Part I:
Freewriting
In your journal: Either in a series of bullet points or freewriting explore
the following as they pertain to you:
“Nature” – Ethnicity, Race, Gender,
Sexuality, Personality
Institutional – Nationality, Religion,
Profession
Discourse – Environmentalist,
Feminist, Libertarian, Marxist, Vegan
Affinity – Scouts, Teenager, Goth
Part II: Journal
Reflection
In your journal: Once you have compiled a comprehensive list, write about the
experiences you have had with each. Do
not hold back. Some will offer more
passionate responses than others will. Some may upset you. Some may even surprise you.
This will be part of an on-going exploration as we examine
the narrative that is our lives. We are
all protagonists, characters narrating our existences through our first person
point of view. Remember, there is a
third person narrator - dual narrative if you will - telling the story of
us. Let your voice be the true war story.
Part III: Blog
Discussion
My mother was raised in Warrenpoint, a small town in Northern Ireland. She was brought up very catholic. She would go to church every Sunday with her parents, 4 sisters, and 2 brothers. My father, growing up in Holden, Massachusetts, was raised protestant. He wasn't very religious growing up so I think that is why my parents decided to raise my brothers and I catholic, because my mom was more into religion. From a young age my parents never really forced anything on me. They were always, and still are, very open and accepting of my own decisions. When we were younger we would go to church on Christmas Eve and Easter and the occasional Sunday. I also did CCD until around 7th grade, by choice. So my parents gave us the decision to decide what we believed in. I would like to think that there is something out there that is doing everything for a reason, and that when we die we go somewhere beautiful and we reconnect with all our loved ones, but obviously it is such an abstract idea to think about. When people ask me I say I am catholic because I did have my first communion and was a part of the catholic church with my family. But, for myself, I am still not sure what I believe in and I am not sure if I want to pursue a religion in the future.
ReplyDeleteMy mom also grew up in Northern Ireland, in Newry which is about 6 miles from Warrenpoint and also went to church every Sunday
DeleteI'd like to expand on what I said for the "Institutional" section. I do not take issue specifically with almost any political philosophy since they are usually attractive ideals outlined by very intelligent people. The issues I have start to occur whenever those ideas are used by people and parties in order to acheive their ends. When, instead of promoting a fair and equal election by the people, so that they can truely decide as a majority what is best for this country, it turns into a power grab race by things like lobbying (which I view as politically correct bribing) and gerrymandering (which just seems like flat out cheating) I have to consider how it is that I can support my personal beliefs without catering to a broken system. Every time a person like Ajit Pai gets elected to office I have to re-evaluate my stance and personal morals (I feel like this implies my political affiliation; it absolutely holds no relation). After saying all of this and reflecting on it, I feels like this may sound like a political rant because that's exactly what it is. To summarize: it's difficult for me to describe my political stance because from a ideal perspective everything seems ok while in real life all views seem ugly and disingenuous, the person that makes good on there word and wins as fair as possible always has my support.
ReplyDelete-Yuval
why does google think I'm a robot...? I swear I'm not
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ReplyDeleteBeing of mixed descent; sometimes the mixing with more than one group can be a exceedingly hard task. And not very many people can understand that,I think that's because people tend to see things as one or another. It's never really two halves of a singular whole. The irony is in order to know and understand a person, you need to know,how to whole is different than the sum of their parts. But most of the time to others I am hispanic(Puerto Rican), and only that. Or I am African American and only that. Another main problem here is, both groups have prejudices against one another. I am constantly confronted with, whether it be within my own friends or even family. But when asked how I identify, given my circumstances, used to depend on who I was with. If I was with my black friends, I was black/African American, with my spanish friends I was Hispanic, and to any one else, I was one or the other. But now, with a better understanding of myself, I chose to identify in the way that shows me as a whole. I am Afro-Latina.
ReplyDelete-Skye Padovani
Something I have an affinity for is fostering kittens through the MSPCA. What this means is basically when the shelter receives found kittens that are too young and/or too unhealthy to be adopted, my mom and I care for them at our house until they are ready. This can be from anywhere between 2 weeks to 6 months depending on the situation. This may sound really fun, but its also a ton of work. When we get kittens that have been separated from their mother, we have to feed them and care for them round the clock, which means waking up in the middle of the night too. It can also be pretty heartbreaking because the survival rate of orphaned kittens is only 50%. It is worth it to me to turn my room into an animal shelter however because I love animals and am happy to help the MSPCA out.
