Aubrey’s English Blog

 prompt: Education is extremely important as an adolescent. Even though not every country has access to free/public education, it is important that the basis of language and math are taught to every child during the developmental period, where soaking in language and logic is easiest. It will help with future cognitive development and in developed countries it is typically important for getting a job in adulthood.  summary: watched short film about countries and their journey to school reflection: learned about different customs of travel

 prompt: I found the presentation about rural white men to be very interesting because it's a perspective I've never considered. Even though I know everyone faces stereotypes the presentation really opened my eyes to a group of people that are generally considered to not be marginalized. It was interesting to see how a presumably privileged community could face a single story narrative. summary: watched all presentations and presented reflection: learned about all cultures

 prompt: One important lesson I learned was the single-story focused lesson. It has opened my mind up to how common it is that every culture and identity has faced stereotypes that push them into a box or single story. This lesson resonated with me a lot, because I care about how stereotypes are perpetuated and how to combat them in society. 

 prompt: In my career search and planning I have honestly prioritized stability and financial compensation over passion. My dream career is accounting, specifically forensic accounting. It is generally a good job and since I don't plan on having kids the average salary is projecting to be enough to support the average single person. Even though the job is stereotyped as boring, and is kinda boring, I find stability to be more enticing than a hobby job. summary: watched short film and finalized project  reflection: learned how to analyze stereotypes

 prompt: I am excited for graduating because I will no longer have the stress of school. I like how in university you get more freedom to make your own schedule and work at your own pace, high school is too stressful and it feels like everything is due at the same time all the time. I'm also excited to be able to travel alone summary: watched Ted talk about future plans post-grad reflection: learned how to hate questions about the future

 prompt: A style that I like is alternative styles. It may not be expected because I don't usually dress like that and it also isn't very popular amongst people who look like me or expect people who look like me. However I still like the style and would definitely invest in clothing like that someday.  summary: watched a short film and answered questions, then finished collaborating on the presentation reflection: learned how to analyze gender stereotypes in culture

 prompt: A film that represents my culture positively is princess and the frog. It showcases the journey of a young black woman as trying to start her own business in the late 20th century south. It realistically showcases the boundaries that black people, especially black women are faced with when trying to enter the business industry. However it showcases all of the rich elements of southern black culture like music, food, and clothing that was popular in New Orleans at the time.  summary: worked on group project and added most components of the presentation reflection: learned how to collaborate 

 prompt: stereotypes made him doubt his identity, the students automatically assumed because of his skin color he couldn't have any Japanese blood or know the language. On top of that they associated him being black with aids, and it messed with his self worth. he was at some point convinced that he did have aids and he wouldn't fit in because of it. Stereotypes can be harmful on both sides: on one side a person can have an ignorant understanding of a culture or ethnicity, which causes them to reinforce shallow and discriminatory ideas. On the other hand stereotypes can degrade someones self worth and understanding, making them second guess if they actually fit into a negative description of their culture.  summary: watched the film and answered questions reflection: learned how to analyze the effects of stereotypes.

 prompt: I used to think that parts of California like la and such were for white rich preppy people, until I got a full scope of what real parts of la look like through movies like Friday. It showed me that there is prominent black communities there and represented marginalized communities like poor, black people. summary: received group assignment and discussed role and potential film reflection: learned how to plan and collaborate

 prompt: It is likely that filmmakers use stereotypes in their movies because it creates interesting dynamics in characters that will build controversy around the movie. Many people still talk about classic films that display things like the American dream, or especially if the film takes place in the 40s - 60s it will likely have some sort of racial stereotypes. But it ends up working in the films favor because people will talk about the stereotypes present, good or bad, and creates more popularity for the theme of the movie.  summary: worked on commonlit assignment about the American dream in film reflection: learned to analyze and derive answers from the text

 prompt: One of the most stereotypical movies I've seen is the movie Precious. This movie depicts a young black woman facing an intersection of different issues. She has no father as he passed/left when she was young, shes overweight and has a disabled daughter (down syndrome), she is failing high school, she is black, and she is facing abuse from her mother in a multitude of ways. This movie is a heavy hitter on the harsher side of what impoverished, black kids face when failed by the system. Obviously the circumstances are exaggerated for film purposes, however many parts of the movie are realistic for people born into families like this. Because I am also black, I was not totally influenced by any of the stereotypes present, but it helped me get a better understanding of how the black community can be viewed. One of the strongest stereotypes was that Precious (the mc) was stupid/incapable. She was told by her mother and it reflected in her performance in school that she couldn...

 prompt: My hair represents my culture because its dark and curly, especially being a tighter curl pattern. Even though I typically don't wear my curls its still clearly curly and that represents a big part of my heritage. The only time I've ever felt uncomfortable in my hair was when I went to a predominantly white school and I showed up on the first day of school with braids. I was the only black student in the room as well, making me feel slightly ashamed. Over time I stopped caring about things like that. summary: watched film and answered questions reflection: learned how to connect my experiences to a film

 prompt: If I had it my way I would be in New York for spring break. I usually visit new York during the summer but I really want to visit during spring break. I would go because it's a chance to visit my family and be in my favorite city. I would plan some shopping trips or something as well. summary: finished commonlit about cultural food and insects reflection: learned to analyze text about culture and relate it to outside knowledge

 prompt: These presentations showed me that a lot of us celebrate in similar ways and have similar traditions, it;s just that they are under different names and have slightly different nuances. What makes the celebrations so similar is that we all have food at the core of it. Birthdays, summer holidays and such, everyone makes a meal and enjoys family with it. summary: watched everyone's culture food presentations and presented myself reflection: got insight to how everyone celebrates big events/milestones with food

 prompt: Food helps people understand who they are because it gives a grounding connection to their culture and ethnic background. A lot of times when someone experiences moving around a lot or being removed from their hometown, they feel out of place and not connected with their culture. Food is something that can bring back that memory, as shown in the Ted talk he felt like he didn't know who he was because he moved a lot, but connecting with Korean meals helped him feel culturally aware. summary: watched cultural food videos and read fish cheeks, answered questions about it reflection: learned to make connections between food and culture

 prompt: The food that was chosen represents the connection to her culture. It shows how food is meaningful in her culture based upon the time of day, who's there, etc. Choosing leftovers signifies she still wants to spend time with her grandmother and honor the connection, but the love of the process of cooking isn't there. summary: went over the stories about food and culture and answered some questions about them making meaningful connections reflection: learned to make connections between food and culture