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Motivational Factors For High School Students

Analysis

Self-determination Theory: Autonomy, information and control, and relatedness.

Self-determination theory hypothesizes the factors that affect a person’s ability to become an independently guided learner. To achieve self-determination, a student should be immersed in an environment that encourages his autonomy, provides information that enables the student to have control, and offers meaningful relationships within a supportive community (Deci & Ryan, 2009).

Paul enjoyed show choir because he felt very autonomous in this class. He stressed the importance of doing things his way and being allowed to be creative. Show choir was a way for him to explore his own thoughts and interpretations without fear of being wrong.

He mentioned that he got to try a lot of new techniques and felt that he learned a lot through show choir. His teachers provided him with the information to succeed and become more creative.

Show choir offered Paul a communal environment with a group of people who shared the same interests as him and encouraged one another in this pursuit.

Mary showed a lot of autonomy in her schoolwork, whether it was provided by the teacher or not. She was able to find her special interest and value in most of her subjects and this motivated her to learn for the sake of learning. Sometimes her learning took a different direction than her teachers’ intents but she was much more self-determined in the learning process because of it.

Though Mary didn’t always find her teachers or parents as helpful resources, she acknowledged that if she made an effort to build better relationships in her learning communities, she would likely receive more assistance. Regardless, as a very intrinsically motivated student, she finds additional help through her friends and admirable work ethic.

As I mentioned earlier, Mary didn’t feel like she had the strongest relationships with her teachers but she has support from her family and friends who encourage her in her own success.

Attribution theory: Locus, Stability, and Controllability.

Attribution theory attempts to explain the different ways we attribute the causes of our successes and failures. It hypothesizes that every outcome can be categorized by locus, stability, and controllability. Locus refers to whether the cause was internal or external. Stability refers to whether the cause is unchanging or changeable. Controllability refers to whether it was within our control (Weiner, 2000).

Paul and Mary both had a strong internal locus. They attributed his successes to their innate intelligence and effort. Paul claimed that he expected to get A’s without a lot of effort, but also made sure to increase effort if the task required it. On the rare occasion that he did not do as well as he would have liked, he took the failure particularly hard because of his belief in his ability and potential.

Though his successes may not have always been stable, his effort seemed to remain stable throughout his high school career. With personal expectations put on himself as well as pressure from parents to succeed, Paul was both internally and externally motivated to maintain a high academic performance.

Mary also rarely experienced failure but always looked on the positive side of what she could do to improve her results next time.

Because of their high confidence and resulting sensitivity to failure, Paul and Mary displayed a belief in his ability to maintain control over even difficult learning situations. Though they do not particularly like to turn for help, they often look inside find the answers and strategies that will help them succeed.

Both Paul and Mary shared that if they did turn to anyone for help it would most likely be their friends and not their teachers because they feel more comfortable around their peer group. In adolescence, students will often place more importance on the opinions of their in-group of friends than they will on the opinions of their older peers, such as parents and teachers. The weight of a peer’s opinion can directly affect their self-efficacy and future motivation (Kiran-Esen, 2012).

Incremental view of ability:

Ability can be viewed both as fixed or developmental. Incremental view of ability attributes intelligence and other successes to the effort of its owner. This view encourages self-reliance and a positive view of self-worth because one can always improve if one tries harder (Dweck, 1996).

When we asked Paul and Mary to share their ideas on where ability originates, they both said that they think ability is both inherent and malleable. Though Paul and Mary think some people are born with more ability than others, all have the opportunity to grow and improve. Their beliefs about personal ability affected their motivation in school. Having a high opinion of personal ability, as well as a strong sense of self-efficacy, Paul and Mary had the confidence to approach most assignments with the belief that they would do well, even if they required additional effort.

Mastery Approach and Performance avoidance:

Goal orientation is a theory that attempts to explain the underlying motivation we use to accomplish tasks. This theory posits that one can be motivated to learn for the sake of learning or one can be motivated to perform for others.

Mastery approach is learning because one loves to learn. This approach encourages exploratory learning that is satisfactory to the student but shows little correlation with quality work because the learner is working for himself and not for the instructor (Anderman, Anderman, & Meese, 2006).

Performance avoidance is completing assignments to avoid looking inadequate in front of others. This approach can be detrimental to having a meaningful learning experience because this motivation leads to surface knowledge needed to perform and then is forgotten when no longer needed (Anderman, Anderman, & Meese, 2006).

Paul showed both a mastery and performance orientation to learning that varied depending on his interest level in the subject. In show choir he is very intrinsically motivated to learn because it isn’t about mastering someone else’s concept but creating his own. He favors assignments that value his perspective and creativity, as well as provide him with the autonomy needed for intrinsic motivation to thrive (Henderlong & Lepper, 2000).  Paul’s genuine interest in acting and performance is what motivates him to pursue these activities in the present and as he mentioned, hopefully as a career later in life.

Mary is also very intrinsically motivated to learn. She expressed that her most difficult subject is her favorite subject because it challenges her to learn new concepts. Her least favorite subject was so because she found it tedious and couldn’t find a personal connection to its intended purpose.  Common to mastery approach learning, sometimes her interests would pull her away from the assignment because she would get carried away in the content. This sometimes hurt her but overall encouraged her love for new concepts because she consistently made an effort to connect them to her life.

Though Paul maintains a mastery approach in some areas, he shows a performance avoidance approach in others. He mentioned that one of his biggest motivations to do well in his classes is his parent’s expectations towards his success. Though he never expressed a desire to be the best in his class, he did share that he didn’t want to look intellectually inferior to others or disappoint his parents, a key tenet to performance avoidance (Elliot, 2010).

 Another motivation to perform well was keeping up with his friends’ intellectual successes. Paul has a group of friends who consistently perform well in school and not keeping up with their success would cause him to stand out in a negative way.  His friends’ influence made unappealing assignments more interesting to him because he admired their interests and success. Often positive social contexts can motivate students to perform better because they want to fit into that social context (Jarvela, Volet, & Jarvenoja, 2010).