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ReplyDeleteI used to have a friend that told me "if being gay isn't a choice, then how can you choose what gender you fall in love with?" and that sentence used to bother me, it made me feel bad about myself, it made me feel invalid. But I've grown to learn that I am valid. Just because I'm an immigrant, or bisexual, or female doesn't me any less valid than him, it doesn't make me any less valid than anyone in this school. I am human and I am valid. None of those things define who I am. I get to choose who I am - not my parents, not my friends, and especially not the pretentious people on the internet who seem to have life all figured out.
ReplyDelete(ALSO I'M SORRY I KEEP DELETING MY POSTS BUT I KEEP FINDING GRAMMAR AND SPELLING MISTAKES AFTER I POST IT !!!)
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ReplyDeleteAs teenagers we are constantly being treated differently. We are commonly looked at as druggies who are rude and especially lazy. I feel like a criminal whenever I go downtown because they make us leave our bags in the front of stores to make sure that we don't steal. This upsets me because just because some people from a certain group behave a certain way doesn't mean that everyone from that group is exactly like that. Yet, all of us teenagers experience that stereotype at one point or another. I just don't feel like it is right to make all of us have that guilty feeling when only a select amount of people actually participate in things we are all punished for.
ReplyDeleteLike Skye, I am racially mixed. My father is from Iran, and my mother was born in the US(she's mostly German). It always bothered me growing up that Middle Eastern was lumped in with Caucasian because of how differently I percieved my parents ethnicities. Even though I grew up with Christmas and other aspects of American culture, I've always identified more strongly with my Persian ethnicity. I celebrate Persian new years, jumpe over bonfires, eat kabab and kuku sabzi, read poetry by Rumi and Omar, and even wear the itchy costumes my grandmother brings back from Iran each year. That said, the stories I most strongly relate to are not from the people I share an ethnicity with, but the children of immigrants and native citizens. I'm interested to see how humanity defines itself ethnically considering the predicted trends of increasing racial diverse children.
ReplyDeleteYes, it definitely is interesting being part middle Eastern, people never expect it when I tell them both my parents are Israeli.
Delete-Yuval
Religion has always been a somewhat tense subject in my family. My father was raised Hindu by his very religious family and my mother was raised by her very religious Catholic parents. My mom grew up and drifted away from religion while still identifying as Catholic, just not ‘go to church every sunday’ Catholic. My dad on the other hand renounced Hinduism at around 14 and was sent from Africa to Canada because his parents didn’t approve, then he spent years estranged from them and we still have a strained relationship with his family. I was baptised but as I grew up my parents never forced any religion on me and let me decide for myself. For that I will be eternally grateful because I truly believe I decided my religion freely. I have always classified myself as agnostic but over the summer I was reading my history textbook and read the term Deism and although it was used mainly in the 17th and 18th century, I think it describes my beliefs perfectly. It describes a belief in a supreme being that created the universe but has no influence in today's world.
ReplyDeleteGender and sexuality.
ReplyDeleteBeing a teenage girl is hard at times, especially now that we have a president who is occasionally known for many reasons and one of them being disrespecting women. To start things off my stepmom is constantly trying to get me to be a “normal teenage girl” like what she sees in movies. She always wants to know if I’m obsessed with boy bands, if I have a boyfriend, drama, parties, etc when I would much rather make art and play video games in my room. I have told her many times that some of that “teenage girl” stuff she’s talking about either doesn’t exist in real life and that I’m not into that kind of stuff but she doesn’t listen. Another thing is at my moms house I have a little stepbrother who is a freshman in high school and he is very sexist and homophobic. He’s told me countless times that I can’t do something, I’m not strong enough to do something, or I can’t like something “because I’m a girl” which really bothers me, and he does this to other people. The other day he made a rape joke in front of my mom and I and that really hurt her on a personal level. He was forced to apologize to my mom and I but we could tell that he wasn’t being serious. On a quick note about sexuality, if I have a girlfriend in the future I will be a little worried. I know my family will totally be ok with it, except my stepbrother, because one of my aunts is married to a girl. Im mostly worried about society and where we are right now. How are people refusing to accept that we can’t all be that same and like the same stuff. Were all human and if everyone was the same life would be boring. Again we have a president who is willing to take rights away from people in the lgbt+ community. It is ridiculous to see some of the stuff thats in the news today, weather its about women’s rights or lgbt rights.
