Journal Entry #11: "Childhood"

Journal Entry #11: "Childhood"

As your Children's Story writing draws to a close, consider that people haven't always felt the same way about children as we do now. The idea that childhood is a special time and that a child's innocence should be protected largely originated with the Victorians. Before that, children were sent to work in factories as soon as they were old enough, often working 10 hour days at the age of 7 or 8. Chimney Sweeps used to employ even younger children since they could be dangled from a rope and used to knock soot and highly carcinogenic coal dust out of chimneys. By the time these young people reached the ripe old age of 15 or 16 they were adults for all intents and purposes.

Now, as a society, we have reached a point where we try to insulate children from the more unpleasant and labourious aspects of life but we have also delayed adulthood for many. Some "children" (perhaps you know some?) continue to live in their parents' basements until their late twenties. What do you think? How much (and from what) should children be protected? How well are we handling this issue now as a society? What kind of childhood will you try to create for your own offspring? What expectations will you have? What are some of the most valuable experiences and lessons from your own childhood that you will try to pass on to the next generation?

It’s true that children are viewed differently from the way they were before the Victorian Era, very differently. Back then, children could be hanged, and, like you said, forced to do dangerous and potentially fatal jobs. Some were orphaned and forced to live on the street, begging for money just to get by. This could lead to children dying, and, if they were lucky enough to survive, they would be hardened people. But now things are much different. We have orphanages, child labour laws, and even channel blocks on television, all to keep children safe from just about everything. Now some parents smother their children, and treat them like they’re years younger than they really are. This gives society "children" who are in their late twenties, and even early thirties. They don’t feel independent enough to leave home, or they just don’t have the urge to leave. Meanwhile, their friends are getting married and starting families.

This makes me wonder, is all this protection really a bit much? I’m not entirely sure, because this doesn’t apply to everyone. Some people still live with their parents when they’re older, but, on the other hand, some move out when they’re 16. I find that "children" are acting less and less like children as time goes on. They’re drinking and doing drugs at younger ages (not to mention other things), and things done to protect them seem to be doing less and less. I think children should be protected from things such as sex and drug use, but all it takes is one child to ruin the ones around them. No matter what people do to try to keep children safe, they’ll still be exposed to this negativity in some way. It’s just always there. I think that while we as a society try to keep our children safe from it, there is just no way we can do an effective job without over-nurturing and turning our children into those 30-year-olds who still live at home. It’s hard to find a balance.

I think about what kind of parent I’d like to be. Part of me wants to be a laidback parent, that "cool dad." The problem with that is that my children are likely to get into bad things at a young age due to a lack of boundaries. I just wouldn’t want to be an overly strict parent, one who doesn’t let their kid do anything, out of fear that they may get into these bad things. I’d want to be like my parents, they’re realistic. They’re strict at times, but let me enjoy myself. They’ll let me go to parties, and stay out late with friends. Most of my friends are extremely surprised at how laid back my parents are about them coming over. My parents will be strict at times though, which keeps me in line, for lack of a better term. That’s the kind of parent I’d like to be, one who’s able to find a balance.

Since I’d be giving them so much freedom, I’d expect my children to be responsible, and not make me regret my decision to let them go out. If you go to a party, don’t do drugs, don’t smoke, and don’t drink to the point that the only thing you remember is throwing up your dinner in someone’s bathtub. There aren’t many experiences I could use as examples for my children. I’ve just learned to be responsible through mistakes I’ve made, and want to try to pass that on to my children. But at the same time, I feel children should learn on their own from their mistakes, like I did. I’d want to help my children forge their own path in life, just as long as it doesn’t lead to my basement!

Sonnets

Here is the link to the sonnets:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AXJLtc59flDHZGRxejhjcjRfNzFjN3MzZm1oaw&hl=en

There are 3 written, I'd say mark the one you think is best.

Journal Entry #10: "What Is Poetry? (Your Turn)"

Journal #10: "What Is Poetry? (Your Turn)"

Reflect upon your past experience with poetry, as well as your idea of what poetry is. How useful, in your opinion, is the study of poetry? How open minded are you about our study of poetry?

