Happiness & Meaning Project:
About the Project~
Throughout the happiness and meaning project we learned a lot about deeper human emotion. Beginning with reading the book "Brave New World" we started analyzing how we truly are socialized into our own happiness, we find feelings of joy in what we are told we are supposed to. After finishing the distopian story we began to find connections in our own world as well as differences through the process of watching videos and reading articles. Using this evidence and our personal connections we wrote a six paragraph essay as well as making an art piece on what happiness means to us. Through this entire project I have formed a new depth to my own emotions and began to see new things within our society that I had never noticed before, a view that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Happiness Essay~
Happiness, Is It Everything?
Everyone in life has different goals, however all of them seem to lead to the simple question, will I be happy if I do this? In the book “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley the people are fed a fake sense of happiness, because of their lack of knowledge on emotion their sense of joy is extremely shallow. They believe that they should always pursue their need for pleasure with no thought of the cost. In a lot of ways our sense of happiness as a society is exactly the same. We take and take with no return and with no thought to others’ pain in the making of our material goods. Many of us never find that extra spice to life of happiness because we don’t get what it truly means. In everyday life we constantly search for happiness through everything we do by seeking social acceptance, learning through trying experiences, searching for our own personal meaning in this world, and realizing that we should not place our own feelings above anyone else's.
Through various studies it has become clear that social status and acceptance really affect our day to day happiness. In the movie “Happy” it is stated that only 10% of our happiness comes from our jobs and health, something that most people say determine how we should feel emotionally. The people around us and who we interact with effect how we feel in an environment like school or work whether it is safe, happy, or uncomfortable. Also stated in the movie “Happy” a lot of our feelings are enforced by others, we receive feelings of satisfaction and joy by sharing ourselves with others in ways of helping them. To me I couldn’t believe this more strongly, personally I get stronger of happiness and worth within myself by helping others and sparking happiness within them. In everyday life we interact socially and the level of acceptance we feel from others can affect our whole day, I know this is true for me, why don’t we open our arms to others to make ourselves happy as well as them?
Everyone at some point feels that happiness is the key to life, at some point though everyone realizes that you can’t have true happiness without learning from the trials in our own journeys. About halfway through the movie “Happy” a story is shared about a woman who went through the tragedy of being hit by a truck and virtually lost everything. By going through this pain she flourished, she is happier now than she was before. Basically this resonates with me as showing that as humans we rise from the ashes of tragedy like a phoenix. When we fall down we often feel hopeless and like we don’t have a chance but when we rise again we find a new depth in life and happiness. In my life I have been repeatedly pushed down, through all of middle school I was bullied and it broke all self confidence that I had, eventually though I pushed through it and am a stronger person because of it. Because of this experience I learned to really appreciate my friends and people who truly care for me, I think if it weren’t for these years of horror for me I know I wouldn’t be where I am now. Being broken allows us to grow and become better within ourselves, even in pain we need to learn to appreciate everything that we have.
Not only can situations of suffering push us to be happy they can also help us to see a greater, deeper sense of meaning within ourselves. In the movie “I Am” a famous movie director, Tom Shadyac, is living societies dream of multiple estates and all the luxuries a man could want. Until he is faced with his own death. Faced with tragedy his eyes are opened to the truths of the world and himself, he wanted to make a difference in the world and sets out to help people in his search for meaning. For him his happiness came to him in meaning, he felt as if he was truly doing something with his life by helping others. Is this always true? Happiness to me isn’t a meaning in itself, when we find ourselves being happy we realize it never was the goal or meaning we were trying to find in our lives. To me I think we never will find the end of meaning, but I think we all find ourselves in the search. In the article “There’s More to Life Than Being Happy” by Emily Esfahani Smith it is quoted from Baumeister in an interview that says, “Partly what we do as human beings is to take care of others and contribute to others. This makes life meaningful but it does not necessarily make us happy”. Drawing back to the evidence from “I Am” we see how this is true, he gave up everything that society says makes us happy to find his meaning. We are socialized to see the world as we are told from a young age, I think that a lot of our perceived ideas of happiness come from how we are socialized, if we are taught that something should make us happy then more than likely we end up feeling that way. If we break away from social norms and make our own happiness, as Tim Shadyac found out, we can find a new depth to happiness, ourselves, and life in general.
We never stop searching for happiness, however it should never be sought at the cost of others. As stated in the story of “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, “... to throw away the happiness of thousands for the chance of the happiness of one…”. Human reason can and will excuse any evil, any wrong we do as people, no matter who pays for it, we will always find a way to justify what we have done. Sometimes the cost of someone’s happiness may be the expense of your own, is it worth it? To me it always is, other people will never come after myself in my mind. A few weeks ago I went through the hardest thing I’ve ever had to fight, a choice that truly wasn’t my own. My best friend tried to commit suicide, 15 tylenol pills went down and it was almost a permanent end, I have struggled with major depression over the course of this year and it’s finally getting better. Seeing your friend drowning while you break the surface of the waves is harder than you can imagine. In this situation I truly had to put her before myself, if she saw how badly it was breaking me inside it would hurt her more. She’s lucky to be alive. Seeing the bottom of this seemingly bottomless pit puts a new value in happiness that wasn’t there before. Because of this battle that still continues I have learned how to appreciate every little thing more, found a new depth to the love of others, and learned to let yourself feel happy because of the littlest things. I would never wish this battle upon anyone else, but I believe that by accepting suffering and fighting it you truly learn something about yourself.