Sarah Walsh
From an early age I have place importance on my roots. My dad grew up in Methuen and my mom grew up in Newry, Northern Ireland. My dad’s grandparents came from Ireland and worked in the mills in Lawrence, every generation has moved up the economic ladder so I hope that I can carry that tradition on. Both my parents are Catholic so I am raised as a Catholic. When my mother was growing up in Northern Ireland, it was a time called the troubles where mostly Catholics wanted to unite Ireland, and mostly Protestants wanted to stay. This lead my mother to having a strong view on religion. My family does not go to church often but I am confirmed. My parents did not force me to be religious but I went to church as a kid and went through CCD and I my parents gave me the choice to opt out of being confirmed. My parents always talk about how much better my life is than theirs was so I hope I can say the same if I have kids.
ReplyDeleteYou know, It's strange; I could go on and on about my political views/lack there of, or how I think the absence of a religion in my life Is more abstract than if one did, yet inquiries aside, such hypothetical ideas are only the cause of why I stay awake in bed all night, not the reason why I get out of it in the morning. Such a title belongs to my love for Nintendo. I know its strange, but have you met me...I'm a pretty strange guy. It's funny to think about really, even going back to early childhood I was Into things such as Pokemon, Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, you name it. When I was young, and with my brother and sister, our babysitter, whom we knew very well, would just play games with us all night. Growing up, My family received the greatest console of all time, the Nintendo GameCube, and the rest is just, well the rest. I find it funny how when I tell people I have a passion for Nintendo games, they usually interpret it as a negative, a conversation ender if you will; "Oh this kid is a nerd, he still plays Pokemon!?, what the hell is he doing with his life? will he ever grow up?" I mean, At first I stayed clear of telling people, but over the years I realized that I just didn't care. Why would I lie about who I am to try to impress someone who is questioning my Identity in a demeaning way. I mean It's not the only thing I do: I love sports, I'm going to be a Junior Captain in Volleyball, I've swam my entire life, I have two jobs, along with the fact that I'm very confident and well spoken. Ya I'm a nerd, but I'm one who doesn't think it's a bad thing to be one.
ReplyDelete"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."
-George Bernard Shaw
The profession tab underneath "Institutional" really caught my eye. I work three steady jobs and sometimes take on a fourth for extra income if needed. When people ask me, "where do you work?" I start listing off a bunch of odd jobs shifting from week to week- I've done everything from serving ice cream at a candy store, to hanging off the back of construction trucks with twenty pound bags of concrete. The asker of this question usually gets flustered and confused at this point of the conversation, and awkwardly shuffles away not knowing how to respond to ongoing list. I don't blame them though, I completely understand their shock. We live in a town where most kids don't have to worry about money and are probably set for a good portion of their life financially. In my case though, that's not how its worked out. As of now I work as a staff member at the Andover Youth Services, a party entertainer with princess productions, part time with a business installing industrial restaurant equipment and air conditioners, and baby sitting on some weekend nights. With homework and general housework too, I sadly had to forfeit playing field hockey this year. Hopefully I can save more money next summer to pay for the athletics fee and new equipment for next season. But its not all a negative and grueling experience, like working at ays is absolutely amazing. I love working with kids and I've built super strong connections with a bunch of them this year. I've watched many of them grow and change already and because of them I'm really passionate about working there. Overall I don't know what I'd call my profession, I guess if I really had to narrow it down to one title I'd say whatever helps support my family so my brother and I can stay in this town and get a good education- (kind of a long and run on title I know haha). Work can be tough but sometimes you just have to do it.
ReplyDelete(Hey just popping in from Brit Lit I) Katy, like you, my mother works several steady jobs, 4 currently I think, as well as a variety of odd jobs. She also works with kids! I myself have has a job since freshman year so I can pay for some of my own things and relieve some stress. I know what you mean about people getting kind of flustered and confused when talking about jobs and money. A good number of kids in Andover are relatively well off financially, and I think that sometimes they forget that not everyone else is. I actually find this rather irritating, but hey, what can you do? I guess I just wanted to say that I agree with you, you just do what you have to help support yourself and your family.
