Blog 7

I recently wrote my research paper on personality choice, and the question "why have you chosen to be who you are" is a very interesting one to me, especially because it pertains to my research paper. I wouldn't say that I've chosen to be who I am, because I believe my parents and the environment I grew up in decided who I would be. What I will discuss is who I'm striving to be, and what I'd like to change about myself. Up until now, I've considered myself to be shy and passive. I'd like to express my opinions more without caring about what others think. Of course I don't want to be rude and/or obnoxious, but I'd like to be assertive in terms of knowing what I want and what I believe. Caring about what others think has been a huge issue with me. It often prevents me from speaking from my heart. I'd like to change this, and I'm working on having more self-confidence and being more assertive with others. I need to accept the fact that no matter what, not everyone will like me or be happy with my beliefs. This, I think, might be a concern with everyone, at least to some extent. Maybe I'm wrong. In my head I know it seems irrational to want everyone to like me when I know that this is simply impossible. I just need to work with this realization, and in turn express myself without being afraid.

Reading Response 6

In my opinion, hate speech is geared towards influencing others to blame a certain group or stereotype. Toni Morrison mentions in her speech that oppressive language not only influences violence, it is violence. I really like the way she explained this, because it’s absolutely true. Oppressive language is the same as an oppressive act, just like verbal abuse is equally, if not more painful than physical abuse. Morrison stresses that words have as much power as physical acts and this revelation is one that should be taken into account by everyone. People constantly underestimate how powerful words can be. Words can motivate an entire crowd to commit unthinkable acts. Just last week, somebody did their power point on Hitler and mentioned how much power his words had on the country of Germany. Somehow, Hitler was able to turn everybody against an entire population of people. Hitler used hate speech when influencing massive amounts of German citizens. Hate speech consists of targeting a group or population, usually to blame them for something. It may or may not consist of derogatory comments, but whether or not it does, it is still awful. It always involves pointing out this group or population’s flaws, and why others should turn against them as well.

Blog 6

I went home this weekend for my sister’s National Charity League presents. She’s a senior in High School, I’m really excited for her! I got to see my family, including my grandmother and my uncle, both of whom I haven’t seen for a long time. My sister came down from UC Irvine for the event as well, and it was really nice to see her too! She told me she might be staying in Irvine this summer which would make me really sad! I’d miss her a lot.

This week is going to be really busy for me, because I’m going to be training for a new job I just got that involves teaching autistic children. I am extremely excited to be starting this job! I love working with children, and it falls along the career path I’m pursuing, which is social work. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity. I’ve taught swim lessons the past three summers, and I’ve learned a lot from working with so many children. They can teach you so many things that adults can’t. I know this job will be very challenging, but I know it will be rewarding as well. I’m also excited because it’s almost spring quarter!

Blog 5

I saw the film “Shutter Island” this weekend, and it was great! I was not expecting the plot to turn the way it did. One thing I like about Leonardo Di Caprio is that he has the tendency to choose good films, so the odds of one of his films being good are pretty high. This film was creepy, but not scary enough to prevent you from falling asleep the night after you see it. I feel like a lot of films try to pull off what this film achieved without any success. It’s not really that this film is scary, it’s more disturbing. The content and plot are a little difficult to handle, but nevertheless, I think the film was very well made. The idea of an institution for the criminally insane is thought-provoking for me. All of the patients in this institution were murderers, but they were declared insane as well, so they were taken to Shutter Island to live and receive treatment. The fact that every single one of the patients in this film had killed someone blew my mind. Using insanity as an excuse for killing someone is difficult for me to fathom, but I understand that killing can be the result of psychosis nonetheless… even though it is hard for me to accept.

Reading Response 5

The topic I’d like to research for essay three is personality. My hypothesis is that people, for the most part, do not contribute to the formation of their personalities; they are shaped by the environment and genetics. I think an individual’s environment contributes a significant amount to personality formation and I’d like to research just how much a particular environment can impact one’s personality. I am already familiar with many psychological theories contributing to personality development, but I am going to have to further research these theories and study experiments that have been conducted on personality. I’m going to need to find out the major factors contributing to personality development, and whether or not my hypothesis or the hypotheses of others have been already been proven right or wrong. In terms of a research plan, I’ll begin by listing everything I already know about personality development, including theories, books I’ve read, and what I’ve witnessed firsthand through the media. The sources I plan to use are psychology textbooks, journal articles detailing experiments or other personality hypotheses, and psychological databases. I plan on using the library for most of my research, but I will probably use internet databases and online journals as well. From these sources, I will determine how much information supports or goes against my hypothesis.

