I am NOT a Transcententalist

I agree with the concept of self-reliance to an extent. I do think it is important to support and believe in yourself which corresponds with Emerson's, "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string." The difference between us is that I don't think that is the only way to go. I often rely on my friends and family for support.

The biggest difference between me and a transcendentalist is the belief that people are inherently good. It's not that I'm particularly pessimistic; I don't believe people are born good or bad. My beliefs align more with the "blank slate" theory. The basic idea is that we are all only born with so much, and how we are raised influences the type of person we become. This is why I found conflict with Emerson's line, "If you are true, but not in the same truth with me, cleave to your companions; I will seek my own...It is alike your interest, and mine, and all men's, however long we have dwelt in lies, to live in truth." He is essentially saying that if you don't agree with someone, each of you should just do your own thing. But what if that other person is doing something wrong? Not everyone is good.

Sound and Fury

I found this movie to be extremely interesting and unfortunately I have seen a few movies with the same problem. It seems like everyone has it in their head that if a child is to grow up happy and successful that that person has to be hearing. People also seem to assume that if someone is deaf that they are missing out on something. I personally think that if I were to have a deaf child, I would choose not to give them the implant because the surgery is risky and there is an entire culture that they will have the opportunity to be a part of.

The surgery to get the implant seems so risky. I wouldn't feel right putting a small child through such a scary surgery and unfortunately that is when it would have to be done. People who receive the implant as an adult rarely get good results. Even if the implant is given to a child, they will never be able to hear completely normal. It will sound muffled, maybe even to a point where it frustrates them to have the implant. Also, if they get the implant, they won't be hearing or deaf so they may have some struggles with finding out where they belong.

Being deaf isn't just a form of abnormality, it is a lifestyle that has a culture to go with it. There are entire communities and schools dedicated solely to the hearing impaired. In my opinion it is truly beautiful to watch people speaking through sign language. They are able to communicate not just words and phrases but also passion and emotion behind them. Rather than just speaking through signs, it is speaking through body language. Along with having its own language, there is also a history that goes along with this culture. Hearing people and even people with the implant miss out on this culture.

If my child were born deaf, I would want to raise them as a deaf child and open them up to every possible opportunity given to them. I think its necessary for the hearing impaired to have a certain pride in who they are and the wonderful community and culture that they get to be a part of. Also, it would be safer than risking a surgery that might not even be helpful. While there are strong arguments for the implant, I believe that in my case I would not give my child the implant and embrace them for who they are.

Semiotic Analysis: iPhones

For this post I chose to analyze an iPhone. No, I don’t actually have one, but I have an iPod and a cell phone. I couldn’t choose between the two so I am now analyzing the two in one. It feels like iPhones and smart phones do everything now. They take the place of cameras, iPods, phones, gaming devices, notepads, etc. by placing them all into one convenient device. It is structured this way to make our lives easier and more convenient…as if we really need that.

In today’s society it seems as though we barely have any need to leave our homes. We can order food, shop, communicate, and make money all on line, so why bother leaving the house? The answer to this question is too often “we never have to leave the couch!” This is a problem for several reasons. First of all, if you never get off the couch there is no way you can be healthy – video games and couch surfing do not count as exercise. Also, people are losing the ability to socialize with real people – just because someone friends you on Facebook doesn’t mean they are your real friend. And lastly, there is no way that living your life through a smart phone or a computer can replace going out, meeting people, working, and contributing to your community. While technology is amazing, it could end up being society’s weakest link.

Inaugural Speech

It has taken me forever to write this blog post! This is primarily because I struggled to find any significant differences between the words used by each president in his inaugural speech. After thinking for a while I realized that there is probably a reason for that. I came to the conclusion that there can’t be that many ways for them to say the same thing. I mean it’s the same job position giving the same speech at the same time of year for the same reason. So wouldn’t you expect their word choice to be similar? This is what I noticed. There were a few differences which I’m sure are a result of changing social norms, but for the most part, they were very similar. (I feel like I said that a lot.) The most common words are government and America which is to be expected since the speech is given by the leader of our government to America. I’m guessing we won’t see any drastic changes to the inaugural speech in the near future.

Fear of Disappointment

I have a fear of disappointment. I'm not worried about being disappointed; its more that I am worried about disappointing others. It seems like every assignment I turn in isn't good enough no matter what grade I receive. I am constantly thinking over how to handle situations so that I won't upset anyone or change their opinion of me. I think this bothers me because I view disappointment as a form of failure on my part.

I didn't obtain this fear from any situations with family members. My parents and sisters have always been super supportive of me and are always sure to tell me how proud they are. I have this fear because of standards I set up for myself. I have to do everything perfect or its not good enough and I view myself as a disappointment. I also end up for apologising for a lot of things that are either out of my control or not a big deal. If I could stop worrying about disappointing people -- friends, teachers, myself -- I would probably be a much more relaxed person.

Writing is a Dance

Learning how to write is very similar to learning how to dance. One common dream held by 3-year-old little girls is the dream of becoming a Prima Ballerina. They rush to the store to buy their first pair of ballet slippers and a brand new fluffy tutu. When they arrive in class for the first time they start small: pointing their foot and turning in place, but soon they will be doing grandiose leaps and turns across the floor. As little girls they learn basic terms such as “point” and “turn.” Later, they will learn that the real terms are “tendu” and “pirouette.” With enough time and practice, the will move up from the Ballet Corp to Prima Ballerina.

Writing isn’t very much different from learning to dance. We show up at school with our new notebooks and pencils all ready to learn. We start out small – learning that a subject and a verb make a sentence. Then we are ready to form paragraphs and maybe even put those together into an essay. As we advance in our learning experience we memorize an advanced vocabulary that we will almost never use because the average human doesn’t understand them. While some of us will be satisfied with our basic ability to write, others of us will move on to write novels and become the next big writer…or Prima Ballerina.

Some Light Nonfiction Reading

For my summer book I chose to read Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris. All of Sedaris's books were recommended to me by a friend last school year so I decided this summer would be a great time to test them out. Also, many of his recollections are from trips he took in Europe and seeing as I traveled there this summer it was a perfect fit.

This may be a challenge to blog about due to the fact that the book I chose to read was a collection of autobiographical stories from multiple times in Sedaris's life. The short stories don't follow any sort of timeline to outline his life, they are simple anecdotes from his past that would seem boring if written by anyone else, but his writing style really turned normal daily events into an entertaining read.

I absolutely fell in love with Sedaris's writing style from page one. You wouldn't think that playing with your sisters in the snow would be something you needed to stick into your autobiography, but one of the things Sedaris has down to a science is pointing out the little absurd parts of life that make little puppies cock their head to the side as if to say, "huh?" There is humor with every page turn and the fact that he is a homosexual gives him a free pass to make his little cracks about that as well. If you are the type of person who hates being that person on the bus snickering to himself because of the book he is reading, then this is not the book for you.

My personal favorite is the short story "Six to Eight Black Men" where he discusses the different legends that children of different countries have concerning Christmas. The main focus is the Dutch Christmas. Without giving too much away, I can tell you that Sedaris finds quite a bit of humor in the fact that their St. Nicholas resides in Spain, travels with six to eight black men (no one really knows how many), and if the child was naughty he would be kicked (although now they just "pretend" to kick you).

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is apprehensive about reading nonfiction. It honestly felt like I was reading fiction except that everything I was reading was entirely true.