In the past, I haven’t been a fan of poetry. I remember hating it in elementary school, and dreading writing any. Regardless, I still managed to win the English Proficiency Award at my grade 8 graduation. Actually, my teacher told me that it was the quality of the poetry project I had done a few weeks earlier that had won it for me. That may have been a turning point for me, because even though I didn’t like it, I was apparently good at it, even if it was just simple limericks and haikus back then. Since I’ve entered high school though, I’ve become much fonder of it, likely because I’ve become more interested in writing, and though I don’t write any poetry, I’m not biassed towards it.

I view poetry as a few things. It could be a literary expression of one’s feelings, or simply something discussing a topic or telling a story in a way that can be regarded as aesthetically appealing. It could be almost anything, it depends on the writer’s opinion of whether or not it’s poetry. It is what you make it.

The study of poetry is important depending on what you want to do in life. Obviously some people will never need to study poetry, or find it necessary to do so. Others, however, will find it very useful to study poetry. In my opinion, I think it is useful, considering it has been a part of our society for thousands of years. I feel we should at least study the basic forms of poetry and most well known poems.

As for studying poetry myself, I’m very open minded towards it. I’d love to improve my poetry writing skills. I think that improving my poetry writing skills will also improve my general writing skills, and will help make me a better writer. When I write a poem, I’m usually able to write a few lines easily, but I find that I have a harder time creating longer poems. That’s something I hope I am able to change over the course of this unit. Regardless, I’m going to put my best effort into all the poetry I submit.

Journal Entry #9: "Lockdown"

Journal Entry #9: "Lockdown"

The world is a different place than it was prior to the shootings in Montreal, Columbine, and any number of other places. How much do you pay attention to violent issues in the media? How safe do you feel in school? What suggestions do you have for finding our way (as a society) to a more peaceful state? Do you have any thoughts, comments, opinions or suggestions about how the situation at Stamford on October 14, 2009 was handled?

The world is changing, and not in a good way. People admit to torturing for information. People go to see movies focussing on slaughtering people, like Hostel. People are going around, beating other people to death with hammers in the Ukraine. Students are being shot by other students in schools. I’m not one to read the paper, or watch the news, but obviously I will hear about events that are as substantial as Virginia Tech when they appear on the news.

Even though all this exists in the world, I feel pretty safe in my school. Maybe it’s because all these things happen elsewhere, but to be honest, I just feel safe, and I’m not sure why. I think it’s that when we’re young we feel invincible, so it’s almost like "that would never happen to me." Then again, I’m sure that’s what the victims of these things said too. It must have been unreal for the victims of the Virginia Tech, Columbine, and Montreal massacres. It may be because of these events that I feel safer, simply because schools are much more cautious now, and take threats more seriously. They look for signs of behaviour that could lead to events like this, to make sure they don’t happen.

As much as I think about it, I don’t think there is really much I could suggest to make us a more peaceful society. I can’t tell all these people who are in gangs to stop killing each other. I can’t tell countries to stop going to war. People need to learn that violence isn’t the only answer, that there’s more rational ways to handle situations. That being said, I think the situation on October 14 was handled very well. They stayed very relaxed about the situation so that we didn’t panic, and just told us to lock our doors. They didn’t tell us about what had happened until after it was over, again, to make sure that we didn’t panic. Staff also came around to each class in order to make sure that any questions we had about it were answered. I found it kind of aggravating that they didn’t tell us immediately what was going on, but that’s just the way I am. But I can completely understand why they weren’t open about the topic immediately, with all these grade 9's who have just started high school. I don’t think they could have handled the situation any better.

Journal Entry #8: Free Write

Journal Entry #8: "Alright, Then How About This . . ."

Write about a topic of your choice.

There's an idea I've had in my head since I began taking this course. I imagine I could use it as some sort of assignment for class. It’s fairly patchy at this point, that is to say, I know a lot of what I’m going to write, but I’m just not sure how it all connects together. I have rough outlines for most of it though. As for a title, I’m not so sure at this point.

