Lord of the Flies

Posted on by shannonf2015

Three Reasons Why I Would Want Ralph as my Friend

 

If I was stuck on an island with a group of boys (what a nightmare!), I would want Ralph as our leader. Why? Because he’s intelligent, understanding and organized. He doesn’t let the influences of the other boys affect him,  only until the end with the feast, but what can you do? No one is perfect and at least he recognised what he had done unlike the rest of the boys. He guides the group with his top priorities and treats everyone equally. What better leader could you ask for?

 

1. He has Common Sense and is Quite Mature
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Ralph is quite a mature kid for his age. Instead of playing around and having fun on the island like probably any  other boy would, Ralph focuses on survival. Even though he’s like thirteen, he acts like an adult. He holds meetings where he proposes the signal fire in order to get ships’ attention and is the first to realize they need a leader on the island. Who would’ve thought of making a signal fire? Any other boy would’ve probably started playing tag or cry due to loneliness. He’s like the older brother of the group, not as strong as Jack but at least he uses his head and not intimidation. He continues to tell the boys they have to keep the signal fire going which becomes a new goal for the boys and he uses the idea suggested by Piggy about building huts for shelter. Ralph also speaks up when needed to like when he approached Jack because he was only focusing on hunting and didn’t keep the fire lit. His maturity is shown through how he takes action by confronting Jack and his tribe. Overall, his intelligence and maturity makes him a very trustworthy leader who knows what’s best for the group. Way to go Jack! I’m definitely sticking with this guy.

 

2. He is Organized

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Ralph is so organized I just don’t understand. Although not everyone listens to him, Ralph makes an effort of setting rules and boundaries in hopes of keeping everything in order and at peace. He is so organized it’s unbelievable, I would definitely like to be his friend. He stays on topic and doesn’t easily get caught up with theories or questions like how Piggy does. Thank goodness! He has priorities which allows him to lead the group with success. Even when the beast was introduced, he didn’t let it affect him. That’s some incredible self-control right there! He guides the group of boys and keeps them in line by focusing on survival. He makes the rule that only the person with the conch can speak and may not be interrupted. (Again, he is so mature!) His true leadership is demonstrated by his awareness that there must be restrictions and laws in order to maintain a civilized society to avoid chaos. He also gives out specific tasks such as making sure that they are keeping the fire burning and even makes specific areas a place to go to the bathroom, to keep potable water as well as building the huts in order to keep the island organized and tidy. He treats the island like a new home while giving everyone chores including himself. Such an organized thirteen year old!

 

3. He Treats Everyone with Respect

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What makes him such an awesome leader and friend is his leadership style. He gives everyone a chance to share their opinions and to be part of making decisions. That’s the definition of a true leader and friend. He treats everyone equally and defends those who are too weak like when Jack was bullying Piggy (Poor Piggy!). Even though Ralph didn’t like Piggy in the beginning, he starts to value his opinion and him as a friend. He is able to consider each opinion before making decisions. For instance, when Ralph was voted chief, he could tell that Jack had the desire to have control over something by the way he was blushing, so he let Jack lead his choir of hunters. It’s amazing how Ralph can be so thoughtful with such an intimidating, arrogant and mean bully like Jack. He is open minded even with the opposing political party and doesn’t make decisions until everyone contributes their opinion. I would’ve probably started ripping my head if I had to deal with a meanie like Jack, that’s why I need Ralph to help me calm down. This goes to show that Ralph is an easy going guy who is willing to listen to anyone. Wouldn’t everyone like to be treated equally like how Ralph treats his group? I know I would.

Synthesis Essay – Meaning of Life

Posted on by shannonf2015

The Meaning of Life

 

Many people spend most of their lives trying to discover what to do with their valuable time which leads to the open-ended question: what is the meaning of life? The movie Dead Poets Society directed by Peter Weir takes place in 1959 in Vermont Boarding school Welton Academy. The story follows young boys who meet Mr. Keating, a young, passionate, and enthusiastic English teacher, who teaches them the values of thinking differently by finding their own voices while inspiring them to join the Dead Poets Society club. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” written by James Thurber is a short story set in the 1930s during the Great Depression. The story is based on Walter Mitty, an old man who fantasises in order to escape from reality to make his life more engaging. The movie Dead Poets Society and the short story “The Secret life of Walter Mitty”, both demonstrate different perspectives of life due to the obstacles being faced while finding a purpose. Todd and Neil from Dead Poets Society are encouraged by their English teacher to think freely to be able to discover themselves, whereas Walter Mitty retreats into his daydreams and imagines himself as a hero. In contrast, Todd and Neil are still youthful and are in search of a path unlike Walter Mitty who is trying to relive his past to escape his mundane life but continues to live freely through his dreams. Ultimately, both show the great significance of living life to the fullest while living under pressure, either by parents and society shown in Dead Poets Society or loved ones and society in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”.

