Like I promised in my previous post, here is my "Personal Column" that I wrote in Feature Writing a couple of months ago. Two of you have already read it.
When I was in high school, I was preparing to apply to serve in the National Guard. I wanted to get away from my parents and sister because I had had enough of our family problems. During the time that my dad and I were talking to a National Guard recruiter, I was experiencing what some doctors from an area clinic had called “partial seizures.” Since the end of my eighth grade year, I was losing my vision for a few seconds at a time. Sometimes, it would happen once or twice every day or every few days. My vision was not filled with dots: It was literally like the saying, “Wool being pulled over my eyes.” At one point, I was losing my vision several times every day for ten seconds rather than only a few. At that point, my dad talked to the recruiter who said that I was not eligible for military service given my medical condition. He gave examples to my dad as to why my condition meant I could not be battle ready. If I was on the battlefield, he said, soldiers in my unit could end up dead – myself included – if I could not see. Simply put, I would be a casualty to the group.
To this day, I still have my partial seizures, but it is not as bad as it had been several years ago. Sometimes, I can go two or three weeks without having one. At other times, I will have one in a day which would occur every several days.
I was raised in a family in which we honor the troops of the past, present, and future. In my family, there is a history of service – and of almost serving – in the military, and I am part of that legacy. My dad’s house that he and his four siblings grew up in was patriotic. He told me that the front and back of the house was red because of the bricks that had been used, the sides were white because of the siding that had also been used, and the roof was blue. He also told me that my grandfather had a flag pole in their backyard which was about 30 feet tall and the flag was possibly a 4’x6’ flag because “it took two people to fold it.” My dad said that the flag could be seen from about a mile and a half away. This was before the small town they lived in was beginning to develop into a city. He said that when his siblings and he were taking down the flag, it had to have thirteen folds (life, eternal life, honor and remembrance of the veteran, weaker nature, country, where our hearts lie, Armed Forces, the one who entered the valley of the shadow of death and to honor mother, womanhood, father, Hebrew citizen, Christian citizen, and the national motto: “In God We Trust”).
My grandfather on my mom’s side served in the Navy after World War II. Because he was in a car accident at the age of fourteen, my grandfather on my dad’s side could not be in the Army. Also due to a car accident just two weeks before he enlisted in the Army, my father had to find something else to do with his life. He wanted to serve because “there was nothing to do in Matteson.” He would have been in either Grenada, Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Bosnia, or all of them.
As I look back to what I wanted to do to get out of the house just because we had “major” family problems (I have been speaking my mind to my parents for the past few years now), I see that it was a selfish reason and it should not have been a reason why I wanted to join the military. The reason that anyone would want to enlist in the military should be that they want to serve the country, not for any selfish reasons or other reasons that does not have to do with the country. Even if I did have the reason of family problems while serving, I am proud that I would have served my country.
I love my country and her soldiers from all of the branches of the military. I am proud that someone in my family was able to serve. I am also proud that people in my family wanted to serve, even if they could not because of reasons largely beyond their control. As my dad says, if he served, he could have been killed, never met my mother, and I would not be able to tell this story of my family’s military support.
I could have been the first woman in my family history to be part of the U.S. military. Given my partial seizures, I need to sit on the sidelines while soldiers keep me free and safe. I know what they need to do. I appreciate the troops needing to do what they do for our freedom, independence, and for keeping us safe. If I was able to, I would be standing right next to them right now.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Responding to Peace Shall Destroy Many
This post has nothing to do with the questions for possible blog posts on Peace Shall Destroy Many but my own response to the book. Here, I am going to focus more on one idea in the book: World War II.
I was quite surprised at Annamarie, specifically with what she has said in the book. Whether or not she was stepping up for the soldiers fighting in the war or is being sarcastic is irrelevant to me. I am surprised with what she says, giving the fact that she is Mennonite and is supposed to be a pacifist.
On page 46, Annamarie says, "If only the minority can say, 'It is against our conscience to fight because we must love enemies as well as friends,' and the majority must say, 'We must fight to protect pacifists so that they may have the right to think as they do,' then the majority, the nonbelievers, die so that the minority, the believers, may live." From what I have seen during the national anthem conflict, specifically when the discussion was taking place on the opinion board outside of the Leaf Raker, pacifists have forgotten that it is the soldier who protects them, keeping the pacifist alive and giving them the right to preach their pacifist ways. Burger Dairy, a gas station right next to the trailer park where I live, has the board where things are written on it. For the past few months, possibly since school started in September, it has said the same thing: "Thank the troops for your independence." Without the soldiers, we most likely will not be living in the country in which we currently live in.
