Reflection Over Entire Semester

The literature we have analyzed has been very intriguing this semester. Some of it has opened my eyes to how our world is cruel even if it doesn't seem like. It was a very good idea to let the students pick their own memoirs to read because the books that were chosen may have connected to the student's personal life. I found The Laramie Project to be one of the most interesting topics this semester because of the debate between whether everything happened because of bias or meth. It was interesting how much convolution happens in our society right under our noses.

There are a couple things I hope for net semester. Presenting the memoir was very difficult, even if I didn't do it in front of the class. I know what I want to say but the right words don't come out. Improvements will hopefully come in my public speaking. I think the blogs were a good idea to monitor what students reactions were but I felt that a couple of them were pointless.

This class has helped me to grow as a person. I have learned many values from the prompts we discuss and that helped me to see both sides of an argument and how everyone could have viable points. The college essay rough drafts helped me to structure an essay about myself as well as prepare me for college.
Overall, this has been one of my best LA classes and I think that no changes need to take place though.

Laramie Reflections

The mystery behind the motives of Matthew Shepard's murdering will always remain unsolved. The debate is whether Shepard was killed because of a hate crime or because of a meth induced rage. Evidence leads to reason for both sides of the argument. This weeks discussions elaborated on the case.

Some say Aaron McKinney killed Matthew Shepard simply because of a meth rage. McKinney was a well known meth addict and had been a tweaker. Some evidence suggests that Shepard owed McKinney a large amount of money for meth and that's why he tried to rob him. McKinney's actions also show that he was in a rage. When his partner in crime, Russel Henderson, suggested that Shepard had enough beating, McKinney struck Henderson with the butt of his gun and then proceeded to wail on Shepard. Later that night, McKinney had tried to rob others too and this shows that he was specifically going after homosexuals. In fact, a limo driver explains that McKinney was a bisexual so it wouldn't make sense if his crime was driven by hate.

Although there is much support behind the possibility of the crime being motivated by meth, there are many facts proposing a hate crime against homosexuals. In the interrogation of McKinney, he is asked to describe Matthew Shepard. He uses derogatory terms describe Shepard like fag and homo. His reasons for beating Shepard seemed to be homophobic because he said he'd beat him if he touched him in the truck and the way he describes Shepard trying to fight back almost makes it seem like he's trying to make him seem woman like. He said that he tried to fight back with little swings of his arms. McKinney was tested for meth traces after the crime and none were found (even though the official documents couldn't be produced) so this indicates that it might have been a hate crime.

Laramie Project Discussions

Our in class discussions revealed how the book connected to the students on different levels. For the most part, everyone seemed to see the world as being unfair to homosexuals. The biggest discussion was probably about people's bias and about whether the crime was a hate crime or not.

Many examples showed how people in Wyoming were neutral, anti-gay, or pro-gay. Some people said they didn't mind the gays as long as they stayed away from them. Even some "in-the-closet" lesbians didn't want to be caught with other homosexuals because their identities might be torn apart. It's ironic that even homosexuals were a little homophobic at the time. Others were completely against homosexuals, particularly the baptist church. People protested the funeral of Matt and others thought that he deserved to die. Many people also had close friends or family who were homosexuals. They believed that everyone should have the same rights.

Our classes feedback was very meaningful and interesting to me. Everyone seemed to be hit on different levels. Some were personal and others felt compassion or pity for the homosexual community. It was discussed that bias can really change a persons opinion and how they act. In this play news reporters, civilians, homosexuals, and the american community were affected by their biases and it showed through how they acted and what they thought about the situation.

Act 1 Reflection

In Act 1 of The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman, we learned much about how people felt about homosexuality in their community. Many people accepted the fact that there were homosexuals but would rather avoid them. Others didn't care if there were homosexuals or not. However, being a homosexual meant that people's biases could harm them internally and externally.

In the life of a homosexual in the 90's, the world was turned against gays ad lesbians. Even the people who weren't against homosexuality were often homophobic. "And she later told me that there were other lesbians that she knew who wouldn't be seen with me. That I would irreparably taint them, that just to be see with me could be a problem" (Connolly 22). They didn't want to be marked as lesbians because they would be seperated from society. And there were people who were very much against homosexuality. They would put the importance of their own personal beliefs in front of real values such as morals, family, and equality. "And they brought me into their room and told me that if I did the scene, that they would not come to see me in the competition. Because they believed that it was wrong-that homosexuality is wrong-they felt that strongly about it that they didn't want to come see their son do probably the most important thing he'd done to that point in his life" (Schultz 12). It's terrifying how much power a bias can have over someone's decisions and bias is one of the biggest reasons that homosexuals are discriminated against. Other people display their hate against gays through physical harm. For example, Matthew Shepherd was beaten to death on a fence for the simple fact that he was gay. The attackers bias forced them to only care that he was a homosexual. People should be viewed for who they are and what they do instead of being discriminated against over something they were born with. Act 1 helps to understand the real world struggles that some homosexuals go through to this day.

