Thoughts of ENGL 1101

It is finally the end of the semester. For better or worse, the end of the tunnel is here. We have been on a long journey and have come a long way from January. In all honesty , I have grown tired of most of my classes and will likely forget the experiences I have had in them. However, some moments in our English 1101 class will always be remembered.

 

What I found most intriguing about our class was the material. It was not a typical English class where the professor rants about mundane topics and expects you to be interested in them. Rather, we enjoyed riveting and stimulating information that has helped us to grow as students and individuals. The information we learned and stories we read were not for the faint of heart, but neither is the history of this nation. Thus, I feel as if each and every ENGL 1101 course should cover this information to some degree. As we acknowledged many times through class discussions that I actually looked forward to (that is really saying a lot), becoming aware of the atrocities of the past is how the future will be better. We were able to “kill two birds with one stone” by learning valuable information that most are ignorant to, and we were able to sharpen our writing skills.

 

It was truly a pleasure to work with Dr. Perry (I’m not just saying that). Her personality is one like I have never seen and never would have expected. That is also saying a lot, because not much catches me by surprise. She has a great way of stimulating discussion and guiding the class through thought processes without being overbearing like other passionate professors I have had. Many may find her views on race controversial and uncomfortable, but I feel as though they reflect an educated point of view and not a conformation to complacent and avoidant attitudes often held by others. More educators are needed like this that challenge old-world views and encourage students to think for themselves.

 

Overall, this experience in my first-year English course has been a success. It has not been easy, but it was not nearly as difficult as it could’ve been. The information covered was helpful and encouraged higher thought. Dr. Perry was a joy to work with who was always positive, and never demeaning as other professors I have experienced have a tendency to be. I am thankful for her contributions in making this semester successful. I will truly miss the good times we have had this semester, and I wish each and everyone of you, my fellow peers, the best on your journey towards your education and your life. Lastly, celebrate because the end is here, and we made it out alive!

 

 

 

Blog 8: What movies do I Like?

If we’re going to be honest here, I’m not an avid movie watcher. Half of the time, my attention span isn’t long enough. In fact, there is a considerable chance that once the lights go off in the theater, I’ll knock out with them. However, there are some films that regardless of my overwhelming sleep factor I will always be able to watch.

 

My favorite movie of all time would have to be Rocky. No, I don’t mean Creed (though I like that too). I’m talking about the original 1976 Rocky. It is the movie of underdogs with the lovable and relatable Rocky Balboa. He is a struggling Boxer who does cheap fights for chump-change. Though he has the ability the become a great fighter, Balboa makes his living working for a loan shark. The choices Rocky made were due to his circumstances and underlying lack of self-worth. However, when given the chance to be bigger and better, he took the opportunity. Thus, the world’s love affair with underdogs began.

 

Apart from other movies in the Rocky series, there aren’t many movies that I go to for a film fix. I do love my childhood favorites such as The Incredibles (the sequel to which I will definitely see), Major Payne (Damon Wayan’s finest), and a number of Tyler Perry productions. I do look forward to finding more movies that fit my “different” taste.

Free Write: Its That Time…

We have just a little over a month left in this semester. The pressure is up and the energy level is down… at least it is for me. Its that time in the semester where you walk into class and wonder if you missed the announcement that said class was cancelled. You walk in and slide into your seat, but somehow the clock stays in one spot. It just won’t end. You could promise its been 1:30 for almost 2 hours. Its that time…

 

Its that time in the semester where your nerves become frazzled and your organization skills start to fall apart. You casually sit in that one class you thought you were doing good in, only to find out you’ve missed about 4 homework assignments and a test is next week. Its about that time where a good night’s sleep just seems to keep evading you. Personally, I can’t even remember the last time I had any more than 5 hours of sleep at night.

 

Its that time when it all seems like its going to fall apart, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, its the end of the semester and it feels like you’ve been hit by a train, but in a few weeks this will all be over for better or worse. All the work we have done over these past few months will push us closer to our original goals, whatever those may be. So, don’t give up, drop out, and live off the land like I have considered doing. Rather, ride this out and be accomplished, so that on the last day of this semester you can peel out of the parking lot knowing you put your blood, sweat, and tears into this.

