Humanities 30 Reflection

Humanities 30 Reflection

            During my Humanities career I have learned several invaluable lessons, many of which will stay with me for the rest of my years, however none as valuable as those that I have acquired throughout the past 7 months of learning.

            Throughout the course of the English Language Arts portion of Humanities 30, my peers and I were introduced to many new ideas and strategies in order to enhance our works, and broaden our horizons. Many of these new ways of thinking were technology based, supported by programs such as Prezi, Slide Share, Wiki spaces and Blogger. I feel these programs really helped to give my presentations the elements needed in order to attain a greater understanding of the concepts being studied as well as the high marks that I desperately desire. This feature combined with the intriguing esthetics, which the program offers, allowed everyone involved to take more from each presentation.

I felt that early on in the course my writing skills were greatly challenged, strategies that had worked for me in the past proved no longer sufficient, and after some defiance I came to realize that change was necessary. It was instances such as this that taught me the most, and my writing skills are definitely better for it. This progression is proven when one compares my first Critical Analytical Response to that which I wrote less than a week ago. Everything from the pre writing preparation to the conclusion of the actual essay showed drastic development, and these changes also translated in the mark that was awarded. These successes not only showed up in my writing but in almost every style of work that we were given throughout the course. I would also mention that I did not only see this progression in myself, but in my team members as well; as individual assignments were enhanced, the skills acquired translated into group projects as well.

            Humanities forces you to be better not only for yourself but also for the others in your team or group, this idea became more prominent than ever before during this English Language Arts portion of Humanities 30. When you are instructed to complete an assignment as a group, most break the assignment up into respective portions. This allows for the persons involved to play to their individual strengths while also relying on the other group members for added input. I know that this format worked best for my group and I and really pushed us to present our best work before out peers. I found that when working with my group we were able to achieve a high level of success on many of our assignments, this was mostly do to our devotion to the project and our sheer desire to do well.

Although my journey in Humanities is really far from over I feel that with the tools I have acquired thus far, combined with those I am sure to obtain over the next three months, I will be propelled into the Bachelor of Commerce program at Red Deer College, equipped with the tools necessary to achieve the upmost level of success in all situations. However this is only the beginning, the skills I have acquired are certain to also help in times well past my school days, I will always carry with me the aspiration to improve all my work as well as the upmost desire to achieve success.   

Independent Readings ( Heart of Darkness, Important Quotes)

**I felt that the Novel Heart of Darkness was a very challenging piece of literature that required much thought and analysis. If given the chance to choose another novel to study I may have done so, simply based on the fact that the novel was very complicated as well as hard to follow. If given a different novel I feel that I would have been able to deliver a better analysis of the book, which is where I really struggled with this piece of literature. That being said I feel that I was able to grasp why the following quotations held merit within the novel.

3 Important Quotes and there Significance

1) “I was within a hair’s-breadth of the last opportunity for pronouncement, and I found with humiliation that probably I would have nothing to say. This is the reason why I affirm that Kurtz was a remarkable man. He had something to say. He said it . . .. He had summed up—he had judged. ‘The horror!’ He was a remarkable man.”

Explanation: When Marlow becomes ill, he wonders whether or not he would have something profound to say, as Mr. Kurtz did. This thought makes him realize that Mr. Kurtz really was a remarkable man since he was able to push through the realization of death to say something meaningful.

2) “The word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it. A taint of imbecile rapacity blew through it all, like a whiff from some corpse. By Jove! I’ve never seen anything so unreal in my life.

Explanation: This quote shows how Marlow really feels about the company along with the men who are employed there. Throughout the novel it becomes clear that the majority of the companies employees are fueled by greed and the hunger for ivory. To them the more Ivory they have, the more money they make and the higher up the company ladder they will climb. This is not the way Marlow chooses to live his life and that is the reason why he is so alarmed by what he witnessed.

3)  “The brown current ran swiftly out of the heart of darkness, bearing us down towards the sea with twice the speed of our upward progress; and Kurtz’s life was running swiftly, too, ebbing, ebbing out of his heart into the sea of inexorable time . . .. I saw the time approaching when I would be left alone of the party of ‘unsound method.”

