The Final Countdown

Typically, I always write about our class assignments or what we have talked about during the week, but this week is a little different.  I got into Glasgow Veterinary School so I will be spending the next five years (starting next September) living in Scotland! I am so excited because I’ve been wanting to be a vet since I was tiny. My mom tells me stories of how she would take me to our local farm in my community multiple times a week, and I would never get tired of seeing the animals. This semester I have had an internship with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in Harrisonburg, where I work in a necropsy lab, microbiology lab, and serology lab.  It has been an amazing experience. Farmers will bring in dead animals and I work alongside two different veterinarians to try and figure out the exact cause of death.

Over Thanksgiving break, I went up to Times Square for an interview and I was super nervous, but I’m so glad it ended up going well! I’m a little scared to be moving to a different part of the world but I’m excited for the adventure. I hope to be a poultry vet one day since I’ve very interested in human health and food animal production.  I have also ridden horses since I was little, and I’m on the equestrian team at JMU. I hope they have a team over there as well since I never want to stop riding!

As far as this class, I have enjoyed the class and it’s been a fun semester. I’ve learned a tremendous amount about character archetypes and what it means to be a hero. I do think that movies, films, books, comics, etc. do impact the way we think. When I have a bad day and I watch a great film, it can change my mood. I also look up to several superheroes and I think that they teach us what morals and values we should uphold.

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Last week, we finished watching Wonder Woman. I can honestly say I prefer the version we watched over the one that came out in theaters last year.  I think it was pretty cool how she used female stereotyped items like heels to defeat the bad guys.  She also did not necessarily need to use a sword or a weapon, because the rope/lasso she carries with her makes her victims speak the truth.  Again, one of her biggest values is being honest and those values are even represented in her weapons.  I also like the fact that as an Amazon, she does use her sexuality to her advantage, and when men doubt her, she uses that moment they underestimate her to come out on top. When she and the American soldier go back to the United States and are almost jumped by the men in the street, she is wearing nice clothes and a pair of heels.  She defeats all of them and they never would have expected that a woman would try to hurt them.

Her character type reminds me a lot of Khaleesi in Game of Thrones.  Khaleesi also uses her femininity to her own advantage.  She has the poise, strength, and dedication to not take what men say seriously, as she realizes that her priorities and values are more important than trying to make men believe that she is powerful.  She kills slave owners and frees the people, gathering soldiers to fight for her because they want to, not because they are forced to do it themselves.  Wonder Woman also gathers a following of supporters, and she does this because of her strength and dedication, not by using fear tactics to scare those around her in to liking her.  I think that both of these characters want to see the future be better for generations to come, and they always seem to have plans for how to defeat the bad guys and make the world a better place.

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Last week, we spent some time discussing Batman’s character and watching clips of him.  I love how diplomatic he is, as he is not worried about getting credit for his good acts, as he just wants the world to become a better place.  I think this is very applicable to the way we are in the real world.  People tend to be “concerned” for others and go to Africa and other impoverished areas to help starving children for a few weeks, and they come back feeling great about themselves.  Instead, many of the orphans and other children get attached to the Americans who come visit, and the projects that the Americans do sometimes are more of handouts than sustainable contributions.  I think people should want to travel and search for programs that benefit others in the long run, instead of traveling around the world doing non-sustainable projects for a week or so (and don’t forgot how every college student who goes abroad just has to post an “Instagram worthy” photo of their adventure so others can see their “great work”).  I wonder if social media did not exist, if there would be as many of these African study abroad trips to “help” others.  I think people need to focus on helping others in the best way possible and not always look for a reward. Batman exemplifies that beautifully.