Reading Response 4

I found the essays “Are You Gonna Eat That” and “Doing Your Homework” by Ronny Smith and Malinda Barrett to be very interesting. I have never heard of “gleaning” before, and to be honest, the thought of it grosses me out. I do, however, support the gleaners’ cause, as it brings the issue of wasting food to our attention. I unfortunately am guilty of wasting food, and reading this article has definitely made me more conscientious of how much food I will eat and throw away in the future. Whenever I walk by a dumpster now, I’m probably going to wonder what is inside of it. I just don’t think I could bring myself to eat something that has been inside of a trash can or dumpster, regardless of the greater benefits it would contribute towards society.

Malinda Barrett’s essay about egg donations is very thought-provoking. I was actually on Malinda’s dorm floor freshman year, and it was cool reading one of her articles. It’s interesting, because I remember coming across an article in one of the Davis newspapers a while ago that was advertising for egg donors. I remember thinking how ridiculous the advertisement was, as it required the donor to have “green eyes, a slim, athletic body, high SAT scores, and a high education”, or something along those lines. This was a long time ago, and it may have been one of the advertisements Malinda refers to in her essay, as I remember discussing this with a few other people. I can’t remember if she was one of the people I was talking with about this, though. All I could think to myself was how shallow the people who had published this advertisement must be. I think I even laughed at how specific and almost unrealistic their requirements for a donor were. Anyways, the compensation money for this procedure is undoubtedly desirable, but the procedure is very dangerous, and I’m glad Malinda has brought the risks of donating eggs to our attention.

Reading Response 3

I read Anna Deavere Smith’s “Twilight: Los Angeles” my freshman year at UC Davis. Up until this point, I did not know very much about the Rodney King riots, or how they affected a wide variety of people. Anna Deavere Smith includes many different personalities in this play, and it is fascinating to see how each of them has reacted to this event. I also enjoy Deavere-Smith’s close attention to detail for each character she conveys. She describes everything about them, including what they are wearing, their particular mannerisms, and how they talk. This gives the actor a chance to really become the character that Deavere-Smith has written. This play involves many different racial groups, and Deavere-Smith does a great job of portraying the different feelings experienced during this time period. The Rodney King story caused different reactions from people; there are some who are in favor of Rodney King, and others who are in favor of the police. I also like how Anna Deavere Smith portrays characters from different backgrounds that not only include race, but also factors like profession and age. She pays very close attention to each character’s sentence structure, and in my opinion this in itself adds a lot to each character.

Blog 3

This weekend I came home so I could concentrate on some of my school work. Aside from the school work, it was a nice, relaxing weekend. I got to spend some time with my mom and my sister. While taking a break from studying, I watched the movie “Where the Heart Is” with Natalie Portman. This has been one of my favorite movies for a long time. I don’t know how many of you have seen it, but it’s a very sweet story. I went shopping with my mom and bought some groceries to take back to school with me. I have to say, I am totally addicted to honey teddy grahams. I like the other flavors too, but those honey teddy grahams are irresistible to me! I don’t feel completely guilty while eating them because they’re much healthier than eating a bunch of chocolate chip cookies. I definitely eat too many sweet foods, though! I bought some zours and hot tamales while I was with my mom too. Zours are probably my favorite candy… sour candy in general is definitely the way to my heart! I have had a sweet tooth ever since I was little. Supposedly it runs in my family… or at least that’s what my grandma says!

Reading Response 2

Gloria Anzaldua has introduced me to some appalling revelations. Unfortunately, I feel that what she has written about in “The Homeland: Aztlan” is merely another example of how the United States truly lives up to its nickname of an “international police power”. It is sickening to see how power-hungry the United States has been over the course of history. As Anzaldua states, not only did we kick the Native Americans off of their land, we committed the same atrocity towards the Mexicans as well. In my opinion, the only explanations for such acts of selfishness are ignorance, an unquenchable thirst for power, and the belief that inferiority amongst humans exists. Don’t get me wrong; in many ways, I am very proud to be an American and I believe that many of the ideals of which this nation strives upon are admirable. It is unquestionable, however, that certain chapters of the history of the United States give the United States a dark reputation. Gloria Anzaldua defines a border as being “indistinct”. In this case, I feel that borders symbolize a line of equality that the United States has placed between Americans and Mexicans. I could be wrong, but that is my take on the topic. It is always sad to read about situations like this.

