Recalling Moments of Art

It seems like it was only yesterday when I first walked into the “Special Topics in Writing” class. This class was not my first choice, I did not need it to obtain my certificate in Professional and Public writing, and I registered somewhat late. During the first few class sessions, I felt like I was just receiving an overview of what I had learned in a class during the previous semester. 

Class discussions involved narrative and personal writings through the use of Aristotle’s appeals, like logos, ethos, and pathos. A weekly BlogSpot was completed expressing the views of exiles extracted from the weekly readings. Then, these views were connected with personal experiences relating to the material read. The class was focused on writing narratives. 

Personally, I felt somewhat out of my comfort zone because the majority of my other writing classes involved writing styles like memorandums, technical reports, and research proposals, which are conducive for the business environment.  For this reason, I struggled in discovering the importance of this class, which interfered with the process of learning. 

Shortly after the first few days of class, I quickly realized that . . .  

 5. “Life as a Learning Experience” 

Every opportunity in life could be embraced. Class management is a key ingredient for learning maximization. (This is not to be confused with “time” management.) Often times students would voice their opinions like “jump-in reading” at grade school. “Boy, I loved jump-in reading.” Once more, I realized that jump-in speaking is not an effective way to construct a class discussion environment. It was like “survival of the fittest,” where only those who projected their voice, who interrupted others, and who insisted in speaking survived class discussions. I experienced this format leads to incomplete thoughts. 

Not too long ago, a student sitting behind me in class attempted to speak by raising her hand thrice and pronouncing the first couple of words, but she was not able to have a turn to speak. I turned around and she looked at me with eyes wide open expressing a sense of frustration. I only replied, “I know. You won’t get anywhere by raising your hand though.” Once, the professor commented on a particular blog of mine, I barely spoke a few words when another classmate suddenly spoke, followed by a chain of other peers, leaving me, the author, without much time to speak. 

As an outsider looking in and reflecting on situations such as the ones above, I wonder, “If I ever have the privilege of managing a class in the future, what will I do to create a learning environment where each student can participate in a live thread of comments and responses to have an effective class discussions?” or “How would I lead students to develop clear and focused thoughts?” As a student, this particular class has allowed me to not focus on what I can do to better the situation, if I were given the opportunity in the future, instead of being a participant of the actual situation. 

During the course of this class, I have been able to compare and contrast the results from my class to a class where students take turns to speak and I have learned that in the latter example, the majority, if not all of the students who wish to speak, were able to do so efficiently. In short, I have learned to embrace any opportunity in life, especially the ones I find less appealing, as a future learning experience, because life is all about learning experiences.  

 4. “Less use of PowerPoint” 

One of the main tools professors use as a vehicle for lecturing is PowerPoint. This class was instructed using various pedagogical strategies outside of the college norm I have experienced in the majority of my classes. The strategy mostly used was the format where students would arrange their chairs in a circle, reducing the focus on the professor and emphasizing the focal point on the students. 

I was not too fond of this arrangement style because it forced me to be in tune with the class discussions at all times; however, as a teacher and professor, I would deliberately arrange the class using this circular format because, after experiencing it, I have learned that it is more promising and engaging for students to absorb and retain knowledge. Rhetoric is used in this situation too. The audience is the students and the arrangement to create pathos is the circular formation. Less use of PowerPoint presentations (or the like) and alternative methods of presenting can lead to more effective teaching and learning methods.  

 3. “Repetition is Key” 

In the majority of the classes I have had, the topics are only taught once, twice at most (twice would be the exception to the rule). This might be due to a

few variables, like class time available and the quantity of material to cover. This class did not require a textbook. The lack of using a textbook provided ample room to learn “outside of the box” and for repetition. If I was asked about the concepts I learned in this class, words like “ethos, logos, pathos, credibility, logic, emotional appeal, style, organization, arrangement, and audience would be some of the key terms that would come to mind. The main reason I recall these terms so vividly is because they were repeated in the majority of the class meeting, if not all of them. 