Expectancy x Value theory:

Expectancy value theory states that the likelihood of completing a task relies on both the individual’s belief in her ability to complete the task as well as the value the individual believes she will receive from the task (Wiggfield & Eccles, 2000).

As mentioned earlier, Paul has a strong sense of self-determination and belief in his ability to succeed. When asked about how he felt about assignment length and difficulty, he said he preferred shorter assignments but saw the value in longer assignments because they offered the opportunity for additional practice and in-depth learning. Paul was able to motivate himself in most assignments because he had a strong sense of self-efficacy in his school environment as well as an ability to see opportunity for growth in his learning experiences.

Mary also showed an ability to find value in assignments that didn’t immediately connect with her. She shared that she completes all assignments as soon as possible and even the ones she is not interested in, she can maintain her attention half way through at a steady pace. Though her value for every assignment may not always be intrinsic, she nonetheless searches for value, shows faith in her effort, and produces quality results. Her natural desire to learn motivates her to want to go to college and pursue a career in education where she can motivate others to also personally value learning. As this is common with intrinsically motivated students, Mary expressed a desire to learn for a lifetime (Hornya & Raacke, 2012).

References

STRUCTURE, STUDENT MOTIVATION, AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT. Blackboard.bsu.edu.

Deci, Edward L. Ryan, Richard M. (2009). Promoting Self-Determined School Engagement: Motivation, Learning and Well Being. Blackboard.bsu.edu

Dweck, Carol S. (1996). Implicit Theories as Organizers of Goals and Behaviors. Blackboard.bsu.edu

Eccles, Jacquelynne S. Wigfield. (2000). Expectancy –Value Theory of Achievement Motivation. Blackboard.bsu.edu

Elliott, Andrew J. (2010). Approach and avoidance motivation and achievement goals. http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/hedp20 =

Hennderlong, Jennifer. Lepper, Mark R. (2000). Turning “Play” into “Work” and “Work” into “Play:” 25 Years of Research n Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Motivation. Blackboard.bsu.edu

Weiner, Bernard. (2000). Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Theories of

Motivation from an Attributional Perspective. Blackboard.bsu.edu

JARVELA, S., VOLET, S., & JARVENOJA, H. (2010). Research on Motivation in Collaborative Learning: Moving Beyond the Cognitive-Situative Divide and Combining Individual and Social Processes. Educational Psychologist, 45(1), 15-27. doi:10.1080/00461520903433539

Horyna, B., & Bonds-Raacke, J. M. (2012). DIFFERENCES IN STUDENTS' MOTIVATION TO ATTEND COLLEGE: LARGE VERSUS SMALL HIGH SCHOOLS. Education, 132(4), 708-724.

Kiran-Esen, B. (2012). ANALYZING PEER PRESSURE AND SELF-EFFICACY EXPECTATIONS AMONG ADOLESCENTS. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 40(8), 1301-1309.                                                                            

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Day Five/ Week One

A Rebellious Shadow

Objectives:

1.     Students will be able to reflect on the qualities of their shadow by playing the Shadow Game.

2.     Students will be able to uncover what Peter Pan’s shadow symbolizes by using a double entry journal to compare and contrast the qualities of their shadow and Peter’s shadow.

Materials:

·      Projector

·      Dark Room

·      Discovery Journals

·      Peter Pan

Strategies:

·      Shadow Game

·      Large Group Discussion

·      Read-Aloud

·      Free-writing

·      Journaling

Procedures:

1.     Have students explore the qualities of their shadow by playing the Shadow Game.

a.     Tell students that they are going to do the following with their shadows: Run away from them, walk towards them, interact with someone else’s shadow, make their shadow bigger and smaller, and try to make their shadow disappear.

b.     Turn off the lights and face projector light onto a blank wall. Make sure to move all desks and tables out of the way for students to play.

2.     Have students share what they noticed during each step of the game. Write down their answers on the double-entry journal on the whiteboard.

3.     Read aloud the section of Peter Pan where Peter loses his shadow. This can be done on their iPads and other electronic reading devices or with the book.

a.     Pick a few volunteer readers to read the characters’ lines.

4.     Have the students complete the double-entry journal in large-group discussion by sharing what was different about Peter’s shadow and their own.

5.     Pulling from what was written in the double-entry journal, discuss what the shadow might symbolize.

6.     Have each student write down what the shadow symbolizes in his discovery journal.

Evaluation:

1.     We will know that students are able to reflect on the qualities of their shadow by listening to their contributions to the double-entry journal.

2.     We will know that students are able to uncover what Peter Pan’s shadow symbolizes by checking their understanding in the double-entry journal, large group discussion, and discovery journal writings.

Story Stones

7^th  and 8^th Grade English  Composition

Kassie Markovich

Eng 350

Dr. Jones

03/19/12

My intentions as a writing teacher

As a writing teacher I will aim for my classroom to be an open and creative environment. Middle School students can be energetic and independent. In a teacher-focused classroom these traits are subject to the harm of being suppressed because of the focus on meeting the instructor’s objectives. Though there is merit in this type of instruction, I will promote a student-focused learning experience that will foster my student’s innate energy and creativity. Nurturing and developing these traits within my students will access them to a personal and lively writing journey.  

My aim in teaching my students “story stones” is both practical and inventive. I will begin by teaching the class about the fundamental parts of a story plot. This is to demystify the writing process as well as to make the art of story writing tangible and accessible. I will then shift my focus by allowing the students to help lead with their creativity. Through a game that challenges them to create plot elements based off of a random image presented they will make their own stories by using disjunctive and collaborative learning.

This lesson is intended to be diverse by offering the learners the opportunity to be both a leader and collaborator. The students will have the opportunity to share their individual contributions within the comfort of a small group that can aid each other when needed. This lesson is dynamic because it pushes the students to not only create elements of a story, but also collaborate with other students’ ideas and perspectives to design their finished work. This lesson is also distinct because it creates an environment that welcomes the students to voice their individuality and then apply it to the art of story telling.  By focusing their thoughts and ideas through this lens, the writing process can be looked upon as a personally meaningful and creative medium.

