Option #1: “Our Barbies, Ourselves”
· Consider a cultural artifact that affected you as a child, such as a television show, book, movie, toy, sport, or kind of music (it may have influenced your views of sex roles, but also could have influenced you in other ways—for instance, by contributing to your values, your interests, your ideas about friendship or adult life.) Analyze your subject, identifying the elements that made it influential.
Option #2: “Girl”
· Judy Brady, in “I Want a Wife,” and Kincaid both analyze women’s traditional roles, although they have different perspectives on those roles. How are the roles they describe similar? What do the speakers’ tones convey about their attitudes toward their roles? Explain how Brady and Kincaid use word choice, sentence structures, repetition, and other elements of tone to clarify their speakers values and feelings.
I think that I will go with option 2 as these two stories cracked me up in class. The two stories depict the traditional wife, and the normal 80-20 relationship, except in Brady's it was more of a 100-0. Women are supposed to be these wonderful caregivers, cook, play hostess, and take care of almost everything. Nowadays, we hae to do everything AND have a job. That is simply a tad too much for me. The girl described in "Girl" is seemingly randomly described as an up and coming slut and this connects with the "I Wand a Wife" via how only husbands can have affairs. The speaker in "I Want a Wife" is more like the I want it too, but the "Girl" speaker was incredibly sarcastic. The repetitive structure of "Wife" makes it more like a ranting confession, as well as wishful thinking. "Girl" felt more like a memory than anything else. The authors detest the stereotype of the women care giver and the double standard, but what exactly can be done here? This double standard has been around since Adam and Eve. The wives represented are the women who hate being left, they feel replaceable by younger and newer version. This is somewhat like "Marrying Absurd," merely a matter of convenience. The joke that marriage has become is evident here. The "Girl" story I feel is one that every adolescent female can relate to. They feel the injustice of the double standard, and while they can't go on strike for who will take care of the kids, they strike out in voice. I mean the last time a dad looked after kids they ended up in a shruken form.
ReplyDeleteMy all time favorite television show ever is Full House. My mom used to work nights on the Richmond County Sheriff's department and when she got home early in the mornings, we would watch it together. Mostly when I was little, I like the show just becuase it gave me something to talk about with mom and allowed us time to spend together since quality time was rare with her work hours. As I grew up and as I am still growing up, I find myself watching Full House every morning. I wake up at five in the morning to get ready for school and Full House has a two hour marathon every week day morning. This show has taught me a lot and I think the reason I continue to watch it as I am older is becuase it reminds me what is important in life. The three Tanner girls lost their mother, and while I have never lost a parent and cannot relate to that feeling, I know what it is like to move past a rough time in life. The morals that Danny Tanner puts into his daughters is unbelievable. He teaches them to love unconditionally no matter how bad other people hurt them, he teaches them to never hold a grudge because we don't know what tomorrow has in store for us, and above all he teaches trust and the power of family. All of these are great life lessons. Often times we take for granted the little things in life and we forget to live. Our lives become so busy and we get wrapped up in ourselves and don't think of other people. Full House brings me down to reality and reminds me to be a little nicer to people and smile even when my day seems hard.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to write about Option 1, as there are many things from my childhood that I can reminisce about. The music that my parents always listened to really affected me. Their tastes were in sync, and when either of them played a song in the car, the other would smile and say, "How did you know I wanted to listen to this?" These moments always made me happy as a child, but the messages in the music were much more significant.
ReplyDeleteWhile it was difficult to interpret the meaning in most songs at a young age, it became easier to dwell on the significance of the lyrics as I grew older. One song that is a favorite of my mother's is "You Learn" by Alanis Morissette, wherein Morissette sings of how making mistakes is the biggest part of life. She tells her listeners to "bite off more than they can chew" and to "get their hearts trampled on" because these are two things that everyone will eventually experience, and they are two of the most common ways that people ever understand how to change and improve their lives. Morissette makes her point that life is a growing experience, and one has to take the worst parts in stride in order to reach the best aspects of living. (Another thing my mother's taste in music also taught me was to expect Steve Perry to serenade me with "Open Arms" as he did to her in her teenage fantasies, but this is a lesson I'll put on the back burner.)
Ever since my music-filled childhood, I can easily say that music is one of the things I treasure most in this world. Playing guitar and piano feel like indulgences to me, no matter how much I mess up while doing so. I have two iPods filled to the brim with music because my collection is so vast. I feel as though music is something to be cherished, and it has been present in all of the best moments in my life thus far. Music carries messages that most people still need to learn, and the music of my childhood was my greatest example of this.
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ReplyDeleteOne thing that really influenced me when I was a small child was the television show Power Rangers. Yes, Power Rangers – you know, that cheesy, plastic monsters, omg-that-was-so-fake show from your childhood years. For me, the show divided the girls from the boys; I was one of the odd cases who sided with the boys more than the girls. While the girls played with their Barbie dolls and watched more girlie shows that escape my memory right now, I, with a lot of the guys, collected action figures of the Power Rangers and reenacted the cheesy, slow fall action scenes of whatever season the show was on at the time. This was probably the show that sparked a tomboyish side in me; I stopped wearing dresses and skirts and changed to shorts and pants, I started to let my hair just fall instead of tying it into a neat bun, and I started to become more outgoing girl compared to a lot of girls who started acting like the “perfect wife”.
ReplyDeleteDespite how cheesy the show was, it still impressed me as a kid. After all, normal people becoming superheroes and fighting endless crime for justice is just too impressive to dismiss. The fact that the heroes were willing to risk their lives, more like risk massive wounds since the producers cannot kill people in kids shows, (except in one season where apparently a pink ranger died… more like her actor was sick and they had to get her off the show… and she comes back at the end of the season anyways… do I sound like a dork?) to protect the city and each other instilled a sense of justice in me, as cheesy as that sounds. I always felt that that was how the real world should be like. I was in for a rude awakening but the lessons still stick with me to this day.
-Dorothy Li
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ReplyDeleteThe greatest influence on my life outlook is probably all the fantasy books I read. I started reading fantasy around the end of fifth grade, starting out with Warriors (talking feral cats) and Eragon (dragon riders). Before then I had not been much of a reader, but once I started I never stopped. While other preteen girls wondered about boyfriends and dresses, got their ears pierced and put on lip gloss, I became enraptured by the hero's journey and medieval politics. Battle strategies were much more interested than the Disney Channel, magic systems far more enthralling than the mall. Instead of planning outfits I planned worlds, designed characters and wrote stories.
ReplyDeleteThis interest in other worlds caused me to withdrawal from this one. I have always felt out of place among other humans. I communicate best in written form and social situations tend to stress me out. When I am with friends we tend to spend our time discussing books and playing Magic: the Gathering. All my friends can attest to how I will often start to say something, only to stop and mutter "you would understand if you read Wheel of Time."
I know that to many of you reading this that my life sounds awful. Most teenager's lives are based on communication with their peers. But I am not a normal teenager, at least in that regard. To me, living in a "fantasy world" is much better than having to deal with Earth's issues all the time. I would much rather have an abundance of books than an abundance of friends.
(Book titles are not underlined because I do not know how to make them that way.
If you have never read Wheel of Time, do it!!!!! It has rich world with distinct, vivid cultures and over 1800 named characters, not to mention an amazing magic system and interesting commentary on gender relations. Read it!!! It's only 9-10k pages total.)
Something tells me I may not be the only one who will write about this, but the Harry Potter books are really the most prominent "cultural artifacts" from my childhood. Oddly, I started with the fourth book. It happened to be the one my sister asked me to hold for her during a long car ride. I'm not sure if she was secretly intending for me to read it, but I did. And I became addicted.
ReplyDeleteHarry Potter was the first book I really enjoyed reading as a child. Since then, books have become an irreplaceable part of my life. Each book is a whole new realm that allows you to escape from your own problems at any given time or place. Without Harry Potter, I wouldn't have ever known that these worlds existed.
Though I do not remember which publication I read it in, I once recall reading a review of Harry Potter that stated something along the lines of "the magic in the books is not the true magic of the books." I wholeheartedly agree. Harry Potter is a book, but it has changed my life in so many ways. No other series has been able to propel itself so deeply into my heart. No other series has taught me so much about overcoming fears and obstacles, the powers of love and friendship, the importance of keeping hope, and the nature of humanity in general. No other series has made me laugh as hard or cry as unabashedly. No other series has helped me develop friendships that I've had for the past six years and counting. When I hear someone bash Harry Potter, I take it personally.
