Ch. VI: Imaginary Strangers
When Appiah uses the phrase “the imaginary stranger”, he is talking about a stranger whom you have not met and is most likely from another culture. They are imaginary to us because we do not know anything about them. An encounter between yourself and the imaginary stranger would result in this stranger no longer being imaginary. They would become “… real and present, sharing a human social life”. Although you probably might think you have nothing in common with this stranger, the truth you find out that there is a couple of things you do have in common, and that starts a conversation. You then might start talking about things you do not have in common, whether u agree or disagree about it. And if you both want to, this will lead to an understanding between the both of you.
Ch. VII: Cosmopolitan Contamination
In this chapter, Appiah discusses cultural imperialism. The definition of this according to the believers is that places such as the United States and Europe are encouraging consumption of their movies, television, magazines, and other non-media products. And there are people who do take that bate. But what Appiah suggests is that cultural imperialism is indeed condescending untrue. That research shows that most people prefer programming and products that are close to their own culture. They aren’t dupes, and they can resist the American or European culture.
Appiah states of a “golden rule of cosmopolitanism”. “I am human: nothing human is alien to me”. This golden rule basically means that all humans have things in common. Regardless of what culture we come from, we all have basic similarities.
When Appiah writes “Cultural purity is an oxymoron,” it’s basically saying that all cultures have been “contaminated”. A lot of things in our culture, and most cultures, were ideas brought in from other cultures and were molded into our own idea of it. A simple example, that people all wear Levis. Originally not everyone did, but it started somewhere, and was adopted by other cultures. It is molded by individual cultures because some cultures such as our own wear jeans to dress down, to be casual, while other cultures wear jeans to something formal. That is a small example of how other cultures can adopt an idea, or have someone bring it to them, and make it their own.
Ch. VIII: Whose Culture Is It, Anyway?
Appiah’s discussion of art is an example of cosmopolitanism because art is sent from culture to culture, viewed by everyone as art. There really isn’t a cultural view of art, because if you have an appreciation for art, then you are appreciating all art, and not picking and choosing art that only comes from a certain culture to appreciate. Art is also cosmopolitanism because it is paint on a canvas; it has an international language that speaks to everyone in every culture.
I agree with Appiah’s argument that we should make sense of the stranger. It would be best if we tried to talk with strangers and learn about them. Even if we do not agree we should make sense of their ideas. That is what I believe happens when you meet someone new. You should start talking about what you know you might have in common, then you can venture onto other things, and could even find out you have more in common than you originally thought. It could be the opposite where you have nothing else in common, but you can learn about them.
An example of when I have made a connection despite difference would have to be when I was selecting my major. I choose to major in International Studies. I choose this not because I connected through my identity, but because it meant exploring something that was different. It affects my future because I will be studying different cultures and issues. Different as in: different than what I already am aware of. And as I pick my concentration, I will be able to choose a specific culture that I would like to study, and I will then become more familiar with this difference.
Thanks once again :)
-Reecie ^_^
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Reecie chewy chapter 5. Cosmopolitanism
Study Question:
Ch. 5: The Primacy of Practice
The question states why it isn’t likely that we can come to a reasoned argument about values. I believe this is true for people of different cultures. They were taught to value something for the reasons of their culture, and in our own culture we might be taught the same value but for a very different reason. We might both see being kind as a value, but what I see as someone acting kindly, a person from another culture might not see as being kind. Thus we are not going to agree about our values because we were both taught to value it for a different reason, and are not going to change our reasoning of the value without long and hard thought. It is asked why we bother to have conversations if we cannot agree. Well I see it like this… We don’t have to agree. We can each have our own opinion, and even talk about them, but we do not have to come to a conclusion of agreement. What we should really take out of a conversation is an understanding for the other person’s value. We could find it interesting why they value something, and why it is different from our own definition of the value.
As a UK freshman, I believe that all freshmen might have similar values, or “shared horizons of meaning”, but we might define them differently. We all value the thought of receiving an education (or at least most freshmen). Education might have different meanings to each one of us. To me I am getting an education so I can gain knowledge while I am in college and apply it to the real world when I graduate. Someone else’s thought of an education could be completely different. Another value is doing well while in college. My definition of that value is trying the best that I can while I am in college, and hope for good grades. But I see trying your best more important because that really is all you can do, and if you put the effort forward, then the results should be good. Another person could possibly see the value of doing well in college just as getting good grades. Students might have the same values, but define them differently.