Writing Metaphor:

Writing is the time capsule of humanity. Burrowed from her heart, the author lays to rest past failures, dreams, and private stirrings deep in the earth.  As the end of a chapter is drawn, her hauntings become hidden, detached in a piece of forgotten communal ground. Life works to form the next isolate shell while the rudiment, long forgotten, blossoms into a garden of undiscovered treasure. The jewels of understanding unearthed by society awaken a perpetual cycle of death and life that neither the author nor reader can escape.

Teaching Philosophy:

As a future English teacher, I believe that student-centered learning provides the most meaningful experience for the student. Creating individually applicable instruction guided by the learners will help them develop an intrinsic learning value. This is crucial to a student’s motivation for present and future personal growth.

Through reading and writing, I want my students to learn about the humanities. Because English is a recorder of all human experiences, critical reading and personal reflection will help them begin to develop a comprehensive worldview. By furthering their understanding of themselves and others I will assist our future leaders to build upon their purpose in how to better serve humankind. 

I wish to work with adolescents because it is a crucial period for identity formation. Guiding students to develop an intrinsic motivation towards learning as well as a deeper comprehension of the world around them will help them establish an internal locus of control. This foundation is crucial for the students to develop into dynamic and independent adults. I intend that my facilitation will help students become capable and valued members of society.

Enduring Understandings:

Why are stories effective relayers of communication?

Why do stories help us build connections?

How do stories help us gain new perspectives?

Objectives:

The students will create new meanings by combining unlikely information.

The students will learn the plot elements of a story.

Students will learn to critically listen to a story.

Students will gain new perspective through collaborative work.

Students will practice public communication when they deliver their stories to their class. 

Story Stones:

0:00-3:00 Introduction into the Lesson: Have the students go around and say their names with an adjective associated with it. I will then explain the story that we’re going to read along. The story is titled Why the Sun Smiled, an original short story written by a fellow writer and personal friend.

3:00-5:00 Read Around Story: I will place the students into 4 groups of 3 by assigning them a number. Before reading aloud I will give the students a minute to read through the story and then ask one student from each group to take turns reading Why the Sun Smiled. After, I will ask the students what they think makes a good story. I’ll write their thoughts on the board for everyone to see throughout the lesson.

5:00-10:00 Plot Elements: I will explain what the plot elements of a story are by using the funsheet I hand out.

10:00-20:00 Story Stones: I will explain the rules of story stones. The class will remain in groups and one student will be assigned a note taker. The note taker can ask for assistance from the other members of the group. Each student will flip over a stone with a picture on the back and create a plot element to the story based on that image. The note-taker will write down each new addition to the story.  The class will sit on the floor, in a circle.

20:00-25:00 Story Telling: The group will come back together and the note taker of each group will recount their story. If there is time, I will ask the group how they felt about creating stories.

IDEO Standards:

EL.7.7 2006 - LISTENING AND SPEAKING: Skills, Strategies, and Applications

Deliver focused, coherent presentations that convey ideas clearly and relate to the background and interests of the audience. Students evaluate the content of oral communication. Students deliver well-organized formal presentations using traditional speech strategies, including narration, exposition, persuasion, and description. Students use the same Standard English conventions for oral speech that they use in their writing.

EL.7.1 2006 - READING: Word Recognition, Fluency, and Vocabulary Development

Students use their knowledge of word parts and word relationships, as well as context (the meaning of the text around a word), to determine the meaning of specialized vocabulary and to understand the precise meaning of grade-level-appropriate words.

EL.7.3 2006 - READING: Comprehension and Analysis of Literary Text

Students read and respond to grade-level-appropriate historically or culturally significant works of literature, such as the selections in the Indiana Reading List illustrate the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students. At Grade 7, students read a wide variety of fiction, such as classic and contemporary literature, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, mysteries, adventures, folklore, mythology, poetry, short stories, dramas, and other genres.

EL.8.4 2006 - WRITING: Processes and Features

Students discuss, list, and graphically organize writing ideas. They write clear, coherent, and focused essays. Students progress through the stages of the writing process and proofread, edit, and revise writing.

EL.8.6 2006 - WRITING: English Language Conventions

Students write using Standard English conventions appropriate to this grade level.

EL.8.7 2006 - LISTENING AND SPEAKING: Skills, Strategies, and Applications

Students deliver focused, coherent presentations that convey ideas clearly and relate to the background and interests of the audience. They evaluate the content of oral communication. Students deliver well-organized formal presentations using traditional speech strategies, including narration, exposition, persuasion, and description. Students use the same Standard English conventions for oral speech that they use in their writing.

Resources:

Stones

Storybook

Pencils

A floor

A whiteboard

Funsheet!

Teaching Techniques:

Read Aloud

Read Around Groups

Small group collaboration

Large group collaboration

Large group discussion

Disjunctive learning

Acting out a Problem

Assumption Surfacing

Clarifying

Cueing

Decision Making

Demonstrations

Didactic Instruction

Directions

Independent Reading

Think and Ink

Note taking

 Rubric:

Story Writing: Story Stones Teacher Name: Ms. Kassie Student Name:     ________________________________________

