Blog #7

Murray mentions writing as a type of therapy for himself. This is the reason I can relate the most with. I often write to get things off my chest. When I cannot speak to someone about what I'm thinking, I will write it to myself. I am able to talk about the most secretive things in this way, yet I don't have to uncomfortably share with anyone. Writing therapeutically is something I encourage everyone to do. If I never wrote to ease my constant overflowing thoughts I don't think I'd be able to survive. While writing in a therapeutical manner was what I gravitated to, all of Murray's reasons for writing resonate with me. Murray did an excellent job of summarizing the many different reasons we write personally. I suppose I can work on length and editing in my writing. I need to work towards being able to meet length requirements requested of me without watering down and dragging out information. I need to put effort into giving every word I type a reason to be there on the page. As far as editing goes, I know I could improve my editing process. I intend to use some of the advice given in Murray's piece on my next major assignment to further improve my writing skills. As with all things, my writing will improve with practice and experience. I just have to put in the work needed to get my writing to where it should be; to where I want it to be.

Blog #6

“Visits home became suffused with silent embarrassment: there seemed to be nothing to share”. When I read this sentence I immediately knew this would be the one to elaborate upon. When I was a kid every summer my family and I would go to visit my Boston relatives. I always felt very out of place whenever small talk and conversations would happen. It was probably because all my cousins were much older than me and I was the little kid of the group. I never was really never into sports heavily back then and usually that was talked about that most of all. When it came to conversations with the adults there was not usually much they could ask me about seeing as how the life of a sixth or seventh grader is not too complex or interesting. During this time in my life though, I began to realize the truth behind the fact that through being outgoing a person can make oneself more approachable and easy to talk to. A think a possible solution to the authors problem would have been to just keep trying to expanding his spanish at the same time as his english. Obviously it would not have been an easy task but it is certainly possible. If he did this his childhood would have been very different probably; for the better even I would choose to assume. I wonder if he regrets not continuing to study spanish because I know I would certainly regret never becoming outgoing around my relatives.

Blog #6 - Oliver Hamlin

"There is a danger of being misunderstood here."

     To some extent, I feel like I can relate to this quote. I moved around three different states over the course of my time in high school, so I definitely know what it means to be a new kid. During the awkward and exciting phase of being new somewhere, life can seem very puzzling. Being misunderstood in your behavior or appearance can set up a bad reputation. For this reason, incoming freshman and transfer students tend to have an ominous fear of being misunderstood and not "fitting in". Being accepted is always comforting. Having friends to spend time with and acquaintances to run into around school are both desires most college students have. Because of this, sometimes we change ourselves to become apart of a social group or organization.

     While being new somewhere can be nerve-wrecking at times on its own, I could not imagine being a minority. I have talked with friends in the past who were minorities at other schools they went to and they have all mentioned the same experiences: getting rude stares, seeing people talk with each other about you, and always worrying about racial stereotypes. I feel that at FSU, minorities are very well accepted. However, at other schools, this may not be the case. Being oppressed as a minority is an issue still at many other schools. For that reason, some minorities do feel as though there is a danger of being misunderstood as an individual.

Blog #6

"For many years I kept my uneasiness about becoming a success in education to myself."
I think this quote is very interesting that the author felt the need to hide his intelligence and successes. In some way I feel bad that he doesn't take great pride and feels the need to hide it. He branches from this topic and discusses how education was not valued or seen as important in his spanish culture because where he was from it was a very low quality of education. His parents were encouraging but would half-joking say that education was putting "big ideas" in him and his brother's heads. I can't imagine education not being so highly valued and something that one feels the need to not be proud of. Although he was proud, he felt as though it was inappropriate to boast his pride or to tell others about it. I also understand though that these are different cultures that value and hold different things as priorities.
"I realize how much more difficult and complicated was my progress into academic life for my parents, as they saw the cultural foundation of their family erode, than it was for me."
This quote really made me think. His parents were completely blind and shocked in a lot of ways by the American culture and language. They brought their children to America who were the most important people in their lives and began to watch them change into unfamiliarity. Rodriguez mentions losing his ability to speak Spanish a little, the language his parents primarily use to communicate. His parents must have been so confused with how they were feeling, their sons were getting a high quality education in America, but at the same time losing certain cultural aspects that they saw as essential, such as language. Their family's cultural foundation truly was eroding away. It makes me wonder exactly how the parents feel and value the sacrifice they made to allow their children to get a high quality education.

Blog #6

"They partly yearned for a return to the time before education assumed their children's primary loyalty."

This sentence really stuck out to me while I was reading this story because I have always been a strong advocate of parental support in their children’s education. I think it is a very important aspect in a child/teenager’s future success. If a student is not motivated by their parents then they won’t have much of a reason to try in school except for personal satisfaction. I can see where his parents are coming from, in that they don't want to see their family's entire culture forgotten, but I think it is selfish for them to even have the thought of their sons not pursuing their educational dreams just for that reason cross their mind. The fact that they wish to hold back their sons from learning and living their own lives solely for their own personal satisfaction doesn’t seem like something that parents should do. It must be difficult for Rodriguez and his siblings to have the motivation to continue their educational studies when he knows that it is disappointing his parents. If all parents had this outlook on life then we would never further technology and the quality of life in our country. My parents, along with many others, are constantly encouraging me to further my education and find out who I am for myself. I think it is very important to have parents or a close adult figure supporting you throughout your educational journey.

Blog #6

"When the minority group student was accepted into the academy, he came - in everyone mind - as part of a “group.”

This line basically tells all. Being a minority and being judged or accepted/not accepted just for that has always been problematic and controversial. Although this line from his piece shows other people’s true judgmental colors, I agree with it and believe that it is true. No matter how many times we say our country has grown out of racism or grouping people like this, the reality is, we haven’t. I think it is just human nature to automatically judge others based on how they look or sometimes even who they hang out with. But I feel like the majority of people, especially young and naive Americans, do not actually take the time to get to know the person first before they judge them. Of course, minority is solely based on looks/race not personality, but even if one sees a black person or a brown person, most just assume they are indian and no one thinks about what type of African American they are. Today minorities are made into such a big deal that students are accepted into college because of their race/background. There are also many scholarships given just to a specific minority, as in, you can’t apply if you are anything but whatever race that scholarship is limited to. This amazes me because getting into a school or getting a scholarship should be based on grades and academic ability. It is unfair for a student to be prioritized just because of their minority. One student who is white that worked very hard for his A’s shouldn’t be left behind a Native American with C’s just because he wasn’t Native American.

Blog #6- Justin Borrero

"They seemed to know that my education was separating us from one another, making it difficult to resume familiar intimacies. Mixed with the instincts of parental pride, a certain hurt also communicated itself-too private ever to be adequately expressed in words, but real nonetheless."

I disagree with both sentences that were in this quote completely. The first sentence is absolutely ridiculous, basically saying that they were becoming too smart to talk or hang out with their parents. Simply learning things that your parents didn’t know or learn doesn’t make you too good to talk to them, they are the people who gave your life and now you’re basically saying that you’re done with what they have provided with me and have passed it and ready to move on. Your parents are the first friends you make when you enter this world and the last you will remember when you leave. They should be the people you always want to be in contact with no matter what. Besides they’re millions of topics in the world to talk about, how hard would it be to find one or two that you can relate to your parents with.

The second sentence is ridiculous as well. If there are any people in the world that you could talk to about anything it would be your parents. The love they have for you will surpass any judgment they might have for you. If you honestly feel as if it’s hard to converse with your parents anymore because your education level is too high, there is something you can talk about right there. If you can at least do that I’m sure you and your parents will fix this problem with ease