The story is basically two stories wound together. It’s hard to explain, but the first story is the story within the story. It is written by an unknown source and is contained on a variety of things, sometimes a piece of paper, sometimes an envelope, sometimes a photograph, sometimes a postage stamp. Some are labelled numerically, but others are not. It tells the story of a family who has decided to . . . do something to their house, somehow alter it. Maybe redo a room, or knock down a wall. But their actions trigger some sort of event within the house, and weird occurrences begin to plague the family. Doors appear that lead nowhere, they hear voices, and see shadows out of the corner of their eye. One night the husband wakes up to see a shadow on the wall, which slowly drifts into the basement, where there is a door that wasn’t there before. The shadow disappears under the door, and the husband opens it. He finds that it leads to another hallway, unlike the rest of the doorways. This hallway leads to a series of rooms, and it becomes similar to a maze. The husband goes in, and explores for a few minutes. When he turns back to leave, he finds that there is no exit, but that another hallway has appeared. He keeps travelling and eventually gets lost, while the maze continues to change. His family wakes up the next day to find that he is gone, and try to make sense of what has happened. That’s kind of a blank outline which seems fairly generic right now, and that’s because I’m not entirely sure where I want to go with that story. I’ve put a lot more focus on the other story, as that's what I feel will be the better written of the two.

The other story is told mostly through journal entries. I think I may have it as the character is now in a mental institution, and this story is shown more for psychological examination. The character is the one who found the story, and tries to put it back together. While he is doing this, he talks about his life, and what’s going on in it. This includes his relationships, his family life, and possibly drug use. As he puts the story together, he begins to lose touch with the world around him, and hallucinate. This is a combination of his life outside of the story, the effects of the story itself . He begins to stay inside, eventually losing track of time as he works on putting the story back together, choosing to try to ignore his life as it gets more and more hectic. I’m not sure if I’ll have him finish the story, or have something intervene which keeps him from doing so.

The extra aspect of the story I want to put focus on is the unconventional style I want to write it in. The stories are told together, with one stopping at a certain part for the other one to pick up again. There will also be commentary told through notes on different pages. In other words, there will be a line like this [1]
[1] and a person’s corresponding commentary on the line in a different section. I’m not sure if I’m going to have the notes told by the character, or by someone working at the mental institution. I think I will have both, so that some of it will be from a first person perspective, and other parts of it will be examined from a psychological standpoint. I'll usually have the two stories connecting through these points, as one aspect of one story has a similarity to an aspect of the other. I also want to have a few parts that are written instead of typed, to make it seem like some parts were written quickly, or in a certain state. I’m going to add in a few drawings, as well as quotes and poetry which relates to what is going on in the story at the time. I may just have this all bunched up at the end, as it doesn’t directly apply to the story. I want to put a lot of focus on how the stories are written and what side notes go along with them. The only problem is that I don’t know how long this story would be. I imagine it would be around 40 pages, if not more.

That’s about it from me right now. I just figured I’d tell you about that, and see what you think. If you have any suggestions or ideas, feel free to share! I'd love to be able to write this as some sort of assignment for this class.

Journal Entry #7: "The Best When"

Journal Entry #7: "The Best When"

Assuming for a moment that you could transport anyone you wanted, where and when would you live? No society that you know even a little about is off limits. You might want to consider quality of life, societal expectations of men and women, health, access to education, and recreation. Enjoy!

When I first thought about where I would go, I thought I should go back about 100 years, and change the course of current history. I could prevent assassinations, wars, and serious violent occurrences. I could even witness events such as Woodstock. But when I think about it, how could I do any of this? If I were to go around town saying "President Kennedy is going to be assassinated!" or "Keep an eye on that Hitler, I’ve got a bad feeling about that guy." I’d probably be pegged as some sort of lunatic. I can’t see anybody believing a 17-year old who says such things. Wouldn’t it be amazing if they did though?