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Creativity	The author has added new or original ideas to the story. The author works with others to build the story. The author uses his or her imagination to solve a problem.	The author has added new or original ideas to the story. The author works with others to build the story.	The author has added new or original ideas to the story.	The story is lacking in creativity. The author does not seem to have used much imagination.
Creativity Feedback
Introduction	First plot element introduces the characters and setting, and really grabs the reader's attention.	First plot element introduces the characters and setting, and interests the reader.	First plot element introduces the characters and setting.	No attempt was made to introduce the characters and setting in the story.
Introduction Feedback
Conflict	A crisis is presented in the story. The conflict ties in with the introduction. The reader is surprised by the conflict.	A crisis is presented in the story. The conflict ties in with the introduction.	A crisis is presented in the story.	No crisis is presented in the story.
Conflict Feedback
Resolution	The solution to the character's problem is easy to understand, and is logical. There are no loose ends.	The solution to the character’s problem is easy to understand, and is somewhat logical.	The solution to the character's problem is a little hard to understand.	No solution is attempted or it is impossible to understand.
Resolution Feedback
Organization	The story follows the five plot elements. One idea or scene follows another in a logical sequence with clear transitions.	The story follows the five plot elements. One idea or scene may seem out of place. Clear transitions are used.	The story is a little hard to follow. The transitions are sometimes not clear.	Ideas and scenes seem to be randomly arranged.
Organization Feedback

Assessment:

To evaluate the students’ work I will grade on how well the group stories follow the five plot elements. I will also evaluate to see if the individual parts of the story tie together to make a cohesive whole. I won’t be giving letter grades but rather constructive and supportive feedback on the logistical part of this writing assignment as well as the positive attributes in their creative contributions.

Writing is the time capsule of humanity. Burrowed from her heart, the author lays to rest past failures, dreams, and private stirrings deep in the earth. As the end of a chapter is drawn, her hauntings become hidden, detached in a piece of forgotten communal ground. Life works to form the next isolate shell while the rudiment, long forgotten, blossoms into a garden of undiscovered treasure. The jewels of understanding unearthed by society awaken a perpetual cycle of death and life that neither the author nor reader can escape.

A Downward Climb to up the Punx

During my senior year of high school I spent my mornings in a coffee race competing with my coworkers in ‘who could take the most espresso shots’ and ‘how much sleep did you get last night?’ to keep up with the fuming sedans in their morning rites. Everything moved too quickly to be understood but we knew the steps. Two medium coffees with light cream and sugar and two chocolate frosted, but before you begin, start the latte for the car moving up...he hates to wait…and find your center on your way out the door. You have ten seconds until the next beep comes in so remember to breathe.

But today was different, and I was too busy to notice. All I could see was an awkwardly skinny boy who didn’t know the steps and frankly, was in my way. Or so I thought because I didn’t know where I was going. Everything that reminded me of this was a hindrance. Another step I couldn’t fit in because I was living a perfectly timed musical underlay with a black comedic twist.

Annoyed with myself that he annoyed me, one morning when the rush had calmed I tried to get to know him. Overcome with a wave of energy after feeling accomplished by fulfilling my ritualistic chores, I jumped in front of him and wouldn’t let him pass until he answered my question, “What kind of music do you like?” He looked right at me and said, “Punk”, then kept walking as if nothing in the world mattered except what was occurring in his mind.

From that moment I was captivated. How did he make everything disappear? Why didn’t he care? There were the steps! Everyone noticed that he didn’t fit in…there’s no way he couldn’t have known they were talking about him. But I couldn’t look away. I didn’t understand why yet, but I knew there was a whole other realm inside of him that I wanted to be apart of.

As the days moved forward I secretly smiled at the realization that I couldn’t keep myself away from him. I took every opportunity to share a gripping story that might leave me remembered and when I left the coffee shop for the day I would try to relive what I didn’t understand. One afternoon when the surge of the morning had slowed he started to tell me about a time before life had brought him to this small city. He said he was a squatter and had returned from an adventure that had taken him from New Jersey to California. His story was filled with train hopping, fleeing from police, complete disregard for the law, and freedom. It was chosen homelessness. To me, it was determined autonomy.

My life before Troy was an upward climb that missed many surrounding details. His stare that looked through me and everything else had permanently left the ladder and I lying on the ground.

The Transforming Power of Self and Love

When we look upon a scene in nature, there’s a sense of harmony. All of these objects of beauty in one scene come together to impress upon us a feeling of calm and understanding. This is expressed in Wordsworth’s ‘Lines Composed a Few Miles From Tintern Abbey. Reflecting on his experience with nature, “Do I behold steep and lofty cliffs, that on a wild secluded scene impress thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect the landscape with the quiet on the sky.” In one picture we have a calm quiet sky as the backdrop behind steep and wild cliffs. These forms of beauty are so opposite and yet they connect with each other to produce a unified scene. It isn’t harsh on the eyes, but connected in its diversity. He goes on to say that this connected harmony in nature frees him from the bodily restrictions and allows him to actively pursue diversity, as it is expressed in nature. This realization occurs because nature lightens his mood to the extent that he becomes completely feeling. No longer bound to think about societal expectations, he “becomes a living soul.” Wordsworth is describing his ability to transform. The ability to let go of everything society has constructed allows you to be laid open. This desire to be open to all experiences suggests that everything in nature is positive. Wordsworth says, “neither evil tongues, rash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men, nor greetings where no kindness is, nor all the dreary intercourse of daily life, shall e’er prevail against us, or disturb our cheerful faith, that all which we behold is full of blessing.” If everything in life is full of blessing then selfishness, judgment, and unkindness must be the opposite of nature. This might suggest that we create these elements ourselves. What makes them so opposite to the harmony in nature is that they all reflect restriction. Judgment and unkindness can prevent one from feeling open to any possible choice. They’re the expression of a person’s active selfishness.

Blake alludes to the danger of restricting nature in his poem, Earth’s Answer. In what I believe to be a religious reference, he says, “Selfish father of men, cruel, jealous, selfish fear!...Selfish! Vain! Eternal! Bane! That free Love with bondage bound.” Again we see the worth selfish. In this religious context, this selfishness is infused by fear. Those familiar with any of the popular monotheistic religions knows that the god is often a jealous god. His laws bind his followers to love him and turn away from anything that could make him less important. The followers could be so consumed with love, as Blake suggests, that they give up their active nature, their ability to experience diversity. He contrasts this mindset with what is found in nature: “Does spring hide its joy when buds and blossoms grow?” Nature supports and shows off its development. If one was to follow in the steps of nature as Wordsworth and Blake suggest, they would actively seek to develop. If religion is a contrast, then restriction is a form of passivity.

