Table of Contents

By Maria Listina A Glance of My Life Introduction of Critical Thinking Critical Thinking: Tradition DB#1 Introduction of Revision My Work My Revision: Identity Paper Introduction of Audience and Voice Awareness of Audience and Voice Introduction of Writer's Choice Writer's Choice

A Glance of My Life

To start, a reflection letter makes me rewinding all of what I did in class and expressing who I am as a person. My name is Maria Listinia. I am a 39 year old woman. I have a 16-month-old baby girl and a 7-year-old talkative daughter. I am not that tall compared to American guys here. I was born and raised in Indonesia. It has many islands. It is located in the heart of equator between the continent of Asia and Australia. Even though I was born and raised in Indonesia, I was not being treated fairly compared to the native Indonesian just because I am Chinese. For this reason, I decided to move to the United States since they respect and appreciate human rights. Moving to the United States is not easy. I have to adjust myself in many ways especially in language and culture. The language and culture barrier that I have to overcome is pretty challenging. If you could imagine moving to another country not knowing their language and culture, you may feel the same as I feel.

 

Furthermore, stepping into the college was a biggest decision in my life. With a multiple role as a mom, wife, and student is not easy to manage the time. A lot of unpredictable situations have changed my schedule. I used to work in the clerical field. I was an office assistant at TOTO USA, a manufacturing company, in Ontario, California. I enjoyed working there until one day I got laid off, because the company’s business was slowing down. Many of the workers, including the supervisor were laid off. Then, I was struggling to find a good job in California. Based on this situation, I decided to go to the college in the United States and changed my career to the medical field for stability of job. I have a several responsibilities for my family’s needs, especially in this economic crisis situation. Becoming a Pediatric Registered Nurse has been my dream ever since then. I have a passion towards children, so I can help the sick children get better. At least I have a goal to pursue in my life.

When I signed up for the English 101D online class, I felt excited. I thought that it would be a fun and an interesting experience. The class is so diverse with people from different ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds.  I learn about people through their writings in our textbook, ReMix. It really inspires me of how they express themselves in writing. Some people write journals about their life to express their emotions through writing. This really fascinates me as I realize it further. It also helps me to be a better writer and gives me insight as a reader. Looking at my classmates’ writings, each of them brings different taste through their ideas, situations, and emotions. Indeed, they bring their own identities and traditions as they jot down their ideas, thoughts, and feelings in their writings. Some of them are pretty direct and others are not.  Perhaps, it relates to traditions and cultures as one culture is more open than others. It really defines their characters as they come from different communities overall.

I have been taught three important lessons, identity, community, and tradition. They gave me a new understanding. Before I took this class, I just knew identity is just who I am. Identity is followed with attributes of what we’re born with, shaped by culture, and shaped by personal choices.

Learning all about community is a rich lesson. I thought that community was just a city, town, or country. It’s more than just a city. I was surprised that people who have same interest can create a community. One great example, some people who collect and love Barbie can be considered as a unique community.

The last lesson, tradition, is an important part to be learned. In fact, we are bound with tradition. Based on the introduction given by our instruction, tradition is a ritual practice that has been handed out from generations to generations. For instance, Thanksgiving dinner has been celebrated for years.

I selected the first Discussion Board of Tradition, Traditions: Embrace Them or Attack Them? This first piece will demonstrate my critical thinking skills . Moreover, I would say thank you for giving me the opportunity to revise my work on this identity paper.  I choose community blog, Ebay is a community as my awareness towards audience and voice. The second Discussion Board on Tradition, Checking Assumptions about Popular Tradition  is selected to be my Writer’s Choice.

Once again, thank you for visiting my blogger.

Introduction of Critical Thinking

The first Discussion Board on Tradition is my choice for Critical Thinking piece. In this assignment I have to analyze the established traditions whether we should attack or embrace them.

Based on my writing on the discussion board, selected from the Remix textbook, I want to focus my thought about Thanksgiving and arranged marriage.

The instructors Professor Smith and Wells-Edwards gave me some guidance to think critically in the selected reading assignment.

1.  Are established traditions guiding influences or are they limiting?  Should we question the origins or purposes of our culture’s traditions?
2.  What takes precedence, our search for our own identity or our adherence to our culture’s traditions?
3.  If we shun our culture’s traditions, should we be shunned ourselves (or should we shun those who don’t follow them)? 
4.  Is society becoming more accepting of transgressions, of non-conforming behavior?
I think both of them are interesting topics to learn about. This assignment expand my knowledge by challenging me to think deeper and critically.

Critical Thinking: Tradition DB#1

The first part I talked about was Thanksgiving. It is an important tradition to be held within families. As I wrote in the second paragraph quoting from Garrison Keillor in A Wageben Holiday Dinner, this tradition, Thanksgiving, “This is a bond among their big family” (Keillor 112). They can get connected and know each of family member.

