Last Week of First Semester!!

I can't believe that it is already the last week of first semester. I know everyone said the time will fly by but I didn't think it would feel so quick! I still don't know if I'm used to the idea that I go to Saint Mary's and am in college! This first semester came with some challenges but I think that overall it was pretty successful and surely memorable! I have met some great people here that I am so happy to have met and I have also learned some stuff along the way. Being  away from home was hard at first and I still miss all of  my friends but I am getting used to the idea of living in South Bend. Without leaving my friends and family I don't think I would have been able to have the same experiences I have and will have here on my own at SMC. Classes are keeping me busy academically but I hope to get more involved in other outside activities come next semester. I hope that I do well on finals this upcoming week and that my final grades are good! Maybe even after HUST is over, I will continue my blog and update on what is going on in my life!

Advising Module 4

1. Reflect
At this point, selecting a major/minor is pretty uncertain for me because I don't know what kind of career I want to have in the future. 

What are the experiences, information and opportunities you'd most like to get out of a major? I want to be able to be successful in whatever I do, so if I stick with the business major which I am leaning toward, then I want to be able to get experience in how to run a business and what it takes to own your own business. I want to be able to get an internship that would give me the experience, information and opportunity to see how a real business is started. I think I also need to learn communication skills in order to communicate with employees, or employers, and customers.

2. Research

"With a degree in business administration, your opportunities for success in the business world are countless. From marketing to accounting, finance to management, graduates have held top positions at many prestigious companies and firms. Our business administration graduates are attorneys, account executives, financial analysts, and sales group managers at companies like Accenture Foundation, Inc., Bank of America Corporation, Arthur Andersen LLP, Nestle Foods, and the Gap, Inc." Reading the accomplishments of many alumnae especially who graduating with business majors gives me the hope that I too will be successful with a business career because Saint Mary’s will prepare me to do so. A business administration graduate is now “at JohnsonRauhoff she works as the liaison between clients and the creative team, a group of copywriters, graphic designers, and art directors. She is involved in market research, budgeting, and estimates. Recently, Zars worked on two photo-shoots for lifestyle guru Katie Brown and even got to appear on Brown’s PBS-TV show “Katie Brown Workshop.”

Reading the description of the business major does make me think it is a good fit for me because it applies to what I talked about in my reflection above. It says, “As a business major, you will develop strong quantitative, problem solving, communication, and interpersonal skills. You'll exploring international business and learning to become an ethical leader in the workplace.”

Susan Vance, a professor of business here at Saint Mary’s says, “College is the best time for women to learn about good spending, saving, and investing practices. At this point in their lives, they have the time to learn and are just beginning to form habits that could last forever.” This intrigues me because as a women I think it is very important to be financially independent and understand how to make good financial choices especially right out of college. It is important to me to understand the economy that we live in because that will help me know how to make good career decisions and be a successful, involved member of society.

The Saint Mary’s website had a lot of information about what current students are involved in as well as what alumnae have been up to since graduating. I found that many business majors had the opportunity to study abroad and also learn about their major and be involved in international business. Students also had the opportunity to get some great internships, which they all said Saint Mary’s prepared them greatly for.

Two courses that seemed interesting to me were Principles of Marketing and Strategies for Financial Success.

       - 231 Principles of Marketing (3)

Introduction to marketing emphasizing the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods, and services for not-for-profit organizations and business firms. Includes study of end consumer and organizational market needs, marketing research, marketing planning, market segmentation, product development, promotion, advertising, personal selling, publicity, sales promotion, direct marketing and channels of distribution. Occasionally taught in Rome.

       - 244 Strategies for Financial Success (2)

This course will provide the financial knowledge that will help make informed decisions in the real world. Topics covered at a basic level may include: investing, including 401Ks and IRAs, credit management, budgeting, taxes, and insurance. No prior knowledge of business is required. Free elective credit only. Appropriate for non-business students. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing.

The Principles of Marketing interested me because if I am thinking about possibly owning my own business I will want to know how to market my company. Also the fact that it is taught in Rome interested me because I plan on study abroad there. The strategies for financial success course also interested me because as I mentioned before I think it is important to understand how to be financially independent and smart about business decisions.

