Semi-formal "think piece" for my mass communication class

Books: Their Impact and Influence

For anyone that has thoroughly enjoyed a novel, there is no shred of doubt in their mind that it took them to a place they had never been. In chapter three, I completely agree with the two points, “Books are wonderful sources of entertainment, escape, and personal reflection,” and “The purchase and reading of a book is a much more individual, personal activity than consuming advertiser-supported or heavily promoted media”. In my life, I can recognize several times where books have taken my imagination and reality to new heights.

An Individual and Personal Activity

Before I was even able to read, I remember being deeply affected by books. The movie The NeverEnding Story convinced me that books harnessed an intense power. While stretching my imagination, I would take one of my Grandma’s large hardcover books, her skeleton keys, and a flashlight. After pretending to break the keys from the wall, I would hide in the closet and pretend to read the book; tell myself a story. From then on, books had my full attention.

Entertainment, Escape, and Personal Reflection

I remember reflecting on the stories of The Boxcar Children. I found the stories relatable because there were so many times that I wanted to run away and live on my own. In fact, when I was seven years old, I packed a bag and ran away. In my bag I had packed a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, a change of clothes, and a blanket. I was missing an entire day before police found me hanging out at my school playground, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while swinging on the swings. The school groundskeeper had called police when he found me hiding in a basement window well cover. Though this was pretty extreme, I seemed very content and happy with what I had done. I felt safer than I did at home. I was very imaginative, like Ramona from Beezus and Ramona. Though I knew that these books were make believe, I remember applying them to real life.

Other books that aided me in escape and personal reflection were Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp, and Go Ask Alice. These three books allowed me to think outside my own box. I was not alone when I read them. Other people’s lives are much more difficult and complicated than mine. These books made me realize that I was not such a bad kid after all, and life is composed of chance and circumstance. I was also very fond of poetry. I felt like poetry left me to develop my own interpretations and conclusions. Poetry allowed me translate it in a way that these words became my voice, with my own experiences and life.

Banned Books and Censorship

The list of banned books in chapter three does not surprise me at all. At the second I begin to feel surprised, I realize I should not be at all. Literature is daring and dangerous. It makes us feel and experience things that our culture does not view as sound. I am more surprised that there are not more books on this list. Of the 50 books listed, I have read about a dozen of them. The act of censoring books does not settle well with me. If we are to censor one, then we would have to basically censor all books. No book is safe from individual interpretation. For example, my interpretation of a harmless children’s book series like The Boxcar Children, was that I could live the way they lived. No matter how young I was, I could do it. Of course I learned that I could not take certain books literally after that, and that I needed to weigh the outcomes of such decisions. The reason I learned my lesson was because I was punished, and not because the books were taken away. I learned from personal experience that certain books are fiction, and not true reality. Some of these things we read, they need to be kept in our imaginations, and that indeed makes them more special.

Censoring The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn takes away part of our history, disallows parents from teaching their children right from wrong, and keeps children from reflecting on valuable lessons. I can see where parents would want to voice their concerns on what their children are reading, but I feel like censorship is becoming the root of the problem rather than fixing the problem. Censoring books is feeding into ignorance to the point where we cannot confront and restructure imbalance on an individual level. Without a composite of certain things in human nature, how are we to discern right from wrong? Censorship could very well be dumbing down our cultures, and make us devalue things of importance.

Reading in Daily Life

I would have to say that I do not know how to really feel about the graphic on page 67 in our textbook. I am sure that we would all like to believe that perhaps adolescents and teens are becoming more intelligent in what they buy into in newspapers, magazines, or online. The last couple of decades have been an overload on media. Everything from war, to celebrity life and whereabouts. Maybe kids are sick of living in fear of the world around us, and want to escape into an alternate reality. That other reality is available in books. If these statistics are true, there seems to be a small book revolution. It is like books are the French in the American Revolution, supplying everyone for their needs in an all out war. The real question is who will win in this battle? Will the power of literature overthrow governmental control of what we are allowed to or should read?

With these findings, whether the statistics are true or not, bring me to a conclusion. Books allowed me to ignite my imagination and create my own worlds. To escape the hard realities I lived, and save myself from my unhappiness. Literature helped me relate, compromise, and conclude. Without books, I most likely would not be who I am today because I would have fallen victim to the irrationalities and hypocrisy of daily life. Perhaps other people share these same reasons, and that is why they are investing more time in reading. Our futures may rely on the generations after us because they will be the ones making the hard decisions. Read on, kiddos, create a literary revolution!

who are you, and why are you here?

some days i need to remind myself that i try to be a good person, first and foremost. that if someone doesn't like me or if things just aren't working out - that it's not my fault. not everything is my fault, i know that, but why does my heart have so much difficulty convincing my brain? i'll get over this weakness one day; i just need to keep strong.

i decided...

that i should have a whole post dedicated to things that make me laugh...you know, so you'll hopefully identify with my humor. that's always nice, right?

there is so many more...but these, at least to me, are AWESOME.

storms and revelations.