Presentations #3

This week's memoir presentations were very inspiring and showed me what people are capable of. My top three choices from this week are Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton, The Other Side of Heaven by John H. Groberg, and Making Mavericks by Frosty Hesson.

Beyond Belief was about an amazing baseball player, Josh, who had his parents taken away by a bad car crash. This also took away his baseball career as he quickly turned to drugs. Over the years he became an addict. In the end, Josh found a way to get past his addictions and weaknesses and went back to playing baseball. He is currently one of the best base ball players out there and set a new record for the home run derby. What Josh's story revealed to me that even when you dig yourself in a deep hole, there's always a way out if you're willing to find it.

The Other Side of Heaven was about a Morman missionary who goes to Tonga where there is no water, electricity, or technology. He never cared that he was poor. When Josh went to Tonga, there would be many obstacles facing him. For instance, he was the only white man and none of the natives spoke english. Also, he didn't know how to speak their language. He lived in primitive ways compared to his life before and faced much discrimination from the islanders. Josh felt sorry for them because they have so little. One day, and old man on the beach told him that he'll never be happy because he seeks self pleasure. The message that this story told me is that although some people live in poverty and  have less material goods, they may be happy with their lives because they value morals and are happy with the people who make up their lives.

Making Mavericks was about a surfer in San Francisco who aspires to be one of the best and wanted to ride deadly waves. His training is intense and part of it includes having to hold his breathe for more than three minutes. Surfing teaches him life lessons and he gains priorities, morals, and characteristics through his pastime. This showed me how the composition of our very being depends largely on the people, events, and activities that we encounter.

Presentations #2

Many lessons can be learned from memoirs such as the ones in the presentations this week. The three books that meant the most to me were The Kindness of Strangers Penniless Across America by Mike McIntyre, Happy, Happy, Happy  by Phil Robertson, and Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis and Carry Sloman.

The Kindness of Penniless Strangers describes Mike McIntyre's homeless journey as he travels across the USA as a homeless man and leaves all of his possessions behind. He did this because he wanted to break the every day cycle of his life. On his journey he meets about a hundred strangers and has to deal with the struggle of trying to understand all of their lives and choices. The video in the presentation showed me that some people aren't who they seem. Many were homeless by choice and others were fired and unemployed. It goes to show that judging a person is wrong because there may be a reason behind their lifestyle.

Happy, Happy, Happy is about a very smart man who lives his life for happiness. Phil Robertson says that we all make mistakes and struggle to find happiness. He cherishes his simple life and family values. He is very traditional and has a poor family. They are a hunting family. Phil could have easily been a phenomenal quarterback but decided to follow God's word and his destiny to find what he truly loves and that's his family and hunting. This memoir teaches me that it doesn't matter how much money or fame one has if they're not happy with their life. This encourages me to go and find what I truly want to do and to find what makes me happy.

Scar Tissue is about Anthony Kiedis' life as a child and in present. As a child, his father introduced him to many drugs including heroin, cocaine and marijuana. Of course, this transformed Anthony into a drug addict in his teen years. As he became a musical legend, he realized that the Red Hot Chili Peppers would never have came together if it weren't for drugs. He would "cold turkey", or go into rehab for months at a time and then have a relapse. Anthony has a unique opinion on drugs. Despite how drugs have harmed his body, including contracting hepatitis C, he believes that drugs are good to an extend and help a person to relax and feel better. Although I disagree, I find his perspective on drug use very interesting in the sense that in his life, drugs lead to many success stories and controlled the outcomes of his life.

This Week's Presentations

This weeks presentations were very interesting. My three favorites were The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, and Two Kisses for Maddy by Matthew Rogalin.

The Glass Castle was about a girl living with irresponsible parents. Her dad was the town drunk and he would camouflage the family's struggle with the idea of the glass castle. His promise was that they would have a glass castle out in the middle of nowhere where they could get away from it all. This was a very interesting idea because as Jeannette grew up, the glass castle transitioned from a drunken promise into hope for the future. She is now a writer living in luxury and feels bad that her mother is living in poverty but she understands that's what her mother prefers to do.

The Last Lecture struck me and made me understand just how valuable life really is and that life needs to be lived to the fullest. This memoir was about a professor who is dying of cancer and gives a lecture to show people how they can fulfill their childhood dreams. One of his dreams as a kid was to play in the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers let Randy practice with them to help him reach one of his dreams. The message of his memoir is that people need to be more proactive with their lives and that people should do what they want to do.

Two Kisses for Maddy is about Matthew and his true love. When the wife, Liz, gives birth to her child she passes away due to a blood colt in her brain just before she got to hold her baby. After Liz died, Matthew struggles to live without Liz. I found the ways he deals with this obstacle very touching. He sees Madeline as the gleaming image of his wife. He also believes that Liz is watching them from p above and will always be with them. When he kisses Maddy, he kisses her twice. One is from him and the other is from her mother. I found Matthew's life very moving because despite his suffering, he found a way to be a good father and cope with the loss of his wife.

