Social Imagination

Personally, I do agree that we as people we have the ability to create visions of what should

be and what might be a deficiency in our society, on the streets where we live, and in our schools.

This is because, if people didn't see these things, there would not be a way for people, places, and

things to improve. Being that improvement is key in modern day, everyday people must identify

what could be better, and what things aren't very efficient.

Many people are filled with creativity, and everyone as a distinct opinion. With all of these opinions and thoughts that people have, ideas begin to form. As people we always notice when things are uncomfortable, not only for ourselves but others. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. noticed all

of the social injustices he began to work towards fixing them. Without noticing deficiencies in our

society there is no way that they can be fixed. Every person within the government has to use

What they know with the things they notice in order to create effective change.

Along with our society, people must notice how things could be better within our neighborhood.

For instance, the proof that people have the ability to visualize these things, is that people always

Have a great idea of how to make the place they stay better. People mow their lawns, sprinkle

their flowers, and pick up their dog feces, because they have a bigger vision of how their neighborhood could be if everyone pitched in and took care of their homes. However, to get to this point they have to notice the faults of their neighborhood.

In schools students, teachers, and administrators are striving to make things better every year, and every day. A student makes things better by changing work ethics, staying focused, and becoming motivated. Teachers try to improve by working harder, connection with students, and trying to make things memorable. Administrators improve yearly by changing and enforcing important rules and becoming more organized. These things all come from noticing deficiencies, and unwanted results. These new results are all the end result of people creating visions of how things should and could possibly be.

All of these things being noticed can create a poem. A poem if full of noticing that people see and feel are very important, and feel that they should be heard no matter what. As someone notices something a poem can come easily, because all the visions of the good, and all the past thoughts of the bad create a very good harmony that turns out to be a very meaningful poem. 

The Truth

   The past, present, and future have an enormous affect on the truth, and can lead us to the truth. The past can teach you things, the present can determine what your truth may be, and the future can motivate your truth.
   Being that the past has already happened, it can teach you things as you look back on what has been done. Once new things are learned there is a better possibly of the truth being uncovered. For example, when you are having a conversation with someone, you may not be able to connect the dots at the one, but later you my recognize many important aspects of things that were said, and the truth can be revealed. Also, the past can not be undone so the things in the past are set in stone, so once something is done ... there is no going back and that IS your truth.
   The present can lead us to the truth, because everything we do has the ability to be our truth. Everything you do in this moment is important to what the truth may be. Also the present can reveal the truth because the present is a combination of prior knowledge and very previous knowledge acquired as well.
   The future can reveal your truth, because it is what your life will be. For Oedipus, being that the killer of the king is said to soon be murdered, that can reveal that Oedipus will be killed.

Oedipus !

           In these few pages, Oedipus is blind of his truth. As the readers we know that that the Oracle predicted that Oedipus would kill his father. So the father of Oedipus, King Liaus, sent him away to avoid their fate . As Oedipus grew in a different family, he stills ages to kill his father ... without knowing his father was the king of the town he would once be the king of.

           I feel that this dramatic irony is the core of this story. Every fact, and component of the story is based on the secrets within the story that the audience is aware of . Every twist and turn has some sort of affect on something else in the story and it has a ripple affect.

           The fact that Oedipus seems to have a strong disgust toward the killer of the towns king , is every amusing it personally. In my opinion I feel that if Oedipus knew he had recently killed a man, that he should have been able to connect the dots. Mostly likely I feel this way, because I know the truth. Being that this story has so much dramatic irony, I am not sure.

    Personally I feel know the truth, that the characters don't know , can blind the reader from exploring all meaning and emotions that can come of the true story . In this story I notice that the purpose of this story is to represent the power of fate, and how fate is inevitable. 

The green light, The Eyes of Dr. Eckelburg, and the landscape all are significant to Fitzgerald's opinion and critique of the American Dream. All of these things prove in someone that Fitzgerald's disdain for the American Dream is reasonable.  It is said that you must always go through the dark to see the light. With that being said, the landscape of this movie says just that. However, no matter where you go you always end up going through the Valley of Ashes, even if you're going to the other side or simply going home. You continue to pass through the Valley of Ashes frequently. This is just like the American Dream, because although these rich people have done so much to be successful, they still go through depression, and a sad lifestyle frequently. The green light, represents hopes, dreams, and the future, and how anyone would do anything to get to their green light. Although this sounds like hard work and dedication... many people will do even illegal things to reach their green light, and this is another reason why there is a bad view on the American Dream. It also shows this risks of achieving this American Dream. Lastly, the Eyes of Dr. Eckelburg represents of "corporate god" to the people, and this could be a motivation for people as they are working in the Valley of the Ashes, but it also represents how no hard work truly pays off if you actually do things right. This takes people away from their morals, and that is also why Fitzgerald has such a disdain for the American Dream. 

MURICA' ! Red , White , and Blue ...

Speaking on the poem America's Story written by Ms.Lamphier, my favorite line is,"Americans shadow-boxing a ghost wearing red, white, and blue yet you can only be white, work until you're red, and die blue as the bag of freedom suffocates you with false promises and paperwork." I really enjoyed this part of the poem, because I solely agree with this statement. America is seen to be a great place full of opportunity, but you must be a certain color to do well. Many people come to America and work all day and night to achieve greatness, but in the end don't achieve the dream they really had in mind. Then they die, because they are suffocated by the difficulties, and inequalities, and untimely die without accomplishing "The American Dream". All the hard work never paid off, but they could only work and hope one day it would. 