Explanation: When the steamer is finally loaded with the ivory as well as Kurtz, which is most likely the most precious cargo as far as Marlow is concerned, the brown river is the only thing pushing them back towards the river. As they travel down this river the water begins as a brown murky current representing the struggle and suffering that goes on within the stations, as the water becomes increasingly clearer and the ship moves closer to the ocean it symbolizes the group moving closer to civilization. The increasing clarity in the river could also represent Marlow’s increased understanding for Kurtz.

Creative Response (Editorial)

I t’s a difficult question really, one that has been

explored through many facets of literature during modern history. How does one come from a place of internal struggle in order to restore the honor and certainty that they once felt? Isn’t it something that everyone deals with, doesn’t everybody want to feel honor and certainty or at least some mark of distinction in their lives, well I suppose that would depend on the individual. That’s the easy part wanting to feel something; the real challenge is getting to that place and ultimately staying there. Most people go about this in the same way, we try to achieve some form of success and hope that self-gratification will follow.

When we want something desperately when we fail at the first attempt, it is almost natural to try harder the next time in order to achieve or regain the honor and certainty that we once had. It seems that this is most often achieved through a successful endeavor that brings us some sort of honor as well as certainty. Don McKay subtly explains it in the sonnet Setting up the Drums, he says “He is bringing the kitchen, the workshop, screwing wingnuts and attaching brackets, placing the pedals like accelerators, setting up the stands for snare and high hat like decapitated wading birds, How will music make itself walk into the terrible stunned air behind the shed where all the objects looked away. “ to me this means that the man described in the poem is putting in all of the effort necessary to make his music great, and he knows if he does all of the things that are necessary that the music will be of such a quality that it will speak for itself.

This relates to my own life in many ways, at this point in my life the only people who I feel that I need to please are my parents or other adults that I consider important in my life. In order to do this there is a certain standard of excellence that I expect myself to meet everyday. I take this very seriously there for I consciously think about every decision I make in order to maintain honor as well as certainty in my life.

If for some reason this balance that I strive for becomes lost in the chaos, I work exceptionally hard to try and regain it. Usually this is done through my sports. I have learned over fourteen years of team play that when something’s not going your way, the only way to fix it is to work twice as hard in order to ensure that you have the best chance for success. If you give up a goal on one shift, you better be putting forth the extra effort to score a goal on the next. This applies to life in so many ways. In the poem Setting up the Drums it is obvious that the subject is working hard to ensure his success and through that success he will be rewarded with the gratification of honor and well as certainty.

Creative Response (Visual)

Hum poem pp

View more presentations from Laramie Sissons.

Personal Response #2

Personal Response

By: Laramie

            In the poem “The Lather” it is clear that the boy in the poem feels a strong need to fulfill his obligations to his father. In my own personal life I undergo very similar feelings in my efforts to take responsibility for my own life and achieve my goals. I feel that the poem touches on a very real issue and something that many people encounter during certain times in their lives. This being the feeling or obligation to please those that we feel have authority or influence over us. I definitely feel a sense of pride and confidence when I do well on something and my parents are proud of me. But in order to well and achieve your goals it is necessary for you to take responsibility for yourself, and in some situations others.

            Humanities provides a perfect platform for students to learn an effective method of how to take control of yourself and others. When my own humanities career began I did not posses this particular skill, in my mind it was necessary for the assignment to be done my way, with almost no margin for error. I thought that by taking responsibility for myself, as well as my entire group in this influential manner, it could only lead to the optimum outcome. This technique worked for some time but the practice soon became exhausting and made me realize that by taking control I was not allowing my group to work to their full potential. It was in my grade twelve humanities class that I put this idea to fruition and forced myself to abolish the barrier that I had established, in order to allow myself to welcome the ideas of those in my team. It took some getting used to but I promptly realized that not only were my own ideas good but with the input of other group members we were able to formulate assignments that superior. By allowing people in my group to take responsibility for themselves and their own ideas, we were able to be more successful and acquire skills that would stick with us for life.