On page 105, Annamarie says, "...Sometimes our refusal to have anything to do with the War means only, 'Well, I'm doing the right thing and am bound for heaven--let the rest of the world go to hell as it wishes.'" Yeah. If you're supposed to love your enemy and not thank the soldiers for your life and freedom and not care whether or not they go to hell just so long as you go to heaven, how in the world can you call yourself a Mennonite? If you don't care about them going to hell just as long as you go to heaven, you're farther along being an idiot than I expected.
To go even farther, on page 48, she says, "Wars can only be won with some fighting, so we divide the job: I supply you with bacon to eat and boots to wear and you go kill the Germans--for the good of both of us... Only, we have the better part. We don't take any risks--and grow rich besides." She is right in what she says. For those of us who are not in the military, we go to college and find excellent jobs, earning tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a year with some of us earning millions or billions of dollars a year. Us, we are rich compared to the soldier. The soldier earns, if I recall, about $50,000 or so a year, no matter his or her rank, no one making money into the millions.
In my personal opinion, Thom is having an internal conflict throughout the book on whether to join the military or not. I can't go through the entire book to find examples for you, but one example I recall is the Canadian Recruiting poster. I think that, there, Thom is wondering whether or not to join the military. With his call on the horizon, he is wondering whether or not to join. I think that it would be interesting to know if Thom does join the military.
For my next post, I am going to post a personal essay paper that I had to write in Feature Writing a couple of months ago.
I was quite surprised at Annamarie, specifically with what she has said in the book. Whether or not she was stepping up for the soldiers fighting in the war or is being sarcastic is irrelevant to me. I am surprised with what she says, giving the fact that she is Mennonite and is supposed to be a pacifist.
On page 46, Annamarie says, "If only the minority can say, 'It is against our conscience to fight because we must love enemies as well as friends,' and the majority must say, 'We must fight to protect pacifists so that they may have the right to think as they do,' then the majority, the nonbelievers, die so that the minority, the believers, may live." From what I have seen during the national anthem conflict, specifically when the discussion was taking place on the opinion board outside of the Leaf Raker, pacifists have forgotten that it is the soldier who protects them, keeping the pacifist alive and giving them the right to preach their pacifist ways. Burger Dairy, a gas station right next to the trailer park where I live, has the board where things are written on it. For the past few months, possibly since school started in September, it has said the same thing: "Thank the troops for your independence." Without the soldiers, we most likely will not be living in the country in which we currently live in.
On page 105, Annamarie says, "...Sometimes our refusal to have anything to do with the War means only, 'Well, I'm doing the right thing and am bound for heaven--let the rest of the world go to hell as it wishes.'" Yeah. If you're supposed to love your enemy and not thank the soldiers for your life and freedom and not care whether or not they go to hell just so long as you go to heaven, how in the world can you call yourself a Mennonite? If you don't care about them going to hell just as long as you go to heaven, you're farther along being an idiot than I expected.
To go even farther, on page 48, she says, "Wars can only be won with some fighting, so we divide the job: I supply you with bacon to eat and boots to wear and you go kill the Germans--for the good of both of us... Only, we have the better part. We don't take any risks--and grow rich besides." She is right in what she says. For those of us who are not in the military, we go to college and find excellent jobs, earning tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a year with some of us earning millions or billions of dollars a year. Us, we are rich compared to the soldier. The soldier earns, if I recall, about $50,000 or so a year, no matter his or her rank, no one making money into the millions.
In my personal opinion, Thom is having an internal conflict throughout the book on whether to join the military or not. I can't go through the entire book to find examples for you, but one example I recall is the Canadian Recruiting poster. I think that, there, Thom is wondering whether or not to join the military. With his call on the horizon, he is wondering whether or not to join. I think that it would be interesting to know if Thom does join the military.
For my next post, I am going to post a personal essay paper that I had to write in Feature Writing a couple of months ago.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Peace Shall Destroy Many: Question #11
The book, Peace Shall Destroy Many by Rudy Wiebe, is set in the 1940s during World War II in a Mennonite community in Wapiti, Canada. Throughout it, we see characters develop, voice their opinions, and other things happen.
To answer the question of whether or not the community is either destroyed or redeemed, I believe the community is destroyed or is being destroyed by the time we finish the book. The major problem is being a pacifist or fight as in a war. Thom, a 17-year-old teenager, begins the book as "following the beliefs of his forefathers," as in, he does not believe in violence. Throughout the rest of the book, we see him begin to question "his beliefs" as time progresses. Annamarie, another one of the teenage characters, seems to give her personal opinion on the war and the pacifists (pages 46 and 105).