There are certain things that could impact these values, such as having a certain background or upbringing. You might have been taught that doing well in school is solely defined by how good your grades are. So if you got a B but tried your best, then it was still looked upon as not doing well in school. The value of education could be impacted by a couple things, such as race or gender. People have values in education but for instance do not believe that (for example) a Hispanic should or could receive an education (of course this is not my view, being half Puerto Rican). So their value of education is stereotyped and based on white Americans receiving an education, and that that’s “the way it should be”, which brings us back to the earlier chapters in Cosmopolitanism. Also, some men still believe (not so much anymore) that only men should be educated and not women. That there shouldn’t be powerful educated women. This cannot be helped anymore because women have proved themselves worthy of many leading jobs. But the values these men hold are that men should be educated, knowledgeable, and that is “the way it ought to be”.
So many people share the same values, could be anything, but most all see their value in a different light than another. We each have different reasons why we value something, it most of the time we will stand our ground about why, unless otherwise persuaded. To quote Shakespeare:
“When thou didst not, savage,
Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble like
A thing most brutish, I endowed thy purposes
With words that made them known”.
Thanks for reading once again
This is Reecie, hope u enjoyed ^_^
Ch. 5: The Primacy of Practice
The question states why it isn’t likely that we can come to a reasoned argument about values. I believe this is true for people of different cultures. They were taught to value something for the reasons of their culture, and in our own culture we might be taught the same value but for a very different reason. We might both see being kind as a value, but what I see as someone acting kindly, a person from another culture might not see as being kind. Thus we are not going to agree about our values because we were both taught to value it for a different reason, and are not going to change our reasoning of the value without long and hard thought. It is asked why we bother to have conversations if we cannot agree. Well I see it like this… We don’t have to agree. We can each have our own opinion, and even talk about them, but we do not have to come to a conclusion of agreement. What we should really take out of a conversation is an understanding for the other person’s value. We could find it interesting why they value something, and why it is different from our own definition of the value.
As a UK freshman, I believe that all freshmen might have similar values, or “shared horizons of meaning”, but we might define them differently. We all value the thought of receiving an education (or at least most freshmen). Education might have different meanings to each one of us. To me I am getting an education so I can gain knowledge while I am in college and apply it to the real world when I graduate. Someone else’s thought of an education could be completely different. Another value is doing well while in college. My definition of that value is trying the best that I can while I am in college, and hope for good grades. But I see trying your best more important because that really is all you can do, and if you put the effort forward, then the results should be good. Another person could possibly see the value of doing well in college just as getting good grades. Students might have the same values, but define them differently.
There are certain things that could impact these values, such as having a certain background or upbringing. You might have been taught that doing well in school is solely defined by how good your grades are. So if you got a B but tried your best, then it was still looked upon as not doing well in school. The value of education could be impacted by a couple things, such as race or gender. People have values in education but for instance do not believe that (for example) a Hispanic should or could receive an education (of course this is not my view, being half Puerto Rican). So their value of education is stereotyped and based on white Americans receiving an education, and that that’s “the way it should be”, which brings us back to the earlier chapters in Cosmopolitanism. Also, some men still believe (not so much anymore) that only men should be educated and not women. That there shouldn’t be powerful educated women. This cannot be helped anymore because women have proved themselves worthy of many leading jobs. But the values these men hold are that men should be educated, knowledgeable, and that is “the way it ought to be”.
So many people share the same values, could be anything, but most all see their value in a different light than another. We each have different reasons why we value something, it most of the time we will stand our ground about why, unless otherwise persuaded. To quote Shakespeare:
“When thou didst not, savage,
Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble like
A thing most brutish, I endowed thy purposes
With words that made them known”.
Thanks for reading once again
This is Reecie, hope u enjoyed ^_^
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Reecies crunchy thought on Cosmopolitanism Intro-Ch.4
Study Questions:
Introduction: Making Conversation
Cosmopolitanism. Appiah explains two principles to cosmopolitanism. The first is that we have obligations to others. Not just to people we know, but even to those we don’t. To have a concern for other communities as we do our own, and to accept every culture for the way it is, not desire any change. The second is that we take the value of particular human lives seriously. This means we should take interest in significant beliefs and practices of others… and do so with an open mind, not a judgmental one. Appiah’s main objective is to make it harder to think of the world as divided between “us” and “them”.
Ch. I: The Shattered Mirror
Appiah draws out a distinction between two points of view. The first: understanding why someone does something, from their point of view… The second: why we do something from our own point of view. I think it is important to know both of these because we should know why someone does something, even if we are against it. The reasons why they feel they should do it. It is very similar to our own point of view. I have beliefs and values and someone from another culture has different beliefs and values. We both have a strong belief in what we do, and might even be against each other at first, but if try to learn why this person has these values, then it might be the first step for me to try and understand. If I understand where they are coming from, then I might not be so against it, which is a step towards cosmopolitanism.
