Forwarding -- Revised Version

Writing is a complicated task. It is a long process that includes extensive research, thought, experience, and continuous editing. But like bell hooks states, “It is a way to experience the ecstatic.” We become so engrossed in our writing that the world around us crumples away except the issues that relate to our current project. While reading “Remembered Rapture: Dancing with Words” by bell hooks I was immediately intrigued with her overall outlook on writing. She made me believe that writing is not only a writer’s psychological hero, but it is also a physical performance. “Performing the words to both hear and feel them, I want to be certain I am grappling with language in a manner where my words live and breathe, where they surface from a passionate place inside me.” This statement is so profound and really stuck with me. I have never opened my imagination far enough to strive for my words to speak for themselves. Having your words live and breathe for themselves is such a remarkable thought to obtain.

            Bell hooks goes into specific detail about academic writing, how we have been taught to write, and feel about it. “We were wrongly taught that it was an expression of neutrality.” This is not what writing is about and that is what bell hooks is trying to express to her audience. In order to be an active participate in the conversation, you need to choose a side that you strongly support. “When I begin writing a critical essay, it is never the starting point for any discussion; it emerges as the site of culmination or a location for prolonged engagement, an invitation to work in a sustained manner with ideas.” Writers are constantly joining into a conversation that has existed for years and is continuously being added onto. Everyday people are becoming apart of the conversation and forwarding their thoughts, whether they acknowledge it or not. Bell hooks tries to make this point clear but is also trying to get us to believe that our writing should be personal and we should take a stand. Writers should be confident in their beliefs and while they may receive negative feedback, it is better to be apart of the conversation than be vulnerable and remain a silent bystander.

Marianna Torgovnick has a similar approach as bell hooks by explaining to her audience that writers need to begin to take a stand within their writing rather than being overshadowed. One topic she discussed is grasping your audience’s attention. A huge issue that all writers are faced with is pleasing their audience. It is merely impossible to satisfy everyone when writing. For starters, no author can be entirely sure who their audience will be, but by the subject they are choosing they can create an overall assumption.

“I am writing for myself.” After reading this sentence I had to stop for a moment and let that statement sink in. I felt disappointed and shameful. Up until this moment I had forgotten that my writing is strictly for me. While I may be writing for a specific audience or to forward my thoughts into a preexisting engagement, my honest opinion is what matters to me most. Torgovnick had to remind herself of that too and was aiming to have her audience realize it. While pleasing your audience is a rewarding feeling and a sense of relief, if you are not being personal and honest in your work then you have fallen into the trap; the trap that academic writing has pulled us all into.

Both articles left a heavy impression and made me realize that taking that leap of faith can have an everlasting reward. Standing up for yourself and your beliefs in your writing is okay. It is okay to take a side; in fact it is better to pick the side you strongly stand upon and be proud of it. On the other hand, that outlook on flexibility and taking risks can relate to other things too. As a future educator, I can correlate that advice when teaching my students; although that was not the first idea that came to my mind.

Life itself is a fragile thing and people take it for granted.  We need to start teaching people about the importance of living life to the fullest and not giving a single damn about what people think about you. My mother always taught to be a leader and walk along my own path. While this advice was simple it has helped me survive the nineteen years I have walked the earth. I am a leader and do not allow the negatives comments people make towards me affect me in any way. I have no filter whatsoever and am brutally honest to those I love simply because even though the truth may sting sometimes, being one hundred percent honest with a person shows that you truly care about them.

We are constantly taught to stay in the lines, follow the rules, and remain seated but its time to rebel against everything that has restricted us for years. The First Amendment declares our Freedom of Speech, yet we are told we need to censure our thoughts and be and mindful of whom our audience is. I believe that we need to begin to test our overall strength so we can find glory and success that we never thought imaginable. For example, my best friend recently gathered all the strength she had inside her, and beyond that, and told me she was gay. She has slowly been telling her other friends and the positive support that was passed her way provided her with the strength to tell her family. That right there is the meaning of life. We should be able to say, feel, and behave the way we want to.

When I am joining into a conversation within my writing I expect to be respected and heard rather than shut down just because my beliefs are different from someone else’s. Everyone has the right to his or her own opinion and I expect mine to be heard. Parents need to start telling their children that it does not matter what others think of you; your opinion of yourself is what matters most. Educators need to start telling their students to stop remaining in their comfort zone and following the academic writing requirements. Take a risk in your writing and write for yourself because that is all that matters. We need to start telling ourselves to stop being a follower and be a leader. Torgovnick and hooks took risks within their writing and while they remained open to satisfying their potential audience they put themselves first. As a future educator, I want my students to put themselves first in their writing. Taking that leap of faith can result with lots of scars and bruises but it can also lead to profound change within yourself; you will never know though until you jump.

