matei887 – 20-1 Writers

Duality of Maturation / Deception

matei887 20-1 A, Free Choice, Personal Response December 15, 2021December 17, 2021childhood, deception, growth, Maturation, vulnerability 0 Comment

Response to “a Child Before a Mirror of Strangers”.

Before we are born, the quality of our childhood has already been decided. We are brought into this world as a blank slate, free of corruption; yet, we are divided based on our families’ stature. Sex, race, money, social status, and environment are well out of an infant’s control, but determine a child’s life as well as how they mature and act. Some will be born into poor families, they will be exposed to the struggles of life, having to work from the day they learn to walk. While the more fortunate, needn’t lift a finger to obtain what they wish. We are all forced to mature, some earlier than others, but eventually we will all move past the sweet freedom of childhood. As all children grow, they are exposed to a great many things, forcing us to respond, and with that response we experience change. This change can be thought of as maturation. Many may believe that maturation is a villain, for it strips us of innocence and burdens us with the monotony of life. Yet maturation is necessary; it prepares us for the future, it allows us to succeed as adults. Those who are forced to mature young, those who were born into an impoverished family, are faced with a life of struggle, fighting to stay alive. Our childhoods cannot be chosen, they are dictated by factors that are out of our control; but, maturity allows for freedom. It is the factor that allows us to pursue our destiny, to move past these factors of birth, and carve out our own lives. Maturation is a double-edged blade, much needed, but when it comes too early, the chief innocence of childhood is replaced with an obligation to survival.

Response to “Sirens Song”.

Many of us believe that we are above the siren’s song, that we are truly unique and different from the rest. We are drawn in by the helpless pleas of the siren and her wish for freedom, encouraged to come ever closer. Yet we fail to see that we are the helpless ones, believing that this siren is different from the rest, failing to look past her song. I am no different- I too fell for the melody. I thought this to be interesting as, while analyzing the poem with my group, we truly thought that this was a poem of conformity, one where the siren hated the song and wished to be rescued. Oh, how wrong we were. As we continued to read, it became apparent that we had fallen for the siren’s song. This depicts the theme of deception as well as the relationship between man and woman in society. In pretending to be weak and vulnerable the author drags us in, believing that we are powerful, and she is in distress and forces us to leap overboard into our inevitable end, demonstrating the siren’s deceptiveness. It also shows how men in society believe that they hold power over everyone, believe that they are different from the rest, and can set all straight. But in reality, they are helpless and easily tricked.

Citations:

Unknown. (2017, October 24). Putting children First ,action to tackle child poverty. End Child Poverty. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://endingchildpoverty.org/en/news/in-the-news/368-putting-children-first-event-calls-for-action-to-tackle-child-poverty

Unknown. (2021). Stages of maturation man from infancy to maturity. 123RF. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://www.123rf.com/photo_15219365_stages-of-maturation-man-from-infancy-to-maturity.html

W.S.S.W (2019, February 19). Cryptids-of-the-world. Wanna See something Weird? Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://cryptids-of-the-world.tumblr.com/post/182910878536/sirens-are-described-as-mermaid-or-bird-like

Santa Claus

matei887 20-1 A, Personal Response, Response to Literature November 28, 2021November 29, 2021acceptance, comfort in consistency, comfort in the known, Ignorance, Journal 8, Seeing the light 4 Comments

Santa Claus, the symbol of Christmas and gift-giving. As children, many of us would spend the year trying to be good, leaving a plate of cookies and a glass of milk under the tree to await the welcomed visitor. For many years, the thrill of the morning awakens us from our slumber, drives us down the stairs and to the base of the Christmas tree. Years and years go by until we finally start to question the validity of Christmas.

As a child, I grew up believing in Santa as a result of the superficial reality that arises from the naivety and ignorance of youth. Childhood is similar to the cave in that children often accept what is preseted to them, for they lack the knowledge needed to question what they see, similar to that of the prisoner. I was imprisoned by the impressions I made from my limited knowledge of the world; I saw what was present and took it to be true. But, as I started to get older and started to get more knowledge I was able to reflect on the validity of Christmas, looking towards the light, and meeting it with pain and confusion. I had been so entranced by the presence of Santa Claus that when I found out that he was simply an illusion I had a hard time believing in this newfound reality. I found comfort in what I grew accustomed to and had little desire to part ways with it. I was perplexed by the fact that I had spent the better part of my life believing in something that was not true, like the prisoners with the shadows on the wall.

Eventually, a time came where my parents explained to me that it was, in fact, them who had been leaving the presents, eating the cookies, and drinking the milk. I had a hard time accepting this to be true. After all, the depiction of a large, jolly, man clad in red was appealing to an 8-year-old boy. As a result of being brought into the light, I had entered a defensive mood, one where I shut down any attempts of reconciliation. Instead, I chose to ignore the thought of Santa’s unreality, I found feelings of uncomfortably and pain when thinking about it. I fancied the shadows to be truer than the object that was revealed to me by my parents. This process stemmed from my familiarity with Santa Claus. I had spent eight years waking up on a specific morning every year, running downstairs to find that the cookies had been eaten and the milk had been drunk, and in return for my good behavior he had left me a present. People around the world take comfort in that which they are accustomed to, they have taken the shadows to be true, never seeing anything else. They find the shadows appealing for that very matter, for when you introduce the idea of the objects or the world outside of the cave an ignorant individual will find comfort in consistency.