Also in the book, we have Deacon Peter Block. To put him in simple terms, he runs the community with an iron fist. Basically, things have to be done the famous quote: It's either his way or the highway. When his daughter, Elizabeth, wants to marry Herman Paetkau, Block says no because Paetkau does not have actual parents (I say "actual parents" because I am not one for swearing). Eventually, we find out that Elizabeth was pregnant, possibly by an Indian. Before she died, she told Thom to leave the community (bottom of 166 to 167). On page 250, Thom seems to gather a backbone and is the first Mennonite person to stand up to Block which, in turn, surprises Block that someone would do so. On 265, Thom hears Hal, his younger brother, ask, "Ain't there anythin' in here for me--at all?" Reading this, it can be interpreted as a question Thom can be asking himself. Is there anything for him if he stays in the community at all? From page 284-285, we see a physical fight occur. On 286, it says, "No Mennonite had looked at another. Shame acknowledged and bare on each face...and driven off as from a funeral..."
At the end of the book, with these quotes and examples, you can gather that the community has been destroyed.
To answer the question of whether or not the community is either destroyed or redeemed, I believe the community is destroyed or is being destroyed by the time we finish the book. The major problem is being a pacifist or fight as in a war. Thom, a 17-year-old teenager, begins the book as "following the beliefs of his forefathers," as in, he does not believe in violence. Throughout the rest of the book, we see him begin to question "his beliefs" as time progresses. Annamarie, another one of the teenage characters, seems to give her personal opinion on the war and the pacifists (pages 46 and 105).
Also in the book, we have Deacon Peter Block. To put him in simple terms, he runs the community with an iron fist. Basically, things have to be done the famous quote: It's either his way or the highway. When his daughter, Elizabeth, wants to marry Herman Paetkau, Block says no because Paetkau does not have actual parents (I say "actual parents" because I am not one for swearing). Eventually, we find out that Elizabeth was pregnant, possibly by an Indian. Before she died, she told Thom to leave the community (bottom of 166 to 167). On page 250, Thom seems to gather a backbone and is the first Mennonite person to stand up to Block which, in turn, surprises Block that someone would do so. On 265, Thom hears Hal, his younger brother, ask, "Ain't there anythin' in here for me--at all?" Reading this, it can be interpreted as a question Thom can be asking himself. Is there anything for him if he stays in the community at all? From page 284-285, we see a physical fight occur. On 286, it says, "No Mennonite had looked at another. Shame acknowledged and bare on each face...and driven off as from a funeral..."
At the end of the book, with these quotes and examples, you can gather that the community has been destroyed.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Problem with Organized Religion
Many times I have said that I do not attend church and that my father has a problem with organized religion. Just like I had said in my previous posts, my dad's dad's side of the family disowned this side of the family because my grandmother became a Jehovah's Witness rather than staying a Catholic. She only did this for my grandfather and the religion was not helping her on her path towards God. And like I have also said, my grandparents separated but did not divorce. Now, the disownment is not the actual reason my father has a problem with organized religion, and I feel the need to let it be known.
As my grandparents were going through their separation, either a Catholic or a Jehovah's Witness pastor had called my father and his three brothers into his office so that they can talk. Dad says that the pastor had tried to get the four of them to say bad things about my grandmother so that the four siblings (Uncle Daniel, my father, Uncle David, and Uncle Eric in that order of birth) can be with my grandfather. Uncle David and Uncle Eric did what the pastor told them to do and bad-mouthed their own mother. My father had always looked up to his older brother, Uncle Daniel. When he saw that Uncle Daniel just sat there, not saying a word, he did the same thing. A pastor had told them to lie about my grandmother! Can you believe that?! And that is the major reason why my father has a problem with organized religion. And it gets worse.
As the years passed, my grandmother's mental and physical state of health decreased. For the last several years, my aunt was willing to give up her personal life to take care of her mother, my grandmother. Well, the Jehovah's Witness had someone to be my grandmother's power of attorney. The Witnesses were basically like, "Well, she can't be here because of her problems so let's dump her on somebody's doorstep! Yippee!" The Witness fought my aunt every which way. He sent my grandmother to nursing homes where they had physically abused her (beat her, broke bones...). He told my grandmother that they would try to make her take pills (which were for her mentality) and that she should not take them. If I recall, it had something to do with Satan or something. Unfortunately, he had her brainwashed.
And fortunately/unfortunately, this past July, my grandmother passed away. When we were in her hospital room (we reached the hospital after she died), my great-aunt had told my aunt, my father, my mother, and us kids that the Jehovah's Witness that was my grandmother's power of attorney did good things for my grandmother such as buy her a new pair of glasses. So, he had also brainwashed her into thinking he was so nice while my aunt had first-hand experience of how evil he was and she always told her brothers.
This "Witness" had even had the hospital staff convinced my own family was evil. That is, until Uncle David told them the truth of what has actually been happening in which the staff replied that what Uncle David was saying made much more sense.
