Metacognition: Mashup

To begin the Mashup my group chose the topic of feminism.  At this point, we had not chosen a point of view as we were still in the information gathering stage.  We began by finding quotes about feminism from Jane Eyre and other works of literature from English this year.  As we gathered these quotes I began thinking about my views of feminism and how I might want this to translate into our project.  We agreed generally on focusing on a positive view of feminism and following the progression of Jane’s feministic values throughout the novel.

When gathering other elements for the Mashup, we began without much understanding of how everything might work together.  We each gathered about seven elements which we thought were interesting and supported a positive view of feminism. We ended up using very few of the elements because as we dove into the ordering of the quotes and elements we realized that much of what we had found didn’t fit or support our changing vision.  At one point, we stopped gathering elements because the process was beginning to seem random.  We kept in mind that a Mashup is meant to help us develop one coherent idea about our chosen topic.

We began putting the elements in an order which chronicled Jane’s life along with the progression of feminism in history in terms of our Sophie’s World quotes.  Then we began to add other elements which we found and it slowly became more clear what elements we still needed.  We continued to search and came up with an order we were happy with for the time being.  The next day, we met for a final time and went through the Mashup again.  We ended up changing the order around pretty dramatically in some parts and taking out and adding certain elements.

Upon completion we felt confident that our Mashup held an important message which we wanted to share.  My thought process changed throughout the project as I formed my own opinion of the topic and point of view from which I wanted to present it.  The most interesting part for me was putting the elements together in an order that made sense. It was almost like a puzzle that we needed to put together except that there was no right or wrong answer. I can definitely see using the Mashup process as a way to think and organize my ideas in the future.

iMedia: Soul Surfer

Above is the trailer for a movie I saw this weekend called “Soul Surfer.” It tells the story of a young girl in Hawaii who was making her way to become a professional surfer when she tragically lost her arm in a shark attack.  This movie is based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton, and chronicles her struggles after losing her arm and the changes she had to make in her life to adapt. 

I found this movie extremely inspirational as I watched Bethany get back out into the water only three weeks after her attack.  She was able to get up on her board on the third wave and the joy she felt transmitted so well to the audience.  This movie really put things in perspective for me.  I realized that I am truly blessed to have everything I do.  I wish I could be as brave as Bethany and be so selfless and hardworking. 

Very inspiring to me, was a scene in the movie where Bethany visited Thailand a short time after her attack to help those injured from the Tsunami.  She had recently suffered a nearly fatal accident, but put all that behind her to help those in need.  She even helped the people of Thailand overcome their fear of the ocean, making them her priority, rather than herself. As a professional surfer today, Bethany continues to inspire the world and has helped many understand the answer to a difficult question: why does God allow bad things to happen in our lives?

I think this movie can be inspirational for many people and can help us understand what is truly important in the world. Following your dreams and never giving up, although clichés are truly driving forces in Bethany’s story and something we should never overlook.  

360 Degrees: Extra Credit

Some teachers are very adamant about not giving their students opportunities for extra credit, while others offer it on almost every test.  This is because extra credit is viewed differently by many people.

Some teachers see it as a good opportunity for students to improve their grades, and many students feel the same way.  I think some teachers do not offer extra credit because they want students’ grades to reflect their work, rather than have their grades inflated by extra credit.  Further, maybe some teachers don’t have the time to write and grade extra credit assignments and would rather have their students focus on class material.

I don’t believe in excessive extra credit, but I do feel that it can be a good opportunity.  Sometimes it makes up for mistakes one makes on tests and quizzes at the beginning of the year when they are still getting used to the class and the teacher.  If I work really hard on an assignment or studying for a test, and I do poorly, I try to learn from my mistakes and see if there is any extra credit available. To me, that seems fair.  I do not think extra credit should be an easy way to improve one’s grade, however, but rather something more challenging that pertains to the class’s curriculum.

I think most students are in favor of extra credit, as am I, although I do understand why some may see it as unfair.  For example, if other classes boost their grades by numerous extra credit assignments, rather than doing well on their work, frustration can ensue.  This can be especially difficult when your teacher doesn’t offer any extra credit for the same course.

I think that extra credit can be a very worthwhile opportunity, but teachers choose to handle this topic in different ways.  This is not a bad thing, but merely presents a challenge for students to face in their various classes.

Dialectics: Free Will and Responsibility

Free Will: When one has free will, he or she makes their own decisions of free and independent choice.  It is important to make decisions to make one self happy, as one should act out of personal choice.  Humans are not controlled by physical or divine forces so it is truly a matter of desire.  To quote a Rush song named after me, “if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” That is, free will is any decision one makes out of their own choice.

