Identity

Finishing the very last chapter of The Good Times Are Killing Me helped me contract a vast array of chief life themes the mainstream student body of my high school can soak in to better themselves.  Entering the seventh grade at her school, Edna experienced a purview of emotions ranging from confusion to seclusion, with questions fluctuating from:

 ‘Who are my true friends’?

 ‘Who am I’?

‘What am I doing here’?

 They say middle school is where adolescents find their true friends and characterize their identity precisely, but is that statement even close to being justified as a validation to what actually occurs during those brutal three years?

Continuing on with the story, Edna initiated her energies into endlessly investigating the best route to bring her to class the most efficient way when she was swiftly approached by her black neighborhood friend, Bonna, along with two other girls. Rather than the unpremeditated greetings such as ‘hello’ or ‘what’s up’, the location transforms into a sharply aroused manifestation of one-sided donnybrook with the typical ‘ganging up’ on one kid, Edna. As the principal arrives to relieve the hostility amongst the girls by sending Edna and Bonna to the office, the two girls each glance toward one another, but no acknowledgement of the other is initiated. The once friends all of a sudden become nemeses all due to the entrance of a new stage of life, middle school.

Edna concludes the last chapter of the book by delivering an insight on why this might result with two suppositions:

1)      People change

2)      Social groups and cliques begin to form when people change

These apprehensions can be pronounced factual comprehensions which provide evidence to how the different assemblies of people in school were inaugurated. But why do these changes in social behavior among old friends occur? Why is it that Bonna didn’t acknowledge Edna while they were alone in the office?

My goal for my last year of high school is to figure out the answers to ALL of the questions I asked myself above. “What’s my purpose?” “Who am I?” “Why did I just stop talking to people I was once associated with?” I wish to be able to possible reunite myself with those who I have “exiled” from my life or those who blatantly left mine for absolutely no reason at all. My identification will then be revealed once I begin to intently ponder on those queries.  

The Quasi-Fulfillment of Escape and Servitude

I honestly believe that this week's theme in all of my classes has been variety. That noisome reminder in my head that I must continue to expand my knowledge in a multitude of ways with the purpose of raising my intellectual capacity has created an entirely new hierarchy of madness. More reading, more television watching, more music listening, and much more thinking; a fait accompli but yet so daunting and of a task for me to encounter on a daily basis. After reading two books, watching two television shows, and listening to hundreds of songs, the impact one book and one episode of a TV sitcom had on me this week was almost chimerical.

Indulging in a few books throughout the past few days seemed to be pretty difficult for me, but I was given a great chance to pick up on a great start while driving 5 hours in a car to Pennsylvania.  The Good Times Are Killing Me intrigues my train of thoughts when it deals with the societal implications people are faced with every day. Moreover, the chance for opportunity diminishes depending on what environment one is exposed to at first hand. After reading approximately one hundred pages of Lynda Barry’s prolific novel, I finally was able to make those conclusions shown above after the events that Edna Arkins must deal with to prosper in life. As the story progresses and the depth of Edna’s character surges, music ends up becoming a great escape to the troubles in her life. The ingenuous innovation of the Record Player Night Club institutes a widespread internal sense of approval which motivates her to even greater extents to pursue the dreams she has. How ironic that her escape from her disturbed environment taken place in her own home is in the basement.

To conclude this overly-extensive blog, I experienced a wild sense of euphoria during the prelude currently of one of the most beloved sitcoms on TV of mine, Wilfred. To begin each episode, a random quote is displayed on the screen to symbolize or foreshadow the theme of all that will happen during the 30-minute show. I was so intrigued by this quote by Lee Iacocca that it was essential for me to put into words what I was feeling at the time I read it.

 “The thing that lies at the foundation of positive change is service to a fellow human being."

This fascinating statement by such a brilliant and groundbreaking businessman completely altered my understanding of our motives for serving others. Do we solely provide assistance to others because it will make us feel better? Or do we genuinely want to deliver relief to one’s grievances in order to benefit them? After thirty minutes of witty, comical, and rib-tickling raillery, it was transparent that my first possible motive for service was the direction the show took the idea. My final analysis to this decision to base the show off that particular theme led to another question, “why is that we only do things to solely benefit our own well-being?

 I guess my parents were wrong when they said that TV will only make me dumber.

My Reading History

    My mother and father have always told me that a book is the best food for the brain. It energizes, stimulates, and unleashes the thinking process to a whole new level. Being able to picture what occurs from the words read in the book from your own interpretation is always enjoyable as it releases a new sense of freedom unlike any other. Sometimes it is a challenge; however, for me to really pick up on what actually happens during the story I read. Once I lose focus due to a lack of interest, I give up and do not even try continuing that book.

     The unsatisfactory feeling of not enjoying reading made me want to take this course. I want to finally be able to prepare myself for college by reading all levels of comprehensions: from a clear-cut plot to a rigorous, challenging story. My personal goals for this quarter include reading at least four books this quarter, taking time to read one hour a day, and fully understanding what I am reading without any questions asked. It’s imperative that I pick up on the importance of reading because it is an application I am going to use for the rest of my life, no matter what field of study I partake in.