being a gross, scary rodent. I think to get over our fears, we have to get over fear it's self. I think to get over fear, we have to learn that we will be put into situations that might scare us. In those, we have to keep our minds under control of the fear that we can't control.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with you Madison because I believe in some instances we cannot get over fear. I am the type of person that is scared of their own shadow. I wish I was not this way, but I am scared of everything. I have tried to get over my fears but to no avail. For instance, I am terrified of being alone and in the dark. I have tried everything to get over this fear and no matter what I do it never works for me. I find some of my fears a hinderance to every day life, therefore I wish I could just get rid of them. I think fear is ingrained in our mind and usually once it is there, it is there for a long time. Some people who have experienced traumatic events, like war or death, will probably have a fear that has something to do with these events. I believe that they will not be able to get over a fear that is as extreme as that.
DeleteI felt that I was able to relate most to many of the viewpoints in "The Myth of the Latin Woman". It is clear that many societal positions as well as racial positions of our world are severely unbalanced. It seems that everywhere we go, some group of individuals is put inside a box and stamped with a label, only to be stocked on shelves and ranked according to importance. This type of injustice can be experienced from the wide diversity throughout the world, to the small confines of a high school. I feel that this is where I relate to the story the most. In every 'typical high school' depiction, we see each student immediately classified based on their interests, their abilities, and even their appearance. Among these categorizations are the jocks, the nerds, the artists, the populars, and many other miscellaneous groupings. For the most part, the smaller schools that most of us have attended have included two main classifications: the athletes and the non-athletes. In my opinion, the focus on athletics at schools in our area is emphasized more than most of the programs. It seems that unless you are skilled in some form of athletics and excel at it, you are suddenly less of an attraction. This is clearly unfair, as there are so many incredible talents withheld by the students of our school, but they are showcased on a much smaller scale. I feel that that in itself is a prime example of the instant classification of which we fall victims.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with you, Mary. Even though I do participate in more than one sport, I have been lately noticing the extreme level of attention sports are getting in comparison to the many other activities that are offered. People get so caught up in sports today that not much else matters. Make no mistake, I do love the sports I participate in and I do think that sports are good to a certain extent, but it becomes difficult when others begin making sports the priority in life. This stereotype is extremely noticeable. The band, choir, drama club, and other groups have so much talent! It does seem that if a person is not into anything other than sports, he or she does not get the attention that is deserved. Everyone needs to be looked at as an individual so that we can appreciate everything that a person has to offer.
DeleteHigh school is the epitome of stereotyping. Every person is labeled as one thing or another, and, if another person is not labeled with the same thing, they will not associate with them. Every person has more to them than one simple adjective. One adjective might be what comes immediately to someone's mind when they describe them, but several more will follow it. Reducing a person's character to one word shows a degree of shallowness that I will never be able to comprehend. Who has the right to label someone else?
DeleteStereotyping is one of the most common activities in society. Nobody can ever really be appreciated for who they are or what they look like. I have personal experiences from my build being naturally skinny with a high metabolism. I get judged as a girl struggling to defeat an eating disorder or as a girl who goes on extreme diets to fit in. If I was overweight, I would be labeled as a lazy person who is careless with myself. We often forget everybody is made differently with different purposes. Everybody is expected to fit into a mold of what somebody else finds desirable. The saddest situations are the people who try to fit into the mold instead of working to break the mold.
Delete"The Myth of the Latin Woman" reminded me, once again, of the numerous obstacles everyday people face. Though stereotypes and racism are obviously still extreme problems in all societies around the world, I am drawn to one prejudice that personally affects me daily, and also affected the narrator of the article: sexism. I only started to truly delve into sexism approximately six months ago. This soon lead me to a deepening interest in feminism. I had always known that women have had to fight for things automatically given to men since the beginning of mankind. What I love about the principles of feminism is that it is not to simply empower women to higher standards than men, but rather to elevate the female population to the same level as their male counterparts. Equality is the feminist movement's goal, though the name misleads countless individuals into believing that it only serves women's causes. (Another misconception is that all feminists are pro-choice. I strongly support the feminist cause, and continue to believe in the sanctity of life. I am certain that I am not alone in these seemingly contradictory beliefs.) If one is to even quickly peer into feminist ideals, they will find evidence that sexism against women hurts men as well. For example, in modern times, it is totally accepted, even expected, for girls to wear things traditionally worn by men. This could include anything from jeans to t-shirts. However, if a male wished to wear something commonly thought as girly, like a dress, he would be mocked and scorned by many. Why is it that it is okay for a female to dress somewhat masculinely, but a man must be joking to get away with donning a more feminine outfit? The answer is surprisingly plain: society says that to be female is to be weak, to be lesser than a human being with dignity, like a man. If a man was to wear a dress as a personal choice, society would believe him to be lowering himself whilst also insulting his influence as a member of the male gender. Other sexist slights that I hear almost daily are, "Don't be such a girl," and, "You ___ like a girl." I have heard these used by both of the sexes directed at one another. I am also guilty of using these sayings before I became aware or their harmful nature. Now, when I hear someone say anything likening an act of caution or an imperfectly executed athletic endeavor to being "like a girl," I cringe at how we continue to poison each other's minds with sexist remarks. What is wrong with being female? Why does that make me weaker than anyone else? Why should I be ashamed of running, throwing, or screaming like a girl? That is what I am, after all. We should all have the ability to take pride in our gender identities without the fear of being judged. These two examples do not even come close to describing all of the hindrances that females everywhere must accept.