After a few years, I was constantly exposed to the fact that Santa was not real because of my fellow classmates who had also been enlightened. This constant exposure to the light, that being Santa’s unreality, forced me to grow accustomed to it and realize the foolishness of my reluctance. As a result of my acceptance, I began to question the validity of other aspects of my life. Looking back on the things I thought to be true and wondering if it was a result of my own ignorance and limited knowledge of the world.

Citations

Martinez, N. (2019, March 1). The allegory of the cave: How it still matters when it comes to “fake news”. Medium. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://medium.com/@nicholasamartinez732/the-allegory-of-the-cave-how-it-still-matters-when-it-comes-to-fake-news-810b391a3e88.

McClure, S. (2014, November 17). The allegory of the cave. BlackBerry ThreatVector. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://blogs.blackberry.com/en/2014/11/the-allegory-of-the-cave.

Reactions, A. (2015, June 1). The allegory of the cave by Plato (excerpt from … – youtube. The Allegory of the Cave by Plato (Excerpt from The Republic). Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UchtCa1uQqk.

Unknown. (2019, December 24). The history of Santa Claus – from 123dentist. 123Dentist. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://www.123dentist.com/history-santa-claus/.

Fear of failure- Matei

matei887 20-1 A, Uncategorized September 17, 2021September 27, 2021failure, fear, motivation, uncertainty 4 Comments

“When the stresses and difficulties of life are present, the fear of failure can cause individuals who are uncertain of themselves to have low self-confidence because of said uncertainty. This results in a lack of motivation due to the fact that they feel that they will fail regardless; in order to overcome this fear of failure, individuals must learn to stand steadfast and face their problems head-on.”

In the course of human history, individuals have been tasked with facing the perplexities that life presents, which has subjected them to feelings of stress and hardship. During these times of hardship, Individuals often find that they suffer from a lack of confidence which can lead them to hinder their abilities due to the doubt the fear of failure creates. For the most part, individuals tend to act this way because the sense of doubt created from a lack of self-confidence acts as an inhibitor leading individuals to constantly worry about their ability to perform. This also may lead an individual to stop trying in the first place because they think they will fail anyway. This insecurity is a result of the previous failure that the individual has undergone, these preexisting failures act as a prerequisite, essentially building up the low self-confidence that the individual will struggle with. Because of this, individuals will often find it difficult to find the motivation that will allow them to finish the task at hand. Not only will the individual lack a sense of motivation but feelings of doubt will also act as a barrier preventing that certain individual from moving forward. These feelings of doubt are developed because the individual feels as if their previous shortcomings were a reflection of their overall ability which would lead to the fear of failure. Individuals who doubt their own capabilities often tell themselves that they will fail, so there is no real reason for them to try, which leads them down a path of sadness and unfulfillment. These individuals will then find it hard to climb out of this tunnel of sadness and unfulfillment, everything that they do, whether it be good or bad, would not evoke any feelings. In life, it is important to develop a sense of self-confidence that will allow you to achieve your desired destiny. These people who are able to develop a sense of confidence will find that the sky is their limit.

Throughout the last few years, I have started to experience the hardships that high school has presented, specifically the increase in assignments and course load which has led me to feel an increase in stress. As a result, I have started to struggle with the completion of assignments and preparation for tests because I find myself feeling that the work I have done won’t meet the standards that are expected of me. Because of this, I have developed feelings of low self-confidence that have started to impact the way I approach my life, primarily through negative thoughts. This negativity often acts as a barrier that prevents me from giving my all; I end up telling myself that I am not going to succeed and there is no point in even trying. By doing this, I am ultimately setting myself up for failure which acts as a sort of drive that pushes me to complete the task at hand. But this contorted excuse of a work ethic leads me to feel no sense of fulfillment when I do succeed, instead, it was what was expected of me and I should constantly be achieving this same result. I have now realized that the only way I can live up to my expectations without experiencing the low self-confidence and doubt that is tied with it, is by developing a sort of peace in my life where I face my problems head-on rather than pushing them off to the side. In doing so, I am able to resolve these problems before they become a source of stress that will lead me down a trail of uncertainty.

Citations:

Gill, John, et al. “Practical Tips for Overcoming the Fear of Failure – and Success.” Times Higher Education (THE), 23 Mar. 2019, www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/practical-tips-overcoming-fear-failure-and-success.

Taylor, Jim. “The Real Fear in Fear of Failure: Part Iii.” Dr. Jim Taylor, 5 Oct. 2020, www.drjimtaylor.com/4.0/the-real-fear-in-fear-of-failure-part-iii-2/.