Memories of My Girlhood ; From the title I derived many ideas about what  the narrative suggests, Often times a sentimental value is applied to a item or event from the author's childhood. In this case the object is a Barbie doll. I felt it was very interesting that bell hooks compares and contrasts a Barbie doll (which by the American standard is the "perfect" woman). She compares her personality and the ignorance of childhood to the perfect  life of a Barbie doll "Barbie is anything but real" (hooks 1). Under an eye of even more scrutiny, she imagines a life that does not include any chores or housework which suggests she [hooks] was raised in the values of the older conservative generation or that she was alluding to her race's position in history (assuming she is African-American). Perhaps the "thesis" or lesson from the entire narrative was "Only grown-ups think that the things children say come out of nowhere. We know that they come from the deepest parts of ourselves" (hooks 1). The intrinsic focus of the article is to examine the youth's understanding of racism (and any contemporary social issues) . bell hooks manages to bridge a gap between two social issues through a childhood story . The fact that a story about a simple Barbie doll and young girl can open a new view to the ideas of racial equality and feminism. I felt it was a new and more eye opening experience to issues that ,as a nation, we avoid for fear of offending each other.

Forwarding: Hooks and Torgovnick

After reading Memories of My Girlhood and Remembered Rapture: Dancing with Words by bell hooks in combination with Marianna Torgovnick's Experimental Critical Writing, I am further inspired as a writer and as a college student to write outside-of-the-box of structured writing.

In Remembered Rapture: Dancing with Words, hooks discusses her passion for writing and pushes the reader to consider using more creativity in writing; that we, as writers, must not be afraid to move against set guidelines. In the second paragraph of hook's explanation, I noticed the poetic cushion to her writing. It caught my eye and intrigued me enough to deeply read her material as opposed to rushing through it, something the majority of students do once they encounter a tedious article. She writes, "Standing in our living room, during dark southern nights when the earth was shaken by fierce thunderstorms and all electrical power was down, I performed...During those strange and unpredictable nights I practiced the art of making words matter." If this sort of writing is what reels readers in and keeps them hanging on the line, the real question is why people of power, such as politicians and other government officials, do not use powerful descriptions when attempting to capture the citizens of America. One of the current issues in America is the fact that many people are losing interest in government and political problems, leaving politicians dumbfounded as to how to achieve the attention of Americans. Perhaps if these people of power took a more creative approach in their speeches they would reach more Americans. It might also be that individuals with this task of writing to appeal to the public need to be paid more efficiently.

In addition to this point, I thought that her statement, "Critical writing counts for very little when critics speak about ending domination, eradicating racism, sexism.." was raw and rebellious of her to write, and I love the fact that I see its validity. Critical writing has not been proven to change struggle, but rather creativity and being outside-of-the-box has because it captures attention which ultimately is the catalyst for change.

Memories of My Girlhood by hooks is a perfect representation of what hooks asks of her readers regarding the importance of creativity and ignoring normal structure. The narrative is focused around the rough social struggle of racism, yet the topic is presented innocently and easy to understand. The culture between black and white is simply exemplified in Barbie and Baby. As free citizens, we are entitled the ability to stray away from the structure of critical writing and include some of our most serious emotions, creating more impact on a reader than average critical writing would. People want to read words that relate to them and evoke emotions, not bore them. The culture in which I grew up in represented by a basketball; college education is costly, especially for a child born into a working class family of four. My dear father accepted early the reality of not being able to afford his first-born child's education out of pocket, leading him to find the alternative of me becoming a college athlete. Unfortunately, an over-excessive amount of money is poured into American athletics each year instead of being used to house the homeless or educate the poor.

To summarize hook's two pieces, I wanted to include Torgovnick's piece Experimental Critical Writing. She compares her voice to that of La, a female character from Tarzan. "For me, writing like La became a metaphor for getting to a place where I was not afraid to write in a voice that had passion as well as information -- a voice that wanted to be heard." As a student writer, education has kept me in a state of mind in which I forget that I have the ability to enhance informational writing with personal emotion. Creative, free writing in the major of psychology is considered to be a "waste of time" because such a thing will not secure a spot in a well-respected graduate school. However, I am a creative and free student writer majoring in psychology with generous expectancies of attending graduate school, even if it means editing the norm of informational writing to get there.

bell hook's "Memories of My Girlhood" Revised

    Bell hook's "Memories of My Girlhood" offers readers a glimpse her of thoughts on "Girlhood" through the lens of her own experience. hooks introduction notes the ideas and expectations of young girls to like things because they are perfect and most importantly, seemingly better than them. Young girls enjoyed dressing their Barbies up and living vicariously through Barbies glamorous, yet imaginary lifestyle. "Barbie is anything but real, which is why we like her" hook states. In contrast her second paragraph is about her liking of a brown baby doll in which the reader can note that this doll is a different color and size of the barbie. Hooks speaks of her mother in the narrative and quotes "She tells us that I, her problem child, decided out of nowhere that I did not want a White doll to play with. I demanded a brown doll, one that would look like me." She uses the word "problem child" to highlight this decision hooks has made at a young age to not conform to social norms. She notes that the baby doll looked real, so close to a real baby her mother would mistake it for one. This realness to me is pointing to the fact that hooks has found comfort and joy in ordinary things rather than unrealistic ones. "Barbie" for hook's was not enough of a comfort and she needed something real and closer to her own experience. Hooks was unable to relate to Barbie and at a young age could clearly identify the difference between illusion and reality. Hook's work may be just about baby dolls on the surface but she is spotlighting a much larger issue.