Ch. II: Escape from Positivism
Positivism. This is the thought that there are only beliefs and desires, or, “what is” and “what ought to be”. Positivism poses a problem for Appiah, because he does not find the theory to be entirely true. The reason being is that Positivism says that you need fact for your belief to be a truth. His example is that if 1 and 1 is 2, where exactly do we find that fact? Positivism means that we cannot believe in values because they hold no certain “fact” in the world. Not just values, but things like numbers, possibilities, universal truths, and much more. Positivism also says u can criticize beliefs as unreasonable. Appiah asks, where is the fact the belief is unreasonable. Positivism’s problem lies in its starting point, to act on your beliefs and desires. To figure out your values… and values are not for just one single person, values are to guide everyone. I believe Positivism is for the less open minded.
Ch. III: Facts on the Ground
Appiah talks about facts not being wholly distinguished from values. I believe his example of witchcraft was a good one. In Ghana, they believe they gets sick because someone placed witchcraft upon them, when we know that it was most likely due to germs or disease. The meaning behind this is that in his culture, they have that belief that witchcraft is true. Some people believe they are witches, and can cast harmful witchcraft (or good witchcraft) on others. It is what they were taught, what they value, and what they teach to others so they also will have this value. It is part of their culture. We are taught a different reason behind sickness, germs (which are the scientific reason behind a cold), and hold different values. But because we have our beliefs, does not mean another culture has to believe it (or should) just because we tell them to, or vice versa. We hold onto our own values. If we do not value witchcraft like the Ghanaians, then we do not have to value or believe in it… but because they do, nothing we can say will change their minds overnight. We have to remember to understand things from the other cultures perspective, and try to understand their values.
Ch. IV: Moral Disagreement
Appiah uses the terms “contestable” and “open textured” when he is describing difficulty of agreement of values. When he uses these terms, he means that some values are meant to be argued. When you learn of someone else’s value, you do not have to accept it right away, you should determine if you are against it, and for what reasons. It is not just because we don’t understand, but as Appiah says, it is …“because applying value terms to new cases requires judgment and discretion” When others use “evaluative language”, which is words such as kind, cruel, courage, coward, etc. , they are shaping our thoughts on what happened, and what we think should be moral. This complicates the discussion on values because it is now saying that we should be arguing about other’s values instead of trying to understand them. That we use evaluative language, and it most likely aids the disagreement, as it shapes our thoughts and feelings. Everyone will have their own opinion to what politeness or rudeness is (or any other evaluative language), thus the start of this complication.
The ideas in this book can relate to Bafa Bafa because it is explaining how other cultures do not understand each other’s values, and might not right away without explanation. In Bafa Bafa even if we were open-minded, without an explanation to the new culture’s values, we are unable to understand them. The ideas relate to the writings of Berry in the sense that Berry considered it to be one world. He was one with nature, respected his community, and the communities of others, showing cosmopolitanism.
In Second Life I have yet to find myself a cosmopolitan. All the people I have came across seemed to be immersed in their own culture only and we not very open to other cultures. Hopefully I will find some soon.
As long and possibly painful that was, thanks for reading :)
Reecie here, signing out..
^_^
Introduction: Making Conversation
Cosmopolitanism. Appiah explains two principles to cosmopolitanism. The first is that we have obligations to others. Not just to people we know, but even to those we don’t. To have a concern for other communities as we do our own, and to accept every culture for the way it is, not desire any change. The second is that we take the value of particular human lives seriously. This means we should take interest in significant beliefs and practices of others… and do so with an open mind, not a judgmental one. Appiah’s main objective is to make it harder to think of the world as divided between “us” and “them”.
Ch. I: The Shattered Mirror
Appiah draws out a distinction between two points of view. The first: understanding why someone does something, from their point of view… The second: why we do something from our own point of view. I think it is important to know both of these because we should know why someone does something, even if we are against it. The reasons why they feel they should do it. It is very similar to our own point of view. I have beliefs and values and someone from another culture has different beliefs and values. We both have a strong belief in what we do, and might even be against each other at first, but if try to learn why this person has these values, then it might be the first step for me to try and understand. If I understand where they are coming from, then I might not be so against it, which is a step towards cosmopolitanism.
Ch. II: Escape from Positivism
Positivism. This is the thought that there are only beliefs and desires, or, “what is” and “what ought to be”. Positivism poses a problem for Appiah, because he does not find the theory to be entirely true. The reason being is that Positivism says that you need fact for your belief to be a truth. His example is that if 1 and 1 is 2, where exactly do we find that fact? Positivism means that we cannot believe in values because they hold no certain “fact” in the world. Not just values, but things like numbers, possibilities, universal truths, and much more. Positivism also says u can criticize beliefs as unreasonable. Appiah asks, where is the fact the belief is unreasonable. Positivism’s problem lies in its starting point, to act on your beliefs and desires. To figure out your values… and values are not for just one single person, values are to guide everyone. I believe Positivism is for the less open minded.