Through our journey in life we may never find true satisfaction, however all we can truly do is never give up on ourselves or our dreams. By examining happiness and how it affects us we can begin to understand the true depth of human emotion, we can learn to accept life as it comes and push ourselves to new boundaries. Finding social acceptance, learning from trying experiences, the search for meaning, and putting others before yourself will not individually bring you happiness it is the combination of all of these actions that will. It is within every experience, every second in life that we find our true happiness. Before you continue your endless journey to find real joy remember not to lose yourself, enjoy the time and effort that takes us through everyday, find happiness along the way.
Everyone in life has different goals, however all of them seem to lead to the simple question, will I be happy if I do this? In the book “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley the people are fed a fake sense of happiness, because of their lack of knowledge on emotion their sense of joy is extremely shallow. They believe that they should always pursue their need for pleasure with no thought of the cost. In a lot of ways our sense of happiness as a society is exactly the same. We take and take with no return and with no thought to others’ pain in the making of our material goods. Many of us never find that extra spice to life of happiness because we don’t get what it truly means. In everyday life we constantly search for happiness through everything we do by seeking social acceptance, learning through trying experiences, searching for our own personal meaning in this world, and realizing that we should not place our own feelings above anyone else's.
Through various studies it has become clear that social status and acceptance really affect our day to day happiness. In the movie “Happy” it is stated that only 10% of our happiness comes from our jobs and health, something that most people say determine how we should feel emotionally. The people around us and who we interact with effect how we feel in an environment like school or work whether it is safe, happy, or uncomfortable. Also stated in the movie “Happy” a lot of our feelings are enforced by others, we receive feelings of satisfaction and joy by sharing ourselves with others in ways of helping them. To me I couldn’t believe this more strongly, personally I get stronger of happiness and worth within myself by helping others and sparking happiness within them. In everyday life we interact socially and the level of acceptance we feel from others can affect our whole day, I know this is true for me, why don’t we open our arms to others to make ourselves happy as well as them?
Everyone at some point feels that happiness is the key to life, at some point though everyone realizes that you can’t have true happiness without learning from the trials in our own journeys. About halfway through the movie “Happy” a story is shared about a woman who went through the tragedy of being hit by a truck and virtually lost everything. By going through this pain she flourished, she is happier now than she was before. Basically this resonates with me as showing that as humans we rise from the ashes of tragedy like a phoenix. When we fall down we often feel hopeless and like we don’t have a chance but when we rise again we find a new depth in life and happiness. In my life I have been repeatedly pushed down, through all of middle school I was bullied and it broke all self confidence that I had, eventually though I pushed through it and am a stronger person because of it. Because of this experience I learned to really appreciate my friends and people who truly care for me, I think if it weren’t for these years of horror for me I know I wouldn’t be where I am now. Being broken allows us to grow and become better within ourselves, even in pain we need to learn to appreciate everything that we have.
Not only can situations of suffering push us to be happy they can also help us to see a greater, deeper sense of meaning within ourselves. In the movie “I Am” a famous movie director, Tom Shadyac, is living societies dream of multiple estates and all the luxuries a man could want. Until he is faced with his own death. Faced with tragedy his eyes are opened to the truths of the world and himself, he wanted to make a difference in the world and sets out to help people in his search for meaning. For him his happiness came to him in meaning, he felt as if he was truly doing something with his life by helping others. Is this always true? Happiness to me isn’t a meaning in itself, when we find ourselves being happy we realize it never was the goal or meaning we were trying to find in our lives. To me I think we never will find the end of meaning, but I think we all find ourselves in the search. In the article “There’s More to Life Than Being Happy” by Emily Esfahani Smith it is quoted from Baumeister in an interview that says, “Partly what we do as human beings is to take care of others and contribute to others. This makes life meaningful but it does not necessarily make us happy”. Drawing back to the evidence from “I Am” we see how this is true, he gave up everything that society says makes us happy to find his meaning. We are socialized to see the world as we are told from a young age, I think that a lot of our perceived ideas of happiness come from how we are socialized, if we are taught that something should make us happy then more than likely we end up feeling that way. If we break away from social norms and make our own happiness, as Tim Shadyac found out, we can find a new depth to happiness, ourselves, and life in general.
We never stop searching for happiness, however it should never be sought at the cost of others. As stated in the story of “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, “... to throw away the happiness of thousands for the chance of the happiness of one…”. Human reason can and will excuse any evil, any wrong we do as people, no matter who pays for it, we will always find a way to justify what we have done. Sometimes the cost of someone’s happiness may be the expense of your own, is it worth it? To me it always is, other people will never come after myself in my mind. A few weeks ago I went through the hardest thing I’ve ever had to fight, a choice that truly wasn’t my own. My best friend tried to commit suicide, 15 tylenol pills went down and it was almost a permanent end, I have struggled with major depression over the course of this year and it’s finally getting better. Seeing your friend drowning while you break the surface of the waves is harder than you can imagine. In this situation I truly had to put her before myself, if she saw how badly it was breaking me inside it would hurt her more. She’s lucky to be alive. Seeing the bottom of this seemingly bottomless pit puts a new value in happiness that wasn’t there before. Because of this battle that still continues I have learned how to appreciate every little thing more, found a new depth to the love of others, and learned to let yourself feel happy because of the littlest things. I would never wish this battle upon anyone else, but I believe that by accepting suffering and fighting it you truly learn something about yourself.
Through our journey in life we may never find true satisfaction, however all we can truly do is never give up on ourselves or our dreams. By examining happiness and how it affects us we can begin to understand the true depth of human emotion, we can learn to accept life as it comes and push ourselves to new boundaries. Finding social acceptance, learning from trying experiences, the search for meaning, and putting others before yourself will not individually bring you happiness it is the combination of all of these actions that will. It is within every experience, every second in life that we find our true happiness. Before you continue your endless journey to find real joy remember not to lose yourself, enjoy the time and effort that takes us through everyday, find happiness along the way.
