A Look, Into How I Write

Looking back at my Freshman year, my writing has changed and maybe improved a lot. back then, I did not really do much at all. I did not have to put much effort into the assignments that I had to do for my English class, and I had still passed the class with an A+. Last year, all I really had to do was write any random thing that came to mind, put my ideas together, and finish all of the final touches and I could turn it in and call it an essay. Due to that way of doing things, my writing had stayed the same for the last year. This year however, all of the quick writes that I have done have helped me overcome the writers block that I encounter during the stories and essays that I write. Instead of just rambling on and on n my essays and write many any redundant things just to take up space and to take up the word limit, I actually write things that make sense, flow well, and with new takes on things or new ideas so my writing doesn’t get boring redundant, or bothersome. When I started out, I had to grope around for things to say in my blogs, like this, I continued on with this idea here because I didn’t have much to write about and it was easier to continue on with this idea. It may have been the lazier thing to do, but it let me flesh out my ideas much more and it gave me a taste of how it is like when you write a bunch of stories in a series, such as a chapter book. I started out just writing random things just to fill out the quota of blog posts that I had to do. Later on though, I started writing about things that interested me.

Usually, when I write, I write in response to things that other people have written. I do this because it is much more interesting and fun for me to first look and what someone else has written, and then try to write something to agree or disagree with what they are trying to say. I am also inspired when I see, read, or hear about something that I believe in or that I feel about being talked about by others. Since it is sorta of a controversial topic for me, i have a lot more ideas and other things to write for it.  For example, this was written for a topic that had really interested me. Crystal had written about a theory about alternate worlds, which is a subject that changes the idea of the way you think of the world. It also made you rethink how you made some of the choices that you have made in life, such as if they were fated to happen or if you actually have “free will” in life.   Since I was actually INTERESTED in doing the work, I felt that I HAD to respond to it, I had fun doing so., and did a much better job then before. I feel that I do much better work if I am motivated to, interested in the work, and if I do not feel like I am forced into dong the work. Another example of writing for a topic that interested me would be this. This was a blog post that was written by Phuong as a response to a video that we had watched in class about video games. It was a very interesting and motivating topic to write about. I had a lot to write about for it because the video and Phuong’s Post had so many interesting things to write about and to respond to.

I feel that the open ended writing that I do for the blogs is much better than the more structured pieces of academic writing, but at the same time, I feel that it is harder to write for and more complex. For example, for this Reflection essay, there are so many things that I could write about and still be within the bounds of this assignment. This makes it much more fun and interesting BECAUSE I can write about whatever I want to and still be within the bounds of the assignment. On the other hand, it is hard to come up with ideas of what to write about for the essay, because there are so many possibilities of what I could write about. For example, for the Reflection essay, I could just ramble on and on about the things that I have done and about the things that I have accomplished for the essay and I would be within the requirements of the essay. On the other hand, I could write about the writings that I have been assigned to do in class and talk about how they have changed me, made me a better writer, etc. etc. Also, like I was talking about earlier about the blog posts, it is much harder to come up with something to write about when there are no instructions about what to write than to write about a topic that is already given to you and all you have to do is write and write within the bounds of the instructions for an essay. For example, in the first couple of blog posts that I have posted up, such as this and this, took a long time to write and I encountered writers block many many times when I tried to write for it. On the other hand when I had to write an essay about the book “Night” by Elie Weizel, it was easier and took less time to do because all I had to do was follow the instructions that were given about the essay, and when I had followed them completely, I had pretty much written up the entire essay. Since the assignments are so open ended, it is a pleasure and a challenge to write for it.

Change- For Better or Worse

People change a lot though out their lifetime. In the story Night, by Elie Wiesel, Elie recalls and retells what happened to him during the Holocaust. He talks about what  he witnessed and encountered in the concentration camps. Because of that, he changed, for better or worse. During the story, he struggles with his inner demon. He doesn’t understand himself anymore and rediscovers himself throughout the story. He loses his faith in God and his childlike innocence.