Another topic I wanted to discuss is Wonderwoman and her presence as a superhero.  I love Wonderwoman and I think she is an incredible hero who inspires others and saves the world. My only issue with her is that while Batman and Spiderman get full-on body suits to wear, Wonderwoman goes around trying to fight in a skimpy little outfit with her boobs sticking out.  It makes me think how we live in a society that objectifies women even when we try to show them as powerful.  I’m not trying to say that she needs to be in a Nun robe, but I think that there is no reason for her to be in a tiny spandex dress that barely covers her while the other super heroes are well-covered.  It makes me wonder if she is a good role model for young girls, since children today are more concerned with their appearance than years ago.  I know children as young as eight with Instagram accounts, and they follow celebrities and blogs who show airbrushed models.  Wonderwoman is super tall, skinny, white, and big-chested.  Is that the image we want to portray to our children as someone to look like? I feel like that gives girls an unrealistic standard of beauty.  I’ve never once seen a female superhero who is full-bodied or a woman of color.  I challenge her character type because I think her role is fantastic but the image of her may be unrealistic for viewers.

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In this blog post, I would love to discuss my paper due this Thursday.  I had a fun time writing it, especially since I feel like I relate so much to the character. I wrote about Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, an extraordinary queen who embodies so many leadership characteristics.  She begins her journey by being a slave to Drago, the leader of the Targaryens. While at first she seemed to be his sex slave, she instead uses that opportunity to change herself from the position to a victim to that of a queen (khaleesi).  When she had to have sex with her husband, she would make him look her in the eyes and he learned to respect her since she became the one in control.

She also would not take any crap from the men who tried to underestimate her.  When her dragons dropped her off in the middle of a field and she had to figure out a way to get home, she ended up being kidnapped by a group of nomadic Dothraki.  The Khals there wanted to decide who would rape her first, but she traps them into a hut and sets it on fire, knowing that she is untouched by the fire itself.  Like I said in my own paper, she inspires me because despite being a woman in a society dominated by men, she uses her “weakness” as a woman to her advantage.  She knows men will think less of her and not take her seriously, and the moment she sees a opportunity to strike back, she takes it.

I also love that she inspires people to follow her. Some leaders demand respect and instill fear in their followers, but Khaleesi knows that instilling fear will not break the cycle of hatred and poverty in society.  She wants to create a better world for the future, and by breaking chains of slaves and killing the masters, she allows the people at the bottom to obtain new power.  As a leader in several clubs on campus and in my groups for class, I realize that getting angry at people is not a method to inspire people to work harder.  Instead, I try to help my group members succeed by helping them and answering any questions.

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Last week in class we read a piece from Edgar Allan Poe.  I went to the University of Virginia before transferring to JMU, and I think it’s so cool that he attended there! When I was reading his piece, I thought it was well-written, but I did not really take away much from it until we heard The Raven in class.  Dr. Critzer discussed just how amazing it was that Poe wrote in a way where if you said the words aloud, they would resemble the sounds of an object.  When Poe wanted curtains to rustle, his would use choppy words that sounded like rustling curtains.  He also used a tremendous amount of symbolism in his pieces, as we discussed in class how the Raven seemed to fly and position itself on top of a bust over the door frame.  The door symbolized a portal to another world and Ravens themselves are symbols of darkness and mystery.

By including these elements of symbolism, he adds an entire new dimension to the story that I would not have realized before our discussion in class. Sometimes during the YouTube clip I found it difficult to understand the old English.  Some of the words seemed foreign and while I tried to grasp the theme or even minor elements of the piece, at times it seemed difficult.  I’m glad Dr. Critzer paused the clip at times to almost “translate” what was going on so the class could understand.  In terms of the actual piece we read for class, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, I found it so interesting that he used an orangutan as the killer in the piece.  Throughout the short story, the suspense builds up higher and higher.  The killer drags this old woman up a chimney, and the only creature able to do that with such incredible force would be a orangutan or another monkey.  The description of the actual killing seemed so graphic and horrific.  The story made me think as a reader to try and hypothesize what could be the actual killer. I hope we get to read another Poe story since I really enjoyed this one!