Tigerlily

I named my cat Tigerlily after the character in "Peter Pan", because I have loved this story ever since I was a little kid. In my opinion, my cat Tigerlily is the most adorable, quirky cat I have ever seen. She is a maine coon cat. She’s extremely fluffy but surprisingly skinny under all of her fur. One of the things that makes her so unique is her fascination with water. Most cats detest water, but she loves to play in it for hours at a time. She’ll bat her paws in the water and make a huge mess. She’s also a trouble maker! She enjoys knocking things off the counter and watching them fall to the floor, where they either break or roll to a place she knows we won’t find for a long time. My mom has resorted to putting tape on the arm of the couch she is constantly clawing at, even though she knows better. Tigerlily always needs to be around someone. She loves it when we pet her, but she becomes restless when she is picked up. She hid my sister’s glasses once as she was using them as a toy to play with, and my sister did not find them for about two months. In spite of the fact that she is a trouble maker, I love her and I’m so thankful to have such an adorable pet. :-)

Reading Response 1

I’m going to start off by saying that I am very bad at analyzing topics like this one where a lot of information is involved and there are several different claims of what the “truth” of the matter really is. The reason why I’ve never been very good at this is because it is extremely difficult for me to tell what is right and what is wrong. I have not done enough research on the budget cuts, the California Master Plan, or prop 13 to conclude how these three things have or have not contributed to the current situation at hand. For example, in the article “privatization and the UCs: The Basics”, it is mentioned that the “shift towards privatization began decades ago”. I could be completely off, but I feel this may be a little far-fetched. There are also claims that California’s spending habits have contributed more to the current budget crisis than the decrease in property taxes in 1978. I feel a little embarrassed for admitting that this is not one of my strengths, but I just wanted to be honest in case I say something completely inaccurate or ridiculous in regards to this topic.

After reading about the budget cuts, I definitely plan on doing more research on this subject. One thing I know is that in general, it has become much more difficult to attend college. Naturally, this saddens me. Regardless of the true cause of these fee increases and their possible justifications, I believe everyone has the right to receive a great education, and the fact that this has become so challenging for such a large amount of people who are beyond deserving and capable of a higher education is a huge indication that something is not right. In terms of the concept of a “hybrid university”, I’m not so sure that such a thing even exists. Can you really have a public university that is “privately supported”? It seems as if these so-called “private supporters” are the students who have had to pay increased fees. I think this term contradicts itself, and I think the usage of the term “hybrid university” is meant to convince people that the UCs are in fact still public schools, despite the fact that they are continuously shifting away from the initial principles and ideals they once strived upon. I do not like the direction the UCs are headed towards, and I hope the system turns itself around sooner rather than later.

A Little on Proverbs

The saying “Birds of a feather flock together” and “opposites attract” are sayings that have been mentioned repeatedly throughout my life. After the various experiences I have had in regards to relationships I’ve had with others, whether it be family, friends, romantic relationships, etc., I think I have to agree more with the saying “birds of a feather flock together”. It seems to me that those with similar qualities and beliefs will have a smoother, more agreeable relationship. Constantly disagreeing with someone, even when it is over the most insignificant matter, becomes increasingly draining over time. I do believe it is true that those with similar qualities tend to “flock” together. Examples of this concept can be seen in politics, religion, and other major practices that hold a high amount of importance worldwide. I understand, however, the positive side of being around someone whose personality contrasts with your own. You are given an opportunity to understand a different perspective on certain subjects, and you may even experience a lifestyle that is vastly different from your own. I feel the appeal of being around someone whose personality is “opposite” your own would be the excitement of disagreeing and clashing. In my opinion, the clashing would become gradually tiresome. I am sure, however, that there are many who agree more with the saying “opposites attract” rather than the saying “birds of a feather flock together”.

Diagnostic Reading Response

"Plato's Pharmacy" presents the written word in a different light. The main concept in this excerpt seems to be that text is often times too mysterious and ambiguous to come to any solid conclusions about the message that is being given. Derrida's reference to text as a "woven texture" indicates the many qualities and meanings that can be derived from written works, and the complicated process one must go through in order to discover the signification of what is being read. Using literary techniques such as metaphors, personification, and many others are examples of how the meaning of texts can be made ambiguous and, above all else, remain open for interpretation, even if certain interpretations seem more logical than others. Derrida also makes the point that it is necessary to re-read texts, as new ideas and meanings will come to mind with each new reading. Details such as symbols or other subtle concepts not seen before will become more obvious if a text is re-read several times. In addition to this, each individual’s mind is different; therefore, it is inevitable that people will have different interpretations of what they have read. Regardless of the various meanings found within a text, Derrida seems to emphasize the importance of thinking critically when reading.

Introduction

Hello everyone!

My name is Alison Chew. I am a senior double majoring in French and Psychology with a Human Development minor. I am originally from Lafayette, CA in the Bay Area. I have two younger sisters, ages 19 and 17. I just returned from a four month trip abroad in Bordeaux, France where I studied French at the university. I am interested in becoming a social worker after I graduate.

I do not dislike writing, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed when I receive writing assignments, as I feel I have never fully grasped what it takes to write a good paper. I am nervous but excited at the same time for this class, because I need to improve my writing skills.