In the beginning of the story, Ellie is a very religious person. He faithfully believes in God and that God can do anything to help anyone. However, as the story progresses, he begins to question the existence of God and starts to become an agnostic. “Where is God now? And I heard a voice within me answer him: Where is he? Here he is-He is hanging here on this gallows.” (Wiesel 62 ) This shows that his faith has is getting shaky and isn’t as strong as it was before. Instead of believing in everything that God does, he starts to doubt that God exists or if God is omnipotent and all benevolent. He also starts to “reject” God in his life, and he does not do the things that he used to believe pleased God. “I no longer accepted God’s silence. As I swallowed my bowl of soup, I saw in the gesture an act of rebellion and protest against him. And i nibbled my crust of bread.” (Wiezel 66)  In the beginning, he was a very religious youth that wanted to become a rabbi, however, by the middle or the end of the book, he become agnostic and either doesn’t know or doesn’t believe that there is a God in the world.

Around the middle to the end of the story, Elie loses hope in life, and hope in escape of the labor/concentration camp. In the beginning of the story he and the people in his villiage are really hopeful about the camps. They were thinking that it would only be temporary, that it would be over before you know it, and that everything would be all right, everyone would be safe. “People said: The Russian army’s making gigantic strides forward...Hitler won’t be able to do us any harm, even if he wants to.” (Wiezel 6) This shows that in the beginning of the story, when the Germans were almost about to arrive or already arrived in Elie’s village, the Jewish people we still unconcerned and still had hope that they war would end with them escaping unscathed. Even when they are put into camps, they still have hope that other people will come and rescue them. However, as the story goes on and on, they start losing hope of a rescue and they feel like they will be kept in the camps forever. “The camp was to be sent further back. Where to? To somewhere right in the depths of Germany, to other camps; there was no shortage of them. “When?” “Tomorrow evening” “Perhaps the Russians will arrive first.” “Perhaps” We knew perfectly well that they would not.” (Wiezel 78) “I learned after the war the fate of those who had stayed behind in the hospital. They were quite simply liberated by the Russians two days after the evacuation.” (Wiezel 78) This showed how Elie and his father had given up hope that they would be liberated. For example, in the first quote, the prisoners were discussing how the Russians were coming and that they camp was being evacuated. They didn’t even have the hope that the Russians would come in time and rescue them from their tormentors.In the second quote, Elie and his father had run away from the infirmary that they were being kept in, and they had run back to the German concentration camps. Even though they knew that the Russians were coming and the Germans were gone form the camp, they didn’t have the hope that they would survive in the camp long enough for the Russians to arrive. The sad part is that they Russians actually DID show up two days later and liberated everyone there. He had turned into a less hopeful and less trusting person.

By the end of the story., his opinion of his father starts to change. Instead of loving him unconditionally like he did before they went into the concentration camp, he starts to wonder what would happen if he abandoned his father,how much more freedom he would have, and how much longer he would live. He starts feeling that his father is holding him back and that he would survive longer and better if his father was gone. “Its too late to save your old father. I said to myself. You ought to be having 2 rations of bread, 2 rations of soup.” (Wiezel 105) Also, he did not want to give his father some soup even though his father really wanted and probably needed it. “I gave him what was left of my soup. But it was with a heavy heart. I felt that I was giving it up to him against my will. No better than Rabbi Eliahou’s son had I withstood the test.” (Wiezel 102) Before the concentration camp, he would have done whatever his father told him to do, since it was his father. Now however, he doesn’t even want to give him soup without a heavy heart and an unwillingness. He also sort of abandons his father in the end. When his father was clubbed in the head by a SS guard because he kept moaning Elie’s name, his father was sent to the brink of death. His father was calling Elie’s name, summoning him to his side, but Elie just sat there and looked at his father as he died. “He went on calling me. The officer dealt him a violent blow on the head with his truncheon. I did not move. I was afraid. My body was afraid of also receiving a blow. Then my father made a rattling noise and it was my name “Eliezer”. I could see that he was still breathing-spasmodically. I did not move.” “Bending over him, I stayed gazing at him for over an hour, engraving into myself the picture of his blood-stained face, his shattered skull. Then I had to go to bed. I climbed into my bunk, above my father, who was still alive.” (Wiezel 106) The concentration camp changed his relationship towards his dad. While he used to respect and love his dad, now, he contemplates letting his father die, doesn’t want to give him food, and wonders how his life would be if his father was gone. His thoughts about family and his previous loyalty to his father and family was shaken. He is now a boy that simply want to survive on his own with out anyone else dragging him down, such as his aging and sickly father.

