First of all, let's answer to the question written above ;
WHAT AM I ?
WHAT AM I ?
Well,
I 'want' to be a writer.
And a good and famous and incredible and formidabe and popular and affluent as well, if possible, but all that things are making my dream less pure and more materialistic, aren't they? Basically, I want to be a writer, purely because I like to write and also that I believe that I DO have some talent in it, or at least creativity, and popularity, money and all other things are just options.
And the only one thing I am good at, especially in KMLA- a house full of geniuses of all kinds- is English (writing), and I have an obsession and a self-imposed responsibility on myself to get good scores in this field. Plus write satisfactory pieces; for it's so long since I've written a decent draft, something I might be proud of and consider as one of my best literature pieces.
I 'want' to be a writer.
And a good and famous and incredible and formidabe and popular and affluent as well, if possible, but all that things are making my dream less pure and more materialistic, aren't they? Basically, I want to be a writer, purely because I like to write and also that I believe that I DO have some talent in it, or at least creativity, and popularity, money and all other things are just options.
And the only one thing I am good at, especially in KMLA- a house full of geniuses of all kinds- is English (writing), and I have an obsession and a self-imposed responsibility on myself to get good scores in this field. Plus write satisfactory pieces; for it's so long since I've written a decent draft, something I might be proud of and consider as one of my best literature pieces.
However my self-esteem has been crushed like a lemon into a pulp, as soon as I saw what other students write- or talk, more broadly.
I can't write witty stuff, like some of the students do here at KMLA. Some are really creative, or possess an incredible sense of humor that kids just love them. So that their speeches are filled with laughs due to the so-funny lines, and their daily conversations just arouse an air of humor and ... well, attention and interest. And I have none of those things, or I perceive so, so negatively. And I just get smaller and smaller. When I speak no kids listen to me real carefully, or react to me. And I definitely DO know that this is just primitive mumbo-jumbo, a selfish complaint on not being recognized (as a writer, possibly).
I am... .... boo hoo
So I have concluded that the only way I could attract, at least, the teacher's attention to me, is to work hard, diligently and arduously. If I don't have that creative burst of ideas, a spark of ingeniousity to attract everybody's attention- I know it's a foolish and an selfish dream, but that' the way most of your dreams are, aren't they?-
Oh, all this is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo depressing. I'll just proceed to the rather exciting part, the thrilling part full of suspension and smoke and mirrors. Oh! And full of purple passages as well- ever since I read the 'Why I Write' prose by George Orwell, it became one of my favourite vocabularies- and describe my first encounter with this troublesome piece of article.
#2. (The Main Dish - Stew in pewter)
The main reason I got that introduction part so long, is that I wanted to focus, overall, on who (or what) I am and how I am getting closer to that by the chaos that is happening inside my head.
" HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHHE " < Mental breaking..no ,broken.
Well, back down to earth.
I was trying to show my best,(now that's where the gloomy intro part come in) and so I read the article I received "Nacirema" very, very very carefully. It seemed quite interesting- and I had to deduce an analysis from it in quite a short amount of time! So I read quickly, annotating and nearly coloring it in rainbow. Gosh, I didn't know that we were supposed to hand it down to another class; I was so much concentrating that no other thoughts occurred to me.
As I read through the article, I was intrigued and both disgusted at the customs of this strange people. With so many 'ritual's an reliance on magic and these strange men! How they seemed to be true S & M players, enjoying violence and pain! I kept talking t myself, wow I should really know about these weirdoes!
And so I composed an essay about how we should use 'cultural relativism' in understanding others' cultures, and we should be benevolent as 'global (servant) leaders' who will lead the world eventually, with passion in our hearts and for the happiness of our great fatherland, and bla bla bla.
I knew I was writing rubbish, and I didn't like it, but I had no other ideas.
Consequently I tried my best anyway, and wrapped up just in time.
And I was proud of myself, and had an extra big dinner.
No, that can't be right because I always have a big dinner- oh, never mind.
