Mother Tongue

Why did Tan's teachers encourage her to choose a career in math or science instead of writing? What caused them to miscalculate Tan's ability and potential in English? What point is Tan making with this story? How does this point fit in with the larger argument of "Mother Tongue"?

Tan's teachers encouraged her to choose a career in math or science instead of writing because she was foreign and her English was described as "broken." In the tests Tan was confused by the way they grouped things. The correct answer was simply judgement compared to math which was set to one answer. The Chinese are known to have majors in engineering, mainly because of this scenario. Tan may speak differently, but she understands language. She even stated how she thinks about it every day. She isn't an author; she is a story teller. What she sees is the images words create; her stories are broad, deep, and full of beauty. They're almost like pictures. This fits with the title "Mother Tongue" because to Tan the fact that her mother speaks different or "broken" doesn't matter to her, because she understands the language either way it's being spoken.

Digital Story Topic

The topic in which I'm chosing to tell my digital story is my first car. I'll show and talk about my experiences of the many adventures that my friends and I have lived through together, but not going too far in depth keeping it clean for our class movie session.

Relate how digital storytelling can ‘revolutionize’ the narrative experience. Relate to specifics from the reading.

Some writes are said to be "froze up like a deer in the headlights when it came time for them to construct an emotionally-compelling personal tale," says Lambert. He also states, "Only people who develop effective filtering, indexing, and reackaging tools in their minds can manage to successfully and consistently articulate meaning that reconstructs a coherent story." But most skilled professionals have difficulty using examples outside of their respective fields, from their personal life or non-professional experience, but those who do are often described as storytellers.

According to Lambert, when using the digital storytelling, images, videos, sounds, and other representations of events from our life can help us to reconstruct more complete memories and therefore expand the story. These are acheived through these three easy steps: owning your insights, owning your emotions, finding the moment, seeing your story, hearing your story, assembling your story, and sharing your story. Once you complete this process, your story is complete and 'revolutionized' with digital storytelling.

Student Metaphors of Themselves as Writers talks about the different metaphors students use, telling about thier writing skills. This includes Metaphors of Process and Speed, Metaphors of Fear and Courage, Metaphors of Control, and Metaphors of Silence. This article claims the struggle of students as writers and how they have to overcome their fears, weaknesses, and stuggles as writers. This relates to the overall thesis of the article which was to have students write metaphors about their images of themselves as writers. Most of these writers as we can tell had a bit of a struggle.

A Stand Against Wikipedia

I agree with Middlebury College policy: Wikipedia should be just a starting point to research for college students. There is a lot of information out there and it's hard to trust most of it. Wikipedia is the first source that shows up in google, use it. Don't base your whole research paper about what you found in Wiki because it could be faulty. It's okay to find little things like just today I used it to find the magnetic field strength of Earth, I had information to back it up. I just needed that one more source to let me know I was correct.

With my major, and many in depth majors. It's hard to find a source for the answer you are looking for and even then, I would trust Wiki over some other sources that don't look very credible. The information on certain topics aren't very general. This leads to hey, looks like Wiki is the only site that has what I need. What else is there to do? You can't find it in your book, you google it and find it on Wiki.

In high school, we were never under any circumstances allowed to use Wiki for a work cited source. If it was on there, automatic fail. For this reason, I don't really use Wikipedia too much because it's just drilled in my head not to. However the information is not very hard to change on Wiki. I remember a group of my guy friends in high school who changed the bibliography of history figures that we had discussed that day. They got a good laugh as to how long it lasted on there, it was gone the next day. For this reason it would be a good idea to use Wiki because so many people read it and review it. In my opinion it shouldn't matter if you cite Wikipedia. It's reliable and convenient.

Into the Wild_9

The book definitely tells a better story like all books do, however the movie was easier to follow. The movie focused on Supertramp and Supertramp only. The other men who traveled down the same road as McCandless, didn't have a significance of the story. It just leads you to believe that Chris isn't as crazy as he seems to be described in the chapters. The movie shows Chris more as a normal kid: drinking in the bar, running off with the girl, swimming in the ocean. Some of the things he says just aren't quite right.

High points on the book would be the explanation. There are many details left out of the movie. I feel like the bond between the McCandless sibling are greater expressed in the movie. Also double life that was expressed of Chris's father makes more sense. In the movie I believe it was just said that his mother was cheated on. The book had a greater idea as to why Chris went on his adventure: get rid of and away from materialistic objects. I wish Chris could have lived for this day and age where everything has grown to be materialistic.

I think we all need to get away from materialism sometimes. Go camping for a weekend where there is no service. The only people you have are the ones surrounding you. It's kind of a good feeling to break free from technology. That's all vacation is really, a get away.

I think the movie played better in the aspect of emotions. For me, it was disturbing to see McCandless in pain starving, going crazy talking to himself because he was so lonely and scared. In my mind, if McCandless was so smart why didn't he come up with a plan to make some floatation device to get across the river? One part I wasn't sure what the significance of the bear was. Chris was so weak he couldn't even stand up and then some grizzly just comes out of nowhere right next to Supertramp. Why didn't he attempt to kill it for food? But the book did better express the pain and suffering that McCandless was going through in the last days of his life.