To begin, each individual in both sources have different perspectives on the meaning of life because of their difference of age and morals, while being faced with different barriers they must overcome. Todd, the main character in Dead Poets Society is young, naïve, and shy. His fear of public speaking limits his ability of expression with also the pressure of his successful older brother weighing on him. The conflict between him and his mind telling him he is not good enough is discouraging, until Mr. Keating makes him do a “yawp” in front of the whole class. This “yawp” opens Todd up, leading up to the point where he has original poetry filled with passion seamlessly slip through his teeth. At this moment, Todd starts building up confidence and starts learning the importance of taking action in order to find his inner self that has been in hiding. Furthermore, Todd grasps Mr. Keating’s teachings and learns to contribute his own verse by jumping onto his desk and reciting “O Captain! My Captain!” (Weir) which is a reference to the poem they learned with Mr. Keating about Abraham Lincoln. Mr Keating wants to be called “Captain” in order to break the wall between teacher and father figure. The action of standing up shows that he is challenging traditional ideas and stereotypes in order to be free. He is saluting Mr. Keating to show that he understands his lessons, and that he has broken his shell and evolved into an independent young man. He learns to find his own voice and to stop letting the fear of getting expelled affect his opinion, opening his eyes to his true purpose. On the other hand, Walter Mitty tries to be a hero in his daydreams due to self regret. His fantasy world is out of the ordinary, absurd and filled with action and adventure. He lives under the pressure of society and his domineering wife but continues to make dull activities engaging and exciting. He also tries to open up to his wife about his feelings but gets rejected instantly: “’I was thinking’ said Walter Mitty. ‘Does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking?’ She looked at him. ‘I’m going to take your temperature when I get home’ she said” (Thurber). Walter’s attempt of expressing his emotions to his wife shows that he sees his fantasies as not simply foolish dreams, but a secret life where he can escape to when needed. His words to his wife show that he still finds it important to make every day feel like a new day by facing new challenges, fears, and experiencing unforgettable adventures even in his head. Even though he cannot do many things physically, he still shows the relevance of keeping his inner adventurous and wild self. Therefore, both sources demonstrate how the difference of ages affects one’s viewpoints on the meaning of life.

Different sets of tones and moods are also used to spread their messages to the audience in order to effectively reach out to those that have been in search for their own purpose. In Dead Poets Society, Mr. Keating’s passion and personality shines through to inspire the audience to find their voices, making him come across as a father figure for many. He uses lots of poetry and literature to teach the values of expression and nonconformity. This effective usage of poetry inspires the audience to dig deeper into the meaning of life, and to take action in order to make one’s life exciting. When the Headmaster of Welton Academy talks about the four pillars of Welton to the students, they all stand up with synchronized voices: “’Gentlemen, what are the Four Pillars?’ ‘Tradition. Honor. Discipline. Excellence’” (Weir). This demonstrates the strict traditional system of rehearsing this belief to brainwash them into thinking the only way to success is to follow tradition and to work hard to get a good career. The boarding school already plans the student’s futures, giving them a limited guideline of how to live their lives rather than allowing the boys to choose their own path and to give them opportunities to discover themselves. In the “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, humor is used but because Walter’s character comes across as someone who is in desperate need of escaping reality, the mood comes across as sad and depressing. This tone and mood that the author uses makes it seem like the reader is making fun of him, as if he is pathetic, and just a regular old man who cannot do anything but simply dream. Additionally, the story is suspenseful and dramatic throughout the variety of fantasies to contrast his real life. The opening sentence, “’We’re going through!’ The commander’s voice was like thin ice breaking” (Thurber), tosses the reader into the middle of an action scene without any context to give the same immediate sense of reality to Walter’s fantasy life as is given to his real life. This usage of dialogue shows the complexity of Walter’s personality to show he feels free and alive in his dreams, and sometimes gets so involved he doesn’t know what is happening in his surroundings. Therefore, both sources share their messages by using different sets of moods and tones in order to effectively reach out to the reader and audience.