Happiness Art Piece~
Project Reflection~
If I were to advise someone on how to find happiness the first thing I would tell them is to stop searching, to just let themselves be happy. The little moments of joy we feel everyday are so often overlooked because we don’t pause to notice them, happiness to me is not something that you can physically find, it’s something you can let yourself feel. In our endless search for happiness in life we are often unhappy because we never think we have found it, really I think that often the journey is where we find what we are searching for. Happiness isn’t an object, it’s not something that we all find the same, I don’t believe that you can explain happiness to someone it is. I would tell them to not listen when someone tells them they should be happy doing something, there is no “should be” in happiness, you will feel it in yourself, not when someone tells you to feel it. Break the cycle of socialization.
This summer I’m really going to incorporate my new understanding of happiness within everyday. I plan to put away the electronics, live in a simpler way where everything social does not influence it. I will spend my time with those I love and trying to make a difference in others lives. I hope to allow most material goods to fade out of my focus, spend more time with what is natural, allow the great outdoors to capture my mind. Through my learning of what can influence us without our knowledge I will try to avoid these common pitfalls and find happiness in the little things, not constantly search for this feeling. In different variations I plan for this to influence the rest of my life.
My learning from this project truly has changed my view of the world and will really impact me throughout my life. I have always valued happiness and realizing that this value impacts how I actually feel has changed how I think about things. I have already started trying to let go, to find happiness in the moment not constantly search for it. I noticed through this project that often I keep myself from being happy, I contradict the feeling unconsciously pretty normally. Through the rest of my time on this earth I believe I will probably lose this consciousness and I know that my memories of this project and the evidence I have will bring this back to my attention. The process of this project was long and often frustrating but I am truly grateful for the knowledge I acquired.
This summer I’m really going to incorporate my new understanding of happiness within everyday. I plan to put away the electronics, live in a simpler way where everything social does not influence it. I will spend my time with those I love and trying to make a difference in others lives. I hope to allow most material goods to fade out of my focus, spend more time with what is natural, allow the great outdoors to capture my mind. Through my learning of what can influence us without our knowledge I will try to avoid these common pitfalls and find happiness in the little things, not constantly search for this feeling. In different variations I plan for this to influence the rest of my life.
My learning from this project truly has changed my view of the world and will really impact me throughout my life. I have always valued happiness and realizing that this value impacts how I actually feel has changed how I think about things. I have already started trying to let go, to find happiness in the moment not constantly search for it. I noticed through this project that often I keep myself from being happy, I contradict the feeling unconsciously pretty normally. Through the rest of my time on this earth I believe I will probably lose this consciousness and I know that my memories of this project and the evidence I have will bring this back to my attention. The process of this project was long and often frustrating but I am truly grateful for the knowledge I acquired.
Model United Nations Project:
Throughout the 2014 Model United Nations (MUN) Project we all worked very hard to get to the final outcome at exhibition. Over the course of this 10 week project we dove head first into our countries and their perspectives on both the North Korea Nuclear Weapons issue and the Israel/Palestine Right of Return conflict. Both being real world issues continuing today, we learned good research and writing skills and truly put them to good use. Our task in this project was to write resolutions and amendments from the perspective of the country assigned to each of us. We displayed the project to the community by holding a Model UN conference at FLC and each had to present a speech in front of the crowd. Our knowledge of our world and how it's issues are solved has taken giant leaps and we will carry it with us for the rest of our lives because of this rewarding project.
Project Reflection:
Why is the MUN project important? For starters, by doing this project you learn the skills needed to find an answer to that question without asking. Throughout the 10 week project the research skills you learn will help you the rest of your educational career. Also you learn good public speaking skills and writing techniques. This project is very important, in your freshman year especially, because you learn so much that will help you throughout the rest of high school efficiently while learning about real world problems. The MUN project has a huge impact at Animas High School and is definitely very important to students.
Overall through this project and at exhibition I believe that I was most proud of my use of perspective. Perspective played a huge role in this project not only to me but every other student. Researching from the side of your assigned country and speaking for them took a huge amount of flexible perspective from all of us. We had to place ourselves in our countries shoes. Also during the final conference we had to be able to see the opinions of other countries from both our perspectives and theirs, this allowed us to come to consensus much easier. I believe that without displaying the habit of heart and mind, perspective, the project would not have worked as well.
The greatest challenge for me over the course of the project was the research needed to complete many of the tasks. In many areas of the issue being researched Egypt’s perspective was not clear. It was hard for me to find precise opinions from Egypt’s citizens and leaders making it even harder to argue from their perspective. Overall I think that this was the hardest for me to overcome but by searching deeper I was able to find a solution to my problem, though confusing I was able to finally find a base to pull my perspective from.
The most interesting resolution I believe came from Berr Kilgo. I found it interesting because although it was a good solution to the issue it wasn’t from his countries perspective. I thought that it was very well thought out and was a realistic solution that my country could side with. However it was not a solution that his country, The United States of America, would actually propose to the United Nations. I thought that it was very interesting that Berr chose to write it this way but I am glad he did. It added a twist to the conference and I believe that it was a good choice to put this resolution on the docket.
Overall through this project and at exhibition I believe that I was most proud of my use of perspective. Perspective played a huge role in this project not only to me but every other student. Researching from the side of your assigned country and speaking for them took a huge amount of flexible perspective from all of us. We had to place ourselves in our countries shoes. Also during the final conference we had to be able to see the opinions of other countries from both our perspectives and theirs, this allowed us to come to consensus much easier. I believe that without displaying the habit of heart and mind, perspective, the project would not have worked as well.
