Beauty

 

“Are there benefits to constructing beauty?”

 

                Beauty is defined as “a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight”. A thing of beauty such as a landscape, a song, or even another human being has the chance of being a product of construction. Some see this possibly of constructing beauty as a way of creating false illusions and making unrealistic expectations for those who want to feel beautiful. Others suggest that the construction of beauty allows the potential for everybody and everything to have beauty and that which once was a selective trait is now open to all. I believe that there are benefits to constructing beauty and the fact that we are able to construct what people see as beautiful is something to be very proud of.

                Cameron Russell is a Victoria Secret model who shared her opinion on constructed beauty.  She expresses that “Image is superficial” and that models who we as a society deem as the most beautiful are the “most physically insecure women probably on the planet”. Russell claims that the cause of the insecurity is the fact that we are constructing beauty to a finite group of people and labeling anything else as inferior. She suggests that children who want to grow up and become a model to dream instead to "be my boss" or that they become the next CEO of a fashion outlet. She equates becoming a model to winning the Powerball saying it is totally out of their control what would happen.  I disagree with Cameron. Where she puts fault in constructed beauty for the models insecurity, I would blame it on the models for their lack of appreciation for what they have. They think that constructed beauty has made them so beautiful they don’t think they can live up to their own standards. Children who want to grow up to be models have the more of a chance of becoming models than being CEOs of the companies she named. The benefits Russell experiences from constructed beauty are obvious. She has gained world fame, lots of money, and now people listen to her without really knowing her qualifications.

                On the other hand, Aimee Mullins explained her personal experience on how constructed beauty has transformed her life into its own thing of beauty. Mullins has prosthetic legs but made them into works of art and worked her way into a modeling career. She constructs all aspects of her legs from the height to the pattern design. She constructed her own beauty and now feels confident. Russell says that constructed beauty causes insecurity when really it caused the opposite effect for Mullins. She became a model and now does runway for major fashion labels. People classify her as disabled when really she doesn’t feel disabled. This is a great example of how constructed beauty has benefits. It has given meaning to her life. She shouldn’t need her fake legs to feel confident, but if she feels better wearing them, then good for her.

                Dennis Dutton has a different opinion on beauty compared to Russell and Mullins. He takes a more scientific approach to beauty and shows how we adapt to what’s beautiful in an evolutionary way.  The construction he talks about is the way that we constructed beauty because of the stuff we needed back then.  Just like the male peacock is attracted to the female peacock by the feathers she grows. He also shows that we as humans generally share what we think is beautiful. This sounds a little like Russell when she claims that majority of the fashion industry looks the same. Our evolutionary construction of beauty benefits all of us.

                In conclusion, beauty being constructed has improved many lives. It has given the chance for those who didn’t feel beautiful to become beautiful. It has also brought many great beauties in to the world. Whether we adopted them from evolution or constructed out of our observations, they shape our lives.  The fact at beauty can be constructed has given hope to all that think little of themselves.  It effects everyone to ever want to be beautiful.

Ted Talks On Beauty

I believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Many people have tried to identify beauty to an even more in depth view but I feel that this task is misguided, Camern Russel finds beauty to be superficial and constructed, while Amiee Mullins sees beauty as able to be constructed in a good way and that every one has the ability to be beautiful. Another speaker on the subject was Denis Dullton and I agree with his view point the most. He identifies what humans think is beautiful from an evolutionarily standpoint and shows that our history makes us more attracted to different things in different ways.

My opinion is that beauty can be constructed and that's a good thing but our evolutionary traits have already decided what we will find beautiful. Russell gives our current perception of beauty a bad name. She says it is generic and is superficial while I think that there is no problem with this and that she makes a living off this perception and she should be great full. Amiee, to me is more agree able on her opinion of beauty. She herself is a cripple and that fact that beauty can be constructed is the only reason she gets any attention at all. She covers up her faults with constructed replacements. She is far from what Russell says is the normal person that is a model. Dalton is probably the most educated and uses hard facts in his definition of what makes us beautiful. He shows how evolution shaped is and how we really see beauty.