Cara Grabowski is a Saint Mary’s alum that while a student was able to be involved in a marketing projecting right here in South Bend. I think opportunities like that while still in school are great for gaining the experience needed and also are real life situations that can help you determine if you enjoy doing something like that or not for a career. Also she double majored and doubled minored which surprised me because that seems very ambitious!

3. Resume

Two experiences that I would like to highlight about myself: I think that some of my skills that would be important to highlight is my ability to work with others and my creativity. I think my qualifications will come in time throughout college with the more experience I get.

Two experiences I would like to include after three years would be studying abroad in Rome and having an internship or two in my area of interest. 

Israeli Palestinian Conflict Reflection

At first I thought I wouldn't be able to have a full understanding of the film because it is a parody of the West Side Story, which I have never seen. However, this was not the case and I actually learned a lot from the short film. I have heard about the conflict before in school, on the news and in other media but didn't really know the history or specifics about it. The obvious conflict between two different cultures was apparent and I think it can be related to many different kinds of people. I thought it was interesting and surprising how the film made jokes about this issue because many people are suffering in Pakistan and Israel. However the comedic, musical type of film did give across the message of the severity of the conflict and the suffering it caused. It also showed that it needs to be resolved by making peace. I was also surprised by how short the film was, bring only 25 minutes, and yet it gave across the message it was supposed to. After the film I was happy that there were professors who briefed the audience on some of the history of the conflict. I didn't know that because the religious laws is what run the country that an Israeli couldn't marry a west bank person. Also it was interesting to hear that children are Jewish if their mother is Jewish and therefore Muslim men can't marry Jewish women because then their children will be Jewish. These religious laws are foreign to me that it is hard to imagine people not being able to marry someone because of the family and religion they were born in to. For me, as I said earlier I knew a little bit about the conflict from media and such but I think media can be biased and distort things so I will never really know the extent of the conflict. It made me sympathize with the people suffering because they really have no choice and can't get away from it because they are not allowed to move. It is sad that people are being controlled unjustly and living poor lives because of where they were born.

Reflection to Blogging

When we were first given the assignment of a blog, I was a little skeptical and unsure of what exactly it would entail. So, the first thing I did was go and look at some blogs just to see what they were all about, I concluded that all blogs are different and can serve pretty much any purpose you want. Therefore I decided that I would make this blog something that expressed me both in the title and the layout. I chose to title "Never though I'd have a Blog" because, well I never thought of myself as someone who would blog. I knew people in high school who had blogs and had read some before but never was interested in having my own. Regardless, I had to make this blog so I figured I'd play around with it. From the beginning I decided I would just write what I was thinking, without really thinking about it too much. In my first blog post, http://bridgetlyonsliveandtimes.blogspot.com/2011/08/sidewalks.html, I wrote of my childhood memories and what I hold dear to my heart. I consider my titles of the blogs were helpful to me to focus my writing and also help readers know what the blog is about. I learned that when using pictures like in this blog post, http://bridgetlyonsliveandtimes.blogspot.com/2011/09/close-reading-of-young-mother-sewing.html, it gives the reader the visual of what is being talked about. When I first started writing it I didn't really think about the reader but more of the blog as something personal and for class purposes. Then when I commented on other blogs and saw the interaction they had with the reader, I tried to incorporate that into my blogs. For me the blog was connected to the writing process because like the second post, http://bridgetlyonsliveandtimes.blogspot.com/2011/08/dreaming-big.html, we were prompted to be creative and write about what we would see our future as. I used these blogs to work on my writing and be creative in the writing process. The most difficult thing about making my blog was being creative with the site itself, not just the writing. I think I did this by including images and referring to film clips like I did in the Play or Film blog, http://bridgetlyonsliveandtimes.blogspot.com/2011/11/play-or-film.html. I think there were things I could have improved on and would have done if I was a little more into blogging such as adding hyperlinks like in this blog post or adding video clips and other interesting outside works that would add to what I was blogging about. I think in the future I would open to adding to posts to enhance what I was saying rather than just writing down thoughts. For example, http://bridgetlyonsliveandtimes.blogspot.com/2011/10/graphic-novels.html, I could have given examples of other graphic novels or even shown some about Persepolis, which it was about. Overall I think this blogging assignment was a learning experience and gave me insight into what you can achieve with blogging.

