Metacognition: Organizing my Room

My room is one of the places which I feel most comfortable in and most inspired by.  Over time, however, even the most sacred of places needs to be tidied up. Beginning to clean and organize is always the hardest part, but once you begin it becomes a lot easier. I made this assignment a priority because I couldn’t put it off.  We had guests coming over to our house for Thanksgiving at 2:00 pm.  It was 10:00 am and I needed my room to be presentable before everyone arrived.

I closed my door, turned on some music, and dove right in to the pile of clothes I had yet to fold and put away.  This is always my least favorite task, so I thought it would be a great place to start.  As my floor began to appear beneath my feet, I knew I was taking a step in the right direction.  I then proceeded to make my bed, which I realized is really a painless task.  Next I approached my desk.  I love doing my work at my desk, but the growing clutter upon it was starting to make working there more difficult. 

I worked for about 45 minutes and the time flew by as my room started to come alive again.  It was invigorating to feel so organized and be able to know where everything in my room was.  I was really happy I undertook this task. So inspired, in fact, that I continued to clean other areas of the house until our guests arrived.  Cleaning my room, in particular, made me realize a few things about myself.  First off, I discovered that I love being organized.  When cleaning my desk, I found tons of post-its, with different things I needed to remember to do, and different events coming up, written all over them.  I also realized that a cleaner room can make a cleaner mind, as I felt more motivated in general to try new things.  I wasn’t changing my room, or changing who I am; I was just organizing my room, and in a sense organizing my life.

iMedia: Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans

Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans acts as an important vehicle in bringing about a major art movement in the United States.  Warhol’s work introduced pop art to the West Coast, which originally caused offense but eventually gained much recognition.

This piece of art also has personal significance to me, as I am really interested in pop art. I love to draw and paint and Andy Warhol has always inspired me due to the bright and bold colors he uses and the simplicity of many of his works.

Whenever I think of Andy Warhol I remember the story my mom told me when I was younger that when she was a kid, she loved this work of art and drew her own Campbell’s Soup Can.  My mom has told me that it was one of her favorite things she ever drew.  This story makes me realize how similar my mom and I are, in that we both share a love of art, and specifically love Andy Warhol’s pieces.  My mom even bought me a case for my drawing pencils with none other than the Campbell’s Soup Can pop art decorating the outside.

In addition to an emotional connection with the work of art, I am inspired by the courage behind it.  Warhol received much criticism in regard to the merit of his work and his motives as an artist, causing large public commotion.  This, in turn, helped separate him from other pop artists of the time. I am supremely impressed and motivated by his audacity and willingness to be innovative.

Connection: Disguises in King Lear and Real Life

In King Lear both Kent and Edgar disguise themselves as people they are not.  Kent pretends to be a peasant so that he can continue to serve Lear, while Edgar disguises himself as a mad beggar in order to avoid his father’s men.  In the same way that these characters cleverly disguise themselves, people in real life do the same. 

Take for example students in a typical high school.  It seems there are always those students that pretend to be something they’re not.  Although this is often more figurative than literal, these students disguise themselves in a similar way as the characters in King Lear.  Some students have strong ambitions to be “popular,” changing the way they appear to others to fit this mold.  This is not always a successful strategy. One cannot put on a costume and become “popular” as Kent can change his appearance to appear as a beggar in one of Shakespeare’s plays. 

People can, however, change their personalities or interactions with people to fit the persona they wish to embody.  Kent and Edgar must change their personalities in the same way in order to be believable as new people.  If the characters in King Lear have reasons for their disguises, this must mean that people in real life wear disguises for a purpose too, right? Although this reason may not always be well thought out or good-natured, I believe there’s always a rationale.  When someone essentially changes who they are, there is most often a reason behind it.  These reasons are clear in the case of characters like Kent and Edgar, while the motives of the disguised creatures around us are much more complex.

But, who really knows who is wearing a disguise?  Perhaps we all are, in our own unique ways.  Maybe none of us are entirely able and willing to show everyone who we truly are.  It’s possible we’re all so comfortable in our masks that we don’t even realize we are wearing them. 

360 Degrees: Salem, Massachusetts

To tourists, Salem is a spooky town with several fascinating Halloween-themed attractions.  A tourist is most often excited to visit this town because of its almost unbelievable history of witch trials.  For some, the witch trials sound so inconceivable, that many, well, can’t believe such atrocities occurred.  It’s easy to overlook the countless deaths which took place during this time for this exact reason.  One might see the town as an interesting place to visit for a change of pace and some unique entertainment.

Others, who are fully aware of the town’s violent past, might be fearful to go there.  Some may not want to be in a place with such a gruesome past. In contrast, a historian’s primary thoughts about the town may include the fact that Salem was one of the most important seaports in early America. Such a person may be more concerned with the town’s historic waterfront than the Wiccan boutiques which serve as reminders of Salem’s past.  And still yet there are those that understand the tragedies which occurred and still find the town a cool place to visit because of its year round Halloween theme.

How can views of the same place vary so much from person to person? Perhaps one’s age makes a difference.  If one has more knowledge of the Salem witch trials, this person may be more inclined to view the town as unpleasant.  One who is unaware of the town’s past may be drawn to the witch-themed attractions of the town. 

This also begs the question, if everyone were to know the true happenings of Salem’s past, would people retain their current views of the town? How can those who understand its past still want to spend time in town?  I believe these questions can only be answered by the individual.  Some things are only explained based on someone’s personal experiences, so it is important to keep in mind that we cannot judge another unless we understand his or her experience.

Just one last question for the individual: Does a town deserve to be marked forever, even though those currently living in the town had nothing to do with its past?