 

(P.S. Don’t kill your brain with beer)

 

Research and the Library

Ah yes… the dreaded research paper. It has haunted new and seasoned students alike for years. Why is the view to such assignments so disdainful? I can’t speak for others, but from my point of view, they are dull and time consuming. You spend hours searching for information that seemingly does not exist. When you have finally found a reliable source after several emotional breakdowns later, you have to read through the source to figure out what you will actually use in the paper. By this point, you have watched the sun rise and set a dozen times. That is time you will never get back.

 

We can also take into consideration the fact that research topics assigned by teachers and professors can be the sleepiest, most mind numbing topics on Earth. It would be different if students could pick something genuinely interesting, but many times that is not an option. Honestly, I enjoy researching and learning… on things that I find interesting.

 

What about the library? Here is where the nerd in me comes to light. I actually like the library and have found my experiences there to be enjoyable. Like many have said, the library staff is very resourceful and approachable. It is much easier to study, research, and focus on your assignments there because of the intellectual space that you are in. The library somewhat forces you to be productive and intelligent, and that has worked in my favor numerous times before.

 

Yes, research papers may not be our favorite assignments, but the beauty in everything is that time passes by. If effort is put in piece by piece, the time will pass and the assignment will be complete. There are numerous resources in the various GSU libraries as well as online. Fortunately, our research is based upon pertinent information that will serve to purposefully enlighten and incite to knowledge. Take this opportunity to learn, and lay your head on your pillow tonight knowing that it will all be over soon.

 

The Alcohol Industry… 21 or Not?

Have you noticed the thousands of commercials aired for one of America’s most beloved products? Large conglomerates that produce most of the alcohol sold around the world invest millions of dollars into advertising campaigns that feature humorous and memorable ads that permeate our culture. I think about this quite often, especially when I turn on the TV or surf the web and find colorful and fun ads for alcoholic beverages. I also can not help but notice how these ads are not necessarily directed at the 21+ crowd. Sure, they don’t show teens at a school dance having a Bud, but they don’t show your parents paying taxes and watching the news either. Who are they really talking to?

 

Honestly, I pay more attention to alcohol advertising than those older than me. It has always been that way…. even at the tender age of about 3 years old, I would mimic the old “Wassup” Budweiser commercials (I used to watch football with my dad). From then on, my love affair with alcoholic beverage advertising (particularly Budweiser/Bud Light) began. Why make a commercial that even a toddler can relate to? This is not a criticism of the industry… I’m not even mad at the industry. I’m just stating the obvious fact that advertising for booze has a a far reaching appeal and does not curb the temptations of minors to drink. They can insert “Please Drink Responsibly” at the end of every ad all they want, but the humorous catchphrases and banter speak much louder volumes than the barely visible wording at the end of a commercial.

 

So, what should be done, if anything, about this miscommunication? Change advertising techniques? They would never do that. That would cost money, and money is the master in big business. Lower the drinking age to the more sensible and globally accepted drinking age of 18? *taps the shoulder of Congress* (I have a number of reasons behind lowering the drinking age. That discussion is reserved for another time.) That isn’t going to happen…. it makes too much sense and there are much more pressing issues anyway. For the industry, the solution is to keep slyly advertising to the underage while keeping the government hush with a 5 second message on every commercial. For the people, we have to be educated and teach developing minds moderation and the horrifying effects of over-consumption. Unfortunately, we can’t do that by exposure (the more effective way), but we can mold vulnerable minds to make smart and informed decisions that will ultimately benefit them in the long run.

 

 

 

Fire Unextinguished

On a cold and bleak morning, a city awakens. The factories billow their smoke from their exhaust pipes. The trains pass by rumbling the old tracks. A crowded city bus comes to a stop on America Street. There stands the same burning building. That building has been burning since the city was founded, but no one ever bothered to put it out. Young kids would exclaim at it saying, “that building is burning!” Their parents would quickly silence them so as not to disturb others. Most of them would grow up knowing that that burning building was a necessary evil, and there was nothing that could be done about it.  Visitors would see this burning building and remark, “that building is burning!” Other passengers would keep their heads down or breathe sarcastic remarks under their breath. On occasion, a volunteer firefighter group would come to quench the thirst of the flames, but they were always run out of town before the flame was put out.