      As an American society we grow up relying on many unrealistic comforts such as media, movies, magazines and many more. If you asked an average person if they would prefer to watch a new, mainstream, unrealistic comedy about something that will never happen to them or read a true story on a worldly event, you more often than not could guess what the response would be. We fall victim to this behavior because it is part of our society and our culture. In these works we find an escape and an outlet from our mundane, 9-5 lives.We are told that we as Americans can live out the "American dream" and be rich and famous too if we "work hard" but this "dream" is too, unrealistic. We have become much more interested in the success in lives of others than our own. Actors in the movies and TV shows have events happening to them and we root for them and not ourselves anymore. A book or TV show about our 9-5 lives would never be interesting enough to film or write about and so we give into other people's. It would not be a strong enough illusion to distract us from our daily lives enough. Viewers and readers of all of the classes enjoy being entertained and our society needs this comfort, unrealistic or not it has and will continue to thrive throughout generations.


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Memories of My Childhood

First I want to begin by saying that I really enjoyed this short story, it was very relatable in many ways. The story made me think of my own childhood and my obsession with Barbie dolls. The ideas that Bell brought to the story made so much sense to me now but as a child I probably never questioned. I recall shopping for toys and noticing that the selection for the black dolls was always very slim or didn't have the same wide variety as the white dolls. I knew I looked more like the black dolls but didn't have a preference over which ones to buy. 

One thing that stuck out to me the most from the story was when the author said that Barbies were everything but real. I don't think this is completely true but it could be that the author is much older than I am. When I was a child they had Barbies that carried babies, came with kitchen sets, they were teachers, had grocery store sets, and jobs. 

When it came to playing with the male Barbies there was only one use for them. I could relate with the author again because I felt like the only purpose for the Ken doll was either marriage or dating. All the male dolls were so similar and I did want variety as the author mentions. I sometimes went as far as borrowing my brother's action figures just for a different look. 

Overall, I never had a preference for a doll of a specific race but I noticed the differences. Playing with Barbies was sort of a fantasy experience for me so I never looked for the differences between the dolls or felt like some were bought less frequently. 

Forwarding: hooks and Anzaldua *revised

I found reflecting on my own style of writing difficult to do.  I knew what I liked to write and who I liked to write for, however I had no idea how to describe my style.  This required further self-reflection, which was aided upon reading the assigned passages by bell hooks and Gloria Anzaldua. I began to realize and shape my style by borrowing ideas that truly resonated with me.
 

bell hooks’ piece, Memories of my girlhood  inspires such emotion, which is a goal of my writing.  I find writing poetry to be an outlet for ideas I am passionate about.  I construct sentences that demand to be read aloud, to be heard and absorbed, which I came to realize upon reading bell hooks Remembered Rapture: Dancing with Words. “Performing the words, to both hear and feel them, I want to be certain I am grappling with language in a manner where my words live and breathe, where they surface from a passionate place inside me.”  This passion in my writing has been limited to poetry, however I can now apply this to writing in other settings.  bell hooks, a critical writer in most of her published work, puts as much passion and care into critical writing as she would poetry or writing that is viewed as more creative.  I was always taught that emotion and passion was solely for this creative writing, such as my poetry. I will develop my style and use this passion in all of my writing, including critical and academic works.  However, using emotion in writing that is considered more academic raises issues.  People may view this as unprofessional or unacceptable. When writing, it is important to constantly have your audience in mind.  This writing can never have the effects that you intend if it offends or puts of your target audience. In my own writing, my goal is usually to  make a statement, to open the readers eyes on an issue or perspective that I find unjust or in need of attention. Gloria Anzaldua mentions this on writing for change: "It's kind of like a fish in the Pacific Ocean, with the analogy that the Pacific ocean is the dominant field and the fish is this postcolonial, this feminist, or this queer, or whoever is trying to make this change." It is evident that the fish has to work against the powerful and vast ocean in order to achieve the desired change.  As a result, the change intended will not result from my writing until I put effort into it and adapt the message for the audience I am trying to reach.  If I am writing a piece about the detriments of heteronormativity on America's youth for an audience who knows nothing on the subject, I will not open any eyes to this issue if the style not easy to understand and explanatory.  This would be detrimental because these are the people who most need to hear this message. By combining these two ideas from both hooks and Anzaldua, I now can apply this to my writing by including the emotion and passion I normally save for my creative works, while also keeping my audience in mind while writing.  

Forward: Torgovnick

At first, I had trouble understanding the point of Torgovnick's article.  I was unsure of what Malinowski's penis had to do with critical writing but everything was cleared up for me when she made the statement, "I felt that I was no longer writing for any committees-I was writing for myself.".  This made it clear to me that she was having trouble breaking free from the clean-cut structure of "traditional" writing.  She wanted to be heard and read, not for the sake of someone else's project, but for the sake of enjoyment and knowledge as well.  I am sure everyone who has ever considered themselves a writer has felt this way at some point.  I know for a fact that those who hate writing do whatever they have to and follow all guidelines just to get by.  Those who actually care about their audience want to meet them halfway.  They want to reach out to them in a way that makes them WANT to actually read what they have to say. Nothing is better than an active and interested audience.  The trick is to appeal to them in a manner that keeps them engrossed with your words.  I have this exact same problem.  I have always felt confined by standards set for me when it comes to written assignments.  In high school we were never given any written freedom.  We were handed a topic and told how to construct the paper and if it was not done "correctly", you received a bad grade.  How is this a learning technique?  You are stripping students of their individuality and unique thought process.  An educator who enforces their strict margins takes away a student's voice and creates yet another individual who will never consider themselves a writer because its boring or too strict.  As a future educator, I want to increase the love and interest in writing.  I want my students to express themselves in the written language and LOVE it.  Who knows how many thoughtful or groundbreaking written works the world has missed out on because students gave up on writing to inform, discuss or entertain?