People change a lot throughout their lifetimes, for better or for worse. All of the things that Elie has witnessed and experienced through out his time in the concentration camps have changed him into a different person, with different hope, dreams, idea, beliefs, etc. Because all of the atrocities  have changed him for the worse more than for the better, we have to make sure that none of the things that have happened to him or he witnessed happen to any other people. The things that he witnessed and experienced were cruel and inhumane, and will change many people.

Response to Treasure

This is something interesting that I found on Vincent's blog:

When people hear the term "treasure", the first thing that usually come to their head is gold coins and jewelries. I think the reason for this is probably because many people love money. Our modern sociality has imprinted a image of money to be our number one priority to have a happy and fulfilling life. For me, that is complete nonsense. Money is not everything, and I can definitely name many things that I rather have over money. When I hear the term "treasure", I think of something entirely different.

I feel that Vincent has a point in his post. A "treasure" is defined as something that someone cares about a lot and does not want to get damaged. A treasure does not have to be money, it just has to be something that you want and will feel a sense of contentment when you have it. For example, you could treasure something that a close friend gave you. it might not be valuable to other people, but it will be valuable to you because it is a treasure to you, is it precious and valuable to you, even if its only sentimentally and has no monetary value at all.

Treasure can come in all shapes and sizes; it can be anything. Different people treasure different things for certain reasons. Some of the reasons that I would treasure something are either that someone really important give it to me or it is something that I can't live my life without. One thing that I treasure is my friends because I don't think I can live life without them. They are my pillar of support that pushes me to move forward in life. Without them, my life would be really dull and would go absolutely nowhere at all.

I feel the same way about some of the things that Vincent says. A friend will always be a treasure to me, because they are precious to me. They are people that have a relationship with you. Just because some people think of money, jewels, gold, etc when they think of treasure, it does not mean that treasure is simply that. I also feel that my friends are a treasure, because they support me in my life. They support me in the things that i do and the things that i need help with/in, and I treasure them for that reason. 

Response to The Word "Friend"

This is something interesting that I found on Shiyun's blog:

In the dictionary friends is defined as a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. This is equivalent to what I think friend is, but I kind of disagree with the meaning that they give in the dictionary. It does not fully define what this word mean. To me, friend is defined as a person that we treasure, appreciate, and someone who we think is trustworthy. It is also someone that we can ask for help and support.

I feel that Shiyun has a good point.  A friend is supposed to be someone that you can trust, and someone that you feel will be there for you. Now, sometimes I feel like I am not a good friend, but I still feel that to be a good friend, you have to be there for someone. You have to be willing to invest your time into someone else's life and to help them through their problems. You cannot just expect them to go and help you all the time. You also have to be willing to give something back. A friend ship is a mutual thing. As I said before, you can't just expect someone to always be there for you without doing something back for them, you have to be willing to spend time to help them when they are in need too.

Does "friendship" also have the same meaning as "friend," or does it have a different meaning? I think they have a specific meaning, but it is just my own opinion. Subsequent when we meet someone new, we usually become friends later on. This is what I define friend. A friend is someone we kind of know and someone we just talk and learn to trust each other later on. The other word "friendship" shows a deeper relationship with our friends. I don't know if there is a difference to others, but to me they seem like two very different words.