 

Essay 2

Matt Fetske

9/10/14

Professor Rasheda Young

Writing Skills

Essay 2

 

 

With the deadline for the submission approaching my homework gets finished. The only thing left to do is to submit it online. This would usually be a trivial task but as I try to enter the webpage I get a message that I have no connection to the internet.  This shouldn’t be, because my Wi-Fi is on and connected to the FDU internet, but then I realize that is the problem.  The FDU WI-FI is so poor that my laptop cannot use it to connect to a webpage and my assignment will be turned in late if I don’t find a solution.  I restart the machine and hope for a better outcome.  I know that this process is taking too long and at this pace I would receive a late grade. The internet is sluggish to connect and by the time I get to submit my homework the assignment is late.  Those are points taken away for no fault of my own. Here at Fairleigh Dickinson University the Wireless internet is a big problem. It impedes students academically, socially, and their productivity.  It is the responsibility of the administration here to find a more productive way for their students to access the internet.

The Wi-Fi here has resulted in late submissions, unfinished downloads, and miscommunication all throughout campus. These outcomes have affected student’s grades and understanding of their classes negatively and in turn brought down their grades. Academics are very important in college and shouldn’t be affected by lack of quality internet. Students are paying for these classes and it’s unfair to them. When I submitted my homework late it brought down my grade significantly and since there isn’t too much grades in, it looks like I’m failing, which I am. I’m positive many students have similar stories where the internet has stopped them from full academic potential.

Another problem this internet raises is its ability to use social media applications at will. Many students use apps such as Instagram, Twitter, and Yik Yak but are unable to refresh their feed and get new updates. This might lead to less connectivity on campus and more people out of the loop on what’s going on. An example of this is when a sporting event is going on and a student reaches out on a social media app to find out the score but is unable to because they cannot send the message. Or when someone is trying to communicate to back where they’re from and they don’t receive their message because that app is not receiving information. The result in both of these scenarios is less social interaction.

The productivity students generate should be maximized by their surroundings, but with current FDU internet, it is greatly reduced. Students may not be able to get information off the internet. Others might not be able to reach out to their professors for help. Now the students don’t have all the information necessary to complete their assignments to the fullest. With the internet as is I believe it is causing the students to be less productive than what should be.

 My problem within my community is not relatable to Valerie Kinloch’s essay “Harlem Is Art”. Valeria points out race all throughout her writing while my problem of wanting better internet has nothing to do with race; it affects everyone whether you’re black, white, or anything else. The struggle I face is for enhanced Wi-Fi where she is fighting what she thinks is a struggle for the preservation of black Harlem culture. If anything gentrification would help solve my problem because they would replace the old internet for more modern and quality internet.  

The reality right now is that the current internet connection is making the ability to function harder as a student and a member of society. When will somebody do something about this and make this school that much better? And if you don’t want to answer that question you are going to ask who will be the next to suffer from the internet?

 

 

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

"My Dorm" Video

"A Place That I Spend Time"

 

Matt Fetske

9/10/14

Professor Rasheda Young

Writing Skills

"A Place That I Spend Time"

 

The place where I spend most of my time would be my dorm. Everything I need is there, whether it is a computer, books, TV, or other people, it’s there.  As you first walk in you would get hit with a wave of cologne that is sprayed by me and my roommate right before we leave for the day, it is a mixture of old spice and Armani spray. Second, your eyes would fall on the TV that is most of the time is playing Sportscenter or SpongeBob. With the TV you would find a PlayStation 4 with a stack of games next to it. The neighbors across the hall are probably going to come over later wanting to play Madden 14 and we will run out of chairs so they will sit on my roommate’s bed. The beds are usually pretty tidy and washed very often. The desks are a different story. Paper, notebooks, pens, pencils, textbooks, folders, drinks all litter the desks. The room is always a little too cold so everybody is either complaining or wearing a sweater. Temperature will always stay at 65 degrees no matter what though. It is an unwritten rule. Both lights are always on, only turned off if someone is sleeping. When I'm doing my homework in there, music is always playing through my phone speaker. Lately is been Schoolboy Qs new album Oxymoron. But when my roommate comes in it is switched to Mac Miller. He would rather listen to some indie music though. A basketball is sometimes dribbled around my room, and I'm sure that makes the people who live under me annoyed but I don't really care. My RA and I are neighbors so it never can get too out of hand in my dorm or else he would start complaining.  He hasn't said anything yet so I'll keep the volume as is. Each closet has a lot of clothes in it hanging up. My side is mostly just flannels while the other side is dress shirts and ties. My roommate likes to dress nice. My roommate is like never there so I can do what I want really. He usually doesn't even sleep in the room, he goes to his girlfriends. I like that very much because his alarms always went off to early and for too long before he shut them off. My hallway has a room though that is always blasting music so you can faintly hear it if you listen hard enough.  Laundry is done pretty regularly so the room has a fresher smell. The shades have been down ever since the first day because I overlook the Twombly Lounge patio and people stare into my room and its weird when we make eye contact. Also it helps to keep the lights of because it makes sleeping in less comfortable when the light is shining on your face.

