Not in Order In Class Poetry Workshop

In class we were given the time to work on poetry. I decided to work on one structured poem and one free verse poem. The first poem I wrote was a haiku, it was based on the relationship between two people I know. I felt personally that the girl was using this boy for money. This girl represented the cold in the atmosphere and was the boot crushing the head to have monetary gain at all cost. The second poem I wrote was about how when life get hard people either turn to religion or substance abuse. In my life I have seen people face hardships and many times I see them reach a point where they begin to increase their faith in their God and become very religious. On the other side I have seen people in my age group face hardships and turn to alcohol or marijuana to take them into an altered state of existence essentially running from their problems.

Not in Order Mythology Group Presents

After almost 3 weeks my group and I presented our mythology work on the Male Divine. As a group we focused on explaining the different archetypes of the male divine and how they are presented. It was interesting to see that there were five different types of the male divine that ultimately shapes literature. i particular focused on Gods and Fathers, and The Under World. Begin with religion and then the dynamics of Father-Son relationship, I was surprise to see that there is a particular pattern that is seen in all mythology and can even be applied to real life. I was specifically surprised with Father-Son archetype and how this was tied into both desert religions as well as Greco-Roman religion. The father, as the God, is seen as a distant figure who the son cannot connect with, yet would like to make proud, but often feels as if he is not adequate. This is the background story of almost all boy to man stories in Hollywood!

Not In Order Mythology Presentation

I realized that my posts in March were off and I forgot to post the events in class I found important. For these past weeks before spring break groups were presenting their mythology group projects. It was very interesting to learn the many different archetypes from mythology that shape literature in general. I see that many people do not study the different forms of literature and their origins. However, I must admit that until seeking higher education I did not know these archetypes existed because this is not something that we discuss in school. The more you know the foundation of these works, the better your  individual writing will become. I am looking at the group presentation as a  way to strengthen my writing in the future and to find ways apply these concepts to future writing.

Slumdog Fairytale

Slumdog Millionaire is my favorite film, so I especially enjoyed watching this movie as a class assignment. I loved the idea that life became the teacher for two young boys whose life's went in total opposite directions. It is ironic that all the strife Jamal had faced was the reason that he ended up winning India's version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. While Jamal tried to do the best he could growing up, while helping others, and trying to do the right thing, Salim on the other hand does as he pleases. Salim was a leader and made a way whether it was a moral action or not. Salim stole, tricked and clawed his way to a temporary success that he cold not keep hold of. Over all the movie is amazing and now looking at it as a global text give a new perspective.

Post Presentation

I was very please with the group presentation in class, which turned out be informational as well as short and to the point. It is often hard to find the balance between enough information to satisfy requirements of an assignment and too much for the class to intake at one class sitting. Often I find as college students we tend to include information that walks the borderline of slightly needed to common sense. College students include every detail and waste time discussing information that is well know and does not need mentioning. I found this issue in my group. I felt as during the developmental stages of our presentation, as a group we tried to include information that either was not needed or was common sense foe the many students in our class.  Fortunately, my group and I were able to cut out the irrelevant information and get straight to the point on the topic. However we must remember that in the college setting this is a not a valued trait, however in the secondary education arena, when introducing students to a new topic, the delivery should be detail oriented down to the smallest unit.

Grouping in Context

It is ironic that change is the only thing constant in our live yet it is one of the most feared aspects of life as well. We take the same route to work, have favorite foods at restaurants, and shop at the same stores. Often many will say this is for comfort, however I feel this is due to fear of change. In class Professor Wexler unfortunately pushed me out of our comfort zone, however the it is for the best. For the past 4 years at CSUN I have taken the same classes and created bonds with specific people in my cohort, particularly Ellen Moreh, and Ariana Arestigui. No one approaches us because they already know we are a group both inside and outside of the classroom and often when people do approach us unknowingly we shun them, like children on the school yard. Luckily this cliche teenage bond would be broken and despite the fears that came with the change it wad pleasant. I am now in a group with Ali and Emelia whom I found both have children the same age as I do and they are all girls. Sometimes you need a push to move in another direction and when you receive that push it changes you for the better. I am excited and can not wait for our presentation.

The Male in Divine Context

In preparation for Monday's presentation it was very interesting to see the parallels in the archetypes of the male divine and the way culture is structured even today. One aspect that I found very interesting of the concept of the authoritative father and the fearful son. In the Father and Son archetype the father often is distant from the son and has very little attachment to the son after conception. This is believe to be due to the mother carrying the child and creating a connection that no other being can.  The father then as the son grows becomes a fearful figure in which you would like to make proud, but have very little connection. This is so interesting to see because in society and portrayed in the media, sons often want to be a man and make their fathers proud but complain that they do not have a relationship, or that the two are very distant and the son is fearful that he will disappoint the father. The archetypes are seen through out literature as well as in film, art and life. It is interesting to connect the two ideal that were foreign before this presentation.