Next I thought of going back to some ancient times. I took 16th Century History last year, so I have at least some knowledge of several civilizations. I would love to see the gladiators fight in the Roman Colosseum, witness the ancient pyramids of Egypt as they’re being built, or admire the Hanging Gardens of Babyon. But then I realize that I would have to live in these places, and I don’t think I could do that. Coming from such a technologically advanced time and going to one that is so inferior by comparison would be extremely difficult. Plus I wouldn’t have the money necessary to live in a decent way. I would probably end up as some sort of a slave or servant if I went to any of these times. In Roman times, that would mean I’m the Colosseum entertainment, and I’m not built to be a gladiator!

If I were given the opportunity to travel back in time, I think I would do something extremely boring by comparison. I would go back a few decades, maybe 30 or 40 years. I could use my knowledge of things now to really benefit myself. That sounds extremely selfish, but oh well. I could invest in Microsoft, and a variety of other companies. I’d set up some sort of bank account with that money for future (current) me to use, assuming I could transport back. I’d also meet my grandpa, considering he died 4 months before I was born. I heard he was a great man. I also think it would be cool to meet my parents back when they were my age and spend some time with them. Microsoft was founded about the same time as when my parents were my age, so that’s killing two birds with one stone. I really thought that this would have come off as more interesting of a response, considering I talked about so many interesting possibilities sooner. Oh well. Sometimes the simplest things are the best.

On a side note, I apologize for the lateness of my journal entries. I don’t really have an excuse for it, but honesty is the best policy, right? I will have entry 8 in for tomorrow.

"Alright, Then How About This . . ."

Journal Entry #6: "Technology: The Myth"

Journal Entry #6: "Technology: The Myth"

One of the great myths of modern times is the idea that new technologies improve a person’s quality of life. Yet no one has ever demonstrated that access to computers increases a person’s literacy or numeracy skills. Likewise, futurists in the 50's predicted we would be enjoying a 3-day work week by now since machines would be doing all the manual labour. What do you think? Is your life better now than it would have been 100 years ago because of technology?

There is no doubt that technology has had a huge effect on almost every society worldwide. However it’s hard to tell whether or not this is a positive or negative effect. It certainly makes things easier. While we may not have a 3-day work week, we have machines that can do several forms of labour. We have been to space, and have robots that can walk, run, and detect if we’re happy. We are able to communicate with people anywhere in the world through a device in the palm of our hands, and can have thousands of songs at the touch of a button. We can even watch events live as they unfold from thousands of miles away.

But are all these really necessary to make life better? I don’t really know. I’ll kind of battle it out in this journal. Humans are fully capable of doing this labour, and we would have more jobs if they did. There is no necessity for robots that are able to accomplish a single thing, like walking or running, or detecting whether or not we are happy. We don’t need to know about events that are going on around the world if they don’t concern us, and as nice as it is to be able to have luxuries at our fingertips, we don’t need them. On the other hand, thanks to technology, we are able to treat diseases such as cancer, and have cured many other diseases which, in the past have claimed the lives of countless people. I think that, in this sense, technology is improving our lives.

Still, I’m on the fence on this topic. Because I have knowledge of life now, and have read about life 100 years ago, it seems like life now would be better now, simply because there is more to do, and things are easier. Yet some of us have become slaves to technology, such as computers, television and our cell phones, myself included. Most people are surprised when they don’t see my headphones in my ears. One step forward, two steps back I suppose. I’m still on the fence. But thinking about other things, such as cars, I can see why this would be up for debate. Things like automobiles make our time what it is. While we can still walk places, the automobile makes it easier. That’s what technology is, a way to make things easier. We could walk places, but we’d rather drive. We can solve long math equations by writing them down, but we use calculators. We can sharpen a pencil with a manual pencil sharpener, but we use the electric ones. (I could use better examples, yet I choose to look around the room for examples, rather than get up and look, because it’s easier. See!? Technology such as the computer makes us so lazy!)