Responsibility: Responsibility is the state of being answerable and accountable.  While your “free will” may be fun for awhile, it is important to face your responsibilities and do what is asked and expected of you.  One who is not responsible will not be given the opportunity to use their free will and make independent choices.  I do not think free will is a bad notion, although I think it must be coupled with more realistic qualities for a person to be successful in this world.

Free Will: I agree that making decisions out of one’s free will is not the only important thing in life.  And while I understand that being responsible is an important quality to have, and can be coupled with free will in a balanced way, I believe that free will should be chosen over responsibility in some respects. Is it so wrong for a person to, for example, choose not to do their homework one night because they need some sleep? In this case, I think that using one’s free will to decide to get some sleep is a better decision than doing the responsible thing and finishing one’s homework. 

Responsibility: This is an interesting example you give, as I see the act of forgetting about one’s homework for a night and getting some sleep as the truly responsible decision.  I think this shows that an action out of free will can also be a responsible action.  I truly think you and I can coexist. 

Free Will: Maybe you are right. It's just a matter of balance.

Best of the Week: Feminism

In our beginning discussions of Jane Eyre this week, the topic of feminism was introduced.  Mr. Allen made a very interesting point about feminism which really shed light on the topic for me.  He suggested to anyone who is anti-feminist to take away all the rights feminists have granted to women over the years and see you what you have.  The answer: not much. 

To be perfectly honest, I did have some negative connotations of feminism. I had some preconceived notions about these “man-haters,” that made me think feminists were like social extremists.  When Mr. Allen made his point, however, I began to think about the various rights feminists have brought us.  Where would we be without the right to vote, work, and go to school, in addition to countless other rights brought to us by these “bitter women that want to overthrow the government?”

I think it was really important for me to realize that my thinking has been clouded by meaningless stereotypes and that I should strive to find the real meaning of feminism.  According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, feminism is “the theory of political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.”  Imagine that! Feminists are crazy people who think that women are human-beings too!

After further research, I started to realize that the ideals of feminism are not crazy at all, but rather very sensible. I have come to understand that my notions about feminists were false, and some ridiculous.  Feminists are both men and women who promote equality of the sexes.  I think it is important for people to understand the true goals of feminism, as I imagine many who believe they are anti-feminists, truly support the fight for women’s rights.  I am glad that I now better understand the true goals of feminism, and I look forward to seeing how it plays a role in both Jane Eyre as well as how it continues to affect modern day society.

Best of the Week: Names

The best idea from class this week was our discussion of the importance of names in a story.  This lesson was demonstrated in our conversation about Cathedral.  Raymond Carver, the author of the story, leaves the narrator and his wife nameless while giving a name to the blind man.

I learned that this was not a carless choice by Carver, but was rather done on purpose to add to the story.  Making the blind man the only character in the story with a name emphasizes what an important character he is.  His name is also repeated often by the wife as she marvels at the man she is talking to.  Perhaps Robert is the only character given a name because of his extraordinary abilities to overcome his blindness, maybe most notably, in his relationship with his late wife.  It was clear that Robert and his wife had an extremely close relationship, and it is fascinating to think that he could be so very intimate with a woman who he’d never even seen before.  This is an admirable quality and truly something each of the characters as well as readers most likely look up to. 

Perhaps the narrator and his wife didn’t receive names because of the seeming monotony of their lives.  Leaving them nameless symbolized the lack of intimacy in their relationship.  It also put more attention on the real focus of the story; Robert.  This makes me think about the significance of people’s names in real life and how I address people differently as well as how I am addressed.  I am definitely going to keep this in mind when writing my short story, and carefully consider how giving names or not giving names to my characters affects the story.  

iMedia: Dance at Bougival

"Dance at Bougival"

Pierre-August Renoir’s “Dance at Bougival” is one of my favorite works of art, as I have a special connection to it through my favorite show, “Gilmore Girls.” On one episode of the show, the small town the main characters live in, StarsHollow, hosts the ‘Festival of the Living Art.’  This event is based on an actual art festival, the Pageant of the Masters, and involves recreations of famous paintings using  people who are both painted and dressed like those in the paintings.

Festival of the Living Arts ("Gilmore Girls")
"Dance at Bougival"

“Dance at Bougival” means much to me both because of my love of “Gilmore Girls” and my fascination with the ‘Festival of the Living Art’ as well as my pure enjoyment of this beautiful painting.  The colors and wonderful movement of the clothing make one feel as if they are part of the story, while the somewhat unfocused background helps one to concentrate even more on the focal point of the painting, the dancing couple.

I imagine this painting means just as much to many other “Gilmore Girls” fans and, perhaps, serves to some as an introduction to Renoir’s fine works.  “Dance at Bougival” is a wonderful work of art and  serves to me as a fun way to learn about a famous artist and painting.  This painting is iconic to me now and reminds me each and every time I see it of my love of art as well as the fun and enjoyment I get from watching my favorite show.