There are many aspects of Harry Potter that I can think of that make it so influential. Most significantly, I feel like even though it's about "magic," it's so real. The characters and their emotions are easily believable. I never felt like I was just reading about witches and wizards and magic. I was reading about a boy who couldn't believe the things the world was asking of him. I was reading about a ten-year-old red-headed girl with a crush on her brother's best friend. I was reading about an entire organization that had been fighting for decades, determined to stop the spread of tyranny. It was, and is, quite real to me.
Also, I believe the other aspect of Harry Potter that has had the most profound effect on me is the huge community associated with it. I was able to first relate to some of my best friends, like Anneliese and Katie, because we had read Harry Potter. I joined countless online forums. I listened to over 200 episodes of a weekly, one-hour podcast on simply theorizing what would happen next. I still listen to music about Harry Potter, for goodness' sake! I often feel out of place in social situations today, but the Harry Potter community gives me a sense of belonging.
I can honestly say that Harry Potter has been the most influential "cultural artifact" in my life thus far.
Option One:
ReplyDeleteI guess one toy that I always liked to play with was matchbox cars. Like Dorothy, I did not completely embrace the girlie girl inside of me, although I was not as tom-boyish as she portrays herself. Whenever I went to the store, instead of going instantly to the Barbie doll section, I went to the matchbox car section. I remember one Christmas when I got a parking garage that was taller than me and another Christmas when I got an entire city layout that took up the entire living room practically. As my only neighbor kids were all boys, I developed my first friendships with them, often by bringing them over to my house for the first time and asking if they wanted to see my matchbox car collection. And mind you, my collection was probably five times as large as any of theirs. As a little kid, those relationships I made shaped me into the person I am today. While my neighbors and I are not the friends that we used to be before I discovered the girlie side of the world, I do not think I would have some of the interests that I do today. Take, for instance, my love of basketball. I used to play all the time when I was younger and I still love to watch the Augusta State basketball teams. Also, because of them, I did not back away when presented with the opportunity to compete in the sport of archery for fear of sharp things and having to shoot 3D animals.
Because of my matchbox car obsession, I made friendships that influence my interests today. And I guess that's what this is all about.
Oh, and I still have my entire collection of matchbox cars and sets. ;)
Although I am not that old, there are many things during my childhood that have influenced me in a certain way. One memorable thing that has really affected me is the television show Clifford. For all you that do not remember, it is a show about a gigantic red dog that lived with a young girl named Emily. Before going to school, I have memories of my sister and I waking up extra early to watch the show, while eating cereal. With his clumsiness and youth, Clifford always managed to make my sister and I smile before we headed off to dreadful school.
ReplyDeleteThis is the show that probably stimulated my great admiration for animals, especially dogs. In addition, this show has introduced me to numerous vital principles in life such as the effects of judging one and family. Due to the atypical size and color, Clifford was judged by the town; he was not very well liked in the beginning by other dogs and people. However, Emily shows unconditional affection towards her pet- the only love Clifford really needs and patience. Although Clifford was hard to maintain, she never judged him and treated him like any other pets. Thus, inhabitants come to accepting the clumsy and cute dog into their town. Clifford would have never flourished into a lovely dog if he did not have a generous and caring family. Even though some people may have considered this show childish/boring, this production has made a huge impact within my life and views. Even though I am not a child anymore, this show, which I still watch on PBS, makes me giggle and serves as a reminder of what family and judgment are.
When I was a kid I played with something that I am sure most of the Junior class can connect with, Pokemon. Pokemon was a video-game where you had to catch wild animals called Pokemon. Once you had your own Pokemon you could catch more or you could level your Pokemon up by fighting other Pokemon and gaining "experience(exp.) points." Once your Pokemon was strong enough you could fight other Pokemon trainers to gain money and more exp. points. The general story line followed that you had to use your Pokemon to stop an evil organization that tried to manipulate Pokemon to complete their malevolent goals. Your job was to find out their final plan and stop them by fighting their Pokemon with yours. While fighting off this malicious force, you could also defeat Pokemon gym leaders who would give you badges. Once you obtained eight badges you could challenge the Elite Four. If you beat the Elite Four you would be announced Pokemon Champion.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it was just a game, I learned a lot from it. It taught me strategic skills. For example, you were only allowed to carry six Pokemon with you at once. You had to decide which Pokemon would best suit the task at hand. Often when you were "out in the wild", your Pokemon would get injured, and although you could use your supplies to heal your Pokemon you only had a limited supply. You had to decide when and where the best place to use your supplies were. The lesson that you had to work for the things you wanted also applied to this game. If you wanted to level your Pokemon up you had to spend long, tedious hours fighting random Pokemon just to get to the next level. You also had to be wise with your money. If you spent your money on things to quickly and didn't conserve the items you bought, you could go broke very quickly.
Of all of the things that I really noticed that this game has brought me is connection. It's not so much the game, it's that so many of my peers share similar memories of playing the same game. The nostalgia that it brings creates a connection between us. I don't have to even know the person and I can ask "Remember those old Pokemon games?" All of a sudden, we two strangers are having in depth conversation about a game we played when were kids. The influence that trends such as Pokemon or Barbie have is that they connect that generation.
After reading the first option, it's weird that the first thing that popped into my mind was a Pocahontas alarm clock I owned from about age 6 to age 12 or 13. The alarm clock did not have a drastic effect on me or my personality, seeing as it was just an alarm clock, but it made me really value something that I sometimes take for granted now, time. It is funny, because I remember I was constantly setting the clock at different times just to hear it go off and play the beautiful song "Colors of the Wind." I would get all happy inside, sing along, and set it again to go off in maybe an hour or two so I could repeat the ritual. I must admit I was a very strange child, so it was typical of me to feel so important on random and particular days, and feel the need to put a schedule on anything and everything I did, to seem like a business woman. I would set the clock multiple times a day just to hear it go off and remind me to go outside, or to eat crackers and milk, or to go play with Ginger, my cat. I eventually grew out of the clock and found it a nuisance to keep batteries in and find a place for it in my room, where it could be easily hidden if my friends came over. But because of the clock and from just the habit of doing it since I was younger, I always make myself schedules. I don't usually set an alarm anymore, because the buzz of a normal alarm clock is probably one of the most dreadful and annoying noises I hear daily, but I do give myself a time limit on a lot of things. However, most often times I stick to these time limits when it is not necessary to, of course. It is kind of fun for me actually, to tell myself to be done with something in a certain amount of time and actually finish it on time, or even better a little early. Almost like the reward of hearing the Pocahontas clock. Ultimately, my clock influenced me in I guess what you could call time management? Also, to this day I love the song "Colors of the Wind" and it is most definitely a most played song on my iPod.
ReplyDelete:)
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ReplyDeleteAs Erin said, she is not the only one whom the Harry Potter books touched when they were growing up, but their influence is very different for me so this won't be redundant. Along with the magic and imagination that the stories nurture, the stories and my encounters with them helped to shape my views on fathers. The first encounters that I had with the books were when I was about six and my dad read them to me and my sister every night, maybe a chapter or two. My father and I have always been very close but I think it has stemmed from these humble beginnings. I was always taught that my dad would tuck me in and read us bed time stories. My mom always took care of the food and clothes and necessary stuff, but it was my dad that was all the fun. Also the books themselves almost suggest a more paternal influence. Think about it, the only prevalent maternal figure is Mrs. Weasley, other than that it is Professor McGonagal (stiff) and Mrs. Dursley (antagonist). There are an abundance of male nurturing characters however such as Mr. Weasley, Dumbledore, Hagrid, and Sirius. Perhaps this is just because Harry was a boy but oh well. I always appreciated all of the things my mother did and does for me but my father and I have a very different relationship. It still shocks me when I learn that other girls don't have the close relationship with their father that I do. Reflecting on this it seems that I have grown up to expect the opposite of men in their roles as fathers than what society seems to expect. Where others expect absence and only bonding with boys, I expect love and bonding with me, a girl. Maybe my dad is an anomaly, but Harry Potter taught me a lot about father figures and I tend to like my views much better than the negative connotations put on many dads in the media today. Not all dads run around on their wives and ignore their daughters, I'm sure there is a large portion that are reading bed time stories to a six and eight year old right now. We tend to forget that and the Harry Potter books always help me remember.
