Assignment # 17: Lone Ranger and Tonto

The film Smoke Signals depicts the story of two young Native American boys, Victor Joseph and Thomas, and their journey that led them to wisdom. In 1976, Thomas’s parents died in a fire and Arnold Joseph the father of Victor saved Thomas. Victor Joseph’s dad then walked out on his family a couple years later. Now both young men are being raised on their reservation with no father figures in their lives. Thomas and Victor aren’t the best of friends, and they both have very different views about Arnold Joseph. Victor remembers the man who was an alcoholic, the man who was abusive at times, and the man who just got up and left his family one day. Thomas remembers Arnold Joseph as a great man who saved him from the fire as well as a heroic man and exaggerates his past. Victor gets word his father, who he hasn’t seen in ten years, has passed away. Victor not having enough money to travel to Arizona to get his father’s remains is approached by Thomas to pay for the trip only if Victor would bring him along. Their journey then begins. These two boys are very different, Victor the strong and manly type and Thomas the timid and nerdy type but this adventure brings them together more than ever.

In this film there are more than plenty hidden teachings in everything the characters do and in everything they say. A quote that really caught my attention is one from the end of the movie. “How do we forgive our fathers? Maybe in a dream. Do we forgive our fathers for leaving us too often, or forever, when we were little? Maybe for scaring us with unexpected rage, or making us nervous because there never seemed to be any rage there at all? Do we forgive our fathers for marrying, or not marrying, our mothers? Or divorcing, or not divorcing, our mothers? And shall we forgive them for their excesses of warmth or coldness? Shall we forgive them for pushing, or leaning? For shutting doors or speaking through walls? For never speaking, or never being silent? Do we forgive our fathers in our age, or in theirs? Or in their deaths, saying it to them or not saying it. If we forgive our fathers, what is left?” Thomas is saying this quote while white water rafts are raging down a river on the screen. What I believe the significance of Thomas saying this as the river rages is as he states all these things to forgive, and if the answer to the question is yes, to forgive, then it is just like the grudge that you once held washes away with the water of the river. The ending of Smoke Signals contains one of the most poetic and insightful statements about the nature of forgiveness ever put on film. This film also shows how even anger, alcoholism, and hurt cannot defeat love. Smoke Signals forced me to reach deep down into my psyches to explore my own personal experiences of forgiveness. It allowed me to see the two aspects that come along with forgiving someone, which are giving and receiving. After watching this movie allowed me to somewhat see the mistakes I was making in holding some grudges against some important people in my own life. When Thomas states, “If we forgive our fathers, what is left?” it immediately meant to me that if we forgive the people that seem to have hurt us before, only forces us to face the pain and reality of all the actions that took place between you and that person, and as human beings we have a hard time facing things that are hard to understand and that actually cause us to use what we feel in our hearts. It showed me what is left after facing the fear of forgiving, and well, to me I believe only the beginning is left. What I mean by this is if you go around holding up all these grudges on people and on things about something that happened in the past, that you cannot change, then all you are doing is just staying in your same old routine and you are doing it all by yourself. If you stop trying to change what has already happened, try to better what is yet to come, and forgive, then that will only open up so many more opportunities for you to learn what life is really about.

This movie allowed me to look within myself and see that I too was shielding myself from what I was not strong enough to face and forget about. I was not only forcing a great deal of unneeded burdens on myself but I was also causing the people around me to feel the tension of my grudges causing them to have one more thing to live with, in a world full of obstacles already. I even held some anger towards things that people did not have the power to prevent. After watching the film Smoke Signals I allowed myself to forgive my dad for having a disease. I forgave my mom for being strong enough to tell it how it is. I forgave my sister for never being there. I forgave my god for giving me the life he did and for all the struggles he has presented me with. I forgave my parents for forcing me to give up the things kids should do, to do the work of an adult around the house. I forgave my boyfriend for not understanding. I forgave the people in my life that just used me to get something for themselves. I forgave the people in the world for destroying themselves. Though, the one thing I could not forgive is me not doing whatever it takes to better the world and to better the lives of the people I encounter every day. For me being so selfish that I did not notice the pain everyone else is in. After seeing this movie the big things in life that seemed so important suddenly mean nothing compared to all the small irreplaceable things in life, and to hold a grudge because of something that I cannot change seems as one of the most selfish acts that I could ever choose to make. After seeing this movie I have a slightly better understanding on what exactly I should be focusing most of my energy on in life.