Is being passive always unproductive? Emily Dickinson suggests that our soul is both active and passive when she writes, “The Soul selects her own Society-then-shuts the door-to her divine majority-present no more.” In this line Dickinson acknowledges that we have a unique center often referred to as the soul. This contradicts the idea that we are merely mounds of clay to be transformed by nature as Wordsworth suggests. Not only do we have a soul, but its direction is so strong that among a society of a ‘divine majority’, she picks one. She goes on to say, “unmoved-she notes the Chariots-pausing at her low Gate- unmoved-an Emperor be kneeling upon her mat.” Her defense isn’t high, but a low gate. An emperor has come kneeling before her feet and she feels nothing because her soul is passive enough to where it can’t be completely transformed. Like Wordsworth and Blake, Dickinson notes the divinity in nature, but also suggests that humans have a center that keeps them uniquely focused. Finding truth is both active and passive. Dickinson makes it clear that the soul is strong, but also that it chooses it’s own society. Just as there is meaning in all beautiful forms of nature, there’s individual meaning in what we’re naturally drawn to.

Walt Whitman in the Song of Myself also acknowledges a uniqueness in individuals. He says, “Apart from the pulling and hauling stands what I am, stands amused, complacent, compassionating, idle, unitary…both in and out of the game and watching and wondering at it.” He says that he’s being pulled by different opinions and perspectives, but still stands unitary. It effects him to a point because he’s ‘in the game’, but also leaves him unchanged as he’s ‘wondering and watching at it.’ By watching, Whitman attempts to learn from the diverse opinions and maintains is active role to develop, but does so in an individual way. According to Whitman, our transformations are unique contributions to truth in nature. We’re ‘nature without check with original energy.’ He says, “I am the poet of the Body and I am the poet of the Soul…the first I graft and increase upon myself, the latter I translate into a new tongue.” He takes the earthly, ‘body’ experiences and adds them to himself and when he transforms he doesn’t just become the new experience, but an experience that has been altered by his unique perspective, or what Dickinson would call a soul.

Why is it important that we are both active and passive in our transformation? According to Whitman this answer is two-fold. As we’ve noted, nature is in perfect harmony. Harmony can also be thought of as understanding. This quality is needed if one is to unite all objects of diversity. Can we really be considered diverse if we’re only imitating others? Our passiveness that allows us to maintain our individuality combined with opening ourselves to the individuality of others creates a truly unique transformation. If this diversity promotes a need to develop understanding, then our willingness to be open also suggests a feeling of love for all forms of life. In this regard, our individuality and desire to develop our core through transformation unites us in love. Whitman writes, “Unscrew the lock from the doors! Unscrew the doors themselves from their jambs! Whoever degrades another degrades me, and whatever is done or said returns at last to me.” This expresses the idea that we should be open to each others differences because we all are the same in the way that we can all transform into anything. Diversity lies inside of us, and our interactions unique individuals helps us to learn more about ourselves. Following this idea, love is the most natural feeling we can express towards forms of life because we are the same.

If it’s important to keep the regard for human life as Whitman does, then we can further this regard by acknowledging our immortality. He extends this idea when he writes, “ Has anyone supposed it lucky to be born? I hasten to inform him or her it is just as lucky to die, and I know it. I pass death with the dying and birth with the new-washed babe, and am not contained between my hat and boots.” By making death and life equal, he suggests that both are irrelevant. Whitman shares with Wordsworth the importance of being open to all experiences. If this makes you a living soul, then you wouldn’t be ‘contained’ in any physical form. This idea suggests that life is immortal. Whitman can transform by relating to the experiences of death and birth, and thus surpass them. The activity, or use of his mind allows him to do this and not merely be restricted to his current state. He is opening himself up to all experiences and to develop himself, the elements that are already inside of him. Finally he says, “I am not the earth of the adjunct of an earth, I am the mate and companion of people, all just as immortal and fathomless as myself.” By keeping himself free from restrictions, he becomes ‘the companion of people.’ Understanding leads to a love for all people on earth, but believing you are no longer bound to physical restrictions suggests that your soul will live on forever. This is possible if we think about the harmony of nature. If everything is united, that includes our life force, our soul. The impression we leave on this earth never dies away, even if our body does. After all of the interactions we’ve had on earth, our impression has been made. This is why it’s important to open to development through transformation because it leads to a world united in love and understanding. Just as a positive impression can affect future life, so can a negative one.

If we think back to Blake’s fear of stagnation, that merely passive role through life can hurt not those in the present, but also hinder the development of future generations. He suggests in his poem ‘The Sick Rose’ that the all-consuming love, similar to the religious love expressed in ‘Earth’s Answer’ can kill individuality and the ability to transform, both passive and active parts of one’s being. As written, “O Rose, thou art sick. The invisible worm that flies in the night in the howling storm has found out thy bed of crimson joy and his dark secret love does thy life destroy.” A rose is often a symbol of protected beauty as the thorns protect it from being plucked. The invisible worm, a symbol for passionate love, doesn’t approach the rose from the ground where it’s protected, but flies above in a howling storm. This adversity only strengthens the passion behind the worm’s intent to consume the beautiful rose. This worm, often a sign of death, secretly destroys the flower. Because it’s invisible, it is unaware that it’s dying. When love is so passionate that it requires all of your time and leaves you selfless, there isn’t any time for oneself. You’ve given it over to your passionate love. You’ve been consumed and this takes away any chance for development. If this is true then loving in moderation so that understanding is attained can preserve oneself, but crossing the line into passionate love will end all development and result in death.

If excessive love kills development, than our individual journeys are supposed to be taken alone. This could explain why we have a unique center that can never be fully changed. Our focus is supposed to be individual. This allows us to develop without repeating another’s contribution. Life is naturally upward moving and developing. This would explain the lament in the Earth’s Answer. Whitman would agree when he said, “Not I, not any one else can travel that road for you, You must travel it for yourself.” Because the soul keeps one’s individuality in tact, every journey will and should be experienced differently. This passive transformation produces development.