            Similar circumstances take place in the exert from the novel Snow falling on the Cedars, between Fujiko and her daughter Hatsue Imada. When Fujiko learns of her daughter’s relationship with a “hakujin” boy she immediately is outraged and takes matters into her own hands. She views her daughter as a young girl who is incapable of handling the matter in a way which she approves of. When Fujiko completes a written explanation of the situation she shows her writings to Hatsue.  Hatsue carefully examines the letter and proceeds to tell her mother what she is truly feeling. Hatsue explains that she is old enough to take responsibility for her own actions and she has thus realized that she and Ishmael Chambers should not continue their relationship. This expression from her daughter allows Fujiko to realize that she no longer has to take full responsibility for her daughter’s proceedings; she then make the decision to allow Hatsue to mail her own letter to Ishmael and handle the situation herself.

            We can take many things from the sources as well as our own personal experience. What I have learned is that in order to be successful you must learn to take responsibility for yourself as well as others, although you must do so in a way that does not hinder others abilities to do the same. We all crave the feeling of accomplishment and success but if we are not given the chance to find our own way of doing so, we may never achieve our true potential.  

Personal Response #1

Personal response to text

By: Laramie Sissons

One of the main themes present in the novel The Grapes of Wrath is teamwork, without it, the Jodes would not have even made it to California. I can relate to this in so many ways. Ever since I was young teamwork has been a huge part of my every day life. I saw it at home as well as at my other activities. Since I grew up on a farm, being able to work with people as a team in order to achieve a common goal is really all I have ever known. I have also learned that there is only a small window of time to get things done and in business time equals money so you better get the job as done as quickly as possible. The Jodes took a similar approach to their journey, the whole family had to work together in order to reach their destination as quickly as possible. That means that everyone must work together and do whatever it takes in order to get it done no matter what the task, it just has to get done and that’s that.

Being a team also means that when one member of the team cant be there to pull their weight, everyone else must pick up the slack so the task can be completed. I think that you really find out how strong your team is when you are forced to battle adversity. This happens throughout the entire novel of The Grapes of Wrath, if the Jodes had not battled some many forms of misfortune they may not have developed the strength to continue on. This is the way that my family has always worked, when you run into something you don’t think you can do you have to just keep on going, quitting is never an option.

Recently during what was possibly the busiest time of our lives, my dad “the captain” of our team if you will, became very Ill. There were days when we tired or scared and we didn’t have the energy to do the hard work or get up for school in the morning or go to practice after a long day on the farm but we knew that its not acceptable to just to quit on a commitment no matter what.

My dad is getting better now and that busy time in our life is slowly winding down, but the teamwork never stops. Weather its making sure that 700 head of cattle are ready to sell or something as simple as getting to hockey on time I know that I will never have to face a battle alone, a for that I will be forever grateful. I think that the Jode family felt the same way, they knew that no matter what they encountered along there journey they would always have each other and they would somehow always be make it through.   

Critical Analytical Response #2

Critical-Analytical Response to Text

By: Laramie

            In the film The Return of the King the text creator, Peter Jackson selects a very unassuming character in order to display how an individual must take responsibility for themselves and others. When we are first introduced to Frodo Baggins, we know him as a simple Hobbit who is going about his life comfortably. That is until he meets Gandalf “the white wizard” and he is given a task that will prove to change his life forever. In order to complete the dangerous quest Frodo is forced to accept the responsibility he is given and destroy the ring, even if this means making immense sacrifice.  

            On his journey Frodo is accompanied by his fellow Hobbit, Sam Wisegamge as well as another creature, Gollum. When the Hobbits first meet Gollum he informs the pair that he knows of a secret passage into Mordor, and that he will be able to escort the group to this location, in order to allow Frodo to destroy the ring. What the viewers then learn is that Gollum has an underlying motive; he desires the ring for himself. Peter Jackson chooses to show us the struggle between Gollum and the Hobbits in order to represent Frodo’s commitment to the journey and the ultimate destruction of the ring. The majority of the tension is between Sam and Gollum, Gollum knows that Sam will always have the best interests of Frodo at heart and thus he sees the hobbit as a threat to his reunification with the ring. Sam realizes that Gollum’s one true desire is to have the ring for himself and therefore he is always cautious of Gollum, trying to anticipate his next move.

