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Dear Future Self,
We have graduated from college and now we are getting ready to start our life as a working adult in this world. I know there have been so many ups and downs throughout these last 4 years but we have overcome them. As we go on to the next chapter in our life, I want to look back on freshman year, which was an interesting but fun year. In literature class, some of the readings that stood out to us at that time were “ I lock you in an American sonnet that is part prison”, “ Deaf Republic”, “ Battle royal”, “ Happy Endings”, “Trifles”, and we watched a screenplay called “ Stranger than Fiction” . These narratives had plenty of life lessons that we should remember.
First, I want to talk about “Deaf republic” because we personal relate to this story being deaf in one ear. It was memorable because these townspeople used deafness as their protest to fight for a little deaf boy that was killed.While reading this there one quote that just gave us the chills “ Watch, god - deaf have something to tell that not even they can hear”.This quote has such a deep meaning because the silence that was with that boy when he died traveled through every person and they stood up in solidarity with him. And these townspeople didn't even realize that created a strong unity between them. Sometimes silence or deafness in certain situations can teach us a lot we just have to pay attention.
Going into this world can be a scary thing, especially living in America and Terrence Hayes highlights that in his poem “ I lock you in an American sonnet that is part prison”. He compares America to being “ part prison and a panic closet in a house set a flame”. Which is so powerful because America is not the safest place, there is so much hatred and violence and how does someone survive it? We should shouldn't shield our eyes to what is going on and let that represent our country. We need to show the beauty that still lies within and use that as representation.
Being in America is also hard when you are African American and a woman. First I want to talk about being an African American as we go into this harsh world. The story “Battle Royal” was a great symbol of the hardships that black people had to go through to get where they wanted to be in life. We are going in a world where blacks are seen as the minority and some think we should have the opportunities that we are given or they are angered by our intelligence. A quote that really stood out was when the grandfather told the boy to“ I want you to overcome them with yeses, undermine them with grins, agree em to death and destruction, let them swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open.This quote just gave everything I knew whole meaning because it means that you always need to be one step ahead of people by undermining them with meekness and later showing you are strong willed. And instead of fitting into the status quo, you must change it so that everyone can be equal.
Now being a women in the business world can and will take a toll on you because women are not equal to men when it comes to business. A story that perfectly explains what men thought and some still think about women is “Trifles”. There was one quote that stood out was when the county attorney said “ And yet for all their worries what would we do without the ladies/Dirty towels!/Not much of a housekeeper, would you say ladies?” We already knew that women will be undermined and seen as just housewives but we are more than that and we can do anything men think they can do. Women carry so many burdens or trifles and still become successful and strong.
As I have been talking about changing the status quo and how people look at you, I also want you to remember to take hold of your narrative. We watched a screenplay called “ Stranger than Fiction” which was about a man who realized someone else was narrating his life and he wanted to change the path of the story. Harold Crick said “ I think I'm in a tragedy” and at that time we really related to that because we knew what it felt like letting someone narrate your life. We need to keep holding on and controlling the narrative we give yourself because that is the only narrative that matters. It is worth more being happy than miserable letting someone tell you how to live your life.
Lastly, narratives have been a big theme throughout this letter and there is always an ending to each narrative. In “ Happy Endings” Margeret Atwood said “So much for endings. Beginnings are always more fun. True connoisseurs, however, are known to favor the stretch in between, since it's the hardest to do anything with.” This is so important because endings aren't the most beautiful things but the story inbetween is what matters the most. Know that all endings aren't fairytale endings and don't worry about that part till its time. Look back on how you began and what you went through to get there and that will make proud and happy in the end.
In conclusion, I believe I have gained great knowledge and open mindedness from reading all the literature that was assigned in this class. I think my future self will benefit abundantly from the ideas and perspectives from each reading because they come with great life lesson that I believe I may encounter in life. Especially the perspectives, those creative response projects were so meaningful. I can apply them by taking each lesson out of them and applying them to both the personal and professional aspects of my life.
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