So, as you can see, we have a whole family history of problems with organized religion.
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| My dad's parents' wedding day! April 21, 1955 |
As my grandparents were going through their separation, either a Catholic or a Jehovah's Witness pastor had called my father and his three brothers into his office so that they can talk. Dad says that the pastor had tried to get the four of them to say bad things about my grandmother so that the four siblings (Uncle Daniel, my father, Uncle David, and Uncle Eric in that order of birth) can be with my grandfather. Uncle David and Uncle Eric did what the pastor told them to do and bad-mouthed their own mother. My father had always looked up to his older brother, Uncle Daniel. When he saw that Uncle Daniel just sat there, not saying a word, he did the same thing. A pastor had told them to lie about my grandmother! Can you believe that?! And that is the major reason why my father has a problem with organized religion. And it gets worse.
As the years passed, my grandmother's mental and physical state of health decreased. For the last several years, my aunt was willing to give up her personal life to take care of her mother, my grandmother. Well, the Jehovah's Witness had someone to be my grandmother's power of attorney. The Witnesses were basically like, "Well, she can't be here because of her problems so let's dump her on somebody's doorstep! Yippee!" The Witness fought my aunt every which way. He sent my grandmother to nursing homes where they had physically abused her (beat her, broke bones...). He told my grandmother that they would try to make her take pills (which were for her mentality) and that she should not take them. If I recall, it had something to do with Satan or something. Unfortunately, he had her brainwashed.
And fortunately/unfortunately, this past July, my grandmother passed away. When we were in her hospital room (we reached the hospital after she died), my great-aunt had told my aunt, my father, my mother, and us kids that the Jehovah's Witness that was my grandmother's power of attorney did good things for my grandmother such as buy her a new pair of glasses. So, he had also brainwashed her into thinking he was so nice while my aunt had first-hand experience of how evil he was and she always told her brothers.
This "Witness" had even had the hospital staff convinced my own family was evil. That is, until Uncle David told them the truth of what has actually been happening in which the staff replied that what Uncle David was saying made much more sense.
So, as you can see, we have a whole family history of problems with organized religion.
Personal Essay
Not many people may care about their family heritage nor their family tree. I've been thinking about it. I've been learning it. And I want more.
I was born in Kankakee, Illinois, in March 1989. Before we had our own home, my parents, sister, and I lived with my grandmother on my father's side in Matteson, Illinois and my grandmother on my mother's side in Richton Park, Illinois. We also lived in Peotone, Illinois. The summer after I had turned five, we had moved to Gary, Indiana, where I attended headstart/pre-school. As the school year was finishing up, my dad moved some of our belongings to a storage shed in Nappanee, Indiana. After school ended, we stayed at a friend's house in Nappanee for about a month or so until the people in our new house (a mobile home) moved out. In June of 1995, we officially moved in. This June, it will be sixteen years that we have been in the same exact house.
For the past several years, I have been interested in knowing the countries where my ancestors have come from. I have Irish, Dutch, German, American, Cherokee, and Norwegian in my blood. On my mother's father's side of the family, my great-great-great-grandmother was a full-blooded Cherokee. On my father's mother's side of the family, my great-grandfather was a direct descendant of the Vikings. When my dad told me about my great-grandfather, I told him that, apparently, it is not a good combination to have in one person: 
Indians and Vikings. You have the Indians that scalped people and the Vikings who burned villages. Who knows? Maybe my sister and I will start scalping people and burning villages. Although the both of us will not be doing that anytime soon. Probably never. My dad also told me before my sophomore year in high school that my grandfather's (his dad) parents directly came from Germany.
When I started taking German in my sophomore year of high school, my dad said that my grandfather would be proud of me. I found a few German songs and downloaded them onto my computer. Totally legally. So, I am able to sing along with them. Unfortunately, I haven't taken German in almost three years and haven't had anybody (at least in the family) to speak to in German. So, I have lost my German-touch. Oh, I miss speaking German!
I think that the reason why I loved the play Translations so much is probably because I am part Irish. At the end of the play, there was an Irish song called Dulaman which I have downloaded to my MP3 player and my computer. After seeing the play a second time, I told my dad that if I had ancestors that were in Ireland during the 1830s, it must have been hard on them because they would see the Irish names of streets and such be changed to English. Also, during that time, there was the potato famine that ran throughout the country which caused many people to leave and many others to die.
Last semester, I was listening to CDs for The Globe. One of the CDs was by Tia McGraff. At the beginning and the end of one of her songs which is titled "Two Wolves," there are Native Americans doing a chant. In it, she talks about "the proud Cherokee." When I heard that, I was so excited, and I knew that I had to get it.
