Final Reflection

            I still love English and writing. If anything this semester has increased my love for English rather than hindered it. I have learned more than ever that I need to be in the right frame of mind to write though. I would love to figure out how to not be so dependent on my frame of mind in order to pull off well-written pieces. I also wonder if this isn’t just the nature of writing and English.

            I have really enjoyed reading more and improving my vocabulary this semester. One of the ways that my writing has improved, is by seeing the value of authors being clear and concise. This has allowed me the freedom to say things much more clearly, and a lot less flowery. I still like playing with words, but I feel that I am learning to bring creativity and information into a better balance. As I look back on the semester with English 111 I really don’t have a lot of regrets.

            I am looking forward to the day when I get to take English 112! I am hoping that I will take it next fall semester. My personal goals as a writer are to write an article to send into the CVCC magazine, as well as to continue to work on my devotional book and story. I think the best piece I wrote this semester is hopefully, my last one, which is a textual analysis. The reason I feel this way is because I think that it has much more improved writing style.

Love

It could be argued that love is the most abused and confusing word in the English Language, yet it is a word/concept that is longed for above anything other concepts. Although the dictionary’s definition tells us that love is “an intense feeling of deep affection.” The great longing in every human soul to be loved surely can’t simply be defined so simply. I love my children, I might ‘love’ your photo on Facebook, and I also love ice cream How can our longing for a concept(love) be the same as our appreciation for a food or a little heart on a computer screen. The Greeks had four separate words for the multiple layers of love, and I would suggest that the Greek language had a better grasp on the intensity of the word.  Yet if I go back to the dictionary definition and understand that there are many levels to the concept, perhaps this is a genius definition. To love is to be human. To have intense affection with multiple layers shows us the complexity of the human mind and emotion. Towards my children, the depth of my affection is far greater than towards frozen confections. Despite my personal desire for better clarification of love, so that the abuse of the word can be eliminated, I can also acknowledge that the word/concept of love associated with simple definition perhaps is the best definition we can use.

Social Media VS Real Life

             There are multiple reasons why I left the world of social media behind. In my opinion, it was one of the best decisions I could make, because it freed up the resources, I needed for living and thriving in my life. In comparing social media with real life, I find a fascinating revelation. Both real-life and social media consume an intense amount of emotional energy and physical time. Both are centered around human relationships and rely on personal opinion, and social decision-making skills. Yet the realness of reality and façade of social media exposes as a stark contrast. The continual pressure for presented perfection when the world (or a growing friend list) is watching often leaves us feeling the need to present our lives as better than reality.  Although real-life might feel boring or small (how often do I have 100 friends staring at my every moment), the authentic moments of truly real life can be the richest blessings we experience. The concept of presenting my painted smiling face in every moment feels stressful. The reality of my baggy sweatshirt, fuzzy blanket, and messy hair, is the truth of my current situation, and being okay with that can be impowering. It has been my personal experience that social media is neither a safe, or a real place, but real life is by its very nature true humanity fleshed out.

Stereotypes

 “Stereotypes are usually inaccurate, often negative and always dangerous” (The Ways We Lie by Stephanie Ericsson), yet use stereotypes all the time. We do it without even thinking about it. Who are some of these people that we are so quick to stereotype?

Teenagers

 As a High School teacher, I know I do it with the teens I work with (if I am honest). I remember one day sitting in the car with my daughter (who is a teenager herself) and I had just spouted off some insensitive statement about teenagers. Her response to me was to point out my stereotypical ways and remind me that if people like me always put down her generation that we shouldn’t be surprised when our predictions came true. It’s hard not to stereotype a group of people we can be frustrated with at times, but when we do this, we feed into the lies that are already believed about that group.

Immigrants

People that we don’t understand or know very little about are easy to stereotype. The media feeds us enough information to make them out to be the reason for so many problems, and rather than doing any personal research it is much easier to believe the stereotypes fed to us. Immigrants fall into this category. Yet to assume that all immigrants are the same is so absurdly unrealistic it should be obvious that we are in error. How can a Honduran born mother of 6 children, an 80-year-old Iranian grandfather, and a 20-year-old South Korean student all fit into one stereotype? Simply put, they can’t. Each is different. They all have different heritages, histories, and perspectives.

