Poetry Project
Project description-
In this project we learned all the logistics of poetry, meter, rhyme scheme, tone, etc. We then created our own poems and memorized them, learned how to perform poems well. We demonstrated that at the exhibition.
Final Poem-
Apologize
By: Saige M. Rasmussen
My fingers cover this name branded on my skin
For I am made to believe that it is not mine
My eyes stare daggers into others
For I am afraid to be fragile
My throat burns with the will to cry
But I am weak so I must force my strength
My hands become wet with rain from the clouds in my eyes
But I walk on blind
I will not apologize for these feelings
Because these emotions were my choice
I choose to be angry
And I choose to be depressed
And I choose to be in pain...
My fingers uncover this name of mine
For I am free of the fear of vulnerability
My eyes turn soft with tears of joy
For it is spring and a new beginning
My throat sings the words of my heart
But don't worry I won't wake the neighbors
My hands become wet with spring rain from those sunny clouds in the sky
But I don't mind getting my favorite dress wet.
My spine straightens with pride
And I will walk in confidence down these dark streets
My face will brighten even in a cold morning chill
And I will blush at this notion
My mouth will crack with a smirk and I will speak,
"I will never apologize for being me, society never forced me to be this way."
Growth as a Poet-
In the first draft of my poem I was communicating the ideals of society and challenging them, which is vague, in my final poem I'm communicating that it's not all society's fault it's also our choice. These are a few lines that demonstrate the vagueness, "This was all my decision, and my mistake, But...I will not apologize for my outbursts, I will not apologize for my tear stained shirt, I will not apologize for my panicked state, And I will not apologize for being human" Now to you it may seem straightforward, but in reality the point doesn't get across clearly. I wasn't too sure what I wanted at this point either, I knew I wanted something to do with challenging the socialization project. I believe that the project was enforcing the thought that all our feelings are society's fault. Now have a look at this improvement in my final draft, "I will not apologize for these feelings, Because these emotions were my choice, I choose to be angry, And I choose to be depressed, And I choose to be in pain..." This is much less vague, much more to the point of its our choice to stay angry or in negative emotions. It is not society's fault, we can be depressed, but we can choose to be positive, and get out of our dark places. In conclusion, my poem became clearer and less confusing, so did my perspective on society.
In my first draft I had a line that didn't quite fit the tone of the poem, now that I changed it my poem sounds and flows a lot better. Here are the lines that didn't quite fit, "My eyes turn away from the knife in my hand, For it reminds me of all that is murderous." These lines didn't fit with the poem's theme. All the other lines were very personal, and this was very out of place. These are the edited lines, "My eyes stare daggers into others, For I am afraid to be fragile." Intellectually, this change made the poem more understandable. This poem is about accepting the fact that we are responsible for our feelings. The first two stanzas, were about the negative feelings that I have felt in the past. This fit much better with the tone of the poem overall. The emotional impact is much stronger with these last two because people can relate to this feeling of hiding your pain with defensive tactics. These first draft lines, took away from the emotional relationship between the reader and poet. I wanted people to be able to relate to these feelings and I feel I accomplished this well in the edit. Overall, this change made my poem stronger and more relate-able.
Making people understand what my poem was about was a very important aspect of my poem. The first draft of my poem wasn't very clear, here are the last few lines of my first draft, "
My friends and enemies can't control me, I make my own decisions..." Now the message is pretty clear, but the stanza didn't fit with the rest of the poem. With changes to the other stanzas, and changes to this stanza, my poem was much more powerful and full of meaning as you see here, "My spine straightens with pride, And I will walk in confidence down these dark streets, My face will brighten even in a cold morning chill, And I will blush at this notion, My mouth with crack with a smirk and I will speak,'I will never apologize for being me, society never forced me to be this way." Intellectually the form matched the others with repetition and meter. Emotionally, it was more inspiring, positive, and created a 'happy ending'. It really pushed the meaning out, and the reader would understand the poem more. The last line was a confident and powerful way to end. Overall, this change made my poem stronger in the aspect of meaning and getting my message across well.
Link to Ebook- https://issuu.com/saraprice2/docs/2016_poems_with_cover_and_table_of_/1
In this project we learned all the logistics of poetry, meter, rhyme scheme, tone, etc. We then created our own poems and memorized them, learned how to perform poems well. We demonstrated that at the exhibition.
Final Poem-
Apologize
By: Saige M. Rasmussen
My fingers cover this name branded on my skin
For I am made to believe that it is not mine
My eyes stare daggers into others
For I am afraid to be fragile
My throat burns with the will to cry
But I am weak so I must force my strength
My hands become wet with rain from the clouds in my eyes
But I walk on blind
I will not apologize for these feelings
Because these emotions were my choice
I choose to be angry
And I choose to be depressed
And I choose to be in pain...
My fingers uncover this name of mine
For I am free of the fear of vulnerability
My eyes turn soft with tears of joy
For it is spring and a new beginning
My throat sings the words of my heart
But don't worry I won't wake the neighbors
My hands become wet with spring rain from those sunny clouds in the sky
But I don't mind getting my favorite dress wet.