ReplyDeleteIt is a wish of mine to someday live in a major city, and it scares me that the first thing I think of when I entertain this idea, is that I will certainly need a rape whistle before I take any further action. Why am I living in fear of being sexually assaulted or raped? It is not my responsibility to control a man's urges. That is his body, and his business, so why am I hesitant to go in public, even here in St. Marys, wearing a skirt and tank top? It is truly terrifying that I have worried about rape since I understood what it was. You may think I am overreacting, but am I? Are there not reports of sexual assaults broadcasted on our local news daily? Likewise, as I come closer to entering the so-called "real world," I become more disgusted by the sizable gap between men's and women's pay. This has recently been brought to the attention of the public by some politicians. It is a proven fact that women make less money to the dollar than men. A female could have a higher degree than a man, do a task of the same calibre as a male coworker, and still have a smaller salary. Women of color make even less that white females. This is both terrifying and bothersome to me. Why is a woman's labor cheaper than a man's, and why does her race make her even less of an asset? It is appalling to me that this mindset has been brainwashed into so many young people, including myself for a time, who are not even consciously aware of just how oppressing it is. I am, however, happy to say that I am slowly becoming less ignorant of the topic, and I hope I have the ability to share my passion about feminism through educating others on just how big of a problem sexism still is today.
ReplyDeleteI relate highly to your view points you expressed. As young girls, we are taught to aspire to marriage and live up to a man's expectations. I've never heard about boys being taught to aspire to impress their wife. Boys are taught that "boys will be boys." As girls we are given strict rules to how we must act and hold ourselves up. We even have rules on the correct way to sit. Whenever a person finds out I hate cleaning and I cannot cook without ruining everything or having the fire department dispatched, the usual reaction is a disgusted look along with me being lectured about the need to learn and master these things so I can be a good housewife. Whenever I reply with my plan of being a psychiatrist and having a husband doing the cooking and cleaning, I am met with an explicit reply on how that is not the right family life. Although we are living in 2014, we are still stuck with the struggles women have faced for centuries.
DeleteOn a personal level I made the most connection with "Perspectives of Fear." Fear can manifest itself in a multitude of forms. The author stated that a big problem for her was sleep because of these fear. I think that everyone has a fear to some point whether they will admit it or not it is there. I found a deep connection with the story because I am no stranger to fears. As a child I had a lot of fears stupid little ones and big common ones alike. Some of those child hood fears I got over but there are still ones that haunt me today. As I grew older I found fear in less things but more serious things. I connected to the author because I know what it is like to lay in bed and try to think happy thoughts like everyone suggest but sleep does not come. It is those moments when you have to face your fears and you say to yourself I will do it this time I will over come them. It does not always work. The author mentioned medication where as some people say "oh it is just a few pills to sleep" but it is not like that. Like the author said it takes tremendous resolve to not give in. This story is special because it can connect to an audience on a very personal level through personal experience with is why I loved it. I find that sleep and fear go hand in hand more then some might think and it takes time to understand that and we as a people will never truly understand it.
ReplyDeleteFear is usually related to either death or the unknown. Any fear can be put into these two categories. I believe that sleep can work off of these fears and build them to new intensities. It is easy to be afraid when we are trying to sleep because we have to let go of our conscious thoughts. When we let go of our conscious thoughts, our brain will jump from one topic to the next, seemingly without reason. It will try to connect random things into a logical order, and the answer it comes up with can be terrifying. Only when we let go would we think that the noises we hear are monsters coming to kill us. In the morning, the fear we felt seems silly, but it will return next time we are in that situation.