Play or Film

In our reading guide this statement and question caught my attention. "King Lear is one of Shakespeare's more famous tragedies. This play, however, might rank among his most "tragic". In what ways does the play push the bounds of loss?" The play absolutely is a tragedy with such a dramatic ending where almost everyone dies. Not only does the number of people who die make the play tragic but the fact that they are all lying together. The film we watched played out the tragedy very well in this scene. All of the daughters and Lear were dressed in white to point out their lifelessness. Lear is destroyed especially by Cordilia's death and he dies with her in his arms. The director of the film made the setting for this scene tragic as well. In the background you can see the barren land that was clearly war stricken and destroyed. The land was dead along with all the people. This leads me to the topic of director interpretation and the differences between plays and film. I personally like both because each has their own positives and negatives. I think plays are more personal and the actors can make you feel included in the tragedy, comedy or romance more so than films because you can almost interact and reach the actors. Films however can show characters in different angles and close ups where as a play you see the actors from the same place, for the most part. The film we watched in class played with angles in an interesting way, to make the viewer feel as if they were King Lear like when Cordilia responses with "nothing." 

Reading a play and then seeing it live or watching the film can really make these differences apparent. Also it can change your view of the play, by developing a scene differently than you did in your mind while reading. For example the choice of actors, for me, can really determine whether I enjoy the play or not. If the actor doesn't fit how I imagined the character then the whole play can seem "off" in a way. However, that is what makes every play and film unique according to the director's interpretations. 

King Lear

Shakespeare's King Lear is tragedy that involves family feuds over land and power. King Lear is concerned with appearance more than he cares about reality. He wants his daughters to show how much they love him, and isn't concerned about the truth of what they're saying. Lear decides to split up his land and his daughters must essentially compete to express the most love for their father. However, the daughter who has the most true love for Lear, Cordelia, responds with "nothing" because she does not want to compete in this game that she finds meaningless and trivial. Goneril and Regan however are in for the competition and are smart with their schemes to gain more land. Appearance and reality is seen throughout the play and shows the irony in Gloucester losing his sight. When he becomes blind it can be argued that he saw more than he did prior to blindness. Without his sight, he saw more. He was no longer able to visually seen appearances so he was somewhat forced to face reality. 

Mapping and Writing

Through reading and analyzing Servant's of the Map I think it can be said that mapping and writing have many commonalities. Max was a surveyor who drew up maps and he also spent time writing letters to his wife. He mapped his travels through the cartographer's work and he also mapped his mind in a way through his letters. In both the maps and the letters he included some information while leaving some out. He was giving insight into his mind and his emotional state, but only as much as he wanted to. There were aspects he did not include but that did not make his writing false but rather something that could not be a completely reliable source. In the mapping there is also a similar style in that cartographers include some aspects of the land where another cartographer may chose to leave that out. These differences don't make one map right and one wrong, rather they are just different versions. Just as maps can have different versions, I think people's writing can show them in different versions of themselves. Writing for oneself and writing for others can be completely different and therefore show different sides of a person. We don't always write everything we are thinking if it is going to be public for others to read. I think blogs can show this greatly if you were to compare a blog entry to a diary for example. Some people may want to blog about a certain event in their life or situation but they might leave out intimate thoughts about it because they are too personal. A diary would be much more revealing because it would be only for the writer's eyes and not the public. Therefore people feel free to write any kinds of thoughts or opinions they have because they will not be judged for them.