My spine straightens with pride
And I will walk in confidence down these dark streets
My face will brighten even in a cold morning chill
And I will blush at this notion
My mouth will crack with a smirk and I will speak,
"I will never apologize for being me, society never forced me to be this way."
Growth as a Poet-
In the first draft of my poem I was communicating the ideals of society and challenging them, which is vague, in my final poem I'm communicating that it's not all society's fault it's also our choice. These are a few lines that demonstrate the vagueness, "This was all my decision, and my mistake, But...I will not apologize for my outbursts, I will not apologize for my tear stained shirt, I will not apologize for my panicked state, And I will not apologize for being human" Now to you it may seem straightforward, but in reality the point doesn't get across clearly. I wasn't too sure what I wanted at this point either, I knew I wanted something to do with challenging the socialization project. I believe that the project was enforcing the thought that all our feelings are society's fault. Now have a look at this improvement in my final draft, "I will not apologize for these feelings, Because these emotions were my choice, I choose to be angry, And I choose to be depressed, And I choose to be in pain..." This is much less vague, much more to the point of its our choice to stay angry or in negative emotions. It is not society's fault, we can be depressed, but we can choose to be positive, and get out of our dark places. In conclusion, my poem became clearer and less confusing, so did my perspective on society.
In my first draft I had a line that didn't quite fit the tone of the poem, now that I changed it my poem sounds and flows a lot better. Here are the lines that didn't quite fit, "My eyes turn away from the knife in my hand, For it reminds me of all that is murderous." These lines didn't fit with the poem's theme. All the other lines were very personal, and this was very out of place. These are the edited lines, "My eyes stare daggers into others, For I am afraid to be fragile." Intellectually, this change made the poem more understandable. This poem is about accepting the fact that we are responsible for our feelings. The first two stanzas, were about the negative feelings that I have felt in the past. This fit much better with the tone of the poem overall. The emotional impact is much stronger with these last two because people can relate to this feeling of hiding your pain with defensive tactics. These first draft lines, took away from the emotional relationship between the reader and poet. I wanted people to be able to relate to these feelings and I feel I accomplished this well in the edit. Overall, this change made my poem stronger and more relate-able.
Making people understand what my poem was about was a very important aspect of my poem. The first draft of my poem wasn't very clear, here are the last few lines of my first draft, "
My friends and enemies can't control me, I make my own decisions..." Now the message is pretty clear, but the stanza didn't fit with the rest of the poem. With changes to the other stanzas, and changes to this stanza, my poem was much more powerful and full of meaning as you see here, "My spine straightens with pride, And I will walk in confidence down these dark streets, My face will brighten even in a cold morning chill, And I will blush at this notion, My mouth with crack with a smirk and I will speak,'I will never apologize for being me, society never forced me to be this way." Intellectually the form matched the others with repetition and meter. Emotionally, it was more inspiring, positive, and created a 'happy ending'. It really pushed the meaning out, and the reader would understand the poem more. The last line was a confident and powerful way to end. Overall, this change made my poem stronger in the aspect of meaning and getting my message across well.
Link to Ebook- https://issuu.com/saraprice2/docs/2016_poems_with_cover_and_table_of_/1
Happiness Project
Happiness Project-
Project Description-
The Happiness project explores the possible problems in the world. Going deeper into what personal and societal happiness is. Also discussing the different perspectives of how to be happy. As we do this we create our own perspectives and opinions and write an essay and create our own reminder of happiness. You can see this to the left of the screen. Each of us create our own art piece to remind us of our happiness process.
Happiness Essay-
Saige M. Rasmussen
Happiness Project
Section 1
Purpose, Presence, and Priorities
Happiness is an emotion hard to define, and just as hard to accomplish, but it is the most important to have and cherish. The article, Is Happiness Actually Important? states that, "Positive emotions help both our bodies and our minds cope with stress, challenge, and negative feelings."(Carter) Happiness is our livelihood, it helps us physically and psychologically cope with difficult situations, which come up in our life constantly. Meaning is a building block of happiness: if we take the time to be present and find our passion, and shift our priorities from money to community, we will be happy as individuals and as a society.
Meaning is the linchpin of happiness, the basis of all the other steps, if we find our meaning we find our way to personal happiness. In the article, There's More to Life Than Being Happy, Viktor Frankl says, "He knows the 'why' for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any 'how.'" (Smith) This quote states that if we find our purpose, we can do so much more with our lives, including the process of realizing our happiness. We can move on to much bigger and more vibrant opportunities, if we have found our purpose in life. Another quote from the article, Why are You Here, a man named Tom Thiss said, "Having a purpose is the difference between making a living and making a life."(Power) This quote is saying that living without a purpose, is not a life. A life is when you have that goal, that deeply set passion, living for the ones you love. Having meaning is being able to leave a legacy, creating your life not just going through the motions, making money, to buy things we do not need. In conclusion, having a purpose in life opens so many door--door to peace, a door to being present, a door to passion, and most importantly the door to happiness.