 

All day, that building burns. The smoke from its flames rise up into the sky and depletes the city of clear air that is safe to breathe. It fills their nostrils and covers their lungs with dark soot. Those who dwell in this city cough and vomit out this toxic and cancerous substance, yet no one sees a doctor. At night, the light of the burning building’s flames are far and wide. They shine through even the tightest shut curtains, but most sleep peacefully. Some sleep with one eye open knowing that those flames may engulf them one day, but most sleep peacefully.

 

The country we live in is America Street. The burning building is our system of justice, and we the people are the passengers on the bus. Most of us sit back without taking steps to change the world we live in. We refuse to extinguish the flame that is injustice. Because of our ignorance and insecurities, we silence the generations that will succeed us and shun those among us who are willing to brave the flames. What are we to do about the people in that burning building? What will be the fate of the people of color, women, exploited children, and otherwise underprivileged who inhabit that building? When will we stop the wealthy, spoon-fed, narcissistic and egotistical ruffians who run this city from pouring the hate filled methane gas on our problems? When will we subdue this fire unextinguished?

Reflections on Just Mercy Chap. 1-2

As I expected, Bryan Stevenson is an incredible author and his book comes alive even more when you read the ebook. It’s narrated by Stevenson and can be found at Amazon. He has incredible stories that are told with vivid detail that promote imagery of the scenarios. Honestly, these anecdotes that I’ve read thus far have brought out my most common emotion when reading about social injustices, that being anger.

 

As I mentioned before, Stevenson has written these anecdotes in thorough detail that makes you experience the moment. You feel the pain and hurt of centuries of injustice through the pages of the story. Something I appreciate is how Stevenson has used real stories of real individuals that most people have never heard of. He brings to attention what has happened in the small towns tucked away under the map…. lynchings and acts of domestic terrorism not found in history books. He sheds light on how slow this country can be to accept righteous change. For example, Chapter 1 mentions how not even 20 years ago  Alabama finally eliminated a ban on interracial marriage and relations. It is disgusting to see that such unfounded supremacy has persisted for so many years.

 

Some of the deeper feelings I have toward these stories are best left within for the sake of diplomacy, but understand that my heart bled with each account of injustice from racial injustice to the wretched conditions of prisons. Anger (Stevenson does not advocate anger and actually considers it counterproductive) is a secondary emotion and usually stems from hurt. My anger is no different. It hurts to live in a nation where you’ve been hated for centuries and continue to be. It hurts to know that because of the color of your skin, you can be reduced to trash in the eyes of others. Reading only these first 2 chapters has brought up all the hurt. Fortunately, Stevenson presents it in a captivating and intellectual manner (not a Black Panther Party manifesto) and gives me hope knowing that somewhere something is being done about these injustices.

 

 

Intro To Me

I’m not good with introductions. I thought I would just go ahead and get that out of the way. Anyway, my name is Kennedy Wright, and this is my freshman year here at Perimeter College. If I had to describe myself in one word, I would use different. Not quite asylum different… but different nonetheless. It is my hope that you can accept my quirks all the same as I accept yours. We all have them.

 

I’m what you call G.R.I.T.S. That is a “girl raised in the south”. I currently live in Ellenwood which is just a few minutes from our campus. I stay at home (which is where I completed high school online) with my parents and younger brother whom I love very much. I can be reserved and aloof (not in a negative way) when it comes to people outside of my small inner circle, so I spend the majority of time with my family and few but wonderful friends. I absolutely love making people laugh, so if you give me the slightest smirk in response to what I say, I’m going to keep trying. Why am I so committed to laughter? There are simply too many reasons to be filled with melancholy and disappointment. My attitude towards these joyful chest compressions echoes this quote from Abraham Lincoln.

 

When I’m not being comedic, I enjoy taking naps, eating food, and watching Criminal Minds. I also love anything to do with ATV’s, cars, and real R&B music.

 

As I mentioned before, this is my first year at Perimeter College, so I’m currently completing the prerequisite courses for the Nursing program. I’ve wanted to be a nurse since I was about 12 when my mom started her courses to become a Nurse. She soon found out it wasn’t the career for her, but I discovered a passion for learning about the human body and using that knowledge to help others. I look forward to gaining admission into the program and doing everything within my power to be the best Nurse that I can be.

 

These are but a few facts about me. Honestly, it would be nearly impossible for me to fully describe myself on a blog post because of all of my quirks and idiosyncrasies. Anyway, thanks for your time and I wish each and every one of you the best on your academic journey towards your career. If there is anyway I can be of assistance, please let me know.