Servant's of The Map

I enjoyed this work a lot more than the other piece about maps because it was an account of a man's life and how his career of being a "servant of the map" changed his life greatly. He was far away from his family, he even missed the birth of his daughter, and they were on their own to take care of themselves. He wrote often and also had letters from his wife which she had written before he left, but even with those he felt so far away and disconnected from her life. Max, the main character's name, began to see a change in himself and even had an affair with a women. It was his dream to become a botanist and now seeing all of these new plants lives in the mountains, a reading a book by a famous botanist, Max wants to stay another year after his work with the surveying is finished. However, I wonder if this is truly his only motivation. I think he may be avoiding going home to his family because he does not want to face cheating on his wife and also because he knows he has changed and is unsure of how he will fit back into his old life. It ends with his letter to Clara saying that he will return one day and that her letter marked To Be Opened If You Know You Will Not Return To Me will not have to be opened. This kept me wondering and hoping that he will in fact return to his wife and that their what seemed to be happy marriage will last.

Brian Friel: Translations Act 1

In class we were discussing the five things that you should consider when analyzing a text. First, being context, to look at who is writing the piece, when was it published, what is the work's discipline, etc. According to Wikipedia, Brian Friel is the greatest living dramatist and the "universally accented voice of Ireland."He was born January 9, 1929 in Northern Ireland. Brian Friel got his B.A. from St. Pat's College, Mynooth and worked as a teacher until 1960. Translations was one of his later works, written in 1980. The play is set in 1833 and we are introduced to many characters in Act 1. Manus is the oldest son of Hugh, in his late twenties early thirties. He does everything with zeal and intensity, and he is lame and wears shabby clothes. Sarah is described as a mute anywhere from the age of 17 to 35 and has a dainty, waiflike appearance. Jimmy Jack Cassie is the 'Infant Prodigy', a bachelor in his 60’s who never washes, and wears the same coat, gloves and hat all year round. Maire is a strong-minded, strong-bodied woman in her 20’s and she has an interesting relationship with Manus. Doalty in his 20’s, open-minded, open-hearted, generous, slightly thick and is usually drunk. Bridget is in her 20’s, plump, fresh young girl, ready to laugh, vain, with a countrywoman’s instinctive cunning. Hugh is a large man with residual dignity, shabbily dressed, carrying a stick, in his early 60’s, and he is the head of the hedge-school which all of these civilians attend. Owen is his younger son who has been gone for six years and has just returned, He is handsome, attractive, in his 20’s, dressed smartly, easy, charming, considerate and enthusiastic. He owns nine shops in Dublin, owns 12 horses and 6 servants, employed as a part time underpaid civilian interpreter. Lancey, middle aged captain, a small crisp officer expert in his field as a cartographer, uneasy with people, especially foreign civilian. Lieutenant Yolland, late 20’s early 30’s, tall, thin and gangly, blond hair and shy, awkward mannered, a soldier by accident. The first Act ends with the Captain and Lietenant talked to the civilians in the hedge-school.

 

Advising Module 3: Resilience

Coping With Stress & Bouncing Back

• Consider how you handle stress, particularly when it is compounded by exhaustion and health issues. Do you go for a walk? Take a tv break? Read a poem? Call a friend? Hit the treadmill? Take a nap? Why??
• I handle stress in many different ways depending on what it is I'm stressed about. If homework is stressing me then I usually take a break from it by going to workout, watching TV, hanging out with friends; pretty much anything that will get my mind off of it for an hour or so. Then when I return to it later I am able to start fresh and reenergized. I usually can't take naps when I'm stressed about my workload because then I just think about how much stuff I could be, and should be getting done. If relationships or situations are stressing me out I will usually call a friend or go and talk to someone. It helps me to talk about what is causing me stress because then I can get another opinion on how to handle it. If it is a situation that only I can make the decision on, then I go for a walk or write down what I'm thinking to try and sort out my thoughts and clear my mind. 

• When you trip or fall down academically, do you make a plan to recover?  Seek out help?
• If I get a bad grade on an essay or a quiz or exam I usually just try even harder then next time to do better. I take the critiques from the professor and try to not make the same mistakes I did the first time around. I have gone to the writing center which I found helpful for papers and I have gone to study groups to help with studying for exams. Sometimes I try different study techniques to find which works best for me. 

Maintaining the Momentum

• Are the skills you want to develop either here or after SMC (languages, computer skills, etc)?
• I don't plan on doing any additional education after SMC like graduate school so everything I want to learn I hope to do so here. I will always continue to learn things throughout life but I don't have any plans in the future to get additional education. I'm still not sure what I want to major in so things might change.