Another step or piece to the puzzle is being present in the moment and finding your flow, which go hand in hand. If these two things are found you can think in a much broader spectrum. From the article, Be Here Now, a woman by the name of Mila Atmos, tells her experience of being present, "I felt like I could really take it all in: the delicious food, the laughing children, and the cadence of nature’s sounds. It was here, in this space and time, that my eyes were opened to a different level of being in the now moment."(Atmos) Being present or in the moment means being aware of everything around you, the good and the bad. All your senses come alive, your taste, smell, touch, and sight become hyper sensitive to the world around you. You aren't thinking about tomorrow's bills to pay, or yesterday's argument at home, you are in that moment with a clarity like none other. Going deeper, a quote from the article The Catastrophe of Success, the author speaks, "It is only in his work that an artist can find reality and satisfaction..."(Williams) This quote is discussing flow, now flow is a feeling of time-loss when you are doing something you are passionate about, the author is talking about this feeling of flow an artist gets when painting, sculpting, or drawing etc. Flow can come from many things, your work or your hobby etc. This feeling of flow(time-loss and complete focus) becomes addicting; that's why you become good at whatever action you are doing that gives you flow. Such as art, the reason the artist is so good, is because he feels flow as he is doing it. Same with musicians, mathematicians, scientists, or anything that is based on passion. Overall being present and finding your flow is a healthy step forward to accomplishing happiness; now if we did this as a nation, we would be much happier as a society.
Shifting our priorities as a nation, from money to community and compassion, will make our population overall happier and more fulfilled in their life. In the article, The Secret of Happiness: Family, Friends, and your Environment, they quote a chef named Antony Worrall-Thompson, "For me, money is not relevant. It's about good friends, good family and health. It's being grateful and content with your lot. Happiness is more a frame of mind, I think."(Shields) This quote is saying that money is not the linchpin of happiness, our society makes money seem like the key to happiness and it isn't. Having a close knit family and good friends, makes you feel content and relating to the paragraph before, even present. Now it also states that happiness is a decision not a destination. Which, is true, the 'American Dream' is not possible anymore, and we are still chasing it. Acting like happiness is a thing, a what. Happiness is a decision, a choice. All in all, having a community instead of focusing on money and consuming makes us happier as a society.
Happiness is process, it isn't a product we must reach. A quote from the article Why Happiness is a Journey, Not a Destination states, "Unfortunately, when happiness is our end goal and we approach it this way, it may lead to less happiness."(Wilner) This quote is saying that when we pursue happiness in a goal orientated mindset, we become more unhappy with ourselves and with our community. Which can cause depression, social anxiety, suicidal thoughts and many other diseases. We can all be at peace, we are capable of changing the world around us. All it takes is one simple decision, will you choose to experience the journey of happiness?
Reflection-
This project helped me as a student by making me refine, I usually think that my first draft is the best and last. as you can see here, https://docs.google.com/document/d/11jjHDSBvEkBx67OJ79uloHSm4EjjktyKTrowhe4NgqI/edit, my first draft was definitely not my best. I got critique and completely redid my essay. As a student I was pushed to edit and refine and I feel prouder of my work because of it.
This summer I plan to get into nature a lot more. In the article, If You Use the Phone a Lot, This Is Why It Could Be Making You Unhappy, it states, "I was mostly on my phone in 5 to 10-minute increments,” she said. “But it added up to 90 minutes to two hours a day.” This quote makes me really think about the time I spend on my electronics. So, this summer I am going to time how much I use my electronics and try to balance it out between Electronics and outdoor time.
My biggest take-away from this project is, well it opened my eyes to how precious time is. How precious life is and how we can make our lives worth living. Including meaning and a cause, being present, following my passions. My biggest take away is just getting this perspective on life and happiness. It honed in my dreams my plan for life and how to balance that with my inner peace.
Project Description-
The Happiness project explores the possible problems in the world. Going deeper into what personal and societal happiness is. Also discussing the different perspectives of how to be happy. As we do this we create our own perspectives and opinions and write an essay and create our own reminder of happiness. You can see this to the left of the screen. Each of us create our own art piece to remind us of our happiness process.
Happiness Essay-
Saige M. Rasmussen
Happiness Project
Section 1
Purpose, Presence, and Priorities
Happiness is an emotion hard to define, and just as hard to accomplish, but it is the most important to have and cherish. The article, Is Happiness Actually Important? states that, "Positive emotions help both our bodies and our minds cope with stress, challenge, and negative feelings."(Carter) Happiness is our livelihood, it helps us physically and psychologically cope with difficult situations, which come up in our life constantly. Meaning is a building block of happiness: if we take the time to be present and find our passion, and shift our priorities from money to community, we will be happy as individuals and as a society.
Meaning is the linchpin of happiness, the basis of all the other steps, if we find our meaning we find our way to personal happiness. In the article, There's More to Life Than Being Happy, Viktor Frankl says, "He knows the 'why' for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any 'how.'" (Smith) This quote states that if we find our purpose, we can do so much more with our lives, including the process of realizing our happiness. We can move on to much bigger and more vibrant opportunities, if we have found our purpose in life. Another quote from the article, Why are You Here, a man named Tom Thiss said, "Having a purpose is the difference between making a living and making a life."(Power) This quote is saying that living without a purpose, is not a life. A life is when you have that goal, that deeply set passion, living for the ones you love. Having meaning is being able to leave a legacy, creating your life not just going through the motions, making money, to buy things we do not need. In conclusion, having a purpose in life opens so many door--door to peace, a door to being present, a door to passion, and most importantly the door to happiness.
