In this year’s
humanities courses, I feel that my mind and perspectives as a student have been
opened beyond my own comprehension. The different activities and assignments
that were completed have grown me to a place where I can see and think
outside of what is directly in front of me. I have learned that things truly
are not always what they seem. Every person has a story and a place in the
system that is the world we operate in today. It is my opinion that if I had
not been able to experience humanities in the way that I did this year, my
thinking and perspectives would be completely different.
In the majority of my
writings this year I formed my theses and general ideas around topics that at
fist glance I did not agree with, but during the process of writing the papers
and research the ideas became true beliefs. For example in my Lord
of the Flies thesis paper I state, “ Although savagery is a
state of being that is frowned upon in society it is one that is necessary in
some cases to promote progress.” Just the thought of humans, the kings of all
beasts, having to reduce themselves to the savage state of animals to
accomplish a goal is strike to the human ego. This idea is one that I did not
agree with until during my research when I found clear examples of this idea in play
about sixty-five years ago during WWII. The United States bombings
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki along with the Japanese Kamikaze flights were acts of
savagery that were ultimately needed to end the Second World War.
As part of the Monologue
Project, I wrote a play set in an American owned textile factory in Sri
Lanka. I view this project as one my greatest accomplishments and
learning times of this year. This project allowed me to step into the shoes of
every individual that played a role in the function and corruption of
sweatshops. I was taken out of my comfort zone and dropped into an
unfamiliar place, where it was my responsibility to tell the stories of those
who could not speak. I felt as though I was their only advocate. This
assignment enhanced not only my writing skills but also my skills in research
and its interpretation. Hours were spent revising and quoting- trying to make
sure that the story told was one that was accurate and displayed the message
and story that was to be told. The final product was But
I’ve Got My Fingers and These Ashes. The product was truly
something that highlighted many of the skills that I gained and possessed
already.
In our study of poetry I
found myself to be particularly struggling because I already had a slight
displeasure with the topic. Personally, I am not very fond of poetry because
its meanings can be so vast and open to interpretation that it is difficult to
find just one clear meaning. Because of this I tend to stay as far away from
poetry as possible and did not at all consider myself to be the slightest of a
poet. My poems created on the Poetry
Wiki are my attempt at being a poet. The quote heading the page tells
us that at one point we were all poets and can loose our poetry sense. In
experiencing this project I found an inner poet that I thought did not exist
and never would. This poet was able to grasp the elements of poetry that I was
not to fond of and turn them into something that I feel, demonstrate my
struggle with poetry and newfound appreciation for its existence.
I
am the type of person who needs explanation for almost all that I come in
contact with. In my mind, the idea of always having a black and
white answer is slowly fading. Because of interpretation and idea such as
“justice” can have one meaning for one set of people and another meaning for a
different set of people. In the final thesis
paper of this year I stated, “It is the responsibility of both parties
during times of war, to seek justice.” by Art Spieglman’s The Complete Maus , Night by Eilie Wiesel and the
Nuremburg Trails were the basis of this paper. I explored the effects of
environment and experience on one’s interpretation of the definition of
justice. Environment and experience are the true definers of what justice is to
a person.
The
above is also true when considering the lasting footprint that colonialism has
left on nations that were colonized by the previously dominant European rule.
Often possessing a negative connotation, colonialism in the case the Republic of the
Philippines, possessed both negative and positive qualities. As part of the Colonialism
Exhibit Project, I created and interactive museum exhibit that illustrated
the footprint colonialism left in that nation. I focused experience of that the
people had under Spanish rule and under United States rule. The result
ultimately was a nation that still struggles today to find itself in the Global
Economy and system. This assignment took an idea that I had set in mind and
gave it a new definition.
From this year's humanities courses I can walk away a better
learner, thinker, and student. The activities and assignments of this year's
courses opened my eyes and broadened my perspectives. I feel as though prior to participating in these year’s courses
I have been taken out of the box that I kept myself in freshman year. I can
only look forward and hope that the years to come in my educational career can
offer what I have gained this year.