Forwarding

         In Chapter two of rewriting, Harris focuses on forwarding as a concept of taking ideas or words of an author and then putting them into your own words and so called "forward" them by expanding on these words and ideas and making them your own. He then goes on to talk about academic writing as a conversation and by taking eavesdropping on a conversation, you pick up and make of it your own and the conversation will continue after you have gone. This can be lent to writing, because you take what you want from other authors, make of it your own and the writing will always go on after you because it is never finished. Writing is an unopened conversation.

     With this being said, when reading Torgovnicks piece on critical writing, she almost rewrites her on version of how critical writing should and is done. She talk about her piece on Malinowski, and how it was not the usual MLA format and how many may walk out and not approve of his work because of her format. She changed her previous format of the typical mundane work when she received peer review. She found that her audience welcomed it with open arms and had questions to ask. This proved that an audience is not looking for a specific format, just for the information to be represented in a way they can understand. At least, this is what I got from reading this article, there may be different interpretations.

      While reading I could almost feel Torgovnick feeling elated by this discovery and with me as well. I can see how this could work, I myself, think MLA is just another way for professors, teachers and the like to have their students conform. If a student does not follow this format, their academic work is tossed aside and not even read because it does not follow this specific guideline. It would not matter if their information, ideas etc. were enlightening, creative, revolutionary, it would be denied reading until it was formatted with MLA. This is almost sad, that a piece of work is deemed "wrong" without even being read. But Torgovnick's discovery found that if people just listen, instead of defining work by a particular format it is listed in then they find it is just an enlightening and just as "good" as anything else formatted.

     This is something I have fumbled across more then once in my career. As a future English teacher, I see the use of MLA the importance of it all, and the way it is implemented into education but I do not deem academic work as "wrong" just because it is not in this format. For one, this happened when I was just learning how to use MLA in the 8th grade. My teacher gave me a 0 and refused to read my paper until I fixed the formatting.
       Also as a teacher I would never want to give a student a zero. Students have enough trouble with self esteem and I would not want to contribute to that. Bullying is a prevalent problem in our society with school age children. If students are bullying other students, I as a teacher would not want to be seen as a bully either. My cousin just recently attempted to commit suicide because of being bullied at school. Instead of tearing a student down by giving them zeros, I would first want to make sure my students knew what they were doing before handing in work. This would give them the confidence to have pride in their work and pride within themselves. Students should feel positive and happy in school, it is a place for growing and learning. I would not want to contribute to the negative side of schools today, and I hope to change that once I became a teacher.

Then, when reading Hooks piece “memories of my girlhood” I saw this exact idea represented as well. Hook showed her emotions and thoughts in a more poetic and lyrical piece not a strict format. I was really moved by this piece I felt myself being put in her shoes. Although I am not African American, being a girl, I also have the same memories as playing with dolls with my sisters when I was younger. This small, but essential detail may seem of unimportance but in reality it just reminds me that no matter the color of our skin, that we are all just alike and all crave the same innocent things.

         I think being a young girl is hard enough with all the standards and expectations to live up to in society. When I was a young girl I had a toy similar to Hook's doll, which was my kitchen set. This set had a stove, oven, and food to cook. My sisters and I often played with this and one day I asked my brother to play. He responded with "No thats a girl toy". Also, I always say my mom cooking as a child, not my father. Even today, whenever my father is attempting to cook something I say "Dad get out of here let me do it". Society has a tendency to set strict gender rolls and often they are implemented into our daily lives and brains when we are children through toys. Just like Hook was taught that women are supposed to get married and be mothers with her barbie and baby doll is the same way I was taught through my kitchen set then women cook and work in the house.

Creative Crit: Torgovnic

While reading through Marianna Torgovnic's article on experimental critical writing, I became almost enthralled with her attitude. Her ideological and stylistic transformation impressed me. As she states, when she first began writing her essay on Malinowski, she was approaching it in a very clinical, sterile way; writing in a way that she felt would be found appropriate from a scholarly standpoint. After peer review though, she realized how dry and mundane her work was. There was no spirit, no voice to her work. Once she added her own voice, her work began to take off. This really resonated with me because it seems as if she began to look at her writing, though non-fiction, as almost a creative meaning; as art. This is an ideal I have always gotten behind; it does not matter what product being produced is, the process of its creation is a form of art. Whether that product be a painting, a poem, a song, or a building. The thought process that goes into creating nearly anything can be considered an artistic endeavor. To me, realizing that anything can be considered art and forwarded in such a way is the first step to creating something amazing and new. In my eyes, the aim of artist endeavor is to create something new that both conveys and evokes emotions. This ideal is how the world progresses. Nobody sets out to create what has already been created. That would be pointless. We do not strive to replicate the Mona Lisa, we work to expand upon it, to create the next amazing portrait.