Lastly, both short story and movie teach valuable messages about the reasons of one’s existence and how to take action. Dead Poets Society teaches the importance of embracing your individualism and to make your lives extraordinary. Mr. Keating uses “carpe diem”, meaning seize the day, to inspire his students to look for opportunities and to make the most out of them. He teaches his students that young, timid men and women need to find their inner wild self to find the strength to be themselves. The dialogue between Neil and Mr. Keating also shows that young men need to connect with older men in order to find a mentor that will guide them through their life journey: “’Have you ever told your father what you told me? About your passion for acting? You ever show him that?’ ’I can’t.’ ‘Why not?’ ’I can’t talk to him this way’”(Weir). Neil feels more comfortable with Mr. Keating then his biological father, showing the importance of finding someone that will accept one’s decisions and opinions so that one may discover more about themselves. On the contrary, Walter Mitty’s message is about living life to the fullest before you feel regretful while also demonstrating the importance of not letting your age limit your capabilities. It’s better to try things then to not experience them at all, even if it may have a negative impact instead of regretting what it would be like. He continues to fantasize even when his wife does not support him. The symbolism of the last scene when Walter stands in front of a firing squad, represents him standing in front of the people that always harass him for dreaming: “He took one last drag on his cigarette and snapped it away. Then with the faint, fleeting smile playing about his lips, he faced the firing squad; erect and motionless, proud and disdainful, Walter Mitty the undefeated, inscrutable to the last” (Thurber). He stands in front proud and undefeated. This shows the relevance of sticking to one’s beliefs and dreams even if many disagree to show others the power of uniqueness and imagination which may soon help the breakage of stereotypes of old men. Based on both sources, they show the importance of taking action and to embrace your dreams in order to live a full life.

To conclude, Todd, Neil, and Walter show their own meaning of life and how they persevered through the difficulties of living under pressure. From the evidence shown, the boys in Dead Poets Society learn that their purpose is to find their own voices, and to diverge from being ordinary while also taking every opportunity. Walter Mitty learns that the purpose of life is to make life interesting, daring, and captivating, while keeping one’s adventurous side as one ages. Although each character discussed have their own definition of the meaning of life, they all learn that in order to find their purpose, they must be dauntless, brave, and speak out so that one may decide their own path, giving them the strength of ignoring the negative influences of others who limit their dreams and potential.

 

Works Cited

Dead Poets Society. Dir. Peter Weir. 1989. Film.

—. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” The New Yorker 18 March 1939. Electronic.

 

Two things I did well: 

I was able to write a good opening with a strong hook and write a good thesis. I also used good transition words.

Two things I need to remember: 

To cut out deadwood to make my statements direct and to the point and making sure to explain in depth the quotes that I used in my essay.

 

 

 

 

 

Spoken Word

Posted on by shannonf2015

The Problems of Being Short and Looking Young

“Do you need help sweetie?” “How old are you?” “Where’s your parents?”

I get these questions all the time, as if I’m a sixteen-year-old held captive by my child-self.  My toothpick arms make a rock climb for every toilet paper rack at supermarkets with adults swarming to help me. No free samples at Costco without my mother by my side in case I’m “lying” about my own allergies, or being shoved in the middle seat, squished like I’m an overused stress ball.

We short people live through the eyes of a five-year-old constantly looking up: either up people’s hairy nostrils, their moving jawline, or simply getting squished into our friends’ boobs. Our purpose is to be objectified as an armrest for those who are too lazy to balance on their own perfectly slim legs, stuffing up our noses with the noxious, stale stench of flies flying out their armpits. The lagging school days of lunging up the stairs leaves my legs crying in agony, and a thirty-minute walk turns to a thirty-minute power walk to keep up with my slender man legged friends.

To add on to these atrocities, I can’t even get a proper meal. Due to my baby face and minuscule hunched armadillo body, I’m instantly handed a kid’s menu. A KID’S MENU! Do I look like I’m 12? Despite my attempts of ordering from my mom’s menu, with direct eye contact and an obvious finger indication on the menu to the waiter, she brings me a fudging miniature sized burger. I did not live another four years for the same calories as my nine-year-old brother, thank you very much.