DeleteI think that everyone can relate to "Perspectives on Fear" at a personal level. Everyone is afraid to divulge their fears because they don't want to seem weak, when in reality everyone has fears. When I was little, I was afraid of the dark. Like the author, I didn't like the shadows made on the walls. I have grown up to find that the only thing we have to fear (as cliche as this may sound) is fear itself.
DeleteI related best to "How to Tell a True War Story." The story that Tim O'Brian told about Curt Lemon had no personal connection to my life, but the message he was trying to get across did. Almost at the end of the selection, he explains that whenever people listened to the war story, they never understood that it was actually a love story. I believe that whenever people listen to a story, they only hear what they expect to hear. They never see the depth because they think they know what it is about. Whenever I tell someone what it was like before I needed hearing aids and then I explain how much they help me now, they assume that I have been "fixed." At the surface, that is how it might seem, but there is a different point. The story is really about the loss I endured and what I undertook to overcome it. Saying that I was "fixed" is too demeaning of my struggle. The dispossession of any sense is not something that can be fixed and forgotten about. The loss is grieved at every opportunity. When it can be repaired, it is only an imperfect replacement of an unimaginable injury. As time goes on, the ache lessens enough that it can be tolerated because it will never be truly forgotten about.
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DeleteAshley, I can really relate to your war story. In truth, people see what they want to see and then they are done with the subject. They only see the surface, and not the person inside. But a machine or device is no substitute for what an organ or a proper tissue can do. My pump is a treatment, not a fix, and it can malfunction. Sure it helps, but it is no substitute for my pancreas, and your hearing aids aren't a substitute either. Even though our experiences are different our thoughts aren't. (:
DeleteI agree with you, Ashley. People try to ignore the truth or they are just unwilling to look for it. In different cases, people just don't want to know the truth, so they try to focus on another point in the story. The truth may be "ugly," but it's still the truth and we need to hear it. It somewhat irritates me how people avoid the truth even though we know in the back of our minds what the truth really is.
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ReplyDeleteI felt the story that had the most profound effect on me was "How to Tell a True War Story." I would be lying if I said it affected me how the author intended or how most other people probably felt. The story left me feeling very disturbed to the point I talked to my mom about it.
ReplyDeleteMy mom started telling me a story she remembered, which disturbed her. She recalled stories told to her as a child of pictures of soldiers holding up the head of enemies. People should look at other people as humans not as feral beasts. Everybody and everything in the world needs love and compassion. After reading this story, I looked into more stories of the Vietnam War. Neither side is exempt from dishing out cruel treatments. Some Viet Cong killed many Americans, but some American soldiers also are responsible for the massacre of many innocent men, women, and children, such as the instance in the village of My Lai. Five hundred of the seven hundred villagers were killed.
I cannot say I can even fathom how it must feel to watch your best friend die or the many people around you dying tragic deaths, but I can say there is a right and wrong way to handle situations. The author claims the story was a story of love, but I find that very fallacious. If Rat really loved his best friend, he would not have tortured an innocent, beautiful creature in his name. Losing somebody is one of the hardest things in life to ever deal with, but we shouldn't let that love turn into resentment for others. When we are faced with a loss of somebody, we need to take that love we have for them and spread it around. These stories need to survive, but instead of just reading them, the world needs to look into them and see the evils.
These execrable activities are not stories of the past. As a society we are still living in this type of story. An American journalist was recently decapitated in Syria. War needs to be prevented by finding love for each other. The world needs to look at these inhumane treatments of each other to find the strength within to settle things without violence. The deadliest weapon in these stories is not the booby-trapped artillery rounds, the automatic guns, or any other material. The most lethal weapons in these stories are the hatred and spitefulness that grows and cultivates within every person. It would be an immensely easier task to get rid of all the weapons in the world than the truly difficult task of eradicating the hatred and malicious feelings. I feel strongly that we should not even look upon fellow humans as enemies. We should look at the people we disagree with as an individual with their own way of thinking. I detest the idea of war and strive to help the world come to peace. I look up to leaders such as Gandhi and Mandela who came before me teaching peace. Soldiers carry a heavy burden with the myriad of deaths unfolding before them, but as a society we all suffer from it.