Because I have been so into my heritage for some reason for the past few months, my dad and I have found songs in Native American and Irish, and maybe even Norwegian. Since English is my first language, it is already a given, so I can't include that in my collection of songs from my heritages.
I also like knowing my family tree. Unfortunately, due to someone on both sides of the family, I am not able to know this information. My paternal grandfather's side of the family disowned my paternal grandmother's side of the family, their own kids, and just by marriage and birth, the rest of us in the family. We have been disowned because my grandmother became a Jehovah's Witness since the Catholic religion (my grandfather's and most likely his siblings' and parents' religion) wasn't helping her on her path towards God. On my mother's side of the family, there is an uncle who will not allow anyone to see the family tree and most likely not let us have a copy of it.
I think that I might be the only one in my entire family - okay, out of my aunt and her family, and my uncles and their families, and my own family, and part of my mom's side of the family, and most likely everyone else from my dad's side of the family - that wants to take our family tree and our heritage seriously. My parents say that no one in the family has kept records of who married who, who was born, and who died. They also told me that they wish they could go back in time and create a family tree just because I want to put one together. My dad says that when I have a job and money, I can take the time to go on journeys like they do on Who Do You Think You Are? He says I would have to start with Chicago since that is where my parents were born. Too bad it's not a law that every single family has to have a family tree. That way each generation can add onto it when they have their kids and get married and their spouses would add their family tree to that one.
After having finally been able to come up with the money for ancestry.com, I was able to check the hints that were waiting for me. A few of them were relevant while the others were not. One example is my eight-year-old cousin, Sam, who was supposedly "born in 18-something." Not relevant because he's only eight! Check the year he was born! Last Wednesday, I was with Joe Springer to get more for my family tree. Unfortunately, he only discovered what I had already had on my tree. I really do appreciate him trying to help me, but now, I only see that we wasted a few hours on dead-ends, nothing relevant, and people I already have.
And now, it is back to the drawing board. Back to the old-fashioned way: Letters to my great grandmother and visiting the graves of my paternal grandfather and his parents. Within the next few months, my dad said that the four of us can go (for the very first time) to my paternal grandfather's grave so that we can get his birth and death dates, the names of his parents who he is buried next to, and possibly any more information there before I go online.
So, here at the end, I shall say that I want to create my family tree and to also know more about my heritage, whether that's by going online to Wikipedia and also listening to songs from my home countries.
I was born in Kankakee, Illinois, in March 1989. Before we had our own home, my parents, sister, and I lived with my grandmother on my father's side in Matteson, Illinois and my grandmother on my mother's side in Richton Park, Illinois. We also lived in Peotone, Illinois. The summer after I had turned five, we had moved to Gary, Indiana, where I attended headstart/pre-school. As the school year was finishing up, my dad moved some of our belongings to a storage shed in Nappanee, Indiana. After school ended, we stayed at a friend's house in Nappanee for about a month or so until the people in our new house (a mobile home) moved out. In June of 1995, we officially moved in. This June, it will be sixteen years that we have been in the same exact house.
For the past several years, I have been interested in knowing the countries where my ancestors have come from. I have Irish, Dutch, German, American, Cherokee, and Norwegian in my blood. On my mother's father's side of the family, my great-great-great-grandmother was a full-blooded Cherokee. On my father's mother's side of the family, my great-grandfather was a direct descendant of the Vikings. When my dad told me about my great-grandfather, I told him that, apparently, it is not a good combination to have in one person: 
Indians and Vikings. You have the Indians that scalped people and the Vikings who burned villages. Who knows? Maybe my sister and I will start scalping people and burning villages. Although the both of us will not be doing that anytime soon. Probably never. My dad also told me before my sophomore year in high school that my grandfather's (his dad) parents directly came from Germany. When I started taking German in my sophomore year of high school, my dad said that my grandfather would be proud of me. I found a few German songs and downloaded them onto my computer. Totally legally. So, I am able to sing along with them. Unfortunately, I haven't taken German in almost three years and haven't had anybody (at least in the family) to speak to in German. So, I have lost my German-touch. Oh, I miss speaking German!
I think that the reason why I loved the play Translations so much is probably because I am part Irish. At the end of the play, there was an Irish song called Dulaman which I have downloaded to my MP3 player and my computer. After seeing the play a second time, I told my dad that if I had ancestors that were in Ireland during the 1830s, it must have been hard on them because they would see the Irish names of streets and such be changed to English. Also, during that time, there was the potato famine that ran throughout the country which caused many people to leave and many others to die.
Last semester, I was listening to CDs for The Globe. One of the CDs was by Tia McGraff. At the beginning and the end of one of her songs which is titled "Two Wolves," there are Native Americans doing a chant. In it, she talks about "the proud Cherokee." When I heard that, I was so excited, and I knew that I had to get it.