• Are there countries or cultures you'd like to know more about?
• I want to study abroad while here at SMC and then hopefully continue to travel in my future. I currently want to go to Rome next year. I'm taking Italian now and hope to continue learning it and be able to use what I know in Rome. I want to learn their language as well as their culture and other foreign cultures. I want to experience more than just the American lifestyle, which is all I know now. 

Career Crossing 2

Seeing the video about the African woman and her encounters with One Stories was interesting and did give me a new perspective on stereotypes. It is true that everyone has their own stories and that we can't generalize or assume things about people because of their race or where they come from. However, I think we use stereotypes as a way to relate to others who seem foreign to us or who we are not familiar with. If I met someone from a different country, I would immediately try to picture their country from what I knew of it. This could be a stereotypical image of the country, but it would be all I knew and was a way for me to relate to this person. Not everyone is able to go to every country and be able to have first hand experiences with every place to form their own opinions. This is why we resort to stereotypes. No one can meet every single person and hear each individual story so we generalize Americans, Europeans, Africans, etc. This is not to be racist or judgmental but just a way to feel like we know a little bit about everyone else in the world. Stereotypes don't just come out of nowhere, they are formed for a reason. That does not mean that everyone fits into the stereotype but that for the most people that is how people are.

Persepolis

Persepolis was definitely not what I had expected it to be and I was happy to actually enjoy reading it. I thought it was an interesting style in writing and there was a sense of comedy and yet there was seriousness and a deeper message. In the first book, page 81 the author gives a comical sense to it and the pictures show the worry but also add to the sarcastic sense. It is about a serious subject being war but when the mom says well I guess I should dry off and war always takes you by surprise, it lightens the mood. This made it more realistic for me because war isn't something that you plan and everyone is ready for. It really can take you by surprise. In Persepolis 2 I was surprised that Marj went on to marry Reza because she was such an independent women and didn't want to form to the social expectations. Yet she did so anyways, all the while her parents knowing that it wouldn't last. Just like in I know Why The Caged Birds Sings, Marj seems to lose her voice throughout her life. She moves around and everyone she goes she feels like a foreigner. Page 23 she gains her voice back by standing up to the nuns who insulted her people, and again on page 43. She became more proud of her heritage and her homeland while she was away than when she was actually there.

Graphic Novels

Persepolis was my first graphic novel that I have read but I liked the structure of it. I thought it was good at bringing up an important issue but also had some comical parts as well. It was also easy to read and didn't take very long to do so. As I first began reading it, I didn't realize that it was a memoir but looking back afterwards it clearly was. It was a unique way of portraying one's life and giving a cartoon like feel to it. I also really enjoyed the other graphic article because it was really interesting to think about how our mind works when it sees pictures. Our mind can take any object and someone make it into a face. Does this really make us such self centered beings?? I had never really thought of that before.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings: Post 2

After finishing Maya Angelou's memoir I now feel like I have an understanding of what her life was like, although I can't personally relate to it. I thought it was interesting how she wrote the memoir. It was in a point of view of herself as a child as well as her point of view as an adult. There were points where she would recount an experience, but seemed to add her new found reaction or understanding of it at present. She told about her time living in the junkyard and the people she met there. She talked about the determination she felt to get the job on the streetcars "to break the restricting tradition," and become the first Negro on the San Francisco streetcars (269). I was also struck by how honest she was, talking about her insecurities about her womanhood and the fear that she might be a lesbian. She also told exactly how her son was conceived and how she felt about this new being which was completely hers. I was a little disappointed in the abrupt ending. I felt there was more to be told about her life, I wanted to know what led her to write this memoir.

What's Your Passion?