Ch. III: Facts on the Ground
Appiah talks about facts not being wholly distinguished from values. I believe his example of witchcraft was a good one. In Ghana, they believe they gets sick because someone placed witchcraft upon them, when we know that it was most likely due to germs or disease. The meaning behind this is that in his culture, they have that belief that witchcraft is true. Some people believe they are witches, and can cast harmful witchcraft (or good witchcraft) on others. It is what they were taught, what they value, and what they teach to others so they also will have this value. It is part of their culture. We are taught a different reason behind sickness, germs (which are the scientific reason behind a cold), and hold different values. But because we have our beliefs, does not mean another culture has to believe it (or should) just because we tell them to, or vice versa. We hold onto our own values. If we do not value witchcraft like the Ghanaians, then we do not have to value or believe in it… but because they do, nothing we can say will change their minds overnight. We have to remember to understand things from the other cultures perspective, and try to understand their values.
Ch. IV: Moral Disagreement
Appiah uses the terms “contestable” and “open textured” when he is describing difficulty of agreement of values. When he uses these terms, he means that some values are meant to be argued. When you learn of someone else’s value, you do not have to accept it right away, you should determine if you are against it, and for what reasons. It is not just because we don’t understand, but as Appiah says, it is …“because applying value terms to new cases requires judgment and discretion” When others use “evaluative language”, which is words such as kind, cruel, courage, coward, etc. , they are shaping our thoughts on what happened, and what we think should be moral. This complicates the discussion on values because it is now saying that we should be arguing about other’s values instead of trying to understand them. That we use evaluative language, and it most likely aids the disagreement, as it shapes our thoughts and feelings. Everyone will have their own opinion to what politeness or rudeness is (or any other evaluative language), thus the start of this complication.
The ideas in this book can relate to Bafa Bafa because it is explaining how other cultures do not understand each other’s values, and might not right away without explanation. In Bafa Bafa even if we were open-minded, without an explanation to the new culture’s values, we are unable to understand them. The ideas relate to the writings of Berry in the sense that Berry considered it to be one world. He was one with nature, respected his community, and the communities of others, showing cosmopolitanism.
In Second Life I have yet to find myself a cosmopolitan. All the people I have came across seemed to be immersed in their own culture only and we not very open to other cultures. Hopefully I will find some soon.
As long and possibly painful that was, thanks for reading :)
Reecie here, signing out..
^_^
Monday, September 22, 2008
Reecie's chocolatey part in Tenacious III !!!!
In Second Life, my group and I have already established many skills. I would skill we are at skill level 2. The skill level 1 skills, walking, flying, talking, sitting, and dancing have become easy skills. We’re taking off and landing all the time! Flying is a great way to see your surroundings at a bigger scale. I have also altered my appearance quite a bit and have been teleporting to explore new places. The skills from skill level 2 took a little more time to understand, but I am pretty confident with them now. Changing outfits and hair, taking things off, opening a box (that took a little practice because it was lagged or something lol), and I have become a lover of shopping for freebies! Now if only I could find a decent hairstyle lol.
Our group name is Tenacious III. Cause well, we are the Tenacious III. Haha. I think that says it all, I have no other explanation lol. (other than.. we rock! Lol :P) My role in our group in Second Life is going to be “The Passive Interacter”(yes I think we created a word there lol). Im going to interact more with the community we chose. With the objects and world itself rather than the people. I will be interacting with people to find out where to go for entertainment. Watching to see where most of the people, are going and follow them, and see what most are doing. Overall I am not going to be aggressive. I am just interacting with things I find in the world and seeing how it affects myself or others, and what it can tell me about their culture. What the people can tell me about their culture without having to forcefully emerge myself in the culture. I look forward to seeing what my group and I will find out :)
Thats all for now folks
Thanks for reading ^_^
-Reecie Foxtrot.. your friendly treat :)
Our group name is Tenacious III. Cause well, we are the Tenacious III. Haha. I think that says it all, I have no other explanation lol. (other than.. we rock! Lol :P) My role in our group in Second Life is going to be “The Passive Interacter”(yes I think we created a word there lol). Im going to interact more with the community we chose. With the objects and world itself rather than the people. I will be interacting with people to find out where to go for entertainment. Watching to see where most of the people, are going and follow them, and see what most are doing. Overall I am not going to be aggressive. I am just interacting with things I find in the world and seeing how it affects myself or others, and what it can tell me about their culture. What the people can tell me about their culture without having to forcefully emerge myself in the culture. I look forward to seeing what my group and I will find out :)
Thats all for now folks
Thanks for reading ^_^
-Reecie Foxtrot.. your friendly treat :)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Reecie's Geo-Bio Peanut Butter
In Second Life we are able to choose “home” sites. When deciding on a home site for myself, I wanted to choose a place where I already felt comfortable. Since I have not travelled to many places, I choose the place that I have explored the most. I feel that when I’m on the Island, it’s almost like my home away from home..lol. I guess that being familiar with a place makes me feel almost safe when I go back to the home site, and it is just like a virtual home away from home. I feel that everyone on my home island are friendly, and I don’t feel intimidated. I do intend on exploring more sites in SL, but I’m pretty positive I am going to keep my current home site as my home site.