Poisoned

Evil and violence have always been present on Earth and many people have different opinions of whether violence is necessary or not. Diametrically opposed ideas of morals and merit can exacerbate arguments between the sides. The War observes violence and makes an attempt to diagnose why war occurs and how it can be prevented. The War conveys that violence is a poison amongst men that tears up natural human behavior and converts man into a brute. 

Violence prevails in our world because it is embedded deep within human nature, held back only by our will to stay civilized. In The War, violence is shown in short outbursts between Stu and the Lipnickis. The Lipnickis use violent behavior with no remorse and morals are a foreign concept to them because their Father abuses them. Later in the story, Stu dares the Lipnickis to dimwitted task of swimming across the water tower in order to keep the tree house. Winning the dare was more about pride than any thing and that is one of war's greatest fuels. Violence thrives in our world by feeding on the pride and nature of men.

War and malevolence eats away and alters the natural behaviors and decisions of human beings.  In The War, Steve recalls his encounter with the Vietcong and the traumatic experience of carrying his dying friend back to a rescue helicopter. Steve is characterized by his generosity and selflessness, but contradicts his character when he leaves his friend and tells him to "go with God" in order to escape the battleground. After Steven dies, Stu is left with some of his knowledge. His Dad doesn't want him to fight to defend himself but instead, show love to his enemies. After the Lipnickis storm the tree house and start touching items of sentimental value, Stu decides to wage war despite his Father's wishes. Eventually, the battle ends with much destruction of the tree house and a close call with death for Billy Lipnicki. This shows how the kids lost their sanity for a short time and how disregarding Stevens words lead to war. 

There is ultimately one gift that can prevent war and violence and that is love. In the movie, the Lipnickis beat up Stu, ram their car into Steven's car, and Mr. Lipnicki attempts to manhandle Stu. Instead of lashing out in violence against the two Lipnicki's harsh slander, Steven gives them cotton candy. Steven is showing compassion and explains to his son that "they look like they haven't been given anything in a long time". Stu follows in his Father's footsteps later when Billy Lipnicki is passed out in the water tower. He struggles to bring back Billy as he does chest compressions and his sister helps with respiration. Billy gains consciousness and the fighting between the two groups stops which shows how Stu's love for the Lipnickis stopped the war. This proves that love truly is the only cure for war.

Violence is a beast that twists the true nature of mankind and is rooted deep within man.  The War shows how violence changes how people act and behave. Violence leads to war which nobody will ever understand because it is uncontrollable and war will never understand mankind because often times, men at war don't know what their intentions are. Love is the only thing that can prevent war, which is amazing because it is intangible, yet priceless. Though some wish for a world of peace, this world will never be free of war as it is a part of mankind.

What is War?

War can start for many reasons but mainly when two countries or groups have a disagreement. This disagreement might be over religion, diplomats, land, or they could just be fighting over pride. An example of groups fighting over religion would be the Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Some countries fight over land to gain advantages that the land holds. In fact, Kashmir has been fought over because it is sacred and beautiful land. The soldiers from some countries don't always want to be in war but they are forced to go fight for their country. In fact, in Vietnam, many of the U.S. questioned why they were there. No progress was being made because the Vietcong were dug into Vietnam pretty well. It seems that some wars can just be about politics. The Vietnam war was one f the most gruesome wars in history. Soldiers got infections from the swamps and had no idea what would happen or why there were there.

A Hike I'll Never Forget

The gravel and shards of rock were loose as I made my way towards the top of Bear Peak. The sun shined down gently but the light was intense. Finally, I reached the top and could see all of Boulder and beyond. The air was fresh and the moment, surreal. Being thousands of feet above college students, businessmen, busy traffic, and all of civilization made it all seem so significant but unimportant at the the same time. Being in nature made me feel like my life in the suburbs kept me away from something important. The feeling was overwhelming and yet, overtime, relaxed me. I felt that I had no responsibilities. The beauty that could be held in one scene was mind boggling. I never realized how graceful our world was even if it looks monster-like at times.  One view showed how people got resources, communicated, used their free time, and lived. But from a zoomed out perspective, I could understand how baffling and complex our society is.

An Intro to Brandon

My favorite film is The Blues Brothers because it's a classic and has great humor. I don't really have a favorite book. I don't really read much but as a kid I always did enjoy Calvin and Hobbes. My favorite color is blue because all the different shades of blue can convey so many different atmospheres. I love peppercorn steak because it's simply the best tasting food on this planet. I listen to all types of music but my favorite genre is rock. My favorite animals are dogs because they aren't independent and really are mans' best friend.

My dog, Gordie, and my friend's dog, Champ

Some of the Best Scenes from The Blues Brothers

One of my best life experiences was Junior Prom because I had an amazing time. The dance, dinner, after prom, and staying up all night with friends was great. I felt like I had made a lot of new friends. That night was one of the most fun moments I've had in my life. That will be a night I won't soon forget.

This is a Funny Prom Proposal