Because I have been so into my heritage for some reason for the past few months, my dad and I have found songs in Native American and Irish, and maybe even Norwegian. Since English is my first language, it is already a given, so I can't include that in my collection of songs from my heritages.
I also like knowing my family tree. Unfortunately, due to someone on both sides of the family, I am not able to know this information. My paternal grandfather's side of the family disowned my paternal grandmother's side of the family, their own kids, and just by marriage and birth, the rest of us in the family. We have been disowned because my grandmother became a Jehovah's Witness since the Catholic religion (my grandfather's and most likely his siblings' and parents' religion) wasn't helping her on her path towards God. On my mother's side of the family, there is an uncle who will not allow anyone to see the family tree and most likely not let us have a copy of it.
I think that I might be the only one in my entire family - okay, out of my aunt and her family, and my uncles and their families, and my own family, and part of my mom's side of the family, and most likely everyone else from my dad's side of the family - that wants to take our family tree and our heritage seriously. My parents say that no one in the family has kept records of who married who, who was born, and who died. They also told me that they wish they could go back in time and create a family tree just because I want to put one together. My dad says that when I have a job and money, I can take the time to go on journeys like they do on Who Do You Think You Are? He says I would have to start with Chicago since that is where my parents were born. Too bad it's not a law that every single family has to have a family tree. That way each generation can add onto it when they have their kids and get married and their spouses would add their family tree to that one.
After having finally been able to come up with the money for ancestry.com, I was able to check the hints that were waiting for me. A few of them were relevant while the others were not. One example is my eight-year-old cousin, Sam, who was supposedly "born in 18-something." Not relevant because he's only eight! Check the year he was born! Last Wednesday, I was with Joe Springer to get more for my family tree. Unfortunately, he only discovered what I had already had on my tree. I really do appreciate him trying to help me, but now, I only see that we wasted a few hours on dead-ends, nothing relevant, and people I already have.
And now, it is back to the drawing board. Back to the old-fashioned way: Letters to my great grandmother and visiting the graves of my paternal grandfather and his parents. Within the next few months, my dad said that the four of us can go (for the very first time) to my paternal grandfather's grave so that we can get his birth and death dates, the names of his parents who he is buried next to, and possibly any more information there before I go online.
So, here at the end, I shall say that I want to create my family tree and to also know more about my heritage, whether that's by going online to Wikipedia and also listening to songs from my home countries.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Stories vs. Fiction
I think that there will be a decent role for Mennonite fiction. It might not be a huge role, but a decent one nonetheless. I think that the role for fiction would have new themes or a very different perspective when it comes to the religion and/or how the Mennonites live.
With these stories written by Mennonite writers, it will give an outsider something new to look at. What I mean is that the outsider will have an example of how things are "ran" rather than it being shoved in their faces. The outsider will be able to be eased into a new situation.
When a Mennonite writer tells his or her inside story to an outsider, the writer "gets in trouble" for it, especially if the writer mentions things that are not positive. The insiders will say that this is not true, this never happened in the history of Mennonites, and everything else. Insiders do not want their lives to be known. They, in a way, want to be left alone. The Mennonites probably want to seem perfect to the outside world. When the story is told to an insider, the insider will know what is going on and they will probably not say that something was wrong.
I think that Mennonites would believe that the story would need to be culturally accurate. Personally, I would not mind it being both. In stories, you have to have adventure or else it is going to be boring. Let us take the Amish for example. You can't have a book where the characters get up at five in the morning, do the farm work, go to church, and go to bed. Well, you can, but like I said, it would be a very boring book. Having two or three hundred pages of the same thing. Just for cultural accuracy! Personally, I think Pearl Diver would be a good representation of both culturally accurate and humanly compelling.
Once again, if it came from a Mennonite reader's point-of-view, the writer would most likely have to fully faithfully represent the community. The writer would probably "damn the community" (pardon my French) if he or she said that Dirk Willems was a female rather than a male. He or she would also probably curse the community by saying that the Mennonites are non-believers or something that would be the opposite of the community. The writer can say that the community always get together and have drinking (alcohol or beer) contests and the writer will end up having people on their doorstep at three in the morning.
In my personal opinion, the Mennonite writer does not have very much freedom when they write something. He or she will have people looking over the writer's shoulder every time they write, just because the community does not like what has been said.
It is also my personal opinion that the community needs to leave the writer alone. If he or she wants to say something "bad" about the community, then let them do it. The story is only written by one person, not by 10,000 people. If the Mennonite reader does not like what has been said in a book, then they do not have to read it. It is not like the reader was forced to read it. If you are a reader and you do not like what has been said in a book about your community, you "do not have the right to tell the writer" that they were in the wrong and that you could have written a better story.