An example of how I am moving towards fulfilling my responsibility as an innovator is my Op-Ed. My Op-Ed is about the differences between Nuclear Fusion and Nuclear Fission and it was more of a science paper but there is a quote from it that shows I’m trying to improve the world. “Overall, the need for fusion is desperate, especially after what we have and are witnessing with the Fukushima Incident in Japan, with all that radiation from the nuclear fission in the reactors.”
Over the year, I realized that I can create incredible works and teach about what is needed and what is going on even though I’m not a specialist in any field. This is part of another understanding I came to learn, that Experts aren’t the only ones that can create great works of art in certain fields.
My benchmark for the second quarter was the religion benchmark I named “The Huge Psychological Deception. In it I explained how religion affects the world from a psychologist’s view instead of my view. Here is a quote I included in the article by Sigmund Fraud: "In the future of an illusion, the latent content behind religious conceptions remains associated with the 'father complex,' but here this is linked to the helplessness that elicits innate infantile desires for wish fulfillment."
The final fact I came to learn is that collaboration is key to pro level work. Collaboration is what every person needs to do to create pro work, no matter how many times they need to peer edit, record as a group, or whatever is needed through collaboration.
An example of this is the video of an edited scene from a book called Their Eyes Are Watching God in the Marxist lens and normal lens. It took us three days to produce it and we had to do many, many edits to the video.
To give a bigger message about what I learned this year, it would have to be that effort is what brings out the greatness in people and changes the world. I can envision truly changing the world in the future through science, the kind of change I want to make in the world. Specifically, Biomedical Engineering in space.
Monologue 4:
(Takes place in Cheng’s Grandfather’s house)
(Grandpa is at the market with Grandma. He stops at the fruit store.)
(Says hello to the store clerk in Mandarin)
Nǐ hǎo.
(Walks around the store browsing the store’s collection of fruit and eventually goes up to the store clerk)
How much do 3 of these jackfruit cost?
66.05 Yuans, Are you crazy!?!?!?!?!
(Throws his hands up as if mad and pointing towards stuff and complaining)
Thats a rip-off! The economy is poor I know that but that doesn’t mean you have to raise the cost 7 Yuan more!!
(Looks away in disgust)
Hmmmff! How much are 5 of the Dorian?
98.92 Yuans!?
Are you crazy!?
(Swings his cane around and causes the clerk to think Grandpa is going to hit him so he reaches under the desk and pulls out a shotgun which he loads and points at Grandpa)
(Grandpa looks at the clerk and then at the barrel of the shotgun and gets a frightened and mad face and voice)
W-Why are you pointing a shotgun at me?
What are you talking about?
I was swinging my cane around in the air because I was angry but I wasn’t, am not, and will never hit you with my cane, I would get sued.
(Grandpa tries to calm the clerk down and tries to convince him to lower the shotgun and puts his arms up as if trying to stop something from hitting him.)
So would you be so kind as to lower the shotgun and I will pay for these fruits?
(Calms down and speaks in a tired voice)
Well I guess that isn’t that much of an increase since before it was 81 Yuans.
But still this economy is killing the population and bleeding the civilians’ accounts dry.
(Starts to try a barter. So move your hands in front of you as if trying to reason or explain something to a person)
Are you absolutely sure you can’t lower the price on the fruit for me?
(His face turns to a sad face due to the clerk not lowering the price on the fruit)
Ugh, fine i’ll buy 2 Jackfruit and 3 Dorian.
(Sighs)
42.85 Yuan is such a rip-off but i’ll buy it for my grandkids.
(In an angry and sarcastic voice)
Have a nice day.
(Walks out the door with Grandma)
This project was similar to the Negative space drawing because we had to choose what part of the drawing we wanted positive and negative. We had to carve out what we wanted to be positive and leave what we wanted to be negative
For the Printmaking project I chose to draw a Street light and Inside the street are LEDs which are made from Gallium Arsenide.
If I could do this again I would do a different print. The printing wasn't that hard but I didn't favor that part of the project