ReplyDeleteIn both "I Want a Wife" and "Girl," the authors are mocking the traditional views of women. Women are generally considered to be the weaker sex and both stories are founded on this. In both stories, women are to carry the burdens of everyone around them. Both tones are incredibly sarcastic. The tone of "I Want a Wife" most reminded me of the tone of "A Modest Proposal" because the sarcasm is practically jumping out at the reader. The tones definitely make the point that both authors do not condone the derogatory attitudes toward women that men often have.
ReplyDeleteKincaid's use of only one sentence shows the chaos of having to perform every expectation thrust upon you, while in Brady exposes every expectation that she perceives men want of women. While Kincaid's sentence is an extensive run-on, Brady's sentences are more abrupt. In almost every sentence, Brady says, "I want a wife." Her repetition is an insistence upon wanting a partner who is seemingly "perfect." The italization of two phrases within "Girl" shows the persistence of the younger girl within the girl being lectured by Brady.
Even though Brady and Kincaid had two different writing styles, both managed to make their points quite clear.
One of the biggest influences on my life has come from swimming. I started training and racing when I was about five so I have spent a great deal of my time on it. One of the first things that I learned from swimming was perseverance. Throughout my swimming career I have gone through alternating periods of rapid improvement and periods of consistency without improvement. The periods without improvement are by far the hardest part of the sport. Going the same times for an extended period of time makes both training and racing very difficult. The sport has taught me to remain mental tough through these droughts and to continuing working hard until improvement comes about. Throughout my life this perseverance has carried over to other aspects of my life as well. Swimming has improved my work ethic in school as well. Without swimming I would probably put forth less effort than I do in many things. Swimming has had a large affect on my work ethic since I was very young.
ReplyDeleteI see it as my responsibility and duty to bring out the old classic Sesame Street! We all know that at one point or another, we all have watched this program. As a child, I can't say I had to much of a childhood because it isn't like I could drive wherever I wanted and hang out with who I wanted, so I had to find some other means to spend my time while I was bored. Sesame Street was nearly always on the television schedule. Whether I was watching a rerun or an episode I had never seen before, I was intrigued from start to finish. I would watch this show with my family. One day it may just be my older sister while the next I may have watched it with my mother. It does not matter who I watched it with or what the particular episode was about; I still managed to learn one lesson to enhance my knowledge and an attribute to make myself a better person have a stronger character. Although I was young, this show helped to influence and shape me so that I was, in my elders' opinions, a "good child." I have Sesame Street to thank for my learning of those ethics that may parents may have noticed that I learned for myself so they felt no need to teach me for myself. It also seemed to teach me a little bit of self sufficiency when it comes to my knowledge and learning. Thanks Sesame Street.
ReplyDeleteOne of the more influential toys I had growing up was a G.I. Joe action figure. I always used to pretend battle with him and a power ranger. He was my favorite because he represented the ideal manly man in society. He served his country while managing bulging muscles and a crew cut. I felt looking at his features that I wanted to be just like this symbol of manhood,yet I do not remeber who gave my this toy that sculpted my view of society's hero. This was a real American hero as opposed to the unbelievable flagrant superheros like superman and spiderman, but as I grew older this action figure began to look scarier and scarier, he started to almost carry a evil connotation with his cynical grin. Eventually I threw him out in the trash, and with him my former views of a true American hero. It seemed ridiculous that guys had to bench five hundred pounds and have an army style hair cut in order to be exemplary. Even though I grew out of my phase and realized the ludacrousy of the toy, I know at least some people bought in to the war crazed stereotype. And for the people who tried to turn the toy into an icon, they achieved their goal with some of our unfortunate poplulation.
ReplyDeleteSomething that deeply influenced me from my childhood to now was watching The Beatles "Yellow Submarine" movie far over a hundred times. I watched that movie as a kid close to daily and I still have it. It's an animated, psychedelic movie of complete absurdity, weirdness, and the unexplainable all mixed together with music by The Beatles. If you can't see the connection that movie made with the person I am today... get to know me better. The basic plot is Blue Meanies take over Pepperland, a utopia, and The Beatles ride a yellow submarine to the deepest part of the ocean, battling monsters of all kinds along the way. When they get to Pepperland, everything is grey and drab and The Beatles scare the Blue Meanies away and revive the land with their music. The imagery in the movie itself was an acid trip and the clever, occasionally black humour littered throughout the whole film planted an entire forest of personality within my mind.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was little a huge influence on me were my "worker man" boots. When I was little I lived in a small southern town about the size of the mole on your grandma's cheek. Everyone knew everyone, and this was especially true considering my dad was the only preacher. The house given to us by the United Methodist North Georgia Conference wasn't in the greatest shape so we constantly had construction workers around building something or the other. Well I was an adventurous kid back in the day and loved to be in the action. Every time some workers would come over I would slip on my "worker man" boots and head out to help them. Of course I never actually did anything of worth, but just being there and having boots just like the workers made me feel special and like a big kid. It was so influential on my life because it symbolized my quest to become a man, but also expressed my adventurous nature. They were plain black, almost like rain boots, but they weren't. They were the boots the worker men wore, only miniature. I did many things in those boots. I went on exotic adventures and poured concrete in them, I petted the dog and saved Susy, the first-grade hottie from two ravenous grizzly bears(that one was actually in my dreams, but hey, to a first-grader, that's practically reality.)To me the boots meant freedom and man-hood, and besides my football, were the most influential items in my younger days on my growth into a man.
ReplyDeleteI've had many "cultural artifacts" from my childhood that have influenced my views today. One of the top would have to be Disney movies. I have always been a HUGE Disney fan. I'm not talking about the cheesy Disney channel television shows that corrupt young children today. I'm talking about the classic Walt Disney films that we all had to watch on our VHS (We are all so old). I remember my family sitting down in our play room with pillows and blankets and watching Disney movies all day long. I loved the songs,the characters, the story lines, basically everything about them. Just like any good movie, they all had some kind of moral or message to it. Although I was probably too young to understand the morals back in the day, I can catch things and understand them better today (yes, I still watch them). If you think about it, we all grew up on these movies. They are apart of our childhood. I don't know about you,and call me crazy, but when I see a Classic Disney movie trailer, I have a quick flashback of my childhood and it makes me smile because those are the times in lives that we should always remember.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest influence in my life is no doubt dance. I started when I was 3 and have stuck with it every since. As I grew older it became more time consuming and I had to drop other hobbies such as soccer and piano, and it also became a challenge to balance dance and schoolwork; but it's a sacrifice I was/am still willing to make because of my passion for it. Dancing has provided me with opportunities that otherwise I wouldn't experience such as traveling the U.S., taking class from phenomenal choreographers and instructors, and meeting multiple inspirational people/dancers from various states & even other countries that i still stay in contact with. I've found that it's a lot easier for me to bond and connect with dancers because we share a common passion for expressing ourselves and communicating with each other through movement as opposed to merely words.
ReplyDeleteA cultural aritifact that affected me as a child was the television show, Powerpuff Girls. My sisters and I used to sit down and watch this show almost every day together. In the show there are three girls, just like my two sisters and I. They would get into many fights and disagreements and watching the three overcome even some of the most difficult brawls, would teach my sisters and I that nothing lasts forever, especially if they could make up after fifteen minutes. The show also taught me the vaule of teamwork, the girls could only defeat something if they worked together. Today, there are some things I could not do without understanding that I need my sisters help. The show was very influential because no matter what, the powerpuff girls always stuck together, through thick and thin. This depicted a strong bond between sisters, which followed through between my sisters and I.
ReplyDeleteBack in the day when I was a little lassie, before Yu-Gi-Oh existed, I was obsessed with watching Pokemon, playing Pokemon Gameboy games, and collecting little Pokemon characters and cards. Many people can probably relate. Some might say, “Oh! Been there, done that.” Pokemon just captured the attention of many people worldwide, whether it is the cards, the shows, or the games. Pokemon consisted of numerous animal-like creatures that would only repeat their names. For example, Pikachu was an electric mouse. When it spoke, it would sound something like this, “Pikachu. Pika. Pikachuuuuuuu!” In the show, the main character’s name was Ash. The first Pokemon he received was Pikachu, and from then on, he traveled across the lands to capture more Pokemon and to battle against the gym leaders in order to receive a badge. The game was quite similar to the show. The only difference is that you get to choose where to go, what to catch, and how to train your Pokemon in order to defeat all of the gym leaders.
