Thoughts on Essay 2

Before this essay, I never really thought that much about what was considered "normal" in society. I mean, I had never really thought to myself, "there are only perfectly fit people in underwear ads", or that everyone in a toothpaste commercial has an unbelievable smile. Normalcy has such a varied meaning and it is always interesting to hear about different people's opinions of what is normal in society. I particularly pointed out in my essay how I personally am influenced by the current society's obsession with being viewed as normal. I exemplified this through my daily trips to the gym to try to develop a muscular and toned body. By viewing many of the current ads out there today, it is obvious that the most appealing male to the masses is that of a muscular man. I have tried to follow suit and hope that it can work out for me. Anyway, the whole idea of being normal truly has gotten out of hand. I wish people would just accept everyone for who they were and forget about being viewed as a "normal" human being.

Response to Jeremy's entry on February 10th, "Ears"

I couldn't agree more with what Jeremy said about his ears. I treasure my ears and really value everything they bring to the table. I even wrote my body collage essay about my ears, just to exemplify how important they are to me. One similarity I had to Jeremy's blog entry was the concept our ears played in our love for music I talked about how my love for the Dave Matthews Band was ignited through my ears' hearing the songs performed by the band. Ears are such an integral part to life, and it sometimes is odd that people take the concept of hearing absolutely for granted. Hearing is so much more than people understand. To be able to hear is basically opening another world that would otherwise not be reached just through the concept of vision. Hearing allows us to understand what we see, and decide for ourselves whether we like it or not.

Reaction to Jodi Eisenberg's Entry on "Welcome to Cancerland"

****i understand this entry is technically the next week, but I wanted to let you know taht I have been having some trouble with the blogger account I've set up, so that is the reason why I am doing this so late.

After reading Jodi's thoughts on the "Welcome to Cancer land" piece I found myself completely agreeing with everything Jodi wrote. Barbara Ehrenreich's stress and pain throughout the whole process of dealing with cancer is truly a situation that many people I know thankfully can't relate to. Honestly, I feel that I would be in an emotional breakdown from the second I was diagnosed, and even if I went clean for a little, I would be incredibly paranoid that the disease would come back. To continue on what Jodi said, reading a piece like this really makes one take a step back and think about life for a second. Personally, my aunt's brother, which i guess is my great uncle, was diagnosed with leukemia and died when I was really young. I don't even remember the man, but all my family has to say is great and wonderful things about him. When you hear things like that happening to people, it truly makes you appreciate what you have in your life that much more. I wish only the best in health and happiness for everyone who's path I cross in life, because no one should have to go through what Ms. Ehrenreich went through, including herself.

Reaction to "Freaks"

In all honesty, what we have spoken about for the past couple classes is somewhat dull. I can understand how someone would be very interested in the whole concept of a "Freak" and what their role in life pertains, however, I for one am not one of those people. I have never been a big fan of the circus, let alone the sideshows that come with them. The fact that there is a lady who can twist her arms around in a crazy direction, or a midget that can fascinate people simply by his size is somewhat demeaning to me. People cannot help how they look, or how they are going to be mentally and psychologically. It's a horrible thing that SOME of these people willingly sit to please others at their own unfortunate circumstances. What's even worse is that some of those featured in freak sideshows can't even make decisions for themselves with regard to them appearing in the shows. Do not take me for naive, because I do understand that some of these handicapped people cannot and will not find work in many other areas than a circus sideshow, I just feel that there can be other ways to make these people live a human existence than to describe them as legitimate freaks.

Response to "Rush"

After reading the piece entitled, "Rush", I started to wonder why so many people want to grow up so fast. Obviously, everyone always wants to reach a certain age and with each specific age comes a specific milestone: 18 means you're legal, 21 means you can drink alcohol legally. However, why can't people just take a step back and enjoy each and every day of their lives? I personally live by this motto. Each year older I get, I try to make the most out of it as I can. People only live for so long, and it means you're nearing the end with the older you get. I don't know others, but I have seen so many older aged people saying that they wish they were younger, and wish they could get back to their teenage years and college years, etc. I don't want to be one of those people! I mean, sure, when I'm in my 40's and 50's I'll be wishing I had my younger years back, but that begs the question: why on earth would you want to grow older now!?

I'll stay 21 or younger for as long as possible, please. (and that's only two more years...)

Reflecting on the Body Collage Piece

Now that the Body Collage Piece has been handed in and is ready to be graded, I wanted to take a step back and talk about the process of the paper.
Overall, I was very happy with what I handed in. The Body Collage Piece enabled me to reflect on my past memories through a specific body part, of which I chose my ears. My ears and I have been through many memories together, as I mentioned in my essay. However, it wasn't until I actually sat down and reviewed the essay that I actually realized HOW much I have gone through with respect to my ear's memories. When you reflect on your life, you remember a lot. It wasn't the fact that I hadn't ever done that, it was just that I hadn't ever gone as in depth as I did in writing this essay. I hope that I end up receiving a good grade on this essay, because I put a lot of time and effort throughout my time working on it.