            The struggle between these two characters begins taking a great toll on Frodo and his state of mind. There comes a point late in the journey that Frodo is faced with a choice: he can either stay true to his own kind and continue the expedition with Sam, faced with the challenge of navigation, or he can proceed on to Mordor with the guidance of Gollum. This instance becomes a turning point in the film, when Frodo chooses to continue on with Gollum and releases Sam form the journey, many viewers are left with a sour taste, however it is expected that Peter Jackson chose to display this scene in order to represent the devotion that Frodo had to his duty. He knew that Gollum was the only way he could make it to Mordor and at this point he was ultimately left without any other option other than the taking the risk to trust Gollum.

            When Frodo chooses to continue the journey with Gollum, and rely on the creatures knowledge in order to reach Mordor, the apparent danger is not the only risk that he takes with this decision. In making this difficult selection it is possible that Frodo has lost Sam forever, but he knows this sacrifice was necessary in order to give himself a chance to reach Mordor and complete the task that Gandalf had left him with. In this particular instance in the film Peter Jackson is demonstrating to viewers that sometimes in life we are faced with a choice; most times it won’t be easy and someone is likely to be hurt in the process, but if you really want to achieve that which you desire most, it is imperative that one takes responsibility for themselves and others in order to make the necessary sacrifice.

                  

Critical Analytical Response #1

Critical Response to Text

By: Laramie Sissons

Throughout the novel The Grapes of Wrath, Ma is the glue that holds the family together. She is the emotional and physical backbone of the Joad family, she knows that her family will only know the feeling of fear and pain through her, so she herself works hard to deny these emotions when she experiences them.

When we are first introduced to Ma it becomes very clear that she is not a typical woman of her time, this is proved when Tom tells John Casey and Murley Graves “I seen her beat the hell out of a tin peddler with a live chicken one time 'cause he give her an argument. She had the chicken in one han', an' the ax in the other, about to cut its head off. She aimed to go for that peddler with the ax, but she forgot which hand was which, an' she takes after him with the chicken."

When the family initially begins their journey to California Ma’s main priority is to ensure that the family arrives in one piece. This almost immediately changes as the family begins encountering unexpected experiences. Ma must take actions that benefit the family in order to ensure that they made it through to see tomorrow.

When the others members of the group begin to loose hope Ma takes the reigns and essentially becomes the sole decision maker in the family. This is incredibly futuristic thinking for a family during the period that this novel is set, but when Pa begins to falter and fails to make decisions in order to give the family a chance to succeed. With each struggle that the Joads encounter, Ma gradually begins to take over Pa’s role as the head of the family. When Tom proposes splitting up the family, Ma threatens him with the jack. While camped at the Colorado River, she takes advantage of a nearby skillet when confronting an officer who orders the family to leave.

Although throughout the novel Ma does maintain her traditional feminine roles such as nurturing and protecting, Ma is forced to take a strong leadership role, as her main goal is to “keep the fambly whole.” However towards the end of the novel around the time that Ma makes the decision to leave the boxcars for higher ground, when Tom wants to leave the family in order to carry on Jim Casey’s legacy through preaching, Ma realizes that by letting Tom going he will be part of bigger family and this brings her comfort.

It is in the latter chapters of the novel when Ma realizes that she has succeeded in raising her children right and they will be able to survive in the world alone. Tom is going to help others, Rose of Sharron has helped a dying man, and the fact that the younger children have made it thus far in the journey is a victory in itself. Ma knows that the expedition is far from over and it will take a great amount of hard work to reach the families goals but with the strength she has shown throughout the novel as an indication, the family should be able to push through the depression and into improved times ahead.