Speak Blog

I define who I am in many obvious ways. For one, I play sports all year round. I play sports for many reasons. One reason I plays sports is because I love them. Even if it’s a sport I’m not particularly good at, I like learning new things, which says something about my character as well. I’m not too afraid to make mistakes, which is why I play sports all year round, even if it’s not a sport I’m particularly good at. Playing sports all year round says a lot about my character. It shows that I’m athletic, or at least in moderate consideration, I like to keep busy and out of trouble, and I am committed. These are all things I would like people to think about me. However, I am not too involved in sports to the extent that people think I’m too sporty or am completely centered around sports. Another way I define myself is by how I dress. I try to not wear sweats too much because I don’t want people to think I’m lazy or I don’t care about how others perceive me, which would be a lie. Despite the comfyness a nice sweatshirt can bring, I feel like some people view that as being sloppy. I try to look put together with my clothes, so even if I’m having an off day, where things are extremely confusing, I am still put together in one aspect of my life. I hope that my appearance gives off a somewhat organized appearance because of my lack of sloppiness most days. I also define myself by my academics. I try to do very well and I get down on myself when I don’t do too well because I’m quite the perfectionist. My grades are fairly good, so I think that shows how I work very hard and I always try my best. In the social aspect of things, I always try to be friendly to people, even if I’m not necessarily friends with them. I try not to appear unfriendly to people I don’t know too well because I don’t want to get the reputation of being mean. And another way in which I define myself is by taking part in many different things. I don’t like to devote all of my attention to one certain aspect of my life, because I don’t want to get a title that defines who I am. I think that is one of the great things about University is that it is so small that I can do a lot of different activities because there is a no-cut policy for sports and the clubs are open to anyone. At bigger schools, I feel like people achieve titles much more easily as the “nerd,” the “jock,” the “popular people,” and so on. Of course, everyone thinks of somebody when they think of all of these titles to connect to somebody in our school, but not everybody knows that certain person as that title, which is great. I try to not define myself as a certain person, and more a unique person with a lot of different stuff going on.

I agree with William James’ argument in “The Social Me,” and it is definitely obvious in the way I craft myself. I know I definitely change myself based on whom I’m with and how I want people to think of me. The characters in Speak are definitely defined by their given titles. Because the school is much bigger than University, titles are more common for people. Melinda definitely crafts herself to make others not notice her. She tries to stay under the radar as much as possible, which is definitely evident in her lack of talking in class and at school in general. She is titled as the weird girl, which she hates, but it’s better than being in constant spotlight. Also, Rachel very obviously crafts herself to make people think a certain thing about her. She changes herself based on who she’s hanging out with at that given time. Every person, especially in high school, changes who they are to make others think a certain thing about them. This is certainly true for me in the way I craft myself to present a certain image to my peers.

Censorship and Relation to "Little Brother"

The conversation we had this morning was extremely beneficial in helping to clear up all the questions I had about censorship in China, with google, and in the book. The articles we read as homework were incredibly interesting and before I read the articles, I had not known quite the extent of censorship in China. After some discussion, having the opportunity to search the Chinese google and compare it with our American google, was very interesting. There were slight variations for certain topics, but then for topics such as the Dalai Lama, the two versions were night and day. Being able to play with certain aspects of our computers is also very fun, and the technology talks are very helpful in me understanding a lot of the words in the book.

This discussion today allowed me to utilize literature in my life in significant ways because the censorship in China is something that is incredibly important to our time. It is important to know what is going on in the world around you, and reading these articles and discussion this topic, greatly enhanced my knowledge of what is going on in China. It is also important to realize what is going on in China because some things are also going on in America. We are not censored nearly as much as China, but our lives are censored to some effects. The government can look at anything we do on the internet. Although they don't, they have the opportunity to whenever they feel they should. This thought is incredibly terrifying to me. Another point of our discussion this morning that really stopped me dead in my tracks was when we learned about ACTA. I, as well as about 99.9999% of Americans have illegally downloaded one thing or another. It is crazy to imagine that all of these people would be losing their internet privileges for the rest of their lives. I am glad that the government has this opportunity because it could make a positive effect on our country, but it scares me because I don't know how far they will take it in the future. I don't think America wants to be like China, completely censored, so I'm wondering where they will cut off. This discussion was beneficial because it gave me a lot of knowledge over our government in America, the government in China, and the technological aspects of censorship and the effects it has. This discussion made me more knowledgeable about a lot of stuff going on in our worlds behind the scenes, but is still vital to know.

Reading "Little Brother," is a huge eye-opener for me. I cannot imagine America becoming that hostile, paranoid place as it is described in the book. However, after this discussion over our current government's position, it is evident that a similar America could become a reality in our near future. Reading "Little Brother," has truly made me question my life as an American, the rights I have, and how far the government should go. I'm on the fence a bit as to whether I think the Government should have access to our internet trails and every aspect of our lives. This book really makes me think of both sides and weigh the outcomes, which have left me still undecided. The questioning nature that this book creates in me is evidence that this book is being utilized in my life in a significant way. It is helping me to form my opinion about technology, the government, as well as other areas of uncertainty. However, I am not taking everything Marcus and his friends do as right or good. I understand that their decisions are not the best, and a lot of the problems in this book arise from their poor judgement, but I am taking in what I am reading, and trying to make sense of it by connecting it to my feelings on the government and spying.