ReplyDeleteMy mother and brother also played a part in my obsession. Almost every weekend before my mother went to work, she would visit this store near our restaurant to look for new cards for her collection. She kept them neat and in order in her special binder. My brother and I would occasionally flip through her collection in awe. As for my brother and I, we would spiritually watch each Pokemon episode and movie that came out. They kept us entertained and kept us from quarreling with each other, which made my parents pretty content. It gave something for my brother and me to talk about.
As I grew up, Pokemon started to become less and less popular. I think the reason I gradually stopped watching Pokemon was because the main characters changed. Being obsessed with the original Pokemon show, I became attached to the old characters, so I lost interest. However, as I look back upon this cartoon show, I’ve realized the deeper meanings behind the show. It really emphasized the theme of friendship, not only between the Pokemon and its masters but between the masters themselves (Ash, Misty, & Brock). They always stuck together through thick and thin, no matter what the circumstances were. Another underlying theme of the show was determination. Throughout the series, Ash never gave up. He was determined to earn all of the badges and to move on to the next league. Even the antagonists, Team Rocket, never gave up in trying to steal/capture other people’s Pokemon. They always failed their missions and ended up getting blasted off, but that never stopped them from trying again.
Like Josh had said in his post, I think out of all the things that I noticed about Pokemon, it has brought to me a sense of connection, not only my brother but with other people. This is quite prevalent with the card game and the Gameboy games. When I use to go to Books-A-Million, I believe every Saturday Pokemon fanatics would gather there to play against one another or to trade certain cards and what not. It brought people closer together, and it allowed for an opportunity to meet new people.
-Amanda Cheung
Both "Girl" and "I Want a Wife" presented similar ideas of what the role of a woman is, despite the fact that they are presented very
ReplyDeletedifferently. The two pieces portray the way that a woman is supposed to act: the duties she has taking care of things, and her sexual role. A woman should do the house work and support her family in the proper way,
without being a "slut", as is described in "Girl." "I Want a Wife gives us a complementary view, where the "wife" is idealized as taking care of the children, appointments, etc, while allowing the other partner to do as they please. However, these ideas are conveyed through very different means. The long "sentence" in "Girl" seems like a series of lessons given by someone, probably the girl's mother, and pulled from a memory. Hence, it is like a lifetime's worth of ideas pulled into one, and also shows how the duties of a wife all dull together into one long, weary existence. The occasional input from the second voice shows that the author was not entirely in
agreement with the sentiments expressed. In "I Want a Wife," the author uses her own personal opinions, in a more traditional form, to show that she would love to have someone who did all that. She does not, express disapproval at the idea of such a relationship, but instead feels that everyone would want a wife. Nonetheless, her tone seems to imply that she realizes the absurdity of the idea, and knows that it is not
possible.
-Anneliese H.
(Sorry this is pretty late- I blame Show Choir!)
One memory I have in particular about childhood toys that, while they may not have affected me, definitely gave early signs of what I would be like in the future, was playing with Fashion Polly dolls. Unlike the more well-known "Polly Pockets," Fashion Pollys were much more similar to Barbies in that you could dress them up in different outfits. My sister and I would play together and act out little stories with our dolls. Whenever one of them would get in trouble in the little society, I would think up punishments. Just throwing someone in jail was boring for the game, so I was tasked with coming up with unique punishments that played into the story. And that's when I thought of the pillar of shame.
ReplyDeleteWhichever doll had committed the crime would be forced a top a pillar in the midst of the town for an entire day. What made it shameful was their appearance. This is where "Our Barbies, Ourselves" started to appear similar. If the doll was a girl, she was forced to stand atop the pillar in just her underwear, because it was shameful for a woman to be exposed publicly like that. However, if it was a man, standing in his underwear wouldn't be shameful at all, according to my young mind. So, to get around this, I came up with an alternative; men would be required to put on the women’s' clothes.
I'm not sure why I still remember this so vividly, but it does prove to be quite revealing to how I was raised. I was taught that a woman exposing herself in anyway was shameful, but it was alright for men. I was taught that the most shameful thing a man could do, was look like a woman. Thinking about this today horrifies me, that I was raised to believe that being a woman was something to be ashamed of. It's no wonder that I used to wish on occasion that I was a man. I mean, if that doesn't say something about sex roles in today's society, I don't know what does. I'm just glad that now I've realized just how wrong I was, and can now feel proud by breaking the mold my childhood made of what a woman should be, and being who I really am.
Growing up I watched a fair amount of television, but I do not really remember a lot of it. In fact, I do not think a lot of it affected me as a person either except on thing. The only thing I do remember, which was probably the most influential thing in my childhood, was Batman. It was the time of reruns of Batman the animated series and a new show called Batman Beyond and I watched every episode without fail. I always knew why I was such a massive fan of Batman, and I still am. Quite frankly I think I am a bit of a Batman nerd (I believe you have to read the comics to be a full nerd, which I have not done so yea…). When I was younger, everyone was obsessed with Superman, and many of those people still say Superman is their favorite. Now I could not really understand some people’s arguments when I was younger but as I grew a little older I saw that, holy crap, this guy can fly, has super strength and has laser eyes. He is pretty awesome. However, that never edged me over to his fan base. I think that Batman is better because he is just as awesome as the other members of the Justice League, yet he does not really have any super powers. I think that is where my liking for technology that I have today, comes from. In fact it has become my life goal to be a computer/robotics engineer. He relies on science and technology to be his “superpowers.” That was what distinguished him along with is detective capabilities and excellent physical skills. That concept just was more interesting to me personally, and in my opinion, that makes Batman the best superhero ever. This is what I would tell people when they looked at me like “What the…?” When Batman Begins and TDK came along, I was absolutely overjoyed to see these sides of Batman expressed in a modern film. I never really kept up with Pokemon either (which everyone else seemed to love, and still do). I was more of a Yu-Gi-Oh (the original series, the spin-off’s suck) fan because I liked to watch the longer more intense card games. People thought I was weird for that reason too. Today, it is easier to find people who like Batman and Yu-Gi-Oh. I don’t know why, and some of them are even people who changed their views. In the end, it really is your choice. Everyone is different, so different thing will appeal to each person. Then you have the people who follow things because the “cool” people are. But, I am a slight Batman nerd, and a Yu-Gi-Oh fan, and I was (still am) proud of being different.
ReplyDeleteI am really surprised that no body before me has mentioned the classic Pixar movies Toy Story 1 and 2. These two movies defined my childhood. My uncle bought the DVD set for my sister and I when we got our first DVD player. Because the technology was so new to us and we didn’t have many other DVD’s suitable for kids our age, the two Toy Stories were all my sister and I would watch. I’m sure everybody has seen the two movies and therefore know its plotline. Essentially, this movie taught me the value sharing, kindness, courage, accepting reality, knowing your strengths and weaknesses, accepting others for who they are, and the value of friendship. All of these lessons are taught through the brilliant use of talking toys. By using Woody, Buzz, Mr. Potato Head, and all those other classic children’s toys, Pixar is making these lessons both accessible and enjoyable to learn for the kids. However, in my opinion the most influential way Pixar teaches the value of friendship is through the song “You Got a Friend in Me.” After watching the movies, I would always find myself singing the song. Furthermore, that song was the first song I had ever danced to in tap class, or any class for that matter. By creating such a catchy song, kids are indoctrinated with the ideals presented in it. Both Toy Story 1 and 2 appeal to a younger demographic and teach these kids at such a young age the value of friends and the importance of being yourself. Without these ideals, a kid would become a social outcast and have no self-esteem whatsoever, and people like that can’t function in today’s world. I know this movie has influenced me a lot when making new friendships and maintaining old ones.
ReplyDeleteLike many people have previously said, the Japanese craze of Pokemon was a cultural artifact that significantly influenced me earlier in my life. My obsession with Pokemon, a Game Boy game where you played as a trainer who battled and caught various creatures, began when I first set my hands on the new and elusive Pokemon Crystal. Despite being a 2-D game with no speech and relatively "terrible" graphics, the game of Pokemon taught me numerous lessons, many of which I can relate to my life today. One thing you could say the game of Pokemon has taught me is to be very social and outgoing. To completely play the game, you would have to had traded and battled with other players. Back in the 90's, the only way to do that would be to connect to someone else with a long and unsightly cable. An awkward process at first, I soon grew to relish playing Pokemon with my old friends and also with many new ones I had made though the common interest of the game. Another thing that Pokemon has helped me with is to not judge a book by its covers. Some of the most intimidating Pokemon can look just like flowers or trees, but can devastate you when they attack. Another moral that playing Pokemon has taught me is to always be patient. I remember that it took forever to level up all those Pokemon, but once you got to Level 99 it was all worth it.