The other night when the first awesome thunderstorm of the year rolled in, Christopher turned off the lights, hopped into bed, and squeezed me tight.

"Let's lay here together and listen to the storm," he said.

I love storms, the smell of rain, and the wave of relaxation it washes over me. No one has wanted to hold me while listening to a storm. I thought to be indifferent about it, but why?

"Isn't this so romantic?" he said.

Romantic? How silly. After laughing and calling him a dork, I had a quick revelation. Do I even know what romance really is? Yes, I show much appreciation towards this man who has practically changed my life, we've had many amazing times together, but the reality which makes me feel light headed is that all my amazing times with him are slowly replacing all the bad times I have ever had in my life. All this good could never be replaced. I'm growing a confidence and worth that can never be broken down because of the way this man makes me feel.

"Yes, my love, it's very romantic." I said; however, his words took me so many other places than romance.

Intimate and Social Relationships

my interpersonal communications teacher often has us write these little "reflection" papers after class discussions. i used part of a previous post in it:

Friendships are somewhat complicated in themselves. It is hard to generalize what characteristics are important in a friendship because sometimes I just share a connection with someone. With that being said, I believe that a majority of my friendships can be considered acquaintances. When I think of a really close friend, I hope that I can trust them. I also hope that they can accept me for who I am with all my vulgarity and weirdness. I desire someone that is a good person, and would not throw me or anyone else under the bus for their personal gain.

With friends I have maintained a “three strikes” rule over the years. Usually by the third strike I can tell that the person is an unbelievable sociopath, and I am better off without someone like that in my life no matter how many times we have laughed till we cried. Respect is also very important on both sides of the friendship. Just as I believe that someone should uphold respect for me, I also believe that once I lose respect for the other person, the friendship has dwindled, and it is not beneficial for either party to be friends anymore.

I feel quite the same about my intimate relationships as I do my friendships, but it has not always seemed that way. I have been known to let my significant other walk all over me. Even when the relationship was over, I would still pine for them. I believe that in intimate relationships many people give parts of themselves that they would never give to anyone, family or friend. Sex is a huge factor. We are such an insecure culture, and when we have given ourselves to someone in a sexual way it is a huge blow to our little ego’s when the person does not want anything to do with us days, months, and years down the road. So much so, that sometimes it negatively affects future relationships.

I still feel that it is not all lost. Though I have had negative experiences in relationships and friendships, it does not keep me from loving. I am just much more selective. My boyfriend Christopher has been like a knight in shining armor. He is so supportive and understanding. Though he has had similar issues in relationships like I have, he completely trusts me. I have never felt so beautiful to a man in my life. Christopher constantly reminds me of my worth and always raises my spirits when they are low. I never thought that someone would say to me that I improve their quality of life, especially more than once. It is so nice to hear someone say that to me because that is what I always strive for in my relationships - making my companion feel, see, and hear their true worth to me and this world. We have awesome communication, and the fact that he is ridiculously attractive is like a cherry on top. Those damn husky blue eyes are a killer every time.

Being that I am a full-time college student in a serious relationship, it is much easier to maintain my intimate relationship than it is my friendships. I live with my partner; therefore, there are no missed connections. Some of my close friendships have dwindled because I simply do not have time to devote to them. I do have one friendship that maintains itself, but that is mostly because we have been friends for seventeen years. We know one another so well that it is just silly for us to make assumptions that our friendship is failing. We always pick up right where we left off.

I am not a religious person, but I feel truly blessed with the relationships I have with my friends and my companion. It feels like a combination of luck and aging that has gotten me to this point in my life. Without the maturity that comes with age to acknowledge how lucky I am I would be sitting here sulking in the depravity of the world. Life is a learning experience, and the relationships we have with other people revolve around that life. Without social interaction and relationships, everything just falls out of balance because it is the gravity that keeps our feet planted on the ground.

i do what i want.

ahhhh, there's nothing quite as freeing as dropping a deuce with the bathroom door open while the cat stares at you. i says to the cat, "yes, i can do it too."

"so wide eyed and hopeful. wide eyed and hopefully wild."

i have found myself saying it more than once in my life - everything is so great, and i have never been so happy- but this time it is so obvious. i have never had such notable goals for myself before. i am in college and doing very well at it. two things i never thought i would hear myself say. who can be held accountable for such worthwhile improvements in my demeanor and every day life? the answer is 50% myself and 50% my amazing boyfriend, christopher (spartachris).

i have never felt so beautiful to a man in my life. every day he takes my face into his hands and kisses me - often more than once. he loves being near me and even spending too much time with me. he constantly reminds me of my worth and always raises my spirits when they are low. him and i have found the balance that we have been searching for our whole lives. i never thought that someone would say to me that i improve their quality of life, especially more than once. that i make everything seem better. it is crazy because that is what i always strive for in my relationships - making my companion feel, see, and hear their true worth to me and this world.

my amazing man. i never want it to end. my appreciation and gratitude for being so blessed will never cease as long as my spirit exists in this world or another.