Assignment # 16: The Journey

It is 8am and the sun is shining through the windows just enough to turn the whole inside of the house gold. I love this time of the morning it is still chilly though the warmth of the sun makes it feel extremely comforting. I guess I should get up and find something to do, but it just feels so nice right now lying down. Ever since I have moved into this cabin it gets harder and harder to get up and leave every morning. It is the most beautiful cabin of all the cabins in the world, well to me it is. It is made of brownish grey bricks with huge viewing windows. As I get up from my bed I go down a wide hall. The hall isn’t long and spooky though. It has pictures of my family and my friends everywhere. As I pass two other rooms and a bathroom I get to the stair case. Beyond the stair case there is more pictures down a hall that leads to three more rooms. The stair case is made of a thick, deep cherry oak wood, hand carved with floral and swirl designs all along it. It is a double sided stair case and both sides are wide. In between the two stair-wells is a water fountain which has dim lighting behind it and under the water. Hanging above the water fountain is a chandelier. As I come down the staircase immediately to my right is a den and to my left is a magnificent kitchen, and in front of me is huge cherry oak double doors that almost reach the ceiling. On either side of the doors are two huge stained windows. It also has a stained window just above the doors. The den has a surround sound system with a mounted projector and a screen that comes down when you want to watch something. It has a built in book shelf filled with books and knick-knacks and pictures of even more memories. There is a mini bar across from the book shelf with a sink and a counter with some stools. All of the couches face the book shelf and they are also hand carved cherry oak frames with cream colored cushions. To the right of the couches are some French doors that lead to the back yard. As I come out of the den there is a formal living room again to my right which is filled with furniture that you could imagine would be in a queen’s house though they are also cherry oak. Across from the living room is dining room that has wide, long windows with cream colored curtains. The table can sit about ten people comfortably and has carvings down the legs, it is nicely polished and also a cherry oak color with 24k gold trimming all the way around it. The chairs match the table and the cushions are the color of the curtains. The two head chairs have arm rests with 24k gold trimmings down the arm rests, side of the chair and around the bottom of the legs. From the dining room there is an opening that has a counter between the kitchen and the dining room; this also has stools to sit on. There is also an open doorway between the kitchen and the dining room so that you can get between the two easily. As I go into the kitchen the counter tops are marble. There are two sky lights so it is always beautifully lit. It has an island right in the center of it that has shelves and cabinets under it. There is a wide window where the sink is centered between. Cabinets line the walls, framed with cherry oak around frosted glass. There are lights under the cabinets that lightly shine on the counter tops as the even comes. The refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, and sink are all stainless steel. There are also some French doors in the kitchen leading to the back yard.

The backdoors open up to a porch with built in speakers and tall hand carved cherry oak pillars. There are couches surrounding a fire pit and another water fountain under the porch. The view from the porch is amazing. The porch is opened to a wide, long field. I guess you could call the field a naturally made garden. It goes on for miles. It is like a god given path way as I walk down it there are so many different types of flowers. There is so many that if you tried to count them all you would get lost as if you were counting stars. Though the garden looks perfect, you can tell that it is the type of perfection that Mother Nature herself could only create. There are secret paths that will lead you back and forth from one part of the garden to another. There are some that even lead to natural streams and little water falls. This garden is something that most people would only believe if they got to see it with their own eyes. It is so peaceful. There are birds and insects everything that comes with the nature of the outdoors. Though the animals that people often are afraid to encounter also can be seen here, they aren’t as scary as people would hold them to be. If you leave them alone and let them be then they will also leave you alone and let you be, and by doing so you allow yourself to see the true beauty and the secrets of life, nature, and what is pure, that more often than not are just under your nose. This garden is said to be magical. If you stand on the porch and think about what is the most important thing to you, then step out into the garden it will show you everything that makes you the happiest. Though if you can only think about the material and manmade things all the garden will show you is what is right in front of you. It will not show you any of its secrets. As you go through the path it doesn’t end, but meets a base of a mountain.

The mountain is just as beautiful as the path that I walk to get to it. Though there are enormous trees and when you step in it seems as just a forest all by itself. The moment you step up onto the mountain it is as if you lose yourself, but not as if you go crazy, more like it’s so wonderful that you just feel as if you are in an out of body experience that is extremely sensational. I can smell the sweet scent of the rain as I get closer and closer to the top of the mountain. The trails are all kinds of different shades of green. It seems surreal, as if only something you would see in a movie. There are sounds of raindrops lightly falling and of a slow steady stream. There are birds chirping and sounds of running in the distance. With all of these things going on it is still very calming. I guess I could say that for me it is a place of tranquility. I often take walks up the mountain to just get away from everything irrelevant in my life that always seems to be distracting. Just the walk from the porch to the garden and from the garden up the mountain can help take my stress away but at the top of the mountain is what really helps me understand the reason for everything and allows me not to get irritated with the annoying things of life. At the top of the mountain there is a cleared area. It has benches and a swing even a gazebo. It is the perfect place to just come and sit to forget about all your responsibilities. It looks out over the land and just shows everything as if it is a puzzle that fits perfectly together. There is no other place I could imagine that allows me to see all of the beauty and the flawless nature of the earth. To me this is a place that everything is exactly how it is supposed to be, not alterations, no man made nonsense, nothing but the purest beauty of all.