DeleteMy family’s history is from Germany and the last name “Arhelger” is a german name. I am a male and I have a younger sister that is in elementary school. I am white and my family is all white aswell. I am pretty quiet but when I get to know someone I am nice and friendly. I was born in America in Cambridge Mass. when I was 4 I moved to Fort Collins Colorado and I lived there till I was 12 then I moved back to Mass. My family members (mostly my grandmother) are pretty religious but I am not myself. I go to church sometimes with my family but I would not go on my own.
ReplyDeleteI'm the only American of my family the rest of my family lives in either Scotland or England my dad moved to america roughly 20 years ago and my mum came over in the early 90s my dad was good friends with my mums dad and they were good business partners for a while till my grandfather had to return to England and my mum and dad soon later got together and had me but soon split apart I'm still proud of my family origins and I often go to England to see my family and I stay in good contact with them- Brodie Turner
ReplyDeleteVegan/Depressed
ReplyDeleteFirst, thank you so much for these responses. I have been touched by each response, and decided to share mine with you as well. You are all really opening up, and I want you to know that it is okay to write about something neutral. There is something therapeutic about it, though.
Vegan. That is a word that I never thought would be connected to my sense of self, and now it has become a defining piece that perhaps has always been missing. Four years ago, just around Thanksgiving, actually, I decided that I was tired of feeling “tired.” I have dealt with depression all my life and needed to take medication in order to feel okay. I never felt like I had the right medication or dosage, and at the age of 40, I realized that there are things other than therapy and drugs that I could do to feel better. So, after Thanksgiving with the usual constant eating and spirits, I decided that I would give up drinking alcohol for good. I felt that I just did not need to have a drink at a party or with dinner, that perhaps the medication was not as effective because I continued to have 1-2 drinks a day. Doctors say that is okay, but the alcohol does mess around with our serotonin levels. One week after giving up alcohol, I noticed a huge change in my body, feeling less irritable and tired when I woke up in the morning. I have never touched it since. Three months later, I would give up coffee and trade it with tea. In fact, that was the progression. I would replace an old habit with a new one that would nourish me, instead of hinder. I stopped having a drink, and had more coffee. Then I replaced coffee with tea. I even passed on black tea and replaced it with green or herbal tea. I actually lost a friendship because of the alcohol thing. I guess it was no fun to go out if I would not drink, too. That also became a theme. “You don’t drink alcohol!” “You don’t drink coffee!”
Then in April, right after my wife’s family Orthodox Easter celebration with 4,365 meat courses and 376 cheese, my wife and I collapsed on the couch to watch Netflix. She fell asleep and I watched a documentary called “Food Choices.” I saw documentaries like this before, but this one really grabbed me. It was the right place and the right time. The health benefits were limitless. In addition, it just felt like common sense. For example, what is milk after all? It is a cocktail of hormones to make a small calf in a large cow in an incredibly short span of time. Why does it surprise us that it is makes us fat or sick? In addition, I saw PETA videos before, but looked the other way, and now I could look away no longer. We torture these animals. Further, I never knew how much the dairy and meat industry influences our environment.
The following day marked the first day of April break and I decided that I would become a vegan. I would not rest on that documentary alone. I went to Barnes & Noble and purchased books on the subject, and went to Whole Foods. I decided to replace favorite foods with healthy choices, eating only natural food. I limited process foods. I spent the week trying out new recipes and started an exercise program while I was at it. By the end of the week, I was in a zone. It did take two weeks for my stomach to adjust to the amount of fiber and vitamins were injecting. However, I immediately felt great. I eventually added swimming and bike racing into my life, and I feel better at 43 than I did at 23. Even now, when my veganism is addressed I feel a sense of pride. This is me. Of course, I thought that I no longer needed the medication, but that turned out to be wrong. I dipped into a deep depression by early June when I weaned myself off medication. I did finally find one that worked for me. My psychiatrist said that I am obviously working hard to improve my health, but there is a definite family history and a chemical imbalance that needed to be addressed. It was not my fault. That made me feel better about things - that depression is a disease that needs to be dealt with, perhaps with medication.