This is a tradition that we celebrate it every year. It is time to bring the family together . Each family member get reconnected with each other and new connections are made. For example, between the siblings and their children get a chance to meet each other. That’s why tradition like Thanksgiving is necessary to have to embrace it.

In the third paragraph, I wrote that if we shun this tradition, it should shun each member itself. What would happen if we reject this tradition, we will reject the family members such as our grandmother, our grandfather, our mother, our father, et cetera. It is the same as avoiding seeing them, if we don’t take the time to get together.

Introduction of Revision My Work

I wrote my first paper assignment which is identity about two months ago. After I got feedback from my instructors, I decided to make revision on it. This paper woke me up from my “critical unconsciousness”. This assignment had two big questions I had to answer. It is described in the guiding line, “What seem to be the greatest obstacles of challenges or the greatest contributors to developing a strong sense of self-identity?”  
After I accomplished the revision, I should have managed it organized and had a strong arguable thesis. I would change some metadiscourse sentences, paid attention in MLA in-text citations. I hope this revision is kind of  “to be born again” into a new paper. 

My Revision: Identity Paper

The Original

Be Bold with our Identity

            Many people want to be born with a good appearance and healthy physical conditions. However, people are just born the way they are. Or perhaps in the coming years of their life, their appearance and good health fail. Some people think that “Physical Disabilities are the biggest challenge to a sense of identity”.

Remix defines identity as what we are born with, is shaped by culture and personal choices (Latterell 5, 9, 11). There are factors that we are born with; gender, race and our place of birth, will be referred to as absolute identity because they cannot be changed. Latterel also said, “…identity is shaped through acculturation. Acculturation is the process by which we absorb the practices, attitudes, and beliefs of particular social groups” (Latterell, 10). Moreover, she said that we must examine the choices we make in our daily lives-choices about our social relationships and anything else we care about (Latterell, 11).

            The concept of physical disability will be picked from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, “An individual may also qualify as disabled if he/she has had impairment in the past or is seen as disabled based on a personal or group standard or norm.”

Grealy, from the book Masks, was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a lethal form of cancer. She lost nearly half her jaw in the attempt to reconstruct her face”  (Grealy, 66). I can see from her picture that she has an asymmetry jaw.

When people have physical disability condition, they often feeling sorry about themselves. I can tell in Masks, Grealy mentioned, “the great tragedy of my life” (Grealy, 66). It was her reaction about what happened in her life. The next reaction, they try to cover ‘the wound’ with something. She felt very good when she was wearing her costume for Halloween at the end of October. She said, “No one can see me clearly. No one could see my face” (Grealy, 67). 

The worst reaction might be having a low self-esteem. Back to Grealy’s story, she calls it: “deep bottomless grief … called ugliness” (Grealy, 66). At this point, she felt bad and sorry about her appearance. I would say that she cannot accept herself. She has low self esteem. Therefore, she feels secure when she wears a Halloween costume as her mask.

When tragedy or bad things happened in life, what should they do to cope with? First, I would say that they have to realize their self-image. Actually there is simply question like who I am. In comparison, when I read “Who You Callin’a Bitch?”, she  looks herself as a child of God. She is a queen. A lot of time, she looks around, she saw women being verbally and physically assaulted, especially in rap music.

Second, I would say that they have to accept themselves as they are. They have to know that situation could change to bad, worse and worst. Learning to love and accept their circumstances is the best. It is not always sunny, sometimes there are clouds.

Third, I would say that find their beauty inside. Everybody has talent can be shared to others. Some people good at writing, singing, playing music, et cetera. Queen Latifah said, “All things start inside your soul and work outward. Thoughts are powerful” (Latifah, 34). The situation and condition surround her does not change her point of view about herself. She stated, “To me, though, all women are beautiful. Every woman is a queen and we all have different things to offer. (Latifah, 37). Her statement is very encouraging.

Likewise, Donald Trump in Find the Greatness within Yourself, he said, “How else you can find the greatness that lies within you? That means confronting your weaknesses and not just admiring your own strengths” (Trump, 242).

Once again, some people might have concept that “Physical Disabilities are the biggest challenge to a sense of identity”. I would say that physical disability might be not being the greatest obstacles to establishing a sense of identity. For Grealy’s case in Mask, I think in my mind that if only Grealy had point of view about herself like Latifah had, she would not be tortured by her condition. When somebody has a strong point of view about himself, any physical disability will not be an obstacle for his or her identity. Some people like Ray Charles, the blind, Kenny G., the asthmatics, Ludwig van Beethoven, the deaf, proved that they went beyond their physical disabilities.

The Revision

Great Appearance Plays an Important Player in Identity.

            What distinguishes ourselves with others is our identity. According to Remix, identity is what we were born with (Latterel 5). The gender, race, and physical description are the greatly determined to the identity form. Having a good physical description especially good appearance is the greatest contributor to develop a strong sense of self-identity.