There’s also the daily struggle of having our view blocked by towering bodies and being shoved around like we’re in pinball. A day at the movie theater becomes dodge ball from the blocking of tall heads, large crowds becomes a stampede of rowdy sweaty bulls trampling on our ant bodies and standing in lineups turns us into waddling penguins.

Although it’s infuriating to be short and to look young, there are some advantages. For instance, I can get away with taxes, I have plenty of leg room on planes, and I get away from heavy duty work.

I am also skilled at hide and seek and getting piggyback rides.

But the unwanted tattoo I cannot remove is the term “cute”; it’s stitched in my skin. No “Hot” or “Beautiful” is ever puzzled together with my face. And no, I do not want to be referred to those, but the fact that I’m told “You’re so cute!” as my permanent so-called-compliment makes me want to gag.  I am not a baby, or a puppy, ok? And please don’t tell me to wear heels to solve my height issues; those unbearable human-made torture devices are unacceptable for my virgin feet.

Now being small does not always hide me.  Whenever it’s picture time, my spotlight shines, front and center, provoking my shy stomach. My teenage clothing sags like filled up trash bags and I must strain my husky words to be heard. Worst of all, 5th graders heights are either equivalent or greater than mine making me petrified of hyper children.

So before you treat me like a child, let me make things clear.  Yes, I am sixteen, yes, I am short, and yes, I do struggle. But hey, at least I get to save money by wearing kid’s clothing.

  1. Two things I did well

I was able to use lots of metaphors, imagery, and some similes throughout my writing, and I was able to present it quite well. I usually don’t do a rant because I find them quite difficult; however, I am proud I was able to take my experiences and make it into a piece of writing to share it with my short folks.

2. Two things I need to improve on

I need to improve on my speaking when I present, and be more insightful when I am writing. I found myself running out of breath a lot while I was presenting so I need to find a way to make sure I do enough pauses. I did talk faster when I was in front of the class as I was really nervous, so I need to find coping methods to help me calm down before I present. I also need to start going deeper into my writing and just improving my writing in general.

3. Obstacles I encountered and the solution

While I was writing this spoken word, I tried to think of different ways of explaining my emotions or how I see things using metaphors or other descriptive words but I found this quite hard. Luckily, I managed to think of some by writing down my ideas first then thinking of ways to express/ show them without simply telling them. I also am not good at rants and I was hesitant to do this but this feeling of being short and young really got to me so I decided to go for it. I did in the beginning struggle on how to rant as I do not know how to; however, I managed to by imagining myself ranting to those that treat me like a child. I am proud that I decided to do a rant this time and that I was able to do a decent job. I am also proud I was able to make some people laugh as I am not very funny.

Narrative Essay: The Torture of Living with my Childhood Friends

Posted on by shannonf2015

Honestly, there is not much I am proud of in this essay but if I had to pick, it would be my word choice and how I implemented the dialogue. Instead of telling the story, I was able to use imagery to show the story and to describe my feelings throughout this experience. I am also proud of how I was able to put dialogue throughout my essay in a way that flows through the story.

I need to improve on how I end and resolve my conflicts. I need to improve on not ending the story too abruptly and to add more details about what has happened after the climax and falling action. Another thing I need to improve on is to make my stories more engaging and to have better transitions.

 

The Torture of Living with my Childhood Friends

“No, I don’t want to be with her! Why don’t you?” exclaimed Samantha.

“No, I’m always partnered with her!” argued Tiffany.

These were the people who I thought were my friends. The ones who knocked on my door to go ride our bikes, the ones who ate lunch with me, and the ones who invited me to their birthday parties. We stuck together like strong hydrogen bonds, constantly following each other like a girl’s club. I was the one who tagged along no matter how nasty their words burned.

There was four of us in the group: me, Samantha, Makenna and Tiffany. We hung out everyday at school; our lockers were perfectly aligned, and our flawless synchronized walking made it more believable we were the ultimate dream squad. Every movement and opinion became a trend; if one of us didn’t follow, they would be crucified by the group’s judgemental eyes. Music choice, singing voice, and dancing skills were all the requirements you needed to be accepted in the squad. Big Brain? Forget that. All you needed were some ears, a pair of eyes and a neck to do all the nodding to become one of their minions.