As for my group for the SL Project, I am part of the Arts & Culture group. Although it wasn’t my first choice (my first choice group was already too full!), it was definitely a second choice for me. In real life I’m interested in the arts and culture, so it will be very interesting to be able to explore it in SL. From the looks of the sites we have already seen for the Arts & Culture, some were very cool (Bogart’s for example), and one in particular was very shady (liquid rock- everyone was way too friendly, and it reminded me as some sort of cult, as im sure my classmates agreed.. haha). But I look forward to exploring the other arts and cultures sites we were given.
This is Reecie, signing off..
Thanks for reading ^_^
As for my group for the SL Project, I am part of the Arts & Culture group. Although it wasn’t my first choice (my first choice group was already too full!), it was definitely a second choice for me. In real life I’m interested in the arts and culture, so it will be very interesting to be able to explore it in SL. From the looks of the sites we have already seen for the Arts & Culture, some were very cool (Bogart’s for example), and one in particular was very shady (liquid rock- everyone was way too friendly, and it reminded me as some sort of cult, as im sure my classmates agreed.. haha). But I look forward to exploring the other arts and cultures sites we were given.
This is Reecie, signing off..
Thanks for reading ^_^
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Reecie's Second Life
Hi again all. Reecie is the name, Second Life is the game. In Second Life I had to choose an avatar for myself. Instead of going for the character that was completely opposite of me, or deformed (lol), I decided to choose a character that reflected my virtual self. I guess not only by looks, but even by the name of the look I chose.
When first getting into the game, before even logging in, you’re required to choose a set avatar (that you can later configure to your liking). I went for the “girl next door” look. The avatar girl had brown hair in a pony tail, a pink polka dot dress, and black heels on. Girl next door would be a good way to describe me. I’m your typical “nice” girl, not very wild or crazy (although I can’t say that’s true 100% of the time, but I’m sure we all have our moments). I like being girly and dressing cute, which also go with the whole “girl next door” thing.
Once in Second Life, I did start making slight changes to my avatar. I turned her pony tail into longer hair. I adjusted her weight and height a bit. Made slight adjustments to her facial details. Gave her some pink nail polish lol. Once I finished with her appearance, I turned to her clothing. After finding a few clothing items from the free section (and after figuring out how to get the clothes out), I went ahead and altered her look. Even though I liked the pink polka dot dress, I decided to change to some black jeans and a UK T-Shirt (had to show my UK pride haha).
Overall, in a way, my avatar exemplifies me. If I was a virtual character, that’s how I would look lol. I might want to change my walk though, since my avatar walks with a limp hehe.
Thanks for reading :)
-Reecie Foxtrot
When first getting into the game, before even logging in, you’re required to choose a set avatar (that you can later configure to your liking). I went for the “girl next door” look. The avatar girl had brown hair in a pony tail, a pink polka dot dress, and black heels on. Girl next door would be a good way to describe me. I’m your typical “nice” girl, not very wild or crazy (although I can’t say that’s true 100% of the time, but I’m sure we all have our moments). I like being girly and dressing cute, which also go with the whole “girl next door” thing.
Once in Second Life, I did start making slight changes to my avatar. I turned her pony tail into longer hair. I adjusted her weight and height a bit. Made slight adjustments to her facial details. Gave her some pink nail polish lol. Once I finished with her appearance, I turned to her clothing. After finding a few clothing items from the free section (and after figuring out how to get the clothes out), I went ahead and altered her look. Even though I liked the pink polka dot dress, I decided to change to some black jeans and a UK T-Shirt (had to show my UK pride haha).
Overall, in a way, my avatar exemplifies me. If I was a virtual character, that’s how I would look lol. I might want to change my walk though, since my avatar walks with a limp hehe.