 

Response to "Hip Hop Planet"

Matt Fetske

9/10/14
Professor Rasheda Young
Writing Skills
Response to "Hip Hop Planet" 


James McBride, the author who wrote "Hip Hop Planet", has changed his view of hip hop over the course of his life. He at first heard it when it was just an idea getting tried out for the first time at a party, and got to witness it (whether he liked or not) grow from that little party he attended to the huge market it has grown to today. At first McBride thought the music was  "ridiculous" and wanted no part in its history, but he would soon realize that he felt he related to the message it brought. McBride goes in to detail about the origins of Hip Hop and the journey it has taken to be what it is. Since he thinks that it was started in Africa he feels that he is part of that legacy because he is African American. He also notices that he has interest in the types of music that had influenced the new genre of hip hop and can connect the rhythms to what he already knows.  James McBride also took interest how other social classes where listening to the music and very emotionally invested in the artists.  In France there is a big African population and they have been producing rap and spreading it to parts of their country just as what happened in America. McBride feels that the struggle that blacks face is the real meaning of hip hop. Although McBride feels that the genre has taken a wrong turn into gangsta rap he still believes it carries a powerful message. Hip Hop shaped James's identity by giving him something that links his heritage to modern culture. He feels he "hates" some of it, Yet he "loves" other parts. Something that drives that much emotion has to become part of your identity.

What identifies you?

Matt Fetske

Basketball

8/27/14

Professor Rasheda Young

Writing Skills

What identifies you?

Something that defines me is the fact that I play basketball. I have been physically affected, socially affected, and mentally affected by the game. I have been playing for as long as I can remember, so it has a lot to do with my identity.  Basketball is a physically demanding sport so it has always kept me active. I’ve always been skinny and I think that basketball has played a major part in that. Also the game helped developed my athleticism and improved my coordination.  Socially it had major impact, my core group of friends have always have been athletes and I usually first met them at sporting events. If I didn’t play basketball I would not have met those people and could have been a totally different person today.  I also think it is easier to meet people who play the same sport as you or at least likes the same sport as you. You have a common interest and always find things to talk about.  Mentally is has affected me in a big way. I like to watch basketball, I think because I like to play it. I can relate to what the players are going through, what the coaches are dealing with, and what the referees are watching for. It makes the game all that more exciting just because I play it on my own free time.

Similar to me and my family 

 Another thing that helps identify me is my family. My brother and sister are close in age to me and I can relate to them if their are talking about people they know or the things they do. They too play sports and have always been my competition and who I told my self to be one day better then. I always knew they had my back and they knew I had there's.  My oldest brother and I are pretty far apart in age but as I get older me and him get closer. He can tell me stories about what he did when he was my age and make sure I don't make any mistakes.

Anzadua describes language similar as I describe basketball and my family. She feels pride in her language; she feels a connection with the people who also speak it, and the history it developed. She relates to others who speak it noticing they have a common bond and must stick together if their culture is to survive. The pride in her language I feel about being a Fetske. Its very exclusive group of people have that name.







 

Identity

Matt Fetske

9/10/14

Professor Rasheda Young

Writing Skills

“Identity”

 

Identity is defined as “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is”. That means identity is what makes you, you and not someone else. Identity is composed of many different factors, such as, your language, your physical appearance, your morals, and your actions. Once you identify what identity you would like to become, you should ask yourself why it matters.  Well, identity is important as you make it. You may choose to embrace certain aspects of your identity above others, or you may not fully comprehend your identity yet and still find new stuff about yourself as life progresses. It is important to find your identity because once you do you will realize where you really belong. We will see this with Gloria Anzadua and James McBride's writings.  