Torgovnick seems to embody this ideal of creating something new. Rather than publish her black and white, sterile essay, she chose to rewrite it. This time, however, she used her own voice. She made parts funny. In a sense, she wrote a scholarly essay in a way that has not been done before. Nobody else has her voice meaning nobody could have conveyed these ideas and ideals in such a way as she did. She managed to write a scholarly paper while breaking free of the confines and stringent guidelines that so many other writers follow to the ends of the earth. Really though, isn't that what being an artist is all about?

“Experimental Critical Writing” by Marianna Torgovnick struck a chord with me because I struggle with my own personal style of writing at times. She speaks to the idea that one should be passionate about what they are writing and write in a voice that portrays that passion, not just states the facts in as much detail as possible. She says that “writerly writing is personal writing, whether or not it is autobiographical” which is an important statement because readers should be able to get a sense of what the writer is feeling, what their intentions are and why they wrote whatever piece is being read. In college I have been fortunate enough to be able to choose my topics of writing, which makes me feel as though I can make them a little more personal than simply an assigned topic that I truly don’t feel any passion towards.

This idea also resonates in bell hooks’s piece “Remembered Rapture: Dancing with Words.”  Her passion for writing made me wish I had an opportunity to have her as an influence earlier in my educational career. While reading the essay I felt like she truly believed in what she was writing and I know that my writing has not been that powerful in the past, but I am encouraged by her piece to work towards improving my writing in order to achieve that sense of passion and power.

Having passion in what you are writing about is absolutely necessary in order to create an entertaining and informative piece that readers are going to want to read. Educational programs often have mandated essays and topics for students to write, but I don’t think that students should be forced to write about any particular topic. Torgovnick expresses that academic writing is often writing that practically screams “I am the kind of writing that does not want to be heard,” but all writing should be written to be heard. Scholarly works don’t have to be mundane but many students are not taught more creative ways to write on serious academic topics. One way to allow students to write academically and with passion is to allow them to choose their own topics, within the large topic that is being taught. bell discusses the idea of performance because often times words are more powerful when spoken aloud and I think this is an excellent idea for certain curricula. Everyone should be able to express their knowledge in their own form of intelligence and if a student feels more comfortable writing a poem or a scene to a play, they should be able to do things in more creative ways as well. This allows writers to give their academic work a personal touch as well as feel more in control and powerful rather than composing a pile of facts with a few of their own comments for a professor or a teacher to read and assess. 

Bell Hooks reflection

In reading Bell Hook’s piece “Memories of my Girlhood” I was immediately taken back to my childhood and the memories I have of playing with my dolls, all of which happened to be white. I don’t believe my parents chose purposely to only buy white dolls over black dolls, I just think that my parents never even thought that buying an ethnic looking doll would maybe be a good idea to help teach their child that all babies, and people, are different. Our society’s history isn’t a pretty one, and because of the racist notions instilled by our ancestors, many people are simply ignorant to the subject altogether. Aside from racism, however, there is also a good amount of sexism embedded in children’s’ play as well. For centuries little girls have been given dolls and tea sets to play with while little boys are given trucks and action figures, but why? Don’t these little boys have the potential to grow up and be fathers? Why does the concept of learning how to take care of a baby fall to females while boys that may play with a baby doll tend to be looked down upon? I must admit that times have changed over the most recent decades and there is more versatility within toy options, and more parents are encouraging their children to play with whatever they want (within reason) instead of instilling gender roles at an early age. I also recently saw that the creators of Barbie starting making dolls that have more reasonable and realistic size proportions. Maybe if companies continue on this path then the different “isms” can begin to be eliminated in children’s’ lives, where they don't belong anyway. 

Forwarding blog

           

            Toys, those action-figures and dolls that when we were younger we just couldn’t seem to be able to get enough of when we were kids.  These toys can come in all shapes, sizes, builds, and even interests. But what do these different toys teach us? That every adult should be fit, clean, good looking, and in all ways of the word normal, or even perfect? How many perfect Barbie girls do you see today, or men who have abs and muscles beyond compare like G.I. Joe. The story “Memories of my Girlhood” talks about how Barbie isn’t real, and how the other doll she loves is more uglier then Barbie.  She is not real, and she shouldn’t be what children look to as an adult figurehead. But we are taught from a young age that we are wanted for perfection. Marianna Torgovnick writes on behalf for the Modern Language Association and I quote “ Like many people who chose the academic life, I have a fundamental need for a approval. I believe that at a young age, we should be raised to be different and special inn our way, not be forced to be normal, or simply another face in the crowd. Children I feel need to embrace the thing that makes them stand out. They need to reject the stereotypical “Barbie” and embrace their own “Baby” the special thing about themselves. They should be learning that it is not always necessary to seek constant approval from society. Only then will they learn to stand among the crowd as visionaries and new leaders.

