The Race

Just like everyone else, I have lost many things in my life. There are the everyday, mundane things people lose and there are very important, life-changing things people lose. This particular event I'm about to share is neither mundane nor life-changing. I'm not entirely sure why, but it just sticks out to me. It was a rowing race. It happened a couple months ago, in April, at Long Beach, California. I lost, and I guess, it made a deep impression because I'm a fierce competitor and I strive to win. It was a clear, sunny day and the water was nice and calm. Good rowing conditions. I got into my single shell and headed out to the starting line. I rowed to the warm-up area past the bridge and got my first taste of the competition. Big guys, but not too big. This didn't look too bad. I'm a little smaller, but my technique is solid. The boatmaster calls up the race and we all head to our respective positions on the start line. I look back at the course, only a 1000 meters. However, this would be a tough sprint. I hear the dockmaster, "We have alignment. 3, 2, 1, Row!" I head out, my heart racing. Right off the bat, I miss 1 or 2 strokes. Not good. But, I recover. With about 250 meters to go, I'm tied for 3rd. I look over, trying to pull ahead, but the other guys are going too strong. They start to pull ahead of me. As we pass the beach area, I see the 500 meter mark above me. I start to feel the exhaustion and fatigue in my arms. I know I'm not taking good strokes. I fix my technique, but now my legs are burning up. It feels like forever till it ends. Another guy passes by me. I still have one rower behind me, though. Not in last. I hear my team cheering for me, it gives me a boost. I row hard, sprint it out at the end. I pass someone at the end. I hear the horn. I've passed the finish line. I look behind. 3 out of 6 boats have finished. I came in 4th. I head back to the beach area to dock. I hear encouraging words from my teammates. I'm disappointed, but I know it's going to be okay. I'm young and I still have plenty of opportunities to win races. This isn't the last one. 

Music Therapy

The Ancient Greeks viewed music not only as an art form, but also as a sort of medicine with significant healing powers. I believe in a similar theory. Music can help heal, but not on the biological or chemical level. Playing and listening to music can both have a profound effect on someone, simply by making he or she feel better. Music provides an escape, a corridor for optimism. Music therapy may have more impact for psychological diseases, rather than sicknesses associated with blood or muscles. The sound of music gives a new wave or new thoughts for the brain to deal with. It can carry someone away from whatever might be making their life not so good. 

"If we truly know ourselves, nothing bad will ever happen to us."

I agree with this topic statement. I believe there is some sense to it. If we know ourselves, we know what actions and steps we should take and which is right or wrong. And which is either good or bad for us. But, there is a twist. I feel as though, we as humans, can never truly know ourselves. There is always some new twist, turn, or change life can make for us. Our lives would be perfect if we truly knew who we are. But they aren't. In that case, you can't know who you are. And therefore, bad stuff will happen to us. However, I believe this is a good thing. 'Bad' things may seem to be unfortunate in that specific circumstance, but may have some positive lasting impression. These 'bad' things teach us more about ourselves. Life is a learning process, where you learn more about yourself as you go on. You can never truly know who you are, but hey, that's life. 

Too Serious for Satire?

Recently, in my English class, we've been discussing satire and what one can satirize. Can someone satirize everything or are there certain things that are off limits? I believe certain things are off limits when it comes to satire. I feel that problems that are out of people's control should be off limits when it comes down to satire. Usually melancholy things such as death, disease, cancer, etc... Such problems should not be taken in a light way, and it's not even funny. People have no ability to change if people die or get sick, so there's no room for satire. Satire normally tries to evoke some sort of social change, and ill things previously mentioned cannot be changed. Even people's different perspectives on death or sickness should not be satirized due to seriousness of these topics and the way people feel about them. Satire can be very funny when it comes to other problems in our world, but it should stay away from these topics people simply have no sway over. 

PCDS Class of '14

This class of sophomores has a small degree of overlapping unity and more of a degree of being a collection of different groups and individuals. From my point of view, there is a lack of unity simply due to human diversity. Each person is different and fits in with different people. It's very difficult to achieve unity with 60 unique individuals. But there are smaller groups within this class and many individuals overlap between groups, creating some connection within. Each group fits into this class like pieces in a puzzle, with several individuals connecting the different pieces. Due to this lack of unity, I do believe some of the faculty and other students do view us as "a class that hasn't got it together." Sometimes, I can see that, but I believe this is a wrong perception. Just because we aren't unified, doesn't mean we can't be as strong, as talented, and as special as any other grade here. I believe in the people of our class, as each is a unique individual that brings a diverse skill set to the table. Our collection of groups and individuals makes us unique and special in our own way. I feel I have an important role in our community, not just as a senator, but also as a friend to many others. I realize that we're not all connected, but part of what I like to do is associate with many different groups and people and try to know most of the people in our grade. I believe I fit well into that role, and it helps other people connect with each other. 

Archetype or Stereotype?