Another step or piece to the puzzle is being present in the moment and finding your flow, which go hand in hand. If these two things are found you can think in a much broader spectrum. From the article, Be Here Now, a woman by the name of Mila Atmos, tells her experience of being present, "I felt like I could really take it all in: the delicious food, the laughing children, and the cadence of nature’s sounds. It was here, in this space and time, that my eyes were opened to a different level of being in the now moment."(Atmos) Being present or in the moment means being aware of everything around you, the good and the bad. All your senses come alive, your taste, smell, touch, and sight become hyper sensitive to the world around you. You aren't thinking about tomorrow's bills to pay, or yesterday's argument at home, you are in that moment with a clarity like none other. Going deeper, a quote from the article The Catastrophe of Success, the author speaks, "It is only in his work that an artist can find reality and satisfaction..."(Williams) This quote is discussing flow, now flow is a feeling of time-loss when you are doing something you are passionate about, the author is talking about this feeling of flow an artist gets when painting, sculpting, or drawing etc. Flow can come from many things, your work or your hobby etc. This feeling of flow(time-loss and complete focus) becomes addicting; that's why you become good at whatever action you are doing that gives you flow. Such as art, the reason the artist is so good, is because he feels flow as he is doing it. Same with musicians, mathematicians, scientists, or anything that is based on passion. Overall being present and finding your flow is a healthy step forward to accomplishing happiness; now if we did this as a nation, we would be much happier as a society.
Shifting our priorities as a nation, from money to community and compassion, will make our population overall happier and more fulfilled in their life. In the article, The Secret of Happiness: Family, Friends, and your Environment, they quote a chef named Antony Worrall-Thompson, "For me, money is not relevant. It's about good friends, good family and health. It's being grateful and content with your lot. Happiness is more a frame of mind, I think."(Shields) This quote is saying that money is not the linchpin of happiness, our society makes money seem like the key to happiness and it isn't. Having a close knit family and good friends, makes you feel content and relating to the paragraph before, even present. Now it also states that happiness is a decision not a destination. Which, is true, the 'American Dream' is not possible anymore, and we are still chasing it. Acting like happiness is a thing, a what. Happiness is a decision, a choice. All in all, having a community instead of focusing on money and consuming makes us happier as a society.
Happiness is process, it isn't a product we must reach. A quote from the article Why Happiness is a Journey, Not a Destination states, "Unfortunately, when happiness is our end goal and we approach it this way, it may lead to less happiness."(Wilner) This quote is saying that when we pursue happiness in a goal orientated mindset, we become more unhappy with ourselves and with our community. Which can cause depression, social anxiety, suicidal thoughts and many other diseases. We can all be at peace, we are capable of changing the world around us. All it takes is one simple decision, will you choose to experience the journey of happiness?
Reflection-
This project helped me as a student by making me refine, I usually think that my first draft is the best and last. as you can see here, https://docs.google.com/document/d/11jjHDSBvEkBx67OJ79uloHSm4EjjktyKTrowhe4NgqI/edit, my first draft was definitely not my best. I got critique and completely redid my essay. As a student I was pushed to edit and refine and I feel prouder of my work because of it.
This summer I plan to get into nature a lot more. In the article, If You Use the Phone a Lot, This Is Why It Could Be Making You Unhappy, it states, "I was mostly on my phone in 5 to 10-minute increments,” she said. “But it added up to 90 minutes to two hours a day.” This quote makes me really think about the time I spend on my electronics. So, this summer I am going to time how much I use my electronics and try to balance it out between Electronics and outdoor time.
My biggest take-away from this project is, well it opened my eyes to how precious time is. How precious life is and how we can make our lives worth living. Including meaning and a cause, being present, following my passions. My biggest take away is just getting this perspective on life and happiness. It honed in my dreams my plan for life and how to balance that with my inner peace.
United Nations Project
Un
United Nations Project-Mid Project Reflection-
Reflection for mid project-
What is most challenging about this project?
What was most challenging about this project was really the research for me, their was a lot of writing and down time which was hard for me because I'm a very visual learner.
What challenges did you overcome?
I overcome the challenge of anxiety, I have had major problems in the past with anxiety and I now communicate better with it and I can express my anxiety.
What am I proud of in my project?
I'm proud of my thoughtfulness, voting on a resolution and then also my communication with anxiety.
"Complacency is where a genius goes to die." Matt Hughes
This quote means to me, a person is a genius and they just walk in and see these bright intelligent kids being taught in such a boring, industrial way. Wanting to let them blossom but they can't because of the rules. That would kill me if I was a genius like that.