Forwarded topic of writing used as therapy

In an interview that Gloria Anzaldua did in JAC, she was asked about how writing and activism is related to her. She says, “I think that a lot of the activism for writers and artists stems from trying to heal the wounds. You’ve been oppressed as a woman, or oppressed as a queer, or oppressed racially as a colonized person, and you want to deal with that oppression, with those wounds.” Whether it be any type of struggle that a writer goes through, to be able to write about it serves as a type of therapy and release. Even if the writing content has nothing to do with activism or oppression, I believe that writing about something that happened in the writer’s past can help them develop concrete feelings on the situation and let them grow as a writer. As writers we automatically go to the things that make up comfortable and is easy to speak about, but sometimes stepping out of that boundary helps develop our voice. Even if something is difficult to write about, that caused trauma in the writer’s life it is still easily reachable because it it is relatable to the writer. bell hooks in “Memories of my Girlhood” speaks about how she favored a black baby-doll as a child over any other doll not just because it reminded her of herself but she felt that those dolls were neglected and the white babies were the only ones that kids desired. In a way I feel that this type of writing was a therapy for hooks and helped her expand on how she felt during her childhood and what she thinks that it means now in her adulthood. I find that writing about something I do not necessarily want to write about is the best thing for me, after finishing what I have to say I’d never say, “Wow I wish I didn’t write that.”

Forwarding Torgovnick and hooks

As an aspiring environmental scientist, I want my discoveries to be heard. My biggest fear of my career path is writing convoluted research papers that the general public does not understand. I believe that the issues I am focused on are an all compassing, affecting subjects from aesthetic beauty, sociology, and human health to things such as economics and recreation. Regardless, I believe that the majority of discoveries in the field of environmental scientists are a conversation between other environmental scientists only. There needs to be a broader audience. Torgovnick states in Experimental Critical Writing that, “I was writing for myself…What I wanted was to reach a larger audience and to go somewhere new.” Torgovnick is calling for a change in writing for critical reviews; to write with a new style. Scientific writing is desperate for a change. It is usually stressed that scientists are only meant to publish the data that they discovered, and not to write about how things should change, or how policy makers should use the data.  This idea is bullshit; environmental scientists should report their discoveries to the public in at least a half enjoyable manner and use the passion that is stowed deep down inside of them, suppressed by the formal guidelines and restrictions imposed upon them. Then, we will find our audience and see our hard work beneficial.

Bell hooks wrote about the memories of her doll in her writing, Memories of My Girlhood. She vaguely describes what a perfect “woman” to society is like using Barbie as symbolism. This brings me to the idea which is usually brought up in sociology and psychology, the idea of gender and toys influencing child development. While I have had my own memories (of boyhood) I can remember that all of my toys or games also had some sort of image of a perfect man. As I played the The Ocarina of Time endlessly, I remember wanting to be Link so bad; saving the world and Zelda one water temple at a time. I mean think about it! Being able to catch ghosts in bottles, diving off 100 ft waterfalls, having a Goddess of courage by your side, playing an ocarina like a boss, and venturing into volcanoes would be amazing! Although the game may have influenced me, I know a lot of girls played the game too, and the memory stuck with them as well. I don’t think we should over-analyze the gender roles of toys, as some things are just inherently associated with gender. That being said, it does not stop kids from playing with toys marketed towards another gender. The real alarming thing about toys is parents shaming their kids for wanting to play with toys marketed towards other genders. I would feel so bad for any girl that was discouraged from playing The Ocarina of Time simply because the main character is a boy.

Passion and Racism

Forwarded idea--passion in a topic brings out strong writing.

Often in classes students must write about topics assigned to them; they may not find the topics interesting or personable. Marianna Torgovnick said in regards to writing, "I begin with material that I really care about or with material that I think I should care about" (27). For this reason, professors should allow their students to choose topics within a structure that fits their assignments whenever possible.
It is challenging for students to apply personal experiences or interests to a topic they dislike, so in this respect, students must work outside of their element to succeed. Perhaps even a student's strong resistance to a topic will lend an emotional drive necessary to finish the piece. Anger or disgust could lend a hand to covering a topic.
bell hooks's piece "Memories of my Girlhood" contains a clear, yet unnamed topic the author finds important: racism. Hook explains that she wanted a brown doll as a child not a white doll. From a minority standpoint, this is crucial for children to understand that one race is not supposed to be dominant or superior. Nowadays, Toys R Us and many other toy companies provide more options for diversity in dolls and characters. Still, white characters dominate in cartoon and animated film franchises as well as toys. For a film example, consider the extremely popular Disney film Frozen. 
It's hard for children to watch television shows where they don't see characters of their color. And it's confusing when all these dolls and toys have white characters with all the same physical traits and body shapes. Children of non white races feel foreign or inadequate when faced with these limited choices. Both racially diverse authors and characters promote a melting pot society, which seems to be the closest culture to harmony humans can reach.

bell hooks writes about poetry, plays, fiction, and critical non fiction essays that are meant to evoke a provocative feeling towards her listeners. throughout her essay she seems to brag about how great of a writer she is by explaining that she's written 15 novels or whatever, and that she receives feedback from all of her colleagues both positive and negative. I'm not here to downplay her achievements, I just found her writing style hard to relate to because my own writing style has to do with informational setting critical papers that involve research. I would forward her savant usage of words towards my own personal papers that I must type for certain classes because she has plenty of experience with conveying her own ideas down onto paper.

Freire's Dream World

Clearly, Paulo Freire cares (cared) deeply about others’ education, although in The “Banking” Concept of Education he challenges the word’s definition. He envisions a world in which people aren’t taught what they should know, but rather, how they should go about making sure they know.