ReplyDeleteThe veganism and depression has made me feel a sense of loneliness that I find hard to explain. The veganism, especially. I know very few vegans, if any. I always knew that food is an event in our culture. Now that I am on the other side, it is amazing how many people get angry with me. Especially since it is no alcohol, coffee, meat or dairy. It is too much for some people, to have me even around not consuming while they are. I get teased a lot, which I am getting used to, but some people really take it too far. With regard to depression, that has always been a tricky thing to discuss, because people think that depression means either: “big baby” or “crazy.” Actually, many people say to me, “You seem so happy.” Well, I am. It does not work that way. In addition, I have been a master at hiding it, because who wants to be thought of as crazy or some whining person who cannot handle his problems. The aforementioned stereotype is why it took so long for me to feel better. I just felt it was all in my control. Do not get me wrong, the veganism and health regiment is great, but I really thought it was something I could “fix.”
Doing this exercise showed me how much these facets of self are connected. I could go one, but I think this is enough for this post. We will talk more.
One of my earliest memories is my mother tucking me into bed after reading a bedtime story, giving a little peck on my forehead, and leaving with “Buenas noches”. Every night, to this day, she wishes me good night in Spanish and incorporates other Spanish phrases in conversation. Whether it's “Come y calla”, “te quiero”, or “buenas noches”, my mother’s Spanish roots have always been present. My grandmother lived in Spain for her entire childhood, then after the Spanish Civil War, when she was in her early twenties, she migrated to the United States bringing the traditions of her family with her. Now, my entire family on my mother’s side speaks Spanish, cook dishes like paella y tortilla española, and visit relatives in Spain. I know my mother has always wanted to pass this along to me, but I never held it to the importance and value that I should have. Above all things, I regret not trying to speak Spanish with her when I was younger. Though I take Spanish classes now, I know it is not enough. Spain is such a big part of my life, however I feel so disconnected from it. It feels like I’m throwing my history away, but the worst part of it is that I know it disappoints my mother.
ReplyDeleteMy parents are both Italian so we would sometimes have these Italian traditions while I was growing up. It would mostly be food related, like having a pasta night. I didn't know much of Italian culture, other than the food and The Godfather. As for religion, I was brought up Catholic, but as I got older, I'd say about nine or ten, our family kind of stopped going to church. I'd still consider myself Catholic, but not much involved with my religion, which I believe is frowned upon by the some of the devoted Catholics. Where I feel most connected, is with the friends I hang out with. We hang out mostly while playing video games. If its online or in the same room, I find it fun to be competitive while chilling out. So if I were to classify the group i'm apart of, I guess I'd say were a bunch of nerds. Not in the negative way like mid 2000's Disney movies about high school portray it. It's more like all of us are tech-savvy, but also enjoy beating each other up in video games.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though adults tend to just lump teenagers into one category. We are usually seen as irresponsible, lazy, immature, selfish, and “just teenagers”. My parents tell me all the time how responsible, mature, and well rounded I am which sounds like it would be a good thing but I feel like it just makes them expect me to act like an adult while they continue to treat me like a child. Sometimes I look much older than I actually am and while this isn't alway the case there is a difference in the way people treat you whether it's a barista or just a random person. For example my family is a huge fan of the University of Michigan so sometimes when I am wearing their apparel people ask me if I go there. When I tell them I am actually still in highschool there is a disappointed “oh” and usually, unless they also happen to be huge fans, the conversation ends there.
ReplyDeleteI was born and grew up in Ukraine, but my family's history is from Russia, my last name "Shepelev"(Not Shepeliev, it was a translator mistake which I can't change) is a Russian name.I'm a male, I don't have a siblings. I'm white and my parents white too. I’m an extrovert, I can easily start a dialog, but because of my poor skills in English I can’t maintain it, so usually when I’m sitting without friends I’m quiet. I was born in Crimea which is now Russia, when I was 5y.o. I moved to Kiev, I lived in Kiev till 14, and in 15 I finally moved to U.S.. My family is very similar to Bennett family(Ms.Bennett is just like my grandmother).I don’t find myself religious, but my family is, so I have to go to church sometimes.
ReplyDeleteRoman Shepeliev
My parents are white too.*
DeleteMy parents and all my ancestors for that matter are Indian and when I say Indian I don't mean just nationality but all the tradition and as for religion all of them have been Hindu(One of the many religions in India). but I have not felt any major connection with any of the groups either an Indian or a Hindu. I don't find myself religious and my parents support me and don't often take me to the temple unless it is very important festival. Also, although I call myself an Indian I don't really have a connection to the place. I would rather not identify myself from anywhere because it just put unnecessary with all the stereotypes.
ReplyDelete