I also feel the same way. I think the two words have different meanings. I use the word friendship when I have a closer relationship with some one than a relationship I would have with a stranger or a acquaintance. I would only say that i have a friendship with someone if they are someone that I could trust and would help them with their problems while they help me with mine. A new person that I just meet but end up getting along with pretty well would be a "friend", but they wouldn't be someone that I could trust with things until they have proved to me that they can be trusted. 

Response to Video Game Response

This is something interesting I found on Phuong's blog about video games.

    Prior to our vision getting worse, the games that she introduced in the video aren't really attractive. No one would want to play a video game that requires it to be part of a daily life habit and have to post a blog about it later on. It sounds more like homework than a game for people to play. Moreover, because Mr. Sutherland explained one of the games from the video, I have an understanding that the game only requires focus rather than moving the mouse or clicking which doesn't sound really fun. The only result from the game was our experience from pretending a scenario.

I feel that what Phuong is trying to say is true. Most people do not enjoy playing games that seems pointless. If you make something mandatory to do, then a lot of people will be turned off by that. People like to do things because they choose to, they usually do not do things that they dislike doing. They do not like people controlling certain aspects of their life. Also, when a video game requires people to change some of their habits, it implies that the video game is trying to change people's lifestyles. Some people do not like change forced on them, and they will try to fight change from happening to the very end.

 She was talking about how we play 3 billion hours and that we need to increase it. The moment she said that by increasing the time playing video games can save the world, I immediately disagree with her. Playing video games use too much energy. The television and the lights (to keep the room bright) require electricity. It also damages the gamers' eyes. If we expand our time of playing games, we would be in a century with every single one of us either wearing glasses or contacts. It would then be rare for people to have 20/20 vision.

 Also, as like Phuong said, playing so many games for so many hours a day will hurt a lot of people. First, it will use up too much energy, like Phuong said, and to generate energy we have to do things that will damage the environment, or we have to use clean energy, which no one uses right now. Also, when the speaker said that her data shows that playing games for so many hours will save the world, it makes no sense. Even when she talks about people having a sense of Victory from playing games, it is too hard to achieve that feeling in the world, it is too hard to try and satisfy everyone in the world virtually simultaneously. A serious point is that playing video games for so long every day will seriously damage people's personal health. If it will damage everyone's health to do it so much, then it should not be something that we do so much for so long. This is why I think that her points have no validity.

Response to Some Crazy Theory Part 2

 I found something interesting on Crystal's Blog:

Decisions is basically what molds our life. Who we are and what we become are all dependent on the choices we make. Sure, the petty situation described above might not influence our lives as much, but if one takes a look at the situation from a broader perspective, the acquisition of this knowledge will lead to demise. For example a person who intended to work hard and strive for their goal might give up and think that his 'alternate self' will accomplish what his current self is not doing. This will put the society that exists in this dimension into critical danger because there would be not enough people that have the intelligence and capability to maintain it.

 I feel that what Crystal is trying to say has an important point. People are made of their decisions. Even if there are alternate universes, people will still be different because of the different choices that people have in their lives. For example, if someone had made a decision early on in their life that had a big effect on their life, then you could develop into an entirely different person because of what happened.

If a different universe is created after every decision that you make, then there will be an infinite amount of universes with you in them. Since you make many different decisions during your lifetime, you could develop into completely different people in every universe that you visit. For example, if in one universe, one of your family members that you were close to decided to smoke and ended up dying of lung cancer, than you would be a completely different person than if that family member had decided to not smoke and was still alive. The universe with the dead family member would have a different version of you.

Another example of this could be a simple decision, such as if you decided to turn either left or right. In 1 universe, if you turned left, you would have encountered different things than if you turned right. The different things that you encountered could affect you in different ways. You would develop into different people depending on what you encountered. Such as if in 1 direction, you met a group of muggers, and the other way, you encountered police.