Housewives

I, myself have been a stay at home mother, a housewife, and a homeschooler. If anyone was to fit into a simple stereotype it should have been me. But I was not a square trying to fit into a circle whole, I was more of an abstract, star, triangle, unnamed shaped, trying to fit into a stereotypical hole where bonbons are eaten while watching soap operas all day. I don’t think I know a single housewife who does that. Most of us are too busy rearing children, managing a household, and volunteering to bother with such nonsense (not that I want to stereotype all of us).

Each group has its own stereotype and yet each stereotype is incorrect. Yet it doesn’t stop there. Stereotypes are often very painful, can feel confining and create great prejudices. Most of us have stereotypes that we believe about others, and many of us know the pain of being stereotyped. So perhaps it’s time for us to relook at what we think we know about others and remove stereotypical thinking from our mindsets.

Can President Donald Trump Read?

After reading the essay, "Why Rational People Buy into Conspiracy Theories," by Maggie Koerth-Baker, visit one of the many conspiracy theory sites on the Web, and skim some of the theories there. Identify one theory that makes sense to you, and write a paragraph explaining your rationale.

          The conspiracy theory I found, although I must admit amused me (you might gather from reading this that I am not of fan of the current President), also does seem to be at least slightly plausible. Elect President Donald Trump can’t read. There are multiple people claiming that Trump can’t read, and multiple videos showing what appears to be him stumbling over words.  Upon watching a video showing Trump evades reading aloud in a legal hearing. It would seem to bring to light some to the validity of this statement. If indeed Trump can read, I would question what grade level his reading skills are at. One can simply skim his Twitter account and catch the many spelling mistakes, coupled with improper sentences, and overall bad grammar, to at the very least come to the conclusion that if he can read, it is likely that his reading skills are minimal at best. I find it disturbing to think that the leader of a country would have minimal or even no reading skills. The ability to acquire knowledge through the written word is an essential skill in any leadership position, and in my opinion mandatory for the President of the United States of America. I strongly hope that this conspiracy is false, but I am left pondering how true it really is.

Sources: https://bookriot.com/2018/02/22/can-trump-read/ 

Risk

Do you consider yourself to be risk-averse or risk inclined? Use at least 2 examples to illustrate your point.

Am I a risk taker? The easy answer is yes and no. Yes, I do believe in taking some risk, even extreme risk at times, but I tend to need to be able to plan ahead and give myself room for surprises. Packing up my family and leaving my Country of birth in order to move to Dallas, Texas in order to go to Bible school was a huge risk. At the time I was 6 months pregnant with my third child. I remember feeling that just about everything about this plan could go very wrong. For months, our family made it through by numerous financial miracles, but eventually, my husband found a job and finished his Bible School degree. Despite the challenges of this risk, neither I, nor my children look back on that season regretting that we went to Texas. 

            

           Even though I am willing to take big risks, I don’t tend to enjoy taking little risks. I pride myself on making responsible decisions, especially when it comes to finances.  I work very hard to make sure that our family is making wise choices with our finances, building up a savings account, and staying on a fairly strict budget. I don’t like financial surprises and can feel more confident when I have a certain amount saved. There have been a few times now that we have been spared a strenuous financial bind because of my persistence in saving. Much of the time my version of wise financial spending, is simply doing without.

A Writing Fail

         I can remember a time when engaging in two separate text conversations. One conversation was with my Pastor, and the second was with one of my best friends. At the time I was also sitting at a Cracker Barrel with my in-laws.  At one point I sent my friend a text that read, “We should go on a date, sometime soon, just you and me.” I pressed send, imagining a girl’s day out, shopping and sharing a meal. To my horror, I realized I had just sent my pastor (who is married) this text rather than my friend.  

          With Murphy’s Law now stacked against me, as I frantically attempted to fix the error, my phone died. I sat there, just staring at my dead phone trying to will it to life. I realized there would be multiple hours before I could correct my mistake. I was mortified!  I tried to choke down my meal, acting sweet and polite to my unknowing in-laws, all the while inwardly chastising myself for my inability to send a text to the right person. Why didn’t I pay more attention? Why couldn’t I follow some attempt at normal table etiquette and not been texting at all? Why didn’t I pay more attention to the battery level on my phone?   

          In the end, I was able to fix my error and explain what had happened. Thankfully the pastor and his wife understood and no one was offended. My friend, when told of the incident laughed and we did end up having a girl’s day out. For future reference though, always check your texts to see that you have everything (including the recipient) correct!