-Model United Nations-
In this Project we started out with basic information about the model UN and the issue we were diving into. The first conference, our practice conference was about North Korea and what to do about their nuclear threats. We used parliamentary procedure and made our own placards. We were assigned nation and had to research what their stance was and that's what we had to speak about in the conference. We assigned two people to be chairs and they led the conference. After this conference we began a new issue, the issue we would be actually doing an exhibition about. It was the Israel-Palestine issue. We did the same process, wrote policy paper, resolutions, speeches, using parliamentary procedure. Then did an exhibition about that issue, using all of our knowledge to come to a solution for this conflict.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D3RRchuTGoekkcbtoaCnZ5_yTEtrx0Avqgc3VKAcN5I/edit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CrNEFLkHA01Y7-MQnCkJYg-2yR1OfESeHaJ3FRVcr9Q/edit
Reflection-
1- Going through this project I found that I am proud of my collaboration skills, and being able to stand my ground when being persuaded to another side. I was talked to by Israel and Egypt and they were trying to pull me towards resolution 1d. I listened carefully and told them I would consider it. Overall I feel that I was able to discuss the problems in each solution and make my judgements clear and thought through, which is usually hard for me.
2-In this project I really connected with the Palestinians honestly, fighting for something you strongly agree with, even when you're outnumbered and being torn down every day. It's a struggle everyone goes through and I really felt that in this project, I believe that this battle before us, is just an emphasis on daily struggle with morals and beliefs. Overall, I was convinced and now strongly believe that Palestinians need to come back.
3-In the conference, I realized that the government systems and rules are put there for a reason. Before I believed the government as corrupt and ridiculously rule ridden, but they are there for a reason so total chaos doesn't break out. We have to compromise and until something better comes around, this is what we have and we have to deal with that. We can fight as much as we want but I now have a newfound respect for politicians, for they were brave enough to solve world wide problems that affect us all. (No wonder they all go grey so fast!)
United Nations Project-Mid Project Reflection-
Reflection for mid project-
What is most challenging about this project?
What was most challenging about this project was really the research for me, their was a lot of writing and down time which was hard for me because I'm a very visual learner.
What challenges did you overcome?
I overcome the challenge of anxiety, I have had major problems in the past with anxiety and I now communicate better with it and I can express my anxiety.
What am I proud of in my project?
I'm proud of my thoughtfulness, voting on a resolution and then also my communication with anxiety.
"Complacency is where a genius goes to die." Matt Hughes
This quote means to me, a person is a genius and they just walk in and see these bright intelligent kids being taught in such a boring, industrial way. Wanting to let them blossom but they can't because of the rules. That would kill me if I was a genius like that.
-Model United Nations-
In this Project we started out with basic information about the model UN and the issue we were diving into. The first conference, our practice conference was about North Korea and what to do about their nuclear threats. We used parliamentary procedure and made our own placards. We were assigned nation and had to research what their stance was and that's what we had to speak about in the conference. We assigned two people to be chairs and they led the conference. After this conference we began a new issue, the issue we would be actually doing an exhibition about. It was the Israel-Palestine issue. We did the same process, wrote policy paper, resolutions, speeches, using parliamentary procedure. Then did an exhibition about that issue, using all of our knowledge to come to a solution for this conflict.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D3RRchuTGoekkcbtoaCnZ5_yTEtrx0Avqgc3VKAcN5I/edit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CrNEFLkHA01Y7-MQnCkJYg-2yR1OfESeHaJ3FRVcr9Q/edit
Reflection-
1- Going through this project I found that I am proud of my collaboration skills, and being able to stand my ground when being persuaded to another side. I was talked to by Israel and Egypt and they were trying to pull me towards resolution 1d. I listened carefully and told them I would consider it. Overall I feel that I was able to discuss the problems in each solution and make my judgements clear and thought through, which is usually hard for me.
2-In this project I really connected with the Palestinians honestly, fighting for something you strongly agree with, even when you're outnumbered and being torn down every day. It's a struggle everyone goes through and I really felt that in this project, I believe that this battle before us, is just an emphasis on daily struggle with morals and beliefs. Overall, I was convinced and now strongly believe that Palestinians need to come back.
3-In the conference, I realized that the government systems and rules are put there for a reason. Before I believed the government as corrupt and ridiculously rule ridden, but they are there for a reason so total chaos doesn't break out. We have to compromise and until something better comes around, this is what we have and we have to deal with that. We can fight as much as we want but I now have a newfound respect for politicians, for they were brave enough to solve world wide problems that affect us all. (No wonder they all go grey so fast!)
Socialization Project
Mask-
Socialization Project-
Project description-
The Cycle of Socialization Project, we explored the norms of society and the ways it effects us and others in many different ways. In this project we looked at the categories labeled Agent and Target groups, basically summing up the way you will be viewed in todays society. In this project we also built masks made of plaster that represented the way we were affected by society.