There is a lot of debate on what makes up your identity, whether it is your skin color, the language you speak, or even your thoughts and morals that impact it the most. I believe most people try to identify others by their language. As Gloria Anzadua points out in her essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” people have always told her she must change the way she speaks and that her current dialectic is flawed. Whether they are right or wrong in telling her this, she identifies with her new language and in turn feels more comfortable, proud, and powerful in doing what she wants. She also points out that her language has a colorful history and Gloria feels like she experiences the history first hand when speaking the language. Others identified her by her language and as a result her identity became her language and that is important to her.

On the other hand, in James McBride’s novel “The Color of Water” the main characters mother rejects her identity as a black woman and wants to be disassociated with African American culture. When her son asks about his family’s history she ignores the heart of the question and directs the answer elsewhere.  So she does not find identity in race but she focused on her identity as a mother. She sends the children to the best schools around; she works a lot to provide for her children, and sends them to church to make them better humans. This shows that your identity is not given at birth, but it is what you make it. That is important because it shows you that you can become whatever you want be and become happier as you get closer to your ideal identity.

In both these accounts of authors finding their identity, it is important to show that they gain something from their realization of it. Whether it’s an important language or a happy family, it was important to each to find. And it should be important to everyone so they have something they care about. But to the people like Anzadua who find a specific part of their identity superior to other parts of it, must not forget get about the other parts. The other parts that make up your identity must be acknowledged so you know yourself as much as possible. Identity is made up of your own traits and without different identities the world would be filled with the same people.

 

How to tame a wild tongue questions

 

Matt Fetske

9/3/2014

Professor Young

Writing Skils workshop

“How to Tame a Wild Tongue”

 

1.       The opening scene of Anzaldua in the dentist chair connects to her message that people in authority have always had a problem with her “wild tongue”. In the dentist’s office she experiences this literally but she claims to have always been harassed by others who want her to be Americanized.

 

2.       The purpose Anzaldua use of Spanish throughout her writing is to show her defiance towards the ones who she thinks tried to take her culture away. In my opinion it makes no sense at all, the constant switching of language makes her story hard to follow. Also, all the readers who do not know Spanish cannot fully comprehend the points she makes.

 

3.       Academic English cannot be defined as Spanish, Spanish and English are different languages. Chicano Spanish can and should be described as non-standard because it is completely made up of bad grammar and mistaken pronunciation. When referring to one identity as standard it shows that there is a right way of communicating and that makes it easier on everybody to learn one way instead of each sect creating fake languages.

 

4.       There is a necessity in speaking and writing in academic English. The fact that there is a one correct way of communicating, clarifies the right language one should use.

 

5.       Different English identities used in the social atmosphere, academic communication, and self-communication.

 

6.       No, I do not use a secret language with my friends to communicate. You can simply listen to the conversations and understand what we’re saying.

 

7.       When I’m speaking to my friends I use an informal version of English, I do this because it makes everybody feel a lot more comfortable. When I speak to a professor I feel that a speaking in Standard English is appropriate. This is because I would like them to know that I’m educated enough to speak right and not talk in a made up language like Chicano Spanish.

 

8.       “I am my language.” means that you identify so greatly to your language that you feel as it took your whole personality. Language connects to a person’s identity because it is the way they formulate ideas and communicate those thoughts to other people.

 

9.       Anzaldua connects the introduction and conclusion by them sharing the theme of perseverance and others attacking them. The dentist wants to control her tongue but she is a Chicanos and they are strong people and they will survive.

 

10.   Yes, the language you speak can be a part of your identity. It is the way you think and the way you can share your ideas to others.

 

11.   In my opinion, Identity is very important. But language is a very little part in such a makeup of identity. Anzaldua also believes identity is an important part of life but claims language is the greatest part of identity. She claims Chicanos are a terrorized group and are more prone to surviving than the rest of humans.

 

 

Free Writing

Matt Fetske

9/7/2014

Professor Young

Writing Skils workshop

Free Writing

 

 

 

1.       The difference between free writing and editing is what your focusing is on. When you free write the focus is on purely the writing, just the words you enter on the paper. Editing makes your thoughts shift to “are you writing correctly” instead of simply writing. As you free write your mind has to be clear of those self-doubts. Editing may make your finished writing more clear but free writing is meant to let your imagination flow.

 

2.       This means that once your mind is focusing on editing, not just writing, it will make your final creation less creative and more dull or dead.

 

 

3.       That means when you try to get the beginning right, you start to become an editor not a writer right at the start. That means you must allow your ideas presented as you think of them, or you run the risk of censoring great writing.