To make it even more cheesy, we wore heart necklaces which represented that we were BFFLs (Best Friends For Life)! Beyond cooler than the standard BFF. Samantha, the one I knew since kindergarten, convinced me to change my misfortunate diy hairstyle, cut by my own mom, to growing out my bangs so that I can become “pretty” at the age of seven. I began to grow my bangs and wear only the clothing we bought together during our shopping trips to the mall: black leggings, stylish pastel coloured t-shirts, and some converse shoes.

Whenever we were together, they did most of the chatting: fun activities they did over the weekend, inside jokes I didn’t understand, and boasting about something in their life. I was the loner of the group. I couldn’t get a single word in the conversation, with my questions and comments drowned by their voices, while feeling useless.

You know the stereotype Asian people get about having small eyes? Well I was one of those victims, by my own friends. While we were waiting for our parents by the school under a big oak tree, Samantha pointed towards another girl named Olivia, one of my classmates.

“Hey! That’s Olivia. You guys look kind of alike,” Samantha says as we lay on the patchy prickly grass.

“How?” I asked.

“You both have small eyes.”

If she couldn’t be even more offensive, she stretched her eyes out with her fingertips, making her eyelids a thin line as her eyes. Everyone laughed, and I awkwardly laughed as well.

The next day, I met up with my friends before class started. They were chatting about some guy they all liked, with their flirtatious googly eyes while twirling their perfect shiny hair; I could almost picture arrow hearts piercing through their chest. If only that really happened.

“I think he likes us,” stated Samantha.

“Definitely,” added Tiffany in agreement.

Samantha’s eyes turn towards me with her nose scrunched like I was a piece of old gum under her shoe.

“But I don’t think he likes Shannon,” added Samantha.

My self esteem instantly went down the drain along with my shattered heart. From that day on, I became self conscious, only focusing on my impurities. Not only did they rank me the “least prettiest” in the group, they criticized my eating habits, my clothing and my personality.

During summer in grade eight, we planned to go to a show to see our favourite youtuber, Tyler Oakley. I was stoked to watch my artificial dose of sunshine live without my phone screen. When the day arrived, I jumped out of bed with a sleepy widened smile, while grabbing my new neatly laid out clothes. I slipped on the black ruffled skirt covered in daisies and my silky ocean blue top, gliding my hands across the soft fabric and putting on my silver heart necklace given by my parents. The cold metal pressed against my skin, cooling down my excitement that was flooding through me.

As I walked towards the building where they held the show, I noticed in the corner of my eyes Samantha, Tiffany, and Makenna striding across the street with their dazzling matching outfits and their gracious hand gestures that flowed through the air like a ballerina. It was entrancing, however, I had to stick to my roots and make my move. By the time I caught up to them, with the sun making my hair greasy and sweat dripping down my forehead, the first words that came out of my mouth was a croaky “hi”.

“Hi, do you have your ticket?” asked Samantha with a fake smile.

“Yeah! Right here!” I responded with excitement.

“Cool, let’s get in line then.”

When we got in line, filled with nauseating screaming girls surrounding me, behind, I heard whispers between Samantha and Tiffany.

“What is she wearing? That skirt is so short I can see her underwear!” whispered Samantha.

“I know, who does she think she is?” added Tiffany with a sneer.

“How did her mother let her out like that?”

The words took a punch to my stomach, making me unbalanced. My face started to heat up from embarrassment; therefore, I decided to tie the quilted sweater I took in case it gets cold, around my waist. Relief swarmed through me like bees buzzing back to their hive once I was completely covered. When we entered the building, bright lights and loud music blasted through the room. The set up was like a movie theater, but with more levels of seats and every seat filled with a screaming teenage girl. It was horrifying and awesome at the same time. Our tickets held our numbers which determined our seats. We sat on the third level; perfect view from above. When we sat down on the red velvet cushioned chairs, Samantha started making eye contact with Tiffany. They spoke to each other during the thirty minutes before the show started. Since I was sitting between them, my body was bending back and forth like a ping pong ball in my seat while they spoke, bending in front of me and behind me. When will they stop, I thought. I wanted to say something, but I didn’t want to upset them. Therefore, I stayed quiet, swaying back and forth like riding on a seesaw. Five minutes before the show, the lights were getting dark, signaling Tyler’s arrival! I wiggled my bum in my seat with anticipation, when Samantha asked Tiffany a favor.

