September 6, 2010
Learning From your mistakes make you a better person
"Thank you Ma'am" by Langston Hughes, is a story of Mrs.Luella teaching Roger, who tried to steal her pocketbook a lesson. "I were young once and I wanted things I could not get", "I have done things, too." Like Roger, Mrs.Luella had done similar things, which she understand how he feels. Instead of punishing him, Mrs.Luella was empathetic and generous treating him with delicious foods such as ham and cocoa, and gave him ten dollars to buy blue seued shoes he wanted. Inspired by her action, Roger learned from his mistake of stealing other people's object, and became a better person who never stole from others again. Like Roger, when I was a kid, I stole a pack of chewing gum from a neighborhood store, my parents had saw this and punished me seriously, so now I never steal things again. Like my experience and the story, learning from your mistakes could make you a better person.
This picture is from a film called 'make a difference movie'. In this movie, there is a quote saying 'Like most teachers, she looked at her students and told that she loved them all the same', 'and teddy could be unpleasant, It got to the point where Mrs.Thompsan would actually take delight in marking his papers in broad red pen, making bold X's and putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.' Like Mrs.Thompson, there are people who act different from what they said. For example, people who say they won't do drugs, sometimes do, and people who says they won't drink become alcholic. It is very easy to do things that you say you won't do, because human is born with curiosity and a mind of exploration. Even in your regular lifetime, you could be doing things that you said you won't do, you just could not admit it. However, rather than not admitting the fact, you should learn from your mistakes. In the story, Mrs.Thompson realizes the bad situation Teddy is going through and realizing that she was wrong she starts to encourage Teddy, and she quits teaching other subjects and starts teaching children; it is not a random act of quitting her job, but she learned from her mistakes and wanted to learn more about Teddy. Similarly, there are people in our ordinary life who became better person by learning from mistakes. When I was in 7th grade, there was a teacher who visited our school to educate us about alcohol, smoking and drugs. It was surprising that she was once an alcoholic and had experience using drugs. But now she is traveling around the world teaching others about her experience and knowledge.
Interestingly, there are connections between "Thank you, ma'am" and "Make a difference movie". The characters in two of the stories; Roger and Mrs.Thompson both did not know much about what they were doing. Roger was acting without thinking, Mrs.Thompson did not know much of Teddy. But Roger receiving a warm cocoa and Mrs.Thompson looking over Teddy's past records, they were emotionally touched. The stories tell about the human behaviour how people get more motivated when emotional feelings get involved. My blog quote "The greatest conflict is between one person and himself'" means overcoming yourself is the most difficult thing. It can be overcoming addiction and beating your own record...it is said that failure is the mother of success, not just academic grades or records, but also your character and personality: Learning from your mistakes could make you a better person.
August 16th, 2010
One’s Identity is Formed by Societal Expectations
'Lamb to the Slaughter' by Roald Dahl, a story of conflict and change which Mary Maloney seeks revenge to her husband, Patrick who decides to leave his wife. The conflict when Mary Maloney kills her husband is surprising because she was described as a 'perfect' house wife. An innocent person who is kind and obedient, willing to do anything for her husband: spotlessly cleaning the house, serving a refreshing glass of wine, giving up the 'Thursday Night Dinner' instead cooking a delicious chunk of lamb. At that time, society clearly divided opposite genders where men work and woman stayed home doing their 'perfect housewife' role. Disguised as a naïve woman, everyone including the cops was fooled by her act. The slaughter of her husband was covered by her Identity formed by social expectations.
"Changeling" is a movie directed by Clint Eastwood based on a true story. Year 1928, a mother named Christine Collins returned home from work when she realizes that her son is missing. The police stated few months after the loss that they found Christine’s true son. However, something was different about him physically such as shrink of his height, and he was circumcised. Getting a note from the dentist and school teacher that her reunited son was a fake, Collins told her story which the police sent her to a mental hospital that she is crazy, and she went against police authority. News announced her as a bad mother who is not responsible. But, in the end detectives figure out that Christine's story is true. They had found the boy who was assumed to be killed, and through him they caught the murderer who was soon to be hanged. Nearly everyone thought and still do think what police do is correct, and how citizens expect them always in the side of justice. This movie shows that identity is formed by social expectations.
"Lamb to the Slaughter" and "Changeling" has interesting relationships each other. Both settings are took long time ago where women's social status was fairly low. Women's job was to do house jobs, take care of the kids and make their husbands comfortable. For example, in "Lamb to the Slaughter" they mentioned 'perfect housewife' and in "Changeling" they talked about Christine being a bad woman. Moreover, although social expectations shape one's identity, their real self come out in a desperate situation. Killing her husband or standing against the police. Most importantly, the both show that “One’s Identity is formed by societal expectations”
"Lamb to the Slaughter" and "Changeling" has interesting relationships each other. Both settings are took long time ago where women's social status was fairly low. Women's job was to do house jobs, take care of the kids and make their husbands comfortable. For example, in "Lamb to the Slaughter" they mentioned 'perfect housewife' and in "Changeling" they talked about Christine being a bad woman. Moreover, although social expectations shape one's identity, their real self come out in a desperate situation. Killing her husband or standing against the police. Most importantly, the both show that “One’s Identity is formed by societal expectations”