ReplyDeleteAlong with all the lessons Pokemon has taught me, it has also influenced me in many ways. Playing Pokemon made me more open and accepting due to the outlandish and eccentric ideas present in the game. An unseen influence that the game might have had on me is that it may have enforced stereotypes. In the games, the girls were associated with pageants most of the time and the guys were associated with battles. It may have also made me more unhealthy as ever since then I have enjoyed playing video games a lot more. However, even with all of its negative effects taken into mind, I believe that Pokemon had a drastic effect on me mainly for the better.
Well, seeing as I'm probably one of the last people to post, a lot of the ideas I had as my "cultural" artifact have been taken. I guess that's just another sign of our unity. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. I used to love watching and playing Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Power Rangers. I definitely had my share of watching Full House, and of course, who could forget Family Matters? Steve Urkle! All of these different things taught me a lot about relationships with people, values, and just everyday things of life.
ReplyDeleteHowever, aside from all of those things, I think music has had the most profound impact on my life. Basically, I think my music represents my transition through life. When I was young, my exposure to music was very little. It was whatever my parents or my sister played in the car. Essentially, I was limited to Indian music and old boy bands. (Disgusting.) However, I was exposed to one of my favorite bands of all time, Linkin Park. This stage of my music represented my total outlook on life at the time, very narrow and not exposed to the world. I was innocent.
Then, as I grew older, I started watching channels like MTV and VH1. (Remember though, this is before they became such trashy, reality show channels and when they played actual music.) On those channels, I begin exposing myself to other music. I learned of artists such as Eminem, The Fray, and The Black Eyed Peas. (Before they were horrible...) This was a time when I was slowly maturing and learning about different things in the world. Again, my introduction into the different genres and artists exposed me to the world.
Now, I've learned of so many bands, artists, solo singers, composers, etc. that my music collection is tremendous. Also, this demonstrates my full exposure to the world. Music has also helped me build relationships with friends. Many times, a similar interest in music is what draws me into people. We find that we have other interests in common as well, and we become friends. Music has become such a solidified part of my life which affects me in many different ways.
In reading through the blogs, one of the posts that I was automatically able to relate to was Alex’s. Disney movies were a huge part of my childhood as well; especially The Lion King. I watched it every day and right when it was over I’d burst into tears. My mom could never rewind it fast enough; I would literally cry until it was finally back to the beginning and she started playing it again. I knew/know every word to the songs and this movie is still my all time favorite. Like Alex, it brings back amazing memories of my childhood that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
ReplyDeleteOther posts I could relate to were the various people that mentioned Pokemon. I played it with my cousin almost every day of my life. I remember playing two Pokemon games, Saphire and Ruby, so vividly. I had a purple gameboy advance with the cord that could hook up to another gameboy, so me and my cousin would connect ours and ‘battle’ each other. It’s amusing now to think back at how much I loved it, but nonetheless it played a huge role in my childhood.
Everyone seems to have been affected by Pokemon as a kid and I must admit I too am guilty. It didn't have quite the lasting affect the movie I mentioned did, but it certainly ate up several hours of my day. It took all my allowance for roughly eight years of my life. Yu-Gi-Oh was similar but came later. Looking back on these obsessions of mine, they humour me. I think its funny how I used to be and how I've changed. Also, I noticed a lot of people mention Disney and Pixar movies. Those too were fairly big, but not as big as they were to most people. I still think they're pretty sweet too. Monsters Inc. is freakin awesome.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'll be the next person to comment on the impact of Pokemon. I remember having a binder full of Pokemon cards. I never traded them or anything, I just kept them because I loved the characters.I also remember watching the tv show all the time. My favorite was Pikachu because he was always helping and just so adorable. I had at least four little Pikachu dolls/toys. Like Amanda, I think the reason I stopped watching and gave away my cards was because the characters change, in fact the entire show did. It just wasn't what I grew up with and I did not like how they changed for no reason. Also, like Chewy said, it's funny how so many of us enjoyed Pokemon (ignoring the fact that it was a craze during our childhood). It really shows how much we all have in common.
ReplyDeleteReading through everyone's posts, I have found that most of the childhood influences everyone has discussed can be boiled down to one thing: stories. Television shows, movies and books are very obvious examples of this, since their purpose is to tell a story. Video games also have a story, usually some variant of the hero's journey. Trading cards and action figures represent characters, and it is up to the children (or adults) that play with them to make up the story. Even Luke's "Worker Man" books inspired him to make up stories about rescuing damsels in distress.
ReplyDeleteWhy do we all think of stories when considering influences on our lives? They give us a cast of characters who overcome obstacles, demonstrating how to live. The actions of beloved characters can have a profound influence on impressionable children. But it is not just children who are influenced-- stories have been used to communicate morals since ancient times. It is no wonder that they still have such a powerful effect on our lives today.
Full House, as mentioned by Tecie, was my absolute favorite show when I was a little kid. You could say that I literally grew up with the Tanner girls. I completely agree with you about the importance of Danny's lessons that he gives the girls by the end of the shows. This show taught me a lot about the basic values every kid should learn while growing up. It also taught my parents a lot about things that they may have to deal with raising a daughter growing up in America, while they grew up in India.
ReplyDeleteDorothy- While growing up I was very similar to you. I only had basic cable and Power Rangers always came on ABC Saturday mornings. My Saturday routine always included watching Power Rangers. That show brought out the tom boy in me, just like it did you. I actually had a phase where I refused to wear a dress no matter the occasion. It really frustrated my parents.
Abby- I just wanted to point out that your dad is not an anomaly. I have the same type of relationship with my own dad. I don't believe that that type of relationship is as rare as you think.
One thing I noticed in reading through my peers' posts is that the majority of the class chose Option 1. I cannot say I'm surprised; for many of us, it is easy to think of something that influenced us in our childhood, a time when our minds were soaking up material like sponges.
ReplyDeleteI found Heather's post very interesting in that it was the only one from Option 1 that related specifically to the view of sex roles. It really is interesting to see how common beliefs in society manifest themselves in even things like toys.
I also really like the connection Anna made to the influence of stories. All of the "cultural artifacts" mentioned, when broken into their elements, possess morals and provide insight into society. It's really interesting to see that it wasn't coincidental that many people were influenced by books, TV shows, etc. I admire her keen observation.
After i read Alex's recent post, it really made me smile. Knowing that we all have so much in common is just fascinating. What's even more interesting is that we've all been in the same class for almost three-fourths of the school year, and we are now finally learning so much about each other. After i read Erin Payne's comment on Power Puff Girls, it reminded me of this one time where my friends and I discussed all the old cartoon shows that we use to watch, such as the Power Puff Girls, Dexter's Labratory, Johnny Bravo, and Cat Dog. Reading all of these posts just makes me remember so many of my childhood memories with watching Pixar, Disney, and Dreamworks movies and different television shows. In reply to Sharon's comment, as a child, I use to watch PBS kids too. Her post reminded me of when i use to love watching Clifford, Arthur, and Zoom. In the end, we've all "been there, done that." :D
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read the prompts, I had no idea what to write for option one, so I ended up going with option two. But as I read the other posts, I was smiling and saying things like, "I remember that!" and "Me too!" It's interesting how a lot of people talked about shows and games and movies that I remembered too, but had a completely different take on. For example, Full House always bored me when I was a child; I couldn't understand why everyone liked it! But I was a big Pokemon fan, and of course Harry Potter was/is important to me as well. Still, we all learned a lot of the same things from different sources: friendship, sharing, all those good cliches. I think we have a lot more in common than we all realized!
ReplyDelete-Anneliese H.
Reading through everyone's blogs, it doesn't surprise me that many people had vivid memories of Pokemon and Disney during their childhood, for I am also a victim. (Haha) I really enjoyed Shelby (peer post) and Brianna's posts because I was able to easily relate to those. Like Shelby, Disney movies were a huge component of my childhood. I would watch the the movies repeatedly till I literally became one of the characters in the movie. Brianna's post also made me smile and brought back so many amazing memories of my great love for Disney characters. Similarly to Brianna, I also had a Disney item that I adored. (a Toy Story flashlight) Unlike a typical, boring flashlight that is capable of ONLY one light, this flashlight can shine various colors. However as time passed, the once valuable object became insignificant.