Great question! I have yet to be able to answer this question. I honestly do not know what I want to do when I grow up and what my passion is. I haven't really found anything that keeps me interesting and what I want to do. What am I good at? Another good question. I don't know and I also don't think that you have to necessarily have to be good at something to make a career out of it if you are hard working, determined and you love it. I have always just seen myself becoming a mother and raising a family, not so much a business woman or career person. However, I do want to be successful at something and be an independent person after college. I want to be able to make my own money and maybe even have my own business. I like to bake and to be creative making things, so I've always kept that idea of opening my own shop. That is why I am currently taking business classes but keeping an open mind for new possibilities. The video seemed to me a little unrealistic because yes it is important for people to do what they love and love what they do but sometimes that is not enough to get by financially. If people want to be financially stable and not have to worry about bills, especially in an economy where the unemployment rate is so high, they may need to take a job they don't care for. I do think everyone would be happier if they loved their work, but I don't think that is always realistic.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Stories like these, of such hardships, make me realize how blessed I am and how easy I have it. Reading about Maya's childhood and how she was raped at the age of eight makes me so appreciative of my childhood. It makes me realize how much I have been blessed with and how little I have struggled with in comparison. I have grown up with two parents and have had a very stable family life unlike Maya. One of Maya's first memories is being shipped to her grandmother at the age of three. She doesn't feel like she has a place to call home and is always thinking, "I didn't come to stay (1)." She never had an easy life but Momma tries to raise her to be a strong, smart, religious woman. It is after she is raped and testifies at trial when she loses her voice. She lies and therefore believes she is responsible for Mr. Freeman's death. She believed the only thing she could do to protect others was to stop talking. However, she meets Mrs. Flowers would takes personal interest in Maya's silence and helps her regain her voice. Maya says, "It is safe to say that she made me feel proud to be Negro, just by being myself (95)."

Mary Gordon: Christian Culture Lecture

At first, I was really not looking forward to going to the Mary Gordon presentation. I knew she was a renowned author, memoirist, poet and essayists but I was not sure as to what she would be talking about for a Christian Culture Lecture. As she began talking about different artists and their works, I was still confused about how they related to religion and faith. However, as I focused in I realized that her reactions to these artworks expressed how they dealt with suffering either personal or of their time period. There was a theme of pain and turmoil but these artists used their sense of faith and strength to express hope through all of the suffering. She also mentioned the differences in their gender could be seen how they reacted to the suffering. The visualizations of the artwork helped to understood her argument and I thought the question and answer session was helpful. People asked more direct questions about faith and religion which helped relate the art to the "Christian Culture Lecture."

Circling My Mother

Reading this piece of work first off really made me miss my mom! It also made me dread the inevitability of my mom, and dad, getting older and aging. I thought about how one day I will be in her place and will be the caretaker of my dying parents. Mary Gordon boldly talked about her strong feelings of hate and disgust towards her mother's rotting body. She did not intend to betray her mother in her writing, but did in a way because she revealed so much about her and talked harshly about her. It was interesting to me how Mary Gordon admitted that her mother's death was somewhat of a relief and I was initially appalled. How could someone be relieved that their mother, who was strong, independent and loving, finally died. This emotional reaction to her mother's death made me think of my relationship with my mother. How will I come to feel about her in her dying days? Will I dread going to visit her and feel repulsed every time I see her? I know that she had these feelings because her mother's body was literally rotting and the dementia she suffered from took all of her memories, but I expected some sort of sympathy. Her mother did not choose to end the way she did. She had lived a very independent successful life despite her disability and hardships. It is not ideal for anyone to lose all sense of independence and not be able to take care of themselves. The thought of death and especially such decay as described in this memoir gave me a feeling of helplessness. I know death is inevitable but why does it have to be so agonizing for some?

Reflection Post

Listening to President Mooney brought great comfort and assurance to me even though I had already come to feel at home here at Saint Mary's. She expressed her struggles as a freshman, not feeling comfortable and not knowing anyone. I could relate to her in that sense of going to a school where you don't know anyone. But it was reassuring that she clearly survived and said it was a time she will never forget. She talked a lot about wanting Saint Mary's students to be in awe of the beauty of the world and have an intellectual appetite. This caught my attention because I don't think I have had that curiosity or thirst to learn more in school. I've always done my work that was assigned and was happy to get it over with. I do hope, however, that my time at Saint Mary's will change that. I hope to find a passion and purpose as President Mooney mentioned. It was a little overwhelming to hear all of the accomplishments of the seniors on the panel, but it was also inspiring and encouraging to know that such successful, driven women go to the same school as me. Attending a school that really cares about each and every student really does help in shaping us into well rounded women. We gain a deeper understanding of all kinds of people and gain experience that we may miss out on at other schools.