Into the Wild_8

Chris, aka Alex SuperTramp isn't really lost in the world. He knows what he has to do, find himself. Along the way, Alex makes a few mistakes. He wanted to get away from all that did him wrong, his family, but he was also forgetting they are also what did him right. He never told them he was safe or he was having a good time, he didn't even let them know he was alive.

Chris expressed love for others. He was out there living his dream, completely happy. He touched others with his words and was by no means selfish. He was a hard worker and did anything that he put his mind to. Chris was different. It was just too bad that he lost his life on his adventure. Imagine what he could have done for this world.

Chris had no fear, thinking nothing bad was going to happen to him, he took risks, lived on the edge. His only fear was water, which in the end was what killed him really. He could cross the river but if he wouldn't have feared water so much maybe he could have thought to look for a better place to cross.

Chris was definitely foolish in a lot of ways. He could have learned to hunt properly and preserve the meat. If he did these things maybe he wouldn't have starved to death, maybe he could have thought to collect herbs that weren't poisonous before he went on his hungry rant, collecting the first thing he found, maybe he should have realized he was hurting himself whenever he had to make another hole in his belt. That should have been the wake up call like hey you're not eating enough man. You need to start getting food some other way.

Chris McCandless's family realized their son was happy in the last months of his life. The journals and pictures he left behind were living proof. Just imagine, having a son with all the talent in the world and suddenly giving it all up on a silly voyage to find himself. I would be pretty devastated. His family honored the area in which Supertramp died. It wasn't easy for any of them.

Into the Wild_7

Chris McCandless isn't the only young and crazy man out there; many others have set out on the same adventures. For the most part these where men who didn't fit into society. They didn't just dream, they lived the dream. McCandless aka Alex was a man of intelligence, everybody loved him. One man had a dream to set out on his adventures with a good looking female friend. Even then he didn't succeed, however Alex had no interest in women, for the most part. Of all the men who set out on the adventures and lost their lives, McCandless was the most successful, surviving his 113 days.

The young hikers changed their names. One man called himself NEMO; this is thought to be a character from one of his favorite books. They took on other names as part of a new identity. They thought of themselves as kind of warriors. The men were out there to survive in the wilderness, nothing else. The males didn't want to be recognized by others, traveling without others.

Krakauer interrupted this story to view other points of view. This tells us that McCandless isn't just a crazy American, it allows the readers to view others in their tracks of life. The other men were careless with their adventures, surviving in pain. One man fed off of the pain and adrenalin of his forest adventures. McCandless did not want to harm nature. Another man ate a diseased caribou.

Into the Wild_5

I do agree with these life aspirations. I myself have rebelled against the rules, found myself lost in my small town, wanting more out of life. I wish I could explore the world; sadly, I've other made it to two or three bordering states of Pennsylvania. I really do enjoy nature and the beauty of wildlife. If I were to travel to other glorious places in the world, I think I could gain some of that belonging that Chris McCandless was looking for. He's a very good example that money doesn't make you happy. All you have to do is head west.

Chris McCandless's love was nature. In the first quote of chapter 3 it states, ".. the chance to sacrifice myself for my love." In the end, he truly did sacrifice himself for nature. Nature basically bit him in the butt, because he poisoned himself. I too would be in my pride to die for something that I wanted so much and loved dearly. At this moment, I don't know what that certain love would be, but hypothetically speaking I would. There's more to life out there, we just have to experience it.

Chris wanted to run wild. Isn't that what we all want to do when we're young? I remember the first year that I had my drivers licence, and my own car. Those were the days; I had finally gained that freedom. I could do whatever I wanted, I had two of my best friends to take along with me. There was no more waiting around for anyone else. I had my own power, "being footloose."

Into the Wild_4

As a teenager, I always pondered about the exciting life opportunity of being a lifeguard on the beach. Learning the ways of the ocean and having a respect for nature would be a great part of transcendentalism and opening my eyes to the world. If I were offered this great opportunity to become a beach lifeguard, I would have to take it. This would definitely be a wonderful life upgrade.

As a teenager, my first job was becoming a lifeguard at an amusement park. This may not have been as open to the different types of people and tourist of the world. If I were to be surrounded by the immense public and beauty of the ocean I would explore an greater opportunity to open up socially. Plus, I would be able to help others in need.

If anyone were ever to drown, and I were able to bring them back to life it would truely be an amazing experience. With my skills in CPR and my swimming strengths, I could use this to over come the obstacles of the ocean waters. And that would truely be inspirational.

Into the Wild_3

I believe that Chris McCandless is just lost in this world. He's trying to do everything for himself without every one's help and he discovers that he's lonely and wants to break back through to the people that care about him. If he did try to come out of the woods and wasn't there just to die, why wouldn't he get the proper gear or at least get to know the area more? That part was very foolish. Plus, he was from the city, so he didn't know the first thing about the wilderness. His stupidity is what killed the man.