I feel the same about this topic, Lauren. I believe that we are all so fortunate that sometimes we forget how to feel pain. Death is inevitable, it happens to everyone. We need to realize that when someone is killed it happens for a reason. As hard is it may be, we need to accept it because we truly are blessed. We have more than what we need when others do not have anything. Remembering how others feel is half of the problem. While we are suffering, millions of others feel the same, or worse than us. Love needs to be spread around so that when something happens to us or someone else, we can look back on the good things. It is a part of who we are to feel depressed at some time, but we can always work to change it into something good. We need more people like that in our world. When someone is mean to us, we need to go back at them with nothing but love. It really could change our world.
DeleteSweaty palms. Heart racing. Shakiness. This is the way fear manifests itself. Its how you feel before a big test, or when you’re going for the goal. Maybe it’s how you feel when you are in large crowds, or there is a situation you don’t want to be in. We all have fear, and it’s different for everybody. Some may bite their nails; some shake, have chest pains or may get upset stomachs.
ReplyDeleteI remember the first time I drove a car. Two years ago, I had crashed my dad’s truck through our garage door, (even though he was with me.) It cost my parents insurance tens of thousands of dollars in repairs and rebuilds. It wasn’t the money that scared my parents or myself either. It was the “what if” thoughts. What if I died, my dad died or we both died?
So, when I was sixteen and got my permit, and got in the car for the first time, my legs wouldn’t stop shaking. My mind kept going back to what had happened two years before. I couldn’t help thinking that it was real this time. I was on the road, the real road, not in my driveway at my house. I could hurt someone who I don’t know, or hurt their car and as a result could cause their family sadness and pain. I never want to do that.
Each morning when I get in the car to go to school I think about what may happen. What will I meet on the road today? Will it be good or bad? But that is exactly the thing that scares us; fear of the unknown. When the narrator in “Perspectives on Fear” by Saskia Verlaan, went into the chicken coop, she didn’t know what she was going to encounter, all she knew was that she had a fear of rats and the possibility of seeing one always loomed in her mind. But that’s the whole thing about fear. Something that the author and I both overlook is the simple fact of what life really is; fear of the unknown is everywhere and will continue to be for the rest of our lives. Truthfully, there is very little that we can control. Life just happens! Sure you can go on pills to help yourself, but that really doesn’t fix the problem.
Like Picasso’s “Weeping Woman”, we start thinking about things, and we can’t stop, and our thoughts began to resemble the “jagged lines and contours” of the painting’s face. It symbolizes what fear does to someone, externally and probably internally. It wears on our soul and people can see the expression in our face.
I personally have experienced fear as many of us have, and will continue to deal with throughout your life and mine. What I have learned and helps me is to separate in my mind what is fact and what is fiction. Most importantly, I have learned through scripture from the great author, the apostle Paul, “ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7)
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DeleteOlivia, I agree with you about the fear of the unknown. For it is a very common fear for many as a whole. I know as I sit back and think that in less than two years, most of us will be heading off to college. We all are going to have to figure out what we plan on doing for the rest of our lives. There are a variety of unknown events that are going to happen once we leave the comfort of a high school. I personally know I am terrified of the unknown events that await me after high school. Constantly questions such as, what jobs will be available, how will I live on my on, and many other similar questions appear in my restless mind. For it is the fear of the unknown that cause many to stress and become uneasy, but we are all going to have to overcome this because the unknown is inevitable.
DeleteI relate greatly to "Perspectives on Fear". At certain parts in the story I would say to myself, this is me, one-hundred percent. Ever since I was a child, I always had this fear of someone kidnapping or murdering me, and even feared someone just breaking into my house during the midst of the night.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, around the age or five or six, I would have dreams of someone taking me from the comfort of my home. These horrifying dreams would cause me to sneak downstairs into my parents room almost every night, with me begging to stay with them. Over and over again, like a record on repeat, my parents would tell me the dreams were not real and that I was safe inside the security of my home. Of course, I knew they were right, but my mind would cause me to toss and turn, keeping me up with these reoccurring thoughts and dreams. For some period of time, my fears seemed to fade away completely as I became more mature. However, around age fourteen I began watching very realistic crime scene investigation shows. Little did I understand that these shows would spark my imagination into awakening my "long lost" fears. One instance sent me into pure terror. I have always had a great difficulty sleeping the night away. I would awaken from my slumber at the hours of one or two every night with the minor dreams of kidnappings. I, alone in my room, would lie in bed striving to fall asleep, while unable to forget the dream that just occurred. I would become so obsessed with the thought I began hearing noises throughout my home causing the comfort and security to disappear. I locked my self in my room and began trembling for someone was in my house. I could hear my heart pounding through my chest so loud I thought it was going burst. Thump.. Thump..Thump... I just kept hearing these noises, so I called my home phone to startle the intruder. My dad answered and reassured me that no one was in the house. Bravely and feeling childish, I unlocked the door, and tried to fall asleep once again. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere I saw a strange figure staring at me in the darkness coming into my room. I was horrified! Little did I know, it was my dad coming up to check to see if I was alright.