Normal?

What is normal? Who decides what normal is? I don't think human beings can ever be narrowed down to a classification of whether they are "normal" or not. People are just too complex and different that it is not possible. Not only could someone narrow down characteristics that people should attain to be "normal" but who would be given that authority to determine that. Is someone not normal because they have a different opinion than others? Is someone not normal because they express them selves in a unique way? Is someone not normal because they were raised in a very strict home? Is someone not normal because they like a certain TV show? Is someone not normal because they don't own a TV?
I could go on and on and on about what things are considered "normal" and abnormal, but I won't. Mostly because I wouldn't be making a point. Normal does have a technical definition, but I don't think it can be used as an adjective. Was Susanna from Girl, Interrupted not normal because she wished to become a writer and did not go to college? Maybe she wasn't considered "normal" by those around her but she was not mentally insane. She may have overdosed on drugs because she was trying to escape her life where she was constantly being told she was not "normal." Normality was not what she needed to achieve, but the realization that nothing is "normal" and that she was fine just the way she is. By the end of the movie I think she came to terms with who she was and that is how she could move on with her life.

Close Reading of Young Mother Sewing

Young Mother Sewing

By Mary Cassatt

Step One: When I first looked at this picture, I obviously picked out the two characters depicted. A young mother who is sewing, as described in the name of the painting, and a young girl leaning on her lap. The artist makes these two characters the main focus in the picture, but also includes a background with a forest scene outside the window and a flower pot on the table. 
Step Two: Things that stuck out when I viewed this painting were the bright colors of the flowers, the bold stripes of the woman's dress, the child's expression and the window in the background. The woman is depicted as concentrating on her sewing, not paying any attention to the child. The child looks impatient or bored, waiting for the mother to give her the attention she needs. 
Step Three: The bold stripes on the woman's dress and the angles that seem to focus attention to the center of the painting have an important purpose. They were used to draw the viewer to the focus point, the two people in the painting. It is as if you are being shielded off from looking at the background. The soft colors of the mother and child are contrasted by the bold flowers and the strong green of beyond the window. The child's eyes seem to be speaking in a way, looking into the viewer's eyes. 
Step Four: I believe the artist chose the bold stripes to draw in the viewer, pointing out the woman sitting inside doing women's work. I believe she is celebrating or displaying the fact that women are worth while and deserve to be given recognition. She does not want people focused on the background, because that is outside and women were meant to stay inside. She doesn't want to focus on the fact that they are stuck inside, but on the positive things they accomplish while inside. The bright flowers seem to show that life indoors can be joyful and colorful. It doesn't have to be gloomy and seem like a prison. I think the child is looking into the viewer's eyes because she is wanting someone to talk to or play with. She is curious about the outside world but her mother makes her stay indoors with her. 

A Room of One's Own

Something that struck me as interesting in the class discussion about A Room of One's Own was the topic about men writing about women and vice versa. I think that in many cases both male and female think they know the other sex better than that sex itself. Speaking from my own opinion, I think women know men a little bit better than they think we do. Women are smarter, right? We're just supposed to act dumb around boys so that they feel smarter, and therefore more masculine and powerful. But really we know what they're thinking even if they don't know it. Men also think they know all about women and how they feel and how they are supposed to act. Femininity is viewed as something weak and less powerful than masculinity. But people can't just be simply described as male or female. There are so many other characteristics and personalities that make people unique. That is why some men can be described as "feminine." However, I have come to realize that I don't like the term feminine or masculine because they are defined as characteristics of the male or female sex. This does not really help with my argument though. A man can still be a man even if he does have a feminine personality. A women can still be female even if she has masculine characteristics. People are complex. No one is the same as someone else. Men can write a women's character and be spot on with how a women he knew acted. A women can create a male character that can be exactly how your brother acts. Not all men are the same and not all women are the same. Therefore, not all female and male characters in fiction will be the same. Some characters may be portrayed in a stereotypical way, but that does make them wrong, or right. But it became a stereotype for a reason.