Essay-
The Cycle Of Chains
By: Saige M. Rasmussen
Who am I? How do I define myself? We ask ourselves that everyday, almost subconsciously. Wondering what others will think, what others feel about us. It isn't me who answers the question, who am I? It's society. This socialization forms us and makes us, changing us like a perfectionist. Creating the rules and these norms to follow, pushing us in directions, taking over our being and marching us to the edge, like a puppet. It influences how we act, who we hang out with, what we think, how we feel, every aspect of our lives is pulled and pushed by socialization. Socialization has taught me many things, three main ideas, being bisexual is disgraceful, being more masculine as a girl is just plain weird, and being young means you have to be obedient.
Being anything other than straight is disgraceful or strange to most people. Why? Because of socialization, we have been socialized to think that you can't be with anyone else other than the opposite sex. So when you are different, you're considered weird, inferior, a target group. The ones that are pushed and shoved, called names, and even killed for not being a part of the dominant group, or agent group. The ones that are straight, white, are healthy and wealthy. Overall rates of reports of anti-LGBT violence remain steady in 2012 with 2,016 incidents reported. 25 homicides of LGBT people documented. I have known that I was bi-sexual since the 4th grade. I never said anything and became insecure and scared of what people would think if I came out as bi-sexual. I ran away from who I was and put on a mask of smiles, a mask of blindness, where I was a ditsy, stereotypical blonde. I was terrified, I didn't trust a single person, no one knew me. Socialization broke me, and put me back together in its own image. You hear about gay men being beaten almost to death in New York. They say we have equal rights, but lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals, transgender people all around the country are still being hated and beaten, with no justice at all. There is change though, the right for gays to marry is fantastic and a great move in the right direction, there are still problems out there though, as I said before.
Stereotypes are one of the main ingredients of this society, and have made me who I am, even if I've changed, I'm still part of the stereotypes. Girls have to have long hair, makeup, thin frames, and big breasts with wide hips. They have to be shy and very submissive. They have to clean and cook, and get whatever the husband wants. We girls, we can't have a voice, no words, no essence of self. Just a painted picture of what society wants us to be. Now, when I was younger, I had long hair, I wore tight clothes and I was 'girly', I was shy and I didn't ever say anything that would get me in trouble, but I wasn't happy, every once in awhile my real self would show through my mask, I'd play with the boys and hang out with them. They thought it was fine but my girl friends thought I was weird and they barely talked to me. I couldn't connect to them the way I could with my new guy friends. I decided to just be with the boys, and I was happy with them but still a slave to society. I still dressed like a girl and I still had long hair. My new guy friends still wanted me to look like a girl too. I was torn between two worlds it seemed, every morning I would have this internal battle of whether I should be like a girl or whether I should act like a guy. Nowadays, I broke out of that hold. Yes, there are always going to be society's pressures on me, but now, I have come out as bisexual, I have short hair, I speak my mind and I'm not afraid to stand up for myself and others. I sometimes seem like a guy, and I sometimes seem more girly to people. Now I'm more like the real me.
When I was younger I was always taught to do what I was told, and punished if I did something wrong. I was taught that I had to be what my parents wanted me to be, I had to get good grades and be sweet no matter how I really felt. I didn't think that there was anything wrong with that, but I had to grow up fast and by the age of 10 I already knew there was no such thing as an all good person. So from then on I wasn't such a good girl, over the years I've changed and now I'm not so hard on myself if I get a B or C in a class. I'm not afraid to speak up for myself and I'm not afraid to get in trouble. Parents pressure us and say, "Get good grades, get a scholarship and go to college." That plants this idea into our head that if we don't do that then our parents will be disappointed, angry, and maybe even disown us if we don't do good. I was under that pressure and I was scared to do any kind of experimenting with my life, and to a certain extent I'm still scared of my parents. Terri Apter, a woman with a Ph.D in domestic intelligence states that, "a teenager's real focus is on a parent's acknowledgement of his maturity and capability and human value. 'No, you can't go out tonight,' causes more than a glitch in a teen's social diary; it implies that a parent doesn't trust him/her to make his/her own decisions. And, in a teen's eyes, that's not only unfair; it's humiliating." This is a very true statement. We feel humiliated and very hurt when a parent says something like that, even when a parent asks if you've got your homework done, we feel mistrusted and attacked by that question. It puts this pressure on us that nothing is good enough for our parents, just like our grades, or if we don't get a scholarship to go to college. We feel like we are failures in our parent's eyes, and sometimes that leads to suicides. Now, looking on a more positive note, my parents have expressed a much more open minded approach, when I was younger, it was much more strict and very hard to do anything different from what my parents told me to do, it still affects me to this day, I almost expect a grounding, or even a yelling match. That kind of thinking seems to have changed in my dad especially. He is more a friend to me than a father, which confuses me and makes me nervous, that's cause I still expect punishment. That doesn't happen, my dad talks to me, discusses the problem and we find a solution together, instead of having a yelling match. I am still getting used to the idea of this, and I'm still afraid to tell things to my dad, but over time I will become used to the idea, and be more open with my parents, especially my dad.