Freire writes like someone who has seen the oppressive nature of total authority, and, observing such a dynamic in the classroom, is enraged by it. The idea of educators representing authority comes up several times in this article. His disdain for the expectation of students to act “meekly” in response to teachers is apparent.

He champions “problem-posing education” as a means to not only replace “banking” education, but to fight against the effects of it.

However, this isn’t an article about education, at least exclusively; it’s about social revolution. On page 209, Freire describes the individuals who perpetuate the “banking” system of education as people “who care neither to have the world revealed nor to see it transformed”. Here, he’s not talking about teachers who prefer their methods, or even principals, superintendents, board members, etc. He’s describing people in political power who, through inaction (at the very least) and intentional sabotage of educational progress (at the worst, and most probable), are able to maintain their positions of political, social, and intellectual power.

“Problem-posing education affirms men as beings in the process of becoming- as unfinished…”(217) It’s the pleasure of those in power to convince others that there is nothing meaningful that can be done to change the current situation- that the status quo is concrete and permanent. Freire is pushing for an education method which results in a populace that, regardless of actual knowledge, has a realistic and pragmatic grasp on the nature of reality. He insists that, since men (people) are both in and of the world, we are the world. He sees the world as changing; therefore people- and our institutions- should be just as able to change.

While the logic of his argument can’t be seriously denied (I’m saying that not only do I agree, but he’s objectively correct), the practicality has to be questioned. This was written about 45 years ago. Social change is slow, but Freire is also not the first to suggest we think critically rather than sheepishly accept our place in the world. I’m identifying a limitation here: if people were able to do this, we would have already. Even as it’s obvious that Freire is right, it’s just as clear that his ideal is impossible.

In an effort to not end on such a depressing note, I’ll point out that the nature of reality as Freire sees it, in all its impermanent, ever-changing eternal flux, pretty much guarantees a time in which oppressive authority is impossible due to critically-empowered masses. Whether we, or even our species, will be around to see it is another discussion.

The Banking Concept Likens that of Lord Voldemort

Paulo Freire's purpose in "The Banking Concept of Education" appears to be men realizing their potential through problem-posing education. This education system requires open communication between teachers and students who continuously inform and challenge each other, which produces a critical thinking environment.
Joseph Harris defines a" project" as what an author intends to accomplish through her writing. Freire argues in favor of problem-posing education because it causes people to reflect "on themselves and on the world, [and to] increase the scope of their perception," and it produces "authentic form of thought and action" (Freire 215-6).
Freire insists that problem-posing education inspires students to see their potential as individuals and that they can change the world. Human beings are constantly transforming and impacting the future. Freire explains that if oppressors (teachers) hinder students from free thinking and communication then they commit an act of violence. Individuals desire learning and seeking knowledge about themselves, and when deprived of such, they become insolent and could become oppressors themselves thus continuing the cycle of abuse.
Freire readily rejects the banking concept of education, which involves teachers depositing knowledge into "complacent" students.
Banking concept is not a useless concept as every novice must begin somewhere in her education. She can't communicate in an intellectual discussion if she knows nothing from the start. Public school systems should promote both banking concept and problem-posing education systems because students should learn from professionals and also discuss what they're learning. A teacher benefits from this free discussion because she  bonds with her students and can better serve them where they struggle and succeed.
Some flashpoints in the text...
The block quote about necrophily. Freire limits himself with this connection because he's comparing banking concept students as these mechanical parrots who lack vitality and substance. That pushes the banking concept into an exaggerated evil.
"Anger" and "suffering" It is an interesting idea that men become angry when they cannot think freely and seek their potential.
Freire's writing aims to educate a reader about two different kinds of education: banking concept and problem-posing. He notes the differences between the two concepts, but he heavily favors problem-posing to the point that he alienates banking concept as some unnamed darkness much like Lord Voldemort.
Freire's methods include some block quotes, lettered bullet points, French quotes, and italics for emphasis and terms. He utilizes philosophical and political strategies. Philosophical by discussing men's potential and affect in the world and political by expressing society's use of oppressors and oppressed.
"The Banking Concept of Education" has an ongoing emotional drive for social injustice. It feels like an irritated young adult making the transition to adulthood, and she realizes she's ill-prepared for the world. Freire continually encourages a sense of wickedness on behalf of the banking concept while avoiding any possible benefits for the system.

This is a test post

Like I said- test post.

Coming to Terms with Paulo Freire

This piece, "The Banking Concept of Education" by Paulo Freire, was very thought provoking and required me to look back on my past experience in school with this new critical lens.  Freire writes about this banking concept with such passion and ferocity that, while reading, I found this passion contagious. Reflecting on my past, the teachers that allowed and encouraged curiosity were the only ones I remembered fondly; they treated students as individuals rather than an audience. The more I thought, I realized there were teachers that used this banking model. They taught information for the benchmark test, then moved on. Freire took this banking model one step further than I have ever considered; that this model, set in place by the oppressors, encourages a complacent student.  As an Education major, I am familiar with this kind of impersonal teaching style.  In my world, it is also called the Transmission Model of Education, or Direct Instruction, all of which my professors have advised against.  This leads me to believe that an audience for this passage would include education professionals and future educators. This seems to be a call to action, to make a change in the way we educate our students young and old.  Some educators may not even realize they are using this banking model, and their eyes must be opened.  In the banking model, according to Freire, teacher and student are anything but equal, stating that "knowledge is a gift bestowed by those who consider themselves knowledgeable upon those whom they consider to know nothing. (208)”.  There is a definite power imbalance when students are educated using the banking model, and, like this quote, implies that the students cannot teach the instructor anything.  The exchange of information is less of an exchange and more like a one way street. The solution that Freire suggests is the problem-posing educational method, which encourages students to reflect on their education and utilize their creativity.  A limit that the text includes an inclusion of the standards many countries use to regulate education, this banking model may come from the challenges many teachers face while trying to educate students under these restrictions. 