Why am I here?

In my opinion, higher education does have a great impact on the success of students in the work force. The average salary for a graduate student can reach $60,000 where as a high school drop out will most likely only earn a little more than $20,000. This statistic shows that continued, challenging, focused learning is necessary to be prepared for our world's job market. People my parents' age didn't always go to college, but today it seems like there is no question about it, everyone goes to college. Senior year of high school no one asked, "So what are you doing after you graduate?" Instead they asked, "Have you chosen a college yet?" or "Where are you going to school next year?" Education has become more available in this day and age, but it has also changed. Education is no longer teaching content, as shown in the second video. It is about using technology and developing fundamental skills in order to learn more content. We are in such a technologically advanced century that it would be almost a waste to not use it to its highest ability. Instead of keeping students away from computers, TVs and other devices, it is important to take advantage of those resources and use them to better connect with the students and therefore be able to teach them better. I want to further develop skills that were taught to me in high school such as critical thinking, problem solving, written communication and many more because I think these are skills necessary to succeed in life. It is important to not only know these skills but put them into action and take advantage of our resources in doing so.

As I said above, I felt it was a given that I would go off to college after high school, get a good education, find a job and settle down somewhere. So, that's what I'm in the process of doing. I'm at college getting a good education so I can one day get a good job. I still don't know what kind of job I want. Maybe I'm here to figure that out. I don't even know why I'm here at Saint Mary's. Maybe it's because I felt the most comfortable here or maybe because I knew I had to leave my securities, (home, friends, family, life as I knew it), and start over somewhere new. I want to find out who I am, and in turn figure out what it is I'm here on earth to do. I remember going on a Kairos retreat during high school and we were having a discussion about what we want to do in the future. I of course said I had no idea. Later I broke down and was crying to my friend, hating the feeling of being so lost. Not only was I lost in the sense of not knowing what my future holds, but also lost in the sense that I didn't even know who I was. She consoled me of course and said I will figure it all out and to just give it time. I am still unsure though.  Maybe I just keep waiting for someone to tell me the answer.

Dreaming Big!

If I could fast forward right now and stop at this day five years from now I would be sitting at a little cafe outside in the beautiful city of Rome. Although I've never been there before I imagine it is beautiful and nothing like I've seen before. It would be warm out and I would be having lunch with a cute Italian boy that I had met while traveling around the city. My dream is to be able to travel around Europe and then settle in Rome for a few months to learn their culture and perfect my Italian. I would have a little apartment that is down an open alley and my neighbor is an elderly Italian women who treats me like a granddaughter. I wouldn't look like a tourist and I would be familiar with people I see walking down the brick streets. My days would never have a set schedule. I would be free to experience whatever opportunities came my way. I would get involved in art with a local potter and learn how to really cook from an authentic chef. In five years I think that is the perfect age where you can go off and experience new things and find your way in life. It would open my eyes to what my passions are and what I want from life.

Sidewalks.

Some of my most vivid memories of growing up were on those sidewalks. Seddon Drive is where those sidewalks still are but I can see them in my mind as I ran with my best friend to my neighbors house to go play. Columbus, Ohio is where I was born and raised for most of my life. It is where my childhood home is and where many of my close friends still live. My family and I moved from Columbus to Cleveland when I was 10 and I had to leave one of the most significant places in my life. The place I'm talking about was not only my home, my neighborhood, my school, friends and family but the place that made me who I am. I can still picture my little room with the light purple walls and tiny closet that I would crawl up to the attic from. The crabapple tree that I had to sketch for a project stood tall in front of the house. The neighbor's house just a few skips away. This place is the main setting for most of my childhood memories and therefore is important to me. It was on those sidewalks outside my house that I first learned to ride a bike. I set up my first lemonade stand right on the curb. My best friend and I did silly things and laughed while playing outside. Undoubtedly this place shaped who I am. This place is forever apart of me. Moving did have positives outcomes which I would not want to change. But one thing that I still miss at my new house are sidewalks.