Sexual Orientation is changing because it's legal for gay couples to get married, gender is changing because transgender and even people like me that just identify with both genders, are able to express that more, age is changing because of schools like Animas High School, they care about us more and take our opinions into account and treat us like human beings. This doesn't mean that everything is fixed, there are still problems with the system. Discrimination is still out there for gay and transgender people, suicide rates are extremely high, according to a U.S. Study out of 6,500 people, 41% of transgender adults report having attempted suicide, compared to 5% of adults in the general population and 10 to 20% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults. We are all part of this, and if we didn't have socialization we wouldn't be where we are today, there are just some flaws, we keep excluding more and more, that type of culture is dying and we have to move on to a new sort of thinking. We need the change, let's break out of this cycle of chains.
It just hurts to look at, which is how society has made me see myself. It exposed this truth of feeling. Society made me feel like this demonic thing that scared people. With the writing of who I am on the mask, with this broken looking, blank face. It creates this melancholy, hurt vibe. Socialization closed me in and made me feel grey, dark, oppressed, and shadowed. So I used those colors and feelings in my mask, it made me feel demonized and so I added the horns and fangs. The words bleeding means my real self leaking out.
Project Reflection-
Mask-
I'm proud of the feeling, the dark, dripping black goo, the bright red pupils, the ram horns, the fangs, it gives off this depressed, hurt, and scary feeling and that's what I wanted. It just hurts to look at, which is how society has made me see myself. It exposed this truth of feeling. Society made me feel like this demonic thing that scared people. With the writing of who I am on the mask, with this broken looking, blank face.
It creates this melancholy, hurt vibe. Which is how I wanted people to feel because that's how I've felt. I wanted people to be able to know what I felt.
Quote-
"We are all part of this, and if we didn't have socialization we wouldn't be where we are today, there are just some flaws, we keep excluding more and more, that type of culture is dying and we have to move on to a new sort of thinking. We need the change, let's break out of this cycle of chains." It's so powerful, I'm proud of the last line, using the title as the last sentence, tying it into the story. My straightforwardness, with saying how everything is changing, I think it ends on a more positive, inspirational note too, I love it. Gives me hope instead of being so depressing and negative, it's giving a solution.
Biggest take away-
I will remember the message I sent, through the essay and the mask. Showing the truth of who I feel in writing and crafting. I never really had the chance to speak without getting in trouble, it feels good to speak up for myself and feel safe. I'll remember the great care I took with my masks look, the way I added this poetic darkness to it. It's my first finished mask, and I'm very proud of it.
Socialization Project-
Project description-
The Cycle of Socialization Project, we explored the norms of society and the ways it effects us and others in many different ways. In this project we looked at the categories labeled Agent and Target groups, basically summing up the way you will be viewed in todays society. In this project we also built masks made of plaster that represented the way we were affected by society.
Essay-
The Cycle Of Chains
By: Saige M. Rasmussen
Who am I? How do I define myself? We ask ourselves that everyday, almost subconsciously. Wondering what others will think, what others feel about us. It isn't me who answers the question, who am I? It's society. This socialization forms us and makes us, changing us like a perfectionist. Creating the rules and these norms to follow, pushing us in directions, taking over our being and marching us to the edge, like a puppet. It influences how we act, who we hang out with, what we think, how we feel, every aspect of our lives is pulled and pushed by socialization. Socialization has taught me many things, three main ideas, being bisexual is disgraceful, being more masculine as a girl is just plain weird, and being young means you have to be obedient.
Being anything other than straight is disgraceful or strange to most people. Why? Because of socialization, we have been socialized to think that you can't be with anyone else other than the opposite sex. So when you are different, you're considered weird, inferior, a target group. The ones that are pushed and shoved, called names, and even killed for not being a part of the dominant group, or agent group. The ones that are straight, white, are healthy and wealthy. Overall rates of reports of anti-LGBT violence remain steady in 2012 with 2,016 incidents reported. 25 homicides of LGBT people documented. I have known that I was bi-sexual since the 4th grade. I never said anything and became insecure and scared of what people would think if I came out as bi-sexual. I ran away from who I was and put on a mask of smiles, a mask of blindness, where I was a ditsy, stereotypical blonde. I was terrified, I didn't trust a single person, no one knew me. Socialization broke me, and put me back together in its own image. You hear about gay men being beaten almost to death in New York. They say we have equal rights, but lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals, transgender people all around the country are still being hated and beaten, with no justice at all. There is change though, the right for gays to marry is fantastic and a great move in the right direction, there are still problems out there though, as I said before.
Stereotypes are one of the main ingredients of this society, and have made me who I am, even if I've changed, I'm still part of the stereotypes. Girls have to have long hair, makeup, thin frames, and big breasts with wide hips. They have to be shy and very submissive. They have to clean and cook, and get whatever the husband wants. We girls, we can't have a voice, no words, no essence of self. Just a painted picture of what society wants us to be. Now, when I was younger, I had long hair, I wore tight clothes and I was 'girly', I was shy and I didn't ever say anything that would get me in trouble, but I wasn't happy, every once in awhile my real self would show through my mask, I'd play with the boys and hang out with them. They thought it was fine but my girl friends thought I was weird and they barely talked to me. I couldn't connect to them the way I could with my new guy friends. I decided to just be with the boys, and I was happy with them but still a slave to society. I still dressed like a girl and I still had long hair. My new guy friends still wanted me to look like a girl too. I was torn between two worlds it seemed, every morning I would have this internal battle of whether I should be like a girl or whether I should act like a guy. Nowadays, I broke out of that hold. Yes, there are always going to be society's pressures on me, but now, I have come out as bisexual, I have short hair, I speak my mind and I'm not afraid to stand up for myself and others. I sometimes seem like a guy, and I sometimes seem more girly to people. Now I'm more like the real me.