Blog Post: Ant-Man

Last week in class, we watched parts of Ant-Man! It has been an amazing movie so far. I love how Ant-Man starts off as a robber (ironic since he is extremely educated), but chooses to rob houses to get more money.  He has felony charges because of that and cannot get a job.  He swore to himself that he was done with robbing houses, but he decides to do one more job, and ends up finding the Ant-Man suit.  During that entire experience, Hank Pym watches him freeze the safe and explode it.  Ant-Man is very creative and intelligent, and instead of Hank putting him right in jail, he uses Ant-Man’s skills.

One of my favorite parts of the film so far was seeing Ant-Man start to get acquainted with his powers.  He starts off extremely inexperienced (almost being stepped on by people and even almost drowning in a bath tub).  We see his character progress from being naive and quite immature to becoming a strong character with incredible fighting skills.  I think this is relatable even to my own life because when I first started riding horses, I had trouble figuring it out. Over time, I figured out my strengths and trained to strengthen my weaknesses.

I’m eager to watch the remainder of the film and see how Ant-Man defeats the bad guys and develops even more as a character. I really hope that he gets the funds to pay his child support and see his daughter again.  She seems to look up to him as a hero even with all of his flaws.  I can relate to that with my own father (although my father does not have criminal charges like Ant-Man) because he does everything for me and is willing to drop anything he is doing to help! I think the film does a great job of showing the importance of having family and what it means to be a strong character!

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Last week, we only had one class and the Thursday class was relatively short, so I did not know exactly what to write about from last week. Instead, I want to focus on the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass for this week’s blog.  I cannot imagine having the life that Douglass had growing up, living in horrible conditions, and eating small amounts of cold food.  Douglass has to witness other slaves around him being beaten or killed, but since they are deemed “property” by the law, there are no repercussions for the slave owners.

I find it very interesting that despite Douglass’ upbringing, he learns to read when he is sent to Baltimore to live with the Auld family.  After the original slave owner dies, Douglass has to live with Covey, a cruel slave owner who beats his slaves to instill his own form of power and control.  Douglass moves from master to master and eventually tries to escape up the Chesapeake Bay.  When he does escape and moves to New Bedford, he had to work doing odd jobs. He eventually learned about the anti-slavery conventions held in the North, and after attending one, he began to represent and write for the abolition of slavery.  I admire that from the beginning Douglass is an advocate for himself.  He has a sense of confidence, fighting Covey when he was being cruel, trying to escape even though his life is at risk, and writing for the abolition of slavery.  He seems to cross boundaries and knows that his life may be at stake, but the abolition of slavery must happen in order for others to live peaceful lives.  He risks his own life to help others.

If I had to put myself in that situation, I don’t think I would ever have the confidence to try and escape up North.  If I ever got caught, I would be sent back down back to my slave master and possibly even raped or killed.  It takes someone who an immense amount of confidence to risk their life in order to try and be free at last.

Blog Post: Traditional American Indian Education

Typically, I know with the blogs we should talk about the previous week’s discussion and film.  I already posted two blog posts about Captain America, so for this week, I really wanted to focus on talking about American Indian Education.  It is interesting that we are studying this in Hum 200, because in my Hum 251 genocide class, we just finished watching Soldier Blue, a film about the genocide of the Native Americans.  With that fresh in my mind, I would love to discuss the reading for this week.  From the Soldier Blue film and this reading, I have learned a tremendous amount about Indian culture.  I am amazed that the Indians have such a strong system for passing traditions down from generation to generation.  Each member of the tribe feels a responsibility to not only learn from their ancestors and elders, but also to educate the next generation to do the same.  I think that that creates very strong ties between members of the tribe and teaches the young members about responsibility, tradition, values, and morals.

As a young child, I would always love when my mom and dad would tell me stories before bed time about their childhood.  Even today, I can still recite the stories exactly how they told them to me.  The storytelling time was something I looked forward to and it brought me closer with my family.