 2. The special in “Special Topics in Writing” 

Indeed this class was special; hence, “Special Topics in Writing.” I had the benefit of being welcomed into the minds of experienced bloggers, like Joe Lapin. Lapin took a good portion of his time to Skype and to provide students with an insight into his world. His view on writing allowed me to see the rawness and realness of blogging. Now, I see blogging as my core, the core of life, and the core of my existence. 

Joe Lapin inspired me to write about my struggles, my goals, my dreams, and the journey to accomplishing all of them. This is quite challenging for me as a writer and as a blogger because I like privacy. Actually, I enjoy privacy and its mystery. American society has been rapidly advancing in the media that there is less and less room left for privacy. In previous generations, it used to be that if one’s life was overtly exposed, society would frown. Now, it is the opposite.

In my view, it is about finding the right balance where I can use the media to keep up with the advances in America and a social being integrated in society, while keeping my personal life somewhat private. “To be or not to be? That is the question.” ~ Shakespeare. For now, after graduation, I will probably create a Facebook account expressing my professional interests and goals. I will surely connect BlogSpot to the Facebook account and enhance the special in my writing topics.  

 1. “Strokes of Paint” 

When I think of the times the instructor lectured, I think of strokes of a paint brush. Such thought comes to mind because, though it might sound cliché, I have learned that writing is a form of art intended for a certain audience. Art focused on nudity is appealing to people who appreciate the body as an art figure, yet not pleasing to those who think the body should not be publicly revealed and exposed. Like paintings, some forms of writing about topics that interest some people. 

As an author, understanding that my writing will not appeal to everyone allows me to focus on engaging the audience intended. Every message can be accompanied with its own design. Text font, images, colors, and bullets are a few examples of enhancements that portray a deeper message. When I pause and reflect, I imagine myself immersing in deep blue waters floating to the surface with two-inch bubbles swimming upwardly. Each bubble represents the scene of the moment in mind until it explodes. Once it explodes, I am able to reflect and learn the lessons from that moment in time. My bubble now is swimming through the waters, known as “weeks,” until it explodes in only a few more days, upon graduation. This form of descriptive expression is an example of the art of writing. Even the words I repeated, like “bubble,” are a stroke of art. 

 In the long run, the goal is to use the lessons learned in practice and not just in theory. This class has gone a step above the theoretical aspects of lecture and has reached its practical facets. These experiences are what I will carry on through the different phases of my life. In the future, whenever I think about exile, I will think of this class and remember the last semester at this university, whose name I no longer want to utter. Leaving this university, which I have attended for over two years will be the first step to the exile I have longed for many times before.

Surviving through the Arts - Part 1/2

In the book, Arenas says, “I write and I survive.” I think many of us can agree in that writing is a form of release from all of which we tend to bottle up at times. At times we want to say certain things, but know that if we did, we would have negative consequences. So, writing becomes a “way out.” In another class I am taking, Writing as Social Action,” a student said, “I know how to write without cursing. I do it all the time in e-mails I never send.”

From the notes I took, I perceived that to Arenas, writing is more than a “way out,” it is a form of survivorship. If the author was forbidden to write, I think he would enter the arsenic hour (as Matthew Stevenson refers to in the “Letters of Transit”) in which all of his intrinsic elements will unite and he will explode into death! 

A sudden twist came about when Arenas compares the communist and capitalist systems. He states that there is not much of a difference with regards to the treatment he received. The only difference is that the communist system expects to be applauded; however, the capitalist system allows people to scream.

“And I came here to scream.” ~ Arenas

There are many interpretations of “scream,” as Arenas uses it. One of them being a deeper level of writing. Hard core writing. Something he might not have been able to do in Cuba because of the left wing publishers.  

On a side note, I actually liked how the class was designed this past week. Specifically, I found it interesting how the professor read a few pages to the class. It reminded me of the years I really "learned;" my High School years. I think it is more effective when students compose their own notes, as oppose to having professors create powerpoint presentations providing students with all of the notes needed for exams. (Professors, please do not stop creating these poerpoints though! As a student, I must say it is great exam preparation.) When I analyze it from a different angle of vision, pedagogically and psychologically, I think the brain goes through a deeper process where it engages in the task.

In short . . .

1. Professor reads

2. Student has to quickly jot down key notes

3. Student has to actively sound and spell the words in the brain while writing it on paper.

4. To do so effectively, the student has to quickly summarize the important points in a few      words to avoid missing out on other key points. 