The greatest challenge for me over the course of the project was the research needed to complete many of the tasks. In many areas of the issue being researched Egypt’s perspective was not clear. It was hard for me to find precise opinions from Egypt’s citizens and leaders making it even harder to argue from their perspective. Overall I think that this was the hardest for me to overcome but by searching deeper I was able to find a solution to my problem, though confusing I was able to finally find a base to pull my perspective from.
The most interesting resolution I believe came from Berr Kilgo. I found it interesting because although it was a good solution to the issue it wasn’t from his countries perspective. I thought that it was very well thought out and was a realistic solution that my country could side with. However it was not a solution that his country, The United States of America, would actually propose to the United Nations. I thought that it was very interesting that Berr chose to write it this way but I am glad he did. It added a twist to the conference and I believe that it was a good choice to put this resolution on the docket.
The Mask Project:
Hailey Redding
Everything That We Are
Socialization shapes everything that we are as individuals, from the way we
talk and think about ourselves to how we dress and act around others. Everything
in our day to day lives is enforced by society in many ways. Our values are what
we find important in life, and it all stems from what we have been told by those
around us since we were born. The norms that have been placed in front of us to
conform to and the reactions we get for being different. It all falls under the
category of socialization. I have been socialized as a woman by everyone around
me to be skinny and beautiful, to fit in with everyone else, and to be caring or
motherly.
The way our gender shapes who we are is huge, it is the base of ourselves,
because of my gender I have been socialized to be skinny and beautiful. In the
video "Fotoshop by Adobe" it shows very blatantly that the perfection media
portrays to us is not real. An actor in the video states both, "My skin feels
like plastic!" and "Maybe she’s born with it… eh no I’m pretty sure it’s
Photoshop". These statements really reinforce the idea that the perfection we
see in TV shows and in magazines is truly imperfect. Personally I don’t
understand why we are taught that the media portrays things that aren't always
good, and still nothing changes? We have been so ingrained in the ways of not
rebelling that we don’t try to change the story. We continue to be shaped by
media, often times in not very good ways. I have heard the saying "be yourself"
more times than I can count, but with the oppression so many feel from society I
feel like there is no way to truly be yourself. No one seems to want to see
what’s real, just what they have been influenced to think is normal. We pride
ourselves in thinking that our society is so much better than other places, but
when we teach our children to conform to something that is unrealistic are we
even close to being how great we think we are?
In our society we have been taught not to be different, not to stand out,
when people break the norms we have been told to conform to, people don’t react
well. In the video "A girl like me" young dark skin women explain how they have
been forced to conform. "At a young age I already knew the standards for a girl
like me" says a girl in the film. I can not personally relate to being a subject
of oppression because of my skin color but I know how it feels to be judged for
my differences. I have always been outspoken and have stuck up for what I
believe in, but no one truly wants that, and I have been bullied for it. I think
that being different in any way marks that person as a target. These girls in
the videos difference is their skin color and gender. But why is being different
such a bad thing? Acceptance is not something our society is good at, but really
we are all different. The day we all realize that, not only are we victims but
we are also a part of causing the problem, will be the day we might finally
accept others and ourselves for who we really are.
In our society women are socialized very different than men, however that is
not true in all cultures. In the article "Lifeboat Ethics. Mother Love and Child
Death in Northeast Brazil" it is stated that "in most cases, babies are simply
left home alone, the door securely fastened . And so many die alone and
unattended". Also the "seeming indifference of Alto women to the death of their
infants" was shocking to me. This shows how the way we have been socialized
shows in what we think is right and wrong, children dying is something they have
been taught to accept, unlike us. The way I have been socialized involves woman
being caregivers and my mom has always been the one to take care of me. Ladies
in the shanty towns of Brazil have been socialized more in the way of being
masculine. Almost the opposite of the way I have been socialized. The taboo of
letting a child die in our culture is accepted in theirs, I would be interested
to know what other ways the way we live is different. As a result our cultures
are completely different, the way we think, the way we act, how we live,
everything is different.
To me the cycle of socialization should be changed, it just takes everyone
to want a change. But why don’t we change? These cycles of socialization are so
often harmful, why? Why do people around us suffer and we turn a blind eye to
it? I don't understand that. I have been bullied myself starting in 5th grade up
to 7th, it seemed to get better after that at my school, and now at Animas. When
you go to a public school, people always seem to target you for the slightest
difference. The thing was I didn't even see a difference in myself, I could not
understand why people didn't like me. I still don't quite know. But I finally
just gave up on trying, that's great if you don't like me, it's not my problem.
I don't think that anyone should be spoken down to or treated differently
because of their differences. However that's what everyone seems to say. Gender
is what I think the base of this is, when someone feels the pressure of
something they truly cannot change.
On my mask I used many different symbols to show how society has shaped me.
First I have broken mirror shards to show how I try to break the mirror image
society wants me to be, the eye on the left is also a mirror, showing how we
still reflect the way we have been socialized inside ourselves. The other eye is
black showing that we still often hide ourselves and our emotions. The mouth is
chained shut to display that we don't say what we truly want to for fear of
being judged. Half of my mask is bright and happy the way society wants us to be
and the other half is how we feel oppressed at times and can't be ourselves. Both
masks are stitched together showing that the way we are and the way everyone
thinks we should be have been so intertwined together that they are one. White
lace wraps around one half while the other is black representing the light and
dark we have inside ourselves and how they go hand in hand. I focused my mask on
how we feel pressured to be someone we might not truly be and gender is a huge
part of that. I used fake eyelashes to show how girls are supposed to make
themselves up to be. The words "Happy" "Perfect" and "Pretty" are printed on my
mask to represent how I have been socialized to think a girl should be. The word
"Happy" is on the right side of the mask next to tears because though people may
see you as happy you could really be crying on the inside. I worked really hard
on my mask to show everything that I hoped it would, enjoy!