“Tiffany, can you move seats with Shannon?” asked Samantha.

“But I like my spot, no one tall is blocking my view. I’m the shortest out of all of you,” I protested.

“Just move!”

The only thing I could think of was move. What else could I have done? Yell back at them in public? I was already afraid of speaking and getting kicked out of the group, leaving with no friends. I switched with Tiffany, with my view now blocked by a middle aged, tall, bald man; probably the father of the daughter sitting beside him. Makenna noticed I was awkwardly stretching my neck like a wannabe giraffe, so she kindly told me to switch spots with her. Although I was completely shattered and devastated, it was quickly replaced with happiness when Tyler Oakley walked on stage.

When the show ended, Samantha and Tiffany left with their parents without saying goodbye. Makenna and I shared an awkward hug and our day ended there.

Near the end of summer, it was time to get ready for High School! The first day of transferring to High School was not so bad. I may have walked into the wrong class room, spilt tea on my new top and tripped into a garbage can, but I managed to go a day without seeing my friends. From that day forward, I decided I didn’t need them anymore.  I met up with new friends, who are my friends till this day, who are accepting, honest, and trustworthy. I didn’t have to act anymore, just be myself.

Despite feeling ignored and mistreated by my frenemies, a valuable lesson came out of this experience. We shouldn’t feel the need to stick with those that have hurt us physically or verbally even though we’ve kept a long friendship. People continue to come in and out of our lives and some may re-enter, but true friends will always be part of our lives.

 

Inquiry Paragraph: How does it feel to be Transgender?

Posted on by shannonf2015

 

How does it feel to be Transgender?

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http://cjung-allen.wixsite.com/genderverification/single-post/2013/05/01/LEAVING-SOUTH-EAST-ASIA

In the spoken word “What it feels like to be Transgender” by Lee Mokobe, the author expresses his emotions and feelings as an uncomfortable girl, wanting his desired identity to be a boy. Although his body parts, face structure and voice completed the requirements of a girl, anatomy did not defeat his belief that inside lived a caged boy. As someone who is religious, he continued to pray, hoping Jesus would fix him, but no answer arrived. When his mother tells him, he could be anything he wants, he decides to be a boy. Despite feeling shameful and conflicted with questions, he starts dressing like one, unaware of the consequences he may face with his family: “When I turned 12, the boy phase wasn’t deemed cute anymore. It was met with nostalgic aunts who missed seeing my knees in the shadow of skirts, who reminded me that my kind of attitude would never bring a husband home, that I exist for heterosexual marriage and child-bearing.” (Mokobe). His mother, ashamed of his decision and afraid that he will get hurt or disappear without a trace of words, has put him down for wanting to express himself. This shows that he does not have the support of his family or anyone at his school, and therefore, he is on his own. The environment that surrounds him has also become haunting and harmful as there are many transgenders that lost their life. His life has become a spectacle, everyone flooding him with unwanted questions of curiosity, mixed with ignorance and persistence. He was treated as if he was not human and used as a freakshow on social media: “That my body is a feast for their eyes and hands and once they have fed off my queer, they’ll regurgitate all the parts they did not like” (Mokobe).  As a result of being a transgender, many feel they are doing wrong and feel ashamed of wanting to change genders. They are filled with uncertainty, not many being embraced and supported by their family, and are afraid of the conflicts that may arise. Their life continues to be in the hands of danger and they are confused and lost on how to take action. Therefore, life of a transgender is a self-discovery journey that is filled with obstacles such as shame and conflict as well as unwanted media on their queerness, which may result in family conflicts and becoming the spotlight of danger and social media.

 

 

Works Cited

Mokobe, Lee. What it feels like to be Transgender. May 2015. March 2018. <https://www.ted.com/talks/lee_mokobe_a_powerful_poem_about_what_it_feels_like_to_be_transgender>.

 

Opinion Piece – Should Teams use First Nations as Mascots or Logos?