Chris was definitely an idealist. He wanted to give to others and never really cared about himself. In some ways that could be a good thing, in other ways that's kind of how Chris died. He didn't care enough to learn to hunt, but he cared too much to actually kill an animal worth killing. For example, he killed a caribou and the meat decomposed before he could get it all eaten because McCandless tried to savor the meat of such a beautiful creature. He hunted small animals that he could eat in one sitting. He knew he was becoming weak, so why not kill a moose? This didn't make much sense to me.

Throughout the novel, my idea of Chris probably won't change. However, I might have a better understanding of why he chooses to live his life the way that he does. Chris is definitely on top of the Transcendentalist thinking. If his thinking was connected to the world, how did Chris not know to go south to find a break in the river, or the fact that it might be flooded? In the end if Chris wasn't a Transcendental thinker, he would have never survived 113 days not knowing anything about the wilderness. In the end, I believe it was extremely foolish for Chris to just give up everything he had, his education, law school money, and his family, in return for nothing, death.

Nature

Nature affects us in every way. We all came from nature at some point. I take comfort in the presence of nature. Some parts of nature can be beautiful, others can be scary. The beauty of nature would be the landscape, the fresh air, and just having a healthy body. The scary part would be the survival of the fittest, and not everything working out the way you would want it to. Just getting lost in the woods for the day is very peaceful; mainly why I enjoy hunting.

There is a "need" to return to nature. After a stressful day, there's nothing better than taking a run outside. When discovering different types of nature, in a different location, it's breathtaking. Swimming in the ocean or even a lake is a beautiful thing. Sometimes we need to put all technology aside and reconnect our thoughts with things we want to do, not influenced by others.

There is a connection with nature and our spiritual side, at least I think so. There are some many different places to discover.You just have to get out there. In the future I hope to travel other places to discover different landscapes. I hope to see the lights of Alaska, the beauty of Ireland. Nature uplifts you. When going camping in the woods for the weekend and there is no cell phone service, you're just having fun. All worries are put to the side as nature lifts your spirit.

Greed

If you give someone a book, they want the whole library. Give someone a cow, they want the whole farm. Greed is often what we get caught up in life. In this day and age, everybody seems to want more. In reality, why are we at college? By going through college we hope to obtain a well-to-do job and be profitable because we as humans are greedy, we want more and the only way to do this is to have money. In my opinion, society wouldn't be more successful if people did not have greed. Technology is improving because the people want more, so we invent more. The farmer thought he was better, thought he could do the unexpected, thought he could get more for his money, but in the end he paid for his greed.

In the end, the man who lives the simple life has it made. A person does not need anything in life except happiness. If I knew what I wanted in life, I probably wouldn't be going to college. However, women support themselves now a days. The work of college makes me want to just give up. Sometimes I would think, how easy would it be to go to cosmetology school and start a business like my mother did, in just one year. In the end, I don't think I'd be truly happy carrying out that job for the rest of my life, so I'm here, Juniata College.

Everyone gets away from the material things sometimes. I know it's not practical to have about eight pairs of running shoes, but it's what I like. And therefore, it's what I'm going to wear. It's not materialistic to have cathedral ceilings in our houses, fake fire places, or two dining tables but we do. We don't need zero degree turn lawnmowers or bikes to play around in. Our closets are the exact opposites of materialistic human beings. If we lived in a materialistic world, a lot of possessions would not exist.

Re-intro

This is a fresh start to a new semester. This past semester has changed me drastically as a person for the better. I have made a lot of new friends, and I don't hang out with the same friends as I did back then, but I think it was for the better. I'm trying to live healthy and being more physically active. I plan to get a job to earn a little money.

Switching roommates has been the biggest impact on my life the first semester. My roommate, Lauren, is now my best friend. We go to the gym, library, coffee shop, baker, everywhere together. We can laugh and share things about our lives. I now watch hockey with her and even tried field hockey once. We've become close in the past few months. Yesterday she tells me I better be coming back next semester or I will ruin her house plans. I just laughed at that one.

I was a striaight A student in high school, but Juniata College has challenged me. I almost didn't come back to school this semster I thought about cosmetology, even the military. But in the end, I guess my time here will pay off.

Over break I was able to reconnect with my family. We now have a new puppy, three dogs total. I found out that I do really well with animals. I even thought about changing my POE to veternary. But I still remain on the sides with Engineering.

I think this semster will be a lot better for me. I've realized I'm a more positive person now and I try not to let others bring me down, as I see the brighter side of things. My classes are layed out a lot better. And my physics professor is actually pretty cool, I didn't hit it off so well with the last one. All in all I guess I'm happy that I did come back this semsester. I'm most excited for Calc II this semester, as I came eager to learn. I vow not to let the party side of things get to me. I'm taking a serious semester since I'm in it for the long run.