Everything That We Are
Socialization shapes everything that we are as individuals, from the way we
talk and think about ourselves to how we dress and act around others. Everything
in our day to day lives is enforced by society in many ways. Our values are what
we find important in life, and it all stems from what we have been told by those
around us since we were born. The norms that have been placed in front of us to
conform to and the reactions we get for being different. It all falls under the
category of socialization. I have been socialized as a woman by everyone around
me to be skinny and beautiful, to fit in with everyone else, and to be caring or
motherly.
The way our gender shapes who we are is huge, it is the base of ourselves,
because of my gender I have been socialized to be skinny and beautiful. In the
video "Fotoshop by Adobe" it shows very blatantly that the perfection media
portrays to us is not real. An actor in the video states both, "My skin feels
like plastic!" and "Maybe she’s born with it… eh no I’m pretty sure it’s
Photoshop". These statements really reinforce the idea that the perfection we
see in TV shows and in magazines is truly imperfect. Personally I don’t
understand why we are taught that the media portrays things that aren't always
good, and still nothing changes? We have been so ingrained in the ways of not
rebelling that we don’t try to change the story. We continue to be shaped by
media, often times in not very good ways. I have heard the saying "be yourself"
more times than I can count, but with the oppression so many feel from society I
feel like there is no way to truly be yourself. No one seems to want to see
what’s real, just what they have been influenced to think is normal. We pride
ourselves in thinking that our society is so much better than other places, but
when we teach our children to conform to something that is unrealistic are we
even close to being how great we think we are?
In our society we have been taught not to be different, not to stand out,
when people break the norms we have been told to conform to, people don’t react
well. In the video "A girl like me" young dark skin women explain how they have
been forced to conform. "At a young age I already knew the standards for a girl
like me" says a girl in the film. I can not personally relate to being a subject
of oppression because of my skin color but I know how it feels to be judged for
my differences. I have always been outspoken and have stuck up for what I
believe in, but no one truly wants that, and I have been bullied for it. I think
that being different in any way marks that person as a target. These girls in
the videos difference is their skin color and gender. But why is being different
such a bad thing? Acceptance is not something our society is good at, but really
we are all different. The day we all realize that, not only are we victims but
we are also a part of causing the problem, will be the day we might finally
accept others and ourselves for who we really are.
In our society women are socialized very different than men, however that is
not true in all cultures. In the article "Lifeboat Ethics. Mother Love and Child
Death in Northeast Brazil" it is stated that "in most cases, babies are simply
left home alone, the door securely fastened . And so many die alone and
unattended". Also the "seeming indifference of Alto women to the death of their
infants" was shocking to me. This shows how the way we have been socialized
shows in what we think is right and wrong, children dying is something they have
been taught to accept, unlike us. The way I have been socialized involves woman
being caregivers and my mom has always been the one to take care of me. Ladies
in the shanty towns of Brazil have been socialized more in the way of being
masculine. Almost the opposite of the way I have been socialized. The taboo of
letting a child die in our culture is accepted in theirs, I would be interested
to know what other ways the way we live is different. As a result our cultures
are completely different, the way we think, the way we act, how we live,
everything is different.
To me the cycle of socialization should be changed, it just takes everyone
to want a change. But why don’t we change? These cycles of socialization are so
often harmful, why? Why do people around us suffer and we turn a blind eye to
it? I don't understand that. I have been bullied myself starting in 5th grade up
to 7th, it seemed to get better after that at my school, and now at Animas. When
you go to a public school, people always seem to target you for the slightest
difference. The thing was I didn't even see a difference in myself, I could not
understand why people didn't like me. I still don't quite know. But I finally
just gave up on trying, that's great if you don't like me, it's not my problem.
I don't think that anyone should be spoken down to or treated differently
because of their differences. However that's what everyone seems to say. Gender
is what I think the base of this is, when someone feels the pressure of
something they truly cannot change.
On my mask I used many different symbols to show how society has shaped me.
First I have broken mirror shards to show how I try to break the mirror image
society wants me to be, the eye on the left is also a mirror, showing how we
still reflect the way we have been socialized inside ourselves. The other eye is
black showing that we still often hide ourselves and our emotions. The mouth is
chained shut to display that we don't say what we truly want to for fear of
being judged. Half of my mask is bright and happy the way society wants us to be
and the other half is how we feel oppressed at times and can't be ourselves. Both
masks are stitched together showing that the way we are and the way everyone
thinks we should be have been so intertwined together that they are one. White
lace wraps around one half while the other is black representing the light and
dark we have inside ourselves and how they go hand in hand. I focused my mask on
how we feel pressured to be someone we might not truly be and gender is a huge
part of that. I used fake eyelashes to show how girls are supposed to make
themselves up to be. The words "Happy" "Perfect" and "Pretty" are printed on my
mask to represent how I have been socialized to think a girl should be. The word
"Happy" is on the right side of the mask next to tears because though people may
see you as happy you could really be crying on the inside. I worked really hard
on my mask to show everything that I hoped it would, enjoy!
Project Reflection:
1) Mask: What are you most proud of about your mask? Why?
