Short Respose 2

When faced with the idea of culture we often think of the normal race sex ethnicity and gender. Very often we find ourselves building a self image of who we are through these characterizations. For me the main way I would describe myself would be through my ethnicity. Ethnicity has nothing to do with the color of my skin but the environment I grew up in. When looking at my ethnicity there are two major ways I define myself and there are as a military brat and as a baptist. Both of these descriptions bring with it certain values and Ideals that are associated with the particular description.

Lets take being a military brat for instance. To someone who has never been in the military or part of a military family the term may not seem to be very enlightening but to other military brats a military members it is all encompassing. There is a certain bond that is shared between military families that other people can never understand. Being a member of a military family changes your entire life in so many ways your interactions with people who are not military families change. Though I am no longer in the military there are certain aspects on life and views of the world that stand out from those around me. For example my experiences with moving not only around the United States but also all over the world. I have a very different view on life and the reality of the world than people who for the most part grow up and live in the same town they were born in all their life.

The second way I describe my self through my ethnicity is through being a baptist. Being a baptist sets u apart from most other religions because we believe very differently than most about salvation and different things the Bible says. Some things that are said about the baptist is that we know how to preach the gospel and we like to eat. Both of which are true in my case.

Short Response One "Orwell and Identity"

I love to write and read there is nothing I enjoy more than a good book. I mainly write poetry, though i have not had the time to recently. I have a compilation of about thirty poems I have written over the years. Though with time constraints and responsibilities I have not had as much time to write recently as I would have liked.

For me personally I find that writing poetry of my own is often very therapeutic. Writing to me is an extension of myself, my thoughts, my values, and my understanding. Putting a pen to paper is a powerful tool which can be used to both shape and destroy. What I write about varys and I do not have any particular genre or writing preference. I do however strive towards excellence in my writing; I am always looking to improve. My hope is that, when I am dead and gone if others were to read the words i have written that, they find them to be comforting, enlightening, insightful, and that they have a glimpse into my life and experiences.

The folowing is a writing assignment i had to write about how a literary event that has shaped my life. It also includes several lines from my most favorite poem of all time If by Rudyard Kipling The reason i have posted this is because it speaks to the way i feel about writing and reading in a clear and concise manner. This assignment also happens to be one of my favorite because it was a chance for me to speak about how writing and literature have changed my life.

Knowledge and Power

Can mere pen and ink be more powerful than a sword? I would dare to say, "A pen in the hand of a master can be much more devastating than any sword.” Is it possible to arrange words in such way that they can change a person's life? To this I must answer a resounding, "Yes!" The poem If by Rudyard Kipling is one such example in my life. It has changed my view of life completely. It is neither a short nor long poem but just the perfect length to express the needed ideas. This knowledge has shaped my life and how I view the world. As I read it for the first time at the age of thirteen it taught me several things. My view of the world was changed through the poem’s ability to address everyday life, social behavior, and the innate power and knowledge words hold.

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same; (8-13)
How do you wake up every day and face a world that seemingly hates you? Is it possible to find balance in this world? Balance is a precarious precipice of sanity. The particulars of everyday life come to some quite easy, while others are lost in the tumult of possibilities. Every person is different and yet we are all the same. We all dream and think; we all have our accomplishments and failures. With the proverbial sands of time running out minute by minute how do we face each day? As Kipling says you dream but do not let your dreams control you. Think, but do merely exist to think. Take action, be willing to succeed or fail. If success finds you or the unfortunate failure, continue on your path in life. Do not let your triumphs and defeats become roadblocks for future conquests and calamities. Wake up every day even if it seems like the world hates you. Along with our actions in everyday life, how we interrelate within society is also vital.

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much, (26-29)
How should we act towards others? Relations with others are the basis of our society. From the simplest task to the grandest we must interact with others to accomplish our goals. Our families teach us a lot about how to interact with others. As we grow up, peer pressure can teach us to act in other ways to fit in. According to Kipling we should not allow peer pressure to distort our virtue. We should stand tall and resist temptation in the presence of a crowd. We may feel the need to prove something to others but it is to ourselves that we must stay true. As we move
through life and excel, we should never forget where we come from. To forget would be a disservice to those who helped us to succeed. But most importantly is line 29," If all men count with you, but none too much." If all men count with you was a phrase I did not quite understand at first. As I matured and my awareness grew the connotation became clearer. All men should matter to us; we should not discriminate because of race, religion, sex. We widen our horizons by being open to others who are dissimilar to us, allowing more diversity in our own life. Throughout our daily interactions we should be careful not to place too much importance on ourselves or another. We are only human and at some point bound to fail.

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son! (30-33)
Kipling's final words, his goodbye show the power and knowledge contained in proceeding lines. These are not just mere letters arranged on a page but insights into life. He passes the torch of knowledge on- the knowledge of how to be a man. Life has been breathed into his words. As you read each line the words dance off the page as you gain new insight and direction. By reading you can gain awareness, understanding, and clout of your own. This power is available to anyone who can read. As each word passes through your consciousness you gain the understanding, experience, and knowledge of the writer. You must work to expand this influence. Many books and poems have been written. The knowledge they contain is there for any who seek it. You must take the first step to open the book and read.

My life has changed dramatically due to the knowledge gained of daily life, normal social interactions, and the command gained from reading If by Rudyard Kipling. This knowledge has not been limited to just this poem. Through reading I have been able travel to the underbelly of the earth. I have been to the top of Mount Doom and 20,000 leagues under the sea. I have been friends with elves, dwarfs, and other mystical creatures. I have traveled to far off lands and enjoyed fabulous adventures. I have gained new experiences vicariously through the characters portrayed in the books I have read. I have been inside the minds of some of the world's greatest thinkers. Their knowledge and insights passed on to me through their words. Line by line and one page after another my knowledge and insight grows, all because a man named Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem called If.

Unit zero

My name is Joshua Justin Aubin. I come from a French-Irish Roman Catholic family. My last name is from the French side of my family. Though my family has French roots we hail ourselves as French Canadians and not Parisian French. Parisian French are people who immigrated directly from France. My Family name on the Irish side of my family is Daily, which is a very common Irish name. As for my first name Joshua I prefer to be called Josh. Being called Joshua is reserved for a very select group of people.

Though I come from a Roman-Catholic family my parents became Baptists a short time before I was born. They then decided to name each of their children a biblical name. I happened to be the first and got the name Joshua, which means Yahweh saves or Chosen by God depending on where you look it up. My parents continued to name each of my siblings biblical names also. There is Nathan(after Nathaniel), Benjamin, and Jeremy(after Jeremiah). I also have two sisters and two more brothers but somewhere along the lines my parents stopped giving them biblical names.

I have grown accustomed to my name, though there was a short period of time when I went by my middle name Justin(long story). Because I grew up in such a large family I answer to just about anything when called for. The only name I cannot stand and will not under any circumstances answer to is JJ (another long story). In my day to day life though it is just Josh and no I am not joshing you about it.