I’m not really answering the question at hand now, am I? I’ve actually gotten quite sidetracked by things going on elsewhere on my computer screen. None of it is actually important stuff either. This is leading me to believe that technology serves as a distraction. However, I think it may actually be increasing my literary skills, considering I’m constantly reading or typing on the screen. Other than that, and children’s phonics toys, most technology doesn’t really help us improve any of our skills, because it’s simply making things easier for us. It’s like a teacher who tells you the answer, but doesn’t tell you they got it. It’s like Mr. Fraser.

100 years ago, people were content with their lives, and likely the quality as well. However, they did not live in a time like now, and have to reflect on this topic. So, I think I’m coming from a fairly biased view, since I think my life is better because of technology. This is more because, while I can live without it, I love technology and I use it during nearly every waking hour. I’m typing this journal on the computer right now, and when I think of society 100 years ago, I perceive something primitive. I'm not the kind of guy who's built to live a primitive lifestyle. If I were to come from a non biased view, I would say my life is not better because of technology, because we're at a point where we seem to rely on it. However, I am going to have to say that my life is better because of it. I just hope we never reach a point like The Jetsons, where we take everything for granted. "Oh, you want to go to Jupiter for some stupid . . . space dance . . . thing? Sure, just jump in our human sized space-pod, which doubles as a briefcase, and fly there, fly to Jupiter. It should only take about 20 minutes." Ridiculous. Imagine if we took crap like that for granted like we do the things we have now? I hope that time doesn’t come in my lifetime, because then I’ll truly know that my life would be better the way it is right now.

Journal Entry #5: "The Irony of Education"

Journal Entry #5: "The Irony of Education"

Why is it that in North America, we (as a society) seem to take education for granted? In other countries, students will take any opportunity they can get to improve themselves.

The way we in North America treat education is very different from most of the world. In other countries, children do not have many opportunities to get an education, so they will be very eager to take advantage of one if they are given it. We on the other hand have gone to school for over a decade and I think that it has become more of an inconvenience, for lack of a better word. We as students dread when the weekend is over, and love Fridays because it means the beginning of the weekend. Students will skip classes to go hang out in the smoke pit, and take unnecessary days off just to avoid going to school. Students who come here from other countries usually (at the risk of reinforcing a stereotype) achieve very good grades. This is because they realize what an amazing opportunity they are receiving, the same one we are taking for granted.

I think that we have taken education for granted because it is so readily available to us. We are told we have to go to school, and that we have to go five days a week, while people in other countries may not go to school at all. Many of us in North America are able to get a job very easily, and although they may not be the best jobs, they give us the money we need. Other countries, such as Africa (again, unfortunately at the risk of offending and reinforcing a stereotype) do not have many available jobs. People do not have a way to earn money to provide for their family (It is extremely difficult to say this and not come off as ignorant). I’m sure these people would love the opportunity to get an education, and be able to get a great job because of it.

The same thing could be said about many things we have. We throw away food when we’re full, while those in other countries starve to death. We turn up the heat in our house if we are too cold, while there are people who have no home at all. We should learn to stop taking what we have for granted, because there are millions of people who would love to have the opportunities we are given everyday.

Journal Entry #4: Free Write

Journal Entry #4: "An Introduction"

Write about a topic of your choice.

For my first free write topic, I figured I would introduce myself. Hello. I’m Matthew George Brockwell. Ha ha . . . maybe I should be a little less formal, considering you already know my name. Anyway, let’s get into some detail, shall we?

I’m 17 years old, although I’m told I look about 15 years old. I’m deceptively smart, considering most people seem to consider me a slacker. I’m not too sure whether or not I like this label. I’m not even sure if it’s accurate, considering I get high 80's in most, if not all of my classes. I just have initiative problems. That’s not to say I’m unable to get anything done, I just can’t find the drive to get work done. I find that I’m able to produce high quality work though. In fact, my sociology teacher thought I had plagiarized an assignment because of the words I used. I’m told I have an extensive vocabulary (although the people who tell me say "You use a lot of big words."). I also write in full sentences and use proper grammar and punctuation when I instant message, or text. I’ve just gotten used to it. It bothers me to see an "im" or a "wat r u up 2."