5. Afterwards, student has to elaborate on the key points.

(the learning process)

These tasks requires students to be actively engaged and analytically involved in the subject.

When notes are provided by professors, to pass the exam, all the student must do is read and memorize the notes. If these two steps fail, then the student attempts to understand the concepts of the notes provided.

The Art in Reading

Someone I knew had collections of comic books and to my surprise, they were quite expensive. I remember how he used to tell me about is negotiations with the comic book seller. Of course, I thought this person was wasting his time reading these books full of pictures and few words, because words are what really matters. 

Or not?

First time I was exposed to a comic book was this past week in the “Special Topics in Composition” class. When the professor introduced the assigned reading, I was confused. An assignment on a comic book in my final college semester was not was not what I was expecting. Just when I felt I had learned and applied a good amount of knowledge and material to obtain my Bachelor’s degree, I now had to get out of my comfort zone of knowledge and explore a new genre in “writing.”

“But where is the writing and what is there to read?” I asked.

After reading “The Vocabulary of Comics,” by Scott McCloud and meeting with my classmates this past week, I realized that printed text is not the only mediums of reading and communication. In fact, I learned that viewing and interpreting images is a sharp analytical skill. I think that this skill is more difficult to apply in the image form of language than in written texts. Written texts provide the reader with more details and information than an image. An image is open to a higher range of interpretation.

In the reading, McCloud uses literary elements to write this chapter (Chapter 2). The image he uses expresses the art of composition, but also creates a story. In class, we discussed how McCloud used mimesis. This was prevalent in the first couple of pages, as the author presents multiple views and interpretations of one item. At first, I questioned why the author was repeating the same point so many times; but then I realized that McCloud was offering different interpretations of one thing, all which were reality, but also proven wrong.

Another interesting aspect found in the art of writing discussed in class is “photographic essays.” This form of reading interpretation is used to tell a story. Photographic essays can also be used to evoke a series of emotions. So, my next goal is to read at least one complete comic book of my liking or one that I find appealing.

Intrinsic Emotions

 

             In the letter “Scenes from a Fatherhood,” Stevenson’s descriptive word choices depict a deep and explosive intrinsic feeling that perfectly translates onto his writing. The first element he used described “the arsenic hour,” which was his evenings at home with the kids.  I found myself searching the meaning of some unfamiliar words. I found that the terms used in his description of his daily living with his children are words relating to chemistry. "I haul garbage, empty bottles, and cases of wine, but skirt diapers, as if they were filled with plutonium." The chemical terminology he uses escalated in chemical elements. For instance, arsenic = atomic number 33, plutonium = atomic number 95. This can be seen metaphorically as his feelings escalate while he continues his letter.  

The logical connection the author used by introducing scientific concepts to convey his message provides a sense of truth supported by facts. As an active reader dissecting the author’s work, I analyzed the word choices and how they intertwine with the message. As a writer, I can see how having knowledge in other subject areas other than English/Literature can enhance a piece of work and can deepen a message.  

             I often find myself incorporating what I have studied in psychology with English. Stevenson’s knowledge of various concepts, like scientific elements including their atomic number, can target different audiences.  I liked the author’s use of foreign words. I usually do not like it when authors incorporate other words into their writing, but I enjoyed it this time. Maybe I enjoyed it because the words were in an unfamiliar language; thus, I was exposed to new words.

·      Loco parentis – Latin for “in the place of parents.”

·     Suisse Romande - "Romance Switzerland" is a local name for the French-speaking districts of western Switzerland.

Furthermore, given how Stevenson children have been raised in Switzerland, he expressed how he would not like his children to miss having an "American childhood." Coincidentally, yesterday evening I watched a historical documentary of Cuba for about one hour. I was shocked at most of what I saw, but was even more thankful to have been raised in the U.S. I did realize that last night was probably the longest I have ever been exposed to my native history other than what people say about Cuba. More so, I realized I exiled myself from my "right" of learning about Cuba.


Maybe in the future I can visit key places in Cuba, like Varadero, as Stevenson would like his children to visit key places in America. This way I can be sure not to miss out on a Cuban adulthood.