I am over all really proud of my mask, it's been a project that I really got into. I am really proud of what it represents, how I portrayed what I wanted it to say. I would have to say however that I am most proud of how I cut the mask in half and sowed it back together. I think it was a really original way to display the way we are so intertwined with the way we have been socialized to be that it is hard to see the difference sometimes.
2) Quote: Quote the section of your essay that you are most proud of and describe, in detail, why you are proud of it.
"I can not personally relate to being a subject
of oppression because of my skin color but I know how it feels to be judged for
my differences. I have always been outspoken and have stuck up for what I
believe in, but no one truly wants that, and I have been bullied for it. I think
that being different in any way marks that person as a target."
I am most proud of this part in my essay because it brings in the element of myself and how I have been affected by these things in society, this was my essay has a more personal part of myself. It gives the reader a more real realization to the problems our society is facing.
3) Biggest Take-away: What will you remember from this project? Why?
I think I will take-away from this project most how my view on the world around me changed. I feel more awake to what's going on around me. The reason I think this will affect me in the future is that now I will notice when I continue on the cycle of socialization and try to break it in myself and others.
4) Habit of Heart and Mind: Which habit of heart and mind do you need to work on in your next project to get better at Project Based Learning? Why do you need to improve and how that Habit of Heart and Mind will help you?
I think I need to work on Advocacy, I need to advocate for myself more in the dapartment of turning my work in on time and finishing things in a timely manner. Getting better in this way will help me a lot in turning in better work, if I advocate for giving myself more time I can put more into my work, improving the quality.
I am over all really proud of my mask, it's been a project that I really got into. I am really proud of what it represents, how I portrayed what I wanted it to say. I would have to say however that I am most proud of how I cut the mask in half and sowed it back together. I think it was a really original way to display the way we are so intertwined with the way we have been socialized to be that it is hard to see the difference sometimes.
2) Quote: Quote the section of your essay that you are most proud of and describe, in detail, why you are proud of it.
"I can not personally relate to being a subject
of oppression because of my skin color but I know how it feels to be judged for
my differences. I have always been outspoken and have stuck up for what I
believe in, but no one truly wants that, and I have been bullied for it. I think
that being different in any way marks that person as a target."
I am most proud of this part in my essay because it brings in the element of myself and how I have been affected by these things in society, this was my essay has a more personal part of myself. It gives the reader a more real realization to the problems our society is facing.
3) Biggest Take-away: What will you remember from this project? Why?
I think I will take-away from this project most how my view on the world around me changed. I feel more awake to what's going on around me. The reason I think this will affect me in the future is that now I will notice when I continue on the cycle of socialization and try to break it in myself and others.
4) Habit of Heart and Mind: Which habit of heart and mind do you need to work on in your next project to get better at Project Based Learning? Why do you need to improve and how that Habit of Heart and Mind will help you?
I think I need to work on Advocacy, I need to advocate for myself more in the dapartment of turning my work in on time and finishing things in a timely manner. Getting better in this way will help me a lot in turning in better work, if I advocate for giving myself more time I can put more into my work, improving the quality.
Greek Tragedy Project:
Graphic Novel:
Script:
Heart Over Mind
Prologue:
(Scene opens with August nervously pacing around his spacious office talking on the phone. He is on the fourth story of a large corporate building, below cars stream by through a light snowstorm. Voice of person on other line muffled.)
August: That cannot be true!! Are you sure your sources can be trusted?
Person on other line: mumf mumf mumf (Muffled voice that cannot be understood)
August: I can’t believe it how could something like this have happened?? Are you absolutely sure??? How could this have been going on for so long without my knowledge?
Person on other line: Mumf mumf mumf mumf (More muffled talking)
August: Okay, Okay I will deal with this I just need sometime
Person on other line: Mumf mumf no time mumf mumf mumf
August: Just get me as much time as you can
(Person on other line hangs up August sits down at his desk with his head in his hands. Chorus, August’s conscious manifested into human form, appears and addresses August with a stern, disappointed look on his face)
August: Oh, what have I done! Those poor kids how could I have let this happen? Human trafficking and child slavery is illegal! If this gets out we will be under a mountain of lawsuits, I could lose the entire company.I know I have to do what is right for the greater good but I have to keep my family in mind too. You know I need the money for Caroline’s cancer treatment.
Chorus:
Think of the children August
Is your family more important than them?
Whether or not you lose the company
You have to save those children.
No one seems to see this happening.
This cannot be overlooked any longer
If you do the right thing
this might turn out differently than you think.
It is not certain you will be blamed for this,
After all you did not know.
By doing the right thing
It is possible that your company will be seen
Not as the antagonist
But rather as
The victims
(Chorus gets up and slowly backs away then disappearing in a poof of sparkles and colorful smoke)
Scene One
(Scene opens with August sitting on a couch at home with his wife watching the news. Their two kids are seated by a low burning fire playing a game.The curtains are drawn blocking out the view of a heavy snowstorm)
Reporter on news: (Talks about the weather)
Caroline: How was your day sweetie?
August: Oh you know just an average day, how was yours?
Caroline: It was alright
Reporter on news: Breaking news, our sources have recently informed us of a rumor going around the business world claiming that Lemmington Chocolate Inc. is involved with human trafficking.
Caroline: (Gasps) August… (She whispers looking at him)
August: Oh god… I’m sorry I have to go
(August grabs a jacket, runs out the door and gets in his car, Chorus appears in the passengers seat in a poof of fiery colors)
Chorus:
August, what have you done
you cannot just leave
Running from your fears
I’m ashamed!