When I was younger I was always taught to do what I was told, and punished if I did something wrong. I was taught that I had to be what my parents wanted me to be, I had to get good grades and be sweet no matter how I really felt. I didn't think that there was anything wrong with that, but I had to grow up fast and by the age of 10 I already knew there was no such thing as an all good person. So from then on I wasn't such a good girl, over the years I've changed and now I'm not so hard on myself if I get a B or C in a class. I'm not afraid to speak up for myself and I'm not afraid to get in trouble. Parents pressure us and say, "Get good grades, get a scholarship and go to college." That plants this idea into our head that if we don't do that then our parents will be disappointed, angry, and maybe even disown us if we don't do good. I was under that pressure and I was scared to do any kind of experimenting with my life, and to a certain extent I'm still scared of my parents. Terri Apter, a woman with a Ph.D in domestic intelligence states that, "a teenager's real focus is on a parent's acknowledgement of his maturity and capability and human value. 'No, you can't go out tonight,' causes more than a glitch in a teen's social diary; it implies that a parent doesn't trust him/her to make his/her own decisions. And, in a teen's eyes, that's not only unfair; it's humiliating." This is a very true statement. We feel humiliated and very hurt when a parent says something like that, even when a parent asks if you've got your homework done, we feel mistrusted and attacked by that question. It puts this pressure on us that nothing is good enough for our parents, just like our grades, or if we don't get a scholarship to go to college. We feel like we are failures in our parent's eyes, and sometimes that leads to suicides. Now, looking on a more positive note, my parents have expressed a much more open minded approach, when I was younger, it was much more strict and very hard to do anything different from what my parents told me to do, it still affects me to this day, I almost expect a grounding, or even a yelling match. That kind of thinking seems to have changed in my dad especially. He is more a friend to me than a father, which confuses me and makes me nervous, that's cause I still expect punishment. That doesn't happen, my dad talks to me, discusses the problem and we find a solution together, instead of having a yelling match. I am still getting used to the idea of this, and I'm still afraid to tell things to my dad, but over time I will become used to the idea, and be more open with my parents, especially my dad.
Sexual Orientation is changing because it's legal for gay couples to get married, gender is changing because transgender and even people like me that just identify with both genders, are able to express that more, age is changing because of schools like Animas High School, they care about us more and take our opinions into account and treat us like human beings. This doesn't mean that everything is fixed, there are still problems with the system. Discrimination is still out there for gay and transgender people, suicide rates are extremely high, according to a U.S. Study out of 6,500 people, 41% of transgender adults report having attempted suicide, compared to 5% of adults in the general population and 10 to 20% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults. We are all part of this, and if we didn't have socialization we wouldn't be where we are today, there are just some flaws, we keep excluding more and more, that type of culture is dying and we have to move on to a new sort of thinking. We need the change, let's break out of this cycle of chains.
It just hurts to look at, which is how society has made me see myself. It exposed this truth of feeling. Society made me feel like this demonic thing that scared people. With the writing of who I am on the mask, with this broken looking, blank face. It creates this melancholy, hurt vibe. Socialization closed me in and made me feel grey, dark, oppressed, and shadowed. So I used those colors and feelings in my mask, it made me feel demonized and so I added the horns and fangs. The words bleeding means my real self leaking out.
Project Reflection-
Mask-
I'm proud of the feeling, the dark, dripping black goo, the bright red pupils, the ram horns, the fangs, it gives off this depressed, hurt, and scary feeling and that's what I wanted. It just hurts to look at, which is how society has made me see myself. It exposed this truth of feeling. Society made me feel like this demonic thing that scared people. With the writing of who I am on the mask, with this broken looking, blank face.
It creates this melancholy, hurt vibe. Which is how I wanted people to feel because that's how I've felt. I wanted people to be able to know what I felt.
Quote-
"We are all part of this, and if we didn't have socialization we wouldn't be where we are today, there are just some flaws, we keep excluding more and more, that type of culture is dying and we have to move on to a new sort of thinking. We need the change, let's break out of this cycle of chains." It's so powerful, I'm proud of the last line, using the title as the last sentence, tying it into the story. My straightforwardness, with saying how everything is changing, I think it ends on a more positive, inspirational note too, I love it. Gives me hope instead of being so depressing and negative, it's giving a solution.
Biggest take away-
I will remember the message I sent, through the essay and the mask. Showing the truth of who I feel in writing and crafting. I never really had the chance to speak without getting in trouble, it feels good to speak up for myself and feel safe. I'll remember the great care I took with my masks look, the way I added this poetic darkness to it. It's my first finished mask, and I'm very proud of it.