The experience I dealt with first hand reminded me of the author's experience that was described in the Grand Canyon. The author felt as if she was lost and all alone, but it turned out that it was just a figment of her imagination, just as my episode never truly happened. I believe both of these examples show the power that fear has over everyone of us in a different manner, no one is ever sure why these fears are evoked. Some believe that fear only occurs from past events or from live situations. However, this accusation is one-hundred percent inaccurate. Instances as these come from deep with in the mind, sometimes for unknown reasons. Another aspect I found relative was in the chicken coop when she saw the rats. She thought of horrendous actions she wanted to preform on the rats. I believe this shows the great power of a human mind. I say this because it brings out actions and or thoughts people would never think of committing without the addition of fear. Although, it is safe to say that the fear brings out these actions from a person. Whether the action is committed or not, it comes to show the power fear has on the mind itself.
I have experienced similar events during my childhood, Sydney. I would also have dreams where someone I loved would be violently murdered. The gore that played in my sleeping brain was scarring. On occasion, I would be brought to tears.
DeleteI can still vividly recall some terrible scenes from my mental horrors, and I am sometimes overwhelmed with intense anxiety when I am in bed trying to sleep and I hear something "suspicious." Though I am now mature enough to realize that I am relatively safe because of living with two dogs who take their "protecting" job seriously, and that my mind is better able to think rationally, I cannot help but picture a horrific fate for my family and myself.
I will probably never get over the fears that have been instilled in me by these night terrors, but perhaps that is not necessarily a bad thing. I will hopefully be influenced to exercise reasonable caution because of the fears from my earlier years when I am living on my own, and not let myself be pushed to overreact for the same reason.
I feel I best relate to "Perspectives on Fear." When I was young child many years ago, I feared many things which make no sense today. I also feared some things that I still am afraid of today. But I have tried to get over them, and I feel this article put some things into perspective for me. But I can relate greatly to Saskia Verlaan, because we both struggled with fear, and some of it has no basis in reality. But it does not matter that there is no explanation for my fears which have no basis in reality, I fear them the same as my fears with a rational explanation.
ReplyDeleteSo one fear of mine that has no rational explanation is my fear of moose. I have only seen two moose in my entire life, and the one just walked away from me, while the other just stayed where it was and did not move towards me. So I have no reason to be afraid of them. I just have dreams of a moose sinking its antlers into my flesh and swinging me around, and then bashing me into trees. I would then lie there, and probably die. But I have read up on moose and their behavior, and I know that they will not do this to me. But the fear is still there, and I wish I could get over this fear, but I can't. I have learned to control this fear. I used to be afraid of elk, deer, and anything else that had antlers. But today, I can be around all those animals with antlers. I could probably survive if I was put in the same room with a moose. But I always will have a deep fear of moose, and there really is no reason to be afraid of them.
One other thing I am afraid of is mosquitos. I have been afraid of Mosquitos from a young age. I was always fearful I would catch malaria, yellow fever, or West Nile Virus. I know that it is very hard to get bitten by a mosquito infected by a deadly disease, but these days it's very easy for a mosquito to stowaway on a ship, and come to America. But I have done lots of research on these terrible diseases, and realize there is either no cure, or the cure has less then a 50% of chance of working. But I feel bad for all the people who do have to deal with these disease transmitting Mosquitos. I would probably die if I was put into that environment. But this is another fear I am trying to work on, but this one I just can not get over. I dream of getting bitten, and then dying in a hospital bed. That's not the way I want to go out.
I feel that fear is something scientists will never truly understand. I know I will never understand my fears. And I believe Saskia Verlaan never understood her fears exactly either. But we are fighting our fears to get over them. But fear is a good thing. Without fear, we all would have died a long time ago. Because what stops us from jumping off cliffs, or entering shark infested water, grabbing metal objects and standing out in the middle of a thunderstorm? We are afraid of doing these stupid activities. So that is what I have learned in my life so far. I have many fears, but they are all important. I think instead of trying to get over our fears,we should embrace them for what they are. They are evolutionary warning mechanisms designed to save us, not to hurt us.