 

Desperately Seeking

I think almost everyone I know wishes to return to their native roots. They say, “Noo, cuando Fidel caiga, entonces Cuba volveria hacer lo que era antes.” If you are the exception, then you are seen as what they call “vende patria.”

A high percentage of Cuban immigrants come to Hialeah and feel “right at home.” Like, when Firmat arrived at FIU and heard the WBQA FM radio playing Spanglish music (some American and some Latin), he felt right at home. I will have to go against the grain with “feeling right at home” given that I came from Cuba when I was three years old; although recalling the video I posted on my first blog post series of Exile and Generation X “Roller-coaster Through Intellectualism,” I should have grown experiencing the Cuban culture in Hialeah. 

 I love Salsa dancing and I like the Spanish language, which is one of the four love languages; but other than these two reasons, I cannot wait to exile myself from Hialeah. Firmat feels “right at home” when he can experience his Latin culture. I feel disgusted when I walk into a place and there is a group of Cuban people, speaking vulgar and loud, depicting a negative representation of Cuba; which is almost every place I have visited in Hialeah. I have wanted to leave the state of Florida for many years now; however, recently I have realized that leaving Florida because of my negative experiences in Hialeah would be ignorant. Maybe I can be an “immigrant” to another city in Florida, they must have salsa dancing though! “My patria (Hialeah) can no longer be my país (Cuba).

People who have been involuntarily banished from their native roots may not comprehend the thoughts I am expressing in this blog. After reading Firmat’s essay about “Transcending Exile,” I can now understand that I think of myself as an immigrant.

My longing of an exile is not the detachment of Cuba, my country, but of Hialeah (also known as Havana, USA).

“Unlike the immigrant, the exile is not willing to acknowledge any distance or discontinuity between his patria or his país.” ~ Firmat Perez.

Maybe, leaving the city I have lived in for 22 years might actually make me feel more Latina and connected to my native roots.

If I move to a state like Massachusetts where Hispanicsmake-up 9.9% of the population, I would probably see and feel the difference between the abundance of Americans and myself. The obvious difference in accents would remind me that I am from a city full of Hispanic people. I would constantly be reminded that I am Latina and I would love that! Referencing Firmat’s thought on immigrant literature being prospective and exile being retrospective. As an immigrant, my focus is in desperately seeking my near future and not so much on what I left behind.

Emerging into Exile

The message depicted by the author Edward W. Said in his book “Reflections on Exile and Other Essays” published about 11 years ago, yet still vividly applicable today, allowed me to connect with the new psychological state of emerging adulthood, as explained in the book “Emerging Adulthood” by Arnett.
 
“ . . . the age of anxiety and estrangement” is the modern revelation of exile and it is exactly how older adolescents and younger adults have identified themselves in previous studies.

“ . . . the displaced person” is the precise description for individuals who do not define themselves as a high school teenager nor an independent adult.
The exile of uncertainty and detachment from the main source; life . . . future . . . purpose. Unplugged from the

inner-self . . .  native roots

longings . . . native desires

The core of a persons emotional need,“ To be rooted,” ~ Simone Weil. In the generation known as the baby boomers, an individuals psychological and life development was quickly established by age 22. The adult had graduated high school, earned a bachelor’s degree, had a stable job, and probably married in pursue of a firstborn. If this same person were interjected in today’s society, the individual would grow into the 21^st century exile. 

The exile of not following the preconceived cultural norm.
The exile of detaching from the cultural standards of the “ideal” life time-line. 

        Modern day adults between the ages of 18 –24 are still “testing the waters” and are avoiding exiling from their parent’s home. These adults, known as emerging adults are graduating high school oblivious as to which path to take while living a 6-year journey (as oppose to a 4-year journey) to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. 

Some people might question the wrong in taking longer than what it should do accomplish certain goals. 

I think it is a matter of not elongating the inevitable exile that is to come to each one of us, because it is only a matter of time until we are all 

. . . exiled from our native roots, which ever those might be.


***The video presented in this blog is a great description of the "emerging adulthood" state and its association to exile, as I view it. It touched upon one of the discussions we had in class too.