Paulo Freire response

After reading Paulo Freire's The 'Banking Concept of Education, I can say with confidence that my view of the current existing model for our education system is broadened in a positive way.
His idea of The 'Banking' Concept focuses on the relationship between the educator and the student, and the importance of neutrality within the environment.

Freire's viewpoint in the article revolves around two stages of the teacher's agenda in which he prepares the lessons and later feeds them to the students, focusing merely on the concept of memorization rather than critically thinking. On page 208 of the article, Freire writes, "The student records, memorizes, and repeats these phrases without perceiving what four times four really means, or realizing the true significance of 'capital' in the affirmation 'the capital of Para is Belem..." Freire wants the reader to recognize that there is something missing from the learning process; there is an important concept that is being skipped entirely. The concept that is being mishandled is how to understand material and know why the material is existing.

From my viewpoint as a student, the disconnection in the current learning process that teachers present is further emphasized by the altered student-teacher relationship. Freire delivers the concept of equality in the classroom and how this subject influences the methods in which youth learns, which I thoroughly enjoyed. If a teacher acts as if they are above a student, which happens a majority of the time, the students are "easily dominated" and "oppressed." I like the terms Freire uses because oppression prevents an individual from doing what they are destined to do; in this instance, a student is destined to understand material and a teacher prevents the understanding, but rather continuously feeds information while simultaneously ignoring why.

The only problem I see within Freire's logic is that, as a college student, I have had a handful of professors that are truly interested in my opinions and ideas and pursue the idea of critically thinking. Although there are few educators that have attempted to initiate this concept in my life, I have learned to appreciate the few instead of focusing on the majority that do not.

Coming to Terms with "The Banking Concept of Education" by Paulo Freire

“The Banking Concept of Education” by Paulo Freire really surprised me and opened my eyes to issues that educators are facing that I never acknowledged, let alone knew existed. As a future educator I imagine myself having class discussions where the students feel comfortable enough to consistently participate. The thought of my classroom feeling like a dictatorship where the students cannot speak their minds is haunting and cruel. We are all life-long learners and that means that whether we take notice to it or not our knowledge is expanding daily from all different people, age groups, and within different environments. I personally look forward to learning from my students. No matter how many times you teach one lesson or novel every student you have will have a different opinion and thought about it, and sometimes they will surprise you with an answer you never thought of. That is the beauty of teaching.

Paulo Freire establishes the issue that the “banking education” system is creating. “Banking education” is diminishing student teacher relationships, students fully grasping the information they’re being taught, and positive classroom environments. It makes the classroom feel more mechanical and eliminates the personality of the class. “Education thus becomes an act of depositing,” (208). Freire is trying to stress to his readers how the “banking education” system is ruining the overall education system. Students are no longer truly learning the information; they are simply memorizing it for when it’s needed and depositing it away immediately after.

While explaining and deeply observing the “banking education” system, Freire also develops upon this teaching solution, which is called “problem-posing education”. Freire’s main purpose is not only to have educators stay clear from “banking education” but to incorporate the “problem-posing education” system. Specifically on page 216 and 217 he goes into great depth about each system and compares and contrasts the two one directly after the other. Personally, this section was one of my favorites because it served as a recap and brief summary of what the reader has read up until this point.

One thing Freire lacked was statistics and concrete evidence. While he does go into explicit detail about what the “banking education” and “problem-posing education” systems are, can we be certain this is all accurate? Some examples and details he used were eye opening and really made me realize what I should and should not do in my classroom. On the other hand, is every teacher diminishing their student’s capability at being their absolute best in the classroom? While some educators can be harsh and less open to the possibility of learning from their students, not every educator is like that. I am a sophomore at Kutztown University and every professor I have had that pertains to my major has been open to class discussions and hearing what we have to say and how we feel. Therefore, is Freire’s argument entirely valid?

It is so important for educators and their students to have a good relationship with one another. When students feel safe, comfortable, and respected within the classroom by their peers and their teacher it creates a positive classroom atmosphere and some extraordinary lessons and discussions. Whether the accusations and arguments Freire makes are accurate, educators today and future educators need to all realize that we are all a student. In the classroom everyone, including the teacher, is learning. We all educate each other in some way. There needs to be equality and fairness in the classroom and students should be eager to participate and ask questions. I do not feel an education system, such as the “problem-posing education”, can be the solution though. I feel that if these issues are occurring the educator needs to find it within them to overcome their stubbornness and realize that if you are not open to learning from your peers and the students you are educating, then why are you a teacher?