In terms of the Indian boy’s training for their own education, I like how the author discussed the misconception that “the characteristic skill of the Indian is instinctive and hereditary.” It is hilarious that people could actually think that as a baby, an Indian boy or girl would already know the practices of their tribe.  As humans, we learn from watching others and practice.  I found it very interesting that the Indian children would not get to drink soup because that was reserved for the elders. There seemed to be a huge hierarchy within the tribe, and as you reach certain ages, you have different responsibilities and privileges. I also love how much respect that the Indians had for nature.  To them, nature was not something to be taken advantage of, as it was a gift from their gods to be borrowed with care.  I am really excited to discuss more about their traditions in class today!

Blog Post #5

I just want to start off by saying that I LOVE Captain America.  My favorite part of the movie was actually towards the beginning during the military enlistment. The military rejected Steve Rogers because he had a frail looking body and many health issues.  When Rogers enlists for Project Rebirth, he turns into a super soldier. My favorite part though was when he jumps on top of a fake grenade, a tremendous act of bravery to save his fellow soldiers. He really was the perfect person for that project because he was so humble and caring and would put his powers to good use.  After getting injected with various serums, he comes out of the machine as super human. The scientist who gave him the opportunity to have these powers reminded him to be a good man, since strength is not everything.

What the scientist said about “staying a good man” made me think of what it is like to be a student or work in the real world.  My mom always reminds me that if the most brilliant people in the world do not have the social skills to work with other people and be good collaborators, they tend to not go far.  Sometimes the people who are not necessarily the smartest but the hardest working with the most determination succeed.  What my mom told me reminds me of the film because Rogers was a 90 pound man who could barely do a push-up.  The scientist saw potential in him because he had a big heart and had the bravery and work ethic of a champion.  I think the film teaches us good life lessons to work hard and fight for your dreams.

Captain America then proceeds to fight the HYDRA science operation led by Red Skull.  Red Skull thinks he is a god and wants to blow up the world to prove his strength.  Captain America fights him and eventually wins.  I loved all of the action in the film and I thought the director did a great job with Captain America’s costume design.  Captain America has a full America themed costume with a circular shield made of a substance called “vibranium,” which absorbs vibrations.  I love that this movie can bring audience members together since patriotism is a prominent theme. Captain America fights for the good of the United States and I think that he has such good morals and values that everyone can learn from.  I loved the movie and I can’t wait to talk more about it next class!

Blog Post #4

Last week, we spent Thursday finishing the Lone Ranger film, and I would like to go into detail about my thoughts.  I really have enjoyed both Tonto and John’s characters, and I think we see John’s character develop a tremendous amount throughout the film.  At the beginning of the film, he thought that anyone who did any wrongdoing needed to go on trial in a court of law.  He wanted JUSTICE! After he began to see the amount of injustice in society and the fact that most terrible people did not ever go to court, (since they just kept hurting others) his perspective changed.  He even remarked that he wanted to be an outlaw to fight against the horrible people in the world.

Although I think the film is an awesome action film and I loved the mystical white horse, I think that at times it could be a little bit too cheesy.  I’m not a big fan of films that always make women look weak and that they need to be saved all the time.  I felt like Rebecca was an incredibly intelligent and powerful woman, yet she needed John to save her and her son.  I wish that they could have made Rebecca a more powerful character who fought with John to fight the bad guys.  The time Rebecca did try to throw coal at one of the bad men, she got hit in the head with another piece of coal and passed out.  It just put a bad taste in my mouth that basically anything she tried to do was useless.

Despite my one negative critique, I think the film did a great job of showing the viewers what happens when you destroy culture and become greedy.  We see that many of the White men wanted gold and silver to get rich, but they were willing to do whatever it took (even if that meant hurting indigenous tribes) to get what they wanted.  I think it is vital that future generations understand how problematic it is to hurt other cultures. This film does a great job of teaching morals and lessons while also showing thrilling scenes that keep the viewer wanting to watch more! I would definitely recommend this movie to a friend and I am really glad that we got to watch the film in class!