Dickinson would likely agree that our individuality is important to maintain since she introduced the topic in this paper, but she doesn’t see passionate love as necessarily leading to a loss of self. First, finding the harmony in differences leads to a deeper understanding of truth. With our natural differences it’s not likely that one will never be shocked. Lessons can be difficult to learn, but the shock is something that’s remembered. She writes, “ There’s a certain slant of light…heavenly hurt, it gives us- we can find no scar, but internal difference where the meanings, are.” Messages that object to our individuality and shake our core to such an extent that it described as a type of divine pain is important source of truth if one believes that nature is in perfect harmony. The conflict isn’t necessarily bad, but it highlights a lack of understanding, and when the storm inside is settled one has uncovered a significant truth. This wouldn’t have happened without being exposed to diversity in an intimate way. Not only is the light painful, but it’s also slanted. The slant represents a unique perspective. Just as these four authors have established the uniqueness in all forms of life, so are conflicts likely to occur and they’ll improve our understanding. These painful interactions will challenge one’s core to understand how diversity can truly be connected by understanding. After attaining this understanding, is one truly able to love. This love leads to transformation.

This leads to the second point Dickinson makes about transforming through love. One can love passionately love without killing the soul, if it’s a decision that naturally comes from the soul. “The Soul selects her own Society- then-shuts the door.” Dickinson is saying that the soul naturally does what Blake and Whitman advise not to do: shuts the door. The soul isn’t just shutting a door though. It’s choosing ‘One’. The soul is doing the choosing and remaining active. It’s also following its natural desire where the unique perspective lies. Unlike Blake’s example of religion, the soul in Dickinson’s example is completely aware of the divinity around her and still feels drawn to a certain other. It selects its own society as if it can see itself in the other soul. This is an interesting association. This active decision of the passive self has committed to what some would call a soulmate. This is a very passionate love and as Dickinson said, excludes all others. Because she can see herself in the other, there’s a connection. This connection isn’t free from diversity but it unites to create the deepest kind of transformation: one formed between two free and open individuals who have been united by passionate love. All other forms of divinity won’t disappear, but they’ll become less important. The majority of the focus will be given to developing this new relationship: a relationship that makes both individuals selfless, thus truly creating a new self. In this relationship, diversity, like a slant of light, will merge together and create a transformation that will truly leave a unique impression among future generations. Uniting two souls by love that transforms into new individual is the most drastic and positive development one could hope to attain in a lifetime.

Hon 203 Kassie Markovich

Dr. Berg

12/05/11

I Am What I Feel: We Are, What I Feel.

Part 1

There’s something in the idea of defining ourselves by what we feel. According to Marcel Proust in Remembrance of Things Past, “This new sensation having the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me, it was me. I had ceased now to feel mediocre, contingent mortal.” In our conscious state, feeling and thoughts intertwine and the latter provides meaning for the former. Because our mind is influenced by so many external factors that are all created by other fallible humans, we have to wonder what perceptions we can trust. Proust’s answer to this question in Remembrance of Things Past is the subconscious memory. He notes that the confusion caused by this random and unpredictable sensation prevents our mind from skewing the meaning of that moment when he writes, “What an abyss of uncertainty, whenever the mind feels overtaken by itself; when it, the seeker, is at the same time the dark region through which it must go seeking and were all its equipment will avail it nothing.” The mind has taken over the mind and we can’t know why some memories choose to come back to life to speak with us, but we can look at the significance of separating feeling from the mind’s interpretation of feeling.

Before being able to know what feelings are pure, we should try to understand the human’s natural state. Nietzsche in The Genealogy of Morals says that it’s the man who’s never had to defend his existence, but has simply been allowed to fulfill his purpose to exist: “The well-born simply felt themselves to be the “happy”; they did not have to manufacture their happiness artificially through looking at their enemies, or in cases to talk and lie themselves into happiness.” The “well-born” are the ones in society who don’t have to question their purpose or existence because they’re seen as the standard. It’s when you have to defend who you are that bitterness, worry, and confusion become internalized. This brings us back to our original question: what is a pure emotion? If it correlates with Nietzsche’s view of human nature using happiness as a way to measure how true we are to ourselves, then any emotion that is negative isn’t natural. It can’t be natural because our purpose is to live. The disturbance in negative emotions comes from a feeling present in all things that can never be completely destroyed. That feeling is hope. Negative emotions wouldn’t be so disturbing to us. They wouldn’t even be negative if that will to live wasn’t present in every one of them. The negative ideas, ideas related to death and inactivity are a creation of our mind and sensations.

If this disturbance is a result of those who have to defend their purpose of existing, then being able to live undisturbed in our natural state is our real destiny. Anybody who’s lived even a short period on this earth knows that to completely escape the more negative reality is nearly impossible. Though some groups are forced to defend their existence more than others, most have felt this insecurity at some point. If it’s as common as this paper is making it seem, then it is important to look at how humans have reacted to this condition throughout history.

According to Simone De Beauvoir, a way humans express their insecurity is through social division. She writes in The Second Sex, “It is the existence of other men that tears each man out of his immanence and enables him to fulfill the truth of his being, to complete himself through transcendence, through escape toward some objective, through enterprise.” The man doesn’t realize his immanence until he’s compared to other men. This first shake in confidence is when people begin to create the imaginary divides so they have something to conquer and stand apart from in superiority: Conquer because they’ve symbolically overcome their insecurity; stand apart from so they can attempt to return to a world where they remain the standard. The problem is one can’t return home from a journey as if the journey never happened. These domineering attempts to fight against their new reality are fruitless because they miss the heart of the problem. De Beauvoir writes, “The more the male becomes individualized and lays claim to his individuality, the more certainly he will recognize also in his companion an individual and free being.” The person can reestablish his center when he accepts that not only he, but also every individual is necessary.