ReplyDeleteAnna- I really love how you were able to find a similarity within everyone's discussion. Like you said, everything has its own story that affects one in a certain way. Therefore, these stories are part of us- tells how we develop and our identities.
After reading the posts, I am especially fond of Chewy’s post, most likely because he mentioned Linkin Park and Eminem. As a child, I grew up with parents from Mainland China. They had not only never listened to rap or rock, but instead had only listened to old Chinese songs that usually consisted of one singer accompanied by an instrument like a flute or piano. Growing up with those kind of peaceful and hopeful songs made me see the adult world as a peaceful place. When I was a bit older I discovered Linkin Park; not only did the actual music appeal to me, but the meanings behind the songs blew my utopian ideas away. I still remember when I first discovered “Breaking the Habit” and thought “wow, adults still have problems they can’t handle?” I grew up a bit more and one of my friends introduced me to “Mockingbird”. I was curious and decided to check it out, assuming it would talk about a general problem with today’s society. Eminem shocked me when he talked about his problems so easily in his songs. I had never liked rap before I listened to Eminem, but his songs made me do a double take on the genre. His songs (at least back then) were about personal issues instead of what I usually thought rap was about: the good life and living it up. Eminem pushed me to say what I actually wanted to say despite what consequences was afterwards.
ReplyDelete-Dorothy Li
Like Sharon, I was unable to think of a significant item that affected me when I was younger. Even reading through most of these posts, I was unable to relate to a majority of the posts. I didn't read Harry Potter books, watch Pokemon or engage in any Pokemon/Yu-Gi-Oh/Digimon/whatever else there was - related activities, or watch the typical cartoons.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the majority of Disney and Pixar movies that were produced when we were younger definitely had an impact (Monsters, Inc. and The Little Mermaid are definitely two of the best movies ever), and I didn't even think of those until Alex brought up the whole Disney movie aspect.
I find it kind of humorous that a majority of the class brought up Pokemon; since I'm not too knowledgeable on that subject, that's really all that I'm going to say about it.
Heather: Your post on Fashion Pollys and relating them to sexuality was rather insightful into the nature of society, and I enjoyed reading it. American culture deposits itself into everything, and in toys for young children this is becoming more prevalent with each generation.
It is evident, after reading everyone’s post, that many experiences such as the movies and television shows we watched and the games and books we adored in our childhood have greatly impacted the people we have grown to be. I really like Lillie’s post about the way music has influenced her life. I can relate to her post because when I was still unborn, my mom would put headphones playing classical music on her stomach because someone told her it would make me learn and grow faster as a toddler. Even as a toddler, my mother would play country music in my room at night to help me fall asleep. As I have grown older, those same songs have found their way to my Ipod. I think there are a lot of morals and life lessons in songs that most people never learn. I also liked how Lillie connected music to the relationship her parents formed, and how that relationship inevitably affected her. While I cannot personally relate that kind of relationship my own mother, I can relate to the connection every daughter wants with their mother; and from personal experience, I know Lillie and her mom have that.
ReplyDeleteAs I stated in my last post, I can connect with many of the posts done by the rest of my classmates. Therefore, I'll have to pick and choose which posts really hit me the most.
ReplyDeleteErin, I agree with you completely. Harry Potter played a huge part in my life. Call me a nerd, but those books were amazing. J.K. Rowling completely revolutionized my interest in reading. Honestly, before I read Harry Potter, I never read anything too extensive. Harry Potter, however, opened me up to an entire new world. I,like Erin, started with the fourth book came out because my sister was a crazy fanatic. From there, I was hooked and I couldn't stop reading the novels. I think I've read each of the first five books around 15 times. Yeah, I was obsessed. Those books just seemed to be an escape from reality. Whatever troubles I had in the real world could just vanish by picking up one of those books and reading about Harry's adventures through Hogwarts. Rowling described the characters almost perfectly and provided realistic relationships. The Harry Potter books also expanded my reading interests to include fantasy books. From Harry Potter, I went through Pendragon, Septimus Heap, Eragon, and many more fantasy books which peaked my interest. I have to say, now that the books are done and the movies are soon to be finished as well, it's as if a chapter is ending in my life as well.
Tecie - Full House was a show that constantly played in my house when I was a child. Apart from my mom's Indian soap operas, Full House and Family Matters were the two most common shows. I think it's interesting because we watched those shows when we first came to America. I think it's as if the shows represented what a real American family was to us. (Boy, were we wrong.) As a child, the morals and the actions of the Tanner family made absolute sense and I accepted them. Now, however, when Full House does come on, I find Full House just plain cheesy. I think it's because I've come to the grave realization that no family is actually like the Tanners.
To all of those who commented on Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon - Wow. To say that those two games/shows were not a part of my life would be the biggest lie. I don't think there was ever a time you wouldn't see me either with my game boy or my Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Pokemon required a lot of thought and just overwhelmingly influenced my life during my early years. You had so many different decisions to make. What pokemon should I start with? Where should I go first? And so on and so forth. I think, like Suraj said, while there were many negative impacts, the game really provided a way for me to connect with others and make new friends.
Yu-Gi-Oh was a card game and show that developed as I got older. I think I was in the second or third grade when I got my first deck and started playing. Every single Saturday, Books-A-Million would have many different players willing to battle, trade, or just talk about Yu-Gi-Oh. Again, the game helped me develop my social skills. I feel as though Yu-Gi-Oh was like fighting a war. You had to figure out which "troops"(monsters) to use and what "strategies" to use to beat your opponent(magic and trap cards). Also, the game taught teamwork because you could do double battles. I have to admit, Varun and I made a pretty amazing team together.
I really loved that this post let us look back on our childhood. Normally, things such as Pokemon, Full House, and Yu-Gi-OH don't cross our minds on a daily basis, but this question really allowed us to get in touch with our inner child.
I know that I'm kind of late posting. Last night I came home from the tournament and totally crashed, forgetting to post in the process. I'll just do my original post and my peer review in one post to avoid redundancy.
ReplyDeleteOne cultural artifact that affected me as a child are the transformer toys. Their figure-it-out yourself nature (I usually threw away the instructions without using them) really exited me. This perfectly fit in with my inquisitive and curious nature that still defines me today. They were also a great outlet through which to act out imaginary battles and events, which also fits with the imaginative side of me. Looking back, a lot of the toys I played with had both of these elements as I played with legos, bionicles, and other toys of similar nature. I don't think these toys defined who I am, but I do believe they encouraged certain qualities in me and allowed them to grow and develop.
Reading "Our Barbies, Ourselves" reminded me of a comic I once read. It was titled something along the lines of "Why Women Aren't Interested In Becoming Engineers." It depicted children of both genders receiving gifts. The boy got a lego set and was super excited about it. The girl got a doll. While this might be exaggerated a little, I think the fact that we give boys toys that challenge and excite their imagination, while giving girls toys that essentially let them play house says something disturbing about our society.
One thing I noticed about peoples posts, is that a lot of them concerned media (whether it be books, television shows, movies, or video games) instead of tangible objects. The increasing interest in media and the increasing amount of it will certainly have a interesting affect on society. Even my 4 year old sister plays video games, and as time increases I believe the value of media will continue to increase in each new generations lives especially in the forms of the internet and video games. Information and entertainment are becoming the gods of our society, and I believe it feasible to think that the last toy company will close up shop in our lifetimes, at least as far as traditional toys go.
I am so happy to see that I was not the only girl who played Pokemon when I was little. It's fantastic to see not only through these posts but those before how so many of us connect on any sort of level, however unexpected.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, as you were the first to post, I read yours before I posted my own comment. I usually agree with what you say, and this time, I believe that the double standard in genders has indeed been around since the biblical times. You always have such a refreshingly humorous take on whatever we're studying and it's great to read.
Also, I would like to add that unlike most children, Harry Potter was never a part of my childhood. I tried reading the first book and soon became more interested in other things, causing my attempts to be unsuccessful. I found that upon reading the books at an older age (just a few months ago, to be exact) I still lacked the spark of interest that usually ignites as I read a story. Reading what Erin and Abby posted has shown me why other people love it so much, especially when it applies to their lives in such a huge way.
