Final Act: Reflection

I remember the first day of class so clearly. I was scratching my face, when Ms. Thompson called on me to answer a question. I was so surprised and froze for a couple of seconds. To sum it all up, the rest of the summer session is pretty much like the first day; full of surprises. When I first found out the course was going to be taught through a book of key words, and the essays in blog format, I did not know how to react. I was often frustrated at the keywords that we had to read, and often found it difficult to participate in class. The blogs, I thought they were relatively easy to write, until i found out I was not writing it correctly. So as the third week of the quarter approached, I had to find a way to climb back to a better standing grade wise. This was not easy at all. It was still difficult for me to fully engulf myself in the class discussions, but every once in a while I was able to throw in my understandings and opinions on the topics. To aid my quietness in the classroom, I commented on more blogs than usual. By doing so, I was also able to draw ideas from fellow classmates to help improve my own essays. Blogging seems like a easy task, but it is not the case in this class. I struggled tremendously on almost every blog, sometimes spending 4-5 hours on one assignment. At the end of each week, I would anxiously wait for Ms Thompson's comment on my blog. To see her approval by my improvements week after week, not only was I able to sleep better but it made me feel accomplished.

This class is a unorthodox environment for me, and I am glad I stuck to it. This is the first time where I felt I learned something from an English class and not just have to worry about my grades. In the end, good job Ms T.! You've done a great job!

Rock

Rock (1905-10) derived from the Middle English term "rokk(e)" (1300-50). The original use of rock, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a geology term used to describe a stone with a large mass that forms a cliff or any other natural prominence. Today, the use of rock closest to its earlier use is used to describe stones of any shape.

The word rock has come a long way since its earliest history. Its use today is extremely versatile, and appears in countless connotations other than its scientific connotation. It first appeared as a genre of music. Rock music originated in the late 1940's, and laid the road for the terms "rock and roll"and "rock star". Early references cited rock music as a musical rhythm accompanied with a strong beat. "The Cotton Pickers..came on with a steady rock that was really groovy." (OED) The term was later mainstreamed and used to describe popular music of the 1970-80's. "This is politics fashioned for the young: ‘the *rock culture’, it is being called." (OED) As the rock music became more popular, so did the diversity of the term "rock". Musicians from other genres especially the hip-hop community, were often referring themselves as rock stars.

In a world of countless slang words, rock has certainly made its mark. It begins from the exclamation of "that rocks" as a way to express how spectacular something is. The term is used to express the weight of the narcotic drugs cocaine. This is considered to be street lingo, and is commonly used by drug dealers or police officers. The word "rock" commonly replaces precious jewels such as diamonds by jewelers . It is even used to inform bartenders to put ice in one's drink; drink on the rocks and having an organism; you rocked my socks.

The word rock has derived into many parts of the English language. Each use of the term means completely different things. Naturally, from a less objective standpoint, there is no clear relationship between "a rock" to describe cocaine and "a rock" to describe a jewel because they are so different socially and literally. After analyzing the original definition of the term, every connotation derived from its origin can all be connected in some way. For rock music to actually be considered to be rock mucic, musicians would need instruments like guitars and drums to produce a certain level of sound and energy. This energy, figuratively, resembles something larger than life. Mountains, like Mount Everest, is more than qualified to be considered larger than life. When a drug uses the phrase "a rock", a customer asking for a "drink on the rocks", or something telling their spouse you "rock my socks" most people would not think of it to mean the mineral. Although different in literal meaning, rock music, and all forms of slang can certainly be connected back to its roots.

Much of the keyword's current connotations are directly linked to today's media. As discussed in class, much of today's media is desperately holding on as part of the mainstream, though this was not the case prior to technological advancements in the world. Rock music is played on more radio stations than any other forms of music. Lifestyle, through reality, second life or cultural differences all connects with the keyword. The use of slang can associate and discriminate people with different lifestyles. Ultimately, only in a society that is being more tolerable will new innovations of languages bloom.

Lesson 1. Don't Be So Naive.

It is a hot summer day and I am impatiently circling the outdoor parking structure of Sacramento's Arden Mall. The raging hot sun beaming down on my car does not make the situation any better. Finally, after what seemed like hours of mindless driving and waiting, I find a parking space cramped between two huge Ford F150 trucks. As I make my way inside the mall, I notice 4 parking spaces right in front of the mall totally unoccupied by anyone. My first thought is to run back to my car and grab one of these spaces before anyone else does. That is until i noticed the following sign:Disability is a great deal in the United States since it makes up a relatively large portion of our population. Over 40 million Americans are disabled according to AMNews.com. My decision to write about the national disability symbol is because of its discrimination by "bunching" individuals and its failure to produce peace.

Although the construction of this pictogram is fairly simplistic, it represents and serves a much greater meaning than just what meets the eye. To further analyze this, the components used to create this sign must be observed first. The picture is a disabled person sitting in a wheel chair with a dark blue background. The complexity of the picture is not complex at all, and lacks realistic human facial features, gender identification, and clothing. Instead, a stick figure is used to create the picture, thus making it rather difficult to distinguish the person's gender since the complexity and diversity of humans is replaced by a stick figure.

The picture, previously stated, is a disabled person sitting in a wheel chair. This alone is discrimination. Of the millions of Americans who are disabled, everyone have different levels of disability. Some cases of disability may be severe, while others not so much. However, the handicap symbols creates the idea that all handicapped people are equally disabled when that simply is not the case. Although there are those with minor disabilities (ie: sprained wrist) who would gladly jump at the opportunity of not having to pay for parking meters or take the time to find a parking space, there are many people (my father) who does not register for a handicap permit because the discrimination is harder to accept than the the perks provided by the government. This is mostly due to how much we, as people, perceive through pictures, and the handicap symbol is a perfect example of that. The symbol's purpose is for everyone to be more aware of those with a disability. People in wheel chairs are very severely disabled since they do not have the ability to walk. The intention of using this disability as the the national symbol for handicapped individuals shows a sense of urgency and sympathy. However, the positives does not quite exceed the negatives. Not only are many handicapped individuals offended because they are not as severely disabled as how others percieve them, but it also leads to discrimminations towards disabled individuals from those who are not. Instead of creating peace and tolerance, the handicap symbol creates instead discrimmination and disruptions.

In Japan, there are levels of disability. Through a numerical series of 1 through 7, doctors percribe the level of disability for each patient through a disability card. Discounts for public transportation, remodeling etc. are given to everyone with a disability card, but the rates are different for each level. This method is seen as very effective because of the equality and respect behind the practice. It not only protects the government from giving too much to those who does not need as much, but also allows others to give help to those who needs it. The United States' method of "bunching" everyone in one class is certainly inferior to that of Japan.

Although the handicap symbol is intended to help disabled individuals and hold public awareness to others, it produces a deeper unintentional meaning. Underneath the surface of the emotionless and simplistic stick figure is a world erupting of discrimmination.