You were warned that this would happen
Yet you waited
Your heart go the better of you
You have brought this upon yourself
Stand up and face the oncoming storm
(August keeps driving in silence not paying attention to the road, his mind is elsewhere)
ut)
(Metal screeches and the car hits the guardrail, August’s head slams into the steering wheel and he blacks o
Scene Two
*August wakes up in a dream like state. Looking around he sees children working with tattered clothes, they look like they haven’t eaten in weeks. Not knowing where he is he wanders about this factory like place and sees all kinds of horror. Then he realizes he is in the place that has brought upon him his doom. He has to do something…*
(August wakes with a start to find himself alone in his car, he was only out for a few seconds and no one has noticed the crash)
August: I need to fix this.. (He says out loud to himself)
(Pulling the car away from the guardrail he drives towards the office)
(August pulls his car into his parking space at the office and starts up the stairs to an awaiting receptionist)
Receptionist: August, sir, it is of the utmost importance that you get to your office immediately.
August: OK, thank you. (He mumbles confused)
(August gets to his office to see two men dressed in nice suits waiting for him)
August: Gentleman, how can I help you?
Official Guy #1: We have some things to discuss with you.
Official Guy #2: Please have a seat.
August: (Takes a seat behind his desk) What is this concerning might I ask?
Official Guy #2: As you know it has recently become known that you have been working with a supplier that uses child slavery and human trafficking.
Official Guy #1: This is a serious offense Mr.Lemmington it has been decided that until further notice your company shall be shut down and you will have to undergo legal consequences.
August: But I was not aware of what was happening until today, I was not working with this supplier closely. I should not be blamed for this. I didn’t know! Things like this are happening in companies all around the world.
Official Guy #1: (Stands up abruptly) You expect us to believe that? After further investigation it has become known that you have been working with them since the beginning of Lemmington Chocolate Incorporated!
Official Guy #2: I’m sorry Mr. Lemmington, you are being sued to pay for all the damage and to supply food and a way back home to these kids. I suggest you find yourself a lawyer.
(The men stand up and leave as August puts his head in his hands)
Chorus:
Things are looking bad
But this may not be over yet
Play this carefully
Lives are on the line
One wrong move and everything will be over
With a good lawyer and honesty
We could win this still
Just keep in mind that
Saving the children must be your first priority
Scene Three
(Scene opens six months later with August standing by his wifes death bed as she takes her last breaths. The children are seated at the bottom of the bed sobbing.)
August: I’m sorry Caroline, I’m sorry I didn’t win the lawsuit, I’m sorry all our money was lost. If only I had known what was happening. I could have fixed everything. I could have saved the children working in those factories. I brought down the company because I didn’t try to do what I knew to be right. Then you would still be getting treatment. I’m so so sorry… (said sobbing)
Caroline: August, look at me, It’s ok. (Coughs) It’s my time to die, you must take care of the children… (Coughs more)
(The children sob as Caroline takes her last breath and her eyes close)
August: (Shakes Caroline) NOOOO you can’t leave me! I cannot go on without you my love!!
(August gets up and grabs his handgun from a drawer. The children look up at him as he lifts the weapon to his head)
August: I’m so sorry. (He whispers)
(Then with a bang he takes his own life and the children are left alone in this cruel dark world.)
Chorus:
Every decision August made
brought upon his fated doom.
By trying to save his wife
he brought to end
His family and company too
He chose heart over mind
Family over the community
His one fatal flaw,
He cared too much
No one can save everyone
Prologue:
(Scene opens with August nervously pacing around his spacious office talking on the phone. He is on the fourth story of a large corporate building, below cars stream by through a light snowstorm. Voice of person on other line muffled.)
August: That cannot be true!! Are you sure your sources can be trusted?
Person on other line: mumf mumf mumf (Muffled voice that cannot be understood)
August: I can’t believe it how could something like this have happened?? Are you absolutely sure??? How could this have been going on for so long without my knowledge?
Person on other line: Mumf mumf mumf mumf (More muffled talking)
August: Okay, Okay I will deal with this I just need sometime
Person on other line: Mumf mumf no time mumf mumf mumf
August: Just get me as much time as you can
(Person on other line hangs up August sits down at his desk with his head in his hands. Chorus, August’s conscious manifested into human form, appears and addresses August with a stern, disappointed look on his face)
August: Oh, what have I done! Those poor kids how could I have let this happen? Human trafficking and child slavery is illegal! If this gets out we will be under a mountain of lawsuits, I could lose the entire company.I know I have to do what is right for the greater good but I have to keep my family in mind too. You know I need the money for Caroline’s cancer treatment.
Chorus:
Think of the children August
Is your family more important than them?
Whether or not you lose the company
You have to save those children.
No one seems to see this happening.
This cannot be overlooked any longer
If you do the right thing
this might turn out differently than you think.
It is not certain you will be blamed for this,
After all you did not know.
By doing the right thing
It is possible that your company will be seen
Not as the antagonist
But rather as
The victims
(Chorus gets up and slowly backs away then disappearing in a poof of sparkles and colorful smoke)
Scene One
(Scene opens with August sitting on a couch at home with his wife watching the news. Their two kids are seated by a low burning fire playing a game.The curtains are drawn blocking out the view of a heavy snowstorm)
Reporter on news: (Talks about the weather)
Caroline: How was your day sweetie?
August: Oh you know just an average day, how was yours?
Caroline: It was alright
Reporter on news: Breaking news, our sources have recently informed us of a rumor going around the business world claiming that Lemmington Chocolate Inc. is involved with human trafficking.
Caroline: (Gasps) August… (She whispers looking at him)
August: Oh god… I’m sorry I have to go
(August grabs a jacket, runs out the door and gets in his car, Chorus appears in the passengers seat in a poof of fiery colors)
Chorus:
August, what have you done
you cannot just leave
Running from your fears
I’m ashamed!