So all of us pretty much know what a stereotype is, right? A generality or classification about a group based on something we know about a certain aspect of that group, and it's usually negative. But how many of us know what an archetype is? Well, an archetype is a pattern or mode that serves as the basis for different versions of a literary institution such as a character, theme, or story. Archetypes serve the basic human desire and want. So what's the difference? I believe stereotypes generally have more of a negative connotation associated with them and deal with real people and real groups. Archetypes apply more to literature and parts of literature. They have more of a positive emphasis and deal with recurring themes that humans feel are critical aspects of a story. For example, a tale of chivalry is not a tale of chivalry without bravery from a knight or something along those lines. Classifying all Asians as smart is not an archetype because it really has nothing to do with literature and satisfies no human desire. We're not going to be extremely disappointed and empty if we met an Asian person who isn't smart. Archetypes are just something we feel are always going to part of the story or associated with it in some shape or form. They are part of the tradition and have more of a positive connotation, rather than stereotypes with a usually negative connotation. 

Writing....why?

Prompt 1:  As far back as I can remember, I've been able to read and write. I know, of course, this isn't true and I had to have learned it somewhere, but as far down as I can grasp into the reaches of my memory, I know how to read and write. It just seems like a natural part of my daily life and society. It seems like society has been reading and writing for millenia. But like me, it had to start somewhere. So what made the first writer pick up that pen or quill or rock or whatever he/she used and start writing?  Writing reflects the voice, power, ambition, feeling, tragedy, and uniqueness of the human soul and spirit.
             An author writes to convey the what's going on about his or her time period. Each piece of writing reflects in some way the experiences and struggles that have shaped that author, whether consciously or subconsciously. And a piece of writing doesn't just have to be a book, it can be a poem, novel, movie script, play, blog, etc. When we have so many different people writing down literature and reflecting who they are, human society is encapsulated throughout time. Writing preserves and holds up society. Writing is the sole preservation of human society and the trials and endeavors of many different, unique spirits. It is the spur of creativity and thought and shapes each different person. Writing can be a conscious or sub-conscious effort. The writing shows us something about that person in whatever shape or form that writing has come in.

            To take us back to the main point, why write? Because the great authors and maybe not-so-great authors realize this. They realize society and human beings need writing in whatever form to thrive. The writing process has just become natural over time and stabilized in society to a point where we don't even question it. 

Prompt 2:

                Allende's section about writing as an act of hope makes a strong case for magic realism as a reflection of the craziness and insanity of real, South American life. But a very interesting picture is added to the text. It is "Our Waiting" by Alfredo Castañeda. I interpret the picture form left to right, so I first see the man looking at the house and then being teared apart as the picture "goes on." On the left side of the picture, there are three dots sort of holding the man together and then as they move apart, he is broken up. I feel as though these dots represent ideas of thought and in the  first section, they are very rigid and straight. As these so-called ideas of thought move far apart, the picture becomes more fluid and man moves apart. This connects to the short story and idea of not being rigid in your writing. South American life is crazy and so are the ideas of thought that surround the writing that originates from there. The man moving apart shows that anything can happen and there is less of a certain, known structure. Allende shows any elusive thing can happen in magic realism, the laws of physics as we in the Western World don't pertain. Both Allende and Castañeda demonstrate that things break up over time, even after "Our Waiting."

All Quiet on the Western Front: Adventure, Accusation, Confession

In the novel, Remarque doesn't wish one to think of the book as either an adventure, accusation, or confession because he wants the audience to think of the novel as the story of the struggle of that "lost generation" as he remarks in the opening. I believe Remarque concedes that a true war story will contain an adventure, accusation, or confession and I believe he deliberately mentions all three to tell a good war story. He doesn't want the reader to isolate the story out as one of these, but instead, combine them o tell the good war story that tells of the generation of war. 

He, the foe, and his friend.

He looked across the wide room from the view on top of the balcony. Looking through the vast sea of people, he discriminated the foe. The indignity the foe had caused him fueled his deep, passionate rancor that he held for the foe. He started down the stairs in order to confront the foe, but his friend curtailed him, not letting him pass. The memory of the foe's maligning of him burned inside of him like a newly-lit candle. He  pushed aside his friend and threaded his way through the multitude of humans. He came eye-to-eye with the foe and in one split second, his rampant fury was unleashed. 

Romanticism or Realism Take Two: The Value of Romanticism

In response to my previous post, Ms. Decker posed an important question; we get caught up in romanticism vs. realism (in respect to the perspective of war), but what is the value of romantic point of view? What does it bring to the table? As an answer to that, I believe it just taps into our human nature. We as humans also want a good story filled with excitement and adventure and we sometimes naturally assume war stories can fit such a role. Sure, there are a few heroic tales sprinkled in there, but reality, war is a treacherous, fiery, undesirable hell-hole that gives you a psychological punch in the face. Our media somewhat shows us that side of war now, but we also get the romantic view because it provides hope and optimism. People realize now how bad war can be, but I mean, people aren't total pessimists, are they? We as humans want a riveting story because it rekindles us with how good our own humanity can be. 

All Quiet in the Western Front: Romanticism or Realism?

In Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, the protagonist Paul Baumer seems to inject an important question into the text: Is there value to a romantic perspective on war or should people be realistic about the horror and details of war? Well, Paul himself seems to keep a realistic point of view, but he does encounter many older men when he returns home who want to know about the excitement, spirit, and patriotism of the 1st World War. This clash made me think; in our modern world, I believe people have a more realistic view due to films and literature that have come out highlighting why war is terrible such as The Hurt Locker and Saving Private Ryan. But also, video games such as the Call of Duty franchise promote the romanticism of war due to their continuos stream of violence and shooting. Young kids play these games and become disillusioned by what it means to shoot someone. I believe the romantic view is beneficial for storytelling but unrealistic in our informed, modern society.