BUT THEN THERE WAS THE GREAT TRUTH IMPOSED UPON ME.
ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
OMG
Well, I was literally struck out of the bolt in the blue (or something along the lines)
because it was actually an article about- well, I'll talk about it in the third part anyway, but it was about AMERICANS. And it was, well, so smartly hidden and in another way so simple that I felt stupidity to myself.
But my (first) response was the normal one, and when assured that, I relaxed.
So I wasn't the only one fooled-
still, I felt a tinge of disappointment;
what if I had been the genius, the smart one who
actually found out what the article was about
from reading it for the first time?
Well, apparently I had a lot to learn.
#3. (The After-Dish - Over-baked bacons with oiled olives )
So, let's admit. It was so shocking and surprising when I figured out the truth, especially because there were actually so many clues pointing towards the truth; terms and descriptions that matched the current happenings exactly.
I thought the author was so clever, to give a twist to things just a little bit so you'd have to pay real close attention to the context to find out the truth.
As an obvious example, the name NACIREMA itself is backwards to AMERICAN, and thus the argument that this article is mocking, criticizing Americas sounds more supported.
In addition, the general Washington's name is spelled backwards, as Notgnihsaw. Some kind of prejudice, or even stereotype thinking made me into confirming the suspicion that those names belonged to indegenious tribes, with more certainty. Thus I did not even think otherwise on the purpose of the article.
Furthermore, there are parts indicating the Americans' tendency to visit the doctors a lot. The term, 'listener' means a phychiatrist you go and talk to, and there are magical potions given by, well, doctors! And the way he patronizes this is very subtle, somewhat, and somewhat very plain to see. Also, the author even twists this side of the story more by emphasizing that people extremely trust the doctors and continue to visit them even though the medicines exactly don't work, and the doctors give them pain, sometimes even unnecessary ones.
Moreover, it was almost peculiar, and wow-ing that this article was written almost half a century ago, but the terms and the circumstances mentioned still applied to the current Americans with accuracy. People still adore doctors and worship them and their medicines; rather more, than those times, actually. People care about their appearances and can go through immense pain to improve those- and take whatever measures possible.
The conclusion is that,
one, the author is a predictor from the nacirema tribe and can know anything that will happen in the future,
and two, that people are getting so predictable and simple that we aren't really developing, in the sense of 'moral' civilization.
The latter, I think.
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#4. (Dessert - Whatever, waiter)
Cultural Relativism, ok.
Me, a nareok. Ok.
Just who would ever call me a nareok in my life? Except students in KMLA?
what would others say to that prose?
Oh, and throw in wearing some garments as long as our heights; which contains the 'lines of the mother (nature)'.
People would interpret it their own way, write about it, mostly considering that they were superor to it- for if you are to judge something, you must be better or more superior compared to that. (Or at the least you must think so.)
ARG!!
Who AM I??
Who AM I??
It made me a little bit sad, the view of points that I had acquired through the years- for I couldn't have been born like this, could I?
From when did I think myself such a superior creature from other societies of people?
Dunno, really.
If I really want to be a 'global' leader, I should be altruistic, not selfish or egoistic, right?
Then I should change the pattern, the way of my thoughts first, rather than what I say and act.
So treating other people in the way you'd like to be treated; that is real cultural relativism, I reckon. And I am SINCERE, for holy sake. or Ekas Yloh, you could say.
Plus, as I was writing the reflection of this article about 'Nacirema', and was looking upon myself, I brought myself to a bright conclusion-that's in my nature, anyway-
that I should really reconsider about being me, a writer, that is.
I have always thought that I should be a writer, and that I like to write and is good at it.
Well, part of it is true. But parts are not.
I shouldn't get so agitated at every speech, every assignment on writing that I am not the five-star ranked winner, the popular one; and question myself seriously whether I even deserve to be one everytime. Also, I just need my passion to be a writer; all A's aren't necessary, though it's good if you try for one. Efforts are what really matters, not so much of brains.
I am a proud naerok, and will be whatever I want to, and do whatever I want to do.
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