I agree with you Nick that fear in a way is good. Fear can stop us from doing stupid things true. Fear of disease keeps people working to end those diseases but that does not mean all fear is good. I think in most cases fear is primarily bad. Yes fear keeps us living but it can stop us from living to our potential. I am going to use soccer for an example because it is something I know. If you are a small kid on the field and the opposing team has big kids and you are scared of getting hurt what then. Is fear going to keep you from doing the sport you love. So for you to say fear is good I would have to argue. Fear helps us stay alive but what is the point of being alive if fear keeps you from what you love.
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ReplyDeleteI relate the best to the story "How To Tell A True War Story". The author here is trying to reveal a few different concepts to us. He showed me that to find true beauty in things, a deeper understanding of it must be found. He also presented to me that if someone doesn't truly believe another person, they are more likely to question their reliability.
ReplyDeleteI believe this is a wonderful thing. It relates to my life and the life of others a little more than we realize. We often tend to look at certain things and not realize how amazing it is. For example, when a baby is born we get excited that there is a new child to play with. We overlook that this baby is not just another person. This baby is the child of two ecstatic parents, the possible sibling to a brother or sister, someone who could go on to do great things in life, the blessing from God that made the family come all together for a change. If we analyze things a little more, we may uncover a hidden beauty in the most unexpected places. We often look at things only on the surface, we don't dig a little deeper and see what's to great about it.
Now as for the other concept the author is teaching me, how often do we find ourselves questioning the people we thought we trusted the most? Probably the answer is more than you think. If all of our trust is in someone, we won't question them on anything. When we find ourselves doing just this, we know that in the back of our minds, we don't completely believe them. We begin to wonder if what they say is reliable or not.
In this way, the author shows that people don't look at war the same way a soldier does. They see friends, memories, pain, and much more. We see men and women killing each other. He also says that if you have to ask if something is true, the answer matters. The answer wouldn't matter if we believed everyone.
I am glad you brought up the topic of recognizing the true beauty right in front of us, Tabitha. I live with an airport almost literally in my front yard. I suppose I find it fascinating to some extent, but I do not even come close to paying it the same amount of attention I once did when my family moved here ten years ago. I am always caught off guard when someone visits me and is left in awe by the small aircraft that make use of the runway. It is in these moments when I realize how unusual my home's location is, and how unique this makes my situation. Though most days I regard the airport as a strip of pavement that just happens to be ever in view from my bedroom, I have begun to make a conscious effort to at least peer out my window when the engine of an ultralight or the blades of a helicopter are audible, slicing through the atmosphere. This is simply one example from my life, and I am sure that every individual can relate to becoming accustomed to something that has great value or impact on their existence. I deeply appreciate every reminder to really look at something I may see daily, and I encourage everyone else to do the same. Take the opportunity to actually process how piercing your best friend's eyes are, the way that the rain slides down the windows of your car, or stop and look skyward and take in its vastness. What you see may pleasantly surprise you.
DeleteBravo, everyone! My AP English Scholars ROCK! You are off to a good start on the blogging. I enjoyed reading each of your blogs and your responses to one another. Many blogs are very stimulating - and it is wonderful to see you sharing your ideas about the assigned readings this past week. Many of you wrote about "fear" and I do believe this is something we have all experienced in our lifetime. I hate to admit it but I still have a fear of sleeping in my house alone at night. My husband is always here now but before he retired, he worked at the paper mill. When he worked night shift, I would lock my bedroom door at night. I should be ashamed to admit that but I want you to know that even adults have real fears. I think my fear stems from living in the city many years ago. One night, my next door neighbor, a student at Point Park College in Pittsburgh, went to bed around midnight. She had not checked her windows and it was discovered later that a utility guy had been in her house to fix something and evidently had unlocked her side window when she was not looking. She never opened the window so she had no reason to check it. That night or the next night the guy came off the street into her bedroom and raped and murdered her. I never heard a thing and I was just next door. I moved out of the apartment immediately! It was very traumatizing for me and I think that is why to this day I am still afraid of someone coming in my house at night. I have told all my nieces to be sure their windows are locked and that when utility people come to the house, follow them around and check everything after they leave. You all did a good job in your first week - keep up the good effort.
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