Thanks for reading :)
-Reecie Foxtrot
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Wendell Berry : "A Native Hill" and "That Distant Land"
“A Native Hill” is an essay written by Wendell Berry. Wendell Berry starts out describing his hometown in Henry County, Kentucky, a small town in Kentucky with lots of tobacco farming. He describes his own life as being inseparable from the history and the place where he is from.
Education brought Berry to the University of Kentucky, but later his writing and poetry had brought him to places such as California, Europe, and New York City. While teaching in NYU in New York, Berry began to wonder about returning home, to Kentucky. As this had started out as a hard decision process for Berry, he knew it was his fate to return to Kentucky.
It was when Berry had returned to Kentucky that he really began defining us as a community. He explains that we believe that what is good for us is good for the world, but we need to change our beliefs and know that what is good for the world will be good for us. That we know but little, and each generation is leaving the land worse than the prior. That we need to slow down and appreciate the beauty of life and the things of nature. We as a community, as man, need to know our responsibilities, both to nature and to the order of things.
“That Distant Land” is another essay by Wendell Berry. This essay is focused on the greatness and last moments of Berry’s grandfather, and his family’s involvement in the tobacco fields. There are similar qualities in “That Distant Land” to that of “A Native Hill”.
Berry’s grandfather shows him and his family the quality of taking life slowly, to appreciate people and the land. Members of the community all take time to make sure they visit with Berry’s grandfather, whether it’s a short visit during the day, or for a couple hours at night. Berry’s grandfather is like a role-model to him, as well as to the other family members. Berry in particular keeps an eye on his grandfather at night, watching his grandfather look peacefully onto the night through the window. He takes joy in observing his grandfather, and enjoys all the personality traits his grandfather obtains.
As the family is involved in tobacco growing and cutting, come cutting season it was their great divider of the year. Afterwards their minds would be lightened, and they could look ahead to winter. While they went to the vast fields to cut the tobacco, they did so with a good steady pace, but not that of any great hurry. As they mentioned they needed young boys to be in competition to make the process faster, they themselves were in no race. Berry would look upon the cut field as a momentous and beautiful sight.
Upon Berry’s grandfather’s death, all were saddened but knew that life must go on, as we must.
As in “That Distant Land”, in “A Native Hill” Berry discusses his roots in Henry County, his identification with nature and the earth, and how the community cares for one another. He speaks of men of his family whom he looks up to, and of his interest of the past generations. It can be said that Berry is a man who is defined by his roots, and wishes the world better in the coming years.
There are many things I can take away from these two essays and bring them into my own life in my community. Berry obviously saw the damage that each generation brings to the earth and to nature, and says we leave the land worse than the generation before us. I believe it should really be the opposite, as we should be leaving the land and earth better than it was before us. This can start anywhere from recycling, to making sure we don’t litter, to conserving energy. Our country right now is concerned about building, building, building, and has no regard for the animals that are left homeless, plants that are killed, or the beauty they destroy. If we can’t all, as a community, make these beneficial changes, then we should one by one start the change, and as the past will show, it would become a regularity to us.
Berry also shows how important it is for us to care for one another in our community, and how much it means to others. If we could take a little time out of our day to show someone we care, then it would probably mean a lot more to them than we thought. To listen to what someone wise has to say, to find out a story behind a story. Berry’s essays showed his outlook on how we could better ourselves or be better as a people.
Education brought Berry to the University of Kentucky, but later his writing and poetry had brought him to places such as California, Europe, and New York City. While teaching in NYU in New York, Berry began to wonder about returning home, to Kentucky. As this had started out as a hard decision process for Berry, he knew it was his fate to return to Kentucky.
It was when Berry had returned to Kentucky that he really began defining us as a community. He explains that we believe that what is good for us is good for the world, but we need to change our beliefs and know that what is good for the world will be good for us. That we know but little, and each generation is leaving the land worse than the prior. That we need to slow down and appreciate the beauty of life and the things of nature. We as a community, as man, need to know our responsibilities, both to nature and to the order of things.
“That Distant Land” is another essay by Wendell Berry. This essay is focused on the greatness and last moments of Berry’s grandfather, and his family’s involvement in the tobacco fields. There are similar qualities in “That Distant Land” to that of “A Native Hill”.
Berry’s grandfather shows him and his family the quality of taking life slowly, to appreciate people and the land. Members of the community all take time to make sure they visit with Berry’s grandfather, whether it’s a short visit during the day, or for a couple hours at night. Berry’s grandfather is like a role-model to him, as well as to the other family members. Berry in particular keeps an eye on his grandfather at night, watching his grandfather look peacefully onto the night through the window. He takes joy in observing his grandfather, and enjoys all the personality traits his grandfather obtains.