A reason this seems to continually fail is because as we’ve seen in Nietzsche’s undisturbed yet happy human complex and De Beauvoir’s disturbed and suffering human complex, individuals are affected deeply by direct experiences. Though one group may conquer another group, the conquered still feel pain the same way the former do. This causes a circular exchange of hate, furthering the social divide.

The Redstockings are an example of how two insecure groups fail to see each other as individuals, but rather further their division from each other. They state in the Redstocking Manifesto, “In fighting for our liberation we will always take the side of women against their oppressors. We will not ask what is "revolutionary" or "reformist," only what is good for women.” The Redstockings, a feminist group who fought the noble cause of elevating women’s social status, overlook the needs of humans for the class needs of women when they wrote they would always defend women over oppressive men. This seems logical but they openly admit their intent is for class liberation and not human equality. Regarding women as a class just as the men have done only circulates the problem based on a need to feel secure.

. Those who are hurt or made to feel inadequate internalize their pain to make sense of their problems. The irony is they spend their life trying to go back to their natural state of happiness, but because they spend so much time in their own mind worrying about false comparisons, their fear leaves them a fragment of whom they were when life had just begun.

Dickinson finds another solution to conquer our insecurity in poem 657 when she writes, “I dwell in Possibility- A fairer house than Prose.” The contrast she shows between possibility and prose could well represent the former solution and new one she presents. There’s comfort in thinking one’s life is laid out like in a story. Reality quickly teaches us that there’s so much we don’t know. For Nietzsche and De Beauvoir’s men, the fear of not being god-like drove them to commit abusive acts so they could hide from their new reality. Dickinson says, embrace it! Possibility is a fairer house than prose because one’s future isn’t laid out predestined and limited. Accepting your uncertainty is your chance to create your destiny in any way you can imagine. If our center is so easily shaken that everyone has at some point experienced this uncomfortable sensation, then maybe it’s for the sole purpose of realizing there is so much more in life to be explored. The key is, you’re in control. When Dickinson continues, “ The spreading wide of my narrow Hands to gather Paradise” she acknowledged her own godlessness by referencing her ‘narrow’ hands, but also her confidence in her ability to bring her dreams to life. In this solution we have to accept we’re not gods, but acknowledging our humanity means that our growth is never ending. There isn’t a laid out plan or predestined greatness inside of us. Instead we find waiting an endless amount of Possibility.

Acknowledging Dickinson’s point about accepting our humanity, Blake might suggest we not forget that the one who created the lamb also created the tiger. This suggests to paradoxical features of our nature. In his poem, The Tyger, he writes, “ In what distant deeps or skies Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand dare seize the fire?” The tiger is active and full of fire like Nietzsche’s ideal human. This pure fire that comes from an undisturbed soul brimming with self-confidence helps us to fearlessly explore everything we are. Though, according to Blake we aren’t just tigers. In his poem The Lamb he writes, “He is meek and his is mild, He became a little child: I a child and thou a lamb, We are called by his name.” Comparing a lamb to a child, both are often seen as meek and mild. Before a world of comparisons built on insecurity, a world of hierarchy created out of fear, the child has no reason limit his love to others because nothing threatens his purpose in life. This freedom is disposed on lamb and child because they are taken care of and free to follow wherever their impulses lead them, truly experiencing the fortunes of the Nietzsche’s aristocracy. Naturally, they would express their inner joy in positive emotions.

Comparing the two solutions presented, we can see that one recognizes the greatness in all individuals and the other struggles to see the greatness in itself. The Existentialist Sartre extends Dickinson’s argument in his book, Existentialism and Human Emotions, when he writes, “ I am creating a certain image of man of my own choosing. In choosing myself, I choose man.” By this statement Sartre, like Dickinson, is saying we create ourselves. He also takes a step back and realizes that if he creates himself, then the entire human race forms its own identity as well. If this is true, then we are all pioneers in creating human identity. Sartre recognizes the insecurity we inevitably feel when he says that one’s influence forms another’s image of himself. Accepting this responsibility towards creating an entire race’s identity limits our choices or ‘possibilities’ to only what we would be okay with an entire race choosing as well. One could disregard this responsibility, but if he does that then he also eliminates the solution of free choice altogether because he can’t hide from the fact that his decisions influence others. His disregard for other human beings will in turn limit his own freedom because they will perform his inconsideration back onto him and others in humanity. What Sartre is warning against is the very circular pattern of hate we previously described when individuals only focus on themselves to create their humanity and disregard others. The world he’s encouraging is the child’s perfect world where we are both the lion and the lamb. This natural state of happiness that comes from being oneself without fear of abuse promotes positive feelings towards others that in turn preserves their freedom.

Establishing our purpose to live, and then live for the other’s needs because they are our own, Darwin further extends our responsibility through the idea of natural selection in The Origin of Species: “ But man can and does select the variations given to him by nature, and thus accumulate them in any desired manner.” Whether the theory of evolution is real or not, Darwin presents an interesting concept by introducing the idea of reproduction to social responsibility. Following Sartre’s argument, the values chosen to impress on our families, in some cultures the most intimate of social circles, affect not only our temporal reality, but also the future carried out by our sons and daughters. Though Darwin introduces a scientific concept on how species were formed to fit their environment, the idea can extend to how we raise our children to fit their environment.

Through Nietzsche, Dickinson, Sartre, and Darwin, we can see that our responsibility to humanity extends all the way from ourselves to the future. Humanity, that of our own and others, should always be a concern when we realize that all of our decisions affect our happiness and the happiness of others. Noticing the constant feeling of hope to live another moment in all emotions, we have to acknowledge that we were to meant live. For what, is yet to be determined. But how, is to preserve the freedom of ourselves through a selfless love and concern and others so that our environment remains positive and inviting to whatever possibilities we may create.