I live with my mom, dad, and sister. My sister is in grade 9 now, and I must say it’s strange seeing my little sister in the halls. I find it funny that when she asks me something about Stamford, she still refers to it as "your school." My dad is a teacher at Westlane, gross I know. He’s taught Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology, parenting, history, and English. What he teaches changes each year, but this semester he teaches Grade 11 and 12 Anth, Soc, Psych, and Grade 10 history. His grade 12 class must be interesting because he teaches both my best friend and my ex-girlfriend. Fun stuff! My mom is amazing. I have such a strong bond with her. In 2002, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a very hard time for our family, but we got through it. She has had some recurrences, but these have all been treated, and I look forward to spending time with her for years to come. I couldn’t go without mentioning my dog, Paige. Paige is a Coton de Tulear. You’re probably thinking "What the hell is that?," and . . . well, I suggest looking it up.

As far as my personality goes, I’d say I’m a pretty laid back kind of guy. I try my best to be a nice guy, but lately I’ve been told I’m getting "emotionally distant." I’m not sure how to take that, considering I hadn’t noticed. It’s a matter of perception I suppose. I consider myself a happy person, and try to let that show, although I’m aware that I may come off as a pessimistic person. I have a very outgoing personality, and I get comfortable around people very easily. I’m sure you’ll find that I’ll be one of the most talkative ones in the class. I tend to have some sort of funny, witty remark to say. I’m extremely sarcastic, but I’m a really open guy. I have a lot of friends who confide in me. I’m glad I can be trusted, it’s a good feeling. I have trouble sleeping because I can’t get my mind to stop working. Because of that, I usually stay up until about 3 in the morning. I’m surprised I’m able to function properly.

I really like to write. Well, obviously, I took this course after all. I write a lot of lyrics, and my friend’s band is making a few songs out of them, so that’s kind of cool. I listen to a lot of music. I’m listening to it right now. I listen to pretty much every genre, I’d have to in order to have the 2304 songs I currently have. It’s a big part of my life. For the amount I write, you’d think I’d read more, but I really don’t. I don’t remember the last book I read. I should really try to broaden my horizons, literature-wise.

I think that will suffice as a journal entry, considering it’s 11:54pm. It’s great to have the opportunity to tell a bit about myself, and I hope you are able to get to know more about me through my writing.

Journal Entry #3: "The Pen is Mightier Than The Sword"

Journal #3: "The Pen is Mightier Than The Sword"

Writers have an extraordinary potential to change people’s minds and to create revolutions. Reflect upon some of the radical changes that have been wrought by such texts as The Declaration of Independence, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and The Communist Manifesto. What issues or topics are you interested in exploring in your writing? What changes do you feel are worth making?

Over the years, there have been many radical authors who have written about controversial topics. For example, "Uncle Tom’s Cabin" was extremely controversial at the time of its release, as it was anti-slavery in the times of slavery. "The Declaration of Independence" is another example of an influential text, as it declared the 13 American colonies as states which were independent of the British Empire, and essentially founded the United States as an independent nation. In another political sense, "The Communist Manifesto" was an extremely influential text which explained the purpose and ideas of the Communist party, and helped the party gain recognition.

I’m interested in many topics, but I find there are few that I am actually able to write about passionately. I wouldn’t be able to make another "Uncle Tom’s Cabin." I’m mostly interested in writing fiction with no real underlying message. This is likely because I’m more of a go-with-the-flow kind of person. For example, I know the war in Iraq is going on, and I know that people are both for and against it. I don’t really have an opinion on it. I could support either side. There is just nothing important going on that I’m passionate enough about to actually write about.

However, there are changes in the world that I feel are worth making. There are starving people all over the world, while we in North America throw food away. People are doing terrible things to one another. There is a video on the internet of a man being murdered by a hammer and a screwdriver. If I could do something to fix these things, I would, I just don’t think there is anything I could do to change them.


On a side note, my journals are coming off as fairly pessimistic, ha ha ha. I should at least act like I believe I could change the world, or be an astronaut, or become famous. Jeez.