Posted on by shannonf2015
First Nations for Sports

https://canadianhistoryworkshop.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/treaty-8-logo_fliped.jpg

Sports teams have used First Nations as mascots and logos for many years, causing controversy on whether the act should continue or be prohibited. Some indigenous people find the team logos offensive and unnecessary, while others, including fans of the popular sports teams and First Nations themselves, believe it is not derogatory towards First Nations.

There are positive influences in using First Nation culture as a logo. For one thing, it brings awareness to those who are blinded to notice the presence and history of First Nations. It carries their footprints through a well-known brand, giving them recognition for being the owners of the land. While this may seem like a positive trend, there is still controversy on certain team logos and mascots, which dehumanizes them with exaggerated features or stereotypical images. This demeans the Aboriginal people resulting in them being placed into an inferior category; therefore, there needs to be a limitation. Having said that, referring to them as First Nations does not demean them. For these reasons, sports teams should be allowed to use First Nations as their logo, provided they seek their permission and approval. Take Edmonton Eskimos as an example. The term “Eskimo” referred to the Inuit people as eaters of raw meat; in other words, unintelligent cavemen. The Inuit community have spoken out hoping for a name change, but no change was made. Despite having the federal government and Inuit organizations stop using the word in early 1970s, the Edmonton CFO football team continue to use it. Words used to appropriate a culture and turning them into entertainment is disrespectful. In this case, the Edmonton Eskimos should have considered the Inuit people and communicated with them first to avoid causing harm.
Using First Nations as logos should not be banned, but there are certain boundaries that need to be considered. Rita Pyrillis, a Native American born and raised in Chicago, has shared her story of the difficulty living with transparency through her writing Sorry for not being a Stereotype. People assume she is an immigrant as her appearance does not fit the perception of a First Nation to others surrounding her. They see right through her, unable to tell what is fact or what is fiction: “Sometimes strangers think I’m from another time. They wonder if I live in a teepee or make my own buckskin clothes or have ever hunted buffalo.” (Pyrillis). Based on these stereotypes, they are treated as simple people stuck in the past. To this extent, sports teams should research the history behind the names they plan to use to avoid generalizing an image of First Nations through their logo. In the graphic novel Rising Above by Steven Keewatin Sanderson, he shares examples of positive and negative stereotypes that exists throughout accessible resources. Positive stereotypes deconstruct First Nations, adding new perceptions to their image, which both raises the standards and gives an unrealistic image. Negative stereotypes generalize their actions and appearance, giving an identity that small minded people would understand. Steven, using the example of Pocahontas, wrote about the fact that many illustrated novels sexualize First Nations, portraying them as weak and nothing more: “Aboriginal women are more than just objects to be sexualized, they are strong powerful leaders and the givers of life.” (Sanderson, 39). In view of the above, sports teams should not deconstruct First Nations to meet their standards for logos. They are acceptable as long as they keep their logos realistic, respecting and honouring First Nations true identities.

In conclusion, it is acceptable for sports teams to use First Nations as their logos while being mindful and respectful of the symbolic meanings and significance to the First Nations. Researching about their history and communicating with the owners of the culture is far more acceptable than just borrowing from it.

Works Cited

Obed, Natan. Edmonton Eskimos Name Debate. 22 November 2017. March 2018. <https://globalnews.ca/video/3874931/edmonton-eskimos-name-debate>.

Snowdon, Wallis. Edmonton Eskimos name an insult to the Inuit, says local Inuk woman. 14 November 2017 . Monday March 2018 . <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-eskimos-name-change-inuk-critic-1.4401422 >.

 

Wonder

Posted on by shannonf2015

The Human Condition

The novel Wonder, written by R. J. Palacio, takes place in Upper Manhattan in New York City. The story shows the life of a young boy named August Pullman, also known as Auggie, who has been homeschooled by his mother due to complicated health issues to a cranio-facial abnormality. When August turns ten, his parents want him to attend school, so he can learn how to navigate the world outside of his town house. The day he attends school, kids and other parents give August stares, pointed fingers, and laugh at his facial deformity. Despite the negativity, he continued to keep his head high by standing up for himself. Knowing everyone will continue to treat and see him differently, he continued to focus on his life with his new friends he encountered at school and his own happiness. This novel shows that the circumstances we face do not determine our happiness, it is our positive outlook and great attitude despite the hardship we face.

Image result for wonder rj palacio

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