Part 2

What the humanities sequence has done most for me is encouraged me to look for paradoxes in my daily experiences. What’s been the most interesting part of this sequence is the varied amount of theories and outlooks I’ve been exposed to and have taken the time to understand. A lot of these texts contradict each other and yet there are times where I can’t quite deny the logic of either of them. For example, when our class learned about Existentialism, I loved the idea that we are all part of a human race that influences each other and is responsible for our future. On the other hand, reading articles like White Privilege and The Redstockings Manifesto helped me realize that dividing into classes are just as important for identity formation if it’s where you feel most comfortable. I’m not sure how you can separate the two. Are divisions manmade or natural? Should we fight against them because they hurt the development of our humanity, or are they at times a natural part of our humanity? I have no clue. What I do know is that both truths can coexist. This is the most valuable lesson I’ve learned. When there are two ideas that both make sense but oppose each other, then there’s room for further exploration. It could very well be that the missing link just hasn’t been discovered yet. This class has given me the idea that maybe all things are connected. All ideas, forms of life, values, everything is connected to everything else. If two opposing truths can exist in the same universe then this is very possible, and I find that exciting. It reminds me of when I used to paint in realism. When you spend hours staring a picture you find the patterns that run through and connect the different parts of the scene together. You have to look for it, but everything is connected it nature. I don’t see why this couldn’t extend to ideas as well. Finding these connections and figuring out how things relate, in my opinion, is the starting point of understanding our reality.

One of the pieces we’ve read that affected me the most is De Beauvoir’s, The Second Sex. I never understood that the origins of male domination had been a giant mind game. It makes sense! People who are insecure have no business being in relationships because how can your intentions be pure if you can’t even see the good in yourself? I used to think that men and women were pretty equal in today’s modern world, but after reading that chapter I’ve started to see manifestations of insecurity everywhere. It’s in music when artists rap about their identity being based on women and cars. Apparently, a woman is the equivalent to a shiny object that is used to show your social status. I don’t hear a lot of objection to this though. I think it’s because media portrays hip-hop as flashy and attractive. For example, the latest Akon music video has dozens of women hanging on one guy who’s flashing his money and everybody couldn’t look happier. It looks a lot like the patriarchal society that De Beauvoir described where the men use their economic superiority to purchase the women as another object to live in his house. The only difference is I doubt the women were smiling so much. Even in that artificial example, there’s no way happiness could last more than that two minutes and thirty seconds because that is probably around the time the girls are remembering they have an identity.

I don’t think this is a man problem, but a problem for the conquerors. It’s not necessarily a blessing to be born into the ‘privileged’ class because there’s little to build your character. With the illusion that you’re the standard, you become blind to any type of development. For the groups that aren’t born into the aristocratic state, it may be more productive to realize the opportunities that come with challenges. For this to happen, one would need to be critically aware of the world around them. Tying back to my thesis in the first part of the paper, being able to think critically is why a humanities education is so important. We can’t make the best decisions for ourselves and others if we don’t understand why we think the way we do, and why the world acts the way it does. Everybody wants a world filled with peace and love but how many people understand the traps that cause us to at times accept ideas filled with hate? It’s a lot like the aristocratic class Nietzsche talked about. When we’re so removed from understanding the invisible lines that separate us from other humans, we’re able to regard them as not quiet as human. This is why understanding humanity is so important. Like I said earlier, we need to understand how we all connect to each other. Once we’re able to look at everyone as if they are a member of our family, we won’t be able to be desensitized to their needs. When we can move beyond the made up lines of division and work together as human race, we can develop ourselves to become so much more. Though, it seems for the last few thousand years we’ve been stuck as step one.

It’s mentioned several times during this sequence that what we learned in those classes won’t help us prepare for a certain career but will prepare us for every career. I think this is true depending on your priorities. If someone genuinely isn’t interested in the welfare of others or the future of society, I think that person could be perfectly content living a life that’s become a stereotypical part of American culture. The idea is to work hard enough so you can have a comfortable life. The problem with comfort is the same problem with privilege. It can leave us unaware of lives of everyone outside of our immediate circle. Most people don’t have that nine to five middle class lifestyle. That immediate circle is much more immediate than we realize. And when I think about taking a step back, I realize that everything America promotes about materialism is a waste of time. Not only does it not matter, it becomes even less significant when I realize all of the problems that surround those who aren’t so privileged. And finally, I realize that the greatest damage is done when I don’t take the time look around me and try to understand the thing I see.

This society’s importance put on comfort is what has led to ignorance of every aristocracy we’ve studied this semester. We’re absolutely no different from them. Our country still persists with racism, classism, sexism, homophobia etc. There are so many lines and divisions you can draw in our society and yet solving these problems isn’t the message that I’m getting every day. Maybe, the comfort is meant to desensitize me. It’s the easiest way to forget about someone’s else’s problem when you’ve been told that you deserve to be safe and warm at all times.

If materialism is what shapes the decisions we make in our lives then I have to think about what it could be replacing. When I mentioned earlier that humanities prepares us for everything in life, I think that’s true for those who put cultural development as their main priority. In contrast to a world that’s captured your mind because you’re to busy chasing a dollar, there’s a world where everyone is trying to be the lion and the lamb. It could be about what really makes us happy. It seems just as selfish, but when your focused on what you human instead of what makes you lethargic and inactive, I think you’ll create a world that will embody the active hope and livelihood that present in all of us. If we could work to preserve this for each other, we could create a world that truly is a human experience. We could move beyond where we’ve been stagnant for thousands of years: fear of the other.

For me, humanities are about learning to understand why we make the choices is do. Once we understand that, it’s about understanding how our humanity connects to others. Once we can value that, it’s about learning how to move forward together to truly grow as a person, and a Sartre would suggest, as a people. It doesn’t fit our culture, but our culture shows what we value. I believe that people really do value others more than comfort but their senses have been dulled from seeing what’s truly out there. It not only takes critical awareness, but forcing yourself to have experiences that make you understand the experiences of others. I think that’s a full humanities education, but it begins with trying to understand.