Journals 1-5 for 2016-17
Journal 5: “Meet Yourself” TED Talk
At the beginning of this TED Talk, Nico Everett describes her experiences growing up and seeing herself as "embarrassing, unlovable, and awkward." She then explains how a close friend eventually helped her to "meet" herself and begin to see herself in an objective and positive way. From her own experiences, Nico Everett has made a career of helping young people to overcome negative, overly-critical thoughts about themselves and to value their uniqueness, their skills, and their talents.
1) Nico Everett explains that the thoughts we have about ourselves can make us feel either good or bad about ourselves, and that maintaining positive self-esteem can be a huge challenge when we tend to amplify or magnify negative, critical thoughts about ourselves. In what ways have you had to deal with negative, critical thoughts about yourself? Discuss some negative, critical thoughts that you either tend to currently have about yourself OR that you have had in the past about yourself. In what ways have these thoughts negatively affected you or even harmed your self-image and self-esteem? Where do you think these thoughts might have come from, or how do you think you might have learned to think these thoughts about yourself? Finally, have you learned to overcome these negative thoughts, or are they still a challenge that you deal with regularly? Why?
2) As Nico Everett points out, instead of letting negative thoughts about ourselves take over, a useful life-skill involves learning to amplify or magnify positive thoughts about ourselves. Now I want you to express some positive thoughts about yourself. What are ten things about yourself that you value or admire? Try to view yourself objectively, and genuinely give yourself credit and appreciation for the ways in which you are uniquely you and the qualities you possess that make you a good person, a good friend, a person with valuable skills and talents, etc. List ten positive things about yourself. If you need help with this list, just ask.
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Journal 4: Napoleon Dynamite RESPONSE
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Journal 3: TED Talk on Redefining Masculinity
Many boys feel that they must project an image of toughness, aggression, and even physical violence in order to survive and be respected in this world. In this TED Talk, Shane Horsburgh tells his own story, describing the type of man he used to be, the type of man he decided to become, and the reasons why he thinks we all need to redefine what it means to be a man in our culture.
Quotation 1: “I was an out-of-control, insecure, heavily-armed-at-times ego machine, ready to do anything I needed to maintain the image I perceived manhood to be, a false map which was reinforced when I was involved in counter-terrorism and special operations…. The body armor I was wearing had become more than just protective equipment. It had become part of a false identity that I had created based on what I thought a man should be. And I was scared that somebody was gonna find out and I’d be discovered as a fraud.”
Quotation 2: “The wisdom in his words dissolved any religious differences or cultural differences that we may have had. Before we parted, he said to me, ‘You’re either guided by your soul or driven by your ego. It is only a matter of choice.’ And for me these words were absolutely life-changing because they initiated a change or a move away from what I perceived to be manly or not. It altered the map that I’d been referring to most of my life…. It was then that I decided to leave the body armor, the bravado, the bullets, and the bullshit behind.”
Please discuss each topic below in a fully-developed paragraph that uses specific evidence (from the TED Talk for Part 1 and from The Outsiders for Part 2) to explain and illustrate your ideas.
1) Shane Horsburgh used to be a tough, aggressive, and intimidating guy. However, his views changed when a wise man in Iraq told him: "You're either guided by your soul or driven by your ego. It is only a matter of choice." How do the changes Horsburgh made in his life illustrate his desire to live according to his soul, and not according to his ego? Discuss at least a few specific ways in which Horsburgh changed his life and identity in order to live an authentic life guided by his “soul.” Moreover, why does Horsburgh think that making these changes is a better way to live for him to live than how he was living before, or in what ways does Horsburgh feel that his life and relationships have been improved?
2) "I was trembling. A pain was growing in my throat and I wanted to cry, but greasers don't cry in front of strangers. Some of us never cry at all. Like Dally and Two-Bit and Tim Shepard--they forgot how at an early age." (Hinton 102-103).
"You'd better wise up, Pony . . . you get tough like me and you don't get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothin' can touch you ..." (Hinton 147)
In what ways do Shane Horsburgh's ideas apply to the characters in The Outsiders (or even to Richard Wright in "The Rights to the Streets of Memphis")? Discuss which specific characters from Ponyboy’s neighborhood wear the "mask" that Shane Horsburgh describes in Quotation 1 above, and why they do so. How does wearing this mask meet very real needs for Ponyboy and all the other greasers from their neighborhood? Also, in contrast, in what ways do we see the ideas in Quotation 2 playing a role in Ponyboy's life and in his relationships--i.e., Ponyboy's desire to live an authentic life based on his "soul" and not on his ego?
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Journal 2: Video on Identity
In this video, John Koenig invents a word to describe one aspect of reality that doesn't yet have a name. Koenig invents the word "lutalica" to describe what he calls "the part of your identity that doesn't fit into categories." Please read the text that I've provided of what Koenig says in the video, and then watch the video carefully, listening to Koenig's words.
What thoughts, feelings, and observations do you have about the topic that John Koenig explores in this video: "the part of your identity that doesn't fit into categories"? Do Koenig's words, and the accompanying images in the video, make any sense to you or apply to your life? How is the topic of this video relevant to your own experiences? How is it relevant to the experiences of someone you know?
- In any written format that you like--whether in a paragraph, a poem, a free-write, or a mix of styles--write about your thoughts, feelings, or experiences regarding this subject. Please feel free to approach the topic creatively and to take this topic anywhere that you would like.
- If you have no idea what to say about this topic, then you can simply discuss how it applies to The Outsiders so far, such as how it applies to Ponyboy, to Johnny, to Cherry Valance, etc...
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Journal 1: First Week of School
1) How are your classes going so far, and how are you feeling about your work load? Which classes do you think will be easy, which classes do you think will be particularly challenging for you, and why? For the challenging classes, will you need to establish any specific new routines or even make any changes to your homework habits in order to do well? Also, does it seem like a good idea for you to speak with any of your teachers yet to get help managing the coursework? Explain.
2) How are your social life and your extracurricular life going so far here at Carmel High School? Have people been friendly, and have your experiences with others here been positive so far? Why? Also, are you content with your current social relationships and extra-curricular involvements right now, or do you think you would like to “branch out” to meet more people and to get involved in a club, a team, new friendships, etc.? Explain.