So, in the end, there is a role for fiction in Mennonite literature in the future. But that role is not going to be very big, given the fact that the story is Mennonite and the writer is Mennonite.
With these stories written by Mennonite writers, it will give an outsider something new to look at. What I mean is that the outsider will have an example of how things are "ran" rather than it being shoved in their faces. The outsider will be able to be eased into a new situation.
When a Mennonite writer tells his or her inside story to an outsider, the writer "gets in trouble" for it, especially if the writer mentions things that are not positive. The insiders will say that this is not true, this never happened in the history of Mennonites, and everything else. Insiders do not want their lives to be known. They, in a way, want to be left alone. The Mennonites probably want to seem perfect to the outside world. When the story is told to an insider, the insider will know what is going on and they will probably not say that something was wrong.
I think that Mennonites would believe that the story would need to be culturally accurate. Personally, I would not mind it being both. In stories, you have to have adventure or else it is going to be boring. Let us take the Amish for example. You can't have a book where the characters get up at five in the morning, do the farm work, go to church, and go to bed. Well, you can, but like I said, it would be a very boring book. Having two or three hundred pages of the same thing. Just for cultural accuracy! Personally, I think Pearl Diver would be a good representation of both culturally accurate and humanly compelling.
Once again, if it came from a Mennonite reader's point-of-view, the writer would most likely have to fully faithfully represent the community. The writer would probably "damn the community" (pardon my French) if he or she said that Dirk Willems was a female rather than a male. He or she would also probably curse the community by saying that the Mennonites are non-believers or something that would be the opposite of the community. The writer can say that the community always get together and have drinking (alcohol or beer) contests and the writer will end up having people on their doorstep at three in the morning.
In my personal opinion, the Mennonite writer does not have very much freedom when they write something. He or she will have people looking over the writer's shoulder every time they write, just because the community does not like what has been said.
It is also my personal opinion that the community needs to leave the writer alone. If he or she wants to say something "bad" about the community, then let them do it. The story is only written by one person, not by 10,000 people. If the Mennonite reader does not like what has been said in a book, then they do not have to read it. It is not like the reader was forced to read it. If you are a reader and you do not like what has been said in a book about your community, you "do not have the right to tell the writer" that they were in the wrong and that you could have written a better story.
So, in the end, there is a role for fiction in Mennonite literature in the future. But that role is not going to be very big, given the fact that the story is Mennonite and the writer is Mennonite.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Aistriúchán
Why did I love Translations so much? Why did I go see it twice? I have absolutely no idea. I would like to blame it on my Irish roots. Which I love!
I loved the play so much and I love my roots so much. It is so bad where I have the song that was played at the end and I have a T-shirt that says Ireland on it. It also says welcome in Irish. That is how bad it is. And it's even as bad as me knowing when I plan on wearing the shirt for the first time! Which also happens to be only four days before my birthday! Isn't that weird?
For my drama class, I had to read the play. I did not like it at all. The first ten or fifteen minutes when I had to go see the play, I was bored to death. I was wondering when it was going to be over. I knew what was going to happen so why did I have to sit through all of it? Well, for my Comm Across Cultures class, I had to sit through all of it. If it wasn't for that class, I would have left during intermission and never came back. Well, let's just say that I'm glad that Comm made me sit through all of it because if I left during intermission, I wouldn't have gotten "Dulaman."
After those several minutes, I began to start enjoying the play. I was so into it that when Maire was talking about Yolland in Act 3, I was near tears. It is probably because I am a fool for romance. It is also probably because I knew that Maire and Yolland loved each other and she ended up having to go through life without him. After getting home that night, I told my mother that I quite enjoyed the play. I knew that I had to see it again. So, I ended up getting another ticket and went to see it the following weekend. I listened to "Dulaman" all the way home after seeing it the second time!
I told my parents that if I had ancestors that went through their home country changing or the famine, it must have been sad. I am just glad that my ancestors lived through whatever they went through, because if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here or I wouldn't have lovely Irish in my blood.
I loved the play so much and I love my roots so much. It is so bad where I have the song that was played at the end and I have a T-shirt that says Ireland on it. It also says welcome in Irish. That is how bad it is. And it's even as bad as me knowing when I plan on wearing the shirt for the first time! Which also happens to be only four days before my birthday! Isn't that weird?
For my drama class, I had to read the play. I did not like it at all. The first ten or fifteen minutes when I had to go see the play, I was bored to death. I was wondering when it was going to be over. I knew what was going to happen so why did I have to sit through all of it? Well, for my Comm Across Cultures class, I had to sit through all of it. If it wasn't for that class, I would have left during intermission and never came back. Well, let's just say that I'm glad that Comm made me sit through all of it because if I left during intermission, I wouldn't have gotten "Dulaman."