You were warned that this would happen
Yet you waited
Your heart go the better of you
You have brought this upon yourself
Stand up and face the oncoming storm
(August keeps driving in silence not paying attention to the road, his mind is elsewhere)
ut)
(Metal screeches and the car hits the guardrail, August’s head slams into the steering wheel and he blacks o
Scene Two
*August wakes up in a dream like state. Looking around he sees children working with tattered clothes, they look like they haven’t eaten in weeks. Not knowing where he is he wanders about this factory like place and sees all kinds of horror. Then he realizes he is in the place that has brought upon him his doom. He has to do something…*
(August wakes with a start to find himself alone in his car, he was only out for a few seconds and no one has noticed the crash)
August: I need to fix this.. (He says out loud to himself)
(Pulling the car away from the guardrail he drives towards the office)
(August pulls his car into his parking space at the office and starts up the stairs to an awaiting receptionist)
Receptionist: August, sir, it is of the utmost importance that you get to your office immediately.
August: OK, thank you. (He mumbles confused)
(August gets to his office to see two men dressed in nice suits waiting for him)
August: Gentleman, how can I help you?
Official Guy #1: We have some things to discuss with you.
Official Guy #2: Please have a seat.
August: (Takes a seat behind his desk) What is this concerning might I ask?
Official Guy #2: As you know it has recently become known that you have been working with a supplier that uses child slavery and human trafficking.
Official Guy #1: This is a serious offense Mr.Lemmington it has been decided that until further notice your company shall be shut down and you will have to undergo legal consequences.
August: But I was not aware of what was happening until today, I was not working with this supplier closely. I should not be blamed for this. I didn’t know! Things like this are happening in companies all around the world.
Official Guy #1: (Stands up abruptly) You expect us to believe that? After further investigation it has become known that you have been working with them since the beginning of Lemmington Chocolate Incorporated!
Official Guy #2: I’m sorry Mr. Lemmington, you are being sued to pay for all the damage and to supply food and a way back home to these kids. I suggest you find yourself a lawyer.
(The men stand up and leave as August puts his head in his hands)
Chorus:
Things are looking bad
But this may not be over yet
Play this carefully
Lives are on the line
One wrong move and everything will be over
With a good lawyer and honesty
We could win this still
Just keep in mind that
Saving the children must be your first priority
Scene Three
(Scene opens six months later with August standing by his wifes death bed as she takes her last breaths. The children are seated at the bottom of the bed sobbing.)
August: I’m sorry Caroline, I’m sorry I didn’t win the lawsuit, I’m sorry all our money was lost. If only I had known what was happening. I could have fixed everything. I could have saved the children working in those factories. I brought down the company because I didn’t try to do what I knew to be right. Then you would still be getting treatment. I’m so so sorry… (said sobbing)
Caroline: August, look at me, It’s ok. (Coughs) It’s my time to die, you must take care of the children… (Coughs more)
(The children sob as Caroline takes her last breath and her eyes close)
August: (Shakes Caroline) NOOOO you can’t leave me! I cannot go on without you my love!!
(August gets up and grabs his handgun from a drawer. The children look up at him as he lifts the weapon to his head)
August: I’m so sorry. (He whispers)
(Then with a bang he takes his own life and the children are left alone in this cruel dark world.)
Chorus:
Every decision August made
brought upon his fated doom.
By trying to save his wife
he brought to end
His family and company too
He chose heart over mind
Family over the community
His one fatal flaw,
He cared too much
No one can save everyone
Project Reflection:
1) What are you most proud of about your project? Describe it or put the quote. Why do you think you are proud of it? Be specific.
In my Modern Tragedy Project I am most proud of the visual aspect. I am really happy with the way our graphic novel came out. The pictures and formatting took a long time to get to the point it is. We took a lot of time to get enough pictures to give the story variety and place them correctly. Every picture was taken specifically for a part in the scene. Over all I was really proud of how my partner and I pulled the novel together and really enjoyed the process of making it.
2) What advice would you give a student next year about how to be successful with this project? Be specific.
Some advice I would give to a student next year would be to nail down exactly what you want to do for the project in the very beggining. My partner and I's idea changed multiple times over the course of the project and that led us to be stressed on time. During this project it is very important to have a specific plan for each day and stay on task. There's a lot of work to get done in a small amount of time and you need to work hard. However if you do work hard and stay on task this is a very fun project with so many wonderful possibilities.
3) How do you feel working in partners went? Did it work out well? In what ways? What was challenging? Be specific.
Working in partners for this project really had its good and bads. I was out from school for a week sick in the beginning while we were writing our scripts. I was able to work digitally with my partner via google docs however I still don't think it was very fair to her. Also in class it can be hard to stay on task while working with a friend. We ended up having to do a lot of our work outside of class. It all pulled together and worked out in the end but it was deffinitely a challenge. However I think that working with a partner during this project was also helpful, I loved collaborating with Emily and incorporating both of our ideas. Over all I think working in partners worked well and I was happy with the result as well as the process of working together.
4) What proved to be the most challenging task for you personally and how did you work to overcome it? Be specific.
For me personally I think the most challenging aspect of the project was getting enough done in class. Once we got the pictures for our graphic novel we didn't have a computer with access to Word. We ended up having to use my mom's computer and didn't have it right away, because of that I ended up having to do a lot of the novel editing at home not in class. Also the computer couldn't connect to the internet at school and because of that it was hard to upload it to Issuu.com to be turned in by the due date. However in the end everything went smoothly and the final product was great, it was worth the challenge.