People tend to admire at a person who has pretty and great appearance in all over the world. One great example, in High School’s Secret’s Life written by Emily White, she describes that at Calhoun, virtually all the popular kids are physically well proportioned; one girl I interview will later describe them as “the kinds of kids who get their way because they have perfect in hair, perfect teeth, et cetera.” (White 18). Unlike Grealy, from the book Masks, was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a lethal form of cancer. She lost nearly half her jaw in the attempt to reconstruct her face” (Grealy, 66). I can see from her picture that she has an asymmetry jaw.

When people have unfortunate appearance condition, they often feeling sorry about themselves. I can tell in Masks, Grealy mentioned, “the great tragedy of my life” (Grealy, 66). It was her reaction about what happened in her life. The next reaction, they try to cover ‘the wound’ with something. She felt very good when she was wearing her costume for Halloween at the end of October. She said, “No one can see me clearly. No one could see my face” (Grealy, 67). 

The worst reaction is having a low self-esteem. Back to Grealy’s story, she calls it: “deep bottomless grief … called ugliness” (Grealy, 66). At this point, she felt bad and sorry about her appearance. I would say that she cannot accept herself. She has low self esteem. Therefore, she feels more secure when she wears a Halloween costume as her mask.

Having great outward appearances like having handsome and beautiful faces and fabulous body shapes are important as they indicate strong sense self identity. It would be better also if they are balance out with having inner beauty. Everybody has their own positive side. Some people are good at writing, singing, playing music, et cetera. Queen Latifah said, “All things start inside your soul and work outward. Thoughts are powerful” (Latifah, 34). The situation and condition surround her does not change her point of view about herself. She stated, “To me, though, all women are beautiful. Every woman is a queen and we all have different things to offer. (Latifah, 37). Her statement is very encouraging. Likewise, Donald Trump in Find the Greatness within Yourself, he said, “How else you can find the greatness that lies within you? That means confronting your weaknesses and not just admiring your own strengths” (Trump, 242). 

Introduction of Audience and Voice

I chose my community blog for the Audience and Voice piece. I posted the second blog in the blogger under the title “Ebay is a Community.” Ebay has been popular in public since 1995. Most of people know Ebay is a website to buy and sell stuff. It is an easy way to buy and sell merchandise.  I like to share this topic because people can understand what I say. Honestly, I have been get involved in this market place, so it is more comfortable for me to talk to the audience. Let’s cruise with me on this “Ebay ship”. 

Awareness of Audience and Voice

Ebay is a community

Shopping on Ebay is a community. People know Ebay is a website that they can buy and sell stuff. They have a choice on how they shop either online or go to the store. That’s the way people get connected each other in this community.

          Ebay is a convenient place to sell and buy. We get benefit by the saving money in cheap stuff. So, both the seller and the consumer benefit from this.  

          I have been get involved with this community for years. Last year I purchased my chemistry textbook in this community. It was new and cost only $60 compared to $240 in the market place.  I keep on getting involved with this community “Ebay” to hunt my textbooks in the future.

Introduction of Writer's Choice

Tradition DB#2: "Checking Assumptions about Popular Culture"

I picked our Second Discussion Board on Tradition, "Checking Assumptions about Popular Culture". I am standing in the same line with Ellen DeGeneres on This Is How We Live. It is true and how technology spoils us from doing our physical activities. In this modern life, technology, by pushing button, is our great slave. We are the master of the technology. She wrote her article brilliantly.

In the second part, I also support Steven Johnson argument about video games. In his article Everything Bad Is Good for You: Games, I would say that people are supposed to be a master of technology. Are we controlled by technology or we are control the technology? When we get addicted with video games, we become a slave of the technology itself. Let’s we rule over the technology.

Writer's Choice

Pop culture is manipulative

In the article This Is How We Live written by Ellen DeGeneres, it is said that technology is hurting us (DeGeneres, 638). Technology manipulates us to make us lazy. She picks some examples of microwave, just a few minutes can make a Hot Pocket, and car window, just push a button then the window open automatically. “Modern life requires hardly any physical activity”, DeGeneres adds it.

I can see what is happening in the modern life, pop culture, modern technology makes us lazy and lack of physical activities. Another example is remote control of television, or any electronic devices.  I just sit down on my sofa and look up some my favorite channels by pushing the button channel on my remote control.

There is a positive side in the technology that it makes our life easier and more comfortable. 

Pop culture reflects the most current interests and trends in a society

When I read Everything Bad Is Good for You: Games, written by Steven Johnson, he put criticisms about video games that the most current interest and trend in society. He says, “Imagine an alternate world identical to ours save one change: Video games were invented and popularized before books” (Johnson, 461).

Video games make people get addicted with it. It corrupts times for reading and learning. I agree with Johnson that the virtues of gaming run far deeper than hand-eye coordination (Johnson 464).