After those several minutes, I began to start enjoying the play. I was so into it that when Maire was talking about Yolland in Act 3, I was near tears. It is probably because I am a fool for romance. It is also probably because I knew that Maire and Yolland loved each other and she ended up having to go through life without him. After getting home that night, I told my mother that I quite enjoyed the play. I knew that I had to see it again. So, I ended up getting another ticket and went to see it the following weekend. I listened to "Dulaman" all the way home after seeing it the second time!
I told my parents that if I had ancestors that went through their home country changing or the famine, it must have been sad. I am just glad that my ancestors lived through whatever they went through, because if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here or I wouldn't have lovely Irish in my blood.
Responding to Becca & Ann's comments on Being the Odd-One-Out
Everyone is welcome to share their comments and opinions on this! Just, maybe not too harsh on me please.
Thank you both for commenting on that last post. It lets me know that the both of you want to know my opinion or to know what can be done to make me feel "in."
I know that this is going to sound stupid, but I feel like I should give a presentation or a speech or something about where I am coming from. Sure, I am doing a lot of postings, but I don't think that the written-word can give as much emotion as the spoken-word (taking this from Memoir) does. Heck, I don't even think that a lot of people in class are reading any of these latest postings or care about how I feel in taking this class and being left-out.
I don't even know what borscht is. I mean, is it beef stew? If you say beef stew, I know what you're talking about. I mean, who hasn't had beef stew and who doesn't like it?
Sigh! It feels like all five of my classes this semester are coming together!
In taking this class and writing these latest posts and especially this one, it feels just like my Violence & Non-Violence class that I took last semester. It was like everyone was saying "no violence" to everything while I was like, "Violence. Maybe not so much violence. Definitely violence," in readings and topics where if we were in a certain position. I mean, if someone was to walk into the class off of the street, not having anything to do with the college, and asked all of us whether the war is necessary or unnecessary, I swear eight out of nine will say unnecessary while that last person will say necessary. Of course, we all know who that one person will be!
When we have a class discussion over something we've read, it's like all of the opinions are coming from the "pacifist" side. Even if one person does all of the talking and everyone else agrees (whether they say something or not). And of course, we all know that I will not be agreeing on things, so why does my opinion matter? Probably doesn't count in these class discussions. It seems like, if I voice my opinion, someone is going to grab a bible and start preaching "the word" or what I'm going to call the "pacifist word." Just because I'm not a pacifist!
I don't know. My brain is just jumbled with thoughts. I wouldn't mind if we watched a clip from the movie Pearl Harbor and from the documentary 9/11 and then talk about it. Especially if war was necessary or unnecessary. Of course, none of this stuff matters to everybody else.
I could write a paper and read it out loud to everyone in class. We can watch clips. We can include opinions from those that are not Mennonites or those that are not pacifists (like in quick readings). Like I said, I don't know. My brain is jumbled.
It's just really annoying being the only non-pacifist and non-Mennonite in class.
Thank you both for commenting on that last post. It lets me know that the both of you want to know my opinion or to know what can be done to make me feel "in."
I know that this is going to sound stupid, but I feel like I should give a presentation or a speech or something about where I am coming from. Sure, I am doing a lot of postings, but I don't think that the written-word can give as much emotion as the spoken-word (taking this from Memoir) does. Heck, I don't even think that a lot of people in class are reading any of these latest postings or care about how I feel in taking this class and being left-out.
I don't even know what borscht is. I mean, is it beef stew? If you say beef stew, I know what you're talking about. I mean, who hasn't had beef stew and who doesn't like it?
Sigh! It feels like all five of my classes this semester are coming together!
 |
| Statue of Liberty holding a baby and a gun. Link. |
When we have a class discussion over something we've read, it's like all of the opinions are coming from the "pacifist" side. Even if one person does all of the talking and everyone else agrees (whether they say something or not). And of course, we all know that I will not be agreeing on things, so why does my opinion matter? Probably doesn't count in these class discussions. It seems like, if I voice my opinion, someone is going to grab a bible and start preaching "the word" or what I'm going to call the "pacifist word." Just because I'm not a pacifist!
I don't know. My brain is just jumbled with thoughts. I wouldn't mind if we watched a clip from the movie Pearl Harbor and from the documentary 9/11 and then talk about it. Especially if war was necessary or unnecessary. Of course, none of this stuff matters to everybody else.
I could write a paper and read it out loud to everyone in class. We can watch clips. We can include opinions from those that are not Mennonites or those that are not pacifists (like in quick readings). Like I said, I don't know. My brain is jumbled.
It's just really annoying being the only non-pacifist and non-Mennonite in class.
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