As the family is involved in tobacco growing and cutting, come cutting season it was their great divider of the year. Afterwards their minds would be lightened, and they could look ahead to winter. While they went to the vast fields to cut the tobacco, they did so with a good steady pace, but not that of any great hurry. As they mentioned they needed young boys to be in competition to make the process faster, they themselves were in no race. Berry would look upon the cut field as a momentous and beautiful sight.
Upon Berry’s grandfather’s death, all were saddened but knew that life must go on, as we must.
As in “That Distant Land”, in “A Native Hill” Berry discusses his roots in Henry County, his identification with nature and the earth, and how the community cares for one another. He speaks of men of his family whom he looks up to, and of his interest of the past generations. It can be said that Berry is a man who is defined by his roots, and wishes the world better in the coming years.
There are many things I can take away from these two essays and bring them into my own life in my community. Berry obviously saw the damage that each generation brings to the earth and to nature, and says we leave the land worse than the generation before us. I believe it should really be the opposite, as we should be leaving the land and earth better than it was before us. This can start anywhere from recycling, to making sure we don’t litter, to conserving energy. Our country right now is concerned about building, building, building, and has no regard for the animals that are left homeless, plants that are killed, or the beauty they destroy. If we can’t all, as a community, make these beneficial changes, then we should one by one start the change, and as the past will show, it would become a regularity to us.
Berry also shows how important it is for us to care for one another in our community, and how much it means to others. If we could take a little time out of our day to show someone we care, then it would probably mean a lot more to them than we thought. To listen to what someone wise has to say, to find out a story behind a story. Berry’s essays showed his outlook on how we could better ourselves or be better as a people.
Autobiography of Reecie
Hey everyone. I'm Reecie Foxtrot as u should know. I was born in 1988, in White Plains, New York, and am a little bit older than most freshman. Most of my family still lives in that area of New York, but when I was 9 we moved to Florida. We moved around for awhile in south Florida, and my dad had stayed in north Florida. Eventually, last year, my mom moved up to North Carolina, with her boyfriend, and I was in South Carolina at the time at a tennis academy. I eventually left the tennis academy and went home to my mom, in North Carolina. So how did I get around to Kentucky? Well, I met my boyfriend at the tennis academy in South Carolina, and he is originally from Kentucky. I decided I wanted to stay close to him and come to UK (he attends Centre College). I have been living in Kentucky since April of this year, and I grown very fond of the state :)
So I guess you could say most of my life has been based around the sport of tennis till this point. I started playing tennis when I was just 2. I started playing tournaments when I was 7, and declared to my mom I wanted to turn professional...lol. So with my dream in mind, I started training up to 6 hrs a day starting at the age of 12. My hard work did pay off, because at the age of 15 I was ranked top 10 in the world in juniors 18 and under. At the age of 16 I turned pro, and at 17, was ranked in the top 300 in the world in women's. I was fortunate to have been able to travel to the many places. Although, I was there for the tournament, and unable to explore the cities more. The conclusion to my tennis career came when I was 19, at the end of last year. I injured my back (not sure how) and it is still not healed to this day. So, forced to end my tennis career, I decided I wanted to get a good education and that UK would be the place to do so :)
The first couple weeks of school have been interesting. Right now my major is International Studies, but I am unsure it will stay as that. I guess a slight fear of mine at UK is that I wont be able to find something that I like. That I'll come to college, and leave the same way I came in, but im sure that this is just an exaggerated fear, and that I will find what suits me best. I only attended school until 6th grade (I was homeschooled from 7th grade on), so the whole college experience is new to me. Not so much the living on your own part of it, as I have already done so while playing tennis, but the classroom aspect, and the large amount of students. I feel myself getting accustomed to it thought, and soon enough I will fit right in with the UK culture.
On the personality test, I got ISFJ, or "Introvert, Sensor, Feeler, Judging". I got this result both from the computer results and my own results, so I would say it was pretty accurate. As far as what learner I am, I consider myself a combination of a visual learner and an analytical learner. I find myself both learning best when I can see something, written down or whatnot, and when I can take the information, process it myself, and think about it logically.
The DSP class is very interesting to me. I really enjoyed the simulated cultures activity that we participated in. It was both fun and informative. We were able to find out what the Betans thought about our culture, them not knowing what our culture values were, and as well let them know what we thought about theirs. Overall I think the Alphans were better as a whole as a culture, but that might be a bit biased... haha. The personality tests were interesting as well. Although it didnt seem to work out for everyone else, it pretty much got my personality pretty close on (not 100% but maybe like 85% lol). I look forward to many of the topics we are going to cover in this class.