NEW YORK 🗽😋

N- Never ending hustle 
E- Every second counts 
W- We the people 

Y- You're on your own
O- Opportunity is everywhere 
R- Remember who you are 
K- Know your strength 

Needing to find meaning to life is very important, and this was Yan Martel's purpose in Life of Pi. With that being said, Magical Realism can be a good way to portray that, because it requires seeing beyond what is said. Storytelling is a way to explain and express things, and as Martel uses Richard Parker to create meaning to Pi and life, we use storytelling in that same way. We use storytelling to give meaning to life, because storytelling is a way to convey something without boundaries. Religion is used in a way to show the tamed side of Pi , and as Pi breaks the ways of his religion his untamed side is shown. And in many ways religion does keep many people tamed, and in order. Also, 3.14 in my opinion represents the different ways one can view this magical realism, and the things hidden in this book. 

Magical Realism in Life of Pi .

Life of Pi, in my opinion, is magical realism. This is because it is very complex, and it takes lots of analysis to understand the authors purpose, and the message he is trying to convey. It is also very serious, because Pi's story was a life or death situation, and there was the possibility that he wouldn't have made it. Also, depending on the readers perspective this has a possibility of being true or false. I don't only believe Pi has a secret, but I believe the author has a secret hidden in the book that takes determination to figure out. Being that there is magical realism elements to this story, it is in a very real setting. Starting in his hometown India, to the ocean and to Canada. 

Reader Autobiography .

People read for many reasons. For some people, reading is an escape from the real world, some read to be entertained, and some simply read to learn and understand new things. What makes a person a reader is when they have truly committed to the art of reading, and appreciate it. Being a reader doesn't necessarily mean reading numerous books...it means reading a piece of writing, analyzing it and getting meaning from it. Simply reading many things doesn't classify someone as a reader, it's what the person obtains from the reading that defines them as a true reader. In order to be a good writer, one must not just read the words on a page, but read between the lines, and draw conclusions with the context clues. Going further beyond the text determines if one is a good reader. I don't have a favorite author particularly, because there aren't many authors that I can truly connect with. Personally, I do consider myself a reader, because I love to read many different genres and I read for many different reasons. I search for meaning in every book that I read, and I try to connect with them as well. When reading I always think beyond the text and expand the ideas, and because of this I do consider myself a "good" reader. I learned how to read very long ago, because I've always loved books, and I learned mostly from my mother, but not so much by my teachers. Throughout my learning career, I've always been a horrible speller, but reading came to me easily. I am a very passionate reader, but I read through a very emotional lens as I am reading every time I read a novel. Although I read many genres, I would like to go out of my comfort zone when I am reading things I am not used to. Doing this will open me up to many different perspectives. I frequently choose to do reading that is connected to the life of a teenager, and how many different characters go through it. I enjoy anything romantic, or anything that is "too good to be true", and fantasies.Personally, I do judge books by their covers, because to me the way the author is able to connect to the reader just through the cover says a lot about their abilities. Being in school, meaningful reading is required so that we can truly use our minds to connect things, and these are the type of readings I fear. I fear them, barbecue I always feel that there is a deeper meaning that I may notice,  not connect to or, not understand. Doing this, I gained a sense of how I need to grow as a reader, and many ways of doing this. I learned that there is meaning to almost all reading and it is only a matter of how ones mind may see the reading. This process was slightly painful, because it is a little difficult to understand what true reading is, and how you can achieve it. 

Writer Self-Study .

People have many different ways of expressing themselves, and writing is one of them. Writing is used to persuade, inform, and to describe things in a different light. In order to earn the title of a writer, one must effect readers in a way that no other ever has. Leaving a mark on people, making them think and showing them a different perspective on things, will make a writer memorable. To be a writer, one must go out of their way to connect with millions of very different people at one time. Being a good writer, depending on genre, can mean leaving your readers with a great understanding, or leaving them astounded with where you took their mind. It also means , having a distinct style that people will remember years after reading what was written by the author. I personally don't have a favorite writer, but I like any writer that will make me think, and make me wonder what I just read. I also love a writer that I can can connect with, and understand what the characters feel, even if I haven't experienced it, on some level. Although I may not reach the requirements of a writer, I see myself as a growing writer who's learning to expand. I don't consider myself a good writer, only because my mind hasn't ever allowed me to go that further step in order to connect with many people or make my writing memorable. I learned to write by reading many books, with many different styles, and taking all of that and putting it together with what I initially thought writing was. Being a very emotional person, I consider myself a passionate writer, because my writing is always based on how I feel, and that is also my favorite genre of writing, and I learn a lot from passionate books, and stories. To become better, I would like to be more thoughtful, and memorable. I also would like my style to be very different and interesting. I chose to do descriptive writing, because I feel that with my level of writing skills, is the only way I can become the slightest bit interesting. This is also what I enjoy, because it allows me freedom in my writing. I fear all writing styles to an extent, because I fear my writing will not be up to par. Doing this writing , I gained a sense of who I am as a writing, and who I want to become as a writer. This process was actually exciting, because I enjoy expressing what level I'm on, because it helps me to know what my real goals are and how I can achieve them.

Personally, I believe this is an elephant that was eaten by a snake. From the perspective of an open minded reader, this scenario would be accepted open-heartedly. Most readers are looking for something that has never been thought of, and I believe this picture represents just that. With that being said , the story of an elephant being eaten would be far more interesting than a simple hat. Mainly, because when one sees this photograph many situations come to mind, as do many questions. When the audience has questions, it's easier for the author to take those questions, and put a twist on them. Questions like when, where, who, and how are questions the audience will seek. Thinking of a hat, only mystery comes to mine...which means the reader can envision how it plays out. The photo of the hat is very basic, and can be perceived as boring, and lifeless. This is because it is something mainstream, and can be predicted very easily. When reading, most people look for the complete opposite, which would lead more to believe the elephant eaten by a snake is far more interesting.