And last but not least, Tecie, I really appreciate your most recent post. :)
It seems that each generation has something they connect to, that childhood fads consume our memories. Like Erin I was completely obsessed with Harry Potter, although I was already a bibliophile. But these things are slowly fading out of our lives. What made those things alive? Was it that we had more free time or that we weren't bogged down by the perspective of others, conforming us to what they want us to be?
ReplyDeleteLike Anna I used to find, and still do, a great amount of influence in the fantasy books I read. Not only do they offer realms that I can escape to they inspire new ideas and new perspectives that shape my understanding of our world. I feel that sometimes we should step away from trying to learn and accomplish as much as possible in the time allotted. Sometimes we need to step back, freely look at a subject and let new perspectives inspire us. Imagine a bug on a leaf. The bug can only see what's in front and behind. It doesn't understand that there is a larger, third dimensional world around it. If that bug could see through the eyes of a human than it would be inspired and would be able to do more than it possible imagined before.
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ReplyDeleteAfter reading through the post, I was able to relive my younger years and go back to the good, easy days. Its nice to see how many other people have been exposed to the same things that I was exposed to as a child. Its very interesting to see how much we really have in common when posting about the different topics. I see that many people have read Harry Potter, such as Erin and Abby, and although I am late I just finished the series and I can definetely relate to those that have had an influence by Harry in their lives. The books were intriguing, leaving you wanting more, to go on to the next book, and watching him grow up and tackle obstacles made an impact on my life.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed reading Anna's post about the different world she is able to go to while reading. This is an interesting veiw that I have never thought of and is something that I would like to experience seeing as how it changed her intake on life.
Toys and television shows during our child years have a big influence on our lives today, which I became aware of after reading through the post. I would like to know how different these type of post will be when juniors, seven years from now blog, seeing as they have iPods and plenty other types of electronics out there today.
Reading through everyone's posts brought me to the same conclusion as I believe Anna had: it seems we all were shaped or influenced by some sort of stories when we were younger and no doubt are still being shaped now. After reading Erin's post, I had to completely agree with her. When I first read the Harry Potter series I don't remember how many years ago, I became engrossed. I remember when the seventh book came out, we had just gotten home early from a family vacation because I was sick. It also happened to be the day the seventh book was released. My mom went and got a copy for my sister and I each, and I remember sitting there all day long just to finish the book. Books play a vital part in my life, as do they in Erin's and Abby's lives and countless others. We are all shaped by the things we were interested in as children, mostly along the lines of some sort of story. And we are still being shaped today by stories, just different ones, perhaps older ones, but still including Harry Potter, of course.
ReplyDeleteReading through the posts, one of the things that stood out to me the most was the Disney movies. They were always the primary source of entertainment for long car rides when I was little. While at the time they were just entertaining story lines, looking back I see all of the values that they instilled. Disney movies always give examples of courage and friendship. I have to believe that these have at least had some effect on my values. While my parents have definitely had a greater influence, I will always remember the lessons that these movies have taught me.
ReplyDeleteLooking back over the comments, a few things stood out to me. One, not everyone seemed to relate as much to the idea of sex roles as I did, as Victoria and Erin pointed out, and this interested me. Reading Our Barbies, Ourselves and I Want A Wife really affected me, because personally I'm fascinated by issues of gender differences and sexuality. Say whatever you want about that, but I just find it intriguing. The fact that these differences are so influential on our daily behaviors and actions and that the prejudices are so readily accepted in society is shocking to say the least. We live in a country where treating people differently because of the color of their skin is, socially, a criminal offense, among most circles. But on the other hand, everyone is perfectly comfortable with saying that "women are always over emotional" or "can't handle" what men can. And it's not the fault of individual people, because it's how society raises us. Brandt pointed out in his post that as children, boys and girls are given different toys to play with. This reminded me of a sort of article I read about the differences in advertising that goes into toys. Toys directed towards boys are advertised as "sciencey" and "technological," while a toy directed towards a girl is described as "magical." Literally. Think of any commercials for those life-like baby dolls that you see on tv all the time (don't even get me started on what I think baby doll toys do to young girls, cause this post is long enough as it is) and think about how they describe the doll. "Feed your baby, and she MAGICALLY opens her eyes." All of us today know that it's the circuitry and "sciencey" stuff inside the doll that makes her eyes open, but young girls are taught that her doll is magic, or even alive. So maybe this is why women are believed to be so emotional, compared to men. A boy gets a toy that he knows is not alive, and he controls everything it does. A girl learns that her toy is a living thing that she needs to love and care for, nurturing an unnatural sense of attachment towards a factory made item. I remember my own baby doll as a child, that I still have today. Why? Because I LOVED it. Not love like, I love pizza, but I really cared about it. I would cry when another child would take it from me, not because I was being selfish and didn't want to lose my toy, but because I was legitimately afraid of what might happen to it. This kind of attachment to a toy is, in my opinion, unhealthy, and is part of the reason that girls have such tendencies to get easily emotionally attached to things and people. While clearly this doesn't apply to everyone, it still seems to be a likely contributing factor to the stereotype.
ReplyDeleteWell from reading these postings I can see that I obviously forgot to mention a lot of thing sin my initial post.
ReplyDeleteErin- Harry Potter has been a big part of my life as well, but seeing that is it so universal for a lot of people, I left it out of my post. I remember watching the Harry Potter marathon on ABC whenever it was last on and the kept repeating one line about the seventh movie. Something about how it was the “motion picture event of a generation.” I completely agree with this. Harry Potter is what defines the majority of our generation’s time. In fact, if J.K. Rowling had not come out with those books, many people I know would be quite different today. Harry Potter taught us how to imagine and showed us the importance of friendship. In fact, I do not think I have met a person who completely dislikes the series, as there is at least one aspect that people are able to connect with on some level.
Niyathi – My experience with the Toy Story movies has been quite similar. That was one of the first DVD’s my father bought for my family to watch because he had heard it was such a good movie for kids. I have no idea where that DVD is today, but the things I learned from it are still in my mind. In the movies they show how a person you meet for the first time may be your sworn enemy, or most hated acquaintance. However, if you get to know that person better, both of you may find that you are actually similar in more ways than you thought. That is where friendships develop from, similarities. By learning that, I was able to make new (and better) friends when I entered middle school. Those friends are still some of my closest friends even though I have moved about a 1000 miles away from them.
- Pratik Gangwani
Probably the most influential aspect of my childhood would be, like Schafer said, swimming. I've been swimming ever since i can remember, but didn't begin trainng competitively until i was 7. Swimming over the years has taught me disciIpline both in and out of the pool. My determination to attain my goals in the pool has affected my schoolwork as well along with other activities in a very positive way. Swimming has also taught me time management which is necessary when trying to balance my schoolwork and swimmng. It has greatly influenced my life over the years and has contributed to shaping the person i am today.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I noticed as I read through many of the comments are the similar childhood memories we all share. Agreeing with Victoria, in that I was never intrigued or could get into Harry Potter books or Pokemon activities and cards, I did have an intense love for Classic Disney movies, like with Alex. The clock I mentioned earlier came from one of my favorite Disney movies, though I loved a ridiculous amount of Disney movies, I would have to say Pocahontas was up there and it made me value people and love more. Along with James, I remember Sesame Street! I was absolutely infatuated with Elmo and I remember constantly watching an exercise tape released by Elmo, which got me into the habit of working out and dancing around, so I one day could have a body like Elmo's.(Kidding) As always, it is interesting to see the similarities between all of us.
ReplyDeleteLooking at several posts, I would like to convey a point about toys that Brandt initially brought up. While I agree with what Heather said about the different selling techniques, I grew up with legos and kinex as well as dolls. The emphasis on "magical" that you made I think is maybe a misconception. Look at Harry Potter: magic; Pokemon- fantasy/magic; YU-GI-Oh: fantasy/magic. The entire toy situation is actually extremely complex. A lot of movies too have the essence of magic in them, especially Disney. Yet both genders watched and fell in love with these movies. The point I am trying to make is, that when a child walks into say Target and goes to the toy section, is it not usually the child who picks out the toy? If a little girl wants to play with a barbie versus say pictionary, could it simply not be an early indication of their strengths? I have no artistic talent at all, but I love to build things with my legos (yes I still play with them :)), but I also liked to play dress-up, actually I still like dress-up. Society demands that certain values be put in place, and some things are simply expected. However, could it perhaps be nature and not society that gives women their role as caregiver as well as the production of various hormones that men produce in far less quantity? Women carry a child for nine months, the father doesn't have the initial bond, all he did was ejaculate (sorry, but its true); the father did not carry a child in their body and then go through excruciating child birth. I think that it is more of the experiences and nature itself that gives men and women separate roles. It is true in animals too. Some mothers don't even let the fathers near their cubs for fear of the father killing them. When I grew up, I also played a lot of tennis. Tennis is about all I can remember actually from my youngest days, well except for driving boats with my daddy. Tennis is a unisex sport yet there are different divisions. There are different divisions for men and women in virtually every sport, I believe the only one that does not have these is equestrian sports though correct me if I am wrong. This is because men and women are DIFFERENT so why should they defy nature why aspire to the exact same role? Now that isn't to say that women cannot handle or do everything that a man can it is simply the varying degrees of importance to each gender.