Oh Wow.

I see my streets full of hustlers selling dope, though I also see the rich ones and the “I’m too good” kind of folks, and it seems to me that the only difference between them is that you can expect to be lied to and deceived by the hustlers. None of these people care who they step on or who they hurt just to get one step closer to the top of the ladder of success. Cold blooded will it ever be, they show no love, not even for their families. They don’t care; working together is not a priority for them helping out one another does not even cross their mind. What they want is just to get to the top, because it is assumed that the top is the best. Though what they don’t seem to see that getting to the top does not involve beating down and stepping on anyone. Once that person finally reaches the top there is only one more place to go which is down, and usually the only reason someone stays successful is because of the support of the people that helped them get there. Though if you knock out all of the people that would stay and support you as you attempted to reach success you won’t have nobody’s support and it is only a harder fall when you fall from the top. I believe that now we need to stop the greed and recollect our thoughts because we’re living in the last stage. Living the way we do is only leading us to doom and violently separating each other will bring it upon us faster. Sometimes I wonder if we are all blind because all of the blood that we seem to be spilling is our own kind. Sure reaching the very top of success is great, if it is possible to even reach it, but what is the price you have to pay to get there and what is the price you are willing to pay?

Assignment # 14: Persuasive Essay: Uniforms

In high school everyone wants to look alike and wear exactly the same thing as each other right? Of course not, in high school is where the kids start to get a sense of their own style, where they start to express and define exactly who they are or who they want to be. No one wants to come to high school looking the same, which is exactly why they choose to wear the clothes they do, because for them looking the same was something they did while they were younger. High school is the time that the kids typically start to distinguish themselves from one another. It’s where they not only try to fit in but they try to standout at the same time and frankly to them, uniforms just aren’t cool. Being self-conscious and often lacking the confidence needed to assert themselves, teens are forced to use clothing and outward appearance as the means to evident this individuality. Therefore, students should not be forced to wear uniforms to school, especially high school. Standard uniforms are unproven deterrents to student violence, they are a band-aid to cover up the real problems faced by children and teens, and they violate students' right of self-expression, depriving them of their search for identity.

There is something comforting about school children and teenagers dressed in pleats and plaid. Maybe it is a reminder of past times, or conjures up thoughts of order and safety. Whatever the reason, school uniforms are getting a lot of wear these days, yet remain an unproven deterrent to school violence. Many educators and sociology experts believe that requiring children to wear standardized uniforms stifles their self-expression. Self-expression is an important part of child development and some experts believe that curbing it with uniforms can be detrimental to a child. Experts also believe that students who are forced to wear uniforms will only find other, less appropriate ways to express themselves, possibly through inappropriate use of makeup and jewelry.

Some experts believe that public education attempts to strip children of their individuality. They believe that public education does not meet the needs of children who do not fall in the norm, and that uniforms attempt to force every student into one mold. They see standard dress as another way for public educators to remove student individuality where they should be embracing and celebrating diversity. Some experts believe it is not in the best interest of the child to try to control socialization which is a part of human nature. They believe that such use of school uniforms does not prepare children for the real world, in which they will continue to be judged by appearances.

There are just as many experts who believe that the cost of school uniforms is a negative factor as those who see it as a positive factor. Some experts believe that it increases the amount of clothing parents will have to buy for their children because the children will still want and need clothing for the hours they are not in school. Uniforms can be more expensive for a family who buys from second-hand stores or who relies on hand-me-down clothing from friends and family. Some experts believe cost is a negative aspect of school uniforms because there is no use for them outside of school. The kids will grow out of them so fast which means more money their parents have to give out to get new ones. Personally my family can’t afford to be buying me uniforms and clothes to wear for nonschool occasions at the same time and guaranteed there are more children that are in the same situation.

Many educators and experts believe that, although in theory uniforms should improve academic, behavioral, and social outcomes, in reality they do not. These experts argue that the studies of schools who initiate uniforms do not report improvement in any of these areas. Therefore, if the desired outcomes are not reached, there is no valid reason to standardize student dress.

So if there are no signs of improvement in the academic area because of a change in uniform, and the fights at school and disagreements do not see an improvement when uniforms are involved then what is the real need for them? I believe that the administration is just trying to make it convenient to them. If they get uniforms in their school then they do not have to worry about gang associated clothing or any of that, but what they do not seem to understand that teenagers will be teenagers and they are very creative. Therefore they will just figure out some other way to express what is really important to them. I believe the only thing they are deterring from their schools is the students themselves. Of course you’ll find troublemakers at any high school you go to, and forcing them to wear uniforms will not do anything to prevent that. Uniforms will just turn everything into a hassle and eventually, after a few years I am sure that the uniforms will be no longer enforced. So I say leave the uniforms for the elementary kids and allow the high school children find and express themselves before they have to go out into the real world.