So thats me, Reecie. Hope you enjoyed, at least a little, my life story. Thats the way things have played out for me so far. It was pretty long I know lol, but you've made it through reading it. As far as where life will take me, I hope to find out. Thanks for reading ^_^
So I guess you could say most of my life has been based around the sport of tennis till this point. I started playing tennis when I was just 2. I started playing tournaments when I was 7, and declared to my mom I wanted to turn professional...lol. So with my dream in mind, I started training up to 6 hrs a day starting at the age of 12. My hard work did pay off, because at the age of 15 I was ranked top 10 in the world in juniors 18 and under. At the age of 16 I turned pro, and at 17, was ranked in the top 300 in the world in women's. I was fortunate to have been able to travel to the many places. Although, I was there for the tournament, and unable to explore the cities more. The conclusion to my tennis career came when I was 19, at the end of last year. I injured my back (not sure how) and it is still not healed to this day. So, forced to end my tennis career, I decided I wanted to get a good education and that UK would be the place to do so :)
The first couple weeks of school have been interesting. Right now my major is International Studies, but I am unsure it will stay as that. I guess a slight fear of mine at UK is that I wont be able to find something that I like. That I'll come to college, and leave the same way I came in, but im sure that this is just an exaggerated fear, and that I will find what suits me best. I only attended school until 6th grade (I was homeschooled from 7th grade on), so the whole college experience is new to me. Not so much the living on your own part of it, as I have already done so while playing tennis, but the classroom aspect, and the large amount of students. I feel myself getting accustomed to it thought, and soon enough I will fit right in with the UK culture.
On the personality test, I got ISFJ, or "Introvert, Sensor, Feeler, Judging". I got this result both from the computer results and my own results, so I would say it was pretty accurate. As far as what learner I am, I consider myself a combination of a visual learner and an analytical learner. I find myself both learning best when I can see something, written down or whatnot, and when I can take the information, process it myself, and think about it logically.
The DSP class is very interesting to me. I really enjoyed the simulated cultures activity that we participated in. It was both fun and informative. We were able to find out what the Betans thought about our culture, them not knowing what our culture values were, and as well let them know what we thought about theirs. Overall I think the Alphans were better as a whole as a culture, but that might be a bit biased... haha. The personality tests were interesting as well. Although it didnt seem to work out for everyone else, it pretty much got my personality pretty close on (not 100% but maybe like 85% lol). I look forward to many of the topics we are going to cover in this class.
So thats me, Reecie. Hope you enjoyed, at least a little, my life story. Thats the way things have played out for me so far. It was pretty long I know lol, but you've made it through reading it. As far as where life will take me, I hope to find out. Thanks for reading ^_^
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Class / Cosmopolitanism Ch. 1
Hey!
So like many others, this is also my very first blog. Woot! lol. Although I have been active in forums before (yes, I play an online game :P ).
So, I really enjoyed todays class. I was an Alpha. It was very interesting to see how the other culture (Betas) reacted to our culture, and also how I felt in their culture. The two cultures seemed to be very opposite. No matter how many times I flashed my insult card while in the Beta culture, they didn't understand what I was doing, so as an Alpha, I was very insulted.. haha. Overall, I thought it was very intriguing as well as fun.
I have started reading Cosmopolitanism, up to the end of chapter 1. I find it interesting so far. As for the first person talked about in chapter 1, Richard Burton, I think its crazy that a single person could learn that many languages, and about all those different cultures. I look forward to reading more of this book, and finding out more about the "cosmopolitans" and "anti-cosmopolitans". To quote the end of chapter 1...
"There is no Good, there is no Bad;
these be the whims of mortal will."
"Was he right?"
So like many others, this is also my very first blog. Woot! lol. Although I have been active in forums before (yes, I play an online game :P ).
So, I really enjoyed todays class. I was an Alpha. It was very interesting to see how the other culture (Betas) reacted to our culture, and also how I felt in their culture. The two cultures seemed to be very opposite. No matter how many times I flashed my insult card while in the Beta culture, they didn't understand what I was doing, so as an Alpha, I was very insulted.. haha. Overall, I thought it was very intriguing as well as fun.
I have started reading Cosmopolitanism, up to the end of chapter 1. I find it interesting so far. As for the first person talked about in chapter 1, Richard Burton, I think its crazy that a single person could learn that many languages, and about all those different cultures. I look forward to reading more of this book, and finding out more about the "cosmopolitans" and "anti-cosmopolitans". To quote the end of chapter 1...
"There is no Good, there is no Bad;
these be the whims of mortal will."
"Was he right?"
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