ReplyDeleteWhile I grew up under the influence of Pokemon and Disney movies as well (as is the obvious trend regarding our generation's childhood as illustrated by previous posts), I must say I was more touched by the Disney side of this. I too grew up in a world where the entertainment was either playing outside or watching a cartoon character do heroic deeds on the television screen. My favorite movie by far would have to be Peter Pan. A magic world where you never have to grow up, you can fly, and there's a kid hero who always has your back? Neverland sounded amazing. It was this movie and others like it that fosters my adventurous nature and imagination as a child. It is really funny to see how everyone tends to have that "Hey, Me too!" tone in their posting tonight. Whether we learn through books such as Erin and Rachel or through movies like Shelby and basically the rest of the class, we tend to share a common thread that makes us a part of our generation. Childhood makes up such a vital part of who we are (views, beliefs, tendencies, etc) and by seeing how each of our upbringings was affected, we can learn even more about each other.
ReplyDeleteAs I read through the posts there was one name that kept making a reappearance, Harry Potter. And I must agree, the Harry Potter series has definitely influenced my life. Like most others, I began reading the books with a parent, in my case my mom. When I was younger, I was intrigued by the story of the three young wizards learning magic. I mean, what 5 year old wouldn't be intrigued by flying broomsticks, magic wands, and people changing into animals? But over the years as I have reread the series I have found that the books contain much more than the story they tell. They tell of friendship and loyalty, trust and betrayal, enemies and suffering, joy and happiness, determination, perserverence, good vs evil, and so on. The books contain important things that are needed in life and can largely impact the thinking and mindset of a youngster. In my opinion, the Harry Potter books are the best book series I have ever read (and probably ever written), not because of it's intricate plot and storyline, but because of the traits it contains such as those that I listed above.
ReplyDeleteAlex G.- I particularly liked reading about your love for the classic Disney movies because I could totally relate. The original movies that Disney produced were filled with the morals and principals that most of society lives by and set a good example for the many generations of kids who watched/will watch them.
As I read through most of these it seemed as though everyone did option one by describing something influential in your childhood, and describing it. I have to agree with those who loved classic Disney movies, of them the Lion King is my favorite because it taught me right of passage as Simba takes his rightful throne as king after his father Mufasa dies. The Disney movies came with a new lesson with every new movie, which is why I liked them so much. Another shadow of influence for me as a child was another class favorite, Pokemon. Although I felt Pokemon did not affect me quite as much as the rest of the things in that time period, I just felt it was memorable and entertaining, and I have the cards to prove it. As far as television goes, I watched some of Tecie’s Full House as well and I felt that each episode came with a little moral lesson that it was trying to get across. Overall I agree with a lot of peoples postings and share commonalities with them.
ReplyDeleteAs I read throughout all the blog posts, I noticed many common elements in most of them. One thing I noticed was how everyone's childhood was influenced by many of the same things such as Harry Potter, Pokemon, and classic Disney movies. Because these forms of entertainment were so common and widespread while we were growing up, they have had a lasting and universal cultural impact on our generation. Another them that struck me as interesting was how many people have been heavily influenced by minute elements in their respective cultural artifacts. If you really think about it many parts of person's personality can be explained by some toy they had or some movie they watched. However, it is somewhat scary to see how much of a person's life can be influenced by entertainment or media.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, I've noticed how alike all of us are. We have so many of the same interests even though we are different in other ways. It really shows how you can't judge a book by it's cover or anything like that. You don't know someone until you actually listen to them and learn about them. I can honestly say I have really enjoyed learning about each one you.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Alex. Each time we post, we learn more and more about each other, about our views, our preferences, our lives in general. We can never hope to know everything about each other, or even everything about one person in particular, but we are opening ourselves up a little each time we post and letting others know more about us. By learning and listening to what other people say about topics, such as sex roles, marriage, and the other things we have talked about, we learn to keep an open-mind about all of the possibilities out there, or at least I know I do. I may not completely or even partially agree with someone, but that does not mean that I cannot learn about and try to understand their views. As a whole class, I believe we are fairly open-minded, but we are also able to point out exactly what we believe, whether agreeing or disagreeing with someone. And that is showing more and more about each of us, each time.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, I wish I could relate with the massive portion of the population that read the Harry Potter books. I was one of the kids that waited until the movies and didn't worry about it much at all. However, looking at these posts by others, I've come to wonder how I would have been different because of Harry Potter. I really like seeing how people I usually don't relate myself to often times have similar stories to me. Somehow-someway-we turned out different even though we had some of the same experiences.
ReplyDeleteI was reading young Abigail's post regarding Harry Potter and and its influence on her and her dad's relationship and it really humbled me and warmed my heart a little. Personally I love the Harry Potter books(I've read each at least twice and some more than that) and think that it is awesomely awesome that these books had that kind of impact. I'm sure Abby could have chosen a number of other things that were very influential in her youth, but instead she chose these books, and more than that the times her and her dad spent reading them. It's kinda ironic how during times like those people tend to think nothing of them, but later on down the road hold them in such high esteem. I guess more than to the books themselves I'm writing in response to the touching scene of Abby's dad reading her these books before bed. It was something that when I read immediately touched me and made me think about what a great Dad I have. It reminded me of all the times that my dad and I have thrown the football in the backyard and all the hours we have spent together in a batting coach, but more than those times it reminded me of all the times that my dad has wrapped me in his arms and said those three little words, "I love you." So for that, I tip my hat to you Abby.Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAgain, the influences in our lives even as children bring us together. Yes, as a class we've learned a lot about each other; but I've also learned a lot about myself. I've never gone into detail about or analyzed my views on certain aspects of society, though of course I've always had my opinion. Also, I've never before thought about things that influenced me as a child, helping to shape me into the person I am today. I think it's amazing that we're all learning about each other accepting views that might differ from our own, but I also think it's great that through all of these posts and discussions I've learned more about myself, as I think we all have.
ReplyDeleteReading through everybody's posts, one thing I thought was interesting was how society today is able to instill values in young children homogeneously. One show on television or one video game can affect millions of children across the globe. How would a child adapt to social situations if he or she were taught values in another manner, such as by an obscure television show or even word-of-mouth stories? Are children really seeing the morals in these media, or do they simply attach to the characters carrying these morals?
ReplyDeleteOverall, however, I think I agree with Suraj: it's a little scary how strongly media can affect childhood development.
Reflection Post
ReplyDeleteThe fact that our class is so open-minded and diverse is so apparent that mentioning it is kind of pointless now. Everyone has something that makes them who they are. Whether it is a movie, a certain type of music, at t/v show or even a competitive sport, those few seemingly insignificant things define our future. I think that a person cannot hate an entire genre of entertainment. It is just not possible with the variety of things out there in the world today. You can dislike a certain type of band, show, or movie; but not ignore an entire section of the world. If you do, well there is something wrong in your mind, and you need to seek professional help. In regards to the visuals we constructed in class and the postings on this topic, it is easy to see that a person has layers. Not everything is as simple as it always seems. One thing that irritates me the most is when people definitively judge someone whom they barely know. A clear example of that in today’s society is Justin Bieber. So many people hate him and I still do not know why! I am not a fan of Justin Bieber and never will be. That is because I do not like his music, it is just not my type. However, I do not hate him. I cannot hate him, because I have never met him, so I cannot judge him as a person.
In the end it is our decisions that make us who we are. We choose to like something because of a specific reason. Those decisions define aspects of our lives and help us learn and advance in our lives. It’s like the old saying goes, “You learn something new everyday!”
~ Pratik Gangwani