Jim Crow Laws

Hmmm.... Jim Crow Laws.... Yeah it's really stupid. Some things that really get to me is that the Civil rights movement just occurred only fifty years ago! That sucks! Well we were pretty close to ending racism  when Lincoln was President and won the Civil War, but since he got assassinated, his plan for a better future was delayed. Something interesting that my AP Biology teacher showed us last year was her father's old biology textbook from college. It was surprising to see how racist it was, excluding and demoting the colored people. It's a biology textbook for crying out loud! I feel like people in the world try to become superior to others because of closed mindedness, fear, or because they feel good to put others down; but I think it's mainly because extreme white people wanted to feel joy in being able to control someone. Whites would feel satisfied knowing that they don't have to compete with a certain group of people since they are lower in status and education, therefore they can't compete. Also, whites would make black people do things that they don't want to do, for if the black people rebel, they may suffer severe consequences. Jim Crow Laws were just a way for white people to control black people (maintaining segregation, giving the better facilities to whites, etc).
I always find weird how "black" is always looked down upon. In history, white people always have the higher authority and prestige, white light is always safe, white resembles anything that is good. Black is evil, dark, unsafe, dangerous, etc. I think these connotations then lead to the assumptions of which race is good or bad based on the color of their skin. That just sucks. People just need to accept the face that everyone, no matter what race, is a little dark inside. There is no such race as being more dangerous or more angelic. Shit happens everywhere no matter what, and all people can do is to move on and help others who are in need/ being abused.

Packet Assignment

The short stories that we had to read in the packet were pretty okay. Well it's not something that I would like to read for leisure, but they seemed to have a pretty common theme. The theme would be something like, "People who love their careers picked it for some purpose or conviction" or "People who enjoy working in their career put forth their passion and effort". I know it sounds really cliche, but it's true! Why would anyone work in a job that they don't like? Maybe because that's the only job available, or maybe the person never knew what they wanted to do in life. If there's no reason to work that job, then why do it? Your job will seem monotonous and boring. Each short story consisted of a reason why each person became what they wanted to be. For some of the writers, it was because they wanted to prove themselves to others. Another person became a writer because of an abusive childhood and wanted to share their experience with others. For the drawer, "learning to draw is really a matter of learning to see". She put so much passion into drawing that everyday she is surround by the thoughts and ideas of drawing. Another thing I noticed about these short stories was the amount of detailed they contained. They didn't overload it where it was unbearable, but it was enough to allow the reader to connect with the author even though they never experienced it themselves. For example, the mother and the butcher knife versus the abusive father. For me, I always picture stories in my head, and for this situation it seemed more emotional and realistic when I pictured the mother fighting against the father.
But I was a little confused about the Brendan Gill short story. He said that he chose to become a writer because in mathematics, he had to learn how to "borrow" during subtraction and addition, but in writing, metaphors made writing very rich, lively, and witty. But aren't metaphors a way of "borrowing" certain meanings to enhance the image of literature? Also, it was kind of odd how his passion of writing derived from the fascination of metaphors. Just that. Surprisingly simple.
These articles made me think a little about my life and what I want to be. I always thought that I wanted to be a doctor. But it seems the older I get, the more unsure I become. I have to find something that I'm truly passionate about. Something that I could talk to someone about every day and never get bored. So I decided to just take my time and to really get to know myself in college as to carefully pick a career. Or let the career pick me. (Haha, so cheesy.)

Why I Write

Why do I write? Well duh, isn't it obvious! I write because of school and to communicate to others. But that's pretty obvious now isn't it? But to be more thoughtful in this topic, I really don't write a lot. I find it difficult to make "spectacular" pieces of work, and my hand usually just gets tired when I write a lot. 

In the past, I've periodically always tried to maintain a daily journal so that I could possibly in the future look back on what I was thinking about on a particular day. (Sometimes laugh at the stupid stuff that I write about, or relive in the moment that I greatly adore.) For a couple of nights, I would furiously write all of the things that happened in a day and rant about what was bothering me, what was interesting, etc. But after those few days, I just stop. I don't know why I stop writing, but maybe it could be because of a few reasons. First of all, writing a lot makes my arm really tired. Hahaha that was pretty simple, but I usually can overcome that obstacle. Another reason is that it takes forever for me to write! I usually tend to get wordy and describe my experiences for quite a long time. I can't really take the risk to stay up late at night to journal, sleep is just too precious. I would also say the fact that I can't write as fast as I think really bothers me too, because  I would always forget what I wanted to write! But like I said before, I really don't know why I just stop journaling. It could just narrow down to the fact that I'm really lazy. 

I forgot to add that another reason why I always try to journal is that there are some secrets that I can't tell anyone, but I need to put it somewhere so that I can have some peace and quiet in my brain. If I hold it in too long, I tend to think too much and possibly go crazy, hahaha. Okay, well, not really go crazy, but it's better if I just let things out sometimes. 

Besides this little story of me journaling, there are some instances where I really do write. Usually when I write, I need to put down what is in my mind. For me, it can be pretty complex at times. What I mean by this is that I tend to think about a million things at one time; what should I wear tomorrow, college applications, AP Chem homework, AP Micro test, AP Comp readings and essays, ACT score, BPA events, and the list goes on and on and on. (For instance I'm thinking about all of that stuff right now.) When I am in a spiritual state of writing, my mind just starts vomiting random things. Usually when I look back at my pieces of work, none of the stuff that I write about relates, that's how random it can get sometimes. 

One last thing about writing is that sometimes I feel joyful when I do write. It's like talking to a person that's not there. I get to let out all of the random stuff that's in my mind. One thing I really dislike is when I get into writing mode, I don't want to stop! It's like running for a long period of time. I start to feel tired, say that I should probably take some time to rest, but no! I don't want to stop. If I stop, I waste the time that I can use to run (write). If only I could live forever, then I would have more time to enjoy the things that I don't want to stop doing. 

So yeah, this pretty much sums up why I write. I know it sounds kind of disappointing, but I really can't find a time to write. As of right now, I practically could be going to college since i'm taking a lot of A.P. classes anyways! Thank goodness that I'm a senior this year.